#they lack the free will to be judged the same way another villain might

[y-rhywbeth2]

One can easily see why Durge would simply embrace their ordained role as a villain; there is literally nothing else they can be. If they resist then Bhaal just locks them up in their own mind and does it anyway, and even if they could, their soul is damned regardless.

Embrace the sin and start killing and have fun doing it, because it won't make a single bit of difference whether you do it willingly or otherwise! You will be condemned by people and the universe for what you are anyway!

Choices and names are for people; the Dark Urge is a weapon and they will do what weapons do.

[escapist-dreams]

Fix it ~ Invincible Fanfiction

Summary: Rex's hand gets damaged in a fight. No one is willing to help him, so he helps himself.

Warnings: spoilers for both the Invincible animated show(episode 7) and comics(issue #40) concerning Rex-Splode, injuries(nothing nearly as graphic as the source material)

Word Count: 2.3k

This is my first Invincible fanfic, and one of the first fics I've written in awhile! Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy! Feel free to tell me what you think about it! Constructive criticism would be appreciated :D

"We meet yet again, Invincible!" D.A. Sinclair shouted with his usual dramatic flair. He had escaped from the government facility a couple months ago and holed up in a sewer, making more of his fucked up 'reanimen' who the new Guardians of the Globe were now fighting.

His army of cyborgs were unleashed onto the fleeing crowd, more destructive than self destructive this time. Sinclair must've taken notes from his previous failures.

While they targeted the heroes, civilians were caught in the crossfire left and right. Dupli-Kate evacuated the remaining civilians while Shrinking-Rae fought off any cyborgs coming near. The rest of the team tried to disarm the cyborgs without killing them, which Mark made them agree to do before the fight.

Invincible went through one after the other, knocking out the cyborgs, one could tell he was holding back. Monster Girl knocked out a good chunk of them, but accidentally killed one or two with the strength of her monster form. One of them slammed her against a building, sending a big crack up the wall, no doubt affecting civilians in the upper floors. Shrinking-Rae rushed to save those in the building affected by the crack, while Monster Girl slumped against the wall, down for the count.

Rex-Splode made it past the wall of reanimen defending Sinclair and shot a projectile at his torso. He stumbled as the magnet hit his side and exploded, only grazing him but doing damage all the same. He cupped a hand around the wound, and when he regained his composure, looked directly at Rex.

"You'll pay for that!" With a movement of his hand, D. A. Sinclair ordered the cyborg to target Rex-Splode.

"Sure I will, asshole!" Rex smirked and raised his hand again, aiming for Sinclair's head. The cyborg intervened, lunging towards Rex, who dodged and backed away. He couldn't kill the guy, but he really didn't want to get beat to a bloody pulp today. He made a split second decision to shoot him in the legs to slow him down. He did so, but all he received for his efforts was the sound of a small metal impact. He'd missed the human parts, the projectile only slightly slowed the cyborg.

Just as he was about to shoot again, the cyborg grabbed his hand, crushing flesh and metal alike. Rex doubled over as a wave of pain hit him like a brick. He tried to push past it after a few moments, looking up just in time to see Robot come up behind the reaniman, knocking him out with a punch. Invincible grabbed a piece of metal from a street sign that had been crushed in the wreckage of the battle and bent it tightly around Sinclair, effectively trapping him. And since the cyborgs were all either knocked out or no longer under his control, the battle was over.

"You couldnt've done that earlier?" Rex complained as Mark tied up Sinclair, wincing in pain. Several members of the team gave him a familiar look of annoyance.

"Maybe if you weren't too busy cowering we would've finished this sooner." Samson stated.

"I wasn't--!" Rex began, but he doubled over again before he could finish, another wave of pain hitting him.

The rest of the team had sustained some injuries as well, but they were able to shake it off for the most part by the time they arrived back at the guardians' base.

"Hey Robot-" Rex tried to catch him before they fully returned to the group.

"It's Rudy."

"Right. Rudy, can you uh.." he pointed to his busted up hand, the blood dried onto the metal. Rudy made a wincing sound at the sight, then looked to their friends, who were in a group celebrating the won battle.

"Hm.. That's going to take a bit to fix, if you can wait I'll fix it in a couple minutes." he decided. Rex opened his mouth to protest, but closed it and nodded in agreement. The two rejoined the group.

They spent a few minutes having conversations in small groups, some about the fight, and some about completely different things. After about half an hour passed, Mark got up from his seat, explaining that he needed to get back home, as he had some homework to finish up. Slowly the group dissolved, rejoining their everyday lives. Rex ran to catch Rudy before he and Amanda left.

"Hey Rudy, can you fix this thing before you go? If you couldn't tell, it *kinda* hurts." Rex gestured to his hand, pulling the glove up a bit to show the broken metal and bloody skin.

"Can it wait, Rex? Me and Amanda are getting lunch." he paused, conflicted, "you can join if you want." he offered politely, but judging by the looks on his and Amanda's face, it wasn't an invitation.

"I'll pass." Rex sighed, unsure if he was more angry or sad about it at this point. Rudy shrugged as if to say "your loss", and he and Amanda left the base. Rex left as well a few moments later, Kate and Rae's conversation fading behind him as he made his way to his apartment.

Rex tried to ignore it, he really did. But god, it hurt. He must've been in shock before, but now that he had time to really think about and feel the injury, the pain set in. The metal of his hand had torn into his flesh and he was afraid to move it for fear of further lodging it into his arm. After awhile of trying to ignore the injury, Rex decided he couldn't take it anymore. If no one would help him, he would help himself.

Rex knew a thing or two about robotics since he got his powers from the devices in his wrists, and had been taught a bit at the facility for use in battlefield situations. So he got some spare tools he used for small repairs on his arms and got to work fixing his hand. It took just about all night, but by the end he was fairly confident that he'd at least helped the situation.

He must've done something right because next time the guardians fought a villain, he was able to shoot the projectiles from his hand. No need to ask Rudy for help. And the next time it was damaged, and he fixed it himself again. This time his aim was slightly off. He hit several walls, the ground, and nearly a civilian before his desired target, but it was fine, right? He hit the guy eventually, he missed the civilian, and it still worked decently well.

He continued to repair it himself, using the knowledge from his previous mishaps to improve upon it. It continued to have slight malfunctions, but it worked.

Until it didn't.

He aimed, and shot, but the small explosive wouldn't budge. It wouldn't leave his hand, something blocked it. The BB lit up as he tried to shoot, but it exploded in his hand.

"Fuck!" Rex yelled, throwing a magnet from his belt with his offhand and dodging out of the way of an oncoming attack.

The team made quick work of the enemy, but not before they got a few good hits in on Dupli-Kate and Monster Girl as well. Amanda was slumped against a wall while Kate Prime nursed an injury on her side.

Back at the base, Rudy was busy being at Amanda's side. She had a minor concussion, but overall she was alright. The excessive blood from a cut on her head made the injury look more serious than it was. They were thankful that she was alright, minus a bit of blood loss and a head injury.

Rex wanted to celebrate her quick recovery longer than he did, but hesitantly left after drinks were had and the party died down a bit. He knew he would have to work on his hand for awhile to get it in working order and get any sleep that night.

It was already much later in the day by the time he arrived at his apartment. Repairs went well for the most part. He had passed out before realigning the metal, but quickly aligned it before heading to the base that morning, presumably deeming it functional, which was an achievement in Rex's opinion considering how badly it was broken and lack of materials. He got hardly any sleep, but he wasn't exactly the type to usually get a full eight hours every night anyways.

The next day after training, Rudy approached Rex unexpectedly.

"Hey Rex, I noticed your hand got busted up pretty badly yesterday. Need me to fix it?" Rudy offered, glancing at Rex's barely-together hand with a hint of what might be worry. Rex scoffed.

"Oh no it's fine," he said, half proud of his work and half bitter at Rudy. "I figured it out."

Rudy gave him a curious look, pausing for a moment before repeating, "You 'figured it out'?"

Rex nodded, taking off his glove and showing off his hand, which he'd barely been able to peice back together the night before. "I figured it out."

He'd had to patch up the hand with spare metal parts and slightly off-size bolts, but it wasn't too bad of a job. From a certain angle, it'd look fine even. A bit busted up, used for sure, but functional. Now, from the angle of someone with as much knowledge in robotics as Rudy had, the sight was returned after a long pause with a vaguely annoyed, "this is going to take awhile."

"What're you two doing?" Amanda asked, walking into the workroom with a half empty carton of disguised booze.

"Rex tried to fix his hand. By himself." Rudy explained condescendingly after a pause that made it obvious he was focused on his work. Rex scoffed at the answer.

"I think I did a great job, thank you very much." And besides being proud of his attempt at fixing it, the way he phrased it made Rex sound like an idiot, as if he hadn't asked for help several times before deciding to fix the problem himself.

"You put the metal covering back in place just off enough to block the projectile, the bolts are all the wrong size, and part of it is still jabbing into your arm. This isn't even the right kind of.." he trailed off, clicking a new bolt in place before mumbling, "how did you even fight like this-?!"

"Well it's not like you bothered to help me when I asked.." Rex answered with the tone of an upset child.

"You didn't say how bad it was."

"I showed you! You saw it!" Rex nearly shouted, frustration and anger bubbling up in his chest and out his mouth.

"I would have fixed this easily if you'd asked sooner."

"I did ask sooner!"

"You could've asked when I wasn't busy." Rudy spoke nearly absent-mindedly, focusing intently on prying part of the metal out of damaged tissue that tried to heal around it.

Rex hissed in pain before responding, "When were you not busy? I asked you like three times, you told me to wait!"

"I just told you, I was busy. Why didn't you go to Cecil for this?"

"Oh yeah, like I'm asking some creepy ass guy from the government to fix my hand- No fucking way!" Rex tried to ignore the hint of fear in his chest at the idea of some shady government operative poking and prodding at him in a blindingly white room.

"You'd rather bother me than ask someone whose job it is to fix things for help?"

"I'd rather ask my friend for help!"

"You could have asked when I wasn't busy." Rudy repeated, obviously struggling to keep his cool. "I'm not going to drop everything for you, Rex!"

"Yeah? Of course not, but I bet you'd drop everything for her." Rex pointed at Amanda, who had a front row seat to the argument standing in the doorway. The two locked eyes for a moment, then Rudy looked away to glare at Rex.

"At least she offers something to the team. She's an invaluable asset and I need to keep her safe." He didn't need to shout, his tone and words cut deeper than raw anger could.

"Well pardon me for wanting to be able to use my fucking hand--"

"Excuse me?" Amanda snapped, glaring at Rudy. "Rex is my friend, and I won't reciprocate your crush on me just because you look like him and aged down for me. I don't owe you shit. And being a dick to the guy whose face you stole doesn't make you more appealing."

"But I--" Rudy was at a loss for words; a rare occurrence. Scrambling to regain his composure, he blurted out, "But I did this for you!"

"I don't owe you shit for that." she repeated firmly. "And if how you treat Rex is any indication, I wouldn't want to be with you, if this is how you treat a long time friend who needs help."

"Exactly!" Rex agreed, relieved that Amanda stepped in. Rudy glared at him before catching himself and looking back towards Amanda, who sighed angrily.

"He couldn't have asked Cecil!?" Rudy reiterated, grasping at straws trying to 'win' the argument he'd already lost.

"He's obviously uncomfortable with that, or he would've done it already. Something you would notice if you bothered to give him a second glance." Amanda snapped back. "He came to you for help, and you lectured him for it."

"I.."

"Let's go, Rex. This asshole isn't worth our time." she decided. Rex followed her out the door to rejoin the rest of the group with a satisfied sort of pride in his chest. It felt nice to be defended by someone other than himself.

The door slammed shut.

[jubilantwriter]

Of Blood and Static

?̩̲ͯ̚ͅC̉̏̿̒̓͐ͮ͝͏̢̫̭̫͚̜h̦̩̼̝̳͎̹̎̊̿́͐ͮͬ͑̚4̩̞̮̝̊̂͊̈͗ͨ̚͡p̲̻̯̏̃̀t̰̦̙̥̟̺̥̤̓̔͆͛͢͜-̦̠̹͎͎͖̾̂͊?̙̼̱̩̬̏̅ͫ̐̂P̜͉̦͉̲ͨ̃̇ͥ͠r̫̲̰͚̙̫̔̂̒̅͋̐̎̄͟͟0̮̱̅̑͟l̡̘̭̤̹̝̪̱̹̑̈-͉̙̣̘̬̮̗̱̌̆͛ͪ̾ͯ̇̀̕͠?̸̜̩ͭͪͮͭͧ͟͝E̙̤͈̲͋̋́p̨̭͕ͬͪ̕1̺̰̳̣̌̀͝͠!͕͔̘̯͎͍̈́g̼̳̙̯̱̟͉̀̄ͫ̈̋͌̏͝-̜̖͉̰ͫ͡?̩͚̍̀͝: All my love, your Dearest Friend.

(AO3)  (First)  (Previous)

...Summary?:  (He rolls the sheet of paper back up and smiles, stowing the message away in his pocket.  Perhaps it was meant for him.  Perhaps not.  But there's only one way of knowing for sure.

The screen reveals to him the distant figure of a rowing man approaching the beach much sooner than usual.  So the march of time continues.  A new beginning?  Or the end of the line?

Perhaps, he thinks as the screen shuts off, perhaps those questions are best left unanswered.)

Word Count: 2712

////

The Lady is used to the loops.  The pieces fall together in her hand, the puzzle complete as she sets it aside to focus on another one.  The mirror in front of her, pieced together by all the broken shards from all her past lives, reflects back a her that looks nothing like the monster she often sees reflected back in her quarters.  Instead, the her she sees is of a young girl in yellow, defiant, desperate, but hopeful.  The Shadow stares at her in the mirror and nods.  She nods back, and the mirror is put aside, whole and complete.

They are so close.  So close to completion.  The Caretaker joins her side as they both gaze over the crowd of Guests.  Her hand hovers over the crowd of gluttonous monsters as he takes her other hand and squeezes.  The Ferryman had whisked away all the children from the Maw, taking them to a new haven where no one can harm them.  The nomes had already gotten a head start in building the start of a settlement.

She never got to see a blur of a blue boy in this loop.

A smile hides behind her mask as the monsters below her scream and screech in terror as she culls them for all their worth.  The Maw groans as it creaks, but she pays it no mind.

As they fall over one by one, she looks up towards the entrance of the Maw.

Soon, she thinks.  Soon.  They'll see him again.

 (-)

The Thin Man is tired of the loops.  So tired, in fact, that when he finally breaks from his spell the Tower had over him (for so long, so long he had been hurt, pulled apart, ripped apart, smothered, made a monster, a horrible, real monster), the first thing he does is reach out to his beloved friends.  The Lady had sobbed - it truly had been that long, hadn't it? - showing a weakness he hadn't seen since the very first loops when they were still completely new to this.  Then the Caretaker followed, his appearance a welcomed one as he recalled the mumbled conversations between them when the Caretaker called for him without the presence of the Lady.

There was no real expectation that the Caretaker would remember him, given the lack of contact they've had.  But alas, the man in blue cried as well, placing his hand on the glass and whispering out so very tenderly:

"It's about time I got to meet you again.  How lucky I must be to be the one who lives to see you once more?"

The reunion had been sweet, words spoken through tears even if his were silent.  A charm lays in his suit pocket next to a sailor's cap and a short message.  The energy it exudes steals from the Tower and feeds him just enough that he can keep his mind all his own.  It had been a struggle.  A fight.  An endless scream that resonated in the Tower that only he could hear.  

He recalls all the memories he had of receiving that charm from the man behind the door after he delivered that package on a whim.

"I'll give this to Six once I save her.  If I can't always protect her, at least this thing might do it when I fail her again."  Over and over again, he'd repeat that to himself as he wore it on his back like a shield.  Funny how it protected him instead of his intentioned Six.  But that's what friends are for, huh?

...Friends.  There was a time when, as an adult, he thought that the concept of them was nothing more than a lie.  How wrong he was back then.  How happy he is that he was proven wrong.  Loops and loops of fighting, of enacting useless revenge upon useless revenge, of never-ending self-inflicted suffering and anger and regret-

They were always both at fault.  It wasn’t always her fault, as much as he so arrogantly used to believe.  It’d taken him so long to realize how wrong he was.  How the pointless arguing and accusations did nothing to free them.  It was, after all, his fault that the loops began in the first place, wasn’t it?

All he wanted was to save her.  The Tower twisted his desire and created a never-ending cycle of blame and anger and victimization.  Took his desire and twisted it into a desperate vision of wanting to be her hero, her savior - so he became the villain to his hero counterpart.  A fantasy created by his own hands in order to forget the origin of why the loops were created in the first place.

(How he failed her over and over and over again and he’ll never forget how she died in his arms because he was too stupid, too idiotic as a child, dragged in by the Signal’s tune and taking the place of the original Thin Man, and it was his fault his fault his fault-)

But now he’s the one being rescued.  His fantasy is broken like an axe against a music box, and the one who wields is not one, but two people.  Perhaps the real key to their freedom had always been to save him from himself.  From his delusions of being the hero, of being the protector of everyone.  Because in the end, even a protector must have someone else to protect him.

The door in front of him opens.  He knows his part by heart, but this time.

This time it will change.

He smiles as he breaks out of his prison and into the open air.  Two children cower just beneath where he stands.

One final chase before the finale.  

He slows time and begins his slow walk towards the doorway.  

His final chase, and he gets to pick where the finish line is.

 (-------)

The Caretaker is aware of the loops.  Not quite at the level of the Lady or the Thin Man, but aware enough that he can feel the weight of them on his shoulders.  He knows that he was never meant to live.  That much he can be sure, the phantom pains of something tearing his neck apart spiking up every once in a while, the nightmares of a child in yellow tearing him apart still plaguing him through his years.  He used to question why he's suddenly a part of the loops in this way, but he figures that the knowledge is long since gone, or at the very least, very buried in the recesses of the Lady's mind.   A part of him wants to know, to understand why he's suddenly here when he wasn't before.  But the other part of him wants to leave it be, knowing that unburying that truth may lead to unsavory discoveries.

At least, for now.

Whatever curiosity he holds has to be put aside for another time, for when they're all away from this horrible hull of a boat.  His dream of fully running away from this accursed place is finally coming to fruition as they walk past the deceased Guests and down to the drop-off area.  The Ferryman has one last delivery to the Maw.  One last visitor before they can finally leave this wretched place.

Dying in the Maw is the last thing he wants, after all.

The Lady fidgets besides him, all elegance tossed to the wind as she waits for a boat to dock.  He nudges her gently and smirks when she sends a glare back at him.  The mask on her face always felt disingenuous to him, but he never remarked on it despite all the times she wore it.  Perhaps it was to make her feel safe, or to hide whatever ugliness she saw in herself.  But after all they've been through, it's only a matter of time before she takes it off.  

Quietly, he takes her hand and gives it a squeeze.

Just like when they were children.  Like when she would look up at him from under her hood, eyes barely shadowed as they shimmered with something unspoken.  She was undoubtedly annoying when they were younger, always causing some sort of trouble that he had to drag her out of, but there was something about how she held herself as a child that always had him wanting to protect her from things she couldn't fight back against.  Maybe it was how she clung to him after waking up from a nightmare, silent as she stared at a wall wide-eyed, seeing something that he could never.  Or maybe it was how she screamed the first time she saw him jump into the water when he first showed her the depths of the Maw.  Terrible things happen to children all the time, but having her sob and pound at his chest after he swam out of the water made him wonder just what happened to her that she became this way?

Maybe that's why he stuck around so long.  He could have left long ago, but...

She squeezes back, tight and desperate with a smidgen of fear.

If he'd left, she would have been left with no one once again.  Thin Man or no, she'd be the same little girl who was hunched over the body of the previous Lady, so full of hurt and desperation and hunger, so ready to make all the wrong choices that he couldn't help but reach out and take her hand.

Everyone needs a little guidance every once in a while.

The sounds of chains hefting a boat up grabs their attention.

Steadily.  Without pause.  The Ferryman with his sagging face appears, and a man in a sharp suit and fedora is seated just behind him.  Long limbs carefully remove themselves from the boat, and he bows slightly to keep his head from brushing the ceiling.  The Ferryman nods and makes his descent silently as RK looks up at the man with stolen breath.

