#also because him and the villain are two sides of the same coin but that's yknow whatever IT BURNS
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Tort can I bother with something? Like, I don't know how you feel about people asking your opinion about batman stuff a lot but I since you have read much more comics and for a longer time I always think "well, she must know more about it" 😂 I hope it's not annoying.
So the ask in question is: what's the difference between Joker and Riddler? And not the thing they two had about the difference between a joke and a riddle but in batman's perspective, kinda? What Joker have that Riddler don't? Because this pattern of Batman being "nicer" (as nice batman can be with a criminal lol) with Joker and hating (I don't if he hates him but anyways) Riddler keeps repeating in a lot of media now. It was in the comics with Tom King, in the movie with Batman 2022 and we have the games and books with Batman: Arkham knight and Batman: Arkham knight: The Riddler's Gambit. What's the difference they have to batman? It's especially ironic since also in a lot of media they kinda of two side of a coin (don't know if this sentence apply to these two. What I meant now it's the joke vs riddle thing now jajaja. People sometimes mistake a joke for a riddle and vise versa. So it's like people thinking they're the "same", when actually, there is a difference between a joke and a riddle.) (and when I say "people" I'm talking actually about the people in the DC universe not people actually people)
Hey! I don't mind the question, no worries. I'll say this though, it is a bit of a funny ask because I've had this sort of discussion with people before, and I hope I'm able to find the posts, because it's still funny to me. Here's one of them, with a lot of comic recs and everything. Essentially, how are Joker and Riddler different to Batman in the comics? Bruce is obsessed with Joker, but Riddler... pisses him off.
As you mention yourself, Riddler pisses Bruce off so badly Tom King wrote two comics in which he attempts to kill Edward (The War of Jokes and Riddles, Batman: One Bad Day -- The Riddler). He's similarly peeved with Riddler in the Arkhamverse, especially after Edward tries to fill the vacuum left behind by Joker's death and replace him. And well, I'm not gonna delve into The Batman (2022) because the Riddler of that movie is much different to the comics version... as is Barry Keoghan's Joker. I'm not a fan of the way Matt Reeves took these characters and then mixed their backstories around because he wanted to "put his own spin" on them or come up with a "novel approach". Riddler in The Batman (2022) is quite different to the comics version, so I feel any discussion of dynamics within that movieverse has to be its own thing, and acknowledged as such. I'll put the rest of the answer under the cut though, because things have gotten long enough as it is.
In comics, Joker and Riddler are obviously different individuals, although they've got similarities too. Sometimes writers don't know how to write Riddler well and kind of have him as this bad copy of Joker (because how different are riddles and jokes, right). But the two characters have different goals, different backstories, different dynamics with Batman. Bruce is obsessed with Joker for many reasons: he sees himself in him, he projects onto him, he feels guilty for his existence and also relies on it. Joker is a villain Batman had a direct hand in creating. Joker is Batman's equal and the one to actually want all his anger and his violence. Joker is about making the world realize that it's all a big joke, that nothing matters, which is his ultimate point. He likes fighting Batman and getting beat up... while that's not really Edward's case, who isn't really portrayed as a masochist:
Batman (2016) #32
Meanwhile, Joker:
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #61
Edward's much more focused on intellect-- that's the facet of Batman's psyche that he, as a Rogue, is meant to address. He's meant to challenge Batman's detective brain, his high IQ. One could say Edward is just as obsessed with Batman as Joker is, but it's a different flavor: while attention-seeking is a big component for both of them, it's much more pervasive for Edward. And that's one of the reasons Bruce is so annoyed with him; the fact that he chooses to get people killed over his selfish need to prove he's the smartest guy in the room. That's what probably activates Bruce's mean streak with Edward more than with the others too-- the need for attention and validation, mixed with fear of him. Because the thing is, Bruce requires things to make sense almost pathologically. So many times, the question he poses to individuals wreaking destruction is "What is the point of this?". And he can understand them, when there's a grander purpose he can even remotely relate to, no matter how dark and twisted. He's related to Poison Ivy, to Joker, to Ra's al Ghul... he even gets Scarecrow, because he knows what it's like to be obsessed with fear and the goal of conquering it. Or maybe it's not accurate to say he doesn't get Edward, because he can relate to having a compulsion, but it's that Edward's compulsion is uncontrolled and about himself. I literally just said that Bruce needs things to make sense, and Edward needs answers, so clearly they're similar in that. But Bruce puts his own in the service of something bigger than himself (in his mind), while what Edward is doing is simply indulging his compulsive need to assert intellectual dominance and get attention, making Batman the target of it and getting people killed along the way.
As to the difference between a joke and a riddle... sigh. I fully think Tom King brought that up in The War of Jokes and Riddles as something that sounds cool, but not something that actually means anything:
Batman (2016) #32
If it does mean something, to me this is more Joker saying "Do you know what the difference between me and Edward is?"... which is connected to the abstract difference between jokes and riddles too, in a sense. What does a joke want? A joke wants to make people laugh. But what does a riddle want? A riddle wants to be solved. A joke is about the laugh it gets; a joke, ultimately, is an attempt to connect with other people. But a riddle is an intellectual pursuit centred around the answer hidden within; a riddle needs someone to make the effort and chase it and solve it, unlike a joke which is the one to make the effort. A riddle is about itself. In my opinion, Joker is saying that he saved Batman from killing someone and destroying himself, because Joker needs someone to make laugh... he needs an audience for the jokes he's trying to tell, and that audience is Batman. Riddler isn't the same; Riddler needs someone to solve him.
Anyway, can't say I'm an expert on the dynamics between Batman and Riddler, this is just my personal opinion. But I hope this helped with understanding the differences a bit more! Or maybe don't take it from me, take it from Joker's own pep-talk to Edward in Death of the Family:
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near doodles
playing with names... wildfire frenzy sounds [chris sabat vegeta voice] Mondo Cool. all criticisms have been preemptively denied its my story i think it sounds sick af
the gang did not expect to see a walking corpse today. unfortunately for them...
#why is echo in clocktower arc???#... crude oil flammable... ........ ok hes my fave character#also because him and the villain are two sides of the same coin but that's yknow whatever IT BURNS#Echo was part of the og 4 merpeople in that one story i had that 'became' Veneer so he gets special treatment okay ;-;#... no i still can't draw profile shots... not my problem anymore tho i already did the drawing now u have to deal.#i tried a different way of drawing his hair i think i like this version better bc it's less effort but still gets the shapes across#open to [con]crit on that tho#Leonardo James Bingham#Sarah DiAngelo#Chase Allen#Patty Lupine#veneer#julian diggory
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A Story Done Right
Kill Bill, The Princess Bride, Blue-Eyed Samurai, Wrath of Khan. Our media is saturated with revenge stories. Even children's tales often have revenge as a sweeping premise (e.g., the countless Star Wars villains as a modern example, but older tales such as Cinderella were even more rife with vindictive messages). And to be honest, I have never cared for this plot type.
Revenge stories are usually violent, merciless, myopic, and pretty disregarding of 'collateral' losses. Not all, but most lack any type of interesting moral symbology and substitute dynamic storylines and complex character development in lieu of exciting action scenes and a prosaic fixation on bloodshed. There are certainly exceptions to this, many of the titles I listed above actually have a lot of great things going for them. But I would say that these qualities are in spite of their focus on revenge and not because of it.
And there are an endless number of animes, movies, books, and other stories based on revenge that simply do not appeal to me (not judging other people if they like violent action media, just not my personal taste). Most of the time, I am just left feeling empty at the end, like Neo after volume 9.
But there is one exception to this theme. One revenge story that leaves me feeling whole, not empty. From the banner image, I think it is pretty obvious which story it is. This is my own highly subjective opinion, but I truly believe that the fight with Adam represents the perfect revenge story. And here is my reasoning.
Revenge is Not The Hero's Purpose
In too many stories, the premise begins with douchebag 'X' killing damsel 'Y', leading to hero 'Z' killing a lot of henchmen and blowing up a lot of buildings all for the singular purpose of making Mr. X pay. Once they achieve this purpose, they look around aimlessly before wandering off to have a milkshake or play golf or something. Yeah well, this story does not do this. Killing Adam was never the objective for Blake and Yang, because they have actual goals that involve saving people and not just executing some vendetta.
