#only due to the moon people's influence did they want vengeance

[maguro13-2]

Shattered Hero Rekindled ~ Origins of the Ink Demon : Episode Maka Pt.19 ~

[Swinging Report Show by Kenichi Tokoi]

"Channel 5 News"

Announcer : And now...Live from Channel 5 News. With your host...Hal!

Hal : Hello! This is Hal from Gurhal Channel 5 news! Let me explain our top stories from the third planet of the solar system called Earth. Aka Real World AU! According to the latest reports, Death Weapon Meister Academy is losing a lot of profits due to the majorities and appearances of Heartless that have been appearing lately since appearance the legendary heart-shaped moon Kingdom Hearts four years ago. However, while Majo Detective Force continues to protect the peace, it is very clear that the ravenous Ink Demon has made deal with the criminal masterminds the Gorgon Sisters, who got involve with everyone for the destruction and terrorism against the country. We now go live with Ulala, space female reporter of Channel 5 bringing you to the scene. Ulala.

Ulala : You said it, Hal. Becuase of everyone's lives have been lost due to the Gorgon Sisters' affiliation with the heartless, the Ink Demon showed them no mercy for their arrogance and crimes with the targeting of the legacy belonging to Soul Eater's true creator, Shinra Kusakabe. Mr. Shinra Kusakabe has no comment on whether he wanted to make Gorgon Sisters dead or alive, or have been brought to justice for using heartless copies of their selves as decoys, the ones that the heartless of Shaula Gorgon was defeated in the hands of a girl from Tokyo named Tsugumi Harudori, who now goes by the Meta Knights' leader, Sir Halberd Knight.

Hal : We have also confirmed that last night there was break in at the museum where a treasure chest called the prison of Dark Nebula was stolen by Dark Meta Knight, who presumed dead in the mirror since Dark Mind tried corrupt both Real World and Mirror World. But despite his efforts to bring vengeance on the Kirbies whom they defeated him , Meta Knight the supreme commander of the Meta Knights has made a press conference that he announced his newly rebuilt Halberd ship will now be the first aircraft to travel in space to investigate the mysteries of Planet Jupiter, in which Dark Nebula could find a perfect host for to rule the entire galaxy. Could the Jovian System be a perfect home of the meister Maka Albarn or it will be the fate of Gurhal depends on the universes that are in jeopardy?

DWMA Soldier 1 : Hey, haven't you heard about the news?

DWMA Soldier 2 : What do I got to know about it?

DWMA Soldier 1 : Ever since we've been protecting Shinra Kusakabe's legacy for the past years, these heartless have been running amok and now the public is saying we're responsible for getting people involved of these incidents. And now they're saying, the Time Eater is officially coming back to get his exact after what we did to protect Shinra's Legacy. That's what the heartless were after, they only weren't only after us, they were after the legacy that we protected. Man, can anyone believe that a local nut job is too stupid realize that Shinra's influence made us that arrogant. Simple as that *chuckles*

*Gets faces smash*

Inky Jr : So...Do you know what's like to a punk to those that live in the shadows, a spawn of the devil would make you a coward, is that what you humans to protect one's legacy to it's finest?

DWMA Soldier 2 : Who me? I...I would never say that? What makes you look bad when I'm talking to someone. There's...There's gotta be an explaination for that-!

*SMASH+FLASH SNAP!*

Inky Jr : Only humans can be so dull, when it comes to those that are really heartless. Not even you can be adored by the public to smite the devil's face. *puts change on the table* Keep the change.

*exits the bear*

Inky Jr. : In all my efforts to save this measly planet that trying to be destroyed by the hands of those weaklings. I don't take kindly to spoiled beings that wanted to lay waste on the planet. But did they really think that they have the nerves to destroy a boy's legacy? I would never have to think about that. All Heroes, All villains, going from conflict to conflict to keep the stage alive, and then...all of the night shall be under my control. But I can't let these humans get in my way of claiming the night that is mine.

DWMA Soldier 1 : You slimy inky demonic bastard! I'LL KILL YOU FOR RUINING MY FACE! *charges at the Ink Demon+battlecries*

Inky Jr : Too!

*SMASH+SPLAT!*

*PUNCH+BODY CRACKS*

Inky Jr : Don't get me started on this, you're the ones who wanted to throw lives away when you got a demon that is in the way. So stay clear and get off my back. I can't wait to see that pitiful meister's face when she sees, what I see. This is what I can do for all of those who can cry back.

[Dictator by Sota Fujimori]

Inky Albarn : Hello my son.

Inky Jr : Where have you been this time, Mother? Didn't you forget that I only slumber in darkness while we go bump into the night?

Inky Albarn : Of course, but we got some naughty visitors to deal with this. Here comes the bad boys.

*larges lights are turned on*

Sid Barrett : This is the DWMA Forces! Demons of Brookyln, New York. I've seen your faces around this country, you wanted to make us bad, don't you?

Inky Jr. : You must be that undead-sensei guy.

Inky Albarn : One of the slaves of Darkside Death.

Sid Barrett : That Sid Barrett to you, I am a sensei of Death Weapon Meister Academy and this is my job! As your reward for betraying us and ditching the legacy that we protected, I'll grant you two demons of darkness a nice quick of pain and death. Let's see you can top this.

Inky Albarn : You're going to pay for that, pawn of the devil's son! Guess the school can't have nice things for us. I'll grant you a quick death right, You have 15 minutes to die.

[Nu Metal by Sota Fujimori]

Inky Albarn : Alright. I won't go easy on you.

Inky Jr : You humans look very tasty that is going to be soaked with your blood. I hope you deserve an extra feeling that this will prove to be entertaining. And if you don't...I will hold any grudges against you.

Sid Barrett : Well, really? Guess what, demon? You've been talking a lot of smack about our world created by the Legendary Shinra Kusakabe, his legacy is meant for us to give our power to the devil's will! So let's get to the bottom of this. Shinigami of the Ohkuboverse will see you two in Hell!

Inky Jr : No holding back, mother. You'll be happy that I'll make you even stronger once we eliminate these bastards for good.

Inky Albarn : You'll eventually award for some desserts. I'll have a special treat for you if you be a good boy now.

Sid Barrett : DWMA FORCES! ATTACK!!!

Inky Albarn : Sorry, but you're too slow!

*DBZ SFX : Slashing*

*DWMA SOLDIERS SCREAMING*

Inky Albarn : HAHAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS REALLY A FUN PART TO GET YOUR HEADS CHOPPED OFF! I'M FEELING THE ADRENALINE OF DRINKING EVERY SINGLE OF DROP OF BLOOD! THIS RUSH, THIS SPEED, I FEEL AMAZING! I CAN FEEL THIS POWER! THIS IS WHAT I TRULY BECOME THE QUEEN OF THE INK DEMONS! I FEEL IMMORTALIZED, BUILD UP OUR MACHINE AND YOU'LL DIE TONIGHT!?

*Spins scythe and finishes*

Inky Albarn : Hmph!

*Gush*

Sid Barrett : What the-!? How...How can this be! The DWMA Forces have been wiped out by a single human girl!? Along with that Inky Demon, I have no choice but to kill you two!

Inky Jr : Or else what, you big oaf? If you're gonna fight like a hero, then fight like one! Like me, what does a human have to do with a demon than to be a hero?!

*grabs*

Inky Jr : Be tough!

*SLAM!*

Inky Jr : Be like the hero that you are!

*Slam*

Inky Jr : Tell me what it is to feel alive to be a hero!? Heroes are such an arrogant figure! Heroes are worth the saviors of everything that the world offers that it holds to much! I can be the hero, and you will be the villain, after all that's how heroes and villain work their way out through the stories! This is my wrath!

*SMASH*

Inky Jr : This is my fury!

*SMASH!*

Inky Jr. : And this...

*clenches fist*

Inky Jr. : ....IS MY PEAK!

*DBZ SFX : Meteor Flash/Loud Explosion*

Inky Jr : CRACKITY HACK! TIME TO CUT YOU SOME SLACK!

*Sizzling*

Inky Jr : No time to relax.

Sid Barrett : *gags in pain* I...I have to get...out of here.

*Grabs Sid by neck*

Inky Albarn : Alright, ya big lump. Spill the beans, Who are you and what was your purpose on attacking the wrong one? If humanity is so stupid what makes you being than to be more to be hero? That's not the way of a hero that you should be.

Sid Barrett : We...We were only just following orders. Please! D...Don't hurt us! We only wanted to protect it from harm, if the legacy is destroyed along with this planet, we're done for!

Inky Albarn : Oh yeah? Who's the idiot that is running the joint?

Sid Barrett : I'll tell you who's Running Death Weapon Meister Academy...

Inky Albarn : Hmm?

Sid Barret : Death Weapon Meister Academy is still part of World Heroes Force, the organization led by Shinra Kusakabe himself.

Inky Albarn : What!?

*images flashing*

Inky Albarn : Are you saying that...Shinra did all of this, just for his legacy to be protected? Lies...Big filthy human lies. Listen here, human enforcer. I know why you soul-stealing nutcases wanted to maintain peace, because you were protecting the peace, you only wanted the protect the legacy, making everyone obsess with it! You humans couldn't care less about Shinra! You don't even know what Shinra is! You just wanna make me vomit, do you!? I'm always right, aren't you? So th so-called DWMA has been part of the World Heroes Force Organization all along, didn't you?

Sid Barett : *breathes heavily*

Inky Albarn : Now I understand why she wanted to attended that school for to be the hero of her own story. It's all because of Shinra's sake, forsaken to the devil's will. Maka is nowhere near that school, not even humans could protect the legacy that he created. And you, my friend...is nothing more a puppet...nothing more to be a pawn to his filthy influence!

*DBZ SFX : Strong Hit*

Sid Barrett : Ugh! *Thud*

Inky Albarn : You son...Is gonna do me a little favor. I would like to meet up with Maka Albarn, or perhaps that the legacy that all of you protected will be destroyed along with this planet by the heartless.

Sid Barrett : Okay! I confess! Maka never attended Death Weapon Meister Academy, the only reason that she attended school because she wanted to follow the footsteps to Mr. Shinra. But his "heartless" was only using us to get us distracted while plans to put the planet his clutches! We were only enforcers to think that the heartless were the evil people. But I realized we were pawns from the start.

Inky Albarn : Oh really? That's what you've been doing? So if the school was part of an organization by this Mr. Shinra person, or that worthless lifeform called a Chao, there's one explanation that I am solving this puzzle. If the witches were truly sorry that they are the sworn enemies to the human race, they are innocent.

Inky Jr : You have some nerves for whom you're messing with, that's xenophobia for you.

Inky Albarn : If you're gullible for hurting Ashley's people, then who ordered all of this? Who's the big bad that is responsible for making the public adoring the DWMA as the peacekeeping forces? But if you don't tell, my son will tear body limb from limb, and even your bones would be good like one of his doggy treats. Every single drop of blood will be nothing left from your body. But don't worry, cause I'm really bust your balls.

Sid Barret : Alright! Alright! Alright! I'll tell you who's responsible for all of this! It...It was Darkside

*DBZ SFX : Teleport*

Darkside Death : Sid Barrett! You lousy leader! I told you about unveiling the truth, but that's okay...Guess this means I have no further use of you anymore. You will be disposed of immediately! *summons his scythe* You are a dsgrace to the Kusakabe's legacy! Begone!

*Summons the heartless shadows*

Inky Albarn : Uh-oh. We gotta get out of here! This place isn't safe for us, i don't wanna get sandwiched by these guys.

Inky Jr : Who says anything about the sandwich? Right now, I'm saving appetite.

Sid Barrett : Well, if you're interested in saving my life, I would spare a demon a heart. Please, spare me for one heart!

