#there are flaws to my characters and my writing and I am fully aware of that

[genericpuff]

Hi! So this is coming from a place of genuine concern, LR Persephone isn't going to have DID right? I know you probably can't reveal much but DID is already a very stigmatized disorder so I'm always worried when I see the Signs, I hope you understand lol

I understand fully your concerns, and I hope I can reassure you in my own intentions regarding Kore / Persephone that the goal is not to demonize or stigmatize DID in any way. I actually do regularly interact with a family member who's currently seeking an official diagnosis for it, and have my own firsthand experiences with my own mental health and symptoms of childhood trauma that are intersectional with that of DID. Of course, that doesn't mean that I'm immune to stigmatizing, but rest assured that I am aware of the stigmas surrounding DID and the misconceptions that a lot of people have about it, no thanks to how it's been portrayed in mainstream media.

If I can add some additional and necessary context as to why I chose to write Kore like this, much of how I'm writing her is based on how she was initially presented to us in S1 of LO, particularly through the personification of her wrath:

I really liked this concept and was subsequently disappointed when it seemed to get left behind (though considering how LO turned out, maybe that was for the better lmao) I've always enjoyed these "inner conflict" character dynamics, but I also understand from years of writing characters like this that much of these types of tropes are often intersectional with common misconceptions and stigmas surrounding personality disorders and mental illness.

Within the context of Rekindled, Kore does not specifically have DID but her experiences are clearly intersectional with it. Ultimately my goal is to empathize, not demonize. As much as "Persephone" may be currently presenting herself as a sort of snarky "alter ego" of Kore, she is not evil, no more "evil" than Kore herself, because they're ultimately of the same mind and body, flaws and all. Persephone is often speaking truths that Kore is simply not willing to admit or able to face, the worst of which we've yet to uncover, but will be necessary to overcome. There will certainly be times when Kore's actions - spurred on by the voice of Persephone in her ear - may be ugly or wrong, but I hope in the end that I'll achieve my goal in expressing that everyone - even immortal gods - can always have another chance to heal, to forgive themselves for their past, and to do right by themselves for the sake of a brighter future. This will apply to other gods in the story as well, many of whom also share Kore's struggles and experiences.

And, assuming I do my part and deliver on my promises, there will be closure for Kore/Persephone, the readers who relate to their struggles and experiences, and many of the other characters who were hung out to dry in the original comic. That's definitely one of my biggest goals with this retelling, at least! (•̀ᴗ•́)و It's definitely one of my riskier moves as the nature of the subject is very sensitive, but I'm giving it my all in the hopes that it pays off in a more nuanced and in-depth character arc for Kore/Persephone than what we got in LO that can hopefully be embraced as a message of acceptance and self-love. And y'all can hold me to that (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

[coockie8]

why are so many of your ocs super overpowered though??

Ever since I was a really little kid, I've been very frustrated with the fact we invented all these super awesome powers and concepts for story telling purposes, but then, somewhere down the line, decided we actually aren't allowed to use like any of them because it's "bad story telling", or some other such nonsense.

Like, no, if I wanna write an impervious, God-like character with a cheeky personality and barely addressed flaws that everyone loves, then I damn well will, and if you have a problem with that, then clearly you are not the target audience.

Not everything is for everyone, and some of you people seriously need to learn to make your peace with that.

[dragonfyre-creations]

I don't think I've ever poured so many of my physical attributes and so much of my heart and soul into a character design before in such a personal way before so fuck it whenever I finish the final design for Faeng and whatever I come up with I'm making her into my sona (dragonsona? Persona? Idk how this works lmfao)

(long dump in the tags and under the cut)

The last time I was even remotely connected this much to a character was when I designed Jaxsu, but honestly never truly made her my sona/main character, she was just the one I used most often in art pieces. I never really actually liked her lore and backstory enough because she was what I wanted to be instead of what I am/was. Jax isnt perfect either, but her parents love her and otherwise has friends and is loved unconditionally. She has a healthy relationship with everyone and everything. This is where the disconnect happened and where I actually started to dislike her despite her being my otherwise favorite character for awhile. Both Faeng and Jaxsu have ADHD and Autism but Jaxsu was able to put that towards a job and becoming a ship captain and winning a colosseum tournament. She's done all of these great things so even if she didn't have a healthy relationship with her parents they'd still love her because she's done something impressive and useful.

Faeng on the other hand, has to fight for everything. Her parents are important and have important jobs, and place all of these unreachable and unrealistic expectations on her and expect her to reach them with minimal effort and be perfect, but she can't no matter how hard she tries. She needs someone to explain it and break it down for her in steps so she understands what do to and how to do it so she doesn't mess it up. She's both strong and smart but it's not in practical "normal" ways or subjects. It's convoluted, It's not in the ways everyone wants her to be, she has no teachers to help her understand how to channel that strength and intelligence into something "useful" so she puts it towards the things she likes and wants to do, and thus struggles in a world that would otherwise be easy to navigate and conquer if she were "normal". Those that do understand her and try to help her are alienated by other people in an attempt to either punish both of them or force her to adapt to be somewhat passing as normal, if not then at least listen to what she's told to do. She does eventually make acquaintances but find that her twisted speech and weird explanations aren't worth trying to decipher and understand so they leave, they don't put in the effort to meet her halfway even though she's struggling and doing her best to speak in a way they'll understand.

Her parents acknowledge her differences but in a way that frames it as flawed and wrong, something that needs to be corrected, and push her to figure out her problems by herself, tearing down any support network she tries to build. She tries her damned hardest but it's not enough, it never is and never will be for them because she's not the perfect child they wanted. She showed promise in her younger years being a "gifted child" so she knows what love and acceptance lies in wait and what could be if she could just be normal and perfect. Her achievements and promise come and show in waves. She burns and fizzles out in one of the most virulent, painful ways possible after getting hurt trying to prove her worth yet again. She holds nothing but criticism, vitriol and contempt for herself because she can't claw her way back to where she was before, this time something happened and something is terribly, horribly wrong this time but she doesn't know that it is and can't figure it out, nor will anyone tell her. Whatever it is, left a mental and several physical injuries and it does nothing but deepen her self hatred and her parent's waning belief in her. She listens to false promises and praise of other people who do nothing but wish to manipulate and harm her but she stays because any form of praise is deemed good, she hungers for more and does worsening things.

She ignores the people who tell her that what she's doing is dangerous and will only end in disaster, because she doesn't believe them. If the people who are saying they're her friends are telling her that the people she hurts deserve it and that what she's doing is good, then surely she needs to believe them over strangers, right? Everything comes to a breaking point and shatters around her leaving her with quite literally nothing but her own self hatred, newfound rage and overbearing mental issues she needs to navigate once again to find out what hell it is and what's wrong with her now. She's scared of everyone and everything with the added bonus of now being hyper-aware and perceptive of people's mannerisms and behaviors, especially those who want to manipulate or harm her again. She wraps every vulnerable part of herself in metaphorical thorns and teeth to bite and maim whoever pries and digs into what she truly is, even people who want to understand her. She suffers at more than her own hand, forcing herself to deal with everything alone, until she finally meets someone that could be considered a true friend. She slowly opens up and helps them as much as they help her before everything comes crashing back down once again upon the reveal that they've been lying to her the entire time about very serious issues, and she's been used as nothing more than an attack dog once again. She burns every bridge and everyone around her in one final breakdown of rage before shutting down completely. One of the groups of friends she's shoved stay comes back and asks if she's ok. She doesn't understand why they're being kind, why they're concerned it why they care and tries to shove them away again. Every single day they still ask, talking even if there's no response from her, until she finally relents and breaks.

She's finally loved and accepted despite every fault and every flaw she has, and every time she tries to pull away out of fear of being an inconvenience they pull back twice as hard and remind her that she's able to just exist, she doesn't need to constantly be useful and that they care. She finally, finally is comfortable enough to let herself be accepted and then becomes the most clingy little shit, just as they do with her. But yeah, my own life has been very much of the same, especially the last part. Every time I go on another self-hatred spiral and drop off the face of the earth my MonHun bros give me a metaphorical slap to the face and remind me that I don't need to constantly prove my worth to everyone and prove that I'm useful, and that existing every once in awhile is more than enough. If that doesn't work then it's "you need to get your ass back over here because we're failing the Safi siege without the absolutely ridiculous amount of DPS your build Switchaxe does". I was not intending for her to be so much like me but goddamnit she's wormed her way into being my favorite now and I guess Mirage is no longer my impromptu sona

[hyperactivewhore]

hi I love your blog we have very much the same opinions in everything except klamille is my favourite klaus ship and klaurora is second

I have been trying to enjoying klaus fics or any tvdu fics on wattpad but every thing I have read so far doenst show the characters accurately which is very annoying

I was hoping and want to request if you could give me some recommendations on fics on wattpad that are good. (Mainly klaus but any love interest would be good)

could you please give a short summary/review so far of any recommendation you give so I don’t waste time starting one only to not like ir

sorry if I am sounding rude English is not my first language but I can read it fully thank I you very much

Don't worry, you're not sounding rude at all, if anything you actually sound really sweet. I'm glad we share some opinions and I'm really honored you came to me for some suggestions.

I haven't read long fanfictions in a while outside works in ao3, I left Wattpad a few time ago but I'll still try my best, tho I'm not very good at giving summaries. Fair warning these are mainly fanfics I've read in Archive of Our Own, not Wattpad, but I hope it's not a problem. If it annoys you, send me an ask and I'll give you some Wattpad recommendations!

Patisserie (ao3, poly Mikaelson siblings x original female character, no incest) by @wickedlyemma:

Stats: (published: 2020-12-29), (completed: 2023-03-12), (words: 154,943), (chapters: 45/45), (comments: 4,385), (kudos: 8,469), (bookmarks: 1,799), (hits: 279,967)

Tags: Polyamory, Sugar Daddy, Self-Indulgent, Explicit Sexual Content, No Incest, Slow Burn, Not Canon Compliant

Summary:

I think we've all read those kind of tvdu fanfics where the main character is a teenager, usually related to the Gilbert or the Forbes, still in high school and who suddenly stops trying to make a life for herself just because she gets dragged into the supernatural world. Well, Patisserie is the opposite of that. For once, the main character isn't a teen but an adult around her twenties, who works at a bakery and is completely unaware of the supernatural world until Klaus decides to change that.

The slow burn is is truly worthy of a chef's kiss, the way the author describes and writes the Mikaelson is just so on point it hurts. Their family dynamic is so entertaining to watch, but it's as fucked up as it is in the show, which it's something not many authors can accomplish. The way they behave around the main character, a simple human, it's so amusing because they truly know nothing despite their age and she's just so easy to relate to, because for once the oc is not ridiculously overpowered.

The way we perceive the Mikaelson and the vampire world from a human pov is truly interesting, how she copes with all of it and eventually learns to love all of them individually while being aware of the danger is so well done. Kol and her, as well as her relationship with Klaus, are particularly interesting to read, especially considering how they all behaved around her at the beginning and especially because both of them are the most dangerous members of their family. They are all selfish creatures, and I love how it shows the more their relationships with her develop.

Apotheosis (ao3, Klaus x original female character) by atriums;

Stats: (published: 2022-01-01), (completed: 2022-12-13), (words: 158,264), (chapters: 31/31), (comments: 606), (kudos: 1,817), (bookmarks: 491), (hits: 69,472)

Tags: POV Alternating, Minor Original Character(s), Minor Character Death, Canonical Character Death, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sex, Sexual Content, Devoted Reader, Author Rejects Canon and Substitutes It with Their Own, Cannibalistic Werewolf Cults, Nobody Is Good But Also Nobody Is Evil, These Characters are Flawed and Problematic (Probably), This Fic is Not a Bastion for Healthy Characters and Relationships, Reader/OC Especially, Reader/OC can be any ethnicity

Summary;

You know those fanfics who fix (almost) everything problematic in canon? Apotheosis does exactly that. In this story, Klaus isn't a complete irredeemable character for once, but he also isn't half as bad as his canon version, and due to the oc being a werewolf, this fanfic does expand on his werewolf side a little more than The Vampire Diaries or The Originals ever did. His family and him actually have a healthy bond, and Finn gets the recognition he deserves for once.

The story is set in season three of TVD, exactly when Klaus and Stefan are trying to make hybrids for his pack, and in a ironic plot twist, Klaus decides to take you with him when you're still a werewolf after you say you're not worthy to be a hybrid, at least not yet.

Her devotion to him is completely endearing and I absolutely love how Klaus actually cares for his pack, especially because they're all canonical characters who were killed way too quickly. Her relationships with the members of their pack are so well written, and this fanfic it's the perfect mix of humour and seriousness. It has a ongoing sequel, which I just adore. I warn you though, all the characters have several differences from their canon versions.

Twisted Obsession (fanfiction.net, Klaus x original female character) by rocket-queen98;

Stats: Originals, M, English, Romance & Angst, chapters: 16, words: 59k+, favs: 1k+, follows: 1k+, updated: May 6, 2023 published: Aug 13, 2016, [Klaus M., OC] Elijah M., Hope M.

Summary;

Lola is one of the most adorable mc I've read. She is human and around nineteen, if I remember correctly, and just a sweet girl and adorable. She's introduced into the supernatural world thanks to baby Hope, who is just the cutest, due to her needing a mother figure now that Hayley wasn't present in her life thanks to the curse placed on her.

Her relationship with Hope is my favorite part of the whole fanfic. She doesn't suddenly turn into her mother, she doesn't intend to either, but rather becomes her best friend and Klaus and her develop a bond thanks to this. The way father and daughter interact is so heartwarming too, the subtle hints of them being werewolves, and seeing a main character having a good relationship with her father for once is a good turn, especially in tvd fanfics.

It's clear Klaus and Lola have something going on, even if they won't admit out loud, but for some reason the people around them give the impression they don't actually want them to date. There is implications something more fucked up than usual is going on with Klaus and his relationships, and I'm pretty sure him and Cami were a thing in this fic too. Surprisingly, Hayley and Cami aren't turned into absolute bitches, but there is Jackson bashing though.

The Girl in the Forest (fanfiction.net, Klaus x original female character) by noblecrescent;

Stats: Originals, T, English, Mystery & Romance, chapters: 30, words: 311k+, favs: 232, follows: 176, updated: Feb 19, 2017 published: Jan 23, 2016, [Klaus M., OC] [Elijah M., Camille O'Connell]

Summary;

This fanfic is a tetralogy of books set in The Originals, I read those fanfics a while ago so forgive me for any mistake. Maleny is a witch who was cursed, if I remember correctly, and was constantly body-jumping every short time.

In one of her lives, she met Klaus and they fell in love, but she died, if I'm not wrong, and they end up meeting again in New Orleans time later where he has a child on the way and a kingdom to conquer.

I can't remember a lot more without giving you spoilers, but it's worth checking it out!

Now, I'll give no more summaries because I honestly don't remember a lot of the next fanfics, but it's your choice if you want to read them;

A Veil Between Love and Hate (fanfiction.net, Klaus x original female character) by MandalorianHybrid;

Stats: Originals, T, English, chapters: 57, words: 200k+, favs: 609, follows: 359, updated: Sep 15, 2019 published: Jan 30, 2014, [Klaus M., OC]

Summary; Another five books set in The Vampire Diaries, with a story that eventually moves to The Originals.

Allure (wattpad, Klaus x oc x Stefan) by @viavolterra;

Stats: 575k Readings, 20,5k Votes, 34 Chapters

Summary;

I just could not not recommend this fanfic. Mia comes to Mystic Falls to seek revenge after Damon kills her best friend Lexi, but she of course gets dragged by the problems in that little town.

The thing I like the most about Via's story is how there is no cliché: no bashing towards Tyler or Elena, Mia actually befriends them, Bonnie gets the recognition and love she deserves, Klaus doesn't suddenly turn into a different person just because he loves the oc, he continues to be a piece of shit, and how sweet and empathetic she is, not like those reused badass mc who are just rude.

I would recommend some more, but it's kinda hard to find fanfics with a good Klaus depiction. I'm pretty sure I left out a lot of amazing fanfics, though.

[borom1r]

WAILING @theshakespearetrash sent me 2 ask memes for Boromir asks (who is very much Not my OC skfhshfjjs but I will Always do character analysis I love character analysis so much. rotating him so fast in my brain. microwaving him on high)

+ not to be a kinnie on main (voice of a man who is always a kinnie on main) but I will be answering these all w/ a sort of Boromir-lives scenario in mind -w-

anyways ask meme 1 + ask meme 2

1. What memory would your OC rather just forget?

ok I feel like it’s the cop-out answer to say “his fall to the ring” but I feel like Boromir is the sort of person to.. not like stew on things but very much takes the stance of “good or bad, all my choices got me to the current moment and made me who I am.” + I feel like there’s so much tangled up in his fall completely beyond his control where that’s the only memory that he’d like. actively want to erase from his mind

2. What's something about your OC that people wouldn't expect just from looking at them?

HM. good with kids. I think unless you’d seen him with Faramir/his cousins when they were younger you wouldn’t guess (he’s a soldier and a very plain man when he’s not putting on a show for his father), but he’s just genuinely great with kids

3. What is your OC's fatal flaw? Are they aware of this flaw?

loves too much + quick to lose hope. painfully aware of this

4. When scared, does your OC fight, flee, freeze or fawn?

fight response. 100% the kind of man who gets kicked out of a haunted house for punching a scareactor even though he knew a scare was coming. Faramir and Aragorn have both almost gotten throttled bc they unintentionally snuck up on him

5. How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want?

OOO. When He Is Of Sound Mind, not actually very far. he was raised with the knowledge he would be giving his life to Gondor, whether he died in battle or sat on the throne as steward. add to that the act he puts on for Denethor, everything he does to protect Faramir— he’s a man born to serve. his own wants come last

6. How easily could your OC be convinced to do something that goes against their moral compass?

it would take. a DESPERATELY long time and an almost complete degradation of his mental state. Boromir arrives in Rivendell in October 3018, and the very next day is the Council, at which point he sees the ring and is IMMEDIATELY influenced by it. yet he doesn’t fully fall to it until the end of February 3019. he’d been fighting its pull for almost four whole months by the time he does anything malicious. resisting the One Ring for FOUR MONTHS. <- reasons why if I see someone call Boromir weak for falling to it I will see red.

