#when the guy has literally suffered so much in the beginning in the og series. I can’t help but wanting him to be happy and when

[renxmaiden]

Never forgets the time where I seen a renmei anti being angry over them reading red crimson and proceeds to be upset about Ren enjoying cheesecake and being happy with his family/Jeanne in general and called him being too “OOC”, wanting the old ren to come back… Do. Do you not know what character development is. That eventually people grow up and change over time when they get older. Did we even read the same series.

[venfx]

magnus fic roundup

as tma comes to a close, i thought i'd post some of my favorite fics to come out of this fandom. most of these are classics, listed in no particular order.

A Weather In The Flesh by @cuttoothed​ | 3K | S1-S4 | Jon/Martin | Complete

"There is a span of years where Jon doesn’t touch anyone other than the occasional hand shake. It’s not so bad. He’s never been someone who’s needed physical affection."

Jon has never been any good at making people want to stick around.

↳ this is such a well-done exploration of jon’s character and his relationship with touch, and i’ve re-read it at least five times. sweet and sad and phenomenally well-written.

in the chillest land and on the strangest sea by imperfectcircle, singlecrow | 20K | Safehouse, S1-S4 | Jon & Daisy, Jon/Martin | Complete

Jon remembers a statement he read years ago given by a Jesuit priest, who said that the shortest prayer he knew was, just, fuck it, as in fuck it; it's in God's hands. He takes Daisy's hand and trails on after her.

or; hope is a thing with feathers.

↳ hey, you wanna fuckin..... feel things? read this.

The Magnus Institute vs the 21st Century: a series of emails and IMs by shinyopals | 26K | Series | S3 | Pre-Jon/Martin | Complete

The Magnus Institute hires a Data Protection Officer. He sets about diligently booking in meetings, writing policy documents, and training all the staff in the importance of confidentiality. Now if only he could get hold of the Head Archivist, who seems to have vanished again...

(Jon is only trying to save the world, but apparently some people think he should still be doing his day job.)

↳ i’d be surprised to find people who haven’t read this series, but it’s the definition of “the magnus archives is a workplace comedy”. also, alasdair stuart has actually read some clips of this on Twitch, so that’s a fun bonus.

Bell, Book, and Candle by yellow_caballero | 102K | Series | S3 into S4 | Jon/Martin | Complete 

In accordance with the Ride or Die Pact of 2009, Jonathan Sims can call upon Georgie Barker at any time for aid with no strings attached. Despite their rocky history, their childhood friendship, and Jon’s barely recovered alcoholism, this pact is sacred and must be upheld.

Georgie Barker may regret this. She may regret it when she discovers that the world is full of monsters and eldritch gods and dickhead managers. She may regret it when a punk rocker who should be dead collapses on their doorstep, a teenager again who needs their help. She may regret it when her stupid ex-boyfriend starts selling his soul for knowledge and the ability to keep his new family safe.

But she probably won’t. Georgie isn’t scared of anything - not a Clown’s apocalypse, not the apocalypse that Jon is destined to begin, and not Jon’s own loss of humanity.

Maybe she should be.

↳ if you’re looking for an everyone-lives-no-one-dies-happy-ending fic that also happens to be massively chaotic, look no further. 

The Reverb in These Holy Halls by @wolftraps​ | 98K | AU, S1-S4 | Jon/Martin | Complete

Undoing the apocalypse would have been enough for Jon, if all his people survived. Without them, Jon's only recourse is making it so it never happened in the first place. He's going to do better this time.

↳ quintessential time travel AUs. plot-wise, i feel like these can be difficult to write, but op does a fantastic job of tying things together in a way that makes sense. plus, it’s just fun to read.

jon sims v the nhs by @thoughtsbubble​ | 12K | Series | S3 | Complete

Joan Bright has a new patient. He's carrying an old tape recorder and is covered head to toe in scars. Jonathan Sims looks dangerous, but Dr Bright has dealt with all sorts of atypical individuals. She has no reason to be nervous.

Right?

↳ if you’ve ever thought “hey, jon should probably go to therapy”, then 1) you’re absolutely right and 2) this is... probably what would’ve happened. prior knowledge of The Bright Sessions is not required. also, apparently, this fic is written by the showrunner of The Underwood Collection? wild.

Family, Found by Dribbledscribbles | 9K | S4 | Complete

It’s Basira who catches onto it.

The collective shift that seems to come over them when heading in or out of the Institute. Not just the oppressive sensation of being observed, their every move catalogued for the voyeuristic cravings of some unseen Eye(s). That feeling remained with them even when they left the Institute these days, but it was always stronger inside its walls. That wasn’t the change. Nor was it the point.

The point was: making life worse for Jonathan Sims.

↳ i think being part of the avengers fandom circa 2012 has given me permanent found-family-trope brainrot, but you know what. jonathan sims can have a little happiness, as a treat. 

Road to Damascus by @titanfalling​ | 107K | Series | S4 | Jon & Tim | Complete

n. an important moment of insight, typically one that leads to a dramatic transformation of attitude or belief

Or, in which Tim becomes an avatar for the end of all things.

↳ tim dies and then he doesn’t. there is catharsis and world building. just....read it.

Come, Change Your Ring With Me by @backofthebookshelf​ | 29K | S3 | Peter/Jon, Jon/Martin, Peter/Elias | Complete

The Lukases demand the Archivist marry into the family, and the Institute relies on them too much to say no. Peter is smug. Elias is fuming. Martin is suffering. Jon thinks this might be tolerable if only Peter would hurry up and leave him alone already.

OR, the soap opera we call an Archives revolves around Peter Lukas this time.

↳ superb evil-bastards-in-love content, feat. martin pining, tim being obnoxious, and jon being... well, tired, mostly. i will literally never get tired of how op writes peter. 

creatures that i briefly move along by @dotsayers​ | 16K | Series | AU, Post-S4 | background Jon/Martin 

Mr Sims was so weird, was the thing. Miss Grant always said calling people weird was rude, and Anna sort of agreed, but she didn’t know what other word to use to describe Mr Sims.

He’d only been in with the class for a few days, really, and half of that he just sat at the back listening, but that didn’t stop her from making a swift judgement. 5BG had had student teachers before, back when they were 3ST, and they’d been uniformly normal.

Mr Sims was… actually, Anna had a better adjective. He was interesting.

↳ i just.... love teacher!jon fics. this series delivers. 

Once Bitten by @apatheticbutterflies | 1K | S4 | Jon & Daisy | Complete

Jon Sims has always been a jumpy kind of guy. Nervous. Twitchy. Daisy used to think it meant he was guilty. Turns out he was. Just not of what she’d thought.

Daisy learns how to peel an orange.

↳ daisy and jon’s relationship is an example of an instance where i’m happy to say “fuck what you wrote mr. jonny ‘chocolate torte of tragedy’ sims, i want them to be friends”.

pins and needles by mutterandmumble | 13K | S1-S4 | Complete

He’s got a reputation to uphold anyways; an uptight, rigid reputation that dictates the way that he interacts and functions and is such an integral part of him that he can’t let go of it anytime soon. He likes his safety nets. He likes his contingencies. He likes his privacy, and everything around this place right down to the walls seems to have ears, so he’ll stay tight-lipped up to and beyond the threat of death.

He’s good at that.

In which Jon takes up embroidery and bumbles through life the best that he can.

↳ out of all the introspective jon pieces i’ve read (and there are many), this one stands out. maybe it’s the symbolism or the characterisation, or maybe it’s the fact that i have an embroidery kit lurking in the back of my closet along with a hundred other half-pursued hyperfixations. whatever. this is excellent.

sleeping in by @ivelostmyspectacles | 5K | S2 | Jon/Tim | Complete

“Who are you trying to convince?”

Jon gives up, letting his head sag against Tim’s shoulder. “I don’t know.”

aka Elias gets tired of Jon and Tim's bickering, sends them away for a "team-building" weekend trip, and is sure to book them a room with only one bed

↳ this has everything you’d need from a “oh no there’s only one bed” fic. someone please get these men therapy.

if you try, sometimes (you get what you knead) by @ajcrawly​ | 3.5K | S1-S4 | Jon/Martin, Tim/Sasha | Complete

It starts with an abundance of boeuf bourguignon and ends up as a team tradition.

