#antagonizing a child for existing

[furiousgoldfish]

abusive parents for as long as you live at home: useless burden. costs money. only takes never gives back. waste of space. we should make you pay rent. threats of being kicked out at slightest disobedience.

abusive parents when you run away: we've been nothing but PERFECT this child is PUNISHING US for being GREAT PARENTS how could they DO THIS TO US?! We are a FAMILY!!! This is BETRAYAL

#child abuse #abusive parents #toxic parents #hypocrites #threats #long term abuse #antagonizing a child for existing #antagonizing a kid for being born #acting like children running away has nothing to do with how badly you abused them #filthy hypocrites

[ofallthingsnasty]

tw: yandere, kidnapping/basement spousery, depression, mentions of noncon, gn reader characters: Crocodile, Sanji, Doflamingo, Law word count: 1.3k

One thing I learned recently is that I'm definitely a social creature and would get horribly, horribly depressed as someone's basement wife, even a well entertained one. All the books, the crafts, the soft music in the world couldn't prevent me from sobbing into my pillows, couldn't get me to crawl out of bed and to paint a smile on my face. Oh, but how would your captor react? For some, it's definitely a necessary evil - Crocodile comes to mind here. Annoyed by your lethargy, by your random tears and your meek, taciturn responses, he finds himself frustrated at times. This state of mind really isn’t ideal - he wanted you docile, sure, but not lifeless. Yet it's also awfully convenient when you just let him push you around, let him caress and touch you - and not out of fear of him, simply because you don't care to struggle. He discovers that he can forgive a lot when you're especially shaken and cling to him, bury your head in his chest because he's the only human you'll ever know again and the world is so bleak around you and you just need him right now. Of course, it would be nicer if you didn't do it because he's the only warm-blooded creature that you interact with, but he'll take what he can get. (And with time, it weirdly grows on him: him turning into the center of your life, the way your eyes seem to light up the tiniest bit when he comes home to you, something he thought mildly annoying at first turning out to be awfully convenient.)

To others, it's devastating. Sanji lives for your smiles, your warmth, the way your eyes crinkle and you jut your head forward when you fully, genuinely laugh - total apathy is worse than antagonism to him. If you were to scream, shout, put your fingers around his neck and squeeze with the desperation of a cornered prey animal, he'd at least get a reaction, some signs of life out of you. But you don't even do that. You just sit and try to suppress tears while he holds your hand. Sometimes he just cries with you, letting himself fall into the same hole you're being pulled into. It makes him regret taking you so utterly, bitterly, makes him feel all those memories from when he was a child bubble up in his stomach until they force themselves out and he has to vomit to be rid of them. He’s just like his father, he thinks, and it makes him sick. He’s rotten down to the very core, cursed from birth and now he has gone and soiled you, too - he’ll end up sobbing into the crook of your neck more than once, full of genuine remorse. And all you’ll be able to do is absentmindedly pat his hair, thoughts spilling like an knocked over ink well. No, you slipping into a deeply depressive state is only going to worsen the hatred he has for himself, is going to poison him slowly and steadily until he’ll be in agony. Maybe it’s his just punishment.

Then there are the ones like Doflamingo who simply don’t care. You don’t crawl out of bed until noon? You just stare into space or bury yourself in books when you finally do? You’re just lifeless by his side, just blink, shrug your shoulders when spoken to, just exist? Whatever, he has always treated you like a doll from the start. He can even weather the elusive bouts of sobbing and crying (even if he hates it when they happen), because most of the time you’re just his poseable thing and he is nothing if not generous to allow you a tantrum here and there. He doesn't feel bad about you being a more of a hollowed out shell of a person than a fully-fledged human with a rich inner life and doesn't care that most of it is his fault - his fault that you fester and rot beneath the surface, his fault that all the opulent, vibrant clothing and the scorching hot days by the pool still leave you frosty and weirdly bloodless, like a cold-blooded creature in winter. Food is ash in your mouth and only sours your stomach but you still eat when he tells you to, touches feel foreign and loveless but you still let him fuck you if he so wishes. Why should he care what circles around in your head when he gets to do anything he wants to you? That you feel like life is no luster, only desperation? The truly bothersome parts are taken care of by his myriad of servants and the family. Messes left behind get cleaned up, baths are forced on you regularly, as are grooming sessions. If you don’t get dressed on your own either someone else will see to it or he will - and he’ll have his payment for his time, trust me. The solemn mood, the non-existent smiles… he doesn't care for that. You’re not here for your entertainment, you’re here for his. And you just accepting your fate and letting him do whatever it is he wants… That’s just perfect, isn’t it?

Of course, let’s not forget about the ones who secretly love it. Law is a prime example, especially with his medical background. He isn’t surprised that your mood sways - he expected as much when he restricted your every move, declared the outside world to be too unhealthy for you. Of course you’d slip into a depressive episode. And it’s not a flaw, it’s intentional. Because now - now, when you can’t peel yourself out of bed, when everything feels too much, when you can’t feed or move or dress or take care of yourself- he gets to swoop in. He gets to do it for you, gets to tell you that he’s here and that he’ll always catch you when you fall. That his assessment of your condition was accurate - that you always needed him, right from the start. Dependency is worth more than all the love in the world to him. It simply doesn’t matter if you’d rather slit his throat than to behave for him out of your own volition - as long as you can’t leave. Even if he genuinely loves you, he’s not deluded enough to cling to daydreams of him and you living a quiet, happy life full of reciprocated affection, that ship has long sailed - sailed ever since his childhood got irrevocably destroyed. No. Love is nice and good and makes him wash you gladly, makes him care for you with delicate hands and with a patient brow - but your sickness makes you stay, renders you unable to leave him. It’s the only currency he can trade in when it comes to you. He’s your savior and tormentor rolled into one person; but above all he is the only one who cares and will forever care. You could rot yourself into a pathetic, sweat-soaked, disgusting corner, could turn into nothing but a husk and he’d always, always nurse you out of the ditch he’s found you in, just at the right time.  What he doesn’t tell you is that he could help you. At least artificially. Boost your moods with SSRIs until you bounce off the walls with nervousness and sweat thrice as much; make you giddy and shaky until you get used to the dose. Until the world seems worth living in once more, until at least some color returns to your drab eyes. He could get you the medication, even try some speech therapy, could help you like a good boyfriend should. But why? It makes no sense. Why help you only to get some fire back, maybe even for you to slip through his fingers? It’s easier to sit in twosome silence with tired eyes watching him, eyes that one day might be grateful for all the work he has put into them. Until then, it’s of utmost importance that they stay right where they are: in a cramped, dirty corner of a bed, dull and lifeless.

