#but in a protective sort of way

[ghost-bxrd]

Prompt:

Jason and Tim become friends during Jason‘s Robin era.

When Jason runs away to Ethiopia, Tim buys himself a plane ticket and sneaks after him.

#fix it fic #prompts #Tim goes feral on the joker #nobody is hurting HIS Robin on his watch #mildly unhinged Timbers #but in a protective sort of way #jason is so SO happy to have befriended the little gremlin #or maybe Tim finds the door to the warehouse bolted and breaks the lock #and JASON LIVES #Bruce is too late but it‘s ok because TIM GOT JASON OUT #jason todd #bruce wayne #dick grayson #robin #tim drake #tim and jason

[lazylittledragon]

you know what fuck it we’re doing dadstarion

#bg3 #baldur’s gate 3 #astarion #tavstarion #idk if this is canon to the dorianverse yet but he looks like a little hobbit!!! #this is a Long long long time post brain i think. since they’ve sorted out the daywalker thing #i don’t think he’d be affectionate but i think he’d be VERY protective #they’re not bad parents in the way that they neglect or mistreat him or even just don’t love him #i think they love him to death but you just shouldn’t give your small child a KNIFE #this one is my favourite sister bc she reminds me of robin

[kizzer55555]

DP x DC: The Most Dangerous Card Game

Ok so Danny has essentially claimed earth as his. And he is fully aware that there are constant threats to the planet. Now he can’t stop a threat that originates on earth (that’s something he’ll leave to the Justice league) but he can do something about outside threats. Doing some research on ancient spells, rituals, and artifacts, he cast a world wide barrier on the planet to protect it from hostile threats so they cannot enter. This will prevent another Pariah Dark incident. However, barriers like this come at a price. You see, there are two ways to make a barrier. Either make one powered up by your own energy and power (which would be constantly draining) or set up a barrier with rules. The way magic works is that nothing can be absolutely indestructible. It must have a weakness. The most powerful barriers weren’t the ones reinforced with layer after layer of protective charms and buffed up with power. Those could eventually be destroyed either by being overpowered, wearing them down, or by cutting off the original power source. No, the most powerful barriers were the ones with a deliberate weakness. A barrier indestructible except for one spot. A cage that can only be opened from the outside. Or that can only be passed with a key or by solving a riddle. So Danny chooses this type of barrier and does the necessary ritual and pours in enough power to make it. And he adds his condition for anyone to enter. 

Now the Justice league? Find out about the barrier when Trigon attempts to attack, they were preparing after he threatened what he would do once he got to earth. How he would destroy them. The Justice league tried to take the fight to him first but were utterly destroyed, so they retreated home to tend to their injuries, and fortify earth for one. Last. Stand. Only when Trigon makes his big entrance…he’s stopped.

The Justice league watch in awe as this thin see-through barrier with beautiful green swirls and speckled white lights like stars apears blocking Trigon and his army’s advance. The barrier looks so thin and fragile yet no matter how hard the warlord hits, none of his attacks can get through and neither can he damage said barrier. That’s when Constantine and Zatanna recognizes what this barrier is. Something only a powerful entity could create. For a moment, the league is filled with hope that Trigon can’t get through yet Constantine also explains that it’s not impenetrable. And clearly Trigon knows this too for he calls out a challenge. 

And that’s when, in a flash of light, a tiny glowing teenager appears. He looked absolutly minuscule compared to Trigon and yet practically glowed with power (this isn’t a King Danny AU though).

And that is when the conditions for passing the barrier are revealed. And the Justice realize that the only thing stopping Trigon and his army from decimating earth. The only way he can get through….is by beating this glowing teenager in a card game. 

Not just any card game though. The most convoluted game Sam, Danny, and Tucker invented themselves. It’s like the infinite realms version of magic the gathering, combined with Pokémon, and chess. And Danny is the master. So sit down Trigon and let’s play.

(The most intense card game of the Justice league’s life).

After Danny wins, this happens a few more times with outer word beings and possibly even demons attempting to invade earth, yet none have been able to beat the mysterious teenager in a card game. Constantine might even take a crack at it and try to figure out how to play. He’s really bad though. Every time this happens, the Justice league worry that this might be the time the teenager looses. Yet every time, he wins (even if only barely). 