Food and love in uncertain times.

↳ more found family fic, this time with a diverse og!archival staff and food as a metaphor for love. hurt in all the right ways. made me hungry in the process.

[watch-talk-fixate]

The Humility of Family and Being a Hero: A Darkwing Duck and Drake Mallard Analysis.

Special thanks to @stoopakoopa @mighty-ant @drakepad because they inspired me.

Ducktales 2017. A show that a lot of people saw a simple cash grab and the exploitation of nostalgia of 80s and 90s kids alike. But it was a true surprise. A show of adventure and family and exploring yourself in the family name. This show brought so many characters from the golden age of Disney Channel called “The Disney Afternoon Era” with faces from shows like: Gizmoduck, Talespin, Goof Troop and Darkwing Duck. 

The whole concept of Darkwing Duck is quite silly really. A parody of Batman, superhero tropes and even James Bond but with a duck in the suburbs of the fictional city of Saint Canard living with his boyfriend sidekick Launchpad and his adopted daughter Gosalyn. As someone who watched the show in reruns back in the day and recently rewatched it on Disney Plus, I didn’t think I would have appreciated this show as much as I thought I would. Dry and witty humor that caught me off guard and it truly doesn’t seem as dated as other shows from those times. 

But I’m here to talk about Drake Mallard and what it means to be a superhero and a parent. 

(For the sake of the analysis, I will be referring to Drake Mallard from the Ducktales 2017 reboot as “Drake Mallard!17” and the Drake Mallard from the OG Darkwing Duck show as “Drake Mallard!91”.)

Ducktales 2017 for a long time was alluring to bringing Darkwing Duck into the universe of the show. Many fans didn't know how this was possible until a certain episode that was the rise of another superhero and Darkwing Duck’s long time rival: Gizmoduck (now voiced by the guy who wrote a Broadway musical that won many awards-- Bring It On the Musical. I’m kidding. Lin Manuel Miranda). In the episode ‘The BUDDY System’ we are shown what looks like a fight scene between Darkwing Duck and his villains, MegaVolt and QuackerJack. But then it’s abruptly cut when it’s revealed to be a video. An episode. Launchpad explains to Dewey (the blue duck nephew of Donald Duck) that Darkwing Duck is his favorite TV show’ meaning that Darkwing Duck is a TV show in the Ducktales 2017 universe. A show inside a show. 

Weird, right? 

But what does this have to do with being a superhero and a parent and how family humbles you? Well, in the OG Darkwing Duck show the character of Drake Mallard is shown to be a late-20s to early-40s nobody in his two-parter episode debut-- “Darkly Dawns the Duck”-- who spends his days locked inside an abandoned bridge tower and out fighting small-time crime at night as a purple masked weirdo. And I say this in the kindest way ever but Drake Mallard!91 is an asshole. It’s later revealed in the show that he wanted to be a superhero not because he wanted to protect the people in his city -- that is a parody of Batman’s Gotham -- but because he wanted the praise and attention of being a hero. He’s a hero for a selfish reason. 

But how is it possible to have an asshole for a main character that lasted 91 episodes? Drake Mallard!91 has a child. It isn’t his biological daughter really but she is his daughter. In his two-parter episode his first real ‘save’ is the granddaughter of a scientist that was murdered by the mafia and now they are after the granddaughter because she has the code for a machine that they are going to use to rob banks and release mayhem across the world. Darkwing Duck!91 goes to save her and they start to have a bond that makes my daddy issues burst into tears. 

Hiding her in his secret hide-out, she isn’t comfortable and Gosalyn needs to sleep so as a way to calm her down he sings her dead grandfather’s lullaby to her. I won’t reveal the rest of the episode or the “plot twist”(?) because I think it’s a cute episode. But here we see that Drake Mallard!91 does have the ability to care about others that isn’t himself or his reputation. 

At the end of the episode, he goes out of his way to adopt Gosalyn and officially makes her his daughter. Throughout the series, you see that Drake Mallard!91 bonds with Gosalyn. Taking her to school, talking to her about emotional things, and doing everything in his power to protect her from the harm that comes with him being a superhero. But in one of my favorite episodes “Toys R Czar”, Drake Mallard!91 has come to the conclusion that he can’t both be a hero and great parent after one of Gosalyn’s teachers points out that she has been causing a lot of issues at school. He blames himself for not being a good parent, reading parenting books and following them to the letter. Cleaning, baking cookies and even being the director for a play where he made Gosalyn the star. 

He gives up being Darkwing Duck. He gives up the one thing that he worked so hard and was so proud of. Drake Mallard!91 put his ego aside to be a good parent and was ready to throw away his cape and pick up an actual job to raise Gosalyn. He did the toughest thing about being a hero, a figure of salvation: having a family. 

I think that the reason that I enjoyed the OG Darkwing Duck a lot despite me being a bitch to the pain character’s ego and pride was that yes, he would probably be a terrible parent but he has Gosalyn and Launchpad to guide him. He has them to ground him and not let his ego overrun him into believing he’s such a big-shot hero because he stops supervillains with only a gas gun, smoke bombs and a purple mask. His family makes him human-- despite him being a duck. 

Now moving onto Ducktales 2017. In the episode ‘The BUDDY System’ when Launchpad is telling Dewey about Darkwing Duck being his favorite TV show and growing up on it he mentions an actor’s name: Jim Starling. 

Jim Starling plays Darkwing Duck. Remember that. 

(Fun Fact: the actor who voices the OG Darkwing Duck/Drake Mallard!91 does the voice of Jim Starling.) 

In my favorite and comfort episode “The Duck Knight Rises” we are shown that Jim Starling has suffered the same fate of Bo Jack Horseman: a washed out actor from the 80s/90s that is living on the steam of his former success. Jim is no longer as popular as he was back in the day, making money off of signing autographs and openings of less-than-desirable stores. It isn’t until Dewey mentions the fact that there is a Darkwing Duck Movie ready to release that we see Jim Starling happy and ready to jump back into the role. 

The Role of a Hero. 

We discover that Scrooge McDuck is the one producing the movie and after watching the trailer both Launchpad and Jim Starling agree that this isn’t faithful to the character. Yet Jim doesn’t really care, he wants to be back into the light and have the attention and adoration of an actor. Of being a hero. How very of Drake Mallard!91 of him. 

The director of the Duck Knight Rises movie tells Jim that he isn’t playing Darkwing Duck. A younger actor is. Outraged, he attacks the actor and is kicked out alongside Launchpad. Jim Starling believes that he is owed this role. That this role only belongs to him and no one else in the world. Roping Launchpad into his plan, here we see that Jim Starling never truly let go of his past when he slips on his old Darkwing Duck costume to play hero again. 

It is Launchpad that begins to question him when Jim starts to ramble about revenge, Launchpad still looking at his old idol with nostalgia tinted glasses and goes along with the plan. 

Here is where the analysis begins to pick up again. When LP sneaks into the actor’s trailer and immediately panics, locking himself, the Actor comes to his rescue. After some light fighting we see that the Actor is a big fan of the Darkwing Duck; possibly bigger than LP himself. LP does have a connection with the show but it seems that he Actor here takes it up more personally. That his whole ideologies and all of his morals came from a silly little show from his childhood and is the reason he is the way he is today. This whole movie is his big shot and a dream come true. 

Immediately after this, we see Jim Starling running around and knocking people out. Actually hurting people just to get back into the role he’s clinging on to. Paralleling the Actor’s acceptance of the role and Jim ready to draw blood because he can’t let go. 

Finally, we see the Actor and Jim Starling have a “sane” interaction. That it’s a huge honor to be here with him, says the Actor. That he wants to play the role of Darkwing Duck with Jim’s blessing. That they can do this together. 

But Jim wants this for his own. All for himself. 

After knocking the Actor out, we see a glimpse of how gone he is. How attention thirsty he is and that he will literally stop at nothing to get back on screen. 

The whole climatic fight of the episode is the Actor putting on his new Darkwing Duck costume and heading off face first into danger to save people as Jim Starling just snaps. The new confronts the old. With the trademark, goofy Darkwing Duck openings of I am the terror that flaps in the night but more modern. 

