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middleearthpixie · 7 months

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Living Proof ~ Chapter Five

Summary: When he puts himself between the Uruk-hai and Merry and Pippin, Boromir knows it means sacrificing himself. But it also means redemption for his near betrayal of Frodo and the Fellowship, and so it is a price he is more than willing to pay.

Kaia has been on her own for as long as she can remember, having escaped a terrible life in a village not far from Mordor. When she hears the sounds of battle, she knows what it means and when she ventured forth and finds a gravely wounded man lying amongst the leaves and debris, she takes him in, not knowing he is actually the son of the steward of Gondor.

Angry at himself and faced with a long road to recovery, Boromir does not make things easy on Kaia and it is only through her own sheer will that she does not give into the urge to hit him over the head with something on a daily basis. That refusal to give up brings about changes neither one of them could have foreseen. She just wanted to save him. She never thought he would save her in return…

Fandom: The Lord of the Rings (AU, Boromir lives)

Pairing: Boromir x ofc Kaia

Warnings: orc death

Rating: T

Word Count: 4.6k

Tag List: @sotwk @heilith @fizzyxcustard @evenstaredits @way-too-addicted-to-fandoms @emmyspov @finnofamerica @lathalea @ass-deep-in-demons @quiall321 @mistofstars @justfollowtheroad @guardianofrivendell @glassgulls @doctorwhump @kmc1989 @estethell @emrfangirl

If you’d like to be added (or removed) to the tag list, please just let me know!

Previous chapters can be found here.

At night, the cabin was at its most peaceful. Especially when Kaia knew no orcs would be passing by, when the only sounds she’d hear were those of nighttime creatures and other than orcs, she feared none of them.

Supper that night was simple—a hunter’s stew with vegetables she’d grown in her small garden—but it would fill Boromir’s stomach and she had the feeling it had been a while since he’d last had a meal of substance.

He was asleep once more, but finally he slept peacefully. As the stew simmered, Kaia sat at the table, mending a pair of her trousers that had gotten torn several days earlier, when she caught them on a low branch. When she finished, she moved to the chair where Boromir’s ruined tunic and trousers lay, and lifted the heavy scarlet tunic. It was a fine garment, of rich wool, the embroidery on the sleeves and about the collar some of the most exquisite she’d ever seen. Whoever this man was, he was of high rank, judging by the finery of his tunic and by the fine wool of the heavy black trousers she’d cut from him. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen garments of such quality.

The trousers were beyond repair, but she’d cut the tunic along seams and thought it possible to mend, so she brought it back to the table, where the light was the best, and bent over to examine it closer. It would not be perfect, as it had been before she took her scissors to it, but she could repair it.

So, while Boromir slept, she stitched. And by the time she’d finished, he was just sitting up slowly, rubbing his face with both hands as he mumbled, “What time is it?”

“Nearly seven.” She knotted the thread, cut it, and stood, bringing the tunic back to him. “This is lovely.”

“I thank you. It was a gift.”

“Who from?”

He offered up a wistful sigh. “My brother, actually. Last Yule.”

“You have a brother? That must be nice. I always wanted a brother or a sister, but sadly, it never came to pass. Is he older or younger than you?”

“Faramir is younger by five years.”

“And where is he now?”

Boromir’s eyes darkened slightly and he shook his head. “I know not. I’ve not seen him in nearly a year.”

That was not what she’d expected and she couldn’t help but stare. “Why so long?”

“It matters not,” he replied in a somewhat flat tone. “And I’d rather not speak of them now either way.”

Although his voice held no emotion, Kaia felt decidedly upbraided and her back stiffened. “Of course. I’ll not mention it—or him—again.” She draped the tunic over the arm of the chair. “Even so, I am glad I could salvage it. And, I also found your pack. I’ve not gone through it, but I’m hoping you will tell me you have other trousers in there.”

He looked up, his eyes no longer quite so dark, his expression no longer quite as brooding. Instead, he almost smiled as he nodded. “Aye, I have two pair, to be precise.”

