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emeryhiro · 4 months

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What Daryl and Carol mean to each other

And why France may have been the best thing for Caryl

This idea has been sitting in my drafts for about six months, but now that we're only 9 days away from the Tribeca premiere, I finally decided to flesh it out and post it.

This post can be taken as part two of my previous one on what Carol means to Daryl [here], but it can also be read independently. And just as a disclaimer, this is just my understanding and opinions on Caryl and all the scenes I mention below. So grab a nice cup of your choice beverage and get comfy 'cause I had a lot to say, and this turned out to be a long one.

I want to start by pointing out some moments where Daryl and Carol got to enjoy each other's company and talk in peace.

Yup, that's all of them... a long list of 4...

I didn't realise how rare these moments were until I started looking through season after season. Don't get me wrong; I know there are countless sweet and meaningful moments that they've shared both on screen and off screen (implied), but very few that we've seen without heartbreak, grief, or danger looming over them. And even the moments in the gifs above were still sandwiched between disasters.

I've read and received many questions, such as, "Why have we had to wait all these years and are having to continue to wait for Caryl to be canon?" and "If it was going to happen, it would have happened by now." and I feel like the above gifs answer all of that.

These two have endured unimaginable pain before and after the outbreak, and throughout it all, they have been each other's light, held each other together, helped each other heal from their past, and become the strongest versions of themselves.

However, they have never been allowed to be selfish, to take a moment to think about what they deserve, or to imagine the possibility of accepting the love they want and need; why? Because they have been so busy protecting and making sacrifices for everyone else.

For the past 13 years, they have been content as long as they have each other in their lives, accepting their current circumstances as long as the other seems happy. But during all that time, they also connected in more ways than they had realised.

The major connection I wanted to point out is that their lives depend on one another now (mutually inclusive). Whether knowingly or unknowingly, they are alive at this moment because of each other. I don't mean this just in a 'save their life when they're in danger' way but also as a 'I can't imagine my life existing beyond yours' and 'I can't distinguish between my life and yours' kind of way.

I briefly touched on this in one of my previous posts about Carol [here], and the show, in general, has been a lot more open with us regarding what Carol wants, but here are a couple of more nuanced instances from the later seasons where we see those feelings show from Daryl and Carol's perspectives:

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S10 EP3 Ghosts (Daryl)

The first scene I wanted to mentions is when Alpha confronts them about crossing her border. The moment she says, "You have to be punished," and the whisperers reach for their weapons, we see Daryl shifting on his feet as he prepares to move at a moment's notice.

And as soon as Carol talks back to Alpha, calling her words "Bullshit", Daryl is already moving.

He immediately places himself between them to shield Carol in case Alpha decides to attack her.

Then, when Carol snaps and tries to shoot Alpha, Daryl grabs and takes complete hold of her.

He's not just trying to stop her; he's using himself to shield every inch of her from any possible incoming assault from the whisperers.

Once Alpha allows them to leave, he grabs Carol and her bow and arrows without a second of hesitation (leaving behind his own crossbow) and immediately moves Carol away from the situation.

Once again, when everyone is in danger all Daryl can think about is Carol, making sure she's safe and unharmed, with no concern for himself.

I also think it's so beautiful and important to point out here that while all Daryl could think about was shielding Carol, Michonne was also there trying to protect both of them ♡

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S10 EP3 Ghosts (Daryl) - Part 2

The second one I want to mention is later in the same episode when Daryl and Michonne rush Carol back to Alexandria/Siddiq for help after she cuts her arm open badly.

We first find Daryl holding onto a column outside to steady himself while he waits to find out if she's okay.

When Siddiq comes out full of hesitation and can't find the words to answer Michone when she asks if Carol is okay, we see a look of pure fear on Daryl's face.

He freezes; he's holding his breath and won't dare move or say anything because he feels like his whole reality is hanging by a thread, and in the moment, the smallest thing or whatever Siddiq is about to say next might make it all fall apart.

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S10 EP9 Squeeze (Daryl)

The third moment I wanted to mention is when Carol is hanging off the edge of a rock in the cave, risking her life just so she can try to destroy part of Alpha's horde, but Daryl finds her and is so confused and terrified by what she's doing.

He tries to tell her, to warn her that she's gonna get herself killed if she tries to go through with what she's planning.

Look at how he flinches and instantly loses his breath when her hand slips a little... breaks my heart every time.

When she responds to him by saying, "She killed my boy", Daryl's fear is now also combined with desperation because he realised that he didn't need to warn her about the possibility of getting herself killed; he realised she knew the risk all along and was in such a low place that she was almost welcoming the consequences.

What previously was a tone of alarm in Daryl's voice turns into a whisper, and he's now pleading with her. Without saying the actual words, he's begging her to choose to live again, even if it's just for him.

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S10 EP14 Look at the Flowers (Carol)

What Caryl wants is also kind of answered in 10x14, where Carol is having an internal confrontation with herself. Subconsciously, she has chosen and manifested Alpha (who is now dead) as the face and voice of the one confronting her.

Timestamp 19:10 - 20:15

When "Alpha" says to her:

"Being out on your own... you've tried it before. They always pull you back. Always wanting more. Love. Motherhood. Death. But they don't know what you truly want. Admit it. What do you want? Say it..."

Carol responded by saying :

"I want to be alone."

To which "Alpha" says:

"Yeah. That's not it."

So the question here is, if it's not love in general, motherhood, death, or being left alone, then what does Carol actually want?

It's important here to note that Carol already knows the answer to that question. She's only asking herself this question because she hasn't accepted it; she isn't being honest with herself yet.

Timestamp 33:15 - 35:20

While Carol is stuck under the rubble and can't get out as the walker is getting closer to her, "Alpha" taunts her by saying:

"Stop fighting. No matter what you do, you lose people. Sophia, Lizzie, Mika, Henry, Ezekiel... And if you go back, Daryl could be next."

To which Carol responds:

"I could never let that happen."

This internal confrontation with herself and the realization that even when everything else in her world is dark, just having Daryl and making sure he's okay is worth living for and fighting for and that it's not too late for her to start over. The acceptance that that's who/what she truly wants gives her the strength at that moment to fight again, dislocating her shoulder to get free and killing the walker that was about to reach her.

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S10 EP16 A Certain Doom (Daryl)

Looking back at 10x01 for a second, Carol asks Daryl to run away with her, but he says no and explains that life in tiny boat cabins is not for him. Then Carol presents the idea of running away on his bike instead, and he's much more enticed by his idea; however, by the end of the episode, they both agree that they can't because they still feel responsible for the people around them and making sure that they're safe against the threat from Alpha.

Back to 10x16, after Carol went to lead the horde off the cliff, Daryl would have almost been expecting and terrified that she wouldn't come back, that she'd take this "out" and end her own pain in a permanent and self-sacrificial way like she's tried before, but this time, he wouldn't be there to beg her to come back to him and to save her.

Once again, we find him leaning and steadying himself against a tree, preparing for the worst possible news or, as the episode's title suggests, a certain doom.

And when he sees her again, he can't take his eyes off her.

He doesn't believe his eyes at first; he looks all over her to make sure she's not hurt, but when she speaks, asking him if he's good, he finally breathes again, letting out the breath he's been holding.

The community is safe (for now) since the horde has been dealt with, and his next immediate thought is, "You still got me" and "New Mexico is still out there." He immediately brings back the idea of running away together; why? Because he now knows that this time he got way too close to losing her forever and will not be risking that ever again. He's now ready to leave everything and everyone else he cares about behind, so he'll never risk losing her again.

He loves her so much that, once again, all else comes second.

When he hugs her, he pulls her in tighter than ever before, making sure he's holding onto as much of her as possible because he needs to know that this is real, that he's actually holding her, that she's right there, unharmed and breathing, and not just a part of a dream of what he wants to see.

I believe he forgives everything in that instant, including her actions that led to losing Connie, because his pain is not worth causing her any more of it. He will now carry that guilt for himself, taking as much of her burden as possible just to make living a little easier for her. Because he'd rather shoulder all the pain and guilt than lose her, and because he can live with the pain and guilt, but he can't live without her.

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S11 EP24 Rest in Peace (Daryl & Carol)

I believe the events of the season 11 finale forced them to come to a new level of internal acceptance. Seeing the people around them lose the ones they love the most started a spark, and it started to force them to have those internal conversations.

The reality began to sink in for both of them that there had been too many close calls to keep denying themselves what they truly wanted, and It's now more true to them than ever that their tomorrow isn't guaranteed.

We all expected this to be the moment they went for what they'd wanted for so long, but we were wrong; their wounds were just too deep, and their instinct to self-sacrifice was once again too strong.

A year later, we see them once again dedicating their lives to helping others, Carol taking over Hornsby's job and helping put the commonwealth back together, and Daryl setting out to see what's left out there, hoping to find Rick and Michonne and bring them back to their family.

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TOWL S01 EP04 What We (Daryl & Carol) - A Parallel

There's a pretty important parallel that I'd like to point out as well. In episode 4 of TOWL, when Micheonne asks Rick what the CRM took from him, Rick responds to her by saying:

"When I got taken, I fought, and I fought, and not just by trying to get away, but by how I would dream. I'd meet up with Carl in my dreams. And that's how I survived in here. Kept me alive... But then I started dreaming of you [Michonne]... and it kept me going... I can't live without you. Without you, I die."

It's important here to note that Rick is speaking to his wife. When he was taken away and at his lowest, he survived because when he went to sleep, he dreamed about Carl (his son) and Michonne (his soulmate) and his happy memories with them.

So what does Daryl dream about when he's taken away and at his lowest? (TWD:DD S01 EP01)

He dreams about Judith (his surrogate daughter) and Carol (his soulmate).

He dreams about Judith telling him that he deserves a happy ending too, and his very next thought is of Carol, seeing her again and being with her again because that's the happy ending he truly wants.

And what does Carol dream about when she's at her lowest in season 10?

She dreams about Henry (her adoptive son) and Daryl (her soulmate)

She dreams about the life she's always wanted, a home, a family and a life with Daryl because that's the happy ending she truly wants.

Also, just a quick mention that even Michonne refers to Rick (her husband) as her friend when speaking to Virgil in TWD 10x08 (TS: 40:00 - 41:20)

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So why is TBOC going to be any different? And why was Daryl ending up in France the best thing that could have happened for Caryl?

Because they have finally reached a point where they almost believe they've lost the other, they have been forced to feel the dependence of their existence on the others.

They have never been truly separated before, not to this extent. And what to them was previously only a fear has now become a reality.

When they're reunited, it's going to be with a completely new perspective and total understanding of the extent of their need for one another, and the idea of just having one another in each other's lives will no longer even remotely come close to being sufficient.

I'll elaborate a little...

After all these years, we've seen them constantly save one another and be terrified of losing each other. But no matter what, nothing got them to the point where they felt they needed (more than anything) to confess to the other. So far, everything they have faced during the main show has been different shades of the same thing, and the urgency was never high enough to outweigh their self-doubt and insecurities.

What France has given us is a whole new level of steaks. Where we'll find them in season 2 is on the verge of believing that they'll never be able to see each other again; this, coupled with the fact that they don't even know if the other is even alive, and the fact that the distance and time apart has given them a true taste of how much they need the other, we now have the perfect and unique recipe for something that outweighs their self-doubts and insecurities.

It's the age-old idea of you don't know what you have until it's gone. The difference between:

Watching everyone around them lose the people they love most: they empathise with them, their heart breaks for them, they may even be devastated by that loss, and ultimately, it probably makes them cherish the ones they still have even more.

They, themselves, losing the person they love most: this is something that needs to be experienced to be understood. It's reality shifting, and the pain/loss outweighs anything else.

And now, after experiencing that loss for themselves, by some miracle, they're given another chance with that person... what a way to completely shift someone's priorities and ability to act past insecurities.

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To wrap up I wanna go back to Norman's words from the NYCC TBOC press conference:

"[Carol] feels something's wrong. They have that kind of bond, where there's a lot of unspoken things that are said... the bonds that we made in the flagship show are still very strong... [Carol] can take care of herself, of course... but the bond just keeps getting stronger and stronger..."

And David Zabel's words from his interview with Entertainment Weekly (interview link):

"The main focus of season 2 for me was always Daryl and Carol coming back together and what does that mean? And it becomes ultimately a story about how we as people can save each other. She's trying to find him, but in the process of telling that story: How are they ultimately getting to a place where they're kind of saving each other?...showing what's happening inside these characters as people in the most intimate personal way"

Daryl and Carol have loved and cared for each other so profoundly, especially when they couldn't love themselves, even to the point of sacrificing their own happiness to prioritise the others. If that is not the true meaning of soulmates, then I don't know what is. And we all know that some of the greatest loves are routed in the truest friendships.

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Thank you to everyone who read through this! I know it was an extra long one, and it could have been even longer, but I've decided to post their moments from 10C separately, as there's a lot more to break down there. I really enjoyed writing this, and I'm so happy/grateful that I have this platform to share these thoughts with you all. I'd love to know your thoughts on the things I've mentioned or missed ♡♡♡

As some of you already know, I'll be attending the Tribeca Premiere for TBOC in 9 days. After that, I'd like to write and share a spoiler-free-ish afterthought for this post, including what I've taken away from episode 1, what was said during the cast panel afterwards, and my thoughts on what's to come for Caryl. If anyone would like to be tagged when that's posted, please let me know.

I'll be posting a more detailed and spoilery analysis of Episode 1 once it's actually released.

#daryl dixon #carol peletier #caryl #the book of carol #the walking dead daryl dixon #the walking dead #twd #my gifs #caryl positivity #CarylArchives

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anneapocalypse · 3 months

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1, 2, 4, 8, 19 for the dav meme!

Veilguard Hype Ask Meme!

What was the first Dragon Age game you played?

Origins! I've been here since the beginning. Alongside Fallout 3, it was one of the first RPG video games that absolutely ate my brain. I have fond memories of sitting on my futon playing DAO for like 16 hours straight, forgetting to eat and destroying my back.

2. Which Dragon Age game is your favorite so far?

This is always such a hard question for me to answer, because the three games are all so different, and I have deeply fond memories of all three of them, and I can also look at all three pretty frankly and see their flaws even as I still enjoy them. I think if I have to name a favorite though, it's still Dragon Age 2. Something about its structure and scale, the creative and unusual use of place and time, and its themes, really appeals to me. I've also come to really like the personality lock-in feature even though it does place some limitations on role-playing, and I love the friendship-rivalry system. I love it so much. I think it makes for much more interesting character relationships than simply "Does this character approve or disapprove of my actions?" Are there things about the other games that I prefer, of course. I want to be able to play as an elf or a dwarf or a qunari, for one. But even after all this time, DA2 still hits me a certain way. I love the other two games as well. There's just something about Kirkwall.

