#and thus him sacrificing his world for her was not only the right thing to do

[witchering10123]

hakoda: you need to stay here and protect your sister

13 year old sokka, whose only point of reference for "protecting his sister" is literally his mother sacrificing herself in katara's place: ok 😃

#not shaming on hakoda here #well... #little shaming on hakoda here #but poor poor sokka #katara and sokka #please grant them therapy so they might move on from their codependency #yo kyas sacrifice #aside from fucking sokka up cause you know thats his mum #also fucked sokka up when he believed that everyone decided that katara was far more important than him #and thus him sacrificing his world for her was not only the right thing to do #it was also expected of him #anyhoo #dont we love how depression fucks over this child #hakoda and kya and sokka and katara #my fav disfunctional fam

[nanomooselet]

Stampede Plant Talk

#if you want to add the rest of your points please do!

Do you realise what you've unleashed.

Not to ruin the magic, but when I write my analyses it's often inspired by visuals. So I figured the best place to start would be with this visual. Like... that's simple, isn't it?

I thought, obviously blue is Knives's colour while Vash's is red. Healthy Plants glow blue, dying ones dim to red. It would seem blue is for Plants and red is for humans. And so clearly Knives is aligned with the Plants, and embracing his Plantness, while Vash is more human and thus aligned with humanity… right?

Yeah, no.

Truthfully if there's a definitive visual motif for the twins, it's not expressed in terms of something that dualistic. But that's a little outside the scope of this post.

A dependent, Vash says needs a human to take care of it, or the Plant just uses its energy up all at once and dies. I'm guessing that means: what they produce, when and in what quantity is in the hands of the technician programming it. Being Independent means a Plant has all that under personal control. They all produce different kinds of energy and matter (which are, in a complicated scientific way, the same thing in different states). They are essentially living generators - machines.

They're still made out of meat, though. For some reason. (They do look like sea creatures, and the higher plane is very oceanic in appearance.)

Having the Plant produce more than its Gate can withstand producing, means it's left only with the energy reserves of its body to sustain it. The Last Run harvests that energy. Resembles very very rapidly developing dehydration - eyes bulging, skin blackening, skin tightening. It's a very ugly way to die. Their bulbs go red, and then go dark, because the fluid they're in is clouded with blood. The same is true of when they're cut off from the higher plane because they're been overworked.

Dr. Conrad said to Knives that these Plants couldn't be healed in the way Knives demanded of him. Because Vash also didn't heal the Plant at Jeneora Rock.

In the pictures above, they're at the "terminal stage"; using them any more would push it into a Last Run. Note the colour. Red as blood.

These are the ones Vash does heal. More pink than red, lighter - brighter.

Vash isn't donating energy to a Plant when he heals it; the ones aboard Ship 3 weren't dying because they were overworked or injured. The SEEDS fleet didn't make use of the Last Run, nor did they have to rely on a dwindling number of Plants to survive. They were in deep space on a journey taking hundreds of years, with all those people whose cryosleep had to be maintained. They weren't in crisis. They were planning for a long journey to build a better world at their destination, not a crash. Plants that glow blue/white are healthy. It was paradise; no one had to struggle to survive.

Luida says the problem with these Plants is that they aren't compatible with the environment they're in, and she is a geo-Plant specialist. I believe her.

Vash's super special healing power? The job only he can do? Vash is not being made to act like a battery, giving up his lifeforce to keep everyone else alive. He's not sacrificing himself. That's what Knives assumed, because that's all he sees humans do. (A whole one time before he started killing people.)

Plants do communicate with sound, but not in a frequency humans seem capable of hearing and I... kind of feel like it's because they use their Gates. Dependent Plants - and Knives - can only produce a sound. Their Gates are one-way.

Vash's Gate is two-way. He can both produce and receive. He can exchange.

He can have a dialogue.

He's hearing the Plants when they cry out for help then just... going to talk with them. Understanding them. Helping them feel more comfortable. Keeping them company. When Luida asked him so kindly to be a counsellor for the Plants, she said what she meant and she meant what she said.

Vash is a Plant therapist. And he's a good one! He travelled everywhere accompanied by his stepdad just… being kind to humans and Plants, looking after them, teaching them how to take care of each other. And he loves doing it. It's the happiest he looks after the Fall. Brad even tells him, in a very Brad kind of way, that he's done a great job; travelling with this brat beats what it was like just after the crash. And then he gives Vash water and Vash tells him he's a nice guy (and Brad gets offended lmao).

The one who assumes the humans were hurting or using him was as per fucking usual Millions Knives! Because that gives him an excuse to take bloody revenge! And everybody fell for his bullshit! Man, I'm beginning to think when Studio Orange directed Austin Tindle to make Knives sound villainous, they made the right decision.

Now, if you want to be sad?

Vash is doing so much good. He loves doing it. He's the only one who can.

But Rem wanted to see Plants and humans understand each other and… she's gone. Vash is fulfilling her dream, but he's doing it alone.

Now compare the colour of his coat to the colour of the Plants. Which matches more closely? The ones who are forced to work beyond their capacity, their bodies gruesomely and horribly used without their consent for the benefit of humans?

Or the ones in emotional distress?

#trigun stampede #trigun meta #vash isn't dying he's just sad because his brother is mean #he's teen-shaped okay he's gonna be a lil emo

[perpetuallyobsessed0613]

Each Region's Dragons & Archons

So it's no secret that the Dragons of Teyvat used to hold sovereignty over the word before the rise of the Archons. As a result of that, some relationships between the Archons and their designated dragons are either amicable, nonexistent, or hostile. This post is a refresher and then delves into some of my theories on Focalors's relationship with Neuvillette based on the Fontaine trailer seeing as it's been revealed (leaked) that Neuvillette is the Hydro Dragon!

Monstadt - Dvalin & Venti

Their relationship was strained because Dvalin feared being forgotten into obscurity. He felt a deep betrayal at the lack of acknowledgement on his behalf by the people of Monstadt and therefore fell prey to the *Abyss Order's schemes.

Venti, however, considers Dvalin a friend, one he cares about dearly. He would go through hell and back to make sure the dragon is okay and that they're on the same page about things. Very obvious seeing as he did throughout the very first Archon Quest.

Relationship overall: Deep trust and friendship

Liyue - Azhdaha & Zhongli

Azhdaha was initially buried deep in the bedrock beneath Liyue, with a soul that spoke out to Rex Lapis, so much so that Rex unveiled him from the deep layers of rock and fulfilled his wish to see the world.

Rex Lapis carved out Azhdaha's form into a great dragon and blessed him with eyes. The two explored Teyvat together and fought together. They were great, dear friends. They had made a contract that should Azhdaha bring havoc to order in Liyue, he would be sealed away once again.

They were so close that Azhdaha was the only one who could call Rex Lapis 'Morax' with fondness

The passage of time brings about the erosion of time, and Azhdaha was not immune. As a result of the erosion, Azhdaha forgot about his contract with Rex Lapis and with the overexploitation of The Chasm by the people of Liyue, his condition worsened and he broke the contract, forcing Rex to intervene and seal him away.

In Zhongli's story quest, he re-seals Azhdaha and is himself moved by the bittersweet goodbye he has to say to him until they meet again someday.

Relationship overall: Bittersweet friends

Inazuma - Orobashi & Ei

Essentially, Orobashi is the reason Enkanomiya and Watatsumi Island exist

Initially Orobashi fled to the depths of Enkanomiya to flee the rule of Teyvat after being unable to defeat Ei or the "golden god" (assumed to be Rex)

An explorer happened upon Orobashi and asked it to be a god and it did, ending the rule of the Sunchildren (puppet rulers) and reducing the threat of  Bathysmal Vishaps

The people of Enkanomiya then co-worshipped Orobashi because of this

Orobashi was preparing for them to resurface to Inzauma, however it happened upon a book that detailed a history of Teyvat that Celestia intended to be buried

Orobashi sacrificed parts of its body to create Watatsumi island and also

Because of this forbidden knowledge Orobashi and Watatsumi Island were found guilty of profanity and deceiving living souls

Orobashi took all the transgressions upon himself and was slain by Ei while Watatsumi Island was taken back under the rule of Celestia

Relationship overall: Hostile/Nonexistent

Sumeru - Apep & Nahida (and Rukkhadevata)

Apep despises the Archons and humanity because they rely on Celestia for their power

Originially, Apep claimed Sumeru as its domain

Apep, along with the other dragons of old, fought against the Heavenly Principles for the right to rule over Teyvat. They lost and thus, power over Sumeru was given to King Deshret and Rukkhadevata.

Because King Deshret was essentially the cause of the forbidden knowledge spread, Apep also got corrupted by it as a result, which further amplified her disdain for Celestia, the Archons, and humanity

However, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had actually created a backup plan to help save Apep by concentrating her elemental energy into Fire Seeds, she didn't get to use them herself though (rip)

In Nahida's second story quest she attempts to reason with Apep and eventually the two reach an agreement that Nahida can help her (basically Nahida's a sweetheart and proved she would do anything to save Apep, including sacrifice herself)

Apep still harbors disdain for the Heavenly Principles but sees no reason to wipe out the Archons or humanity, she decides to simply watch and see how far things go

Relationship overall: Tolerable

Fontaine - Neuvillette & Focalors (Theories)

Based on the trailer I am certain of one thing: these two have a deal of some sort that allows Neuvillette to retain a semblance of jurisdiction over Fontaine while also maintaining Focalors's ultimate power

According to the Genshin Impact Wiki: "A prophecy in Enkanomiya claims that a new Dragon of Water will be born in human form, as these dragon-lords require a "pure" vessel and the Bathysmal Vishaps, originally Hydro, had become "impure" when they evolved to harness the powers of Electro and Cryo", so my guess is he's a descendant or reincarnation of the Dragon of Water that was born shortly after the Archon War.

These two have entirely different temperaments. While Neuvillette is a stickler for law and order, opting to rule with an iron thumb in court, Focalors thrives on chaos, craves it even. This could actually lead to a clash or twist in Fontaine.

Neuvillette is still subservient to Focalors as a result of their agreement.

It's very possible that Arlecchino will play the role of whispering ideas into Neuvillette's ear, causing him to consider trying to defeat Focalors and take jurisdiction himself OR

He could actually consider Focalors a formidable foe that he respects and instead fools the Fatui into thinking that they've got him under their thumb only to use that against them to help Focalors keep her Gnosis?

IDK man I'm sensing a double edged sword kinda relationship with these two, we'll see!

Relationship overall: Dubious...

#genshin impact #genshin #fontaine #overture teaser #neuvillette #focalors #genshin leaks #venti #barbatos #rex lapis #morax #zhongli #Ei #Raiden Shogun #nahida #kusanali #lesser lord kusanali #Rukkhadevata #greater lord rukkhadevata #hc #Headcanon

[theship-thewalrus]

Can you do a sir harwin x fem reader where they were a " thing " but he pulled away bcs of rhaenyra , so she moves on and when he tries to spend time with her again she does everything to stop him and eventually he find her in bed with another??

ser harwin strong x female! reader

pretty much the ask :)

word count: 872 words reading time: about 4 minutes warnings: gets a little steamy at the end but that's it :)

You had no right to be jealous of Rhaenyra, Harwin was not officially yours to love. He never had been yours and he never would be, the pair of you only ever sharing a bed. But you had allowed yourself to believe it was more, that perhaps the couple of you would make it official. For he was so different when it was the pair of you, he was soft and loving. The man often whispers sweet nothings in your ears, gifting you small trinkets, offering you help with whatever you need.

But Rhaenrya was everything you were not, a woman of notice and power, one that commanded the room she was in. You would be lying if you did not say you thought she was beautiful, a stunning glory that inhabits the castle. It was only natural Harwin began to lean towards her, finding him spending more time in her presence. In turn, sacrificing time with you in favour of Rhaenrya. To say such a thing would be an understatement, for this had made it clear what you meant to him. You were nothing but something to pass the time until he found something better.

A part of you did not want to believe it, to think he could discard you so easily. You meant more to him than that. Right? All those moments you shared together, all those words, were they nothing to him? No, they couldn't be. For they meant the world to you. But as you watch him speak lowly to her, the sparing glances to each other. Your brain knew what has happened, no matter how much your heart refuses it to be true.

Eventually, you move on from Harwin, your heart accepting the reality of the situation. When a door is closed a window is opened, Harwin's distance allowed another man to arrive in his place. A simple guard, nothing like the ranks of Harwin. But he was kind and noble, taking note of where you were at times. He reminded you of a puppy in a sense, whenever he saw you his face would seemingly light up. It helped mend your broken heart to see he cared that much for you.

However, like a child whose toy had been taken from them, despite them not playing with it, and given to someone else. Harwin grew jealous seeing you gravitate towards someone else. For now, there was someone else who made you laugh and smile, replacing him in your life like how he replaced you. But Harwin wanted to be the one who walked beside you, whose arm you grabbed, the person you sort out in large gatherings. Yet as he watches you pay no mind to him, he realised he held no such place in your heart.

Thus began the process of rewinning your affection using everything at his disposal to try and do so. But what he learnt you liked no longer seemed to work, no amount of flowers, trinkets, or notes, could wipe the look of disgust from your face when you saw him. However, it worked in making you talk to him, to give him the time of day. The privilege of hearing your voice once more filled his ears.