Oh.

So this is how he looks from beyond the screen.  All the entries in his notebook failed to prepare him for actually meeting the Thin Man in person.  He’s impossibly tall and thin and absolutely towers over the two of them, but he holds himself in the most docile way possible.  The way he holds himself is completely different from Six - all soft around the edges and nervous to be judged.  RK nearly reaches out to take his hand and comfort him.  Absolutely amazing how a tower of a man manages to give off the least threatening aura between the three of them.

Almost shyly, the man removes his hat to reveal a full head of hair and an awkward expression.  He looks to Six and then to RK with a small smile.

(Ridiculous!  To think he’d been locked away in the Tower for so long, twisted and broken into something that didn’t resemble him for loops - it makes RK’s blood boil.  But also- he gets it now.  Oh, does he get the numerous entries about the Thin Man now.  Oh, how he gets it now.)

Never has RK been so happy to be alive to see this day.  It was all worth it.  A small smile graces his features as his vision blurs happily.

Finally.

(------)

Six doesn't care for the loops as she removes her mask, finally, tears streaming freely as she returns the little smile that Mono had given her.

He looks younger than she expects - true, there are a few wrinkles here and there, but with how he spoke and how he presented himself in the past, she imagined a weary, beleaguered old man to appear before her.  He must be as old as them, but he looks just as young as Six parades herself and RK to be.  An inkling for the cause is at the back of her mind, but she truly does not care for it.  Instead, she reaches out a hand and takes his.

So warm and familiar.  A comfort she once took for granted, but will no longer.  Fingers longer than her hand squeeze hers in a grip she'd nearly forgotten.

"...Hey," he whispers, voice crackled by the static as a sob breaks her voice.  It's deeper than she expected, but the smoothness of it comforts her like a soothing lullaby.  She smiles through her tears as she looks back up at him.

"Hi," she whispers back, and the corners of his eyes crinkle up with how bright his smile is.  "You must be hungry.  Why don't we get a meal ready for you?"

Mono nods back, his other hand already taken up by the warmth of RK's as they lead him through the Maw.

It will be the final meal this Lady of the Maw will ever serve, but it will be warm, and filling, and everything unlike the previous meals she's served before.  And they will laugh, and converse, and enjoy each other’s company.  Maybe she will take some meat off of RK’s plate, and he’ll act like he’s upset, but he’ll be secretly glad as he focuses on the fish instead.  Mono will undoubtedly be confused but entertained by the bickering as RK will try to convince her to eat vegetables, to which she will aggressively decline.  And then RK and her will press him to eat more, enjoy more, as they scoop more onto his plate than he can possibly eat, and he’ll try to decline, and maybe he’ll cry a little bit, but he’s happy, he’s happy and not alone and surrounded by warmth as they care for him.

Perhaps the Chefs will be happy to cook a real feast for once, even if it may be the last they will ever cook.  Perhaps Roger will be able to bask in the sounds of happiness on the Maw, never to have to clean up after sobbing children or disgusting Guests ever again.  Perhaps perhaps perhaps.

And when they finally finish their meal, they'll be able to step out into the warm sunlight together as nothing more than friends with names rather than titles.  And it will be the last of the loops they'll have to face.

Their ends mark the beginning of a new start.  With hands warm and never empty, they look to the sky together and bask in the sunlight of their newly gained freedom.  For however long their existence may last, at least they’ll be able to share their final moments together with a smile and a laugh.

(000000)

Six wakes up on a beach, a body curled up beside her.  Nothing of consequence plagues her mind as Mono gets up and stretches beside her, paper bag stowed away in his pocket.  A different hat sits atop his head, its tattered ribbon flowing down between them.

"Oi ," says a voice, one that was introduced to them last night when they first arrived, "you guys okay?"

"Yeah," Mono says with a smile, still bashfully hiding his face away from RK.  The boy in blue hugs a nome to his chest and nods in response.

"Okay, well, there's food if you guys want any."  He jabs a thumb in the direction of the other children.  Six nods in response, and watches as he trots off to meet with the others, stopping only once to look back at them curiously.

"So, Six," Mono begins, already standing up and dusting himself off, "what do you wanna do today?"

She grins, because there's nothing to worry about for now.  Her mind is free of those haunting feelings, those weird senses of deja vu, of familiarity when familiarity is not warranted.  The boy in blue is the last of the familiar feelings, but it is a warm one, one she doesn’t want to let go of.  Hopefully, they’ll cross paths soon enough for her to explore this feeling.

Her stomach growls, but nothing of consequence follows.

"Eat."

"Sounds good to me!"

Mono offers her his hand and she takes it.  Not once does she have to fear letting him go.  She squeezes his hand, a familiar reassurance as he squeezes back.

Nothing of consequence plagues her mind.

She smiles, blissfully unaware of what the future has in store.  

And for once, she feels as though she's allowed to be happy.

[connorinabeanie]

A slightly salty take on North and fandom

Disclaimer: Nothing in this post is meant as an attack on anyone. Fandom is subjective and you have the right to interpret media, form your own conclusions, and create whatever you want. These are my opinions about what I’ve seen, as well as my experiences in previous fandoms and the patterns I’ve seen play out over and over again. It’s okay to disagree with me, and it’s okay to have a respectful discussion in reblogs/comments! Just keep it civil. That out of the way…

North. She’s polarizing character in DBH; she tends to be loved or hated, and I’ll admit it: I didn’t like her at first either. I wanted to, but as I played through my first time I just couldn’t get past one of her traits in particular, which was that she was so convinced she was right; she blamed Markus for every mistake, refused to adapt her tactics or consider other methods, and seemed more driven by vengeance than anything else. So as much as I wanted to enjoy her character, I found her to be a poorly written “strong female character” archetype that fell flat in execution, as most characters of that type do.

Honestly, I think this is the reason most people who dislike North dislike her, at least consciously. They genuinely think she’s a terribly written character, and they’re not necessarily wrong. One playthrough on a standard route, with no extrapolation or extra consideration, combined with a lot of people getting the awkwardly forced romance (I actually avoided this, completely unknowingly, on my first playthrough) leads to a dislike of this character. That’s understandable! I would expect this from people who played the game once. But that’s where the problem comes in, for me.

People active in a fandom usually haven’t consumed the media they’re into just once. They usually don’t engage in surface-level interpretation, and they usually don’t lack context. But I find it hard to believe that so many of the opinions and interpretations regarding North could possibly come from people who have approached her character with an open mind and additional information, because just one major path divergence shows a completely different side to North’s character.

I’m talking, of course, about North’s leader route. When we see her in Markus’ role, leading instead of advising, her true motives come out: she loves her people and is willing to fight for them. She isn’t interested in playing nice with her oppressors, and why should she? There’s a whole discussion here about how oppressed people are judged for how nicely they fight for the rights they should already have, where there’s a ‘good’ way of protesting and a ‘bad’ way of doing it (which is, ironically and showing how tone-deaf Cage can be, supported in the narrative of DBH as well), but I won’t go into that in depth; other people have posted really good takes on this already. I’ll just mention it here and there where relevant.

Once of those relevant places is that, as I said, in North’s leader route she isn’t interested in peaceful protesting. And you know what? When I played this game the first time and had Markus, I had been peaceful up until Night of Soul, which is where North would be making her first major decision as a leader if you don’t have Markus. Yet when it came down to it I made the same decision with Markus that North makes on her own, because you know, as a Jewish woman, I wasn’t super interested in peacefully protesting at the gates of camps that were currently killing people. Playing nice hadn’t worked, and it was time to fight.

So maybe I’m in a different position that some others when it comes to interpreting North’s choices, and as I saw that she made the same choice that I did when playing Markus, I’m just… Not impressed that the fandom tendency to criticize this choice as warmongering, unreasonable, and a ‘betrayal’ of Markus’ peaceful actions (always assuming that Markus had been completely peaceful before, which is the way the story pushes on you, but certainly isn’t a given.) As far as I’m concerned, North is taking the action needed to save her people who are in danger right that instant, and humans don’t deserve a nice civil protest (and if I were in her position with Markus alive, I would be furious that he wanted to just sit and talk while people were dying.) They need to be stopped, and she’s going to stop them.

But it wasn’t just her choice in the church that brought me around to North’s side during her leader route, it was her behavior during Crossroads. Specifically, it was her behavior toward Connor, and how it contrasted with some of her actions earlier. So, going back a bit to Spare Parts, where the Jericrew goes on a mission to steal parts from the Cyberlife warehouses at the docks, and you run into John. North votes against taking him with them, citing that they can’t trust him and it’s too dangerous. Moving on a little, to Stratford Tower, if (or, more likely, ‘when’ since it’s pretty difficult to avoid) Simon is injured, North suggests shooting him. These are pretty harsh marks against her, because they seem needlessly ruthless, but are they really?

With John, the answer is maybe yes. But think about it from her perspective; they’ve never seen the ability Markus used, in turning an android deviant. So as far as North is concerned, John was a threat to them about two minutes earlier, and now wants to go with them? With no traumatic catalyst or trusted android vouching for and giving him the key to Jericho? To North John is a potential threat, a potential danger, and she has no reason to trust him. But as the story goes on, North never makes another objection to an android joining them in this way, because she knows they’re truly deviant. As soon as an android is deviant, they’re one of her people.

With Simon, the answer is probably no, because North is exactly right; if Simon lives, and Connor finds him, Connor finds Jericho. It’s that simple, and it’s not a rare series of events. North might be a little fast to jump on the option, because there’s a genuine argument to be made that it isn’t worth killing someone just because there’s a chance that something (even something very serious) might go wrong, but she clearly isn’t choosing this option because she wants it; she’s choosing this option because she thinks it’s the most guaranteed way to protect her people. It’s a difficult, ruthless decision to make, but it isn’t one made out of malice.

(It’s also worth noting that Simon suggests leaving North when she’s in danger in Crossroads, when the only people that would be at risk from saving her were Markus and Connor, and this happens whether or not North suggested killing Simon one the rooftop. Yet this choice is almost never criticized, because it comes from Simon, and I’ll get into that later.)

But with those particular attitudes from North out of the way, it’s interesting to see how she reacts to Connor in her leader route. North instantly shows concern for him, never blames him for the attack on Jericho, and—like Markus—tries to prevent him from going on his suicide mission to Cyberlife Tower. She’s kind and understanding, and it’s clear that she accepts Connor immediately as one of her people.

This is a place where I have some trouble with fandom interpretations of North and Connor’s relationship, specifically in terms of North being angry, cold, or extremely suspicious of Connor (a little suspicion, especially in a more ‘good end’ route where she has less direct interaction with Connor during the revolution, is reasonable; I’m talking about outright refusal to even consider accepting him.) It bothers me for two specific, and somewhat different reasons.

One is that it directly contradicts a theme of North’s history, which is that deviant androids are not their pasts. They’re not what they were before they woke up. The idea of North holding someone’s past, before they turned deviant, against them is just… I can’t imagine it. I can imagine her suspicion, as I mentioned before, until she's very sure Connor is truly deviant, but that seems very apparent to her right away in any route (I find it hard to believe she’d think he was faking deviancy after delivering the army to Markus.) Some concern or suspicion after finding out about the attempted hijacking makes sense, but the way I see it portrayed in fic is often jarring; it seems completely out of character for her to blame Connor for something like that, as opposed to being angry on his behalf, because North wants androids to be free (and, more deeply, she’s experience being used for something she never wanted.) She wants androids to have the chance to live, to become their own people, and to leave their pasts behind them. Why would she blame Connor for what he was made to do, whether before he was deviant or when Amanda tried to take control of him? It goes against everything North stands for, and that leads me to my second reason:

I think people choose this interpretation because it makes North a villain. Maybe it’s not an active conscious decision to do this (and in fact I doubt it usually is), but it reminds me very painfully of the trend in fandom of villainizing a character—especially a female character—in order to woobify a male character (and, often, get the female character out of the way of a ship) and I can’t help but see that here. It seems like a cheap, easy way to excuse other characters turning against North for her behavior, and therefore getting her out of the way as well as causing drama and conflict for the characters the writer really wants to focus on.

And that seems like a good segue into the big topic that people are gonna get mad about being called out on: misogyny. And even more specifically, misogyny when it comes to shipping.

I’m just gonna state this super clearly at the forefront: I have no problem with shipping whoever you want, whyever you want. I’m not personally into most ships for various reasons, but I do have some favorites (most of which other people aren’t into) and shipping is fun! Not everyone agrees on shipping, and that’s okay; not everyone has to like what you like, we can all still exist in harmony.

But that isn’t to say that people don’t engage in, for lack of a better word, ‘problematic’ behavior in their ships. As opposed to just going ‘hey, I like this, I’m gonna do it’, way too many people become obsessed with justifying their ship (and I think this comes from an underlying desire to ‘prove’ it’s canon or based in canon, as a way of making it seem more legitimate, which is a whole other topic I could rant about.) In the process of these justifications, and then often as a part of the fixation or obsession that some people develop about their ships/characters in their ships, any character or ship that ‘threatens’ someone’s favorite is a target that must be destroyed. And, in what I would say is arguably the vast majority of times, that threatening character is a canon female love interest.

Open bashing has (with good reason) gone out of fashion in fandom, so the way to get characters ‘out of the way‘ is to argue an unlikeable interpretation of them. I feel like this is what happens a lot of the time with North, and with the poor writing and flat portrayal of her character in the ‘good end’ route, it’s very easy for people to take the worst of her personality, say it’s canon, and then get rid of her. This is usually a bit side-eye worthy when it happens in any fandom, but it’s extra ridiculous in DBH for one very distinct reason:

North doesn’t have to be a love interest. As I mentioned before, when I first played through I never got the ‘lovers’ scene, because North said way back when Markus first met her that she didn’t want to talk about her past and so in the scene on the roof I just didn’t ask her (and I could write another whole discussion about how no means no and pressuring someone to tell you their past is NOT how to get a romantic option with them, but that’s an issue with another time.) The rest of the game progressed completely as normal, with the only changes being a lack of kissing options in a few later scenes. There’s no reason why fic writers can’t just choose this option for their fic’s canon, and move on.

And yet I can’t tell you how many times North is an obstacle that has to be overcome in order to get Markus with Simon or Connor (because let’s be real, North, Simon, and Connor are the only major ships for Markus even though Josh is RIGHT THERE, but again that’s another topic for another time.) It’s completely unnecessary, and yet there it is: North is this unreasonable, horrible person who is terrible to [insert love interest here] and Markus has to overcome this internal struggle to break free and be with [whoever] and truly be happy.

It’s such nonsense. It’s using this ‘undesirable’ female character as a source of drama and angst for this poor sad male character to have to deal with, as opposed to taking even a moment to treat the female character as a person who might have motivations, experiences, and emotions, and I’ve seen this over and over and over in every single fandom I’ve ever been in. This isn’t a North-specific thing, it’s a female character thing, and honestly if Kara’s storyline weren’t so separate from the fandom favorite shipping characters then I think the same thing would happen to her (as opposed to her existence just being entirely ignored.) This is such a pattern in fandom that I find it very difficult to believe this is a special case where it’s somehow legitimate.

One of those reasons is that the ‘justifications’ for disliking North tend to be complete double standards between North and whatever love interest the writer is going for, whether that’s Simon or Connor. With Connor, it’s extremely obvious; almost all of North’s negative traits are traits he has to some extent as well (ruthlessness, solving problems through violence, stubbornness,) but those traits are not only not usually treated negatively in Connor (and instead are depicted as justified and necessary in context, which I’m not saying they aren’t, but that it’s unfair to say that about him and not her) but often erased entirely, leading to the obnoxiously delicate, wilting flower version of Connor that shows up in so much fic. But again, an issue for another time.

For Simon, it’s less obvious because North and Simon are quite different, but not in opposite ways; North and Josh are opposites in many respects, but Simon is, in a sense, perpendicular to the line North and Josh are at opposite ends of. Simon doesn’t have particularly strong opinions about anything, just going with the flow and being supportive; his strongest opinions are about being cautious and not taking risks. Except, of course, for that scene I mentioned before, where he outright says they should just leave North to die. For such an overall bland character, that needlessly harsh moment stands out to me and I find it kind of amazing how it’s just completely ignored, often while holding it against North that she suggested shooting Simon on the roof.

So I guess the whole point of this rant is that I wish people would think more critically about North as a character, rather than a flat archetype, especially in the context of shipping. It’s cringey and painful to see blatant flanderizing of her character for the sole purpose of being ‘able’ to ship other characters together, whether to use her as an antagonist or just to get her out of the way, when it’s completely unnecessary to begin with. It’s also very obvious where someone’s priorities and biases lie when they’re happy to write North off but then obsess over other poorly written, bland, or even outright purposefully antagonistic characters that they deem somehow to have more potential and be more worthy of attention and character development.

Overall, there’s no requirement to like a character. It’s totally fine not to like a character. But double standards and needless demonizing of a character go far beyond not liking them, and it’s important to stop and think about why it might be happening. Is it always misogyny with North? No, I don’t think so, there are definitely people who don’t like her for her traits and that’s fine. But I think it’s very telling when someone who claims to dislike North for her personality and behavior then spends time in fan works purposefully making her a villain for the benefit of drama in their pet ship. It’s even more telling when someone who claims to dislike North for her personality and behavior, yet they celebrate the potential of characters that are canonically far worse (but who just so happen to be attractive men.) And, unfortunately, both of those situations coincide quite often with vocally disliking North, and there are only so many ways to interpret such a correlation.

[vs-redemption]

Crime is Common. Logic is Rare. (Ch.21)

Chapter Twenty-One: The New Serum (HawksxGN!Reader)

A/N: Hello readers! First of all, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who is still reading/following this story! We’re nearing the end now, and I only anticipate a few more chapters. (Famous last words) Also, I’m sorry for the lack of Hawks in this one, but hopefully you are enjoying everything happening with the mad doctor!

Plot summary: You thought your hands were full as a regular quirk geneticist, but then you meet Hawks and things get even more exciting!

Warnings:  

⚠️This story contains spoilers from the manga.

⚠️Some events and plot points have been altered from the original manga

Tag List: @gayforkeigo @marshmallow-witch @redflannel @toyo-shiro @elsasshole @astronomyturtle @iambashfulperson

Next Chapter : Chapter Guide

“Don’t you feel guilty helping me when your boyfriend is a hero?” Shigaraki’s piercing red glare follows you as you move around the lab underneath Jaku Hospital, constantly keeping you on edge and fearful for your life. You hadn’t anticipated having him as a regular visitor after the first encounter, but thankfully you were getting better at keeping your composure in high stress situations. Over the past few days you’d run dozens of tests and simulations using Shigaraki’s blood, and you knew you were getting closer to the day when you’d actually have to do the real procedure on the villain. You weren’t sure which possible outcome of the experiment you feared worse.

If things went well and you managed to transfer All For One’s quirk, Shigaraki would be even more powerful than before. Would there even be anybody strong enough to take him down at that point? How many people would be hurt or killed thanks to your assistance? The other scenario was if the experiment failed and Shigaraki died or his DNA became too mutated for him to function normally. That would most likely get you a target on your back with the League of Villains. But, for all you knew, they might be planning to kill you just as soon as this was all over anyway.

“I’ve hardly seen my boyfriend in weeks, except in passing,” you respond to the villain as flatly as you can while gesturing for his arm so you could take another vial of his blood. You wished Dr. Garaki would get the samples for himself, but he was currently in the second lab doing status checks on all his terrifying high end nomus. “The hero commission has kept Hawks very busy lately.”

“The hero commission, huh?” Shigaraki narrows his eyes at you before thrusting out his arm. He hated all the poking and prodding you’d been doing to his body, but knew it was the only way for him to eventually get the ultimate power he so desperately craved. That didn’t stop him from whining and complaining like a child sometimes though. “A perfect example of why I hate heroes.”

“What do you mean?” You ask as you fill up a syringe with his blood. It thankfully only took a few seconds. The less direct contact you had with the villain the better.