Inky Jr : You want this? Here you can have it. *gives heart to Sid*

Sid Barrett : Hey, thanks for saving me a heart. I can get myself healed up.

Inky Jr : Sure! At least you got something in your chest.

Sid Barrett : Really? But what kind of occasion would you offer me this. But who's heart did you gave me?

Inky Jr : Why don't you find out? I saved it for you...as long as these shadowy creatures can feast upon a heart, which is yours to be eaten alive along with it.

Sid Barrett : What...? This is my...*looks down* OHHH!

*It is revealed that Sid's heart has been ripped out*

Sid Barrett : I've been outsmarted! You stupid demon!

Inky Jr : Farewell, go eat your heart! Now, mother! To the door!

Inky Albarn : Absolutely!

*the two enters the door before it vanishes*

*Sid is now left behind with the heartless closing in on him*

Sid Barrett : Please! Don't come near me! I...I was doing my job to be a hero, I was in this part of saving the benefits of humankind! You can't do to this me! You can't leave me like this behind!

*Heartless laughing manically*

*Sid screams while being torn alive*

*scene changes to the beach*

Inky Albarn : This must be it. I feel like this is a sweet as pie. Welcome to Paradise.

Inky Jr : Ahh, fresh, crisp waters. So this is what it's like to have a duel on the beach.

Inky Albarn : Hope this isn't fuji, but why does the sign say "Emerald Coast"?

*Sign : WELCOME TO EMERALD COAST*

Inky Albarn : Seems fair enough, kinda reminds me of Emerald Coast Real life.

Inky Jr : But that's the coastal region in Florida.

Inky Albarn : And it's also the name of a video game level in Sonic Adventure.

Inky Jr : It seems we have company on the beach.

Inky Albarn : ...Bingo. I think I found myself a reunion.

Inky Jr : It seems that the little girl is alive.

Inky Albarn : You'd think, perhaps that is the reason, I always take my shoes off when to get into the water.

Inky Jr. : We'll see about that.

Eve : Okay, guys. Let's just sort this out. I know the Vibe Scepter is an important artifact, but right now, it's concerning me on how this girl manage to control Shattered Resonance and we still don't know how did it come to be? I mean, what was humanity's purpose for hiding such that is the combine powers of both anger and sadness to become frustration?

Moirai : How should you know?

Sir Halberd Knight (Tsugumi) : Perhaps that someone might be using the Vibe Scepter to gain control over political reasons. If that happens to us, there will be no to save our sorry bottoms.

Eve : We're just lucky that we have the heart of a hero. This is a complicated sentiment on whether we do have great details to solve the bottom of the mysteries, I've got one thing to do on my to do list and it ain't so.

Seto : Alright then. You tell me.

Solva : So, uhh, no dice, no evidence, just Vibes that are combined with the two forces, Rage and Sadness becomes once into Frustration. So, ummm, I'm thinking that we're definitely getting it.

Seto : Well...Umm...So, uhh, Girl of the shattered Resonance. So do you feel alright after you had some serious headache?

Maka : Well, it's kinda great. But that...I have some serious counting, that'll ease off the pain since nobody what really told me about that. But is there not a way to prove it to you. But I was wondering...am I really born somewhere that isn't earth?

Seto : Well, look no further, I hope that we may find a way to destroy some ways to stop Dark Nebula. What did you think something past.

Maka : Well I...

*flashback*

*blows landing*

Maka : *grunting+panting*

Moirai : Sister! That's enough!

Maka : *grunts*

*PUNCH!*

*scene changes back*

Maka : *Responds by shaking head* I nearly got myself to show those that I have beaten them to a bloody pulp. I never felt so rage and I had to thought that I was gonna get them back. It's best that I have bigger fish to fry about it.

Moirai : I see.

Seto : So...I discovered that someone stolen the prison of Dark Nebula that was meant from falling into the wrong hands, eventually. I just found out that this was the Mirror World Counterpart of supreme commanding leader of the Meta Knights.

Sir Halberd Knight : Why on earth would DMK do such a thing?

Seto : He only wanted revenge on the pink puff that KO'd him. But I realize it was only a heartless copy, all it can do is carry out destruction and bring muderous paths. I bet that bug queen in Dreamland is responsible for all this, or perhaps DMK used a heartless copy of himself to destroy us. Who says that Revenge is not the right answer?

Solva : You hardly even knew about it. So, if we're going to figure it out on where in the world is Maka's place of origin at. You might wanna feel pinned down on the equation to solve a riddle? I wonder what that place of orgin to her really is...Well, it was called the Sanctuary, built by that mysterious alien race that has some connections with the mask enemy Phanto. Yeah, Yeah...Phanto, that mask enemy from Super Mario Bros. 2. You can't even make grudges when he has some sort of connection with the alien race that is responsible for the creation of that blade you call it a "Demon Scythe". They call it the Demon Scythe, because Demon weapons were actually bones made by the Dokeshi, Shotaro.

Maka : Who's...Shotaro and why does he have something to do with the creation of the Demon Weapons.

Solva : Well, for starters, I think that's gonna have wait for that to be unveiled. So we might as well get the job done if we really wanted to survive. Heh, I don't mind any favors of two guys that wanted to make a fool out of you.

Maka : Black Star and Death the Kid...I forgot about those guys. Why don't handle it so easily if I thought we combined our efforts to Shinra's legacy. Why? Why does it forces us to be heroes that we really are!? Why does my story have to be three and only one, I'm the only one who understands that I used to be alone and was outcasted, but we always used to be alone, but on my thirteenth, nobody came and I was feeling alone sadly before I went unconcious state, only for me to have a dream that the world and Story of Soul Eater really happened, it was only me in a coma on my thirteenth birthday, how's stupid was that?

Solva : Well, didn't exactly think, but we knew about it. We knew it all along.

Maka : Ah yes.

Inky Albarn : Well, Maka Albarn. Nice to see you drop by at the beach.

Maka : It's you again.

Inky Albarn : I am needed for you to have a talk, and it's going to really blow your minds with a shocking twist.

Maka : What do you want for me to chat with? What's this about? How can you know anything about my existence?

~ Level 18 : Return of an Arch Rival ~

[ranan-culus]

I've seen this thrown around a lot, but why do so many people assume that Phos hates everyone and won't pray out of spite, when the first thing they wanted to do after getting Sensei's eye is rebuilt everyone? All that they've ever wanted was to get the Moon people to stop hurting them. To be happy.

Though I do not think they'll pray, I do think they'll end up guiding the moon people to Nirvana, as Shiro and the board game also endes up leaving their plane of existence.

[makutas-chronicle]

She-Ra Count of Monte Cristo AU

Inspired by the 2009 Count of Monte Cristo musical.

Adora is a quickly rising star among the Horde’s Force Captains, with her Lieutenant- soon to be Wife?- Catra by her side and her squad backing her up she seems unstoppable.  But, this is causing friction among the more established Force Captains, who- aided by Shadow Weaver who’s begun to realize she lost control of Adora the moment she hit the field- secretly imprison her on Beast Island.

Ten years later, Catra, who was never even able to find out where Adora went, has been forced to admit that she’s dead and has settled in to working under Captain Scorpia, tentatively, finally, letting herself begin to move on.

Meanwhile, a scarred, dead-eyed woman staggers out of the Whispering Woods, dragging King Micah to the steps of Bright Moon before leaving to return to the Horde.  Her name?  Despara.

Plot outline below, someone else please write this fully so I don’t have to.

Chapters named for their corresponding songs in the musical.

Prologue:  Glimmer POV.  It’s another day of infuriating stalemate when the woman arrives, carrying a miracle on her back, her father, terribly injured but alive after twenty-five years.  But there’s something off about this woman.  She won’t tell anyone her name, Micah won’t wake up, and whenever anyone meets her gaze there’s something awful in her one good eye.  It comes to a head when the woman breaks into her father’s sealed armoury, stealing powerful magical artifacts and escaping into the night, leaving Glimmer defeated in her wake with only a name, “Force Captain Despara.”

When Love Is True:  Adora POV.  Ten years prior, Catra and Adora are taking the Horde and the rest of the world by storm, practically celebrities in their own right.  Adora thinks she has a way to get Catra promoted to Force Captain as well; their accomplishments have actually managed to draw the attention of Lord Hordak himself and she thinks a couple more missions might be enough to get an audience with him.  The two of them talk about all the things they’ll finally be able to do unrestricted once it’s happened.  There are makeouts, it’s disgustingly fluffy, and Catra teases Adora for it the whole time.

Unbeknownst to Adora, the last thing Shadow Weaver wants is for the two of them to get any more power.  When they’re summoned to the Force Commander’s chamber she tries to re-establish her control over them, but Adora refuses to step aside.  So close to what she thinks of as the end of their time under the witch’s thumb she refuses to let Shadow Weaver use them against each other any more.  They are dismissed, unknowing that it was a final test, and Adora just failed it.

A Story Told:  Force Captain Octavia POV.  Three of the old-guard Force Captains, Octavia, Grizzlor, and a Lizardfolk(referred to hereon as Hyldren), have met in secret to discuss what should be done about Adora.  She’s gathered too much influence too fast, the only Force Captain the rank and file love more than her is Scorpia, and no one has a better operation record, but unlike Scorpia, Adora won’t bend the knee to anyone other than Shadow Weaver.  They need to figure out how to knock her down a peg.

The meeting is interrupted by Shadow Weaver, who prevents the others from trying to talk their way out of being discovered by revealing that Adora has outlived her usefulness, and she intends to do something that will either bring her to heel, or kill her.  Either way, the problem will be solved.

Weeks later, they trick Catra into going ahead and capture Adora during a base transfer, making it look to like she was attacked by marauders from the Crimson Wastes on the road while they bring her to Beast Island, leaving Adora with a single flare, enchanted by Shadow Weaver to only be usable once Adora is willing to be completely subservient to her.

I Will Be There:  Alternating Adora and Catra POV.  Adora struggles to survive alone on Beast Island, keeping herself motivated by thinking of Catra, who she’s certain will figure out what’s happened and rescue her soon.  Her first section ends with her meeting King Micah.

Cut to Catra, who is trying to find out what happened to Adora, refusing to believe that she’s gone even as she and the rest of their squad are reassigned to Scorpia.  Catra manages to convince Scorpia to help her investigate, wowing Scorpia with her confidence that they can get to the bottom of it and rescue Adora, even if they have to tear the entire Crimson Waste inside out to do it.

From there the POV alternates, going through moments from the next five years where the two of them keep themselves going with thoughts of the other.  Adora learning magic and how to survive on Beast Island from Micah, and Catra steadily leading Scorpia to conquer the Crimson Waste.

Every Day A Little Death:  Alternating Adora and Catra POV.  Adora collects injuries and scars from her struggle to survive, and every day it gets a little harder to believe anyone is coming for her.  A monster blinds her in one eye, leaving an enormous scar down the side of her face and across her throat.  She loses an arm in a freak accident and Micah fashions her a crude magic prosthetic that gets steadily more refined as three more years pass.

Catra’s frustration grows as they consolidate the Horde’s hold on the Crimson Waste and still no one can tell her what was done with Adora, they can’t even find anyone who remembers someone by her description.  And every day it gets a little harder to believe that there’s anyone left to save.

Adora breaks when something breaks her nose and it heals straighter than it was before, realizing that at this point almost no one would recognize her even if she ever got off the island.  During her breakdown she finally gets Micah to admit he’s been there for over twenty years.  It sinks in that no one is coming, and she hopes the reason is that no one knows where she is.  

Rage begins to take hold of her, because what reason did Shadow Weaver have to do this to her?  To take her entire life from her?  And she breaks Shadow Weaver’s flare in her prosthetic hand.