4. What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

So I have like five or six world states and I don't consider any one of them more canon than the others, but I will be going into Veilguard for the first time with Rogues Gallery, which is exactly what it sounds like (and which means the one thing I know about my Rook is they'll be a rogue), featuring Jolene Cousland, Mallory Hawke, and Calla Cadash.

Basic rundown:

The Circle was saved, Connor and Isolde both lived, Zathrian broke the curse, and Harrowmont is King of Orzammar.

Jo romanced Alistair and convinced him to do the Dark Ritual.

They stayed Grey Wardens and rode off into the sunset together.

Anora is Queen of Ferelden.

Nathaniel is alive.

The Architect was spared.

Vigil's Keep and Amaranthine were protected.

Jo went off alone to find a cure for the Calling, and Alistair was left in the Fade.

Carver is dead, Bethany is alive and a Grey Warden.

Mal romanced Isabela. (In my headcanon, they later become a polycule with Merrill but of course that's not in the game.)

She rivaled everyone except the rogues and Merrill.

Bartrand is dead. Varric kept a piece of the idol.

Aveline did not marry Donnic.

Feynriel went to the Dalish, and then to Tevinter.

Clan Sabrae was killed.

Merrill did not destroy the Eluvian.

Mal refused to take any kind of a stand until the very end of Act III where she heaved a big sigh and sided with the mages.

She disapproved of Anders' actions but spared his life.

Mal is still alive and kicking.

Calla romanced Josephine.

She conscripted the rebel mages and the Grey Wardens.

Alistair was left in the Fade.

I left off with her right before Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, so I am not sure of her decisions from her onward! But I do plan to finish this playthrough before Veilguard comes out. :)

8. What faction are you most excited to learn more about?

I'm pretty hype about all of them, but I'd say the Lords of Fortune and the Veil Jumpers the most since we know the least about them!

19. Are you planning to replay any of the previous games, watch Dragon Age: Absolution, or read any of the books/comics/short stories, or are there other games you want to play in the meantime?

I do plan to finish my current playthrough of Inquisition (Calla's playthrough) which is still incomplete. Beyond that, maybe I'll re-read some of my favorite Tevinter Nights stories. I spent about three years (2020-2023) playing the whole series on repeat like 5-6 times and reading and watching all the side content I could get my hands on, so... I'm probably good on that front. ;)

Final Fantasy XIV is getting a new expansion, Dawntrail, in just a couple weeks, so that should occupy a good chunk of my summer, and I expect I'll be ready to play some more Dragon Age in the fall in preparation for Veilguard! (Would love to get an actual release date, though.)

#ask anne #queenaeducan #ask meme #veilguard hype meme #datv stuff

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thechaosmuses · 2 years

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Alrighty here are the new OC's I've made recently listed by fandom like the canon ones- Just a fair warning that this is gonna be a pretty long post because I've included an introduction thing for each muse. Another warning is that some of the content in the introductions might be triggering, things like drugs, death, alcohol, blood, etc- typical things you see in the shows, but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. Also, some of the people mentioned, ones that aren't canon or mine, are my darlin's (@chaos-awakens) OC's-

TVDU:

Carter William Forbes- he/him, 36, bisexual (female leaning). Carter was the first born of the Forbes’ kids and after his parents divorce he stepped up as man of the household. For the majority of his upbringing he was a good kid, got good grades, was a good athlete and was a perfect gentleman. When he got a little older though he started rebelling a bit, and though he was responsible while at home for his Mother and sisters the blonde was getting drunk and high with his friends when he wasn’t. After a pregnancy scare with his girlfriend when he was 18 and being told he had to repeat his senior year in order to graduate he took that as a sign and stopped drinking and smoking, cleaning up his act. Growing up he had always looked up to his Mother and so he applied for the Deputy Training Program and with a good word from his Mom managed to get in and not screw it up. He was in the program when vampires made their way back to Mystic Falls and unlike the rest of his classmates and teachers wasn’t buying the whole “animal attacks” thing. Eventually after a little while of it happening over and over again, he started investigating things on his own. It was during this time that he found out that both of his sisters were vampires, as well as many others in Mystic Falls. And there weren’t just vampires, there were werewolves, witches, hybrids and doppelgangers too. It took the blonde a little while to come to terms with everything but eventually he managed and Jeremy, Alaric and Matt taught him how to fight vampires and other supernaturals in case he ever encountered one. A few days after their Mom passed away Carter was asked to take her place as Sheriff, something that after careful consideration (and encouragement from his sisters) he decided to do. Carter is still human, though he has though about and been offered being turned it’s just not something he’s sure of right now.

Lorella Diane St. John- she/her, 146, pansexual. Enzo and Ella never knew who their parents were, and quite frankly neither of them wanted to know. The twins had been orphaned when they were still very young, and by the time they were four they were being forced to work and by the time they were in their teens they were living on the streets. Neither of them were sure how they managed to survive but they had. At least up until 1903 when Enzo caught consumption and though he had told his sister a hundred and one times to leave, she refused, telling him they were born together, and they hadn’t been separated since and so they would die together too. They had tried to catch a boat to New York where they hoped they could get help but they wouldn’t let either of them on as Enzo was already ill and Ella had been exposed. Their saving grace came in the form of one Lily Salvatore who managed to get them onto the boat and mere hours afterwards not only did Enzo start to decline, Ella had started to become sick too. After finding out the Doctor was a fraud and there was no cure, the vampire offered her blood to them and after exchanging a look they decided to do it. They woke up a few hours later as new vampires, the ship docked in New York but Lily and her heretics were nowhere to be found. The two spent the next few decades going from city to city, for once able to enjoy their lives. However that joy was cut short when they found themselves at Whitmore and before long in the arms of Augustine. That was where they would spend the next few decades, it was mostly just them for a while until more vampires were brought in. Slowly but surely the six of them all became close, an unbreakable bond forming over shared traumas amongst other things. Ella is a lot like her brother, so much so that Damon liked to say that Ella is just the female version of Enzo. They do however have differences, one being that it is much harder to earn Ella’s trust than Enzo’s.

Jensen Graham Gilbert- he/him, 57, bisexual (female leaning). Jensen was a surprise child that came only a year after John had been born. Their parents had only planned to have two kids maximum, but had ended up having four. Though in their eyes they really still only had two as they always seemed to forget about Jensen and Easton. The lack of attention from their parents led the boys down different paths, Easton chose to do anything and everything he could to get their attention and Jensen couldn’t have cared less. He started skipping school to hangout with his friends to drink and/or smoke, sneaking out late to go to parties or hook up with people. He eventually wised up a little bit at 16 and got a job so he could start saving money to move out at 18 and he’d managed to do just that, a few weeks after his birthday he bought a camper and hit the road, never looking back. He came home every so often for holidays, birthdays and when babies were born but other than that he kept his distance from his family. Instead he spent his time going to different places he could drive to, learning about not only the place but more about supernatural creatures. Like his youngest brother Jensen had never hated vampires, instead he was intrigued by them and what else might be out there. He was in California researching a town there when he got the call that Grayson and Miranda had died and though he wasn’t the biggest family man he packed up and headed for Mystic Falls once again. He decided to stick around for a little bit afterwards as he knew Jenna had her hands full with the three teenagers and though Jesse was a big help Jensen knew the young man needed time to grieve and so did Jenna. He also saw all the signs with Jeremy long before anyone else did and though he never lectured his nephew about it, knowing that would do more harm than good, he kept a close eye on him and who he was around.

Easton Reed Gilbert- he/they, 55, pansexual. Easton was the youngest of the four Gilbert brothers, Grayson being the oldest. Though he was the baby of the family, their parents had always put Grayson on a pedestal and John on another, leaving no room for either of the other two boys. While this led Jensen to act out, it made Easton work twice as hard and though he had no intentions of becoming a Doctor like his older brother, he set out to get a Doctorate degree in something. And by the age of 22 years old he had managed to do just that, earning a Doctorate in Psychology and by the age of 25 he earned his Doctorate in Criminal Justice. Both of these things as well as the way the youngest Gilbert’s mind worked and other accomplishments of his put him on the FBI’s radar and after he graduated they offered him a job at which he still works today. It requires him to travel a lot, but anytime he can he makes time to come home and visit his niece and nephews, especially since his brother and sister in law’s death. Like his other brothers he was told about vampires but unlike the older two he didn’t believe that all vampires were evil. Maybe it was just because the youngest Gilbert had always managed to see the good in everyone, even his high school bullies or maybe it was just because he’d always had a compassion and understanding for what people went through that made them the way they are. Where other people saw a villain, Easton saw someone who was misunderstood. Though he will admit he’s seen true evil a few times, both human and supernatural. When Easton came into town and met the Salvatore’s he could tell they were hiding a secret and it didn’t take the Gilbert man long to figure out what it was though he kept it to himself. Well, mostly to himself, because while he may be a patient and caring man, he is also incredibly protective of his family so he made sure to warn the Salvatore vampires of just that.

Jesse “JJ” Jonathan Gilbert- he/him, 35, pansexual. Jesse was only four when Miranda and Grayson adopted Elena and Elias and though he’d been an only child until then the little boy quickly became a big brother for the twins, and when Jeremy came along a few years later it took him no time to adjust to now having three siblings. His parents used to joke that he was meant to have siblings, even though they’d planned to only have one. Jesse wasn’t the most popular guy in school by any means but he was decently so from being part of the Founding Families, running track and playing basketball. Though he did two athletic things in high school, those weren’t really his passions. His first always was taking care of people, something he’s done since he was little and continues to do today. And the second being that he loves music and so any instrument he could get his hands on he’d learn to play, his favorites being the guitar, piano and drums. The older Gilbert did fantastic in school, rarely getting anything below an A in any class. After he graduated top of his class he headed for college at Whitmore, and to no surprise started working on becoming a Doctor like his Father. He was studying for his finals the night that his parents died in the car accident. He’d gotten the call from Sheriff Forbes who he’d known his whole life, both of them getting choked up over the phone before he hung up to rush back to Mystic Falls for his siblings. After that he dropped out of Whitmore and moved back home to help take care of his siblings. Of course he never thought any of what happened next would happen but he never once left their sides. Though there was a point he almost had, when he died, not once but twice. The first time was the most notable, as it was what made him a vampire. He’s still the same protective, caring older brother as before though vampirism brought out a certain confidence deep within himself, which in turn made him more outgoing and flirty.

Zariyah Dove Parker- she/her, 49, bisexual. Zeph hadn’t been the only baby placed on the doorstep of the Parker’s, his twin sister, Zariyah, was also with him. The small baby girl was wrapped in a purple blanket instead of yellow like her brother’s, though both had their names on them. Just like her brother and Kai, Zari started to show signs of being a siphon at age 4 and thus ended up in the same room as the two boys for most of her upbringing. Now, the isolation took them all down different paths. Kai lashed out, Zeph shut in on himself and Zari, well Zari was a combination of both of them. But she’d also started to rebel more, sneaking out of the house when she could, stealing liquor from the cabinet and started hanging out with the stoner kids at school rather than going to classes, and another great distraction she had found was sex, mostly with a fwb she had. Of course the Parker’s never caught on, blissfully unaware that the teen was sneaking out constantly. She had actually been gone at the time that Kai had killed most of his siblings, only making it back to the house when he had gone looking for Luke and Liv. Before the then 21 year old could really figure out what was going on, Kai had put her in the locked room with Zephyr. And when her twin had overheard Joshua’s plan to trap his eldest son, Zari had told him she wanted to help. But being the protective brother he had been for most of their lives, he had made sure she stayed home where it was safe. Of course the older twin hadn’t realized he would get trapped with Kai, and when the coven returned from the woods without her two favorite people, Zari wasted no time in packing her bags and leaving that night, taking the ascendant with her to try and figure out how to get the only family she’d ever known back. It was a few months later that she had thought she figured out, only to find herself trapped in the Prison World along with them.

Kennedy Taylor Parker- she/her, 45, pansexual. Kennedy was born after Kai and Jo and just two years after her brother had started to show signs of being a siphon like him. It was after that their parents moved them into a room together along with Zephyr. The three of them of course became very close, practically inseparable. As well as being close with them she was also very close to her younger cousin, Maia. And the four of them stayed close up until everything happened. Seeing her older brother who she looked up to more than anyone upset set the younger siphon witch off and she’d agreed to help Kai and by help she went further than anyone else had gone for him. Because of this their Father created prison worlds for them both and mere minutes after Kai and Zephyr had gone, Kennedy was too. It was a few weeks later that Maia had shown up and the Parker girl couldn’t have been more grateful to see her. The two of them spent the next 18 years together before Bonnie had accidentally brought them to the Kai’s prison world. It was there that they not only reunited with Kai and Zeph but also met Bonnie, Damon and Jesse. Kennedy wasn’t a fan, of any of them really though of course on drunken nights with her cousin they’d often question each other on which one they would pick if they had to, Kennedy always choosing Damon and Maia choosing Jesse. Whenever they finally got out of the prison world, Kennedy stuck with her family and has since. Which is how she’d ended up as a heretic, going along with her brother’s plan without question. Now, she’s a lot like Kai but has her moments where she can be a real sweetheart though those are often reserved for people she cares about. She’s not completely introverted but prefers staying home rather than going out. She plays the guitar and loves to draw as those were non-magical things she could do. She also knows of the Mikaelson’s, and is intrigued but only knows what she’s read in various grimoires.

Myles Zane Parker- he/him, 26, pansexual. Myles was born after Maci and being the complete middle child was overlooked quite often, especially with Maia being born a siphon. The only person who really did pay attention to him was his older brother and while he loved him, the younger boy wasn’t fond of the way Micah treated their sisters, especially Maia. The blonde put on an act when their brother was around, afraid that if he said anything he’d upset his brother more but when Micah wasn’t around he was a completely different person. He was sweet, caring and would do whatever his older and little sisters asked of him and he would be lying if he said he hadn’t catered to Maia the most. He knew it had been against their parents' rules for her to touch him but sometimes late at night when no one was awake he would let her crawl into his bed and hold her for a few hours before everyone woke up, or let her hold his hand or hug him when she needed. He’d also let her siphon from him sometimes when they’d go outside at night, showing and teaching her small spells and cute things, like conjuring butterflies and fireworks in the palm of her hand. He had been devastated when his parents sent her to the prison world purely because their cousin Kai had lashed out. Of course that was something he had to keep hidden from the rest of his family, and the middle Parker boy spent many nights sobbing silently in his bed hoping his baby sister was okay. It was a few months later that he decided to move out of his family home and decide to travel the world. He wrote letters home, mostly to Micah but he also wrote letters to Maia, he never sent them anywhere, just kept them in a box that he kept with him. He was halfway across the world when his brother had informed him that Kai, Maia and Zephyr had gotten out of the prison world and were in Mystic Falls and Myles immediately got the next flight to Virginia to go find his sister.

