#power corrupts etc etc

[tennesseeroulette]

We NEED a time travel esque kirby game

#kirby #my art #meta knight #galacta knight #bandana waddle dee #nightmare #morpho knight #i like the idea of morpho knight having once been like a caterpillar #maybe they were like the opposite of a grim reaper like an agent of life instead of death #nightmare was once an ancient like hyness but he studied dark magic and was evil etc etc #maybe he sealed away galacta knight #bc he was too powerful? or was he actually getting in the way of nightmares evil plans 😈😈 #baby meta knight ofc #created by nightmare or just corrupted? idk #primal waddle dees were something that i was half expecting in forgotten land so now im putting them here #i like the idea that waddle dees have been around forever but their own progression as a society has been overlooked #the plot of the hypothetical time travel game? idk

[genericaces]

more rambling about a s5 au: lindsey comes back for a redemption arc to act as legal counsel for angel's team. this ostensibly gives gunn a reason to opt out of the lawyer operation, but he does it anyway because he doesn't trust lindsey not to fuck them over.

lindsey acts as a moral foil to gunn, who comes to believe his necessary contribution to the team (since he's no longer their only lawyer) is being the defender of the group's principles while working at w&h. they frequently butt heads while working on a case, but eventually develop a begrudging respect of each other's respective strengths.

this hostile-to-friendly-rivalry arc is tested when it comes out that w&h was responsible for some demon problem that's been plaguing gunn's home community. gunn has, unbeknownst to himself, been somehow contributing to it while working at w&h; lindsey knowingly contributed to it when he was last working there as a lawyer. lindsey is forced to confront who he was, while gunn is forced to confront who he’s becoming.

since he was involved in the project, lindsey uses his insider knowledge to help come up with a plan to fix the problem. they execute it, something goes wrong, and lindsey risks his life to ensure the plan goes off successfully. he expects congratulations and a pat on the back from gunn, but gunn isn't interested in absolving lindsey's sins (or his own), and their warming relationship freezes over.

at some point, gunn lets himself get taken by the senior partners in an effort to deal with his guilt over various lapses in judgment/perceived moral failures. during their rescue mission to the holding dimension, lindsey stays behind in gunn's place so he can escape, assuring gunn that he's the lawyer the team needs right now. their mutual arcs culminate in lindsey rejecting the idea that redemption is done for recognition, and gunn rejecting the idea that guilt/self-punishment is inherently redemptive.

eventually after being busted out by illyria, lindsey is there to empathize with gunn about losing parts of yourself (body, mind, and/or soul) to w&h, relationships to power when you've grown up without it, and what it means to live with the consequences of your actions. both of them reflect on the nature of redemption/forgiveness/intent as they grapple with how to own up to an appropriate share of the blame.

#imagine i'm explaining this to you like the charlie day pepe sylvia scene #now let's talk about two characters who have barely interacted can we talk about two characters who have barely interacted #angel the series #ats #charles gunn #lindsey mcdonald #i think it's about two people who have grown up with a front row seat to how people with power will use it to step on others #the difference being that gunn thinks 'i need to be strong so i don't let people in power fuck over me or my own' #while lindsey thinks 'i need to BE those people in power' #also lindsey's appearance is a big PITA to gunn because he's a reminder that to anyone looking from the outside #gunn now looks a lot like the same evil guys in suits that he once fought against #which also reflects some of the themes in s5 more broadly! can they do good while working within evil inc or will they be corrupted etc #plus there's a lot of parallels to what's going on with spike and angel #art