"(Y/N), I've missed you, I-" Silently you raise your hand to silence him, something he did quickly. It was clear the power had shifted between you, where once he was the more dominating one it was now you. "Harwin, leave me be. I do not want your ridiculous gifts or notes. Whatever we were is no more. Not since you threw me aside like some rubbish." Your words were harsh and biting, making the man sink into himself. You spoke the truth, something you have come to terms with. Yet he still seemed to think differently, to think there was still an inkling of something he could hang onto.

"I did nothing of the sort. Please, listen." But you did not, for you said what you needed. Anything more and you would be wasting your breath and time on someone who no longer mattered to you. Leaving him there to think over what he had done, that maybe it would push him to leave you alone.

But even after countless encounters like that Harwin still believed he could win you back. Hanging onto the memories of the pair of you together, as though the memories alone would pull you back into his embrace. But you were gone, just out of reach. Such an idea only being able to stick in his mind after seeing you with the other man for himself.

He did not mean to walk into such an intimate moment, to see your breast bounce as you rode the man under you. The way your full lips parted as an airy moan left you. To see the man under you looking up at you like you hung the moon and stars themselves. The pair of you have seemingly not noticed him, and continued with your act. Or maybe you had, continuing anyway for you knew this was the only way Harwin would understand you were no longer his.

For you were no one's to own and discard, not Harwin's, not the man under you, no one.

#harwin strong x reader #harwin strong imagines #house of the dragon x reader #harwin x reader #hotd imagines #hotd x reader #ser harwin strong x reader

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Colours in Our Skyy 2 Bad Buddy ep 1

I was nervous in the run up to the Our Skyy 2 eps, not least to see what Aof and the team were going to do with our beloved characters and their stories, but also to see if the colours I had interpreted during the series stayed consistent.

And after two out of three (four?) episodes, I think they are.

In ep 1, right off the bat Pat's Blue and Pran's Red make an appearance...but the faculty jackets lend themselves to offering consistency here (the photo makes the blue look black but they are a dark blue).

But as soon as the action shifts to the auditorium, we can see Pat and Pran's world is full of blue and red. The red curtain is a big part of this but look at the array of random blue and red objects in the room...some of which also move into a different spot later.

Pat and Pran quite rightly (and as others have already pointed out) exchange their colours in the early part of the ep. I thought it was interesting that they didn't feel like they needed to hide their...friendship...to Ajan Pichai - the senior who Ming could quite easily hear about them from - not reacting at all to him seeing Pat's arm around Pran.

More blue and red pairings are seen in Pran's shirt and the ice pack (which I pointed out in my addition to @grapejuicegay's post that Pran is 'icing' the same shoulder that he hurt in BBS ep 1 when Pat had the bruised cheek even though Pran didn't get hurt this time round), in Ink and Pa's outfits (the pic is a bit blurry but I wanted to show Pa's red handbag - I really wish I could see what was written on her top), and in the Hightem meeting room. (Note also that Pa carries a tote bag which has orange and lime green - their colours).

Pops of blue and red also inhabit Ajan Pichai's office (the plaque, book, flowers, even the pens!) but I want to draw your attention to Pichai's shirt - a dark/olive green - a colour for 'bad' things (conflict, an obstacle to Pat and Pran's happiness etc) - and we see Pichai pit them against each other rather than choose between them to end the argument, thus causing them further problems.

Later, Pichai wears a lighter shirt...which could be labelled as light blue, grey, or a light mint...but regardless, he accepts the end to the auditorium dispute and unknowingly sets up an opportunity for Pat and Pran to have some couple-time alone up north. This is also when he sees Pat with his arm around Pran, so perhaps it also shows his silent support of their...friendship.

Back to the dark green and it's also on the tent in Pat and Pran's apartment, so it's no surprise that things go wrong for Pat when he comes back and thinks Wai is Pran. (Note also the orange...but I'll talk about that in ep 2's post 😏)

But on to yellow - the colour that seems to symbolise Pat and Pran's love and happiness - and I thought it was a nice touch to have Korn pick out the broom with the yellow handle and then be thankful for Pat and Pran and tell Wai he loved him. Yellow was also in the cushions that Pat and Pran (and Wai in the morning) laid on when they had their Soft™ lovely-dovey moment, and it was heartbreaking to see Pran had changed into a yellow t-shirt to go and find Pat before their second 'honeymoon' trip only for him to hear Pat exaggeratedly badmouthing him.

And finally brown - a colour that seems to represent sacrifice, submission, or yielding - and we see it first on Korn as he tricks Pat into drinking with them. Pat then yields to peer pressure and ends up staying longer and drinking much more than he originally planned. That choice ultimately meant he sacrificed his opportunity to go to Pha Pun Dao with Pran the next day. Pat, also already having to sacrifice an open relationship with Pran because of their family situation, is somewhat forced to speak bad of Pran to hide their relationship causing a conflict between him and Pran who overhears him from outside.

The next day, Pran sets off for Pha Pun Dao alone, wearing a brown jacket (and an orange t-shirt which I will also talk about in ep 2's post). He sacrifices the companionship of Pat in order to show he can do things without him (and is ultimately glad when Pat turns up even if he doesn't show it well) but also has to sacrifice his dignity in the process when he has to walk to the village after the jeep breaks down. And if it weren't for the fact that it was another expected and delicious parallel, the olive-green of the jeep was a clear give-away that Pran was about to suffer in this.

Lastly, I'll just mention Pat and Pran's backpacks - teal and mint green respectively - the colours which seemed to symbolise Pat and Pran's union as a couple (I couldn't think of a better way to put it 🤭). They were supposed to go on this trip together, to have a second 'honeymoon' where they could be together freely...but despite being apart, they're still carrying/keeping their unity with them. Note also that Pat is shrouded in yellow (on his socks as well!) when he's trying to show his love for Pran and return them to a happier place, albeit unsuccessfully.

[ep 1] [ep 2] [ep 3] [ep 4] (<- I'm being hopeful)

#bad buddy #our skyy 2 #our skyy 2 x bad buddy #our skyy 2 x a tale of thousand stars #colours in our skyy 2 bbs x atots #there's always so much I can write in these posts #that I inevitably forget something #I'm surprised that I can write so much about one little episode #but there you go #it's too late to finish ep 2 tonight #so I'll try to do that tomorrow! #uservid #mjtag #usernuria #userjjessi #userkit #user111 #tosnimeat #<- in case you're interested! #no worries if not #colours in our skyy 2 bad buddy

[balanceoflightanddark]

One of the great misconceptions about Azula is the notion is that she's self-serving. That everything she does is to further her own gains, and she'll backstab everyone else in the process whether it be family or friends. Something that's supported by Bryan himself in the Season 2 commentary:

“Yeah, unfortunately in real history, there are people like Azula, who are just so charismatic, but sort of soulless that they’re… You know, but they’re able to climb to positions of influence. Same with, uh, people like Long Feng, unfortunately throughout history. People who are willing to sell out their own–own countrymen, just for their own, uh, security, you know, their own job security.”

And in many ways, that's how it's framed. Azula bringing her brother back to the country is always framed by everyone as using him as leverage in case the Avatar was somehow alive. We see her brutal recruiting of Ty Lee. We don't see a whole lot that suggests that Azula is doing this for anything other than personal gain. After all it's a trait that's pretty endemic to the Fire Nation, especially with her fellow main antagonists Ozai and Zhao.

The thing is though...Azula's problem wasn't that she was selfish.

Her problem was that she was selfless.

Let's wheel around to when she brought Zuko back home. Mainly, there was no way in hell she could have known about the spirit water. She only learned of the possibility when Zuko indirectly brought it up, and that's when she starts to think up of the leverage angle. Plus, it's been said a thousand times before that Azula didn't necessarily need Zuko to secure Ba Sing Se. And even if she did, she could've easily backstabbed and captured him with the Dai Li if she wanted to secure her path to the throne while also taking the glory of slaying the Avatar.

She didn't. Instead, she allowed Zuko to take the glory and return home in honor with no strings attached. Even when her initial orders were to capture Zuko to begin with. And in doing so, damaged her own claim to the throne since the "rightful" heir returned with a tad bit more glory than her.

And we all know how that eventually ended.

This wasn't exclusive to Zuko. Arguably her biggest Achilles' heel was her unwavering devotion to Ozai, something that she was carefully groomed to do once Zuko proved to be an embarrassment to her father's name. Almost everything she did was to get in his good graces and his acceptance. And she didn't except any reward for it either outside of approval. She was initially stunned when Ozai wanted her to be the Fire Lord, clearly not expecting him to bestow such honor upon her.

Course that was spoiled a bit when Ozai proceeded to throw her to the side. All that work, all that devotion, years of trying to be the perfect servant...wasted.

Mind you, Zuko and Ozai are probably the only two family members in the series to have shown her something regarding affection. Her relationship with Iroh was strained and more formal than anything, while Ursa made her feel like a monster. Even her friendship with Ty Lee and Mai was poisoned because her belief that she was a weapon and thus expendable warped her genuine affection into something more akin to a military unit. Again, all to prove she was as ruthless and heartless as her father.

Azula's problem wasn't that she was power hungry, cause she never expected to get power. Her problem was that everything she did, she did for somebody else. Think about it. She wanted Zuko home so she sacrificed her path to the throne. She wanted Ozai's approval so she became something she hated. Azula was desperate for some kind of acceptance, otherwise her mother's rejection wouldn't have shaken her so bad.

It's not like we have don't examples of selfish and egocentric behavior from the series. Zhao was willing to put the entire world at risk by killing the moon just to stroke his own ego. Ozai was willing to burn down the Earth Kingdom (killing who knows how many innocent lives) and proclaim himself as Phoenix King just because he could. Even Zuko was willing to put the safety of the world and backstab his own allies just for a chance to return home and claim his birthright.

Azula...doesn't come even close to those levels of narcissism and self-interest. Cause she based herself around pleasing others and wouldn't stand up for herself when she was crossed, both from personal experience and a low sense of self-worth. In many ways she was like Zuko in trying to please her father.

It's just unlike him, she wasn't presented with a way out.

#azula #princess azula #azula meta #atla meta #azula is NOT power hungry #ozai's a+ parenting

[rosie-kairi]

You know watching that clip of Roxas wanting to know the truth of his origins I can't help but laugh nervously like oh Roxas sweetheart honeybun trust me you do not want to know because the truth is so much worse than he thinks in canon.

Cause you think it's pretty simple right? Sora gives up his heart thus Roxas is born. Oh but he looks like Ven? Well makes sense Ven was released alongside Sora's heart and made its way to Roxas. But then we have to get to the how and why they ended up like that in the first place. Cause if you think about it too long like I did you realize jesus christ the road to Roxas creation was paved with blood and mass murder O_O

In order for Roxas to be born Ventus has to be in the future (present? whatever time travel is wonky) and he has to end up alone in the keyblade graveyard and be abused for a year by xehanort and then get dumped on the destiny islands to die. But before that we have to go back to the age of fairy tales when Ven is a union leader traps an original Darkness within himself nearly dying in the process and everyone figures out that MoM essentially is using them as live bait to trap the other darkness' and leave the dandelions to die. But before we get to that we have to go back a year to when MoM purposefully sowed the seeds of discord amongst his apprentices so their friendship would fracture and the fissures would go to the unions causing everyone to turn on each other. Tensions start rising and before we know it a full blown war breaks out and thousands of children are sacrificed as they cut each other down and MoM is just off to the side watching all this like, "yeah this is an acceptable turn of events I am absolutely okay instigating the slaughter of thousands of innocent children and destruction of the world to defeat darkness this is indeed a worthwhile and good plan :)"

But before even that we have to go to like 10 minutes before (well 2 years and 10 minutes before I guess) because Strelitzia was meant to be a union leader but she was obsessed with player and wanted to save them from the keyblade war, and Darkness chose her to be a necessary sacrifice by taking advantage of a little boy's pain and loneliness and swapping their places. Had they not done that Ven likely would've died in the keyblade war meaning none of the following events post war would've played out the way it needed to for Roxas to exist.

So going back to Sora his heart joins with a traumatized and dying Ven as a newborn saving him. Then 4 years go by and Ven seeks sanctuary with Sora after almost dying again. This puts Sora within Xehanort's path and Sora's world eventually falls. His love and conviction for his friends keeps him going but he ends up having to fight his best friend seemingly to the death and has to essentially kill himself to wake up the love of his life not even sure if he'll survive what he's about to do. So before he dies he gives one last big grin and prepares to meet his fate like Ven has before him. And it is the release of Kairi and Ven's wounded heart that leads to Roxas being born.

All it took was a megalomaniac keyblade master deciding yeah the painful death of thousands of children and countless worlds plus the death of a few hundred is absolutely worth trapping darkness but his plan goes a bit sideways and the union leaders escape and manage to build back some of the world that inevitably leads Xehanort to his own crazy scheme and the egging on of the hidden 6th apprentice also manipulating things behind the scenes and destroying the innocence and lives of two innocent boys who only ever wanted to be with their friends and live their lives with them. And we still haven't fully touched on Vanitas which is a different can of worms. If even one bad thing deviated or didn't happen no Roxas. So everything had to go perfectly wrong for everyone for him to be here.