As they fight, it’s LP that finally gets to Jim with him telling him how much Darkwing Duck means to him and what it means to be a hero like him. As a power beam prop is ready to fall on top of LP, Jim does what a hero is supposed to do. Sacrifice. By pushing his biggest fan out of the way, he completes the role he has been yearning to play. 

They don’t find the body. (Yes this is a kids show). But here is where we learn that the Actor’s name is Drake Mallard. 

Drake Mallard!17. 

Launchpad is the one that convinces Drake Mallard!17 to be the true Darkwing Duck. For Jim. 

Jim Starling is what the OG Darkwing Duck was. Egotistical, wanting fame and attention, having all of the qualities that would make anyone doubt that he is truly a hero. The thing is that if Jim Starling only played Darkwing Duck, not Drake Mallard (because in this universe he is a real person), then it means that he didn’t have a Launchpad or a Gosalyn to ground him. Jim Starlings is what happens when a hero is isolated and is only a hero and not a person. 

Drake Mallard!17 is a person who becomes a hero while Jim Starling is an actor who pretended to be a hero. Jim was stuck in his own vanity, not having anyone truly reminding him that he isn't’ the roles he plays; that he isn’t Darkwing Duck. 

Drake Mallard is Darkwing Duck.

[zhuhongs]

Since rewatching the guardian drama after reading the novel has made me mad about how bad and good both of them are I am Obligated to write out a list of what I think the perfect merger btw both versions of canon are. This will be in list format otherwise I’ll end up writing like 6k words again. 

TLDR: the genre stays as supernatural from the novel and not Sci fi, bc that was rlly not fleshed out well. Shen Wei is a ghost king, and all the dixingren are ghosts or demons like originally intended. The ghost race naturally exists and wasn't born from kunluns shoulder fire or anything. They just exist separate from humans. Not all ghosts are former humans, some people are just born as ghosts, like Shen Wei. Zhao Yunlan has the guardian whip and all the cool stuff that comes with the Guardian order.  Overall, i’d keep the novel’s plot and relationship progression and ending without the backstory. Instead the backstory is a merger of both canons. From the drama I’d keep the characterization and themes as well as like half the extra cases and omit the other half. 

I’ll be elaborating much further on my ideal backstory and other stuff under the cut bc the rest is 1.5k and I don’t wanna clog the dash 

Okay SO In my ideal backstory there are two timelines just like the drama but the mythology of the book. The god Kunlun is actually zyl that went back in time and became a god. But the one that went back isn’t the current Zhao Yunlan. There has to be an original timeline where the god Kunlun never existed. Thus the great seal nor the separation of the three realms don’t exist either. Zhao Yunlan must go back in time to become a god, meet Shen Wei in the past, and create the current timeline where the separation exists but isn’t perfect. The current timeline is the one that the majority of the series takes place in.

In the original timeline, Zhao Yunlan is just some dude living in a world where ghosts, fairies, and all other beings just live in a giant free for all and it's kinda just a mess. 

Like there’s government in modern context and all and all races live with each other but there's constant tension. ZYL works at some equivalent of the SID (same staff and side characters, but novel vers. Lin Jing is a monk, CSZ a zombie, etc) to protect people and all that and their job is rather hard. One day encounters the thousands year old ghost king Wei (who isnt shen wei yet bc zyl gave him that name in the future) who works alone as like a rouge cultivator of sorts. He lives on the surface undercover as a professor still bc he’s trying to not catch Yezun’s attention but does all the stuff he normally does as Heipaoshi. The two ally together for a case and bc they both have the same goals of getting all races to live in peace. At current, there are forces working together to decimate the human race, all lead by Yezun

As they work together they become closer and all that. Shen Wei tells him about how he was unable to prevent the great war 5 thousand years ago and neither could the gods so  he’s spent the past 5 thousand years trying to make up for it. As they search for ways to stop Yezun, they gather the 4 hallows and learn how to use them to manipulate time so ZYL can go into the past and stop the great war and separate the three realms (living, dead, ghost).  Shen Wei wants to go back with him but he can’t because he was alive all those years ago so if he goes back it will create a paradox. ZYL promises he’ll find Shen Wei in the past and create a timeline where they could be together in peace (that is the current timeline)

When goes back he becomes the god kunlun because there needed to be a new god born at the time to prevent the war.  Also this time traveller looked promising to Nuwa, Fuxi, and Shennong. And I know in the guardian universe gods are usually born and ppl don’t become gods. EXCEPT this can happen when a god passes on smth from their body onto them bc that did happen in the novel with Kunlun making shen wei a demigod. And since fu you and ma gui are supposed to be gods Nu Wa and Fuxi I think that when they die, they should make ZYL a god and that's how this stuff happens.

So like ZYL explains to the gods the time he came from and how he wants to save everything and they make him a god and he works to save everything just like he did in the drama but this time with the novel plotline. During this time he meets young Shen Wei (he’s still like a hundred or so years old) and they get close and all the stuff from the backstory happens. He gives him his name, all that good stuff. The entire time doesn’t let him know that he’s from the future or that his real name is ZYL. He just poses as kunlun. 

The two of them alongside the other gods (who still die at the times they do in the novel) work together to end the war and establish the great seal and set up the cycle of reincarnation, per the current timeline. Although the seal and cycle of reincarnation aren’t perfect. Gods can’t reincarnate, and ghosts still don’t have souls. And just like the novel, doing all of this kills ZYL bc it takes a lot of energy to create the seal even though it isn’t perfect.

Shen Wei of course doesn’t want ZYL to die and zyl says it's alright because he fixed the timeline so there must One day they will meet again and ZYL reveals the truth about the timeline to shen wei before he dies. This becomes the promise that Shen Wei mentions to meet again. Before he dies, ZYL gives him the shoulder fire as a memento ( i still like the candy wrapper necklace deal but i’ll take this too. Maybe both.. The pendant is still just rlly cool.. Gay ppl)

Shen Wei knows gods can’t enter the cycle of reincarnation and still makes the deal with Shennong to strip Kunlun of his godhood and let him reincarnate. This sets us into the novel timeline where isn’t allowed to meet any of zyl’s reincarnations before he becomes zyl otherwise he will die and also fuck up the timeline. The same 5 thousand years of pining still ensue bc Gay Ppl and i love making Shen Wei suffer but he doesn’t have the shrine room thing bc i think thats weird and yea.. Bad. 

In the meantime Shen Wei does a lot of things mostly just protecting the great seal and working for Hell to keep the peace but still does other stuff. He still watches out for ZYL’s reincarnations but doesn’t do much besides make sure they don’t die a premature death. They meet again finally at the beginning of the series and the timeline resumes like canon. And that's my master plan that merges both drama logic and novel logic while making a much better timeline. (I hope that makes some sense)

Da Qing is still Kunlun’s pet cat and important. Novel backstory applies to him. And I already mentioned him kinda but as for Yezun (Gui Mian in the novel) his deal is similar as in the drama but just a ghost. And he is a big player in the great war, he thought Shen Wei abandoned him as a kid but they were just separated. Shen Wei doesn’t know it's him till the end of the war and couldn’t stop him in the OG timeline and vows to bring him to justice and make amends. Shen Wei continuously tries to explain things to him but he just won’t listen and is imprisoned in hell bc yk… war criminal stuff and yeah he’s the main antagonist trying to break the great seal bc he’s still made about the past. Idk. Yezun wasn’t well written in the novel OR the drama so like… honestly he just needs to be completely rewritten and I don’t care enough about that. He can just be a weak villain idk

the drama characterization stays the same for everyone else bc found family go brr. However for Lao Chu i… hmm… i think he should still be a zombie but the reason he killed someone should be related to his brother. I like that addition and then shen wei realized his sentence was unjust and exempted him. i like that storyline merger. bc the brother thing and him admiring Heipaoshi was drama only. in the novel lao chu just murdered some kid for a rlly whatever reason.

uhhh in terms of the cases… id make adjustments to most of them. i think the li qian case should be like the drama bc the novel just had her as a murderer and it was boring. 