[obihoe]

i think its so crazy the way having power as a shinobi always seems to be such a double edged sword on naruto. like on one hand, u need it, its a tool for survival and it earns u respect from ur peers. but on the other .. it can also lead to the exact opposite. if u have too much power it can lead (or contribute) to isolation and becoming ostracized from ur community bc it makes people fearful of u .. this is applicable to madara i think and to naruto and gaara as well. madara isnt ostracized only bc of his power, it is also his lack of skill in forming bonds bc he has trust problems but his power is a major contributing factor. he is feared for his power (but also admired) and the more he gets isolated, the more he starts building his own identity around it as well and starts thinking its the only thing valuable abt himself. naruto as well is feared for his power as a jinchuuriki even tho he is also a bit of a special case since its only the grownups that know abt this so his peers ... they ostracize him for the opposite thing. he's a failure at the academy and a difficult learner so he gets no respect. it is only when he starts gaining more power (or controlling it better) and using it for the sake of the village that he gets everyone's respect and acknowledgement. he's a hero even all of a sudden. but gaara is an even more extreme case. gaara is also a jinchuuriki and he's ostracized for it to such an extent that he does not get to build bonds at all and in a bit similar fashion to madara starts self-identifying only over his power. both him and madara end up consumed by their power but while madara decides to use it for the sake of saving the world, gaara just fully decides to just live for himself, fight for himself and love only himself ... madara also becomes a bit self-absorbed but its not something he does purposefully i think. gaara just goes, well, everyone fears me and despises me anyway, so i might as well give them a reason. my only purpose in this world is to kill ... i have no other reason to live. i forgot where i was going with this but .. something something isolation, objectification and dehumanization from others on account of ur power and it leads to the person internalizing it and seeing themselves also as either below or above being human .. madara perceives himself to be above it, he develops a god complex and comes to think that he is the messiah who will solve the world's problems (with power) and gaara seems to perceive himself to be beneath it .. as a tool and a servant. both to his village and to the bloodthirsty voices he hears in his head.

#gaara #madara #naruto #posts #.. had a whole other chunk of text here that i deleted bc i thought it wasnt that relevant to the topic of thr post #but i still think its interesting so i'll put it in here #when i said gaara hears voices .. i was going to say mdr doesnt but then realized that thats not true? mdr also hears voices #presumably. he heard kuro zetsu speak to him in his head during their first (well majority actually) time that they spent together #in the cave. mdr seperates him from himself when he gives him to obt. and he seems to believe that to have been the moment of his creation #anyways but i think its so interesting how both him and gaara have a seperate identity with them that benefits from this? #they benefit from their corruption. the ichibi benefits from gaara's bloodlust and hatred and kuro zetsu benefits from mdr's power lust #and they both drive them to further pursue it ... there is something in there i think. something abt how experiencing isolation etc #will make u susceptible to ill-natured manipulation or influence. from the outside #gaara apparently can handle having to live with shukaku after he gains his first bond (naruto). and he isnt susceptible to it anymore #mdr wouldnt have gone down his path either if his bond w hsrm hadnt fallen apart #naruto is saved bc he does not give up on trying to find bonds. putting aside how it kinda sucks for him to have to prove his worth #to his village first. it is ultimately abt him never giving up. always trying ... and eventually finding the right people #to bond with #mdr never finds this up until the end of his life ... and its the reason he cant find his peace ever before #but i also think its interesting how both kuro zetsu and the ichibi .. i mean they dont outright manipulate their targets #theyre moreso just feeding into whats already there .. its why mdr/zetsu work great together narratively i think #but it also applies to gaara as well. gaara wants to shed blood bc he wants to share the same kind of pain he has experienced #just like mdr wants to gain power/become god cuz he longs for control and is fearful of depending on others #and both the ichibi and kuro zetsu want that as well. the ichibi hates how the humans have treated him. he hates being confined to #a jinchuuriki's body. he wants to be free. and if he cannot be free he will use his host to go punish the humans who did that to him #and kuro zetsu well ... he wants to be powerful i guess. but he moreso wants mdr to think that he is #so that he can become host to kaguya who will explode the fucking shit out of him #there's more even .... gaara seeing himself as a tool to others since he believes the voice to be his mother's .. and mdr seeing himself #at the center of everything cuz he thinks that the voice is his own. mdr bc of this being even more self-centered #but then also more altruistic. bc he's the savior. running out of tags here unfortunately but yeah .. much to think about

[fluffs-n-stuffs]