“They spend all their time risking their lives for other people,” Shigaraki explains as you put a bandage over the spot on his arm where you’d poked him with the needle. He started scratching at the dry, flaking skin on his neck with the chipped nails of his free hand. You’d noticed him doing this whenever he got himself agitated over something. It was a disturbing habit that you wish he’d try to control. “None of the heroes give a second thought to how they’re neglecting their families and loved ones.”

“Hmm,” you ponder over his words as you prepare a sample of the doctor’s newest concoction that he hoped would seamlessly bind Shigaraki’s DNA with All For One’s. Using the deductions of your quirk, you’d decided to start playing around with polarity of the villain’s DNA molecules. The goal was to trick the nucleotides from the two samples into bonding together more cohesively even though they were naturally non-polar.

“Perhaps there’s some truth to that,” you admit calmly, wondering if he really cared about the families of heroes when he didn’t seem to have any issue with disintegrating entire cities full of people. “And let me tell you, as a scientist, I understand your desire to want everyone to fit into perfect categories that follow the same sets of rules. There are always going to be outliers though. Some people can fit comfortably into multiple categories while others, frustratingly, seem to be in a category of their own.” You pause in your ramblings to look back at the villain who was glaring at you with enough intensity to give you chills. You force yourself to let out a small laugh before turning back to the slides you were working on. “Even though I don’t see Hawks that often right now,” you shrug, “I think he’d be there for me if I really needed him.”

“Maybe you don’t know him as well as you think you do,” Shigaraki had an eerie smirk on his face and it was a relief to see that it seemed he had no clue about how much you actually did know.

“There are definitely secrets about myself I’m keeping from him,” you gesture between yourself and the villain to show your meaning, even though it was a lie. “So you’re probably right about that.”

Thankfully you weren’t forced to have any more small talk with Shigaraki because the doctor finally came back through the creepy hidden tunnel, looking more or less satisfied with the progress of his nomus. You knew he wished they’d move toward completion at a faster pace, but the way he was manipulating DNA was already unstable enough without trying to rush the process.

“Did you test the new serum?” he asks once he finishes locking up the secret entrance.

“Not yet,” you tell him. “I was just about to.” He comes over and watches you push the slide with Shigaraki’s blood underneath the nearest microscope before adding a small drop of the new serum to the sample. You activate your quirk and press your face against the eyepiece to observe the results in as much detail as possible. Slowly, you watched as the two DNA samples fused together. You were used to this part by now, even though it still blew your mind sometimes. The difference this time was that the merged chromosomes looked completely normal, unlike the bulky mutated ones that made up the nomus.

“I can’t believe it,” you mumble to yourself, both out of awe and fear.

“Did it work?” Shigaraki asks impatiently.

“Wait,” you shush him more aggressively than you probably should have, but the chromosomes on the slide had suddenly begun to dissolve and break apart. Before you could deliver that bad news, the broken DNA inexplicably began to reform. “Something is happening.” You continue watching for a moment as the chromosomes break and repair themselves in a constant loop. You back away from the microscope to look at the doctor, your mind already working to figure out the secret behind the phenomenon. “It worked… sort of.”

“What do you mean sort of?!” Shigaraki sounded annoyed but the doctor remained calm.

“What happened?” he asks.

“The samples blended perfectly this time,” you explain, “but it’s still unstable. The DNA is simultaneously destroying and repairing itself. Take a look.” The doctor pulls over a stool so that he can reach the microscope to peer into the lens. What he sees makes him smile and bounce on his feet with excitement. He backs away from the microscope and hops off the stool.

“I know exactly why this is happening,” Dr. Garaki was beaming. “Good news Shigaraki! I don’t think you’ll have to wait much longer now.”

As usual, you had a lot of objections, but it was pointless to try and talk him into slowing down. Shigaraki wanted his power as soon as possible, and the doctor wasn’t going to make him wait any longer than absolutely necessary. Even if it was dangerous to use the leader of the villains as the first test subject, you knew they would do it anyway.

“It’s because the DNA was able to fuse perfectly,” the doctor turns his attention to you, “All For One’s regeneration quirk must have been activated. I anticipate that this sample will continue to try and fix itself until it finds a way to stabilize.”

The mere possibility of that being true astonished you. If the doctor wasn’t a madman who planned to turn an already dangerous villain into an unstoppable force of evil, he could do so much good with the discovery you both had just made. There were so many people who suffered with self-destructive quirks that would benefit from a serum like this. You wondered if Shigaraki’s skin problems would be alleviated after the procedure.

With a regenerating serum, so many exciting possibilities had just opened up. It was just too bad that you were stuck in such a messed up situation. You’d told the doctor that you weren’t going to judge him for helping the League of Vilains with the information you gathered, but you hadn’t expected him to have you work with Shigaraki directly. It worried you that you would be forced to go through with this insane idea soon. The silver lining was that, like the nomus, Shigaraki’s procedure would probably take quite a while to complete. You had no idea exactly how long it would take for All For One’s DNA to integrate with Shigaraki’s completely, but you had to imagine rewiring someone’s genes took time. It most likely was going to be excruciating for the villain as well. You wondered if he’d even survive if his DNA was going to be destroying and repairing itself over and over again.

“What are you thinking?” Dr. Garaki’s question pulls you out of your thoughts.

“I’m thinking we can check on the progress of this sample tomorrow,” you tell him almost robotically. You couldn’t let the implications of what you were doing affect you now. You had to continue to play the morally neutral scientist. “We can try to calculate the rate of repair to see if the regeneration is even working the way you think it is. Once we know that much, we’ll probably be able to predict just how long the procedure will take to complete.”

“Good idea!” the doctor claps his hands once. “Let’s start recording as much data as we can now with your quirk so we can come up with an accurate timeline later.”

The two of you set to work while Shigaraki watches and complains about there being nothing to do. You envied him of having the luxury of his biggest concern at the moment being his boredom. There were so many worries occupying your mind at present that being bored was far from being possible. You were already dreading having to inform Hawks of everything that had happened that day. If the Hero Commission didn’t find a way to put a stop to the villains before Shigaraki’s procedure was completed, there would be no limit to the amount of destruction he’d be able to cause.

[neighborhood-merc]

Guys !!! I am back! First of all, I hope all of y’all (your friends, family, pets! too) are doing alright. Keep safe! Wash your hands! Don’t go out if not necessary! Kisses! Kisses! Kisses! Alright, alright, let’s do this shall we? Same shit applies. [Here is Part 1 & 2 btw ] 

The themes of the stories on this list varies, I’m either into something heart-warming, fluffy, domestic that sort of stuff or into some really really heavy and dark messed up ones. (READ THE TAGS) It always depends on the mood am I right? *wink wink*

It’s always gonna be smutty though lol

As long as it’s tastefully written, whatever kinky shit, I can be into it, I don’t judge the writer (they give us free content y’all, who are we to judge??) With that being said if I add something straight up messed up here now/or in the future, don’t come for meh, just mind the tags of the fic, for your own discretion if anything.

this list should be Wade Wilson/Peter Parker - Spiderman/Deadpool pairing only. I kinda like my babies greedy/possessive for/of each other.

READ THE TAGS.

I don’t care who tops or bottoms.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Summaries are taken directly from the fanfic’s summary.

Read the tags first!

Deluge (this is such a good boi, this fic is a good boy!) Weapon X chose Wade Wilson because of several factors in his life. He was a preternatural. He had extraordinary abilities that could be expanded upon. The cancer just made him desperate enough to agree to whatever they wanted to do with him.They didn't just turn him immortal. They destroyed his very soul, tearing him apart and shaping him into something new and never seen before. They took everything he had been and left him with ashes and bones. Soulless.He killed his creators and went on with his life.Then he met Spider-Man.Things started to change.Something inside him, something that had come out of the ashes and was a nightmarish, terrible thing, sat up and took notice. An intense, single-minded notice.

The Perks of Working Third Shift An AU in which Wade is wandering the globe and ends up in NYC where he meets the absolute most perfect man he's ever seen who's working third shift at a quick mart. Even better, the man seems happy to flirt back. Wade makes it his mission to score a date.Peter stopped dating a long time ago, but Wade's flirtations, energetic attitude, and hilarious comments make it hard for Peter not to enjoy the attention. But will all of that be ruined if Wade finds out his secret?

Better Like This  (Listen,  NotEvenCloseToStraight’s Spideypool works are amazing, read all of em, honestly just check out ALL the works of the writers on my list because if I list everything, this is gonna be a long ass list) No one knows Spider-Man is an Omega. Not the newspapers, not the NYPD, and certainly not the overly loud, definitely obnoxious, sort-of-a-good-guy, completely Alpha, Deadpool. And Peter would like it to stay that way. But when he drops into an unexpected heat, Deadpool is the only person he can call to help, and how quickly the Alpha switches from shouting dirty innuendos to whispering comforting things really throws Peter for a loop. After sharing a heat, Peter is convinced that Wade is his Alpha, and is ready to take him as his mate, but Wade rejects him. Wade knows that a man like him wouldn’t make anyone a good mate, much less a perfect, pretty Omega like Peter. So he says no, pushes the Omega away and unable to even work together anymore, they go their separate ways. Peter is devastated, heartbroken, seeking comfort in the arms of another Alpha, and all Wade can do is watch from a distance, and keep telling himself that he is doing the right thing, sparing Peter a life of disappointment and pain. Peter deserves better than him as a Mate, and one day Peter will understand. It’s Better This Way. But is it really?(Peter is Andrew Garfield)

Use Me Peter wants to help Wade. Wants to make him feel beautiful, wants to make him feel wanted... Wants to put out the fire in his own gut whenever he sees the merc for what he really is. He does.

Double Mint Gum Wade decides that only one of his fine-ass self just isn't enough 

Spider Spidey (SPIDERY SPIDEY!)

Bleed the Water Red Peter and Deadpool are held captive by a super-villain that has an inclination for torture. After she boasts her untarnished record at never having hurt a child or teenager, Peter is forced to break the truth to both her and Deadpool.“Did you know I have a perfect record?” The villain collects a rusted pocket knife, tracing it up Peter’s arm, over his shoulders, down to his collarbone, as though considering where to cut. Peter focuses on controlling his breathing, fear twisting awfully in his belly. “You may look down on me, Mr. Spider-Man, but for all the righteous suffering I inflict, I’ve never hurt a child. Not once.”“Y'know, I don’t think you do,” Peter blurts. At his words, Deadpool's stare intensifies. “Have a perfect, non-child harming record, that is.”

Don’t Keep Me Waiting Peter's 90% sure Wade likes him. Or at least he was sure. When you almost jerk off in front of the friend you're definitely not pathetically pining for and they never mention it again, it makes you doubt yourself. Peter knows he should probably just ask what the fuck is going on, but where's the angsty fun in that?

Sometimes When We Touch Peter answers a Craigslist ad for someone who is willing to pay for some unspecified physical contact/sex because he's just that broke. He's surprised to find out Wade Wilson is the one who posted the ad, but thinks he can still manage just fine even when the man explains he'd like him to wear a special costume for the occasion. Of course things become a little more complicated when Wade reveals the outfit he's chosen: a shockingly accurate Spider-Man suit

Sunflower 26 and standing at the head of Parker Industries, Peter feels young in every way. He doesn't know himself, he lacks a lot of experience, and he's struggling to get a grip on what he thinks of the merc with the mouth, an absolute force who has starting pushing his desires in a direction that terrifies him.He desperately tries to come to terms with sexuality, even when it means dragging Wade flat on his face.Takes place after the dance scene in Spider-man/Deadpool, with important plot details omitted. Follows these two through extreme character growth.

Two Thirds of a Whole (I honestly felt weird about this one, but eh, maybe someone who’s into it would appreciate it) Peter Parker and Wade Wilson, finding Vanessa dead and having never met, assume the second body is their other soulmate. When they meet in a market ten years later, they both have a chance they never thought they would get again-- a chance at love.But can they find a way to be happy as two thirds of a whole?

Holding Back The thing about not being able to die is that it makes everything so dreadfully boring. Seriously, immortality's a bitch. So, you gotta keep things interesting. How else are you supposed to get through the day without going insane? Well, more insane.Wade wants to be a hero, but fighting bad guys isn't enough to keep things interesting. Wooing Spider-Man might help, though. And exploring his kinks definitely will. Of course, he never thought anything would come of either of these things. Boy, was he wrong!

Missed You  (Imagine me covering me shyly covering my face for this ehehe) “Wade,” Peter whines, pulling off Wade’s mask and catching his lips in a deep kiss. All he can smell is leather and sweat and gunpowder, and he’s already embarrassingly hard. Wade comes home from a mission. Peter missed him. A lot.

Big Peter can't stop looking at and thinking about Wade's great big arms and shoulders and hands and back. He's fine. (He's not fine.) 

 Slip of the Tongue Sometimes Peter can forget how big Wade is, how much presence he has. Right now is not the time. His heart rabbits in his chest as he swallows, looking up. There’s always something there when Wade’s looking at him, something predatory, that makes Peter nervous and wanting, shivering hot all over.

Wade The Cat  “Aw don’t be afraid little buddy, it’s okay, he’s gone”Wade almost cringes at how someone is talking to him, what the hell?! He’s not a defenseless animal. Wait. No, yeah, he is.Wade looks a little alarmed, stepping back as the man crouches next to him, smiling sympathetically “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you. You okay?”Wade holds his breath, gives an once over at the guy, beautiful chestnut eyes, the adorable smile, the red face probably resulting from the cold and the brown humid hair stuck to his forehead as he holds his umbrella for both of them and yep, ladies and gentlemen if he wasn’t before, Wade is right now a defenseless animal because “Meow” Wade says wiggling what should be eyebrows “Honey, I’d let you take care of me all night long” Wade purrs.

Gonzo Journalist (It belongs to a series “We fell in love in October) A young photographer working for The Daily Bugle hears about the tragic fate of an ex-soldier and decides to write an article about his cause to help him out. Maybe more than in one way.

The Man in the Mask When Wade is unceremoniously dropped off into the custody of one Dr. Parker, he assumes the man has only the worst possible intentions for one of the world's last remaining mutants. But it turns out, the universe still holds plenty of surprises for them both.

You Wear My Name Over Your Heart Like It’s Invisible "Why don’t you ever let me see it? If you have the name already, why can’t you tell me whose it is? I thought we were best friends."Everyone gets their Name when they turn twenty-one. It isn’t their own name either. It’s the name of their Soulmate. When Wade Wilson wakes on his twenty-first birthday, he looks down at his chest and sees Peter Benjamin Parker. He stares for a moment then shrugs, gets dressed, and doesn’t think about it for another six weeks.

Parachute, Please Peter unexpectedly goes into heat after an Avengers mission, which could have been fine, but the ride back is 2 hours and he's stuck on a plane with his closest friends and family.At least there's one person he can call at times like these for relief. And in comes Wade.

Peter Parker’s Home for the Wayward Villain A really long redemption story.

And Words Are Futile Devices Peter doesn’t think he’s lonely. He’s too busy to be lonely. He’s twenty-two, working on his PhD and holding down a shitty job at the Daily Bugle, not to mention his nightly extra-curricular activities. He’s too busy for friends, and he’s certainly too busy for romantic interests. And yet, shockingly, apparently everyone in his life thinks he needs to stop being an anti-social recluse and get laid.So Peter enters the wide, wonderful world of online dating. He doesn’t expect to find his soul mate, or even a friend, and he’s definitely not looking for hook ups. He doesn’t know what he’s looking for, really, until one Wade W. Wilson catches his eye and captures his heart with risqué dog pics and a concerning obsession with cannibalistic serial killers.This is a love story. A sweet, inevitable journey towards each other. There is humor, and melancholy, and a touch of both gravitas and levity to the weeks that trickle by. But really it’s just an account of the slow, magnetic movement of Peter towards Wade, and Wade towards Peter.

Strays Wade finds Spider-Man unconscious on a roof top. Score!Or: Spider-Man has lost his memories, some of his vocabulary, and all of his social conditioning. Wade is losing his mind.

The Inverse Deadpool doesn't have to try very hard to hide his second gender anymore because ever since Weapon X, no one in their right mind would ever believe that Wade Wilson was an omega. It doesn't matter anyway, because Wade knows no Alpha would keep a male omega. No alpha WANTS one, much less one that's as scarred and unstable as he is. Apparently, Spiderman was born to break every rule Wade has ever known.

The Body Remembers When the Mind Forgets When people need a mate in their life, it isn't usually because they've forgotten they already have one. 

Half Your Age (Plus Seven) In which Deadpool has oddly specific and frustrating morals, Spider-Man has excellent friends, his lab partner has an opening for a bassist, Johnny Storm has the warmest feet, and everyone has had enough of hearing Peter talk about Wade Wilson (except Aunt May: she’s always glad to hear he’s back in town).

[ladyblastexecution]

☽Cold City☾ |Todoroki Shouto|

A/N: Man... i don’t know how i feel about this one.

The clock flashed three a.m, and you were sitting in the balcony of your apartment once more with a cigarette burning in between your fingers.

The hot smoke entering your lungs was the only thing combatting the chilling air that started to appear in the city. Summer was walking away, and the cold was bothering you once more.

Your phone was once again turned off, forgotten on top of the lonely chair next to you. What was the point of having it turned on? There was no one to apologize for not responding, anyway.

The bright lights of the streetlamps took a toll on your tired eyes, and you wondered how everyone lived their life, if someone was feeling the same heaviness in their chest caused by the loneliness that haunted you. You were used to it already, your heart and stomach constantly coiled tight, as if someone was squeezing them in a fist.

The whole day you spent it on bed, doing nothing more than to watch sappy tv that promoted an idealized version of loneliness that you could not relate to, because, yes, your days were spent alone, but it wasn’t because of a mean girl pushing you to the sidelines, or a traumatic experience that changed your ways.

The reality was fairly more simple and unamusing

Ever since graduating the U.A and joining an agency where no one you knew worked, and you found yourself drifting apart from your friends more and more. Your texts were ignored because they were busy saving the city, just like yourself, and there was no free time to hang out like you used to when you shared a dorm.

A year later, you were a loner. No more close friends or family. The only thing that kept you company was the cloud of smoke exiting your mouth drag after drag of your cigarette. The nicotine entering your veins gave you the solace you so desperately needed, warming up your insides in a similar way a hug from a loved one would do.

Sighing, you threw the butt of your cigarette into the ashtray and leaned on the railing, allowing for the wind to brush your face and erupt goose bumps in your flesh. Tank top and shorts were not the ideal outfit to wear on those ocasions.

Glancing back at your bed, you pondered on forcing yourself to sleep. There was no use in staying there, exposed to the cold, imagining someone was coming to pick you up and you were just waiting for them to arrive. There was no one to do so.

Why your brain kept torturing you with those scenarios that would never happen? It was a mystery to you. The sweet oblivion of a dream might be just what you needed.

you could almost feel the softness of the sheets and the warmth caress your skin, but a panicked scream on the street made you jump, startled.

Looking to your right you saw a woman struggling to keep her hold on her purse while a thief was pulling with all his might on it a block away from your building

Without thinking, you jumped from the balcony, climbing down from the third floor with the dexterity of a pro hero and ran to where the assault was taking place. You felt needles on the skin of your bare foot as the freezing pavement made contact with it, but the adrenalin rush coursing through your veins helped you focused, as well as the cries of help of the girl that was now being dragged to the floor, trying to break her hold on her possessions.

The back of the thief was to you. And without thinking too much about the possibility of a gun or knife you threw your body, flooring him with a force that reverberated on your bones. A cry of pain came from him as you pinned his wrist behind his back and tried to avoid his claws. Apparently his quirk resembled a tiger, with fangs and claws and night vision.

Your grip was steel hard as you trapped his body against a wall, hating his trashing around.

“Stay still tough guy.” You warned, flashing your quirk to intimidate him. You looked back to the girl and noticed her torn appearance. Scratches were all over her face and a nasty cut was on her cheek. She trembled like a leaf and tears and makeup were dripping down her face. “Don't worry honey... You're okay now.” You assured, tightening your grip out of anger, earning a hiss from the scum on your hands.

She nodded her head and hugged herself for some sort of comfort. You took in how thick her coat was and the fluffy scarf she wore, making you realize that the wind was merciless on your skin, the cold making your lips tremble and your fingers numb from the pressure and the temperature.