Mariana Joy Parker- she/her, 23, bisexual. Mari was a pretty quiet kid growing up, at least until she was a teenager she kept to herself mostly. The only people she really talked to were her sisters and Myles, steering clear of Micah whenever she could. She did decently in school and with learning magic though she had her troubles with both. When she became old enough and started figuring out things that were going on in her house, like how Maia was treated differently by their parents and Micah, she also found out about the merge. Because she had been so quiet for most of her life, her parents rarely paid attention to her and the younger Parker girl used to resent that but as she got older it started becoming something she loved rather than hated, especially since it meant that she could get away with most things. Because she was so quiet no one ever really knew she was around and would just talk like she wasn’t. That was how she found out about their parents' plan to put Maia in a prison world. Mari had never really been super close with any of her siblings, but if you ever asked the younger Parker to pick she’d say Maia and Myles were her favorites as the older two had always been in their own worlds, especially Micah. Of course she immediately went and found her brother to tell him but unfortunately for both of them they had been unable to stop their parents from sending their sister away purely because she happened to be a siphon like Kai. Mari had never thought siphons to be bad and though she didn’t know much about them aside from the evil things her parents and other relatives spewed she sought to learn. So after Maia was sent away and Myles had left home, Mari left too to seek out information about siphons so that when she got her sister home, she could help her. It would be 18 years later when she would get the call from Myles that everyone was free, including Maia and that was all Mari needed to hear before she was on her way.

Holden Atlas Salvatore- he/him, 183, bisexual. Holden was born only two years after the twins, Benjamin and Braeden, and because of that had always remained close with them and when they left after turning, he begged them to take him with them. Luckily for him his older siblings agreed, turned him and the three of them left, never looking back. After a few decades together Holden separated from his brother and sister and went out on his own, finding his way to Chicago. It was there that he heard a name he hadn’t in a very long time, Stefan Salvatore. Of course his little brother looked a lot different than the little boy he had been when Holden left but he would’ve known him anywhere. At first the older Salvatore tried to keep his distance, afraid his brother would be mad at him for abandoning him and their other siblings so long ago and never coming back. He knew he would have questions, questions that Holden wasn’t sure if he had or was ready to give the answers to. However all of that went out the window when he realized his brother was the famed Ripper of Monterey, and had his humanity off. Stefan did remember him however any grievances or questions he had were the furthest thing from his mind. Holden and him ended up spending a lot of time together, not really as brothers but more so as friends, and whenever Klaus and Rebekah showed up and joined in, it only made things more chaotic. And while Stefan found himself in Rebekah’s bed, Holden found himself in the older Original’s. Of course all of that had been lost to him when Klaus took his and his brother's memory. The compulsion had even taken the memory of the two of them reuniting, something that didn’t happen again until Holden, Braeden and Benjamin all found themselves back in Mystic Falls decades later. While a lot of people like to compare Holden to Damon both in personality and looks, the two of them couldn’t disagree more though they are very similar, they do still have their differences.

SPN:

Lucilla Marie Nightstar- she/her, extremely old, pansexual. Before the Angel Twins, there were the Archangel Twins, Lucifer and Lucilla. Lucifer was “The Morning Star”, their Father’s bright white golden boy, his favorite, the one he’d entrusted with The Mark. Lucilla was “The Night Star”, their Father’s pitch black disgrace, his most hated, and the one he’d never thought was good enough. God had never intended to make twin angels, either time, but especially not when creating his precious archangels. Lucilla had been a mistake, a bit of darkness that had slipped in while Amara was still around. He’d thought that because Lucilla had black wings that she was the one he needed to worry about. But the archangel was the opposite of her brother in most ways, where he had a hatred for humans, she didn’t. Where he only pretended to care to manipulate people, she truly cared for others. Though she never cared about anyone more than her brother. So when God was sending Lucifer to The Cage, she fought back. Her archangel siblings helping him were able to overpower her just long enough to get Lucifer in but after was a whole other story. She left all of them in Heaven barely alive and made her way to Hell where Lucifer was. She wasn’t able to get him out of The Cage then but she was able to build Hell alongside him and make moves to eventually get him out. And while everything that happened changed her, made her heart a little darker, she was still the same caring, misunderstood archangel underneath it all. The Winchesters were able to eventually make Lucilla see how terrible of a person her brother was and that made the archangel want to change her ways. So, after helping them take down her brother, something that while she knew was necessary still left a hole in her heart, though her brother's son, Jack, helped fill that hole. The archangel saw a lot of herself in the young nephilim and so she stayed with the Winchesters to help raise him.

TW:

Dawson Cole Reynolds- he/him, 23, bisexual. Dawson was adopted when he was three by his Mother’s older brother after she started struggling with her addiction again after Dawson’s father left. After that his mother went to prison for attempted murder and burglary and he didn’t ever see her again. When the Dread Doctors came for Theo and Callum the older boys managed to convince them to take the youngest boy with them. A few years passed where they didn’t do any experiments on Dawson but eventually the day came where they did. He was only 10 at the time and the other boys were just young teenagers though they did their best to save Dawson from going through what they had. They’d failed to do so but luckily the youngest boy managed to survive and become another successful chimera though he was still viewed as a failure by the Dread Doctors. Dawson was a were-fox, half wolf, half fox and like Theo could transform into a full wolf though Dawson looked more fox-like with reddish brown fur and pointier ears. The youngest of the three boys is a lot like the older two in most ways though he’s a lot more introverted than them. Whenever they came back to Beacon Hills and were trying to make their way into the McCall pack Dawson mostly stayed to himself and kept quiet. He’d spent the majority of his life with the Dread Doctors, and what little he could remember of his life before that wasn’t much better. He had Theo and Callum of course, and he slowly but surely started to warm up to the McCall pack but the chimera’s best friend came in the form of a girl his age that happened to be a werewolf. He met her out in the woods behind the school one day where he was taking a walk on his free period. She introduced him to weed which helped ease his anxiety a lot and when Callum and Theo went to Hell she was the reason he made it through.

Callum Tate Raeken- he/him, 25, pansexual. Callum was only seven when the Dread Doctors showed up. He doesn’t really talk about that night, and honestly he doesn’t really remember much of it. The things he does remember haunt him in his nightmares, which is why he prefers not to talk or think about it. He also rarely talks about his life before they came, and especially not his twin sister that was stolen from him so he could have her heart. The Dread Doctors, the people he was forced to stay with for the next near decade, took her heart, along with his older sister’s to turn him and his brother into their first successful chimeras. Theo was the first, a werewolf/coyote, something that the older Raeken likes to rub in his brother’s face when they’re arguing. That he was the first at least, because while Theo was merely wolf and coyote, his baby brother was wolf and lion. Because of that, even though Theo was their first success, they catered more to Cal, thinking of him as a step much closer to The Beast they were trying to bring back. And they had been close with him, much closer than they had ever come at least until Mason. Before everything, Callum had been a lot like Mason and in some ways he remains that way, deep down at least. However the younger Raeken is also incredibly similar to his older brother. Which is probably mostly because they spent so much time together though they do have their differences, especially morally. While Cal believed they had to do what they had to to survive, he thinks Theo took things way too far with the McCall pack. It’s partially for that reason that the Skin Walkers had only sent Theo to his own personal Hell. But Cal went anyway, even though he was upset with him, seeing the fear in his brother's eyes and hearing his cries for help, he couldn’t stop himself from trying, and neither could anyone else. So, they went together and they managed to survive that together too before Liam got them out.

CT:

Damian James Taylor- he/him, 40, bisexual. Damian was born when his parents were still teenagers and while his Father wanted to keep him, his Mother wanted nothing to do with him. So, after she gave birth to the little blonde hair, green eyed boy she signed all rights over to his Dad and went on with her life, even moving a few towns over. At the time his Father still lived with his parents but eventually they moved into a one bedroom apartment together. They didn’t have much, and between his Father working full time and doing online college to get a better job he didn’t spend much time with him. By the time Damian was 13 they were a little better off, living in a two bedroom house in Atlanta where his Father had gotten a good job. He still rarely saw him though and that caused the green eyed teenager to start acting out. He was constantly getting in fights in school and outside of it, stealing from the mall and other places, started smoking weed and got older friends to buy alcohol for him so he could drink, and he’d have parties when his Dad went on business trips. Around the time he was 16 he got alcohol poisoning after one of those parties and almost died. He woke up the next day in the hospital, his Dad holding his hand while fast asleep in a chair beside his bed. It was then that not only did Damian decide to turn his life around that his Dad decided to cut back a bit on his hours and spend more time with his son. After getting his life together he managed to graduate and went to college. He kept his major undecided for a little while until he had taken a criminal justice class on a whim and learned what a Private Investigator was. So, after a few years of working his ass off that’s what he became. He's not totally an extrovert but he’s not completely introverted either, pretty big flirt, and still a troublemaker after all these years, sarcastic at times. He has a lot of trust issues but once he trusts you he’s very loyal and protective.

911 Muses:

Evelyn June Buckley- she/her, 26, pansexual. When Buck decided to move to California it was no surprise that his twin sister followed him. Born just eight minutes after him they had always been very close as well as very similar. And after moving they both applied to the LAFD and somehow managed to end up with and keep jobs there. Of course no one really warned either of them of the trauma that came with being a firefighter. Buck was the first one to lose someone on the job, the nightmares he had waking Eve up in the other room for weeks. And just when things had started to settle down, Eve herself had lost someone on the job. A woman in a car accident, trapped in the driver side of her car after some drunk idiot had slammed into it. She held her hand the entire time Chimney was trying to cut her out of the vehicle but unfortunately by time he managed she’d slipped through Eve’s fingers. Buck had miraculously been off that night but Athena had texted him the second they’d left the scene that Eve needed him. After that Bobby rarely let them work separate shifts and if for some reason they did they both knew, as well as everyone at the station, that the other was a simple call or text away if anything happened. As far as outside of work, or mostly, Eve was just as “slutty” as her brother though was a little more subtle about it on the job, at least most days. She also started smoking after hooking up with a girl who had informed her it was legal in the state. She preferred it over drinking, but it was still tied with sex. Around the same time that Buck started talking to Abby, who Eve hated from the start, Hazel had just transferred to the 118. Though the two only had a friends with benefits relationship Eve had slowly started to fall for the other girl until she got her heart broken when Hazel showed up with a boyfriend after visiting home for a few weeks. After that Eve went back to her old ways, but slightly more tame than before.

Hazel Jayne Walker- she/her, 25, pansexual (female leaning). Hazel had a relatively normal upbringing, her parents weren’t too strict but they weren’t too lenient either. They let Hazel and her other siblings, of which there were five, do what they wanted within reason. Hazel wasn’t the youngest, but she was second to youngest and the only little girl her parents had. Now, of course her Mother loved her but she had always catered more to the boys as she had grown up with all brothers. Hazel’s Dad however grew up with a single Mom and two sisters so he catered to his only little girl the most. And Hazel had been a Daddy’s Girl from the second she was born and even as she got older that never changed. Her Dad had been a firefighter since he’d graduated high school and not long after Hazel turned five he became the Captain and though he said there were hard days, there were also a lot of good ones and he never once regretted his job. A few days after her 16th birthday and after getting accepted into the pre-fireman program at her high school, which both her and her Dad were thrilled about, her Dad had died on the job. Hazel had never felt so broken in her life and after the funeral she wanted nothing more than to give up but she knew that’s not what her Dad would’ve wanted. She knew that even though he had died, he wouldn’t want her to give up on her dream. She also knew that he’d never once regretted his job and always used to say that if he died while doing it, that at least he knew he died a hero’s death and would die giving his life to save someone else’s. Which had been exactly what he’d done, the Mother and the five year old little girl he’d saved showing up at his funeral to personally thank his family. So, Hazel put herself back together, piece by piece and became the top firefighter in her class before graduating and then at her Dad’s old fire station before she moved to Los Angeles after her Mom’s passing when she was 22.

Izaiah Edison Hendrix- he/him, 29, bisexual. It was no secret that Izaiah and Isaak had always been close and being twins whose parents were barely ever around they only got closer. The twins were five when their parents had decided to adopt Isabella and though he was still a child at the time Izaiah could never understand why they would want to have another child that they didn’t even bother to care for. Despite the feelings he had towards his parents, he always treated Isabella as his sister, even if she was adopted. The little boy at the time didn’t care about that, he was just happy to have a baby sister. As he got older he remained close with both his siblings and grew more distant from their parents. He got decent grades in school and played basketball when it was the season for it but other than that Izaiah didn’t really put much effort in. It wasn’t like his parents cared whether he did or not as they were barely ever around anyway. When he was a freshman he got invited to his first high school party and after sneaking out past the nanny he had gone. It was there that he picked up three vices; alcohol, weed and sex after losing his virginity to a junior he’d had a crush on for a few years. After that his grades suffered a bit but not by much as he was a pretty quick learner and more than that he had learned how to get things he wanted from people just by talking and being charming. So any teacher that had dropped his grade he immediately went and charmed them into letting him take a makeup test or do something easy for extra credit. After graduation he tried to get over his addictions and even started working towards becoming a firefighter. He managed to do both things, though sometimes he’ll drink or smoke after hard shifts, but he doesn’t go overboard like he did when he was younger. When Isa came back home after six years and said she was leaving again for a job, her twin brothers immediately followed her.

Matilda Iris Monroe- she/her, 27, bisexual. Matilda was the youngest born child of her six siblings though she received none of the “baby treatment” most people would assume when they hear that. In fact Matilda wasn’t even sure her parents or siblings even knew she existed and the youngest girl had been taking care of herself for as long as she could remember. Not long after she turned 13 her Aunt decided to take her in and move her to California with her. Her Aunt had never wanted or intended to have kids of her own but her and Matilda had had a special relationship since she was born and the older woman just couldn’t stand to see her favorite niece being neglected any longer. In California Matilda started to thrive, she came out of her shell a little more and even made a good group of friends. As she got older she started going to parties and things, not that her Aunt minded as long as she wasn’t drinking and driving or doing anything else life threatening and the young teen always kept true to that promise. Matilda loved her Aunt dearly and looked up to her more than anyone else and while she originally hadn’t had an exact plan for after graduation after her Aunt passed not long after she decided to look into becoming a dispatcher like she had been. That was how she’d ended up where she is now, as the head dispatcher for the station she’s been working at since 18, the same one as her Aunt. Mattie is still very much the same girl she’s always been, kind-hearted, a little introverted and quiet around strangers but the life of the party when around people she knows. She’s always been incredibly determined and independent, rarely ever asking for help unless she really needs it. She isn’t a huge flirt or anything but will flirt when she sees someone she finds attractive.

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padawanlost · 4 years

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Hey love your content.