Don't get me wrong. I love redemption stories, I find them so much more satisfying, especially when the character in question has to struggle to overcome the gravity of what they have done (note: a redemption arc does not mean instant forgiveness, it might never end with actual for absolution for what they have done). I love Emerald's story and think it has a lot of interesting twists that it can take. But there are some characters who are just too far gone to save. And Adam fits that perfectly.
He has a tragic backstory and I truly pity him. But he is also an abusive, murdering shitlord who manipulated and groomed Blake (I wouldn't be surprised if he physically or sexually abused her, which is somewhat implied by her frequently defensive body posture, but is not definite). He kills out of spite and represents Yang's demon, who she could have become. It was cathartic to watch him fall, but I am ever so grateful that his demise was not the purpose of Blake and Yang. Because killing him out of spite for what he did to them would not be much different than the way he lashed out at others for the traumas that he has endured. Some might call it justice, but justice and revenge are two sides of the same coin and the edges between them can be blurry.
The point is, Yang and Blake are so much more than Adam. They killed him out of necessity, not out of hate.
They Are Set on the Future
As I mentioned, I often feel empty at the end of a revenge story. When the villain lies dead within a pool of their own blood and the hero has achieved everything they sought to accomplish, what more is there really? Often, I feel like the story has reached its ending without really achieving anything of note. Often, without really making the world a better place. A plot about revenge is not the same as one about taking someone down to save other people. The former is what Adam wanted and it would have made the world a worse place. But Yang and Blake are protectors. The fight was exhilarating and satisfying, but it ultimately humanized these characters whereas most revenge stories do the opposite, treating human life as cheap entertainment to be killed in the most 'epic' way possible.
But more important, the fight left me feeling excited about the future, rather than feeling burn out from seeing the villain die. Adam was fixated on the past. He was a character of the past. He represented Blake and Yang's trauma, their old demons and fears. He had no further place in their character arcs, because they had evolved into something so much more. Killing Adam was not the end of their story as it is in so many revenge plots. It was simply a new beginning. It felt whole and wholesome. Past, present, and future.
Because it is the People Who Matter
Ultimately, the fight was never about killing Adam. It was about bringing Yang and Blake together. About having them overcome the demons of their past. About the importance of mental health. About their individual traumas (abandonment issues & PTSD for Yang and Blake's fear of hurting others). About the challenges that LGBTQ+ people face in finding security in a hostile world. It was about these two, fucking amazing characters and the ineffably wondrous relationship that forms between them. One based on actual fucking support, equality, and love.
That is all I have on this right now. Hopefully, I did not offend too many people by criticizing typical revenge stories. But I have been wanting to talk about my love and appreciation of this scene for years. I know there have been so many more people who have discussed these same themes and points before, probably more adroitly than my rambling mess, but this is my rambling mess. Thanks for reading!
Random side trivia 1: Mandy Patinkin, the actor who played Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, is famous for his iconic line, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Mandy felt that the scene was symbolic of feelings towards the illness that took his father. But regarding revenge against people, he actually dislikes his iconic line and how it idolizes revenge.
Random side trivia 2: I love Jeff & Casey William songs and I just love BMBLY (except or that creepy line about the birds and butterflies knowing, wtf). But as an ecologist, I should note that bumblebees do not make honey. Jeff was thinking of European honey bees. Bumblees are cute, fuzzy, chunky super pollinators that live in the ground, in hollow plant stems, or other obscure spots and are either solitary or have very small hives. They virtually never bother people and are super pollinators, actually much better pollinators than honeybees (which are super awesome cool in their own right, but also highly invasive in the western hemisphere and hurt our native pollinators D: And yes, I cherry-picked the ugliest picture of one that I could find). Many bumblebees are endangered, just like our beloved Bumblebees. Save the bees! AND THE BEES!
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HSR 2.1 SPOILERS AHEAD BE WARNED.
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Okay now that everyone who hasn't caught up has left: let's talk framing of the IPC.
When Topaz released, a lot of you were ragebaiting and telling people you hoped their jobs exploited them when people were like "oh I like her as character." Notably, I personally haven't seen that kind of ragebaiting with Aventurine's backstory and the answer isn't just misogyny, but it is related to how little some of you pay attention.
Topaz and Aventurine are peers, and are clearly juxtaposed as two sides of the same coin. While Aventurine was a literal slave, his people wiped out Aventurine eventually gambling his way into the IPC to become a Stoneheart, his backstory doesn't actually differ that much from Topaz's. Remember: both of these characters are antagonists to our Crew when the audience learns their histories.
Topaz lost everything to the IPC. She's a kind of scary career woman nowadays, but you have to remember that her world was on the brink of collapse and her world's leaders sold their entire population to the IPC. While Topaz may come across as more well adjusted than Aventurine is, the IPC's main strategy is putting their victims in a position where they can't reasonably refuse. It's why Aventurine is such a good lapdog of theirs: since he's willing to bet everything in order to win. He's adept at playing desperate and risky. A lot of discussion of Topaz's character misses this coercion aspect of her backstory because of how it's framed.
The Topaz Interlude is less focused on Topaz herself and more on showcasing the dark side of the IPC. Topaz herself is put in a murky light: friend, foe, and unlikely ally all in one. Her arc in that interlude puts the theme in neon lights "IPC bad, they're solutions aren't necessary if people work together" and Topaz as the "villain" is then "Defeated" and she withdraws and takes the L, leading to her arrival in 2.1 alongside Jade for Aventurine's plan.
Arguably, Aventurine is worse than Topaz in a lot of day-to-day regards: he doesn't have Topaz's sense of compassion and desperate desire to do good, he's openly lying to the cast and doesn't care particularly about their safety, and is actively trying to put Penacony back in the hands of the IPC so they can turn it back into an interstellar prison. (We don't have time to explain why Prisons Are Bad. Go listen to Angela Davis and get back here.) His goals don't feel as evil because of several factors: the first being that HSR knows he has a tragic backstory and is milking it for all that it's worth. Dead parents? Dead sister? Dead culture? Enslavement leading to indentured servitude leading to a deathwish? They give him the game's first perspective shift so you're even more willing to empathize and sympathize with him and his plight, something they'd never do for Topaz, a character whose morality is considerably more conflicted and put on the spot.
Penacony is also a much darker locale than Belobog: when Topaz arrives on Jarilo-VI, we've already solved all of their conflicts (theoretically. we're trusting that bronya can fix all of the shit her mother wrecked), so Topaz arriving is a unifying force of characters we already know an like. Penacony is a lot darker, and you're already primed to distrust and dislike them since they're well. The Family. People who might be just as bad as the IPC. This creates a weird moral flip in the eyes of the audience if you're not paying enough attention: the plot isn't "Penacony bad, therefore IPC good now" it's pretty clearly "Penacony bad, IPC possibly even worse" and the fact that Aventurine has set them up to win should send shivers up the spines of the viewers.
Does the Dreamscape deserve to exist? If the IPC gets their way, it won't matter what the answer is. And Aventurine has gone all in to make sure it's so.
#hsr#aventurine#ipc#topaz#you can totally say that topaz didn't get any fo this but aven did because he's a man btw. but I'm showcasing the story structures they use#to get you to that point: which if Topaz had gotten as well she'd be a considerably more sympathetic character and fan reaction-#-might have been less extreme
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I still feel bad for Top.
And . . . I think he is the only sane one of the group.
Mew - When Top slept with Boston again, no matter how much Top wanted to be Mew's boyfriend, Mew had Top down in the "just talking" stage, so he didn't cheat. Boston even pointed this out. Also, Mew wasn't upset that he has sex, but instead he was upset that it was with Boston.
Boston - Top always has to fight off Boston or give in to him and even he told Boston in the elevator that he is tired of fighting off Boston while Boston told Ray he is just greedy for Top.
Nick - He recorded both Boston and Top having sex, then told Top to leave Boston alone (the audacity). Top even warned Nick that Boston was trash pero Nicolas no le importa.
