#like neither of them really relied on plot armor to get there

[courtney-deserved-better]

i will say again and again how DELIGHTED i am that priya won. but i am also delighted that she and bowie made it to the finale together. about halfway through my initial watch of the season i just kinda went “oh it has to be them in the final two. it HAS to be” and for once in my life total drama agreed!! because it couldn’t be anyone else it HAD to be them!! and it was!!

[mortala-if]

Mortala, the word, derives from the Latin adjective "Mortalis." meaning "subject to death." Comparable to the English word "Mortal." meaning the same. —

You live in a rotting world. And that's not a metaphor.

You've known that since you can remember. It's a fact that's been drilled into your mind on repeat.

A rotting world that you must not explore. Stay where you are, stay where you're familiar with, stay where you're comfortable— In The Cinders with your older brother.

The Cinders might not look pretty, but it's not horrible. Steer clear of most streets, keep your head down, don't poke around in other people's business, and you'll be fine. You've learned to navigate pretty well, not to toot your own horn.

Plus, you've got a job, and so does your brother. Not good ones, but ones that can, with a joint salary, keep a crumbling roof over your heads. —

Another thing that's been forced into your mind since you were spoon-fed is to never, ever disobey Belamour.

Belamour is a peaceful organization that was made to keep you safe. To do this, they have strict laws in place, and officers crawl over the cities to make sure you follow them. They are not a government, and they make it very known that they are not.

If you fail to obey, you'll get sent to your city's rehabilitation center! Isn't that nice? Or, on the worse side, you can end up in the Belamour Rehabilitation Center all the way in The Frost.

You and your brother made an agreement when you were very little that you would stick together, and neither of you would break any of the rules for fear of being sent to a rehabilitation center.

. . . An agreement your brother broke.

Now you have to find out how to get him the fuck out of there.

Mortala is a 16+ game due to explicit language, violence, death, anxiety, mention of past emotional abuse (not of MC), messy relationships, and more. A detailed trigger warning list will be listed before every chapter.

Customize the flawed main character, ranging from their gender to their style. (Semi-set personality. Set last name and age.)

Make risky choices that might result in you dying or being injured.

Build relationships between characters, romanceable and not.

Finally wipe The Cinders' ashes off you and explore more than just the burnt city you grew up in.

Go against everything you were taught growing up.

Lie to save your (and your brother's) skin.

These characters are not all romanceable, and you will not meet most of these characters until Chapter Two. Also, it's important to note that not all these characters have plot armor. This does not include sub-romances or all the characters you'll interact with.

FINNLEY ROSE. ✩ ---- Finnley has raised you since you were 5, making him 11 when you started to rely on him. You never really understood the gravity of that until you were in your late teenage years, and that's when you really started to appreciate him. You regret things you've said to him, how you've hurt him— and lately, with his absence, that's all you can think about. ---- His skin is a shade lighter than yours, the same textured hair as yours, and he has brown hooded eyes outlined with eyelashes that make you jealous. He stands at 6 feet, 2 inches. (187.96cm)

HIRO LA'EI. ✩ ---- Hiro has been your best friend since you were in diapers. You know everything about him, and he knows everything about you. You genuinely think he might be one of the sweetest people alive, despite what others might assume, and he jumps at the chance to help you with anything. . . ---- He has tan skin, wavy dark brown hair, and pretty doe-like brown eyes. He stands at 5 feet, 10 inches. (177.8cm) ! Option to have a crush on him— it goes nowhere, though.

MEDUSA CALIXTE. ♡ ---- Medusa. What can you say about Medusa? To put it plainly, she's your best friend's ex-girlfriend. She broke up with him and gave no reason. At the time of their relationship, you thought she was. . . interesting, for lack of a better word, and when she left your best friend, it took a huge toll on him, and from the looks of it, it barely affected her. ---- She has russet brown skin, coiled light brown hair, often shoulder-length and worn in dreads, and upturned hazel eyes. She stands at 5 feet, 2 inches. (157.48cm)

MONROE HALILI. ♡ ---- Your brother's best friend. They're concerned, and not just about their best friend. They're observant, annoyingly so, and can tell how bad his leave has affected you. Obviously, due to their status, they've taken it upon themselves to check on you- wanted or not. ---- They have deep tawny skin, curly black hair with white underneath, and dark brown monolid eyes framed with long, naturally curled eyelashes. He stands at 6 feet tall. (182.88cm) ! Option to have a childhood crush on them. (Three-year age gap.)

LIVIA ALARIE. ✩ ---- Monroe's daughter. From what you heard from your brother, she's incredibly timid- Oh, and she's smiled at him. (He wouldn't shut up about it for a week.) You've never seen her or talked to her yet. ---- She has tawny skin, wavy black hair that reaches below her ears, and dark brown almond eyes. She stands at 3 feet, 7 inches. (109.22cm)

VIVIAN DE LA CRUZ. ♡ ---- Your ex. You still think about them occasionally— you don't date someone for 5 years and forget about them even if you want to. You don't like how things ended, but you don't know if you want to see them again. ---- They have warm golden skin, light blue wavy hair, and downturned brown eyes. They stand at 6ft, 1 inch. (185.42cm) ! Details of the past relationship in their character profile.

Character profiles

Hiro La'ei Medusa Calixte Monroe Halili Vivian de la Cruz

Informational posts

The Cities Belamour Organization

Outside of Tumblr links

Playlists Pinterest Demo/Proof of concept

Extra

My other interactive fiction blog @destined-if My personal account @bunnifly

Important

My banner is by Thomas Dubois This interactive fiction is very loosely inspired by The Hunger Games

Thank you for reading ♡

[isaacathom]

i think far too much about florian de kasimir, because he's my own personal blorbo and also hes in a weekly campaign which means he gets way more playtime than my other main blorbo (Naielle, whose campaign is fortnightly, also shes not the only character i play in that anyway)

but anyway if i picked him up out of the witcher ttrpg system and put him in 5e, including adapting his backstory, ive decided he would be a tiefling, and either a cavalier or samurai depending on the setting and what will be easiest to wrangle. :)

cause in canon, right, florians not liked in his home town and is surprisingly poorly educated for a man of noble birth who is the heir to a county. in the canon thats because his reputation was fucking ruined at age like, 9, because of something he did not do but was accused of having done which meant noone would associate with him. and noone really did anything to, yknow, Rectify That, and so he left once he was old enough to be sick of the place. and very few people outside his home know about it, and thats good. becomes his own guy out there.

and i dont love the plot point bc it kinda blows. im dancing around the nature of the accusation bc it was something that was randomly rolled as part of character creation and very much NOT something i wouldve put in his backstory. so, okay. how to adapt it? the fact it ruins his reputation very young is sort of important to the vibe for me.

so why not an unexpected tiefling? a count and his wife, excited for their first child, and he comes out with horns. well. shit. who is responsible? not florian. florians not responsible for this. but hes the symbol of someones actions, of someones decisions and deeds, and he suffers the consequence. His parents marriage falters under the strain as both claim to have never formed a pact like that, and if its a bloodline thing, noone wants to say, and so its all a mess.

but they also dont kill him! they dont kill their precious son! but they also dont fucking treat him right. he's an only child, he's left to his own devices most of the time but they try to keep him just in the house, its a whole hassle, bc while theres nothing wrong with tieflings, neither of them are tieflings. it reflects poorly on SOMEONE here, as either a cheat or a liar. i mean its entirely possible neither is the case, but thats how they both approach it.

and while him being a tiefling would probably change the attitude of ~ambient society~ to be less positive than it is to him as a regular human guy, its like. cool.

i just want him to be a tiefling i think thatd be cool

as for which kind, uhhh depends? Levistus suits mechanically, or maybe Zariel? but also if i were playing a tiefling id ask to be able to use Tasha's rules to nix the +2 cha anyway so the ASI isn't that integral in the decision, and Florian is also very much not a spells boy. armor of agathys is probably like... good... for that? but also just +10 hp? eh. can also make a case for whichever bloodline would make the most sense for his parents to be attached to, whether by descent or pact or what. hell, if we're going themes, Baalzebul probably suits? very much a thing to discuss with the gm. he very much isnt using any of the spells provided by any of the bloodlines anyway? hes not into it. itd need to be a very good reason for him to pull magic. he's a very low-magic guy. he wants to rely on his own two hands and strength, something outside the tiefling remit. smack smack.

[windblooms]

childe scenario – foul legacy

childe x gender-neutral reader.  angst and nsfw/smut.  2.4k words.  canon divergence: reader is in place of the traveler plus other plot points. warnings: rough/unprotected sex, choking, biting, overstim. 

when you arrived in liyue harbor, childe didn’t have to ask for your name because he already knew it – the mondstadtian fatui had told him as much.  he only had to ask for your purpose in the city.  “to find somewhere to belong,” you had replied. 

as if either of you thought that you could make a home out of each other.

time had snapped by in an instant despite the weeks you two had spent together.  he couldn’t ever fully drop that harbinger pretense that you knew was a facade, and neither of you could walk the streets of liyue as sincere companions.  that time when you both stood atop mt. tianheng and looked out towards the guyun stone forest in the horizon was a sham; there was no sense of honesty, of trust.  atop that hill, on a bright autumn morning, you were trembling.  

he couldn’t bring himself to admit that it was because of him at the time.

but now, he can’t afford to be considerate of what you two had tried to become.  he doesn’t want to think about it.  it hurts even more when he looks into your eyes –

– and down at your neck, clutched in his fingers, and your hands that hopelessly rake at his wrist.

don’t give me that look, he wants to say, but his mouth doesn’t move.  you knew it would come to this.

your breaths are ragged under his grasp.  suspended in the air, you don’t have the energy to kick at him, exhausted from your earlier duel.  your sword had been shattered in the brutal exchange, and its remains lay discarded underneath the rubble of the golden house.

he can feel your pulse underneath his claws.  it’s erratic, pounding in time with your gasps.  your experiences in teyvat had taught you much and honed you into a warrior – an honorary knight.  but the pitiful state you’re in now betrays your fragility.

your nails do nothing against the skin of his foul legacy. you choke out his name, as if beseeching – “childe,” – begging for any sense of sympathy.  but you shouldn’t rely on his sentimentality: the monster you’re pleading to has always had the insatiable craving to bring his opponents to their knees, and you cannot be the exception. 

but, oh so badly, he wishes you were.

“you shouldn’t be thinking like that,” he chides, withered at your misplaced determination.  his voice isn’t quite his own; memories of better days are bitter on his tongue.  “you’re wasting what you have left.”

sentencing himself to further oblivion, he hurls you to the floor with the flick of his wrist, and your back arches as you hit the pavement.  he sees the breath leave your lungs, and as you convulse on the ground, his daggers have already materialized in his claws.

you do what you can to get away from his approaching form, practically crawling to put any semblance of distance between yourself and your doom.  but you’re weaponless, weak, and out of options; you can only last like this for so long.

your mouth opens, but he’s on you before you can get a sound out.  childe pins your body underneath his, settling himself on your torso with his thighs on either side of your hips.  a hydro dagger embeds itself on the tile besides your head, and as he leans over your spent body, all you see staring down at you is a pearl of ice.

“g–get off,” your plea is even weaker under the shadow of his figure.  he feels your hands shoving – no, pressing – against his shoulders, but they fall as soon as he sinks more of his weight onto your stomach.

“you can’t win,” childe’s voice should be triumphant; he has you, his adversary, his prize, in absolute submission.  but remorse bleeds from his words and into your ears.  “stop acting like you even had a chance.”

your head shakes back and forth.  the pressure of childe on top of you makes it difficult to think straight, your body screaming at the torture.  but you know that you can’t afford to lose here, or even think about giving up.  not when paimon, not when the knights, or keqing or ningguang or – 

“ – but zhongli.” your wheeze comes out like a sob, but there aren’t any tears in your eyes.  the harbinger above you regards your broken state in silence, his cape of stars distorting the walls of the golden house.  the chill of his armor burns as it digs into your exposed skin, but it’s grief that consumes you whole.

behind his mask, childe’s eyebrows furrow.  what does zhongli have anything to do with this?  he’s not even in the city right now, much less relevant to the life-and-death scenario you’re in.  is it really him that you’re weeping for, and not your own safety?  

childe moves his spare hand to the side of your face, testing.  your body shudders violently underneath his, anticipating what might come, with eyes wide and mouth in the middle of another gasp.  a claw taps at the rise of your cheek, and skims down your flesh until it hovers down to the plump of your lips. 

“it’s his name,” the harbinger exhales, voice now devoid of sentiment.  and all at once, you freeze.  “that you call to now?”

another beat of silence – bemusement is clear in your eyes.  he continues, and with each word, he lowers himself closer to your face.  you remember how to move, and as desperately as you can, put your hands on his mask in another attempt to delay the closing distance, all while trying to deny his twisted assertion.  

his mask vibrates as his voice flows.  you feel it thrum under the bruised skin of your palms.  “there are more important things to think about right now.  like the dead god you couldn’t protect.”  

childe doesn’t stop until his face is mere centimeters from yours.  between your fingers, you can see yourself in the clouded orb of his mask. 

“or, you know, yourself,” he finishes, aggrieved.  “you’ve never been the selfish type.  but i didn’t think that you’d be one to think of someone else in a situation like this.”

“no,” you start, still attempting vainly to push him back.  “no, listen to m– ”

“you held back before,” childe resumes his monologue, referencing your duel.  you never aimed for his neck, his chest, or a fatal blow – always at his arms or legs.  “worried about hurting me when nearly crushed you with a whale.”  

“you know why.” your cry falls on deaf ears.  for some reason the misery in your words doesn’t stir him.  “because i didn't want to.  just yesterday we ate together at wanmin, and the day before that, nantianmen – ”

“not as friends,” he interrupts, and you become quiet at the harshness in his voice.  “as a formality.  you knew it would come to this.  neither of us could afford to believe otherwise.” 

for the second time, your hands fall back to your sides.  you can’t speak.  you don’t want to.  not when you agree with what he’s saying.  but you know – you know he wants it to be different.  

does he?

you avert your eyes from his face.  his body no longer weighs on your own, but he still traps you underneath.  your next words are a mere whisper. 

“can you blame me for wanting to?”

childe doesn’t respond.  you hear his hydro dagger evaporate.  your hair moves as a clawed hand settles on the back of your head, cushioning it from the floor.  

“yes.”  he exhales, but the bottom half of his mask disintegrates and his lips descend onto yours. 

you feel like crying as his body grinds against you, thrusting your form further into the tile.  as he sucks on your bottom lip, tugging at it with his teeth, your hands find purchase in his hair, feebly grabbing onto strands as you try to keep up with his brutal pace.  lips, tongue, lips, tongue – you can’t keep track of how long you’re wedged underneath him like this, or how many times you’ve come close to moaning his name as he’s pulled on your hair, trying to provoke as much of a reaction out of you as he can.

if you’re fragile, then childe’s already broken.  his kisses tell you just as much: he tries to feel as much of you as he possibly can, pressing his mouth to your cheeks, the veins on your neck and the flesh above your heart.  but i can’t help indulging in you, his ministrations say in contradiction to his spiteful words from before. i can’t stop.

childe’s skin is rough against yours – hardened from his delusion – but he feels like the rush of a high tide at noon.  you clutch onto his shoulders, whimpering as the kisses just don’t stop, noises spilling from your mouth as he lifts you from the ground, hands on the backs of your thighs.  he carries you away from the wreckage, still biting into the convergence of your neck and shoulder, dragging the flesh under his teeth, and tugs until there are tears in your eyes.  you cry out again, with only pleas for him, and that’s when he realizes that there’s something beautiful about how ruined you look. 

he’s grateful that he has a mask: underneath it, he’s just as anguished as you are. 