So yeah Roxas are you sure you wanna know where you came from or why? Are you sure you want to burden the full knowledge when even the one's who paid the price currently don't? Is it really worth it Roxas? Is it?

The sheer amount of events in the Kingdom Hearts timeline that exists solely due to an insane domino effect the likes of which humanity has never before seen is frankly ridiculous.

What if Baldr never succumbed to darkness and killed every single one of his friends except Xehanort and Eraqus (and BragiLuxu)? Xeha and Eraqus would've never had their views of Darkness vs Light twisted so much that they became extreme extremists. Without Xehanort doing his. thing. the entire plot of "current day" Kingdom Hearts would not have happened. Same thing goes for the what-if of Xehanort never leaving Destiny Islands.

Similarly, what would've happened if the Destiny trio never left Destiny Islands/DI never fell to darkness in KH1?

What if Strelitzia never died and got replaced by Ven? Or, what if one of the other Union Leaders was killed by darkness? What if the Foretellers never fought each other?

Of course, this all leads back to "what if the Master of Masters wasn't who he is as a person."

Roxas is the culmination of hundreds, if not thousands of years of bloodshed and interfered destiny all represented by a singular teenage nobody who eats a lot of ice cream and cares a lot about a lot of different things (most of all, his friends)

#ask rosie a question! #anon ask #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts union x #khux #kingdom hearts dark road #khdr #kh roxas #roxas #kh ventus #ventus

[nateofgreat]

I think they missed a big opportunity with Ahsoka for her series. Someone in her position, whose mentor sacrificed the Galaxy to save a single person, could go one of two ways (if they don't recover from it). Either she follows the same pattern, or she could go to the opposite extreme of only caring about the Galaxy as a whole and not the individual people in her life.

If we go with the latter a lot of her actions could be explained through this.

-Why did she ditch the Rebellion after learning who Darth Vader was? She decided she was compromised by her attachment to him and that the Rebels would be better off without her.

-Why did she abandon Sabine after starting to train her? Both out of a sense that she's wasting time on an individual when the Galaxy needs her and maybe also because she's paranoid about forming an unhealthy attachment herself.

-Why did she refuse to help Din with Grogu? Same thing: paranoia about potentially forming an attachment and a sense that she needs to help the whole Galaxy instead of two people.

-Her behavior in BoBF would also make sense now because her insisting to Luke that he press upon Grogu that he can never see Din again could be seen as an extension of her mindset. Same for why she leaves Luke and doesn't talk about him; she's scared she'll start to value a friendship with him over the rest of the Galaxy.

From there, you could restructure the plot of Ahsoka a bit. Make it so that, while risky, getting Ezra back without dooming the Galaxy is very possible, so Sabine's decision to save him makes sense. Make it so she's only risking her life for his, not millions of others.

Ahsoka, who's still stuck in her mindset of only caring about the needs of the whole Galaxy and being afraid of the idea of Sabine becoming like Anakin, could strongly urge her against this, but throughout the show, can slowly realize that she's become the opposite extreme of Anakin. That she's willing to sacrifice everyone in her life needlessly in the name of helping everyone.

Fast forward to the World-Between-Worlds, and she and an actually repentant and regretful Anakin can hash things out. Anakin admits that he was wrong to place Padme above the Galaxy, but through the Force visions he also shows her the value of healthy relationships with people in her life while explaining how his unhealthy obsession was different; maybe he even shows her Luke managing to see the good in him and how that brought about the end of the Empire.

Ahsoka's conflicted because she starts to see what he's talking about. In the process, Anakin can also highlight how his actions led to her current mindset and encourage her to let go of her guilt and the pain associated with him. She's not fully there yet, but she starts on the path to finding balance.

Baylan Skoll or Thrawn can highlight the extreme mindset of "Galaxy over people" through the desire to bring "order" or "end the cycle" and so on. Finally, Sabine's rescue of Ezra would be done without endangering the Galaxy. It could lead to some minor good, like being able to warn the New Republic before the invasion happens. Thus highlighting the strength of a healthy relationship.

That way when Ahsoka praises Sabine and says she did the right thing, it would be a way to show that she's recovering from the pain. Not that she's following Anakin's path.

#Star Wars #Ahsoka Tano #Anakin Skywalker #Ahsoka series critical #anti Ahsoka series #World Between Worlds #anti Ahsoka #Ahsoka critical

[fanficimagery]

Always.. and Forever (2/2)

After your twin goes off the rails, you decide a change of scenery is in order.

PART ONE | PART TWO

Words: 7.6K

After assuring everyone that it was okay to leave the armed, unconscious men and women to fend for themselves in the middle of the street, everyone piles into Steve and Eddie's respective vehicles to head back to your trailer.

When everyone makes themselves as comfortable as they can and you pass out drinks for those who want one, you take a seat on the middle cushion of your sofa between Robin and Eddie.

"Well, I guess I should start with the fact that my father is.. was Niklaus Mikaelson- the very first vampire/werewolf hybrid. He and his siblings were over a thousand years old."

"Holy shit," Dustin mutters.

"My father was not a very good man. In fact, he was the worst. He made enemies left and right, and killed without remorse. He was the most feared supernatural being in existence and to this day, the name Mikaelson strikes fear in those in the supernatural world."

"Uh, question," Lucas says as he hesitantly raises his hand. "If your dad was technically dead, being a vampire and all, how did you come about?"

"The witches of New Orleans we're going through an ordeal with a vampire who took charge of the Quarter. He wouldn't let them practice magic, and if they did there were dire consequences. So to take out the vampire, they sought out someone bigger and badder."

"Your father," Robin realizes.

You smile at her and nod. "My father. After a one-night stand with my mother, the witches secretly worked their magic and made it so my mom was knocked up. Then they basically held my mother hostage and made my father do their bidding after making him realize he was to be a father."

"That mustn't have ended well for the witches," Will says.

"It didn't. One baby was against Nature itself, but two?" You scoff. "They thought us abominations. So when they tried to sacrifice us after they got what they wanted, my family did what they had to do to remind the supernatural community that you don't mess with a Mikaelson."

"What really happened to your parents?"

"Uh.." You trail off and take a moment to collect yourself. You're surprised when a hand slides into yours for support and you briefly glance at Eddie who urges you to continue. "These vampires came to town looking to harm my father which was nothing new, but they ended up kidnapping me and my sister. My mom was drugged and tortured, and in the end she sacrificed her life for ours. Her death then led to the events that would eventually trigger my and my sister's werewolf curse, thus making us hybrids."

"What about your father?" Mike asks.

"My twin and I were cursed with an evil so vile that if not taken care of, we'd have caused a lot of destruction. So to save us, and the world, my father and uncle Elijah took that evil within themselves before taking their own lives to let the evil die with them."

"Jesus.." Eddie exhales in disbelief.

"My sister and I stayed at our boarding school pretty much 24/7 after that. We couldn't stand to be in New Orleans, but our school was constantly under attack by monster after monster. Eventually one monster came about- a monster called Malivore. And the only way to defeat him would be the blood of a tribrid."

Dustin gasps. "Is that why.."

"No." You huff a laugh. "Growing up, my sister Hope was the one told she'd accomplished great things- that she'd be the most powerful. And she believed them. So, with that running through her mind, she came to the conclusion that she had to become the tribrid to defeat Malivore. Our aunt Freya made absolutely sure that's what she wanted before putting my sister to sleep and then magically stopping her heart. Hope died.. and then woke up in transition. A sip of human blood later and she was the first ever tribrid."

"So, you have to die in order to become a vampire?" Steve asks. At your nod, he gulps.

Smiling sadly, you say, "Remember when I said my sister did something completely unforgivable?"

He nods with a furrowed brow before his eyes widen with realization. The others realize too if their sharp inhales are anything to go by. "She didn't.."

You shrug and explain more of the story to clarify her reason for committing such an atrocious act. "On her quest to kill Malivore, it just so happened that she had to kill a Phoenix. Said phoenix who just so happened to be the love of her life."

"That's so sad," Eleven murmurs.

"When you're a vampire, everything is amplified- your senses and emotions. If you can't handle it, there's a mental switch you can flip that basically turns off your humanity so you don't feel anything. So, she did. She flipped her humanity switch off," you tell them. "But some of her emotions must have been trying to come back because she was envious that I wasn't overwhelmed like she was. So, to even the playing field, I guess, she snapped my neck."

"What?" Eddie is floored. "Your sister snapped your neck?"

"Yep. Right in front of our friends and everything," you say. "She got the peaceful and painless death, and I got the traumatizing one. I don't think I can ever forgive her for forcing my vampire side on me."

"What did the rest of your family say?" Robin asks.

"I dunno. I told my friends to not tell them and after they helped me control the urge to feed, I left."

"But if you have other witches in your family," Lucas says, "what's to keep them from doing a locator spell or something?"

"Cloaking spell." You grin at the boy. "Comes in handy when you don't want other witches to find you, but I'm pretty sure my aunt Freya could if she really put her mind to it."

"I'm sorry I'm the one who has to say this," Steve mumbles, "but your family sounds kind of scary and terrible."

You chuckle. "It wasn't all bad. There were some good moments." Releasing Eddie's hand, you stand and walk over to your shelving unit. There's a large clear quartz crystal that you grab and then walk back to place it down on the floor in the middle of everyone. Waving a hand over it, you say, "In Sertia."

The crystal glows before emitting a bluish projection above it as if one was looking at a screen.

"Oh cool. It's like a projector," Will says in awe.

"What is that you have there, my littlest wolf?" The memory comes into focus and Klaus saunters up to a ten-year-old you at the dinner table. He pulls out the seat next to you and settles into it with a dimpled smirk.

"That is your dad?" Max exclaims.

"That's one good-looking dude," Steve mutters.

You shake your head at both of them, eyes then trailing back to the memory playing out.

Memory you looks up, nose and mouth covered in powdered sugar. "Keelin brought me a beignet."

"Keelin? She's still around?"

"Dad," you groan with a giggle. "Aunt Freya loves Keelin and Keelin loves aunt Freya. You're just going to have to get over it."

"Yes. I guess I am." As you go take a bite out of your fried treat, it goes missing within the blink of an eye. "Hey!"

Your father holds the beignet now, a bit of powdered sugar at the corner of his lips. "Dad," you whine. Klaus laughs as he stands and you're quick to follow. Only your father has the unfair advantage of vampire speed. "Cheater!" You shout as you chase after him.

The memory fades out and another takes its place.

"YN? YN, where are you?"

Behind the Salvatore Boarding School sat another building that the students have turned into the perfect party/hang out location. Currently, you're tucked away up in the loft.

It doesn't take Hayley long to find you.

"There you are."

"Hi, mom."

"Oh wow. She's hot," Steve mutters and then is quickly jabbed in the ribs by Robin.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" She takes a seat next to you, placing an arm around the back of your shoulders so that you can lean your head on her shoulder.

"The kids here are mean, mom. I wanna come home."

"What do you mean that they're mean?"

"Hope let it slip that we're Mikaelsons. Now either everyone is scared of us or they're angry because of everything dad, uncle Elijah, uncle Kol and aunt Rebekah have done."

Hayley sighs. "I love your sister, I do, but sometimes she doesn't think before she speaks, does she?"

Your lips twitch as you chuckle. "No, she doesn't. But she's Hope Mikaelson- everyone's favorite so she seems to get away with everything."

"What! I do not have a favorite."

"Of course you do. And it's fine. I've grown to accept it."

"YN, look at me." Your mom tries to nudge you off and get you to look at her, but you grumble beneath your breath and remain exactly where you're at. "YN Nicolette Mikaelson."

You groan. "Don't full name me."

"Then look at me when I tell you to." You finally shift forward and glance back at her. You can see the concern in her expression. "If I've ever made you feel second best, I'm incredibly sorry. It was never my attention, sweetheart."

"It's fine. I've forgiven you and everyone else a long time ago."

The memory ends on Hayley holding you close to her side, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. When the next memory unfolds, the agonized screams startles everyone in the room and you're quick to wave your hand over the crystal to end it.

"What- what was that?" Eddie gulps, his gaze darting from the crystal to you.

"That was mine and Hope's first shift into a wolf."

"Cool! Can we see it?" Dustin asks.

You wince. "It's, uh, it's not pretty. The shift into a wolf is very painful."

A beat of silence passes and then, "So is that a no?"

"Dustin!"

"What? I just want to see! Don't try to pretend you don't want to see it either, Mike."

You chuckle at the bickering boys and then with a sigh, you wave your hand over the crystal again.

Agonized screams pierce the air and Klaus kneels in front of his two daughters.

"Accept it. Let the wolf in and the change will pass faster."

"It hurts," you whine. You're on your hands on knees and your arms snap into an awkward angle. A scream is ripped from your lips as you fall forward and when your dad calls your name, you whip your head upward to show off glowing yellow eyes.

"Dad," Hope whines from next to you. Her bones snap and her screams join yours.

"I know, sweethearts. I know."

"Jesus Christ.." Eddie mumbles.

Everyone in the room winces and flinches as your and Hope's scream resonates around the room.