Amethio sweetie you're not beating the 'related to Gibeon' allegations anytime soon fr

#fluff binges !!! #(my god the past few days have been Absolutely Awful I need to unwind anyhow sdkjfsndfs back to the comfort series) #there's something so poetic in how Hamber assumes this mentor/grandfather-like role to Amethio #while at the same time we're seeing Diana and Liko's bond at the forefront throughout the ep #the parallels between them....... Hamber actively encouraging that thirst for power while Diana praises Liko's continuous growth........... #Hamber's even amazed at Amethio 'playing dirty' in battles for once #Amethio's always been so by-the-books when it came to battling and even honorable in a sense by always striving for fairness- #-between him and Friede (insisting on one-on-one even when he has two mons on hand etc.) #BUT NOW Hamber wants to see more of that sinister corrupted side to that want for power and it's like ooouUUH........ OOOUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #man is a catalyst in intensifying Amethio's corruption arc he ain't trying to save him he wants him to go nuts with this SDJFHSHJDNFS #AND HONESTLY??????????????THAT'S SO INTERESTING #I'm also taking that Gibeon namedrop here as a sign that him and Amethio coooould be father and son #like Gibeon wasn't even that disappointed with him losing against Rayquaza he went all like “what did you FEEL" #WHAT AN ODD QUESTION TO ASK CONSIDERING HOW TERAPAGOS REPEATEDLY SCREAMED AT THE BOY LIKE HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM #AND SUPPOSEDLY BOTH TERAPAGOS AND RAYQUAZA ARE THE KEYS TO REACHING RAKUA SO HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM #imagine if Rakua's in space hence it requiring Rayquaza to accessJSHDAKSNDKASNDSD /LH /J #MORE PALPABLY IT MIIIGHT BE IN A DIFFERENT TIME PERIOD ENTIRELY BECAUSE OF TERAPAGOS BUT IMAGINESDJKFSNJDFN #pokemon #pokemon horizons #anipoke #pokeani #amethio #explorer amethio #hamber #explorer hamber #master gibeon

[usermarquez]

imagine trying to take yourself out of the crime operations your dad participated in and passed to you after his death, only to end up biding for the entire empire......

#i know people are like... it's so ironic seeing a good man getting corrupted by power and turned into the dark side etc etc #but WHAT if he's never a good person in the first place.... he just knew how to hide it better... #the lack of guilt after murdering someone innocent the first time... unflinchingly slit the throat of a deer as a child... military career. #man idk the signs were all there... #ANYWAY #the gentlemen 2024 #nadya.txt

[merlinmerlot]

wasn't gonna draw anything until i finished the game but act 3 got me feeling so stressed n overwhelmed oh my god

anyways current tav state of mind. deeply funny to me that the most mentally stable member of the party at the start of the game is the one most currently over the brink of losing their fucking mind

#merlin.txt #bg3 spoilers #< tagging just in case #when the power corruption arc has consequences .. #no but i'm actually going crazy over the emperor shit. that genuinely hit me over sideways #like i intended mikael to have a weird psychosexual obsession with the dream vision prism guy #but i didn't know the game would Encourage it. [rubbing my hands together] #when the guy in your head who keeps calling you shit like 'youre exquisite beautiful powerful we're completely alike etc.' #and you're 10000% fine with them turning out to be a mindflayer. like just wayyyy too okay with it

[azuresquirrel]

The gif from that Mercury witch show has tempted me. What service is it on? 👀 Want to try and sell it any more on your blog cause I'd love to hear it. Ngl, 'toxic milfs' is very promising 😂😂

only saying its on Crunchyroll to cover my ass, but since the whole thing of them acquiring Funimation and other competitors, price gouging, now just purging titles from their services right after said price gouging, I will suggest that most places you can find anime online for a *wink* discount *wink* you can easily find Witch From Mercury on there.

real reason I'm answering is to make sure that the first episode is you watch is "episode zero" - it was an episode released a few months before the "official" premiere of the show but it fully is the actual First Episode of the show - if you miss it things will get REAL confusing.