Sand - Top has tried to let the past stay in the past both times he has encountered Sand in the wild, but Sand has gone left both times and Top has matched his energy. He even tried to get Sand to call a truce, but instead, Sand stole the sex tape off of Nick's phone and gave it to Ray.
Ray - Top knows Ray is in love with Mew, which is partially the reason that Ray hates Top, but I don't know if Ray didn't spill the beans about the sex tape at the party in front of everyone because Mew already knew or because Ray has some level of ethics that these other people lack. Either way, this is why he is my #1.
Chueam - This is a me thing, but homegirl is really strange about Top. She always talks about him being top-tier TO HIS FACE and mentioned Mew losing his virginity to a top-tier guy one too many times for my liking.
YET NONE OF THIS IS EVEN ABOUT TOP!
Top is not seen as a person to any of these people and is a pawn in Boston and Mew's weird competition with each other. We done been knowing this isn't about Top.
This is about Top being the prize trophy in this toxic ass friendship!
Mew doesn't like Top. He likes the idea of Top. Because instead of making the sex about Top, Mew makes it about Boston.
Mew and Boston are two sides of the same damn coin!
Look at Top's face with both of them. He can't wrap his brain around the mental gymnastics these two are doing in order to make everything about each other. Which is why they have continued to use Top as a prop in their Toxic Ass Friends Olympics.
Then, insert Nick and Sand.
Nick is so obsessed with Boston that he Jolene-ed Top which is humorous since Top doesn't understand why anyone would openly want Boston. And Sand is so obsessed with avenging his broken heart (which is ironic that he told Ray to focus on him instead of Mew, yet this shit all went down because Sand was so focused on his EX CHEATING ON HIM that he dragged Ray into his plot for revenge!) that he won't let the past stay dead and buried, but instead decides to walk it around like a pet zombie.
Ray, even though he is in love with Mew, is the only one who got this right.
Top isn't a prize.
He isn't a cheater.
He isn't just a body for sex.
He isn't the villain.
He isn't a pawn.
He isn't a Jolene.
He is an asshole.
Surrounded by a bunch of fucking dicks.
And they all want a piece of him.
#only friends#run top run#i still feel bad for him#only friends the series#he is an asshole#stuck in the middle of this toxic friend group ]
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Quick bnha 387 reaction 'cause I need to sleep:
I'm super glad we're not getting the whole "Enji sacrifices himself as a resolution of his redemption arc, while Dabi dies but at least gets to die with his dad" thing. I'd have hate it so much lol.
Rei Todoroki, the woman you are.
Something something if Touya gets to live because of his mom quirk, because his mom got there to help him cool down, because his siblings help too with their quirks... Thinking about Shoto refusing to use his fire quirk at first 'cause he didn't want to be like his father and Touya using his fire quirk to the extreme because he wanted to be like his father and how they always fall to their mother say when they need it the most.
MR. COMPRESS COME BACK, COME BACK WE NEED YOUUUUUUUU. BUT ALSO STAY SAFE, OKAY? STAY AWAY FROM THE MESS
Love to hear more about the Himuras.
It took several traumatic instances but Enji is finally understanding what he needs to do in order to begin his road to atonement slash redemption.
TOUYA CALLING NATSUO'S NAME.
I love fire demon Dabi wjdbdkbe.
The last panel, where Rei remembers how Touya told her it was her fault too and she let him go, broke my heart. She won't stay back this time. She won't stay sit while her son explode yet again, dragging them all with him this time.
Spinner was really educating the League on quirk discrimination and they really listened to him, uh? Like them all defending Magne's pronouns. I love to see respectful villains.
I'm glad Geten is okay. I find him intersting as a character and he didn't deserve to die.
Touya and Shouto really are TwT the fire and ice quirk villain and hero TwT two sides of the same coin TwT brothers and equals TwT
I'm tired of AFO and I wish we stay a lot on the Todorokis sjdbskjd BUT ALSO SHOW ME KUROGIRI AND AIZAWA AND PRESENT MIC AND SHOW ME TOGA AND OCHAKO AND TOMURA AND IZUKU AND AJSBSKDJ
I loved this chapter.
#bnha#mha#boku no hero academia#my hero academia#league of villains#lov#bnha spoilers#mha spoilers#bnha leaks#mha leaks#bnha 387#mha 387#dabi#Touya todoroki#toya todoroki#todofam#enji todoroki#endeavor#rei todoroki#shouto todoroki#Shoto todoroki#mr. compress#sako atsuhiro#geten himura
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So many plotpoints I just don't understand in this arc. Why have bkg die? Why have him fight afo? Why have izuku lose his arms? What purpose has any of it served???? At all???????
Todorki and ochakos fights were handled so well and streamlined and benefited their characters and arcs but bkgs and dekus have been a mess all bcus hori is a coward who won't just let them fight together bcus ig save to win and win to save meant nothing at all
Why have bkg die?
I think it's pretty clear from the way that whole thing was framed that the purpose of Katsuki dying was symbolic. This is a staple of Japanese drama running all the way back to kabuki. It is a trope for a main character to die to shed their mortal incarnation and come back to life as their deified form. Katsuki's death runs perfectly parallel to Tomura's from the PLW arc right down to the part where they are both responsible for their own resurrections. It's probably one of the best cases I can think of where a character's death actually did further that same character's arc without fridging them for the sake of someone else.
Why have [Katsuki] fight AFO?
Because AFO was set up as a "what if" scenario or cautionary tale for Katsuki, the other side to his "villains and heroes are two sides of the same coin" storyline. AFO in his physical form has a different character arc and story utility from AFO the quirk vestige. He provided a lot of backstory that allows us to infer the subtlety of how Katsuki is likely some sort of reincarnation of Kudou, the mechanics of which we will never need to revisit because they're unimportant. It was about karma and personal growth. It was about showcasing how Katsuki is an heir to many legacies, All Might's included.
Why have Izuku lose his arms?
Again, it's symbolic. It's been foreshadowed pretty heavily that Izuku would risk losing his arms in reaching out to save someone. This was a demonstration of his willingness to take on that risk. It also provides a moment for Eri to get in on the "everyone contributes a little bit to the fight" action all the other characters have been allowed to have. We don't even know yet what state Izuku will actually be in when this is all over, so it'd be premature to jump to any major conclusions about all of this. The story may still have a lot to say about this.
What purpose has any of it served???? At all???????
To entertain me specifically.
Todorki and ochakos fights were handled so well and streamlined and benefited their characters and arcs but bkgs and dekus have been a mess all bcus hori is a coward who won't just let them fight together bcus ig save to win and win to save meant nothing at all
Bold of you to assume you've read the final chapter in the story yet.
#anon ask#ask pika#my hero academia manga spoilers#final arc spoilers#at this point i'm just gonna have to get snarky about all of these sorts of asks#if you guys won't stop to think about this story and find the answers to your questions yourself why is that my problem#you're entitled to your own opinion#but jeez#one sloppy chapter and you all go off the deep end with it i swear#as if every story out there doesn't have a bit of this going on#seriously#is this sort of reaction really merited just by the fact izuku's arms are being healed???#if you need context just know i've been getting a ton of asks like this lately and i'm pretty sure they're not all from different people
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oh God I hope, those ‘how dare you pick Gale?!’ anons, don’t annoy you too much or sour Astarion for you. Both are great romances and I’m glad Gale gets some love as well.
Admittedly, Astarion fans have kind of been souring his character for me, but I'm trying very hard not to let that happen. My friend and I were actually talking about this yesterday, funny enough. She's an Astarion fan, but she admits the hateful energy people have for Gale is pretty hypocritical, because everything people hate about him also blatantly applies to Astarion. The insecurity, the emotional outbursts, the trauma, the arrogance—they're literally two sides of the same coin, and liking them shouldn't be a competition.