“m-more.” you gasp next to his ear, practically clawing at his shoulders.  across the length of your collarbones, bite marks from his teeth are embellished onto your skin.  “archons, childe . . . ”

he doesn’t waste any more time, pushing your back against a column while supporting your body with his hands underneath your thighs.  he squeezes them harshly as he situates his crotch between your legs – and when he starts to rut into your body, nearly growling, he makes sure to cover your mouth with his own so he can feel you even further lose yourself to him.

“is this what you want?”  he jeers against your lips, yet for some reason, it’s as if he isn’t talking to you.  a gasp is wrung from your mouth as he thrusts up into the juncture of your legs; this feels like bliss.  “tell me this is what you want, and i’ll give it to you, y/n.  just tell me.”

another shove.  the heat between your legs is unbearable, and all too quickly, you’re complying, “y-yes, you, ple – ”

he tears off your undergarments and rams himself into you before you can finish.

the force of his entry is enough to jolt your spine into the column behind you, and once more, you’re winded by his brutality; there was no preparation, and for his first thrusts, it’s painful, yet the relief you feel with him inside you is undeniable.  you find yourself not only clinging onto his shoulders for leverage, but even tightening around his length as you adjust to his size and pace, eyes squeezed shut and teeth biting into your lower lip.

“fuck,” childe groans, and buries his face into the litter of hickeys he marked you with before.  he rocks you back and forth on his hips.  “you feel too good.  fuck, fuck, fuck.”

you think you’re bleeding where he clutches your thighs, but you can’t think clearly enough to be sure.  all you know is more, more, please, more, let me drown in you more.  

you both know this isn’t right, but neither of you can stop.  neither of you want to stop. 

your gasps fill the ambiance of the golden house.  childe makes sure to pull out of you completely, leaving you pitifully empty and clenched around nothing, before pounding back in. 

“you’re so filthy,” he finally speaks after what feels like an eternity.  the shock of his voice does nothing to quell the building climax in your stomach, and instead, spurs on your want even further.  “getting off to me just after being tossed around.  aren’t you just cute.”

his teeth sink into your neck once more, and you muffle a scream.  the flat of his tongue lathers his bites from before, coating them in saliva.  you don’t know what to do, what to say, and can only admit to his words in the drug of hedonism. 

your body lurches as he hastens his pace.  he doesn’t relent for a second, and your insides feel like absolute mush. “tell me to go harder and i will,” childe goads, the squelching of liquid between your legs becoming more prominent as he continues.  “moan louder.  cry harder.  tell me who’s breaking you right now.”

“you.”  it’s another one of your uneven breaths, another to be added to the plethora of defeated exhales.  “you, childe.  y-you’re . . . ”

you can’t bring yourself to finish.  the awareness of your vulnerably creeps into your conscious, and for a moment, your eyes roll down to where the two of you are connected. 

before they snap back up, just to see the orb on his mask stare you down. 

“tell me,” childe repeats, and you go absolutely still.  “who’s breaking you right now.”

and once more, he pulls out, length dripping in your juices, before hilting himself until there’s no more space between your bodies.

“you!”  this time, you do scream.  he’s too much, his size stretching you as he re-enters.  “ – you’re the one wh-who’s breaking me.”

in, out, in out.  “yes, good.  say it again.”

“you, childe.  you’re breaking me . . . “ 

and when your voice cracks, he feels like he’s shattered too.

you come before he does.  suddenly, abruptly, crumpling against his larger form as if you’ve been completely spent.  he still moves inside you, not at his point of release yet, and at the excessive stimulation your body jerks.  your eyes have glazed over, but the faint grip you have on his arms tells him that you’re still with him.  

he mutters your name, as if in reassurance, before slotting his lips over yours once more, tasting your tears as they fall from your eyes.

“good kitten,” his praise ghosts over your lips.  as he cums, childe presses himself as far into you as he can.  you sigh into his mouth as he does so, shoulders falling, and eyes closing.

he’s not sure whether to embrace you like a lover or cry like a monster. 

[emma-d-klutz]

IF I were to write a Maribat fic

It would be mostly a played for comedy and drama take on “Marinette picked up this whole Bat thing way too quickly.”

Like, post Miracle Queen, Marinette is just overtaken with so much guilt about Master Fu and is also desperate for a new mentor to be a replacement and a distraction from the blame she puts on herself and the burden of being the new Guardian. She is absolutely sure she is not ready to be in charge.

She calls Damian and asks for an audience with Batman. Damian is like, “Oh, isn’t this the girl who kicked me out of Paris? What was it you said? ‘No Gothamites in my city.’ Isn’t that what you said? Didn’t you say you can’t have our “type” of vigilante in Paris, because we’re too, what was it, overemotional? Is this that girl who is on my com right now? The one who rejected joining the Teen Titans? That’s you? You want me to TALK to my FATHER? I would barely ask him a favor for someone I actually LIKE.” Except then she kind of blows up at him and tells him the situation, and Damian gets real quiet and listens, and he feels a little sick because he’s remembering the Ric Grayson situation and also Alfred’s most recent death, which he ALSO blames himself for, so like... they got shit in common. He says he’ll talk to Batman about a video call.

Cut to three months later, Marinette has just THROWN HERSELF into being Batman’s disciple. She calls him Master. She practices fighting day and night out of the suit, and IN the suit she uses her powers for training and is often seen sprinting for miles or scaling the Eiffel Tower with only her upper body strength. She comes to school covered in bruises and with the darkest circles under her eyes, and her friends are WORRIED, they really are, but she’s like 80% less bubbly then usual, so no one is really confronting her and are just silently wondering what the heck happened. Most people assume that this has something to do with her taking Adrien and Kagami being an official couple really hard. 

For fashion design, well. Marinette has gotten really into armor lately.... huh.  (It’s because the Batfam encourages her to not rely on a magic suit that can turn off at the worse time, and she is convinced she must be prepared to be Ladybug at any and all times. If anything, she’s lamenting that she doesn’t know how to make weapons.) (She got a grappling hook styled like a yo yo as a present from Master Bat.) 

She texts Kagami out of the blue one day like,  >>Hey. Come over. I am in the process of making my masterwork >>Oh and bring a sword >>A sharpened one, not a training sword And Kagami comes over to see a twitchy (”ok that’s pretty normal”) super serious (”well that’s not. she’s usually so flighty and indecisive”) Marinette. And in the place where there was once an Adrian shrine and stalking schedule is now what seems to be a Hawkmoth shrine and stalking schedule. Marinette brings out what looks sort of like shiny silk with jewels woven in, and Kagami’s assumption is corrected. No. It’s a polymerized titanium she synthesized herself with light elemental defense crystals woven in by hand. Marinette is very proud. It’s a prototype. She plans on making a material that can be beautiful formalwear and as stab-proof as any kevlar. But it’s still a prototype so Kagami can you pretty please do some slashing and stabbing on it pretty please? See she wants it to be really good before giving it to her other Sword Friend, because Dami is a really harsh judge, and her motivation just won’t be able to take it if she gets notes from him this early on in the process. Kagami is actually really on board and helpful in this venture. 

She does like indirectly ask Marinette if she’s heartbroken of if she’s with Luka or what have you, and Marinette just gets really harsh and says she has other priorities. She also makes some grandiose proclamation that neither of them are good enough for Adrien, because Adrien is pure goodness, he’s kindness and forgiveness personified, and it’s just... it’s just... it would be really clear to anyone who has ever heard Batman wax poetic about Superman where she is getting this highkey cringe behavior.

She’s on video calls with Batman all the time. They definitely have a conversation that goes something like this:

“I am certain the mean girl from my school is working for my main supervillain.” “Good. You can find him through her.” “Yess! I have been looking forward to the chance. I am going to interrogate her.” “Ladybug, no.” “I am going to tie her up with my yoyo and dangle her over the highest skyscraper in Paris and tell her I’ll drop her if she doesn’t tell me the identity and location of Hawkmoth.” “Befriend her at school and track her movements.” “Ok but wouldn’t it be quicker to dangle her off a building?” “You’re letting your emotions about someone from your civilian life interfere with your judgement and letting yourself act hastily and with negligence, which is exactly how you lost your first mentor.” “Ah....... you’re right. I’m sorry, Master. I won’t be reckless.” “Good. Tap her cell phone.”

As for Chat Noir, he is FREAKED OUT by her change and all the secrets she’s keeping now. And her behavior towards him has REALLY changed. Well not too much, but it’s noticeable in a way that unnerves him sometimes. Like she’s become a super serious workaholic, but she’s also insanely protective of him, to the point where he feels a bit resentful that he’s not being treated as a competent partner. He’s really trying to get Ladybug to talk out what she’s going through, and he’s anxious all the time that she’s on the cusp of becoming akumatized. Honestly, he’s not wrong on that part. He knows that this is all because she blames herself for Master Fu, and he is also aware that she is spending much more time in contact with that Robin from Gotham who they met once or twice, and he knows she’s keeping some secrets, but NO he is not aware for at least half of the story that she is being remotely trained by Batman. She’s telling him to shut up a lot more and bossing him around more and seems to know way more about Hawkmoth’s movements than him and it feels like he’s out of the loop, but she’s also, like, often spewing out how important he is to her as her partner and keeps giving him handmade pastries and saying, “An army crawls on its stomache,” so like honestly wtf mixed signals much

Batman agreed to mentor her temporarily and has been trying to find someone else from JL to take over, preferably Wonder Woman or Flash, because he agrees with Ladybug’s assessment that to be a hero in Paris it is necessary to have weaponized optimism, or Zatanna or Shazaam, because they could train Ladybug in her magic hopefully. He is told several times that it would be easier to get her mentorship if she agreed to join Teen Titans or Young Justice, which of course they all know, so thanks, but Ladybug would def refuse to leave Paris and her partner, so her joining YJ isn’t really up for discussion. 

Flash said that she’s great but that, “She’s SUCH a Bat,” and that clearly she’s so attached to him that she should just stay one of his. Batman asserts that she is only being like this because she is desperate for a mentor, and if someone else took her on, she’d probably/hopefully change again just as fast. Flash says he isn’t so sure, and that at this delicate point in time, being handed off to someone else might, like, retraumatize her or smth. 

Ladybug literally started breaking fingers interrogating someone.

It is on camera.

The LadyBlog is in SHOCK.

No one knows what to do.

Even Hawkmoth sees the video footage and is like, “Jeez, am I... Mayura, are we in over our heads here? Did we break the teen hero? Is this our fault?”

Anyway, those are all my favorite ideas of the ones I’ve daydreamed so far. There is also stuff about how she interacts with the other members of the Batfam and that she uses the Horse Miraculous to travel to Gotham to be trained in hand-to-hand and also to just sob for hours and scream at things because she CAN’T let her emotions out like that in Paris and the bafflement of the Batkids like “you... came to GOTHAM... to NOT repress your emotions. um, k.” And Cass loves her and thinks she is Baby Sister and if someone is mean to baby sister in front of her she will stare into your soul until you are quiet ect ect many ideas. 

The reason this is an IF and not a WHEN:

dudes I have no plot

[orange-meringue]

Lost And Found Q & A

(The Q&A is here! Yeah, I’m not sure exactly how many of you ended up coming over from AO3, but I’ve decided to do the Q&A for my fic here -sorry to those of you who are uninterested in my writing life, I’ve been really invested in Lost And Found lately. 

The first question was submitted here on Tumblr, and the rest are all from AO3. I hope you’re satisfied with my answers, and if you have any more questions after this or just want some elaboration, please feel free to ask! I’ll add them on in a reblog! 

Anyway, enjoy! I’ll put everything beneath the cut) 

How does Donnie adjust to physical touch/affection in the future?

-Donnie is definitely touch-starved. No way around it. As mentioned in the fic, Draxum, Huginn, and Muninn never really gave him more than a few one-sided hugs, fist-bumps or handshakes. He’d never been fully hugged or held until he met his brothers, and it’s still very weird and new to him. But obviously his brothers (as well as April and Splinter, once you get to know them) are pretty touchy, but a few of them are better at picking up on Donnie’s thing with touch than others. Overtime I feel like they would be able to get him more and more acquainted with things like casual hugs and friendly touch, and the more he gets used to these things, the less they startle him every time. Though I do imagine he has a few relapses in the future (which I do plan to write about) where touch goes back to being startling and scary, and it takes him a day or so to warm back up to it. Mostly good things, though! Donnie truly does love the familial affection, though he’s not likely to admit it

When did the boys prepare Donnie’s room?

I imagine they made his room during the last chapter, after Splinter’s apology and after April and Mayhem left, when everyone began to split up to do their own things. The timeline is a little questionable, but I like to think they had a good hour in there, and most of the materials were already there and ready -the room was likely empty, too, and was acting as some sort of storage room that they never knew what to do with. I tried to make it obvious that they’d been pressed for time and hadn’t been able to do much, hence the hastily made bed frame and why there were only two other pieces of furniture

Will Donnie ever feel comfortable enough to remove his tech around the lair in the future?

I feel that, much like canon Donnie, wearing his tech is a bit of a habitual thing. He doesn’t really see a reason to take it off, even if he’s technically safe in the lair, especially because it was ingrained in him via Draxum that his tech is everything keeping him safe. His tech is his armor and his safety blanket, and even if he knows, logically, he’s not going to be ambushed in the middle of the lair, it’s hard to take it off. Eventually, though, I feel like his brothers help with that. At one point Raph probably starts trying to train him to build strength and muscle on his own so he doesn’t have to rely on his limb clamps, and, as Donnie gets more comfortable with his brothers, he starts feeling relaxed enough to remove his battle shell when lounging around with them

Would Splinter try to bond with Donnie and attempt to form a better connection with him?

Splinter really does love his son and wants to spend time with him! But...uh...as of the story’s ending...he doesn’t know very much about him. He knows he was raised by Draxum to be a soldier and is very good with technology, but other than that...next to nothing. But it’s a great motivator! Splinter 100% wants to know Donnie as well as he knows his other boys, so he pulls out every stop to try and bond with him, making sure not to rush him despite his curiosity and family-oriented nature, because Donnie is currently pretty skeptical of adults (even Splinter) for...obvious reasons. But he wants to get to know Splinter, too, and, yeah, he’s willing to sit through his 5+ hour Lou Jitsu monologues to let that happen

How does Donnie feel about the boys’ future plans to capture oozesquitos and sabotage Draxum? Does he still have conflicted feelings about humans?

After the initial adrenaline and shock of everything subsides, I feel like it was Donnie’s idea to go after the oozesquitos. He probably wakes up in a cold sweat one night remembering oh yeah, Draxum and I unleashed a swarm of carrier bugs upon New York that are set on turning people into mutants and immediately feels the need to remedy his past mistake. So he builds a device to track the oozesquitos, which leads the boys to Big Mama’s hotel, and the rest is history (though slightly different than it was in canon, considering Donnie’s knowledge of Big Mama’s schemes and the Battle Nexus). But in terms of Draxum, Donnie would definitely be far more hesitant about trying to sabotage him. Donnie is still afraid of Draxum, after all -a small part of him feels like everything with his brothers is only temporary, and eventually he’s going to be stuck with Draxum again, and the further on his bad side he gets now, the worse it’s going to be when that does happen. He never directly challenges or fights Draxum whenever they run into him, and if there’s a way to avoid clashing with him altogether, he’ll take it

As for humans, Donnie’s definitely still conflicted about them. It’s been ingrained in him his whole life that humans are evil and selfish- that they forced his whole race underground and that’s the reason they now live in secrecy. And honestly, not even Splinter actually knows if that’s true. So Donnie remains skeptical, but overtime he’s able to do a lot more things around the city without fear of humans. They’re not actually that dangerous, he discovers, and maybe -just maybe- they’re alright. But there’s only one human Donnie grows to fully trust, and that’s April. In his eyes, she’s already proved her loyalty and compassion and, y’know, desire not to out him and his brothers to all of human-kind, not to mention she’s super badass and someone Donnie does not want on his bad side again. She’s a good friend, he realizes. He can definitely understand why she’s part of the family

How much does Donnie know about the Hidden City? Does he know about Big Mama and her hotel? How would the boys’ interactions with Big Mama change with this version of Donnie?