For the mountain river awl one was fine… novel version was funnier and more interesting action wise tbh… rip zyl and his exorbitant flirting. uhhh the whole reveal that shen wei was the soul reaper thing was kinda… ehh in the novel but i did love the comedy of afterwards Shen Wei pretending he went into cardiac arrest when he actually just… has no pulse bc he's a ghost. 

ID KEEP THE WORTH IT SCENE AND RAIN SCENE… THOSE FUCK SO HARD… I love the drama for adding those every damn day. the novel version of zyl losing his sight sucked and was sooo boring.  Keep the drama version on that.

also id keep dr. cheng. i'm very pro dr. cheng and her friendship with shen wei it adds so much to his character imo. keep the fruit seller man and his wife for the merit brush..omg it adds SO MUCH the way the drama did it.. like the drams build up with the novels pace of that arc.. mwah. it felt like it dragged a bit in the drama but if it went faster and without the hospital ep and with sha ya (sorry sha ya) that would've been so good. tho keep novel version of da qings memory loss and lao li. that was rlly impactful.

id say keep some of the cases like the mirror one, the eyes doctor one, etc. just to like.. yk have more to fill in general.. novel pacing but drama characterization without the bs that wasn't fully realized. and novel ending ofc. And that’s it!!

I hope most of this makes some amount of sense  but it probably doesn’t. In my head it all tracks but like ik most of u don’t know anything about the novel so this sounds like gibberish. Also I know this would literally never happen but this is MY ideal merger of the two canons that I feel compelled to expand on for some reason. Anyways, as io said,, we need to rebuild guardian. Like literally let me and the mutuals write Guardian and it will be 500 times better.

[jippy-kandi]

Digimon Adventure: 2020 – Episode 11: The Wolf Standing Atop The Desert (Review)

Thoughts on the eleventh episode of the Digimon Adventure reboot series.

Objectively, this episode was just all right. But I personally really enjoyed it anyway because of the characters highlighted. XD;

I didn’t expect to see Taichi’s group this episode. I thought they would switch from one group to the other every week - and, narratively, I think this would’ve been the better choice, to focus solely on one group at a time to build up the evolution to Ultimate. So the narrative suffers due to not making this choice, but . . . I don’t really mind, because now we don’t have to wait every two weeks to see the other group. XD;

Mimi: “Geez, who even suggested drawing names?” Palmon: “You, Mimi.” LMAO they’re so entertaining. I love their dynamic.

My absolute favourite trio is Taichi, Yamato and Sora. But my second favourite trio is definitely Jou, Yamato and Sora. I love every duo within that trio. So . . . though this wasn’t one of the better episodes, I still appreciated it anyway because I got those three in a group. XD;

OMG the kyaromon are so freaking cute! Even cuter than Patamon. *SQUISH*

Facepalm moment: Garurumon biting a blade . . . What. Why. How.

We meet Bearmon, Labramon and Neamon. (Neamon is actually voiced by Masami Kikuchi, who voiced OG Jou! Very nice.) I think they’re from a later Digimon series so their presence is giving me crossover vibes. They don’t look like they fit in this Digimon universe . . .

We learn that Leomon is leading a resistance against the digimon infected with the miasma. Good for him! But just like with Ogremon, I’ve never cared that much for Leomon, either. :P

Neamon informs them that they’re going to cross the desert, despite the danger, and Sora turns to Yamato and says, “If that’s the case, let’s go with them too.” Jou: “You aren’t gonna ask me?” LMAO. I love when the series is actually funny. And Sora completely disregarding Jou and automatically “asking” Yamato for his opinion/approval is great. Sora respects Yamato and sees him as a competent “leader” of their trio. Though poor Jou! XD;

The disagreement between Sora and Yamato was actually pretty brief. Reboot Yamato is a lot more logical and rigid than OG Yamato, and he definitely has a point to just focus on their goal. But I also understand Sora’s point of view. What I liked about their disagreement was that it showed you that Sora has a huge capacity for love, and I think her characterisation is improving every episode. What I didn’t like was that Yamato came off as a bit of a dick. *Ignores the Yamato haters who insist he’s always a bit of a dick.* XP

Yamato to Gabumon: “I have you. That’s all I need.” Awww. <3 Definitely the highlight of the episode for me.

Birdramon surrounding herself in flames was a cool visual/attack. It makes up a little bit for the series shafting her, lol.

Of course, I loved Yamato jumping in and saving Sora. ;) I still don’t understand how he is literally jumping with Garurumon though. XD; Is he just jumping off of him when Garurumon jumps in the air? Is he really that acrobatic? XD;

Just like Taichi’s super evolution last week, Yamato’s super evolution felt flat to me. I don’t think the reboot is handling the build up to Ultimate well at all. Once again, Yamato’s “power-up” back in episode 8 felt more like it deserved a super evolution. I 100% prefer how the OG handled these evolution episodes, and that’s due to the OG focussing more on characterisation than the reboot has. I think the reboot might be saving the big character progressions for the mega evolutions? In the meantime . . . I guess we just have to speed through these Ultimates every week.

We got a glimpse of Takeru this episode! Well, his silhouette . . . because it’s not like we’ve never seen him before, right reboot? XD;

Garurumon’s super evolution to WereGarurumon was so quick, I think it took even less time than MetalGreymon’s evolution. I mean, it looked cool for that second or so, but can’t they make the Ultimate evolution sequences better?

At first SkullScorpiomon was a good enemy with all the underground reads in the beginning of the episode . . . and then in the end he instantly and easily gets trumped by WereGarurumon, lol.

Sora: “Thank you for coming back.” Yamato: “If I left, you guys would make a move. As a result, they’d make a move as well.” Jou: “That’s what you were aiming for!? We were bait!?” Sora: “Well, let’s just leave it at that . . .” I love this trio so much. XD; I don’t totally buy that that was always Yamato’s intentions though . . . maybe he did leave, felt guilty because of Gabumon’s speech to him, then decided to turn back and help them? But what matters is that he did turn back. :) Also, I love how positive Sora is towards Yamato - just thanking him for returning and not having an issue with being bait. Their friendship is being formed with such good foundations! ;)

Yamato telling Sora and Jou about his reason for wanting to find the Holy Digimon as fast as possible was another highlight of the episode. The reason of course is his little brother, Takeru - but Yamato said more than he needed to, in my opinion. He could’ve just said he had a little brother in Tokyo that he’s worried about and leave it at that, like a true tsundere lone wolf, but he actually opened up quite a bit with how Takeru must be fearful and he wants him to live in peace. For an emotionally closed-off character? Well done, Yamato. (Though I also thought . . . Sora and Jou are from Tokyo, too, and they have family there - they have the same worries as you, Yamato! XD)

Jou to Yamato: “Thank you for telling us! I’m so happy to know you better! In return, let me tell you about myself!” Sora: “We’ve heard it already . . .” LMAO Sora is so savage to Jou. And Jou is just as entertaining as Mimi, I love it.

Overall, I liked this episode because I really like Yamato and Sora interacting. :P Plus, Yamato got some really good moments. Win!

So far - and it’s totally not fair to compare them after only eleven episodes - I think I prefer reboot Koushirou and Mimi to their OG selves. And possibly Jou as well - let’s see if he stays hilarious and doesn’t just become a complete clown! But I think I prefer OG Taichi, Yamato and Sora to their reboot counterparts.

SO FAR.

I still think this series, overall, is of a higher quality than the OG. It’s just that the reboot wants to focus more on action and rushing things, that the OG is better with characterisation . . . so far.

But things can change!

[novantinuum]

Could Pink Steven be the one to corrupt?

Hi folks! As a preface to this, I wanna make it clear that I’m just throwing out interesting ideas here. It’s fun to consider multiple options. At this point I don’t know if it’s even within the realm of possibility for us to see Pink Steven again, but I’ve seen a little bit of musing about this over the past few days and I wanted to break the concept down... and suggest a possibility for how and why it could happen.

So! Let’s get to it.

The most likely way I see for Steven’s organic and Gem halves to fall apart is if Steven comes to a moment in SUF where- for whatever reason- he decides he hates himself.

Fusions are an embodiment of the bond between people, of course. Garnet has been very clear to state that it’s the strength of Ruby and Sapphire’s love for each other that keeps her together for so long. 

