arolesbianism · 7 months ago
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I wanna draw oni characters with designs based off of abnormalities from lob corp but 1 motivation and 2 I wanna make Olivia plague doctor soooo bad because the idea makes me go crazy especially with making a white knight printing pod design too but it's the latter bit that would be hard as hell and then I'd also have to make Jackie one sin like legally and I don't wanna do that both design wise and character wise because one sin is my bestie
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leftneb · 19 days ago
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Curiositas aka sirens!AU
in which Lando is a siren with species dysphoria and Oscar is the defintion of Just Some Guy, who happens to get caught up in Lando's mess. and obviously they fall in love along the way etc etc
I first posted about this idea over 2 months ago and I'm happy to announce that there is now a fic in the works!!! which will likely take at least another 2 months because goddamn the concept outgrew itself (as you can tell by the fact charles and max also, like, exist now) it's sitting at ~8k words rn, which is by far the longest thing I've ever written in my life already, but story isn't even close to being finished, so yeah it'll take a while lmao
for now though I have some character designs and lots of thoughts, which I'd like to share :3
ramblings about their individual designs and details below the cut!!
and massive thank you to my dear partner @lailau7904 for not only holding my hand through writing the fic so far but somehow being even more insane about this whole AU than I am???
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LANDO
main character (and POV holder) his design isn't based on any real fish, closest resemblance is to a fake fishing lure (reference provided)
very little scarring despite sirens' hunting culture, some tiny cuts and scratches around the top of his tail from smuggling pretty stones and shards of glass
absurdly bright green scales (I really could've made him fluorescent but I think that would be overkill) which is absurdly shit for stealth purposes but good for catching the attention of potential victims
vague triangle shape language but in a semi-elegant way
doesn't eat fish and would rather not eat human either
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MAX
fills the position of a leader in his and Lando's colony, inherited the role in his late teens but grew up to it pretty quickly
shark motif, all sharp and angular shapes, visibly intimidating
lots of scars collected during hunts, wounds covered over by red scales from Charles
his scales are pretty dark but they shine blue when the light hits them just right (plus Charles' scales are a bright red lmao, which is a bit suboptimal for stealth but he thinks it's worth it)
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CHARLES
koi fish motif, soft and round shapes
no scarring at all
has known Max since they were kids but actually didn't meet Lando until their 20s despite Max and Lando being childhood best friends
considered legally dead by monegasque officials (this has lore reasons which I'm not about to spoil)
GENERAL NOTES
the AU plays in a modern setting, altough sirens are very behind on human technology
their gills are on the side of their ribs! they can also all breathe with their lungs above water
funky scales patterns on their torsos around "modified" areas such as their gills and back fin
they have no hands but don't let that fool you! I was simply too lazy to draw any, what you would see if I did draw them tho would include:
webbing between fingers!! matches the colour of fins
longer, and more solid, claw-like nails
wrinkled palms and fingertips
I really wanted to make Max and Charles' torsos more life accurate but could not be arsed, they all have Lando's body type, aka I've accidentally twinkified Charles and Max lmao
by now you might have noticed that there's no design for Oscar, and as much as I really want to make a siren design for him that would have some pretty heavy lore implications so I'm... hesitant to do so
other people on my sirenification waiting list are:
George Russell and Alex Albon (for the 2019 rookies circle to be complete)
Franco Colapinto (based purely off vibes)
the whole grid really god I'm so ill
for the record Logan is a human in this AU but he IS present fuck you James Vowles
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you may have also noticed the papaya version I labeled as McLaren themed (this one is also the highest quality image I have in this thread if you're gonna do any zooming in please do it on this one,,,,)
all throughout writing and drawing I couldn't help but think about another banger siren!Lando fic: Salt Skin by @strawberry-daiquiris! in which Lando has orange slash papaya scales, which I just had to draw honestly
a lot of my design process was also inspired by a piece by @dumbf1sketches (it's somewhere in the pile of other gorgeous art in that post)
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bonus underwater version of all of them because it wasn't bright enough for me to feel good about it being at the top but it's still like, the main colour example to my brain
TAGLIST(S)
AU @mintraindrop @cx-boxbox (I know the og post is from actual ages ago but you two were interested so I humbly offer you these crumbs)
ART @santongkabayo @cyclonixi @alto-the-avocado @loquarocoeur
people that put up with my ramblings on dc @lyslsstuff @peppysinc @girlrussell
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amphiptere-art · 2 months ago
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I have done it! I have finally figured out something I like!
Behold the new Blue Moon design!
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Yes it's a very very very blue Blue Moon. But hey we had the base him off of his actual name. So he was going to be very blue either way.
You have no idea the absolute struggle this was! I wanted it to feel like Blue Moon. I wanted to have the blue moon everybody kind of recognized. But there was no way in God damn hell could I do that. I couldn't have orange palms and half face. It just wasn't working no matter how much I tried. I had to alter Blue Moon's design. But I think it was pretty worth it in the end.
Their colors are based around the lunar eclipse and a moon in the daytime sky. Since surprise, Blue moons don't actually exist. They are simply a normal full moon that has stuck around for more than one night. A moon in the daytime sky actually does look blue. Which is why I had to use that as inspiration.
I will say I'm not settled on those face colors. I probably will do the more standard white teeth look That blue moon already has. I just needed to throw something on so people could visualize him. But yes this is the new blue moon. I will start drawing Blue Moon like this more often. Along with the Blue Moon design that you guys all know and love being officially arcade eclipses. That design finally being used for what it was supposed to be for.
But yeah I hope you guys like it!
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acourtofthought · 1 year ago
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honestly I think the gifts to Az from elain mean that they don’t know each other very well. She got Cas a specialized mug which is so thoughtful and Az got joke gifts
Here are the gifts we know Elain got for others (since SJM sometimes writes a generic line about everyone opening their remaining gifts):
First Solstice -
Fuzzy blankets for the twins.
Five novels for Nesta that she selected based on recommendations from the bookshop
Paint brushes with Feyre's initials and the NC insignia on them.
Headache powder for Az
Second Solstice -
A specially designed ceramic mug with a lid that Cassian could travel with, bespelled against breaking, to keep tea warm for hours.
Joint gift with Feyre for Nesta for bookstores credit
Earplugs for Az
Every gift that we know Elain got for someone else is very useful and practical, something we know the others would enjoy while Azriel's gifts are not.
They were both jokes. Maybe there is a a deeper meaning to them. Part of me wonders if this is Elain's subtle way of telling Az he's forgetting something important:
“I don’t really know where I fit in anymore,” I admitted, perhaps only because the wind was screeching around us and Rhys had already winnowed ahead to where Cassian’s dark form flew—beyond the wall. “I’ve been alive almost five and a half centuries, and I’m not sure of that, either,” Azriel said.
Az is always a bit aloof, a bit reserved, not feeling he belongs at times and Elain is observant:
She notes that whole bit about Nesta's dancing -
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Feyre notes how Elain was content to simply watch in the town, taking in the sights. Elain credits Feyre for the foundation that always held them up, etc.
So maybe with her gifts, she's reminding Az that he's surrounded by family who embrace him. His "rubbing his temples" is what it means to sometimes be part of a large, chaotic group with love but also bickering. The earplugs are a reminder that he is there because he was chosen to assist his friends.
So maybe those gifts are a subtle reminder to him that he has found his family and it's good to remind himself of that from time to time.
But those gifts don't represent Elain giving herself to Az. They don't represent a shared history between them. The gifts are only in line with Elain observing the people around her which she does for everyone. Nothing about the gifts were romantic or unique to their relationship and whether they were completely gag gifts or whether they had a subtle deeper meaning which would actually have Az looking in the ICs direction and not drawing her closer to him, there's nothing that speaks of "endgame" potential to me.
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forcedhesitation · 8 months ago
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After my last post I decided to sit down and rank all the possible companion pairs. here is the tierlist, should you wish to fill it out yourself.
This is a "ship" chart, but it's important to clarify that I am interested in how the dynamic works overall, not just romantically. I am very invested in how the stories of different characters overlap, and how they could mesh together to change both people involved. so the more interesting I find an individual character, the more likely they are to be higher in the chart.
How interesting I find characters also usually translates to my desire (or lack thereof) to draw them. So my likeliness to draw a pairing is the scale I used to describe each tier, rather than a nebulous "S," "B", or "F." This way, I feel it is better understood exactly why each pair is placed where it is.
Once again, sorry to those who enjoy miss SH. I do not hate her, I just do not find her to be an especially compelling character. I like the voice acting for her, but I don't care for her design, and I feel any element of her story is simply better explored in those of other characters.
*Special Exception 1: I have to split this pair off specifically, because I've thoroughly disparaged it in the past, based on erroneous judgments of halsin's character. when I first played the game, I locked myself out of a lot of Act 2 dialogue with him, which meant I missed the parts of his character that I do find interesting. I will say, it does still deeply bother me how much of his character revolves around sating the sexual desire players might have for him. I also hate that, as far as I'm aware, he can only acknowledge the player's relationship with astarion in the context of having sex. But after spending an entire campaign playing the game correctly, trying to learn as much about halsin as I could, and thus romancing him, so that I could properly judge him, I have grown attached to my rewritten version of him. so I'm not so much fond of the star/halsin pair as it is in game, as I am of that dynamic in the context of corydalis' campaign.
*Special Exception 2: after what happened with halsin, I feel it would be unfair to judge how interesting I might find minthara's relationship with most of the other companions, given that I've not yet had the opportunity to recruit her. despite this, I can safely say that I have no interest in whatever would likely play out between her any of the men, bar gale. gale is the exception because I've seen snippets of dialogue between them. I do not necessarily think they'd work together romantically, but again, it's more that the potential dynamic between them is interesting to me, regardless of the type of relationship they have. also, I do not categorise all other minthy x male companion pairs as bad because I am of the belief that she is not bisexual. I have faith that this game would make an effort to show us that she was a different identity, were she, because it already does a great job of affirming every other companion's bisexuality outside their potential relationship to the player. what I do not have faith in, however, is that minthy has as beautifully written a story as lae'zel does, where she learns to abandon the cruel and bigoted beliefs her society indoctrinated her to have. not when origin companions like wyll & karlach still lack material, and not when halsin's writing is as inconsistent as it is. I do not think that either halsin or minthy have, or will ever have, fully fleshed out narratives.
if you've interesting commentary about a particular pairing that you like, that you feel I might benefit from reading, do feel free to share it! even if I dislike a pairing, I am usually willing to read someone's thoughts about why they do find it interesting, granted it's not like...something utterly foul. I just ask you keep any commentary you choose to share to companion/companion pairs or companion/companion pairs in the context of polyamory with a tav/durge. NPC romance is another conversation.
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daybreakrising · 8 months ago
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@yuexian: despite having announced his arrival via letter a couple weeks ago, gao ying could not get rid of the anxiety coursing through his body. he already knew the significance of today — a single day out of the whole year dedicated to spend time with your beloved, but this was wriothesley whose very existence allowed him to feel younger. to experience joy, anger, and sorrow not by himself, but at the side of someone who loves him dearly. now, why was he here: standing on the floor below the duke's office, absentmindedly toying with a jade green brooch in his hands? one of the gardes announced his arrival and he was simply waiting at the bottom of the stairs for the duke to allow him up.
when he did, gao ying found his steps were quicker than usual — and if he had a real heart, it roared to life in his ears . . . and when he finally stood before wriothesley's desk, words failed him and he desperately tried to will them back forth.
"..." the ministry officer instead puts the brooch either on the desk or in the duke's open palm and finally speaks. "... i bought it from a shop in yilong wharf. i made sure it bore a simple design so it did not clash with your aesthetics, but it reminded me of you."
silence again, and after so much time spent around wriothesley, the duke could certainly see that gao ying was shy.
"... and i plan to stay in fontaine for two weeks for this special occasion." for you, the words were unspoken.
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If his thoughts could be read plainly upon his face, Wriothesley would not have dared leave his office or entertain guests for fear of embarrassment - luckily, his thoughts remained his own in the lead up to Gao Ying's next visit, so he was at least able to work as normal. Which, he muses now, was a good thing, as he suspects he will have many an interruption once the agent arrives.
Namely, the agent himself. The most irresistible interruption.
To say he's been eager for this day to come is an understatement, and the spike of anticipation he feels when the agent's arrival is announced is enough to quicken his heart. He spends a moment quickly tidying his desk, smoothing out his clothes, as if Gao Ying hasn't seen his desk in disarray and his clothing rumpled from a sleepless night before.
Only when he feels he's ready does he call for him, but he isn't ready, not really. There is an undeniable significance to this day, after all. And, from the way his breath catches in his throat at the first sight of him, Gao Ying is indeed very significant to him.
The gift surprises him: he hadn't expected it, even though he probably should have. He lifts the brooch with careful fingers, inspects it with a soft little smile playing upon his lips. It's... so very Gao Ying, and he loves it.
"This is very finely made..." He remarks, turning it over in his hands before lifting it into the light, to let it play across the colour. The comment about not clashing strikes him as odd, initially - this brooch is blue, after all, and he has similar tones in the wolf's head he already wears, so why would it clash?
And then- ah. It's not blue, is it, Wriothesley?