Considering he was raised with Draxum (who is apparently a well-known public figure in the Hidden City) he definitely has a fair amount of knowledge about the place, as well as a few ins and yōkai to go to when he needs something done. He’s very well-known himself, and actually has a reputation as a very intimidating soldier. He’s also well-versed in Big Mama’s tricks, because she and Draxum have done business before and she’s 100% tried to kidnap him for the Battle Nexus (emphasis on tried). Harking back to the question about Donnie’s oozesquito-capturing plan, the episode would definitely go differently with him there. It would be a great Leo and Donnie bonding episode, because neither of them trust Big Mama in the slightest, and Raph and Mikey would be far more cautious around her, though still intrigued by the concept of a mutant hotel and her apparent interest in helping them. But I think Donnie would manage to slip out with Leo before their brothers are captured, then it would be a race with a hilarious amount of arguing until they rescue Raph and Mikey, then everything would likely proceed as normal for the rest of the episode

Is Donnie jealous that April gets to attend school? What would his relationships with the Purple Dragons be like?

Donnie has no idea what school is. He’s heard mention of it in shows he’s pirated, but it isn’t until April comes to him one day complaining about her workload that he asks what she’s talking about. Once she explains it, he’s ecstatic! A place you can go to learn about math, science, history, and any other subject you could ever want? How much does it cost? ...It’s free?! He’s begging April to smuggle him in. She absolutely does not want to deal with that, but Donnie did make her a whole laptop and upgrade her phone a whole bunch, so how can she say no? She agrees to take him the next day, but it doesn’t fully occur to Donnie that the school is crowded with humans until he gets there. He’s on-edge the entire day, and it doesn’t help that he’s a weird green-skinned new kid no one’s ever seen before. I imagine it would be a great chapter for some good old fashioned Donnie and April bonding, and I’m 100% going to write it now, so anything else would be considered a spoiler

As for the Purple Dragons, I imagine their relationship wouldn’t be too different. The Purple Jacket episode would go relatively the same way, though I imagine Donnie would be a little more reluctant to actually join the Dragons, and way more irritating throughout the rest of the episode. But the plot and their feelings toward each other would likely remain the same

Does Donnie still eat bugs?

The whole thing with the bugs is basically...Draxum didn’t know what to feed Donnie as a baby, so he went to a local animal expert who recommended things like fruits, veggies, bugs, etc. So, considering that Draxum’s main priority was rebuilding his lab and he didn’t really have the resources to get food for anyone but himself (and maybe Huginn and Muninn- though they probably stuck to dumpster diving), Donnie’s appetite ended up consisting completely of typical turtle food, and only when he got older did Draxum started adding in things like nutrient bars and protein shakes, just to help him build more strength and muscle. So Donnie never really had anything else before he met his brothers, and it feels weird to him to jump straight from turtle to human food, so he slowly incorporates more of the latter into his diet overtime. He does still eat bugs, though. Splinter started getting him things like bug chips and seasoned bugs to make it less unsettling, but now he just eats those all the time and none of the others care for it. If a live bug happens to get in his way, he definitely won’t hesitate to eat it, and, yeah, sometimes it’s startling and almost made Leo throw up once, but it’s also really helpful if there’s a bug in the lair and none of the others want to deal with it. Donnie has eaten a spider before. The others just pretend it never happened

[andysmetahell]

One for All and All for One: The study in complimentary and infinite (wasted) potentials

One for All and All for One: two Quirks whose history we can, in the universe of Boku no Hero Academia, treat almost as the history of society. Their users had left enormous impact on everyone in the series, and through hints we can see their influence stretching long, long back to the first appearance of the Quirks.

Neither Quirk can be considered ‘normal’, though: the ability to take away Quirks at whim and an ability to share Quirks with others (which would inevitably leave you Quirkless) are both complete anathemas to the society that by and large is half-in love with the idea of simply having a Quirk (which deserves a whole breakdown in on itself, but that’s not what I’ll be writing about here!). And yet, One For All users are all heroes, and All for One users are all villains as far as we know (written after the release of manga chapter 280).

How is that even possible? With how objectively similar they are, why aren’t they both heroes, or both villains?

Well, before we take a crack at how Horikoshi coded the Hero society that made this happen, let’s first take a look at just why I’m so surprised the two Quirks aren’t on the same ‘side’. Also, obligatory ‘spoilers ahead’ warning for everyone who’re anime-only watchers, or haven’t gotten past Meta Liberation Army arc in manga.

Purely from the activation/mechanics point of view, All for One and One for All are warped mirror images of each other. All for One functions on the assumption that a) the user knows the other person has a Quirk and b) the Quirk doesn’t have an inherent clause that disallows itself to be taken by force when it comes to taking it. One for All is the only Quirk so far that has shown the resistance to the b), as it is encoded in the very nature of the ‘share-along’ Quirk that forms the true base of One for All that it can only be given away willingly.

Why is this so important? Because All for One doesn’t only take Quirks, it’s also capable of releasing them and giving them to others, whether the recipient is willing or unwilling. In this regard, One for All is startlingly identical: it can be forced upon someone else, as long as the DNA is exchanged and the previous user is willing to give it away. This little fact is often overlooked (likely deliberately) by the existing canon in favor of emphasizing the ‘cannot be taken forcefully away’ which makes sense plot-wise, but not ethics and logic-wise.

But who knows, maybe Horikoshi is holding back on us, and One for All ends up being the ultimate villain of the story.

… yeah, not likely. But the idea is interesting, isn’t it?

Moving onto the way they interact with their users and other Quirks, One for All and All for One are again very, very different, but with a shared approximate visualization of usage behind it. The closest approximation of how they interact with other Quirks would be, in my opinion, be gravity – but two very different applications of gravity.

There are two relevant things you need to know about gravity: it is defined by the masses of an object interacting with another object, and every single object in the universe has its own gravity field. (thank you, Physics nationals I went to once, for forcing me to learn more about gravity!)

All for One is more akin to a star within a stable planetary system: it holds planets, satellites and comets (other Quirks) locked in its orbit, but any change can make all those objects lose their orbits and go wander in the deep space. Its hold is strong, but the fact still remains it can be nullified in order to give away Quirks. It’s also stable – its attraction/hold power doesn’t change with the number of Quirks taken, it simply gives it a bigger array of powers to work with.

One for All on the other hand would be closer to black hole: its gravity is so enormous even light, the fastest object in the universe, cannot escape it, and its mass (and therefore its gravity) grows stronger with every object it swallows. Once it grabs a hold of anything (its user’s other Quirk) it merges it with itself and keeps it for forever, with very little chance of it ever surfacing again as individual Quirk (unless your name is Midoriya Izuku). However, it heavily relies on the energy (other Quirks it merges with) to provide power-ups; hence the ridiculous difference between Izuku’s and Toshinori’s One for All. (also protagonst shenanigans, but we’re not going that far into metatextuality here – that needs its own essay)

So, concept-wise, One for All and All for One are again identical in the idea behind it, but drastically different in application – both still fucking scary, but what can we do here, our main protagonist and antagonist need to have OP armor around themselves.

This leads us to the probably the biggest spoiler I’ll discuss in this essay:

this panel.

In chapter 270 of manga, Shigaraki Tomura is revealed to have been passed All for One, which is a whole mindfuck in on itself that Horikoshi needs to explain stat because I’m going crazy over here with theories (!!!), but moving on. The short and extremely brief summary of what happens afterwards is: Heroes discover where Tomura is while he’s still being transferred All for One, they wreck the Nomus and facility, Shigaraki gets partial All for One and his original Quirk Decay goes absolutely nuts again, Izuku runs off to face him, and at one point point, while using Ragdoll’s Search, Shigakari utters a very strange sentence while seemingly under the influence of All for One (the Quirk):

“You will be mine… little brother.”

Moments later, Shigaraki snaps out of it and comments about Sensei (All for One) no longer being his puppeteer, that he’s making his own choices and not Sensei’s.

Here we get a stunning punch in the plexus about what we already have been hinted at during Izuku’s fight with Shinsou Hitoshi, during Kamino Ward and Joint Training Arcs:

One for All and All for One both retain the echoes of their past owners.

Now, here comes a million dollar question: is this something both the baseline ‘share’ part of One for All and All for One possess (which would further link the two Quirks, and also explain a lot of characterizations in the series so far), or is it an imprint of All for One on ‘stockpile’ part of One for All that ‘share’ part absorbed and made its own? Both possibilities are extremely intriguing and make any future possibility of unification (which was apparently Sensei’s original goal before, judging by that one panel) extremely volatile, and very intriguing if Horikoshi pursues that idea to its end.

Speaking of the man himself, now we arrive at the question that really started the whole essay here: how come it was All for One chosen to be the ultimate evil, and One for All to be ultimate good? As we’ve seen so far, both Quirks are startlingly similar; theoretically, could All for One be a ‘heroic’ Quirk and One for One for All ‘villainous’?

The answer is yes and no.

Yes, because theoretically, switching the two would still make the story work; it’d change the motivations of characters drastically, sure, and turn the story of generations of good trying defeat one evil into one good fending off generations of evil, but it’d work – and no, because that’d fundamentally change the society in which Boku no Hero Academia’s current time frame is, and society is the key underlying factor in this entire story.

Let me explain through the examples of three characters and a faction.

Midoriya Izuku is Quirkless person in a society who is, like I said at the beginning, half-in love with the idea of having Quirks – the fact that you have them makes you seem useful, someone with potential, no matter how objectively useless some Quirks inevitably can be in certain lines of work. By their standards, he’s without potential, and therefore is largely useless out of gate. Had All for One been in public eye and celebrated as Hero, he’d be the pinnacle of useful: there’d be no danger of bad reactions to donated Quirks in his DNA, and he, someone who wishes desperately for a Quirk, could easily be given a Quirk of someone who finds their life unbearable due to it.

Bakugou Katsuki, someone with extremely property-damaging Quirk, would constantly be told that if he doesn’t behave himself, he’d be sent off to All for One to have his Quirk taken away – in essence, he’d be no one special, just another kid with a Quirk. Since All for One is so visible, it’d be all too easy for parents and teachers to threaten their kids into compliance whenever they throw an over-powered tantrum with the removal of a Quirk; it’d also be a good deterrent for any Pro Heroes that existed there to not get too comfy with their jobs, because they could easily be taken out of it if they manage to anger All for One enough, which would deter some people from being Pro Heroes.

Shigaraki Tomura (Shimura Tenko), someone whose Quirk came in during an extremely traumatic event and left him so scarred mentally he was never quite the same again, could easily simply give away his Quirk and have something far less volatile and triggering if he wished so, and also have a chance of potentially one day seeing his Quirk in the hands of someone like Izuku or Melissa, who could use it to its full potential without being constantly triggered by it or being re-traumatized again and again by the society who would rail on him for having such a potentially devastating Quirk.

Meta Liberation Army (which is a poorly disguised Brotherhood of Mutants on Genosha in X-men cartoons, let’s be realistic – the whole thing about the superiority of fight-compatible Quirks was not subtle at all) would be a much smaller and a lot less influential group. The publicity of a Quirk being able to take away other Quirks would make the existence of Deika City clones very, very difficult; it’d take but one hint, one whisper of a fringe group amassing in remote location that wants to eliminate so-called ‘useless Quirks’ for All for One to act – as much of an asshole as he is, he was shown [cite] to like all kinds of Quirks, despite only keeping the ones he felt were the most useful to him.

OK, but what about them being on the same side? You might ask yourself. If they’re so similar, why not make them both on the same side?

One, drama is always more delicious if there are high personal stakes involved, and nothing gets more personal than family drama – that’s just a fact. (Kardashians, anyone?)

Two, this is shonen – openly bad guys being the protagonists isn’t often done (in mainstream at least).

Three: we need some material to make all those ‘Izuku’s related to All for One or One for All first user’ for our satisfaction before Horikoshi josses the whole thing, okay??

(no, this is certainly not a call for you to make more ‘Izuku is related to original two brothers’… but it’s heavily suggested lol)

Thank you for sticking around until the end of this essay! Have a cookie, and enjoy the hell my mind led me to during the binge-read of the last 5 released chapters of manga:

[worldismyne]

Analysis: Warrior's of Hope (Peds Psych 101)

SPOILER WARNING FOR DANGANRONPA ULTRA DESPAIR GIRLS

This post will look at the Warriors of Hope as a group. Now since we are talking about the Warriors of Hope, we will be discussing child abuse. So if at any time you feel things are getting to you or need to decompress after the essay, feel free to click this link.

What is a Paragon?

To start, we will be focusing on the paragon trope, defined by Overly Sarcastic Productions as a hero that is both righteous and charismatic; your "do no wrong" hero, if you will. They do what is right all the time because of their personal beliefs. Protected by a heavy coat of plot armor, they gather a small group of companions who learn through their example to be better heroes; and together they overcome evil and spread peace throughout the land. That’s the basic formula of a paragon hero, if you want or need  a more in-depth explanation, I would strongly suggest watching OSP’s video.

In the first game, we follow Naegi, your textbook paragon hero up against Junko Enoshima, the queen of charisma. I feel it important to mention that Junko, while almost a paragon in the way she gathers her followers, is missing the key ingredient of knowing she’s doing is right, because she admits to the opposite. She’s doing the wrong thing on purpose to see what will happen and how far she can take it.

While in the second game you look at Hinata (our paragon hero) up against Komaeda; someone who believes wholeheartedly they are right, but lacks the charisma to rally allies in-universe. You can love Komaeda all you want, but no one during the game's central plotline seems to particularly like him or want to follow him. Which makes Junko and Komaeda foils of each other in a way, each consisting one half of the paragon trope.

So what does this have to do with Another Episode? Simple, the dynamic is flipped. The Warriors of Hope are each paragon’s in their own right, varying on the scale of righteous and charismatic. But what makes them villains is that what they believe to be right, is in fact horrendously wrong. Their righteousness and charisma become their greatest flaw when pointed at the wrong enemy. It showcases how this type of character can be equally dangerous on the “wrong side”. We see this especially in Nagisa, who has openly convinced himself the ends justify the means. A place where children can be safe is the top priority, nothing can stand in the way of this ideal, not even the lives of other humans.

Additionally the real heroes of this tale are two halves of the paragon hero, like Junko and Komaeda. We have Fukawa; hideously unliked by everyone around her but righteous to a fault, and Komaru; an ordinary girl who appeals to everyone, yet has no strong beliefs outside of her need to feel safe. We are reminded throughout the game over and over again that the reason Komaru was picked as the heroine was not because she wanted to help others, but because as an ordinary girl. And this isn't portrayed as a bad thing. When teamed together, Fukawa and Komaru formed a paragon duo strong enough to overcome the obstacles before them. The game flat out states they are meant to work together, in order to make up for each others shortcomings.

So it is here we see the typical dichotomy of Danganronpa flipped in Another Episode. In which two character types that were typically used for villains are up against a group of paragons set on a path of destruction. Bringing to question, if someone like Naegi were to be sent on the wrong path, could they be redeemed and change direction?

And the answer the game gave us… was no.