#i hope you can see where i'm going with law's part? he's such a little creeper... but also deeply traumatized... ugh #idk i hope this was coherrent it has been rotting away in my brain for 3 weeks now #yandere one piece #trafalgar law x reader #sanji x reader #crocodile x reader #doflamingo x reader #tw.yandere #/crocodile #/sanji #/doflamingo #/law #/one piece

[blueiight]

can i ask your thoughts on the fandom’s heavy focus on louis as an object of desire? it sometimes feels to me like people are more interested in other characters reacting to louis than they are in louis himself. i know the “helen of troy” stuff is a joke but it genuinely seems like he’s often rendered oddly passive in his desirability, like we’re looking at him through the eyes of the other characters even though it’s his story (to be clear: in the fandom, not the actual show). or am i being uncharitable? either way, you always have interesting things to say about fandom reception.

i think the focus of louis as an object of desire arose largely in response to a lot of racially-charged nonsense about show louis, namely, where a loud minority of fans tried to deny the abuse and horror of season 1 and frame louis as the primary antagonist/abuser of his own story. which in of itself had the potential to go somewhere, especially considering the feminized role louis occupies in parts of season 1. unfortunately its spiraled off into its own dead end at this point to where now people, a year and a half removed from the release of s1, can box louis's character arc into this tale of getting all the hot boys to look her way. when this is a horror and tragedy series. romance is part of that, but is a piece of the full picture. classic romance is very much horror tbh but thats just me

if we're discussing the show strictly, majority of louis's relationships are antagonistic. even with his lovers, they love him as much as they seek to control him. 'his love is a small box that he keeps you in', trailer louis saying 'i knew who i was without those pieces [of myself?]' . so on and so forth. the first three episodes of season 1 are about louis's struggle to maintain a link with his mortal community, in the midst of increasing racist tensions against the city leaders, all as he struggles to come to terms with his existence as a vampire and how his relationship to lestat fits in relation to all these pieces of himself. doubly so, there is also the nature of the second interview in present time, and the sort of antagonism between daniel + louis as louis eventually pushes daniel into burning the old tape. the latter half of season 1, episodes 4-7 is squarely about the triad of lestat, louis, and claudia, how lestat increasingly tightens his hold over them both, claudia breaking them free of it, and louis's response to such. doubly so, daniel becomes more hostile the less he knows, and the more louis's composed 'master of his instincts' personage collapses to show the broken man thats underneath. armand comes in at the end bc the interview has reached a breaking point once more [as it did in the 1970s]. i know, im looking too hard into the meme, but so much of where louis errs, where his memory falters, where history is completely revised, has to do with the question of claudia. even book interview foundationally was about this grief, though not nearly with the level of depth+ gravity the show has added to the story.

where focusing on louis as an 'object of desire' most impedes analysis has to do with claudia as well, bc if u see louis as that solely, then what is claudia to u if not a 'child interfering in [louis's] romantic affairs'? why are people already seeking to write claudia off as a wayward child unduly 'taking out her anger on louis', when it was louis at the end of season 1 who strangled her against the wall and refused to let her burn lestat? when its louis in the trailer thats throwing claudia's words from season 1 back at her, evading her questions in the cafe? when claudia is having to dress as a baby doll and advertise with a sandwich board for a theater + a coven-master that all want her dead?

i think this is by nature of the fact that iwtv is canonly gay and isnt afraid of showing that, and modern fandom is mainly interested in romance. claudia's relationship to louis is secondary, if not tertiary, to all 'camps' of this tiny tiny fandom bc she is clearly established in s1 as not being a viable romantic option for louis, despite claudia's perspective and her story taking up the second half of the first season, and will continue to be important in the second season. the 'helen of troy' fixation on his desirability in relation to romantically viable vampires [or even men] seems to be another means by which fans can ignore this part of the story, just as the mutual abuse nonsense about louis being clarence thomas the third self hating black man who stole lestat's lunchables and is 'just as bad as the rest' drowned out and continues to drown out any other conversation for the past year and a half. it is very difficult to have conversations on this character precisely bc of this state of fandom, where many people seek to crack the whip over a fictional character for not being mother teresa and having a complex response to trauma, then instead of discussing that, some seek to fixate on the fact that mother teresa can be sexy, actually. when thats not the point. why is modern louis so full of grief and all but suicidal in dubai, if not for the fact that claudia is permanently dead, he still lives, he regrets something, and wants to find the truth under it all? the jokes are cute and all, but lets put our thinking caps on.

#yn. #yn answers #is this even worth being in the main tags? #idk.

[a-d-nox]

pac/pap: what is the energy that surrounds you and how can you best protect your energy?

take what resonates leave what doesn't - nothing is 100% for you because these aren't personalized so please no angry comments or dms about what i am saying not being a good fit for you or that you "don't claim" just keep scrolling if that is the case. be kind, self reflect, and have fun.

last pac/pap: what happens when you take actions on your dreams?

want a personal reading? click here to check out my reading options and prices!

pile 1

energy around you: i sense that you are healing from something. i actually feel proud of you, pulling this card - you seem hopeful that things are changing for the better, and they truly are. you feel inspired again - i encourage you to create again. i feel like you write or paint? so by all mean - have at it, the block is over. the mental health struggles are getting better and you are currently on the right track so keep it up! keep healing; keep growing.

how to protect your energy: you're energy is extremely sensitive right now. i sense that you feel antagonized by someone at this moment - perhaps by the person you are healing from or someone is poking at you and the mental wounds you are healing. think ethically - would confrontation or defensive remarks make the situation better or worse? perhaps remember that they too are likely going through something. why worsen their possible situation? note that no matter what you do, there is a chance for "difficulties" and "strain" to arise. be the bigger person.

pile 2

energy around you: you are starting the process of a spiritual awakening. know that to continue moving forward and "awakening" you must acknowledge and accept the past for what it is - the past. release any resentment you have and move forward - you do not have to forgive anyone face-to-face you can simply do so on you own. do what you must so you can move forward and not feel held back by the past. your future is bright - no need to dwell in the dust and dark of the past. put your energy into noticing signs from the universe (perhaps practice some shuffle-mancy - put a playlist on shuffle and listen to the first song's lyrics for your message). try not to be too tough on yourself as you let go of the past and embrace the future.

how to protect your energy: as i said before you are a strong person with a bright future, so i trust that you will do what you must - if you see something must be done, take action and do it. connect with your inner authority - protect your inner child, if you are forgiving someone face to face actively remember that your inner child still exists. going face to face with someone who brings you trauma or anxiety does cause age regression in some cases - acknowledge your younger self and remember the growth you have done. you have the ability to protect that inner child. remember to think beyond just yourself - it might not be worth digging up the past when we have presently gone so far. additionally advised: practice self-empowering mantras and affirmations.

pile 3

energy around you: you are moving into a gaining cycle - do not linger on previous fears of challenge and loss but at the same time learn to show gratitude for what is about to come into you life. recall your previous beliefs in change and now rewrite it to see it as a warning that things do change and you can experience loss again. something i sense you should work on is focusing on the spiritual world rather than the material one. you are a clever person, which is not something that can be quantified so stop trying to show everyone what you are instead simply being what you are. if you are dealing with health woes at the moment - try to ground your mindset into that of healing into of suffering. live life as though it could be worse and as though it could be better, instead of taking it for granted that you are "stabilized/stabilizing" because change is inevitable.

how to protect your energy: be generous. the best way to promote your new found prosperity and gains are to model how you wish to be treated and/or wished you were treated in your times of need. step into that leadership role - being a model or figurehead for charitable services can help you to remember where you were, where you are, and where you are going. it is also a great time to get the support of the positive masculine figure(s) in your life; perhaps they can aid you in your journey to connect past, present, and future via their connections/funds. the main message for you is to donate to passion projects and volunteer with those in need. don't focus too had on getting others involved; focus on you and your journey. whatever you can give back, no matter how small, will be appreciated without a doubt.