Meanwhile, Danny, Sam, and Tucker have gotten addicted to the game and play it almost daily. Some teachers might seem them playing the game are are like ‘awww how cute’ not realizing this game is literally saving the world. Jazz is just happy they aren’t spending as much time on their screens playing Doomed.

#DPxDC #dcxdp #Danny makes a card game to save the world. #Technically he worded the ritual so that they had to ‘beat’ him as those are the most powerful barriers and most reliable. #keys can just get lost or stolen (like the one to Pariah’s Coffin) #A riddle would be useless once someone figured out the answer. Like how no one takes the sphynx seriously anymore. #(Sorry Tuck. But it’s true). #And there is NO WAY Danny is just leaving a hole open for anyone to pass through. No thank you! #So…beating him. But it’s not like Danny wanted to fight so…he edited the ritual a TINY bit. Card games are good. Much less painful too. #Danny Tucker and Sam made the most complicated card game they could imagine. #It’s based on their strategies for fighting ghosts. Capturing them in thermoses. And MUCH based on a on field battle strategy. #It often requires spontaneous thinking on the spot. So Danny? In his ELEMNT. It doubles as practice for his actual ghost battles too. #They had SO much fun making this. #Sam added an entire series of plant cards that act as traps and healing ointments and duds that just take up the field. #Tucker added legitimate hyroglyphics combined with Latin as well as English and ghost speak. #Yes. You actually have to speak that language to play. With proper pronunciation. (Amity Parker’s think the three are talking gibberish.) #I headcanon Sam and Tucker are fluent in Ghost. #Constantine WILL figure this game out SO HELP HIM! #Some of the cards also have combinations related to constellations either in name or placement on the board. #By the way the board is based on a Hexagonal summoning circle with Rhunes along the edges #And the placement of the cards on the board and on what rhune MATTERS. #Also the cards move disintegrate and have certain abilities. Think of Harry Potter Wizard Chess. #But they are normal when Danny plays at school. This is just for ✨effect✨ Against invaders. #Danny faces multiple opponents. He also halts alien invasions. #While Danny COULD stop crime on earth he’s not sure how to fight a normal human and hold back so he sticks to ghosts. #The Justice league are going crazy trying to figure out who this entity is and after deep research are convinced this is some sort of #Ancient being who has protected earth for millenia. They have paintings on ruins and everything. #Danny is not aware they think this. #Raven starts praying to Danny as if he is a god and wrangles the other Teen Titans into doing so as well. Danny is still unaware of this. #Danny is not a King or an ancient. Just a very VERY strong ghost.

[potassiumprincess]

i think marinette is worse at resting when she's sick but adrien is worse at sitting things out if he's injured. i have no explanation, these are just the vibes

#ml #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #okay i lied i do have justifications #adrien probably just. would love being taken care of if he's sick #it's maybe something his mom used to do but not ENOUGH #and marinette would absolutely spoil him #but marinette is all I AM FINE IT IS JUST A COLD I AM FINE meanwhile she nearly falls off a rooftop in a dizzy spell #but adrien hate being kept away from ppl he loves. hates not being able to protect them. and an injury is more long-term and isolating #meanwhile...idk marinette feels to me like an injurt would leave her more defeated. she'd feel like she failed somehow #like she is SUPPOSED to be ladybug she is SUPPOSED to keep herself together to keep the city safe #so i think that would take a lot of her energy she'd be frustrated about it yes but also sort of...admit defeat #adrien would find ways to cheer her up though 🥺

[bullagit]

due to personal reasons i am now firmly on team “i hope aziraphale does change heaven for the better actually (going on the assumption that his return is as straightforward as it seemed etc” 

like if the alternative is just this ohhh he’s so NAIVE and SOFT and so WRONG and he’ll have to LEARN A TOUGH LESSON etc etc nonsense then yeah 1000% go for it babe knock it out of the park

i hope choosing hope and kindness pays dividends. i hope the soft traits that made other characters continually disparage and underestimate him and his intelligence turn out to be his greatest assets bc i kinda don’t give a shit about a “toughen up it’s the only way everyone else knows better” life lesson for this character

(which like honestly a lot of the rhetoric is dismissive of the fact that persistent goodness in the face of an existence of disparagement takes great strength and that at the end of the day aziraphale has always been able to stand up in his own way)