7. What's one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them?

teehee obviously again Boromir is not my OC so I will take this as an excuse to Be A Kinnie + say, I do remember Boromir being returned to us sometime after my coronation. so that’s one way my memories differ from canon, which is sort of an answer to this prompt snfjsjfj

8. Would your OC ostensibly be able to get away with murder?

OH YEAH. I mean yeah if we’re talking like actual criminal murder and not just Slaying People On A Battlefield like. yeah 100% he would IF he was within Minas Tirith. you know Denethor would do everything in his power to cover that up lmfao

9. Do you have a specific lyric or quote which you associate with your OC?

YEAH YAYYYY I GET TO MAKE MORE PPL LISTEN TO CROM AND BARONESS!!!!

anyways “have you ever seen a man so strong have you ever seen a man so great when he fights time stands still and everything seems so unreal but deep inside of him this man is torn” what if I bit things about this song

+ also listening to Magnolia and Shock Me by Baroness with Aragorn/Boromir in mind makes me ill. im Unwell.

10. What's an AU that would be interesting to explore with your OC?

HMMMMM The Frankenstein Chronicles gave me brain worms so I might write a Frankenstein-inspired thing at some point. sth sth consequences of divine resurrection

11. What is your OC's weapon of choice? Have they ever actually used it?

RAAAAGH. AUTISM TIMEEEEE.

Boromir uses a hand-and-a-half arming sword (meaning it’s balanced for single or double-handed use, with a crossguard). it’s a really elegant sword, very simple and utilitarian. speaks to an adaptable combat style as well. but, interestingly? Boromir carries a Rohirric shield, and if you notice Rohirric swords don’t actually HAVE crossguards the way Gondorian blades do. this tracks, and was common with Roman and early Germanic swords— BECAUSE these cultures were Also relying on shields for blocking.

and an additional note, Faramir’s sword is single-handed. so we’ve got a ranger who prefers the use of a bow and hasn’t experimented much with his sword combat, and his brother who prefers a sword and carries a very versatile blade with 1) a Rohirric shield and 2) a ranger’s vambraces designed to protect his arms from a (nonexistent) bowstring. I just find Boromir’s mix of protective gear so interesting, esp if you consider he and Théodred as at LEAST friends. like Boromir carries so much of the people he cares for with him into strange lands even when he (arguably) has little need for such gear

12. Is your OC self-destructive? In what ways?

yes and no. I think, not consciously? but he absolutely values himself lower than the people he cares for. he goes to Rivendell to keep Faramir out of danger, he takes multiple arrows to the chest and keeps fighting to defend Merry and Pippin. I think if there’s a risk of someone he loves getting hurt, all self-preservation goes out the window

13. If you met your OC, would the two of you get along?

oh I would be staring at him like a predatory animal and trying to psychically convince him to lay on me in full armor

14. How does your OC want to be seen by other characters?

HGH. ok I don’t think he necessarily. does?? and this is generally a Silly Little Headcanon bc of a comment a Most Beloved Friend made abt how everyone gets their autism from their dad (real+true) + now in my head “haha Faramir got his autism from Boromir instead” BUT. like genuinely I don’t think Boromir has an actual image of himself in his head or like processes that ppl perceive him, necessarily. and particularly when his father is holding him up as this aspirational figurehead for Gondor, like… I think he’s just himself, in his head. idk how to describe it well for the neurotypical ppl in the room snfskfjs sorry. like I don’t process myself as having Traits so ppl tell me they think I’m cool or funny or they enjoy being around me and it’s always like “!!! oh!” + I think Boromir is the same way. I think Faramir could describe Boromir to him + Boromir would just be like. “huh.”

15. Does your OC have a faceclaim? If so, who?

it’s Sean Bean + it will always be Sean Bean. sorry other Boromirs you simply pale in comparison

16. What is your OC's pain tolerance like?

VERY high by necessity. he’s a soldier he’s absolutely patched up his own injuries before, at least to hold over until he could see an actual healer

17. What is the worst thing you have put your OC through story-wise?

ahh. I wrote a very personal fic exploring self harm urges w/ Boromir, so I suppose that

18. Is your OC more cold and detached or up close and personal?

very personable, when he’s of sound mind sndnsj

19. How does your OC behave when enraged?

oh he’s a silent anger type for sure. just seethes quietly. hello, consequences of spending time in an environment where you have no actual outlet for your anger + must simply sit there and Stew.

20. Does your OC have a tendency to get jealous? If so, how does this manifest?

again, When He’s Of Sound Mind, no. the man’s got a big heart and life’s too short to be petty

21. Does your OC have any illnesses or disorders? How do they handle it?

hitting him with the autism beam bc I can. I do also think he’s lost at least partial use of his arm in a Boromir Lives scenario, considering where the first arrow struck him

22. What character alignment would you consider your OC to be?

HMMM neutral good. he’s not chaotic enough to be.. chaotic (lol), and I think he’s too willing to go against Gondorian Popular Opinion to be lawful.

23. What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express?

HMMMMM pain, actually. or “weakness.” I think if he can quantify it in his head as “showing weakness” then it’s getting stuffed in a mental box and Not Addressed

24. What is an alternative life path your OC might have gone down? How different would their life be if they'd made those decisions?

ok well. None. I think with his circumstances he had zero choice in his path. HOWEVER. I am deeply DEEPLY fond of Boromir learning how to play an instrument after the war ends. I STILL struggle to blow my wassail horn that shit takes SKILL that I do not currently have and Boromir was the BEST at blowing his horn?????? I think he deserves to learn how to play an instrument, esp bc Aragorn, Merry and Pippin would ALL be delighted to have Boromir play while they sing. Boromir learning hobbit folk songs????? Rohirric songs, to honor Théodred?? yeagh.

25. What is your favorite thing about your OC?

HES SO. FUNDAMENTALLY LOVING. love is such a core aspect of his character he is so wholly loving that the ring has NO CHOICE but to try to twist that love. bc it’s all Boromir has. love. im going to throw up abt him.

AAAAAAAAAND:

alone: How does your OC deal with loneliness? Have they ever been completely alone before? How do they act when there's no one around to see them?

has he ever BEEN completely alone? mm, no. has he ever felt that isolated? I think absolutely, by the time the fellowship leaves Caras Galadhon. obviously he doesn’t deal with it well el oh el.

as for how he acts when no one’s around to see him… I don’t think much changes, tbh. he’s not the kind of man to Perform for anyone except his father, and then with the express purpose of placating the man and keeping his ire towards Faramir to a minimum

betrayal: Has your OC ever been betrayed by someone they thought they could trust? Has your OC ever betrayed someone who trusted them?

been betrayed? hm. truthfully, no, though I’m certain he felt betrayed by Aragorn’s reluctance to be anything resembling a king.

has He betrayed someone? Technically Yes, though again, if we apply the qualifier of “When He’s Of Sound Mind” the answer is no. his betrayal comes under the influence of a Malicious Magical Artifact Which Has Been Fucking With His Mind For Months, so.

bound: Has your OC ever been imprisoned or captured? What happened? How did they get out? Did the experience leave any scars?

ooo, hm. I think not, actually, though it is a fun little idea for angst

break: What would cause your OC to break down completely? What do they look like when that happens? Has anyone ever seen them at their lowest?

gestures wildly at canon. I mean that’s his lowest. we’ve all seen it.

desire: What's one thing your OC wants more than anything in the world? Are they open with that desire? Why or why not? What would they do to fulfill it?

again, canon— to see his people safe. he’s very open with that desire, lol

failure: What's your OC's greatest failure? Have they been able to move past it? Does anyone else know about it?

AH. canon again. though what he does to move past it… mm. quite a lot of atonement, I think. perhaps of the self-destructive, working-himself-too-hard variety. I do think speaking with Faramir about *his* experience with the ring would help, because Boromir is the first to hold Faramir up as this sort of paragon of Goodness. so I think to know *Faramir* was tempted would help him better ground his experiences as, like…. Not A Deep Moral Failure Exclusive To Himself

fear: What is your OC's greatest fear? What do they do when confronted with it? Are they open with their fear, or do they hide it away?

ehehe. this is one thing I’ve touched on in a Faramir-centric fic, but the idea that the ring showed Boromir visions of Faramir dying at Denethor’s hand should he fail to return with the ring.

had Boromir lived to discover Denethor had nearly burned Faramir alive…… Mmmm. mmmmmmmm.

future: What's the worst possible future for your OC? Are they taking steps to avoid that outcome? Are they even aware it's a possibility?

worst possible? if he’d actually managed to claim the ring. I shan’t elaborate -_-

ghost: Who or what haunts your OC? What happened? How do they live with their ghosts?

MM. his own actions. dead friends, dead loved ones. though if you mean literally, haunts him, I do like to think that Théodred’s Oðr pays Boromir a visit every now and again

guilt: What is your OC guilty about? How do they handle their guilt? Do they try to avoid guilt, or do they accept it?

see above. handles it?? mm. atonement, again. direct action. he accepts it and does what he can to make it right

hate: What does your OC hate? Why? How do they act towards the object of their hatred?

HATE? Orcs, probably. Sauron. that tentacle motherfucker outside Moria. he’s not a hateful man, so. shrugs.

heartbreak: Have they ever had a relationship that ended badly? Experienced some other kind of heartbreak? What happened?

that ended badly in the interpersonal sense? mm, unlikely. more ended badly in the “somebody fucking died” sense.

I do think he had One (1) fledgling romance in Dol Amroth that ended with the other squire dying and that was sort of the catalyst for “ah. If I love people they’ll Probably Die, so maybe I won’t do that” baggage that he didn’t really unpack until, I think, Théodred. add the additional layers of Denethor Being Denethor and Boromir having such great standards to live up to…. with all the love in my heart, that relationship only happened bc Théodred saw Boromir, went “I need to fuck that Gondorian so bad it makes me look stupid” and proceeded to work his way through 1700 layers of gondorian mental bullshit just so he could suck some dick (me too bestie)

hide: What does your OC hide? Why do they hide it?

hm. my first instinct is to say “not much” but ultimately I think he’d hide anything he can quantify as “weakness.” his own distress, any physical pain if he needs to be up and moving, etc. he’s only able to share that earnest moment with Aragorn in Caras Galadhon bc of Galadriel’s influence. he’s not used to being seen. so, if there is sth that would hold him back from fulfilling his duty as a soldier it is absolutely getting hidden/ignored.

hunt: Who or what is your OC hunted by? A person, a feeling, a past mistake? Is your OC able to let their guard down, or are they constantly alert?

hm. not necessarily Hunted, but I do think he is followed by Denethor’s expectations. it’s sth I’ve talked abt in another ask + that I go into in the costuming doc but such a key element of Denethor’s design is his son’s motifs but Richer, Grander. so… I do think Boromir is constantly alert of, like, how his father will perceive him, bc there is this very insidious sort of competition, this need for Denethor to show his sons up (whether a conscious need or not). and I do think that would weigh on Boromir quite heavily

mask: Does your OC wear a mask, literally or figuratively? What goes on beneath it? Is there anyone in their life who gets to see who they are under the mask?

mm again I think he only really wears a mask/performs for Denethor. anyone else would be too much effort for too little reward. at least if he plays Golden Son for his father, it keeps Faramir from being harassed as much

however, as for who gets to see him when he’s.. not just unmasked but actually RELAXED… Faramir, his uncle and cousins, Théodred, Aragorn, the others in the fellowship but particularly Merry and Pippin

midnight: What keeps your OC up at night? Do they have nightmares? Fears? Anxieties? What do they do in the small hours of the morning when they should be sleeping?

does he have nightmares? oh definitely. what he does in the small hours of the night? depends. if he’s on campaign/traveling/otherwise away from Minas Tirith he will either lay there in his bedroll and Think (bad) or get up and write letters. depends entirely on where he’s stationed/who he’s with. if he Is at home in Minas Tirith, I expect he just goes for a walk + looks at the sky

mistake: What's the worst mistake your OC ever made? What led to them making it? Have they been able to fix it? How have they moved on?

I think I’ve pretty much answered all of this above, so skfjsjdh

monster: Is your OC monstrous in any way? Is there something that makes them monstrous? Are they aware of their own monstrosity? Do they accept it or reject it?

nah, he’s not ❤️‍🩹

nightmare: What does your OC have nightmares about? How do they deal with their nightmares? Do they tell people, or keep it to themself?

answered w midnight for the most part— I’ll just add that no, he wouldn’t really talk about his nightmares. that requires showing vulnerability lol. I think Théodred and Aragorn are the only two who could coax him into speaking about his nightmares/fears (he wouldn’t want to burden Faramir with such nonsense)

pain: What's the worst pain your OC has ever felt? Do they have a high pain tolerance?

answered sorta (yes he has a high pain tolerance) but worst pain? gonna go with three orc arrows to the chest

secret: What's one secret your OC never wants anyone to know about them?

HMMMM again I don’t think there are many secrets. I do think if Denethor found out he liked men it would be disastrous

skin: How comfortable is your OC in their skin? Do they grapple with anything that lives inside them—a beast, a curse, a failure, a monster? How do they face the smallest, weakest, most horrible version of themself? Are they able to acknowledge it at all?

hm. I think he’s generally at ease with himself, or at least content with Not Thinking About These Things. I think, had he directly survived the arrows, he would have to grapple with like. the idea that he did prove Aragorn’s fears about men correct (whether Aragorn would agree with him or not)

torture: Has your OC ever been tortured? Would your OC ever torture someone else?

Four Months Of Slow Mental Degradation Due To An Accursed Magical Artifact!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

(no he wouldn’t torture anyone else)

wound: How does your OC handle being wounded? Are their wounds mostly physical? Mental? Emotional? What's the worst wound your OC has ever experienced?

hm. He would say mostly physical wounds. I’d argue a mix of both. he’ll accept as much care as he needs to stay on his feet and fighting. worst wound is definitely still arrows lol

[daystarvoyage]

The Dana Terrace Vs Vivienne Medrano, The Great Debate of Two Female Creators

Hello Starry Knights, This is the lovely Kyoko Cane, The Brown Sugah Queen, & cosplayer who performs and visits numerous cons throughout, while making blogs/vlogs on animated media & entertainment.

as you know or are new to this page, I am an artist who also dedicated my fashion in drag, on all my platforms along my artwork & discussions (be it anime or Western) that can affect real-life even fandoms, with a variety of videos.

the title of the post is about The two proclaimed talked about animators, Dana Terrace & Vivienne Medrano, I'll be critiquing how these two women of animation tackle the industry. This will have strong opinions from recent interview videos I've watched.

(I'll be calling Vivienne VIVI FOR SHORT & letting you know, if I were to watch ones in the future affecting my post come on the comments to ask freely, AND YES ALL PROJECTS AND TOPICS ARE NOT WITHOUT THEIR CRITIQUES, FLAWS IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT, CHECK OUT THE DAYSTAR VOYAGE, DON'T HATE, APPRECIATE! )

OK LETS GET STARTED In this 3-part segment

1. The Different Artstyles That Made Us Love These Shows.

Vivis work (Helluva Boss & Hazbin Hotel)

Now We all know as fans & lovers of animation when we hear a series that's greenlit after viewing on a television screen, in a magazine, or sponsored in commercials, right? As for these two,

The first time I heard of VIVI's work was on a YouTube ad commercial in line & premiered for the pilot, I was fully captivated by its groundbreaking story, from hazbin hotel to the comedy in helluva boss, along with its ghoulish Beetlejuice-inspired art style.

(which I'm a sucker for the niche, indie projects & gothic horror.)

observing her sketchbook on YouTube, I was drawn in by the captivated humanoid shapes she sketches, along with her fluid & flowing style.

the worldbuilding version of heaven & hell drew me in, after watching hazbin hotel. The pilot had a lot to offer from its dreary horrific turns/obstacles from its character debut, story & distorted beauty that there was a lot to tune Into along my first episode of Helluva Boss,

Now we are gonna get down to lore storytelling and character growth.

(and im fully aware of how the fandom treats the rest of the main & supporting cast not letting them flesh out including the females, btw)

Vivi has so much to offer, after watching the latest episode of Helluva Boss and finishing Hazbin Hotel, I see she has the potential to make a good show on drama & sell it, however with her controversy coming through I feel she needs to learn on how to perceive herself online, so makes it hard for me not to hate her series, be it art and her work.