At both the end of the game, and the end of the anime we are left at a standstill where neither side will move. No outside force can change how a paragon thinks other than the paragon themself. Sure outside circumstances may kick-start introspection, but they can not change the way this type of character progresses by force. Not to say that change is impossible; but that journey would take more time then both the anime and game could allow, especially if we were to cover all five characters. But further discussion on the matter should be left on a character, by character basis.

Age and Developmental Stages (Time to Get Scientific)

As a BSN with a particular interest in pediatrics and psychology, a great deal of my analysis’ will refer back to my classes. Writing characters under the age of eighteen can be really difficult for writers, especially if they are not in constant contact with at least one individual from the age group they are trying to portray. Often times in media, we find child characters to be annoying, grating, and unrealistic; because on an instinctual level, we understand that's not how children that age typically act. You won't see an eight year old acting like a teenager, or six year olds throwing tantrums.

This is especially important, because children are not bound to the same rules as adults when it comes to understanding the world around them

According to Kotoko's mother, Kotoko was still 10 years old while she was alive. And while we can't determine when exactly her murder took place, we can say it happened shortly after the despair incident but before Junko was locked in the school.  Since the children still refer to themselves as Super Elementary School Levels, they can be no older than 13 based on the Japanese school system making them range anywhere from 10-13. So what does this tell us about how they should think?

Erikson’s theory of child development indicates they are just now gaining their own sense of identity outside of the roles they had been assigned. There is pressure to look to the future and what they want to be when they grow up. If they don't see a place for themselves in society or dislike the role they've been forced into, they will be more likely to rebel and cave to peer pressure. We see this especially with Nagisa who struggles between his role as the new leader verses his previous role as the dutiful son. If they are on the younger side, their sense of self worth relies heavily on the praise of their peers and mentors, seeking approval of their accomplishments. They define themselves through peers and test values/belief systems against society.

Above all else is an inherent inability to understand abstract concepts, or ideas that extend beyond where they are and what they know. Simply put, they cannot understand why adults are bad or that someone may have an ulterior motive. They know that their parents were bad, so all adults must be bad. This idea is reaffirmed when their peers share the same conclusion.

Everything is black and white, good or bad, right or wrong. They are just beginning to understand that an idea, such as freedom, means something different to everyone. Until they fully comprehend this, they are unable to fully empathize with individuals that don't share their viewpoint. When it comes to things that are not physical like love, empathy, morality, justice; they simply can’t understand it the way adults do.

In their mind, their view is right because they are good, anyone who disagrees must be wrong and therefore bad. This is not a moral thing, it’s how they cognitively process the world.

This is in no way saying their actions were justified. Simply, that they were just beginning to understand that there are things outside of what we see/say/do. The idea that someone can be both good and bad, nice yet dishonest; was not something they knew before Monaka betrayed them.

Coping Mechanisms in Children

When it comes to abusive situations, a huge emphasis is placed on power and control. Children in these situations will do anything to seek the control they do not have. This can include laying low, people pleasing, hurting themselves or others, aiming for over-achievement or perfectionism. It's not entirely uncommon to see children using multiple coping mechanisms at once, jumping from one to another until they regain a sense of safety and stability.

In times of stress, children will exercise their ability to control their perception of what happened. This can include denying the effects of trauma (Masaru),  detaching their emotions from what happened (Kotoko) and failure to see that something can be positive and negative at the same time.

Children may also try to change or justify their situation. They can try to rationalize, or explain why something bad happened to them, even if the explanation is not grounded in reality (Jataro). Or they may try to please/appease those who hurt them by seeking approval (Nagisa).

I cannot emphasize enough the importance power and control has over children in these situations. Power is safety, exercising that power is a reminder of that safety.

Building the Children's Paradise has less to do with recreating Lord of the Flies, and more to do with creating a place where they have control over everything in their environment (rules, peers, and who is allowed close to them). Anything that threatens their position of power is an immediate and personal threat to their own sense of safety. For example, the peers they consider friends are brainwashed into doing exactly what they say. The only adult allowed near them acts as a slave to be manipulated and mistreated.

The Influence of Role Models and the Importance of Subjective Information

We know very little about their parents from a omnipotent view. With the exception of one letter from each parent, all information comes from their victims. However, there is still much we can determine about them, in how the children themselves behave.

According to the "Identification" theory; a child's behavior patterns, beliefs, and values are greatly influenced by their parents. And not because it was something that was taught, but it was something they saw routinely growing up and adopted themselves. While this does not eliminate their ability to make their own choices, a great deal is to be said about learning through example. Self destructive behaviors like substance abuse, low self-esteem, and violent behaviors are often traits learned by watching their parents. We know in great detail about what the parents did to their children, but very little about what their parents did to themselves or peers.

Likewise, the kids have an opposite view of Junko which is equally as biased and inaccurate. According to the Warriors of Hope Junko is sweet, caring, and blameless. As someone who met one of their most neglected needs, she represented a sense of security and love they never had. But we all know Junko's true nature and how manipulative she can truly be. The children actively deny any accusation against her because she became, essentially, their surrogate parent. It's not clear how involved she was with them, but we are given a sense that at face value, she took care of them the way a big sister ought to. Once again, an example of this black and white thinking still held by the children, it also gives us insight on the validity of their information.

Questions like "Why does Junko want to destroy the world?", "Why is my dad an alcoholic" or "Where’s the rest of my family?" may not have occurred to the kids as important, and certainly were not included in the original narrative. With no intent to excuse the abusive behaviors, it's important to keep in mind we are given a very narrow and subjective view of their home lives that purposefully excludes any positive redeeming aspects. This is all by Junko's design; as a way to keep them in a traumatized, despair-induced state that would facilitate the killing of adults.

We know this, because several rules of the Children's Paradise Commandments expressly forbid remembering the past and emulating the behaviors exhibited by their parents (including Nagisa trying act as a competent leader). Any positive influences their parents (or any other adults) had are actively being repressed to perpetuate the massacre of Towa City.

Cultural Considerations

If you're reading this, there is a high probability that you live someplace other than Japan. Your views on everything are influenced by the culture you grew up in, and just because we can relate to other cultures, doesn't mean that we completely understand them and the issues their country faces on a daily basis. The best we can do is look at the window they provide us.

In Japan mental illness is a taboo topic to discuss publicly. It's seen as something to be ashamed of or suffer in dignified silence to protect the family's reputation. Equally taboo is the discussion of child abuse, with the Japanese government only starting to track of cases in 1990. 50% of all sexual abuse cases go unreported because of Japan's cultural stance on upholding strong moral values closes off the discussion, in a “it could never happen here” sort of way.

Foster homes in Tokyo are packed to capacity with kids that were taken from their abusive environments with nowhere to go. Not because people don't care, but because culturally, the discussion of abuse and having an adopted child are not embraced the same way as in other cultures.

In fact, both Kotoko and Nagisa point out that the surrounding adults wouldn't help them. It's not entirely unthinkable, given Japan's history, that they had tried to reach out for help; only to be let down by a system that was still adapting to discussing the topic. The revolution of reporting and advocating for children's rights is still a new and growing practice in Japan.

When Danganronpa Another Episode released in Japan, the number of child abuse cases were the highest ever, surpassing 70,000 reported cases for the first time and has been rising since they first started reporting cases. This isn't to say people were abusing their children more over the last few decades, but that people's stance on reporting abuse has drastically changed and continues to improve. Games like Another Episode not only champion the cause of child advocacys among newer generations, but spreads it to a wider audience, including people who will form and change the governmental and social aspects of Japan's culture in the future. Games like Another Episode provide an important platform to discuss societal issues that have for years been ignored because talking about them was 'uncomfortable.' To unironically quote G.I. Joe. "Knowing is half the battle."

Abuse in DR

The topic of child abuse is not a new one to the DR universe. In fact several characters share similar childhoods and have spoken quite openly about them.

(Masaru: Oowada, Kazuichi)

(Jataro/Monaka: Fukawa, Mikan)

(Kotoko: Sayaka, Hiyoko, Akane)

(Nagisa: Togami, Ishimaru)

What separates the Warriors of Hope from the other characters, is their age and proximity to these negative events growing up. We closer see the impact of what these things to do to their personality and worldview because they're still children. It's all the more heartbreaking because we understand, while dramatized, it is something very real and in some cases, relatable. Seeing their stories play out, makes us uncomfortable, because we know that there are children out there that experience similar pain and there is very little we can do about it at the very moment we are reminded these things exist.

However, it is important to acknowledge the things about society that upset us, as it is a crucial step in orchestrating change.

I'd like to end by highlighting charities and organizations working to fight child abuse in my own country. If you do not live in the United States I would highly recommend finding reputable charities in your area that are working to help, if you are interested in volunteering or donating to the cause.

Thank you so much for reading this crash course through child psychology and I look forward to seeing you in the next analysis.

http://www.ylc.org/

https://promisehouse.org/

https://lnfy.org/

[thebluelemontree]

On this note: “ Another way of saying Littlefinger didn’t bet on Sandor is that he didn’t account for him.” I know people say that Varys was behind the bread riot, but there’s some speculation around that it was actually LF and Mandon Moore was one of his men. Moore abandons Sansa in the riots and I think that was staged. LF didn’t account for Sandor saving her. What he planned on doing to her - maybe an escape? IDK.

People say a lot of things in this fandom, let’s put it that way.  We see in no POV’s account that there is any evidence of attempted kidnapping on Sansa during the riot, let alone a whole conspiracy to commit kidnapping that was thwarted.  Let’s remember, Tyrek Lannister was the one that got snatched here (allegedly, technically he’s only known to be missing).  If anyone was specifically targetted, it was him.

The bread riot was always a powder keg waiting to explode.  No one person orchestrated it.  The Tyrells had cut off food supplies from the Reach when they stood with Renly against Stannis and Joffrey.  Prices are ridiculously high, and basic foodstuffs are scarce.  There’s rampant lawlessness in the streets as well as a bloody flux.  There’s open talk of rebellion among the guilds and merchants. Tyrion is burning down all homes and shops between the water and the city walls in preparation for Stannis’s attack.  This is going to displace hundreds, maybe thousands of poor people.  Joffrey is executing antler men and personally shooting bolts into unarmed, starving citizens.  Begging brothers are preaching damnation of the corrupt nobility, including charging them with incest, birthing monsters, and reveling under demonic influence.  The Lannister-Baratheons could not be more hated than they are at that moment.  We have to remember that at the time of the riot, Littlefinger was well away at Bitterbridge and then went on to High Garden to negotiate with Mace Tyrell for the then widowed Margaery’s hand.  He already has his man Dontos plotting with Sansa in the godswood, gaining her trust, so she leaves willingly when the time is right.  A second kidnapping/escape plot overcomplicates everything is totally unnecessary.  If Moore was supposed to be LF’s man, why wouldn’t he just lead Sansa away to a rendezvous point under the pretense of eluding the mob?  That would have been simple and plausible as her shield.  Just abandoning her in the swarm doesn’t speak to a plan that has to go off without any mishaps.  

On the other hand, Varys is the one official still in the city who was noted by Jaime to be conspicuously absent from seeing Myrcella off to Dorne.  Varys, who claimed to have informants all over the city, yet he never forewarned Cersei of any possible riot.  Again, it’s Tyrek that disappears without a trace.     

Sorry for the long wait.  I actually had to take some time to re-read and reflect on Mandon Moore.  I think it’s a really bad place to start the speculation with the assumption that he must be working for someone at all.  My conclusion is that he’s not working for anyone, and he doesn’t have to be to do what he does.  He is a guy motivated by naked self-interest and personal advancement, and that does not necessarily equate with greed or being in anyone’s pocket.  IMO, I think he has traits similar to a corporate psychopath (though he’s obviously down for murder too) than anything else.  Let’s just focus on how his characterization is described first.

Jaime had once told him that Moore was the most dangerous of the Kingsguard—excepting himself, always—because his face gave no hint as what he might do next. – Tyrion I, ACOK.

He’s described as appearing corpse-like with eyes that are “oddly flat and lifeless.”  He’s cold and emotionless.  Most notably, Ser Mandon has ties to no one.      

Lord Arryn brought him to King’s Landing and Robert gave him his white cloak, but neither loved him much, I fear. Nor was he the sort the smallfolk cheer in tourneys, despite his undoubted prowess. Why, even his brothers of the Kingsguard never warmed to him. Ser Barristan was once heard to say that the man had no friend but his sword and no life but duty … but you know, I do not think Selmy meant it altogether as praise. Which is queer when you consider it, is it not? Those are the very qualities we seek in our Kingsguard, it could be said—men who live not for themselves, but for their king. By those lights, our brave Ser Mandon was the perfect white knight. – Tyrion II, ASOS.

Of all the things said about him, nowhere does anyone suggest it is in Mandon Moore’s character to want anything outside of his career within the kingsguard.  He has a single-minded focus on duty and serving the king in an almost robotic level of obedience.  No one can tell what goes on behind that blank expression.  If a man’s motivations are unknowable, you can’t predict future behavior.  Mandon Moore does not strike me as someone who would fall prey to bribery or blackmail.  He’s not ideologically motivated, nor is he someone a conspirator can confidently rely on to carry out a task without risk of being double-crossed.  If we look at men Littlefinger has taken into his service like Ser Dontos, the Kettleblacks, Janos Slynt, Nestor Royce, Lothor Brune, Lyn Corbray, there’s always a glaring weakness to be exploited, be it greed, excessive/wounded pride, addiction, closeted homosexuality, desperation, debt, estrangement from family, desire to rise from the underclass, lack of better options, etc.  Mandon doesn’t have any of these vulnerabilities.  

So what did I mean by having traits in common with a corporate psychopath, though?  Varys talks about Mandon being “the perfect white knight” and possessing the ideal qualities of a kingsguard.  Certain types of corporate psychopaths can wear a facade of traits that the business world desires and values.  They can seem like the perfect employee that the company leadership can rely on.  They appear to be fearless and unwavering in their drive for success, sometimes even earning praise and recognition for outright ruthlessness.  Their sometimes apparent lack of emotions could be read as having the grit to do what is necessary in times of turmoil.  Most use manipulative tactics to discredit, undermine, or sabotage coworkers and superiors alike just to get ahead, which I will show is relevant in Moore’s case.  Everyone is either a potential pawn, patron, or enemy to be eliminated.  Not all psychopaths have superficial and grandiose charm, and no one would accuse Mandon of being charming, but he does put himself out there to be seen as indispensably valuable to the king.

Let’s go back to the bread riot and why Mandon Moore abandoned Sansa’s side as her shield.

Tyrion pressed blunt fingers into his throbbing temples. If Sansa Stark had come to harm, Jaime was as good as dead. “Ser Mandon, you were her shield.”

Ser Mandon Moore remained untroubled. “When they mobbed the Hound, I thought first of the king.”

“And rightly so,” Cersei put in. “Boros, Meryn, go back and find the girl.“  – Tyrion IX, ACOK.

I see no sign that there’s any duplicity going on here when he’s questioned.  Mandon Moore acted in a way he believed the king and the queen regent (his patrons) would approve of.  The traitor’s daughter’s life doesn’t mean anything to Joffrey, and she is only a secondary thought of the queen’s after they are safe within the castle; therefore, she is not a useful pawn to him.  If Mandon Moore shows any desire for anything at all, it’s this:  Sandor Clegane’s privileged position with the Lannisters.  Joffrey ordered Sandor to go after the peasant that threw the dung.  As Sandor is mobbed (and it would be reasonable to wager he’ll be imminently killed), Ser Mandon seized the opportunity to swoop in as Sandor’s replacement, dropping Sansa like a hot potato.  There is a reason he keeps being ironically regarded as the white knight in shining armor.  He’s a real Johnny on the spot that one.  Even if Sandor somehow isn’t killed, Moore still comes out looking like the kingsguard that did not falter in his duty to protect the king even in all the confusion and chaos.  It’s an opportunistic upstaging of a colleague to discredit his effectiveness at his job.  It proves shortsighted on his part because Sandor not only survives but has Sansa, still a valuable Lannister hostage, alive and in tow.      