When The World Was Mine:  Catra POV.  Catra breaks when her squad, led by Scorpia, corner her after it’s become clear she’s not sleeping.  She’s been lashing out and then retreating to places where she thinks no one can hear her forcing herself to calm down, her sleep schedule is erratic at best, and worst of all, she only seems to be getting worse the more false leads they have to discount.  Scorpia tells her she knows what it’s like to grieve someone you aren’t ready to let go of, showing Catra the picture of her mothers.  But if someone’s gone, no amount of denying it is ever going to bring them back, and all she’s doing by refusing to let herself grieve is hurting herself more.  

Catra breaks down surrounded by people she has to begrudgingly admit are her friends.

The world loses some of its luster for her, it’s difficult for her to stay motivated once she’s admitted that Adora’s gone, but Scorpia helps her work through it, and by two more years later she’s back in peak form again.  Quieter, sadder, but sharper and more dangerous for how she understands heartbreak now, and how to use it.

When We Are Kings:  Micah POV.  It’s taken two years and a lot of close calls, but Adora and Micah have managed to map out the currents and guard rotations for the area around Beast Island, and they’re ready to make their escape attempt.

The rage Adora felt has crystallized into a cold hatred, she’d been planning her return to the Horde for a decade, but now her plans are much less about taking back her life and more about punishing everyone responsible for taking it from her.  And from the stories about Bright Moon and Mysticor Micah had tried to use to sway her, he’s given her everything she needs to make Shadow Weaver let her get close enough to enact her vengeance.

Micah is gravely injured in their escape attempt, and with his last words before he passes out he pleads with Adora to remember what she really wanted to get back to, to put that before her revenge.  Because he can see the rage growing in her won’t be satisfied with just revenge, if she stays on this path, she’ll destroy herself, and take everything else with her just to try and feel a moment’s peace that won’t come.

Hell To Your Doorstep:  Alternating Catra and Adora POV.  Six months later, Scorpia’s team is reassigned back to the Fright Zone to help train the next generation of cadets, something that irks Catra, but she finds she has more of a soft spot for the kids than she thought she would.

She begins hearing rumors, however, of a newcomer Force Captain, someone rarely seen in the Fright Zone, but apparently a terror on the battlefield, a woman named Despara.

She’s surprised when she’s summoned by the woman, but Catra hasn’t lived this long by ignoring people when she doesn’t know what they were capable of.

When she first lays eyes on Despara there’s a moment where she’s familiar; it’s shorter, but her hair’s the same colour as Adora’s and she’s the same height.  But then Despara turns around, smiles, and the memory is gone.  Adora’s eyes were never so flat, her attention had never felt so cold, Despara’s posture is too aggressive, too predatory, and her nose is too straight.  The woman’s smiles don’t reach her furious eye the way Adora’s had, she doesn’t even smell right, and to Catra’s discomfort she comes close enough that anyone would be able to smell her as she seemingly tries to make nice even as she stalks around Catra, speaking in a ragged voice likely due to whatever caused the scar across her throat.

She asks strange questions, mostly about Scorpia, and every answer seems to frustrate the Force Captain more, like she’s expecting Catra to have some secret knowledge for her that she just doesn’t.  Catra leaves the meeting more confused than anything else.

Cut to Adora.  She’d been hoping, so much, that Catra would recognize her.  She feels stupid for thinking she would when Shadow Weaver hadn’t, when none of the people responsible for taking everything from her had, when Catra has Scorpia now.  Catra had been Adora’s lifeline, and she’d moved on.  She tears apart her office, the hate in her chest searing hot until she’s exhausted herself and it simmers back down into its usual cold burn.  She hadn’t expected to need to add Scorpia to the list of people she is going to crush.  It’s a shame, Adora had liked Scorpia, but now, all Despara can see is someone else who’s stolen from her.

She plans, and the hate in her heart digs deeper.

Ah, Women:  Despara(Adora) POV.  Despara bides her time, though she finds herself gravitating back to the Fright Zone more and more often to watch Catra with the cadets.  One catches her attention, a magicat child named Finn she sees trailing after another recruit with a familiar expression in their eyes.  The same she knows used to be in hers when she looked at Catra.

Something of Adora responds the sight, so she waits until training is over one day and takes them aside under the pretense of interviewing them for inclusion in her squad.  She asks them about their squad, who they’d need to come with them if they were to be assigned to a Force Captain, and lets herself be Adora- if only in her mind- for a bit while they gush about their friends.  Thinking about how best to help this child instead of her revenge for a moment is almost invigorating, but it’s over too soon.  When she brings Finn back to the Barracks she catches Catra watching her, eyes suspicious and accusing, protective of her cadet.  Despara’s walls come right back up; this isn’t for her anymore, Adora would have been able to help look after them, Despara has no use for them.

I Know Those Eyes/This Man Is Dead:  Catra POV.  Despara has been hanging around the edges, haunting the barracks like a vengeful specter, it sets Catra’s teeth on edge.  She’s only seen Despara soften once, around Finn, but she remembers how the hard edges had come right back when she’d noticed Catra watching, remembers how Shadow Weaver used softness against Adora, so that only makes her warier, makes her ensure the woman doesn’t have the chance to get Finn alone again.

Her next full confrontation with Despara comes months later, during a sparring demonstration with Scorpia.  The woman barges in, the cold in her eye burning with rage, and demands to spar with the other Force Captain.

As the two spar, Catra starts noticing little things in the way Despara moves in a fight; her precision, the steps she takes before she makes a strike, the specific way she braces herself before a block.  Catra finds herself almost anticipating Despara’s moves before she makes them and a hope she’d buried deep starts to stir as Despara, for all her vicious determination, is slowly overwhelmed by Scorpia’s experience and size advantage.

She asks Scorpia to tag in, she needs to know.

Sparring against Despara is like slipping back into an old, favourite bed, like coming home; she can hardly believe it, and from the way Despara’s good eye softens, neither can she.  It’s not long before they’re dancing the same dance they used to, each so familiar with the other’s movements and tactics that they could spar uninterrupted for hours without a winner.  Catra looks at Adora, hard and angry but her Adora, back from the dead after ten years, and the cold in her good eye- what had happened to Her Adora’s eyes?  Where had the fire in them gone?  Why didn’t her smiles reach them anymore?  What made her move like she’d never been Catra’s?- melts.

Catra breathes her name and after a desperate, yearning moment where Adora leans in, Despara’s walls come back up in an instant, the cold fury breaking their stalemate as she pounces with surprising ferocity.  The battle becomes pitched, each of them trying to get back on the offensive, Catra refusing to let Adora retreat behind Despara again, and Despara refusing to let Catra back in.

Eventually, Despara lands a blow, winning the spar, and as they stand there, panting with exertion, the hate in Despara’s gaze solidifies again.  “You moved on,” she accuses Catra, turning on her heel before Catra can recover from the shock.

In many ways, Catra doesn’t recover, not until Scorpia manages to shoo the cadets away and find Catra somewhere safe to break down again.

Pretty lies:  Alternating Despara and Catra POV.   Despara goes back into the field for a time, carving her way across the front lines to try and bury the parts of Adora that dancing with Catra had stirred up from their places.  Meanwhile, Catra tries to settle back into her life before she realized that Adora was here, was hurting so badly all alone.

Eventually someone steps forward to challenge Despara directly during a raid, and as Despara steps forward, glad to have someone to direct the wildfire under her skin at, he reveals himself to be Micah.  Despara is shocked, she’d only brought him to Bright Moon out of courtesy for how he’d helped her, she never thought he’d actually survive his injuries.  Then he calls her Adora, and she resolves to do what Beast Island couldn’t.

Intersperse cutaways to Catra confiding in Scorpia, telling her about how Adora used to be, the light in her eyes, her determination, how kind and honorable she could be even when it was infuriating, their plans for the future, how Catra had wanted to wake up wrapped in Adora’s warmth every day for the rest of her life.  The gentle memories contrasting with cuts back to Despara attacking Micah like a woman possessed, like something feral and unstoppable as he tries fruitlessly to talk to her.

Micah and Despara’s fight ends in a draw, but Micah reveals that while he’d been hoping to get through to her he was also keeping her occupied while the Rebellion drove the rest of the Horde away and Despara is forced to retreat.

Meanwhile, Catra resolves to try and rescue Adora, one last time.

All This Time:  Catra POV.  Despara returns to the Fright Zone in a downright incandescent rage, and Catra finds herself horrified by how she seems somehow even less like Adora with that kind of fire in her eye.  But she still goes to her, she has to try, just once.

Despara almost seems frightened of her, the rage struggling to stay on the surface when Catra confronts her.  After a little pushing, Despara agrees to let Catra stay with her for the night, to hold each other close like they used to.  There’s something of Adora in the way Despara hesitates to touch her, though it’s different now, less like she’s waiting for permission and more like she’s worried Catra’s fur might burn her.

Despara doesn’t melt back into Adora in her arms like Catra had hoped, like she’d seen when they sparred, but it’s progress, and Despara sleeps better than she has in a decade.

The next morning Despara almost seems excited, she tells Catra that her plan is finally going to be ready, that she can finally take her revenge on Shadow Weaver, Octavia, Grizzlor, and Hyldren.  For the first time in six months all the Force Captains will be in the same place, now all she needs is to make her move on Shadow Weaver.

As Despara’s trap snaps shut around Shadow Weaver, turning her own magic back against her, Catra can only watch the sick glee on Despara’s face as Shadow Weaver’s screams echo through the chamber, her heart starting to break with how there isn’t even a trace of Adora in that expression.  Shadow Weaver subdued, Despara plucks the shard of the Black Garnet from her mask, leaving the Sorceress barely alive in her lair as she slots the gem into her prosthetic, red lightning flashing along it.

Despara doesn’t even seem to notice how Catra flinches at the sight of the magical electricity.

Next are the Force Captains, gathered up in a conference room, Despara enters and slams her prosthetic hand into one of the walls, igniting the spell circle covering the room and channeling the Black Garnet’s lightning through it.

Catra can’t let her do it, Despara was going to torture an entire room of people to death, was going to kill Scorpia, just to get at three of them.  Adora would never have done this, if there was ever a moment to try and save her it was now.  She pulls her away from the room, breaking her connection to the spell circle.

They fight, Despara utterly blinded by her rage at having been so close to finalizing her revenge and having it denied for even a moment.  It’s not the dance of their spar, it’s brutal and grinding, Despara throwing every spell and power she’s learned or stolen into taking Catra down, Catra barely able to keep ahead of it until finally Despara catches her around the throat, baring Shadow Weaver’s gem and preparing to pump every bit of lightning she can conjure into Catra.

Catra tells her to do it, that she’d rather die than have to keep watching Adora be this.  

Despara braces herself for the kill, to shed the last trace of her weakness, and Adora can’t do it.

The Man I Used To Be:  Adora POV.  She can’t do it.  Adora drops Catra, tears gathering in her eyes as she shoves Shadow Weaver’s gem out of her arm like it’s burning her.  She stumbles away to collapse against a wall, wide-eyed and panting.

She’d been about to kill her, she’d been about to kill Catra the same way she’d spent her whole life terrified Shadow Weaver would.  She’d been trying to kill Micah and Scorpia, who’d only ever been kind to her.  The cold hatred’s claws around her heart hurt, she’d used them to hold it together, keep it from breaking apart in her chest, but she could feel it, she’d been about to let them crush her.

Catra starts to get up and Adora shatters.

She runs, doesn’t want to see the way Catra had looked at her again.  She runs until she’s left the Fright Zone behind, until her legs won’t hold her anymore and then further, until she trips and falls, curling up as small as she can to try and hide.