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens spoilers #aziraphale #aziraphale IS in fact a dark horse #he is consistently dismissed and underestimated and overlooked bc of how he presents himself! #even crowley does this with him (not in any sort of malicious way its a sense of protectiveness) #(i am not here to get into how aziraphale n crowley treat each other in ways that are unintentionally hurtful id be here forever lmao) #the point is that aziraphale is smart and tbh he knows more about how shitty heavens treatment has been the past few thousand year?? #since he's. he's been the one getting treated badly. that whole time. #anyway theyre both right theyre both wrong and end of the day i just. #i hate the concept of a s3 that equates softness and kindness with being wrong and naive and dumb etc #it does not feel very good omens to me idk man #so i hope that's not where it goes

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 171

Danny would like everyone to know it was a complete accident. Look, normally he was really good at not altering the timeline! He was! 

But the dude was definitely not in the right Time, and he had to get his trust which took so long, like damn he thought he had anxiety. Seriously though, kevlar in the 1700s? Yeah that wasn’t right, and Peepaw always complained about the messes that the speedsters caused, so he was trying to prevent a mess by tugging the dude away and helping him out. 

Falling in love maybe a little, was not in the plan. But honestly the man had a worse sense of self preservation than he did as a teen and was also straight up adorable, in a wet cat  who could kill you sort of way. 

So maybe he helped the dude grab a child that was going to be drowned. It wasn’t like anyone else saw them! Even if similar situations might’ve happened a few different times. 

Still, no one saw them! 

So why is there now a small cult who worships the Shadowed one and Radiant one, aka his companion (who would not give his name save for B, which, fair, probably didn’t want to accidentally wreck the timeline either) and well, him?! At least they worship them as guardians of children, but uh. Should he maybe, perhaps, fix this…? 

#dcxdp #dpxdc #prompts #Spirit Halloween #Danny is in fact an Adult in this #He helps CW out with time stuff & getting stuff that fell through natural portals back to the Zone #Does Danny ever mention his affection for Bruce during their travels together? No. #Was it obvious to literally everyone else who was not Bruce? Yes #Danny is inwardly dying while learning about the cult he accidentally made because they decided that the Radiant One & Shadowed One are lov #Tim has a way easier time proving Bruce is in the past when he stumbles across one of the organization’s meetings #The cult-isn’t-exactly-a-cult and more like a minor religion focusing on the protection of children #Bruce is going to have a headache when he gets back to modern day #Hey he at least still has that cloak of shadows that his travelling companion (Call me D then.) gave him to help hide his not time appropri #League: Batman is dead #RR barging in: Batman is alive & in the past & definitely met some sort of higher being or spirit or something #League: Who the fuck are you-

[athlast]

there's something about butches reclaiming protectiveness and chivalry from an imposed "caring, nurturing" character associated and often forced upon women. something about how while straight men often try to present as careless as possible, masculinity and care are not only not conflicting in the butch identity, but inherent to it. there's something there.

#I've always been very fiercely protective of my friends and family #and i damn hated the idea of coming across as “motherly” so much #so much that i radically changed the way i interacted in fear of being percieved like some sort of mom friend #my views on this radically shifted since i started meeting butches #it also made me open my eyes to how people (esp femmes and other lesbians) actually see me and percieve me #theres an abyss of difference #and its an interesting thought #butch #butch lesbian #lesbian #butchfemme

[saucywendeee]

Close-ups:

👻🧼🍺 Part 2

#drunk ghost is also clingy but in a he will protect and attack sort of way #drunk ghost is prob a lil more rare to see than drunk soap tbh lol #soap finds drunk ghost adorable because he acts overly affectionate than normal like how he would when they're alone #soapghost #ghostsoap #ghost x soap #john soap mactavish #soap mactavish #mw2 soap #soap mw2 #john mactavish #simon riley #simon ghost riley #ghost mw2 #cod mwii #cod #modern warfare 2 #fanart #video games #my art #digital art #digital illustration #illustration #drawing #sketch #artists on tumblr

[phoenixcatch7]

In love with the idea of captain marvel being Billy's imaginary friend. Like, it'd be so easy. Early depictions had them as almost fully separate people sometimes, like one soul with two minds, rather than just two filters like we mostly see now.