#astrology #astro community #asteroid #natal chart #astrology tumblr #daily tarot #tarot reading #tarot #tarotcommunity #tarot deck #tarot cards #tarot reader #divination #pick an image #pick a photo #pick a pile #pick a card #pick a picture

[xenosagaepisodeone]

as a child, movie monsters scare you because they inhabit the same kind of all-dominating realm as adults. even putting the matter of being too young to be able to discern reality from fiction aside, it doesn't matter if you know logically that jason voorhees couldn't fit under your bed or in your closet, because adults already navigate the world in ways you don't quite understand and already impose their will upon you without reproach. the idea that jason voorhees would kill you if he saw you is enough to make him real in the mind of a child, all because of that tacit understanding that your safety is entirely subject to the whims of others.

adults are usually frightened by movie monsters for superficially similar reasons- ie the feeling of loss of control. this is sometimes entwined with the larger cultural anxieties evoked in a work of fiction to punctuate some kind of feeling of realness, but any anxiety elicited from these types of movies normally wears off over a short period of time. nobody's jumped you while in an underground parking garage and nothings popped out of your basement. the vulnerability you are feeling is situational. life goes on. recent years have seen an increase horror media that attempts to capture loss of control as an antagonizing force, largely in the form of ambiently hostile space. the rise of interest in liminal spaces (when its not just being done by kids who are fascinated by the parts of fast food joints they arent allowed to be in), the backrooms, neo-lovecraftian cosmic horror(+the whole "lovecraft would be pissed if he saw what were doing with his ideas >:)" genre), the renewed interest in cold 70s sci-fi, and even analog horror to extent embody this curiosity. enemies that can't be seen or even understood, but are definitely felt. people at large are interested in experiencing a total loss of control; physically, socially and sensory-wise.

anyways, this is why I believe that this means culturally, the people are interested in a new kind of sex. slashers and monsters have existed for so long that they have ceded that murky unknowability compelling one to fear strangers to the spectacle of popular culture. the danger has been excavated and demystified from both the canon and fandom perspective, allowing more people than before to feel comfortable recognizing "i kind of want to suck it off" as a response to their fear of ghostface or jason voorhees, and playing with what that would entail. honestly any director in the genre worth their salt understands this, which is why clive barker is the goat. but what would be the normative sexual response in circumstances like that of skinamarink be? would jacking off in the backrooms exerting control over your circumstances or would abstaining be (and would not jacking off be the hornier option?)? discuss.

[mindshelter]

pinning jason and bruce's antagonism solely on a percieved personal betrayal (ie. bruce not killing the joker, bruce introducing, even with reluctance, another robin) both dilutes jason's character and holds him back. there is a hurt, angry child nestled somewhere inside him, but jason todd as the red hood is at his best (conceptually) when he is chiefly a man with austere beliefs that are incompatible with his father's—and that is the central conflict. bruce and jason both believe in violence, but they cannot and will never agree on the scale, extent, and intended result. for bruce, those parameters are a matter of morality; jason is focused on calibrating a punishment to suit the offense, and these two will never, ever, see eye-to-eye.

it is a great tragedy, too, if they love each other and know it—if jason knows bruce loves him still. knows it like he know the sun will rise and the days will pass. it just doesn't matter anymore, because the world and future batman sees does not exist and cannot exist. if dad can't understand that, his loss.

#mostly a comment about his depiction in batfanon #uhhh where was i going with this... #comic blogging

[perpetualexistence]

Remember Total Drama Action: Best Game Ever?

In case you don't, it was a flash game that came around when Total Drama Action was airing live. You play as an intern who got to interact with the cast on TDA. You could make alliances with contestants by performing tasks for them, and certain alliances would damage your relationships with others. You'd also perform tasks for Chris. You also had constant enemies that you could beat with weapons that you could upgraded the more tasks you did for Chris. A fact I'd COMPLETELY forgotten about until now. When it was live, you'd get new tasks each week, and you could save your progress by making an account on Cartoon Network.

When I was watching TDA and way, WAY before I was in the fandom, and before I even knew what fandoms WERE, I remember playing it. My favorite character actually used to be Leshawna. I barely even remembered Noah existed, sweet little naive child I was. As a result, I of course immediately made an alliance with her, and thus got Heather as an almost instant enemy. It was great, and I've got very fond memories of it.

Why do I bring this up?

Well, thanks to @wheredidalltheusersgo, I managed to find a working link of the game: https://www.numuki.com/game/tda-best-game-ever/

You can only play as a guest since the original server is long since gone. But as I've found through trial and error, the site actually DOES save your progress even if you close it.

So obviously I had to play it again. I was having so much fun I started taking screenshots because of how wild certain things were. I thought you guys might enjoy them as much as I did, so I figured I might as well post them here.

I'd also completely forgotten you could customize your character. Got to make sure she looks Fresh for FreshTV.

Perfect. We're serving off-Izzy vibes and are rocking a fedora. Time to get through this tutorial shit so I can talk with the besties.

Cue me doing a bunch of fetch quests for Chris. Most of them require going into little studios based on each of the episodes. I'm pretty sure when it was live each studio was closed until the corresponding episode aired, and then would open up once the episode released. In this version though, they're all open.

There's also a lot of beating critters up with a stick. Like for the alien studio they're guys in alien costumes, for the beach it's a bunch of crabs and sharks, etc. You can avoid most of them by running around them, though you only get money for beating them. Which you of course need to get newer outfits to look Even Fresher. So death to all who oppose me I guess.

Through me trial and erroring if this game did save, I accidentally screwed myself out of getting into an alliance immediately after I was done with the tutorial. Once you get started on one of Chris's tasks, you have to do them to completion, and they usually come in groups of threes. No big deal though. Just have to do the last one for this second wee-

Jesus CHRIST Heather, you seriously take no survivors.

Either way, tasks are done, now time to choose an ally. The options include all of the TDA contestants, plus Geoff and Bridgette. None of the peanut gallery for that season sadly.

I could just do Leshawna for old time's sake. Or I could have this be the start of my villain arc and go with Heather. Hmm, decisions decisions...

Well, I already look like off-Izzy, might as well pair up with actual Izzy!

Wow your pixels are so crunchy, Izzy. Especially compared to my character's.

Still, I knew I made the right choice with you, Izzy. Out for blood from the get go. Never change. Time to go ruin Heather's day.

Heather's are even CRUNCHIER.

Also, is that genuine gratitude? From Heather? Receiving what she thinks is just a regular gift box?

Guys, I just might be the monster here.

And after killing some crabs for Izzy, my rampage of terror shall continue! Somebody's really got it out for her ex.

I didn't take screenshots of it, but after completing each of the antagonizing tasks, both Heather and Justin came up to us swearing that we would pay. Which means now the top right of my screen has this on it:

At least here the pixels are a lot less cronchy. Still, Justin's angry face is Sending Me. I can't explain exactly why. Maybe it's because it highlights just how much of his face is CHIN.

Still, I have done what is required for my new bestie, time to reap the rewards.

Yeah this feels about right.

And that's all I did before I decided it was time to take a break before I got in too deep! (I already am, but shhhh don't tell me-)

If you guys are interested in seeing more of my shenanigans, let me know. I'm probably going to keep playing and taking screenshots as more wild things happen.

But for now, I need to actually go eat dinner. I seriously need food, the allure of nostalgia was just too strong.

#perp plays Total Drama games #not a tag I ever expected to make #but here we are #total drama #total drama action #total drama action: best game ever #total drama games #total drama game #toatl drama izzy #td izzy #total drama heather #td heather

[sarasade]

On Claudia, Viren, Aaravos & Claudia's Character Arc

This post is mostly about Claudia's character development or should I say character deterioration.

It's highly likely that Callum will be the one to take down Aaravos- like it all goes back to Harrow's letter in s2 and chains of history and the themes of free will vs destiny and such. Aaravos possessing Callum is all about that. He's literally taking control of Callum's faith. There is clear antagonism there that's in a direct conflict with who Callum is.