The change is finally over and Klaus is left staring at two nearly identical white wolves. "Go. Run and I'll come find you in the morning."

When the memory ends, everyone looks up at you in awe.

"You had to go through that every full moon?" Eleven frowns.

You shake your head. "No. Hope and I were lucky since we were hybrids- wolf and witch. The pull of the full moon didn't affect us like it does to those who are full werewolf. We don't have to shift if we don't want to."

"Was that the only time you ever shifted?" Robin wonders.

"Yes. It is not something I will ever willingly do again unless my life depends on it. And besides, the shift back to human is embarrassing," you say. "When you shift back, you're totally nude." The boys' eyes all widen and your ears pick up their accelerating heart beats. "And FYI, I can totally hear your hearts and smell at least two individuals who've become excited."

"Dudes, gross!" Max exclaims while Robin snorts. Both Steve and Eddie suddenly find your curtains or ceiling more intriguing than anything else around them.

"Uh, am I the only one worried about the vampire hearing our blood rushing about?" Lucas asks.

Everyone's amusement and lusty thoughts soon turn into something else. Soon, fear starts to permeate the air and you roll your eyes. "Don't worry. If I get the hankering for blood, I drink it from a blood bag. I only bite if given permission to do so or to fend off an attack."

Dustin perks up. "Can we see you fe-"

"No! No," Steve stands up, shaking his head. "We're not watching her drink blood. I'm drawing the line."

You burst into laughter then and shrug at Dustin's downturned expression.

"If you boys are still curious about my family history, I have a book that dates back to when my father and his siblings were born. It's over a thousand years old, so the book will have to stay here."

Will bashfully raises his hand. "Can I look at it right now?"

"Of course." You walk over to your shelves, placing the crystal back in its place before finding the book in question. Then taking it over to Will, you hand it over. "Happy reading."

The large tome sits heavy in his lap and the other children are quick to gather around him.

While the kids rally around Will and Eleven to make the most of their spring break during the day, they've come to make your trailer the new hangout spot at night as Steve and Robin take to spending their time with you after their shift at Family Video. Eddie is always there unless he's running a campaign with his other friends, so it's no surprise to anyone when Eddie just barges in at times without so much as a knock.

Okay, well it is weird. At least to Mike, Dustin and Lucas it is- those three can't totally comprehend that their Dungeon Master is absolutely whipped even if he doesn't see it himself.

Your friends have come to terms with your past and you're in a good place, but you are a Mikaelson and it was only a matter of time before someone who had a vendetta against your family popped up.

You're cleansing a few amulets you've made, hoping to turn them into something for the kids when your ears pick up the sound of pounding footsteps. You think nothing of it since quite a handful of people are living in the trailer park, but then the scent of blood floods your nostrils.

Within the blink of an eye, you're up and opening your front door.

Robin is running straight for you, the side of her neck tinted darker and the front of shirt stained with red. You can feel the veins beneath your eyes slither to the surface in your anger, but you swallow down the growl as your friend finally reaches you. "They got Steve and Eddie! You have to- you need to save them! Please, YN, it's bad. They're gonna kill them!"

"Okay. Okay, I will." You pull her into your trailer, shutting the door behind her. Inside, you're able to see the side of her neck and the bit of flesh she seems to be missing. "Jesus. Someone took a bite out of you."

"Yes, they did! And it really hurt." Robin sways and you place your hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"More than likely you're suffering from blood loss." She scoffs at you and you fight back a smile. "I can help you, but you can't question me. It's gonna be gross, but I guarantee you you'll feel better within minutes."

"W-What is it?"

"Close your eyes, plug your nose and open your mouth."

"What!?"

"Just do it, Robin. Hurry! I still have to go find dingus one and two."

She gulps but complies. The moment she squeezes her eyes shut, plugs her nose and leaves her mouth hanging open, you hurriedly bite into your wrist and shove it against her mouth. Her eyes fly open and her words are muffled, but you grab the back of her head to keep her from moving. Eventually, she has no choice but to swallow.

"Oh my god. Oh my god. OH MY GOD!" She gags. "You just- and I drank-"

"Vampire blood heals. Relax," you tell her. "Now go grab a glass of water and start calling the kids. Make sure they're all accounted for and get them here as soon as possible. The trailer is protected so no one can get in." Robin rushes to your kitchen and practically sticks her head under the faucet. "You good?" After a few seconds, she offers you a thumbs up. "Okay. I'll be back as soon as I have our boys."

Calming your breathing and focusing on your hearing, you listen to make sure the boys aren't anywhere near. When you don't hear them or smell any other blood than what Robin has dropped, you cup your hands together in front of your mouth while whispering a locator incantation. Your hands briefly glow before a small orb hovers over your hands and then it shoots off towards the woods.

With a tired sigh, you chase after it.

Dodging tree after tree and jumping over shrub after shrub, your ears pick up the panicked screaming of Eddie. As you cancel your spell, you creep up as best as you can.

"Hey, hey, hey! He can't breathe! Let him breathe!"

You peer around a tree to see Steve on his knees with a thin rope wrapped around his neck. He seems to be wearing Eddie's vest and his abdomen is bandaged, and the vampire standing at his back tightens the rope periodically.

"Summon the tribrid or your friend dies."

"Fuck you, man. We don't know what you're talking about!"

"Summon her!"

"I- I- I don't know-"

The rope gets tightened again and Steve's eyes bulge as his fingers scramble to make some space so he can breathe, and you snarl loudly enough to get the vampire to realize he's not alone anymore. He releases the rope, Steve falls forward as he gasps for air, and Eddie lunges forward to help his friend.

You step out from behind the tree, eyes glowing and fangs on display. "Harming the humans was a big mistake. A mistake that you'll pay for with your life."

The unknown vampire hisses before he smiles. "Try me."

From somewhere to his left, a stake comes flying out of the darkness and you catch it right in front of your chest. You glance down at the normal piece of wood, huffing a laugh. "I'm a tribrid, you morons. Do you really think ordinary wood would kill me?" As you set the stake aflame and then fling it back in the direction it'd come from, you smirk when you hear someone shout out in anguish. Your gaze travels back to the vampire who'd hurt your friends. "You don't look so confident now. Did someone send you down here with false intel?" The vampire's eyes dart for the best escape route and you smile yet again as you let your eyes glow bright. "Run."

As the vampire disappears, you rush towards Eddie and Steve. You cup Eddie's face in your hands first, but he's quick to assure you he's fine. "I'm okay. It's Steve they tortured."

"Yeah." Steve grunts as he tries to pull in more air. "For some reason, they thought I was the boyfriend. Said something about me being prettier-"

"Which I take great offense to, by the way."

You grin at Eddie and lean in to kiss his cheek. "You're a different brand of pretty, Munson." He blushes under the light of the moon. "Now get Harrington back to my place. I'll be there soon."

"What?" He catches you by the wrist before you can walk away. "What are you doing?"

"They hurt you and Steve and nearly killed Robin. They're not getting out of Hawkins alive."

In his shock, your wrist slips easily from his grasp as you disappear off into the dark of the night.

"Well, I'd hate to be those guys," Steve mumbles. His words startle Eddie into helping him up to his feet. "You think she'll really kill them?"

"Uh, yeah. You didn't see Robin when they let her loose. I'm surprised she made it as far as the trailer park."

Steve grimaces as he bends over to rummage through a bag that had been left behind and pulls free a flashlight. Clicking it on, he gestures for Eddie to choose a direction. "Well, I don't know about you, but I could really use a drink."

Eddie snorts a laugh before picking a direction and the two boys start walking.

After a handful of minutes and leading the way with the light from the flashlight, Steve breaks the silence.

"So, if you ever repeat this, I'll deny it until I'm six feet underground."

"Okay?" Eddie drawls.

"Well, is it just me or are the whole fangs and glowy eyes weirdly attractive?"

Eddie laughs a full belly laugh. "Eyes off the creature of the night, Harrington. I got dibs on this one."

"I'm just sayin', man."

They continue to chuckle as they try to find their way out of the woods.

One second it's just the two of them and the next there's a dark skinned man standing about ten yards in front of them. Steve notices him first and puts an arm out at his side to prevent Eddie from walking forward.

"Dude, what are you-" He trails off as he follows Steve's gaze. "Jesus Christ," he mumbles. "Where the hell did he come from?"

"I, uh, I think he's a-"

"I'm looking for YN Mikaelson. You boys know where I can find her?"

"Nah, man, we don't know who you're talking about." Eddie denies. He then glances at Steve. "You know a YN Mikaelson, Harrington?"

"Nope. Never heard of her. We can't help you."

The figure growls before opening his mouth in a heart stopping roar.

Steve and Eddie yelp before clinging to each other, screaming at the sight of this new creature. His fang formation did not match that of a regular vampire or YN.

Just as this newcomer takes a step in their direction, howling pierces the air. Eddie and Steve stop screaming when this new creature freezes himself, his monstrous features fading as he tries to pinpoint the location of the howl.

A gray wolf suddenly runs in, stopping in front of the boys to snarl and snap at the newcomer in warning. Eddie and Steve glance down at the wolf seemingly protecting them, and then back at the newcomer who puts a hand out as if to hold off the angry wolf.

"YN?"

"YN?!" Eddie and Steve shout in unison, then glancing down at the wolf who immediately stops being aggressive.

The wolf stands up from out of its crouch and looks at the newcomer with a tilted head. Then right before their very eyes, the wolf starts to shift and change until a very naked YN is left in a crouch. "Marcel!"

"Naked! She's naked!" Steve yells and Eddie quickly punches his arm.

"Don't look, dumbass!"

You glance over your shoulder, smirking at Steve who's finding the canopy of trees above him very fascinating and to Eddie who's shrugging out of his leather jacket and then stepping forward to drop it over your back. "Thanks," you muse.

"D-Don't mention it."

You smile at the flustered boy as you stand, grateful that the hem of his jacket falls below your butt. You then quickly zip it up and push the sleeves up your forearms so your hands are free, and turn back towards Marcel. He's smiling at you as you walk forward, wrapping your arms around his waist in a hug as his arms encircle your shoulders.

"Missed you, kid."

"Mhm." Pulling out of the embrace, you turn and situate yourself at Marcel's side before introducing him. "Boys, this is my uncle Marcel. Marcel, this is Eddie and Steve."

"Hey, man." Eddie nods at him.

"H-Hey," Steve tries to do the same, but his throat is still bothering him.

"Well now that that's out of the way, we should get back to my place. I need to check on Robin and fix up Steve so no one questions his wounds."

"You can do that?"

"Yep." You slowly smile at your friend. "But you're not going to like it."

. .

. .

By the time you, Eddie, Steve and Marcel get back to your trailer, you can't help but huff when you see three bikes laying haphazardly next to your porch. You enter your home first, surprised to see the younger teens anxiously pacing back and forth.

Max's head whips in your direction and she walks up to hug you, relieved. "Never let Robin send out the 9-1-1 ever again. She made us all believe it was life or death."

"Uh, it kind of was," Steve muses.

Every gaze turns to Steve who's leaning against Eddie and to Marcel who paints an imposing figure by the front door, but it's Dustin's scream that garners everyone's attention.

"Ahhh! Why are you naked under Eddie's jacket?!" A hand slaps over his eyes and you grin as everyone quickly gives you a look over before averting their gazes.

All except Robin, Eleven and Max who roll their eyes as if your nudity is no big deal.

As Max steps aside, Eleven walks up to you. She frowns at a clearly injured Steve and picks up the dirt covering your hands and legs. "Safe?"

"Yeah, kid. Safe." You give her a small smile and then her gaze darts to Marcel.

"Bad man?"

"No." Your gaze travels to Marcel and you smile as he watches you. "Guys, I want you to meet my uncle Marcel. Marcel, meet the nerds of Hawkins."

"Hey!"

"We're not nerds."

"Takes one to know one, Mikaelson."

His smile widens at everyone's indignation.

"Well while you guys explain to Marcel how nerdy you all aren't, I'm going to find some clothes, heal Steve, and then Marcel's going to explain what he's doing here."

It takes you only a minute to change into a shirt, a pair of leggings and socks before heading back out to everyone else. Steve is on your sofa, head leaning back against the backrest as Robin tends to what looks like wounds from a knife.

"Buckley, peroxide and bandages aren't going to cut it. He's gonna need what I gave you."

Robin's nose wrinkles and Steve's lifts his head. "What? What did you give her?"

"Close your eyes, plug your nose, and open your mouth."

"What?"

"Trust me," Robin says, "and do exactly as she says. You're not gonna wanna see what you're drinking."

Marcel snorts and you wait patiently for Steve to comply. When he does, you're quick to bite into your wrist and press the bleeding wound to his mouth. The kids all exclaim their disgust, but you're a lot stronger than Steve and hold him down for a few seconds while he drinks.

When he's done, you release him and grin as he gags. "Don't be a baby. Robin took it a lot better than you did."

"Blood! I just drank blood!"

"Vampire blood," you muse. "Vampire blood that heals. The only downfall is that you and Robin have to be extremely careful for at least a week now, and not die. You die with my blood in your system, and you'll be walking around like a creature of the night."

"You're such an asshole, YN."

"Whatever. Go shower and change. Eddie's got some clothes in one of the spare rooms."