“Oh, good.” She couldn't hold back her relieved sigh. “I’ve been wracking my brain, trying to figure out how I was coming up with a pair of trousers for a man your size.”

“You needn’t worry. They should be rolled into the bottom of the pack. And in all honesty, I look forward to wearing trousers again. I confess to feeling a bit underdressed in your presence.”

She shook her head. “You needn’t. I would not have cut them from you if it wasn't of utmost importance to tend those wounds.”

“I understand and I apologize if I fought you over it.”

“No apology necessary.” She couldn't resist a smile of her own. “You were unconscious when I removed them anyway.”

The rich, peppery aroma of the stew wafted their way and she met his eyes. “I hope you’re hungry. You’ve not eaten much since you’ve been here, and I made a stew for us.”

“I actually am a bit hungry,” he said slowly, glancing over his shoulder toward the kitchen. “And I hope you will allow me to put on trousers in order to sit at the table.”

“Are you up to sitting up?”

“I am, yes. I’ve grown weary of lying on my back, staring up at the ceiling.”

“Then, as long as you will accept my help, we should be able to do just that.”

“Good.” He reached toward the pack propped against the chair. “Shall we?”

“Now?”

“Please. I feel a bit—ah—conspicuous in only my undergarments.”

She didn't miss the hint of color that rose along his cheekbones above his scruffy-looking stubble. “Very well. But you will be careful, so you don’t bunch the bandage or roll it.”

“You have my word.”

She crouched alongside his pack and unlaced it, waiting for him to protest her pawing through it.

When no such protest came, she opened it and reached in, past several wrapped packets of something, to the rolls of clothing at the bottom. Wrestling one roll free, she stood up and unfurled another pair of heavy black wool trousers. “Will these do?”

He looked up and nodded. “They will, indeed.”

“Good. Very well,” she gestured for him to stand, “up you get, then.”

He braced a hand on the sofa’s arm and she moved closer as he started to slowly rise. His arm trembled as he did, and she did not miss his sharp inhale, nor did she miss the way his injured leg trembled as well. A hiss of pain leaked through his clenched teeth as he sank back onto the cushion with a muttered oath.

“It was foolish of me to do this,” he muttered, his knuckles going white as his fingers clenched the sofa arm.

“No, no, it wasn’t. I should’ve known better than to try to do it this way.” She patted his knee lightly. “Let me get your feet into the legs and we can take it from there. But rest a minute.”

He swore softly beneath his breath again, but nodded, and waited as she snagged his trousers and crouched before him to slip first one foot, then the other, into the trouser’s legs.

As she eased the wool up along his calves, she looked up to find him watching her. “Are you all right?”

He nodded. “I’m fine. Just a bit shaky still, is all.”

“Think you might stand?”

“In a minute or two.”

“Take all the time you need.”

His stomach growled then, which was so unexpected, it made her laugh. She promptly clapped a hand over her mouth, her, “I am so very sorry,” muffled. “I was not expecting that.”

To her surprise, a low chuckle rose to his lips. “Nor was I. I’ve not been hungry for a while and it seems it has caught up with me.”

“When was the last you’d eaten?”

“What day did you say this was?”

“Thursday.”

“It was at least a day before that. I had not much of an appetite prior to—well, I hadn’t been very hungry.”

“Why?”

He cleared his throat. “I think I might be able to stand now.”

She held his stare for a long moment, but didn't press the issue. Instead, she nodded. “Very well. You stand, and I will draw them up.”

He nodded, drawing in a deep breath as he rose once more onto visibly unsteady legs. She gripped the waist of the trousers and tugged, easing them up along calves and thighs laden with muscle, taking care not to move the bandage she’d wound about his left thigh.

She slowly rose, easing the trousers over his hips, and paused as she straightened before him, suddenly very aware of where her hands where and where she was in relation to this half-naked man before her. It as wrong, and she knew it, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but notice how broad his shoulders were and how wide his chest was. He was a warrior, no doubt, for heavy bands of muscle wrapped about his legs, about his shoulders and arms, across his chest.