But at the same time Claudia is the one who's got the biggest personal beef with Aaravos. He exploited her grief, manipulated her and used her father to accomplish his own goals. If Aaravos didn't exist Claudia wouldn't have spent two years of her life in a complete stagnation waiting for her dad to come back from the dead instead of moving on. It seems like Aaravos has been molding Claudia into his personal minion through dark magic during the time skip as well.

Taking this into account it would be really satisfying to see Claudia snap out of it and take her revenge. Characters having a personal connection to the villain always makes a story's climax more gripping. More personal the better! And everything between Aaravos and Claudia is VERY personal.

That's why Viren worked so well as a foil to Callum and Ezran in s 1-3. Especially Ezran whose rightful place as the king he tried to take. He was basically their shitty, power hungry uncle who turned against them. Side note but if Viren is still alive I hope he makes a return as Ezran's foil.

Claudia helping to take down Aaravos would be emotionally satisfying. All the elements for that are already there. Of course Claudia should come to some kind of realisation about the way she's been used by Aaravos before she can take that turn. I doubt the show's got the time for that but it's an interesting possibility to think about.

I really like how the plot around Aaravos manipulating Claudia is done. Even Claudia's own father didn't do anything to prevent it from happening although all the signs of Aaravos having sinister plans for Claudia were there from the beginning: Aaravos calling Claudia "an asset" and encouraging Viren to lie to her in s3 therefore enabling Viren's worst impulses while also using them to his benefit. It's SO EVIL (and I love it). Viren isn't that much better since he always had some kind of excuse to ignore the red flags. At this point of TDP's run I'm convinced that Runaan's "Faith worse than death" line about Aaravos' mirror is finally paying off. It means that the consequences of Viren's actions have hurt Claudia, the only person Viren loves unconditionally, in an unfathomable way.

I think Claudia's arc is relatively subtle and very well done. It balances between Claudia being a victim of manipulation and neglect while also giving her agency to influence the plot as a whole. My only complaint is that Lost Child short story should have been implemented in the show itself and not just be extra material. I have some other grievances but those are mostly fandom related.

How some fans, especially in YouTube reviews, talk about Claudia's downfall like it was inevitable because she's always been fucked up or talking about how "trauma isn't an excuse for bad behaviour" is strange to me. Like, yeah, it isn't an excuse but it's simply just bad media analysis to instantly jump into condemning Claudia's actions, like she's a real person who uses trauma as an excuse to hurt other real people, instead of seeing it in the terms of a character study. Claudia clearly uses trauma to convince herself that what she's doing is right but never tries to manipulate anyone else by using it as an excuse. Think about her and Terry for example: she usually refuses Terry's help instead of trying to garner sympathy from him. This character trait is one of the many reasons why she felt obligated to keep her family together as well. She's extremely stubborn and not very self-conscious about her trauma brain but she does understand why others would see her actions as objectionable. I think this character type (usually a woman) has been given the playful nickname "trauma bitch" in the internet lexicon. Anyway god forbid if we actually empathise, reflect on and engage with unpleasant or problematic characters instead of instantly condemning them.

TDP is about how people can always CHOOSE a different path. Viren's dark magic hallucination in season 5 stated this very clearly.

In Claudia's case it's more interesting to think about WHY she DOESN'T choose differently. That's where all the meat of her character writing lies.

Claudia's arc is what happens when the desperate actions of someone motivated by trauma around abandonment are taken to their logical conclusion in this fantasy setting. It's a fictional story, it has metaphors and shit. Fantasy genre has used necromancy and extending one's life by magical means as a story element to explore humanity's relationship to death many times. The metaphor for loss and regret basically writes itself. Ursula Le Guin has used this trope in The Earthsea books, Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn has done it etc. Everything can't be a one to one comparison to real life (trauma rarely makes you want to kill your friends with dark magic irl. idk that's just me though) and there needs to be a level of abstraction involved in a fantasy story. Abstraction and metaphor, paradoxically, can reveal a greater truth about the world. (I'm probably accidentally quoting someone here but can't remember who.)

Anyway the rest is great. When you think of it all for a moment it's pretty fucked up how Claudia has been used by Aaravos. It's not some tiny part of Caludia's story. It IS her story. And Viren set that norm for her. Viren too has abused Claudia's trust. It's a complex subject and probably requires its own post since Viren, Soren and Claudia's situation reflects some pretty realistic dynamics real life troubled families have. That's why the characters compliment each other's stories so well. Viren is a more realistic character after all when Aaravos is more over the top and symbolic and less of a real person. Aaravos is one of those villains who embodies the opposing ideology of the heros. We (still) don't know almost anything personal about him so he matters mostly in relation to other characters.

Thanks for reading this Claudia propaganda! I've had so many of these in the drafts. Anyway TL;DR

#they did a callback to the unicorn horn spell in s5 #rule of threes guys- what if they use the unicorn spell on Aaravos? #like the whole fandom has already figured that Nova Blade is not gonna cut (heh) it #being real salty about TDP YouTube here lol #not to be that person but- is engaging with a complex female character's story really asking too much? #tdp meta #sarasade text #the dragon prince meta #tdp claudia

[uselessheretic]

When it comes to Ed and addressing his issues around things like mental health, trauma, and anger issues, I understand the kneejerk reaction to deny that he has any of those traits due to not wanting to stereotype him, but I don't think that really solves much. Ed is someone who is severely traumatized, forced into a world where he had to take care of himself from a young age, and never given a chance to learn things like healthy coping mechanisms. He's going to develop in ways that are maladaptive as he searches for a way to just survive.

A lot of the time, people will say things like "Ed doesn't have anger issues because whenever he gets mad he's valid" and I get it, I do, but it just? Doesn't work that way? When a room full of people makes fun of you, you can't just go in there and shoot everyone even if they hurt your feelings. Not just because that's a wild ass thing to argue as correct, but because it directly endangers himself and others. Even if he's fucking Blackbeard, that's still a huge risk of him being harmed. Characters like Oluwande and Frenchie would also be at risk where maybe people can't stab Blackbeard, but it's possible someone might take a chance on one of his companions if they think they're a part of this.

Denying that these problems exist doesn't do anything. It doesn't strengthen his character and it doesn't engage with him in a way that humanizes him to allow for growth. He's not gonna marry Stede and suddenly never be angry again and nobody ever makes him feel sad ever again!

I understand that the thought process here is that men of color are stereotyped to be angry and violent, and therefore, it's racist to interpret Ed as having these traits. That doesn't really solve anything though because it doesn't engage with the problem past a surface level. Moc are stereotyped as being angry... Why? Because it's a way to justify enacting state violence and control them. Sure, you can say "Ed isn't angry though so there's no need to put him through the system" but that narrows the scope down to him as an individual that relies on him never being angry to rescue him from that.

Because what happens when moc are angry? When they are violent and you're not able to just deny that and move on? Do we just abandon them?

Obviously not. When we base a person's humanity off a prerequisite that they can't embody any of the negativity the state is seeking to control, we inadvertently justify the violence imposed onto those less able to hold themselves to, frankly, impossible standards. It's another way of trying to appeal to respectability politics.

So instead of denying these parts of Ed, we can look more closely at them.