When I first met Astarion, we didn't really vibe, but I was content with his character ... until I started getting anons and comments on Tumblr, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube from people bashing Gale; calling him an incel, possessive, selfish, etc., and all in comparison to Astarion, for some reason. It seems like every time I write a nice comment or analysis of Gale, I'm challenged by Astarion fans who berate me for liking Gale more. Or for romancing him at all. I've received the weirdest comments, from people saying Gale supposedly abused Mystra (even though he's the victim in an unfair power dynamic) to someone telling me his grooming "isn't a big deal" because he was probably in his late teens to early twenties the first time Mystra "slept" with him. 😕
Someone even told me he's like an alcoholic who can't stop drinking, and as someone who grew up with an alcoholic father, that's both insulting and completely incorrect. You can't just walk away from an addiction after one conversation, the way Gale can. I know it's just a game and normally I enjoy a good debate, but some of the comments I've received are downright feral, to the point that I'm hit with ad hominems and accusations. I like Gale, therefore I must be a horrible person, stupid, an incel-lover, a glutton for abuse, etc.
There are entire subreddits and YouTube videos dedicated to hating on Gale, as if he's the main villain of the game or something. And even more scary, some fans have taken their discourse to the actors directly. Apparently when Tim Downie was on Neil Newbon's podcast, people in the comments were calling him an incel and telling Neil not to give him a platform. Tim is just a nerdy British guy with a wife and kids, he probably doesn't even know what an "incel" is. Luckily the mods caught most of it and banned a lot of users, but the comments were getting spammed with Gale hate.
But I'm trying not to take it out on Astarion, as I know it's not really fair for me to do so. I also know this is probably just a vocal minority of vicious fans that don't represent the community as a whole. Plus, I think Neil Newbon did an incredible job and he seems like a genuinely nice person. I don't want to hate his character, especially since I know Astarion can change. In fact, I just finished his personal quest and found his little "thank you for saving me" speech to be quite sweet and heartfelt. And thank you for your kindness. You're the first person who's told me you enjoy both characters and that you appreciate both of their romances, so that restores some of my faith. ❤
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Transfem Percy Jackson is a hilarious ass headcanon not because of 'huehuehue men being called women is so funni!!' transmisogyny bullshit but because it was completely untentional coding yet it's so instrinctly built into her writing that it becomes funny
Percy's always like 'Sigh.....I wish i didn't have to be a stereotypical guy but i guess i have to be to fit in......Anyway time to never actually try to act like one'.She's canonically described by the unlabeled butch and first gay boy as 'not their type' because she's not masc looking/presenting enough for her and isn't the ideal man he thought she was.The book where she officially becomes a teenager by virtue of being 13 in it introduces The Hunters of Artemis,an archaic mythological group who were a metaphor for lesbians and confirmed in-universe to accept trans girls,and a major plot point is her proving herself to be extremely different from the men they've known before along with the death of the aformentioned gay boy's older sister who she becomes an older sibling figure and pseudo-parent to and she acted the same towards said sister AND it also had her being jealous of a punk girl because she wanted to be treated and seen as same as her.She said her female love interest has princess hair when she first saw her and then it turns out Percy's dad is the king of Atlantis and told her 'The sea does not like to be restrained' and he's the same guy who found out one of his crush's was transmasc so he gave him a male body with his god powers
Her first girlfriend was a bombshell redhead weirdgirl who's obsessed with art and is an activist despite being only in high school and she was in love with her because she made her feel normal and because they could be completely honest with eachother.Her male best friend is a Team Dad like how she's a Team Mom and who's werewolf-adjacent and the walking embodiment of positive and healthy masculinity and her idea of calling him hot was to compare him to Superman and he worships the ground she walks on and they're 'two sides of the same coin' narratively.This one's not funny but her biggest villain was that older creepy guy who pretended to be her friend at her summer camp when she was 12 only to turn out to have been using her and he spends up until his death stalking her and acting entitled to her attention and he's also a canon pedophile who's meant to be an illustration of how 'hot older men' who go after younger people are in fact just losers and child abusers that use conventional attractiveness and practiced charming abilities to their advantage to hide what monsters they are so they can deny it to themselves too
She's surroended by literal male sex gods but hates all of them,Persephone favors her over other demigods,Artemis fw's her and the last book of the og series is her befriending the first ever eldest daughter in Hestia.The second book of the sequel has a SECOND instance where Percy gets an all girl mythos group plotline in the Amazons who she ALSO proves herself to.These are all literally canon,i am NOT joking guys.She deserves a blue estrogen burger and she/sea themed pronouns fries i think
#my forever girl....#percy jackson#transfem percy jackson#black percy#latino percy#autistic percy jackson#team mom percy jackson#pastel punk percy jackson#piper mclean#nico di angelo#percabeth#rachel elizabeth dare#t4t perachel#jason grace#trans jason grace#t4t jercy#anti luke castellan#the amazons#pjo gods#black nico di angelo#leah is our annabeth#nigerian rachel dare#lesbian rachel dare#black grace siblings#thalia grace#pjo#trans women#x black!reader#summerposting#antilukercy
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Ron Stoppable Lipsky concept - A Sitch in Time AU
Ok hear me out:
This is my take on a slightly darker themed story. All of this would play out during the 'a sitch in time' special. The villains go to Middleton in the past to disarm their teenage foe by preventing her from ever becoming friends with Ron and in turn training him to become an agent of chaos with only one mission: eliminate Kim Possible.
The team would kidnap Ron, erase all of his memories and start training almost immediately.
Duff Killigan is the first one to drop out upon hearing this plan. He thinks this goes a bit too far: sure getting rid of Kim is nice and all, but kidnapping a wee lad from his parents and brainwashing him? That doesn't sit right with Killigan. Yes, he's world's deadliest golfer, but this has NOTHING to do with golfing.
Monkey Fist is on the other side of the coin: he wants to ensure that Ron will never get his hands on ancient monkey power. He wants to kill the child. That way he'll never become friends with Kim nor obtain monkey powers. Drakken, Shego and Duff object heavily to it and battle ensues. Monkey Fist is outnumbered, Drakken opens a portal to a remote past and Shego kicks Fiske in. Duff takes his chances to save Ron by trying to push Shego in but Drakken notices it, makes Duff trip and follow after Monkey Fist. Now only Dr. Drakken and Shego are left and they go on with the plan.
Ron gets kidnapped, brainwashed, tutored and trained in private by the two of them.
Things have changed quite a bit for both Drakken and Shego. The plan is still top priority but they do find a bit of joy in raising the kid. Drakken and Ron are almost inseparable at this point. At first Drakken was annoyed by the constant questioning of the child, but once Ron showed enthusiasm for Snowman Hank and helping his 'dad' out in the lab, Drakken warmed up, a lot.
Shego had a more calculated approach at the start. Since she has a degree in children's development, she knows how and where to manipulate little Ron. Other than that she started training him young and got a lot of fun out of teaching the boy different fighting techniques and him chopping a wooden plank in half and injuring a henchman at the same time!? Amazing!! As a bonus: the hugging, the "I love you mama"s at bedtime and the surprisingly sweet bouquets of hydrangeas she received for mother's day were very sweet.
The three became an unexpected family.
Ron is a whole different person now. Calculated, sharp and very skilful in fighting. But he also has a softer side to him that comes out when he and Drakken start talking about nerd stuff.
One day, Shego stole a very valuable microchip, one of the last pieces they needed for world domination and like clockwork; Kim Possible appeared at the lair to save the day. However it wasn't the evil megalomaniac and his sidekick she had to fight but, a teenage boy? Wait, she recognised his face!
They fought and for most of it, Kim dodged and analysed her opponent. Ron growing frustrated started to fight more recklessly, giving Kim opportunities to strike. She managed to get back the microchip and got away but not before reassuring Ron that she'll 'help' him.
Shego partially felt like she had failed the training and that this 'mother charade' was to blame for it. The boy was still weak and his weakness affected her over time.
Drakken let it slide. He saw this as a victory because comparing Ron to how he used to be, this was a very close to being the ultimate weapon against the teen hero. The boy needed just a bit more drive and Drakken knew that revenge would be just that.
Drakken sent out Ron to retrieve the once stolen microchip to redeem his previous failure and as extra task: kill the teenage hero.