Catra doesn’t let her, after making sure Scorpia and the others were going to be alright she’s tracked her down.  Catra gathers Adora up in her arms and Adora hesitates, but this time it’s right, this time it’s because she can’t believe Catra would let her touch, not because she’s afraid she won’t be able to hold onto the rage in Catra’s arms.  Then Catra tells her it’s alright and Adora stops trying to put herself back together, crying as she clings to Catra’s arms around her.

Not 100% on how it would wrap up after that, but I’ve got a vague idea of them going back to the Horde, rescuing the cadets and moving off to live in the Whispering Woods, trying to find these kids’ families to return them.  Maybe Micah shows up and is grateful to Catra for helping Adora pull herself back from the brink?  I dunno, this sprang fully formed from my brain six hours ago.

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 995: Initial Thoughts

And the count drops to 5 After a long week break One Piece is back to continue the back and forth of the Onigashima Raid, looks like Chapter 1000 may still remain in Act 3 which is...concerning, since Act 4 is meant to be the tragedy parts But for now, we see what 995 has to offer Spoilers for Chapter 995 of course, Support the Official Release Too!

It was a bit strange seeing a chapter cover after the whole Bege story ended XD But Luffy with an owl teacher is fun, and the squirrels

We however start on the outskirts, Big Mom vs Marco, and he’s kinda holding his own. It is worth noting that his fire seems to hurt Prometheus and Zeus looks out of commission still

Marco stating that he ‘doesn’t know his role yet’ is a bit of a worrisome flag, bug I do have an idea

BM does pin Marco down the easy way though, just grab him. Seems that Perospero’s alliance was super short lived - alliances and betrayal going hand in hand

But he gloated too much and Wanda and Carrot jump in in their Su Long forms! Peros is lucky he isn’t blinded, I mean he kinda should be, he has enough scars

‘You crazy furry’ - I don’t care if Viz changes that this is the canon line and hilarious!

BM seems to recognize Carrot though, which continues to bode the question: why didn’t she get a bounty for rinsing a line of a Yonko’s fleet? Franky did less in Enies Lobby and got a bounty

Wanda’s Su Long is kinda expected, but it’s good to see that she wants to avenge Pedro too, despite Peros’ objections. Gotta worry a little though, very easy to lose one of them in a 2v1 situation

Big Mom bouncing is strange though, she’s basically ditching her eldest injured son. What she says is interesting too, she doesn’t have any souls to use against Marco, meaning at this current point she’s somewhat weakened in terms of damage output

Carrot and Wanda are letting Marco make chase though, however the Ice Demons is where I expect him to gravitate towards

The Apoo chase is for the most part turning everyone against him, but in that manner also turning Kaido’s lesser forces against him

Tonfa is a unique choice of weapon for Apoo, maybe the extra joints allow more movement with them, but he should not last long against Drake and Zoro both going at him

Zoro vocally noting that he wants to support Kin’emon is telling, Oda is intentionally keeping Zoro away from Kaido

Drake though having no filter ‘I’ve always hated you’ - like cold blooded

Queen though seems to have eyes on Zoro, but he’s gonna be very rudely awakened if he tries it thinking that he’s merely the ‘3rd best fighter’. His musing about Sanji is interesting though, he doesn’t say Germa or the Evil Army, he says ‘Judge’s Son’ - implied familiarity? Oh lord what if Sanji’s uncle is Queen!? Both are blonde scientific geniuses

Brook being immune to Ice Oni does make a lot of sense, it may also become a key factor in getting to Apoo or Queen but he’s basically now a walking infection that he may be able to use, but Chopper is mulling how the virus works

And doesn’t notice that he’s got it too! Strange he didn’t feel it though huh? There is of course now the worry of ‘Healer Down’ but Chopper can change his shape to limit the spread, this also gives him a chance to self-treat an antidote or just allow a Pineapple to heal him with his healing flames

I do have worry about that Number-shaped shadow on the panel where Brook is saying he’s invincible, it’s got its eyes on Chopper

We finally get over to Usopp and Nami vs Ulti and Pay-Pay...though it’s turned out to just be Usopp vs Ulti and Pay-Pay.

Interestingly, Usopp seems able to handle Ulti from range, but with both it is a struggle. Ulti’s heart though

Unfortunately he seems to be on the end of ‘another’ headbutt. An Alabasta-esque Fatality showing Usopp’s skull very much cracked...surprised he has any bones left in his nose

Ulti turns her eyes to a felled Nami, but we’re shown Beast Pirates fleeing from outside, which should’ve really given away that an ally was coming

Nami definitely doesn’t want to die so pulls the bargaining, but Ulti wants her to retract Luffy’s statement about being Pirate King

PANDAMAN SMILE! Just...wow

I’m a little let down by Usopp though, even if it’s lying to stay alive to be okay with Nami saying that Luffy won’t be Pirate King doesn’t sit well, it feels like it contrasts his Alabasta moment as well when he refused to allow Luffy to be insulted

But Nami won’t say it, she says that he will, so it’s nice that Nami gets that moment too

And here to save Nami is Komachiyo rode in by Tama!

Sweet Child it’s cool that you’re here but this battlefield is not safe for you!

So yeah, really good chapter regarding developments, the picture does continue to become clearer. Big Mom is back on the loose, but without Zeus and Prometheus she is weakened. Marco is becoming aware of the Ice Oni - which Brook and Chopper are infected with but only the latter subject to its damage. Queen looks to eliminate Zoro. Carrot and Wanda are to fight Perospero and Tama has come for support right where Usopp and Nami are facing Ulti and Pay-Pay.

It all leads to interesting routes, of course Zoro vs Queen is a big one but I do see Drake jumping in on that, maybe even Hawkins, Apoo, Brook and/or Who’s Who, he isn’t the most popular of All Stars after all. I do still think Marco will save Chopper and the floor from Ice Oni, Chopper will be able to uncover the key part of it before fully turning, but through that Chopper can get that W over the Plague. I worry about Carrot and Wanda vs Perospero, I think Peros may get some help, he has a whole crew at the bottom of the Waterfall loaded as Chekov’s gun, but with the rest of the Minks falling back from the Dome as well it could be Minks vs Big Mom pirates. I worry most for Wanda because she is another one of Carrot’s close mink friends, she could easily lose a lot from this especially from the clock of Su Long. Seeking vengeance rarely goes the way people expect, I kinda hope that Carrot gets clarity and returns to support Luffy and co, mainly because I am Carrot4Nakama - I doubt she’s got her fill from adventure and she could easily get a bounty post-Wano (I even think her nickname of ‘Moon Rabbit’ would be suitable). While I thought that the title would relate to Shinobu, I did correctly predict Tama rolling up in my Mini-Theory Mashup Wano Edition (Link Here), she is far too much of a pivotal character to be kept away from this, she is a key factor as well. Not only will her arrival kick Usopp and Nami’s protective senses into gear to potentially get the W against Ulti and Pay-Pay (who while I enjoy their dynamic it’s a rough spot when they’re fighting people I like) but she also has influence factors with Luffy and Big Mom. She can be the later kick up the ass for Luffy to remember what he is fighting for but for Big Mom she can be the changing factor, Tama is who drove O-Lin to Udon, whether Big Mom has memories of Tama could in turn prove beneficial for the alliance in having BM turn on Kaido, if she runs in on Nami and Usopp too this could lead to Nami gaining an advantage by reclaiming Zeus.

But yeah, a lot of this was what others are doing aside from the Luffy, Yamato and Scabbards situation, we still are due to see Caribou, Team Law, Team Kid and Hiyori and who that shadowed person is (still think it’s Moria) but we still have 5 more chapters to go fill the big 1000

[codynaomiswire]

Varian’s Redemption - Some Personal Reflections

In watching and rewatching the season 03 premier of TTS/RTA, I came to have some reflections that I thought would be good to share, as there were several aspects of the episode - particularly in Varian’s arc - that really resonated with me and got me thinking, and perhaps may resonate with others as well. In being personal reflections, these aren’t meant to be so much a critique of the episode (though I may draw attention to certain storytelling factors here and there where they are relevant). Rather, it is meant to be an exploration of themes in the story and how they relate to the real world and to theology.

As a Christian theologian, I like to try to see things through the lens of faith - even those things which may be seen as belonging to the secular world. This often times includes the TV shows I watch. In looking at things through this lens, I sometimes find certain images, phrases, or themes that really strike me as having a richness to them that warrants further exploration. For quite some time now, I’ve felt Varian to be a very compelling character in TTS/RTA, and especially as this episode touched on his journey to redemption, there were certain parts of it that got me reflecting on them, and how they may relate to real world themes and theology. A lot of these themes are very large, so my thoughts on them are by no means exhaustive, but I thought it would be ok to share a little bit of them. So, here are some of those reflections.

“Forgive and Forget?” - Crisis of Memory, Crisis of Identity

“Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future.” ~ Lewis B. Smedes

“Inwardly, in our own self-perception, we are much of what we remember about ourselves...In a similar fashion, outwardly, in the way others perceive us, we are what others remember about us...We are not just shaped by memories; we ourselves shape the memories that shape us.” ~ Miroslav Volf, The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World

“Forgiveness is setting the prisoner free, only to find out that the prisoner was me.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom

If I had to pick a favorite scene from this episode, I think it would have to be the jail cell scene. What struck me about this particular scene was learning how Varian’s motives had changed from all-out vengeance on Corona, to erasing everyone’s memories of his violent and manipulative actions. While we do not see it happen on-screen (though I wish we did), it is made evident that while in prison, Varian came to know that his past actions were wrong, and he came to want a new start without that past following him around for the rest of his life. Yet Varian didn’t believe that forgiveness from the citizens of Corona for such actions was possible, so he figured that erasing the memory of his actions would have essentially the same result as forgiveness - that is, being a restoration of his identity and relationship with everyone else as they would no longer carry feelings of resentment towards him. With the memory of his past actions gone, he could start from scratch like nothing bad had happened, right?

Of course, in real life, we aren’t given the option of erasing the memories of our past wrongs from other people’s minds. But I do think the idea presents an interesting question to the audience - If, like for Varian, it were theoretically possible for us to erase all memory of our past wrongs, would we do it? The trouble with answering “yes” to this question is that if we could remove the memory of our past wrongs from others’ minds, it would be an alteration not just of our own identity, but also the identities of those who would be affected by such a change. Both good and bad memories influence who we are, and we saw this happen with both Frederic and Arianna as they had their memories erased. Varian may not have had Frederic and Arianna angry with him anymore, but they still had parts of their identities robbed from them in having those memories removed, and they in turn wronged other people in forgetting whom they were supposed to be.

Given all that, while Varian may not have wanted to cause physical harm anymore, such a plan did still have a selfish element to it, it was harmful, and it still kept him imprisoned to his past wrongs. Perhaps Varian planned to use the memory formula on himself as well, so he also would forget everything along with everyone else. But even then, would that truly be a restoration of his identity? Especially with Quirin’s fate still hanging in the balance, would he truly be able to move on or prevent things from going wrong again in the future? Could he guarantee he would be on a better track than he was before (especially if he never remembered the lessons he learned from his past mistakes)? How many times would bad memories have to be erased from that point onward in order for there to be no more guilt and shame in his life? Would he still be morally responsible for what happened, even if nobody remembered that it happened? What about those for whom past wrongs meant an unalterable fate that not even a memory wipe could fix, like Quirin?