Regardless, he immediately pins the brooch to the lapel of his waistcoat, adjusting it carefully until it sits just right. Then he circles the desk until he stands before his beloved, and he gently draws Gao Ying into a warm, lingering embrace. His lips find the agent's in a soft kiss, one hand settling at the base of Gao Ying's spine, the other lifting to tangle gently into his hair.
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"I love it," he murmurs against his lips, "because now I can carry a piece of you with me, always." A grin, then, eyes shining with barely concealed mischief. "And a whole two weeks with you? Mm, you are spoiling me."
He steps back, fishes into a pocket. "And now it's my turn. It's not much, but..." He lifts Gao Ying's hand, drops the simple-looking key into his waiting palm. "There's always a place in Fontaine for you... if you want it."
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tehuti88-art · 6 months ago
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4/26/24: r/SketchDaily theme, "Free Draw Friday." This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is Amelia de Groot, without hat (top drawing) and with hat (bottom drawing). She's a newer character though she's been around for some months now, just without a name. She's a rich heiress who fosters troubled children; she appears in Gold Rat's backstory, taking him in after the authorities remove him from his home, and helping him deal with his dyslexia. She's flamboyant and odd, but well meaning. There'll be more about her later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se.
Regarding her design, based on Gold's approximate age I gave her a Twenties-type hairstyle. She's a bit overly glamorous and so often wears jewelry and ridiculous hats--the design of this one doesn't make much sense to me, but oh well. It's a modified version of the one from my "Fancy Rats" art.
TUMBLR EDIT: I already covered most of Miss Amelia's (guess I'll call her that?) part in the backstory in Gold Rat's entry. I don't know her personal backstory yet, and possibly never will. I'm assuming, based on the details given in Gold's entry, that she, too, loses her family at a relatively young age, inherits their vast wealth, and is left with her own ideas on what to do with it all. She's an eccentric, outgoing sort, so I imagine she spends a good deal on herself first of all--she likely already owns the lavish family home, so she probably buys herself fancy clothes, throws parties, attends galas in her ridiculous hats and jewelry, all that. Lots of old money folks kind of look down their noses at her, but she's fun and well known.
Somewhere along the way, though, she gets a new idea about how to spend her money: fostering children who need a special touch. There has to be some reason Gold, and the others, hit her so hard, though I'm not sure what it is. I have the feeling it's more personal than simply witnessing the suffering of others. Her knowledge of what exactly Gold's problem is, when she meets him at the group home, hints that she either knew someone else like him, or has similar issues herself.
It's never indicated in his entry, though based on Gold's behavior, I suspect he has more than simple dyslexia going on; it often goes hand in hand with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which also fits Gold pretty well. AND, Miss Amelia could fit such a description; she's superficially charming, yet seems to have difficulty forming meaningful connections to others (aside from her fosters); she easily covers up her insecurities and shortcomings by talking fast and tossing money at things. (Gold hasn't money to toss, but he's a damn good fast talker.) Anyone who doesn't know either of them well could describe both as frivolous, shallow, hyper, insincere, impulsive, scatterbrained, and desperately attention seeking, when none of this is the truth, these are just the side effects of the underlying issue. If Miss Amelia is indeed dyslexic, I think her case is milder than Gold's, and she copes with it better. I'm just about certain that at some point, however, either she or someone close to her was called stupid. And so when she first encounters young "Arthur," and learns how everyone has written him off as stupid, this hits home, and she's determined to make the most of him.
As I said, for whatever reason, Miss Amelia decides to supplement her parties and social events with some good works, and she makes looking after problem foster kids her good work. Others are skeptical of this at first--she has no children of her own, no husband, doesn't seem to have a maternal bone in her body--but what she does have is lots of money, a huge brownstone, and perseverance. She uses her numerous connections to smooth out the foster process and be given access to children that might not otherwise be so easily granted; the fact that she targets difficult children who nobody else wants to deal with makes the process even simpler. She's just a silly rich lady in a big hat, what harm really could she do, especially since many of these kids come from abusive or broken homes. Luckily for them, she has no sinister motives, and many of her kids are grateful to be given a room of their own, three warm meals to eat, and to not be beaten or called stupid all the time.
Miss Amelia soon proves to be up to the task. Due to her personal experience, whatever it may be, she has a magic touch when dealing with children and adolescents that others may have given up on or see as not worth the trouble. She fixes them up (though she herself would never use such language, never viewing her kids as broken or in need of fixing), then they move on, either back to more suitable family, or to official adoption. Miss Amelia doesn't keep them, she can't, as most aren't hers to keep--they have family still--and she isn't a motherly sort, so she doesn't adopt. She's always wistful to see them go, but keeps in casual touch when she can, and accepts it when family asks that she refrain. She keeps an album with photos of all her fosters (a picture from when they arrive, and one from when they leave) and browses it fondly from time to time, and holds on to and cherishes the crafts and gifts her kids made or gave her. The sadness she feels whenever her time with a foster comes to an end is offset by the good she tells herself she must be doing, based on the faces in the photos in her book, the heartbroken "befores" and the hope-filled "afters."
Then, along comes Arthur, the boy with no one left to take him, the boy everyone has given up on, even his own father. Miss Amelia acts on impulse, because this time, it feels justified. Tells the quiet, withdrawn little boy that she can help him, if he comes to stay with her, and after she works her magic, and makes the words on the pages make sense, invites him to stay with her for good. (She does cover her bases by visiting his father to ask if he's indeed relinquished custody of his son to the state...his unequivocal response is given in Gold's entry.) The look on Arthur's face, as always, is what tells her she made the right choice. I'm not sure if she officially adopts him or not (his entry says she "officially takes [him] in," though the phrasing's a bit odd), but he effectively becomes her son, the only one of her fosters she keeps. He thrives under her care, comes to call her "Mom," and promises to keep in touch with her after he enlists in the military and heads off to war. And he does so, even though he's never been big on writing or reading letters.
Miss Amelia's magic touch remains with Corporal (then Sergeant) Gold Rat during his time in service. He befriends Lance Corporal Mahogany Rat, whose social awkwardness often inadvertently offends others, and helps steer him in the right direction, without making him feel like an idiot, to avoid such complications. He treats rescued test subject Kolten, a proposed Nazi superweapon who's widely regarded with terror, with empathy instead, realizing that he has the mentality of a young child, and replacing his black badge reading "Blöd"--stupid--with a new patch emblazoned with his name. He chats with and gets to know Kolten's father, former SS Captain Otto Himmel, while transporting him back to his son following his trial; Himmel takes few of his belongings with him, but they include Kolten's art, the book Frankenstein (which Gold has read), and a box stuffed full of letters. In this one way, Himmel is Gold's polar opposite: He's extremely well read, fluent in multiple languages, and a prolific and gifted letter writer, having maintained a one-sided correspondence with his deceased wife for many years. Gold marvels over his dedication to the written word. Himmel, picking up on Gold's reluctance with the same, declines to treat him with disdain; "My Kolten can't read a word," he says, "yet he's the brightest person I know. He makes up for what he lacks with other talents. He's never once disappointed me." Gold recognizes the look he sees in Himmel's eyes--pride, and love so strong his heart must want to burst--because he remembers seeing the same look in Miss Amelia's eyes. He tells Himmel about her, how she wasn't his true mother, yet felt like she was; Himmel replies, "Some of the strongest family do not have to share blood."
A more recent development is Gold meeting Miss Amelia again. He decides to remain in Germany after the war, having begun a relationship with Romani resistance fighter Mirela, yet makes plans to pay Miss Amelia one last visit in the States. Mirela's never traveled far from home, and helps care for her father Nikolas, so stays behind, though she's anxious whether he'll truly return or not. Gold sails to the US and disembarks in New York; while wandering the dock looking at the signs and trying to find the agreed-upon meeting place, he hears a voice advising him to take a breath and take his time to let the letters sort themselves out. He turns to find Miss Amelia--her formerly red hair much grayer now--and the two embrace. They spend his entire time there catching up and visiting familiar spots. Gold is wistful when the time comes for him to return to Germany; Miss Amelia surprises him when she asks if it's all right if she accompanies him. She already bought herself a one-way ticket. "My foster days are long over," she muses; "I don't have anything left keeping me here. I do, however, still have you." When Gold warns that the process of moving to Germany may be complicated--the country is being divided between the Allies, and the area Gold and Mirela live in is largely going to the USSR--Miss Amelia brushes this off, saying she has plenty of money and connections still that can help. (The Trench Rats have their own agreement with the Soviets.) She inquires if Gold doesn't want her to come along; she'll honor his request, if so, and take no offense--yet she means it when she says she'd like to go with him. Once he's sure she means it, Gold agrees, and they set off.
Mirela is of course surprised when Gold returns with a fashionable older woman in tow; once he introduces her, however, she gives Miss Amelia a big hug. Gold has told her about Miss Amelia before, and Mirela knows just how important a role she played in his life. She introduces Miss Amelia to her father Nikolas, and he smiles and shakes her hand warmly. They stop by Himmel's house, where he lives with Kolten and a group of children he's adopted following the war--like Miss Amelia, he loves children, and his large house is constantly full of their presence. He and Miss Amelia, and Himmel's partner Johanna (a former schoolteacher), get along especially well. Gold doesn't mind that they enjoy discussing books together at length...even though he's not really into it himself.
[Amelia de Groot 2024 [‎Friday, ‎April ‎26, ‎2024, ‏‎12:00:06 AM]]
[Amelia de Groot 2024 2 [‎Friday, ‎April ‎26, ‎2024, ‏‎12:00:34 AM]]
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mx-kay · 2 years ago
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could you write headcannons on stranger things g/t? or story prompts? i love to draw, but my head is empty rn 💀
Oooooo, my two current hyperfixations! I’m going to go ahead and apologize for the length. I haven’t even started typing and I just know I’m going to ramble. Anyways, I hope something in this is what you’re looking for ♥️
• Sizeshifter!Steve has my whole heart. I especially love if his tallest was normal human height and his smallest was 3-4 inches, and it’s emotionally trigger-based. The reason he masks his emotions behind either anger or joy is because any other emotions make him lose control and he shrinks. Also, I hold smol!Steve very close to my heart, he needs more love and care. I feel like he think of himself as insignificant or lesser, especially if you add in this AU, and he really needs to be shown how important he is.
• Same could be said for sizeshifter!El, since her existing powers already tie so closely with her emotions. She also simply doesn’t know how to regulate emotions due to being raised in a lab. Ngl, Brenner would probably give her emotion suppression drugs because teaching her to control her emotions wasn’t working, she simply feels emotions too strongly. Now that she isn’t being forced to take them, it’s hard for her to adjust to them.
• AU where Steve’s house becomes a hotspot for borrowers to live. Like, literally everyone else is a borrower except him. He first learns they exist because the party does something stupid and he spots them, or something of the like. He slowly becomes friends with everyone and helps them when’re he can. His house now has catwalks and pathways around the house so no one accidentally gets stepped on or hurt. Steve actually saves an injured Eddie off the side of the road. The latter had been trying to relocate after being found in his old house and was attacked. The entire Hawkins borrower network knows the Harrington household is safe.
• Smol!Dustin would get in so much trouble all the time because he’d try to befriend any animal he sees. Even known predators. He wants a pet so bad.
• Lucus and smol!Max playing with those little finger skateboards. Max definitely knows more tricks. Lucus would try to defend himself, but he’s smiling the whole time.
• Smol!Robin but harpy-style. Actual robin wings. I imagine she absentmindedly pulls out feathers and has to keep her hands occupied so she doesn’t get bald spots are hinder her ability to fly. She’d jokingly try to “nest” in Steve’s hair just to mess with him.
• AU where the party all end up living in the high school together and get co-parented by Steve and Eddie. They’re all kids so they slip up easily, and the two teens are constantly covering for them. The party is moved into Steve’s house when he graduates. Hopper shows up for one reason or another and it turns out he was basically El’s dad before she inexplicably disappeared years ago. He’s also currently taking care of the Byers family. The Wheeler family is close by (Jonathan is still dating Nancy). Everyone then ends up relocating to the Hopper-Byer household. (I probably explained this one terribly sorry)
• I have a huge soft spot for bat!Eddie, but I need a design where he’s more of a tiny human with bat wings/ears. Or just tiny!Eddie in general. There’s a lot of content where he’s the giant of the situation, but I really like exploring him as a tiny. I feel like his escapism tendencies would get him caught so fast 😭
• AU where Steve thinks he’s being haunted by Eddie. It’s actually just tiny!Eddie but he doesn’t know how to explain his situation and keeps trying to reveal himself in really bad ways.
• Tiny!Will 🥺
• But also giant!Will who’s scared to touch anyone because he’s so terrified of hurting them and he hunches himself to try and appears smaller so he’s not scaring anyone and being really self conscious when eating around anyone and-
• Everyone thinking Vecna is a big bad but then the trio shows up he’s literally so small so Nancy just fucking curb stomps him and they win
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true-blue-megamind · 3 years ago
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FAN THEORY THURSDAY – Megamind’s Anatomy
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Yes, yes, I know… You’re probably getting tired of hearing me say it, but here it is anyway: SPOILER WARNING!