This will come up again at the Battle of the Blackwater when Sandor finally breaks from the wildfire.  Tyrion orders Sandor to continue leading sorties outside the city walls, but he refuses.  Guess who chimes in?

Ser Mandon Moore moved to Tyrion’s side, immaculate in his enameled white plate. "The King’s Hand commands you.”  

“Bugger the King’s Hand.” Where the Hound’s face was not sticky with blood, it was pale as milk. “Someone bring me a drink.” A gold cloak officer handed him a cup. Clegane took a swallow, spit it out, flung the cup away. “Water? Fuck your water. Bring me wine.”

He is dead on his feet. Tyrion could see it now. The wound, the fire … he’s done, I need to find someone else, but who? Ser Mandon? He looked at the men and knew it would not do. Clegane’s fear had shaken them. Without a leader, they would refuse as well, and Ser Mandon … a dangerous man, Jaime said, yes, but not a man other men would follow. – Tyrion XIII, ACOK.

Since when has Moore ever shown any deference to Tyrion’s authority before?  Never.  This is a performance for his situational patron, part of Moore’s facade.  What is suggested by vocally taking Tyrion’s side is that Moore wants Tyrion to name him commander.  He would see the opportunity to take Sandor’s place by not only highlighting the latter’s disobedience, but his posturing implies that he wouldn’t hesitate to carry out the Hand’s orders.  It’s also a boon that Sandor’s behavior is quickly tanking any remaining confidence in his courage and leadership ability.  Moore must have thought himself the natural choice to assume command as he is a kingsguard and a capable fighter, but he could not have foreseen Tyrion absorbing Jaime’s counsel.  Instead, Tyrion decides to lead the sorties himself, shaming anyone that doesn’t follow as being less than a dwarf.  Being named the king’s standard-bearer, as Ser Mandon was, is usually considered a high honor.  A corporate psychopath wouldn’t see it that way.  It’s a piss poor consolation to being led around by someone he would consider a lesser man.  Battle is where a knight earns his commendations and honors, which we see in Sansa’s eighth chapter in Clash.  As commander of the sorties and his rival disgraced as a craven, Moore would have been the hero of the day should they emerge victorious.  Tyrion prevented that.  Moore would then be left with only one other option to assume leadership.  Tyrion has to fall on the battlefield.

“MY LORD! TAKE MY HAND! MY LORD TYRION!”

There on the deck of the next ship, across a widening gulf of black water, stood Ser Mandon Moore, a hand extended. Yellow and green fire shone against the white of his armor, and his lobstered gauntlet was sticky with blood, but Tyrion reached for it all the same, wishing his arms were longer. It was only at the very last, as their fingers brushed across the gap, that something niggled at him … Ser Mandon was holding out his left hand, why …  – Tyrion XIV, ACOK.

Ser Mandon’s sword comes down in his right hand and nearly kills Tyrion.  What Moore could not have anticipated was getting iced by Podrick Payne before he could finish Tyrion off.  There’s a simple elegance to Moore’s motivations being strictly his own.  There’s no complicated conspiracy needed to explain any of his actions.  He’s just a shark in a suit of armor.  But what about Varys implying there was a conspiracy to kill Tyrion with Moore as the catspaw?  It seems to validate Tyrion’s suspicions that it was Cersei, or at least someone.                  

Bronn had turned up all he could on Ser Mandon, but no doubt Varys knew a deal more … should he choose to share it. “The man seems to have been quite friendless,” Tyrion said carefully.

“Sadly,” said Varys, “oh, sadly. You might find some kin if you turned over enough stones back in the Vale, but here … Lord Arryn brought him to King’s Landing and Robert gave him his white cloak, but neither loved him much, I fear. Nor was he the sort the smallfolk cheer in tourneys, despite his undoubted prowess. Why, even his brothers of the Kingsguard never warmed to him.

… [the Barristan part already quoted above]

And he died as a knight of the Kingsguard ought, with sword in hand, defending one of the king’s own blood.” The eunuch gave him a slimy smile and watched him sharply.

Trying to murder one of the king’s own blood, you mean. Tyrion wondered if Varys knew rather more than he was saying. Nothing he’d just heard was new to him; Bronn had brought back much the same reports. He needed a link to Cersei, some sign that Ser Mandon had been his sister’s catspaw. 

Let’s not forget Varys benefits by furthering the rifts within the Lannister regime.  He can easily play to Tyrion’s paranoia by suggesting there’s more behind Mandon Moore’s murder attempt than there was.  He smiles and mentions Moore’s origins in the Vale, a gesture at Littlefinger most likely; however, there are no substantial breadcrumbs left behind to connect Moore to anyone.  We’re even reminded twice that Bronn’s investigation turned up nothing except what was already well-known.  There’s just no there there.  Tyrion is doing the same thing as the conspiracy theories by assuming that Moore has to be in someone’s pay, but his reasoning is faulty.

Jaime had always said that Ser Mandon was the most dangerous of the Kingsguard, because his dead empty eyes gave no hint to his intentions. I should never have trusted any of them. He’d known that Ser Meryn and Ser Boros were his sister’s, and Ser Osmund later, but he had let himself believe that the others were not wholly lost to honor. Cersei must have paid him to see that I never came back from the battle. Why else? I never did Ser Mandon any harm that I know of. – Tyrion XV, ACOK.  

He mistook Moore’s commitment to duty and obedience for having honor.  And yes, he did unintentionally cross Ser Mandon. He just didn’t know it because he couldn’t read the guy.  He couldn’t see beneath the surface, and that is why Jaime is correct in calling him the most dangerous.  One can never know for sure if this type of corporate psychopath sees you as their pawn, their patron, or their enemy at any given moment.  There’s no way to mount a defense against that unless you can understand who you are really dealing with.  Tyrion was just very, very lucky that he brought Podrick Payne with him into battle.                            

[noneatnonedotcom]

got blocked posting this anyways

that doesn’t stop her from being over optimistic and naive. her motivations and her actions paint a picture of a girl who’s trying to make the world a better place but with no idea on how to actually do so.

she’s just like jaune, the only difference is jaune seems to have given up on being the big damn hero after pyrrha’s death. now he’s only fighting to save the people he loves.

ruby’s trying to save the world because “it’s the right thing to do” but struggles when she comes up against a problem caused by people willfully doing the wrong thing in a less straightforward manner. she struggles with shades of grey

jaune’s saving the world, because ruby’s a part of it. his primary concern has shifted from stopping evil to protecting his friends. as a result he moves more comfortably through the shades of grey that surround him.

ruby thinks doing the right thing will result in a better world

jaune’s realized that heroes only end up dead. and if he wants a better world he’ll need a plan. but he won’t try because what’s the point? he doesn’t care about anything other than his friends. sure he still helps where he can but not like ruby.

ruby’s naive

jaune’s pessimistic

both are too far on either side of the spectrum to see the world for what it is. neither good nor bad. just a world.

thatoragamiguy

This best sums up how I’ve always seen them, and one of the reasons why I think they compliment each other so well.

Cause despite Ruby’s optimistic Black and White world view clashing with Jaune’s Knight in Sour armor cynical shades of grey, they both ultimately want to do the right thing.

I’d like to think, at some point, that Ruby may start to heavily question her mindset, only for Jaune to admit it’s one of her more admirable traits. That even when everything is against them, when everything seems lost, she’s there’s with optimism in her heart to lead them to victory.

This in turn, would lead Ruby to confessing how she admired Jaune’s level headedness , and how despite his cynical views tempering his outlook on life, he’ll always do what he believes is the right thing to do.

This would lead to Jaune lightening up a little more, and daring to have a little more optimism in his life and see the world a little less grey, While Ruby would temper her attitude, excepting that while the world isn’t always as Black and White as she thought it was, it still won’t stop her from being her.

But that’s just my two cents on the matter. Kind of Cliche, but it’s one that I enjoy.

noneatnonedotcom  

exactly, ruby isn’t hopelessly naive but she is still naive she still finds herself being over optimistic and it results in her team finding themselves in trouble. though if you look at team rwby they’re all very childish at the start.

jaune might seem like the perfect person to follow but his main problem is he’s lost his vision. he’s still aggressive and still tries to make things better. a step up from the normal “i just deal with shit as it comes” mentality of pessimists but he needs a motivation to really shine.

ruby’s world view offers that but she can’t reach it on her own because as we’ve seen in the most recent volume she’s too caught up on doing the “right thing” in situations where there’s no single best answer. jaune avoids this with the mentality of “i can’t save them all, i won’t even try, but i’ll get as many as i can”

but he only finds himself in situations where he’s able to make those choices because of ruby dragging him along.

ruby’s jaune’s motivation

jaune’s ruby’s solution

together they’re two halves of a whole hero

and a whole idiot

thatorigamiguy

I couldn’t agree more. RWBY may not be perfect, but honestly, I’m grateful for the show if only because it gave us are favorite Dork Duo. Whether it’s as platnoic bros, or precious lovers, there can’t be a Ruby without Jaune, and there can’t be a Jaune without Ruby.

i agree

BUT LANCASTER OR WE RIOT!

weatherman667

One thing I absolutely hate is them turning Ruby pessimistic as an attempted character growth.  They had a wonderful dynamic of Ruby saying that this should do X to save the world, the people, the maidens fair, the dogs, etc., and then Jaune would come up with a plan to do so with a lower chance of dying.  RWBY are very good at getting into and out of problems.  Ren is very good at going with the flow, (both active and passive), and Nora is just waiting for Jaune to tell her to hit something with her hammer.

Removing Ruby’s optimism flat out eliminates the quest, and the entire point of the story.  This is why S6 had no plot and S7 relied on a M*A*S*H plot / turning Ironwood from necessarily fascist to a comic book super villain.

posting this so the personal opinions of myself and my friends can be seen and discussed, disagree if you like but at least have the common courtesy to actual discuss the ideas.

[straightfacedstrangeness]

Okay, these are not expert/Hardcore Nerd opinions, but I’m so used to being surrounded by Star Wars and keep being surprised that other people aren’t, so...Some Kind Of Star Wars viewing guide for people who aren’t into Star Wars

STARting point:

Basically, if you like robots, aliens, and big space battles (and/or are a special effects or sci-fi design nerd), you’ll probably enjoy Star Wars.  If you don’t...the writing and acting quality varies from version to version, and between different movies in the same trilogy.  Star Wars is more a thing to enjoy because it’s fun, not to appreciate as high art (unless, again, you’re a nerd for special effects or design).

The original movie, aka Episode 4: A New Hope, is the best starting point because it sets up the central characters and conflict, is a lot of fun, and if nothing else you’ll get like 60% of the Star Wars references people make.

Episode 1: The Phantom Menace is also a lot of fun and could be watched as a standalone, but the plot can be hard to follow, and the other Prequel movies (Eps 2 & 3) are best viewed through the lens of “how does this inform the events of the Original Trilogy” since they’re kind of awkward, confusing, and depressing without that context.  Only start with 1: The Phantom Menace if you have some nostalgia for it.

Episode 7: The Force Awakens is also a lot of fun and has the added bonus of a more diverse cast, but it and its sequels heavily build on and reference the events of the Original Trilogy.  The basic plotline of “evil fascists VS people trying to stop them” is probably easy enough to follow, though, so you can probably start here if you’re okay with getting some Original Trilogy spoilers, but you’ll most likely want to watch The Original Trilogy before watching 8 or 9.

Rogue One and Solo take place before The Original Trilogy and can probably be viewed first if you like the cast or concept of either (Rogue One: “here are the people on the ground doing the hard work that sets up the other heroes’ victories,” Solo: “it’s a heist movie IN SPACE!”), but they’re fairly dark by comparison and some of the big reveals or other details might make more sense with the context of seeing the Original Trilogy first.

The Mandalorian takes place on the fringes of the Star Wars universe and barely references any events or characters from the rest of the franchise (and even then, neither the audience nor the main character are expected to know who or what they are), so you can start here if you don’t mind minor spoilers for who won the (Original Trilogy) war.

The Original Trilogy (4, 5 & 6, 1970s-80s)

Lots of fun, heavily referenced in pop culture, great designs and cool puppetry and other practical special effects.  These are the movies with Mark Hamill as Luke, Carrie Fisher as Leia, and Harrison Ford as Han Solo.  All of them are great and bring a lot of charisma and humanity to their performances.  4: A New Hope is the really iconic one and is mostly a fun adventure through space.  A lot of people love 5: The Empire Strikes Back because it’s darker and hate 6: The Return Of The Jedi because it’s sillier, but honestly, it comes down to personal preference.

Once you’ve seen The Original Trilogy, you can freely watch either of the other movie Trilogies.  Just watching 4 is enough to let you skip over to the standalone movies or the TV show The Mandalorian.

The Prequel Trilogy (1, 2 & 3, 1990s-2000s)

These are the movies with Ewan McGregor as young Obi-Wan, Hayden Christensen as Anakin, and Natalie Portman as Padmé.  A lot of people shit on these for being “bad movies,” and yes the acting is often flat, the plots can be hard to follow (Original Trilogy is a simpler “bad government VS good rebels,” Prequel Trilogy has a lot of political manipulation and nuance but doesn’t explain it much), and a lot of it is watching people making decisions that you know from the Original Trilogy are going to turn out badly.  But I unironically love them, and they have really amazing design and special effect work (the CGI of course looks dated now, but it’s still phenomenal), and a lot of fun moments.  1: The Phantom Menace is another fun adventure through space, but with a lot of awkwardly racist alien caricatures who are thankfully played down or removed from the other movies.  2: Attack Of The Clones is a space adventure with an unfortunately uncomfortable romantic subplot, and 3: Revenge Of The Sith is relentlessly dark but I like the emotional drama of it.  Again, either you’ll think they’re fun or you won’t.

Like I said above, these are best watched after having seen the Original Trilogy, to inform the backstory and characters’ actions, VS being watched as standalone movies.

The Sequel Trilogy (7, 8 & 9, 2010s)

These are the movies with Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe, and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren.  Like with the Original Trilogy, all of them are great and bring a lot of fun and depth to their characters, and also 7: The Force Awakens is a fun space adventure, and people are divisive over 8 and 9, 8: The Last Jedi being darker and 9: The Rise Of Skywalker being lighter...but with the added meta-drama that 9 spends the entire time trying to undo or contradict things that happened in 8 (and an extra level of meta-grossness in that 9 seems to bow to things that Toxic White Guy fans hated about 8, like removing a major WOC character).  I personally prefer 8 because it’s a neat subversion on a lot of accepted lore and concepts from the Star Wars franchise and was disappointed in 9 as a result.  But once again it comes down to a matter of taste, and at the end of the day the main thing about Star Wars is fun dialogue and cool sci-fi stuff.

These should be watched after The Original Trilogy because they heavily build on and reference the events of it, though 7: The Force Awakens is a reasonable “First Star Wars movie” if this is the version you’re most interested in...just with inherent spoilers for The Original Trilogy.

Standalone Movies (Rogue One & Solo, 2010s)

Rogue One takes place immediately before The Original Trilogy but is darker and more of a heavy action-drama about people making difficult choices, with a good, largely-POC cast.  Solo also takes place before The Original Trilogy, though I feel it has some clunky writing (a droid character who’s reasonably upset about the literal enslavement of her own kind is treated as delusional and comic relief??) and also gets pretty dark with lots of character deaths, but it has the fun of being a heist movie with a conscience.