(It’s also worth noting here that if Varian had succeeded with his memory formula, and had he sidestepped the hardship of forgiveness in favor of mere forgetting, Rapunzel would’ve forgotten the moon incantation, and Quirin never would’ve been freed in the end. O_O)

It is interesting though to see how this episode so closely associated forgiving and forgetting together. On one level this makes a lot of sense. The idea is very cliché, and even the words “forgive” and “forget” (in English at least) have very close linguistic associations. However, a lot of us know from experience that while it’s an easy and catchy phrase to say - “forgive and forget” - the idea of it is far from easy, with the “forget” part being all but impossible in a lot of cases. It seems that the more someone needs forgiveness, the harder it is to actually forget the action that they need forgiveness for. It’s one thing to forgive someone who accidentally bumped into you. It’s another thing to forgive the person who deliberately caused you physical harm. You’re not very likely to forget something like that happening to you. And yet, who needs the forgiveness more out of the two?

That’s the dilemma that we find Varian confronting in the scene with the jail cell. While he does feel repentant and wants forgiveness badly, he knows the idea of forgiving someone for actions like those he pulled would be a very hard thing to do. He needs forgiveness in order to restore his identity and his relationship with others, yet it feels like it is just the thing he can’t truly get if people remember what he did. And how could they possibly forget all of the chaos he got up to in season 01 and now season 03? In that moment he’s talking to Rapunzel on the other side of the bars about such feelings, it really makes you wonder who is truly imprisoned in that moment as he’s listing all the things that even he hasn’t forgiven himself for.

However, as things go on, Varian begins to find that forgiveness doesn’t necessarily entail past wrongs being completely forgotten. Rather, forgiveness is the process by which we learn to remember the past differently. This doesn’t mean that everyone pretends that Varian’s past wrongs weren’t so bad after all, nor does it mean that they have to have their memories of them wiped from existence, or altered beyond recognition in order to continue on with hope for the future. It does mean, however, that his past wrongs are remembered through a lens of love, compassion, and the will to not let bitterness have the final word. The efforts then start to be made to heal from those memories. “Healing” is not the same thing as “cure,” however. The scars may still remain in this life, and may still be visible. But scars do heal, the pain and visibility can fade over time in some cases, and it is possible to live with them.

(The idea of time playing such a key factor in healing and forgiveness is probably also another reason why everything feels rather rushed in this episode. While a lot of key points were hit, they were hit rather quickly, and in a more realistic scenario, Varian and Rapunzel coming to a place of forgiveness between each other would probably have had to take more time that what we see in canon.)

It also hits a point of realism at this point in the story where Varian is afraid of the uncertainty of being forgiven by everyone, which is something that most (if not all) of us have felt at one time or another. Especially when we live in a culture that can be very unforgiving, and where so many things we’ve done don’t ever seem to be forgotten on that tangled web we call the Internet, it really can feel unbearably imprisoning or hopeless when we try to restore identity and relationship after our past mistakes. In some cases, the conflict between parties can be so extreme that even just trying to talk about forgiveness to one another can be daunting, dangerous, or in fact impossible due to various circumstances beyond our control. There may also be circumstances where a restoration of relationships back to what they were is not possible, either due to natural or just consequences of actions, or due to a party not wanting to give or receive forgiveness. If we are the ones to have done wrong, and we do feel remorse and want forgiveness, the idea of likely not finding that forgiveness can be crippling, as we see Varian reveal to be feeling as he opens up to Rapunzel. At the same time though, as Rapunzel asked Varian, “How do you know if you don’t give them the chance?” We must not do further injustice to others by underestimating their capacity to enact forgiveness, nor give up on the possibility of us ourselves finding that capacity as well.

This whole thing made me think how from a theological perspective, the hope that we have as Christians is that our identity is rooted in the person of Jesus, and because he always sees us through the eyes of love, compassion, and goodwill, we can always find forgiveness through him if we ask him - both for ourselves and for others. Even if the rest of the world turns their backs on us for the things we’ve done, or if we find ourselves struggling to be the ones doing the forgiving, there’s always hope that God will forgive us, redeem us, and help us through that process. This is also a process that we must not rush out of a mere sense of obligation to do it. I think a lot of Christians, unfortunately, feel a pressure to rush to feelings of forgiveness in order to fulfill God’s command for us to forgive. But “feeling” isn’t the same as actually coming to “realize” something, rushing forgiveness does not bring about true forgiveness, and it doesn’t leave room for the most complete healing to happen. Some wounds require time to be healed in the deepest layers - to have gauze put into them to keep them from closing up too soon, where infections can be left to fester while hidden under the surface - before the final sutures can be applied. Similar with the wounds of the soul. While Christians need to always be willing to take the path of forgiveness, forgiveness is a process, and we need to be willing to allow it to be a process so that identity and relationship can truly be restored and we can be truly be free from the chains of resentment.

Love - The True Source of Freedom from Shame

“The first thing that must be said about shame is that it is a good thing. Shame is a painful feeling that we are not the persons we ought to be: to be ashamed is to have a sense of our fractured lives, a longing to be whole. To rid ourselves of shame is to lunge into make-believe: for to be without shame is to live in the illusion that we are all we ought to be...There are two situations in which people feel no shame. The first is a state of wholeness. The other is a state of illusion.” ~ Lewis B. Smedes

“Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source.” ~ Uncle Iroh, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 2: Earth, Episode 09 - “Bitter Work”

“I sometimes think that shame, mere awkward, senseless shame, does as much towards preventing good acts and straightforward happiness as any of our vices can do.” ~ C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

One of the biggest themes that we see occur again and again in Varian’s arc is that of pride. His ultimate goal was to make his father proud of him. I get the feeling from his first episode (“What the Hair!?”) that this urgency to make Quirin proud of him comes from a place of shame as much as it comes from a place of simply wanting to please his father. Varian doesn’t feel like he’s being the sort of son that Quirin would be proud of, and this makes him feel ashamed. Even as Varian tries to be that son that he believes Quirin would be proud of, he never feels like he’s doing good enough, and so the shame persists again and again, and it keeps on bringing him down. (“Not again, Varian.”)

In one sense, some of Varian’s shame is warranted in his story. That is, we see in “Rapunzel’s Return” that Varian comes to admit that he feels shame upon realizing that he wasn’t being the person he was supposed to be, and it impresses on him that he had done wrong things. Even his alterations to his appearance when we first see him again seem to be a way of trying to mask the shame he feels before he finally acknowledges it. This particularly becomes evident in the above shot of the episode where he holds his smiling bandana up to cover his shame-filled face.

What we end up finding out in the end, however, is that Quirin always loved, accepted, and valued Varian as his greatest treasure, no matter what shortcomings Varian may have felt like he had. Varian didn’t need to pull off any grand feats in order to be valued by his father. He had it from Quirin all along. (Granted, it may be a character flaw on the part of Quirin that he could’ve done better to express these things to Varian so he wouldn’t have become so desperate to strive for something he didn’t realize was already there. So this may have also a learning experience for Quirin as well.)

From another perspective though, I like to think that the more enduring resolution to Varian’s shame and insecurities was not the fact of whether or not Quirin was proud of him, but the fact that Quirin loved him. While both “pride” and “love” are often thought of as simply emotions or states of mind, love is much more enduring than that. Feelings and thoughts come and go, but you can still love someone without feeling warm feelings towards them in the moment. You can also love someone without necessarily approving of their actions. Love involves the whole person, and goes beyond feelings of pride. While love can certainly involve feelings of being proud of the beloved, it is also more than that, and ensures that our valuing others isn’t based on their performance. It’s loving-grace that is truly the source of freedom from shame, not pride.

I personally wish TTS/RTA emphasized this a bit more in the reunion scene between Varian and Quirin, but there were moments of the scene that did make me think of it (like the scene ending on the lines, “I love you,” between the two of them). One shot in particular that stood out to me was Varian rushing into Quirin’s arms as Quirin emerged from the amber. I’m not gonna lie - when I saw this moment, it honestly made me think of Easter. The idea of God sacrificing for us on our behalf, then coming back to life again, and meeting us even in the midst of our mess to love us and reunite with us really seemed to have something of it captured in this moment, and that is a beautiful thought to me. While God wants us to do good, he also knows that we are not perfect, and he loves us and welcomes us back with open arms even after our biggest messes. His love for us never changes, never gives up, and it’s in that where we can find true freedom from our shame.

“It’s your mess, but it’s my kingdom.” - The Role of Grace

“But if I practiced true philosophy, as Socrates meant it, I should change my ugly soul into a fair one. And this, the gods helping me, I would do. I would set about it at once. The gods helping . . . but would they help? Nevertheless I must begin...I would set out boldly each morning to be just and calm and wise in all my thoughts and acts; but before they had finished dressing me I would find that I was back (and knew not how long I had been back) in some old rage, resentment, gnawing fantasy, or sullen bitterness...I could mend my soul no more than my face. Unless the gods helped.” ~ Queen Oruel, Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis

“The gods have been accused by you. Now’s their turn.” [The Fox] “I cannot hope for mercy.” [Queen Oruel] “Infinite hopes - and fears - may both be yours. Be sure that, whatever else you may get, you will not get justice.” [The Fox] “Are the gods not just?” [Queen Oruel] “Oh no, child. What would become of us if they were?” [The Fox] ~ Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis

By definition, grace is something offered to us even though we don’t deserve it. It’s always unmerited. It doesn’t try to keep score on things. It is favor freely given.

In Varian’s story, the role that grace plays in his redemption comes from Rapunzel, where she presents forgiveness as a real possibility for him, is willing to actively give him the chance to redeem himself, and then save him from burning up with the airship. While Varian feels like he ought to be the one to go up in flames in order to save Corona because the situation was “his mess” in the first place, Rapunzel saves him from this, and takes on the danger herself. While I can understand some fans’ wish to have seen Varian be the one to pull off this stunt himself, or perhaps have him and Rapunzel do it together with her hair saving them both, or (very rare to find, but I have seen it) some fans feeling like Varian actually going down in flames would’ve been the better fulfillment of his redemption arc.

It certainly seemed like Varian felt like he deserved to go up in flames in that moment, or at the very least that it was on him to bring an end to the mess he made. It is definitely a good thing that Varian felt the need to accept responsibility for his actions, but of course the dilemma lay in the fact that while such an attitude was a noble one, it would’ve only resulted in his death in the end if Rapunzel hadn’t stepped up to do it herself. She also had the magic hair that would shield her from the explosion, while Varian did not. Rapunzel was the only one out of the two of them who had the key to getting through it all and ensure everyone’s survival.

This did make me think about how God has grace for us when we do wrong, and how he was/is able to deal with the grand mess of our sins on our behalf. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we don’t do all that we can to make things right, or that we ignore the need for justice to be done in the world in the here and now. It does mean, however, that part of the redemption process must include grace going hand-in-hand with atonement and the will to make a change. We don’t need to despair at our weaknesses, or our inability to fix everything. God is our strength in our weakness, and he has taken care of the final barrier for us on our path to redemption.

“I’m not giving up on you.” - Redemption’s Pain, Gentleness, and Response

“We are, not metaphorically but in very truth, a Divine work of art, something that God is making, and therefore something with which He will not be satisfied until it has a certain character...One can imagine a sentient picture, after being rubbed and scraped and re-commenced for the tenth time, wishing that it were only a thumb-nail sketch whose making was over in a minute. In the same way, it is natural for us to wish that God had designed for us a less glorious and less arduous destiny; but then we are wishing not for more love but for less.” ~ C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

(Had to use this gif in conjunction with the above quote. Just seemed too good to pass up. xD)

It was quite amusing when watching this episode for the first time to see Varian officially make his choice for redemption by throwing a bath bomb. In addition to it just being a funny gag, it also seemed kinda symbolic in its own way - like Varian beginning the process of cleansing his soul of all the burdens he was carrying. Despite his initial eagerness though, the next thing that immediately happens to Varian in this moment of weakness is him being locked up, and then having to go through a time of pain in sorting out his feelings of guilt and shame with Rapunzel and the others, and Eugene showing a clear distrust for him at first. (And having a bit of a humbling moment with Lance revealing his goatee to be fake and wiping it off.) Before all that, Varian had also already been through the pain of previous soul-searching (what with his shifting motives). As he was sitting in the cell with Rapunzel, Varian was probably wondering when all of the pain he was going through would finally end, things could get better, they could finally “learn to trust again,” and he wouldn’t have to be caught up in any messy situations anymore. But Rapunzel and Co. not giving up on him helped him to be able to continue on, even with things not yet quite right.