The air stirred as she peered up at him, warmer than it had been only minutes earlier, and she realized then that his eyes were not as pale as she’d thought, but were more of a gray-blue, off-set by the honey-gold color of his hair.

“I think I might manage this on my own.” His low growl—almost a purr, really—broke the thicken tension swirling between them.

“What?” She glanced down at her hands, only a fraction of an inch from his bare skin, and let go of his trousers to step back. “Oh, of course. I beg your pardon.”

A hint of a smile curved his lips as he fastened his trousers, while embarrassed heat swirled through her. “Y-yes, of course. You have this,” she stammered, gesturing to the pot simmering over the fire. “I’ll just let you—that is, I’ll get supper on the table while you… well… I’ll get supper.”

With that, she stepped around him and without looking at him, hurried into the kitchen area before her face burst into actual flames. What the deuce was wrong with her, ogling him that way? He was wounded, for pity’s sake. He’d almost died. And there she was, gaping him as if he was no more than a fine horse or a side of tempting beef.

A low groan bubbled to her lips, but she managed to hold it at bay, concentrating on moving the pot from the hook to the table without dropping it or spilling its contents all over the floor. Then, she looked up to see he’d sunk back onto the sofa, so she said, “I’ll be there in but a minute.”

“Take your time.”

She hurried back into the great room. “I should see about fashioning something for you to lean on, until your strength returns. Or, if you prefer, I can bring you your supper and you can eat in here.”

“I’ll manage just fine.” As he spoke, he started to get back to his feet, only to stumble slightly.

Kaia caught him as his knees buckled, unable to hold back her grunt as she bore the full brunt of his weight. “Easy.”

“Stop telling me easy,” he growled, his arm limp about her shoulders.

“What should I say, then, when you refuse to heed my advice?”

He didn't answer and she rolled her eyes before glaring up at him. Stubborn mule of a man. He took a hesitant step, almost squashing her to her knees from the force of his weight. He was only a few inches taller than she was, but he was definitely far broader and more solid.

“Can you put any weight on your wounded leg?”

“We shall see.”

She braced herself for his first step, but even so, his injured leg only barely supported him and he leaned heavily against her. A hot sting swept down along the side of her neck, through her shoulder, and she was fairly certain her spine was slowly collapsing beneath his weight.

But, slowly, haltingly, they managed and while Boromir was as pale as a cloud when he sank into the nearest chair, he still remained upright. She held her breath to see if his nausea would return, and although sweat beaded his forehead, he seemed all right, more or less.

Rubbing her shoulder, she moved to the cupboard nearest the washbasin and took down two bowls, and brought them to the table. Then she fetched spoons and set one of each before Boromir. “I have wine as well.”

“I thought you said it was more vinegar?”

“You recall that?”

He nodded slowly. “Vaguely, but yes.”

“I’m impressed.” She ladled stew into his bowl. “But, that was when I first brought you here. Since then, I’ve happened upon more.”

He arched one brow. “Happened upon?”

“Don’t ask.”

“Understood.”

A slightly smile accompanied his words and she moved to the cupboard to take out one of the bottles she’d found on one of her more recent sojourns from the cabin. As she poured wine into two goblets, she said, “I’ve been here a bit now, but I still have plenty of exploring to do. I’ve learned that when an orc pack, or in your case, an orc army, passes through, they generally leave nothing but death and destruction in their wake.”

She brought the goblets to the table, setting one before him. “And I figure since the dead cannot make use of things like this, I might as well.”

He stared first at the goblet, then up at her. “You took these things from the dead?”

She nodded slowly. “Some of it, yes. I take what is important. Herbs and supplies when I find them—such as cloth or sewing items—food if it hasn’t spoiled. I had a chickens for a while, but… well… they wandered too far at some point and something got them, so there went any eggs or chicken.”