Ron manages to find Kim alone in her house and they start battling it out. Kim tells him that she has suspicions that he's not who he thinks he is nor are Drakken and Shego. She tells him about the boy that got abducted on the first day of kindergarten, the missing posters and how the entire city was on a wide search for him. Ron gets conflicted over all of this and breaks down. Kim wants to comfort him but gets punched out cold. Ron is about to give a final strike and end her but what she said, he has to know if she was speaking the truth. He finds the microchip and returns home.
Drakken is delighted when his 'son' returns and even more proud to hear that "Kim Possible has been taken care of." Drakken leaps into the air and says that this calls for a doomsday party. Ron says he feels a bit tired and retreats to his bedroom. Later on when everyone's passed out, he starts snooping around and after thorough searching. Ron finds out about the entire plan and the monkey idle. He calls for Kim through her website and she arrives. He tells her what happened and how to fix this until they get disturbed by Drakken and Shego.
The four of them battle it out with both parties hurt by this betrayal. In the end the money idle shatters and brings everything back to the status quo.
QUESTIONS I IMAGINE SOME OF YOU HAVE
"Kim and Ron lost at the start of the special because they lived far apart from one another, how would this play out here?" Easy, Drakken managed to disrupt the kimmunicator signal connected to Wade before, who says he can't do it again? Señior Senior Senior also managed to find Wade's home address so it won't be hard to find him and destroy all his tech. That way, Kim won't know where the villains are.
"But wouldn't present Kim stop them by going back in time?" No, she can't. There is no supreme one in this story, so Rufus 3000 (Kim's key to time travel) has likely a happy life OR doesn't exist. Besides the villains won't interfere with her memories from that day. They make sure not to get spotted by little Kim at all. Soon enough the timeline changes and Kim won't remember meeting Ron at all.
"But will Kim still be a hero? Ron convinced her to take on her first mission after all!" I'd say yes! Kim was always destined to be a hero. She might get more cries for help from people in need. I mean, when in crisis people might make mistakes writing to team Impossible. Kim wouldn't be able to ignore these requests because people are in danger and she feels the need to help.
"Won't Dr. Drakken and Shego be very old by the time Ron caught up in age?" Sitch in time's final act was a 20 years future gap and going from past to present is around 7 years + if they really care about appearances, they can still use the juvinator that Drakken has.
"Where are past Drakken and Shego? Won't they ruin the plan?" Like in sitch in time they would've probably convinced their past selves to go along with the plan. So let's say this is the timeline present day and past Drakgo:
- Drakgo goes to past, explains the plan to their past selves including the importance of the monkey idle and where to find it and secure it before past monkey fist gets his hands on it.
- Co-exist and follow the plans. They got double the ammunition for world take over and present day Drakken points out flaws in past Drakken's designs and plans.
- Once they caught up to present day, team past goes back in time to repeat the cycle (this time without Monkey Fist and Duff).
Hope you like this little concept!!
Special thanks to @creatorping for discussing the design with me!
#kim possible#kimpossible#kim possible sitch in time#dr drakken#drakken#shego#drdrakken#drakgo#dr. drakken#drakken x shego#shegoxdrakken#evil ron stoppable#ronstoppable#ron stoppable#duff killigan#duffkilligan#monkeyfist#monkey fist#lord monty fiske
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Villain Leo Animatic - Breakdown
⚠️TW: Violence, Blood, Guns, Themes of suicide, Attempted murder
youtube
The animatic takes place over a few years, starting from when Leo reveals himself to his brothers again after a 3 year absence (23 years old). It focuses on the tension between Leo and Donnie as time goes on, Leo’s resolve crumbling while Donnie slowly loses himself as well. In other words, who’s really the villain? This is going to be very long, let’s get 🔪started🔪
The Coin
Sue me if it wasn’t obvious, I will not figure out how to animate a coin flipping. But the circle motif shows throughout the video because they’re twins, two sides of the same coin. What happens to one, will happen to the other.
The Pupils
The pupils were a signifier of their current moral standing. White for “villain” and black for “hero”. It could also be seen as insanity vs. sanity. You’ll notice that by the end of it, Leo and Donnie have switched but I also want to point out where and why:
Donnie
After Leo left, Donnie spent all his energy going into finding him. He’s worried, he cares, he wants his brother back regardless if Leo has committed murder. He couldn’t find him, and it’s here that Leo reveals he’s been working with Kendra for all tech related support.
Donnie and Kendra’s relationship at this point is more of a rivalry. They have a respect for each other and as much as Donnie hates to admit it, he looks forward to seeing the inventive ways Kendra can get in his way. She’s been a constant in his life since a teenager. However, she’s been a constant “enemy”.
Donnie sees this as the biggest betrayal against him. His own brother willingly teaming up with his rival like that. Leo’s supposed to be on his side, and this is so uncharacteristic to Donnie that it’s at this moment he realizes he doesn’t Know Leo anymore. This is where he loses hope on bringing Leo back because the Leo he knew doesn’t exist.
Leo
The animatic takes place over a few years, roughly three. We haven’t publicly explored what’s going in these years but a quick summary of it is that Leo has been spiraling further and further since the start. Since the Kraang invasion actually. His goal has always been to protect his brothers, it’s simply that his method of it became extreme, he became obsessed with it.
At this point, it’s near the end. He’s tired, he’s been questioning his motives, he doesn’t know if it’s all worth it, in comparison to his desire to just be with his family again. He fights with Donnie and he’ll never use lethal force against him, but that’s not the case with Donnie. Donnie is doing everything in his power to kill Leo and when Leo realizes this, his first thought is “what has my brother turned into?”. It’s sobering, reality crushing, when he realizes his own twin desperately wants him dead. He gives up.
First Chorus
I wanted a moment that showcases a bit of Leo’s skills and personality. He’s clever, strategic, manipulative, and his strongest weapons are his words. He knows this. He’s a good actor and he’s a performer, all to show that that’s the villain aspect of him that he’s struggling with. It taunts him. Still, he believes the best way to protect his family is to eliminate all threats possible.
Donnie’s progression are the stages of grief he’s going through realizing his brother is “dead”. He watches recordings of their past to figure out where things went wrong, but also to grieve.
Time is a bit vague here and there’s quite a bit that isn’t shown here actually. Leo has cut ties with Kendra (that’s a whole separate thing and the result is that Donnie hates Leo even more). Donnie watches Leo through the cameras throughout the city. Leo knows he’s being watched, it’s bittersweet, he’s already having doubts during this time. Donnie, during this time, has decided to transform the Genius Built company and turn it into tech powerhouse. It used to be a side project, but now he’s utilizing it to take over power on topside in terms of technology and economy. This is a parallel to how by this time, Leo has near full power and control in the undercity crime rings.
The Bridge
Leo questions everything he’s doing as the past taunts him of how things used to be, of how things Should be. Also dives into his reason for all of it. The Kraang hurt the people he loves the most, as if they were worthless.
On Donnie’s side, he’s more and more determined to take Leo down with his own hands. That is his sole goal. Everything he is doing and creating is for that purpose. But his inner child, a part of him that wishes for things to just be ok again, is desperate for him to stop, to question things and think. Also he’s CEO of GB at this point. Pretty straightforward with the Leo is the person he hates the most but was once his beloved brother.
The Fight
Donnie using lethal force to do everything in his power to kill Leo. Leo is more skilled than Donnie is, he has more experience killing but he absolutely will not kill his brothers, that goes against everything he’s working for. Because of that, Leo is destined to lose this fight. He also loses his will to fight after seeing how much Donnie needs to kill him. While Raph was the first trigger of starting all of this, Donnie is the second trigger of making him give up.
Donnie won because Leo still loved him dearly.
“I’m glad it was you.”
Of all the people to kill him, he’s genuinely glad it’s Donnie who’ll do it.
On the other hand, Donnie recognizes the resignation in Leo’s eyes, but after the last few years, he can’t help but wonder if it’s another trick. He feels Leo’s ninpo, and he hasn’t felt it in a very long time. It’s nostalgic, it’s comforting, but he’s already come too far. “I must kill Leo” has cemented into his mind as a fact.