SUF has already gone on record to show us a blatant example of how fusing because of mutual hatred (for another person) isn’t exactly... sustainable. Aquamarine and Eyeball had a lot of trouble forming Bluebird Azurite again due to this.

Steven: “You guys fused just because you hate me, didn't you? […] If that's the only reason, then it's no wonder you can't keep it together.”

From Garnet’s comments on fusion, it’s not a leap to believe the same would be absolutely true if a fusion began to hate themself, instead.

Hate is a strong emotion, though. And yeah- Steven’s had obvious self-worth issues that have been visible since way back in og. series episode 2, (”You can’t just be useless! I know you can help!”), but to flat out��hate himself? Steven? A special sort of permafusion who is literally built on a foundation of self-love? It would take an especially harrowing event to lead him that low, I think.

(Note the pink and white eyes, (symbolic of Gem and organic halves?), and the tear over his chest where his heart is, stuffing pouring out. This Steven doll is beginning to split apart.)

And looking at what SUF has given us so far when it comes to Steven’s new powers, I think the likely candidate for what could lead him down that path is... an incident where he almost accidentally hurts someone he loves. 

I doubt it would be on purpose, mind you. He’s a genuinely kindhearted boy. He intends the best. But with his powers growing wildly out of control right alongside his emotions, I could easily see him perhaps... having a repeat of what happened at the Reef.

This episode introduced the plot thread of Pink Diamond accidentally hurting Volleyball because she was too close to the blast radius when Pink got really upset and yelled. So what if history almost repeats?

What if one of the Gems or something gets caught too close? (I seriously, seriously don’t think it would EVER be Connie, y’all. CN ain’t gonna maim a human, but fantasy violence to Gems is fair game.)

With all the stress and pressures he’s currently carrying- his lack of purpose, the fear he’s being left behind in the past, his tumultuous emotions about his mom, the troubling matter of this new power he can’t control, him feeling like he can’t even talk to the Gems about his problems- this could be the last straw. The final piece that pushes him across the line.

So, suppose Steven does split into two. Gem and organic halves. What might happen from there?

Garnet: “Remember – your body isn’t just a projection of light but also a reflection of your inner soul.”

Perhaps Pink Steven on his own is unable to handle the brunt of Steven’s emotions, and it’s because he’s without his organic half’s emotional restraint that he corrupts. Steven hates himself. He fears he’s going to hurt others, become just like his mom, become a monster. He feels like a monster.

And so his Gem half becomes one. Reflects what fears lie within his inner soul. It’d be exactly like how Cactus Steven mirrored Steven’s emotional state in Prickly Pair. 

I also think Pink Steven being the one to corrupt instead of hybrid Steven would fix a lot of the chinks people have pointed out in this theory. Namely:

It would allow Steven’s POV to be retained throughout the incident. Or, well- half of Steven’s POV. A part of him would still be there as a central character, and able to communicate with the Crystal Gems in the heart of the moment. If hybrid Steven corrupted, that communication would be hard- and they might have to switch to a different POV, which could pose the risk of feeling out of place compared to the rest of the series.

Since Pink Steven is an entirely hard light entity, it would sidestep all of the disturbing body horror implications of a half-organic individual corrupting. This is easily something Crewniverse could depict within the restraints of the show’s rating. We’ve seen full Gems corrupt before. 

Of course, Crewniverse has gone on record to state that Steven’s halves cannot survive for long without each other. But I don’t think that statement rules this out as a possibility. If anything, it would provide more peril... a ticking clock, so to speak.

If Steven can’t begin to sort out the emotional issues that are causing him so much pain, he will continue to suffer. That’s just a given no matter the scenario. His halves have to forgive each other... come to a place of acceptance with each other... understand that it’s okay to be open and ask for help... otherwise, he won’t be able to piece himself back together. What a better way to finally convince Steven to seek help in dealing with his own problems then the fact that if he doesn’t, he may lose himself in the process? He literally can’t deny it then. These halves aren’t supposed to exist on their own, apart, at all. But if they’re ever going to be able to fuse back into one again, they have to work some things out.

Steven: “I’m sorry I mistreated you. I know you didn't mean to hurt anyone- [...] I should've given you more of the love and kindness that you deserve. So...who wants a hug?”

The other reason I quite like this concept is that it would inevitably lead to an emotional end where- after the corruption issue is sorted with Pink Steven, and organic Steven has opened up about what he’s going through to his close loved ones- the two halves will reconcile, forgive themselves, and begin to rekindle that self-love. Fuse together again. Begin the long journey of picking up all those broken pieces, this time with his family and friends’ knowing support. That could be super cathartic. 

So that’s all I really have to say on that. Once more- this is just a theory. I’m playing with ideas for fun, that’s it. But this idea is definitely one I like a lot, and if corrupted Steven theory is completely off in left field and it’s completely wrong, I’d love to explore it more in fic. Thanks for reading, all! Have a nice day! :D

[shiroekoyuki]

☕️ Miwa 🤗💛

*Breathes in*

b O I

Where do I begin

Let's get the obvious out of the way. I think he's an underrated sweetheart who's clearly best boi.

He's always watching. Always watching his friends get stronger together. Always making sure his friends are okay, and always seeing if there's anyone who needs help or some company. He's also Kai's translator. Kai is a kind and caring person, who hides them all behind a stoic and fierce front. Miwa knows it, and he loves (be it romantically or not) and supports him. Miwa is the bestest friend anyone can ever hope to have. He'll go above and beyond for you. He'd sacrifice himself for you. He will do all that he can to prevent a friend from going into the bad side, and if he failed, he'd join them to make them feel less alone. He's kind, loyal, cheerful, funny, energetic, selfless, helpful, caring, understanding, super protective (especially over Kai), and he deserves to have a friend like himself. I have no idea how he doesn't have anyone to date him yet. Like, sure, he simps over pretty girls, but everyone has flaws. He's not completely flawless, and that's fine. Heck, so what if he simps over pretty girls and tries to hit on them? He tried to hit on Asaka in the reboot, but the second he realised she was from Team Asteroids, the team Miwa is trying to protect Kai from, his attitude towards her did a whole 180. So it's not like he blindly goes for anyone who's pretty. He is a strong player, and just because he doesn't enter tournaments doesn't mean you should underestimate him. He can and will destroy you with a cheeky and proud grin.

He is seriously an amazing and extremely loveable character with so much potential, but he doesn't get the amount of attention he deserves. I love him the way he is, and I never want him to change. I don't expect him to be joining tournaments, or be some kind of world renowned player. I love how he's just that one amazing character who simply enjoys watching his friends get stronger and be happy for them from the sidelines. I just wish there was more screen time of him, you know? I love him so much, he deserves the whole universe and more. He's a sweetheart who loves his friends so much, but we know so little about him. The series don't tell us anything about him. Like, y'all who only watched the anime, do you guys know that Miwa canonically has an older sister? Yeah, I was surprised when I found that out too. It was never mentioned at all, only in the manga. We never even get to see her. We don't know Miwa's home situation, we know close to nothing besides his wonderful personality. I mean, yeah, we get to use our imagination to come up with tons of headcanons for him, but I still wish I could know some more canon things about him, you know? I'm glad the reboot is giving him more screen time. It's exactly what he deserves.

And Kagerou will always be Miwa's deck for me. The idea of Miwa using the same deck as Kai melts my heart. Miwa and Kai has such a deep bond, and both of them used the same deck. Miwa used Kagerou to try and save Kai from the Reverse, and it was such a beautiful and memorable moment. He used Kai's old clan to remind the latter why he played and loved Vanguard in the first place. Kai even said Miwa mastered Kagerou. That whole battle of Miwa Vs Reverse!Kai was one of the best and most heartfelt fights, in my opinion.

And I really can't stress enough how much of a good and loyal friend Miwa is. Reboot Miwa carried Kai miles upon miles from Card Capital to the Tatsunagi Corp, and when he knew Kai was going to do something dangerous, he would follow him (and kick down doors for him). He tried to protect Kai from Team Asteroid by battling Asaka with the VF gloves. When he met Kai after years of not meeting him, he felt guilty. All because he could see that Kai was suffering, but he didn't know why and he couldn't help. And from then on, he swore to never, ever leave Kai's side.