At his long look, she drew herself up to her full height and squared her shoulders. “Why do you look at me that way? I’m no thief and they’re dead. I bury them if I’m able and then make certain their legacy lives on.”

“Their—I’m sorry, but legacy?”

She scowled at the humor in his words. “Yes. Their legacy. That way, they’ve not died in vain. Orcs kill just to kill. They thrive on it and live for it and enjoy nothing more than snuffing out a life, no matter how small or large.” She shrugged. “I feel it best to honor the lives of those who fall prey to orcs by making use of their things if I can.”

“Anything to sleep at night, then?”

Her first instinct was to argue with him, to insist she slept just fine at night. But the truth of the matter was he was right. Scavenging did trouble her. She still wasn't comfortable with going through pockets or drawers or cabinets in search of what she might take for herself.

Then, she sank into her chair across from him, tracing the tip of her forefinger about the goblet. “I suppose, yes. I… it’s not something I like to think about, to be honest. But, they aren’t using it and I need it and—”

Boromir held up a large hand. “You need not explain to me. I pass no judgment on you.”

“I pass it on me, though.” She stared at the plain goblet, at the red wine that filled it. “But at the same time, if it weren’t for some of the things I’ve found in my travels, you would not be sitting here with me.”

“Is that so?”

She nodded. “I found the needles and thread I used to stitch up your wounds in the wreckage of a farmhouse not far from here.”

“How did you know how to do that?” He winced as he reached for his goblet and lifted it to his lips.

She hesitated. It had been a long time since she’d last had anyone to talk to, a long time since she’d shared a meal with someone else and heard a voice other than her own. But at the same time, she did not know this man at all and had no way of knowing whether or not she could trust him.

Then again, she didn't know she couldn't trust him, either. So, after a sip of wine, she replied, “I was raised on a farm and some of those who toiled for my stepfather injured themselves on occasion. When that happened, I was the one they sought for care.”

“A farm?” He set his goblet down. “Where?”

“Far from here,” she told him slowly.

“Gondor?”

“No. I am not from Gondor, but from much farther north.”

“Where, then?”

“It matters not. Just know I was raised on a farm and had plenty of opportunities to patch people back together.”

His eyes narrowed slightly and for a moment, she thought he’d press harder. She had no idea what she would tell him, if he did, for she did not wish to divulge too much about herself.

But to her relief, he let the matter drop and picked up his spoon. All conversation was forgotten then as he dove into the stew and she realized it was the most he’d eaten in at least four days.

“What about you?” She dipped her spoon into her bowl. “Where do you call home?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You’re the only one here.”

He let out a slight laugh and nodded. “True, it was a rather foolish question. And to answer it, I call Minas Tirith home, thought it’s been some time since I last saw it.”

“And what brings you to this part of Middle Earth? You’re quite a way from your home.”

“I am, yes.” He sat back, reaching for the napkin she’d set alongside his bowl to wipe his mouth. “And if you will excuse me, I’m feeling a bit tired and my wounds ache a bit. I should like to back and lie down.”

“Of course.” She pushed back her chair and moved about the table to help him up, bracing herself for the weight against her shoulder.

He did not disappoint. She gritted her teeth as he rose, leaning heavily on her, and they made their way back toward the sofa. As she carefully lowered him, he let out a low groan that turned into a hiss when he clenched his teeth, and by the time he settled back, he was almost ghostly white.

“I can brew you some tea for the pain, if you wish.”

“I would appreciate it.”

Expecting him to turn her down, Kaia stared at him for a long moment, unable to believe he’d actually accepted it. Then he grimaced as he tried to shift on the sofa and that spurred her into moving.

“Wait one moment while I put the kettle on, and then I’ll help you get comfortable.”

His eyes closed, he said nothing, but then slowly nodded as the muscle in his jaw relaxed and he exhaled heavily through his still-clenched teeth.

Kaia went back to the kitchen, where after making certain the kettle had water in it, she hung it over the fire. She quickly cleared the mess from the table before going back into the great room, where she found him asleep.