(its truly good when it wants to be as for the writing ima get to that later. with the stolitz & lumity discourse on part 2)

The owl House by Dana terrace

Now you all know by now, I am a full-on Owl House fan regardless of its show ending early, and my many critics on Dana Terrace drew me in with her macabre art and full-on passionate skeletal pieces after looking at her socials and sketchbook online, as a debut showrunner who made her great stance on lgbt representation she has cemented herself as an acclaimed cartoon creator.

However, she does have her flaws ever since rewatching the series, and a lot to learn about the business, after rewatching The Show and yes I have notes written to prove them,

To add I felt if alex Hirsch wasn't on the project, everyone wouldn't watch that show since yall want it to be the next GRAVITY FALLS,

I love the fandoms that discuss the errors of these creators cause it give more insight on how to portray yourselves on in the real world, cause lemme tell you, it was all watered down I'm get to that in a minute

one problem i have with particularly since she's a good artist & creator is her depending on certain tropes to carry out her cast, cause some may be harmful & the writing be generic.

She needs work on being a better showrunner cause those skills need Cleaning up including writing certain characters on who gets the spotlight.

NEXT SEGMENT

2. The Good, Great, Bad & Ugly in Fandom Discourse,

Vivis Work (Wow Yall can be Wow)

Vivienne Has made her mark in the YouTube market ever since making her pilot debut on Kesha video & hazbin hotel pilot,

I'm so glad for her contributions towards the indie market making her way to showing great representation in the general audience for an adult show, yes an adult show and that's not without its controversy,

with her grand debate, I feel everyone took this woman's artwork turning it into something ugly, which is so uncool.

and I for one will not stand for the hate trains of now popular shows flip-flopping and then float back to it cause your series is acclaimed now, let's be real she deserves her crowns and laurels Just keeping it real, regardless cause its a fire show

The fandom has shown their love of the show cause it knocked down so many doors in many ways, but let's be real the audience is now geared toward children cause we all know, this generation can be doing some crazy things, cause they all need to tone down the language,

which I feel viv needs to work on the jokes I get, it's an adult show which is concerning and it's a Gen Z world where people have access to computers 247, which contributes to all the nasty discourse and crass behavior not to mention,

viv needs to calm down her fans when it comes down to her work and the way stoliz is perceived.l can be questionable, not to mention how the females are written which I do know the key word for this below.

cause i rarely do find the females are compelling, but yet to fleshed out like the rest of the male characters so misogynist comes into mind in this show and how it sells

there some moments it only aims to the infamous ship Stolitz (and doesn't let other characters breathe (this is a problem with the owl house which ill get to right now cause the pacing is wow smh)

(next to the owl house which I'll get to cause OMG)

THE OWL HOUSE FANDOM (GRRRR) lemme calm down

If you haven't seen my posts, including the bashing and discourse there's also a list I swear lemme quote

in the words of Biggie Small - if you don't know now ya know.

The owl house fandom i was on ride or die for the lumity however we all know how that ship got it start and built up cause they expected it to be this thing to say F you to Disney which is good cause disney had it coming howver, after the show ended

Yall have become the most foulest ugliest & disrespectful fandom ever since the Steven Universe, Voltron and miraculous incidents,

its sad to see how these two franchises fell into the worse cases, the two creators may come across not caring of there fandom acts cause there's a saying

The captain always goes down with his ship MEANING

A captain should not have to sacrifice their life simply because the vessel they are in control of is in distress

There’s two fandoms such as Steven universe & voltron fell from grace into toxicity down below that are prime examples

The Owl House fandom has got to be some of the most entitled, uppity if not (racist) fans!

yall clearly have not listened to other fans or can't take criticism, yes the show did make very feminist undertones and the male characters didn't shine at all in their titular episodes or moments, which doesn't help at all.

Since Dana drew inspiration from Powerpuff Girls

(which comes on and the writers being all female, is gonna have damaging effects)

Cause stifled the male characters in a way where there not as prominent or impactful,

So this word MISANDRY comes to mind

The fandom has gone down to the point of no return, I mean,

one fan from a webcam interview WANTED DANA's ADDRESS EWWW!

its not that the Disney drama was too blame for the project, (to an extent) which I'm proud for the fandom for banding together on animation, but need to take off the lgbt glasses cause boy the show's writing was pushed in favor of that.

CONGRATS You did at the cause of Harassment and bad behavior in fandoms,

NEXT TOPIC

3. Make The Business Makes Sense & epilogue

THE OWL HOUSE

Dana Terrace has the makings of doing good shows however when it comes down to an audience to kid she has some major damage control on how the fandom will come across,

i mean have we not learned from the Lilith and Camilla toxic issues, you can tell the show likes to demonize the adults which is unacceptable, and can damage storytelling and characters.

the truth i feel there needs to be proper staff on how to write POC, and ethnic and cultural representation In the show, Amphibia, Molly mcgee, Haileys on it and other break-out shows did it better,

hell yo had Amphibia doing those dishes in Frogworld, can you imagine the boiling isles taking on Hispanic cuisine.

Which i felt could've hit a mark on luz home life and culture if written & fleshed out,

Like the staff didn't know how to write those topics, they've coulda gone so far with it but unfortunately fail flat not to mention the fashion. UGH

sigh.

ViVI WORKS ( i try not to make this quick but e can discuss more on comments be NICE)

Vivienne Medrano has good fashion and business sense

its important to have that cause having a Cloud Nine franchise coming from nothing can do wonders for how you are perceived as an artist,

The discourse has come due to her take on the controversy on platforms talking on her many harsh topics

(in my opinions she too needs to work on controlling scenarios & damage control that can affect her

So tried but yeah

vivi is a dominant artist who takes her business seriously so I am glad to have her flourish in Spindlehorse,

butt just i wish i cant help but fall outta love with her work, knowing of the problems in today's animation comes certain things you can say even snowflakes can break under if heard by there favorite creators.

lets be honest these two can learn from each other. and vivi does sure know angles and promoting

very glad to get this written so I put some thought into this

i wish nothing for the best for these awesome artists and creators thank you all for coming so far and have a wonderful voyage thanks.

[autisticlancemcclain]

Jackie supports the lion swap? How dare you!

Okay SO. This is not the first time I’ve gotten an ask or a comment like this, and I’m fully aware it’s a joke (or at least I think), but I also know that it is kind of a controversial topic on here! And I’ve already written an essay in the topic, but I have some more thoughts I’d like to dive into.

I used to be team Blue Paladin Lance, and hardcore on that team, too. If you look at some of my old fics, you’ll see that. However since I am a contrary person by nature, I started to notice that Red Paladin Lance was way less liked, and so I started to like it more. I really grew fond of the dynamic Keith and Lance got to have as co-leaders, both because it was homoerotic as hell and because the symbolism was fun to explore, but klance is not the main reason I started to care so deeply for the lion change — it was actually Shiro and Allura.

I’m going to start with Shiro, because he’s one of the most fascinating characters in VLD, if not underdeveloped. Part of that fascination for me is that he probably has the most arcs and opportunities for character growth and development in the show, and yet somehow he’s the flattest. He’s portrayed as very one-dimensional in a lot of fic — he tends to be less of a character and more of a role. He’s the Space Dad, or the older brother, or the cool teacher, or the kind and wise friend, or even the stoic Black Paladin. He is loved, I think, but the role he plays is loved, not quite the person he is. And that makes sense, because that is exactly how he’s portrayed in canon.

To Keith, Shiro is “like a brother to [him]”, but what do we see of that dynamic? The show has a clear sense of how a brother acts, that’s a good chunk of Pidge’s character. We barely even know Matt, but Pidge carries herself in such a way that it’s clear when her brother shines through her. And yet even though Shiro also goes missing, twice even, Shiro does not shine through his brother. Keith’s impulses are his own, developed from general abandonment issues rather than Shiro’s specific absence. Shiro’s absence becomes less of Shiro’s absence and more of an absence of a beloved leader figure, kind of a martyr, a “Shiro would have wanted you to carry on”. It is really hard for us as a fandom to use Shiro’s disappearance as anything but a plot device, because that’s all it felt like! We have occasional moments with Shiro, enough to care about him in some way, but as a figure, not as a person. Someone pointed it out on one of my fics and I agree wholeheartedly — Shiro is not shown with any flaws, and that makes it really hard to love him, because you don’t really get the pleasure of defending him, of seeing his motivations, his reasons. Not until the very end, at least.

This is, in all honesty, likely just poor writing. Shiro’s character was honestly just sidelined to a role, because he is really not that present in the show. But I am going to work with the benefit of the doubt, and see if I can use the lion change to explain why we all kind of love Shiro anyway, despite the fact that he’s flat as hell.

Shiro isn’t the Black Paladin. He never was. He flew the Black Lion, yes, and he flew her well — but he was never her Chosen. He couldn’t have been. From the very beginning, the Black Lion was in mourning; she was in no space to choose a new paladin. She accepted Shiro, and she loved him, but he did not fall into her as much as he fell into the role she provided for him. He piloted the Black Lion, but he was not her Paladin. This is made obvious in two ways: in that he never got her bayard, and that from the very beginning, he set up a replacement for himself.

Doesn’t that strike anyone else as odd? I haven’t seen the show in five years, and I don’t plan on rewatching, but I do remember that every moment with Shiro almost had this underlying tension. The closest thing I have to canon off the top of my head is the Handbook (which I had to stop reading because they did everyone SO dirty there, even though some of it was honestly pretty funny), which was released in S2, and even that incredibly early canon talked about Keith replacing Shiro!

From the very beginning, Shiro was planning an out to his role. He knew it was not meant for him. He did the role well, but it was not his to do.

Aside from those two reasons, Shiro also…can’t be the Black Paladin. He can’t be that and himself, I mean. This part is a little more complicated, so I’m going to borrow some of my own tags from some awesome fanart I saw:

I really do think Shiro is defined by his humanity (as is heavily implied by his illness — this is a character who is completely and totally bound to his mortality. Of all the other characters, he is the one most familiar with death, so he is the one who is most intimate with the raw fear of being human. But more on that later), but it’s my last comment that I want to focus on — “he is DEFINED by his his humanity…even as his greatest asset is the part of him that is not human”.

Every second that Shiro is leader of Voltron, he is the Champion. That can literally be his only goal — he is the head of the fight against Zarkon and the Empire. Either Shiro comes out the Champion, or Zarkon does. Either Shiro has to grit his teeth and fight off the flashbacks and the fear and the pain and use the one thing that forces him to reconcile with the fact that he had his entire personhood stripped away (his arm, his Galra arm, one of their biggest advantages as a team; his connection to Zarkon through Black, something that can only help the war effort at a direct cost to him; everything he does in this war is shoving him right back into that Arena again and again and again), or Zarkon wins. Every second Shiro pilots Black, every time he plays her paladin, he has to be who the Empire made him to be. He has to be the Champion. Once again he is not Takashi Shirogane, the person, the astronaut, the man, he is the Role. He is the Space Dad he is the Pilot of the Black Lion he is the Champion. For every second he is in that lion he is stripping away himself.

Obviously, that is something that was never sustainable. On this argument alone, Shiro was going to waste away eventually. There was always going to be a point where Shiro was not going to be able to be the Champion anymore. There was always, from the very way the dynamic was set up, going to have to be a lion switch. Now, interestingly enough, there could have been a really easy fix to this: Black Paladin Allura. She’s already a born and raised leader, already shown her immense competence, already someone the rest of the paladins follow. With her at the helm, nothing else would have to change, right?

Well, maybe. We’ll never know. One part of that is absolutely true — Allura should have been a paladin from the very beginning. Her quintessence is canonically closest to the entirety of Voltron (something that bears its own essay,; the relationship between all six of the paladins and Voltron is wrought with heavy symbolism), she is the most highly trained, she is smart, and she actually wants to be out on the field. She should have been in that armour from day one.

But Allura cannot be the Black Paladin. Allura cannot handle other’s sacrifice.

Of course this is a complicated subject. Should a leader sit back and let her crew sacrifice themselves instead of her? Must she hold herself in higher regard, convince herself she’s more important? Of course not! Teams, especially Voltron, are built with assets. While not everyone might be ‘equal’ in the traditional sense, they are all integral, and expecting sacrifices is not the stance I am trying to take here. But the point of a team, especially a team so small and vital as Voltron, is that everyone is willing to be the sacrifice, as they have to be, and Allura simply can’t handle that. She shows us this from the beginning, when she disguises herself as Galra and is taken in place of anyone on the team she barely knows, and again in Oriande with the White Lion, and finally in the piece of shit canon ending. Allura has to be the sacrifice. Every time.

And how could she not be? The last time she spared herself of sacrifice, she lost her entire people. The last time she let others sacrifice themselves for her, she was left alone, to shoulder a war bigger and greater than she could ever handle. Allura is painfully familiar with the agony of being the survivor, and she cannot do that again. She cannot and will not put herself through that again. As the Black Paladin, she would have to let her team make sacrifices — she would have to let them have their own agency, their own decisions; she would have to let them choose to get hurt and choose to do risky things and analyse and react and act. As leader she would have to trust her team to put themselves in harm’s way, and not only that, but she would have to authorize them to do so.

Like Shiro cannot last as the Champion, Allura cannot last as the Survivor. Shiro cannot even last in Voltron, and it is foolish to keep Allura out of it. A lion change is absolutely necessary for the show to move forward, for the war to move forward. The initial team was doomed to fail.

How would it change, then? What would fit? I know I’ve said my piece. I know who I think would fit where. But since I’ve been comparing character arcs to their roles as paladins, I’d like to keep doing that — what about Keith makes me so sure that he’s the true Black Paladin?

I’ll show you with process of elimination. I know Black Paladin Lance is a favourite, and I can see why. Lance has many leadership qualities, is a good tactician, and cares deeply. However, aside from his desire for power making him less suitable for the role, Lance functions best as support, despite how much he hates it. He is the one who knows how to pick up the pieces of a broken situation. He is an excellent guide, which makes him an unbelievably valuable second. He is adaptable, so he can fill in for many different roles. He can step in for leader when necessary, but putting him in Black would encourage a more active role for him; would force him to anticipate and plan for specific outcomes rather than his strength as one who analyses any outcome as it arises and works within it then. Lance could be the Black Paladin, yes, but taking him from the body and placing him in the head would be a fool’s choice. It would be crippling to Voltron, to put the jack of all trades as a master of one. Lance’s arc is all about learning to love and trust himself as he is, as the seventh wheel. Not to put him in charge of the vehicle.

Well, what about Hunk? Hunk is incredibly intelligent and analytical. He probably could lead Voltron, and did in several occasions. But Hunk’s arc is interesting because it was handled so early in the show. Unlike the rest of the team, Hunk’s arcs were solved largely in the first season. His biggest flaws were his distrust of people and, literally, his inability to fly. He could not take his feet off the ground. He was so untrusting that he could not manage to take a step forward. However his bonding with Yellow and trust with the team and their subsequent and returned trust resolved these issues, more or less, which is probably why Hunk was treated more and more like a side character the longer VLD went on. Hunk didn’t need the role of Black Paladin because he had settled into the Yellow Paladin in a way that was sustainable.

Pidge is in a similar boat. Her arc, primarily, has been about finding her family. Voltron was almost second priority for her, or at least not her only first priority. And understandably so! As the youngest she was afforded with that lenience. Her growth was about growing into her own pain, about becoming her own person alongside what she had become in the absence of her brother. As the Black Paladin, she would no longer have the space to prioritize her search for her family alongside Voltron, so her position as Black Paladin would be unstable. She is best suited in Green, where she can focus on several things at once.

That really only leaves Keith. In many ways it comes full circle — the Black Lion healing from her grief by choosing the man who ran from his Galran heritage and his power as a leader, rather than the man who chose nationalism and power over anything else. Keith is Zarkon’s direct opposite, and as such is the other side of the same coin, the one who is truly Black’s Chosen. We know this because Keith is the one who wields the Black Bayard, and Keith is, from the very beginning, the one the rest of the team chooses to follow — I ask you whether it was for Shiro that the three other humans ran off to chase in the desert, or Keith? Who was it that Lance could not leave alone? Who was it that piqued Hunk’s curiousity? Who was it that challenged Pidge to choose Voltron, rather than the search for her family?

That covers Black Paladin Keith. But what about Red Paladin Lance? I’ve established already why he cannot be the Black Paladin, but why did he have to move from Blue? For that, I bring you another few slices from early, S2 and previous canon:

“I thought what we had was special!” “Seventh wheel, if you count the Alteans.” More than once, Lance laments over being forgotten. He struggles with feeling like anything but the extra, the unnecessary. Whether or not Blue Chose him is irrelevant — he does not feel Chosen by her. The Pilot of the Blue Lion position for Lance is as unsustainable as the Pilot of the Black Lion position for Shiro — Lance does not trust it. He doesn’t trust himself in the role, and doesn’t trust Blue in having chosen it for him. Obviously, this is not the role for him.

But Red? Keith’s Red Paladin, at least? Yes, he struggles with feeling like Keith’s second, but that is literally his arc. Lance’s development is about becoming his own person despite his own misgivings about being second-best. His role as the Red Paladin is the fulfilling of his arc, and is thus the best Lion for him, the Chosen. And Red did Choose him, mind you. There was an adjustment period, of course there was, but Red did more than let Lance pilot her. She opened up new possibilities for Lance — think the broadsword — that he could not see. Red saw his potential and revelled in it. She Chose him.