Steve opens his mouth to argue some more before his mouth snaps shut and he frowns. With a furrowed brow, he asks, "Why does Eddie have clothes here?"

"That's something I'd like to know as well."

Everyone glances at Marcel before Eddie tries to subtly make his way behind you. You roll your eyes at your uncle. "Don't play the concerned family card just yet, Marcel." You angle your body towards him and cross your arm over your chest while cocking your hip to the side. "What are you doing here? And how did you find me?"

"Freya has a thousand years on you, YN. Did you really think she couldn't break your cloaking spell?" You frown at him. "We just- we stayed away after hearing about what Hope did. We wanted to come straight for you, but Alaric and Josie said you needed space."

You roll your eyes. "Does everyone else know where I am then? I'm not looking forward to a reunion with Hope just yet."

"No. Just Freya and I. She sent me to find you when we realized some vampires were mobilizing against the family again. We needed to make sure you were okay."

"Well, I'm okay, so.."

"I can see that." Marcel glances around the children paying attention to your conversation with him. "It seems like you've surrounded yourself with decent kids, even if this town gives off a creepy vibe."

Dustin snorts. "You have no idea, my guy."

Lucas slaps him upside the head while Mike glares at him. Marcel, however, is a lot smarter than anyone gives him credit for and narrows his eyes at the kids who are hoping he drops the subject. "What are-"

"Don't worry about it," you tell him. "I'm handling it."

Marcel sighs, but drops it. "Your dad would be proud, you know? Setting down roots and protecting the innocent."

"You and I both know dad would hate this." You snort. "He'd have sent his minions all over the world to hunt me down and take me back home."

Marcel's lips stretch into a wide smile. "Yeah, he would."

"Mhm. Can we just scour Hawkins for any more unsavory visitors before I send the kiddos home now? Killing those vampires really took it out of me."

"You killed them!?"

"Dustin, can you shut up? We're all in the same room," Lucas grumbles.

You grin at the kids before shoving your feet into some shoes.

You and Marcel run all over Hawkins, listening intently to make sure no one else was hanging around or just lying in wait until the coast was clear.

Thankfully you found no one else and Marcel took his leave after you promised to contact your aunts to let them know you were okay.

Back at the trailer, all the kids are watching from the windows when you show back up. Once they have the all clear and Dustin clears up just how it is that Marcel is your uncle, the kids slowly take their leave.

The only one who stays is Eddie and you smile tiredly at him once the door is closed and locked.

"So that was one of your family members?"

"Yep."

"What is he? He looked different than you and those other vampires."

You sigh as you fall onto the seat next to Eddie, angling your body so he has your full attention. "Long story short, Marcel and my family were at odds right before I was born. Nothing in the world could kill my family except for a certain type of wood, but my father had hunted it down and burned it all to the ground so it could never be used against him. So when the witches got really pissed, they made Marcel into the ultimate weapon. Marcel was just a regular vampire, but now his bite can kill his wife and my uncle Kol."

"Shit. That's intense."

"Yeah." The two of you fall into a brief bout of silence and it's then your gaze travels down to his neck, catching sight of a cut just above the chain that holds a guitar pick. "Oh. You're hurt."

You reach forward to brush his hair aside, picking out a leaf here and there. "It's nothing."

"It's something. You, Steve and Robin got hurt because of me." He turns his head to look at you and you frown. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. The only thing that truly hurt were my feelings." The way he pouts makes you smile, making him smile in return as well. "Seriously, they thought out of the three of us that you had something going on with Harrington."

You laugh. "And Robin? Why'd they take a chunk out of her?"

"To send a message, I think."

"Message sent and received," you mumble. Your gaze keeps falling back to the cut on his neck and you sigh. "Here. Just let me.." You trail off, bringing your thumb up to your mouth and pricking it with a fang.

"I am not drinking-"

"Relax. This doesn't require drinking." Reaching forward with your right hand, you gently grasp Eddie's chin and angle his head so the cut is more accessible. Then with your bloodied left thumb, you reach over and swipe it across his cut. "There. That should heal it."

Eddie gulps. "Thanks."

Your hand lingers on his chin, moving to then cradle his jaw when he looks back at you again. With one hand on his neck and the other on his jaw, your eyes dart all over his face. "I'm really glad you're okay. Like really glad."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

A beat passes and then, "You know, if the cut wasn't all that serious, you could have just kissed it better." He grins as if joking around, but the beat of his heart and the scent of his attraction says otherwise.

"Oh, you mean like this?" You lean forward slowly, making sure he doesn't chicken out. And when he doesn't, you angle his head again and press your lips against his neck where the cut had been. He quietly inhales sharply and you grin against the skin of his neck. "Or like this?" You ask, letting your fangs drop and then gently scraping them against his neck.

"Fuck," he groans.

"You should be so lucky," you mumble. Leaning back, you flash Eddie a fangy grin. "Now go shower and head to my room. You've officially upgraded from the guest bedroom to the main bedroom."

Eddie gulps before he gives you a few jerky nods. "Sure thing, sweetheart."

Going from friends to something more didn't come as a surprise to anyone. And fortunately for all your friends, you and Eddie weren't into pda like the younger teens had feared. Yes there was hand holding and leaning on each other more than usual, and maybe a peck here or there, but the really affectionate and intimate gestures were saved for when it was just the two of you.

Will and Eleven have gone back to California, and just when you thought all was fine and you were going to help Eddie really buckle down so he could finally graduate high school, two teenagers are brutally killed.

Fred Benson and Patrick McKinney attended Hawkins High, but neither boy seemed to have anything in common. One popular boy in particular thought it was a genius idea to try and pin the murders on Eddie all because he was different, even though he didn't associate with either teen, but you blew a hole in his accusation when you spoke with the Chief of Police and became his alibi.

The other kids jumped to Eddie's defense as well and the Chief was forced to look elsewhere for his killer. But you and the teens who knew something dark lurked beneath the town knew the Chief would never find the one responsible, so you took it upon yourself to protect the entire town.

With the help of Eddie, Steve, and Robin, each of you took enchanted crystals that were the size of a softball to bury in Hawkins' north, east, south and west points. Then when they were buried a good five feet down, you muttered a protection charm that sent a shimmering dome over the entire town before fading right before your very eyes.

Then when Hawkins went a couple of weeks without any more deaths, you were able to make Eddie take his studies seriously so he could graduate. And when the end of May came around, you sat with Eddie's uncle Wayne in the bleachers to watch him finally walk the stage and collect his diploma.

Steve then invited everyone to his house for a pool party under the guise of celebrating the start of the teens' summer vacation, but you knew he was proud of his new friend Eddie for graduating even if he didn't want to admit it.

When you get to Steve's and change into your bathing suit that leaves Eddie groaning, you don't waste another second before pecking his lips and then cannonballing into the deep end. Doing so sends a splash of water towards Robin who'd been sitting on the edge and garners whoops of delight from the boys and Max.

You spend a couple hours messing around in the pool and sunbathing before ordering in several pizzas and soda for the whole group. Then after eating and watching Eddie, Robin and Steve share a joint, everyone heads back outside. The younger teens jump back into the pool to swim under the night sky and the party lights Steve had strung up, while you, Eddie, Robin and Steve relax on the lounge chairs.

Having dried off and then thrown on Eddie's spare shirt over your suit, the two of you share one chair. You sit between Eddie's legs, your back resting against his front as his arms wrap around you and you play with the rings on his fingers as Robin rambles on about the new movies heading to the theater soon.

Soon your attention is stolen by Dustin and Mike- the boys fighting over who should sit on whose shoulders in a game of chicken as they face off against Lucas and Max.

"Uh, YN?" Steve, who'd gone inside for the bathroom, calls out. "You have a visitor."

Turning towards your friend, your smile falters at the sight of the woman standing next to his side. Your breath stutters and you slowly sit up.

"Hello, gorgeous." Freya's eyes fill with tears as her smile wobbles.

"A-Aunt Freya?" You're up out of your seat far faster than anyone can track and embrace your aunt in a tearful reunion.

"Oh sweet girl, I'm so sorry," she says. You squeeze her a little tighter, mindful of your new strength.

"It's okay. It's not your fault. No one had any idea Hope without her humanity would be such a bitch." She doesn't laugh or even huff as you had hoped, so you pull back to look her in the eyes. "Really, Freya, I'm okay. I will forever hold a grudge against Hope for taking this decision out of my hands, but I'm okay. I'm happy."

"Are you really?" Freya sniffles and you nod, offering her a small smile. "I am." Moving so you're standing at her side, you take your aunt's hand and lead her towards your awaiting friends. Then stopping next to the lounge chairs, you open your mouth to introduce her when Dustin makes the strangest purring noise while smirking right at your aunt. "Hi. Dustin Henderson. Nice to meet you."

Freya laughs then and reaches up with her free hand to wipe at her tears. Max, Mike, and Lucas all splash their friend, razzing him for his lame flirting skills as you say, "Guys, I'd like you to meet my aunt Freya." As she smiles and waves at them, you introduce the younger kids one by one, then turn to introduce Robin and Steve. "And this," you say a little nervously while stepping up to Eddie who quickly stands and takes your hand in his, "is Eddie. My boyfriend."

"H-Hi," Eddie stammers and offers a sheepish wave. Robin and Steve immediately giggle, but Eddie pays them no mind as he looks down on you. "Are you good?"

"Mhm. M'fine." Eddie's lips twitch before he presses a kiss to your forehead.

"Wow. Bold move, Munson! Kissing her in front of her aunt like that," Mike muses.

"Shut up, you little twerp." Everyone around chuckles before he addresses you once more. "You want some privacy? I'm sure Robin and I can wrangle everyone inside. Or keep them out here if you want to go inside."

"Please don't." Surprisingly, the words come from Freya. When Eddie glances at her with wide eyes, Freya smiles at him. "YN has chosen to surround herself with all of you for a reason," she says while glancing around at everyone. "So, I'd really like to get to know you as well."

"Y-Yeah. Of course," Steve says. "We, uh, we can take this inside?" You agree and gesture for Freya to follow. The teens immediately start to hoist themselves out of the pool, Mike and Lucas having to yank Dustin out since he opted to not use the ladder. "Do not get water all over my house! Get towels. Use a towel! Goddammit, Dustin."

As Steve chases after the teens dripping water all over the place, you head into the living room. Freya and Eddie sit on either side of you, and Robin and Steve take the other two sofa chairs while the wet teens grab a seat wherever they can.

"So, first things first," Freya says while glancing at you, "were you found out or did you tell them you were supernatural?"

You sheepishly smile under your aunt's gaze. "I told Eddie I was a witch."

Her eyebrow arches. "Just a witch?"

"Well yeah? How exactly do you tell someone you're a witch, werewolf and vampire? It's unbelievable."

"Mhm. And how did the others find out?"

"Well you see.. the thing is.. Hawkins is kind of.."

"There's a dark dimension that lies just beneath Hawkins and sometimes it bleeds into our reality," Dustin says. "The monsters are insane!"

Freya glances between Dustin and you, and you sigh before explaining. "So, Hawkins has a lot of dirty little secrets. Apparently, there was a lab that experimented on children to give them powers and one of the children escaped-"

"Her name is Eleven."

"-after she accidentally opened a gate to that dark dimension. The monsters were drawn to her for some time since they realized she could create or close gates to their dimension, but after saving the town from one of the biggest monsters ever-"

"The Mind Flayer!"

"-she lost her powers," you tell your aunt. "She moved, but this dark dimension still remains."

"Now there's a new monster that can reach our dimension telepathically and kill us!" Dustin says. "It almost killed this one girl we went to school with-"

"And it was coming after me too," Max admits, "but YN wiped our minds of its influence and gave us protective crystals," she then says while rolling the crystal dangling from her neck between her fingers.

"It killed two other teenagers though," you say, "so I cast a charm over the entire town. We haven't had a problem since."

"Wow," Freya says. "That's a lot to process."

Robin and Steve snort, and you grin at her. "Just like New Orleans and Mystic Falls. Us Mikaelsons just seem to find trouble even when we're not looking for it."

Your aunt chuckles before reaching for your hand. "And you like it here?"

"I love it here." You glance towards your left where Eddie's sitting and grab his hand with your free one.

Freya spends a couple of hours getting to know your new friends and making absolutely sure that you were where you wanted to be. Your friends pulled more than a few laughs from your aunt and after assuring her Hawkins was currently where you wanted to be, she decided it was time to head back to Keelin.

All the teens were spending the night at Steve's, but you wanted the comfort of your own bed. Eddie too, apparently.

Laying in bed later that night, you turn on your side when you feel Eddie shift onto his so he's holding up his upper half while resting on his elbow.

He tucks your hair behind your ear and you grin at him. "What's going on through that head of yours, Munson?"

"Are you really happy here?" He asks. You tense and he hurriedly continues on. "It's just- your aunt got me thinking. Your family obviously misses you and you miss them, even if they're only just realizing you and your twin are of equal power, but-"

"But nothing," you tell him. You bring up your hand to move his own hair behind his ear and then cradle his cheek in the palm of your hand. "Do I miss my family? Of course. But I wanted to start over and I did. I found you in the process and I'm not quite ready to give this up just yet."

"But you will give this- us up?" He frowns.