It’s not secret that Megamind is physically different from humans.  Anyone who has ever seen the film—or merely seen an imagine of the title character—knows that obvious fact.  There have, however, been a great many intriguing discussions within the fandom about exactly how different he is, and about possible biological reasons for those differences.  Luckily for all of us, this has led to a plethora of interesting theories; so many, in fact, that I will only be able to touch upon a few of the most popular ones here.  Even then, this post will likely be long enough that, benevolent soul that I am, I’ll have mercy upon my readers and adopt a slightly different format, including sub-headers for easier perusal. After all, despite its expansiveness, this promises to be a deeply fascinating subject.
A quick note before we dive into this post: I will not be discussing Megamind’s strength as I already wrote about that in another blog article, How Strong is Megamind, nor will I be going much into courtship instincts, and that was covered in Why Kidnap Roxanne.  If I may say so, both posts are well worth reading, so please feel free to check them out.  Now, without further ado, let’s get started.
Megamind is Semi-Aquatic
Oh, yes, when I said we would “dive in,” I really meant it.  A large portion of the Megamind fandom seems to have agreed that our favorite alien is just as comfortable in water as on land.  In fact, one very popular theory suggests that he may even have gills, and that his awareness of how different this makes him may be part of the reason he keeps his body covered from the chin down.  As odd as that concept may sound to some, it’s not nearly as far fetched as it may appear. There’s actually some evidence to support it.
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Firstly, near the beginning of the film, as infant Megamind’s escape pod is leaving his doomed solar system, we see that his planet is blue. Some fans have suggested that this could indicate it is largely covered by water.  Secondly, there is the fact that his mother and father chose a fish to be his caretaker.  There is some discussion in the fandom about whether Minion hails from a sentient and intelligent species that had a symbiotic relationship with Megamind’s people, or whether he was genetically and biotechnologically modified for his job as surrogate parent.  Either way, a fully-aquatic being would seem an illogical choice of babysitter if Megamind’s parents expected them to live largely on land, and we know that, given the spaceship they hurriedly constructed for their son and their offspring’s incredible intellect, they must have been highly intelligent.  That makes it seem likely that Megamind’s parents must have expected him to spend significant time in water, which indicates that they must have been accustomed to living that way themselves.  After all, we all tend to base our decisions on what we perceive as normal.
Some have also pointed to one of Minion’s lines near the beginning of the film, when he states that he has kept the Lair “cold and damp” for his boss.  Of course, this was likely simply a joke drawing on evil stereotypes, but we are the Megamind fandom; we are creative and intelligent enough to turn any small detail into a half-credible theory.  In this case, that specific theory involves Megamind’s semi-aquatic nature meaning his skin (or the supposed gills) can hurt or even crack if allowed to become too hot and dry for too long.  Hence why he would need a cool, damp environment.  Fans have even suggested that the undersuit we see him donning the Black Mamba uniform over may be designed, among other things, to hold moisture close to his skin.  This could also explain why Megamind’s Lair is located on an inlet of Lake Michigan, as can be seen in the film.  Perhaps he and Minion enjoy an occasional dip in the cold depths.
Finally, Megamind’s body also seems well adapted for water.  Indeed, the blue man seems especially well-suited for a semi-aquatic lifestyle.  The bald heads of both males and females of his species mean there would be no hair to create drag underwater.  The former villain’s lithe, slim frame and sleek musculature would likely help him move quickly and agilely beneath the waves.  (It is, after all, called a swimmers’ build for a reason.)  Some fans have suggested that, while Megamind’s brain is certainly much bigger than a human’s, his large skull may also contain an air sac, similar to that of dolphins and other Cetaceans, which is used, among other things, to control buoyancy.  Then there is the blue skin tones of Megamind’s people to consider. It’s a color that naturally stands out on land—hardly an evolutionary advantage—but it might make sense if they spent a lot of time in water.  Aquatic animals often tend to have blue, gray, and green colorations.
Megamind’s Skin Tone is More Realistic Than You Think
Megamind’s possible semi-aquatic nature may not be the only reason for the color of his skin.  While, in popular culture, we usually think of extraterrestrials as “little green men,” the creators of the film chose to make Megamind blue instead. That’s certainly not something you see every day, but there may actually be good reason for it.  In fact, it’s not as strange as many may believe.  In fact, there are real people who actually have blue skin—a condition called cyanosis—and one fan theory states that Megamind’s complexion occurs for reasons similar to those of blue skin in humans.
Perhaps the most common (if I may call it that) cause of cyanosis is Methemoglobinemia, which results from hemoglobins in the blood transferring oxygen differently or less effectively.  This can be caused by medical conditions, but it can also be the result of genetics, specifically the met-H gene, which itself is the result of an enzyme deficiency paired with lower iron levels in the blood.
The best known example of this among humans is the Fugate family of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky, better known as the Blue Fugates, who came to the medical world’s attention in the mid-twentieth century. Until treatments using an (ironically named) substance called methylene blue became available to the secluded clan, many of their children were born with varying shades of blue skin tones.  Thanks in part to the aforementioned medical help, there are no longer any known descendants of the Blue Fugates with cyanosis.
Such cases of Congenital Methemoglobinemia often lack most of the far more negative side effects seen in Acquired Methemoglobinemia, such as dizziness and shortness of breath, so that, even before treatment was available, persons who inherited the met-H gene (and resulting methemoglobinemia) were usually able to lead full and active lives.  (Many of the Blue Fugates were reported to be extremely healthy, with some living into their nineties.)
All of this means two things for our favorite blue hero: firstly, given that Megamind was born on another planet, it is quite possible that his people were adapted to a different atmosphere.  According to one fan theory, this evolution involved a form of Congenital Methemoglobinemia that, somehow, allowed them to make the best use of the air on their home world as well as making their skin blue. Secondly, Megamind, like the Blue Fugates, would be able to live a full and healthy life on Earth despite differences in the was his blood transferred oxygen.
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On an interesting side note, before we move on, some of the first relatives of the Blue Fugates to try methylene blue treatment in the early 1960’s were a couple named Rachel and Patrick Ritchie.  I can’t wait to see what fan theories spring up out of that one.
Megamind Has Different Dietary Needs
Alright, yes, I know, this is probably a pretty obvious statement where a character who is literally a space alien is involved, but discussions on the subject have spawned some truly fascinating suppositions.  The first and most popular is that Megamind craves a lot of sugar.  This is supported by the movie as, aside from his sipping a little champagne, the only foods we see associated with Megamind are sweets: doughnuts and churros.  One fan theory has built upon this, saying that this is not only due to the blue man’s high energy levels—think about the way he leaps and dashes around—but also to his large and highly-functioning brain.  It makes sense; according to NeuroTray, brains need a certain amount of glucose to fuel them, help produce amino acids, and even maintain neuronal health.  So it seems logical that an alien super-genius with a much larger and more active brain might need more sugar.
Further expanding on this idea, fans have theorized that Megamind’s dietary requirements also include other “brain foods” such as: carbohydrate-rich grains, fish, nuts, and eggs.  The eggs have developed a special significance thanks to one supposition that began as a sort of joke of the Megamind fan Discord known as The Evil Lair, and is quickly growing into a popular theory.  Megamind, according to many fans, not only craves eggs, but raw eggs, which he consumes shell and all.  Although this was, as I’ve said, started as a lark, the idea actually has some validity.  Raw eggs not only contain a lot of nutrients, including energy-increasing B12, but also aid in breaking down and digesting large amounts of carbohydrates.  Egg shells, meanwhile, are an excellent source of many other essential vitamins and minerals.
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Art: Midnight Snack by Ejga-Ostja.  I absolutely love this image, and had to use it here!  Please check out the rest of their amazing Megamind fanart!
Megamind’s Neck is Extremely Sensitive
This will be a short section, I promise.  I touched on this particular concept before in the post Why Kidnap Roxanne.  Of course, we all know Megamind wears large, high collars, but there may be more reason for this than a desire for a suitably villainous look.  When he is incarcerated, the blue man pops up the collar of his prison uniform, and, at the beginning of the movie, we see that his parents also wear high collars.  Even Megamind’s briefly-worn white hero uniform in The Button of Doom covers his everything from the head down except for a small opening at the front of his throat.  It’s almost as if, for Megamind’s people, showing one’s neck in public is indecent.
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A popular fan theory explains this by suggesting that Megamind’s neck is very sensitive; so much so, in fact, that it is an erogenous zone. If merely touching the blue alien there is enough to cause arousal and pleasure, then his species’ apparently universal instinct to keep that part of the body covered makes sense.  Showing it would be akin to a woman walking around topless.  It’s also quite possible that the neck is also hidden for protection, as extreme sensitivity would mean it could be easily hurt.  This casts Megamind’s large collars in an entirely different light: he is wearing clothing that draws the eye both to his large head (and the impressive brain within it) and to a pleasure point on his body.  Many fans suppose that this could be a form of “peacocking,” and is part of an instinctual courtship display meant to attract Roxanne.  Again, for more about that theory, you can read the aforementioned post.
I could, of course, go on and on.  There are numerous other theories concerning Megamind’s anatomy, ranging from reflective eyes for low-light vision to alien vocal cords that allow a wider range of sounds and tone, but I will stop here for now.  If you’ve enjoyed this particular post, however, and would like to read another on the same subject, please let me know.  In the meantime, I’ll close by saying that the amazing physical attributes already discussed hint, as always, that far more thought and care may have been put into Megamind’s creation than most people realize.  It’s no wonder this movie and its protagonist have so many dedicated fans.
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ryosmne · 3 years ago
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Special piece.
Tattoo artist! Sukuna x f!reader
I just had random thoughts about Sukuna, I mean the usual so here's this hope you enjoy reading. Also this is based on my Tattoo artist! Sukuna series here's the masterlist for that.
Warnings: Language, usage of the word babe that's all.
Consultations were always Sukuna's least favourite part of his job. Not only because some people took long to voice their ideas, but because some are way too indecisive, they either want too many things packed in a tattoo or they hover all over the place trying to chose from roses to skulls. Boring.
The girl that walked in five minutes ago was no different and even though she hadn't even been in his shop for that long she was already getting on his nerves not being able to choose a design for him to draw so he could get this over with, and much to Sukuna's dismay she also had a friend with her that stirred her away every time she came close to making a final decision.
Nanami had told him that she already had a very specific design in mind otherwise Sukuna wouldn't be wasting his time and maybe the fact that he woke up next to y/n again helped him enough not to give the girls his usual pissy attitude.
"How about a micro tattoo? It would look so good on you." The girls friend chirped up making Sukuna's eye twitch.
"I won't do that, pick something else, if you're having trouble I can just give you a flash book with my work and we can tweak something to make it different." Sukuna offered, his tone was very much bored and indifferent, all he wanted was for this to be over with.
"Yeah that would be nice." The girl infront of him said. She was around his age, early to mid twenties and by the looks of it she had lots of work done, her right arm was covered and she wanted to start her left too.
Sukuna momentarily left his booth to fetch the flash book from the reception and he was already planning to charge the girl, whose name he didn't really care to remember, extra just for annoying him.
Walking back to his booth, he found both girls staring at the pictures he had framed on his wall, specifically y/n's original sketch of the shrine she wanted. Sukuna still called her lines crooked all the time, especially when y/n and him eat lunch in his booth. The picture next to it was one of y/n's arm, by now not only the shrine and the fox covered it but lots more of his designs.
Y/n had always told him with a chuckle that having a picture of her arm was creepy, but Sukuna always justified it saying that it inspires him and he has a picture of them together on his desk cause he knows she's a bit on the shier side. Not to mention Gojo would give them hell had he seen that picture of them together hanging on the wall and both y/n and Sukuna didn't want to deal with him.
"That one, I want that one."
The girl confidently spoke and Sukuna's gears had already been grinding for a while.
"Not that one, here pick something else." He simply said, with a slightly more intimidating tone as he handed her the flash book.
"But I want that one, why can't I have it?"
Whining was his the worst thing to Sukuna pair it with an entitled costumer and you can see smoke coming out his ears.
"That was a piece for someone special, you can't have it, either pick something else or leave."
Y/n once again came through Domains front door, Nanami greeted her at the reception and as usual everyone was working since there was lots of buzzing in the shop.
"Hey Kento, I brought takeout for everyone, hope you guys like Thai food." She said with a smile, dropping the bags at the reception counter. "You shouldn't have y/n we could've ordered something in." Nanami was his usual self talking about paying her back and y/n only laughed.
"Oh come on, I wanted to, everyone's still working?"
"Yeah, everyone's tattooing, Sukuna's doing a consultation and it's not going that we-"
Before Nanami could finish his sentence some girls voice was heard saying
"Aren't you a tattoo artist? You're supposed to do what I ask you to."
And there was Sukuna, he had came out front having decided that even the extra charging he planned to do wouldn't help him deal with that headache of a client. His face said it all and y/n could tell he was done with whoever pressed him.
The two girls came to y/n's field of view and she was now wondering what they asked for that Sukuna was so pissed. She just gave him a smile telling him to hang in there in her own way and Sukuna's whole face lit up just by her presence.
"Just why won't you do it? That's the one I wanted." Ah, why must his moment be ruined that rudely.
"I already told you, now, out." His voice was as stern as ever, y/n didn't interfere, that was his business he can run it however he pleases.
The two girls let out an annoyed huff before one of them turned their attention to y/n
"Just go somewhere else, this guy won't do what you'd want anyway."