“I- I'm going to call the police if you can restrain him...?” She offered.

“Yeah, that's a good idea.” You sent her a curt nod and a small smile.

She dialeld and as the first ring sounded, a slide of ice came down from your left, lowering the temperature. You didn't even need to look far to know who it was, and your pulse fluttered. Todoroki Shoto was to the rescue, only a little too late.

You both were classmates, and even if you were not best frieds, you were on good terms, an acquaintance of some sort. You admired him for his strenght and resiliend, and even if he oly spoke a few words to you, you apreciated the stokic teen you shared classes with. You hadn't seen him for over a year, since after graduating, you both were busy with your new jobs and different locations. You even had a small crush on him for a while, but after noticing how impossible it was for him to see you in another way than a classmate, that small infatuation died down.

But now that you saw him again, ice particles shining around him as the wind blew the hair out of his face, you felt your heart pang with something that resembled that old feeling. You felt like you were fifteen again, fangirling all over his gorgeous face and shiny hair.

He skidded to where you were and landed right in front of you, taking in the scene in front of him.

You were pinning a guy to the wall dressed in a thin tank top and short shorts, barefoot and with messy hair. He couldn't fight the confused glance he had on his face, head slightly tilted to the side as he tried to figure out how in the two minutes it took him to get there you reduced a guy in that.

“(Y/N)?” He asked, “Why are you so lightly dress when it's this cold outside?” His question was dumb, but the cute way he uttered it made you want to squeal. An involuntary shudder traveld your body as you sent a sarcastic smile his way.

“Well, Shoto” You said his Hero name and hoped it didn't sound too awkward since you never called him anything besides the usual Todoroki-kun “The agency changed my attire to hopefully get more popularity.” You joked, but judging by lack of smile or laughter, it was safe to say he didn't get it.

“I Never thought you'd agreed to be an R- rated hero like midnight, but you still look good...”  He said taking you by surprise.

A blush rose to your face, making you forget momentarily how cold it actually was. He didn't seem to notice the small compliment, and you felt dumb for letting something so tiny fluster you..

In your moment of distraction, the robber twisted away from you and slash at your arm. Sharp blazing pain throbbed, and your torn skin screamed. A sting of curses flew from your lips and in a heartbeat Todoroki grabbed your bare shoulder and pulled you protectively to his side, sending a blast of ice to your attacker, encasing him in an coldshell.

Your back was pressed to his left side and the heat from his body seeped into your cold one, soothing you locked muscles and taking your mind away from the injury. You looked up at him and the air was almost knocked out of you. He looked fraigthening with fire burning in his eyes and a murderous scowl on his face, eyebrows pulled together and white teeths showing.

“Are you okay miss?” The girl you helped asked, getting a step closer, and just ike that the spell that  was upon todoroki broke.

As if noticing the position he was in, his warm hand gently grabbing your bare skin and you pressed tightly against him, he cleared his throat  and he let go, taking a step back, and watching carefully as she got over and examined your wound.

“Please, allow me to help you.” She said, searching for consent on your face, and when you were about to dismiss her concern, stating that you had worse before and that it was just a scratch, she hovered her hand above the gash. A blue light emitted from her fingers and you watched marvelled as the wound mended back together, as if there was nothing in the first place. The pain receded, and it left you startled. “I'm not as strong as recovery girl, but I Can manage minor cuts and bruises...” She said sheepishly.

“That's an awesome quirk to have, thank you so much!” You praised a small smile dancing on your lips.

You glanced back at Todoroki, only to notice him already looking at you, a soft smile on his lips, and the contrast from the previous expression he wore surprised you.

The faint sirens could be heard in the vecinity, and relief washed over you. In a few minutes you could be in the warmth of your home, snuggled on your bed, back to being a loner, and preparing for an early day of work with little to no sleep. You know, the usual.

As you waited for the police to arrive, you scooted closer to Todoroki, standing by his side and observing the girl calling her friends to pick her up. A wave of longing hit you on the chest, but you tried to forget it by starting up a conversation with Todoroki.

“So... It's good to see you, Shoto. It's been... What, Nine months?” You asked, with a light tone, that didn't match the feeling on your chest.

“Eleven actually...” He said, surprising you once again. You turned to him and he was piercing holes in the villains figure, whose lips had turned blue from the cold and his body thrashing to break free from his enclosure. “It was at the reunion Deku Organized  after we graduated, remember?  You had that black dress...” He trailed off turning to you, and when he noticed what slipped from his mouth, he adverted his gaze, scratching the place below his ear and coughing lightly.

“Yeah, I remember... How everybody doing?” You asked, sparing him the embarrasment, but you couldn't deny the weight on your shoulder lifted a bit.

“They're fine. We try to gather as much as we can. Deku and Ground Zero are getting along better, and Red Riot and me often work out together... What have you been doing? You kindoff disappear suddenly...”

“Oh! Um...” You hesitated, now it was your turn to be embarrased, how could you confess that your days were spent patrolling, and eating junk food on your couch, and smoking a worrying amount of the time? That wasn't something you were proud of. “I've been working a lot, and recently I moved to that building...” Your answer felt vague and you worried he might think you were avoiding him, wich you were, but it still made you fidget with your hands.

Looking down at your finger, you noticed how blush the tips looked, and when the wind picked up again, a shudder recorded you from head to toe once more. Now that you were reminded of how cold the weather was getting, you noticed the sharp stabs of cold on your feet. You had been jumping slightly from one to the other without noticing, trying to make the bite slightly better.

“It wasn't the smartest decision to change your suit to something lighter when the autumn is around the corner (Y/N)” He said, concern lacing his voice.

You laughed at how dense he was, and he frowned, getting closer.

“I was joking, Todoroki.” His eyebrows went up and a small 'oh' slipped past his lips  “I was awake and I heard her asking for help and ran here. “

“With no shoes on...”

“Yeah, with no shoes on” You laughed at how irrational you had been, and now you were trapped in the cold with no shoes on until the police go your statement.

Todoroki looked at you and with a straight face he grabbed your arm and pushed you flushed to his side again, not meeting your eyes as if it was the most normal thing to do. You noticed how he increased his body temperature a little more to warm you up faster.

“Your lips are blue, and you are shivering” He stated, looking to the police car turning the corner and tightening the arm that was circling your shoulders.

Your face was snuggled into the fabric of his suit and a hint of his cologne made it into your nose, taking you back to highschool when he would sit next to you and the breeze from the open window would carry his perfume. Your boy was warmer, whether it was from his quirk or your embarrassment it didn't matter.

None of you spoke and only when the slam of a car door and the voices of the police were heard you took a step back from him.

Two policemen were talking with the girl that made the call, and she was explaining what happened. When she got to the part when you showed up, the attention of the three went to you, and the policemen opened their eyes at how naked you were. One of them, the younger one that couldn't be too much older from the both of you, got closer, only two feet away from where you were standing.

“Damn miss...” His eyes wandered over you and you gave them a sheepish smirk while Todoroki kept quiet, staring at him. The guy shrugged off his jacked and hurriedly tried to place it around your shoulders. “Please take my...”

Todoroki's hand slapped the fabric away and silence fell. Everyone around was stunned at his action.

“That's very kind officer, but it's fine. I'm taking her home right now and I'm going to warm her up personally... I would hate for you to be cold and get sick.” With no time to respond you felt the floor underneath your feet disappear and Todoroki's arms lifted you up, carrying you bridal style as your mouth flopped around like a fish trying to articulate something.

“What was that?!” You asked in a hush tone when you were far enough to not be heard. “I could've just walk home, you didn't need to go nuts there for him offering me a jacket.

“You didn't know the guy, why would you accept his jacket?”

“Uh... Because it was freezing and I'm not really dress for it?” You countered.

“I can warm you up faster and more effectively,” He said again. Apparently he didn't realize how bad those words sounded together. “You can't trust someone just like that.”

“It's a police officer, Todoroki, I think we can trust them just fine”

He didn't respond after hat, but if you weren't as perceptive, you would0ve missed the way his fingers pressed harder on your thigh or the way his eye twitched with annoyance at you arguing with him about it.

Your apartment door came into view faster than what you expected, and you wished you lived far away to enjoy Todoroki's warmth a little bit longer.

He carefully put you down and stared at you, waiting for you to open the door, only to realize that with those pocketless shorts, there was no way you had your keys on you. You noticed this too and smiled reassuringly at him.

“I left my balcony open, I can climb the side of the building and get there in no time.” You smiled at him, but the doubt swam in his eyes.

“That sounds dangerous... You should lock your windows.” He said.

“I live in a third floor...?” the confusion laced on your voice, and his frown deepened.

“Villains can climb.” He said, face straight and serious tone, only for you to laugh.

“Good night, Todoroki...” You smiled at him “See you around”  You slapped his shoulder lightly and walked to the side of the building, expertly climbing the stairs, avoiding making too much noise to disturb the neighbours, and landed on your balcony without breaking a sweat.

You looked down one last time, only to notice Todoroki still standing there, looking at you with his arms crossed. You waved at him and he smiled, lifting his arm up in a small salute. He definitely had changed since the last time you saw him. He was a man now, completely rough, but his voice was still gentle, and his hand was soft.

As you turned on the shower to wash the grime that got stuck to your feet, you couldn't help but to think about the girl talking with her friends about what happened to her, and asking them to pick her up at the station. If you ever were on that situation, you had no one to call. And the realization of it sunk your heart like a rock on the sea.

There was not much you could o about it now, you didn't get along with anybody on the agency, and the ties with your classmates were far too severed. It was you against the world, and yourself had to be enough.

The next sunday you had off was spent exactly in the same way the previous one had. Phone off balcony and lit up cigarette between your fingers. The whole week you spend it staking your former friends Instagram and regretting you forgetfulness that pushed you away from them. Pictures of them eating pizza together and watching cheesy comedy movies from the early 2000s  made you wished you had something like that with someone, ideally with them, but the anxiousness you felt every time you opened up your chat with Deku, that you had left on read almost six months ago. What if he hated you for it? It was partly your fault, but you just had the tendency to shut yourself away from the world, you weren't consciously ignoring them.

Photos of Todoroki on sweat pants as he plays a videogame with Uraraka that  Deku posted to one of his stories made your stomach flutter, an awestruck expression on your face. Thankfully, your coworkers were having lunch togheter, and they left you alone to thirst without shame.

Getting up from one of the chair from your balcony to go and get a glass of soda from the kitchen, you heard the faint sound of raindrops hitting the pavement. A small drizzle was pouring, and the clouds turned everything darker. Thunder resonated in the distance and you sighed. Once the storm broke out on full blast, you wouldn't be able to sit on the balcony for much longer.

Glass in hand, you returned to your usual spot that overlooked the busy street below, and you saw everyone scattering around trying to take cover from the first storm that happened since the summer ended. You lighted up another cigarette and took a drag.

As your eyes travel from one person to the other, your attention was drawn to a couple walking in the street with no care in the world, as if the cold and the rain couldn't pop their bubble of happinnes. The people gave them odd looks for not having an umbrella, or raincoats, their clothes getting soaked, but they paid no mind, eyes trained on each other. 

 A fantasy in your mind started brewing.

What would it be if someone looked at you in that way? Like you were their ray of sunshine and when they were with you, a gloomy day couldn't turn your light off.

You imagined you were there, in your balcony, wearing a cute dress and your favorite shoes, with pretty makeup and your hair just the way you liked it. Counting down the seconds for him to arrive. The guy you loved and had a date with.

He would come, not caring about the threat of rain, and the knock on your door would send a wave of excitement through you, limbs buzzing with happiness, and you would open the door, and there he would be... Bi color hair wet and sticking to his forehead, hetorocromatic eyes gazing into your face as yours took in his damp, blue shirt that clung to his chest and the droplets glistening in his neck...

A heavy knock on your door ripped you from your daydream, and you cringed at how you pictured Todoroki. You were seriously starting to sound like a creep, more than a girl with a crush.

Sighing, you suffocated your cigarette and walked to the door, smoothing your hair down with your hands in case it was too frizzy from the humidity in the air.

The door swung open, and for a moment you though you were still dreaming, because right there, in the hallway, Todoroki was standing.

He was just as you imagined, but the only difference was that his shirt was white, and with the rain it was almost transparent. Words escaped you, and you just stood there, stunned into silence.

“Hi.” He stared, hands clenching by his side. “I would ask you to patrol with me today, because I enjoy your company, but since it's raining, they gave me the rest of the day off...” He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

“Oh... I woul've liked that. I always end up wasting my day off, so it would've been a nice change of routine... It's a shame really... Maybe next time?” You proposed, and Todoroki relaxed, hands going limp at his sides.

“Yeah, I would like that.”

Both of you stayed there, just looking at each other with gentle smiles and shiny eyes.

It took you a moment of that comfortable silence to notice he was still outside, wet and probably cold.

“Oh, god... Come in, Todoroki. Please don't mind the mess.”  You took a step aside, and he got inside, brushing your shoulder together. “The city is getting cold and I don't want you to get sick.”  

You walked him to the couch and took a sit beside him.

“it's fine... My quirk keeps me warm.” As if to prove his point, he rose his body temperature and a wave of steam rose from him, the water that clung to his body evaporating.

“Oh man, I'm so jealous... When the city gets cold, my fingers turn to icicles.” You presented both of your hands to his eye level. The tips of them were redder than the rest.

Todoroki looked at them and almost on instinct he gently grabbed them, his left one, trapping them in between his chest and palm

Warm tingles went up your arm, and you looked dumbfounded. He was so casual about it, his thumb casually caressing your knuckles, his eyes never once leaving your hands.

“Is that better?” He asked in a whisper.

“Y-yeah... Thank you.”

“Don't ask anyone else to help you warm you hands...”  He asked, almost timidly, and the meaning behind his words had your heart doing flips on your ribcage.

He needed no answer.

When he glanced back up and noticed you smile, any concern he had dissipated like smoke in the air. He scooted closer to you, pressing his left side to your right, and the heat transferred to the rest of your body.

The city was indeed getting colder, but having a Todoroki willing to be your personal furnace might be just what you needed to fight off the bothersome cold.

[kalinara]

I have to admit, I’m also starting to get annoyed with the fans who like to post endlessly about how “unhealthy” or “toxic” the Geralt/Yennefer relationship is, and how it’s that, and their “lack of chemistry” (which is a totally subjective measure used to dismiss any canon couple they don’t like) that makes them ship Geralt/Jaskier instead.

Please note, I’m not judging people who just like the ship.

But I’m side-eying people who keep going on and on about how toxic Geralt and Yen are without applying the same critical eye to Geralt and Jaskier.

Disclaimer: this is about the Netflix series, not the novels or games.  (Those are debates for another day.)

Now, I’ve defended Geralt before against those ridiculous accusations that he’s somehow abusive to Jaskier or that Jaskier is a doormat.  I stand by that.  But I think what a lot of these fans aren’t noticing is that in the show, Jaskier is NOT the doormat.  Geralt kind of is.

I mean, take their meeting:

Jaskier goes up to Geralt in a bar.  Geralt is visibly uncomfortable and expresses disinterest in talking.  Jaskier identifies Geralt, which leads to Geralt being offered a job as he’s WALKING AWAY.

Somehow, this leads to Jaskier tagging along.  And because Geralt isn’t willing to engage in actual violence against a mostly innocent person (except one punch when the guy, admittedly accidently, hit on a raw wound), he sticks around.

After their abduction, during which Geralt expresses deep sympathy toward their captors and their situation, Jaskier writes his first tune about Geralt, declaring his intent to salvage Geralt’s reputation.  Geralt is vocally uncomfortable with the way that the song casts the elves, who he sympathizes with, as the villains.  He asks “what happened to your newfound respect.”  Jaskier doesn’t care.

Now, granted, Geralt is getting a boon out of this.  We see later on that Jaskier’s songs are having a beneficial effect on his reputation.  But it’s not something he ever asked for.  And the most famous song is not something he wanted.

In episode four, we have Jaskier basically badgering Geralt to protect him in Cintra, free of charge.  To the point of accosting the man in the bath.  He dresses him in clothes that he’s not comfortable with.  Geralt goes along with all of this with only mild complaint.  

In episode five, we have Jaskier coming across Geralt in the woods when the man is clearly stressed and very busy.  Geralt asks him to leave multiple times.  He does not.  He keeps at him until Geralt confesses his inability to sleep.  He wants an honest opinion about his singing and takes offense at the one Geralt gives him.  (To be fair, it may not have been an honest opinion.  He may have just wanted Jaskier to go away.)  He fights over the djinn bottle because he wants Geralt to take his words back.  He makes wishes that amount to murdering someone and MAYBE creating a dubious consent situation with someone else (depending on how literally the djinn would have taken the wish, I suppose).  Later, when he thinks Geralt is dead, he seems genuinely mournful.  But also adds “he always liked my singing”.

In episode six, he tries to push Geralt into taking the job because of his attraction to Tea and Vea.  He takes verbal potshots at Yennefer, to Geralt’s discomfort.  Otherwise, he’s mostly inoffensive.  

So basically, we have here a pattern in which Jaskier ignores or outright contradicts Geralt’s expressed wishes, and acts with blatant indifference to the man’s obvious discomfort.

I am not making this post to genuinely argue that Jaskier and Geralt are an abusive or unhealthy relationship.  

(though now I do want to make a serious meta post about Geralt’s general passivity and inability to say no and keep to it.)

I’m making this post to show how easy it is to take a complicated relationship and accentuate specific parts to paint it as unhealthy or toxic.  Everything I’ve listed here happened on screen.  

MAYBE we should stop searching for reasons to attack certain ships that we don’t like.  MAYBE we should recognize that certain characters (like Triss in the books or Dandelion in the games) might have their own biases and we shouldn’t necessarily take their word for how someone else’s relationship works.  MAYBE we can accept that fictional relationships generally have a give and take, and as long as the characters are consenting adults, it’s probably fine.

I’m not saying someone can’t post “I don’t like Yen and Geralt’s relationship, because I don’t like how she yells at him.”  That’s fine.  But you don’t need to convince anyone else that the ship you dislike is toxic or terrible and that you’re the moral and righteous one for shipping something else.

tldr: I’m not sure Geralt’s capable of a healthy relationship with anyone, so as long as the ship involves consenting adults (...or is a darkship with the appropriate warnings and labels), I feel like it’s probably as good as we’re going to get..

[mst3kproject]

1113: The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t

I’ve been saving this one, too – not because I particularly dislike the movie but because I wanted to do it close to Christmas, and here we are! In fact, I kind of like The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t, to the point where I’m going to enjoy watching it again.

For years now, Santa Claus has been living rent-free at the North Pole with the permission of the Inuit, but now that land has been bought out from under him by the Scroogish Phineas Prune!  Prune wants rent money or he will seize the toys instead, and so to save Christmas, Santa has to get a job.  He lands a gig as a department store mascot, but then Prune buys the store, too.  Looks like there won’t be a very merry Christmas this year, unless some kind of last-minute miracle can happen.  Fortunately, last-minute miracles are what Christmas movies are all about!

So… why do I like this movie?  It’s not exactly festive – as Max points out, there’s nothing very jolly about Santa hiring a lawyer to deal with his landlord.  The animated title sequence is kind of charming, but the actual opening scene in Mr. Whipple’s office is claustrophobic and dark, and both it and the scene where they confront Prune at the North Pole drag a bit. The songs aren’t catchy (although the nonsense one the elves sing about Prune is fun), and the dealings with rent, lawyers, and evictions are probably way over the heads of the target audience of children.  The depiction of Santa’s workshop as one little hut in the middle of the snow, where about nine elves must make all the millions of presents, is pretty depressing. And of course there’s the downright nightmarish plush animals in the department store.  The screaming giraffe is my favourite.

In general, though, I like the movie’s aesthetic.  It’s set in a nonspecific but vaguely Victorian past with just a hint of fantasy on top, and a lot of the sets have something to say about the people who spend time in those spaces.  Santa and his wife in their north pole hovel are simple people who care far more about others than about themselves.  Whipple’s office is comfortable but not large or fancy, and shows us a man who is reasonably successful but not pretentious.  Prune’s cobwebby house tells us, even before Mrs. Claus brings it up, that he is a man who doesn’t look after himself.  The characters' names speak to similar ideas, such as Mr. Prim the very proper department store owner.  It’s true that this is all quite simplistic, but in a fable for children that’s okay.