Just wanted to ask you something. There's a claim I've seen coming up in fandom a few times now that Obi Wan knew Luke would bring his father back to the light and redeem him. That he even planned as much and this is supposedly evidenced by his not killing Vader in A New Hope and telling Luke to face Vader but not kill him in Return of the Jedi

I'm not convinced, but can you offer a more conclusive answer rebuttal or whatever.

I’ll be honest with you, this is the first time I’ve ever heard such theory so I’ve no idea where it came from or what arguments are being used to support it. All I can show you is the OT itself. The movies make pretty clear that Obi-wan and Yoda were preparing Luke to kill Darth Vader, and that Anakin’s return was something considered impossible until that point.

Because I don’t keep track of DisneySW, all the evidence I provided is strictly based on the original canon, as developed by George Lucas. So if Disney retconned something, I won’t be able to help :)

That being said, that theory doesn’t make much sense to me, sorry. For Anakin’s redemption to be part of some Obi-wan’s master plan, the character would have to have an impossible foresight into everyone’s involved past and future. For Obi-wan to be able to manipulate people and events to push Anakin’s into going back to light, he would first have to understand why Anakin fell in the first place. And if there’s one thing Episode III makes painfully obvious is that Obi-wan was nowhere near Coruscant when Anakin made his fatal decision, nor was he aware of the circumstances that led him to it. Everyone who knew what truly went down were either dead or his new worst enemies.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at Obi-wan��s (alleged) ‘master plan’:

In Episode IV, we have Obi-wan openly lying to Luke about where he came from and dueling Vader (literary to the death). Not exactly the actions of a man who wants the son to save the father’s life.

In Episode V Obi-wan tells Luke not even Yoda had the power or skill required to see into the future of Han and Leia. Considering they were captured by one of the most even being in the galaxy, it wouldn’t be that hard to guess their future did not look pretty.

Luke: But, Han and Leia will die if I don't. Obi-Wan: You don't know that. Even Yoda cannot see their fate.

The idea here is tied to an important concept in SW: free will. The characters are fundamentally free to make their own choices. Anakin, despite being manipulated by Palpatine, ultimately made his own bed. This is true to all of them. Palpatine’s ‘master plan’ wasn’t about controlling people into doing what he wanted, it was using their own nature against them. He nudged them into the making poor decisions, he never stripped them of their agency.

Obi-Wan: It is you and your abilities the Emperor wants. That is why your friends are made to suffer. Luke: That's why I have to go. Obi-Wan: Luke. I don't want to lose you to the Emperor, the way I lost Vader. Luke: You won't. Yoda: Stopped, they must be. On this, all depends. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight, with the Force as his ally, will conquer Vader and his Emperor. If you end your training now, if you choose the quick and easy path as Vader did, you will become an agent of evil. Obi-Wan: Patience. [...] Obi-Wan: If you choose to face Vader, you will do it alone. I cannot interfere.

Unless you see Obi-wan as a manipulative, cruel person who wants an untrained Luke to face two of the most powerful beings in the galaxy alone for his own personal, secret plan, I’d say the movie is pretty clear in showing us that neither Yoda nor Obi-wan want Luke to face Vader at that point. If the plan was to get Luke to going, wouldn’t have been easier to just let him go instead of creating an huge argument about it? Hell, they are willing throw Han and Leia under the bus to keep Luke from leaving. If that wasn’t shady enough now we are supposed to believe that was part of an even worst scheme involving pretty much everyone?

Yoda: Told you I did. Reckless, is he. Now... matters are worse. Obi-Wan: That boy is our last hope. Yoda: No. There is another.

Yeah, it doesn’t sound like using Luke to redeem Vader was their ultimate goal here.

There are some pretty big holes in that theory in terms of character development and narrative structure. I know everyone loves the idea of Vader and Obi-wan having some badass duel in ANH but the truth is Vader had spent the last 20 years training and killing pretty much all kinds of enemies imagine while Obi-wan mediated on Tatooine as grew shockingly old for his age.

As proven on Mustafar, raw power only takes you so far. Anakin has always been much, much more powerful than Obi-wan but in the end Obi-wan won because of skill, training and discipline. Unfortunately, for Obi-wan, he didn’t get much training in his isolation. He couldn’t have because he was in hiding! If that wasn’t enough, the EU confirms that Obi-wan sacrificed himself to allow Luke to scape. There was no secret plan.

Obi-Wan risked a glance through the hangar’s open doorway and saw four stormtroopers guarding the Falcon. He also sensed that Luke was nearby. Hoping to cause a distraction that would allow Luke to board the Falcon, he attacked Vader more vigorously. The noise of clashing lightsabers echoed into the hangar, attracting the stormtroopers’ attention. With his peripheral vision, Obi-Wan saw the stormtroopers leave their stations beside the Falcon and run toward him and Vader. He continued his attack on Vader, and several exchanges later, he sensed Luke’s movement and knew his plan had worked. He risked another glance into the hangar to see several figures racing for the Falcon’s landing ramp: the droids, Chewbacca, Han Solo, Luke, and — Leia! Obi-Wan hadn’t known that Princess Leia was on the battle station, but he recognized the girl in the white dress from the hologram that R2-D2 had displayed. Obi-Wan did not believe in luck or coincidences, and seeing Luke unwittingly reunited with his twin sister, he knew that it was not a tractor beam that had brought him to the battle station, but the will of the Force. His fleeting glance also registered that Luke had paused behind his friends. Luke stood a short distance from the landing ramp and was staring straight at him, gaping. Obi-Wan realized there was only one way Luke, Leia, and the others would escape the battle station alive. He smiled as he looked away from Luke, then closed his eyes and raised his lightsaber up before him. Darth Vader did not hesitate to strike. [Ryder Windham. The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Imo, this theory ruins the character of Obi-wan by making him pretty much omniscient and way more powerful and manipulative than he was in canon. Obi-wan wasn’t perfect, but he wasn’t palpatine level of manipulative either. He had no ‘grand plan’ beyond using Luke to kill vader and save the galaxy in a desperate attempt to save the galaxy.

On top of that, let’s remember that Obi-wan had no hope left for Anakin. He did not believe Anakin could be redeemed after Mustafar. If you do not believe md, believe George Lucas.

After the first complete take, Lucas and McGregor discuss when he should say each line: “As you watch Anakin slide down, how about if you take one step forward,” Lucas Suggests. “For a moment, you think about it. Your first impulse is to save him – but then you realize you can’t”. As the takes multiply and the actors find their rhythm and emotions, the scene becomes more and more powerful. Christensen yells “I hate you!”. McGregor says, “I love you. But I will not help you”. Lucas explains that what Obi-wan’s really saying to Anakin is: “Your were our only hope and you blew it. Now we don’t have any hope”. Take. After Anakin implores Obi-wan to save him, George asks Ewan to say “I will not…” softer, almost to himself. Take. “After he burst into flames,” Lucas directs, “it’s as if you’re talking to a dead person. To a piece of toast”. He suggests, to drive home this point, that McGregor change the words in the script to the past tense, “I loved you.” The actor acquiesces, but points out that his subsequent line would have to change to “But I could not help you.” Lucas agrees, and Tenggren alters the script accordingly.[ The Making of ROTS]

Another thing that George is very clear about is that Luke is the one who redeems Anakin.

It really has to do with learning. Children teach you compassion. They teach you to love unconditionally. Anakin can’t be redeemed for all the pain and suffering he’s caused. He doesn’t right the wrongs, but he stops the horror. The end of the saga is simply Anakin saying, I care about this person [Luke], regardless of what it means to me. I will throw away everything that I have, everything that I’ve grown to love - primarily the Emperor - and throw away my life, to save this person. And I’m doing it because he has faith in me; he loves me despite all the horrible things I’ve done. I broke his mother’s heart, but he still cares about me, and I can’t let that die. Anakin is very different in the end. The thing of it is: the prophecy was right. Anakin was the chosen one, and he does bring balance to the Force. He takes the ounce of good still left in him and destroys the Emperor out of compassion for his son. [ GEORGE LUCAS - THE MAKING OF REVENGE OF THE SITH; PAGE 221.]

This brings us back about what I said earlier about narrative structure. This is Luke’s story. Obi-wan is the mentor, that’s it. It’s Luke’s actions, Luke’s choices. To suddenly reveal that everything happened was the result of Obi-wan’s plan would be narrative equivalent of a slap in the face. We watched Luke’s hero journey only to find out his journey was a lie and his choices weren’t really his own. How disappointing!

Not only that but redemption comes from within. Even if Obi-wan had planned for everything, Anakin would need to WANT to change. and knowing it was Luke’s selfless actions that drove Anakin into killing Palpatine, suddenly finding out an ulterior motive behind Luke’s actions (beyond the character’s own goodness) would diminish the weight of Anakin own choices.

But, again, Obi-wan couldn’t have planned for Anakin to return to the light because he didn’t even believe one could be redeemed after such evils.

Obi-Wan’s spirit was invisible but present when Luke arrived in the Endor system, where the Empire had constructed a new Death Star battle station. When Luke surrendered to Darth Vader on the Endor forest moon, he listened as Luke maintained his belief that a remnant of Anakin Skywalker remained within Vader and had not been entirely consumed by evil. Luke urged his father to let go of his hate. Vader said, “It is too late for me, son.” Then he signaled to two stormtroopers to escort Luke to a waiting shuttle that would carry them to the Death Star. As the stormtroopers moved up behind Luke, Vader added, “The Emperor will show you the true nature of the Force. He is your Master now.” Luke stared at Vader for a moment before he said, “Then my father is truly dead.” Obi-Wan’s spirit wished he had convinced Luke of this fact earlier. [Ryder Windham. The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Even as they fought, Obi-wan didn’t believe Luke could save Anakin. It was only after witnessing Palpatine’s demise he started to realize what it meant.

Obi-Wan knew that Vader would never help, and he felt almost overwhelmed by a sense of dread. Luke would soon be dead, and Vader would remain the Emperor’s puppet. In fact, Obi-Wan was so convinced of Vader’s nature that he was stunned by what happened next. Vader grabbed the Emperor and lifted him off his feet. [Ryder Windham. The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Had Obi-Wan’s spirit not witnessed Vader’s action, he never would have believed it. Vader, the same monster that Obi-Wan had left to die on Mustafar, had sacrificed himself to save his son. And suddenly Obi-Wan realized where he had failed. For unlike Luke, Obi-Wan had not only believed that Anakin was completely consumed by the dark side, but had actually refused to believe that any goodness could have remained within Vader. [Ryder Windham. The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Btw, in ROTJ, Obi-wan doesn’t try to talk Luke out of killing Vader. In fact, the oppositve of that happens:

Luke Skywalker: There is still good in him. Obi-Wan: He's more machine now than man. Twisted and evil. Luke Skywalker: I can't do it, Ben. Obi-Wan: You cannot escape your destiny. You must face Darth Vader again. Luke Skywalker: I can't kill my own father. Obi-Wan: Then the Emperor has already won. You were our only hope.

Star Wars, at its core, has a very simple message about love and the power it has over people. in the end, the good guys won because they were good, not because they were being guided there by some powerful guy. In the end, it was love that won the war and saved the day. Everyone’s love. Luke’s love for Anakin, Anakin’s love for Luke, Han’s love for Leia, etc. Selfless love makes better people and good people do good things. It’s not about manipulating actions, people or even knowing everything. In fact, I’d say it’s the appositive.

Luke didn’t know he could save Vader, but he tried anyway and that’s what makes him a hero. It’s the not knowing but having faith in someone out of love, faith they can be better than they are. That’s what saves the world. It’s not knowing everything and still acting out love and compassion.

Anyway, I honestly don’t know where this idea of Obi-wan knowing Anakin’s future and planning for it came from. But I do know it’s not supported by the movies, the EU or George himself.

#ask #englishlady #what if #obi wan kenobi #sw meta #meta: fandom #txt #meta: anakin #meta: obi wan

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nyerus · 5 years

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Hey I originally followed you for YOI stuff and since that seems to be on haitus, I have seen you and a lot of people rebloing stuff about a different anime or manga (i think) with different mlm relationships? I think they're two diff shows and I've heard about mdzs before. But lately youve been reblogging stuff from a manga tagged tgcf and it looks pretty cool--so i was wondering how I could get into it and what its about? Does it have actual gay charas?

Hello! I’m sorry for the late response! This morphed from a simple answer into a beginner guide of sorts, so I hope you don’t mind! I know there’s like 500000 guides out there, but I figured I’d give it a shot too! ❤

So the stuff you’ve been seeing everywhere is indeed MDZS or related to it–including on my own blog! (I promise when YOI comes back from war, I’ll be all over that again ;o;!!!)

So these works are all by the same author, Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù (MXTX) and they are separate danmei (i.e. Chinese BL) novels, though they share a lot of similarities between them:

MDZS (Mó Dào Zǔ Shī) – Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

TGCF (Tiān Guān Cì Fú) – Heaven Official’s Blessing

SVSSS – Scum Villian’s Self-Saving System

All of them are complete and fan translated, and I’ll answer your last question first: yes, they have actual gay characters! In the novels, the main couples end up canonically married! \o/ In some of the adaptations, their romantic relationships are also maintained (e.g. the manhuas (Chinese graphic novel)), though censorship is present.

Links will be added below this post! Grab some popcorn, this is long!

･:*:･ﾟ’★🐇MDZS🐇★･ﾟ’･:*:･

MDZS《魔道祖师》is definitely the most popular work by MXTX, as it has the most adaptations. You’ve almost certainly been seeing gifs and photosets from its donghua (Chinese animation) or live action the most. However, it has a manhua and audio drama (in both Chinese and Japanese) as well!

Synopsis: Reviled as the infamous Yiling Laozu, Wei Wuxian harnessed the forbidden dark power of demonic cultivation. Once the cultivation world decided he was too dangerous to leave alone, he was hunted down, and a terrible battle ensued that cost Wei Wuxian his life—and the lives of many others. 13 years later, he is resurrected under mysterious circumstances into the body of the pariah Mo Xuanyu. Now with this second chance at life (and while hiding his real identity), Wei Wuxian has to uncover the truth about a powerful malevolent spirit. It may just be the key to revealing a series of heinous secrets hidden from the cultivation world for years. And while the world may still hate him for crimes he didn’t commit, there’s one person who’s on his side—the illustrious Hanguang-jun, Lan Wangji—and is willing to stand by him against all odds. The two have a long and complex history, and Wei Wuxian is unsure of Lan Wangji’s motivations for helping him. But it couldn’t be more simple: respect and love.

Scene from the donghua.

Still from the live action, called “Chén Qíng Lìng”/“CQL”/”The Untamed.”

Panel from the manhua.

Art from the Chinese audio drama.