Ed's moments of anger are often prompted by him experiencing hurt. He's made fun of, he's been tricked, a snake fell on him, he feels abandoned. He has a tendency to go from zero to one hundred very quickly, and often will react to things with the same level of intensity regardless of what is actually triggering it. This makes sense though when you remember that he's a severely traumatized person who went through substantial abuse as a child! Often, people experiencing things like c-PTSD lose their ability to accurately gauge threat levels, meaning that if they want to survive, they are on constant high alert for any possible danger. Anger is a natural reaction to this, and his trigger for going off is hypersensitive as a result. Something like this helps explain why Stede leaving him, and Izzy subsequent antagonism, hit him like a fucking truck.

When Ed expresses anger, it often comes coupled with reminders of his trauma and greatest insecurities. Making fun of him for growing up in poverty, saying he can't have friends, poking at his breakup and fear of abandonment. He has direct flashbacks to his childhood with some of these, becoming forced to relieve times when he was at his most powerless. This lack of power pushes him to try and regain that control. He's not poor! He has more riches than you can shake a stick at! You can't make fun of him for how he eats, do you have any idea who he is? He's fucking Blackbeard! Choose your next works carefully, dog, and decide if you want to bring up Stede anymore.

It's instinct. As much as jerking your hand away from a burning iron. He's being hurt, he needs to make it stop.

But it doesn't work. Not only does it not work, Ed knows it too. He may have more riches, but the French captain will still view him as something vulgar. He's fucking Blackbeard, but what does it matter if the party will continue laughing at him? "There he is..." The Blackbeard who Stede abandoned, the same as always.

In a world of cartoon violence, there's little care Ed needs to afford towards the lives he takes. That's not the problem. The problem is that the harder he tries to maintain control, the more he loses it. And the less control he has, the angrier he becomes. And the angrier he is, the more desperate he becomes to keep himself safe.

Ed is playing a game rigged against him from the start. He exists in a system meant to antagonize and hurt him while surrounded by vultures waiting for him to prove them right that he does lack discipline where no matter what action he takes he loses. How could he be anything other than furious about it?

His anger is a perfectly logical reaction to his situation, and there's no point in denying that it exists like it's something shameful. Ed needs tools to help him cope with this, a support system that has his back, and an environment that nourishes him instead of constantly putting him at risk of dying.

#ofmd meta #edward teach #ofmd

[intermundia]

I know you know a ton more about this stuff than I do, but I'm taking a course on Greek history and this one portion is talking about the Illiad and the speech Andromache gives to Hector about him being her father, mother, brother, and husband bc he's the only family she has. And it just makes me think about just how literally everyone takes the "you're like a father to me" line when we should be playing around with it so much more to make it hit that hard

Ἕκτορ ἀτὰρ σύ μοί ἐσσι πατὴρ καὶ πότνια μήτηρ / ἠδὲ κασίγνητος, σὺ δέ μοι θαλερὸς παρακοίτης: / ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε νῦν ἐλέαιρε καὶ αὐτοῦ μίμν᾽ ἐπὶ πύργῳ, / μὴ παῖδ᾽ ὀρφανικὸν θήῃς χήρην τε γυναῖκα:

Nay - Hektor - you who to me are father, mother, brother, and dear husband - have mercy upon me; stay here upon this wall; make not your child fatherless, and your wife a widow (Il. 6.429-32)

Ahhhh this is a very moving parallel you bring up anon, thank you for reminding me of it!! You are right that the implications of it are under explored (the superficial reading of the father line can be.. distracting.. to many of us lol). Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship is variously described by each as father and brother, and I think you’re right that it’s not really about claiming literal nuclear family relation.

It’s more like how Andromache isn’t literally calling Hector her mother, but rather is grasping for words emphasize the magnitude of the importance of that person in their life. It’s maybe more like: You’re like a father because I love you. I care about you above others, I need you and want to make you proud. You are dear and essential to me in a way I can never safely put into words, but ‘father’ is close enough to get away with, close enough for you to understand the seriousness of our relationship.

In the Iliad, Andromache is fully dependent on Hector because he is everything she has left after her family died, and she needs him to know that. Using this constellation of family words, emphasizing the bond, it’s beautiful and moving in its original context. In Star Wars, it’s partially due to Qui-Gon dying and leaving Shmi, but really by choice that obikin is so codependent. Obi-Wan dedicated his life to a promise and in the process became too many things to Anakin, and I think he kinda filled too many roles in his life, but left emptiness and confusion too.

The categories of obikin’s relationship all merged and blended and became difficult to keep appropriate, even in canon. The shifting of generation lines, the shifting of boundaries between calling someone father, brother, best friend. You’re family, you’re not family, you’re closer than that, closer than friends, closer than family…It’s too much to put into one person, they’re way too important and have too many contradictory obligations. Like, a father guides and controls, a friend encourages and a brother variously abets and antagonizes.

Because of this role ambiguity, no rebuke from Obi-Wan was therefore fully authoritative, but also no camaraderie existed without a hint of instruction either. It was a recipe for disaster, and it hurt so much because there’s so much love there, love beyond description and classification, but it couldn’t save Anakin from himself, and Obi-Wan was the one left in the role of widow, holding the baby, left behind because of Anakin’s loss to violence, and it’s just…. ugh.

#thank you 💙 #I’m in my feelings now thank you lol #Andromache’s rhetorical point is so like… devastating to read #it does kind of haunt you #it’s factually true like he was her family all of it now #but emotionally true as well like he is everything. #ugh #does hit hard #obikin #fanfic stuff #obi-wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #sw

[squash1-squash2-squash3]

Something that's bothering me lately about the whole "why isn't there a straight pride parade/month" is that if you want one??? Fuck it. Have one. Fucking fight for it like we did.

Pride began as an anti-police brutality riot in 1969. Anti-crossdressing and anti-sodomy laws were still on the books. The fucking government wasn't recognizing pride month. It took 30 years for that to happen (first recognized in 1999), and in that time, over 400,000 Americans died from a disease that was allowed to run rampant because the government didn't care if we died. Sodomy wasn't federally legalized until 2003, marriage equality in 2015. We've been fighting the fight for recognition and legislative equality for over 50 years, and that's only this specific, organized pride movement. Queer and trans people have existed and fought for our rights for centuries.

If you want a straight pride parade, or a federally recognized month? Go for it. Take it. Fucking fight for it like we've been fighting for it for decades. Queer people didn't wait for the government to hang a flag in front of the white house, we took to the streets. If you genuinely feel like your rights are being infringed? Make a pride movement for yourself.

People will probably protest you. That's not new, that's not the unique persecution of straight people; straight people protest pride all the time! Cops harass and antagonize queer organizers, specifically queer and trans people of color. Media organizations demonize us as groomers and child abusers for daring to exist in public. None of this is government infringement (although there are laws being pushed to very much infringe our rights). If you think you can stand the heat, come and join us in the kitchen. Have your parade. Have your month. Have your pride.

I fucking dare you.

And if you're not up for the fight? If you don't think it's worth 30 years of organized struggle before the government gives you your precious pride month?

Well, how does it feel to know a bunch of fags are stronger than you'll ever be?

#pride #pride month #happy pride #pride 2023 #lgbt #trans rights #queer rights #straight pride

[anjelicawrites]

Aemond would make such a perfect Maleficent, the last one of his people, the dragon warlocks and witches, bitter after seeing his family slaughtered, having his sapphire stolen and his power diminished, after he's trusted the future King of the land.

He's waited so long to have his revenge, until the King has a daughter. On the day of her christening, Aemond shows up and curses the child: she will die at sixteen, after pinching her finger on the spindler of a spinning wheel. You are one of the assembled magic folk from all over the Kingdom, invited to bless the princess. You are much less powerful than Aemond is, you can't revoke the curse, you can modify it, though: the child will not die, but sleep for a thousand year

"Or until true love's kiss wakes her" Aemond says, before disappearing.