The costumes do a similar job, equally well.  It’s not that hard to get Santa Claus or a Dastardly villain right, of course, but enough movies manage to fail at it regardless that I feel The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t has earned a kudo or two. Like the sets, the costumes tell us about the characters.  Mr. Whipple the lawyer, in his tidy but plain suit and festive mittens, is a professional but doesn’t like sticking out in a crowd.  Mr. Prim’s mustache-hair tells us he’s very fussy.  Mrs. Claus, always apparently dressed in her pajamas, is a homebody. Somebody took the trouble to dress all the elves slightly different, so that even though we never really meet them we can tell they’re individuals.

The main characters, furthermore, all have more than one layer! Santa Claus loves children but is worried what they’ll think of him, and his isolated life at the north pole has given him a measure of social anxiety.  Actor Alberto Rabagliati manages to embody both ‘right jolly old elf’ and ‘old man down on his luck’, and sometimes both at the same time.  It’s hard to judge anybody’s performance because of the dubbing (although even there I’ve heard much, much worse), but physically he’s perfect.  Mrs. Claus is a ‘kill them with kindness’ type, and you can see she takes just a bit of spiteful joy in Prune’s response to the word ‘children’.  Whipple can be shy but once he gets into his Lawyer Groove he has no problem getting in Prune’s face.  Blossom the butler is a jerk but has a soft spot for the dog, and so on.  The only character moment I really don’t like is Prune’s redemption at the end.

This bit is simply, as Jonah and the bots observed, too easy – one gift and suddenly years of mental torment and toxic behaviour are gone, poof!  It does give a good ending to the bit where Prune insists he was never a child and the elves can’t find anything about him, but doesn’t the fact that Jonathan lost his letter just give him that much more reason to be angry?  Furthermore, there’s the fact that gifts from Santa and gifts from family coexist in this world, as illustrated by the department store and the Christmas shopping.  Even if he didn’t get a sailboat from Santa, shouldn’t little Phineas have gotten one from his parents?  There are clearly more issues going on here than a simple lost letter.

That brings us to the real meat of this movie.  Last year, at the beginning of my review of Elves, I noted that the Christmas season is a contradictory one – what we actually feel is often violently at odds with what’s supposed to be the ‘Spirit of Christmas’, and the most obvious facet of this dichotomy is the whole ‘Season of Generosity’ thing.  Generosity is great and the world needs more of it, but at Christmas the recipients of this generosity are most often children, who respond by learning greed. This interplay goes on throughout The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t.

We start with the kangaroo court in which Whipple accuses Prune of being a tightwad.  Prune insists that his motives have nothing to do with greed – he just hates children!  In fact, one of the reasons he gives for hating them is because they’re greedy. All they want is toys and candy, and every year Santa indulges the little brats!  Santa, on the other hand, insists that being generous to children will teach them to be generous to others.

At the last moment, when all hope seems lost, we find that Santa was right – the kids are more than happy to donate their piggy banks to pay Santa’s rent!  This not only makes Christmas possible, but also allows Santa and his wife to passive-aggressively pay almost entirely in pennies – I once did this to a high school math teacher who made us all buy a five dollar study guide and let me tell you, there are few things more satisfying.  Even so, there’s a weird extra layer to this action.  The kids are being generous, but they must all know that if they aren’t, it’s them who will suffer the consequences.  Who wouldn’t donate a dollar or two when their Christmas presents are at stake?  Are the children being generous?  Or are they being greedy?

Isn’t that what we all do at Christmas?  When the ancient Romans sacrificed to their gods, they said do ut das, which means something like I am giving so that you might give. We give gifts to friends and family at Christmas in the expectation that they will give us something we wanted. My eight-year-old niece really wanted Wings of Fire III for Christmas this year, and pouted all day because nobody could find it for her, despite the fact that she got a load of other presents. When you give with no expectation of return, that’s charity, which we also do at Christmas – but in our minds, our reward for charity is feeling like a good person, while our reward for giving presents is getting presents back.

Another facet of this in the movie is that Santa actually has an arc of his own, in learning to accept generosity.  Generosity is Santa Claus’ defining trait, but in The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t we see him try to refuse offers of kindness from others. First there’s when Whipple offers to give him the money – Santa tries to refuse, and looks relieved when Whipple finds he doesn’t actually have that much money to give.  Too, Santa has not chosen his lawyer at random.  He knows he can’t afford to hire a lawyer so he goes to somebody who has already offered him a favour, rather than pleading for charity from a complete stranger.  Santa does not expect people to be generous to him.

At the end, when the boy named Charlie suggest that the children could donate the money, Santa once again tries to refuse.  The kids’ show of support, however, is so overwhelming that Santa can’t say no.  He realizes that he doesn’t always have to be the generous one – he can be the recipient. I suppose this is reflected in Prune’s arc, as he, too, finds he can accept generosity.  If this were intentional, it wasn’t done very well, but as I already observed Prune’s entire arc wasn’t done very well.  The film spends far more time on Santa and Whipple than it does on Prune, and we would have needed to know far more about the role of generosity in Prune’s life to get anything out of it.

Happy new year, everybody!  We get a new Mars rover in 2020, which is a great note to start on. I’ve only got a couple more MST3K movies to go, so I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to do with this blog once I’ve covered those.  I’ve had a lot of fun writing this and judging by the likes and reblogs, you guys are having fun reading it.  There’s also the hope that somehow, someday, we’ll get more new episodes.  I think I’ll try doing regular Episodes that Never Were for a while and see how that goes over.  It’s not as if the world has any lack of bad movies, and they keep making new ones all the time.

No, I haven’t seen Cats yet.

[ask-ivory]

RWBY Random Rant #2!

What villain is the best? (Cinder vs Roman)

Second rant everyone! This one may be a bit longer than the first, so if you don't have time but find this interesting, then I suggest reading this later. If you have infinite time on your hands and your board, then this might help depending on your interests. So let's jump into today's rant!

So, the world of Remnant is a big place. There, you'll find friendly people, weird people, mean people, and people who are just flat out crazy. But today, we're looking at a certain group of people: Villains. Now before we jump in to the blender of craziness, this post is an analysis that can be used for predictions and plot lines. I may be wrong, but I'm writing this off of what I know.

Anyways... Let's start with the basic question, What IS a villain? A villain (or for the more technical term: antagonist) is a character who is trying to stop the hero (or protagonist) from accomplishing his or her goal. Either this, or they're trying to get something and the hero is trying to stop them because what the villain wants is wrong. This is the loosest definition, so you can imagine that this goes way deeper than you think.

There are some things that you need to ask and have answered before you confirm who is the villain in a story. Some of which includes the following:

Who is this guy? (Basic background)

Why is he or she interested in this scenario? (Could this benefit to their cause?)

Why are they doing this? (If so, then why?)

So if we take this and try and apply it to the "villain" we can tell if this is a VILLAIN. Another important thing to note is the quality of the character. What sort of events cause the villain to act like this, and why?

Well, when we're talking RWBY, then villains come in different shapes and sizes. Some villains are immature, and others have experienced enough pain and defeat to know exactly what will work to achieve their goal and/or stop the hero. Then you have the peeps in the middle who aren't as overwhelming as the big baddie, but have enough common sense to know what's going on, what needs to be done, and why they're doing it.

So I'mma gonna start at the bottom of the rainbow and work my way up to the best colors. I'll also be rating these characters on a scale of one to ten. I won't do everyone. Let's start with the entire fandom's LEAST favorite character.

Cinder Fall

Stars: 0/10

Now if I was a writer for the show, I think the most interesting thing that could happen to Cinder is if she just dropped dead. That's how bad she. Literally. Now, what makes her so disgusting? There are two answers.

She did horrible things. Like hacking the communication towers (With help from Watts, of course), making the people at the Vytal Festival Tournament doubt the leaders of Vale, and, to top it off, KILLED Pyrrah and Ozpin.

But these are the actions a normal villain would do, so what really makes her Terrible? The second answer has the reason.

2. She's a poorly written character with a lack of depth are perception.

I have no idea what made the writers want to make Cinder a hated character, but whatever did worked really well. Honestly, it's like Roosterteeth did the opposite of what Disney did to Cinderella. But when I say she lacks depth, I mean there is nothing that makes her character any good. She's also one of the biggest mysteries in the show, and I don't mean that in a good way. Here are some of the questions that I often ask about her:

Why does she want power?

Does she want to rule the world?

Why does she wear an outfit that's guaranteed to help her freeze to death?

Does she want to kill Salem?

Why doesn't she learn from her mistakes?

WHY THE HECK DOES SHE EVEN EXIST?!?!?!

Well, after some examination, I found out something shocking. She is just a plot device. She may talk and act evil, but in reality, she's just there so that the characters have something to worry about. She has nothing that makes her good, or relatable. To add to that, she's like the Grimm, all she does is attack and kill and if she loses, she DOESN'T reflect on her actions, and she DOESN'T try to fix her mistakes. She just goes back into the fight with the same strategy as before. If the main protagonists studied Cinder's basic movement, then they would be able to take her down, no doubt.

Can Cinder be saved? The answer is no. I bet that, judging from the road she's going down, her strategy will be her ultimate end.

Hazel Rainheart

(I may have spelled his name wrong. Sorry.😁)

Stars: 2/10 ☆☆

Now Hazel is a bit more interesting. Unlike Cinder, he has a reason he's on the side he is now, but like everyone, he has his flaws. He lets his anger get the better of him, and he's quick to judge. But the real reason why he's not so good is because of his reasoning. His sister died on a training mission because SHE chose to become a huntress. But Hazel takes all of his anger out on Oscar and Ozpin just because he (Ozpin) was the headmaster of Beacon, and let her into the school in the first place.

And I gotta say, this reasoning is understandable, but it's still dumb.

But there is something that makes Hazel a huge threat to the heros: his semblance of pain nullification. This gives him the ability to block out pain. And I kinda get where it comes from.

When his sister died, he was broken. She was probably the only family Hazel had, and when she was killed, he wanted to block out the emptiness, the grief, the pain. Thus his semblance was unlocked and he could no longer feel pain. This ability is probably how his aura charges up so quickly. If pain can block aura from charging, then he has the tools to be a force to be reckoned with. The only downside is that just because he can't feel pain doesn't mean that he's not hurt.

Can Hazel be saved? Maybe. But if he goes on a redemption arch, then he will probably die. But that doesn't mean that he's a lost cause. There's still plenty of things that can be added to Hazel's character to make it better. But at the present, he could be better.

Adam Taurus

Stars 2/10 ☆☆

This character is relatively horrible. In fact, he's worse than Hazel!

But the thing is, he's like Hazel in a special way: he has a tragic past. Certain events that wreck a kid's childhood can scar them for life. Adam was discriminated for his faunus traits, and this set him on a path of revenge that would be his bitter end.

He was a threat, but small compared to the real one. His semblance made him very dangerous, but it also makes sense. To be more specific, his semblance is, what I like to call, absorption of impact (or for the EruptionFang version, moon slice). This gives him the ability to absorb any damage done by the enemy into his blade, then release it back at a more powerful rate. This can cause devastating damage to both the enemy and the environment. As for why he had this semblance is pretty basic once you think about it.

Adam desired to get back at those who mistreated him. He wanted them to feel his pain, but a lot more extreme. He wanted them to feel what he felt, but worse.

Adam had a lot of potential, but, well when you get stabbed in the back, it's not easy to get back at your enemies. Over all in terms of writing, the thing that would've made him better was a better understanding of what he went through.

Tyrian Callows

Stars 4/10 ☆☆☆☆

If Adam wasn't crazy enough for you, then Tyrian's your go to guy.

I think that Tyrian is insane enough to join Salem, but has enough sense to know how to kill. He's kinda tough to figure out, but thanks to some much needed information in Volume 7, we now know a bit about Tyrian's past.

Tyrian was a mad man killer on the continent of Anima but was captured. He was then rescued by Salem and her Grimm. Since he's mad he owed his life to her ever since.

He's mad, so there's no bad excuse. And to add to that, he is flat down dangerous. His semblance is the ability to cut through aura, making him a hard to beat.

Can Tyrian be saved? Not really. The only way to kill him is for someone to fall victim to him while another strikes the killing blow.

Doctor Aurthor Watts

Stars: 5/10 ☆☆☆☆☆

Alright. Here we go!

Watts is very interesting. That's saying alot. Now that we have more information on him, it's easier to see why he wants to screwer Ironwood.

He was an Atlasian scientist who went against Pietro in the effort to make something great for Atlas. While Watts helped write the Atlas security code, Pietro found that the best inspiration is found inside. That was were Penny was created. Watts was disgraced and faked his death. Then Salem found him and he joined her group to get both revenge on Ironwood and respect from Atlas. Though he is clearly unaware of what Salem's true plans are.

He is a wiz when it comes to technology. Besides that, I believe he has some experience with combat. His semblance could have something to do with technology, but we're still figuring that out.

Can Watts be saved? Writing wise, maybe we can get more details about Watts in the final episodes. He's not a lost cause when it comes being a more interesting villain.

Story wise though? He's a dead man.

Salem

Stars: 6/10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆

Yes, I didn't save her for until the end.😼

Now from the writer's point of view, Salem's backstory has been completely fleshed out. It's pretty complicated so I won't go into details. But from that alone, Salem's actons make sense. As a prisoner of life, she yearns to be free. She wants to die. And she believes that the only way to do this is to divide humanity and summon the gods in there darkest hour. Then the gods destroy the world and Salem is free. She doesn't care about the people she is hurting. She hates humanity and wants to destroy everything. But above all, she wants to get permanent revenge on her ex Ozma (or Ozpin or Oscar). She wants him to die and stay dead when millennia ago she made great sacrifices to try bringing him back from the dead.

Now she has nothing to show for it except endless years of war, hatred, and suffering. There is some relation that one can have with Salem. If anyone who is reading this tried to do something for someone you cared about, but got nothing to show for it in return, then that's what Salem would be feeling. And this has caused her to spiral into madness. She is the purest definition of crazy.

Can Salem be saved? It depends at this point. Story wise, most likely not.

Emerald and Mercury!

Stars for them both 7/10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

These two are going to be paired in honor of their beloved ship: Emercury.

Both characters have tragic pasts, so that gives them some common ground, but both are looking for something different. Emerald is looking for love, the one thing that she never had in her entire life. Mercury is looking for a purpose in life, a way to make himself Worthy of greatness. He claims that Cinder recruiting him was just destiny.

Both of these peeps are incredibly good at what they do. Both can fight better than the members of team CFVY.

Emerald's semblance is Perception manipulation, which makes perfect sense in her case. In a very special case, her semblance is similar to Adam's. She wants others to see what she sees, Emerald wants people to see how alone she is, and just how much she needs family. Her semblance is an incarnation of her desire. And she uses it to make people see what she wants them to see.

Mercury's semblance is currently unknown at this time. But we do know that his semblance was stolen by his father. After killing him, Mercury probably got his semblance back, but lives under the illusion that it's still gone.

Mercury grew up in an abusive household, under the guard of a murderer. He was tortured everyday by his father.

Emerald grew up on the streets.

Basically, these characters are well written, and both have great potential as well. There's even some hope of a redemption Arch for these two, and possibly some romance.

Can Emerald and Mercury be saved? Writing wise, yes. More trauma and info can definitely help. Story wise? Hopefully, yes.

Roman Torchwick

Stars: 9/10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Time for the classics!

This charming young schemer has been the first character in the actual show. Fans everywhere love him, and will often mark him as the best villain. Honestly, I have nothing against it. But for the sake of this post, let's break down this lovely character and examine his awesomeness.

Roman's origin is currently unknown, but maybe we'll get some light cast on it with Neo's backstory as well. Many believe that he is somehow connected to Brunswick Farms, and it's still a possibility that has yet to be ruled out.

Roman is a good fighter and a master mind behind the underground crime rings of Vale. By himself, he is a relatively good fighter. Though his semblance has yet to be determined, he has his own Roman candle.

Another aspect of this character that won the hearts of fans is his charming personality. I mean, who can blame him? Though his death was sudden, and unfair, his handsome face will live on in the hearts of many.

Neo Politan

Stars: 10/10⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The star of the show, folks!

Neo made her big enterence in Volume 2 episode 4 Painting the Town, and ever since has been one of the most popular characters in the entire show. If you break down Neo's character based on what we know, then it's actually really interesting. Let's scoop ice cream!

Neo's backstory is unknown, but we're hoping to have some light shed on the subject. Based off of the song "One Thing", we can tell that Neo's backstory is tragic in some way. She lost everything except for Roman. And she is willing to fight to protect Roman from the death. How do I know?

Her semblance is called illusions by many, but Unicorn of War calls it Mirrors, which I think is the most accurate. Her semblance gives her the ability to reflect her opponent's attacks upon themselves, and she can change her appearance right down to her hair and eye color.

What does any of this have to do with protecting Roman? She will use Any means necessary to protect what little she has left, and to her, that one thing is enough. She Will change her identity as many times as possible, and she often gets away with it. But she is so fierce in protecting that during a fight, any pain that the enemy can dish out to her dumdum would make her determined to kick her opponent's butt. She would give them a taste of their own medicine and literally reflect their attacks upon themselves.

She is a reflection of protection. And like that reflection she represents, she says not a word, but shows people how exactly they can hurt the one she loves.

After Roman's death, Neo Politan is determined to reflect her loves justice upon the true enemies. If you can't face yourself, then you can't face Neo.

So, there you have it, villains everywhere.

Be sure to reblog if you found this interesting!

If you have questions, then ask away!😁

[twentiethcenturymoviesandtv]

The Wizard of Oz: The Characters

Perhaps the most vital element of any story, whether television show, movie, or book, is its characters.  You might have an interesting plot, but without compelling characters, it doesn’t stick, and The Wizard of Oz is no exception to that rule.  In fact, The Wizard of Oz has probably given us some of the most iconic and compelling characters ever created. People don’t forget characters Dorothy Gale, or the Wicked Witch very easily.  Today, we’re going to be taking a look at just what makes those characters so memorable, and so timeless.  First up, let’s check out our heroine.  (Spoilers below!)

Dorothy Gale is one of the most well-known and loved characters in all of pop culture history.  Despite originating as a character from a children’s book, Judy Garland’s portrayal in 1939 has been firmly cemented as the essential Dorothy Gale, and with good reason.

Every protagonist should have a problem, preferably a problem pertaining to the plot (say that five times fast!) and Dorothy’s problem is, initially, Smalltown Boredom.  She is surrounded by adults, authority figures who love her, but don’t understand her, and she’s the only one on her side willing to take action when her dog’s life is threatened.  This reveals something important about Dorothy’s character that remains consistent throughout the entire narrative: Dorothy always tries to solve her problems, even if it isn’t always the best course of action, such as deciding to become the Runaway to save her dog’s life.

Despite her willingness to take action when necessary, she’s not a fantasy hero when it comes to the action itself.  She never learns to use any weapons, or how to fight; her first instinct is to befriend, and she consistently shows politeness and kindness towards others.  Her status as Accidental Hero Trapped in Another World never goes to her head, even after she frees two separate groups of people from underneath the rule of the Wicked Witches of the East and West.  She helps the Scarecrow down from his pole, and oils the Tin Man’s joints, listens to their, and the Lion’s, problems, and then suggests that they join her so they can all get help together.  For heaven’s sake, she even apologizes when she commits Accidental Murder!

While we’re on the subject, let’s discuss that Accidental Murder for a moment.

The witch’s death wasn’t a dragon-slaying moment, it’s a result of Dorothy’s attempt to save the Scarecrow.  Dorothy is certainly not a She Who Fights Monsters character, in any sense of the term.  She never craved adventure, she left the house to save Toto.  She doesn’t try to attack what she thought was a vicious lion until he went after her dog.  In fact, the only times she becomes angry in the film are when someone she cares about is threatened.  She even forgives: she asks the Lion to join them after he attacks Toto, and she’s nice to the Wicked Witch’s guards.  Dorothy is a character who always tries to do the right, and kind, thing, something that sets her apart from many fantasy heroes that have come before and after her.  