"Oh I'll do whatever she asks of me, now get the fuck out of here."
Finally some piece, just as the door closed, Nanami begun to laugh under his breath having heard all the commotion from before.
Sukuna took y/n under his arm giving her a quick kiss, his expression that previously looked like he would blow up any second, softened to a half smile his now lazy half lidded eyes that settled on y/n's face.
"How's your day dollface?"
"Pretty good, hopefully about to be better, how's yours?" That smile of hers never failed to make his insides melt away.
"Pretty shitty, untill you showed up."
Who knew that anyone could get Sukuna this warm and cuddly? Well if you asked his co workers they would've told you that there's no way in hell anyone can make Sukuna mellow with their presence, but y/n was probably the exception that justifies the rule.
"Babe, did you also get these red velvet cupcakes from the bakery downtown?"
Sukuna asked, eyes lit like a kid on Christmas.
"Have I ever forgotten? I got you the ones with the pink frosting you were eyeing too."
Y/n said her smile matching Sukuna's and her heart hummering like it always did when he smiled, that was the least she could do for all the perfect dates he's taken her and all the perfect food he's cooked for her not to mention the gorgeous work that he put on her body, his ink by now creeped up her shoulder.
"That's my girl!"
Sukuna said with a proud tone as his arm pulled her closer to his side.
"So, what did she ask for?"
Y/n pressed not having a clue what could've gotten him so riled up, but he just hummed and took another bite of his cupcake, like he always did after a meal.
"Was it watercolour?"
Sukuna shook his head no, making y/n more curious.
"Micro tattoo?"
Again same answer.
"Then how bad of an idea could it be?"
Y/n asked, her voice was playful as she genuinely wondered if someone asked for Jimmy neutron's head merged with a tiger again.
"She asked for your shrine, I'd never give someone your shitty lines." Sukuna answered half laughing, and y/n did too, that running joke always found its way back.
But y/n knew Sukuna considered all of the tattoos he'd given her one of a kind and an extension of herself, he wasn't about to hand what's hers to someone else no matter how much tweaking he did, these pieces were y/n's and y/n's only.
Bonus Domain shenanigans:
"Y/n brought food? I heard something about cupcakes too." Gojo spoke suspiciously looking at his co-workers. They all ate with y/n about an hour ago but he was too busy finishing up a piece of his, full colour new school takes time.
Sukuna warned them that if they told Gojo about the cupcakes, he would either fire them or tattoo them a stupid design he thought of. The second option sounded terrifying, so after exchanging a few looks Geto was the one to speak up.
"No man, she did bring Thai thought, maybe you misheared, here I left yours on Nanami's desk." The calmness in Geto's voice always helped him seem like he could never lie, making him the best to handle a very nosey Gojo.
All was good, Gojo didn't ask again and was stuffing his face with the food y/n brought, Sukuna should thank her for making his mouthy friend zip it for more than a minute.
That was untill..
"Y/N TOLD ME SHE BROUGHT RED VELVET CUPCAKES."
Yuuji bursting through the front door ruined everything.
"You liars"
Gojo said before racing to the fridge they kept sodas with Yuuji in toe.
"You lay a finger on MY cupcakes, I'll gut you both."
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preemshots · 4 years ago
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the definitive post of WHERE IN THE WORLD IS JOHNNY SILVERHAND’S BODY?
AKA the post of HERE’S WHY I WANT TO BELIEVE WE ARE GONNA GET JOHNNY’S BODY BACK IN DLC. 
buckle up, gamers. it's time for some lore. this is a very long post. 
warning: this will contain a million spoilers. both for details of multiple game endings, a wee bit of the “where’s johnny” comic, and the cyberpunk RED book. if you want a sparknotes version this is the post for you. my main source here is the cyberpunk RED book as well as as some references to the cyberpunk 2077 world book to cross examine the lore. 
i have no idea if someone has made this post before or what anybody else has been finding in their own lore diving. this is just me documenting my own findings from the sources i’ve been using.
it would be disingenuous not to preface this with the ways in which cyberpunk 2077's telling of the arasaka assault differ from the version told in the TTRPG books. the books =/= the game. pondsmith acknowledges in the intro of RED that this is a bridge between the old cyberpunk world and the new world of cyberpunk 2077. 
we also know that johnny's an unreliable narrator and his memories presented to V are often different than real events. but on top of that we don't know if the reason why many elements are changed is simply CDPR editing/adjusting/condensing the storyline for their own canon, or if it's due to johnny's construct being manipulated by outside influences such as arasaka.
some of the main differences you need to know from cyberpunk RED canon:
in 2023 johnny doesn't bring the nukes to arasaka tower. he's solely there to free alt.
johnny and rogue and their team from the atlantis/the aldecaldos are actually hired by morgan blackhand. 
morgan blackhand is the one who plants the nuke, unbeknownst to many members of the team. 
morgan blackhand promptly disappears after this event and no one knows if he's alive or dead. (claire confirms this fact to jackie and v before the heist in 2077 canon)
johnny's silver cybernetic arm is its own character, separate from himself. it seems to have a mind of its own and johnny interacts with it and/or is influenced by it.
when he, spider murphy, rogue, thompson, shaitan, and a team of los lobos from the aldecaldos (who are there in place of santiago, as he’s busy as the leader of the aldecaldos at this point) are attacked by adam smasher, johnny and his arm actively choose to draw smasher's fire in a deliberately suicidal move. smasher downs him instantly, but the distraction is enough to also save his friends.
spider murphy shoves a mysterious chip in johnny's dying head as they escape that alt had downloaded to her a long time ago.
johnny's body is later "rumoured" to have been retrieved from the rubble by a full-body borg groupie that was a first responder to the ground zero of AHQ and then hidden away in a nearby garage.
here comes the political lore that makes my eyes cross, so hopefully this accurately summarizes it: the 4th corporate war begins to end. arasaka is ultimately blamed by the NUSA government to have nuked themselves in a political move to protect their secrets and promptly banished from the USA. arasaka denies this all the way back to japan, then eventually returns to “liberate” night city in the unification wars.
but what the public doesn't know is that kei, saburo's oldest son, had actually hidden an EVEN BIGGER MORE DEVASTATING NUKE at the bottom of the tower to, well, do exactly what they were being accused of doing, even though blackhand was the one who actually dropped the smaller nuke on them. and luckily the bigger one didn’t go off.
arasaka tries to find their nuke in the rubble so they don't get in even bigger trouble, only to discover that it was moved and hidden away to... surprise! a nearby garage.
to compare with 2077:
in RED: we have no johnny loading the nukes into the elevator. no johnny being carried off the premises. no meeting saburo. no johnny getting soulkilled.
in 2077: there's a parallel moment to RED's version of events right after johnny uploads "liberator" from alt's old cyberdeck with spider's help into the arasaka mainframe in saburo's office. adam smasher comes for him as he's trying to escape, knocking him off the second floor of the atrium into the rock garden below.
visually this is the same atrium we always meet alt in in cyberspace and also where V meets johnny for the first time. hmmm. meaningful, perhaps.
not unlike what happens in RED, johnny unloads a clip into smasher at that point, but from there the scene instantly cuts to him running to the roof attempting to board the AV with rogue, where smasher shoots him down again. it’s possible johnny actually died to smasher in the atrium and we have some fabricated memories going on. 
either way, in 2077, we lose the character beat of johnny dying for his friends, and the current-day general consensus from rogue and others is that he’s perpetually a selfish asshole with ulterior motives. 
and, just to wrap up the politics of it all: morgan blackhand is rumoured to have been secretly hired by the militech-backed NUSA government to help end the 4th corporate war by... you guessed it! nuking arasaka.
HERE'S WHERE JOHNNY'S BODY ENDS UP IN CYBERPUNK RED (SPARKNOTES VERSION):
RED ends with a story called "black dog" set in 2045. black dog is the last song johnny recorded right before the assault on arasaka tower, but the final copy is a bootleg copy of the song and only a fraction.
we're introduced to a fun group of cybernetic-enhanced characters that represent the classes in the TTRPG and based on/designed by real people in collaboration with CDPR.
this group includes trace santiago, santiago's son, who is a media that is curious about the mystery surrounding the circumstances around his father and the arasaka bombing. 
just connecting lore here: if you talk to saul at the aldecaldo camp in 2077, he confirms that santiago was killed for his involvement with johnny and the bombing, something that rogue and johnny reference when they talk about their now-dead crew from the afterlife, and in chippin in, santiago is a friend that johnny lists as someone he had disappointed.
the group sets off to find any info about black dog, and meet up with a full conversion chrome woman named samantha in a garage who is blatantly a johnny silverhand fangirl. trace discovers she has a history with johnny, having rescued him from a studio fire at some point in 2015 and speculates she could have been a groupie also.
she mysteriously has a more complete recording of black dog, though not perfect, and offers to trade it for a service: she wants the group to transport a large crate to a facility in new mexico, asking them not to open it.
shit goes down. evidently everyone in night city wants to kill them for this package once it starts moving. eventually they open it. it's the arasaka nuke that had been hidden and never went off, emblazoned with warnings.
trace inquires about the circumstances surrounding the arasaka assault with an older member of the lobos who had been present with rogue and johnny. the man mentions that it was weird, because morgan blackhand organized the whole thing and then ran off immediately with a mysterious bag that we now know contained the nuke. 
michiko arasaka intercepts the gang, explaining the situation around the bigger nuke, that other factions in arasaka want to utilize it for their own goals (presumably hanako and yorinobu) and her father's legacy, that she feels responsible for. she escorts them to new mexico so that the nuke can be dismantled once and for all.
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they meet up with a woman named angel in new mexico that takes the crate from them, at a facility that specializes in nuclear material. she gives the group the full recording of "black dog". the group leaves successful.
this woman is also a johnny silverhand stan. once alone, she calls up samantha, who says, "i promised i would get him to you in the end" and reveals that she had already gutted/dismantled the original nuke and discarded the material into the bay.
angel opens the "nuke" to reveal a hidden cryochamber, and greets the face of the person inside with, "hello, my love."
i mean, holy shit. okay! so that’s DEFINITELY johnny’s body. cool!
now let’s go into all the references to this story in the actual game of cyberpunk 2077 that SUGGEST we are going to pursue this story AND johnny's body since it’s such a HOT FUCKING TOPIC. 
and i know many of the following can just be considered easter eggs. but my personal interpretation of this game is that it has a really delightful way of intentionally glossing over important story details—and not by ONLY putting them in shards (which people tend to dislike because lol reading) but by also hiding them in plain sight, constantly deferring to V's own ignorance, distracting us with shallower, shinier things, encouraging us to actually play as the fool hero of this story. 
so here's the fun list of “””evidence”””:
this one’s a reach, but fun. in the initial arasaka assault flashback in 2023: we can interact with the groupies at kerry's show as johnny. samantha doesn't appear to be present, but the first person and groupie you can encounter in the flashback has a passing resemblance to angel in that she has a cybernetic arm.
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in chippin' in, where we go to johnny's "grave" in the oil fields: if we are to take the 2077 retelling of events as truth, the story could instead be pretty easily be changed that samantha procured his body from there.
mike pondsmith, who wrote these stories and created the TTRPG can be heard on the radio narrating various conspiracy theories. and sure, these can just be easter eggs, intended to reference the differences between the TTRPG lore and the game, so take it with a grain of salt:
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johnny. bro. tell him it was morgan blackhand
to top it all off, mike also directly references the actual WORSE nuke arasaka had hid in another arasaka conspiracy: 
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SPOILERS FOR GAME ENDINGS AHEAD.
in the rogue ending of the game we discover rogue has a son. it's possible her son is trace (edit: nvm NOT LIKELY, since in RED’s black dog story rogue is listed separately from santiago’s mom in conversation) OR possibly one of the other characters. she tells her son to "pull over and look at the stars" or something along those lines. maybe just details, so that screams nomad to me.
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rogue also has a photo of herself and johnny with mike pondsmith in her apartment/office in the afterlife. i initially read this as a delightful cameo but it also can mean mike the CHARACTER knew johnny and rogue, and rogue therefore has some kind of relationship to him and these conspiracies on the radio. and why the fuck not make him a full on character? we have a smattering of streamers and personalities already integrated into quests in the game. the creator of all this should be no exception. fuck it! 
rogue and johnny constantly dance around this accusation of her “selling out”. it’s repeated over and over that she and adam smasher worked for "the same people". i'm beginning to wonder if this wasn't meant to imply only arasaka since smasher mysteriously disappeared after the AHQ assault in 2023 and returned to SOMETIMES take jobs from arasaka... but possibly morgan blackhand and/or by extension, the NUSA or any other greater influences. (like nightcorp? we still don’t know where all this shit with nightcorp/the peralezes/sandra dorsett’s discovery about their research into mind control is gonna go) this also doesn’t account for the multiple factions inside arasaka with VERY different motives. 