You are tasked with raising the child somewhere safe, while the King tries to destroy all the spinning wheels of the Reign. Following your instincts, you hide in an abandoned forest, not knowing that it used to be Aemond's beloved sister Helaena's dwelling. The place had sealed up after her death, but opens to you without you having to use your magic, to Aemond's surprise. The place seems like it's talking to you and you are growing more powerful, while your protégé grows ad well.

Against all he believe could possibly happen, Aemond is becoming fond of the child, many time saving her, with the help of Vhagar, who once was the biggest, most powerful of all the dragons bound to his family, now reduced to a dragon as big as a raven or the human form of an elderly lady.

You are another problem. He's supposed to antagonize you, yet you intrigue him and start plaguing his dreams from the moment he stumbles upon you one night, bathing naked in the lake. He should flee, yet his feet feel like lead, his only eye stubbornly refusing to look somewhere else, until you turn around and laugh, well aware that he's oogling you.

"Are you going to tell me why Aurora calls you her Fairy Godfather, or has your dragon eaten your tongue?".

From that moment he can't help but grow fonder and closer to you, looking out for your safety as well, even though the forest has chosen you as its own and it is doing a great job at that. Until Aurora turns sixteen.

She stumbles upon the prince of a neighbouring Reign, who has gotten lost and promptly falls for him. Unknowingly, he tells her about the curse and Aurora understands that's her story. Angry at you both, she goes back to her father's castle and the curse falls upon her. During all these years Aemond had tried to revoke it, without success, the hatred he has infused in his words is far more powerful than his magic is.

You are both at Aurora's bedside, distraught, your hopes destroyed by Aemond's words

"Why do you think I chosen 'the one true love's kiss?' because it doesn't exist. She'll never wake up".

He says in his grief, breaking your heart. Hurt as you are, you flee the chamber and are captured by the King's guards. Aemond gently kisses Aurora's forehead goodbye, leaving before the teen can open her eyes, awake again.

Aemond as well gets captured by the King, who now wants to execute you both, even though Aurora is awake and well. The King knows that, as long as Aemond is alive, he'll be a potential danger.

Aurora doesn't know how to help you, it's Vhagar that tells her to grab the sapphire from the treasure vault. With her help and the young prince's, Aurora steals the sapphire and Vhagar manages to give it to Aemond, who can now restore himself, and his dragon, to their full power, thus saving you as well. The King, mad with rage, tries to kill him and almost kills Aurora and is eaten by Vhagar.

Despite the shock of the horrors she had to see, Aurora manages to get her happily ever after with her prince, unifying the two Reigns. You and Aemond as well, after you have him work for his forgiveness, have your happiness together and become Aurora's bloodline fairy godparents.

Everything taglist: @ilikeitbetterangsty

Aemond's taglist: @phantoms-main-blog

#aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen x y/n

[darklight572]

"Are we just gonna ignore that?"

Mermista is, of course, referring to Hordak and Entrapta together at the end of the Finale. I think its an interesting question, and represents far more than a meta look at the ship of Entrapta and Hordak.

Fundamentally, She-Ra Princess of Powers (2018) has a drastically different view of what it means to be "moral" and what "punishing villains" mean. It does not necessarily hold every individual who does something evil responsible for their actions, instead, investigating the system that prompts this evil. I want to explore that concept primarily through the characters of Entrapta and Hordak.

Hordak (The Derivative of Pure Evil) Starting with Hordak because he's frankly a bit less nuanced than Entrapta, not unnunaced, just less. He's introduced as the leader of the Horde, passive himself, but frustrated with Shadow Weaver's lack of progress. As the leader of the Horde, all-commanding, responsible for the (at least) decades of devastation and death.

However, despite that, he is- at least later on -given sympathy by proxy of standing next to Prime. Sure, Hordak has tried to dominate a world for decades, Prime has ruled the Universe for hundreds of years-maybe even a milenia. Further, while Hordak rules from afar, delegating his violence to Shadow Weaver and Catra, Prime manipulates directly- robbing will and mocking any form of attempted dignity in his presence.

Note that when Hordak does attempt to be charismatic he mimics Prime, most likely intentionally. It is clear that the evil Hordak has shown is fundamentally deritive, and that creates some amount of distance between Hordak and his actions. Further, there is the-slight as it is- possibility that Hordak had-fundamentally- no choice but to do as Prime programmed him. I find this interpretation doubtful due to the existence of Wrong Hordak, but, in fairness- he was severely physically damaged immediately.

Regardless of your take on that, Hordak is shown sympathy by Entrapta. This is interesting, not because Entrapta "doesn't care about her friends" as some people try to argue, but because it clearly displays how Entrapta cares about her friends. Sidelining that for a moment, Hordak is a great example of systemic oppression at work- not just as a leader, but as a victim of it. He was created "flawed" and was cast out, having only known one thing- Prime and his conquest- he attempts to emulate it but can't, not totally.

In his mission he recruits people like Shadow Weaver, and encourages her when she creates people like Catra and Adora- no doubt- even ordering the creation of the program which creates child soldiers. Stripping them of their indviduality through uniform and loyalty, twisting collectivism to benefit one individual through the gathering and hording of resources. When we see Hordak interact with his empire its strictly toward his end or delegated to another party. He expects his soldiers to be an extension of himself in totality, obviously, as a result of him being a clone of Prime.

The fact that most of the antagonism for at least the earlier seasons is a result of Shadow Weaver should not be ignored. Despite explicitly ordering Shadow Weaver to stop focusing on Adora she continues to do so, she has the capability to summon Force Captains and order them against his wishes- even one he promoted himself! By his own creation, Shadow Weaver is able to push a system where she wants to go, thats because at this point SW is who controls it, not Hordak. Once Catra defeats and imprisons Shadow Weaver, she attempts to take her place- and then the focus switches from SW to Catra as the primary antagonist.

Hordak is, never really the "true" narrative antagonist of She-Ra, not really, instead he represents the impersonal ambitious and destructive system of oppression.

So why the hell does he let a short, genius, probably neurodivergent woman invade his sanctum and aid him with something he hasn't confided in his closest generals with?

Entrapta (Schrodinger's Scientist) Lets talk about Entrapta.

Entrapta begins fairly simply, as the typical "mad genius" archetype, even introduced in a stereotypically villainous way cinnematically- a silhouette on a canvas of forboding colors. Then, revealed to be, fairly short, and asymetrical design wise- with top heavy hair that supports her. Immediately cutting most of the threat from the introduction. Entrapta seems to embody that contradiction as we move forward. Simultanously focused on doing whatever she can to learn and experiment and still being so anchored to others.

Over and over, we see Entrapta convinced not necessarily by helping friends or stopping enemies, but by studying more and more technology. Ot at least, thats what seems to happen, I want to posit another explanation. Mostly, I want to focus on her decision to stay in the Horde, and I do think its a decision. While Catra does indeed manipulate Entrapta at least to an extent, is isn't using false information or to lure her to some forboding place. Catra feels- imo -empathetic toward Entrapta. Her friends who had claimed to care for her had left her, used her as a tool to accomplish their goals, thats something Catra can relate to.