But imagine a Billy down on his luck, hurt and hiding from police and criminals alike, daydreaming the hours away as children do, taking inspiration from all the superheroes rising to fame, making little stories to play out his dreams of saving the world with a generic action doll he found while dumpster diving once. Most of the paint's rubbed off.

Red's his favourite colour, his comfiest jumper is a bright ruby even after all the grime and washes. Gold, too, it's shiny and warmer than silver! A hero cape is a must, big and eye catching! And he can fly, of course, like superman, and in his daydreams, when he's sore and frustrated after a long day's grind, his superhero is smart enough and knows all the right words to get the bullies to stop without resorting to fighting.

His superhero fantasy is one he spends a lot of time on, the first one he goes for when struggling to sleep at night, and he can picture it so clearly. Captain marvel is big and bright and kind, strong enough to lift the boxes for the old lady up the road who's moving all by himself, fast enough to catch Jamie who fell out of the tree on Saturday and broke his leg and couldn't come to class for weeks. He appears at the entrance to alleys when Billy is cornered, he steps up behind to cover for him when he gets caught shoplifting, he sits at the bus stop with him when it's pouring rain and the right bus doesn't seem to be coming.

And then the wizard comes, or rather whisks him away, and like a magician from a fairytale breathes life into his imaginary friend until Billy feels thrice his size and a million times more invincible.

From then on, captain marvel is a real hero, just like Billy is a real boy, and as one they save the whole city, and then the whole world, and get cats down from trees and help Mrs Victoria move the last of her boxes and she gives them a pinch in the cheek and cookies for the road and sometimes it hurts but it's so much better than he imagined.

#dc comics #captain marvel #dc captain marvel #shazam #billy batson #imaginary friend #imaginary friend au #Billy's great because you can give him the most buck wild adventures with the most self indulgent plots and it makes perfect sense #Batman and superman are out here having mental health crisis no.528 and marvels away having dance offs with gnomes #Billy would fit perfectly into gravity falls he really would #Anyway imaginary friend au is near and dear because it encapsulates that sort of safe fantasy for change and companion ship #And a protective imaginary friend brought to life is going to be just a fascinating character no matter what #And it's the perfect cover for non imaginary cap anyway. Why does he prioritise this kid over everything despite having never mentioned him #Imaginary friends always have to care for their creator! But you can't expect an imaginary friend to do your taxes! #Why is cap so eternally kind and bubbly and a bit childish? That's because his creator is a kid! Duh! #This particular imaginary friend just so happens to have encountered magic and is now real enough to play basketball with asteroids. #He's strong enough to match superman but it's fine he's got a child's heart and an unending protectiveness for humanity. #Just don't try anything with the kid or you're toast. #I love the jl needing to save/help Billy in some way and cap; who's practically the jls puppy mascot at this point #Is just shamelessly and unrepentantly possessive of Billy while being openly wrapped around his finger. Number one fan #Like 'he's the specialist boy and if you don't clap for him I'm going to blow this whole building up' type #Have you read Split on ao3 it's like that. Cap is the most unaffiliated person on the team and then bam Billy is number 1 priority 100% #Go read split if you haven't 10/10 #Like it never crosses caps mind to hinder or harm Billy he is Devoted. Platonic God/worshipper except the deity in question is an 11yo #And the worshipper is the closest thing to a deity without being one you can get in dc. #But like a healthy relationship lmao. #It's a soul deep claim with total freedom on both sides and they teach each other love and they're the same person #AUGH

[suspiciouslackofclowns]

These kids get too comfortable with teasing, in Billy’s opinion. Just a tad bold for his taste.

He couldn’t give two shits if one of the boys picks on Max because she can hold her own — he taught her early on that if she has the chance to make someone cry, she should take it. And she does so fairly often. Especially when it comes to Henderson or Sinclair.

That’s not really where his main concern lies.

“Are you stupid or something?” Henderson snaps. “Did you seriously not pay attention in school or are you playing dumb right now? I honestly can’t tell.”

His tone is sharp. Loud for the small space that makes up the kitchen of Billy and Steve’s apartment.

Normally, Billy wouldn’t involve himself. The kids still act skittish around him if he so much as opens his mouth, so he tends to steer clear of them when they’re over. Which is a lot. But when he glances over at Steve and sees the smile fade from his face, he can’t help it.

He honest to god can’t.

“The fuck did you just say?”