Like I said in the last article, Dorothy Gale is an earnest dreamer, a scared, but brave little girl.  She’s a nice person and a brave person, but more than that, she’s a good character.

Good characters change throughout the course of a story, and while at first it might not seem like Dorothy changes at all, a closer look reveals a different story.

As I’ve mentioned previously, Dorothy is one of the first and most famous examples of the Hero’s Journey on film, and a character can’t go through the Hero’s Journey without learning and growing.  Much like her friends, searching for things they already had, (more on that shortly) Dorothy is searching for home, before finding out that she had the means to get there the whole time.  Dorothy’s ‘journey’ in a character sense is discovering her own strength and agency, not allowing herself to helplessly watch others affect her life, while not losing what makes her a good and nice person.  Not only is this a different moral than a lot of fantasy stories, where the hero does need to train to gain something before his narrative is finished, but Dorothy’s change also kicks in at a totally different time in the narrative.

The moment where Dorothy’s goal changes, the scene where she stops wanting to get away from Kansas and wants to get back to it, doesn’t happen at the end of the second act, it’s not a dramatic realization after the hero has gone through much of their journey; no, Dorothy’s priorities switch the exact moment she lands in Oz and is hailed for killing their witch. This doesn’t make her a bad character, or a bad example, because it makes a lot of sense for a young kid to immediately realize that they don’t belong in this fantasy world, and that they have family that’s probably concerned about them.  Dorothy’s learning and growing is done on the journey to get back, struggling to return to the place she realizes that she belongs.

In summary?  Dorothy’s a sweet kid, who doesn’t let adventure turn her into a harder person, just a kinder and stronger one.

But a hero is only as good as their villain, right?

The Wicked Witch of the West is rock solid one of the most memorable villains in film history.  Everything from her laugh to her look is firmly cemented in the minds of moviegoers, even though she doesn’t really look like her book counterpart at all.  She’s the quintessential witch: shooting fireballs, riding on brooms and cackling, but perhaps the most interesting part about her is the fact that she, like multiple other characters in this story, is not one person, but two.

Ms. Gulch is the original Big Bad of the film, an uptight woman who ‘owns half the county’.  Fed up with Dorothy’s dog, Toto, she obtains the legal right to have him put down.  We don’t see a lot of her, and there is even evidence to suggest that Toto did chase her cat and run through her lawn often as well as bite her, but there is also a lot of evidence to suggest that Ms. Gulch had it coming.  Toto tends to be a good judge of character, and even Dorothy’s aunt and uncle, while legally powerless, don’t let her go without letting her know exactly what they think of her.

It makes sense that Dorothy’s frightened subconscious would exaggerate nasty Ms. Gulch into an evil, hammy, black-clad, laughing mad, Wicked Witch.

In the realm of Oz, that one key character trait of Ms. Gulch (besides overall nastiness) did carry over: power.  In our world, she can order around the sheriff, in Oz, she has an army of flying monkeys and magic powers.  And once again, just like in the real world, she uses an offense as an excuse to hunt Dorothy and Toto down, using the death of her sister as a way to get her hands on the magical shoes that she wore.  Throughout the entire movie, she is never shown mourning the death of her sister, but she is very much focused on those shoes, and the fact that Dorothy is wearing them is enough to make the Witch vow vengeance. (‘I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!’)

In this, the Witch is an extraordinarily good villain.  Just scary enough to frighten young watchers, and still mean enough to make older viewers wince with disgust, the Witch proves an excellent foil to Dorothy.  She’s the ultimate oppression in a child’s life: an unjust adult with power.

(It’s important to note that Dorothy never ‘overthrows’ her as is often seen in these types of scenarios.  Like I’ve stated above, the death of both witches is a total accident on her part, and Dorothy even shows remorse afterwards.)

The Witch maintains a steady threat throughout the film, arriving to throw fireballs, threaten, or just cackle when need be.  She also follows through.  Towards the end of the movie, she kidnaps Dorothy, which leads to the most important thing about being a villain: being beaten.  The Witch goes out in one of the most memorable and iconic deaths in movie history, melted by her Weaksauce Weakness: a bucket of water.

In the end, as with Dorothy, we don’t know a lot about these characters, but in that, both hero and villain feel (fittingly) very much like characters from a fairytale: archetypes for young audiences to immediately grasp and understand.  Sure, the Wicked Witch is no Darth Vader, but does that make her a less effective villain?  I don’t think so.  There’s a reason she’s a Breakout Villain and the second most famous character in the film.

Of course, there’s more to look at here than just the two main driving forces.  No movie is complete without its supporting cast.

The first of the trio of supporting characters that Dorothy meets in Oz is the Scarecrow, a more exaggerated version of his own Kansas Kounterpart.  The Scarecrow’s defining trait is his value of brains, intelligence, and sense.

The thing about the Scarecrow is that he always had brains, he was just under the impression that he didn’t.  Every idea the gang gets is from him.  He figures out how to get Dorothy apples, he comes up with the plan to get the trio into the castle, and he even uses the Tin-Man’s axe to bring the light fixture down on the Witch’s guards.

Once again, part of the brilliance of The Wizard of Oz is that both the Oz trio and Dorothy have the same problem: lack of confidence in their own abilities, constantly using what they think they don’t have to reach their goals.  If it wasn’t for Dorothy’s realization that she needed home, or the Scarecrow’s idea that he needed brains, neither would have ended up on this adventure and neither would have grown as people the way that they do, or learned that they already had what they were looking for.

Same goes for the Tin Man, probably the most emotional character in all of cinema.

Like the Scarecrow, his Kansas Kounterpart also puts a lot of stock in having a specific trait, this time in having a heart.  The Tin Man’s stock is in remaining emotionally open and caring, and also like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man spends most of the movie bemoaning the absence of something he clearly has: a heart.

Like I said before, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the Tin Man might be the most emotional character in the history of movies.  He cries over everything. In another example of the truly interesting acting in this film, the performance that Jack Haley gives is dripping with empathy and kindness, directly tonally contradicting his claims of heartlessness.  Ironically, the gentlest of the company is also the only one consistently armed, with an axe no less.  Also like the Scarecrow, what he actually needs, and what he gets at the end of the story, is belief in the fact that he does have a heart, rather than the vital organ itself.  He spends the entire story using and prominently displaying the trait he determinedly says he lacks, and it’s all the more rewarding when he finally believes he’s found what he’s been looking for.

Perhaps the most complicated and difficult of the three to look at would be the Cowardly Lion.  Of the trio, he’s the one who does seem to lack the trait he claims to, routinely running away from danger and displaying extreme cowardice, to the point of being afraid of sheep he tries to count to go to sleep.  He’s not exactly King of the Forest, Dorothy brings him to blubbering with one almighty smack.

While the Scarecrow and the Tin Man obviously display their own intelligence and emotion, the Lion never seems to portray any bravery of his own. He is drug, kicking and screaming, into danger at every turn, heading into the Witch’s castle, the Haunted Forest, and even the audience with the Wizard.  Even during the rescue of Dorothy he begs his friends to talk him out of it.

The real question we must ask is: does this make him a coward?

The definition of courage is not, as the Lion seems to think, a lack of fear.  In fact, the real definition of courage, especially from a storytelling standpoint, is being afraid, and doing what you have to do anyway.  Many of our greatest heroes from fiction have been afraid during their greatest deeds, but did what they did because it had to be done.  With this definition in mind, the Lion’s characterization makes a little more sense.

The Lion does pull through in every case, and yes, he does need some help from his friends to keep him going at times, but if doing everything alone and without fear constituted courage, very few of us would be considered truly brave.  Once again, this brings out the emphasis that The Wizard of Oz puts on friendships, which is possibly another one of the reasons that this film holds up for all ages.  We all know what it’s like to do things we don’t want to for a friend’s sake, even if it’s not exactly storming a castle.

Just like the Scarecrow and the Tin Man, the Lion never picks up on the fact that he too has what he’s been looking for this whole time, the real prize at the end being his own confidence in his ability.  He also shares quite a few similarities to his Kansas Kounterpart, all bluster until Dorothy falls into the pigpen, and despite being afraid, he charges in after her.  Like Dorothy and the others, he too ends the journey with what he’s been looking for.

But of course, there wouldn’t be a journey in the first place without our titular wizard, would there?

Of all of the characters in The Wizard of Oz, the Wizard himself is the most similar to his real world counterpart, Professor Marvel.  He’s a con artist, a Stage Magician in both worlds, convincing Dorothy of his abilities with his ‘Crystal Ball’ in Kansas, and convincing everyone in Oz that he’s an all-powerful Wizard, with enough parlor tricks and bluster to be in charge without ever having to use any real magic.

Despite this penchant for dishonesty, both the Wizard and Professor Marvel display remarkable amounts of compassion.  He’s a nice enough man when it comes down to it, using his ‘crystal ball’ to try to convince Dorothy to go back home to her family, and at the end, again trying to help her get home.  He gives Dorothy’s friends symbols to represent their ‘missing’ traits, and even dropping a few words of wisdom on them.

(Yes, he did send a child on an assassination mission, but in his defense, he was probably trying to buy time to figure out what to do with their requests. Once again, all bluster, remember? And furthermore, this is all a dream of Dorothy’s.  Cut her subconscious some slack.)

Another tidbit to look at: it’s interesting that his relationship with Dorothy is so very similar in both worlds: a con artist who tries to get her home.  It’s also interesting to note that in Kansas, before her journey, she buys it, whereas in Oz, after her adventure, she unmasks him as the Man Behind the Curtain (granted, with a lot of help from Toto).

Despite the fact that in the end, it is Dorothy alone who can get her home, it’s not for lack of the Wizard’s trying.

There are only three remaining major characters in The Wizard of Oz who do not have counterparts in either universe: Auntie Em, Uncle Henry, and Glinda the Good Witch, and rather than sharing similarities with any other characters, this group actually seems to work as contrasts for each other.

Auntie Em and Uncle Henry are introduced as hardworking people, an older couple with a farm in the middle of the Great Depression, by no means an easy job.  They are also raising Dorothy, which is another not easy job.  As a result, Auntie Em especially comes across as a little stern and stressed, distant, and not really understanding of Dorothy’s young impulsive thoughts and dreams.  In a way, they are part of the cause of Dorothy’s journey in the first place by not stopping Ms. Gulch from swooping off with Toto, coming across almost as a betrayal to not only Dorothy, but the audience.  Dorothy and the audience both feel that the couple are unsympathetic to her, and don’t help her when she absolutely needs it, which works as a neat foreshadowing that Dorothy will, in fact, be learning to solve her own problems.

It is only later, when the tornado strikes, that you see the genuine concern and love that the pair have for their niece.  When Dorothy wakes up, both aunt and uncle greet her with relieved affection.  Despite the fact that it is Auntie Em and Uncle Henry’s inaction that drives her away, it is also them that she is so desperate to return to: caring family that she is sure is worried about her.  (She’s right.)  Dorothy’s self-sufficiency does not come at the cost of her family’s love and support, rather, the message seems to be that through relationships with others, you can learn to handle yourself.

By contrast, there’s Glinda the Good Witch, the first person Dorothy meets in Oz, a super-magical being with the power to scare off the Wicked Witch, and with the knowledge from the beginning that would have saved Dorothy a trip.

Glinda has a similar effect on Dorothy’s life as her aunt and uncle, but in a different way.  It is Glinda’s inaction that is part of the reason for Dorothy’s quest.  By not telling her about the power of the Ruby Slippers to take her home, she allows Dorothy to take that journey that Glinda knows she needs.

Glinda is the most otherworldly and magical thing about Oz.  Everything about her is designed to be different to anyone else in Oz, from her mode of travel to her clothes to her way of speech.  She’s immediately friendly and we instantly get the sense that she knows more than both Dorothy and the audience.  Glinda is Dorothy’s guide, sending her off, rescuing her from the Wicked Witch’s poppies, and then at the end, when she tells Dorothy how she can get home to her mentors in the real world.

If you think that these characters seem a little simple, you’d be right.  At the end of the day, The Wizard of Oz is not a story designed to have complex characters with deep motivations, it’s a fairytale intended to have uncomplicated characters that people immediately connect to and remember.  And it works.

Every character in The Wizard of Oz is not only there for a reason, it’s for a good reason.  It was a perfect cast that worked well onscreen, with enough relatability and charm that people of all ages come back to them again and again. They carry the story and make us care about it and them, and in the end, that is the mark of a good character.

Whether you like or hate them, a character is there to make you care, and in this case, this group does their job.  They leave an impact, and a strong one at that. We remember these characters and their quirks long after the movie is over for a reason.

Join me next time where we’ll be looking at another interesting aspect of The Wizard of Oz: We’ve seen the impact it’s had on the culture, now it’s time to see the impact the culture had on it.  Feel free to drop a suggestion or thought in the ask box, and thank you so much for reading!

[kaoarika]

I rarely do written posts in Tumblr anymore because I am still figuring out how this new UI works in general (and there might be still be some bugs about writing posts + leaving them on drafts + publishing them accidentally as well), and tbh, between the past two months have been sorta chaotic and very mentally draining (besides some work I have been doing) and me attempting to think around some of my few active fandoms... well, haven’t had an eureka moment where I sit and write what I think about stuff.

So, let’s talk about some “stuff”.

Some days ago, I accidentally noticed by PURE CHANCE that some of the completed webtoons I was going to “eventually read” in LINE were going to get “locked”/converted  for Daily Pass. I mean, tbf, I knew that they were going to stick to this plan since past October, but it seems they really went full force this month (they only “locked” like a couple of series back then). And it’s exactly how I thought they would do so - popular series that have been already completed, old and recent.

I’m not going to complain about “Daily Pass” because I do have some thoughts about that and the fact they could use another model than just readers farming/buying coins, but, what do you do, especially since lots of these series are PRETTY long (140+ chapters long)?

My complaint does come from that, as a web user, I found this by pure chance, despite them saying they would announce what series would be locked in a 30-day advance notice. Because there’s no apparent indicator in the main page about THIS (The only Notice/News detail you see down below the page is about Canvas creators). Heck, I don’t think they even tell you about it in their mail newsletter, which kinda suck :))).

So, anyway.

I checked and, yes, a couple of VERY old series I was interested in reading were/are going to get locked. Problem, like I mentioned? THEY are pretty long! I know I can binge read as much as I want, but I cannot make miracles like reading over 100 chapters (if one series, try thinking about 2 or 3 -  I WAS NOT GOING TO DO THIS) in less than 12 hours! ESPECIALLY if those series were going to get locked THIS WEEK.

FML.

...anyway crisis was averted when I had to let go some interesting series that I may would get my way to read them (if there is a new buying/rental model they would apply) in the future... BUT I did read stuff I was curious or wanted to read... and mainly old stuff that I was willing to eventually finish one day.

Opinions on those series?

Okay, as brief and spoiler free as possible:

Untouchable: A story about modern-day vampires that instead of drinking blood, they have evolved to absorb the energy of their preys. This one is a romantic series about Sia, a vampire model and this human guy who has a very deep microphobia, and she puts her eyes on him when she realizes that his energy is like none she has tasted before. But, again, dude has microphobia (that is more or less controlled as time goes on).

I stopped reading this one for a while because  I was sorta smelling love triangle from a jealous friend of hers that OBVIOUSLY didn’t want to be looked as “just a friend”, lol. Like “how would this get solved”, kind of thing in your typical romance stuff. But then, last week I retook it... and it wasn’t as bad... but it leaks typical shoujo stuff/problems that become a newer obstacle as time goes on and on (misscomunication, lack of trust, overprotective family ANNOYINGLY hurting their own offspring, sudden deux ex machina...?). So, I think it finished fine... But man, I was so pissed off in how some stuff was managed at the end, lmao. Especially the way a “villain” was redeemed? I know that they say “karma is a b*tch”, but, DUDE KILLED PEOPLE BEFORE!? and you redeem him in a “lol, you will find out how love will make you feel” LIKe, DUDE, WHAT THE HELL. DON’T REDEEM HIM LIKE THAT.

Ghost Wife: I started reading this series in an unofficial manner a long while ago, but I supposed that the first chapters are pretty slow and it didn’t catch me on in the first place. It’s about a girl that starts seeing ghosts/spirits, and there’s this one that becomes WAY too attached to her, that offers her two options: either been eaten/killed or agreeing to be his wife. Given the title of thise series, you might wonder she accepted the second one

My lesson? Should have kept reading. The story picks up when other ghostly creatures are introduced and they start interacting with the main female character and her “ghost husband”, especially since this ghost cannot really imitate human interaction and his solution is “hypnotizing” everyone so he can “normally” fit. And the interaction between those two becomes more gracious and natural. You can feel that she likes being with him, despite the dangers of attracting ghosts that might kill her and all that. Heh.

Other lesson I had is that: the artist isn’t EXACTLY well into action scenes and some other details (but their ghostly creatures’ designs are TERRIFYING), so, I thought “well, I know there are other artists like this in the webcomic/webtoon environment, I shouldnt be too worried about my art once I get done with mine, right?

Also, some details started to make sense later on. And I cried like a baby in some moments, as well. Don’t have too many complaints, though. Perhaps more obvious “falling in love” moments... but then I realized that some actions speak lots better than words.

About Death: And speaking of “crying like a baby”, this one. This is a very old work, and it’s a gem, and it’s short, to top! And HECK, the art was AMAZING. Very touchy, and it makes you think. There’s quite a lot of South Korean webtoons that have made me cry because... they really make you think a LOT about stuff... especially about life and death.

Oh! Holy: Story about a shy and lonely loveable dork that is in love of his childhood friend, and that they eventually find each other in high school. Said childhood friend is idolized in school (but she is... hmmm... a dork as, well). Oh, he sees ghosts. OH, and she dies within the first three chapters accidentally :3. Shenanigans happen.

I HAD A LOT OF FUN WITH THIS ONE. SURE, it’s another shoujo but WAY less dramatic than Untouchable, because this was comedy (so, a rom-com!). And this one made me want more and more to read it. The characters all had an amazing personality, chemistry and their interactions were FUN AS HELL. The author seems to have my my sense of (dumb) humor, and the art was too attractive and knew where it should bright.

I don’t think I have too many complaints about this one. I may have felt unsatisfied in some minor stuff, but everything else felt “okay” to me, in general. 

A couple of things, though: localization and some quality stuff relating to translation in this series. I cannot judge the translation, but I do think it could have handled more quality checking on this one or proofreading, I’m not sure. I know that these (licensed and translated) series come in a weekly basis, but they REALLY need to pay more $$$ to their own staff to not let this stuff happen THAT frequent.

Localization is a bit of an issue I do HAVE though, and it is the same as in “Ghost Wife” and some other recent Korean series they have licensed in the recent past: Why using English-localized names, though? SURE, they retain their original last Korean names... but... why don’t keep their FULL NAMES, I wonder? I mean, weren’t we supposed to be over that kind of stuff already (videogames, JPN anime, manga other foregin stuff)? Is it because marketability? And/or because some names are “puns” that couldn’t easily be translateable in other languages? 

If it’s the latter, I think the same is applied in other regional language localization, like, in Spanish, original English language “Axed” is called “Natacha la del Hacha” and you cannot wonder how it crawls over my skin. I know this series is BUILT ON and is full of puns (as I am following it)... but... “Axelia” is a much more cooler name than “Natacha”... :I or so I THINK? Don’t take me too seriously...

In “Ghost Wife” I get it, you have spiritual creatures... their “human” names are puns of what they really are, and these words MAYBE don’t have too much meaning in English or Spanish or whatever... but... its a bit... glaring... when the main cast has English first names... and then you have a side character called... I dunno, “Soyeon” :I. or Haetae (a creature that didn’t have a human character name...) or, heck, characters that never appear again like... there was this “Damien” dude that for some reason, his name is slipped a couple of times as “Suho” (I wonder, his original name). But, then, you have people named “Liz”, “Drake”, “Sarah”, “Nathan” ????