In Vanguard Koshien, he was ready to fight Morikawa so that Kai could have a battle against Aichi.

In Vanguard Gaiden IF, he stated that all he wanted was to protect Kai's smile. The original Miwa and the distorted Miwa were the exact same, they just wanted to protect Kai. That's why he joined SK4, and that's also why he betrayed SK4. Unlike the rest of the 4 knights, his priority was never Aichi. It has been, and always will be, Kai Toshiki. He even rushed right in front of Kai so that Ibuki would Delete him instead of Kai.

Similarly, in the OG series, this guy would go to the underground, a place full of people he's terrified of, in an attempt to protect Kai. Even after he was Reversed by Kai, his loyalty and love towards him never once faltered. Instead, he became even more loyal, supportive and protective of Kai. The only thing in his mind was to keep Kai company, help Kai reach his goal, and that whatever Kai wants, Kai gets. He'll get rid of anyone and anything in his way. The moment he realised he was going to be UnReversed, the very first thought he had was how Kai was going to be all alone again. He's literally so selfless, it's almost worrying sometimes.

In Legion Mate, besides his genuine care for Aichi, of course, he wanted to get Aichi back because he knows how big of an impact that blueberry had on Kai. He appreciates Aichi for being able to change Kai, and how he encouraged Kai to become more open. To smile more, to rely on people more, and to genuinely love Vanguard again. He probably sees it as something he wasn't able to help Kai achieve, so he wants Aichi back because he didn't want Kai to revert back into his old self.

I know I've been talking about Kai and Miwa's relationship a whole lot, (and honestly, I can still go on forever about these two, like how Miwa is still scared that Kai would suddenly leave him again one day, like he did in the past), but make no mistake. Kai isn't the only person Miwa cares for. Sure, he's Miwa's closest friend, but Miwa has other friends and he loves and cares for all of them too. He's always cheering Aichi up whenever the latter was down, he would ask to tend the shop for Misaki so that she could have a cardfight with her friends (because he could tell she wanted to, she just couldn't. He knows, because he's always watching over his friends), he worked part-time in the shop for them while they went on the Asia Circuit, and in Vanguard Zero, he planned a whole hot spring training camp for them, and even chaperoned it in Shin's place. When Jun felt out of place in Card Capital, Miwa told him that he fit in just fine. Jun, someone who held him hostage to lure Kai to the underground. He was nice to Jun and tried to make him feel comfortable. In Vanguard G, when Kamui was feeling down because Emi was so dense towards his feelings, Miwa offered to buy Kamui dinner. In Vanguard Gaiden IF, when everyone was worried about whether or not they could defeat Ibuki, he acted as their ray of sunshine, and told them that they'll definitely work something out together. He loves and cares for all of his friends. He's a whole sweetheart and a half, and I just love love love him so much.

EDIT: this post is important

Thank you so so so much for this ask!!! I love talking about Miwa!!!

[daylighteclipsed]

“This is another reason most of future lost rights” May we hear your thoughts?

Now that I have officially finished watching the original Steven Universe series, I have many Thoughts about the continuation. Prepare for some detailed salty takes.

-- My biggest gripe is that Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst lose pretty much all of the emotional intelligence they gain in the original series to maximize Steven’s suffering.

So like the gifset that prompted this ask for example, where Garnet realizes she’s hurt Steven with her future vision and apologizes? Makes her reaction in Future to realizing she hurt Steven again OOC. The OG series also teaches us and Steven that Garnet can’t see definites, because there’s so many possibilities, and the future’s always changing, and the future can always be changed. So her line about how there was no universe where Steven didn’t propose to Connie as her reason for why she didn’t try to stop him, is bullshit.

The Volleyball episode gives away that Steven is clearly not OK, and Pearl does nothing about it. Neurotic, mother hen, let’s make a plan Pearl does not ask Steven if he’s alright and makes 0 plans to train him to control his new alarming powers. Pearl, who now has a better sense of how trauma works because she has it herself, who we have seen in the OG series suspect Steven is dealing with some post traumatic stress after being taken to Homeworld and reach out to him about it, does not in Future reach out to him after he expresses blatant distress over having to deal with more of his mom’s problems. I’m supposed to believe this? Seriously?

And Amethyst? I think she’s the most obvious offender since a big part of her arc in the end of the OG series is emotional maturity.There’s a whole episode dedicated to her putting Steven’s feelings first. Acknowledging the pressure he’s been under and the shit that’s been dumped on him for years and the horror of finding out Rose was a Diamond which makes him a Diamond and recognizing that he’s not OK. He can’t be. Learning that Steven deals by distracting himself with other tasks and people. But sure when Amethyst notices Steven throwing himself into his work in Future, her response is just “When did you become such a prick?” Yeah. Totally sounds right.

There is a whole arc about these two emotionally connecting through their insecurities and the strength they find in having each other to relate to and rely on and confide in. It is one of my favorites in the entire story. And it is totally thrown out a window in Future. If no one else you’d think at least Amethyst would reach out to Steven in Future before he spirals, but no.

Literally it’s like the entire Gem trio’s emotionally sent back to square 1 and their perception’s lowered to 0, which is lower than it was to begin with, because it was the only way Future could work. Seriously, after Prickly Pair nobody tries to talk to Steven? Nobody insists they need to talk about what the fuck just happened? Nobody goes after Steven when he runs away, twice?! Once after crashing the van with his dad inside, in which he disappears for 3 whole days. Another time after talking about how they can’t help him anymore, which is really alarming! Then they all just let Steven go when he returns from Homeworld glowing with Diamond pupils?! are you kidding me, are you fUcking KidDing me am I supposed to believe they’re even his friends in Future what the fuck I hate this 

-- And framing everything like the Gems have never been there for Steven? Hate that too. There’s countless episodes in the OG series proving that’s not true. Steven himself says it’s not. At one point that’s what keeps him from literally falling from the sky.

“I just need something that makes me happy, something I can always depend on to cheer me up. My guys. They spent all night out here just to keep me company. No matter how much I mess up they’ll be there to help me.”

It’s the biggest reason why the Gems are foils to the Diamonds!

“Remember back when I was little and maybe kind of annoying, and I couldn’t come along on adventures? You guys would still drop everything to hang out with me.”

Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst begin kind of oblivious and inattentive, but they don’t stay that way. They are always learning, and apologizing, and changing when they realize their behavior is harmful. To themselves, to the team as a whole, to strangers, to Steven. They do very early in the series start setting work aside to spend time with him. Together breakfast (which ends up meaning so much to Garnet that it becomes her wedding cake), mini golf, cards, board games, movies, the arcade, the amusement park. They’re Steven’s band in beach-a-palooza. They become, not only better caretakers, but his friends.

A team. For the main Crystal Gem quartet so much of the show is about them learning to become a team by learning to understand each other and helping each other grow, leading to a stunning display of teamwork in the finale with Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, and Steven all fusing together into one kickass warrior, Obsidian. It’s so perfect that this didn’t, couldn’t, happen until the end, after all that development. It’s so satisfying.

-- Like I mentioned before, there’s no reason why the Gems, including the others like Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth, wouldn’t try to help Steven learn to control his new powers in Future.

-- A lot of the, uh, conflicts Steven faces in Future also feel ignorant to the OG series.

Steven in future: i just feel like i can’t make mistakes in front of you guys and cant be honest cause its mean and i have to be nice and perfect :(

Steven in og series: oh geez I really messed up sorry guys; [feels like the worst Crystal Gem cause he’s always fucking up]; (Garnet: You’re making Pearl very upset) “IM very upset!“; “What Rose wanted--ARGH! What about what I want?! I’m sick of you always lying to me!”; “Home’s been awful! Here’s been awful! Everyone’s been acting awful too!”