The great thing about MDZS is that you can really pick your poison in terms of what adaptation you want to get started with. If you are absolutely brand-new to the danmei scene, then starting with the donghua or manhua may be your best bet (both are ongoing). The novel of course is the most beloved, being the source, but all the adaptations have their own charms! They’re all worth checking out, and will keep you busy for quite a while.

･:*:･ﾟ’★🌸TGCF🌸★･ﾟ’･:*:･

Now, for TGCF《天官赐福》—that’s where my photosets are coming from: the ongoing manhua that started in October. There’s a donghua planned for late this year, and a live action in talks (info about that is largely unknown, but is slated for production sometime after the donghua release). TGCF actually has the same deal structure as MDZS apparently, so we’ll be getting an audio drama as well if that’s true.

Synopsis: Talented and virtuous, Crown Prince Xie Lian first ascended to the heavens when he was only 17. Once the darling of the earth and heavens for his boundless skill and purity of heart, he ended up falling from grace—not once, but twice! Subsequently, he became the laughing stock of the three realms. Spending almost 800 years roaming the earth and collecting scraps, he becomes known as the pitiful “rubbish god” and “god of misfortune.” No one could have expected Xie Lian to ascend for a third time, but fate seems to have something in store for this disgraced yet compassionate immortal. Thankfully, he is not alone, as the widely-feared ghost king, Hua Cheng, seems to have a special interest in helping him. The two of them embark on a series of adventures that unravel the secrets of their world, and of themselves.

Panel from the manhua.

Scene from the Donghua PV.

The novel for TGCF is a great place to start, especially considering how the manhua is still in it’s early stages (just starting it’s 2nd arc as of writing this post). The novel is long, incredibly well-written, and well-translated. The manhua is absolutely stunning, and follows the novel very closely thus far.

･:*:･ﾟ’★🎋SVSSS🎋★･ﾟ’･:*:･

The underrated sibling of the three, SVSSS《人渣反派自救系統》has only the novel to interact with for right now. A donghua is planned for this year. There was a manhua, but it was cancelled due to some problems with the publisher afaik. Word on the street is that they’re searching for a new team for it, so we’ll continue to pray!!!

Synopsis: Shen Yuan is an avid reader of the web novel Proud Immortal Demon Way. The novel revolves around the protagonist Luo Binghe, a kind child who is tormented endlessly by his Shizun (teacher/mentor) Shen Qingqiu, until he turns into a powerful demon lord and exacts his violent revenge. While initially a fan of the story, Shen Yuan hates the unsatisfactory ending. Upon dying suddenly, he finds himself transmigrated into the novel, at the behest of The System—a sci-fi interface which gives him missions and directives. Unfortunately, he ends up in the place of the cruel Shen Qingqiu out of all people! This new Shen Qingqiu now has to use his knowledge of the novel to navigate around the plot, within the restrictions that The System has implemented. He has to find a way to ensure a better ending, if he wants to keep this second chance at life. His plan for doing this is to be as kind and encouraging as possible to the innocent Luo Binghe, who quickly takes a shine to this new Shen Qingqiu. Even after forced to the dark side, and despite the tension between them after this, Luo Binghe won’t let anyone else touch his beloved Shizun.

Cover of the Thai release of the novel.

SVSSS only really has the novel to interact with as of right now. There’s currently an excellent re-translation in progress by tumblr user Faelicy! If you want to get started now, however, you can read what she’s done so far and then swap over to the old translation afterward.

･:*:･ﾟ’★NOTES★･ﾟ’･:*:･

• ALL three novels are intended for an R-18+ audience ONLY. Other adaptations are safe for minors over 16 years of age.

• Please be aware that the novels may contain potentially triggering content. Feel free to ask me for content warnings if you need them.

• All three of these are totally different from one another and only share common themes typical of the wuxia/xianxia genres.

• The original Chinese raws of MDZS and SVSSS are no longer available for purchase on JJWXC (publishing site). You can find print versions on Taobao. TGCF, however, is still available!

• If you’d like more info on anything, please reach out to me! I’m happy to help.

• LINKS WILL BE ADDED BELOW THIS POST.

#mdzs #tgcf #svsss #mo dao zu shi #tian guan ci fu #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #heaven offical's blessing #scum villain's self-saving system #guide #asks #Anonymous #nyerus.txt

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blackfemmecharacterdependency · 4 years

Text

BFCD Reviews by Nesha: Grace Monroe & The Infinity Train on HBO Max

Disclaimer: Post includes spoilers and also, this viewer does not deem Infinity Train as a children's show and my views are not subjected to the idea that this is a children's show, but I do regard the characters as children.

I’m not a psychiatrist. I haven’t taken a psychology class in many years. My work with children has been primarily trauma centered children, and I haven’t worked with typical children for a decade, so most of my opinions are from my personal life experience, my work experience, my children’s rights advocacy and activism, and the guidelines from my childcare specialist work for children in the system in the state of Texas. I don’t have a lot of information these days on typical children and I don’t know the culture of children all over the country or world, but I basically know a little something about traumatized children.

And as always, be nice, because I can be mean too (and will). 😉

Special thanks to @i-am-a-passenger for listening to me and being a SOUND sounding board for my thoughts through this experience that was season 3 of Infinity Train.

To be honest, I thought that it was extremely brave of the creators to go the route that they did with the story line. Not everybody can be saved is a take that we don’t see nearly enough, and whenever we do, usually a POC, oftentimes a Black girl is on the losing end of the tale. That didn’t happen here and despite some problems with some of the way that things played out in front of us, it was STILL a monumental moment for many fans and Grace’s redemption arc was valid and reasonable, so I loved it and I live for it. Now, I’m gonna give my review of the season and what I noticed about the characters...

First off, I think that the writing of this season was phenomenal. The style of the way the story was told impressed me from start to finish. There were moments that I didn’t expect, but I understood from a writing standpoint and for the characters presented. I’m not a professional writer, but it’s been a passion since I was 7 years old, so I have some experience with passion for writing and stories and a great narrative is my WEAKNESS, and I do believe that Infinity Train provides great narratives.

This season has been my favorite thus far. I would have appreciated it for the story content, even if they had switched the characters’ arcs or went in a different direction with the redemption arc, but the fact that I was able to see an example of a Black girl being able to BE HUMAN, at my age - 38 - is still such new content that I was honestly overwhelmed by the simple fact that the creators decided that this Black girl was worthy of not only redemption, but the attention to detail and consideration was enough for me to love this season.

The girl in question: 18 year old Grace Monroe, whose been on this train for something like 7 years.

It’s rare to see a dark skinned, brown skinned, Black girl with natural hair be shown in anything but stereotypes and/or plot devices for other characters. This character has a story of her own. A beautifully written and fully realized story of a child who got confused, made bad decisions, did terrible things, learned the truth, and sought to change.

Whenever we first meet Grace and Simon, she’s announced as the leader of the Apex, and Simon is announced as her second in command and given the credentials from her, “I trust him with my life.” Something that is later a bittersweet thought as he becomes the biggest threat of her life since she got onto this train. They’re clearly very close and only seem to disagree on how they respond to negativity.

One of my favorite things about Grace was that she was given layers. One of my LEAST favorite things about Grace was that she was given unfair head canons by the fandom extremely early on (all of which nobody ever proved but remained diligently devoted to believing).

In this season, when the two are taken out of their comfort zone and traveling with outsiders, Grace and Simon are faced with lives that they haven’t thought about previously and wind up choosing very separate paths. Honestly, these paths they went on made perfect sense to me. I see both of them as traumatized children without any guidance and while one of them is very careless and reckless (Grace), the other is deliberate about what he does and has goals and plans.

The biggest influence, I think, was their interactions with denizens prior to forming the Apex. Grace admittedly never got to know any while Simon was betrayed by one whenever she left him behind to potentially die. Simon carried this rage inside of him while Grace had nothing but apathy to guide her attitude of the denizens. Grace needed attention and she was able to get that from Simon and the Apex, so she made a life built on what that gave her.

While Grace tends to seem to try to sweeten the issue or charm people. Simon is more short with others and a bit rude. They handle things much differently, though they have created a lifestyle together and formatted a society of children that they lead.

All too frequently, if a character looks like Grace, she is there as fodder for whoever her (usually white) counterparts are. But Grace has a unique situation in which she shares center stage with her white male counterpart and we watch them develop together from two peas in a pod to mortal enemies. It is a sad separation, but one that felt necessary for the direction of the story. But here’s why Grace matters so much, despite the fact that she and Simon built a child army and killed we don’t even know how many denizens:

Grace changed for the better. When both of them met and got to know a denizen, she began to change. She didn’t understand it at first and took some time to admit to herself that she was even changing. She thought that something was wrong with her because her number was going down and that wasn’t supposed to be how it was. What she thought was that it made her look weak and she didn’t want Simon or the Apex to see her that way.

And saying that Grace changed for the better is sort of shaky, too. Because Grace wasn’t a bad person to begin with. She was a child who got on the wrong track. Going from being extremely alone to having one friend to having hundreds or however many Apex kids of followers changed her for the worse, but she was a good kid at her core. She was lonely in the real world and she acted out, then wound up on this train, had a life changing event by having to see “The Conductor” and translate what happened to her as someone saving her, and she went on to help save others, or so she thought, to some degree.

Whenever she saved Simon, she had literally no reason to, other than she saw a kid in trouble and she knew she could help.She had just as little life skills and social skills as this kid in front of her, but... he was crying and she reached out to try to make him feel better, reminding him that even though life on the train was hard, he was alright now. Then, another life changing thing happened - Simon noticed that her number was higher and asked her how she got it so high. She knew just as much as him, and said that she was really good at life on the train, and the way she took that ghom out - she wasn’t completely wrong, but them being children and having only time and their limited views started a cult.

What I found interesting about this memory was the fact that Simon was telling Grace’s story for her. She tagged her charm onto it, but Simon (the writer of their laws and apparently a trilogy that not even Grace, who likes to read things wanted to read while they were besties) is telling the story to the kids. Probably embellishing, and Grace loves to be noticed, so she keeps this up until they’ve formatted an entire belief system. It was basically just I presumed whenever I questioned the reputation this fandom gave Grace as a manipulator who filled Simon’s head with hatred for denizens and Apex theology.It confirmed that people were wrong about her, which unfortunately didn’t make them change their minds, but they ain’t gotta. Grace lived and Simon died and that’s how this turns out sometimes.

I was able to at least acknowledge that his death was atrocious and it’s very unfortunate that he didn’t change for the better. He wanted control. He wanted power. He wanted to reign. Those things were more important to him than believing anything that went against his ideals. They were more important than Grace and his relationship with her. Meanwhile, Grace, up until even after he was gone cared about him. She defended herself whenever he attacked her, but she tried not to hurt him. She even tried to talk to him and he once again refused to listen. She saved his life AGAIN, and he still tried to kill her. Despite it all, when he was gone, she cried. Her friend was gone. Another life had been taken, and life meant something else to her now.

Even paper birds mattered now, and thanks to that difference inside of her, she didn’t die. But, I expected her to. Not even because it would’ve made sense or helped the story in any way, but because that’s how it usually goes for characters like her, characters who LOOK like her. The fact that it didn’t brought tears to my eyes. This season was amazing. This ending was amazing. This character was amazing. I’m so pleased with it and it was more than I expected, because instead of setting expectations, I let them tell me the story. They did an excellent job.

I've been asking people since she first appeared in season 2 why they thought that Simon was some helpless and she was this dominating figure that bossed him into this lifestyle and mostly it came back to her higher number. i didn't think we were being shown that, so I've been suspicious every time someone has suggested that Grace got Simon started in this or taught him this and now that it's been debunked, I'm even more irritated with the suggestion that her redemption doesn't make sense or wasn't right.

The thing about Simon was that he seemed fine. He seemed innocent, at times. He seemed like someone to sympathize with... What a lot of his fan base doesn't seem to realize is that is the case with every abuser. That is the case with many killers. Bad backgrounds and hard times coming up don't make for an excuse. Just because I GET his personality, doesn't mean he deserves respect or consideration. But then, we have Grace, on this other end who can't even get the recognition she earned through her decision making when she literally had the same childhood as him whenever they got there. Idk. Shit feels suspicious to me to not acknowledge Grace's redemption as well written. And the idea that Simon was doing these things for or because of Grace was proven as untrue, so there should have been a shift in her favor and there wasn't and my god that's some top shelf bullshit to me...

People frequently speak of Grace's manipulating Simon, possibly because they haven't had to try to use what you have to smooth someone over. The fact that Grace has been consoling Simon since they were children (THEY WERE CHILDREN), Because I see "Simon is a child" everyday, and always speak of his trauma, like Grace had none and like she's not the same age or near it. But, that's another thing that gets done to Black girls - they're aged up in people's prejudiced minds and expected to be more accountable than their peers. This GIRL has been repeatedly blamed for the issues of her friend.

And her "betrayal?" A lie she told to preserve life.

Simon proceeds to use her tape against her, leave her trapped inside of it (knowing it was dangerous, because the cat told him), sow lies about her in the Apex, pressure children that she knew to kill her, literally tried to beat her up and murder her, and kicks her as hard as he can after she saved his life AGAIN... He still gets more grace than Grace from the audience. I don't think people see Grace's humanity. People even assumed that her number was higher because she killed so many denizens... Like literally every wrong move doesn't affect numbers. And when faced with the story, which gives us a vulnerable Grace with flaws but also compassion, she's still been sidelined by fans of the show and nobody has given me any good reason as to why, so you already know, like we been knew. 😒

People have even tried to downgrade Simon's toxicity towards her because she led the Apex (and these people pretty much had similar things to say as people who didn't believe that my ex sexually abused me because of some examples of me being strong while arguing with him)...

THIS was triggering as fuck, but I've barely seen a PEEP about it. I'm going to presume that problematic takes of Grace are from a place of discrimination and dehumanization against another Black girl character like fandoms usually do.

But that just makes her matter more.

Good job, Grace. I knew there was good in you all along, and I didn't have to make up anything about you in my brain. ♥️♥️♥️

*Grace mourning a man that just tried to destroy her multiple times for telling a lie to keep him from killing a small child...

SPEAKING OF... The man double kicked her off that damn train in front of the kids AFTER they all saw her rescue him. Them kids might be messed up because of the Apex, but you can't tell me that Simon ain't further fuck them up with his reign. At least we know Grace was always nice to them. I'm glad they'll have each other to figure it all out.

#BFCD Reviews by Nesha #Infinity Train #Nesha Watches Infinity Train #Grace Monroe #Nesha Watches

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redrascal1 · 2 years

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I am a huge fan of the OT characters...in fact their fate is one of the reasons I've quit the fandom. But...I am so very tired of antis, particularly the ones on the JCF, whose hatred of Kylo is based on a belief that the ST's 'attempt' to make the audience sympathise with him..,,sigh...demonised Han,Luke and Leia.