Like I said above, these can prrrrobably be watched without Original Trilogy context, but at least Rogue One is probably more rewarding if you’ve already seen 4: A New Hope.

The Mandalorian (TV show, 2020s)

This is the show with “armor guy and Baby Yoda” X’D  It’s basically a Western about a guy drifting from town to town across space and helping people with their problems...which mostly involve fighting and killing people.  As always, amazing designs and special effects, and I find the writing consistently compelling.  There are a lot of bonuses if you recognize a character, character design, or prop design from another Star Wars media, but since you don’t need to know them in order to understand the episode you’re watching, you may not even realize they’re references (which is the BEST way to do a reference).

This takes place immediately after The Original Trilogy, but you can watch this first if you don’t mind knowing who wins the war.  Though there are a few worldbuilding details (like being able to recognize the evil Empire’s uniforms or ships) that are probably a bit less confusing or a bit more rewarding if you've at least seen 4: A New Hope.

Other Media

I haven’t seen/read/etc much of any Star Wars except what’s listed above, so I can’t really offer any advice here.  But the CGI TV show The Clone Wars probably relies on you knowing the plot of Prequel Trilogy eps 1 and 2 (since it takes place between 2 and 3)...and if you’re jumping into some other Star Wars media and you can’t understand what’s going on, look at its copyright date and check what movies came out before it did, to gauge what you’d need to watch for context.  But all the movies only rely on knowledge of other movies, the other media are about fleshing out other aspects of the universe or things that happened between/before/after the movies.

Otherwise all I can say is that the Star Wars: Droids cartoon from 1985 is delightful and the few eps I’ve watched don’t require any Star Wars knowledge whatsoever.  (It’s long out-of-print but some kind soul put it on YouTube.)

[jedimaesteryoda]

The Mandalorian S1 Review

Warning Spoilers Ahead:

I admit I had my doubts when I first heard about the series, given my opinion of the Disney Star Wars universe has never been particularly high. I thought it might go the way of the sequel trilogy (my thoughts on the last one).

However, to give Jon Favreau credit, he actually does a pretty decent job. The show is basically a Wild West-version of Star Wars that takes place on the frontier with bounty hunters, homesteaders, mercenaries, roving gangs of bandits and corrupt officials. 

I can’t go into it without mentioning the story it’s partially based on the manga, Lone Wolf and Cub. The story follows a ronin in Tokugawa Japan who travels as an assassin for hire with his son (an infant at the beginning) after being framed and betrayed by a powerful Imperial official. He cares for his son while being on the run as the Imperial government declares them both outlaws, and puts bounties on their heads. 

This show gets right what the movies in the sequel trilogy didn’t. For starters, this show avoids exposition and instead relies more heavily on visual storytelling, slow pacing and info revealed offhand through brief bits of dialogue. The show does an excellent job of visual storytelling as everything about this character is shown through actions, body language and a little dialogue. The first half of the first episode tells much of what the viewer needs to know about him.

Mando is introduced by coming into a bar, and killing a bunch of men harassing some alien. In that moment he shows that he is a skilled gunslinger and fighter. The alien initially thanks him, only for it to be revealed that the only reason Mando helped him was not out of a feeling of justice or simply wanting to help someone out, but because he came to capture him for the bounty on his head. Mando isn’t some white knight, but a mercenary who acts generally out of self-interest. We learn that Mando doesn’t like droids when he refuses a ride on a transport from one, and instead preferring the more beat up transport. He is also a man of few words, rebuffing attempts by the alien to engage in conversation, and he speaks only when he feels he needs to. 

He gets his jobs from Greef Karga, a disgraced former magistrate (who likely lost his position as a magistrate for shady dealings) who heads the bounty hunters guild, and like Mando and the other guild members is generally an amoral, self-interested individual who looks out for himself. 

However, we also see that Mando isn’t a completely selfish, amoral rogue as we see him adhere to the code of his Mandalorian culture (”This is the way”), and give some of his bounty to the foundlings (orphans). We also see flashbacks of him as a child, undoubtedly during the Clone Wars, as Super battle droids attack his town.

We don’t need him to outright state his motives for saving some strange child given we see he always save a piece of his beskar iron payment for the Mandalorian foundlings, showing he has a soft spot for orphans given he himself was one, compounded with the child saving his life. We know that Mando hates droids, but he doesn’t need to tell us why as we see that in a flashback of his town being massacred by Separatist battle droids. However, we also see him grow past that as he is stricken when IG-11 decides to sacrifice himself to help the rest of the group.

The start of the protagonist's journey comes when he receives a job that should give him the biggest payment of his career up to that point. He is contracted by an old Imperial official to capture someone in exchange for a large payment in beskar iron, which he knows could be used to make the full Mandalorian armor he wants. 

It takes him to a planet where he meets Kuiil, a moisture farmer who helps out Mando many times. He speaks matter-of-factly, often ending his sentences with his go-to phrase “I have spoken.” Being an Ugnaught, like other members of his race, he was enslaved by the Empire, but he managed to buy his freedom. He likely did so through his skills as a mechanic, as he managed to help Mando rebuild his ship and repair and reprogram IG-11. He is very proud, but not haughty and willing to go out of his way to help out a complete stranger at no benefit to himself such as helping Mando get back the parts for his ship and helping to repair it. He even goes with Mando far away from home on a dangerous mission. It’s also his reprogramming of IG-11 that ultimately ends up saving our protagonist and his party in the end. 

To get to the prize, Mando has to fight his way through a compound with armed guards with the unexpected help of IG-11, an assassin droid. The entire sequence is a Western-style shootout which is well-done, and Mando demonstrates his skills and smarts such as using the heavy repeating blaster to shoot down the blast door. He goes in, and is surprised to find his target is actually an infant of Yoda’s species. 

His relationship with Baby Yoda starts off with him shooting the droid, because it was about to shoot the baby. He does defend the baby, but he does it at the beginning simply out of self-interest, ie he is getting a huge payload for this job and he needs the child alive in order to get it. He even recklessly puts the child in danger by taking the baby with him when going to face the Mudhorn, simply because he doesn’t want to keeps his eyes off his prize. However, in that moment the child demonstrates that he can use the Force, lifting the Mudhorn off the ground, saving Mando’s life and giving him the opportunity he needs to slay it. After that, one can see him warm up to Baby Yoda. One can see it when he tells the stormtroopers to “take it easy” when lugging the cradle, and he even uncharacteristically asks about the fate of the child when he delivers it to the Imperials.

Even after he gets his payment and a new Mandalorian cuirass, you can tell the child is on his mind. Mando is about to leave for his next job, and try to get his mind off him, only to find the top of the handle for the ship removed by the baby earlier. He pauses, and then shuts off the ship. He doesn’t need to say anything, we know he is genuinely concerned for the baby, and later breaks into the Imperial compound and rescues him. However, all the other bounty hunters who tried and failed to capture the child before, go out to stop him. Even Greef who was friendly towards Mando as long as he was making himself useful to the Guild (and by extension, Greef himself), instantly turns on him. He manages to escape thanks to the interventions of the rest of the Mandalorians. Mando finds himself having to leave town being pursued not just by Imperials but by the Bounty Hunters Guild with bounty hunters on his tail. The episode is called “The Sin,” which refers to his act of rescuing the child. While any person can admit that he did the right thing, he broke the code of the Bounty Hunters Guild, and that action ultimately is what turns him into a fugitive. That none of the people he killed as a bounty hunter ever got him into trouble with the law, but doing the opposite and rescuing an innocent does, shows the skewed ethics and morality that govern the world he inhabits.  

He flies to a backwoods planet in “Sanctuary,” where as the title suggests, he is hoping the planet’s isolation would give him the perfect hiding spot until he comes across a former Rebel shock trooper, Cara Dune. Cara Dune is shown to be a skilled fighter by being able to go toe-to-toe with Mando when we first meet her, and has the viewer easily believe that she is a former commando. Now that the war is largely over, finds herself out of work and without anything in the way of a home or purpose, not that different from Mando’s situation when they first meet. 

He is about to leave until in a plot straight from a classic spaghetti Western, a poor farming community approaches the gunslinger for help against outlaws. He initially refuses given the poor payment, but only accepts after he learns of the community’s isolation, thinking it would be the perfect hiding spot. You see him work with the Cara to help the villagers defend themselves, and after the bandits had been routed, he decides to leave the child there, thinking he will be safe and happy there. He even refuses an offer to stay, saying he doesn’t belong there (another trope straight from a Western a la The Searchers). However, in a seemingly happy ending to this episode, cold, dark reality inserts itself in the form of a bounty hunter appearing and nearly killing the child were it not for the intervention of Cara. He is then again forced to leave with the uncomfortable knowledge that they may never be safe from others coming looking for them. In this episode, you actually see him develop as a character, putting the child’s interests above his own. He doesn’t agree to help the villagers until he learns their village is a place where he could hide the baby, and potentially have the child live in peace.

Among the episodes, 5 and 6 (”The Gunslinger” and “The Prisoner”) are easily the weakest, as well as both being the only two episodes written by writers other than Favreau. The former has him working with a neophyte bounty hunter, Toro Calican, to capture a wanted mercenary and assassin, Fennec Shand. The latter has him help an old cohort, Ran, free a prisoner from a New Republic prison ship. Both plots are just criminals and wanna-be bounty hunters allying with him just to screw him over in the end, and neither episode really contributes to the overarching narrative. At least “Sanctuary” had some heart in it, and we got to be introduced to interesting new characters that would go on to play a larger role in the story arc, as well as show some character development for the protagonist. 

It picks up again with the final two episodes, “The Reckoning” and “The Redemption,” as Mando returns home per Greef Karga’s invitation ostensibly to help them get rid of the Imperial presence. Of course, after Baby Yoda heals Greef’s mortal wound he has a change of heart. He reveals the whole thing was a setup (I know, big surprise there at this point), and he decides to help Mando. They end up having to fight a new enemy: Moff Gideon. Through dialogue from other characters and his own actions such as killing his own men, Gideon is revealed to be a largely cold, ruthless figure who oversaw the wiping out of the Mandalorians. 

It ends in a shootout, and we get to learn our protagonist’s name and see the face behind the helmet for the first time. In his final fight, he manages to take down Gideon in a TIE fighter after having earned his jetpack. He then refuses an offer to stay by Greef, and leaves the planet off to new adventures. However, as Jawas are scrapping the TIE fighter for parts, Gideon cuts his way out with the Darksaber, the lightsaber of the leader of the Mandalorians, suggesting that his part in the story isn’t done. 

As for the child dubbed “Baby Yoda,” he has no name. Being an infant, he can’t have much in the way of personality other than being precocious, and he does seem to genuinely care for Mando. The child is Force-sensitive, and completely capable of using the Force as shown by lifting the Mudhorn, healing Greef and redirecting the blast from a flame projector. However, he is still just a baby, only using his Force powers randomly rather than consistently, and as such, can’t really be relied upon. Nothing demonstrates this more than in the final episode where under fire by a TIE fighter, Greef says “Baby, do the magic hand thing,” only for the child to respond by simply waving his hand. This works as it has the mystical part of the story, the Force, used in a constrained manner, at certain moments without overwhelming the plot. 

As a result, the battles are still largely won through Mando’s fighting skills and smarts. The action sequences are good with plenty of Western-style shootouts such as when Mando attacks the compound, when he leaves town against other bounty hunters and in the final episode against Imperials. The shootouts also serve a role in the plot in serving as markers for the main character’s growth. The first shootout has him using a heavy repeating blaster and working with IG-11 to take out the fighters defending the child. The second shootout has him going up against bounty hunters wanting the child in hopes of the reward very much like he was at the beginning with even Greef referring to the child as “the bounty,” and he is saved by his own family, the Mandalorians. The last shootout has him again using a heavy repeating blaster and working with IG-11 like in the first shootout, but the roles are reversed as now his party is the one defending the child with the droid that originally tried to kill the child instead rescuing him. 

The Mandalorian is for the most part a good show, and a breath of fresh air for the new Star Wars universe. The action scenes are excellent, but any show/movie good or bad can do that. What really makes the show work is the storytelling, and how it follows the main character on his journey, both externally and internally, going from amoral mercenary to hero. 

Hopefully, Season 2 continues along that path and we get to see more of the character’s growth as well as more fight sequences as this is the way. 

[vagrantblvrd]

halo au (definitely inspired but laso) mavin. just gavin being cheeky fuck and saving the day (and michael, who won't admit it that he needs saving) and michael being michael

Ugh, yessss.

My knowledge of Halo lore is spotty at best (I’ve only played three of the games and not in any kind of order that makes sense + random bits of Halo-verse since then and stuff I’ve looked up on the various Halo wikis out there, but I love this so much? Like. Yes. The Halo universe is a deeply fucked up because wow, and super fascinating and incredible and One Day I will delve back into it, but I digress.)

Setting this sometime during the events of the first three games/Human-Covenant war era and doing a lot of handwaving/~artistic license on pretty much everything to do with things? (Because reasons.)

Anyway, anyway.

Everyone’s a Spartan-III and they’ve all been assigned to a special ops unit under Burnie’s command because reasons.

Newly formed after some incident or other that had the UNSC realizing they needed people properly trained to handle Shiny new, and he’s pulling people from other

They’re all Spartan-IIIs like Noble Team in Halo: Reach, right?

Hand-picked by Burnie and Geoff (and Jack) who have been given (nearly) free reign to fill the ranks and so on and go over thousands of reports they’ve been given clearance to read to select their people. Pull Spartans from other companies and all that and have them reassigned to their little corner of the galaxy for training and all that fun stuff.

Michael’s team is this anomaly in that things are a bit…weird as fuck.

Geoff’s the team leader with Jack as his second-in-command, and things get weird(er) from there with the addition of Ryan and Jeremy.

Which, fair, because Ryan and Jeremy, okay.

A.K.A. the “Battle Buddies”, whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean, and also there’s a rumor around base one of them is actually a Spartan-II? But neither of them will tell anyone which one of them it is, or if the rumor’s even true.

Geoff thinks it’s hilarious the way everyone on base tries to figure out this Great Mystery so of course he’s not talking. (And when he does it’s to sow confusion and chaos and generally be an asshole.)

There’s this glaring empty position because the last recruit for the team has been held up in transit.

Something about the ship he’s on getting caught up in a skirmish somewhere and just this whole series of improbable events that delay his arrival by a few months. Long after the rest of the team has trained together, gone on a few missions that had them forming bonds with one another that means they eye new faces a bit…warily/defensively?

Because, look.

That empty position being a liability on missions, so Trevor or Alfredo get tapped to fill in. (Lindsay and Fiona too, but those missions end in more chaos and confusion than anyone’s really comfortable with? So yeah. Lotta redacted sections in the reports.)

Anyway.

They become a close-knit team pretty fast, because war is hell and they’re all they have out there in enemy territory and other such cliches.

Michael and the others settle into life on base, get used to the way various teams get selected for what would be a suicide mission for any other bunch of assholes. (Luck and skill and a whole lot of who the fuck knows gets them through time and again even though there’s this knowledge it can’t last in the back of their minds, you know? Too many casualties in this war as it is, and the Covenant are relentless fuckers, but until then might as well give ‘em hell.)

And then!

The last member of the team finally, finally gets to base.

Michael and the rest are in the middle of a training exercise when he gets there and once they’re finished he gets back to the barracks first. Finds some asshole testing out the bunks like he’s Goldilocks and seeing it rubs Michael the wrong way because Jesus fucking Christ, okay. What asshole does something like that? (Not, as one would say, a great start.)

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?”

And Gavin – because of course it’s Gavin – is just :DDDDDDDDDDDD at him as he walks over to introduce himself.