Steven in future: idk how to be a friend to someone who’s not a miserable sad sack with no direction in life

Connie: hey what the fuck

What was the point of all the townie episodes if we’re going to act like Steven never connected with the human part of his life why would the og show bounce between gem eps and human eps if not to show how Steven connects with both worlds ad’g;ajfgjfagjLAFKJS

Steven in future: why didn’t my meddling advice work? this has never happened before. am i losing my touch. who am i

Og Steven, multiple times: aaAAAAAH I SHOULD NOT HAVE MEDDLED AND PUSHED I MADE THINGS WORSE

- Why wasn’t Mindful Education revisited? Steven’s a fusion technically, right, so if he’s feeling, you know, deeply conflicted about his 2 halves, doesn’t that mean he’s out of harmony? There’s a way for 2 halves of a fusion to communicate through meditation and address what’s causing the imbalance, but I guess that would’ve solved Steven’s problem too easily. That’s the only reason Connie’s kept out of Future for so long too, right? Ugh. Never mind the fact that Mindful Ed taught Steven that it’s really important to face upsetting thoughts and feelings and traumas before they tear him apart. But whatever! what ever

- God this isn’t even half of the issues I now have with Future, but I don’t want this post to be 8 miles longer than it already is. Basically I feel like Future does a disservice to the characters and story being told in the original series, which I am very fond of now. It reminds me of an OOC fanfiction. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I really do not want to argue about this. It’s just my opinion. I’m kind of venting. If you agree, great. If you don’t, please keep scrolling. Thanks.

[ghiblibat]

Thoughts on episode 24 in no particular order

1. I LOVED that circling shot as kazuma is confronting Kyo . UGh. The music, the acting, camera angles, the everything. You could really feel the tension in the air.

2. THE TRANSFORMATION SCENE bRUh it was so much more intense this time around. Absolutely phenomenal . The shot of Kyo’s head half transformation had me S H O O K. And seeing him cry as he screamed in pain broke my heart, man.

3. The character design for his true form was much better as well. I felt it looked much scarier . Also !orange ! eyes!

4. I feel like we saw a much more vulnerable Kyo this time . The way he was talking about how he couldn’t lose more people and how tired he was of all the pain Like oh my god. You can really feel just how broken,damaged and emotionally drained he is.

5. J E R R Y J E W E L. MY GUy my DUde. He did such an amazing job. Every line really packed a punch. I was really impressed. Laura also was just amazing!! 👌🏾❤️❤️❤️❤️

6. I love how strong tohru was this time. She wasn’t some damsel in distress. Yes she was scared, yes it was hard but our girl came through. She knew if she turned her back on him he wasn’t coming back and she was NOT having that. She was bringing her man back no mater what. Best part? No one had to encourage her. She did it on her own because she loves him and can’t imagine a life without him. She’s seen the good the bad the ugly but she still wanted to stay and she was determined.

7. The romantic subtext was STronG . Way more then the original anime. They are such OTP I CANNOT

8. Small detail but Idk I liked seeing kagura overhear the convo between shigure and kazuma. Also yuki’s smile when greeting kazuma. My rat son is so beautiful ;u;

9. Kagura closing the blinds 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾 unlike the original it really gives us a glimpse into their relationships character arc. Sure she cares for him but Her intense Romantic love is fake. Unlike tohru kagura can’t stand to see him in his true form. She doesn’t want to face it.

10. Everyone stayed the fuck home!! This is Kyo and tohru’s moment stay away! 😂 although..listen I’m glad it didn’t happen cause it was NOT yuki’s place to be there. But I always low key really liked the “is that all we do? Run away? I don’t wanna do it anymore!” Line In the og. And just like Kyo thrashing Yuki around 😂

11. kazuma is such an A++ dad. I’m so happy Kyo through all the suffering he’s faced at least had a dad that loved and cared for him so much. Kyo would have been lost without him.

12. KYos little smile while he’s talking to kazuma in his room OMG BABY 😭

13. Kyo as a child 😭😭❤️❤️

14. The part were little Kyo was yelling at his bio dad was like so intense. Cause just think about it this is a 5/4 (?) year old at his own mother’s funeral yelling at his father he’s gonna kill another kid then kill himself so his dad will be happy like that’s ROUgH. And having everyone tell him his mom’s suicide was his fault, like that’s horrific for anyone but can you imagine the added suffering that has to cause a child?

15. The way they changed were the cats are kept. LIKE ITS A LITERAL CAGE IN A BASEMENT YA’LL. Bitch boy akito really wants to make our boy live his life in that thing. Can you imagine Kyo in that? Breaks my heart

16. THIS EPISODE this is the moment Kyo falls in love with tohru and my heart and soul can’t take it. How can you watch this episode and Not ship them? Loool ❤️❤️

17. HE JUST YEETED HER IN THE WATER??? Like I was shook 😂 lol I was watching the episode with my mom and we both just gasped and looked at Each other like oh my GOd I know he scratched her in the manga so I was prepared for that but that really took me by surprise.

18. THE CHANGE IN KYO’S VOICE IN HIS TRUE FORM? *CHEF KISS*

19. I think the only only thing I like a little more in the originally anime was the “She saw me, it’s all over now, there’s no hope” line. The way it was delivered in the og anime you could really feel the hopelessness he felt so much more. And having him desperately run instead of jumping through the trees feels more impactful as well. Also kind I find this shot looks a little weird? The anatomy a little wonky? Idk

20. You know when I first watched the episode I didn’t feel as impacted as I thought I was. It felt like so fast. However I think that because I watched the og episodes directly before it that messed with my judgment. After rewatching it like nah it hit hard. It’s done right and I love It

21. Like many of you Im a fruba veteran. I have waited 10 years to see this story done right. And The reboot certainly hasn’t let me down. I loved this episode. The bond tohru And Kyo share is so heart warming. I’m so happy to finally see this arc done right. I watched this series when I was 12 years old and now I’m 21 and I’m in love with it all over again. This is just the beginning I can’t wait to see the rest of the story.

[forgemaster-defence-squad]

Isaac Theory Post

(The right and bottom pics are mine.)

Why Isaac will become the Isaac the OG fans are talking about

I am making this theorey post partly because it’s fun and because I love all of our Castlevania Isaacs. I did much research for it, and tried to include things that feel like Castlevania. I give credit to @solidfalcon for helping me write some of it, and sitting there listening to me babble on and on about him for HOURS, and credit to @lucien-lachance for MANY OF THE IMAGES. She has a huge collection of Isaac pictures from the games, I’m so pleased!! Thank you both!!!!

Now, onto Isaac: from games to screen, he would change, though only to tell a great story. Isaac is a complex character whose story needs to be told with care and delicacy. His story in season 2 of the show is only beginning. Being without luxurious crimson locks barely changes his story, it only begins it. And it can only grow from there. I’ve never truly seen him transform before, except in my own headcanon-filled brain, so I’m THRILLED to finally be seeing it on screen!

This is Castlevania, where the design of a character is laced with storytelling and meaning. If Isaac is meant to stay proper looking and professional, he wouldn’t be the same character. His appearance right now doesn’t take away from who he is, it adds to him, and I’m going to go into detail as to why.

Game spoilers below cut!

Animation Isaac vs Game Isaac

Game Isaac: Passion, Devotion To Dracula, ‘Evilness’, Knife Obsession, Vengeance, Wants to be the favourite, Uncomfortable to look at, Licks things.

Animation Isaac: Passion, Devotion To Dracula, ‘Evilness’, Knife Obsession, Vengeance.

I didn’t give animation Isaac the last 3 things that I put with game Isaac because we don’t know anything else. Season 2 isn’t even out yet. Therefore the rest of the post is where what we know about game Isaac becomes theory for animation Isaac. He’s an Isaac-shaped glass that is only a little filled, and it will continue to fill with more Isaac-ey goodness as the show progresses.

The Long Awaited Son

When some Christians hear the name ‘Isaac’ (with no last name) they think first, of Isaac:

(Credit to the creative photographer.)

Dracula’s story is sort of like an inverted Bible story, making it darker but also very clever if you know what you’re seeing. In Castlevania, although Dracula loved his first son, Alucard, he didn’t become the person he wanted him to be, a son who shared his views and would help him take revenge for Lisa. Now here we have Isaac who was taken in by Dracula as a child, the ‘son’ Dracula would have always wanted: Passionate about Dracula’s goal and willing do anything to make it happen. While Alucard cares for humanity, Isaac is passionate to destroy humanity, just like Dracula.

In the Bible, Abraham’s first born wasn’t what he wanted. His first born would become a person who was hostile, while his second son, Isaac would become everything he was promised, a great man who gave blessings.