How? Let's look at them in the OT. There was much to admire about Leia. She was courageous, intelligent, strong willed and dedicated. But she could also be arrogant....remember her telling Han that 'they should do as she told them' in ANH? Why should he have? He wasn't one of her subjects, or a member of the rebels, back then. He'd been hired to take Obi Wan, Luke and the droids to Alderaan, and that was the extent of his involvement with the rebels.

Now, look at Luke. He was also brave, compassionate and admirable....but also reckless, impulsive and sometimes, foolish. Yoda told him not to take his lightsabre into the cave on Dagobah...but he did. One of many mistakes.

And finally Han...also brave, kind underneath his brash exterior and dedicated to his friends. But also selfish and superstitious, referring to 'the Force' as mumbo jumbo.

Then let's look at how characters like this WOULD, realistically, be like 30 years later.

We all grow older and wiser, but unless you've had some sort of huge epiphany, our essential character remains the same. Han and Leia loved each other dearly. But....they were polar opposites. The adopted daughter of royalty, Leia grew up with a strong sense of duty, of the 'greater good' coming first. Before anything, including herself. As an orphan who had to bring himself up, Han had learned to put himself first. Can you honestly see Han being 'content' as a politician's husband? As someone who would always have to be in the shadow of his wife's political career, because his wife had been raised to put others first - before her own needs. Before her husband's needs.

Before their child's needs.

Then Han. He had had to 'raise himself'...and canonically was honest enough to admit that he didn't know if he could be a good dad. Nevertheless he was determined to try.

Until he discovered that his only child was FS.

Remember, this is the guy who thought the Force was....mumbo jumbo.

And, let us not forget....both he and Leia were tortured by Darth Vader. An experience like that scars your soul forever, and because of Anakin's dark legacy, both Han and Leia would see their son's tantrums and teen angst as....the 'Dark side' manifesting in him. His grandfather's blood 'coming out'. It doesn't matter that Anakin Skywalker was himself a loving young man who worshipped his mother and wife, whose fall tragically stemmed from a desperate need to protect his wife - neither of them ever met Anakin. They only met his alter ego. They suffered at the hands of a man they understandably despised.

And finally... Luke. Unlike his sister and brother in law, Luke did know Anakin. He was the father who reclaimed his soul saving his son, whatever the cost.

His example saved Luke, because when Luke saw his father's artificial limb, it snapped him out of his rage and forced him to see how his father had fallen...and how he could fall. It wasn't only Anakin who saved Luke...in a way it was also Darth Vader, as in realising he was on the brink of becoming him - and chose the right path.

But, let's face it - just as Han could never truly accept the Force in his son because he'd always seen it as 'mumbo jumbo', and Leia would always put the 'greater good' first because of her upbringing, then Luke would always have that little bit of impulsiveness in him....and when he had that cruel vision, that fatal night in the temple..

He acted like his old self...and he ignited his lightsabre. Because as Luke said...'no one's really gone'. The 'young impulsive' Luke was still there, inside older, placid Luke, and for one tragic second that Luke took control.

Of course he never would have hurt Ben - but sadly Ben (understandably) didn't stick around to find out, to give his uncle a chance to explain things. Which at the end of the day...is the real tragedy of Ben's fall. It could so easily have been prevented.

TLJ was a hated film...hated by a lot, but mostly by antis, and people who saw the OT characters as shining examples of perfection through the rose coloured spectacles of past memory. Sadly, they should perhaps watch them again and realise that Rian - and even Abrams, at least with TFA - simply 'aged' them, rather than 'demonising them.'

As for the Kylo hating antis.....fuck them.

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ainchase · 6 years

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Hey! I was browsing through your blog (like I do so often, I just love your content, especially your theories) and I've come across a post where you mentioned you wanted to write about Henir's inconsistency, multiverse and Herrscher vs Mad Paradox. What happened to that? Are you ever going to write it or is it so much that you are still working on it? Anyway, thanks for all these theories, hope with the upcoming content update, we can expect more theories from you

Ah sorry I did start writing but it was in a form of word vomit and not really organized... I didn’t want to ramble without having a clear point at the end and end with a question instead of a definite conclusion.I for one don’t believe that KoG actually has it all together, where all these tid bits of information fit together like a jigsaw puzzle to create one story because they have a history of retconning their story several times and I am under the impression that the reason why Elrianode epic quest didn’t have a voice over for the longest time is because they had to change the part about Rose in Elysion at the last minute because of her really bad popularity;

Like I have mentioned in Rose’s Source of the the Great Disaster post, Rose was supposed to, I believe, stop Elsword from restoring the El and warn him of the dangers that befell her own world because of this El

and if any of you remember, Rose finally CAUGHT UP with the El Search Party AT the Fortress of Solace (she was following behind them until now) and FOUGHT AGAINST SOLACE WITH THE EL SEARCH PARTY

and walked into Solace’s memory together with Elsword

but we had to wait for EVER for the story update, and when it finally came out, Rose didn’t stop anybody, Elsword restored the El, and Rose was conveniently separated from the El Search Party she finally caught up with and did her own thing for several long quests until “casually” joining up with the El Search Party

and NO ONE WAS LIKE

HEY YOURE THAT BLONDE GIRL WE SAW THAT THE SOLACE’S FORTRESS YOU FOUGHT WITH SOLACE WITH US

like it was so underwhelming and not on the same page as all the hype they were creating with Rose when she first came out

^ none of this happened in Elysion, which I believe was SUPPOSED to happen

but Im under the impression that they scrapped the whole story because Rose’s popularity was so low, people were pretending she doesn’t exist and people hated KoG for forcing a Dungeon Fighter character join the canon plot and they knew they couldn’t go down that path so they had to lowkey everything with her to avoid incurring the wrath of Elsword players

so they probably got rid of the part where Rose stops Elsword, had to turn around the whole shit about how Rose was very antagonistic toward the El Search Party:

Solace to Rose in the Celestial Crossroads:

“Let me make an offer. If you help me, then I will help you achieve your goal”

help me = stop Elsword from entering (this was when Solace was telling Elsword to give up and go back if he wants to save his sister)

I’ll help you achieve your goal = you want to stop Elsword from restoring the El because it has brought disaster to your world so helping me means stopping Elsword

10-7 Dungeon Clear line:

Rose

재앙의 근원에 가장 가까운 사람이라고 생각해 그 흔적을 따라 가고 있어. 직접 만나지 못했지만 그 흔적만으로도 정말 재앙이라는 느낌이야…!!

I’ve been following him thinking that he’s the closest one to the source of disaster. I haven’t met him personally but just seeing the chaos in his wake I really do feel like he’s a disaster…!!

but yeah where is thiswhere is this any of this

NOWHERE.

I’m sorry I turned this ask into a “KoG backed out of the story and the hype they created because they got scared of all the Rose hate” post but yeah I’m just saying that everything on this blog just really me trying to make sense out of the shit they have created, like I’ve heard from credible sources that Transcendence update wasn’t even supposed to exist; they had to come up with 3rd job content but it wasn’t done but they are bound by Nexon’s way of doing things which includes having a huge major update every summer but 3rd job stuff was nowhere close to being completed for a release so they haphazardly mashed old content and slapped on Transcendence on it and released it (hence why a lot of the Transcendence portrait was really wonky quality, didnt even have full body image of them because they weren’t full body images in the beginning; they had to add that in later?)

but somehow I have weaved that into the overarching plot of Elsword I honestly dont know how I’ve managed that but sooooooooooooo uh

me trying to make sense out of Henir will be almost impossible because it’s full of inconsistencies like

1. how can Ain come out of a world of nothing as a something2. how does a realm of nothing exist3. how can you become a nothing to enter a world of nothing and then still have something to think “oh this is nice, I better tell everyone how great this is” and then come OUT of that world and pick up the physical form he had abandoned to enter the world of nothing

I can go on and on

I had a revelation but a lot of it makes no sense because KoG never bothered to think that deeply or at least never bothered to make everything clear for us so it will take some time... of thinking OTL

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moonraccoon-exe · 7 years

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I've seen a few people calling Gladio abusive because of the train scene (I personally think it's bs but to each their own.) what are your thoughts?

Hallo! Thank you for the question! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

I have always and will always defend Gladio regarding that train scene.

We must consider some important factors:

1. Repressed feelings/Coping Mechanisms (main reason to me)

2. His duty/role in the story.

3. Lack of understanding/Stereotypes.

Honestly, I don’t think the three points can be described as separated because they all have to merge in one, so here is what I see and think about Gladio, his psyche, and the train scene.

Gladio is a man that was raised not only as a soldier, but under the concept of having to be the best soldier of the world, because it’s expected from him to be this unmovable wall, this unhumanly, impossibly strong and un-defeatable thing. I don’t know if you people know how soldiers are trained, but they’re basically trained to be cold-minded, to not lose the head, and to not let emotions overtake, so they can think 100% with the brain and 0% with the heart.

Gladio was not only trained this way, he was raised this way; we see him laugh and be playful, but that’s outside of duty. Within it, it’s always the head cool and never panicking (except for that bit in Episode Ignis when he “freaked out” because Ignis was not answering through the com).

We see it in that small freak out, I’ll talk about it later.

All in all, Gladio’s into this philosophy of “duty now, feelings later”. We can take as long as we want in-game to do stuff, but I think that canon story is all one event after the other, no breaks in between (only the necessary stops, etc.). Knowing this, I have the idea that Gladio never gave himself a chance to mourn.

We see Noctis mourn and feel bad onscreen shortly after Insomnia’s Fall and Regis’ death, but not Gladio, or any of the guys; however, Prompto does have his breakdown in his episode, as does Ignis (of sorts), but not Gladio; his episode is not self discovery and emotions, he was looking for a way to become strong for Noctis; for his duty. Always his duty, always his duty, Gladio’s centered and focused 100% in his duty through the game because he has to.

He says it himself during Titan’s trail; “when you can’t focus, I do it for you”. It doesn’t mean he’s being selfish and a cocky idiot; he’s saying that it’s his duty to focus when Noctis can’t, not something he masters, but something he’s forced to attend to.

So all the time it’s “Focus, focus, focus”, not a moment for emotions.

Let’s see, from Gladio’s perspective, all the shocking events that anyone would mourn but he didn’t:

Insomnia’s Fall. His father’s death. His king’s death. The loss of his homeland. The stress of not knowing Iris’ state (for a few days). Jared’s loss, which has to be particularly and majorly heavy for Gladio, as Jared was the Amicitia butler, and he most probably knew Gladio ever since Gladio was born, let’s say a second father or even a grandfather figure. Altissia in chaos. Lunafreya’s death.

And what I think finished affecting him, Ignis’ injury.

I don’t mean this as “omg they love each other” (which they do, just in a brotherly way). This has two sides, 1. the feelings for Ignis and 2. the personal side.

On a side, of course it would affect him to find his friend heavily injured, almost in agony, and then see him lose sight. It mustn’t be easy for anyone, to watch a dear one go through such tragedy. There’s a chart that shows the kind of relationships between the four bros individually, and Gladio’s with Ignis’ was something the sorts of “The person that understands the situation as I do”; they understand each other, and the dynamic and interaction feels like they’re best friends the way Noctis and Prompto are, if just not as bouncy and hyperactive and funny, rather serious and quieter.

Watching and living through a dear friend’s, a dear brother’s tragedy, it must be terrific. Because death can’t be helped, but to watch someone lose sight? And someone so dear to him.

And then the “selfish” side; imagine being tasked since you’re born with the only single one duty of protecting, saving and aiding the life of someone else, and watch someone else do it for you. Imagine being tasked with the only one duty of making sacrifices for one person, and watch someone dear to him do it in your place, right after you thought you were strong enough to do it yourself.

I don’t mean Gladio was angered that Ignis made bigger sacrifices, on the opposite; I think it must have destroyed Gladio.

“It was supposed to be me, not you” not a canon phrase, but one that I think must have gone through Gladio’s head a million times. He was supposed to die for Noctis, not Lunafreya. He was supposed to put the ring on, not Ignis. He was supposed to have been injured and face the Chancellor, not Ignis. He was supposed to be the one losing sight, not Ignis, not Ignis, never Ignis.

Because Gladio was raised with that idea, that he’s living just to keep Noctis safe and to go through all the hells and heavens and earths to keep him safe. So to acknowledge that he almost let Noctis die, and he didn’t because a dear friend made a huge sacrifice for him, and watch both of them at your feet, while you’re entirely unharmed?

Gladio must have been dealing with huge guilt, an enormous guilt, guilt in measures we cannot comprehend.

So we add all the previous events to the massive guilt and the struggle of watching a dear friend going through his own tragedy.

And it doesn’t take a genius to know sooner or later he had to explode.

I like to compare our emotions or “soul” to a glass of water, and each problem or tragedy etc. is a drop (or many drops, depending on the situation). Gladio’s trained to keep the water inside, calm and cool, where everyone else drops the water at times before it’s full. So Gladio naturally, whether consciously or not, started keeping all inside, a drop for each event, and half a drop for each that that he didn’t give proper care to the glass.

Until his glass was full to the top. Full to the very top, unable to take a single drop of water more.

So it’s as soon as something else happens, as soon as the tiniest of events happens, that the glass spills the content. Because even if it was a tiny, stupid, unimportant drop of water, it was the last drop of water, the only one necessary to spill the entire glass’ content.

And that’s what happens to Gladio. He has his glass full for major events, and it’s a minor one that drops it.

Its name? Noctis not putting the ring on.

Let’s retake it; Gladio has been repressing an enormous quantity of negative emotions within himself for the sake of his duty, until he became full.

So it’s not that the fact that Noctis hadn’t put the ring on what makes Gladio so angry; it’s not because of one thing, it’s because of a thousand things that were triggered by only one. Gladio talking about the ring is only the tip of the iceberg; the real thing is all under the water and out of everyone’s sights, at least out of the sight of the people that are not comprehensive or understanding enough to go further the things that are said and cannot read the subtext.

Noctis not putting the ring on was not an excuse, but it also wasn’t the only motif or reason for him to explode the way he did; it’s everything he had been carrying, hiding behind the mask of only one fact.

And here’s where enters the part of stereotypes.

We are so used to have a stereotype for each emotion that we think they’re all the same and we all react the same. We immediately link emotions to other words that we can’t get out of the zone of stereotype and into the zone of understanding and we think we all react and feel the same. We hear “sadness” and we think we all cry. We hear joy and we all think we all smile or laugh. We hear anger and we all think we yell. We hear fear and we all think we shake.

And honestly that’s not that; those are common factors that are shared among the great majority of people, but we don’t stop to understand that it’s always on different levels, different ways, and sometimes it’s not even that. There’s people that laugh when they’re scared, people who go mute and can just walk around when they’re joyful, the world is so big and vast and humankind is so unique and different and special and we’re all so different that not two people among the billions of them will ever feel the same way.