"It's inevitable," you murmur. "You're human, Eddie, and I'm not."

"But what if I wasn't?"

"What?" You blink at him in surprise.

"What if I became a vampire? You could do that, right?"

"I can, but this isn't a decision to be made lightly. Vampirism isn't easy."

"But I'll have you by my side. You could help me."

"You're insane, you know that?"

"You wouldn't have me any other way." He smirks and leans in to peck your lips. "So, what do you say? Would you be willing to vamp me up?"

"I- no."

His smirk vanishes. "Why not?"

"Give it a year. Give us a year," you tell him. "And if you're not tired of me by then, we'll revisit this discussion."

"I don't think I can ever tire of you." He kisses your lips once more. "What was that saying your aunt said right before she left? Always..?"

"..and forever."

Your grin is so infectious that Eddie can't help but return it. "That's gonna be us, babe. I just know it."

"Always and forever?"

"Always and forever."

In Sertia - A spell that allows a witch to share selected memories of herself onto others. Some spells allow one to experience the memory as though they were there, while others just show what one saw.

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson imagine #stranger things imagine #legacies imagine #orginals imagine #eddie munson #stranger things 4 #stranger things #legacies #steve harrington #robin buckley #marcel gerard #freya mikaelson #dustin henderson #max mayfield #mike wheeler #the originals

[pb-dot]

Time to Nerd Out over Undertale

So I found myself listening to some undertale covers here the other day (RichaadEB on the excellent PlayFrama YT channel for the curious) and it struck me how I'm still not over how good Undertale was. It's not just that the music is truly amazing, although I challenge anyone who's played the game to listen to, say Bergenstrückung or SAVE the world without getting a bit emotional. The game is just the kind of experience that is so vast that it's hard to see from up close.

I mean, let's start by talking mechanics, why don't we? Undertale is built around the idea that classic turn-based RPG menu combat is inherently violent and that violence is inherently bad and worthy of being rebelled against. It's refreshing stuff. You don't get Experience points for killing enemies, you get Execution Points, your Level doesn't go up, your LOVE - Level Of ViolEnce does, and the reward for doing so are progressively simpler and less rewarding boss fights (up until a point, more on that later) and an emptier bleaker world.

Undertale sells itself as "The RPG game where you don't have to destroy anyone," and it's very much the mindset one's supposed to carry into the game. It builds tension towards a fitting final boss for such a game, a powerful man who will absolutely not change his path or step down, a man who has sacrificed everything good in his life to do things he considers abhorrent for the greater good. Asgore Dreemur, the penultimate boss of the game's initial route, is determined enough about the whole thing to break through the game's fourth wall to destroy the button that'd allow you to spare his life under the right conditions. Only one of you can leave this encounter alive, and in true game logic, you dying doesn't give you an alternate ending as much as a game over. It's a bleak spot, and it doesn't get less so when the final boss turns into this mixed media bullet hell nightmare (designed by the ever-unsettling Everdraed ) that shuts down your game when you lose to him.

Where I would argue Undertale goes from good to transcendent, though, is in the second of three possible playthroughs, where you, the player, is enticed by a character seemingly living partially outside the continuity of the game to go back and give it another go. Perhaps, the game posits, your quest to resolve the plot without killing anyone doesn't have to end with a failure. I also love that the way you prepare to take on the tall task of trying to talk some sense into Asgore is by helping basically everyone else get their shit together so they can give you an assist on talking down the reluctantly murderous goat-man. It's mostly more shenanigans, except one sequence that I can only describe as "truly horrifying," True Lab.

The final boss you fight once the goat man has been smacked some sense into by his ex-wife, her skeleton boyfriend, and just about everyone else who's ever worked for him is a bit of a twist. It doesn't come out of left field exactly as it does resolve some foreshadowing, but it does go both wild and hard. Asriel Dreemur is at this point a bit of a mirror of the protagonist, an innocent child who is functionally being sidelined by an external force that uses his child's wonder and imagination to its own ends. You know, a bit like you the player do for the protagonist character Frisk.

It is actually really interesting to me how Undertale does its metafictional elements. Initially, the game prompts you to "name the fallen human" as a name input before showing our protagonist character falling into the underworld the game is set in. The implication is clear, your player character is the fallen human, and thus it makes sense when characters start calling you the name you chose. This is, however, a clever twist, as the protagonist isn't the fallen human, but rather a child named Frisk. The fallen human is a character from earlier in the story who looks a lot like Frisk and has a similar arc, although theirs ends considerably grimmer. They are also who possess the final boss and have twisted the wonder and playful energy of a child into a megalomaniac tyrant, letting the desire to keep playing twist time and space into this never-ending spiral of violence.

It's heady stuff, and to make it worse, alternatively better if you're into this kind of stuff, it ties into Undertale's most profound theme: When it's time to stop playing Undertale. Now, that sounds like a mean-spirited joke, but Undertale is, I would argue just as much about letting go of the story as it is about telling it. You see, after you complete the second playthrough, most commonly referred to as the True Pacifist route, the game is arguably over. The stated goal of telling an RPG story where nobody has to die is achieved, just about every character story is resolved, hilariously awkward dates are had left and right, the peaceful way of achieving Asgore's goals are found, peace between Humans of the world outside and the Monsters of the underworld is implied to be just around the corner. The story is, in many ways, at an end.

"Gee, Peebs," you might say, "that sounds like some portentous narration going on there" because you're a very perceptive reader like that. "Also," you might add, "isn't there a boss fight with a skeleton in there somewhere?"

And indeed there is. The Sans/Megalovania fight is easily the most famous part of Undertale, partially for how insanely difficult it is due to a confluence of unexpected mechanical interactions. Sans only does one damage at a time, but that damage is per frame and he attacks A LOT. He has no defense so one strike will cause the bone boy to crumble, that is if you could hit the dodgy bastard at all. Hell, if his onslaught of bone-themed attacks don't get you, he has also figured out that if he stops attacking you and just has a nap instead it'll never be your turn. It's a very clever fight, and Megalovania is an iconic track for a reason. That said, the most ingenious part about the whole thing for my money is that you're not really supposed to get to it. It's arguably an extended part of a fail state, but the fail state isn't mechanical as much as it is thematic.

So, after finishing a True Pacifist run, the one remaining designed way to play Undertale is by going through what's called a Genocide Run, although the game's creator Toby Fox has stated he prefers the term No Mercy route for reasons I am sure are obvious. In the No Mercy route, you play Undertale like any other RPG. When you get to a new area, you grind it, killing every monster that you encounter until it stops giving you good XP. In Undertale, this is taken a step further, as you will literally kill all the monsters present until the game presents you with empty encounters. I will mention I'm not really working off personal experience here, as the No Mercy route struck me as tedious and unfun, and I was pretty happy with the second ending in the game so I haven't played it myself.

The approach of the No Mercy run does change the game around you. Characters will be less friendly to you, and their boss battles will in many cases be harder as conflicted characters go all out to stop the combine harvester of misery that you've become. The game is, I would argue, less fun as your growing levels make you strong enough to trivialize bigger and bigger parts of the game until not even the bosses going all-out even provide a challenge. Near the end, you encounter Sans, a character you haven't fought in any of the other routes, a jokester and moral guide of sorts, and, unless you are entirely unreasonably good at the game and prepared for a surprise, he absolutely bodies you due to the mechanics mentioned above. It doesn't matter that you have high enough defense for Sans to do only one damage to you, he'll do one damage to you per frame for just about as many frames as it takes, it doesn't matter that you'll one-hit kill the slacker bag of bones, he's just going to dodge it. The only thing you can do is get really REALLY good at dodging Sans' many many attacks, and all the while, your moral guide and former friend berates you for not leaving well enough alone. What you've done is fucked up, and it's fucked up that you did it just to see if you could.

It's an interesting point to arrive at given how modern fandom is just about designed to lead you down the path to get you there. Fandom is about wanting to experience everything about a work, every line adapted, every scrap of worldbuilding expanded on, every weird little gremlin made protagonist for a day. It's the kind of sentiment that has people seek out gradually more expansive cuts of movies, to want to listen to unedited podcast episodes, to troll every line of game code for unused content, to test every interaction. The goal, I would argue, is trying to find a way to never stop consuming the content you like, to ride the high of it forever by just getting increasingly granular and obscure about which parts of it one keeps getting into. This, Undertale argues, is where love turns into obsession, where fandom enthusiasm turns sour.

Playing the No Mercy route isn't something you do because it's fun. The clever puzzles of sparing every enemy and boss is replaced by tedious grinding. The sympathetic characters all die trying to stop your murderous ass, and the marvelously cathartic ending is replaced by disappointment and anticlimax. No, you play No Mercy because it's there, it's possible to do, and despite how obviously unpleasant it is to actually play through, it does provide new content, new lore, and at least one highly memeable boss fight.

Is it worth it? I'd argue no. Even in a world where the sole good part of the No Mercy route isn't available in a million different iterations online, even in a world where completing the No Mercy run didn't flag your save file in ways that change future runs in small but unpleasant ways, it's not something you're meant to enjoy. The No Mercy route is the game's way of telling you there is a right time to stop playing Undertale, and it was before even starting that cursed run.

One of the reasons I think this is such a clever move is because it sidesteps one of the chief criticisms of trying to work morality into gameplay, i.e. "Why is the game giving me shit for something it told me, no, required me to do?" See the criticisms of The Last Of Us, Spec Ops: The Line, and others for examples. Undertale doesn't tell you to do the No Mercy run and shame you for it as much as it lets you know that it's there and just let the natural fandom impulse take you on an ill-advised journey. Granted, there is a level of the same as the whole thing is designed with the purpose of delivering, functionally, the same message, but the confidence Undertale has in not insisting you see every last inch of its content does counteract it a bit in my mind.

The wacky part to me is that all of this shameless praise is without getting into the music, you know the reason I started my breathless cheerleading in the first place. Toby Fox, as it turns out, can compose the hell out of a soundtrack. Megalovania is the most famous piece and rightfully so, but there's also Bergnegstrückung, Death By Glamour, Bonetousle, and a bunch of others. Just about every boss theme is so instantly evocative of their characters that the game feels like it has voice acting although it provably hasn't, and the wide range of styles stretches from ambient to jazzy to a couple of songs that would not sound at all out of place on a metal album. It's a cover artist's dream, as the simple but effective melodies leave ample room to put your own spin on things. I personally recommend the Insaneintherainmusic's whole Live At Grillby's album for the jazz and RichaadEBs Determination for the metal stuff.

Undertale is a weird work to get worked up about at this point for me, I think. People just about unanimously agree it's good, but it feels like an understatement to say that. This game changed indie gaming, charting out a course that's defined just about the entire creative space since then. The supreme confidence with which Toby Fox and his minuscule team wielded their own irreverent nerdy humor with laser-guided precision and made us all weep over a goat woman and a stout skeleton bonding over terrible terrible jokes, made us sputter with ineffectual rage at a rude flower and cry tears of joy as we contemplated whether to give the homicidal goat-man a hug or not. Undertale is weird and wild and meta, but I'd argue that it's most important feature is that it's earnest. It expects us to roll our eyes at it, but it'll roll 'em right back as it delivers some meta jab.

Perhaps Undertale's greatest strength, though, is probably also the reason it's kind of faded out of the public consciousness outside of the Megalovania meme and the sequel Deltarune. Undertale is a very complete story. It's the story it is designed to be, it closes off its loops, dots its is and crosses its ts. Thematically, it's about telling you a good story and closing the book on that story, trying to preserve it in your memory rather than have you re-experience it again and again. Granted, there is lore and implications and obscura with the whole W.D Gaster thing and Chara, the thing isn't hermetically sealed, but once you're done with the story you're supposed to be done with the story. It makes for a great experience in my opinion, but I suppose it doesn't naturally lend itself to being preserved in the public eye.

I will say this though, as far as sequels to things with functionally perfect endings, DELTARUNE is doing a way better job than those post-show Madoka Magica movies has ever done, although I haven't really gotten into it myself. To me, the story of Undertale is so perfectly conveyed and closed off that going back there feels wrong. Like I left it just the way I wanted it to end, and any further meddling on my part is bound to just make it less perfect. Maybe that means I've understood the assignment, or maybe it just means I've put the darn thing on an unreasonable pedestal. Who am I to say?

#peebs thinks #undertale #gaming #I feel like I'm a bit down on fandom in this piece #and I don't want to harsh anyone's buzz #I've just come to see fandom very differently after the mainstream entertainment giants started getting invovlved #capitalism does get it's grimy claws in everything eventually I guess #but that's a topic for another essay #I should really get into why I think the ending to Madoka is basically perfect one of these days #but I probably should rewatch it beforehand #and I'm not sure I have that in me right this instant

[thelilbish]

@beavasilva and I have come up with a theory.