it continues the fine tradition of Gundam series ultimately being about how WAR IS BAD and ECONOMICS SUPPORTING WAR IS BAD and does so in a way that I think resonates with people now more easily than 70s Gundam with its modern sensibilities. While it is Lesbian Gundam, which is what drew me to it first, it is also more than that. Season two is clear that production/episode order messed with the storytelling plans and comes off more rushed but when it hits it HITS.

and let me tell you, that MILF sure IS toxic

#I love supporting women's wrongs but she WILL test your devotion to that #luckily there are many women to choose from #GWitch #Gundam Witch From Mercury #also CR got its OWN start as an 'illegal' streaming site so you know. how the mighty fall and power corrupting and all that jazz etc.

[brutalitybunny]

i reread beastars and belatedly, yahya has become my favorite character (next to gouhin + the shishigumi + pina)

#beastars #beastars yahya #beastars gosha #beastars yafya #gosha x yafya #does there a ship name idk it #but holy shit. #Them #no/. okay. BECAUSE #Aanyone who already knows my tastes.... #yafya is both devoted and unrequited love to another man he planned to spend his life with #and older man in a higher position of power with a corrupt sense of justice #LIKE ITS SO UNFAIR. I DIDNT KNOW. I DIDNT KNOW HE WAS SO SEXY #furry art #furry fandom #etc

[isa-ah]

have there been any official statements on totks timeline bc it sure seems like it's a creation all its own with very little tie in with established mythos at all

#defeating ganondorf could have been so much more fulfilling if he had any of his original motivations or even a mention of demise #but his being established as a power hungry villian at the founsing of Hyrule makes No Sense #he only became a quote unquote villian bc the royal family of hyrule left the gerudo to starve then punished them for becoming thieves #and instead of acknowledging that they made rauru and sonia SOOOO goody sweetie compassionate loving caring etc #and ganondorf is just endlessly cruel and mean and power hungry for no reason #instead of being corrupted by the shattered triforce and curse of demise in an otherwise righteous pursuit of justice #like......... i wanted vindicated & neutral arc ganon and the royal family being held accountabke #i got the exact polar complete opposite #and no postgame to boot when the whole games point is rebuilding. there should be postgame with zelda to rebuild in!!!! #eugh!!!!!!! #now none of the main characters will ever have dialogue beyond we need to kill ganon now! #while mineru and zelda are both trapped in their own purgatories #and dont even get me started on links arm magically coming back at the end i was so excited for a disabled / prosthetic link #eUGgHh #frustrated #totk #spoilers

[venti-death-watch]

Until I'm proven wrong I'm believing that the Genesis Pearl was somehow something Gold/Rhine was supposed to protect, and she either ended up accidentally corrupting it through her alchemy experiments or Alberich ends up taking it and it ends up getting corrupted that way, and the Tsaritsa recently gained possession of it.

#genshin impact #genshin rhinedottir #genshin alberich #genshin tsaritsa #genshin theory #i have more than this. like how the genesis pearl came to venti & the ragnvindrs & to the tsaritsa through either the 10th or her daughter. #however. #right now i also kinda think that whatever happened w gold's creations losing it had to do w losing the genesis pearl to alberich #just. w abyss = chaos = corruption = weakened boundaries = the genesis pearl = original truth = the ring of power etc #thoughts

[gurorori]

I LOVE MR ROBOT!! i'll b livin' my life then rememebr there's a dark psychological thriller tv show abt a mentally ill junkie hacker with did an' it's so beautifully built & executed & the finale made my mind explode. okay.