Billy’s almost as taken aback by the words from his mouth as the kids are. Dustin’s face pales as he looks back and forth between him and Steve, like he’s looking for backup.

But Steve’s still swimming in his own head by the looks of it.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Billy repeats, slower this time. Even-toned and deadly.

Henderson opens his mouth, only for no words to come out. Billy takes a step forward but stops in his tracks when Steve sets a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Bill, it’s okay,” he urges quietly.

“Is it?”

“I just don’t know much about physics, or math, so…”

Steve gestures loosely, giving a half smile that looks a little sad. It dampens the blond’s rage for a split second. Makes him want to take up reading textbooks in his spare time if it means getting to fill his pretty boy’s head with newfound knowledge. If it means wiping that look of hopelessness off of his face. Then Henderson clears his throat.

“Yeah, it was just a joke,” he says. “No need to get so defensive.”

That reignites the flame.

“No.” Billy flares his nostrils and he swears he can feel steam puffing away from his skin as he points an accusatory finger at Dustin, who flinches at the movement despite still being a good five feet away. “I don’t care how you try to reason it, kid, you do not come into my house and call my boyfriend stupid. Am I clear?”

Dustin nods like his life depends on it. Billy stares him down for a few seconds for good measure, assuring that his soul looks sufficiently deflated before he finally tears his eyes away. Turns his gaze, now softened, towards Steve.

“And you don’t listen to that shit, okay? Jesus Christ himself could fly down in an alabaster carriage from the damn sky and call you stupid, but I’d sooner kick him square in the nuts than listen to his reasoning for it,” he tells him.

Scoops the brunet’s face into his hands when he snorts and presses a kiss to his nose.

Max groans at the PDA, but all Billy cares about is the way that Steve’s lips quirk up into a smile again.

“Square in the nuts, huh?”

“So hard that they’d become vestigial, babe. No hesitation.” Billy huffs amusedly when Steve raises an eyebrow. “Means useless,” he whispers.

Steve considers the new information for a brief moment before he chuckles and, god, Billy’s head feels like it fills with pink smoke at the sound. Makes him want to stuff Steve in a tiny jar and keep him in his pocket forever until the sun explodes.

That or get married. He’ll have to make up his mind on that some other time.

“Thanks,” Steve says.

“Anytime,” Billy lilts. Spends another wonderful moment soaking in the sight of his partner’s pretty little grin. “I guess I’ll let you get back to babysitting.”

“He’s not our babysitter,” Max huffs.

Billy doesn’t spare her a glance, too enveloped in all things Steve to care.

“Sorry,” Steve whispers. “It’s their nap time.”

They share a chuckle and, as is customary, there’s a groan when they kiss. It doesn’t matter that they aren’t super lovey dovey in front of the kids, it happens every time without fail.

Billy doesn’t mind it. He’s just glad that if they’re going to be assholes, it isn’t directed solely at Steve.

Joke or not.

#harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #I just don’t think billy can be normal about steve #but in the fiercely protective sort of way #dude doesn’t tolerate insulting jokes geared at his bf #my writing #ficlet #not edited

[beebfreeb]

Little things about Marcille make me so so so sick. Reading a book with the first character that's anything like you at all in even a somewhat respectable way and falling in love. She doesn't know anything about the food her mother grew up eating. She is subtly different from her peers and has never been sure where she fits in. AND despite those experiences she still falls victim to prejudiced thinking. She and Kabru should be besties who verbally fight like rabid dogs.

#dungeon meshi #dungeon meshi spoilers #*smiles so sweetly* I am mixed. #Marcille and Falin are so important to me but you have to admit! Marcille kind of looks down on her (not intentionally) as someone who is #in need of Guidance and Being Protected in a way that is sort of... infantilizing and overbearing. #And Falin is sort of bad at asserting what she wants and saying no to things. #WHICH THEY CAN/WILL/HAVE STARTED TO OVERCOME. #Anyway I think Marcille and Kabru could be BFFs who just as quickly click as they shatter each other's souls with their teeth. #People have said much more comprehensive things about both characters but as like #My relationship to my identity is WEIRD. My gender is SCARY. Not only that... I am also autistic. #Kabru when he isn't seen as an adult. Marcillie when she isn't seen as whole. #WHEN YOU RUN AT A DIFFERENT PACE TO EVERYONE ELSE. #funny talking tag #Also I am glad that Marcille isn't the only half-elf even if Fionil(?) is only a minor character