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morgan blackhand and adam smasher are rivals in the TTRPG, a role that appears to be at least partially filled by johnny instead in 2077. in relation to the arasaka factions, it’s worth nothing that smasher specifically works for yorinobu as his bodyguard at the beginning of the game, in part i assume because yorinobu is avoiding working with arasaka security details as he stole the relic and is plotting against his father. he is then promoted to head of security by yorinobu when yorinobu assumes power. 
in the ending as you work your way through arasaka tower with rogue and shaitan and johnny, rogue remarks:
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michiko at this point in 2077 is the leader of the more “liberal” faction within arasaka, so it’s possible we’re seeing that while rogue and smasher work for the same people/family, they couldn’t be more different. 
you can also encounter rogue more than once on the phone fighting with wakako, who has apparently crossed her. wakako also seems to have her own ulterior motives and works mainly with the arasaka-backed tyger claws. she notably gives v/takemura the parade security info for “play it safe” without asking for anything in return, enabling hanako’s kidnapping. my theory is that yorinobu intentionally leaked the parade info to her to give away to put hanako in danger or at least continue to destabilize arasaka. 
in the takemura/devil ending of the game, there is a point where violence breaks out at the arasaka board room meeting when yorinobu-allied security open fire on them. one of the only people that survives along with hanako is michiko arasaka, who was at odds with hanako’s decisions, but  very involved in the preceding discussion.
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and now for is my favorite detail! in the afterlife AT ALL POINTS IN THE GAME (but it can only really be inspected in the rogue ending when we are allowed behind the bar), we can find a photo of the squad that transported johnny's body from samantha to angel on the shelf below johnny's tequila, of them hanging out in front of the afterlife sign:  
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this implies rogue has some relationship with them, and sentimentality, if we're to judge by the placement. she maybe even took the picture. i don't know, it's charming, it could be all easter eggs. who fucking knows.
either way, rogue and these kids both have in common that they worked with or at least interacted with michiko arasaka. 
and you know what my final evidence is? more wishful thinking! black dog plays on the radio in game. we got a full recorded version of it by refused. if not an oversight, i go ahead and take it to mean the final version was finally released to the public by those kids that were looking for it. 
i haven’t the slightest idea how this is gonna wrap up in future DLC. who has johnny’s body now in 2077, decades after it was dropped off in mexico? what is the truth?? where the fuck is morgan blackhand?? from the devil ending, we know that arasaka stole jackie’s body and put his soul into mikoshi, so the idea that they would just toss johnny’s corpse has always been laughable. the “where’s johnny?” promotional comic was even about thompson unsuccessfully trying to find johnny’s body. i know i am biased here but i cannot fathom all this talk about johnny’s body ending off with us NOT finding it, whether it’s just to bury it, shove johnny’s engram back in it, make out with it, or WHATEVER.
if you made it through this slog, congrats. thanks for reading! 
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sanjiafsincedayone · 3 years ago
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Why SaNa over other ships?
Now, this is not to hate on other ships or downplay them, because what shipping really comes down to is often simply preference. What characters or dynamics you enjoy and what reasons you might have for liking different things. 
No, this is simply my own reasons for why I like SaNa and also why I think they could make sense and thirdly why it’s possible Oda could be setting it up to actually happen in canon. It’s all just my views and I apologize if I forget a moment or add something that is more head canon, but again, this is my reasons and they will always be partially biased. (And there are too many to remember them all properly, so if you want to add feel welcome to do so.)
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I think Sanji and Nami is a lovely ship even based just on fan content and the community. But we also get some great moments in the manga, and I personally think there is potential for Oda to make an actual romance work between them.
1. Why I like Sanji and Nami
I personally fell in love with Sanji before I even started to watch or read One Piece, simply based on his voice actor (Hiroaki Hirata), his design and his fighting style. So obviously I already have a bias towards Sanji (SanjiAFsincedayone having a bias towards Sanji? Who knew?). I didn’t ship Sanji with Nami from the start and even now I am a multi shipper who enjoys fan content with Sanji as a main part of several pairs, most prominently ZoSan.
So, when did I fall for SaNa then? Well, I have talked about it in various posts before which you can find in my Masterpost - SanjiAFsincedayone, but for me shipping Sanji and Nami more seriously didn’t start until Thriller Bark. 
Sanji took a knife in the back for her as she is dressed in a wedding dress, even this one scene is enough to explain why someone might like to ship them together.
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I for sure saw many SaNa moments before that, and felt Nami seemed special to Sanji, but I didn’t think it would have a big chance of happening and I preferred other ships above it when consuming fan material. Again, shipping is after all mostly fantasy and wanting more of something in a romantic/sexual way. Thriller Bark was when Sanji and Nami’s interactions caught my attention properly and I started to look a bit closer and actually note the way Oda wrote them and their moments. Going back after and rereading I think there is a lot of interesting things even before that. But the wedding theme and bridal carry and how Oda showed them in Thriller Bark was just too on the nose to ignore.
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What got me into shipping Sanji with Nami were mainly three things. 
1. Their dynamics getting more interesting over time and Sanji and Nami being two of the most well written and interesting characters in One Piece. 2. Sanji consistently seeming to have a preference for Nami in combination with my belief that he is after true love and isn’t just a pervert forever doomed to be alone. 3.  The manga showing the potential of it actually happening and them finally catching my attention in Thriller Bark. Basically there are moments to follow and look at in the actual story as well, which in turn also leads to more fan content and material for shippers.
So point 1 and 2 really is mostly about my preference and how much I enjoy watching them together and how well I imagine they would fit together. I think their personalities and desires overlap well with them being able to understand and compromise for each other while aslo being on a similar level of intelligence and communication. They also have their kindness and empathy as a highlighted shared theme for their characters.
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Them talking about the Children in Punk Hazard or Sanji helping Nami turn in the argument between both Luffy and Vivi and Luffy and Usopp are some examples. Or Nami letting Sanji smoke in her body because she knows how hard it is for him. Small gestures like this show both understanding and a willingness to compromise.
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I think they are fun and have a relationship that right now might need working on, but it’s clear how much they care for each other and how they actually appriciate each other a lot.
Simply put I think they are interesting together and I think they could work as a romantic couple in the future, where their dreams and family oriented views migh allign. Again, from how I view them as characters and interpret their wants and possible futures I think Sanji and Nami is a good match. They can have a restaurant either traveling the world or docked close to both Cocoyashi and Zeff, Nami can tend to her mikans together with Sanji and they can manage a restaurant for a living. I also think they are the most parental members in the crew and has shown some possible signs of wanting to settle down with families. This would also work well as a final contrast to their less than happy childhoods (You might also want to check out my post (Part 3) Sanji x Nami hints - Thematic parallels).
There is a lot of potential in their dynamics and how different they seem while they also seem willing to adapt and try to understand each other that make them interesting as characters of romantic plots. At the same time they have enough in common to relate to each other and work well together. Again, as a fictional ship within the fandom there is a lot of great artists, writers etc. that truly explore them and make Sanji and Nami a great and fun ship with an active fandom to engage with.
Of course there are more shallow reasons like them matching in age and being good-looking but really I could ship Sanji with almost any woman if it was only about the looks. I mean, Purin is basically made to be a perfect match for Sanji, but I personally find his dynamic with Nami much more interesting and his dedication to Nami is of course unpraralleled thanks to the time Oda has spent on them over many years.
I love Sanji and Nami as individual characters and with the amount of moments between them there is also a lot to explore and enjoy in the manga. It makes them interesting in a third aspect for me, which is of course analysis and the potential of them actually ending up together and looking closer at the way Oda writes them from a story perspective. For me what we have gotten from Oda in terms of Sanji x Nami moments is very interesting and I see potential there even though it would need more development to truly work for the current story.
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But, again shipping doesn’t have to mean anything for the actual story... There are crack ships or slash ships that surely will never happen but that could still be great and fun to explore for the fans. Honestly, everyone is free to ship whatever they want. We all have different taste after all.
So, what about the manga then? 
2. Why do I think they could make sense as a romantic couple even in canon?
First, my own view is that Sanji is someone who seeks true love, and as briefly shown with both Violet and Purin it seems like he would take an actual relationship seriously if given the chance. I also think it would make him happy and thus as Oda might want to create happy resolutions for the strawhats I think Sanji ending up with someone has quite a big chance of happening. This is combination with his preference for Nami and in turn Nami truly caring for him (though not yet in a romantic way) is something that makes me think it could happen. Other ships have potential too depending on how Oda decides to develop them, but considering how he keeps adding moments for SaNa in the way he does as of now I still think SaNa is the most likely ship for Sanji.
As I mentioned earlier I also think Nami has shown some possible inclinations for wanting a family (or at least being a great mother if we look at her with children in many arc, not the least Punk Hazard) and maybe even getting married eventually. 
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If she ends up with someone we will need to see a more obvious attraction and want for romance from her no matter what ship we might consider. She has at this point not shown a lot, but I do think the thematic parallels she shares with Sanji in combination with how their moments are written has the potential to grow into something more. 
As a romantic pair I think Sanji and Nami would be happy, he would adore her and take care of her and both of them would probably find that ideal. In fact it’s already a big part of their dynamics and seem to make them both happy. They also seem to try to understand and show interest in knowing each other as seen with several scenes and general attention towards each other’s backstories. They also challange each other in different ways and we have seen them compromise a few times. I think compared to many other relationship in the manga Oda has shown more personal moments between them. So a romantic additional aspect is not too far off. Not that Oda would make it happen now, but that he would lay down the groundwork for it to work by the end of the series.
In short I think they would make each other happy, but also challange and grow thanks to the other. I think their dreams of traveling the world with Nami drawing her map and Sanji cooking on all the seas and finding All Blue and then settiling down together close to both their “homes” in East Blue with a restaurant and family seems to fit them both. It wouldn’t always be easy, but I think they would actually enjoy their dynamics with Nami bossing Sanji around most of the time.
Now this all sounds nice and all, but it’s of course just my imagination based on biased interpretations of the manga. So where do I get it from?
3. The way SaNa is portrayed by Oda
Now this is really the biggest point... Because again, I can ship whatever characters I want and it is just for fun. It doesn’t have to happen for me to enjoy it or I wouldn’t ship Sanji with Zoro. But with Sanji and Nami there are legit reasons in addition to my preference that makes me think it could happen in the manga.
It might take years to actually go through it all in order with my additional interpretations, but I will try to go through the basics themes and moments that to me could indicate SaNa over any other Sanji or Namji ship.
I think the obvious thing to talk about first is simply how Sanji definitely has a romantic (and sexual) interest in Nami. No matter what other character you might see with either of them, this has been shown consistantly over the whole manga. You may argue that Sanji might be interested in others equally, and though I wouldn’t agree it’s a fair point. However from a story perspective it would still need to be resolved. It’s highly unlikely for Nami to end up with anyone unless Sanji ends up with someone else and gets a happy ending too.
As for Sanji’s interest in Nami I personally think Oda has paid a lot of attention to it in a way that makes it the most likely ship for Sanji. He might yet add moments between other ships and develop them (most notably San/Pu of course), but in my opinion the way Oda has added Nami in other potential romantic moments with Sanji it seems Nami is above every other woman so far.
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Most importantly I think we have seen: 
Sanji leave Violet who actually seemed to show interest in him to run off to save Nami (and the crew, but the point is that Oda chose to highlight and add this moment with focus on Nami to begin with).
Sanji being more focused on Nami even when Vivi and Robin has been on the ship or at the same place. Oda definitely puts Sanji with Nami above other women at least in amount of moments and involvment.
Sanji being very concerned with Nami in front of Purin and being shown happy with her (the bridal carry for example) and saying he loves her right in front of Purin.
Sanji having stronger reactions to Nami than other women. This could just be my way of seeing it, but I do think we have seen the strongest reactions from Sanji when it comes to Nami. Not the least with turning into a literal devil when he heard she was kidnapped by Absalom. For example compare Sanji rushing after Nami in both Skypiea and Thriller Bark even to him going after Robin. Or his reaction to Nami getting sick in Drum. We simply have a lot of strong reactions from Sanji towards Nami in different ways and more importantly Oda seeming to add focus on them. 
We also have him reacting to things like “women’s tears” or calls but only indicating Nami might be calling him personally. For example Sanji hearing Tashigi cry or saying he trusts Violet or Robin even though they are lying but for Nami adding things like “I think I heard Nami call out for me” or moments like “I leave my Nami to you”. Basically the way Oda writes it there often seems to be added a more personal stake in Sanji’s reactions and moments with Nami compared to with other women.
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So from Sanji’s point of view, and the way Oda has written them so far, I think he puts Nami above every other woman. But more importantly, Oda shows us moments between them that he doesn’t add for other ships as consistantly or in romantic looking ways. Keep in mind that both Nami and Sanji are main characters, but they are not Luffy. Oda choosing to not use Luffy (who will obviously have strong moments with all of his nakama, like how he had his own time with Sanji both in Baratie and WCI) for some of these moments but rather insert Sanji or Nami instead for each other’s stories makes it more relevant. Because it’s not an obvious choice in the same way. It’s a choice based on their characters and dynamics within the world, not because of their roles as main hero or heroine. Here are some examples.
1. Their first meeting. Sanji is for the first time seen in love cook mode and he basically seem ready to leave everything behind for Nami. Right away his reaction to Nami is stronger than what we have seen from him and it seems to hold true even with time.
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2. SaNa having interest and plot relevance to each other’s back stories. Sanji getting involved with hearing Nami’s back story and saving his sister.  Also, calling her “sister” which indicates a platonic familiarity where he puts Nami above Nojiko romantically (yes, despite flirting some with her). Nami in turn also getting involved and showing interest in Sanji’s backstory, pushing to go with Luffy to save Sanji and being the one to remind us of Sanji’s past and character traits.