Which goes about as well as you’d expect, because Michael is Not Happy?

But before he can get into it with Gavin (asshole doesn’t have the decency to be apologetic about being an asshole, no. Just grins at Michael like he finds all of this hilarious) the others arrive and there’s this whole Thing where Geoff’s like, “Oh, yeah, This is the asshole we’ve been waiting on,” and introductions all around?

Michael is like oh, Jesus fuck, no, but of course his life sucks just that much.

Cue montage scene of Gavin being a little menace all over the place, right?

Makes friends with Jeremy way too fucking fast – they’re horrible little goblins and should never have been allowed to meet, but again, war is hell.

Somehow doesn’t get murderized by Ryan, even after the Coin Incident, and the entire base learns to be wary of the two of them when they Plot and/or Scheme.

Geoff is horrifically amused by Gavin and Jack is like.

(Don’t ask, okay. Because those two are a goddamned nightmare and no one is safe and just. Don’t.)

Gavin also gets along alarmingly well with Trevor and Alfredo once someone makes the mistake of allowing the three of them within a hundred yard radius of each other. (If letting Trevor and Alfredo work together was a bad idea, letting them work with Gavin is catastrophically bad.)

Even worse, he gets along with Lindsay and Fiona and that’s like. At least as terrifying as him getting along with the Terror Twins.

He and Matt are just as bafflingly terrifying as Jack and Gavin and no one knows how that’s even possible. (Because Matt, mostly. But also Gavin.)

Through all of this Michael is just.

Annoyed with this little shit of a teammate, right?

Assumed Burnie or Geoff had made a mistake in picking him for their unit, the team. Thought he’d do something to fuck up and have him reassigned if not kicked out of the military entirely, but no, no.

He’s either some kind of savant or luck as fuck to have survived as long as he has given the kinds of combat he’s seen – Michael may have ~sweet talked Matt or someone else into letting him see Gavin’s files at some point because no way this little idiot got here with what Michael’s seen of him in training.

Sure, he squeaks by during training exercises and such, only just getting through/pass objectives/obstacles and looking like an idiot as he does. (And to Michael’s increasing annoyance/resentment the others don’t seem bothered by any of that? Like it won’t matter in the field on a mission with them relying on Gavin to watch their backs and so on, but fine. Whatever.)

Anyway.

Gavin is :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDD at Michael this whole time while Michael is >:(((((((((((((((((((((((((( and everyone else is either oblivious or amused at the two of them.

Gavin forever trying to get on Michael’s good side while Michael takes every opportunity to avoid him and all the shenanigans that entails.

AND THEN.

The team gets deployed for a Very Sekrit Hush-Hush Mission Of Utmost Importance somewhere.

(Because reasons.)

Get sent out to secure a McGuffin that was on a Pelican that went down in enemy territory and because reasons and shit goes wrong. (Of course it does.)

A hell of a fight to the damn thing to start with, this fucking Elite with a plasma sword making their mission a fucking nightmare.

Manages to get the drop on Geoff just as they get to the rendezvous point where their Pelican is waiting. Serious enough they loaded him on board with the McGuffin and Jack, but before the rest of them could get on the Covenant forces who have been on their asses this whole time catches up to them and the shooting starts. (Again.)

Odds stacked against them and the McGuffin too important to risk falling into enemy hands, so they have no choice but to get it the hell out of there.

Not quite a Last Stand for the rest of the team because Jack left them with an ammo crate before the Pelican lifted off and anyway, they manage to kill the fuckers who tried to kill them.

(Well, most of them before that fucking Elite calls a retreat and they’re left licking their wounds as they regroup.)

From there it’s going to be a long slog out of enemy territory, but Ryan who’s next in the chain of command goes all unsettling cheerful the way he’s wont to do sometimes and gives a rousing speech that mainly consists of  “Well, shit,” and “I think it’s that way?” (referring to safe territory), and “Let’s go boys,” which.

Yeah.

Michael is Not Impressed, but things could be worse, and anyway, anyway, they had to die sometime, right? (Why not now.)

Things go about as you’d expect for the first few miles, and then Gavin gets bored and starts in on his Questions.

Hypothetical nonsense that – for whatever reason – the others indulge him on.

Ryan and Jeremy have no problem arguing with Gavin over some dumb thing or another for a mile, then two before they switch to another idiotic Question and the whole time Michael is Annoyed.

They have to set up camp when it gets dark. (Could have pushed on through it with their armor’s capabilities, but it’s been a hell of a day and Ryan insists. Doesn’t want them making stupid mistakes that will get them killed because they didn’t stop to rest.)

It’s an uneasy night for all of them, worrying about Geoff and Jack more than their own predicament, which. Yeah.

Gavin seems unperturbed by it all the way he always does, and that irritates Michael who’s already tired and annoyed and that worry for Geoff and Jack not making things better? All of it making him shorter, sharper with Gavin to the point he gets looks from Ryan and Jeremy and ends up volunteering to take first watch to cool off.

Things aren’t exactly better the next day, but Gavin seems to have picked up on Michael’s mood or maybe the whole shitty mission is catching up to him because he’s quieter. Doesn’t stick as close to Michael as he usually does, which has Michael feeling guilty about being an asshole, you know.

(Gavin isn’t Michael’s favorite person, but he’s not the worst human being he’s ever met. That honor goes to Ryan, because have you met the man? Absolutely horrible.) Also, the others like him so he can’t be all bad?)

They trudge on for a few hours, Michael’s guilt about being a bastard to Gavin getting to him – along with the looks he’s getting from Ryan and Jeremy – and just as he decides to suck it up and apologize to him they get ambushed by Covenant forces lead by that same fucking Elite from before.

It happens when they’ve reached some kind of outpost, long abandoned because of the war. Damage and such around that looks like more than one battle’s taken place here and the odds of finding any supplies to help them get back out of there are pretty slim?

But they need a break and maybe there’s stuff here that’s been overlooked by other scavengers. (Or something.)

So of course that’s when the Covenant attack, and then the firefight with the shooting and killing (and explosions and ALL the fire?) and the four of them get separated, because of course.

Gavin knocking Michael out of the way of the Elite with a plasma sword, but in the process they fall into a storage area and it’s just.

A fucking nightmare down there fighting the bastard off before he can get either of them with his plasma sword. Gavin manages to stick it with a plasma grenade he got off a dead Grunt earlier in the fight, and it’s enough to send it packing.

Clawing its way out of the storage area and leaving behind a (convenient) exit route for them too, since there’s no way they’d be able to climb back out the way they came in.

By the time they make it back to the surface Ryan and Jeremy are gone, forced to make a run for it from the looks of things, and there are signs they’re being pursued by the rest of the Covenant forces that ambushed them. (Also, a trail of blood and whatnot most likely from the Elite headed in the same direction.)

And it’s.

Michael knows the Battle Buddies are more than capable of looking out for themselves, that even in the worst situation – which this is looking more and more like one – they’ll be able to handle whatever is left of the group chasing them, but.

Team, and Worry, and Jesus fucking Christ, how could the day get any worse?

(Murphy’s Law looks like it’s in action so best not to ask in case the universe decides to demonstrate.)

The whole thing is annoying as shit because Gavin’s armor is fucked from when he tackled Michael out of the way of the Elite’s attack.

Long, horrible rent in the back of his armor cutting across his shoulders and down to his hip. Didn’t make it through the plating, but it was damn close and the Elite managed to nick the power supply control unit (just missed the fusion reactor, which is good because obvious reasons?) and other important bits of Gavin’s armor in the process.

They don’t have much time/proper tools to fuck around with it because Ryan and Jeremy and them being hunted and all?

But Gavin doesn’t seem to care about getting it fully functional again.

As long as he can still move and the filtration systems work he’s good.

Really.

Sure, his HUD’s dead and there are other things drastically wrong, but the people who designed the armor knew what they were doing and it should keep him alive long to get the job done. (Whatever that is, so yeah.)

Gavin doesn’t say a damn thing about that stupid move of his, which is even more irritating, because Michael had things handled okay. Didn’t need Gavin playing hero or whatever he thought he was doing and he stews over the incident as they follow the trail Ryan and Jeremy (and their pursuers) left behind.

They continue on their merry little way, Michael taking the lead and shooting Gavin these looks when he lags behind.

And okay, Michael doesn’t hate him, no matter what some people might think, right? That initial…irritation/dislike/whatever the hell from their first meeting giving way to this general sort of irritation because Gavin -

Look.

Everyone in the unit has a Tragic Backstory, it’s the whole goddamned reason they exist, you know? Snatched up for the Spartan-III program when they passed whatever checklist they had for it, all these war orphans who wanted payback for what the Covenant did to them and theirs.

And Michael’s fine with that most days, living and working with people who understand what being a Spartan-III means. (Cannon fodder, mostly, even if no one says as much. But also the chance to get a little of their own back before they bite it, so yes.)

But then in comes Gavin who doesn’t seem to take it as seriously as he should. Fucks around in training and acts like it’s a joke.

Different from the shit the others get up to, stupid shit they pull when they’re off-duty or just being the idiots they are. Something that gets under Michael’s skin the way the others never did.

Only that’s not quite right, is it? Because Gavin’s an an idiot sure, but not that kind of idiot? Couldn’t be, if the others have taken to him the way they have. If Ryan and Jeremy haven’t done their best to chase/scare him off they way they have others in the past. (If Geoff hasn’t booted him out by now.)

And then there are the training exercises/tests and Gavin barely squeaks by those, sure, but the whole thing where he gets through them anyway. (What Michael’s seen of his files, different battles and other shit he’s survived this long.)

The way he’s kept up with the rest of them, carried his own weight. (This disaster of a mission.)

Not useless, like others Michael’s served with. Knows what he’s doing with that sniper rifle he carries, and none of the others seem to have a problem with him.

ANYWAY.

Michael looks at the idiot, sees Gavin gamely keeping up with him even with his damaged armor slowing him down and is just.

“I don’t get you,” which is mostly the truth.

Gavin confuses the hell out of him.

Most people get the hint when Michael scowls at them whenever he sees them, stop trying to make friends or whatever the fuck Gavin’s been up to all this time. (Most people though, Michael’s realizing, aren’t Gavin, so.)

Gavin, for his part, seems just as confused when he looks Michael’s way because what is he talking about?

They’re teammates, and while Michael’s an unfriendly bastard he’s Team? Growlier than the others, sure, but not unbearably awful and anyway, Gavin thinks he’s hilarious.

And then the slow, cautious Getting To Know Each Other bit where they actually talk? Like. A way to keep their minds off what they might find when they catch up to Ryan and Jeremy and the bastards chasing them and just.

Seems like the thing to do, what with the odds of them getting out of this being what they are.

They ~bond, and some part of Michael is annoyed at that because the principle of the thing or something? (OR maybe he’s annoyed at how easily he starts to like Gavin or just. Something. Whatever his deal is, he’s annoyed about it. Gavin notices, of course, and finds it funny as hell which is also annoying and it’s just. This vicious cycle of annoying.)

Around nightfall they come across this little canyon/gorge where Ryan and Jeremy have been forced into. Some kind of caves or other shelter they’re hiding in with the remaining Covenant forces facing them and doing their best to drive them out into the open to kill them?

Also, that fucking Elite.

Looks like he’s been through hell, part of his armor twisted and melted – from Gavin’s lucky plasma grenade and everything else they’ve thrown at him and all that – and some missing altogether, but still standing.

Barking out orders and clearly furious that humans did this to him and his troops and it’s beyond personal now.

(Mutual feeling, really.)

Conveniently (or not so conveniently) Michael’s comms are busted – took a bad hit during the initial attack at the rendezvous point – and Gavin’s has been busted since he saved Michael’s life in the ambush so they can’t contact Ryan and Jeremy to come up with a battle plan.

Not, you know, that they need anything too complicated?

About a dozen Covies between them and the Battle Buddies and a nice little spot for a sniper to get cozy for a bit, do some damage before things really kick off.

Gavin still has ammo for his sniper rifle – not a lot, but enough to give them a fighting chance here. Take out the Jackals along the ridge facing the caves, take out the threat they pose and leaving the rest to deal with later once he runs out.

They’re not doing great on the weapons front, Michael’s assault rifle and shotgun, and Gavin’s only other weapon is the Magnum pistol Gavin picked up off the ground after the ambush at the outpost after he lost his DMR in the scuffle with the Elite. (Used it to block an attack from the bastard’s  plasma sword and it didn’t survive, but better it than Gavin, so, again. Yes.)

Anyway, anyway.

Michael’s forte isn’t stealth, but even he can make his way close to the Covenant forces while Gavin picks off the snipers, take out a few grunts before they realize what’s happening and it turns into a free-for-all.

And he does get there because Gavin’s got his - their backs covered and it’s impressive as hell, really, considering he doesn’t even have a working HUD.

Michael feels this vicious little satisfaction when he hears the first shot from Gavin’s sniper rifle, sees the Jackal drop. Doesn’t bother to watch the others fall because there’s a Grunt in front of him and it’s muscle memory from there.

He gets two of them from behind before they know what’s going on, and goes for his shotgun when the third startles and whirls around on him, plasma pistol swinging in his direction.

Things get hectic after that, Ryan and Jeremy realizing the cavalry’s (such as it is) is there to save their asses and a whole lot of dying going on.

Somewhere in there Gavin makes his way down into the fray, Michael catching sight of his armor here and there before losing sight of him as the fight wages on.

There’s this moment – that slo-mo kind of moment – where the smoke clears and the crowd parts and all that Dramatic Moment shit and the damned Elite shows up.

Furious as fuck and bearing down on Michael who brings his shotgun to bear – assault rifle lost somewhere after he ran out of ammo and used it to melee a Grunt and couldn’t be bothered to retrieve it with a suicide Grunt running at him.

He fires, but there’s that godawful click because he used the last of his ammo on another Covie and Christ, what a shitty way to go out, right?

But then there’s Gavin again, the stupid fucker.

This wild yell and flash of blue from behind the Elite as he leaps over a dead body and onto the fucker’s back. Combat knife sinking into the unprotected back (took his chest piece off because it was so badly damaged before and useless) and then he’s grabbing the bastard’s head and twists, the Elite making this surprised noise before it goes down, finally, finally fucking dead as shit.

Michael stares because Jesus Christ, what the hell, and Gavin looks up to catch his eye. Breathing hard and kind of desperate in the way he looks Michael over because wow, adrenaline, huh?

Another Moment where they’re just holy fuck because what a situation and also a rescue – risky as fuck because if the Elite had turned when Gavin made that jump he would have killed Gavin while Michael watched and just.

A whole lot going on between them before some asshole Grunt fires off a shot way too fucking close to them to snap them out of it, remind them the fight’s not over yet, so maybe save it for later?

Gavin yanks his combat knife out of the Elite’s back and Michael takes his plasma sword to use while Gavin plucks up an abandoned plasma pistol from a dead Grunt nearby and they get back to it.

Cut down the rest of the Covies with Ryan and Jeremy until they’re the only ones left standing and then it’s “What took you guys so long,” and “We had everything perfectly under control,” and “Hey, assholes,” and so on.

Scavenging (looting) weapons and the long walk to safe territory.

And, like.

Michael still getting looks from Ryan and Jeremy, but this time it’s because Michael’s being friendly towards Gavin who is :DDDDD about it and things kind of go from there.

Once they get back to base the whole Play Pals thing happens – or the equivalent -  to counterbalance the Battle Buddies and Geoff hates these assholes, he really does. And then other shit happens, like Michael experiencing an accelerated case of Pining for Gavin who is amused as fuck once he realizes what’s going on? (Not like he didn’t have his own case of Pining, but that’s old news by now that pretty much the entire base knew about before he did? But Michael’s so damn surly about his own affliction.)