We are going to discuss the following questions:

1. Reya. What is she?

2. The symbolism of white dressing.

3. A weeping woman. Her possible connection to the series.

4. Adriel. The savior?

5. Duretti and Father Vincent. The trope.

Well, let’s being with Rhea. According to Wiki, « she is a mother goddess in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, the Titaness daughter of the earth goddess Gaia and the sky god Uranus, himself a son of Gaia. She is the older sister of Cronus, who was also her consort, and the mother of the five eldest Olympian gods Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Poseidon and Zeus, and the king of the Underworld, Hades. But Cronus learnt that he was destined to be overthrown by one of his children like his father was before him, so he swallowed all the children Rhea bore as soon as they were born. When Rhea had her sixth and final child, Zeus, she spirited him away and hid him in Crete, giving Cronus a rock to swallow instead, thus saving her youngest son who would go on to challenge his father's rule and rescue the rest of his siblings ».

Nothing. And her name gives us nothing too but her white dressing is kinda symbolic. According to different sources, woman in white legends are found in many countries around the world. Common to many of these legends is an accidental death, murder, or suicide, and the theme of loss, betrayed by a husband or fiancé, and unrequited love.

There are no husbands in the series but this legend is strongly connected to another one which is interesting. A lady who cried over her children death was the Weeping Woman or La Llorona. Again. Where is the connection? Yes, Reya cried twice: when she met Ava for the first time in her realm and when “thanking her” for her fight in the finale.

While looking for something specific about her, we found out this: «The first mention of the Weeping Woman is found in the chronicles of the Franciscan priest Bernardino de Sahagún in the XVI century ("The Weeping woman" is the Sixth omen of the fall of the Aztec Empire)».

Though the theory is about a woman mourning her children, I decided to dig deeper and that’s what I found: « La Llorona is one of the most dramatic legends of Mexican folklore. La Yorona is a mourner, a weeping female character rooted in pre—Hispanic Mexico.

It is said that even before the arrival of the Spaniards, people heard and saw at night a woman in a white robe with black loose hair, who wandered alone through the empty streets crying "Oh my children, soon we will all perish!" According to the monks who first recorded this legend, it was Cihuacóatl — "snake woman", the goddess of war and births in Aztec mythology, mourning the imminent death of her people and her impotence in the face of an impending thunderstorm... The interpretation of this legend gave rise to a completely new legend - about a mother who killed her own children ». (It was translated from my native language, sry for mistakes)

Well, it’s still nothing but do you remember what Lilith said?

This

Adriel definitely had told her everything. He definitely had filled her in on the details. She knows more than the OCS. A terrible thing is coming. That woman was the omen of the Aztec Empire fall.

I partly believe Adriel and I don’t trust Reya at all. Here’s why.

Adriel’s actions were violent, he sought power but the way he talked about being on the same side as Ava made us question him.

Bonus

What if he was right about Reya? The Reya who forced Michael to think that sacrificing himself was the only way to defeat Adriel. She did the same with Ava. We know absolutely nothing about her but her first possible prototype is pure, but her second which is La Llorona is the omen of fall.

Warrior Nun writers have big brains. It’s another reason to believe that Adriel was not a liar. There is nothing specific about him but take a look at this.

How is that so? The meaning of his name literally means that God is on his side. If God himself is his help, how can he be evil?

When it comes to Warrior Nun nothing is that simple, it’s all about details. I don’t think they chose that name because it was beautiful or something. They did it on purpose. Keep that in mind.

Besides, no one believed Lilith when she tried to warn the OCS in S1 about Adriel's tomb. She betrayed them once so they had no reason to trust her. But Lilith was right. It's a cliche but I think the same goes with Adriel.

Simon said that Ava and the Halo share a special bound since it was the Halo who made Ava alive but I think there is more to it. Probably the Halo possess more power than it has been shown or it is Ava who makes its much more powerful.

Well, the last thing is Duretti or Father Vincent. We see a trope here. In storytelling it’s quite common of the main character to easily defeat their enemies. But as soon as it has happened, they realize they have been chasing the wrong one. We can see that in S1. Duretti was the enemy they easily defeated, Father Vincent was the one who supported Ava the most. He was kind and understanding. They forced us to think that Vincent was a good guy. And I believed him. I think a lot of us did. It’s a manipulation. We knew about his past which he was remorseful of. He didn't even hide it as if trying to make everyone feel sympathy for him. He succeed in this. Duretti's actions were unclear. But he tried to protect the world in his way. No one saw it.

Vincent was a hero but Duretti ended up sacrificing himself in order to give the OCS a chance to defeat Adriel. He was not afraid of him even knowing what Adriel was capable of. So, Adriel is bad and Reya is not?

Let’s sum it up. Reya is evil, she is the omen of fall, she will be the cause of the fall. She will definitely use Ava to achieve her goals as she did before with Michael and Ava. Her tears were a sign for us. Adriel was not a savior but he tried to warn us about the terrible coming. You can never be sure about the WN characters. Question their actions. They are much more complicated than they seem to be.

Hope you like it, guys. Feel free to share your thoughts with us!

#avatrice #warrior nun #warrior nun season 2 #ava x beatrice

[voskhozhdeniye]

As I have noted on multiple occasions, I pledge allegiance to no political party on the face of the earth. None speak for me. I am a devout monarchist.

That said, I will watch the 2024 US presidential campaign with great interest. It may very well be the last one we see with the United States in its present form.

One thing is increasingly clear: despite his apparent popularity with a substantial plurality of the American electorate, the powers-that-be in the empire will do “whatever it takes” to prevent Donald Trump from even getting on the ballot, let alone actually win again.

Of course, Trump’s supporters believe he is the answer to America’s woes. They believed that in 2016, too. And yet the woes not only continued, they became more severe. Although he paid much lip service to the notion, Trump did nothing whatsoever to threaten the omnipotence of the so-called “Swamp” in Washington. He wrapped himself and his administration in its tentacles.

Many will reflexively reply, “But he didn’t start a war!” And yet all during his term in office the empire greatly accelerated its preparations for the war against Russia now raging in Ukraine — a war whose consequences will include the end of NATO as a credible military/political alliance, and the end of the European Union as a functioning political/monetary alliance.

Meanwhile, wars against Iran and China continue to simmer on the back burner — conflicts which the Trump tenure as president greatly exacerbated, and which the Biden administration has aggravated even further.

The trajectory of events is not amenable to the voice of the people. The Empire At All Costs cult is calling the shots, and war remains their only recourse to the relinquishment of hegemony.

Representative democracy in the United States is irredeemably corrupted. The sprawling permanent apparatus of empire in Washington has become an irreversibly metastasized malignancy on the American body politic, and an existential threat to the world.

Many believe it can be cured by finding and electing “the right people”. I’m sorry folks, but we’re far past that. The people for whom you are permitted to vote are individually and collectively powerless against the real potentates who rule and reign in America.

On November 6, 2024, the American public will be informed that someone has been elected President of the United States of America. Whoever it is, you will be assured that the majority of the electorate voted for him or her. But it won’t be Donald Trump and it won’t be Robert Kennedy, Jr. I seriously doubt it will even be Joe Biden or Kamala Harris.

Of one thing only can we be absolutely certain: whoever it is, it will not be an agent of change for the better.

As Alexis de Tocqueville presciently foresaw way back in the 1830s, American democracy would inevitably lead to a massive permanent state, impervious to the will of the people:

"The democratic tendency … leads men unceasingly to multiply the privileges of the state and to circumscribe the rights of private persons ... often sacrificed without regret and almost always violated without remorse ... men become less and less attached to private rights just when it is most necessary to retain and defend what little remains of them." “After having thus successively taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp, and fashioned him at will, the supreme power then extends its arm over the whole community. It covers the surface of society with a network of small complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. “The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided; men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting: such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence; it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to be nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.”

This is where we are, and there will be no turning back. To whatever extent it ever truly was, America will never be made great again. Something great may eventually rise from its ashes … but the ashes will come first.

[tunaafishyy]

Deshret, through the Goddess of Flower’s sacrifice of herself and the oasis, is able to learn the secrets of the elixir of life... the key to breaking the shackles of the material world.

The Goddess of Flowers, in her role as the goddess of dreams, was able to act as a bridge between the mortal (material) and the divine.

Dream images (phantasms) are created by the perception of the material world, and allow for transition/connection to the divine through phantasia. The process is doable due to her “divine sacrifice creating the bridge to salvation” (higher knowledge).

However, creating the bridge is not the only thing required, since it’s creation is useless if someone does not become saved (learn the truth of ascension, which luckily Deshret is able to do through pure willpower.

Deshret returns to the mortal realm. Using the dreams of the sacrificed, the dissolved material of the sky, the divine nail, and the gold stones deep within the earth he creates his mirror of the divine, his illusory paradise. The only difference between his illusion and that of the material realm os that he is the ultimate authority in his bubble… the determiner of fate. The laws are his to define.

[The Unified Civilization, but Deshret]

Now that the formula for the elixir of immortality is known, the only thing left to do is churn it through the dreams of mortals. In truth, the mortals are giants. Nephilim. The long-lived half-god off-spring spawned from the Watchers (most likely Deshret).

One of his divine envoys, Liloupar, finds the person she believes is capable of being Deshret’s proxy, Ormazd. With the help of Liloupar and the Jinn, he rebuilds the Eternal Oasis, and swears to protect it.

And that is where things begin to go wrong. Ormazd, consumed by power and ambition, cares not for the people coming under his rule. He becomes a tyrant like those before him.

[The Anger of the Divine Envoys]

Liloupar, disgusted by her mortal lover’s transgressions decides to punish him for 3 generations. Their daughter Shirin is a curse in waiting, as is her future husband who is unknowningly also her half-brother, Kisra.

Strange… the divine envoys of the primordial one were also angered by human arrogance…

Kisra appears at first as a boon to Ormazd’s campaign to unite the 99 brass and mortar cities across the desert. Invincible. Hero. The Spirit of Victory. Ormazd adopts him and offers his daughter Shirin’s hand and marriage… a meer orphan risen to the pinnacle of royalty.

But what are the chances of Kisra and Shirin ever ruling when there are 300 other children of Ormazd?

Pretty high when Liloupar plots them all to be murdered.

Through an accidental delivery by Shirin of the poisoned honeyed… the nectar of the gods and truth corrupted through her mother’s insidious plot… Ormazd and all 300 of his children are slain.

And thus does Kisra rule.

Kisra’s corruption was almost immediate, if not long in the making. Like a seed waiting for the right moment to sprout.

Liloupar teaches him the forbidden knowledge of the skies. Of the machines and their power. How to infuse the Jinn into them.

In the darkness of dreams, she teaches him of a machine to eat dreams to create an infinite deluge of objects. A machine he is more than happy to create, and is more than willing to further break the mind of Shirin for to get her distorted jinn creations to use as fodder.

Oh, Sophia…

[Arrival of the Apocalypse]

The abyss has truly taken root in Deshret’s illusory realm, but it isn’t until the battle escalates beyond control that the corruption gains Deshret’s attention. Kisra has turned into a dark monster, likely from the assassination by his son, Shiruyeh. The city is drowning in blood and slaughter until it’s swallowed by the abyss, and Liloupar basks in her success.

[Elemental Balancing]

Deshret, furious at her actions, splits her soul into 7 parts, spread out across 7 points to align with the elements. An attempt to combat the destructive power of the abyss by spreading out the karmic seeds across elemental points.

Which almost works. (Kind of like the archon war maybe almost worked).

Except forbidden knowledge has already permeated the dreams of the realm. The samsara begins, and the sins repeat like the reflections of a shattered mirror. The details change, but their fates are the same, their sins unchangeable. They are a permanent reflection of corrupted human ambition, jinn vengeance, and abyssal poison.

The elixir of immortality could not be created through Deshret’s realm. The Amrita formed through the ocean of dreams, the key to breaking the shackles of the world, forever out of reach.

But he can’t let the poison spawned from his actions, the poison he “accidentally consumed”, spread outside of his illusion.

With the help of Rukkhadevata, he sacrifices himself. Destroying the spread of forbidden knowledge, and sinking his dream beneath the sand forever.

… or so we’re told…

The End… for now

This is a very rough draft hc on Deshret’s realm mimicking the failures of the primordial one (unified -> divine envoy -> destruction -> 7 cities -> destruction -> the primordial one is gone), so don’t take it too seriously . Also I’ll edit it multiple times so yeah.

Based on combo-ing ideas for:

“Alistor, or The Spirit of Solitude” poem ; amrita ; eternal recurrence ; Plato’s theory of forms ; philosophical view of phantasms ; Gnostic concepts ; vibro-crystal harmonics ; and uh… probably other stuff I don’t feel like linking anymore I’m lazy

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin lore notes #genshin impact lore #genshin lore #genshin tinfoil hat theory #genshin rabbit holes for later #genshin theory #genshin impact theory #genshin deshret #genshin sumeru

[larathia]

TBHK Analysis: Ch. 95

Woohoo! SOME MEAT AT LAST. Not as much as I was hoping for? But still, some nice juicy bits of trivia to poke at. 

Some notes before we dive:

* Hanako’s still missing one of his hitodama. Yeah, I know, this is like The Key at this point, but I think it’s worth keeping track of.

* The biggest question I had at the end of this chapter is this: Why is Sakura so keen on only telling Yashiro facts when Tsukasa can’t hear her, when everything she’s said thus far seems to align with goals she shares with Tsukasa? Because really, he seems more than happy to tell nene all about his and his twin’s bloody past. He’s been quite open about his desire to ‘break the world’. He seems genuinely eager to be destroyed as a yorishiro. So what, exactly, is it that Sakura wants Tsukasa not to hear?