When we finally come to the end of the episode, and the scene where Quirin is released, we have another moment that really stood out to me, with Varian calmly snapping Rapunzel out of the moon incantation’s trance. When dousing her with water, shouting at her, and shaking her by the shoulders didn’t work, I was genuinely surprised to see Varian shift to take a gentler approach with her, and very nearly whisper his words of reassurance to her. (MEGA kudos to Jeremy Jordan for his voice performance in this moment!) In experiencing and receiving the forgiveness, grace, and love from the others, Varian was able to respond in kind by giving some forgiveness, grace, and love of his own. It wasn’t any grand action that Rapunzel needed in that moment. A still, small voice was what she needed then to be brought back, and Varian was able to give it.

My very first thought when I saw this moment was thinking back to the story in the Bible where God called to Elijah in a still, small voice in his time of distress (1 Kings 19:11-13). Elijah had been through a lot, and he was in a lot of emotional turmoil. Before then, God had made himself known through some pretty big displays of power. But in that moment, when Elijah needed him most, he found God not in the spectacular things, but in the most quiet and gentle of sounds.

I really felt like the moment with Varian gently calling to Rapunzel really hit home to me what that could look like. And the actual words of, “You didn’t give up on me. I’m not giving up on you,” really added to it for me as well. In finding and remembering that God never gives up on us, we can also be given the desire and perseverance to not give up on others, not give up on ourselves, and not give up on reaching back to God ourselves. Even if all we can do is respond in our own still, small voice - a voice said in either pain or gentleness - it may make more of a difference than we think.

(Varian’s posture and emotion here also reminded me of praying, which also really struck me when I first saw it.)

[spirit-of-vengeance]

1 year anniversary explaination

I can't believe it's already been one year since I made this Tumblr. Like where tf did the time go?? I was so reluctant about making this blog; would my muse interest anyone? I have no computer/coding talent for the aesthetic and themes, will that steer away people because they think I'm lazy to do it? This thread stuff is truly a chaos, would I be able to do it?

But I'm glad I made this step. I've made tons of new friends, the fandom was incredibly welcoming, helpful 💖 During this year, Cindy's final design, purpose, history and powers finally formed fully; I've been creating her for more than four years and I feel she reached the point where I can't evolve her more but I can make more AUs and alternative endings. This made me to write the full story of how she got her powers, why and what is it exactly and what it does. So without further AN, here's the story of the Fire:

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕻𝖍𝖔𝖊𝖓𝖎𝖝

The Phoenix is the Force, the eternal fire, the purest form of energy bursting free when the Universe was created. For billions of years It roamed free, creating, destroying, reshaping; every heat, fire, energy came from and tied to the Phoenix. Since It brought both death and life, It broke into two sides, Light and Dark, both Angel and Devil; the polar opposites coexisted in a fusion, they couldn't be separated or dominated by the other.

Ĺ̵̥̔a̷̳͕̗͈̣̤̼̦͓͎̾̄̐̅̓v̴̦͇̮̗͓̮̘̲̞̩͌̐͐̽̈́̕͝ȃ̷̻͉͍̝͛̔̈͌̇͛͜͝r̵̻͙̹̬͇̼̺͕͛͐͒̓̄͂͋̀̀͝ͅ

An infant with red eyes was born when the first black hole swallowed a supergiant star. He was found and looked after by powerful mages of advanced civilizations but no matter how they tried to influence him, his powers, his aura darkened each day, pure evil seemed to radiate out of his core. In his teen years he experimented with the primal emotion: fear; creating the inky, soulless monsters, the fearlings. Lavar was banished from that galaxy when he brutally slaughtered seven people to test the potential of his creations. Not long after, he returned, letting the fearlings loose, devouring the planets, consuming every living being. The thirst was awakened and since then, he's roaming the Universe in search of prey. He has a sort of humanlike appearance, though he can change any part of his, expect his red eyes. When he's fully ready to shred a planet, he morphs into his true form:

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕱𝖎𝖗𝖊'𝖘 𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖕𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖊

Lavar was the embodiment of evil, all of that intense power was contained in himself, part of it in his creations. The Fire had been battling with Lavar and his slaughter for millennias and searching for hosts able to wield it's insane power. The ones before Cindy all succumbed to it, no one was able to handle the extreme duality of it. If someone was sinister enough to unleash Destruction, the Creation didn't approve the chosen one. If they were a pure guardian angel controlling Creation, Destruction tore them apart. After all, the two extremes couldn't be separated or shut off completely. Like the Fire, Lavar has been trying to find hosts for the fearlings as 'allies' and some sort of sick defense: tying himself to them by corruption, therefore if he dies, so do the possessed ones.

𝕳𝖔𝖜 𝕮𝖎𝖓𝖉𝖞 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖕𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊

Cindy was created by the Moon in 1987 as the Spirit of Vengeance and Artistic Freedom, as part of the last line of defense if Lavar attacks. She had fought with him once, she could make him halt, but she would've died if she didn't accept Fire's offer to merge together with her to save her life. Due to her death but most importantly her mother's death, Cindy's psyche split into two extrmes, she's both capable of gentle nuturing, pure love and gruesome murder without regret. She can hold together the two wildly different sides of hers without much difficulty, therefore a perfect host for the Force's duality. For a few years, she had felt its presence coursing through her veins but then, it was impossible to tell apart; Cindy had became the Force itself, mostly because her will is almost never differs from the Phoenix's. She is Creation and Destruction, Life and Death, Light and Dark, Peace and War, a sacred being yet eternal damnation, one of the youngest yet oldest forces; Cindy is the Fire.

𝕻𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖗𝖘, 𝖆𝖇𝖎𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖎𝖊𝖘

🔥 Draw power, control Earth's lava and the Sun without much difficulty

🔥 Her fire is cosmic, meaning she can burn underwater and in the space.

🔥 Her existence is not tied to the Moon anymore, Cindy will live as long as one star is burning in the Universe

🔥 Feel and control every existing heat, explosion, fire, magma, whenever it's a candle of a giant star. So far, she hasn't let her mind stretch too far to feel everything, she fears she would be unable to return into her human form.

🔥 She cannot be possessed by fearlings thanks to her pure light, either she destroys them if they get inside her or they tear her apart

🔥 Creating stars, even galaxies

2 𝖉𝖎𝖋𝖋𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖘

The two forms stand for the Fire's Dark and Light side, Cindy tends to use the Demon side more, when doing her job or when she's in physical or emotional pain she morphs into Destruction to prevent even more serious injuries. In this state she's like a cruel, intelligent predator only caring for survival and causing pain, violence. Her appearance changes: sharp black claws, fangs hanging from her lips, blood red slit pupils. Sometimes, she also chooses to speak in the language of the ancient demons of darkness.

The changes of her Light side are quite angelic: glowing golden skin, phoenix wings stretching wide, orange/white fire hair and eyes. In this form Cindy heals, creates and relax by letting herself burn.

𝕬𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖍

Lavar still has to be killed and now Cindy is ready to face him, she will protect Earth and any other planet from him. If she succeeds, she's most likely to give in the stars' calling to return among them. She wants to test, to feel her limits what she can't do here, the planet is too fragile for her to experiment with this amount of power. Cindy almost died protecting it, she's doesn't want to accidentally cause harm to it. She will follow the whispers of the stars and find her true home.

[sireneia-a]

me realizing there’s twenty-one playable child units in fe4 second gen and thus exactly enough to assign each one an arcana in a persona au. you know what this means kids

it’s all under the cut with attempts at explanations. i know this isn’t rlly the most relevant thing to this blog, but i’ve written metas on characters that aren’t actually muses so i’m letting it slide. fe4 spoilers will be briefly touched upon for a few characters. the explanations are specifically for how the arcana are represented in persona, but please keep in mind i’m a persona scrub kdhfkdhfdfkfd so if it ends up being only specific to character arcs from p3, my bad. i’m also sticking to the standard cards and avoiding special ones like aeon. welcome to super self-indulgent hell

i did the order by recruitment order, but here’s a link to just the order of all the characters ( sans explanations ) by the actual tarot in case you just want to see that and be done with it

Seliph: The Fool

Obligatory protagonist role getting this arcana, but the Fool is generally based around one being influenced by others. Considering how Seliph is placed in a role as a liberator as thrust upon him by the people’s expectations due to his lineage, I thought it was fitting. 

Lana: Priestess

Who I imagine would be the party’s initial navigator. Regardless, getting away from the strictly Persona gameplay aspects, the Priestess is an arcana given to quieter characters who have untapped potential. I generally just think Lana has the vibe for this as opposed to an actual reason.

Larcei: Temperance

This is one of the leftover ones admittedly. Temperance deals with an inability to balance one’s various life aspects. Larcei tends to be portrayed in adaptations as struggling between her combat as well as her love life, and she’s typically unlucky in the latter.

Ulster: Star

I love you Ulster, but he ended up also being one of the leftover ones as well. The Star is associated with hope and joy. There’s actually a pretty cool quote about this one in terms of bestowing help to others in their time of need but eventually being doomed to fall. Ulster is depicted as being protective of the others ( namely in Seliph’s childhood friend squad ) and is compassionate as well as a big brother type, thus I thought he matched up enough with the idea of bestowing help unto others.

Diarmuid: Strength

The Strength arcana in the Persona universe typically explores characters who have a strength of heart in order to keep going past hardships. Though almost everyone in gen 2 experiences tragedy and tries to overcome it, Diarmuid’s separation from his mother and then his consequent journey through Yied to reunite with his family stuck out to me. Additionally, he always seemed to have a good head on his shoulders even when given bad news in fe5 should you let Nanna fall in battle before he joins Leif’s party.

Lester: Sun

The Sun arcana directly deals with happiness, typically revolving around characters who are faced with miserable situations yet still try and be optimistic; alternatively, the character has lost their initial happiness. A really cool arcana in terms of character arcs, and Lester got it not because I thought it fit him, but because he was literally my last option and I thought the Sun arcana would fit him more than some other remaining ones, and a lot of the characters at this point I was dead set on keeping them locked in to the ones I chose for them. I initially gave this arcana to Lene. 

I’d love to meet someone whose fav is Lester sdkhkddf I feel so bad that I don’t have a lot in terms of analysis on him.

Julia: Fortune

The one I knew I’d want the most for this arcana right away: the Fortune arcana revolves entirely around fate. The characters usually have to make a large decision and strive to seize their own destiny. Julia and Julius both have their births completely orchestrated for the sole purpose of furthering the Lopt Sect’s goals, their fates determined by their bloodlines. Julia rises up from what originally seemed like a helpless situation to being the one to restore peace to Jugdral herself. I literally can’t imagine anybody else, sans Julius, who could fit this arcana better out of the second gen cast.

Fee: Chariot

The Chariot arcana places an emphasis on striving towards a goal, holding a determined and willful spirit. Fee is another character I knew I instantly wanted for a specific arcana, as she’s fixated on finding her missing father-- especially when you take FE5 canon into mind and make her father Lewyn. She embodies both the arc ( willing to accomplish her goal no matter what ) but also the personality associated with the arcana.