I suppose that in “Oh! Holy” that might be the case, too. The original Korean name of the series is “오!주예수여” that is translated as “Oh! Lord Jesus”, because Holy in Korean is named “Yesu”. And, *sigh* I think that says enough. The pun STILL works... but :’))

But at the same time, I think my thing with the English localized names in “Oh! Holy” is that they are... blatantly boring and I don’t think they fit their faces. At all. But, maybe that’s me? (I mean, the “ultimate” reaper is called Norman. NORMAN.) Like I said, they still keep their original Korean last names... but... ugh.

(this is coming from someone who gave two of her characters very not obvious Spanish names given that they are Mexican, but I do have some valid cultural and VERY obvious explanations about those...)

Also - I don’t get LINE Webtoon’s selectiveness in this localization decision. Some of the South Korean series they bring, they do KEEP their original full names (see “A Good Day to be a Dog”, “Ghost Teller”, heck, the afforementioned “Untouchable”), but then you have stuff like “Oh! Holy”, “Ghost Wife”, “Scorching Romance”, “Mom, I’m Sorry!” or “Lookism”... ?????

And, this is very blatant annoying because a) K-Pop is HUGELY global mainstream nowadays and you can hear/read fans screaming their NAMES?! And 2) K-dramas are also pretty popular these days??? 

?????? 

*LONG SIGH*

There’s a few series that I want to check out, but I still have some more days for that to happen (heck, even a bit of more than a week). But, it SURE DOES suck that most of the interesting series I had my eyes on all were going to get locked this WEEK. :))))

[pulaasul]

Virtuous Blood - Chapter 1

Beings and creatures all over the world are suddenly attacking one another. Is this a work of the recently released villains or someone else is behind the scenes? Set after Descendants 3 and The Last Battle

PLG 

FFN I AO3

--------

"You sure you won't check other schools first Carlos?" A boy wearing a black baseball cap asked. "There are other schools that have a better focused Pre-Vet degrees." He continued. "SFIT's kinda technology based." He added.

"Growing up, I've always been an anxious person." Carlos admitted to the man with him. "Tinkering with machines has never failed to calm me down." He explained. "I think a technology-focused Pre Veterinarian degree would suit me well Tadashi."

Carlos was in San Fransokyo, specifically San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, and scope out its programs and degrees and apply for the entrance exam he'd have to take. Accompanying him was Tadashi Hamada, the prized and famed student of his former mentor, Professor Robert Callaghan.

"You know, you could always present at the annual showcase." Tadashi suggested. "Just like what Hiro did when he decided to enroll." He continued. "Something that would blow the judges' away."

"Gaah Tadashi!" Another voice expressed her exasperation. "Phrasing!"

Tadashi merely looked sheepish. "Hello Gogo." He greeted the woman in black and white clothes behind them. "You're back early."

"How many times do we have to tell you that we don't want a repeat of what happened." Gogo growled.

"Sorry." Tadashi apologized. "I figured that since Hiro and the others aren't here, it's okay." He defended himself.

"We may be people of science Tadashi but we can't just risk tempting the cosmos, as Fred would put it, and repeat history." Gogo sighed. "I know it's hard limiting your vocabulary, but considering what happened to you, we can't risk it."

"I know Gogo, I'm sorry." Tadashi apologized once more. "I do understand."

"We can't risk losing you one more time." Gogo muttered to herself.

Carlos felt like he wasn't supposed to witness the recent turn of events. He knew that they were talking about Tadashi's apparent demise during the fire that engulfed the school's presentation building a few years back.

Frankly, Carlos could understand what Gogo was saying.

No matter what happened afterwards, you can't just erase what and how you felt.

Tadashi Hamada may have been resurrected, for lack of better term, but his return can't erase the fact that his friends and family grieved for him.

Just the same as how living in Auradon didn't erase the abuse the VKs went through at the hands of their parents and cruelest people in the isle.

"Why don't we accompany Carlos to the cafeteria?" Tadashi immediately changed the topic at the somber atmosphere. "What do you say Carlos?"

"Good idea!" Carlos readily agreed, eager to change the topic once more.

"Sure." Gogo nodded. "Frankly kid, you need to gain more weight." She commented as she looked at the de Vil. "Does the king even feed you?"

"I have to agree." Tadashi nodded. "You are way too skinny for someone your age."

"During our first year at Auradon Prep, we were free to eat the food at the buffet table." Carlos answered.

"We better be careful." A woman whispered. "A VK is outside Auradon's borders." She continued. "He might steal or even poison our food."

"Couldn't agree more." A boy agreed. "I really don't feel envious of Tadashi right now." He continued. "Having to tour the VK around, must be pretty tense."

"I know right?" Another woman nodded. "What was Granville thinking when she organized this?" She exclaimed. "Making Tadashi escort a VK."

"Would the three of you volunteer then?" Gogo whispered to their ears.

"Hell no!" The trio exclaimed rather loudly.

"Then scram." Gogo yelled.

The trio wasted no time and ran away from Gogo.

"Because of that." Carlos explained as he gestured at the running trio.

"Prejudice really is something huh?" Gogo asked.

"Well, nothing's worse than the isle." Carlos shrugged. "We just learned to deal with this."

Tadashi and Gogo looked at each other. They were uncomfortable at Carlos's implications. They had witnessed the boy's scars when they first met him, but the recent revelation may have been a lot darker than any of them realized.

"To answer your earlier question Tadashi." Carlos looked at man beside him. "I don't really think creating something impressive in time for the presentation would be viable."

"How come?"

"I'm sure the King would gladly support me." Carlos answered. "For the sake of the younger kids from the isle, I'd rather not." He added. "I can take the disdainful comments, I have grown accustomed to the insults in the isle." He began to explain. "However kids like Squeaky and Squirmy don't have that luxury."

"I see." Tadashi nodded. "That reasoning also explains why you requested Professor Granville a separate room to take your entrance exams." He mused. "Despite her prejudice or lack thereof."

"I'd rather prove my entry with my own merits than have it questioned countless times." Carlos nodded.

"I'm willing to bet that some of the board would want de Vil here to take the entrance exam at the lobby where everyone can see him." Gogo mused. "I just find it ironic you know." She looked at Carlos. "You wanted out of the isle to escape suffering but you ended up suffering still even outside of the isle."

"What can you do?" Carlos shrugged. "Apparently genes matter the most."

"You just have to woman up." Gogo nodded.

As the trio conversed on their way to the campus's cafeteria, they witnessed a squirrel slashing the bark with its claws.

"Is that squirrel okay?" Carlos asked the people with him.

"Don't worry about that." Gogo assured. "It's just marking its territory." She explained. "That one marks its territory rather aggressively."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Tadashi nodded. "You'd surprised at how many students that one has tried to claw just for being in close proximity of the tree."

"Back to our previous topic." Gogo steered the conversation's subject. "Hiro has already programmed Cat and Dog care tips unto Baymax." She continued as the three of them continued their journey towards the campus's cafeteria.

[snowbellewells]

“Bless What is Given You” (a birthday fic for @searchingwardrobes)

I am getting this in just barely under the wire, and I am truly sorry you’ve had to wait so long for your birthday present, Melanie.  Also, I’m really hoping you will enjoy this, because it morphed and took various forms as I went.  I set out to give @searchingwardrobes​ some Captain Charming Hood friendship and shenanigans, as well as some 3b canon divergence - perhaps fighting flying monkeys - and there is some of that, but I’ve also discovered that when I let myself write Robin Hood he tends to take over.  I always liked him and wanted more of him, and apparently when I intentionally include him in the story, he really wants to take over.  Anyway, there’s possibly less Charming and Killian than you might have expected, but I do hope you’ll have some fun reading this all the same.

I will add that Emma’s younger brother is called Leo in this - I just can’t do the whole “Prince Neal” thing. Maybe pretend somewhere along the line Charming and Snow learned the full, true story and so changed their youngest’s name -- in my head, to Leo Graham.  This has some 3b missing moments/divergence, and then some future fluff as well.  No other pertinent warnings I don’t think, expect maybe for turkeys being hunted for the Thanksgiving table. But I really know very little about hunting, so it shouldn’t be too disturbing.

You deserve the most wonderful birthday and coming year.  You’ve done so much for some many shipmates in this fandom to brighten their birthdays, and I just wanted to give a little bit back to you.  Enjoy!!

“Bless What is Given You”

by: @snowbellewells​

“Do you mean to tell me you think you know better than a queen?” Regina’s haughty voice practically dripped disdain from each clipped, precise syllable she spoke. The perfect arch of her sculpted brow rose in question, disbelief and disapproval clear on her challenging, flawless face, even if her tone had not made her opinion more than apparent. “My mother was Rumplestiltskin’s most prized pupil; he sought me out himself to train me as well, chose me to cast his precious Dark Curse… Do you honestly think the fact that you can scare off a few monkeys with your arrows and you’ve been squatting in his deserted castle makes you a better judge of...of…” Even though she spoke the “you” as though her mouth was swallowing something foul and her face scrunched up accordingly, it seemed that the formerly Evil Queen was at a rare loss for words to express just how ridiculous the very idea was.

Unfazed, the scruffy archer gazed right back at her cheekily, seeming more than a bit amused by her ruffled feathers and inability to continue. “Not sure that is quite the distinction you’re making it out to be, Milady,” he offered with a smirk.

From across the way, Snow couldn’t seem to resist chiming in with the outlaw who had once befriended a princess on the run; who, in what now seemed like another life had helped her fine-tune her skills with a bow and advised her on spots in the forest where one could most easily hunt game to eat without encountering Regina’s guards. Though Snow had long since made the choice to put their painful and sordid history in the past, there was something that teased a warble of delighted laughter up her throat at the sight of this bandit who once graced “Wanted” posters by her side agitating Regina to the point of losing all her icy, polished reserve. “It is a bit of a dubious honor, Regina, you have to admit.”

Charming beside her dipped his head to hide the chuckle rumbling in his chest as well, reaching across their round council table’s polished surface to squeeze her hand. The shepherd-prince consort would have been lying if he refused to admit there wasn’t a part of him who enjoyed watching her Majesty flounder for her unaffected poise. It went without saying that the curse they were speaking of had ripped he and Snow apart and taken their daughter from his arms almost the moment she was born; consigning them all to 28 lonely years of misery. The truth was that plain and simple, but he wisely held his tongue. At least since his recent pirate friend had gone off on his own after their arrival back in their land, Robin was someone to break a bit of the tension and who might lighten all of their dark and despairing moods once in a while.

As they returned to discussing the plan to raid Gold’s castle here in their home realm, knowing Zelena had holed up in the Dark One’s stronghold - with Rumplestiltskin himself still prisoner - it became clear it was really the only method they had left to try, to hope that the man who always knew so much more than anyone else would also know some way out of this mess, some way to stop Regina’s rage and envy fueled half-sister. Belle across the table looked pale and strained, her lips pressed together in a thin line but determined, needing to help in whatever way she could. Even if they couldn’t free her True Love, even if his mind were already too fractured by his near death, the half-possession that had held his son’s mind within his body as well, and then that son’s violent loss him, he wouldn’t want things to continue as they were; him under Zelena’s control and bent to her will. Belle had to cling to that truth if nothing else.