Okay. Now. DIVING IN.

* The first thing we see is Sakura saying she’s basically getting ‘how to act around underclassmen’ from books. She’s been trapped in that school a hundred years, and she doesn’t know how to act around underclassmen? I find that more than a little fishy.  (My own personal pet theory right now is that Sakura is the thing that the villagers of old were sacrificing kannagi to, and that the Wonders have been keeping her bound in the school. She’d be powerful, but not terribly knowledgeable, and very keen to get loose.)

* We don’t know HOW, yet, but we now know that Akane, Teru, Aoi and Kou made it out of the boundaries. We don’t yet know if they live. I just want to say that. Sakura only says they ‘may’ have returned to the mortal realm, and that if they did, then Yashiro and Aoi’s lifespans will switch back. Sakura also wouldn’t be able to find them if they all died. But as telling Yashiro that would probably cause her to lose her emotional grip, Sakura has good reasons not to say that. We’ll probably know for sure soon (relatively speaking), but either way the decision’s been made. Schrodinger’s box has been opened, we just don’t know the actual results yet.

* FAN THEORY CONFIRMED: TSUKASA IS HANAKO’S YORISHIRO. More than that, we are told why the yorishiros are what they are, which explains a lot about Hanako’s behavior toward his twin. No matter what Tsukasa may do, what harm he may cause, Hanako cannot bring himself to hurt his own yorishiro. But Six proves, as Sakura points out, that just sometimes a Wonder will snap enough to be willing to utterly destroy their own yorishiro. I don’t see Hanako being able to do that, though. Not to the extent Six did. Stab Tsukasa? Yeah, I can see him being pushed enough (again) to do that. Obliterate Tsukasa? ...No, I just don’t think so. So yeah, Yashiro’s needed for this.

* Little note: I was actually kind of happy, that Sakura mentions why the ‘moon rock’ became Tsuchigomori’s yorishiro. He does care about his students, and Amane was ‘the student he couldn’t save’. I hope we see old Tsuchi again sometime. He’s probably the only spider I’ll ever actually like.

* Your lifespan is supposed to expire when the yorishiro of every school mystery is destroyed. Let’s unbox this a bit, shall we? 

- Firstly, there’s the idea that Sakura put forth that doing this would in some way ‘destroy the world’. If so, then yeah. Destroying the yorishiro would kill Yashiro and everyone else in some decent sized radius. But it’s always been strongly implied that Yashiro is relatively unique in her short lifespan, so let’s set “The world ends” aside as a cause of death.

- Secondly, there’s what we’ve been told about the function of the Wonders as being protectors of the school, ‘pillars’ so to speak, and that in the time before there were Wonders, kannagi had to be thrown into the pit to keep the town safe but that this hasn’t been done since the Wonders were set up. It’s entirely possible, therefore, that when all the yorishiro are destroyed, the kannagi that is the cause of that is then the first kannagi to get thrown into the pit as in the days of old - and that’d be Yashiro’s fate.

- Thirdly, and I think this is important, Sakura told Yashiro this and yet is certain that Yashiro will still go on to destroy the remaining yorishiro. That if Yashiro seems reluctant, she can ‘nudge things’ to go the way she wants. Anybody else wonder what the hell she could pull out that would make Yashiro want to run headlong toward her own death? Given the whole reason she was going to ‘destroy the yorishiro’ was to extend her life?

* Hey! HANAKO HAS HIS HAT BACK. You know, the one he lost in the fight with Teru on the train? So ...maybe that second hakujoudai isn’t off on a mission after all. Maybe it’s a kind of power level indicator? Like...Teru really did nearly kill Hanako, or at least very BADLY wounded him. So it took a while for his hat to come back, and when the second hakujoudai returns, then Hanako’s back at full power?

* As a final note, WE ARE NOW OUT OF THE BOUNDARIES AGAIN. We’re back in the mortal world! With Hanako! (I think we’re in the middle school area? It looks like the locker area that Mitsuba-1 was haunting.) And Hanako looks worried about Yashiro. If we’re lucky, next month he might actually share information with her. Gosh, that’d be nice. I’m not going to hold my breath for it, but hope springs eternal. At the very least, let’s hope for confirmation re: Kou and the others!

#tbhk analysis #toilet-bound hanako-kun #toilet bound hanako kun

[seventeenlovesthree]

Headcanon/AU: What if Menoa had known Koushirou all along and the entirety of Kizuna had been about her wanting to drag him to her side?

Granted, this wouldn’t have changed much of Kizuna’a overall plot, but: Parts of the scenery - as well as some interesting translation choices - could at least imply that Menoa’s role in the OG Digimon Adventure timeline may have been a lot more meaningful than what meets the eye. (Big thanks goes to @jamesthedigidestined, who initially sparked this headcanon.)

In sum, Menoa’s and Koushirou’s roles in Kizuna are pretty much defined as “being young geniuses on opposing ends/value systems”. Menoa is completely engulfed in her saviour complex, utterly ridden by grief and guilt over having caused her partner to dissolve, so her goal is to drag each and every Chosen Child into her fake reality realm, making them turn back into children to live in that state for eternity, without asking for their consent or contemplating whether what she does is right or wrong. Koushirou, on the other hand, is framed as selfless hero, sacrificing himself for the sake of enabling Taichi and Yamato to defeat Menoa rather than taking anything from anybody against their will - so much for the things the viewers are able to tell for themselves. But until we get to this point, there are a few other things to look at.

At the start of the movie, Menoa is the one who contacts Koushirou to ask him and the other Japanese Chosen Children for help in solving the cases of people all over the world losing their consciousnesses, as she specializes in Digimon research. Yamato looks to be rather suspicious of her coming to them to ask for help, after she claims that they had been rather famous, having saved the world countless times. And indeed, the movie frames it like they are local heroes - as opposed to Tri, in which they appeared to be a threat to society -, so it shouldn’t be surprising that Menoa figured out how to get in touch with Koushirou... Right?

But what if she had actually known him - while he himself had no idea that it was her...?

There are several versions of “Our War Game’s” sub floating around the internet - in the movie, Koushirou tells Taichi about a friend, who has provided him with analyzed information regarding the suspicious Digimon that appeared on the internet, growing quickly and having merged with several bugs. Depending on what sub you look at, said friend is from Los Angeles (or Russia, which appears to be a common translation error, thanks to @shihalyfie​ for pointing this out!). However: It is notable that he is referring to his friend as “she” (at least in this version of the sub, which may not be fully accurate, but for the sake of this headcanon, we’ll go with it):

And not only that... She seems to be impressively intelligent. Which rings several bells and reminds us of another redheaded genius:

The timeline doesn’t completely line up, since she, apparently, had met Morphomon when she was 9. She is 22 in Kizuna, thus she’s the same age as Taichi - so while that means she would have met her partner two years before Taichi and the others met theirs, it at least lines up with both her and Taichi being in grade school at the same time.

(On a more self induldent note, the fact that Taichi reacted as depicted above both times he is confronted with people interacting around him and Koushirou, who are supposedly much smarter than himself, maaaaay indicate a certain level of mirroring - if Menoa was involved in both instances.)

In addition to this little hint, Kizuna pulled another visual OWG parallel - after losing Morphomon, Menoa had attempted to gather her partner’s data to bring her back. 

And doesn’t that interface look eerily familiar...?

The English Dub of “Our War Game”, better known as “The Digimon Movie”, merged several movies together and changed the course of the story: In this, it was Willis (or Wallace in the Japanese original) who was framed to be the genius who had accidentally caused Diaboromon/Diablomon to appear in the internet as a virus. 

So... What if Menoa had done the same? What if she actually had been the one Koushirou was in touch with over the whole issue? What if their exchange had caused her to gather enough data, enough information, to use this exact interface to create her own Digimon later on, being inspired not only by Diablomon’s basis, but, probably, by everything she and Koushirou had been texting about throughout all these years - while Koushirou had been blissfully unaware of what she would end up doing?

What if... The fact that she refers to Koushirou as “genius boy” was because she had actually met him through the internet when he had still been just a boy himself?

What if that was the reason why she had hoped for him to see eye to eye with her? Her overall demeanour towards him is very relaxed, open - maybe even a bit playful and flirtatious. 

What if she had been convinced that he would be on her side and provide the help she requested - since she had been the one who helped him to defeat Diablomon in the past? Just imagine what they may have been theorizing about, all the exhanged ideas over the years, all the knowledge that she could have gathered to make all of this work - thanks to him. She knew he’d have a list of all the Chosen Children, she knew he’d have the resources, the infrastructure, the kindness to - hopefully, in her eyes - make everyone turn to a state of bliss and happiness, without pain or loss. Together with her.

And what if the fact that she could eventually overpower him, taking his consciousness, luring him into Neverland, was because he had eventually realized who she was... And had let his guard down, just for a few seconds?

I do believe it could have been interesting if he had become her second in command due to getting brainwashed - because we all know the others are pretty much helpless when he isn’t providing guidance from afar. And these two geniuses and their bug Digimon against the world might be a deadly combination, but... For now, this is just a headcanon. Especially because the timing might not fully add up in the end. But I would really love to see these two interact in some way in canon once again in the future.

#menoa bellucci #koushirou izumi #koushiro izumi #my two cents #digimon adventure last evolution kizuna #digimon adventure kizuna #meta #headcanon #digimon #kounoa #they're a very intriguing duo and i just adore how this COULD have been framed

[littlemisssquiggles]

I think the sacrifice will be Little and/or Curious.

Hello there anon-chan! As I mentioned in this previous post, I too share the same headcanon of either Little or the Curious Cat being the one to sacrifice themselves to return RWBY to Remnant.

Personally, between the two animal companions, I’m more favourable of the Curious Cat especially following yesterday’s episode. I felt so sorry for the Cat after the “cat got out of the bag” about the true nature of both the Tree and the Cat’s purpose in the Ever After.

While I figured the Cat had something to do with helping Afterans who had gone astray, I didn’t imagine that there would be dark implications behind it. However; even now, inspite of what Elder Jaune said, I’m still willing to give the Cat the benefit of the doubt.

Bottomline, I don’t think the Cat is evil nor the Tree either. In its own way, I think the Cat genuinely did care for Alyx at some point---possibly even saw her as a dear friend up until the very moment where she deceived them.

The Cat genuinely looked most disheartened after they revealed its disappointment over Alyx lying about taking them with her to Remnant.  

It is for this reason why I think the Curious Cat seemed most invested in Ruby. I’d like to believe that the Cat sees Alyx in Ruby and in their own way; without saying more than was asked of them, is nervous for her sake.

This is probably why they saved Ruby from the Herbalist. Since Jaune mentioned Alyx changing and becoming more distrustful of him and her brother following the group’s encounter with the Herbalist, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Cat was fearful of a similar pattern being repeated with Ruby and thus their reason for being swift to intervene.

If Ruby had remained within the Herbalist’s illusion, would she had walked out feeling similarly like Alyx? Would Ruby had suddenly become distrustful of her team? Would she have walked a similar path as Alyx?

There is no doubt that something is happening to Ruby right now. Something very dark and what’s worse is that the only person who seemed to have picked up on this thus far is the Cat. There has been talk from other fans and FNDM theorists about Jaune picking up on Ruby’s change in demeanour too after her lack of enthusiasm of having Crescent Rose returned to her. Personally, I didn’t get the feeling Jaune noticed anything different about Ruby---probably too wrapped up in his own personal crisis and inner demons currently to see that his friend is clearly falling apart.

I think ultimately, the two characters to call out Ruby’s inevitable break will be either Little or the Curious Cat.

Heck I can even picture a moment where a desperate Little suggests that the group find the Curious Cat since its power may be what is needed to actually help Ruby following her breaking point.

I’d like to still hold out on the theory of the Curious Cat sacrificing themselves for Ruby. If not to return her home then to heal her of her demons by giving the last of their heart to her.

My theory is that both Little and the Curious Cat will be sacrifices.

The Curious Cat will give up themselves to help Ruby  after she inevitably breaks whereas Little will probably sacrifice their life to the Tree so that Ruby and her friends can go home.

It seems that the Cat really wanted to go to Remnant so it may be with Alyx forever. So imagine how bittersweet it would be if ultimately, the Cat will get to see Remnant but through Ruby’s eyes as it becomes a part of her when it gave its heart to her.

Just imagine a bittersweet moment of Ruby touching her chest where the last of the Curious’ Cat's heart became a part of hers and saying “Time to return to Remnant; together this time. It may not be a fairy tale like your world but I hope you find it interesting all the same, my curious friend”

Or something like that.

Another thing that would be interesting is if the Tree somehow ends up “dying” and Little’s purpose is to become the Tree or the new spirit of the Tree; replacing the Curious Cat so that it can fulfill its promise of helping Ruby and her friends return home now that it had the power to do so.

Or…something like that.

All in all, those are my main theories for Little and the Curious Cat after EP6. Whether they’ll stay that way or change will be determined by the events of the next episode.

~LMS (2023)

#squiggles answers: rwby #rwby #rwby theories #ruby rose #rwby little #rwby curious cat #rwby volume 9 spoilers #rwby volume 9 theory #rwby alyx