Arthur: Magician

For starters, giving this arcana to an actual mage is so satisfying. In any case, the arcana is associated with somebody who takes more of a secondary role to the protagonist but still has their own ego. Additionally, great tragedy befalls and motivates the character-- though typically it’s romance-related in terms of arcs, but I ended up omitting that for this. Arthur is a character who exudes confidence, something that Fee suspects might not be well-deserved when they bicker, and his call to action revolves around his desire to reunite with his family. He’s aware terrible things befell his mother and sister and is terribly protective of his sister as a result. Tine honestly might get the shortest end of the stick out of the second gen cast in terms of horrible fates.

The LI manga adaptation also depicts Arthur as a shameless flirt that is a bit of a pervert, which also helps just strengthen the tie between him and the typical archetype for the Magician arcana character in the Persona series.

Iuchar: Moon

Even though you can’t recruit both of the Neir brothers in one run, I’m giving them different arcanas since I personally think that their character arcs in-game are different enough to warrant it and it gets me up to my perfect twenty-one number.

The Moon arcana revolves around illusions and typically involves a character seeing reality not as how it is, some going so far as to blame themself for something that isn’t true. My analysis on Iuchar touches upon the idea that he’s putting up his carefree personality as an act to be able to more easily show kindness upon Isaachians without arousing suspicion from his family; additionally, it talks about the idea that Iuchar blames himself for everything his family has done under the Empire and asks for forgiveness sincerely, not understanding how Seliph sees that Iuchar is blameless and that even if he wasn’t, the people love him already. Iuchar simply can’t see that reality. Though him being the actual canonically flirty character is a good argument to assign him the Magician arcana, I ultimately personally see the Moon arcana as more fitting for him.

Iucharba: Death

The Death arcana is about life cycles and predominantly characters undergoing a great change. Iucharba is a character I personally note for not really being taken seriously by his family as noted in this meta and he undergoes a great transformation throughout the events of Genealogy should you recruit him as a result. He begins as a young man allied with the Empire, a man sorely underestimated plenty, and he ends up developing into this character that suddenly is the heir to the Neir bloodline and consequently is now actually in a position of power within Grannvale-- a position he was nowhere near getting before defecting. Also not really necessary for this arcana, but the fact that you can only recruit him at the cost of killing his brother helps put a literal death association.

Patty: Devil

I actually originally had Patty assigned to the Lovers arcana, but I think this is fitting enough too. The Devil arcana typically deals with characters who commit immoral actions and have difficulty telling that what they’re doing is wrong. They’re led by impulse and temptation but they are also typically dedicated to a cause. Patty is a thief who steals to procure funds for the orphans her and her brother look after. Her compassion is her commitment and though she’s aware what she’s doing is shady, she still believes herself to be partly in the right because those she steals from are terrible people as well. She’s a more mature Dew in a sense. She’s not a perfect fit for the Devil arcana, but she fits it the most out of all the second gen.

Leif: Justice

Leif honestly probably could’ve fit a few, but I decided the Justice arcana is most suitable; the characters associated with this arcana typically are concerned with fairness and can be pretty stoic. Leif’s obsessed with enacting vengeance-- a theme that is just a breath away from justice. He’s the character I think of most in Jugdral that cares the most about karma and seeing people get what they deserve. Additionally, he fits the personality trend in how he attempts ( keyword: attempt ) to suppress his feelings.

Nanna: Empress

The Empress arcana is given to elegant women in high positions of authority. They’re typically a little on the cold side but hold compassion ( perhaps in a sort of motherly fashion ) for others underneath all of that. The second gen are almost all royalty or nobility of some degree, but Nanna especially came off as a princess to me the most out of all the characters. Additionally, God her JP voice actress really nails that refined aura. Nanna’s personality in my opinion also matches the trend in how she can be a little curt ( namely to Finn should he be her father as well as to Homer in his recruitment conversation ) but she ultimately is heralded for being kind and supportive by Leif. 

Also gameplay-wise, the Empress personas typically end up having healing skills, and Nanna’s class as troubadour plays into this too. 

Ares: Hierophant

Another character I was certain of what arcana I wished to assign them from the start, though I feel like a lot of people would think of different cards than I did. The Hierophant characters typically are fixated on the past and need to learn how to move on from that. Ares’s arc literally revolves around how he’s obsessed with killing Seliph to enact revenge for ( what he believes to be ) Sigurd killing Eldigan. Even Lene attempts to get Ares to stop being tied down to the past and to accept the present and the future. 

Lene: Lovers

I went into this really wanting Lene to be assigned to the Sun as mentioned previously but ended up changing her to the Lovers which works out too. The Lovers character is usually someone who is popular and they’re tied between two conflicting aspects of themself. Lene is friendly and charismatic both due to her personality as well as her line of work, and her character explores her maturity as Ares’s confidant in opposition to how she’s fixated on finding her mother no matter what-- something that can be interpreted as a childish fantasy that’s hopeless considering how little of information she has to go on. Additionally, the Lovers personas gameplay-wise are usually healers and associated with wind magic, and though that doesn’t quite fit Lene, it coincides with it enough what with her being a support unit primarily and also both her cipher and her heroes art associating breezes with her.

Tine: Judgement

Judgement arcs explore characters realizing their true calling and gaining absolution and acceptance. Tine is initially allied under the Empire due to her connection to the Friege family, and she lived a very stifling existence until she defects. She’s uncertain exactly what she’s doing as well as who’s “right” at the time that she takes to the battlefield but she comes to realize that Seliph’s liberation army has good intentions. The truth that seemed so muddied before becomes so much clearer by the end. She also is another character who asks for forgiveness from Seliph and ends up being wholly surprised by how easily he gives her it. I feel like this implies that desire for absolution her entire life and it’s over the course of the war that she’s able to feel comfortable in her own skin and voice out her own wishes.

Febail: Tower

Ah, yes, the Edge Lord card. Regardless, the Tower arcana deals with bad omens and doom and destruction. The characters associated with this card are typically characters who have fallen from grace. Febail is unknowingly the prince of Jungby, one of the few playable second gen units guaranteed major holy blood, but he lives his life struggling in an orphanage and as a mercenary who will take any job so long as it gives him the money to provide for the other orphans. He loses sight of his own morality, needing to be reprimanded by his sister that his attempt to slay Seliph isn’t actually going to end in his goal of prosperity for the kids. Though all the kids have taken a tumble in life, I genuinely think Febail captures this concept the best.

Ced: Emperor

If there’s literally any character I think could actually translate super well into a Persona verse more seriously beyond just me assigning arcanas, I honestly think it’d be Ced. Anyhow, the Emperor arcana holds characters who desire to control their environment even if fate gives them trouble in attempting to do so, and the characters typically are suffering from a personal issue that they do not know how to tackle. Ced is a mage who goes out of his way to find his father and along the way, brought on by his own conviction, establishes the Magi Squad to try and help the people suffering in Manster from oppression underneath the Empire. That active role reflects the arcana very well in my eyes, and Ced’s personal conflict with Lewyn as a neglectful father as per FE5′s canon seals the deal.

Coirpre: Hermit

Hermit wasn’t my first pick for Coirpre as an individual character, but I gave him it pretty quickly after I thought about the entire second gen cast collectively as opposed to just standalone cases. I think Coirpre would most likely end up as the second, more powerful navigator character to recruit especially with his ties to the Bragi bloodline and the canonical Bragi connection to prophetic truth.

Coirpre doesn’t have the strongest connection to his arcana, but the Hermit arcana characters typically put themselves in situations where they are hiding away from the spotlight and others. As such, these characters are usually more in background or supportive roles in life. Coirpre is a healer in an extremely militant country, a larger anomaly considering the fact that his father is the Shield of Thracia-- a famed general. Coirpre, upon being locked away as a hostage, adamantly requests to be let go because he doesn’t wish for his father to be forced to fight; he seeks a more discreet way to solve the issue befitting of the arcana and ultimately sought out a calmer solution. Judging by his minor involvement in FE5, he also is more neutral typically in terms of alignment, not caring much for whether or not Leif was a runaway prince but also not offering to join him unlike the other FE4 characters who show up in the midquel. Coirpre keeps himself on the down low until he’s freed by the liberation army and realizes his father and he need to take a stance against the Empire more actively.

Altena: Hanged Man

The Hanged Man arcana explores characters who undergo arcs where they are caught between two extremes or two parties in their life. Altena encompasses this idea best in how she is troubled by her loyalty to southern Thracia due to being raised as its princess and her true lineage as Leonster’s princess. She is at odds due to this conflict, what with both parties being at opposite ends of the battlefield from one another and she’s forced to make a choice between her adopted brother and her blood brother.

[avacynners]

Fatum - a Fanplane.

Hey, guys, I was just talking through my long running fanplane Project to a friend and I thought...you know what I’ve worked on it enough that I might as well share it with you guys too!

So here it is everyone: Fatum.

Basic concept:  The Plane as a whole is called Fatum and it has 5 adjacent Planes that can be seen from the Main Plane as moons. Each moon represents a different color and most life has an aspect of that color in them.

Lore under the cut.

The Beginnings

Long before Human life was even conceived on Fatum, back then there were no moons. There stood a dominant race of ethereal beings. Among them was a Planeswalker known as Tsofeh. To some, he was given the nickname 'he who is all'. He was a master of all colors of mana.  Tsofeh looked on out into the multiverse and his home and he wanted to spread his love and influence. To do this best he split his being into 6. They would represent each face of mana and with each of their individual skills, they would leave their mark in each of their images. Of course, this was back in the day when to be a Planeswalker was to be beyond godlike! And so the collective of Tsofeh as they came to be known; were indeed godlike! First, they created each a moon of Fatum in their color's image. 

To Chamiaholom - The Tsofeh of Order, Tzarlon was born. The moon of white mana. A world of light, culture, and purpose. 

To Clarent - The Tsofeh of Action, Pasif was born. The moon of Red mana. A world of war, glory, and action. 

To Brisingamen - The Tsofeh of Time, Bulan was born. The moon of Black mana. A world of shadow, secret and mystery.

 To Assail - the Tsofeh of Cycles, Foraoise was born. The moon of Green mana. A world of nature, beauty and rebirth. 

To Baetylus - the Tsofeh of forge, Luciu was born. The moon of Blue mana. A world of invention, Imagination and progress.

And all was well for a time. But soon what was left of He who is all came apparent that is was...nothing. He who is all became Astna, He who is none. For he now represented colorless mana. And when he looked out into the multiverse he saw pointless pursuits, a waste of energy. What good was all this creation when it meant nothing? All would die and become ash, worlds would burn, legacies would end and stars would cease to be.Astna began to extend his hand outwards and smite worlds from existence. The other Tsofeh seeing this as a grave transgression banded together.And so using their combined great powers they sealed Astna into the pits of Fatum. However doing so came at a great cost as Astna was an immensely powerful being and the Tsofeh were simply fragments of what once was. They drew not only from the life force of their ancient race; destroying them all but gave up their physical being to place a lock upon the entire Plane.And so the Tsofeh were cast out into the multiverse, still as gods but unable to touch or influence any world.The only physical thing that remained of them were their five personal artifacts:

A staff.

A Sword.

A  Pendant.

A ring.

A helm.

Getairi

So life grew on Fatum (the original plane) once more. and thus the prophecy came to told: He who is none shall rise again when life on Fatum returns to the dust. 