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3. Sanji getting personally tantalized by using Nami. This has happened several times, the first with Kuroobi in Arlong Park, but also with Mr. 2 in Alabasta, Absalom in Thriller Bark and then in Fishman Island (Zou too, but that wasn’t just Nami) and on Zou. You can check my post (thought not updated fully) Sanji and Nami – Fights and danger for a more detailed view. (Even in movies like Strong World Sanji has a direct talk with Shiki about Nami and it seems most people are aware of Sanji being extra sensitive to Nami.)
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4. Sanji asking Nami if she is jealous or if she loves him, indicating again that he is interested to know is she is interested in him. Once even responding “I love you too”. In general Nami responding in these situations in a more “positive way” or Oda showing Sanji interpreting her actions as more romantic. For example the “proposal” or the hug in WCI.
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5. Romantic looking moments or themes. Now this is of couse not something that has been done mutually between them and thus aren’t actually romantic scenes. But the tropes and common use for many of the things that Oda has chosen to use for Sanji and Nami are romantic in nature. Of course the two forced marriages are the strongest examples with them rescuing each other from getting married to someone else. But we also have the switch body trope, the slap and of course smaller gestures like the bridal carries or the way Oda drew the hug between them in WCI. I am not saying that SaNa is the only ship with romantic looking moments, because San/Pu And San/Violet obviously has some as well. However, considering the amount SaNa moments and the fact that he has left Violet and Purin in particular for Nami seems to make the SaNa moments trump any other ship. At least for me personally SaNa as it is now and as Oda has portrayed it in comparison to other Sanji ships gets in the way of Sanji ending up with someone else unless Oda starts to make some changes.
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I want to make some emphasis on how Nami and Sanji seem to get some “bigger” moments between them in almost every arc. Again, compare this to Sanji with other women, or even Nami with other crew members.
Baratie - Their first meeting and Sanji’s reaction to Nami and interest gets focus. Arlong Park - Sanji shows interest in Nami’s past and Kuroobi mocks Sanji by specfically mentioning Nami. ( Loguetown Arc, Reverse Mountain Arc, Whiskey Peak Arc and Little Garden mostly have small moments, like Sanji asking if Nami is jealous or Sanji giving Nami his jacket.) Drum Island - Nami is sick and we see Sanji worry and care for her and in the end even sacrificing himself for her. Nami worries about him too. Alabasta - Sanji fighting Mr. 2 looking like Nami and lots of small moments like Sanji asking Nami if she loves him.
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Jaya - Nami showing interest in Sanji’s back story. Small things like Nami hiding for the bugs behind Sanji or Sanji. Skypiea - Sanji being hell-bent of saving Nami and making the others look for her. Then him saving Nami and Usopp from Enel and Nami being worried in return. (Both times Sanji gets hit by Enel Nami is there and worries.) Then a lot of small moments like him giving her a flower and Nami pulling Sanji’s ear for flirting with Conis. Long Ring Long Land - Nami encourage Sanji be the ball and win, but mostly small moments like Sanji getting annoyed with Aokiji for flirting with Nami or him sitting next to her and trying to kiss her. Water 7 - Sanji leaving his love letter to Nami and Nami being worried for (and impressed with) Sanji. Enies Lobby - Sanji losing against a woman, Nami being understanding and then stepping in to basically revenge him. Also Sanji hearing it as Nami loving him and then him showing up to save Nami and Usopp from Jyabura.
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Post-Enies Lobby - Not much, but Sanji stepping in to make Nami and Zoro stop fighting and make Nami understand Zoro’s pov. Thriller Bark - Sanji just being extremely focused on Nami and worried about her throughout the whole arc. Also him getting specifically selected by Luffy to save Nami. Of course the wedding theme with the bridal carry and Sanji’s reaction to Nami. Also Sanji’s Zombie protecting Nami (and later kicking Robin) and his “obsession with Nami” being mentioned. Sabaody Archipelago - Another smaller arc, but we do get Nami worried about Sanji possibly drowning. And smaller moments like Sanji being angry for Nami being put in danger by the Fishman Riders or him telling Franky to take care of Nami as he runs to protect Zoro. When they return we of course also get the nosebleeds, and Sanji daydreaming about Nami’s development.
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Fishman Island - Sanji’s reaction to Jinbei and Arlong. Also the fishmen pointing out that Nami might be their weakness due to Sanji’s “over reaction“ to her falling. Punk Hazard - The body swtich, Sanji’s body saving Nami and Sanji being careful with not hurting her etc. Also them working together to save the children, Sanji listening to Nami’s request and saying he loves her more because of her kindness. Also small things like Sanji giving his jacket to Nami again. Dressrosa - Sanji leaving Violet behind to save Nami, insisting that he should be the one to save her and then him getting attacked by Doflamingo and Nami getting worried and not wanting to leave him. Sanji basically tries to sacrifice himself for Nami for the 4th time (Drum, Skypiea x2, also maybe in Thriller Bark). Zou - We get a lot of focus on Nami and Sanji together, and then of course when Sanji is gone Nami is the driving force for his plot. Once again Nami is also used to taunt Sanji (inside Capone). Then Nami is both the one to mention Sanji being from North Blue and to listen to Pekom’s talk about his family. Not to mention her insisting on going with Luffy to WCI and having a fight with Zoro as she defends Sanji. Whole Cake Island - The way she pushes for them to find Sanji, her hapiness when they find him and her hurt and the slap. We even get something like Nami being tantalized with Sanji by both Purin and Brulee. The only strawhat besides Luffy who gets a personal story thread with Sanji and a personal resolution for their conflict is Nami. The tension seems personal and combined with Sanji having another love interest but choosing Nami above her it does seem like Nami is the more natural choice both for Sanji and for Oda. 
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There is also a distinct increase in romantic-looking moments between them, with them touching more than ever before.
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Wano - Even after WCI it doesn’t seem like Oda is stopping the SaNa moments. Sanji manages to save and carry Nami three times in the beginning of Wano. On top of that we have the bath scene and of course a lot of small moments and mentions between them like Sanji asking Usopp to take care of “My Nami-san” or Sanji jumping in abobe Nami to save her from arrows. 
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How many times have we had Sanji be the one to go after Nami or save her? By his own choice, by being the one present or even by Luffy asking Sanji to go. Oda puts Sanji next to Nami a lot, and I think it’s possible he might be doing it for a reason.
Who knows what we might get, but the fact that we have as much as we do really seems to show Oda having a preference to put them together in various ways.
The point is they have a lot of time and moments dedicated to them from Oda despite them both being secondary characters. At this point it’s possible Sanji is the person Nami has moments with the most in the story besides Luffy (and perhaps Usopp) as they often end up together. Of course this is including them thinking about and talking about each other as well, and not just direct interacting. For example counting the body switch and Nami being worried and focused on Sanji while on Zou. Oda doesn’t have to, but he has chosen to write it like this. On top of that he adds romantic interest from Sanji and romantic looking moments between them.
I could go on, and there are plenty of moments and examples to find between Nami and Sanji that are interesting to look a bit deeper at. You can check out my Masterpost - SanjiAFsincedayone for some of them. But as it is now here are the main points for why I think SaNa at least has a bigger chance to happen than other ships with the two of them as it is now.
One-sided attraction and romantic interest from Sanji’s side that needs to be resolved in one way or another.
Nami seems special to Sanji. Even small things like only using -san for her and -chan for others is a detail that makes her stand out to him.
Great involvement in each other’s stories. Oda likes adding Sanji and Nami in moments together both for interaction and explenation about each other. For example Sanji is also often used to save Nami.
Interactions of understanding and changing dynamics between the two, like them compromising for each other or wanting to know about the other’s past. Matching personalities and a possible future.
Romantic themes and moments, mainly the weddings, but also the amount of times Sanji has saved Nami and things like the hug being drawn in a very romantic looking way with Nami being more focused on.
Tension and urgency. This is basically Sanji and Nami having a lot of focus on each other in dire situations and Oda showing it with specific mentions.
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So, to summarize, I like Sanji and Nami both as indvidual characters and together. I enjoy them as a ship and to explore their dynamics in a romantic way no matter what they might end up as in the story. Anyone should be able to respect that people have different preferences. Additionally I think and speculate that they would work well and could happen in the manga as well. This is obviously a biased interpretation and opinion. 
I might be wrong, but you should be able to respect that too as we have yet to get anything objectivly confirming any ship. We don’t know if any ship with end up canon at all. Maybe Sanji and Nami will remain a ship that never becomes canon, but even so they are a ship that is definitely worth enjoying.
I hope you found this post interesting and can enjoy your own ship and fandom while also seeing that it’s ok for others to like something different than you. Thanks for reading.
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immaturityofthomasastruc · 4 years ago
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#5: The One With Astruc's Self-Insert
In my introductory post, I said the main inspiration for this blog was @hypocrisyofandrewdobson​. For those who don't know, Andrew Dobson is an infamous webcomic artist known for drawing webcomics that tend to demonize people he's come across in public or people who disagree with him online (either critical of his art or his political views), while portraying himself as the victim or wise man calling them out on their differing beliefs.
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If you want to learn more about this guy who I consider to be far worse than Astruc, check out the blog in question. And no, I don't know why he draws himself as a blue bear.
Why am I talking about this? It's one thing for some schmuck on the internet to use his work to respond to criticism, but the creator of a popular animated series dedicating an entire episode to attacking his critics and trying to get others to feel bad for him is another story.
The second episode of Miraculous Ladybug's third season, “Animaestro” served as a wake-up call for fans (myself included) to make them realize how immature Astruc could be. The plot centers around the premiere of a movie about Ladybug and Cat Noir directed by Thomas Astruc, who voices himself in the original French dub.
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And this isn't just a brief cameo like what Stan Lee did in the MCU. Astruc is the Akumatized person this episode, so there's naturally a lot of focus on him. Throughout the first half of the episode, Astruc portrays himself as this timid man who nobody recognizes or respects, like this idiot who doesn't know what animation is.
Doorman: This is a private event, sir.
Astruc: Huh? Excuse me? I'm Thomas Astruc, the movie director.
Doorman: You filmed Cat Noir and Ladybug? What are they like in real life?
Astruc: Er, it's an animated movie. It's all cartoon characters. We don't actually film anyone. See, there's this whole team that draw the chara—
Doorman: Whatever. Who would want to see Ladybug and Cat Noir as cartoon characters?
Get it? Wasn't that meta joke hilarious? This is how much I was laughing:
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And Astruc continues to get about as much respect as Rodney Dangerfield when he interacts with other characters like Jagged Stone and Chloe.
Jagged Stone: Ladybug is one of my best buds! I can't wait to see her movie!
Astruc: Well I—I'm the director, so actually it's more my movie, so to speak.
Jagged Stone: Oh, so you're the one who created the story?
Astruc: Well, technically the screen writers wrote the story, inspired by Ladybug's exploits.
Jagged Stone: Oh, okay. So you did all the drawings?
Thomas: No, no. The animators do all the drawings.  
Jagged Stone: So what do you do then?
(Later on...)
Chloe: So you're the one responsible for this movie?
Astruc: Yes, yes! Exactly! That's me!
Chloe: Then you were the one who left Queen Bee out of the trailer. You're lame, utterly lame.
I can't believe Astruc had a scene where he interacted with Chloe and didn't insult her at all.
The episode is determined to make the audience feel bad for Astruc. Nobody respects him and what he does. Isn't that saaaaaad? Nobody cares about animated film directors like Walt Disney or Tex Avery anyway. Not even these stupid children understand how hard Astruc works.
Several Children: Ladybug! Where's Ladybug?
Astruc: Hey there, kids!
Teacher: Ladybug isn't here children. We came here to meet the director of the movie. Children: (frowning in disappointment) Aww.
(Astruc looks visibly disappointed.)
Way to insult your primary demographic, Astruc. I thought you said kids have a better understanding of these stories when people criticized the writing of a certain episode (It's that scene in “Puppeteer 2” if you're curious/don't value your sanity).
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It's almost like you're using that as an excuse to half-ass your work while still getting to claim this show is so groundbreaking.
In case you can't tell, “Animaestro” is one of those episodes. The ones where the showrunners decide to dedicate an entire episode to attacking critics of the show in a blunt fashion. Whenever a show addresses criticism, they either create an obvious strawman character to parrot the opinions of fans who don't like their work, or have someone defend the show and insult the critics directly.
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The problem isn't that they're ignoring criticism. It's their show, and they aren't obligated to listen to critics or fans who don't like the direction the show is taking. On the other hand, they aren't obligated to fight back like this and treat their audience like crap. Any show that does something like the three clips I showed you usually comes off as petty and immature because they dedicate so much time to insulting the critics. 
Even during the Akuma fight, Astruc has to call out Ladybug for having problems with his movie in-universe, obviously representing critics of the show Astruc claims have no right to criticize the show while it's still airing.
Ladybug: What's with that trailer too? I am not scared of cats, at all.
Astruc/Animaestro: You haven't even seen the movie and you're already slamming it?
Cat Noir: He does have a point, you know.
Ladybug: I wasn't slamming it. It's called constructive criticism!