#an' we watched it fully every year while it aired!!!!!!!!! #it's gawt pretty heavy themes tho it's kinda like hannibal's distant cousin but instead of gore there's idk scary capitalism. #corruption of power etc etc #but it's ok cuz they hack it or wtv #mika caws

[bright-and-burning]

made myself physically ill w how upset i am. i need to go to bed

#i just. cannot comprehend not acting to save lives when you have the power to do so #like i get it imperialism whatever power corrupts etc #but like i actually. don’t get it. i just . don’t understand how anyone could stand by #w the power to literally save lives. and do nothing. and worse than that. actively harm #and then to care so much abt not saving lives. abt maintaining power at the expense of entire families and cultures and history #that you’d then turn around and inflict more violence on anyone who disagrees #like i GET that that’s how it works but it is so fucking viscerally upsetting that #not only are there people like that in this world. that there are a Lot of people like that in this world #like i fundamentally believe humanity is good. that is such a core tenet of my belief system #and rn everything just feels dark. i’m just scared #i’m scared for the people in rafah i’m scared for the student who i just saw a video of getting their head cracked open on steps by cops #i’m just. scared. fuck

[seagullcharmer]

blaaaargh < once again working on designing an alternate ghirahim

#libra.txt #[using my amazing psychic powers to summon eli avidcollectorofdust despite not being mutuals or ever talking to one another] #brb gonna scroll avid's blog i guess. for some insp. #(even though it prooobably won't get me anywhere bc i'm focusing on the lorule aspect of loz and i don't think he ever has) #guh. wish i had a fun art style too...... everyone i know has such a distinct style and mine is so wishy-washy. sigh. alas. etc #need to bother my friends abt drawing tablets too......... then maybe i could better develop my style digitally #like fr my style is so different between paper and digital. wild. anyway #ghirahim................ #like fi's design never changes in sws......... it would have been cool if it did but also probably would've been really hard to animate #but for ghirahim....... hm..... #(since for the purposes of this au his form [both body and sword] has been 'corrupted' by demise and the first hilda cleanses him #in lorule's sacred fires a la fi's upgrades in sws. how would that change him?) #(aaaaa..... ideas ideas...... i still have no idea if he's actually going to be a major character in this fic) #(i could just be wasting my time. lol. haha. lmao)

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

Sighhh every time i play Impostors Enemies Among Us i think it's about how everyone is susceptible to possession and every time i forget it's about blood magic again

#well i mean. it's not *entirely* true it is also about how anyone could be possessed #but at the end of the day it's the fault of 'corrupt' mages again #laya plays dragon age #and the thing is i do think their initial reasoning makes sense and says something about their desperation! #they are trying to sew doubt and paranoia within the templars to make them see that they are not immune #but in the end theyre still portrayed as succumbing to power fantasies and being corrupted by demons/blood magic #which. kind of isnt the point they seem to make initially? #and its doubly annoying bc on one hand da2 is constantly trying to show how bad blood magic is #(and in turn making a point against magic in general) #while at the same time being pretty damn clear about which side is in the wrong in this scenario (spoilers its the templars/chantry) #same thing with how merrills entire storyline could be so good! but in the end it is just used as another (supposed) #'blood magic bad and dangerous' example #which really is Not what was shown in the storyline itself. like come on #idk im just rambling at this point lol #the joys and woes of dragon age etc etc

[darabeatha]

Absolutely feral that after getting kicked from heaven and falling down for 9 whole days (and then staying burning in agony in a pit of fire down in hell for another 9 days) s.atan and his army of millions of fallen angels just crawl from the shores of hell, decide to make a hugeass palace for themselves and then discuss what the heck are they going to do now, only to come to the conclusion that the way to hurt god the most would be to destroy his newest creation (men) which from then on they can further take on earth and make it their new kingdom (bc during the council, one of the fallen angels argued that even if they made a new kingdom in hell, at the end of the day they are still essentially 'trapped' in a box, so would that even count as a triumph?)