Also: Isaac’s name means “laughter.” (Insert a gif of Isaac laughing here. I reached image limit in this post twt )

Child of Judas

Quote from Isaac’s page on the Castlevania wiki: “Isaac's name functions both as a hint that all isn't quite as it seems with him, and also as a reference to a particular bit of vampire lore. Biblically, Itzhak (Isaac) was the son of Abraham, who was almost sacrificed as a test of his father's faith. Unlike his namesake Forgemaster, however, Itzhak survived. The vampire folklore his name references appears in the short story "A Kiss of Judas" by Julian Osgood Field, writing under the pseudonym X.L. A principal character in this story is Isaac Lebedenko, who dies and, when reborn, becomes a type of vampire known as a Child of Judas in order to exact revenge on a deserving enemy. Interestingly enough, Children of Judas are said to have red hair.” Isaac’s name, as the quote says, is a hint that all is not quite what it seems, the same is true for his appearance.

Another quote from the same wiki page: “His clothing, too, is yet another hint as to his true nature. It appears as if Isaac is wearing only the remains of his former uniform. The Prelude to Revenge manga, packaged with the soundtrack sampler CD, uses Isaac's attire as a symbol of his mind unraveling. The madder he gets, the more tattered his clothing gets, until we see him in-game in purely ornamental armor bits and those strange pants. Thanks to Dracula's machinations, Isaac is only the broken pieces of the man he once was. Unfortunately, Isaac erroneously blames Hector for the destruction of his life.” ‘Only the broken pieces of the man he once was.’ What we are seeing right now IS the man he once was. We have yet to see him slowly unravel both outward and inward to become the person he’s fated to be. I’m looking forward to it!

My theory for why he could get his Castlevania appearance parallels both the Biblical Isaac and the vampire lore Isaac. Biblical Isaac was nearly sacrificed, then later became something great, while ‘A Kiss of Judas’ Isaac died and then returned to life as something terrible. Games Isaac was used as a vessel to become Dracula. Animated series Isaac is going to suffer, and go through a change, too, which may turn him into that same ‘vessel’ that he became in the games.

Isaac in games canon, after going insane from Dracula’s Curse, didn’t actually change physically, only his clothing melted away.

If in the animation he were to transform the same way as in the games, and physically as well, I think that would be stronger story storytelling. What changes physically is very easy to guess.

Blood Red Hair

Quotes from the Children of Judas page on vampires. com. (Which shows a picture of Isaac btw...) “This group of ruthless bloodsuckers were once found in Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania and you could recognize them due to their blood-red hair.” “These guys are known mainly by oral traditions.”

‘Mlem’

“Wicked vampires were said to have the power to drain their victim’s blood and life force with a single kiss or bite.”

Isaac isn’t a vampire in the game at this point in the above picture, but his kiss is still deadly~ (By that I mean he accompanies it with a knife stab). (Don’t worry, Trevor is ok, Isaac just wanted some Trevor blood.) Another thing that supports this theory is that the creators of the Castlevania series are very inclusive with their vampire lore. They want the show to be good, to be Castlevania, and also a great vampire story. So seeing as how we have yet to see the special ‘blood red hair’ of a ‘Child of Judas’ vampire, it’s safe to say Isaac may become one (in a sense). This is why game Isaac’s hair is redder and more beautiful than that of any other redhead we’ve seen in Castlevania.

Swoon~

The Dragon

As many know, Dracula’s name comes from Dracul which means ‘The Dragon’ or ‘The Devil.’ Dracula gets referred to as the Devil a lot in the animation, and in the games he also turns into a dragon when you fight him. Isaac is ‘a dragon’, and will become a vampire. This is true to games canon, as Isaac has, in fact become a vampire before, only, he became literally Dracula. The ‘Child of Judas’ similarities symbolized that the transformation would take place, as does his massive dragon tattoo that goes down his front, twists around his leg and slides up his back representing the Dragon. Animation Isaac does have tattoos, but none that we seen thus far are dragon-like. Not yet anyway~

(I drew the bottom right one for a closeup of the dragon face. The sketch to the left of it is official concept art.) When his clothing melts away and reveals the dragon tattoo, it symbolizes Isaac losing himself and becoming a dragon.

The Forgemaster crest displayed above shows two dragons. Both are Hector and Isaac. In the game, the Curse of Darkness attempts to transform the Forgemasters into Dracula. They both take on Dracula-like personality traits before Hector finally resists, and Isaac Is the one to lose himself.

In the games, all of this symbolism represented that he would be a mere pawn in Dracula’s scheme and become a vessel for Dracula. However, all of that symbolism is not yet present in animation Isaac, so this entire theory post is here to explain why it will become present.

The Biblical symbols of the Dragon and the Beast talk about the Dragon giving the Beast the power to return to life. The Beast that returned to life looked and spoke like a dragon. That would be neat if the writers parallel these symbols too! The Dragon being Dracula and the dragon-like Beast being Isaac.

Anguish

Dracula takes in both Isaac and Hector at a young age. Treated poorly by humanity, and taken in by Dracula, they probably saw him as their father figure. The Curse of Darkness that rips through the people during Castlevania 3, the same one that causes Isaac’s madness is probably going to be cast during season 2 of the animation. Right now we see him as a seemingly obedient, calm, collective but somewhat violent and angry individual. Someone led by his heart. When the curse is cast, bit by bit, much of that will begin to break away. When Dracula, his inspiration, his father figure, the one thing that gave him life and purpose, is defeated and taken away from him. And then, when Isaac is left for dead by Hector, the curse finally takes complete hold of him. Dracula's curse. Isaac transforms in appearance to reflect the change within. His hair has grown and become wild, his clothing has fallen apart and only ornamental pieces remain. He is only the broken pieces of what he once was. He is MAD.

So when I say he will become a vampire, I mean he will descend into madness and think that his desire for VENGEANCE AGAINST HECTOR will make it all better, but instead, he is just a vessel, a means to an end. He becomes Dracula, he becomes a vampire, a ‘Child of Judas’ in a symbolic sense. It is symbolic in that, he's not a vampire by any traditional sense, but simply because Dracula takes him over, and he becomes the vampire. The symbolism that the death and rebirth he faces before transformation is perhaps not his own death and rebirth, it is Dracula’s past death and rebirth through Isaac.

That would be super cool if he became a vampire himself, though, just a thought.

As you see, I fully expect to see our Isaac form before our eyes in ways I have only previously dreamed these past 8+ years of being a Curse of Darkness fan!

Fire Symbolism

I’ve read in other theory posts in other fandoms that fire in art and literature can symbolize many things. One of those things is death and rebirth. In Castlevania, this symbolism is definitely present, and EXTREMELY heavy-handed. Lisa dies, burned as a witch, from her dead remains ascends an explosion of flame. Who is in that flame? Dracula. So yes, they will use the plot point of Dracula dying and returning to life, and just like in the games, it will be through Isaac. I could go into more detail on fire symbolism as to why, but I think you get me by this point!

Red oni and Blue Oni

Another quote from the wiki: “Isaac and Hector together embody the "Red Oni and Blue Oni" trope. Isaac is denoted by red, and is emotional, temperamental and led by his heart. Hector, in blue, is the more logical and rational of the pair and is able to think things through, considers what he has been told, and in the end saves himself from an ill fate.” In the series, Hector is dressed in blue just as he is in the games, but Isaac has yet to show much red. To continue to fit this trope the way he’s meant to be, he HAS to go through his destined change. In the trailer, Isaac is seen in the past passionately crying with tears in his eyes as he’s about to take what I assume is revenge against someone.

(My poor boi q-q) He still very much embodies the trope with Hector, but not so much visually. He will transform most likely in the exact way I said he would. The series’ first four episodes did nothing but add to the series, not take away. Isaac is going to change, and when he does, he will finally truly mirror Hector, and he will fully become the ‘monster’ he was meant to be. By ‘monster’, what I really mean is: mistake-making, tragic sad boy who I want to cover in fifty blankies and pillows and give grilled cheese to.

TLDR: Isaac will slowly unravel to madness and become the heartbroken mess he was in the games. I’m super excited!!!

~End~ If we watch S2 and I end up wrong and got nothing right, then that’s okay cuz this whole thing was real fun to write. 10/10 recommended write up~