Enter Getairi; ten thousand years ago. Getairi was a woman of noble birth, a powerful pyromancer and court mage to a great and powerful Paladin Lord. In truth the two were lovers. And she loved him with all her might. But Ruler's are not always beloved by all and there were some who sought to overthrow this Lord. One of his own 'trusted' generals to be exact.Getairi learned of this Lord's planned betrayal but before she could act and tell her lover she was assassinated, lured out and thrown upon the top of a cliff. It was there she breathed her last breath as a human. Just so it happens a strange but powerful witch was witness to this all. She; able to contact Getairi's tormented spirit did so and offered her a bargain. She would resurrect her for but a night and bestow on her great power so she could save her love. But she was not to kill. If she could do so without shedding blood her lover would be safe and she would pass on into the next life. If she would enact Vengence then she would never know peace again and would change into something far from Human.The woman rushed back to the court only to find she was far too late. Her lover had been slain. In her fury, she forgot the witch's oh so cryptic warning and unleashed a great fury onto those who had betrayed her and her love. And thus... the creature was born. Her spirit mangled and tainted by a powerful and dark magic she became a personification of discord and vengeance. No longer did she see beauty in life but imperfection. An unholy and undying creature she became made of fire itself.She began to wreak havoc for centuries to millennia upon Fatum not realizing that the witch was, in fact, a pawn of Astna and she was to be his weapon of rebirth.

The Fatum Five

Skip ahead 5722 years ago. Citlali is born on the moon of Tzarlon. Born the princess to the reigning but tyrannical queen of Xibalba; Camazotz, a Xibalban Bloodletter (W/B vampires. ) Her father feared his wife and seeing the plight of his people runs away with the infant Citlali. For three years they live in peace till they are hunted down by Camazotz' forces. A child of only four Citlali witnesses her father die, the trauma causes her to spark and land on Innistrad

There she briefly see's how the vampire's live but due to their different social views she actually learns to love and respect the angels and humans of the Plane, it is there she earns her alias Cecilia Nergrescu However longing for her home she returns to Tzarlon to find it more war stricken than before. Feeling her people's pain she raises up a rebellion against her own mother but magically she feels out matched. An older sage hearing of their heroes concerns tells her of an ancient staff that will grant power onto one it deems worthy. Cecilia seeks out this staff and takes it discovering it is in fact the staff of Chamiaholom. Chamia raises unto Cecilia a bargain. She will have great power and knowledge that she can use to better her people and the multiverse as well as take down her mother in exchange for Cecilia's ETERNAL servitude as Chamia's Herald.Naturally, Cecilia take's the bargain and learns the power of Ergomancy - the ability to manipulate energy and matter.And so she defeated her mother and claimed her throne as Queen of Xibalba. With her rank she helped found a council of the many nations of Tzarlon as well as establish Schools of magic and science. Tzarlon is now a plane of peace due to the work of Cecilia/ Citlali. The Star of Tzarlon.Cecilia under Chamia's guidance worked to establish order across the multiverse but due to the nature of her role as Herald she had learnt that Chamia's will is far from as merciful as her own.

Next in the line up we have VasileVasile is a Marinar of Luciu. A race that seems a cross between Veldelken and Elves who are imbued with the natural ability of telepathy and telekinetics. Vasile was born with his arms severely mangled and so had to have them amputated from a young age. Instead he learned to hone his skills of Telekinetics. He became a virtuoso especially in regards to the creation of artifacts, machines, servo's and vehicles. If Vasile could think it he could make it. He even went on to create plasmic limbs for himself.However the young genius soon became bored with smaller pursuits, he wanted to make bigger, better things, he wanted any and all knowledge he could hold! it leads him to excavate several strange ancient ruins upon Luciu where he discovered the helm or rather circlet of Baetylus. He became entranced by the beauty of the piece and tried it on, upon wearing it he found himself flooded with vast pools of knowledge, his enlightenment caused him to Spark. It was during his time being flung through the multiverse that he met Baetylus. Together they exchanged, They planned. and struck a partnership. Baetylus would grant Vasile grand knowledge and wisdom in exchange for his ETERNAL servitude as Baet's Herald.Together Vasile used his knowledge to invent and change the lives of the people of Luciu, earning his title: Architect of Luciu. He like Cecilia has spread his influence in places across the multiverse, sparking ideas and setting off industrial revolutions that can still be felt today. Where there is invention Vasile has often in some way had a history there.

Next, we have Raisa, a faerie of Foraoise. The Faerie of Foraoise are very different from the faerie of other worlds, they are large and humanoid but tend to have insectoid sexual dimorphism.  Women tend to have translucent wings with vague colors where as the males are thick, moth-like but colorful. Raisa had thick wings. But Raisa wasn't male. To others, they would see her thick wings and perceive her as male. But she never felt male. It wasn't her.  Unfortunately, her people were one of stick code.  They were to be one with nature, But most of all they were to be the ‘perfect’ model of a faerie. those who appeared to stray from this dictated path were seen as an abomination.  Raisa loved nature as much as anyone else but could not see how she was supposedly wrong if nature had chosen to make her feel the way she did, To her it was this idea that was incorrect. For her society was not natural or perfect. People lived in fear of stepping out of line or being seen as ‘broken’ when in truth they were simply just people. She began to meet in secret with other people who were considered deviant, they would work, study together, laugh and love.  One night, however, they were followed and ambushed by guards. Raisa ran and flew and in her escape, she crashed into somewhere she had never been before. A faint glowing green light lit her way and she followed it, there she found a ring. She felt a presence a spirit within the ring that questioned who she was. Raisa spoke to the spirit for hours on end. And when she surfaced she came to bear with a new reality and understanding but most of all she gained new hope and strength. Raisa began to preach to the masses; she invoked speeches of love and understanding but most of all she invoked a very powerful idea: that nature isn't black and white and cannot be defined by what one person says or wishes it to be. Nature is ever changing and never wears the same face. Nature is by its very concept the idea of being, of living, and loving all that lives. Nature is not a one way street for it is many streets that all flow differently. And the people taken in by her words felt both guilt for what they did in exchange for an ideal but a pride for who and what they were. Raisa along with their people lead a revolution not out of vengeance or spite for the greater good of everyone.  Their old government over turned a new age begun where people feared less of the differences they saw as unnatural and embraced the differences that they were naturally given.upon the realization of her great work Raisa sparked. it was then she met the voice who had previously spoken to her. Assail was proud of what Raisa had achieved and asked her to be her herald. Raisa agreed and Assail bestowed upon her the gift of healing and elementalism.Raisa Lady of Truth is a virtuous maiden who spreads life and understanding upon most she visits. Forests grow at her whim. And life carries on as strange and beautiful as ever.

Next is Virago. Born on A desolate and corrupt city like world filled with humans and monsters alike who coexist. Bulan, the black moon is a place where life holds little value and to succeed you have to be powerful. Virago was born a half-breed between a human man and a Langsuyar, a race of shadowy creatures who feed on life essence itself. She spent most of her life getting by any way she could, as a thief most of her childhood was spent stealing the food and necessities she did not get from parents who cared nothing for her. It was during one of her bouts of thievery did she learn she had the ability to stop time where it stands for half a minute at most and 'steal time' and life force from living substances because of this ability she made a path for herself as an assassin.she did very well for herself, even starting her own guild. However a rival faction decided to take action and wipe out the other members of the guild which infuriated her. In retaliation she stormed their base alone, stopping time she sought to wipe out each and every member. But her half minute was running out. She pushed herself further and somehow extended that time purely on her rage and desire for their end. The build up of strain and anger eventually caused her to spark landing her on Ravnica. she spent some time going from Plane to Plane till she returned to Bulan and re-established the guild and eventually an empire. Her status as a Planeswalker caught the attention of what was then the beginning of the Fatum five and she was approached by Vasile and Uroko to join them on their expedition to Fatum. Curious she joined them and over their stay, she partnered with Uroko, first grew a great friendship then grew a great love. During this time she also recovered a strange artifact that they had discovered in the ruins of a city. An amulet set with a purple jewel and likeness of an hourglass shaped into an infinity symbol. Finding the piece fitting to herself she took it and began wearing it.Uroko had been dueling on and off with the demon Getairi during this time. The demon wishing to destroy the walker during one of these duels cast a spell to turn the victim to dust. Virago initially watched her lover die only to stop time and force it to rewind a few seconds. With this time rewound she jumped in front and took the spell and died. However, due to the nature of the time rewind, she caused an anomaly which activated the relic she wore which was the vessel for the Tsofeh of time and ends; Brísingamen. As Paradox there now existed a timeline where Virago did and didn't die and so she existed and didn't exist at the same time. Outwardly to anyone else, they would have witnessed her death but in reality, she was still 'alive' between the lines of time with Brisingamen.  Impressed with what she had seen the Tsofeh chose Virago as her Herald and for many months she studied with the Tsofeh though to them it seemed like many life times. When she finally returned she was able to reunite with her Lover and with her new found powers she helped take back Fatum. She still to this day has influence and command in the shadows. her agents span the Multiverse reporting to her. Her purposes for this are known only to her and Brisingamen.

Finally Uroko. Uroko was born into a noble line of warriors. From a young age she was encouraged to be passionate, loyal, brave and strong. Pasif is a world at war, where action, strife, and glory are valued above all else. The humans of this Plane ally themselves heavily with the dragons on the plane. They ride and fight as one to conquer the other territories. They are often most at war with the orc's, necromancers and horrors. Uroko Kanzanko like most of her family is a proud dragon knight. A fervent warrior who can utilize draconic magic and bind dragons to their will. Uroko was young, reckless and her recklessness cost her dearly, not by her own flesh but by her brother. She watched as he took a blow meant for her and was slowly ripped apart. Such horror filled her with anger that ignited an all consuming rage within her that caused her to spark. Though her time in the multiverse Uroko studied with many different masters across the multiverse and she learned not just to fight but to protect. She came to be contacted by a group of Planeswalkers who reported to her that a great evil was tearing through the world of Fatum that their worlds were tied to and that this great evil would soon release another evil. Uroko was enraged by the idea of such a cruel being and pledged her sword to the group. She was partnered with Virago and the two became close. Virago taught Uroko to refine her anger and control it. That it was equally as dangerous to her as any blade when gone unchecked. And Uroko taught Virago of passion, love, and emotion. Things she had thought she had long since forgotten and cut off. And soon the two became lovers.On their time in Fatum Uroko clashed many times with Getairi. The most devastating of course came when Getairi slew Virago. Her fury swelled within her and caused her to lash out at Getairi, upon this altercation Uroko stole away a strange sword from the demoness that she seemed to be wielding. The sword bonded with Uroko instantly and in a flash, it revealed itself as the sword of Clarent. Clarent the Tsofeh of Action spoke to Uroko and offered her the power and ire to strike down her opponent and protect the meek. Naturally, the bargain was that Uroko would be Clarent's, Herald. Not thinking twice Uroko took the deal and gained a whole new understanding of her previously already powerful skills. Now she was a refined sword of her own. In the final assault again Getairi to stop her reign of Tyranny on Fatum Uroko faced against Getairi's Elder dragon form. The beast had been possessed by the creature many thousands of years prior. But unknown to Getairi; the beast was not entirely gone. Elder dragons are renowned for being indomitable and this one was no exception. Using her abilities of Dragonbinding she cast off the creature from the dragons form freeing the beast. The process left Getairi vulnerable and Uroko struck what she believed to be a killing blow.Now free of Getairi's tyranny the Fatum coalition worked together to rebuild life on Fatum and soon new cultures and people blossomed and prospered raising these ancient heroes and their new gods.

Conclusion

Astna could no longer escape and all was well.The Planes of Fatum now live in harmony though under a treaty the Coalition have vowed to not interfere on other planes any longer to avoid any conflict between each other. The only time they shall step in? is if all agree to take action.Meanwhile, Getairi isn't as gone as they'd have you think.What was left of her mortal being ignited a spark within the creature as she was dealt that last blow. It sent her spiraling across the multiverse and for many years she lay dormant.However the mending shook the multiverse to its core and in doing so, awoke the beast from her slumber she now seems to slink in the dark recesses of the multiverse plotting something, but no one truly knows what... no one except Getairi herself.