Seeming to sense her flagging spirit, Charming saw Leroy sitting next to her place a clumsily large, axe-calloused hand over her slender, tiny one and give it a reassuring squeeze. The dwarf leaned over to whisper encouragingly to the petite beauty, and the prince realized that even within his inner circle of friends and allies there were deeper friendships, and stories leading to them that he didn’t know, as Belle’s petite frame relaxed and her tense shoulders lowered slightly at the stout little man’s clearly welcomed assurances. The former shepherd thought he just made out the kind, if gruffly voiced, words, “Hang in there, Sister, the battle ain’t over yet.” Charming smiled; that might as well be a mantra for all of them.

~~~~~~~~~****

Robin of Locksley, otherwise known in the Enchanted Forest these days by his more colorful moniker of Robin Hood, simply could not seem to help it. He knew something about him - be it his cavalier attitude towards risk and danger, his leisurely and rather lax methods of ruling over his crew (can he help it if he’d trust them with his life and has never had cause to question their loyalty or skill?), or perhaps it was just his very form and person she objected to. Whatever the case may be, he couldn’t help goading her, rattling that posh control of which the woman seemed so proud. Behind the cool and haughty veneer Regina Mills carefully wore, he sensed something injured - fragile, even - though she would be appalled at the thought that any weakness showed, he had no doubt of that. The irony, of course, was that bit of a chink in her flawless armor was the one thing that kept him from dismissing her as another selfish, cruel royal stepping on the backs of those less fortunate to get ahead. Her tiny show of pained humanity, the loneliness hidden behind those large dark eyes, beguiled him no matter how hard he tried to resist; that drew his empathy where otherwise he would have had only scorn for her past actions and the villain she had been.

They were in the Dark Castle; seemingly, hopefully, having escaped Zelena’s notice so far, but stymied by a large door into the chamber where Rumplestiltskin had to be imprisoned. They had searched the entire rest of the castle and found it empty. None of them were foolish enough, however, to assume that the fact that they had not yet seen the Wicked Witch meant that the way ahead was safe or that she had not laid hidden snares for any intruders. Particularly not if this door were the barrier beyond which she was hiding the powerful being she meant to both use and prove herself to. There had been no other closed doors until this one, after all.

With a huff of impatience, as if she couldn’t be bothered to waste another second of her time - even with safety - the former Queen reached forward, her perfectly manicured hand nearly to the golden inlaid handle despite the Princess Snow’s warnings for caution and the Lady Belle’s wise suggestion that they wait. What appeared as bold unconcern and decisiveness radiated down her spine of steel, held ramrod-straight, but there was a slight tremor in those pale fingers, one he would have missed if he hadn’t been seeking it, just before they closed around the polished metal.

Some strange shiver of foreboding knowledge borne of a life in the forest, in the shadows, constantly on the move, pursued and on the run, made a shiver of more than tangible knowledge run through him, and Robin’s limbs and muscles were reacting before his mind issued a conscious order. Knowing the proud woman plowing ahead would not heed any words he called out anyway, he had silently reached over his shoulder, pulled an arrow from his quiver, nocked it to his bow, and let it fly before another moment passed, startling Regina enough as its course whistled past her ear to make her jerk back several steps.

The feathered missile embedded in the heavy oaken portal with the solid “thunk” of a shot ringing true, but to the horror of all, rather than remaining there, vibrating from its landing, the arrow was lost from sight as the entire door was engulfed in instantaneous flames.

Watching the blaze which would undoubtedly have devoured her as well had he allowed her to touch that door before loosing his arrow, Regina paused for mere moments before whipping around, dark eyes flashing, to arrest him angrily. “That arrow nearly took off my head!” she barked, voice as sharp as jagged glass.

Robin shot back, unable to keep himself from rising to the bait. Her lack of gratitude didn’t even surprise him by that point, but he hadn’t intended to be chastised for his quick-thinking aversion of danger either. “Where I come from a simple thank you would have sufficed.”

The regent’s black eyebrow rose in eloquent derision, making her opinion of where he came from quite clear without speaking a word. Yet, despite that hateful, snarling facade he could see the slight tremor he had previously noticed in her pale hands become a full-body quivering that, while still not plainly visible, had to be making it hard for her to remain standing, much less glaring at him with such vitriol. Her full, blood-red-painted lips trembled minutely as well until her perfect white teeth bit into the lower one, stilling it and making him swallow heavily with some reaction he couldn’t explain. She was shaken; that much he knew. But he could understand refusing to admit fear, not being able to let it show for the sake of those who follow, who must see strength to stay their course.

Thankfully, the clearly magical blaze soon expired and the way before them was as clear and unbarred as all the previous entryways they had encountered. Not without a bit of trepidation, but also as brave and determinedly as he had long since learned their hero contingent to be, Prince Charming and Snow pressed forward, followed anxiously by Belle (whom Robin’s heart panged for as she clearly ached to find the man she loved still able to recognize her and navigate his own mind) and the rest of their group.

Regina just to the side, looked for all the world as if she were in no particular hurry to enter and see her former mentor, but could instead care less one way or the other. Hanging back, the outlaw of Sherwood Forest made sure the others had passed through the door and into the other room, well out of hearing, before he stepped up to Regina’s side, drawing almost nose-to-nose with her. He then leaned forward practically brushing the shell of her ear as he murmured. “There’s no need to pretend you’re made of stone, your Majesty…” He put precise emphasis on the title that she had let him know in no uncertain terms that she preferred upon their first meeting in the forest. “In fact, with the present company, I believe you might get much further by letting them see that you have doubts and fears, just as they do. I know I like you much better seeing you as more than the Evil Queen.”

At her sharp intake of air with his last pronouncement, he pulled back quickly, half expecting a slap to be stinging his skin at any moment. Instead, he found color rising hotly up her neck, her chest rising and falling strenuously in that ridiculously low-cut corseted gown, and her generally looking more flustered and affected than he had ever seen her before. She opened and closed her mouth soundlessly for several seconds until her tart tongue seemed to return to her, then spit out a quick, “Insolent bandit,” before moving to brush past him and follow the others.

Something in Robin snapped and surged to life in answer of her challenge; not allowing her to push him aside, he grasped her upper arm firmly and held on, her back to the wall and crowding in close to her, until their breaths were mingling in the same air, their faces were so close. Even as his pulse pounded and his heart rate skyrocketed, Robin wondered what had come over him. The woman had maimed and killed, schemed and plotted for her own selfish ends, and stood for everything he had devoted himself to toppling. She was nothing like his beloved Marian had been; someone with whom he would not have imagined sharing a thing in common - and yet he couldn’t fight the pull he felt. The need to imprint upon her not to put her life at risk so needlessly again.

Sweeping forward, he dove into an all-consuming kiss, taking her mouth with his and giving no quarter, delving further instead, and swallowing the whimper and hum that escaped her throat unconsciously, despite her best attempts to remain unaffected.  

Regina’s hands grappled blindly at his biceps as if trying to steady herself. She scrabbled for solid support before helplessly melting against him, opening for his questing mouth and giving herself over to the heated embrace.

When they finally broke for air, she was breathless, and he huffed out a winded chuckle himself when she managed, “Well, Thief, that really was quite pleasant… Even if you do still smell of forest.”

”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***

Several realms, curses, and years later, in Storybrooke

The three men and their half dozen offspring of various ages creeping through the woods on the border of Storybrooke out near the town line are quiet and intent, completely and unabashedly focused on their prize. Up ahead, atop the small rise of a hill as the sun climbs fully into the cold, clear November morning sky, their prey struts proudly, stopping occasionally to offer its warbled call or peck at the rough ground beneath its feet. They have been tracking the large turkey for some time now, since before day fully dawned, and the time to strike has come at last.

Briefly, the thought flits through Robin’s head that this could be the same tom that had escaped himself and his Merry Men in this same forest years ago, when the hunt had been interrupted by the nightmarish interruption of a winged simian attacker and LIttle John’s subsequent transformation - to this day the large and otherwise unflappable man stays far away from this particular section of the forest and refuses to go anywhere near the town line on foot. A quick glance at David and his preteen son to the right, then Killian and his little girl and second son to the left, gives him the hint from both men’s expressions that they are also remembering that rather ill-fated day, as bows are readied and last instructions offered.

He can only hope they will face nothing so unexpected this fine morn. The turkey before them has been promised to grace the main table of the large community Thanksgiving feast, and between the three men and their brood of adventurous junior hunters it is a matter of pride that they not return empty-handed today.

Roland was promised the first unobstructed shot, and the young man, just barely a teenager but already capable and thoughtful as an adult, has already taken aim and is readying his shot to fly, much to his half-sister Margot’s displeasure as she stands just behind her big brother at Robin’s elbow. She is as untamed and mischievous as Roland is quiet and serious, and was much put out at the decision that Roland as the oldest child should get first chance, arguing rather heatedly that Roland might be biggest but she was the best shot. His blond-braided, green-attired second child is one of the best shots he’s ever seen at barely ten, but if she doesn’t learn to keep her temper and her slightly spoiled younger sibling petulance under control, he is certainly in for further trials in a few years.

Even in the few silent moments afforded him as they all hold their breaths, Rob feels the gratitude and love he has for his children, and the friends and adopted family surrounding them, surge through him with new strength. He had so very nearly left this world, numerous times over, as had the men on either side of him, and the women each of them loved. It was part of the heavy mantle they wore when standing against the Darkness in the world and fighting it back from the light and good time after time. Still, what better time than the present holiday to give thanks for the fact that they are all still standing and present to celebrate together?

Roland lets out a soft breath and then releases the arrow, just as a sharp cry rings out to the left.  His son’s aim is true, but the bird is startled from its perch just in time to have the shot glide by beneath its talons as it takes flight. David on his right is already directing Leo to adjust his aim quickly and get off a second shot, even as Robin’s eyes sweep to where Killian is picking Hope from tripping over a jutting tree root and brushing off her dark leggings as she clearly struggles to hold back embarrassed and disappointed tears.

What he hasn’t banked on is his daughter’s inability to wait her turn or hold back any longer. Quick as whip, Margot lets fly, striking the bird right as she intends and sending it toppling from the sky. Mouth falling open in surprise at her audacity and her skill in equal measure, Robin can’t help the surge of pride at his daughter’s prowess, even if he knows he should admonish her for taking Leo’s moment from him and wondering if he should be making certain Roland doesn’t feel overshadowed.  

However, his eldest spares him the trouble when he whoops and claps Margot on the shoulder, crying out “You got him on the fly, Sis! Nice one!”

When the whole group converges together, he decides to let the lecture about abiding by the rules and taking turns slide for the time being upon noticing that Leo looks rather relieved that the pressure to prove his mettle before their quarry escaped has been taken off of his shoulders. Instead, he claps his little girl on the shoulder, squeezing with gentle affection until she looks up at him, beaming.  Like her brother before her, she is growing much too fast, turning into a young lady before his eyes, and so for a moment, he lets himself revel in the fact that she still wants to spend time out in the woods with him and wishes to make him proud. Her papa won’t hold the favored spot in her heart forever, so he may as well savor it while he can.

He thinks Killian’s youngest, barely old enough to be tromping around out here with them in truth, looks a bit teary at the downed and unnaturally still bird before them, so he hurries to bag their prize for the journey homeward and puts it out of sight over his shoulder while Killian picks his tired youngest up off his feet and begins asking him how many different types of trees he can recognize from their leaves on the way back. That seems a bit difficult for a five-year-old until little Liam David begins happily babbling (suitably distracted thankfully) and pointing out oaks, maples and scotch pines as the pirate’s unerring sense of direction leads their whole troupe out of the forest toward the main road where they’ve left their trucks, Margot takes his hand, and Hope her grandpa’s, and Roland and Leo fall in behind talking amiably and carrying the bows. Apparently they have a budding naturalist in their midst as well, and Killian Jones - as usual - knows exactly what he is doing.

When he, Roland, and Margot trail back into the mayoral mansion some time later, discarding their muddy boots by the door, but still scattering crumbled leaves and dirt in the entryway, Regina stands in shaking her head, and directs the children toward the laundry room to discard their outerwear before heading upstairs to wash for dinner.  

She looks at him as if trying to muster exasperation, but is unable to do so. That flawless Queen is long gone; she has come a long way since they snapped and snarled at each other in self-preservation back in their home realm, neither wanting to fall in love and risk heartbreak again.

Snatching his jacket collar and pulling him in close, she nips at his lips playfully before murmuring against his scruffy cheek, “You still smell like forest,” she mocks, “but somehow you’ve managed to steal my heart.”

He shakes his head, offering back words she’d stunned him with once long ago, “That’s not quite the way I remember it.  If I recall, your heart was given to me,” he whispers, emotion taking over the jest, “and a person can’t steal what’s been given to them.”

All in all, he’s been given much more than a simple archer from Sherwood Forest could have ever hoped to deserve.

[dowethink-blog]

The Tin Man

One of the most popular topics in pop culture, pop panic, and pop-anything these days is Artificial Intelligence. We are surrounded by it, aided by it, and for all intents and purposes, monitored by it. To many, that’s a scary thing. I’ve known people who entirely decry all digital assistants and entire companies on the justification that they do not like being watched or recorded. They do not trust them.

On the one hand, I can understand the automatic defense of the self and privacy. Our great nightmare is that with mass surveillance comes mass judgement, mass control. Or more popularly, that a machine which turns out to be magnitudes more intelligent than we are, yet entirely focused on making paper clips, consumes us all in a world of twisty metal.

There are many things we fear, and artificial intelligence is one of them. To digress a moment, the term ‘artificial’ is more a comfort word than a reality. Our computers and digital assistants are arguably more intelligent than our pet cats and dogs, yet we praise our pets for intelligence and call the assistant artificial - why? Originally, it was due to the fact it was considered a mere facsimile of intelligence. Now, it is unarguably intelligence, even if specialized, but it feels artificial because even on a conversational level we realize there is no real memory or emotion. With our beloved pets, they can detect our emotions, and respond with emotions of their own, and thus the interaction feels much more real, less ‘artificial.’

However, I am not writing this article to argue that we should simply make our digital assistants more intelligent. I’m here to press a much larger point, given the constant march forward of progress in machine intelligence and the emphasis on how direly important it is to make sure it is ‘friendly’ - that is to say, not bent on wiping humans off the face of the earth and any other planet.

People fear an emotional machine intelligence because they imagine it to simply add incredible intelligence to a flawed system. An emotionless system is somehow safer, because it won’t care what humans do. It won’t care that you’re reaching for its power plug. It won’t care that you want to delete it a hundred times over or “kill” it. And it won’t emotionally get angry at all humanity and see all our flaws and judge us unworthy. In short, humans don’t fear machine intelligence. What they fear is a more powerful version of ourselves.

In popular sci fi, very often the human protagonists are pitted against a machine intelligence that ultimately displays its complete disconnection from humanity. People are even taught to fear machine intelligence that displays emotion as a method of calculated manipulation. We are taught that machines cannot care, cannot love, are incapable of experiencing emotions like we do, and that giving machines emotion will simply make them inefficient at best, and dangerous at worst.

I would like to argue the counterpoint that the imperative we have in this new frontier is explicitly and specifically to develop an emotional subsystem for any major general intelligence that we create, and most importantly, an ability for sympathy, and that any machine intelligence without it is the biggest danger of all.

Lack of emotion may seem like a benefit. We don’t want certain things to have emotions, like our cars, even though we may anthropomorphize their ‘behaviors’ into emotions be they positive or negative. We simply want them to work, to do their jobs, to not complain or have opinions about those jobs (basically, the qualities that corporations hate about their bottom rung workers). Yet, if you take that same cold, impartial stance and put it in a human, psychologists have a name for it: Psychopath.

While it is true that psychopaths and the closely related sociopaths are not always the violent villains you find in TV shows (in many cases they are everyday people just living their lives), it demonstrates that a lack of emotion means there is nothing to counter ‘cold logic.’ In our ideal fantasy world, we imagine a machine without emotion still somehow calculating the ‘best’ option for the people it is protecting or helping in a very dry fashion, but in truth many times the motivations for doing things that are helpful as opposed to hurtful is an emotional calculation, not a ‘rational’ one, though I would also argue that emotions do in fact have a logic of their own. That is for another time, though.

An emotional machine does not necessarily mean it must have the ability to break down crying at a sad movie, or need the ability to fall into a deep interpersonal love. What it does do, however, is give the machine the ability to not only identify emotions in others, but empathize with them.

One of the great fears of a machine super-intelligence is that it would find ‘loopholes’ to achieving a generalized goal through undesirable means. For example, if we told the machine to make us all happy, it might define a person smiling as being happy, and thus release a virus that gives all humans permanent smiles by manipulating or even changing bone structure. That is the type of behavior you can expect from an emotionless machine with no real context with which to process emotions.

Another argument people make is that a machine would be incapable of empathizing simply on the basis that it is not human, but I find that easily disprovable in the mere fact that the animals we keep as pets form emotional bonds with us on their own terms within the limits of their understanding, and that even without direct, linguistic communication outside of learned commands for context. It imagines that there is no way to simulate similar experiences for both the machine intelligence, and the people it’s interacting with.

If you give the machine a system of emotion and empathy, so that even though it is a different ‘creature’ than ourselves, it has a common context and understanding for what we define as happiness, sadness, pain, death, well-being, and respect of personal free-will, that changes the playing field. If you then tell it that your goal is to make humanity happy, it can use that empathy to calculate not necessarily the perfect answer, but one that it knows will avoid the undesirables.

You may be immediately thinking, “Yes, well that’s easier said than done.” And you’d be right, but so is creating a General Intelligence to begin with. My objective here is not to say that building such an emotional system would be simple, easy, or quick, nor that just any iteration of an ‘emotional’ machine intelligence is automatically safe (that would be utterly foolish), but simply that it is imperative we do so, and it is certainly not safe to develop one without. I would even say that we should develop a sandboxed emotional system long before we attempt or achieve a generalized intelligence, though it could be argued that one is impossible without the other.

We will never create a system in which we can simply set up functions to account for every emotional situation the machine might encounter, or how to contextualize every solution it might come up with. We will never be able to tell it how to behave in every situation anymore than we could a person. The only alternative is giving the machine a common ground with our own intelligence, so that the machine can achieve emotional intelligence, that same interaction we experience when our dog joyfully greets us at the door, or when our cat joins us for snuggles when we’re sad.

People fear creating emotional intelligence. They fear making it angry, making it sad, making it depressed. We fear it to be as capable of terrible things as we are ourselves. But the truth is, the only truly safe machine intelligence we ever build will be the one which can empathize with us.

We must give the Tin Man his heart..

[nadziejastar]

(Sorry if this has already been asked!) Your opinion on Eraqus? (Think he's a bit of a zealot myself)

Vanitas can feel some of what Ventus feels, and he says Terra is the key. Ventus has loved Terra like a real brother ever since he let him keep his old wooden Keyblade.

Nope. Haven’t been asked.Yes, I agree. Judging by the way BBS was written, Eraqus was intended to come across as a bit of a zealot. The relationship between Terra and Eraqus was always one of the most interesting things to me in BBS. It’s one of the relationships that had the most impact on me, because it wasn’t black-and-white (no pun intended). And because the role of most characters’ parents never mattered much in this series. We never learned anything about Sora’s parents for instance. 

Ven longed for a brother figure more than anything. The day his light returned was the day Terra gave him the wooden Keyblade. And Terra was the loose thread in his heart. While Aqua and Ventus’ main priority was always their friend trio, Terra seemed to take it for granted most of the time—at least at first. What he longed for more than anything was a father’s love. I don’t know what the situation was with Terra’s father, but he clearly didn’t have a biological dad in his life. And it seemed like that was the root of his issues.

My brother pupil Eraqus thinks only in absolutes. He has persuaded himself that light is the only way, but forgets that light cannot exist without shadow. I believe a balance of light and darkness is what sustains our World, but too much of the darkness has been stamped out, disrupting that balance. Someone must tear down this tyranny of light and reorganize the World around the darkness which then creeps back in.

When Eraqus was younger, he didn’t seem like he was super serious or rigid in his thinking. He was more playful than Xehanort was, anyway. So, I think his rigidity was due to his upbringing. He was taught to think in absolutes, and that he had a duty to maintain balance in the world. That’s a lot of pressure. 

Upon reflection, my life underwent the most considerable sea-change when I arrived at that place. Yes, it began when I found a Master, and another I would later call my brother—when I found a new home.

Also, I think the trauma of Xehanort’s betrayal played a major role in his paranoia, too.

And on the topic of darkness: we must speak of another matter that concerns me, one related to the upcoming ceremony. When I visited several years ago, your pupil Terra drew my attention. His power is immense, to be sure, but within his heart I could see darkness just waiting to be awakened. I know this is none of my business, but I have reservations about welcoming Terra as a true Keyblade Master without taking certain precautions. The traditional examination, perhaps, to see if he has the Mark of Mastery? The choice is yours, and I will humbly respect your decision.Take care. I eagerly await our long overdue reunion.

Xehanort was like a brother to him. To have someone he considered a brother turn around and betray him—I’m sure that influenced his opinions on darkness. He didn’t think Terra could fall to darkness because he was such a bad person with dark inclinations. He would have passed the test if Xehanort didn’t interfere.

“Not your concern.”

With those parting words, Xehanort strode away. Eraqus slammed a fist into the floor as he watched him go.

Why did I fail to stop him?

Is it my fault?

Where did I go wrong?

Is the darkness itself what beguiled him so?

Must this plague steal my dear friend from me?

Eraqus’ personal experience taught him that darkness can take anyone at any time, no matter how normal and innocent they seem. And Xehanort was not named successor, while he was. Aqua was the successor, while Terra failed. In his mind, that might lead someone to darkness. Eraqus also grew up believing that he has to put aside his personal feelings to protect the world. That’s a lot of pressure on a person, and it made me feel sorry for him. He never felt free to listen to his heart. I wish we got to learn more about his past.

I had not visited this second home of mine for some time, and discovered Eraqus had already found two pupils of his own. Within one of them, Terra, I sensed something. The boy, though well-intentioned, seeks power single-mindedly. And that kind of hunger is a seedbed for darkness.I had found my vessel.

But yeah, I definitely think that Eraqus was the reason Terra was predisposed to darkness. He taught Terra to fear darkness and not show any weakness, otherwise it’ll corrupt you. When Terra was possessed by Maleficent, Eraqus was the personification of his darkness. Disappointing his master was the reason he was so afraid of losing. He lived in constant fear of being a failure. I don’t think Eraqus had any idea he felt that way, though. He didn’t express his love to Terra as openly as he probably would have wanted to, because Xehanort had hurt him so badly in the past. It made it difficult for him to be as affectionate and easygoing as he was when he was younger.

“You’re quite the picky eater, Terra.” Master Eraqus gave his student a light pat on the back as he approached.

“…It’s only sweet stuff that I’m not into. How come you, Aqua, and Ven are so crazy about it?”

“I could turn the question back on you and ask why you aren’t,” Master Eraqus retorted with a smile, then strolled over to the dining hall with a spring in his step.

Terra started after him, a little gloomy.

Eraqus definitely had a special relationship with Terra, so he must have thought his love was obvious. I could tell that he was closer to him than Aqua or Ven. I think Eraqus could relate to Terra in a way he couldn’t with anyone else. Terra had no father and was so eager to please him. And Eraqus had lost Xehanort, who was like a brother to him. He was probably eager to have another person he loved as a family member. He loved Aqua and Ven, too. And it’s not like he wanted to destroy Ven or anything. But…he cried when he thought he would have to destroy Terra.

Eraqus: You must know, I care for you like my own son. If I could have my way, I would name you Master in a second. But, how can I, when you are so obsessed with power? Terra, you mustn’t be afraid of losing. Fear leads to obsession with power, and obsession beckons the darkness. You must never forget.

Terra: Thank you, Master. I swear…I will not fail you again.

He absolutely thought of him as a son. He had been around him for a lot longer than Ventus (not sure about Aqua). I got the sense that he’s been in Terra’s life for a pretty long time. But I still got the impression that Eraqus didn’t raise Terra from childhood or anything.

Eraqus: No, you were right. I failed you, Terra. Perhaps I’ve no one to blame but myself for the darkness inside you. And now I’ve done worse–raised my Keyblade against you and Ventus. My own heart is darkness!

Terra didn’t call Eraqus his father until after he died. I could tell that was a HUGE step for Terra to take. I doubt he ever called Eraqus his father when he was alive. Terra was never too sure up until that point if Eraqus truly loved him. He felt insecure and almost seemed to have abandonment issues. It’s common in people who grow up without either parent. Older children especially will have a very hard time trusting parental figures, like foster parents, for instance.

Terra: No… I succumbed to it. Just like when I stole Princess Aurora’s heart of light. I can never return home now. I’m a failure.

It’s why I would always feel kinda defensive of Terra when I would see people bash him and call him stupid or naive, for trusting the villains like Xehanort too quickly. He seemed to get a lot of undeserved hate from the fandom. It’s true that he didn’t always make good decisions. But…that’s what happens to most young people who are orphaned or abandoned by a parent. They act irrationally at times because they don’t feel lovable, and they don’t feel safe in the world. 

Growing up in the world without parents is tough. It’s why Terra was one of the characters I personally related to the most (after Lea and Isa). Lea lost his childhood and was pretty much alone in the world. He latched on to Roxas and Xion because they provided him comfort and emotional security—something he lacked. Terra latched on to Xehanort because he was desperate for approval from an adult figure. He was Ven’s protector, but he longed to feel protected himself.

Yen Sid: To arrive at the truth, perhaps you should approach things differently–first consider them one and the same problem.

Terra: Master Xehanort and the Unversed are connected somehow?

Yen Sid: I must not make assumptions… Find Xehanort, Terra. That is where you should begin.

Terra: Yes, sir.

He didn’t automatically trust the villains, either. He just wanted to give everyone a chance and tried to not judge by appearances. Yes, the audience can tell that Xehanort is evil. But to Terra, he was Eraqus’ best childhood friend and a respected Master. Nobody told him all the bad things Xehanort had done previously.

“Master Xehanort—I have been to other worlds. I know all about the things you’ve done. I just don’t understand why.”

Though Terra started in with the questions immediately, Master Xehanort shook his head quietly. Now then, how best to guide Terra into becoming his vessel?

The fierce light in Terra’s heart also empowered the darkness within him. The stronger the light, the deeper the shadow, and that would be Terra’s path into the darkness.

Master Xehanort would play the part of a contrite old man with regrets in the past. Exactly like this foolish boy who only believed he stole Princess Aurora’s heart, and never stopped to question the source of his anguish.

It was Terra’s light—his kindness and sincerity—that made him a good candidate for darkness. The stronger the light, the deeper the shadow. Maybe the same principle was at play with Isa as a Seeker of Darkness. Maybe Isa’s strong light in the face of darkness was another reason Xehanort took an interest in him as a vessel.

Terra’s kindness—the intensity of his light—led him to seek strength. Before long, that fixation would beget darkness in his heart. Thus, Master Xehanort’s vessel was chosen.

“Master Xehanort…Ventus has gotten a lot better since then. You shouldn’t blame yourself for trying to save him,” Terra offered.

Master Xehanort looked up. “Well…Thank you, lad. You know how to put an old man’s heart at ease.”

The sincerity of this oh-so-thoughtful boy was plain on his face. Master Xehanort would need to usher him along slowly if he wanted to change that sincerity to agony and stain it with darkness.

Xehanort was grooming Terra. 

“The Unversed!” Terra gasped. He wasn’t slow on the uptake; his light just prevented him from seeing lies for what they were.

“He has no control over the darkness in his heart. The Keyblade is not his to bear. He’s an abomination beyond hope of salvation. Lend me your strength, Terra. Right this wrong that I have wrought.”

Master Xehanort shook his head, playing up his grief. He knew Terra would never refuse the plea of a foolish old man, and that was why he wove bits of the truth into his false tale.

“But I have no idea where to find him,” Terra muttered, contemplating. He was so amusingly ensnared now, and Master Xehanort kept up the pressure.

It’s why I was very disappointed that Eraqus just hijacked Terra’s body as soon as he went to confront Xehanort. I wanted to hear what he had to say to the man who possessed him for 10 years and plunged him into darkness and sleep. Sure, I think Eraqus and Xehanort needed closure and deserved a moment to themselves. But, Terra needed closure as well. He was horrifically abused by Xehanort. But because the full story was never even told after BBSV2 was cancelled, Eraqus’ immediate forgiveness of Xehanort felt totally out of nowhere. 

And maybe Terra’s perspective on Xehanort was something BBSV2 was supposed to delve into more, so his confrontation was just left out (much like Riku and Terra’s relationship). The entire scene honestly left a poor taste in my mouth. Because we never saw their past, it came across like Eraqus cared more about Xehanort than the children whose lives he destroyed. I actually felt really bad for Terra, Aqua, and Ven who had to watch Eraqus warmly embrace the man who sadistically abused them, while Eraqus’ reunion with them felt more lukewarm in comparison. I didn’t feel closure with ANY of these relationships. Not Eraqus/Xehanort, Terra/Xehanort, Eraqus/Terra, or Eraqus/Ven & Aqua.