Yeah, how dare Ladybug be angry that this movie is portraying her as a powerless coward dependent on Cat Noir as opposed to a confident and brave superhero. She just doesn't understand the genius of Thomas Astruc!
And of course the character Astruc claims is “perfect” is the one to take his side.
And that's another problem with this episode, the metatextual references. Before he gets akumatized, Astuc says he spent three years of his life working on his movie. I get that time in this show is weird (we somehow had episodes taking place on the first day of school, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and the first day of Summer), but how did Astruc's self-insert work on a movie based on a superhero who has only been active for a year? Meta-wise, it's an obvious reference to the scorn Astruc has gotten from fans after working so hard on his show, but the only people who would get that reference are the ones who are aware of Astruc's reputation online.
Self-Insert aside, I actually think the titular Animaestro is one of the more visually impressive Akumas featured on the show. Animaestro takes on several forms based off several different forms and eras of animation, like flash, anime, rubber hose, and they all stand out. Granted, some of them are obvious parodies of other characters like Goku or Sailor Moon, but the actual Akuma fight is fun to watch. According to the Mexican Miraculous Ladybug Twitter account, this episode took two and a half years to create, and it shows. It's too bad the story behind it is completely insufferable, almost like the cartoon equidistant to Pixels.
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But then comes the part that honestly makes the episode worth it, mainly for how unintentionally hilarious it is. Do you want to know what Animaestro's weakness is? Do you really want to know?
Animaestro is physically incapable of moving unless someone is watching him. I am not making this up.
Ladybug and Cat Noir literally defeat Animaestro by getting everyone to stop paying attention to him.
I could make so many jokes with this, but I can guarantee you're already thinking of something just as good, if not better, than whatever I write.
And there's the end where Astruc gives Marinette his ticket to the movie, which prompts Marinette to kiss up to him for no real reason.
Astruc: Sorry, I guess you don't know who I am either.
Marinette: Of course do. You're Thomas Astruc, the movie director!
Astruc: She recognized me. Somebody actually recognized me!
Nothing happened to make her change her opinion on the Ladybug movie, she didn't really say anything to him earlier in the episode that connects to this exchange, and outside of a few lines Animaestro said, she doesn't even know why he got akumatized (even though ironically she and Chloe accidentally contributed to it because of the awful subplot involving Kagami I talked about last time). If anything, it comes off less like she actually appreciates Astruc's work, and more like she's stroking his ego just to keep him from getting akumatized again.
So yeah, this episode is awful, and the fact that it came out right after the controversial “Chameleon” only proved to show what kind of direction the show was taking this season.
But honestly, even if Astruc still wanted to make about how he doesn't get enough respect the episode could have potentially. All he had to do was make a simple change: Instead of making it about validation for Astruc as a creator, make it about validation for animation in general.
It's a common misconception that animation is only used for shows and movies aimed at children, so the episode could reflect it. Instead of the huge turnout where several celebrities appear at the premiere, instead, the turnout could be a lot smaller, with the media dismissing it as some stupid kiddie flick. Instead of getting akumatized because he gets humiliated in public/getting no respect from anyone else, Astruc gets akumatized because he sees the audience didn't go wild for the movie after the premiere. All he can hear them say is that it's just “kids stuff”.
So when Astruc is Animaestro, he goes on about how important animation is. How it's helped produce propaganda since World War II. How it helped improve special effects in big blockbusters. How the medium is used to create movies that simply can't be filmed on a physical set.
After defeating Animaestro, Ladybug shows up to talk to him. She had seen the movie earlier, and actually enjoyed it. She had a few problems with the story, but they were just minor nitpicks and inaccuracies Astruc wouldn't know about, and she was blown away by the animation. She tells Astruc not to be deterred by his critics, and continue to do what he does. As a designer in her civilian life, Ladybug knows the joy creating brings her, and both she and Astruc want to spread that joy through their work.
Back at the premiere, Astruc thinks about what Ladybug said to him when he sees some kids reenacting a scene from the movie. Astruc walks over to them and asks what they thought of the movie. They said they loved it and how energetic it was. When he tells them he is the director, the kids' faces light up and they say they want to do what he does when they grow up, bringing a smile to Astruc's face.
Isn't that a much more humble approach instead of what we got? It would have helped Astruc come across as more sympathetic, especially with animation fans. But instead, we got an entire episode of Astruc whining about how misunderstood he is.
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And you know the footage used for the movie at the beginning? Remember that, because I have a huge rant about it saved for a later post.
For now, here’s an example of a creator appearing in his work done right.
youtube
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thestarswhim · 3 years ago
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You know, with Animaniacs having been getting a whole lot more attention again, and with me and my sis reading Scoob and Shag, it got us thinking about what the Warners’ ballyhoos might be. 👁️👁️
So, please take a seat, get comfortable, and read what me and my sister have come up with~
Our first idea was that their ballyhoos would be connected in some way which I'll expand more on as we go. For now, I'll explain how each of theirs work.
Starting with,
✨Yakko Warner✨
Ballyhoo: "Manifest Melody"
As we've seen, this fella likes to sing and tries to at any given opportunity. A lot of songs when it comes to these types of cartoons are either informational, or just tell it how it is (i.e, the events that are happening at the moment, what a character is feeling, like telling a story; basically a musical to put it all simply).
So, whatever Yakko sings, it'll basically happen. If he sung about an anvil falling on someone's head, well then an anvil will appear out of nowhere and fall on that person's head, if they don't manage to dodge in time, that is.
He can only go as far as manifesting physical things into reality and being able to alter the area in some ways (if he were to sing about someone about to fall into a ditch, then a random ditch can suddenly appear in the ground and the character would most likely fall in).
It’s possible he could change the way someone feels. The character would still have full control of themselves, but if Yakko were to sing about how sad and frustrated they must be feeling, then their emotions would embrace that feeling which would possibly make it harder for the character to focus on what they were doing before.
Yakko can’t, however, make it so that he could instantly win. Singing about a character losing won’t just make a character lose, it’ll take a lot more than that, sadly (he doesn’t mind, though, it wouldn’t be fun that way lol). He can’t just make a character simply die, either. 
So, it’s all based on physical things, and he’d only be able to affect a character themselves by emotions alone. If he wanted to physically hurt the character or something like that, he would have to sing out about that anvil or that ditch in the ground, etc.
His singing has to have a flow with the words and rhythm and such, because if it doesn’t, then it simply won’t work. Whatever he made happen while he was singing will reset after he stops using his ballyhoo (meaning, whatever items were there would go away, but stuff like the ditch would stay. It is only physical objects that would disappear). It’s similar to how once a song is over, everything that happened during it would kinda be dismissed and the characters would move on as if they didn’t just have the grandest dance number in the middle of the street. 
Of course, the best way to stop him would be to just find a way to keep his mouth shut which many find difficult because it’s flippin’ Yakko Warner.
All right!! His took a lot to explain, but the next two will be more shorter. ^^
Next sibling is...
✨Wakko Warner✨
Ballyhoo: "Infinite Crave”
It's literally like how Kirby works: his stomach is a huge, never ending, spatial void, a whole other dimension.
Wakko can eat anything and it'll just, y'know, stay in that stomach of a void until he brings it out whenever he wants. It's like a hammerspace except that hammerspace is his stomach LOL
He could spit things out like bullets if he wanted to, and yes, he could inhale things up like a vacuum.
The possibilities on how he'd use it are endless~
He only has a void when he's using his ballyhoo, other than that he has a regular ol' stomach.
Wow that was much shorter LOL, I'm sure there's more to be said, but for now we'll keep it as is. 👍
And now, last, but definitely not least...
✨Dot Warner✨
Ballyhoo: "Lady's Purse"
We both noticed that Dot is the one to use her hammerspace the most (at least in the reboot). She just whips out whatever at any given time. So, we thought she would be the one who perfects the technique of the whole thing; has a better grip on the concept.
Just like a lady's purse, anything can be in it, and so Dot could have anything on her, and bring it out however. Her main weapon is obviously her trademark hammer.
Just for fun she would bring out the smallest, slimmest hand purse ever and take out a car out of it or something just ironically huge and bulky.
Her "hammerspace" isn't as vast as Wakko's "whole other dimension," but whatever she can think of, she's able to bring out (while Wakko has to collect all his stuff externally and store them up).
She can only bring out items, objects, and the like. It can't be an actual person, if anything, it'd be a figurine of the person or something. 😂
Whatever she brings out can't be placed back because, though she can use whatever items as they should be used, they're only basically based on her imagination, so once she uses it, it'll just poof away afterwards, as if it didn't exist (similar to what would happen with Yakko). Just like how certain gags work in cartoons.
If she didn't want to worry about an item being poofed away, she'd use whatever Wakko's got as he can keep using the same items over and over again since he'd just bring whatever out, and after he's done, eat it.
Okay! After describing everyone individually, lets talk about how they could be connected in certain ways.
I kind of already explained it in Dot’s section how she would sometimes use whatever Wakko has got, and mostly he’d have to bring whatever item out and she’d use it.
Buuut, she’s also able to connect to Wakko’s “dimension” and use whatever items from there by taking it out of her own “Lady’s Purse.” It only works when they’re both together, so if they’re separated, she won’t be able to do that.
It’s a good trick to use on an “enemy” if said enemy already knew about how Dot’s ballyhoo worked and be surprised when whatever item she brought out doesn’t poof afterwards.
It’s the same case with Yakko. If he had to get specific about some things, and if Wakko was with him, then Yakko could bring out whatever items from Wakko just by singing, and it would pop up wherever Yakko sings it would pop up (no need for Wakko to spit it out, yaaay). The items used from Wakko would then stay after, like I said with Dot.
Basically, Wakko’s their storage unit LOL And so they’re all aware with what Wakko has stored, but only when they’re together.
Nothing is different when it’s Yakko and Dot, but they do work well together (despite all the arguments that may ensue). She joins in on the singing, helping things happen with her in the mix of it, and it also helps her think up some items to use. Of course, Wakko joins in on the singing, too, and all three of them are just nuisances and we love them.
They’re also more aware meta wise when all three are together. They might notice a speech bubble once in awhile, or look to the audience like they’re in The Office, but it’s nothing serious, they just have fun with it.
Also, I’m pretty sure being locked in the tower would do things.
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ANYWHO That’s all! I’m sorry if this looks all messy, or if I didn’t explain things well enough, we’re still figuring out some things in the process ourselves, but I think we got the general thing out all in all. 
With all that said, YA WANT SOME ART MADE BY MY WONDERFUL SISTER? These are just sketches more so on their designs, and she gave the okay to show them! :D
Warning: instances of blood are shown
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She said she might draw more stuff for it, and I'll force her to make an account LOL (/lh), so tune in next time!!
Goodnight, everybody!!
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liquid-luck-00 · 4 years ago
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Connections 6
Chapter 6
this is based on @thepeacetea daminette soulmate au
Masterlist *** First *** Previous *** Next
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Grandfather hated soulmates and the entire league shared that sentiment. His Mother was glad for the fact that he did not have any soul mark. That was good he wasn’t tied to anyone; he didn’t have to worry about it. It wasn’t until he was six that something changed, and he was thankful that he was alone in his room when it happened. A thought fluttered through his mind alone he instantly recognized was not his own.
An invisible bond. My soulmate will be affected by the *********** magic that affects me. They are my other half; I have to protect them.
“Tt” Damian allowed to be stated aloud. Protect me huh, as if! That was when it occurred to him I have a soulmate.
Damian bolted up and sat straight. If I have a soulmate and I just heard their thoughts. Well if this was their thoughts. Do they know mine. Damian was beginning to become infuriated with this new piece of knowledge, what struck him as odd was the fact that he felt like something was missing in the thought. It was as if that last piece could help him understand this peculiar event. In that moment, his mother came into his room.
“Damian it is time to go” His mother snapped him out of his thoughts, and he pushed this into the back of his mind. He followed his mother, and this was simply filled away in his mind under things that were useless or frustrating.
---
It wasn’t until three years later would his bond would infuriate him again. As far as he knew nothing was out of the ordinary. No one batted and eye when he already knew how to handle guns, they simply praised him for being a natural and he himself did not think of it either.
But then he had to get ready for the Lazarus Ritual. His mother came to retrieve him and then everything changed. He remembered walking behind his mother blinked and he was sitting in a large room. In his lap was a book filled with drawings. Wait what the Hell was he wearing. He looked at his hands and his skin was lighter, he was wearing a wait is this a skirt. Then he looked up and saw this thing. It was this little red blob with a black spot on its forehead between clear blue eyes. That was when he began to scowl.
The question left his lips before he could process anymore “Maza ank (What are you)?” he practically spat continuing still “Ayn anna (Where am I)?” the blob seemed to only stare in shock.
The little thing looked at him and then smiled. Why would it smile. “I’m Tikki and it is nice to meet you, soulmate to my chosen” it seemed to choose its words carefully, wait why did it respond in English. But it answered half of my question he was about to respond but this Tikki spoke again “As to where you are, I am not at liberty to say.”
He decided to shift to English as this creature seemed to speak it “What is the meaning of this soulmate to your chosen rubbish?”
“just as it sounds you are the soulmate of my chosen. You being here is a result of your bond.” He scowled and stared at the blob and it sighed. “You have an invisible bond but because your other half is my chosen you both have a bond different than anyone else’s on the planet.” He began to scowl harder if that was even possible. “this bond will only continue to grow but know that what one learns the other knows as well. I am assuming it is because of you that my chosen knows how to fight.”