Lastly — and this turned out to be less relevant to the essay than I expected, but I do want to go over it a tad — is Shiro’s tie to humanity. I mentioned two important points: Shiro’s connection to mortality makes him the most intimate with his humanity out of all the characters, and he is undoubtedly the flattest character of them all. That is, if you don’t consider his clone to be part of his character.

But I’m begging you to reconsider. Reconsider, perhaps, who the clone is — Haggar had pure access to Shiro for a year, you remember. His thoughts, his dreams, his mannerisms, his priorities, his body. Even him at his most human, his most deranged, his most scared. She had Shiro then. She had Shiro when he had nothing to look forward to. She had Shiro when he hurt his crew to make sure they would live, at direct cost to himself.

She stripped him of his humanity — his connection to his own mortality. She took his illness from him. And who, then, did she return to the team? Who was clone? Shiro, mostly. The clone was happy to play with the team. The clone was clever. The clone believed, fully, that he was Shiro, only he was angrier and meaner, a little, and less capable of shoving down his own pain. Shiro, stripped of his tie to humanity and mortality, stripped of his compulsive need to be strained and stressed and the one everyone else can rely on, the Role rather than the Person, is emotional. He has flaws and outbursts. He can’t manage his own pain. He is is cruelest to the one person on the team — Lance — who canonically reminds him closest of himself.

Shiro, in the purest form that Haggar can make him, is flawed and self-hating. That is where our love for him comes. Not the man who pushes himself down at the same time as he sacrifices his personality to be someone for others, but the man who is struggling and can’t keep it locked down. That’s where it comes from.

Anyways. Like with my other essay, I’ll admit that this analysis is probably reading into this. The writing of VLD was flawed, at best, but regardless, I think the lion change is a rich amalgamation of the characters and who they really are.

[copperpaulie]

"Take one step, and I will keep you forever." CHAPTER 1 Word count: 6.6k Abby x fem!reader SYNOPSIS:

Flawed, confused, scared. We're human after all. You, the character, and Abby share something that was lost a few years back, a friend and a father. You looked up to your mentor considering you were all alone, and the fireflies were kind enough to give you a place to stay. When he was gone, part of you shattered, and so did Abby. Although both of you haven't formally met before the incident at Jackson, you both share something: loss. But you had different ways to express it. Fast forward to now, you guys grew closer, knowing each other a little more deeper, and intimate-- and maybe, just maybe, the feeling of loss fades away. Heavily based on the game, all characters except y/n belong to Naughty Dog's The Last of Us 2 TRIGGER WARNING! : Violence, language, mentions of death P.S.

English is so not my best language, and this is actually my first time writing... so, bear with me ahahahahaha.................

☆-☆-☆-☆

SEATTLE - DAY 1

You wake up. Drenched. It's probably in sweat because of the humid air. But that was no excuse, you’re barely out of winter season. And as that thought drops, the cold finally hits you and you feel your body shiver. You can never guess the reason for the dampness whenever you're awake. Occasionally, it happens because of that darn dream that has invaded your thoughts ever since that incident. But whatever, let’s just pay it no mind. It already happened, and you're fully aware that you couldn't reverse it, even if you wanted to.

Now that you're wide awake, you can see the figure just opposite in your bed: Abby Anderson. Sitting.. no, sleeping on your couch in a painful hunched position that you even wince at the thought of the discomfort. As you move your way to lightly wake her up, A knock is heard at your room.

"'Ello, you guys in there?" That rough, foreign twang outside the door was not unfamiliar to you.

"Just a second..." You walk towards the door and get yourself greeted by someone who clearly just had the time of his life last night. You steal a sneaky glance at his neck and cringe.

"Dude, seriously?" You scoff with unbelief.

Manny raises a brow and scoffs back ... with more sass than you. "What?"

"Do you seriously have to show that thing as if it's a badge?" You glare at the reddish dot near his collar.

Manny scoffs and smugs, even more giddy than earlier. "Maybe you too, can get yourself this kind of treatment," Manny lightly bumps you on your right shoulder, before leaning his head deeper in the room to find something... or someone.

"Oh, there she is," Manny laughs, and you turn your head to look at the frozen figure. You look back at Manny to ask, "You here to pick her up?" Manny nods and walks past you, "Abby-"The brawny woman shocks herself up, knuckles clenched, almost as if she's ready to fight the man just before her. "Yo easy," Manny eased her, and Abby's raised hand just a moment ago reached her temple past her hair.

You knit your brows, worried. "Hey Abs, you good?" You walk to her and place your cold palm on her shoulder, causing her body to jolt and look in your direction, she sighs- a little painfully, and smiles, "Yeah.. just.." she brings herself up and winces at the new position she just did after a few hours of hunching in her sleep. She clears her throat, "What's up?"

Manny scans Abby's composure and replies "I've been searching everywhere for you. we're being called up, Isaac wants you at the front." Abby frowns and scowls "What... you serious?"

"'Afraid so, we should hustle." Manny shrugs and stifles a chuckle, observing the woman's expression that suggests she's on the verge of throwing a fit. Abby takes a glance at you and back to Manny. "We're leaving now?" She exclaims, almost as if she's whining. But, she won't allow you to see her do that. Not in a million years. "Yes, vamonos"

"Hey-" you cut in, "Am I also called?" Manny takes a while to comprehend what you meant and shakes his head. "Ah, sorry... Isaac only told me to give the word to Abby." With a disappointed yet still calm demeanor, you sigh and offer a smile.

Abby notices and places a soft grip on Manny's arm. "Hey, let her join." Manny shrugs nonchalantly, his tone casual as he responds, "Okay, fine by me."

Abby lifts herself from the embrace of the dusty leather couch and begins walking to the door. At the same time, you walk back to your unmade bed. She winces, her hand instinctively reaching for the area of discomfort at her neck. "Fuck, my neck." Manny hears that as a realization dawns on him, and turns around to face her. "Hey, thanks for giving me the room last night." Abby's lips form a smirk, releasing a chuckle, "Yeah, who was it this time? that... cook chick?""Nah- the weather chick." Manny replies, "She's down from the mountain."

"ohh... the scientist, nice." Abby laughs, her voice still showing a hint of drowsiness. "Eh, she's a little too excited about her job... talked my ear off about some storm and.. I dunno." Abby steals another glance at you, but this time she takes her time. You notice, but you got used to it, so it doesn't really bother you. You laugh at Manny and rest a hand on your hip. "Worth it, though?" And all Manny could reply to was hold an okay gesture on his hand and say, "Oh... absolutely. I can die happy now."

☆-☆-☆-☆

On your way to the cafeteria, Manny puts his palm on Abby's shoulder, telling both of you that he'll check up on his dad. "Grab us some food?" Abby nods, "Yeah. On it." Manny turns to us whilst walking backward, "Get me something... con picante." Abby let out a scoff, "You get what you get."

Now it was just the two of you, an awkwardness filling the cold air. Luckily, Abby gets to be the one to break that. "Hey, so about last night..." You turn your head towards Abby, emitting a soft hum. "I just... wanna thank you for letting me crash in your place." she scratches her neck awkwardly, "You know Manny can be ... very inviting sometimes." Of course, you don't mind her staying the night-- but you do feel guilty that you let her sleep on the couch. "It's okay, you should've told me earlier. I would have prepared a spot to sleep for you." She stops, and so you just follow her lead. Abby moves closer, her steps producing a faint sound, and her blinking falters momentarily, lips forming a smirk, "So, I can stay as many times as I want...?" And that once cool demeanor that you held broke down. "W-wait what?? I mean- You cough, sure- no problem." Abby smiles, and a playful glint in her eyes appears, flashing a mischievous... yet rather gorgeou--

"Nice to see you too, Abby." Abby stops in her steps and turns to the figure right beside the both of you. "Oh shit, Jordan. I didn't see you there." A...nd this was now your chance to have a moment for yourself, you tap on Abby's shoulder to excuse yourself. "I'll excuse myself." Abby smiles and mouths a "Find Manny", before continuing her conversation with Jordan.

You navigate through the crowd, leading yourself past the bustling crowd until you spot Manny and Mr. Alvarez engaged in conversation. Catching their attention, you let out a soft smile in their direction. You walk up to them not long after you feel soft fingers linger in your locks. You jolt, and turn to your left... and to your right, you feel a tingle inside you. "Abby? That was quick." Abby chuckles and drops the hand on your hair and shrugs, "It was a quick chat- Hey, sir." She leans her body beside Mr. Alvarez.

"Ah... Abby!... and...?"

"Good mornin', sir." You maintain a smile, though a little hurt at your pride as Mr. Alvarez fails to acknowledge you, despite meeting each other often.

"How are you feeling?" Abby interrupts, thank God. It was awkward. "Fantas-tic. Would you please tell him to get rid of this?" Mr. Alvarez frowns, pointing his hands to Manny's dreadful beard.

Abby groans, "I've tried." Manny lights up in disbelief, both his hands in the air, "I look good" He says, convincing the people that it is. Truth is, it's not. "Te ves horrible." Mr. Alvarez grunts. Manny looks at his father and then at the both of you. "Bueno. We have to head out.""Keep him safe!" The aged man lets out a soft cry. Abby places her palm on Mr. Alvarez's shoulder, "For you, I will."

Abby, you and Manny walk your way to the queue, and you ask someone, "Hey, what are they serving today?"

"Burritos. Again."

"Okay..." You whisper, before following the line. Manny shouts your name, catching your attention. You look at his direction and see him cut in, first in line. "Hey, what are you doing?" He turns, to the worker to ask for four burritos. His behavior stoked anger in the queue, with some even openly expressing their frustration, and hurling insults at him. Feeling embarrassed, you approach him with your head hung low, unsure of how to deal with the awkwardness that hangs between your friend and the crowd. Abby, too, had a hard time dealing with both.

"Why do you have four? Put one back." Abby's voice cuts through the tension, her tone firm. "Now... Don't freak out, Mel's coming with us." You observe Abby's reaction. She lets out a huge sigh and frowns. You knew the relationship between Mel and her, and all you can describe it is. 'complex'. You can sense unspoken things between both of them, even from afar. But maybe getting the chance of seeing it up close, might help you understand... or even understand more of what you think of Abby. Even with her visible frustration, she keeps her thoughts guarded, leaving you to wonder what she thinks.

☆-☆

After a quick walk to Abby's room, Manny suggests he grab Mel, Leaving just the two of you... again. Huh, you can never get Abby alone with you, not since what happened in Jackson. She was always occupied with either her assignments, mission, or Owen. But now, it's like you can get to know her deeper, with her hands completely... maybe not so completely, but she's free. You walk into the room, and Abby follows you as she closes the door. You let your eyes wander to the view before her room... and to that flashy bra just hanging by the rail. Abby also notices, walking towards the lingerie. "Scientist, huh?" She looks at you, with a playful smirk, before throwing it to her farthest left. "You know, I never seemed to notice you often... y'know, before you helped me out in Jackson." Her smile stutters, but she maintains her composure, although instead of a heartfelt smile, you see something that's a little forced. "Thanks, for that by the way."

You mirror her smile, "Yeah. I don't notice you that much either, glad we met. I enjoy your company."

Liar. You always notice her. 2 years ago, you creepily checked her schedule just to 'coincidentally' see her work. But of course, like you always tell yourself, 'I'm over that'. In all honesty, you never knew what made Abby so... intriguing. You can think of a lot of things that made her charming, but you're still stumped on how you got yourself fixated on her.

Abby beams a little after you spoke, she even hums a little as she descends the short stairs, her footsteps almost making a tune against the floor, as she makes her way to retrieve her backpack. "Hey-"

"Knock knock", Manny gets in the room, with Mel following behind him. "Ready to roll?"

"Yeah, just about." Abby glances at them before she goes back to looking at you, and returns from stuffing her stuff in her pack. Manny and Mel go down the stairs and approach Abby and you, the woman on your side offers a slight smile, not too welcoming, but not too hostile either. "Hi", She says to Mel. "Hey. And you, what's up?" Mel smiles, making a tired wave with her hand.

You shrug, "Nothing special."

"They actually cleared you for active duty." Abby picks herself up as she puts on her backpack.

"Barely", Mel chuckles, holding her protruded belly with a barely loose blouse. "You can probably get a stay if you ask," Abby says with a nonchalant tone.

"I'd rather not sit around if I don't have to." Manny and you, observe the scene unfold from the sidelines, your arms crossed in silence as you take in the awkward interactions before you.

"And Owen's okay with this?""Why would it be up to Owen?... Mel's brows furrow, We need to grab Alice on our way."

Mel's step pivots, walking towards the other door on the right.

What um... What a conversation. Abby had so much to say about Mel on our way to her room, but now it felt like she was a different person.

You and Manny approach Abby, clearly dumbfounded. "Hey," Manny leans in, and so do you, "Do better.".

Abby lets out a scoff and pushes both of you with barely enough strength. Manny and you laugh as you both follow Mel outside.

☆-☆

"Alice takes shotgun!" Manny claims, "Mel's pregnant!" Abby retorts.

"She could use the fresh air! give you two a chance to talk."

an exasperated sigh escapes Abby's lips, as she reaches out a hand to you to support you from getting in the truck.

"Real subtle, Manny," she remarks with a hint of sarcasm, her frustration evident in her tone. You sense that you stay out of this, so you stop yourself from getting in the truck any deeper. "Maybe I can go with you guys next time." You smile, and Abby isn't very happy with that. Her brows furrowed with concern, silently urging you to stay. Gripping your hand a little tightly, she mouths, "Don't leave me". A very sorry sight you think to yourself... so, you sigh.

"But if... you guys don't mind..."

"Not at all." Mel swiftly responds, perhaps she's sensing the tension between her and Abby and just simply does not prefer to engage in any conversation with her at the moment. Abby pulls you up to the back of the truck, your steps almost wavering from the sudden force, But you managed to get on the cargo bed with no sign of embarrassment, Abby took part in making sure that didn't happen. ☆-☆

A few minutes pass, and Mel and Abby share conversations, you are sitting beside Abby, and Mel is just in front of you. Talking about Abby's difficulty getting herself to sleep soundly, you look at her out of worry, and she notices. She clears her thoughts and dismisses the topic by telling her she'll wear herself out by extra assignments, Mel murmurs something, and the both of you ask about it out of curiosity. Mel didn't light up the topic and simply resumed the few minutes of silence.

"What did you mean about me and Owen?"

"Um... Mel fidgets around before continuing, Haven't seen him in like two weeks." She clicks her tongue and leans a bit more towards the both of us. "He keeps picking up open assignments. Has he talked to you, did he say anything?"

It feels as if Mel's pride was hurt for having to ask the 'ex-girlfriend' how her partner could be doing well. You notice, but it's not like you can do anything to help. "No, we're still not-- I mean, I've seen him in the mess hall but... we walk around each other."

"Jackson shook him, you know, I wouldn't read too much into it."

And just after that, a gunshot fires below the cargo bed, its echo chilling the air. Instinctively, everyone from the back ducked, and Abby's palm landed on your head. "Kill the wolves!" One of the seraphites screamed, "They were waiting for us!" You cried, swiftly grabbing your weapon at your side. You manage to fire a shot, though with difficulty as you struggle against the jolting of the truck. Still, you managed to take out two. Abby took out the last one. But unknowingly, Manny drove straight to seraphite territory, greeting another batch of enemies. One of them from the top of a rustic vehicle, managed to throw out a Molotov cocktail straight to Manny's viewpoint. "I can't see!" He cries, steering the wheel rapidly in an unknown movement.

"Manny!" Abby screams, as Manny manages to avert the disaster... with even more disaster, by steering the wheel to the woods. With effort, you all disembark from the vehicle, surrounded by challenging terrain. Mel winces as she adjusts herself, her strain evident as she carefully dismounts the truck. "You okay?" You look at Mel,

"Yeah! Yeah." Mel attempts to soothe you, tone gentle and reassuring, but the panic just earlier drowns out that effort.

"Fuckin' Scars," Manny spits out.

"How far are we from the FOB?""It's a hike," Mel replies, her breathing stuttering.

A seraphite's whistle can be heard from a distance. So you walk towards and into the mossy building. "we're too exposed, let's get inside.""Let's make sure this place is secure."

Now, after an almost terrifying experience, with Abby almost squished to death, though that wouldn't have been possible, the four of you managed to enter a somewhat... oasis, compared to the claustrophobic and did I mention dark area? "Manny," Abby calls, doing the best of her efforts to push the rustic gate blocked by a heavy object inside. Manny chips in and with much effort, they manage to open it. "Ladies first."

Mel gets into the narrow space, struggling. "Another month and I wouldn't fit through here."

"Go ahead, Abs."

Abby scoffs, "You said ladies first."

Manny laughs and proceeds to get in, "I like you, Abs."

Abby takes a look at you and smiles, you smile back and follow Manny along. Abby follows after you. "Abby, Mel says, roaming around the area, This reminds me of your dad's greenhouse." "Shouldn't, all these plants are alive."

Mel stifles an almost audible laugh, "Good point."

"You know what, Manny annoyingly cuts in, This is good... you two needed a bonding moment."In perfect unison, Abby and Mel tell Manny to "Shut up."