Parallels
I included these parallels because I wanna highlight that they’re “two sides of the same coin”. They’re twins and their fate are closely tied together. Leo will kill anyone to protect his family. Donnie will kill Leo to protect everyone, including his family.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading! The story doesn’t end, Leo doesn’t die here, I should clarify that LOL. There’s a lot more of the story to cover but I’m glad I was finally able to show this aspect of the au. If you have any questions, feel free to message me (xinrouska) or starrcrossrose on twitter, instagram, or tumblr!
#rottmnt#rise of the tmnt#rottmnt leo#rottmnt donnie#rise leo#rise donnie#villain leo au#xrh art#tw blood#tw violence#tw sui ideation#Youtube
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I’ve been thinking about Robin Year One and how that inciting incident with Two Face which is supposed to lead to Dick’s character arc throughout the story
Thing is at least for me personally, it wasn’t actually Dick’s fault at all on how badly it went since Two Face was rather unpredictable for the Dynamic Duo, to the point it can be conceivably called Out of Character for Harvey, especially since this meant in being ‘Formerly One of the Guys Bruce can Call a Friend’ Harvey
So if I may propose a very slight rewrite;
Have it so Two Face is genuine in giving Robin a Head Or Tails Choice but then Dick acts preemptively before he can make flip the coin, slipping off one of his boots to fling it right to Two Face’s hand, knocking the coin out of his hand and distracting the henchmen that moment so Robin can slip out of their grasp and make his way to the scaffolds to rescue Batman and the judge being held hostage. He’s able to successfully at least get them down but just as he’s about to untie their restraints…BAM! Then comes the baseball bat
In that moment of rage by losing his coin, Harvey and Two Face have come to an agreement: the brat must be punished for what he did.
Then you get the infamous beat down and Batman for once putting aside his deep down sympathy for Harvey to rescue his partner and the judge
From here it goes somewhat the same, only tiny other change I’ll do here is that Bruce gives Dick one last chance to prove to him that he’s capable of being Robin. He’ll have Dick on an undercover assignment to investigate some disappearances of some youths in Gotham on the streets, and have a small tracker Dick then can tap onto to call him in once he finds the source. Therefore, Dick can still encounter the Academy under Shirke
How’s that all sound?
Robin: Year One Issue #2
I agree!!
Dick changed the rules of their game and he did win because he said "clean side up, the judge doesn't hang."
But Harvey played dirty by using a play on words and cut the rope so "the judge doesn't hang." He cheated even more by having a secret panel in the floor that drops directly into the ocean.
"Have it so Two Face is genuine in giving Robin a Head Or Tails Choice but then Dick acts preemptively before he can make flip the coin, slipping off one of his boots to fling it right to Two Face’s hand, knocking the coin out of his hand and distracting the henchmen that moment so Robin can slip out of their grasp and make his way to the scaffolds to rescue Batman and the judge being held hostage. He’s able to successfully at least get them down but just as he’s about to untie their restraints…BAM! Then comes the baseball bat
In that moment of rage by losing his coin, Harvey and Two Face have come to an agreement: the brat must be punished for what he did.
Then you get the infamous beat down and Batman for once putting aside his deep down sympathy for Harvey to rescue his partner and the judge"
I love the original story but I LOVE THIS REWRITE!!!
Actually as you were describing, I could literally see it play in my head, it's so cleanly written.
I find it very interesting how you wrote about the significance of Two Face's coin and his mental state because I feel like this can be explored even further. Two Face is really into games and binary deals because that's his villain motto. And like his face, he uses the two sides of a coin to represent two different choices but same overall situation. By losing his coin, he lost both choices and it feels like an all or nothing situation of union. Typically both sides are always fighting but now they are one just like how the loss of the coin signifies there are no sides and only one answer. That's really cool!!
Also Batman beating down Harvey and this scene causing the loss of sympathy for his long time friend also makes it clearer why. Actually this writing helped me better understand Bruce's feelings toward Harvey even though it happened the same way in the comic. Bruce has a long line of patience for people who have wronged him. He's sometimes acts like an abused partner in a relationship which is why I feel so bad for him and mentioned some time earlier that I always forgive him for almost anything. I just feel bad for Bruce because he's gone through so much but he also self blames so much and lets criminals like Harvey go out of loyalty and love towards a friend.
However this scene is the feather on the camel's back because even though Harvey was once his friend, the second he beats up Dick he has become irredeemable. He can never forgive anyone who beats up his son and in a way this becomes Bruce's character growth arc too.
All in all this scene is pretty well written wow.
"From here it goes somewhat the same, only tiny other change I’ll do here is that Bruce gives Dick one last chance to prove to him that he’s capable of being Robin. He’ll have Dick on an undercover assignment to investigate some disappearances of some youths in Gotham on the streets, and have a small tracker Dick then can tap onto to call him in once he finds the source. Therefore, Dick can still encounter the Academy under Shirke"
I think this is a great idea! I like the comic version too where Dick cleaverly tricks and lures Freeze into a trap and captures him neatly for the Gotham police.
Robin: Year One Issue #3
This whole scene!!! I just live for Dick being the bane of all the criminals' existence.
"You annoying little gnat!"
"oh."
"I've been planning this operation for months, you little snot."
"...blasted meddling child..."
And the beginning too!
Robin: Year One Issue #1
Robin: Year One Issue #2
The criminals are just not having it!
"Yellow cape. Little pixie boots."
The way they describe him is hilarious too-
"little pixie boots"
It's funny how more than being done in, it rankled villains how they were done in by an elementary schooler who wore a bright canary yellow cape and little pixie boots. Robin dick grayson era was wild.
I love the continuation into Shrike though! The only reason I would have for sticking with the canon one is because it would be hilarious getting Bruce's reaction on Dick sneaking away to train under the league of assassins because he was mad at his dad. The first time Dick ran away, he became trained with the LoA and the second time he ran away, he got caught up in a cult. Dick just has some really crazy luck.
#dick grayson#robin dick grayson#bruce wayne#batman#cl paladinofnerdfandom65 asks#thanks for the ask!
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A while back, I mentioned I was going to do a Rook post because he’s incredibly sus haha. Not gonna lie, I almost forgot about it ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´ω`ﾟ)ﾟ｡ @voidlesslove, this one is for you! Thanks for reminding me because I think the results I found CHANGE EVERYTHING!!
Rook is a…strange boy, to say the least. As Epel describes him, the more you know about him, the more mysterious he is. However, Rook is incredibly honest and true to himself. He genuinely believes in the beauty in the world. It’s fitting he’s part of the ‘light magic trio’ that includes Kalim and Silver.
I am certain that there is a purposeful parallel between Rook and CROWLEY. Sounds weird, but Rook is one of the many keys to getting a glimpse of Crowley’s true personality. I’d say it’s to the point that Rook and Crowley are two sides of the same coin. I went through so many chats, vignettes, main story, and events to gather info for this, so I’d like to think that there is a connection 😭
Let’s start off the with basics. Rook, Crowley. Both names are a reference to the birds from the Corvid family: Rooks and Crows. Funnily enough, Crows tend to be solitary compared to the sociable Rooks. How fitting. The TWST wiki mentions how Rook could also be a reference to the chess piece, which resembles a castle. The wiki also mentions that Rook’s name being from the Corvid family might also be a reference to the Evil Queen’s pet crow.
It’s likely the reason why both of them make avian references. In Rook’s flight lessons, he often expresses the desire to fly and to be free, but interestingly enough, Book 5 has him make a lot of egg and chick references.
It’s more obvious in the JP text, but Crowley makes many, MANY egg and chick references. He views the students as eggs with unhatched potential- which makes him somewhat of a father figure, as he wishes to raise them.
In Book 5, Rook goes off on a tangent on how he views the others as unhatched chicks with potential- and how they each have an “egg tooth” that is unique to them. Since he’s also serving as a mentor figure to us, it makes sense that he sees us as baby birds or eggs. Coincidence?? I THINK NOT.