#;ooc #ooc #;about #about #what i find most interesting is that despite the hatred and all; there are a lot of points during the story where #s.atan laments the current situation in a way; #i wish i could list them but that would take ages of revisiting OUGH #like at one point when he arrives at the garden of eden #and sees just how immensely beautiful it is (mind u he and the rest of the fallen angels have met for the first time the concept of agony #and pain when they fell from heaven) he sorts of goes through a crisis about how he laments things #but then he's like;; no no this isnt what i want what i want is POWER and basically goes like #if i cant have this no one can; and just proceeds with his plan of corruption #anyways i think the title of the universe' first sin to adress him is kinda cool title ngl #its like; as a human it makes u sort of sympathize with him but then u realize that all this guilt and stuff #isn't really coming from a greater good in his heart to want the best; it comes from greed; jealousy; hatred; pride; etc etc #or well; i dunno i found it so troubling that we can sort of understand more his logic than the logic of angels & god #there's s o much philosophy and theological debates stacked that i dont think I can properly put words into it #bc again im a baby in all of this #but it really is very interesting #like i dunno; something something about how they WANT retribution; or better said; vengeance against god #they want to inflic this new found pain back #and finding that the best solution to revindicate themselves would be to destroy his creation #that's like feral man i dunno it makes me just -HANDS ON FACE- #bc supposedly god loves his creation with all his heart so its like; to destroy that;; what would that make him feel? #and also;; if god created all angels; why did he create an angel that could feel these emotions? #that quote that went something like 'why did you create me to be flawed' AGH I CANT REMMEBER IT WELL #i know theres something about free will that is discussed a lot in the story but #its so complicated to put into words im just gonna go OUITRTROI

[tonyglowheart]

reading thru old meta posts on qian qiu and there's like, some stuff I agree with sure but there's also a lot I don't lol. w like yan wushi especially. there's a lot of. I think too much conventional-mindedness in approaching yws even from the ppl who did like him as a character. saying he's a difficult character, and is meant to be a difficult character, but then still framing him along more conventional moral frameworks. yet another apartment 'complex'? strange, I find it quite simple moments.

#qian qiu #yan wushi #sorry so many of you are still hung up over the *chapter 45* '''''betrayal''''' rip but i'm different #(though I wonder if I'd feel this way if ppl hadn't made such a big deal of it and so I was expecting The Betrayal to be like. worse lol) #like for me since I was expecting *a* betrayal when I hit it in chap 45 I was like. this is it? lmao I thought it was sth actually serious #and then ppl like I can't let it go or I can't get over him saying he doesn't regret it - like god forbid women do anything forreal #the thing about yan wushi is he is not just master-less he's also in many ways *peer*-less #and that's why to him he was so much on the 'what a shame you're like the one guy who maybe could have been my rival but you're not' #I think ppl see rival as like. could be my enemy. but it's like. someone has to be your peer to be your rival #and it's very much established that yan wushi even before his power level is like maxed up has this wild potential #there's that chap where sq reflects on what qfg said abt yws having the potential to be better than him #but also I think it's a huge mistake to see/think of yws as amoral #he HAS morals. they're just not the same as yours #he doesn't care about the greater good as a rule but he's also not completely indifferent to it #and like. I think it's also a simplification to say that 'sq breaks the rules of yws's world of human nature being inherently corrupt etc' #I think that's a belief that yws holds about human nature but I think he's also like. smarter than to believe in absolutes? #and besides. to say it that way I think frames it as if yws is in denial about sq's existence and nature #I just don't get that sense from him - imo he sees sq as more of a curiosity than a like aberration #he's testing sq's bottom line not necessarily bc he's convinced sq is secretly evil but he because he wants to see what sq's bottom line is #and he wants to know that because sq's nature is so different than his own or those he generally encounters and understands from people #he's squishing sq like a dog with a chew toy not because he wants to destroy it but because he wants to see exactly what kind of noises #he can get out of it and exactly how far he can squish it before it starts being too much #(but also I think bc he sees sq's potential to be on his level and wants to see if that can get teased out) #in a like... bonsai shaping kind of way #yes he's pruning the tree back and sometimes pruning & shaping quite hard #but as with the art of bonsai - it's an interactive dance and like only the tree can add material #and for all that you can prune & shape the tree you will never know exactly what the tree will do #SQ is also like a tree in the sense that like you have to prune to get read of dead growth & also encourage new growth #and SQ goes from that like houseplant side of the meme that's like i'm allergic to tapwater #to flourishing under the adversity and the 'i can eat thru concrete'