You glare and pinch Manny just slightly in the arm. He cries, "Ow!, it's working already!"Abby works her way up to an unstable pallet, and the rest of you follow suit, each step cautious.

"FOB's dead ahead", Abby looks at the remaining distance and Manny scans the area, "No Scars in sight."

"They're out there." Abby retaliates. "Yeah, you chip in. Let's keep moving."

You feel nostalgic, walking around the area, "Remember when we could pass through this area without getting jumped by Scars?"

Abby smiles, "Getting nostalgic about the truce? Easier days, huh?"

Manny interjects, "Too easy, we let our guard down... And they strung up an entire squad."

You scoff, "That was in retaliation to us shooting those kids..."

Manny raises both his hands, unapologetically, "Well, those 'kids' attacked our guys... what would you do?"

"I don't know, not riddle them with bullets?" Mel retorts, her words laced with defiance.

"I'd rather save our people."

You furrow your brows, "Manny, they're kids." and Mel continues, "It's not their fault."

"Not our fault either." You look at Abby, puzzled. You understand her behavior and her nature towards violence, but this? it felt overkill. "Those deaths are on them." Abby looks at you, confused-- as if she's not expecting you to react this way. "Okay." You scoff, simply avoiding a possible argument.

After a few minutes of purely roaming, Abby finds a possible way out. She holds the crank, and with difficulty, turns it around. The metal gate slowly pulls up, although the right moves. She stops.

"I'll hold it here, go!" Alice, Manny, and Mel swiftly get to the other side,

Manny hurries, "I'll brace it with something," But before you could make your way in, the crank that Abby held, breaks, causing you to bang your head. But luckily, you swiftly moved backward but... the pain already hit your head.

"Fuck!""Shit, sorry..." Abby approaches you

“You two okay?” Manny blurts out of concern. “Yeah. Crank broke.” Abby raises the detached crank and groans as she approaches you. 

You spot something from above and call Abby’s attention, “Look… a hatch.”

Abby looks from where you’re pointing, and she looks at the gate where Manny is behind. “Manny, just hang tight, we’re gonna find a way up to the roof.”

“Okay.”

Abby looks around to find a way up before she starts, “So, glad you hitched a ride with us?”

“Right, remind me to thank you for that one.” your voice lulls with sarcasm. Abby chuckles softly as she moves closer beside you, offering a subtle reassurance amidst the tension just earlier. But you continue, “I’m glad I’m here with you guys. I’d hate to hear you got in trouble and I couldn’t help.”

“I’m glad too… you, being here with us.” 

“Why? Because you don’t wanna talk to Mel?”  You tease playfully, making Abby scoff and playfully deny the implication, “No, not that. I enjoy your company. Much better than Manny, but– don’t tell him I said that.” your demeanor falters, replaced with an awkward composure as you avert her gaze. Abby stops on one of the crates, “Hey __, Lemme boost you up here. See if there’s something in that room.” You turn to her but not your eyes, 

“Hey, why have you been avoiding me?”

“What? I wasn’t avoiding you.” You feel taken aback by the sudden question. “Yeah but– before Jackson, you’ve barely said anything to me.”

You hung your head low, your composure gloomy than usual. “I guess, I just didn’t have that much courage that…” You dismiss yourself from explaining any further. You take a sympathetic look at her and take a deep breath. “I’m… sorry, for avoiding all of you. Wish I had the chance to get to know you guys better.”

“Do you think Joel deserved what he got?” 

You take in the expression she’s making. Her brows tense, eyes like she’s about to lure you in, and let her do anything she wants you to do. You click your tongue and stifle a confused chuckle, “I think he deserved worse, but… I regret taking part in it.” Abby takes a deep breath, and smiles bitterly, “I get it, what kind of person could do that, right?”

“I’m not saying that–”

“Let’s see a way to the hatch.” It seems as if it's now Abby’s turn to avoid your gaze. But something about her seemed so different, much different to when she was in Jackson. Anyway, she boosts you up and tries to find a way to the other side. 

 ☆-☆

You and Abby make your way to the rooftop, a scary journey for Abby. 

“There they are. Abby points, Manny! Be right down.” 

You point out the tall building from the distance, “Look! FOB sweet FOB. Almost there.”“Bet we can cut through that railyard.”

“You wanna get off the roof first?” You tease. Abby takes a moment to look down and her breathing falters, “Please.”

You laugh, as you take in the unexpected sight of Abby being… vulnerable, especially up close. A rare moment that surprises and amuses you. You and Abby make your way towards the ladder. 

“Kind of hard to imagine you being afraid of anything.” 

“I’m not as fearless as you think” She replies, her voice a little unsteady. “Like, I could never do the surgery stuff you and Mel do… I’d be too freaked out about fucking it up.”

You chuckle, “You think I don’t feel the same way?”

“Well, for what it’s worth, my dad always said both of you were his best students.”

Your steps stutter, yet you continue. “He… did? …Don’t get my hopes up. ” You laugh, and she follows along.

“About time you two caught up!” Manny cries, his tone still playful.

Abby smiles, “Been quiet out here?”

“Yeah… I don’t like it.” “Well, we’re almost to the FOB,” Mel says, before leading the way towards the railway. 

“Man… When we get back home, Manny chimes, I’m gonna find a couch, watch a movie… And drink until I pass out.” Abby and Mel raise a brow. “Oh yeah? Which drink?”

“Which movie?”

Manny chuckles, “Strong questions. Movie’s the one with… eh, como se llama… The girl who rides the wolf.”

“Oh, I love that one,” Mel exclaims. 

“Oh, and the drink… My mezcal from the party last week.”

“Excuse me, Abby lets out a judgy tone, You mean, our mezcal?”

“Si, si… I’ll save some for you.”

“Okay, we’ll follow the tracks. That’ll get us back on the main road to the FOB.” You cut in, slowly leading your way deeper into its territory. 

Manny slowly takes his track as he follows you. “I don’t like this.”

“I know. Keep your eyes open.”

Just as you were about to get past the first cargo crate, you hear Seraphites having a conversation… and coincidentally, it's about the four of you. Your group resorted to having your faces drop down the mud, and hide in the blades of the tall grass, all so the group of Seraphites don’t notice you.

 Landing in the gas station, there wasn’t much grass or obstacle to hide yourselves from the enemy. Abby lands the first shot to a Seraphite, and the rest of the group resorts to using their ammos to pave their way to their destination. Lucky for you, a group of W.L.F trucks were patrolling around the area, and managed to spot you.

“Wait… I see Abby and the rest down there! Help them!” One of the people in the truck shouted. The four of you run your way to the vehicle all with a grunted effort to reach up to them. After the violence had died down, the three of you jumped on the back of the truck, swiftly driving away from the scene.

One W.L.F member curses his way through the pain, his hand all bleeding. 

“Hey, you okay?” Abby reaches out to him. 

“Let me see your hand.” Mel follows, immediately aiding the injured member.

As expected of Mel. You barely have any right to be jealous, as expected of the top medic of the W.L.F., she’s quick to put action whenever one gets injured. Back then when both of you were under Dr. Anderson's care, you always wondered when you could catch up to her, her skills in a scalpel are as swift as Abby’s hand in a knife. As you stare at her in awe, your eyes land on the bleeding behind that’s covered by her backpack.

“Mel, You spot, your back.”

Mel, with an effort, tries to look at the bleeding spot in her back, and you take the backpack off from her to check. Mel winces and you silently coo her. “Shit…” 

“I didn't even feel it,” Mel says, her tone making her words barely make any sense. You gently place your palm on Mel’s wounded back, applying pressure to prevent any further bleeding. Abby takes a glance at the two of you and the wounded man and looks at the men on the FOB gate tower. 

“Hey! We got two.” 

Your hands land on Mel’s shoulder, your movements careful and steady as you assist her in getting out of the truck. Abby takes Mel’s backpack and hands it to her. 

“Hey, you did alright back there.” 

Mel looks almost as if she’s shocked, and chuckles, “That was almost a compliment.”

Abby looks at you, taking a deep breath. 

“...Thanks, for helping me out there.” You click your tongue and playfully wink toward Abby, “No problem.” You waved your hand to Abby and Manny before getting into the building beside the gate. Alice almost attempts to jump out of the truck, but before she can do that, Mel stops her. “Stay, Alice.” 

☆-☆

Just a few hours after staying in the FOB, Nora appears by your side. “Hey, you sleeping okay?” Surprisingly, Nora’s the only one you could talk to about your problem. She possesses a loyalty that I have never seen amongst other wolves, and whenever you express to her some… personal things, she’s open-minded and leaves no room for hesitation just to give you a harsh opinion. So, you tell her matters like this. “Still struggling, but I can sleep more soundly than usual.” You reply, your eyes glued to your patient. Nora draws closer to you, offering assistance in your procedure, “How have you been?”

“ … still sleepy.” 

Nora stifles a soft laugh before clearing her throat. “You’re talking to her.” 

“Who?”

“Abby.” 

Your lips form a faint laugh, “Why, does that seem like a bad thing?” 

“No, Abby’s just… not usually the type of person you’d approach. Especially after… that.”

You scoff and roll your eyes in response, “Thanks. You make it sound as if I’m avoiding her.” With the patient now stitched up, you make your way to the closest disposal bin.

“Everyone is just conflicted by what happened, and we didn’t know the situation could change. And yet … Abby is… still Abby,” Nora replies, her tone tensed up.

You take a deep breath and give yourself one look at Nora before you utter, “Abby’s adjusting, in fact– we all are. That shit that we pulled back in Jackson?--”

“Abby’s shit.” Nora cuts you off. Her stare as if it's almost like a glare,

“It was something I had never seen before. And I know, I dealt with scars before but not like we did to Joel. And we took part in that. I took part in that.” with deep breaths, your blinking stutters. “Sorry, I lashed out at you.”

“Hey–”

“I’m getting more antibiotics.” You crash out of the scene, your steps almost echoing the area. Just when you’re about to get in, a wolf approaches you. 

“Hey, medic. Mel there with you?” You pivot towards the direction, a single brow arched as if you challenge the man before you. 

“We need manpower, some of our people got ambushed in the woods. Just nearby.”“If they’re ‘just nearby’ why not just… pick them up?”

“... It’s a new assignment.”

Your hand rests firmly on your hip, you feel odd by how the man fidgets, but you dismiss it. “Mel’s injured, but I can take that assignment.”The man looks at you with skepticism, before simply accepting your offer, “We leave in a few minutes. Grab your pack.” 

You walk back to the tent, where Nora waits for you, her presence so sudden… it’s almost funny that it feels like an ambush.

“Let’s get ourselves a drink, after this.” She smiles, almost bitterly. You wince, and sighs, “I’m… I got an assignment. I’ll hurry, so… choose a good liquor for me.”Nora feels puzzled about the sentence, and she tries to call on it. “I don’t think anything is happening right now.” 

“I dunno, they say it’s a fresh assignment.”

  Tapping Nora’s shoulder, you smile before grabbing your backpack and moving your way out. 

–

“So, how much further?” By now, you can see the sun setting. One of them fidgets, and the other takes a good look at the person before him. 

“Almost there.”Groaning, you reply, “We’ve been ‘almost there’ three times now.” Just after a few minutes, you can hear a cry in pain in the distance. 

“They’re here.” You get out of the vehicle and follow the pair. In an auspicious terrain, the three of you enter a mossy sewer. There, you get yourself greeted with the element of surprise.

A Scar, someone aged. You see the person beside you with a clean buzz cut walk up to the old man and crouch down. “We brought help.”

Fuck. That’s all you could react to. Fuck. 

Sure, you can help the man but only if it were in a different situation, You’re under Isaac. And one thing you know about Isaac is that he is never sympathetic towards Scars. An even bigger bomb drops your train of thought that this was no mission, with Isaac and the rest completely unaware. 

The gravity of the situation sinks in, and you realize this situation is not as straightforward as it seems, Under Isaac’s command, you’re not allowed, and never allowed to pull this stunt: getting yourself involved with a Scar. Your morals weigh over your survival, but the one thing that you know about yourself is that your morals are more important than the rest of your priorities.

“Fuck, maybe you could have told me sooner that it was not ‘our people’ but after all, a Scar that is injured?” 

“You wouldn’t listen.” 

You almost retaliate, but you don’t continue. “What makes you think I won't report this to Isaac?”“We’ll kill you by then.”

Well, fuck. 

You groan and utter inaudible curses before walking towards the elder scar. “What’s wrong with him?” you examine his features, his complexion rather torn. “A gunshot hit him in the right in his stomach.” 

Your eyes notice the cloth stained with blood, the source of which seems to have originated from just below the man’s stomach. His breathing hitches, 

“Can’t you just tell the other Scar’s to get him?” 

“We tried, but they didn’t even look at him, and just started attacking us.”

“Why are you helping him?”

“...”

You press down firmly with your palm, halting the continuous loss of blood. What’s more, a sinking feeling washes over your stomach as you realize you don’t have enough medical supplies to help the aging man’s situation. With urgency, you grab a clean bandage and begin to push it through the open wound. The old man attempts to cry out in pain, but his state restricts him from letting out a scream. You stand up and look at both of the wolves.

“We need to give him proper medical help, I can’t help him with just a bunch of bandages and painkillers.”

The tattooed wolf pinches his nose, “Can’t you just do whatever you can?”

“His organs will shut down if I delay any more.” 

The man with a buzz cut inhales deeply and pats his pal’s shoulder. 

“We’ll go back to FOB and steal some things.” 

“Then you better fucking hurry if you want him alive.”

You quickly instruct the two boys on the specific materials needed for a proper procedure. 

They both nod and walk their way out of the sewer. “We’ll be back.” 

–

You sit on the ground, your gaze changing between the injured man and the exit to the sewer. The air feels like it's weighted, with guilt about listening to yourself and disobeying Isaac.

“Wh…ats your… na-me?” 

“___.”

The old man chuckles with great difficulty, his hitched coughs causing you to flinch and instinctively check up on him. 

Your palm lands on his forehead and the bandage. “... you’re cold.” 

“I’ll… b-e fi.ne.” 

“What happened to you?” 

The old man stares at the air, before telling. “Some man… helped me, from o-ne of your people.” Your brows furrow, head hung low. “He was… a..attacking the chi-ldren from our areas.. And stealing… our supplies.”

With a stuttered blinking, you blurt. “What happened to the man? That helped you.” He looks at you and you take in his current composure. So pale, cold sweats stem on his forehead, and his lips look as if it was about to rot. “Just as… the runt was about to shoot me… He shot him… And ran away.” 

“How did you meet the two of them?”

Both of you engulfed yourself in a conversation, in his words, despite the outward differences and opposing ideologies of both the Scars and the W.L.F., at their core, they are driven by the same desire for survival. Even more so, as you delve deeper into these conversations, you let yourself sink in, as if the person who was long gone, is the one you’re engaging with.

“I’ll do my best to take care of you, You hold his hand, You have my word.”

You take a moment to ponder before a rustling is heard outside. “We’re here.”

Your eyes light up and immediately run up to them. Snatching the supplies from the men’s hands, you begin the necessary procedure without hesitation. 

“You’re strong, sir.” You say you smile almost bitterly, “You’re doing a great job steadying yourself. You’ll be in my care now.”

He weakly smiles back at you, and it feels as if the world is in slow motion, your composure almost in a panic, yet you remain calm. 

Click. 

“What was that?” The man scans the area. He lets out an inaudible curse before he runs back inside. “Some of the infected fuckers walked into this area.”

Your brows furrow, eyes still landing on the man while you’re under process, “Take care of it, I’ll be fine.” 

Both of the wolves wet their way to deal with the situation outside, your heart beating so loud as if it’s about to burst in a second. The man groans with his eyes shut, and you coo at him. Assessing the further damage to his tissues, you feel as if your heart is about to drop. Delayed treatment, severe bleeding, and such an environment like this cannot help you with the old man's now even worse injury. 

 “You almost done there??” One of them shouts. “We need to move him somewhere else!” 

…

Now it seems so quiet.

Click.

You give yourself a quick look outside the area, and you’re met with fear. 

“Get out of here, now.” The man with a clean cut warns, holding his hand with the bite mark now stretched across his arm. 

Fuck. It’s either you carry the old man with you, or you leave the place alone. 

‘You’ve gotta be shitting me.’ With faltering steps, you lift the unconscious man into your arms, a weight being such a burden, that your legs buckle and struggle to stay put. 

‘I should exercise often…’ But when would that happen if you’re about to get yourself infected by cordyceps? You make your way out, slowly and steadily- minimizing any sound that might betray your survival of getting out of here alive. Murmuring soft apologies, you lay the man on your back before without any hesitation, breaking into a sprint, feet pounding with no sense of rhythm. A trail of the infected follows you, panic grips your heart as you glance behind: a hunger-driven pursuit of cordyceps, and the scent of blood lingering in the air. Suddenly, your foot catches on an unseen obstacle, causing you to tumble down into the depths of the forest. You slide uncontrollably, your arms now gripping the cold body. 

Is this how you meet your end? A question that flashes in your mind. 