This may be a throwaway line, but I think it’s still another similarity. “With masks, we are free.” To Rook, Crowley is probably the one with the most freedom. From the way he flys, uses magic, and hides behind a mask, Crowley is free while everyone else is caged. (Credit to Ekala on YouTube for this Glorious Masquerade translation)
Side note, I’m a huge fan of the ‘Rook is a bird beastman’ theory, because no regular human could hear heartbeats or see far away things in detail without a binocular. But it makes me wonder- if Crowley was a bird FAE- and the Fae already have heightened senses- would he have Rook’s level of perception?? Kind of creepy to think about haha…
I believe that their similar references and themes set up Rook to be a character that has a greater understanding of Crowley than we ever could. However, there’s a catch- While Rook is honest and true, Crowley putting up an act, a facade. Or to be more specific, an enemy hiding in plain sight. Rook says many things that actually allude to this, and it’s very fascinating. If Crowley were to be revealed to be a traitor or a villain, Rook will be the character that will immediately understand Crowley’s motives- or even warn the others before the truth is revealed.
Book 6 is the most obvious hint. Rook mentions how hiding doesn’t signify weakness or cowardice. It’s just another strategic move to create bigger damage- by striking the enemy down when their guard is down.
And what has Crowley been doing this whole time? In the beginning, he seemed very reliable and mysterious. But over time, he pushes more work into MC, covering up Overblots, and generally makes himself look like a blubbering fool.
Yet the mystery is still there. He hides himself behind Yuu and just makes himself seem incompetent to the point that no student or player feels like they could rely on him. But Crowley is waiting for the right time to strike- he’s been Headmage for NRC for at least 100 years, and who knows how old he actually is. He’s successful and powerful for a reason. And in another post I made, Crowley is a “clever hawk who hides his talons.”
Another clue was how Rook says “many beasts and BIRDS use vocal mimicry to lure their prey.” Very…specific, don’t you think? Again, another tactic. Crowley actually has a surprising vocal range depending on his emotions. Compare the voice in the prologue to Crowley sobbing or being overly flamboyant and frustrated. My man has RANGE, and definitely uses it to his advantage to make himself appear weaker.
This hint was far more subtle, but sometimes that really intrigues me. When an Special Lesson is triggered when Rook is in an Alchemy lesson, he may say that “I feel as though I’m the quarry.” Aka Crowley’s prey. Rook definitely prides himself on being a hunter, how no prey can escape him, how he openly wants Leona to bite into his windpipe (this boy need help-). But no matter how threatening his prey is, Aka Malleus, Leona, the Tweels, Rook never feels like he’s the one being hunted. In fact, the more dangerous and defiant they are, the more he wants to chase them (he says this in a Ghost Marriage card line).
But the one character that Rook feels like he’s prey to is…Crowley? Hm. Interesting
This last hint was a blink-and-you-miss-it one, but it’s SO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, and cements the idea that Rook understands Crowley to a t.
A true enemy will never look over you…it is he who hovers in your periphery with a smile that you must be wary of.
In EVERY SINGLE ANIMATION, Crowley is always smiling. In the opening movie, in the anniversaries, he’s never interacting with any character, yet still has a smile on his face.
Many people in the fandom think Crowley is a deadbeat, lazy, coward, weaklings, etc. And you know what? It’s true to an extent, because that’s exactly what Crowley wants us to believe. And the more everyone believes it, the more he smiles.
(Aka my dramatic ass has to end with a dramatic ass line haha. But seriously, my mind is BLOWN AWAY from all this information, and I genuinely believe that these two parallel each other. But what do y’all think?? I was going to mention somewhere that Rook transferred from Savannaclaw, thus needing a private ritual, but I didn’t think it was too relevant 🤔 I could toss in a theory that Rook collects so much information to relay to Crowley, but he’s much too honest to do something like that? I’m not sure if Rook and Crowley have a LITERAL connection to each other, but there’s certainly something symbolic.)
#appreciate the meme I made for this post abxhdbbs#twst dire Crowley#dire Crowley#twst Crowley#twst Headmage#twst rook hunt#twst rook#rook hunt#twst theory#twst#twisted wonderland#KallistoPost
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Not that anon but I want ur metaltango explanation 👀
ok well
I'm pretty high, so gomen if this is incoherent.
basically, we know exactly three things about Krauser's past:
he trained Leon
he loved his men but couldn't protect them, and then couldn't even die alongside them, and he feels incredible guilt over that
Leon says that he had a code of honor that he kept to, and the game outright says that he used to be a good guy
none of that
literally NONE OF IT
even hints that Krauser was an abuser. in fact, it paints a total opposite picture.
Krauser is a dark omen of what Leon could become under the right conditions, because he was also someone who believed wholeheartedly in the institutions that were supposed to support him, in the rule of authority and law, and in the chain of command -- all things that Leon believed in in RE2.
and just like Leon in RE2, he had all of that ripped out from under him in the harshest way possible.
but unlike Leon, Krauser didn't have a Sherry Birkin to protect. he was left completely and utterly alone. abandoned. and born from that trauma was a desperation to never have that happen to him again, which is why he goes out seeking power to protect himself with.
if Leon had had everything stripped away from him the way that Krauser had, who's to say that he wouldn't have become a villain himself? he certainly had justification for it, after all that'd happened to him.
and the game harps on this a few different times. Krauser says to Leon that they're two sides of the same coin. he also has a line: "I know your every move. you learned them from me." the implication here is that Leon is still walking down that path. he's not out of those woods yet. if he doesn't save Ashley... then what?
so go back and rewind now.
rewind to Leon being fresh out of RE2 and all of the horrible shit that happened to him and being placed under command of this man who's at least ten years his senior but still believes in all of the things that betrayed Leon in Raccoon City. that was probably a pretty powerful revelation for him, and -- knowing what we know about Leon -- it was something that he would've wanted to emulate. Krauser was a strong man who took no bullshit from anyone, but he still had things that he believed in. that's exactly the kind of person that Leon would want to be.
and like. Krauser couldn't have trained Leon with the efficacy that he did if Leon didn't trust him completely. like yeah, Leon ran missions with his unit, but their trainings were one-on-one affairs. if Leon didn't trust him, he wouldn't have been able to learn shit from him. and since Leon went into this relationship not being able to trust himself, even, after RE2, to be able to trust someone else to that extent is a Big Fucking Deal, actually.
like.
Leon doesn't want to fight Krauser in RE4make. and he certainly doesn't want to kill him. even after Krauser kills Luis, Leon's still trying to talk it out with him. because he loves this man. Krauser believed in him when he didn't even believe in himself, and Krauser's teachings are what kept him going this long.
and on the flipside of things, Krauser looked at Leon and saw nigh-limitless potential stuck inside of a man who was too broken to see it. the one thing that held Leon back was his own distrust of himself, and so it became Krauser's goal to build that confidence in him back up in order to unlock that potential. and to be a part of something like that -- to have that kind of effect on another human being's life -- that's some really powerful shit, too.
but then Operation Javier happens. and Leon lives, when all of Krauser's other men die. how do you cope with something like that? unfortunately, Krauser didn't.
so metaltango is like... at least for me...
it's a mentor/student relationship that's far more personal than that. Leon looks up to Krauser, sure, and Krauser has a vested interest in helping Leon become the best version of himself that he can, but... it's more than that. both of them saw pieces of themselves in each other. both of them drew hope from one another. but then that hope in both of them died, leaving them with nowhere else to go but spiraling towards certain destruction. the story between Leon and Krauser is a tragedy, but that tragedy wasn't born from abuse. it was born from the trust and hope and love that was lost between them.
my brain is melting
i hope any of this is making sense
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important question: what are your top 5 favorite qualities of sonic’s character?
rattling you like a snow globe i am. OOOOOOOH i love sonic's character so much let's see (in no specific order)
1) moral ambiguity
sonic's not a typical goody-two shoes protagonist and i think that's super interesting, especially considering how his other "rival" video game protagonists at the time (like link and mario, etc) were. sonic's not a very cut ad dry character- he is a simple guy, sure, but when you start to peel away at some of his layers.... he's a lot more nuanced than you're lead to believe
sonic's very much a live by my own rules sort of person. and while his rules sort of match up to him being the good guy, it doesn't always make him "heroic". he killed king arthur under the complete understanding that king arthur was a real person. he kills erazor djiin. he encourages elise to kill solaris. sonic's not afraid to fight dirty, and he's not afraid to get his hands dirty when the situation calls for it.