More missions and close calls – a few presumed dead scenarios and Hard Truths and Shocked Realizations and then the Smoochening.

Also.

Almost literally everyone else on the entire base being in on the betting pool regarding the two of them to Michael’s >:(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( because assholes.

~*The End*~

(Also, though. Gavin or Jeremy – or both – pick up a stray kitten on a mission somewhere and bring it back to base where it becomes a mascot and makes Michael’s life a misery because it can? Meanwhile Gavin laughing his ass off while Michael bitches about this tiny cat that has some kind of vendetta against him and Michael, Michael, please.)

EDIT: Also, turns out Jeremy’s the Spartan-II, something they all find out on a later mission where he saves the day via Spartan-II awesomeness involving like. A tank or something he punches to death. (Because that’s a thing you can do in Halo and it’s awesome as fuck and also fun.)

[sineala]

Iron Man: And Call My Killer... MODOK!

So if you're a Marvel Comics fan of any stripe, you're probably aware that Marvel has a longtime history of publishing what they call "prose novels" and what literally any other publisher would just call "novels." You know. Books with only words in them. As opposed to "graphic novels," which is I guess why Marvel needs to make the distinction.

You're probably also aware that a lot of these prose novels are, well... bad. Some of the current ones, the original ones with new stories, have been getting good reviews -- I've heard good things about the Black Widow and Squirrel Girl books -- but a lot of them are just things like "novelizations of Civil War" and those ones are not great. (The MCU Iron Man 1 novelization was pretty good, but I would say that that was one of the few exceptions, and that only because Peter David both can actually write and has also written comic books.)

But a few weeks ago @blossomsinthemist told me that there had been a line of paperback Marvel prose novels way way back in the late seventies, and I was immediately interested for two reasons. One, if it's not novelizing an existing story arc, it's less likely to be terrible. And two, I really like late-seventies Marvel comics. So if I get to read a brand-new (to me) late-seventies story, I'm going to be pretty excited.

(If you're looking for these for yourself, prices vary, because people seem to be really into just having them for collection value, but if you don't care about condition and are patient you can get them for $5 to $10 or so.)

Anyway. I'm starting here with the Iron Man one, And Call My Killer... MODOK! It's from 1979 and is by William Rotsler, who also appears to have written the Doctor Strange novel in this series, and according to Wikipedia, he won four Hugos for Best Fan Artist, though most of his prose work appears to have been SF novelizations, and, uh, he was involved in the making of over two dozen pornographic films? Thanks, Wikipedia!

Right. Okay. The actual book. We are talking about the actual book. So the plot, as you can guess from the title, involves a lot of AIM and MODOK -- and because this is vintage 1970s Iron Man, also a lot of Happy, Pepper and SHIELD. SHIELD here is a lot of Nick Fury and a lot -- hi, again, 1970s -- of Jasper Sitwell. (If you're only familiar with the MCU, 616 Jasper Sitwell is, like, the ultimate Boy Scout SHIELD agent, a giant nerdy stickler for protocol.) Basically, AIM is scheming to get the armor, and the basic plot itself is kind of fun in that respect -- Tony scheming right back, decoy fake plans, a fake auction of the armor, and of course Tony and Happy captured by AIM. There's the requisite fight with an armored villain, of course, and what feels like a very perfunctory showdown with MODOK. (It's not a long novel.)

But since we're in fandom, we're not reading these things for the actual plot content, and so I am happy to say that on a characterization level, if this is the Tony Stark characterization you like in this era of comics, this book is going to make you happy. Because he really is, just... peak, classic Tony Stark. This is established very early on, in what is actually my favorite section of the book. Tony addresses a roomful of students about ecology, and his plans for SI and for the future, and about how he's not actually in it for the money and he just wants to do the right thing and save the world and so on and so forth and he wants to hire some of these kids to help everyone and build space colonies and so on. Similarly, when we first see Tony at SI, there's a paragraph about how he knows his employees' names and values them as people and it's very much classic Tony characterization. I love it.

In terms of canon, I'm not quite sure if this is relying on any particular recent developments in canon. Pepper and Happy are still together, and there's a throwaway line, in the list of Things That Have Happened To Tony's Heart, about how he's had several surgeries and a new heart and at this point in his life he has to wear the chestplate some of the time but not all of the time. I think that whole "weak heart" era is the Michael O'Brien/second Guardsman stuff, but I'm not exactly sure; this is not an era of canon I'm 100% up on in order. That may be a little too early for this, as well. Sorry; I'm not the best at this part of this game.

There is, of course, some identity porn, since what would an Iron Man story be without some good identity porn? There's a section early on where Tony explains why he would never reveal his secret identity. (Literally, he wishes he could "come out of the closet," and, yes, they do put that phrase in quotation marks.) His rationale is that the media would never let him alone, and also there are "Iron Man groupies, publicity seekers, and other assorted crazies" who would make his life miserable.

The weird thing is, then he goes on a date with what seems to be an Iron Man groupie. Pepper sets him up on a date with a woman who is a bellydancer and auto mechanic trying to break into acting. (The even weirder thing is that she seems to be named after a woman the author has coauthored several novels with. I, uh... I hope she knew first?) Anyway, they go on a date and she starts asking him about what Iron Man is like. Now, in a book where the plot appears to be that the bad guys want Tony's armor, I would be a little suspicious of people who were curious about Iron Man. But apparently this woman is on the level and just really likes gossip about famous people, and then at the end of the book when Tony talks about maybe going on another date he seems excited to "give her an opportunity to know Tony Stark." Although, really, she seems to still think Iron Man is cooler, so I don't see this working out well.

(Also, in the course of the plot, he does end up unmasking in front of MODOK, and as cover he comes up with the excuse that he isn't the only Iron Man and that there are a group of them. Which, y'know, historically, isn't even untrue, for a certain view of Tony's behavior -- there have actually been multiple people in the suit before now. So I kind of like Tony's quick thinking there. Amusingly, as he's bluffing his way through this, one of the fake Iron Men he names is Captain America, which honestly I think would make a hell of a fanfiction plot.)

Another weird thing: since this is right before Demon in a Bottle, Tony still drinks. It's not even an issue. And obviously it's meant to show something about his affluent lifestyle (and how he considers alcohol a necessary part of that lifestyle) but it's interesting reading this in retrospect and thinking about all the character development that Tony is basically about to undergo but hasn't yet.

So, yeah, in terms of characterization, this is an interesting look at Tony Stark basically preserved in one of the more-well-regarded eras for him, so on that basis I think it's worth reading. Which is not to say that there aren't some downsides, and since this book is mainstream fiction from the 70s, I bet you can guess what the main one is: namely, there is a certain amount of casual sexism and racism. The first scene takes place on a college campus and there is a lot of, uh, dwelling on co-eds and their short skirts. There is also a retelling of Tony's origin story, and you probably already know that ToS #39 is racist as hell (especially if you have seen non-recolored versions in which Wong Chu is literally yellow in the art) but the prose retelling here manages to add in some racist epithets (many characters are referred to as "the Oriental") which is... disappointing. Neither of these things are really unexpected for a book from 1979. But, you know, there they are. Heads up.

It also makes some weird narrative choices. One is that it has a surprising number of extended flashbacks in which dialogue is taken directly from the comics. I understand that back in the day before trade paperbacks and Marvel Unlimited and back issues whenever you want them, you the Iron Man fan might not have been aware of a lot of Tony's history. So I get why you would want to spend some time going over the events of Tales of Suspense #39. And, okay, Happy is a pretty important character in the plot, so I get why you'd want a lot about their first meeting in Tales of Suspense #45. But then there's a whole flashback devoted to the whole body-horror extravaganza of how MODOK came to be, and that one... that one was just kind of weird, especially because Tony didn't even figure into it.

And that leads me to my final complaint about weird narrative choices, which is the author has chosen to write this book in 3rd person omniscient point of view. I mean, it's a valid POV choice, sure. But it's a little jarring coming from fandom, where we are all basically 3rd limited forever and ever (like, honestly, I'm not even sure I'd know how to write 3rd omni if I tried!), and it's even weirder to read Tony in the middle of one of his inspiring speeches while a female student is thinking about how sexy he is even if he is an "older man." Yeah.

Also, the narration calls him Tony when he's out of the suit and Iron Man when he's in the suit. Consistently. Even when he's thinking about himself. I am pretty sure fandom never does this, and it is weird as hell.

So, overall, I have to say that despite some reservations, I really enjoyed this, and if this is an era of Iron Man canon that you enjoy, you will probably like this if you can get your hands on it, because it's a lot like reading an Iron Man comic from 1979, and the plot shenanigans are amusing. I mean, it's not the best-written book ever, but it is a lot of fun, especially in terms of Tony's characterization.

[pargolettasworld]

Movie Review!  The King

I just finished watching The King on Netflix, the Gritty Reboot™ of Shakespeare’s Henry V that absolutely no one asked for.  It turns out to be . . . eh, it’s fine.  Better than you’d expect for what it is.  And, yeah, it’s been thirty years since Kenneth Branagh did Henry V.  Perhaps it is time to let someone else have a whack at the part.  Timothée Chalamet does a mostly commendable job.  He’s a little young for it, but he pulls off the transition from Frat Boy Prince Hal through So Over It New King to A Sadder King, But Wiser Now admirably.  He is better at emoting silently than he is at speechifying, which perhaps explains why they didn’t just have him do Henry V; he could probably get through the dialogue scenes okay, but I really don’t see him doing justice to the “Saint Crispin’s Day” speech.

It is a relentlessly grim movie.  Absolutely no one takes any pleasure in anything whatsoever.  Robert Pattinson does try out an absolutely outrageous French accent, but no one cracks a smile.  Prince Hal is neither amused nor amusing.  The lovely comic scene of Catherine learning English is nowhere to be seen; Catherine herself only enters the movie ten minutes from its end, dropping a massive Plot Bomb™ with a completely deadpan expression.  And Falstaff?  The movie’s major signal that this is, in fact, a Gritty Reboot™ of Shakespeare rather than just a regular ol’ movie about the Battle of Agincourt?  Loud, obscene, funny, boisterous Falstaff -- the character who was so entertaining that Shakespeare wrote The Merry Wives of Windsor largely to show him off, much like the Minions movie -- he’s been changed into a grim, war-weary old veteran, whose right knee aches when it’s going to rain, and who is Wise In The Ways Of War and possesses Keen And Poignant Insights™ about kingship and human nature.  This Sir John is a stalwart and noble character, one whom Shakespeare wouldn’t recognize at all.  (Nor Verdi, for that matter.)

The major plot beats are all there.  Henry’s coronation, the gift of tennis balls (or, rather, ball) from the French court, the execution of some traitors, the decision to make war on France based on some minutiae of French succession law that no one actually cares about, the victory at Harfleur (it appears that no one trusted Chalamet with the “Once more unto the breach” speech, either), the night before the battle, the Battle of Agincourt, and Henry’s marriage to Catherine.  If you’ve seen Henry V at least once, you’ll be able to tick them off as you go.  This Henry spends the night before the battle chatting with Falstaff instead of going around in disguise to hear what the soldiers think of him, but since Falstaff is such a different character, it might as well be the same scene.

The Battle of Agincourt is where the movie really picks up.  It takes the time to show the strategy that the English used to defeat the larger and more powerful French army.  They relied partly on longbows, their great technological advantage, and partly on the fact that the French were all heavily armored.  If it rained the night before the battle (as Falstaff’s knee assured them it would), the battlefield would turn to mud, giving the advantage to the less-armored English.  And the movie shows just how well that worked, with the French literally drowning in the mud while the English whale on them.  I liked that.

For my money, the last ten minutes of the movie are the most interesting.  They’re not taken from Shakespeare at all.  This is when Catherine drops her Plot Bomb™, and what happens when the Plot Bomb™ goes off.  Not to give away the ending, but the Plot Bomb™ was easily the most attention-grabbing thing about the whole movie.  I would gladly have sacrificed both the first half hour of Gritty Reboot™ of Henry IV, as well as most of the scene of Thibault de Montalembert as the French King delivering The Moral Of The Story™ for those audience members too slow to figure it out on their own, in order to slow down the delivery, detonation, and repercussions of the Plot Bomb™.  That would have elevated this movie from “eh, it’s fine” to “this is really good.”

But, as it stands . . . eh, it’s fine.  It’s entertaining, Chalamet handles his material very well, Sean Harris and Joel Edgerton support him well, and it is appropriately Gritty and Serious about its subject matter.

[headspacedad]

nomadicism

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crispy-leaf-keith replied to your post: ...

Seriously, how the hell is “shut up an trust me” not obviously bad leadership instinct. I bet that the original plan had this idea replicated in Lotor, as when things get dire for his team, his leadership turns into “shut up and trust me” without saying it. Thing is, at no point is Keith shown to have grown out of that attitude and it’s reinforced by his own mother.

I feel as if I need to start this with - I don’t dislike Keith.  I really liked Keith in seasons one and two and I liked where he was going.  I really enjoyed his character then and I have been worriedly following his progress through the muddle of seasons three through six.  So this isn’t an attack on him.  But I do not like what we got in season seven and he was one of the main casualties of the writing along with Shiro and Allura.  That’s on the writers heads.  And unfortunately he gets stuck with the ick on the brush they painted the season with.

yeah, as an adult ‘shut up and trust me’ would just get a laugh and a snorted ‘no’ out of me.  And that’s me.  Team Voltron has been a team without Keith in it longer than they were a team with him in it and he ditched them at decidedly deadly times before he left.  There is no logical reason at all, beyond his first ‘fetch Shiro’ driving moment that anyone on that team should be following his leadership, especially not when Shiro is right there.  Even without Shiro being there both Lance and Allura had led the team just fine multiple times in the team’s recent history. So no.  There is really no reason beyond ‘anime protag’ and ‘lion plot armor’ that anyone on that team should be following Keith and before they got attacked by the magic ‘make things look fixed without fixing them’ hypnotic whale that was pretty obvious.  The story has done nothing to earn my belief in Keith’s leadership and because the story hasn’t, neither has Keith.  ‘Shut up and trust me’?  Really?  After you almost got your team killed the last time they relied on you because you were off obsessing weirdly over Lotor?  I don’t think so.  Not if my ass and my team’s ass was on the line and Shiro was right there, with Allura and Lance in line behind him. 

Its interesting the point you bring up though about his mother actually making that trait worse.  I remember seeing posts recently on my dash about how he seemed in a darker, less healthy place after his mother’s influence of two years, not better.  That she and Kolivan were actually bad influences on him and his growth, doing the opposite of what being a part of early Team Voltron had been letting him grow toward.  Of course that’s the writing because according to the EPs two years with his mom were supposed to magically, and without showing us how, make him an awesome team leader somehow so our idea of ‘awesome team leader’ and theirs is going to show up in the way we view what the EPs think they’re writing.  But yes.  His mom uses almost the same line on him.  And they both plow right over the team about forcing training, without bothering with the team’s objections until Shiro intervenes.  Just like Zarkon plowed over his team.  I’d even go so far as to say that if Lotor was also doing the ‘shut up and trust me�� he was at least doing it in a more subtle way that let his team think they had some input into the way things went.  He was very good at at least giving the show of including other people in his plans often (and for all we know he honestly did include their input because the writers were so non-communicative on what they were doing with him so that their ‘plot twist’ wouldn’t be foreshadowed that we never did get to see what was really going on inside Lotor’s mind to know one way or the other).  Even when he didn’t, he gave the impression that he was competent to the point that his plans would be trustworthy.  Narti was a ‘shut up and trust me’ moment I suppose - and his team shot him for it.

just sayin.