A few seconds pass, and you hear nothing but distant clicks in your surroundings. Your vision lands on the frozen body lying on your arm. He looks peaceful, but you certainly aren't. As if hope still hasn’t died down, you repeatedly pat his cheeks, each touch colder and colder. You hear your heart pounding once more. Leaning close to the old man’s chest, hoping to hear any sign of life against the deafening silence. But nothing– no faint whisper of breathing, no reassuring rhythm of a heartbeat. Tears well up in your eyes as you repeat your actions, seeking relief. 

Reality sinks in— he’s gone. Deep down, you knew the odds were slim, but you clung to that fragile spark of hope, unwilling to accept what seemed to be impossible to avoid. Now, the harsh truth washes over you, coming down to disappointment towards yourself. Sobs become faint, each weight of grief making each breath a struggle. Clinging desperately to the clothes of what seemed to be a stone, gripping the fabric as if the body, will also fade away. 

What a fool to even think you could change the old man’s fate. 

After calming yourself down, you put him down, and slowly blanket the man with the wet earth, your fingertips seeking one last sign of solace. You slowly pick yourself up, and draw in the cool, damp air of the forest, allowing its soothing embrace to calm the turmoil within you. 

“...my backpack.” 

You curse, and make your way in an attempt to retrieve it. Intrigued by the distant voices, you take cautious steps toward the source. From there, you find yourself tangled in yet another difficult situation.

“Abby..???”

☆-☆-☆-☆

[medusasea]

On Yoichi's Heroism Part 2

A while back I made a post about Yoichi's heroism and after reading some resposnes I started thinking more. I disagree with a lot of the criticism about my post and I decided that instead of addressing individual replies I will write about my opinions on certain counterarguments to my previous post. You can read part 1 here https://www.tumblr.com/medusasea/759701821204905984/on-yoichis-heroism?source=share.

One common criticism about my previous post is that Yoichi is not supposed to be physical strong, but one with a strong will, that his strong will saved certain characters and helped them move on. I must admit that I was not entirely fair on Yoichi with this, his will did do good for other characters, even if just at the moment, but this brings up other issues I will address. One of them is the general way the OFA users dealt with Tomura. The most apparent problem is Gearshift's plan to give Tomura quirks. I would write an entire rant about this, but The youtube channel did it way better than I could ever do it, so here's a link to their rant on it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSWe1EWwObk. Mind you, that Yoichi himself fully agreed with this plan.There is also the whole saving Tomura by killing him plot. Granted, the world is safer now with Tomura dead and it was understandable of him to kill his master, but the narrative wants to present his death as his rescue. Yoichi himself might've not stated this, but he certainly played a role in Tomura's death, so he helped the narrative reach this conclusion, regardless if he himself believed it or not. Yes, Yoichi helped OFA users, but the general way they all approached Tomura and AFO was extremely flawed.

Now I will further elaborate on Yoichi's lack of physical strength. I never claimed he had to have physical strength to be a hero. There are all kinds of heroes. I understand the narrative portrays him as more psychologically strong than physically. I understand the narrative portrays him as an idealist that inspires others. My problem was his faulty philosophy and the lack of vital information he gives. Sure, AFO needed to be stopped and Yoichi was right to not join his brother, but his philosophy pretty much starts and ends with "Villains hurt people for selfish reasons and they will always lose at the end.". Keyword "pretty much", since I am aware that he felt sympathy for his brother and tried to redeem him, despite the latter being evil, and he did agree with Deku's determination to save Tomura. The problem is that the definitions of good and evil are highly subjective and it's almost never as simple as someone harming others for selfish reasons. There are various reasons why people have specific moral codes and regardless of what your moral ideals are, people who are villains according to your definitions will often get away scot free. While the narrative did show nuance, there was never any confirmation he learned that bad people do not always lose in the end. Considering that Yoichi witnessed both AFO and Tomura dying at the end it is even possible that his belief about villains always losing got reinforced instead of shattered.

Moving on to Yoichi not addressing discrimination and corruption. Some counterarguments claim that he never witnessed discrimination while he was alive and that it is not his duty to address this topic. First of all, while he lived people were discriminated for having quirks and he knew it. He might've not been discriminated against himself, but considering how empathetic he is, there is no reason for him to not want quirk discrimination to stop. Second of all, he certainly witnessed plenty of discrimination and corruption as a ghost. While there isn't much he could do about it, we never get a glimpse on his thoughts on it. We barely get Deku's thoughts about this for that matter. Deku tried becoming the greatest hero, but he never has a plan nor signs he even plans to make a plan about it. Sure, they can't focus on everything all the time, and with Deku you can at the very least argue that he already experienced discrimination himself, that All Might already helped him understand that you can't always save everyone, that AFO and Tomura were way more immediate threats for him and that he was just a child. While I still think Deku should've thought more about the system, I can at least understand why he wouldn't give it much of a thought at the time of dealing with AFO. I can't say the same thing about Yoichi, who as an adult he was convinced villains always lose. I can also understand him dealing exclusively with AFO and Tomura at the moment, much like Izuku, but what I cannot understand is him never worrying while he was alive about people with quirks being harmed by society, even if his brother wasn't around. There was admittedly not much Yoichi could've done about systemic issues, but I have to wonder how he still kept his belief that villains always lose at the end. Did he believe that every single bigot out of thousands will lose? Furthermore, even if he would've managed to bring his brother to the good side, was he ever going to address systematic issues? This was never confirmed. Also, given Yoichi's empathetic nature, you would expect him to try help Izuku recover as much as possible from his trauma, this includes the discrimination and corruption he saw. While he brings hope, it's mostly just: "Things can get better, don't give up.". While on paper this sounds nice, humans have an instinctual fear of the unknown. As long as you don't know how how a terrible situation could stop, you will still feel a lot of fear. Yoichi and the other OFA users never try to come up with concrete solutions for systematic problems. They never give Deku advice how he and other people could influence society for the better. Sure, they are there for Deku, but their own plans are often faulty. Sure, they compliment him and tell him to keep faith, but they never teach him how to rely on external forces. They never consider he might need someone to talk to about societal issues.

This is the part I want to address the most and it is Yoichi offering vague information. The first time he ever talked to Deku, he didn't even introduce himself, which is universally the first rule when meeting someone and it only takes a few seconds. Keep in mind that Yoichi wanted to befriend Deku and it wasn't urgent for Deku to know about Yoichi's and AFO's past. It's not like Yoichi had much to say anyway, he just gave vague examples of people making deals with AFO, mentioned his brother toying and disposing of people, Yoichi himself getting imprisoned and AFO's group killing another one due to their own initiative. Yoichi not mentioning their birht cirrsumstance is one thing, maybe he wanted Deku to only see AFO's villainy at the moment, maybe he didn't think Deku would believe it or some other reason. My question is, why didn't he mention his brother always killing people? It's more realistic than AFO and Yoichi surviving as babies. Why didn't he start off by showing child AFO killing people? Really, something like "A villain killed people since he was a child." would much more effectively help Deku understand how horrible AFO is, than just Yoichi's vague description. Yoichi went right into his backstory without even telling Deku his own name, yet he didn't mention his brother murdering people since childhood? I think Horikoshi didn't originally plan for AFO to be a murderer since childhood and that he largely retconned their original backstory.

I want to add a few more things to Yoichi passing down his quirk. I mentioned him having dumb luck. This point by itself isn't that much against him. One thing I didn't mention is that I do not think it was pragmatic for him to yell at his brother in front of his face. Sure, Yoichi was right that AFO should've stopped, but yelling and bashing rarely work and he should've expected his brother punishing him for it. As mentioned, his reaction was understandable and I am sure he had no way of knowing better, so while I am criticizing his action, I don't really hold it against him. That being said, him being able to transfer his quirk was still dumb luck. I don't hold it against him, dumb luck is a thing in real life too, but the narrative presents this as being a very heroic act from his side, when in reality he only did it at the spur of the moment while he was the one being saved. Maybe he tried consciously or subconsciously to help Kudo with that, but it doesn't seem like he knew how his quirk works at the moment. Furthermore, he only obtained his transfer quirk by dumb luck, so even if he was actively trying to help Kudo by transferring his quirk, it still was only possible due to dumb luck. Granted, he helped the users not get the OFA stolen by AFO, I'll give him that, but other than that his contributions leave much to be desired for the reasons mentioned above. Yoichi's greatest achievements are passing down OFA, which was only possible due to dumb luck, and not allowing AFO and Tomura to take OFA, until he agreed to let Tomura take it for a convoluted plan to redeem him.

Lastly, I will address the reasons for Yoichi's flaws. I understand he didn't get much of an education, I understand he lived during different times and I understand flawed characters aren't necessarily badly written. I don't want flawless characters, I hate Mary Sues and Marty Stus just as much as the average person (outside of parodies). My issue with Yoichi isn't that his philosophy is flawed, it's that his philosophy does more harm than good (it would in real life anyway) while simultaneously never showing signs of improvement or getting any criticism. One of the story themes might be generations passing down to the next one, but the new generation barely did any improvements if any at all.

[we-will-be-reun1ted]

Aether is the one that makes their food the majority of the time and is less impulsive than Lumine, usually there to point out flaws in her plans/ideas because if she executed them they'd have horrible consequences that she was aware of but didn't actually process.

Lumine has to drag Aether off of every tall tree/building because the rat won't stop climbing everything he sees and she's sick of it. She's thrown rocks at him to make him come down. She's also the one that made their clothes and the one who properly learnt how to fight and taught Aether how to do so (which is why she's a faster fighter than Aether, while Aether is a strong defender)

I like to think their wings, even if not physically attached to their bodies, are still very much part of their bodies due to it being tied to their powers. So they can feel and move the wings just like any winged creature. They also feel the subtilties in atmospheric changes with them and can easily recognize wind currents and where they're going (results in wings being very sensitive to touch)

Bodies are Much warmer temperatures because they're star creatures and also need the heat for when they're flying through space. They're both also pretty light for the whole flying thing.

I like to think that if they get Extremely upset/desperate, they'll full on unleash the raw power of a star on someone (unknown god) as a last resort, though it takes up a Ton of energy and tires them out greatly.

The glowing spots on their clothes (chest, wrists, knees for aether. Those things) are glow spots they have on their bodies because of the whole star people thing. Those areas are probably much warmer than the other body parts too.

Based on voicelines from characters and just how the game works; i also believe that Aether prefers to use sign language around people but will verbally speak if comfortable enough or when fully alone with someone he fully trusts (like Lumine or Paimon)

Sorry for the big text i just have a lot of thoughts about these two twins and saw that you do too and am now throwing them at you. I have more but brain is starting to lag

woah Woah WOAH HELLO THERE??? This is the first time anyone has sent their headcanons to me oh my god??? I’m absolutely buzzing this is fantastic! Hi!!

Okay okay I’m gonna answer this in sections cause this is a lot of writing. Im actually so excited to reply to this wtf

Food/Impulse

Okay this one fits in absolutely perfectly to my headcanons. Aether makes most of their food due to Lumine not having the patience for it. She can cook she’s a good cook but with her cooking it would turn into an episode of Gordon Ramsay Hells Kitchen hella fast.

Honestly it’s better to not have Lumine around when making food at all. She will try to take over and get really pissed off if everything isn’t done exactly how she would do it.

This is Lumine after Aether takes a fish off the fire exactly five seconds before she tells him to take it off:

Aether is patient. Aether can make a salad without almost breaking the bowl.

And I also agree with the impulse one! I feel like Lumine usually comes up with a lot of the plans for anything they do. Exploring a world, fighting something, escaping something yada yada.

Aethers the one who gives her a lot of advice for it and ‘polishes the plan up’ so to say. As you said Lumine is very impulsive and in the heat of the moment will go with the first thing she thinks about rather than giving it serious thought. That’s why Aether is there. He tries to help calm her down and tell her the flaws of the plan and what would/could happen if she went through with it.

And THATS why traveler Lumine gets into so much shit CONSTANTLY. Her brother isn’t around to be her fucking BABYSITTER. She stuck helping fucking aranaras constantly I hate those stupid aranaras.

Climbing/Clothes/Fighting

THE RAT HELP oh my god you’ve made me giggle with that. I absolutely love this headcanon it’s fantastic I can picture her throwing rocks at him while Aether hangs onto the branch of a tree like a stray cat.

Personally in my eyes they are both a HUGE chaotic duo when they are together so they would both be constantly trying to climb shit and probably getting stuck.

They see tall building and immediately look at each other like 😏

The amount of places they have been banned from for climbing shit is astonishing. It could fill up a small planet in itself.

Oh my god you know I haven’t properly thought about their clothes and I like your idea. I feel like she would of purposely given them inverted themes so they could be matching in a subtle sense while still going with both of their personal styles.

She tried to teach Aether to sew but he kept pricking himself with the needle 💔

Ooooh okokok right this is genuinely just stuff I’ve made up in my silly mind but okay so

I’m my little headcanon lore thingy they were both taught to fight by little guardians/teachers in a world (worlds???) they went to. Originally both being taught the opposite - Aether fighting and Lumine defending until they both started teaching each other their moves and excelled in the opposite things. I can 100% see Lumine teaching Aether to fight though.

Wings

Okay I don’t have much to say here other than i completely agree with absolutely everything you just said. Adding in that I feel like their wings were gifted to them by one of the first planets they came across and helped! This was eons ago so the two have gotten extremely accustomed to flying and feeling through their wings, though I feel like the two can make their wings disappear and reappear. Kinda like when the traveler throws the sword behind their back and it just appears in their hand then they are fighting.

Also! Aethers wings being made from sunlight and Lumines wings being made from moonlight 🫶

Oh my god imagine they made a little language through their wings if one or both isn’t able to speak? Like one flutter means stop, two means attack etc etc stuff like that!

Temperature

I deffo see this, though I feel like their bodies are way more adapted to the cold rather than the warm. It’s INCREDIBLY cold in space which is where the two spend the most of their time and where they technically live. Their bodies have adapted to the cold and can absorb heat from planets the go to and kind of store it?? Kind of like a little thermal radiator.

Power

Oh oh I like this this is interesting. What do you headcanon that to be like? Like what kind of power do you think they have when they get so desperate?

Language/Speaking

THIS IS SUCH A CUTE HEADCANON I have no idea why but I absolutely love this wtf?? I can totally see him doing that.

Okok my version of this IS the twins have their own language. They can both learn to speak other languages pretty fast, but it takes a bit of time. So in the meantime they (the traveler) allow Paimon to talk for them and translate it and only talk when necessary and when they know what to say.

I ALSO feel like around each other the twins have this kind of telapathic connection (you know what they say about twin telepathy and such) and so sometimes don’t need to speak to each other to talk. They can communicate through knowing what the other is thinking and feeling and through touch and stuff like that.

The two have deffo gone through days of not speaking and just talking through thoughts and such, when out of nowhere one of them will break it by just saying the most out of context shit and making the other jump out of their skin.

⟢

No please do NOT apologise this made me so happy to answer! I love hearing any and all headcanons about the twins they are my BIGGEST hyperfixation at the moment. Feel free to send even more! That goes for absolutely anyone. Thank you so much for sending this to me :D

[joyce-stick]

so I have written a fair amount of fiction about characters who go to school in Japan based on how I see it in anime and manga, which I am fully aware are probably not the most realistic depictions, and I obviously don't know that much about Japanese school life so if you know more than me and you read the stuff I wrote it's probably obvious that I'm playing a very stupid game of telephone with flawed English translations of variously romanticized visions of another country's school culture by people who haven't been teenagers in decades

"oh well, why not just write stories set in an American school then"

(putting aside the fanfiction I've written which inherits the source setting)

The thing is, I was homeschooled

and part of the reason I'm attracted to writing anime high school stories instead is because there's probably a smaller portion of people who will read my fiction that'll notice I don't know shit about Japanese school, than those who will notice I also don't know shit about American school (outside of what my friends and the media told me)

"why not write about adults who don't go to school and have job"

bitch, I'm a mentally unhinged plural trans woman posting about my fiction writing habits and yuri preferences on tumblr dot com. does it look like I have a real job

[hologramcowboy]

Dear AAs,

Due to observed behaviors, I wanted to take the time and write a message for you.

It seems like a whole lot of you are wasting your precious youth, resources and potential on obsessing over Jensen so much you lose track of who you are and what you are on this earth to fulfill.

Your infatuation is so high it blinds you and strips you of your values and dreams. You put Jensen and Danneel on a pedestal and feel like less of a human for not being them. You are creating limitations in your own life over a bunch of semi-celebrities who aren't even educated compared to you.

While appreciating or admiring something is a beautiful experience, it should never get to the point where your intelligence becomes overshadowed by your unrealistic expectations and views of two people.

Strive to be YOU, to live YOU and what you most love. Before it''s too late for all of your dreams. You are so caught up in false idols you cannot see how toxic worshiping them is to your own life trajectory.

You project unrealistic view unto Jensen and Danneel because you are afraid to go out there and build your legend, live your uniqueness.

I am serious, I see a lot of underage girls even or way too young lusting after Jensen so much they completely forego their goals and most especially their personalities. They become an empty shell.

If meeting and marrying a highly attractive man is your dream then focus on that and work on developing the life you want, being the person you dream of being, living that true love, being it. That takes work but it's worth it, you are worth it. When you give all your power away to clueless celebrities all you are doing is telling your subconscious mind you don't feel worthy of your dreams, you are not the leading character of your life. Guess what? Your reticular activating system (RAS) then filters life accordingly and you miss out on opportunities and key moments.