My happiness will never feel the same than yours, nor my sadness, nor my anger, and any other emotion. We can comprehend each other’s emotions but we can’t truly understand them because they’re a personal experience and only we know how we experiment them and how we feel them and how we demonstrate them.

So everyone sees Gladio raging out and screaming, frowning and shoving faces, that what we think immediately is “He’s angry”. And yes, yes, he’s fucking angry, but an emotion can be a way to demonstrate another emotion. So yes, Gladio’s angry, but we never stop to think that his anger is only the way to express other things.

I learned in a course of psychology during high school that anger is only the way to hide sadness. I’m angry at you because you were late, and it made me angry because it hurt me to feel you don’t care, which makes me sad. I’m angry at the world’s homophobia, and I’m angry because I can’t believe this much hatred exists, and it makes me sad. I’m angry at my mom for not coming to my birthday party, and I’m angry about it because I wanted her to be here and it hurt that she didn’t come (these are all merely examples).

Yes, I’m angry that you’re not putting that ring on, and it makes me angry because you’re not filling your duty when others have made huge sacrifices so you do, and honestly it hurts to see the position you’re in, the position I’m in, the position he’s in, and I feel like I’m failing you, so please do your duty because I’ve been standing a thousand hells this far for you and I can’t stand to see I couldn’t do it right and have failed you.

Things change, hm?

I think Gladio feels like he failed Noctis because Noctis is not acting as he should be doing it, and instead of feeling it’s all on Noctis, Gladio, who was tasked with making Noctis succeed, sees him fail and doesn’t see him fail but sees himself fail. Because if Noctis failed it’s only because Gladio failed (this thought, in his head).

So we add all that we know, Insomnia, Regis, Clarus, Jared, Iris, Ignis, Lunafreya, his own failure, all into one, and then one tiny fact is added, of course there’s only so much one person can take.

Back to the emotions and stereotypes, I meant to say that we all think of the word “sad” and we think everyone cries, but honestly everyone has their own way of showing sadness. There’s some that hide it, some that stay quiet, some that furiously cry, some that silently cry, some that decide to vent it into punching things, etc.

Gladio’s way of expressing sadness may as well be screaming and hiding behind anger. Because that’s how he was taught to react; no time to cry, just punch things and yell. So, considering he grew up into the philosophy of a cool, dead head, and making the terribly mixture of it with a huge, enormous repressing of emotions, he becomes conflicted, he wants to cry but his brain has no idea how to do that, and what is the only other door that’s open? Anger. So all that Gladio has to cry, he shows it through anger instead. Because that’s his sadness, different from everyone else’s, because I insist none of us show or feel the emotions the same way.

Noctis not putting the ring on probably did upset him, yes, and it annoyed him, but it was more the trigger and excuse than the entire view of his rage. Gladio’s not abusive or exaggerating or an idiot for screaming at Noctis for something that may seem so trivial; what he talks about is only the trigger, the tip of the iceberg. The real thing hides underneath and behind.

Usually, when we have a trigger of these sorts, we end up going back to the real reason even if just indirectly.

It happens a lot to me with my mom. She’s a bit explosive as well, and I’m super understanding about this issue of people’s emotions and not digging into stereotypes, and I tend to listen very well, so I’m usually her target when she wants to rant about something. And one day you can see her getting upset at me for something like not washing a fork, and three minutes into her rage, she’s talking about why her brothers don’t support or help her when she needs it.

It has nothing to do with the fork. If I wasn’t as understanding as I am, I’d think all the outrage was towards me, against me, because of the fork. But I know the fork was only her trigger, and the real reason goes deeper and into other things.

And what does Gladio say?

He starts talking about the ring, but then, a bit out of place without being too out of place “Ignis took one for you too, and for what!?”

Hm? *wiggles eyebrows*

And you know why my mom usually rages at me (without insulting or harming me in any way)? Because she knows I understand, I never yell back, and because she trusts me.

It’s easy for emotions to break free without your consent in front of people you trust.

So Gladio’s outrage doesn’t only mean he was sad, frustrated and scared, it can also speak about his trust into Noctis. Honestly, if he wouldn’t believe in him, he wouldn’t have given a damn about the ring. But he wants Noctis to grow as a mature king and fill his role and be responsible and he knows he can do it, so that Noctis is not doing it angers him because he knows he can, and it just triggered him.

Besides, Gladio grows with this idea that he has to be some sort of mentor and guide for Noctis, his protector, the brotherly figure that should be wise and that will “focus when Noctis can’t”. So the adviser having the moral down in the dumps, and Prompto having no official duty, Gladio must feel, consciously or not, that it’s on his hands to take the reins and do something, and he wants to put Noctis in his place and be the main column to keep things up.

But Gladio, by this point, is so frustrated himself. Imagine trying to lift everyone’s spirits when honestly you don’t want to or can’t. Of course it turns into frustration, because he knows what’s needed but he doesn’t have it, but no one else has it, so he tries to force himself to it, and only ends up more angered and frustrated, and his attempt to lecture Noctis turns into an argument.

And just a friendly reminder: GLADIO IS ONLY 23 YEARS OLD. Nobody can expect him to be the wisest or anything. They’re all stupidly young, so young and put into situations that would freak anyone of any age out, especially someone their age, because they’re past the “I don’t understand, so I face it fearlessly” stage and the “I understand fully and have experience enough to face it” stage,t hey’re right in the middle, where they understand perfectly the risks and the problems, but don’t know how to deal with them.

Gladio’s 23. He’s young, he’s hot-headed at times, of course, of course. It happens. People in the early twenties still don’t know where and how to go, we’re not wise or mature enough yet as much as we think we are, and situations as hard and heavy as the guys face, of course it’ll throw them off-guard and out their knowledge and reach.

To be honest, I think that to be so young, he did excepcionally good, incredibly excellent, facing everything.

Having one breakdown is just natural and logical, and it doesn’t take any credit from him. It was fair; he had gone through the journey wise and strong, much wiser and stronger than anyone should ask from someone his age. So a breakdown was very well deserved.

Thing is people don’t understand that “breakdown” is not only crying, it can also be anger, and it won’t stop being a breakdown. Different demonstrations, same thing.

And even though I’m sure I’m forgetting something because I always post stuff forgetting about the best damn arguments or parts, this is what I think of Gladio’s outrage in the train, why I understand and support and love it, and why I think it’s natural and very well needed.

I love you, Gladio.

#coon thoughts #coon replies #i will forever defend you gladio #you're a soft teddy bear of a man #a complex human being #and you deserve three times the love you're getting #you poor thing #if it had been ignis yelling at him nobody would have batted an eyelash #but because it was the big tough guy everyone loses the head #but if gladio had cried instead #he'd be tagged as weak #WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE #LET MEN HAVE EMOTIONS

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themostrandomfandom · 7 years

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hey! i've been reading your old ask replies religiously for the past couple days so i've gotta ask what some of you "random" headcanons are, like nicknames, maybe stuff abt britt's sister? i'll take basically anything lol

also, whats your general headcanon on what happened post “new directions” for brittana? bc the 5x20 “explanation” didn’t really explain anything & in 6x03 santana says they should start living together so what exactly do you think they had been doing up until that point?

Hey, @tryingtoohardddd!

So I wrote this little “fix it” patch that is basically my headcanon for what Brittana get up to between episode 5x14 and episode 5x20.

The TL;DR version goes as follows:

Between episodes 5x14 and 5x18, Brittana go on a ten month vacation because the Glee writers can’t keep track of their own timeline.

Despite what Brittany later says in episode 5x20, the girls do indeed make it to both Lesbos AND Hawaii as planned.

Brittana then return to NYC together circa the events of episode 5x18.

However, because Brittany is about 900000000% done with Rachel Berry the New Directions, she lays low while Santana interacts with them.

While Santana crashes at the Jones-Evans-Anderson brownstone, Brittany stays with some dancer friends who are attending Julliard.

During this time, Santana works at the diner while Brittany searches for a job of her own, the plan being that once they save up enough money, they can move in together. Unfortunately, Brittany does not have much luck on the job front.

Brittana see each other pretty much every day during this time, but they never let on to the other glee kids that Brittany is in NYC. Because the glee kids are the glee kids, they also never really ask Santana where Brittany is or what she’s doing or even how their vacation was.

Eventually, Santana gets offered a chance to star in another Yeast-I-Stat commercial. Mercedes also offers Santana the chance to sing backup on the Park and Bark tour.

Santana knows that between the tour and commercial gigs, she will make enough money to help her and Brittany rent their own apartment. Still, she is reluctant to leave Brittany for so long to go on the road.

Brittany’s solution is to finally reveal her presence in NYC to the New Directions and get Mercedes to hire her as a background dancer.

Cue the events of episode 5x20.

Brittana then tour around the US with Mercedes for about five months.

At the end of the tour, they either return briefly to NYC where they both live with Mercedes OR they go straight from their last tour gig back to Lima circa the events of episode 6x02. Take your pick.

Either way, they’re still in a place where they’re looking to finally move in together in New York—for the first time sans roommates—per their discussion in episode 6x03.

They remain in Lima as they prepare for their wedding, and then they move back to NYC once they are lawfully wife and wife.

As for random headcanons, I put a bunch of ‘em after the cut.

_______

So these are mostly Mouseverse, but you can wedge ‘em in to make them fit canon, too, if you like:

Brittany’s dad refers to Santana as “Santana-banana.” Santana always blushes at the nickname, but secretly she likes it because it makes her feel like part of the family.

Brittany’s dad calls Brittany “Brittany Sue,” which is something that of all Brittany’s friends only Santana knows.

Brittany has saved every card, note, and valentine Santana has ever given her over the years, and she keeps them in a secret box in her closet. During the events of S2 when Brittany is dating Artie and she and Santana aren’t really hanging out so much, she sometimes pulls the box out and reads through its contents and has a long cry because she just misses Santana so much, and she doesn’t know how to make things right between them. Of course, on a happier note, once she and Santana actually get together during S3, she has to get a bigger box because Santana is constantly giving her the sweetest love letters all the time, and her collection grows exponentially over the course of just a few months.

Long before she came out, Santana used to have a pretty massive crush on Brittany’s lookalike older cousin, who was a star on the women’s volleyball team at Bowling Green. Of course, Santana never framed her feelings as a crush. She just talked a lot about how the cousin was pretty much the coolest person ever and followed her around like a puppy whenever they were in the same place together. Brittany didn’t get why Santana was so obsessed because, in her opinion, her cousin was kind of boring and didn’t even have an interesting college major. Later on, after Santana is out and she and Brittany are dating, both Santana and Brittany look back on the situation and laugh because, holy shit, little baby gay Santana had it sooooooo bad.

Brittany’s little sister was born when Brittany was nine years old. In my stories, I never actually refer to her by her given name because Brittany and Santana call her mean nicknames like “runt,” “pint-sized,” “pipsqueak,” “brat,” and “rugrat” pretty much all the time. But her given name is Ashley Elizabeth.

Brittany’s sister secretly idolizes Santana and Brittany, but she never lets on that she does. Instead, she is typically snarky to them, much like Santana is to the New Directions.

Santana likes ketchup on her macaroni and cheese, and Brittany teases her for it because to her that’s super gross.

Santana sleeps on the left side of the bed. Brittany sleeps on the right. They’ve had their chosen sides worked out since long before they were ever officially a couple.

For as tough as Santana acts sometimes, she gets really scared at horror movies. Brittany never makes her watch them when they’re alone together—even though Brittany actually likes horror movies and is herself something of a buff—but sometimes when they’re at parties or hanging out in groups, they don’t have a choice. On the occasions when Puck decides to pop in a Freddy Krueger movie to fill out a Friday night or when someone has already got Paranormal Activity playing by the time they show up to the yearly Cheerios Halloween bash, Brittany makes a point to ask logistical questions about the movies from start to finish, pointing out plot holes as she does so (“Wait. Shouldn’t someone have found the bodies in the hospital where Jason left them? Why is that guy saying they disappeared?” “How come the demon in Regan freaked out if it was only tap water the priest sprinkled on her? Shouldn’t it have known it wasn’t holy water?”). She puts on a good show, pretending like she just genuinely doesn’t understand movie mechanics, and no one can really yell at her for asking, because, well, she’s Brittany. Still, everyone gets super annoyed because the continuity mistakes she’s noticing are real, and remaining immersed in the story world becomes intensely difficult once you know they’re there. Even though no one else appreciates her making it impossible to suspend disbelief as they watch, Santana is always grateful because Brittany’s questions help her to not feel so scared and to keep her street cred in public. Rather than getting hung up on killer clowns and vengeful ghosts, she can just laugh when Brittany points out obvious, glaring mistakes (“That’s right. God, these directors should hire you to check this shit”).

One of Santana’s favorite scents is sweetpea because that’s what Brittany’s body spray smells like.

Brittana have keys to each other’s houses. During S2 while Brittany is dating Artie, Santana wonders if she should give her key to Brittany’s house back, but ultimately she doesn’t because Brittany never asks for it. Brittany doesn’t mention it, but Artie never gets a key.

If you were to ask the glee kids, they would probably say pink or purple or even rainbow, but the truth is that Brittany’s favorite color is brown because that’s the color of Santana’s eyes.

Thanks for the question!

#Crazy Brittanalyst answers #tryingtoohardddd #Mouseverse

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wendiuh · 7 years

Note

Hey hey hey question! 😄 I've been wanting to start the fate series for awhile, and there was one I had watched some time ago, but I've realized there is multiple series? I've noticed you like it so I was hoping you could help me figure out where to start, what order to go in...? Thanks in advance dearie!

You have no idea how happy i was to see this ask omg girl I’m in Fate hell. This will get lengthy, so beware haha. If you have any other questions, feel free to come to me! If it becomes too much reading (I think it’s like 1.5k words oops) just scroll to the bottom for the summary XD. I’ll put my essay explanation under the cut:

If you’re completely new to Fate, then allow me to explain how the story is set up structure-wise. It is split into 3 separate routes that start off from the same point. Each route has a set heroine/love interest and explore different aspects of the story and characters. These routes are viewed in the order of Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, and Heaven’s Feel. Fate focuses on the character Saber, UBW focuses on Tohsaka Rin, and HF focuses on Matou Sakura.

Now the first thing all faithful Fate watchers would say is to read the original visual novel. I, however, did not start with this, but it is easy to see why people recommend this first. The Nasuverse (the world of Fate and other related series, named after creater Kinoko Nasu) is a very, very detailed world that has so many aspects to it. Reading the original story will definitely provide the most helpful context. I am currently reading the VN now to get a better understanding of the universe, and it is pretty enjoyable, but can get pretty slow.

Fair warning, though. The original VN is an adult game, meaning it is somewhat gory and deals with adult themes (aka sex). There was a re-release of it without any sex scenes called Realta Nua. I wont provide any links on this post on how get the VN, but there’s definitely YouTube videos out there to help.