While this perception isn't true, Entrapta seems to believe it, and is visibly disturbed by the relation. Quickly, Scorpia befriends Entrapta, and even Catra seems somewhat fond of Entrapta's company. Entrapta explores all sorts of situations, helps the Horde quite a bit, and even begins to befriend(?) Hordak? Why? Is it because she feels betrayed and whats vengeance? Is it because she doesn't care about whats right and whats wrong? I don't think so- I think Entrapta fails to see the system behind an individual, or maybe doesn't care for it. She's almost a mirror to Catra in that way.

However, where Catra thinks herself immune to the propaganda of the system just by knowing it, Entrapta seems unaware or unconcerned by the logical ends of her actions. In a way that seems to both contradict her focus on scientific rigidity and completely fit with how she was introduced: in the throws of experiment, and completely unprepared when the logical end of it backfired. It is both a strength and a weakness of the character- something I have to agree with user Gythyanki (https://www.tumblr.com/gythyanki) that She-Ra 2018 does quite well.

Humanizing Hordak (And Destroying the System) It is precisely due to Entrapta's unique perception of systems that she is able to befriend Hordak. Keep in mind, for his entire life, Hordak has only known conquest and using people as a means to their ends. Thats how Prime sees him, thats how Shadow Weaver sees him, thats even how Catra sees him. So- when this woman- who should be an enemy, who should be a prisoner- not provides aid to him when he thought no one else could, but doesn't just use him it makes perfect sense that he becomes fond of her.

And while Entrapta's decision to help a tyrannical dictator build a portal that could have ended the world was.... not good, in the end, if Hordak hadn't been turned at least to Entrapta's side, there's a chance Prime could have won. And really, thats sorta the point right? Its not that Hordak didn't do horrible things. Its not that Entrapta was right to build robots for Catra or help Hordak build a portal, but that, it was not wrong for Entrapta to extend compassion toward him. That the evil being done is not ultimately caused by the individual, not really, but by the larger system at play.

Once you elminate Hordak from his context as ruler of the Horde, what do you have? You have a "defective" clone who'll do anything to return to his "brother's" good graces, but has fundamentally failed him by becoming an individual. Hordak learns to have his own values and chooses the one that showed him kindness over the one that used him. So "Are we just gonna ignore that?" has an answer, no, we aren't. Because we've already dealt with the problem. Hordak's means of doing harm has been taken from him, and his motivation to do it similarly.

Fundamentally, what would killing Hordak accomplish here? I might even ask, what would punishig him accomplish? She-Ra Princess of Powers seems to refuse the traditional concept of punitive punishment, and instead focus on how people are actually effected. How was Catra and Adora affected by Shadow Weaver? How was Shadow Weaver affected by Hordak? How was Hordak affected by Prime? What sort of system perpetuated the harm these individuals did? And how do we stop it?

I can't claim to know what the objectively best moral framework is, but I do know, that I can agree with the idea that maybe people matter a bit more than vague notions of "justice" which harm more people than they actually help.

End Note I: I am NOT saying Entrapta and Hordak are justified in their actions, and I am also not saying that Hordak shouldn't probably have to do a lot of rebuilding. One more note: individualism isn't inherently a "bad" thing, but it can be weaponized to attack geniune collectivism used to aid people in securing resources, be wary of that sort of thinking.

End Note II: Just in case you were busy reading and didn't wanna open a new tab GO READ GYTHYANKI'S STUFF, I WILL FIND AND RANT ABOUT HOW GOOD IT IS IF YOU DON'T

#she ra spop #entrapta #hordak #entrapdak #ethics

[vamp-galactica]

Resident Evil Biohazard, Village, and the Cycle of Toxic Family Bonds and Abuse

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, and its sequel, Resident Evil: Village, revolve around protagonist Ethan Winters as he tries to protect his family from forces he previously had no idea existed. The forces in question are an extended family suffering toxic bonds to each other- bonds both physically and emotionally poison. The core theme of the games is the cycle of toxic familial relationships, and the breaking of that cycle.

To fully understand the cycle of abuse that this story details, it’s important to look at each member of the family. The family tree starts with Mother Miranda, branching down into Alcina Dimitrescu, her three daughters Bela, Cassandra and Daniela, Karl Heisenberg, Salvatore Moreau, Donna Beneviento and Eveline. From Eveline, the family branches off into the Baker Family, with Jack, Marguerite, Lucas, and, by force, Mia. Zoe is still a Baker, but has been ousted from the rest of the family. The Bakers and the Lords are separate and never meet, connected only by Eveline, but it is Eveline who continued the cycle with the Bakers after learning it from Miranda.

Eveline was created as an attempt to bring back Miranda’s deceased daughter, but Miranda rejected her as her daughter because of her obsession with a family that made her violent- refusing to see that this obsession mirrored her own (such as when she was so obsessed with her own plan for her family that she gave up on reviving Eva at the end of Resident Evil Village and planned to just raise Rose as her own.) The flaws in other people were unacceptable, but in herself, they didn’t exist. Her obsessions, her hastiness, her tendency for unnecessary violence were left unacknowledged, but shunned and punished in other people, such as Moreau’s lack of affection in the family due to how deeply he wanted to be accepted, or Alcina being condescended to for warranted anger. Anyone flawed was not her true child, also shown by how she referred to The Four Lords as her false children and thanked Ethan for disposing of them once they were dead.

When her mother hastily disowned her, Eveline sought family in different places. She found it in her handler Mia Winters, and eventually in the Baker Family, overcompensating with a bigger family to make up for the one she didn’t get in the first place. No amount of family was enough for her- despite having Mia as a mother figure, she wanted Marguerite too. After she took the Bakers and had Jack as a father, she wanted Ethan too, and when Ethan arrived he found that she had been orchestrating multitudes of kidnappings via the Bakers to expand the family. Jack, Marguerite and Lucas had their worst traits amplified via an obsession with being Eveline’s family, and due to never having a model for what a loving family should look like, Evie didn’t understand why it never appeased her.

Despite wanting to constantly bring more people into the family to fill this hole, from the very beginning Evie ousted Zoe from the rest of the Bakers by not fully infecting her. She took just enough of a hold on her that she couldn’t leave, but left her consciousness fully untouched, leaving her helpless to watch her family descend into madness. Eveline purposefully set herself up as the family’s golden child and Zoe as the scapegoat. She taunted her and had her face scribbled out in pictures of her around the house, and influenced the other Bakers’ to shun and antagonize her. All of this to punish her for having a family of her own when Eveline didn’t. Zoe was rejected just as Miranda rejected Eveline.

The Bakers as a whole were forcibly cut off from society when infected by Eveline, their neighbors and other relatives having no idea where they went, and while Evie likely didn’t actually learn this act from Miranda, it was her mother who began the cycle of isolation as well. Miranda, however, was much more manipulative and sinister in her methods, whereas Eveline did the only thing she ever knew how to. Miranda forcibly took The Four Lords as her family, and while the timeline is unclear, it’s implied Heisenberg and Moreau were taken as children and Donna and Alcina as adults. All four lords were mutated and manipulated, cut off from any chance at a life outside of her care.

Moreau’s intense mutation led Miranda to be the only one he could possibly rely on, as the other lords thought him too repulsive. He has the emotional intelligence of a child, weeping often and wanting only for his mother to be proud of him due to how Miranda had isolated him from everyone with his mutation, reminiscent of a mother who refuses to let her child leave the nest and shelters them too heavily from the world to create an unhealthy reliance. Moreau has no self confidence and little social skills, and because of his monstrous appearance, he can’t go anywhere else.