[tenspontaneite]

Still figuring out how I want to draw slugcats, but I'm definitely going for Weird Mustelid vibes now. Have some Survivor 🙏

#rain world #slugcat #rw survivor #rw slugcat #my art #man theyre so cute #little criminal hands. as nature intended #thinking now that most of them do have a sort of fur coat? but it's dense and slicked back #like seal fur or penguin feathers #good waterproofing #however freaks of nature like spearmaster may or may not lack this. haven't decided #and carnivorous subtype like arti tends to be fluffier probably #thicker denser fur and looser skin as protective barrier when killing things yknow #like american badger #or thick skinned like wolverines #mustelid either way

[ghost-bxrd]

You mentioned that Fae Dick doesn't allow anyone near Jason while he is healing. How does Bruce handle his son being alive again, only for his other son not to allow him near? What does it take for Fae Dick to allow Bruce near the newly resurrected Jason?

Predictably, Bruce does NOT handle it very well.

For one, Dick squirreled Jason away into his own rooms and refuses to let anyone inside on the threat of being chased outside manor grounds by a murder of crows. Only regular meals by Alfred are accepted, and even he is only allowed a few supervised minutes in Jason’s presence before Dick grows antsy and shuts the door in his face.

Bruce is… both concerned and reluctantly hopeful. But mostly he’s his usual pessimistic self and assumes that Jason is an impostor trying to trap Dick in a deal, or attempting to gain a foothold in the batfamily looking like his dead son.

Dick is very much aware of Bruce’s distrust and apprehension which is about ninety percent of the reason he doesn’t allow anyone near Jason. He refuses to have anybody probe and prod at his alive baby brother. Bruce can grow screw himself. Dick doesn’t know how— and he doesn’t care— but Jason is alive. And he’d rather eat iron than make him doubt his place in the family ever again. (Dick has not forgiven Bruce for not believing Jason about Garzonas. Neither has Bruce, but that’s beside the point.)

So yeah, Dick has Jason safely squirreled away and is doting on him like a mother hen, feeding him fae magic and healing the damage to his body one by one.

Bruce only has a chance of meeting Jason if he can let go of his mistrust long enough to let himself believe that’s truly his dead son come back to life. Otherwise Dick will not allow him anywhere near Jason.

#fae dick grayson #dick will not have anybody run any kinds of tests on Jason #the trees and the manor both say it’s Jason #and you can’t lie to something as ancient as them #Jason takes the smothering protectiveness like a champ #for about five days #and then he starts going cuckoo and attempting to break out #it goes about as well as expected #which is to say he gets closer than dick likes #which means he gets all the way to the door before dick catches him #and promptly traps him in cuddles #Jason manages to sneak out by day fourteen #something everybody notices when the entire manor begins shaking and groaning and just sort of disassembling #because dick falls into a full blown panic upon finding Jason gone #fae do not handle loss well #jason todd #batfamily #dick grayson #bruce wayne #batfam #robin #ghost talks #batman #Batdad #faerie #fae folk

[illuminatedferret]

ascensions lian

one of my favorite things about rereading tgcf is finding little bits of info where MXTX showcases how crazy strong xie lian is. like in the PROLOGUE we learn that if people trying to ascend fail their Heavenly Tribulations they either die or are (socially? physically?) ruined. like, nevermind the rigors of cultivating to ascension, the act of ascension itself is lethally dangerous.

and XIE LIAN

this motherfucker ascended for the first time IN HIS SLEEP. the second time he was so busy pummeling bai wuxiang that he didn't even notice it!!! what the hell!!! what the hell is this guy on and how do i get some

#tgcf #xie lian #tian guan ci fu #heaven officials blessing #tgcf meta #illuspeaks #heaven official's blessing #like seriously its such a minor detail and yet its SO telling #it occurred to me writing this that the cursed shackles protections #may extend to ascensions. which is kind of fucked up #in a cheaty sort of way #but its also probably not relevant. this is all xie lian baby #if youre still reading this go read ascension woes by ijoke on ao3 #the title is an unintentional theft from there

[keiicom]

If link click was a different genre or told from a different perspective Lu Guang could potentially be the villain, in this essay I will-