If sitting through 80+ hours of reading isn’t your thing, and I don’t blame you if it isn’t, then we must turn to the animes. That’s where things get complicated.

There are 3 currently accessible animes out there set in the Fate/sn universe. There’s the orginal anime from 2006 that “covers” the 1st route, Fate, and was made by Studio Deen. I’m going to refer to this as Deen/stay night. I put the word “covers” in quotes because many Fate fans view this adaptation as a disgrace. I didn’t watch it, but many say it tries too hard to cover the story of the visual novel and somewhat combines the routes. Basically, it tried to adapt all of the visual novel but under the cover of the route Fate. However, it does seem to serve as an okay introduction to the Fate universe in general since it is the first anime adaptation out there.

In terms of release date, next comes the famous adaptation of Fate/zero by ufotable. This is a prequel follows the events prior to the beginning of Fate/stay night, and is hands down a phenomenal series in general. Many view FZ as a classic and a wonderful story, but it does have a few spoilers in terms of some big revelations that happen in the Stay Night routes. If you want to watch an amazing series and you’re okay with some spoilers for the main series, start here. As for me, I didn’t start here because I wanted to save it for last because of how many people that praised it.

Finally comes the UBW anime (the series by ufotable. Not the movie!). Commonly known as Unlimited Budget Works for its beautiful animation, this series focuses on the VN’s second route. This was released after FZ, so I do think ufotable made this series thinking fans already watched the prequel. However, I did start with this series first. Though there were some confusing points, I was able to understand most of the anime and it was pretty good. It took a second watch for me to fully understand the plot, but that’s kind of how a lot of animes work. You never enjoy the full scope of the series until you rewatch it. Both this series and FZ got at least 3 times better when I rewatched it, and that is saying a lot considering how much I liked them the first time through.

So, which one do you start with and what order to watch it in? For the sake of chronology, watch Deen/stay night, then FZ, then UBW. If you want to skip Deen/stay night (which is okay to do), then it is up to you what you want to watch first.

In my opinion, watch UBW first, then FZ. This saves the more serious and dark series for last, which will make the transition to the tone of the upcoming Heaven’s Feel adaptation movies more smooth.

But I think either way you watch the series will still get you a good amount of exposure to the Nasuverse. It’s complicated to start, but once you’re in, it gets better. Heck, even if you don’t fully get immersed into the universe, the 2 ufotable animes are still stellar and carry heavy messages as well as are pretty much eye candy thanks to that animation quality.

But what about all those other things with “Fate/” stamped onto it?

There are a couple of other major Fate installments out there, but they are NOT taking place in the Stay night universe. They are AUs that overall expand the lore of the Nasuverse (and also give the creators some more money lol). These include:

Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA - A magical girl AU that is extremely different from Fate/sn. I think one should watch this after they finish the Stay Night series, but don’t feel forced to watch it, for it is completely non-canon.

Fate/apocrypha - This anime is currently airing as of my writing of this post. It follows a parallel universe “what if” situation. If this one certain event in history happened differently, then the events of Stay Night turn into this. This deals with completely different characters and set up. I only watched a few episodes of this anime and found it is probably most enjoyable to those familiar with the Nasuverse.

Fate/extra - Another parallel universe series coming out. Just like Apocrypha, this deals with new characters in general.

Fate/hollow ataraxia - A sequel Visual Novel to the original Stay Night story. Same characters and world, but 6 months later. It is another adult VN game, so it’s pretty much half-lore expansion and half-fanservice.

Fate/prototype - This is a 1-episode OVA of Kinoko Nasu’s first envision of the series. There are some minor differences lore-wise, and the characters are mainly the same, save for a few design differences and gender swaps.

Carnival Phantasm - Ever watch those “crack” videos on YouTube? Like “Fairy Tail Crack” or “Boku no Hero Academia Crack”? These videos take an anime and make jokes out of its content and have many, many memes. Well, Carnival Phantasm is exactly that. It combines many series of the Nasuverse (mainly the Fate/stay night series and Nasu’s other work, Tsukihime) and makes it into a joyful, cute, hilarious, and downright amazing anime. It is filled with inside jokes of the universe and has some spoilers, so save this anime for last. I did skip the Tsukihime skits simply because I didn’t get the jokes, but there’s a montage of all the Fate skits on YouTube here. This series is the source of many, many fandom memes. You don’t have to watch it, but it is so funny.

Fate/Grand Order - A 1-episode OVA that adapts the first storyline of the famous mobile game with the same name. It is another parallel universe of some sort. New characters with some familiar faces of the Stay Night universe. The game is currently released in Japan and North America on the iTunes and Google Play store. It may be a waifu and husbando collector, but it is so addicting…

To conclude, there really isn’t a right answer that I can give you. But here’s my suggestion (aka the way I watched the anime):

1. Watch the Unlimited Blade Works anime by ufotable.

2. Watch Fate/zero.

3. If you want to rewatch then watch the first season of the UBW anime again, then watch FZ again, then watch the second season of UBW. Totally optional, but a fun way to watch the 2 series imo.

4. If you are okay with spoilers for Heaven’s Feel, watch Carnival Phantasm for the Fate sketches. By spoilers I mean there are some jokes from that series that rooted from Heaven’s Feel, but you may only catch them if you squint. It never explicitly spoils the story.

5. Watch the Heaven’s Feel movies. Only 1 out of the 3 is currently out/coming out internationally in theaters, so I guess just try to watch the first 1 if it is available to you at this point?

Feel free to start the visual novel if you want. In regards to the other series I mentioned, they are optional as well.

If you watch UBW and FZ and feel that there are a lot of unanswered questions, then expect Heaven’s Feel to address those issues. Remember that even though the 3 routes are all different stories, they are written in a way that you don’t get the whole picture until you have completed all three routes (too bad the Fate route anime is completely butchered and unreliable plot-wise. But I think you can manage without it. It’s more of an introduction to the story than anything else.)

Hope you understood what I was saying! Again, please message me if you have any questions or just want to talk about the series with me! I am in absolute hell with this universe so don’t hesitate to talk to me!

#THIS WAS SO LONG SORRY I HOPE YOU STILL WANT TO WATCH FATE LOL #fate stay night #long post #asks

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i used to love scorpion but it's become mediocre since the second half of season 2 bc all they've done is bait waige. tbh, it's not a good ship and maybe i'm biased bc i've headcanoned walter as aromantic (which would've worked much better in terms of his character since the show seems to be telling ppl with higher IQ that to find a place they belong they have to develop EQ to "evolve" when as a society, we should be accepting them and not making them fit in with us)

No offense anon, but… Is there a question in this? It’s unclear exactly what you’d like to discuss or know from me. But I chose to take my time with this response in order to open a discussion within the fandom. This isn’t a rant. Lol!

I disagree with the notion that the show is telling its audience that high IQ, low EQ individuals have to develop EQ to evolve or fit into society. This insinuates that the geniuses sacrifice their intellect in order to become less socially inept. This is simply not the case. One of the show’s core messages is to communicate the benefits of emotional intelligence in relation to one’s goals to share that intellect with the masses - learning to adapt without sacrificing identity. The message is continuously addressed with Walter O’Brien because he is the genius with the lowest EQ, the creator of Scorpion, and uses his business as a hub for like-minded individuals with various skill sets.

What makes us different from animals as humans is cognition - the ability to reflect on our thoughts and experiences and act on them to change ourselves and our environments. Walter is not efficient at processing emotion to label it properly, meaning that he can not identify behaviors to which he can not relate. This does not mean he can not emote, but the amount of EQ he gains over time is learned. It does not derive from within. The same is true of the other geniuses to a lesser extent. (Elyes Gabel talked about this at the cast’s first SDCC appearance - Walter has an emotional vault that he struggles to access.) Furthermore, Walter’s environment contributes to how well he can regulate his emotions. In the show, Walter’s intelligence was fostered as a child through his work for the government. But his emotional development was only fostered through Megan because she accepted him for his differences unlike his parents. This is why he was so protective of her medical care and fought hard on an intellectual level to save her. Since Walter’s emotional development is an arc for the entire series, his character will be written to show his successes and failures in various aspects of his life in relation to his life goals.

As far as attraction is concerned, Walter could be written as aromantic in relation to his genius. This would have been a great and intriguing development. But various moments in the show suggest that Walter, at the least, is romantically attracted to women for now. Therefore, his emotional intelligence will also have an impact on any romantic relationship he seeks to have given the show’s premise. If you’ll indulge me, allow me to explain using recent scenarios from the show, present the conundrum that lies within fandom, and how that conundrum is capitalized in order to “bait” fans on Waige under the cut. It’s long, so don’t say I didn’t warn ya! 😜

Examples from Canon

In episode 2.22 Hard Knox, the team mobilized to help Ralph win his court battle. Ralph tried to explain his program’s functions to Walter, but he couldn’t understand Ralph’s approach. Sadly, Walter projected his frustration over a problem he couldn’t solve in that moment onto Ralph. This led to Ralph walking away feeling defeated and Paige threatening to quit. When he realized the mistake in his behavior, he approached Ralph and said this, “what upset me is that you were willing to slow down for me to-to let me go down the wrong road, when that would’ve hindered you, because I couldn’t grasp your work. Never hobble your intelligence for anyone… because if you do that in this garage, imagine what you’ll have to do out there… for humans. The world needs to catch up to you… because if-if it can, just a little, imagine what a… a beautiful place it could be.” This example is unique because it reinforces the show’s core message in IQ vs. EQ on the basis of intelligence, not emotion.

In 3.15 Sharknerdo, Walter argued with the client over the way he stated the service fee instead of accepting the fact that the client was not interested in learning the correct way to communicate $109,000. This cost the team their job and dismantled the weeks of work Paige did to secure that contract. Paige was rightfully frustrated because Walter couldn’t get like Elsa and let it go. 😂 Plus, it’s even more frustrating that Walter secured a new job on contingency, where payment is only guaranteed upon completion of services. This is bad for Walter despite the fact that Paige is the liaison for several reasons: 1) he talked with the client in her absence, 2) he lost a job with a secured fee and replaced it with a less secure one (that’s not good business when you have employees to pay), and 3) he is the boss of Scorpion who makes the final decisions. In Paige’s absence, he is the next point of contact for independent jobs (those not issued through Homeland Security). This is the statute of limitations when it comes to his goals for Scorpion. He has to acquire skill sets to make him more efficient at communicating with average/high EQ, non-geniuses if he wants to diversify his clientele to do more good in the world. In other words, he has to learn and apply approaches on an EQ level to appeal to normals in order to get them to his level or create an equal playing field. Another great example of this can be found in his interaction with the foreman in 3.14 The Hole Truth after his talk with Happy. I apply the same tactic as a researcher. I have to know my audience and how to address them in order to communicate my findings and spark interest. If I do not, I limit my reach and open doors to miscommunication and misunderstanding.

Also take into consideration instances where Walter has lied about facts in order to achieve the greater good. Episode 2.04 Robots is a great example. What’s also interesting about this episode and others in which this has happened is that Walter doubts the scope of his own emotional intelligence. The same is seen with Happy Quinn whose EQ is closer to Walter’s. If you have read any of my reviews, I talk about this doubt factor several times. Walter and Happy have demonstrated emotional mastery in both their work and personal lives. Their main issue is consistency outside the limitations their logical brains impose on their emotional functionality. Yet overall, they improve each season.

This show is loosely-based on the real Walter O’ Brien, who is an executive producer. If you ask him to choose between IQ and EQ, he will tell you, EQ over IQ, from his own personal experiences which has been infused widely throughout this show. You can read that interview HERE and learn what he did to create the show. It’s very enlightening!

Fandom Realities

Here’s the conundrum that stems from fandom. (If you read the interview, then you already got a sense of what I am about to say.) Scorpion is an action dramedy in two parts - personal stuff and mission stuff. And these two elements are interchanged in every episode. However, the majority of fan commentary on the show is about the romances first, the other personal storylines second, and the missions last. This means the greatest pull, as far as spoilers and other marketing strategies are concerned, is information on the ships whether it’s through social media, press releases, or cast interviews. The majority of fans don’t get excited over the missions (or else that would be reflected in fandom convo and creations). Scorpion covers some real projects like the Chernobyl dome and the Svalbard Doomsday Vault (both of which are really cool btw). And I am curious if an upcoming episode will take a note from a docu-drama on Mars that debuted on National Geographic. Anyways, Waige is not canon and yet Waige-centric episodes receive behind-the-scenes exclusives on pop culture news sites like Entertainment Online. Katherine McPhee and Elyes Gabel are sent out on press to talk about them. You do not see similar treatment with the other ships because Waige is the main ship of the show. All others are side ships, regardless how much exposure they get. Quintis is highlighted in the storyline because the relationship is between two main characters, who are both high IQ, low EQ individuals, as opposed to Callie (RIP 💀) which is between a main and a guest, both of whom have average/high EQ.

The showrunners, writers, cast have alluded and established in many ways that Waige is an endgame, slow burn otp. The mystery lies in WHEN this will happen. It would be stupid for them to reveal that information. But they use episodes to answer that question for the fans. As fans, we can choose to trust what is there to put our expectations in check or fall for the bait! Besides, we get more receipts the more the writers use more than one episode to foreshadow. If we don’t like what we see after some time, we have to determine what is the breaking point and move on or devise a new plan to indulge the content (e.g., skip episodes, binge later). We also have to take into consideration that some decisions are in the hands of network execs. At the end of the day, it makes no sense to engage in endless emotional masochism over something we no longer enjoy. It’s silly! But I digress. If you want to know more about my theories on Waige, feel free to go to my page, type “the Waige flip” in the search engine, and read all about it. As someone who ships Waige, I don’t have any questions on them until season 4, episode 12/13.

I will not argue whether Waige is a good ship or not because it’s not my place to police opinion. What I will say is that Waige is an intriguing pairing because it is a relationship between a low EQ individual and a high EQ individual - a genius and a normal. (Btw, high IQ, high EQ individuals exist - it’s a function of nature vs. nurture. But that’s a topic for a different day!). Melvester had the same dynamic, but the EQ gap between Megan and Sly was much less than that between Walter and Paige. For this reason, Waige will always face unique challenges. Like I said at the beginning of all this, Walter’s emotional development is a series arc and his triumphs and failures will extend to his personal life. But one thing this show does well is communicate understanding in the team’s decisions, both geniuses and non-geniuses, whether you agree with their stances or not. That’s necessary given the show’s premises!

If you’ve read up to this point, CONGRATS!!! You have survived another Emanda’s Inner Sanctum analysis/thought piece! Toodles peeps! 😘✌🏾️

#ermanda's inner sanctum #answered #anon #cbs scorpion #scorpion cbs #team scorpion #livingwithashipname

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