Donna’s parents committed suicide when she was young, exacerbating her own mental health issues, and this left her already struggling to make connections with anyone. She did, however, have a confidant in her family gardener, who looked after her like a father might. When Miranda mutated her, she gave her the motherly love she lacked and gave her more confidence. With this gift, Donna became reliant on Miranda as her mother, unaware that she only ever intended on using her as part of her research. Donna’s loyalty was ensured in this way, and because she already felt isolated from the rest of the world, Miranda made certain she wouldn’t ever leave her.

Alcina was taken as a fully grown adult- she had a life outside the village, unlike the other Lords. We know this because of the jazz album Ethan has in his home. It’s seemingly inconsequential, but it implies a rich and full life before Miranda. Obviously wealthy due to her Dimitrescu lineage and her music career success, she was set up in style, and no doubt had an active life as a socialite. All of this was taken away when Mother Miranda lured her into the Dimitrescu Castle and mutated her. Obviously unable to rejoin normal society with her new need to drink blood and her intense height, Alcina HAD to rely on Miranda from there on out. Miranda was not her mother, and her parents had died only recently when she was a grown woman, but she had no choice but to stay with her. She clearly made the most out of her life, but often expressed anger over having to play family with the other lords, who were much younger than her. She reads as a put upon eldest daughter by a mother who expects too much- simultaneously expected to be a second parent and treated like a child.

Alcina also continued the cycle of abuse when she frequently lashed out at Heisenberg. It was likely due to resentment over a multitude of things, such as his lack of apparent mutations, being made to play family with him, and being made to go along with him on any plans despite being likely decades older and the only control in her life being her duties as a lord. This also leads back to the Golden Child and the Scapegoat- Heisenberg was a wildcard and a rowdy child who often lashed out, and Alcina was the perfect eldest daughter who did everything for the family even if she didn’t like it. Miranda purposefully created a rift between them with this dynamic, making Heisenberg infuriated by having to show deference to Lady Dimitrescu, and Lady Dimitrescu feeling belittled by having to play equal with Heisenberg.

It isn’t known exactly what Karl’s family situation was prior to Miranda, but we do know that he was kidnapped. Whether he was kidnapped as a child or an adult, he knows he was kidnapped, he knows Miranda’s entire family is fake, and he knows that he hates her. Interestingly, Heisenberg is in a unique position- he doesn’t need Miranda. His mutation is only internal, and just by looking at him you wouldn’t notice he was any different from any non mutated human being. He hates Miranda and doesn’t rely on her emotionally. The only thing stopping him from leaving is Miranda’s physical prowess, and we see him actively trying to circumvent this and escape.

Unfortunately, Heisenberg’s downfall is that he continues the cycle of abuse when he tries to use Rose as a weapon against Miranda instead of trying to protect her, doing the same thing to her that Miranda did to him. He was a weapon, one of her guardsmen, and so it was only logical to him that Rose should be the same, because it was all he knew.

Ethan is ultimately the one to break the cycle. Coming from the outside of this world, or from a different family dynamic, he clearly knows what a loving and functioning family is supposed to look like. He’s appalled by how the family he goes against works- he watches them hurt each other and tear themselves apart both physically and emotionally, and walk it off like it never even happened. Even Zoe’s behavior shocks him. Despite being the most normal of them, she’s fully desensitized to the horror of it all, and laughs when he’s frightened by her family. She doesn’t realize she’s trapped in the cycle too until she’s finally freed from it in End of Zoe, when Joe shows her the first bit of familial love she’s seen in three years. Mia is still trapped in this cycle and nearly pulls him into it with her mistakes (in the literal sense, yes, Mia being forced into playing mom for a bunch of moldy strangers doesn’t seem like her being trapped in a cycle of abuse, but consider it from the perspective of meeting your wife’s family only to wonder why she still talks to any of these people), but he manages to pull her out. The two are still shown to struggle with her secrecy and her avoidance (especially because she didn’t tell him he was dead, and he didn’t realize her hostility was Miranda’s acting), but it’s clear Mia is better off than when she was stuck with the Bakers.

This carries into their daughter- she’s only an infant, but they already want the world for her. Ethan risks everything just to rescue her from people he would likely never dream of facing otherwise. He suffers terrible pain at the hands of the “family” he married into just to save Rose from them, and ends the cycle completely when he rejects Heisenberg’s plan and kills Miranda himself. He sacrifices himself so that Rose doesn’t have to ever be caught in that cycle. It doesn’t matter to him that she has powers, or that he isn’t alive and she came back from the dead, or that his family is absolutely nothing like what he thought it would be. What matters is he loves her, he loves Mia, and he’d love them no matter what. It’s even his love for Rose that inspires her to deny the cycle another start and accept herself as she is in Shadow of Rose. Even if he didn’t raise her himself, he made sure she was with someone who would protect her, and he ended the cycle of abuse started by Mother Miranda before it could ever touch her.

#story analysis #character analysis #abuse mention #resident evil #resident evil village #resident evil 8 #resident evil 7 #resident evil biohazard #mother miranda #Eveline #zoe baker #ethan winters #mia winters #rose winters #jack baker #marguerite baker #lucas baker #alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #karl heisenberg #salvatore moreau #donna beneviento #I’m so insane about this game hope this helps

[iz-just-iz]

Neil josten existes to be ICONIC and always say the BIGGEST FACTS

Neil just came, send the mafia to take the trash out, He upset the FBI, antagonized some bad French parents, AND HE TOLD OUT FRENCH CHILD AN IRREFUTABLE TRUTH..., and it reminded me why I love him so much

#neil josten #aftg #nora sakavic #jean moreau #tsc spoilers

[phlurrii]

I decided to give the ol series a re-read, but something struck me.

Over time, Meau’s nature was changed from Hardy to Docile…

So that means Meau is now supposed to be viewed as Docile now…

Ah, yes. That is a docile creature right there 🤣🤣🤣

This means either Meau is usually this gentle, meek creature but that nature got thrown out of the fucking window out of sheer unyielding parental rage (Which is TERRIFYING, albeit justified.)

OR

That Meau used to be a Hardy, Strong-willed creature but the trauma of their only child being taken and experimented on and their grandchild being a some twisted gene-spliced experiment, was just SO much for them to handle, that it fundamentally changed their personality forever. Grameau isn’t as hardy and strong-willed as she used to be, she’s more passive and mild now (and easily swayed by her children/grandchildren wanting to be spoiled), but can still get up to Mew Mischief and have fun with the little ones in their care

As I saw this ask and began to scroll, even tho all the images were blurred due to tumblrs ask settings, I immediately knew what each one was and slowly began to cackle progressively louder at your very good point XD

Meau’s original nature and characteristics were actually based on the event mew I got like a decade ago, that was before I decided to break open Pokémon Red’s crumbled cookie of a coding base and drag both her and Noe out of it. Natures didn’t exist till Gen 3 so it was actually impossible to reroll or get her correct nature without redoing the 6-10 hours process repeatedly till I somehow landed the exact combo I needed ;w;…

Short to say that was NOT happening XD I instead got VERY lucky with her nature/characteristic as it ended up being just as fitting as her previous ones! She is both a docile and hardy lil kitty, which again was super lucky given I wanted her to have a neutral nature stat wise! Her new characteristic I found to be super endearing and I just,, overall was happy with it!!!

Though you pose a REALLY good point and if I hand to go with a cannon reason as to why it was changed, I would agree on that first one. She is a docile lil thing most of the time, unless actively antagonized, she doesn’t much care; but when you mess with her only child? And torture that child?

“So you’ve chosen treason then.”

#ask #puzzled zebra #I laughed so #damn #hard #at this XD #thank you I feel so much happier after reading that