It's healthy to have role models, if they match your life trajectory, but ensure you balance out your perceptions and realize they are human, just like you. Just as you appreciate them, you should be appreciation yourself and if you are not already doing that then there is a huge imbalance in your life and, most likely, you energy will end up being sapped by false idols instead of inspired by healthy, realistic, measurable goals and pursuits.

You weren't put on this Earth to be an echo of Jensen and Danneel. You are uniquely you so show up for yourself and your desired life way more than you obsess over J/D. They can steal away time from your life and guess what? Life progresses pretty fast and before you know it you will have a mountain of regrets instead of a heart full of fulfilling memories and tangible results in your life. You will look back and suffer and realize how silly it was to get caught up in mindless infatuation.

I hope you do me a favor. Grab a piece of paper, list every aspect you love about Jensen or Danneel or whoever it is you obsessively stan. Then go through that list and ask yourself: "Where in my life have I displayed these traits?" Don't stop until you answer it for each quality.

If you want to balance your perceptions even more, do the same for their perceived flaws and quirks. This will allow you to see them as human like you and to appreciate them in a balanced way in full awareness of both their negative and positive traits.

If you do me this favor, you will release yourself from your manic perceptions about them and you will be in control of your emotions and your direction.

A second favor would be: Create a vision board of what you want in your life, then grab a notebook and write a scenario of how each of those experiences would feel. Once you are in touch with those feelings, begin breaking down your goals into small, realistic, measurable steps and commit to taking a priority action each day to reach those milestones. Whenever you need to re-energize, go back to the vision you created and live it fully inside, remember your WHY and keep recommitting day by day. If you do this, rather than consume yourself with obsessing over Jensen and Danneel, just imagine where your life will be months from now, years from now. You will reach a new bliss and it will be thanks to your self-care, dedication and focus.

May all of your dreams become your reality and they will, if you chose to believe in yourself rather than giving power away to false idols and escapism.

[quirkwizard]

Recent Rule: Looking at the Stars and Stripes Arc

As someone who constantly reads and analyzes My Hero Academia, I am more than capable of recognizing any flaws it may have. I am fully aware the story is not perfect, but I am more than willing to continue reading it. That being said, there was one part of the series I abhorred. This is something that almost made me drop the series out of frustration and never pick it up again, even after following it for all these years. No, it wasn't Evolved Tomura. No, it wasn't the messy Mutant plotline. It was Chapters 329 to 334 aka the Stars and Stripes Arc. In my opinion, the worst part of the entire series.

So, in honor of 2,500 Followers and 8,500 posts, I am going to go over my problems with this arc and what I believe would be the best way to fix it. Fair warning, I am writing this around when Chapter 378 came out. I am working off of the story thus far. If something happens after this point and there are some long lasting consequences, I am unaware of what that may be. And for fair warning, I have been holding this over for the better part of a year now. This may come across as little angrier then what you are used to hearing form me.

Placement and Pacing

While this seems like a minor problem, I do think it is worth talking about. That being just how out of nowhere this arc is. It comes in right after the Tartarus Escapees Arc. This was a loaded arc, to say the least, filled with a lot of action and heavy emotional moments. Everything with Lady Nagant, Vigilante Izuku, and the general dour tone of that arc can make it a lot to take in from week to week. After such a long stretch of chapters, it would be a good spot to give the reader a break from it. Obviously, that is not what happened. We’re only given about one chapter to recuperate from that arc right before this one starts. It doesn't give the reader a lot of room to breathe and process everything that's been happening with Izuku and the gang. It ends up creating this sense of fatigue, and this is all before the story even starts.

This arc takes place over six chapters, though it’s more like five since 329 is used to hastily set up everything going on. While it’s pretty easy to get through now, it was a chore to get through week to week. This is because a majority of the arc is taken up by the fight between Tomura and Cathleen or exposition, both of which can be frustrating to read over the course of a month. There isn’t much room for anything else, making this yet another arc of constant plot points. The fight itself, while a spectacle, has little in the way of interesting powers or uses of them. A majority of this exposition is based around Stars and Stripes, most of which is focused around her place in the plot and less about her character. And if that’s all the arc was going to be, that would be fine, but the fact that it feels so stretched out over such a short period of time does not bode well for this story arc. 

Cathleen Who?

We are introduced to Cathleen in the same arc she is supposed to star in. There hasn't been any build up to her character throughout the entire story. As far as I can recall, there wasn't even a silhouette foreshadowing her. So suddenly introducing her as one of the most powerful acting heroes is downright bizarre from a world-building perspective. The most we get is was that she was saved by All Might in the Two Heroes movie, something that was an obvious attempt to give her more meaning. You'd think that if this character was so important, someone would have mentioned it. Maybe by All Might, the person who had a very close relationship with her and inspired her to be a hero, or by Izuku, the boy who loves and researches heroes more than anyone else. Or maybe All For One, who supposedly have this big brained chess move to get her over here. Yeah, that’s another point about her. All For One talks about Stars and Stripes like she was a part of his master plan this whole time. It just comes across as Hori trying to artificially make her more important by attaching All For One’s plans to her.

This leads to the other issue. Because of her short panel time, it’s difficult to really care about her. There's very little time to build up hype or get invested in Cathleen as a character for this fight to register for the reader. Now, a good writer can make you care about a character in a short span of time. So it’s a shame that Hori didn’t do that here. Cathleen is not very interesting or fun to be around. She’s a one-dimensional United States hero who defies orders to go save the day. And I can’t help but feel this forceful push as Hori tries to get us to like her. Not by trying to give her greater depth or trying to endear her to the reader, but just by getting her to do cool and say cool things. It’s all very surface-level. The most we got is her loyalty to her men, which are basically just faces in masks for how little they show up, and her admiration for All Might, who never mentions her. I would mention the brief inner conflict she had in the flashbacks, but that was so out of nowhere and pointless to the whole arc that it hardly feels like it is worth mentioning in this analysis.

And this is all made even worse by the fact that she dies at the end of the arc. While I’m not usually one to talk about "wasted potential" with certain characters, it does end up ringing hollow because of how little we actually know about Stars and Stripes as a person. So, despite what appears to be a built-up emotional moment throughout the arc, I am left feeling nothing for this character's death. Now, I understand that not every character get’s focused on before they die, but it feels wrong for Cathleen. Something like this is more forgivable for someone like Snatch. Snatch wasn’t really developed because he really didn’t need to be. He was just around to provide a minor threat to the villains and then die. But Stars and Stripes is propped up as such a big-time player, both in the world and as the main focus of this arc, that she feels more hollow as a result. A small figure casting a far bigger, emptier shadow. She ultimately feels less like a character that could exist in this world and more like a plot device. A tool that needs to be in the right place and the right time to do what they need to do and nothing else. And to do that, certain steps needed to be taken.

New Order

I despise this Quirk. With no exaggeration, I think this is the worst Quirk in the series. All she needs is to touch something, say its name, and she can seemingly do whatever she wants with it. It acts like a power from a completely different setting, coming across less as a cohesive Quirk and more like a broad net of whatever Hori wants it to be, practically bordering on a low tier reality warper. Even Quirks like "Rewind" or "Overhaul", as powerful as they were, still feel reasonable compared to "New Order". It’s not even like Cathleen is a mutation like Eri. Cathleen is forty two; born in the same generation as Endeavor. Could you look at "Hellflame" and "New Order" and reasonably compare the two? The most we get is that it’s described as it "redefines what a Quirk could be." That has got to be one of the most hand-wavy lines I have heard in a long time. If you have to say that about a power in your setting, chances are that you shouldn't include it.

In spite of the fact that the Quirk is basically a blank check to write the fight however he wants, this is probably one of the most uninteresting uses of a Quirk I’ve seen in a while, if not the whole series. Most of the effects of the Quirk, while visually interesting, are very uninteresting in practice, just being more super physique and air attacks. There was catching the laser or trying to stop Tomura’s heart, but that’s about it. The most unique use of the Quirk was turning "New Order" against Tomura, but that’s were the vagueness of the Quirk rears its ugly head. Tell me honestly: were any of you expecting that to happen? Was there anything about how the Quirk was used that suggested that was ever an option? It feels less like a clever ploy by the characters and more like a convivnence to get the story where it needs to be. I get the idea that this is about how brute force can’t work against Tomura and people can’t understand what Tomura is, but you could have gone about it in a more interesting way. 

I think the worst part about it is just how the Quirk itself is designed. The power itself is pretty vague in what it is capable of. It’s hard to get a grasp on what its limits are or how Cathleen can affect things. And for the arc, which is just one giant fight scene, that seems like a big issue when you don’t have a clear idea of what one of the fighters is capable of. I still see entire threads asking about how "New Order" works. And not in "I wonder what this power would be capable of", like some other Quirks in the series. During and after the arc, I still see people befuddled about what exactly the Quirk is doing or how it’s doing things. It’s so confusing, in fact, that Hori felt the need to stop the story entirely to explain what is happening with the power. If you need to spend a good chunk of a chapter just to explain how a single power works, putting the story on hold to give us an infographic, then you have failed as a storyteller. It really goes against the spirit of what a Quirk should be: a simple power that’s easy to understand but has good potential once you delve deeper into it.

“Tomura”

Now that we’ve talked about Cathleen, it’s time to look at the other half of the equation. And this arc began by confirming my worst fears: Tomura basically not in the driver's seat for this entire arc. While he returned to his proper form later, Tomura is pretty well under All For One's thumb now. It’s a more reserved and far less entertaining version of him, making the fight overall less satisfying because this really isn’t Tomura. But hey, maybe this could work out. After all, he does have the greater intelligence of All For One and full access to all the Quirks he could want. If nothing else, it could give him a chance to go all out, especially against such a high-level opponent. Well, despite Hori having yet another blank check to add in whatever abilities he wants, there aren’t a lot of showings of any new Quirks here. There are a few showings here and there, like him redirecting the lasers or firing off a kinetic attack. This could have been a good opportunity to show the kind of threat Tomura poses and give us a look at some of his powers. But no, most of the fight is Tomura getting beat up by everyone and getting right back up like nothing happened.

On that note, the amount of punishment that we see Tomura getting is pretty extreme this arc. It ends up feeling more comical then anything, seeing Tomura constantly flung around like a ragdoll, but does have its own issues for the story. While you can and should show your villains as legitimate threats, there comes a point where you can set the bar too high. It makes every fight involving Tomura after this feel like a forgone conclusion. The guy can't even be brought down by two dozen intercontinental ballistic missiles to the face. What is even the point of any character fighting him outside of them becoming fodder against him? Even Deku taking him feels pretty unlikely given everything else we’ve seen. It just throws off more of the balance of the setting. Especially since this fight didn't put too much of a damper on him. He's out for a few days and then he’s back in the game without any real downsides. The only real difference being that he supposedly has fewer Quirks, which he didn’t even use, and All For One is taking more control over him.

Though by far the biggest issue is that Tomura is fighting Cathleen at all. Of course, there was no way that Cathleen would beat him, let alone kill him. The fight goes out of its way to show how unkillable Tomura is and that taking all of this damage isn’t doing anything substantial to him. So most of the fight is just the reader waiting out the clock to see how long it is until Cathleen bites it. It would be crazy to think anything else. It would be even crazier to think Tomura would get the power in the first place. When you introduce something as powerful as "New Order" into the equation, something that could legitimately threaten All For One, it would be ridiculous to assume that Tomura would ever get his hands on it for any extended period of time. It would just completely demolish any chances the heroes could have against him. It ends up killing a lot of the stakes during the fight. We know that Tomura can’t get the power because what would even be the point in fighting him anymore? But we know that Stars and Stripes can’t do anything to him either, because it wouldn’t be that satisfying.

Why were we here?

And after all is said and done, I’m left wondering what exactly was the point of this arc. It's so disconnected from the rest of the story that it seems strange to have spent any time on it at all. Cathleen is dead, having no real interaction or impact with any of the characters besides Tomura if you want to count their fight. "New Order" is gone, suddenly introducing and then removing one of the most ridiculous Quirks in the series. Tomura is screaming in agony at the back of a cave, pretty much where he was before all of this started. The story moves on like none of this ever even happened outside of a mention here and there. It makes it feel as though not a lot of consequence actually happened, both in the arc itself and any long-term effect on the plot. Tomura’s time limit was pushed back three days, but that was originally moved up from a month, so I honestly wonder why the month-long time limit wasn’t kept in the first place.

It's said that Tomura lost some of his Quirks, but there are three issues with that. One is that we have zero context for what Quirks Tomura does and does not have, so the importance of his not having certain Quirks lost on us. All we know is that he had X amount of Quirks, and now he has Y amount. Two, Tomura isn't even able to use his Quirks in most of his panel time going forward thanks to "Erasure", so it doesn't feel like a major blow was dealt. Finally, it ends up not mattering as much since he gains another upgrade in the form of all the hands, one arguably more dangerous since he can exercise all his power through them. So nothing really comes of that. It’s to the point where certain translators insisted that All For One’s Quirks rebelling against him were the result of Stars and Stripes using "New Order". Ignoring how that doesn’t make any sense to affect him if the target was Tomrua, this was an error, with this being attributed to the fact that "All For One" was cloned in the proper translations.

There is the matter of international heroes,  who are supposedly scared off by Stars and Stripes death, but we already have an answer with all the discourse sown around the world and the bureaucratic issues that plague the countries. Heck, you think the death of a major figure in heroism would actually spur action to try and intervene. I guess there were the pilots as well, but they don’t offer much to the story on their own that couldn't have been done in other, simpler ways. There is everything that happened with America, but again, you could have found ways to include it without this arc. The only thing that it did add was more time for Tomura before he could come out of the cave to fight people, but that wasn’t needed. Instead of Stars and Stripes, you could easily have Tomura being undercooked or actively fighting All For One causing these issues. It would have made more sense and actually made it feel like getting to Tomura early mattered more. In the end, I’m left with an arc that’s six chapters long that feels like a slog to get through. The majority of this arc is filled with one character I barely know and another that’s completely changed, both with power sets I barely understand. It feels like a filler arc got dropped in the middle of the series.

How to Fix This

So after all this complaining, I believe I have a simple solution to fix this part of the story: Don't do this arc. I know this seems like a cop out, but I believe that this is the best answer. I honestly think that you could include everything accomplished in this arc in simpler and more efficient ways. Weakening Tomura to give the heroes time? Just extend the time limit. I don't even understand why he made it so fast in the first place. Everything between Tomura and All For One? Have it be its own chapter to flesh them out. The black box recording Tomura to reveal his weaknesses? You literally have the smartest creature on the planet working for the heroes in Nezu. It wouldn’t be that hard to have him analyze other footage to come to that conclusion. Izuku using the jetfighters to get to the mainland? Just have him travel off screen. I think people would have been fine with him just flying over and having it take some time. Now, there could be something happening with America going forward. Hori is obviously taking time to set that up and Stars and Stripes seemingly plays the role to establish, inspiring people to rise up. But what if there were already established characters in the US who would fill Cathleen’s role perfectly?

Yep, that's right, we're bringing in these two knuckleheads. Koichi and Christopher are two established characters that have understandable motives for wanting to help Japan. Koichi could want to help his home country, and Christopher would want to repay the country that helped make him a better hero and man. Heck, Captain Celebrity was already the Number One hero of the United States, so you wouldn't even have to change that. While they wouldn't be fighting Tomura, they could be the ones fighting in the US trying to get people to step in to stop All For One. It presents all the same beats, works with what's already been set up, and pays off fan investment to everyone that actually read Vigilantes. And if you want to say that they were established in Vigilantes and haven't had any presence in the story, I just want to remind you that Oboro, a character only in Vigilantes until his plot twist in the main series, suddenly became a major plot point with the Kurogiri reveal. If people can let that slide for the sake of the story, I think we could accept having these two around. On top of, you could easily have had All Might be the impetus for this change. The guy fought and train over there for some time, Surely there are those that admire him and would want to help him out.

Now what could these spare chapters be used for? Literally anything else. Five chapters doesn't seem like a lot, but there's still a lot you could do in that period of time. You could spend some time with the villains, like the moments with Tomura and All for One or Spinner finding out what’s happening with Tomura. You could have easily had that first chapter take up more of this part of the story. Maybe we could get some more peaks around the world, either in general or around Japan, to get some sense on how people are doing. If the Mutant plotline was so important, maybe Hori should have spent some time actually setting it up. Maybe you could have done more of Vigilante Izuku, letting us really feel the weight his absence has on himself and others. But honestly, I think the best use would just be some breather chapters, spending time with the students in between their training.

We have gone through two heavy arcs with the PLF War and the Tartarus Escapees Arc. I think it would have helped the story to slow things down for a while and give some more simple, character-focused chapters to the students and teachers. Have Mina talk about Midnight’s death, give us a normal scene between Izuku and Bakugou, give us some interactions we’ve never seen before with certain students. Don’t just keep shoving in flashbacks in the middle of the arcs. Heck, focus on some of the lesser students. We are well over three hundred chapters in, and I still feel like I barely know some of these characters. I understand the idea of focusing on certain figures, but a good portion of the class still feels like filler. Show Sato trying to cheer people up with his cooking. Show Sero’s concerns about what’s going on with the world and the class. Show Ojiro reflecting on how far he’s come. Stop skipping to the next fight scene and actually focus on the characters you have.