This pulled at Damian’s interest they know how to fight because of me then what do I know because of them. He looked at the blob again and decided to ask “does your chosen know how to handle firearms, before today?” he half hoped he was wrong because if they did his soulmate may just be as dangerous as him if not more if this creature was anything to go off of.
It was quiet and then it nodded “yes my chosen has known how to handle firearms for years now.”
Shit. Well at least I know that they can handle themselves.
“I believe our time has come to an end. Until we meet once again soulmate of my chosen.” It spoke as he blinked and then he was standing on a balcony cliff overlooking the Lazarus pit as they took his grandfather out to his chambers. He dimly remembered his mother calling him and leaving him in his quarters. Then the memory of the ritual surfaced. It was odd he was watching it but it felt detached from himself almost like a video recording, there was no feeling just the ritual and the proceedings but he felt nothing from it.
---
Mari was going through her sketchbook talking about what she was planning for her dad, she blinked and she was walking behind a woman, her aura was deadly so she schooled her emotions and presented a blank face almost bored and then they exited the dark halls into an outcrop balcony of sorts overlooking a large cavern with a pool of bubbling acid green water on the other side.
She scanned the cave and then she noticed several people dressed in all black surrounding another man. From her vantage she saw a cruel face that was surrounded by black and white hair and beard. His eyes were the same acid green as the water and the aura around him as well. He wore a regal robe in a deep crimson accentuated by black and gold designs.
The cruel mad began to speak and she understood it as being Arabic.
“All here are to bear witness to the revitalization of the Demon Head. By the power of the Lazurus Pit…” more was said and then Marinette watched as the man took the robe off and stepped into the Pit. He completely submerged and the water glowed a sickly green and then he remerged. He put on the robe and continued to speak.
Mari knew that what she just witnessed was an abuse of the magic in the water, and she forced herself to remain impassive. She knew that everyone in the room would turn on her if she showed any emotion that would betray her. And then it hit her she knew no one and was talking with Tikki sitting in the parlor of Wayne Manor so how did she end up here. She watched as the man with cruel eyes left and she blinked again and then she saw Tikki staring at her expectantly, and she simply shook her head, Tikki looked sad and then Alfred came in.  
“Miss Mari” he tried to get her attention kneeling next to her on the couch, but she simply stared straight forwards. Everyone came into the room trying to find out why Alfred sounded frazzled.
Then she looked up and stared at Jason, she finally found her voice and asked “J… Jay… Jay-Jay why are… why are you covered in chaos magic” everyone was staring at her so she tried asking another way. “Why are you covered in magic from the Lazarus Pit?” everyone looked scared and now Mari was confused as well.
“How do you know that name, Mari?” Tikki asked her, breaking the silence.
“I” she didn’t know how to explain what just happened to her “I just heard it, I saw it, it was it was like a ritual”
“Tikki is this normal for a miraculous holder” Bruce asked looking at Tikki hoping for an answer
Tikki simply shook her head “No it isn’t. seeing the Lazarus arura is for a Ladybug, but this knowledge is not normal…” then she stopped ad gave Mari a knowing and sad smile. “Mari do you think?” Tikki didn’t have to finish the question for Mari to understand.
As Tikki asked her everything seemed to fall into place she was close to crying from fear or joy she didn’t know. “it might be, it’s the most logical.”
“What does this incur exactly?” Alfred spoke from kneeling beside Marinette.
“Her soulmate” Tikki said and that left everyone quiet once again. “Mari knows how to fight, that much you know but what you don’t is that she has never had any type of training. The same goes for several languages she has never studied, she can read a person’s body language without any difficulty, and now this.” Everyone was staring at her now almost like they knew something that she didn’t and that scared her.
Bruce kneeled down and pulled Mari into a hug. And whispered in her ear quiet enough so no one else heard but her “I’ll explain but for now it is okay to cry if your scared something must have happened for this to affect you so much”
Her eyes widened in surprise before she began to cry, and Bruce took her in his arms and together with Tikki left the parlor to her room.
---
Once they were in Mari’s room Bruce wrapped her in a blanket and sat next to her on the bed when the door opened. There stood Jason in front and right behind him were Dick and Tim, further in the hallway was probably Alfred. Bruce glared at them and they closed the door and heard several pairs of feet leave.
Bruce sighed and shared a look with Tikki before he spoke “Pixie do you know what the Lazarus Pit is?”
She shook her head no “not completely, no.”
“What do you know?” this time Tikki spoke.
“I could tell it was filled with magic. It was a pool of bubbling acid green water.”
“you said it was like a ritual can you explain” Bruce tried to keep his voice level. He had hoped to never have to explain this to Mari, Mari looked down into her lap and Tikki flew into her sights.
“He said it was a Revitalization Ritual. Something about a Demon”
He was surprised when Tikki started to speak. “The Lazarus Pit was created by a wish combining the miraculous of the Ladybug and the Black cat. The Ladybug magic allows anyone touched by the water to be revived, healed, and extends their life. It was created by the first wish. However, the Black cat’s magic breaks the soul of the person it touches, thus making them quick to anger and dangerous there is only one exception, but it is more of a rumor as it has never happened.”
Bruce asked without thinking “Can you heal someone from the pit after they come back?” If this is true we can help Jason.
“It is possible, but it would only be stated in the grimoire, and it was lost along with the peacock and Butterfly miraculous” Bruce couldn’t help the small frown but it was soon replaced by shock as little Mari hugged him.
“We will help Jay-Jay with or without magic” Bruce let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and hugged Mari.
“I know” he then looked at the girl and he now continued. “The Pit is controlled by a group called the League of Assassins and the Demon you heard of is a man by the name of Ra’s al Ghul.”
Mari looked pensive “Tall, cruel acid green eyes with black and white hair and beard” she stated as if recalling something.
Bruce just looked at her shocked “yes” he couldn’t believe this how did sweet little Mari meet such a man. “How. How do you know him?”
“I saw him during the ritual” this just brought up more questions, but all his questions died on his lips as he saw Tikki rise.
“Mari you swapped with your soulmate today” she stated it as a fact as if she knew and was confirming it. Mari nodded her head, and Tikki sighed. “I spoke with them while you were swapped it happened right before Alfred came into the room. They were direct and to the point, and I don’t think they knew that they even had a soulmate until today.”
This was news but then again knowing Ra’s despises weakness any assassin in training under him would as well. It also figures if it is an invisible bond, they are so rare that there is very little known how they interact with the soul. In this moment he knew that he would protect the little pixie in front of him wrapped up in a blanket, and he knew that her ‘Brothers’ would protect her as well.
Next
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taglist🐞🦇
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gayregis · 3 years ago
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right away sorry if this gets too ranty I've just been Thinking lately and i feel like twn is such a good example of like. this idea that Real and Good film and television can only be made by Hollywood i guess? like there's even this polish saying that roughly translates to "you praise the foreign and don't know your own" which gets made fun of a lot but also. it's very true imo. like i still wonder what could've been if actual good polish filmmakers were entrusted with making a new witcher (1/?
and it would've been such a good opportunity for like. one showcasing that there Can be good art and entertainment made locally and two some genuine cultural exchange. like i know its too big of an idea for Capitalism™ but if there was a well made polish-language show on international Netflix like. idk i feel like maybe that could spark some interest in like broadening peoples horizons and changing their views on what fantasy looks like etc and its just frustrating that there wasnt even a chance
i really agree. i have been dreaming recently about what my ideal "visual adaptation" of the witcher would look like, and what i've come up with essentially is something like the polish audiodramas set to 2D animation by fans of the witcher. subs, not dubs, i guess?
audiodramas
gilthoniel1173 on youtube has uploaded many select clips of the audiodramas, translated them and set them to pictures. amazing work and i highly recommend this.
i really value the majority of sapkowski's prose, though there are faults with the witcher, his prose really has a marvelous quality to it and i am trying to think of a way to keep this intact. something like the audiodramas in which there are narration may be the best way to go, with subtitles so that
animation
it's the sort of thing i think about like, hey, if i had netflix's budget (approx. $70 to $80 million, [dies]), how would i make the witcher adaptation?
disclaimer: i hesitated to @ artists because i feel like it sends the message that i am saying, "hey you, specifically, should do this idea for free, also btw, i only see you as a witcher fanartist and nothing more :)" this is not my intention, what i want to do here is just want to bring light to these artists in the community and the work they have done, both witcher-related and original work (and i hope that i am in no way defining them as 'only-witcher' artists). additionally, this is in no way suggesting that i don't want to involve any artists i did not mention or that i do not adore the work of other artists in the witcher fandom, these are just the immediate two i think of when i think of animating the witcher.
i imagine it in the style of @paticmak , @astrolunos , @johix because they have done just such gorgeous art of the witcher... <3 (i hope everyone reading knows of these artists already, but if you do not, please check out their work and support!)
paticmak's cherry vodka, an original animation which you should watch: [x]
paticmak's witcher fanart: [x]
astrolunos' animations, including geralt and ciri from sword of destiny and yennefer and ciri from blood of elves: [x]
astrolunos' witcher fanart: [x]
johix's jadýrko, an original interactive story which you should check out: [x] [x]
johix's art (some ship and ns/fw): [x]
specific witcher pieces from these artists that i think about:
[paticmak / "The witcher drawings redraws and sketches"]
[astrolunos / slavic-inspired outfits]
[astrolunos / "yen and ciri’s room, ellander"]
[johix / geralt and dandelion at beltane (ship)]
other major inspirations in my dreams of this:
studio ghibli movies (spirited away and howl's moving castle)
independent animators like felix colgrave (double king)
laika studio animations (kubo and the two strings)
gobelins studio (sundown)
embracing the roots, introducing diversity
my main point in this section is that i believe the polish & eastern european culture of the witcher is essential to it, at the same time i also value diversity and uplifting people of color. i do not believe that these two concepts are in conflict with one another! a discussion simply needs to be held, which is something that netflix did not do because it had few eastern european voices on the set, and kept the voices of color it did have down.
something netflix failed to do is acknowledge the witcher's cultural origins... at all. really, at all. in the writing, in the dialogue, in the set design, in the character and fashion design... and they had the opportunity to do this. this is massively disappointing and thoughtless.
my goal would be to bring polish & other eastern european writers who are fans of the witcher to work through the prose to tell the story. i would also like to have female and lgbt voices in this because the witcher has some elements that are...! disconcerting, let's just say. as we saw with lauren, having a woman in charge doesn't immediately make things not misogynist anymore, somehow she added to the misogyny of the witcher. but i think this is still a step in the right direction. additionally, this writing process would NOT look like writing fanfiction. it would really be going through and working with the artists and translating the prose, deciding what should be kept and what should be left out (some things like forest gramps should be left out, wouldn't you agree?).
new scenes could be added, but they would just have to be done for a reason. i believe the 2002 hexer did this somewhat-successfully in scenes such as this one, in which they develop relationships between characters just that little bit more and add to the pathos of the witcher (which is quite direct and does not "loiter" upon many things!)
i would also really value the voices of set designers, fashion historians, food historians, and cultural anthropologists who are from + study poland & eastern europe because i believe the history and culture should be integrated into the witcher and appreciated, demonstrated in a positive and celebratory light to the world, without doing so in a cultural appropriation-like manner (in which elements are just taken without any knowledge of where they are from and what context they hold). also, yes, the witcher is not a historical fantasy - but its setting is inspired by history and it would be rewarding to see a visual fantasy universe that is not based in english culture!
i think the witcher community is really vast and holds many opinions... this is both a good and bad thing, because "the witcher fandom" includes both people of color and like, white supremacists. i will say that i wouldn't want the latter working on the project, just saying. i would like to see designs of color for the cast of the witcher (i have done a few but hesitated to post them, lol) and sensitivity readings, NOT just diversity for views like netflix performed, but diversity that empowers, makes sense, and isn't "people of color are in this, they are either white-passing or just there to support the white characters." ... i also would like to think about how we approach diversity, as in, designs/casting of color should not be relegated to insignificant or evil characters, the good protagonists could be people of color. i would also like to think about and avoid problematic tropes such as when white characters in a media teach and "civilize" a young person of color, or when "monsters" or non-human characters are cast as people of color... i think people of color should be given roles in which they are in control, powerful, desirable, and good. we need to think about the message we send. in the end, my goal would be "genuine cultural exchange" as you said.
additionally: i think involving jewish and indigenous (broad terms, but i mean them to be broad) voices specifically in conversations about writing would be significant because sapkowski made some decisions in the witcher which can come off as offensive to these groups in particular (regarding the parts of the story about elves, dwarves, gnomes, dryads, and specific characters such as yennefer and regis).
music
honestly, not many thoughts here! can we really get any better than the soundtrack of the witcher 3? cdpr has many faults, but their music is not one of them in my opinion.
afterthoughts
i was displeased to learn that alik sakharov left twn because of not being appreciated and instead being fought on his writing, but i feel a project like this would actually value input like his instead of kicking him out and citing "creative differences"
what is really the most significant thing to me is good writing and ciri's relationship with her parents, because i believe these being taken away is one of the things which was most painful about netflix's "adaptation."
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