most protagonists are more of a "we have to save everyone" or "if we kill the bad guy we're just as bad as them" type. but i think sonic specifically is interesting, because he does help some overcome their misdeeds- like knuckles, shadow, silver- but ultimately it's because those people weren't that bad in the first place. they were misguided and manipulated and confused. if they had a full grasp of the situation at hand, chances are, they would have chosen a different path. and even if they didn't, they still showed the potential for true growth.
but for a lot villains that are simply plain evil... sonic doesn't seem to particularly hesitate. sonic's attack in satbk would have undoubtedly killed merlina- he didn't know her well enough to assume that she could choose a different path, and was willing to act first and talk later, knowing he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it.
not even with eggman. he was going to let his counter part in satsr fall to his death, until shahra convinced him not to. he's used excessive lethal force before, especially in the classic games. and then of course there's the implications that sonic lets eggman get away because he finds their adventures fun. like yes, sonic's going to stop him- everything eggman does is against his principles. so sonic's going to fight him. but sonic is also a thrill seeker and a daredevil, and wouldn't life be quite dull without eggman?
2) villainous qualities
it sort of ties into sonic's more moral ambiguity but i think sonic's interesting because a lot of his qualities, depending on the framing, could be quite villainous in nature. a guy who chases after adventures, who fights just for the thrill of it, who's stubborn and doesn't ever compromise, who lives life by his own rules and doesn't care if the breaks other peoples rules?
if sonic ever chose to be a villain... he'd make a pretty good one. he has a different set of morals than others and he doesn't like compromising on his beliefs. he thinks he's right, so he's going to act on it. and quite a few sonic villains share a similar point of view- that their revenge, that their opinion, is correct, and they have no intention on listening to anyone else's.
additionally... sonic's not particularly shy with manipulating those around him. you can see this characteristic plainly in sonic x and idw, where sonic manipulates his friends into trying to get him off a boat and shadow into not killing eggman.
deep down, sonic isn't that much different from rouge, for instance. they're both thrill seekers who don't compromise on their beleifs and are, in some senses, quite selfish. they're very self driven and independent and are great manipulators. the only difference between the two of them is that sonic seems to have a bit more compassion. they're two sides of the same coin.
3) environmentalist
i kind of miss the messaging of the older games... sonic was always invested in maintaining the beauty of the natural world around him. he fights a villain who essentially pollutes just for the heck of hit. he started this heroing gig with little more motivation than protecting his woodland animal friends and their homes.
it wasn't always about gods and the hubris of men pretending to be them. at the very beginning, it was just about protecting a tiny island in the middle of the ocean and the little critters who lived there.
it's also interesting to note how this can translate to other scenarios, like with merlina. she wanted to go against the natural order of things, she wanted to try to create an eternal kingdom- sonic saw through her selfishness and also tried to convince her that some things just were meant to end. and sometimes you just have to enjoy it as it was.
4) kindness
i think the last point also segways into sonic's kindness- again, sonic didn't necessarily start this mission to save the world. sonic did this to save those little animal friends. he stepped up to the plate and challenged a mad scientist armed with thousands of robotic drones and fought him.
i think the best instance of his kindness is in sonic 06, where that same compassion actually causes the end of the world. sonic's insistence on helping elise, and not just saving her but getting her to smile, ends up dooming the world. he forms a bond so strong with her in the small amount of time they'd been together that seeing him die causes elise to cry for the first time in ten years. it's his death that sets causes the apocalypse, all because he was compassionate.
it's this kindness, too, that i think adds more nuance to his character. because sonic is at his core a devil may care daredevil, who only does what he thinks is right, and who only does things for the fun and the thrill of it. but its not entirely true, because sonic will go above and beyond the demands of the situations he finds himself in.
saving tails from his bullies? sure. he doesn't believe in oppressors of any form. but then essentially adopting that kid and letting him tag along on adventures, despite his solitary nature and unwillingness to settle down or be tied down? not necessary. saving angel island and giving knuckels abck his master emerald? well, he can't just let eggman win. befriending knuckles after? not necessary. helping shahra stop erazor djinn from devastating the arabian nights? well it's not like he's got anywhere else to be at the moment and it looks like a fun challenge. promising to get shahra to smile and taking the hit for her? not necessary. defeating merlina after she shows her true colors? it's what he thinks is the right thing to do, and her disregarding the natural order of things is just plain wrong. but trying to console her after they attempted to kill each other? unnecessary.
sonic is a bizarre juxtaposition of selfish and selfless. he's here to have fun and constantly seeks out danger, but he's not just willing to save the world- he's also here to help you smile.
5) subversion from usual "speed types"
sonic's also interesting to me in a sense that he's not really your average speedster, personality wise. yes, sonic can get impatient, and he that can lead to him being reckless, but for the most part... sonic isn't afraid of taking things slow and steady sometimes.
sonic's hobbies outside of fighting bad guys include reading, looking at pretty natural landscapes, and snoozing. when he's not fighting a bad guy he travels the world but otherwise has some pretty mundane, rather slow hobbies.
think of the usual speedster archetype- fast talking, always on the move, never sits still, chatty and friendly and kind of annoying.
and sonic can be all those things, but sonic's also allowed to be pretty slow. he's allowed to laze around and read a book or take a long nap. he's allowed to be solitary and non-social and quiet. he knows how to slow down and smell the roses. he knows to appreciate the moments he's got.
#+ one: i like his mystery#there's so much we jsut dont really know about his character. it's all interpretation really. fascinating#master emerald brothel
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I see mixed reactions on chapter 417. Some good meta about the connection between Tomura and Deku, opposite opinions about Nana Shimura, the usual speculation about what will happen or why certain things have happened so far.
I need to take a shower, but after that I'm back in full force here to explain what I think of it all.
Meanwhile, take these kinds of summarized items about what I think of the leaks:
At Tomura's core, what happened with the Shimuras is not a memory. It is constantly happening in real time, like a ghost loop. What happens there has real consequences.
At this point the story can't be even more obvious about the fact that Tomura hates Deku because Deku is everything Tomura could have been. They are each other's twisted reflections, two sides of the same coin. At the same time, they unconsciously admire and want to save each other, 'cause they see themselves in there.
Deku has taken Tomura's place and he's facing (in short) all the rejection and the attacks Tomura faced. The villains in Tomura's mind don't only want to break Deku's resolve, but also question his true motive. It's an echo of what they did to Tomura before.
The focus on Nana Shimura this chapter shows that heroes are only human. Even the strongest of them failed against AFO. They were fighting mostly alone! The only reason Deku is winning is because he has an army behind him. We're seeing how the cycle of abuse is not a thing of heroes and villains, but a thing of human failures that accumulate 'til they fester into the biggest problem.
Tomura and Deku have a private connection. This is not a thing of entertainment for the public. This is their story as the successors of AFO and OFA. No one knows their burden or the extension of their fight.
Actually a bit insane over how Horikoshi portrayed Nana and Kotaro's relationship in this chapter. Nana was the wound Kotaro couldn't get rid of.
Nana takes responsibility for what she did, but more important than anything, she was allowed to do something about it even if she was too late. She went back to her home, to her family. After 15 years, she's finally there to stop Kotaro from hitting Tenko. The loop is shattered. It is happening.
Tomura is not the only one going back to her origin. Deku is regressing along with him. By the end of the chapter, Deku is in his middle school uniform. They are becoming children together!!! They are going back to their most basic forms!!! That's how we're going to reach the panel of kid Deku extending his hand to kid Tenko (maybe?)
#bnha 417#mha 417#bnha#mha#my hero academia#boku no hero academia#bnha spoilers#mha spoilers#bnha leaks#mha leaks#bnha manga spoilers#league of villains#lov#shigaraki tomura#deku#midoriya izuku#shimura tenko#nana shimura#kotaro shimura
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