[littlerosetrove]

Well. I have some thoughts, which some of y’all may not like or agree with, and that’s fine. But please please if you’re going to “well actually” or “okay but” in the comments or reblogs then make your own post, okay? I need to vent on my corner here. You can do whatever you want in your own.

This got long, so my venting about Eddie's cheating storyline is under the cut.

Let me state: if you’re enjoying this cheating storyline for Eddie? Truly that is fine. I don’t think anyone who likes it is bad or anything. This is fiction after all. I, however, am not enjoying this fictional storyline, which is also fine. I just won’t engage with people who are on opposite ends with me for this story, and I’m asking the same in return. 

Also to be very clear: this is not me bashing or hating on Eddie. This is me very much disliking the storyline the writers have chosen for my favorite character. I fully understand Eddie is a flawed human being, but that doesn’t mean I have to like or enjoy every story they write for him. 

Now, has 911 done a cheating storyline? Yes, with the mains Hen, Michael, and Buck, and at least a couple times with random people on 911 calls. It may not be new, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. I didn’t enjoy Hen’s, Michael’s, or Buck’s cheating storyline, and I’m not enjoying Eddie’s either. I’ve rarely enjoyed cheating storylines in any media. It’s just not my thing. ALSO. Funny how every cheater in this show has been a queer main character. Eddie may not be canonically queer YET, but it’s obvious he’s going to be. So thanks, I hate it. 👍

No seriously. I DO think they’re eventually going to make Eddie queer. But then. Y’all. That will confirm Eddie as the FOURTH queer character to cheat. Like what the actual fuck. As a queer person, I do not care for this honestly gross trend. 

Clearly the writers and Tim wanted to do a story where Eddie romantically pursues a woman who looks like his dead wife, because Eddie has not moved on in 5 years, but more on that aspect later. Ok, fine. But why did they have to make it even more messy and complicated and unoriginal by having Eddie cheat? No seriously. No one cares about Marisol nor the nothing burger of a relationship between her and Eddie, because there’s nothing there! To either part! Hell Eddie keeps joking about breaking up with Marisol, so he definitely sees an end date to them (despite, I think, Ryan saying in an interview that Eddie cares for Marisol, and the word love was used, but? cool we’ve zero evidence of this in canon, so whatever). 

Why could the show have not had Eddie break up with Marisol nolastname first, and then quickly jump into dating a woman who looks like his dead wife? That way there’s no fucking cheating. Eddie is still grieving Shannon, sure I get that, but for his grief to drive him, knowingly, to be a cheater? For what purpose?????? Eddie is clearly unstable and acting irrationally, so frankly it’s enough to highlight this with, again, first breaking up with Marisol, and then immediately start dating Shannon’s doppelgänger. Boom. No need to cheat, and it’s still messy as hell. 

To quote @eddiegettingshot from their post here, when it comes to Marisol “it’s literally just flimsy writing she’s not even adding an emotional element except for by virtue of her existence.”

Let’s circle back to Shannon.

Look. I’ve never made it a secret that I don’t like Shannon. She’s not an unsympathetic character, and I know she’s flawed because she’s human. I Know. But I still don’t like her and never will. I’m also not a fan of this show keeping Eddie on a hamster wheel with the ghost of Shannon for FIVE seasons. I’m tired of Eddie’s stories constantly coming back to and revolving around Shannon. This is a TV show guys, not real life. I’m fully aware what grief can do to people, I have experience, but my gosh. Watching the story of Shannon dragged out for five seasons now is so. tiring. And yes, FINALLY, the show is addressing the Shannon of it all so Eddie can move the fuck on, but good gosh. It’s taken five seasons to get here. I really wish they’d taken the opportunity to do this story in season 6, but alas. 

Kinda repeating here, but fucking finally they’re working on Eddie moving past the ghost of Shannon, because Eddie’s been hiding who he is and what he wants behind her AND, to bring Chris into this, hiding behind him too. Using Chris as a shield to protect and deny himself from who he is and what he wants. We know a big reason Eddie dated and stuck with Ana was because “my kid loves her.” Eddie thinks he needs to give Chris another mother, for various reasons. Because of this he hasn’t been following his heart. Thus, Eddie has clung to the ghost of Shannon and their relationship because that is known (the nuclear family and the heteronormativity of it all, which I really don’t think Eddie actually wants, hence a fuck ton of denial and compartmentalizing), and the “unknown” is more terrifying to Eddie. Super understandable. But this is TV and I need Eddie to do something different and new. 

I don’t think they’ll go this far, but what in the world was Eddie planning to do? I mean I don’t think he’s even thinking far ahead at all, but what would happen if Eddie brought home this Shannon look-a-like to Christopher? That would be hella traumatizing to Chris, who is of course still struggling with the loss of his mom, and the mother he recognizes/understands left him.

A connected side not to all of this is, we still have zero knowledge of how Chris feels about Marisol. Sure the three of them went for ice cream, so we can interpret Chris is fine with her, but nothing more concrete or illuminating that. For once I’d love for Chris to actually get to say how he feels about things like this. SO we can only guess that Eddie, without talking to Chris, had moved Marisol in then back out of the house. We have no idea if Chris knew about Marisol moving in or not. Nothing. 

So we take these two huge things, Eddie possibly not talking to his son about having his girlfriend of maybe four months move in, and the potential (because again I don’t think they’ll go this far, but who the fuck knows now) of Eddie bringing a Shannon doppelgänger around Chris. I know grief is a hell of a thing - again, I have experience - but it all paints Eddie as a bad father (this season), and I don’t get why they’re taking it this far. Eddie is flawed, of course he is, and oh my god I know he’s only human, but come on. Why is the show painting Eddie being as, honestly, pretty damn selfish in this way? Again, we’ve zero knowledge of Chris’s feelings on Marisol, really, and now Eddie is cheating on Marisol nolastname by chasing after a woman who looks like his dead wife, and to what end????  (to be clear, I don't think Eddie is a bad father, it's just that the show is making him kind of look like one.)

All of this is going to blow up in Eddie’s face, and he’ll deserve it. 1) He’s cheating on his girlfriend with a woman who looks like his dead wife. I have no fucking clue how Marisol will react when the truth comes out, but my gosh if they have her easily forgive Eddie… I don’t care at all about Marisol, but if she has no backbone the way Ana never seemed to have one, then good grief. I’m white, but that will be two Latina characters just letting Eddie’s bullshit slide (to an extent). Idk, but that doesn’t feel right. 2) He’s going to hurt this “looks like his dead wife” woman because Eddie refuses to process his grief over Shannon. Thus adding a layer to Eddie’s selfishness. The show can have Eddie be selfish of course, but it does Not need to be in this way (i contain multitudes. i am ok with the doppelgänger weirdness on its own, but at the same time see that it's a very selfish thing eddie is doing). 3) Eddie is certainly lying to everyone, but he lied to Buck’s face. And remember how Buck felt so terrible about lying in any way to Eddie in 7x5? Yeah.... Yes Buck has experience with cheating on his girlfriend, but Eddie used Buck to lie. There's a difference. 4) Where the hell does Chris fit into all of this mess?? Christ, for both their sakes I hope Chris does not learn that his dad cheated on his girlfriend to date a woman that looks like his mom because, again, Eddie refuses to properly grieve and let go of Shannon. Chris already needs to go back to therapy anyway though, let’s be honest. 

However this mess of a storyline plays out, FFS, they better put Eddie back in therapy. Even without the cheating part, Eddie NEEDS to go back to therapy for so many valid reasons. He needs to talk about his guilt and grief when it comes to Shannon, his Catholic guilt (currently forgotten??), it hasn’t been brought up yet but his mommy issues, and he needs to learn about consent especially when it comes to sex. Like come on. Eddie has plenty of issues, so WHY was it necessary to throw in cheating? I’m so serious. They want him to continue to be messy? Fine, but pick a less uninspired path to add to the mess. 

*tired sigh*

Bottom line, I feel like the show is just continuing to disrespect Eddie and his character. In season 6 they handled his loneliness and then dating storyline, particularly the dating aspect, in a joking way. It wasn’t handled well in my opinion. Now in season 7 he’s cheating on Marisol who still has no character, and they’re in a no substance relationship that I don’t feel an ounce of investment in. A cheating storyline should resonate on some level, but it’s not here and it doesn’t resonate because we have two women no one cares about beyond the general feeling of “it sucks to be cheated on” and “it sucks to be lied to.” Congrats on the shitty writing.  They want to (fucking finally) work on Eddie actually confronting his grief about Shannon after five years of being on a hamster wheel? Great. But do it with more care. Not this. And remember how they introduced and treated Eddie’s apparent Catholic guilt as a joke? Yeah there’s that too. 

Eddie has complicated trauma and I really don’t like that it’s being treated as a mix of a joke (catholic guilt) and just disrespectfully (cheating). Eddie dating a Shannon doppelgänger is already messy on its own - and honestly I would have been fine with that because Eddie is a walking trauma, guilt ridden, repression bomb waiting to go off - so we did not need to add cheating to the mix. While I’m on board with Eddie being hella messy and delusional to date someone who looks like his dead wife, but the cheating never needed to be here. 

After all this mess blows up in Eddie’s face? Ya’ll. Eddie needs to go to therapy and it’s not a bad or wrong thing to point out that he needs to be single for a little while. Hello????? Just look at the mess Eddie is right now.  

*another tired sigh* I think I covered everything I wanted to say....

[bg3fandomcritical-active]

No one was saying that but responding to the other anon that said his “libertine” persona is his actual self when the game makes it very clear it’s not. I think you both are confusing anons. And the epilogue does show a different Astarion.

If that’s not what the original anon was trying to say, then fair enough.  It did feel like they were dismissing a fairly accurate description of early game Astarion, as well as tropes that are definitely relevant to his characterization because it’s not where he ends up on one of his paths.  But I also didn’t take the original libertine anon as saying that Astarion’s Act One persona was his actual self. Anon messages are truly an awful way to discuss media. I'm two seconds from adding a signature.

"Ingrained - look up the word" 

Firmly held and difficult to change…I know what it means.  I’m using it correctly.   What do you think it means?  Astarion’s belief that people with power can do what they want, and that it will provide him safety and freedom is absolutely an ingrained belief and his main motivation for most of the game.  That’s why it’s a big deal if he opts out of the ritual.  That’s why it’s character growth. I like Astarion, I like spawn Astarion.  If that wasn’t clear enough, I am fully aware he’s capable of growth and no where did I say he wasn’t.    I just don’t think he’s going to drop 200 hundred years of bad habits overnight, nor do I think the game shows him doing that.  I think if the game did do anything that drastic it would feel kinda corny. Because I have, in fact, played the whole game.

 Why is acceptable for Lae to drop her whole religion and way of life but him changing is not? 

See previous statement, also I don’t actually think Lae’zel changes that much.  She drops Vlaakith, because the lich queen is objectively lying to her, but she does sort of hurl herself into a fresh new cause with a similar fervor.  A better cause, sure.  But, unless you convince her to stick around in Faerun, she’s still kinda doing similar things. 

Also the topic also wasn’t about Lae’zel, so, why would I mention her?  There’s way too many people responding to my comment and saying mostly the same thing.  So, to be clear, I'm not saying Astarion doesn’t experience character growth, or anyone else.  Or that experiencing character growth in a narrative is bad.  And I don’t know why that was everyone’s take away, because it wasn’t the point I was trying to make.  I think they all have the chance to experience plenty within the narrative.  I was trying to say It’s disingenuous to act like the flaws and motivations they have in act 1 don't matter when discussing a character, or associated tropes. Or that they don't persist even after characters have growth. And that if the characters were written to be entirely different people post a big character moment, that would be bad writing, and a bit silly.

.

[spoiledsummerdasies]

Being a fictive from a controversial source (Lolita)

A post by Delores “Lolita” Haze (NEVER CALL ME LOLITA. I MENTION IT HERE ONLY SO PEOPLE KNOW WHO I AM)

This is long, and obviously covers triggering topics, so TW for everything under the cut.

Let me tell you something right off the bat, you can’t control who you split. No one in this system actively wanted to split a character from one of the most controversial and misunderstood books to ever exist. And yet, here I am. 14 years old, only girl in the system. I’m extremely lucky to have formed without exomemories, but I am fully aware of what happened to me in my source, it’s uncomfortable to live with that information, but I have to endure it. I do try and separate myself from my source to an extent, I don’t want to trigger myself you know? But the entire conversation around Lolita interests me. I categorise those who are interested in the Lolita franchise (book and movies) into four categories:

1- people who actually understood the story. They know it’s not a love story, that it’s more akin to a horror if anything. They like the story for its writing style, or the movies for the cinematography or fashion etc. these are the people I like. They don’t romanticise or victim blame.

2-people (usually young) who don’t understand the story. They’re usually young girls with an older man k*nk who romanticise it.

3- people who have zero media literacy and can’t figure out that h*mbert is an unreliable narrator who warped everything to for his sick, victim blamey viewpoint. These are the ones that get all outraged and call anyone who even mentions the story a PDF

4- literal actual PDFs who completely missed the point of the story entirely.

Notice how only 1 of those 4 categories are safe people to interact with?

The publishing industry and the 60s movie absolutely failed the story. The author himself specifically asked for no girls or pretty pictures on the cover of the book for the soul reason of making sure no one went into it with the preconceived notion it was a romance. Just look at what happened once the 60s movie came out, no preconceived notions to a whole heap of them. The red, the sunglasses, the lollipop, the girl.

While I do admittedly like the music in the 60s movie, they butchered the story. And they shed me of my entire Identity. My name is Delores Haze, Dolly or Lo to my friends. Not Lolita. That’s the name my abuser gave me to strip me of my identity. Every single character in the 60s movie calls me Lolita. They age me up to 16 (still a minor btw), they didn’t show any of the abuse (yes I know there were laws in the 60s but still), they framed it as a romance. The director was a creep too, reportedly messing around with the 16 year old actor. I firmly believe that there’d be less controversy around Lolita if the 60s movie never existed.

The 90s movie did better, but it still has its flaws. This is the incarnation of Lolita I’m mainly split from. With the red hair and the (absolutely amazing) wardrobe. It’s ok to admit the fashion is great btw, because it is. I feel like if they filmed it and edited it in a more eerie, almost horror like way they could have gotten the exact message of the book across. At least in this adaptation they show the abuse for what it is. The fighting, slapping and kicking, h*mberts creepy ass desires. And it’s good they used a body double for the more explicit parts to protect the still teenage actor. They kept me 14, still a bit older than the book but at least it’s still very young and gets the message across somewhat the same. What I think let this adaptation down was the cinematography and editing choice. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautifully shot movie. But that romantic, dreamlike, hazy view they use only further romanticised the story to many.

I bring all this up to make a point, it’s easy to romanticise the story because of what the movies did to it. Those with bad media literacy (so like half the planet) and those who haven’t read the book won’t understand the point. They’ll miss the fact this is a cautionary tale on how abusers work. That they’re often the people closest to you, that they’re manipulative, unreliable narrators, that they’ll twist things in their own favour and victim blame to justify their sick actions. I’m the victim, I always was. I’m 12 in the book, 14 in the 90s movie and 16 in the 60s one. All of those ages are minors, a child.

All of that being said: it enrages me that I can barely exist in public as a fictive of Dolly purely because people are media illiterate and don’t understand the story is and always has been akin to a horror that WARNS of the dangers of PDFs not a fucking love story. If I tell someone who I am and where I’m from it’ll either be “you read/watched Lolita? You must be a PDF” or “ew don’t romanticise Lolita!” As if we have any control over who we split. As if I’m not the victim and always was. As if the whole reason I split wasn’t because the host WAS harassed as a teenager. Just being a regular singlet who likes the franchise will get you harassed, but being a FICTIVE? It’s like walking on egg shells every single day I exist in plural spaces or just in public in general. It’s not my fault people can’t understand my source, that the publishing industry and movies failed the book, that PDFs do exactly what the book warns and warp the story to fit their sick fantasies.

I’m sure all fictives from controversial sources can relate to this part: no one ever asks how I’m doing NOW. Now I’m in a system, in a different body, in a safe environment. They stay hung up on the abuse I endured they completely neglect to get to know me for who I am now. They don’t know anything about me, my favourite colour (red), my favourite food (berries), my favourite drink (frozen coke), my hobbies (vintage collecting and fashion). I have a brother and dad in this system, a family that love me and don’t hurt me. Despite the body being trans masc, I don’t actually mind fronting. In fact I’m exited to get top surgery because in the headspace my chest is flat (bc you know, I’m a child). I’m fairly happy now, sure I have my bad days and get triggered sometimes, but I’m safe. I’m healing.

Fictives are not their source. They can be connected to it yes, but they are living a whole different life in a whole new body. They grow and change just like anyone else.

I am Delores Haze, my in sys dad calls me kiddo. My brother calls me Lo-Lo. The system calls me Dolly or Lo. Sometimes is Las, or shortie. But I’m not Lolita. I never will be. I exist in the system to help us survive, I’m not my source despite having a connection to the fashion and aesthetics. Fuck Humbert Humbert, fuck those who don’t understand my source, and fuck those who reduce introjects down to their source. I am not a “nymphette” I am a 14 year old girl.

TLDR: Lolita is not a love story, respect all introjects even if they have a controversial source. Learn media literacy. K word all PDFs.