#THINK ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS #THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS #THE POTENTIAL. lu guang has been changing the timeline to his convenience and if we weren't so happy he did it we'd think that's fucked up #I also mean this in the best way possible because I love villain characters and lu guang is not exactly doing the 'right' thing here is he.. #but tbf I'd do the same thing if I were in his place LMAO. protect cheng xiaoshi at all costs #maybe villain is the wrong word tho. he could be like. an antihero of sorts #idk but I love him #link click s2 spoilers #link click

[blueskittlesart]

do u have any navi thoughts from your oot replay

i've been waiting to answer this until I actually beat the game in my current playthrough because navi is another one of those characters that i think of in like a "set" with several other characters who serve relatively the same thematic purpose; in this case that purpose being the "mother" character, and i wanted to have all the characters in that set fresh in my mind. it's notable that while oot shows us very clear and consistent instances of the ways in which the adults of hyrule fail to protect their children, there ARE several adults who DO go out of their way to both oppose ganondorf and protect and nurture the children under their care. All of these characters are adult women, and all of them explicitly help the children out of some sort of parental responsibility or sense of duty towards them. in this group I include link's late mother, impa, nabooru, and navi.

all 4 mother characters, despite being adults or adult-coded, reject the inaction mentality which characterizes other adults in the game. they become either direct supports or shields to their children from the conflict the world has to offer them, and they are always explicitly punished for their interference--link's mother is killed trying to protect her son, impa's village is burned, nabooru is brainwashed. The mother's fatal flaw is that she will protect her child above all else, even in a world in which children cannot truly be protected. however, with the exception of link's mother, these characters manage to persist even in the face of her punishment, and this is where I think navi becomes the exemplary character.

Navi, after a lifetime of being link's only support system, the only adult in his life he could truly, consistently count on, receives her punishment at the hands of ganondorf--in the final battle, she is pushed out. she is unable to reach her child. she cannot protect him. However, BECAUSE link has grown up with her at his side, he is strong enough to take ganondorf down. and when ganon rises again, navi is there to support link, promising not to leave his side, and the intuitive targeting of that battle (a mechanic which navi is inherently tied to!!) makes it a cinch to win. Navi, and the other mothers we meet, are a reminder to the player that the world doesn't HAVE to be the way it is. Their persistence when punished, their insistence that their children ought to be protected, is a reminder that good adults do exist, and that good adults raise good children. link and zelda are able to win in spite of the adults who refused to help them, but also BECAUSE of the adults who DID. It's a reinforcement of the core theme of oot--that childlike idea that the world SHOULD be good and fair and if it isn't, it should be changed until it is. The mothers of oot are examples of what the world COULD be, reminders that it is possible to grow up without losing hope or growing bitter, and they are examples of the next step for the children they've raised to change the word--to continue fighting even in the face of punishment, to refuse inaction, and to foster that same hope and persistence in the generations to come.

#one thing i've really been noticing this time around is the specific way in which navi's targeting works #because even though other 3d games have that targeting mechanic navi's targeting is noticeably different #in two ways. the first being that she specifically targets weak spots in enemies almost as if she is pointing them out to link #and the second being that she is capable of targeting things link himself doesn't see #whether it be invisible enemies or triggers that are out of his reach or scarecrow points or whatever #it's really reminiscent to me of the way you teach problem solving skills to a kid. you see them struggling with something and beginning to #get frustrated and you say 'hey let's look around. do you see any solutions?' and if they can't see the solution themself you might point #and say 'hey what's that?' just to get their attention on it and help facilitate that train of thought for them #because like in most other games targeting is sort of assumed to be link's own intuition in battle #and therefore it will usually allow you to focus on one enemy within a swarm of them but it won't explicitly light up the weak spot for you #navi does that for link because she's essentially the mother teaching her kid how to problem-solve. #and when she's taken away in the final battle link is able to fight anyway BECAUSE she put so much time and effort into raising him #that he no longer needs her to facilitate that problem-solving process. he already knows how to beat ganondorf #because he's done it with her before. and that's exactly the mother's role in her child's life #protect him and raise him as best you can so that when you can no longer be by his side he isn't afraid. #foster that sense of justice and encourage him to keep fighting to change the world even when it seems unchangeable. #god. ocarina of fucking time #zelda analysis #asks