Not wanting to wake him, she leaned over to carefully tug down the blanket he’d been using, and let it settle about him, then she returned to the kitchen to finish cleaning up the mess while the water heated.

He did not stir and a quick look in on him told her he still slept, and far more peacefully than he had since she’d found him, so she lifted the kettle from the fire and set it on the table instead. Little by little, exhaustion crept over her, so she double checked the bar on the front door, the one on the kitchen door, and blew out the candles before retreating to her small bedchamber as well.

It wasn't much, only a narrow bed and battered table alongside it. There was a small chest on the far wall, but the top drawer was jammed shut and the bottom was falling out of the bottom drawer so she stacked what meager wardrobe she owned neatly atop it.

The door sagged a bit on its hinges, and it did not lock, but since Boromir was not about to sneak up on anyone any time soon, she just closed it by before she undressed and slipped into the one chemise she held onto as a nightdress before crawling into her own bed.

The sheets were scratchy, and she’d patched up the holes as best she could, but they were clean and smelled of sunshine. Drying her laundry was the worst part of living the way she did, for it took an entire day for everything to dry and she always lived in fear of an orc pack spying her washing and investigating it. As far as she was concerned, no fate existed that was worse than falling prey to an orc pack. She’d seen what they did, what they were capable of, and they terrified her more than anything else in all of Middle Earth.

She blew out the candle before settling back on a pillow that had seen far better days. A muffled rumble reached her ears and she smiled into the darkness.

Boromir snored.

Kaia jolted awake as if someone had shouted her name in her ear. Her heart racing, she stared up into the darkness, which seemed to grow thicker the longer she stared. For a moment, she thought perhaps her cabin had been found and its simple defenses breached, but as she lay there, trying to will her heartbeat to return to normal, she realized that the sound she’d heard was neither her imagination nor orcs of any sort.

It came from the great room—a low wail, heavy with sorrow, with anguish—rolled toward her and she threw back her meager covers, lit the stump of candle on her bedside table, and slid from bed to make sure Boromir was all right.

The floorboards beneath her bare feet were cold, and that cold seeped into her as she hurried across the room, hand cupped before the small flame to keep it from going out. “Boromir?”

He did not answer. Instead, he drew in a shaky breath and let out another moan. As she knelt at his side and twisted to set the dish on the table, he mumbled, “No… the little ones… they’ve taken them… please… please, forgive me…”

Gently, she caught him by the shoulder, mindful of his wound, and gave him an even gentler shake. “Wake up,” she murmured, leaning in so her lips almost brush his ear. “You are having a nightmare.”

“They took the little ones…” Anguish, raw and primal, rang through his words and without warning, he tried to lurch up.

He let out a howl that made her hair stand on end and she lunged to wrap her arms about him before he tried to stand. “No, it’s all right, you are but dreaming,” she told him, smoothing her hand along his back as he shook against her. “You are but dreaming…”

He went limp against her, an arm draped about her shoulders, his face buried in her neck, and his voice cracked as he whispered, “No… it was no dream…”

“Shhh…” she murmured back, her palm still gliding along his back. “It’s all right. I promise you it is.”

He said nothing at first, but just went limp against her, his breathing rough and ragged, as if he’d run a great distance. She didn't press, but just held him, the way her mother held her when she was a child and nightmares plagued her sleep. An image flashed through her mind, one she did not want and winced at seeing, and without thinking, she reached up to stroke his hair as he slowly calmed against her.

“See?” Her fingers slowed on his hair. “It’s all right, just as I said.”

“It is not,” he insisted, his voice somewhat stronger now. “You have no idea… none whatsoever…”

“I know it was a dream that plagued you,” she drew back, and although that candle gave off only a bit of light, her eyes had adjusted to the point where she could just about make out his features, “and if you wish to tell me who the littles ones are, perhaps I might help you.”

He let out a bark of humorless laughter at that, untangling himself from her as he said, “You cannot help, lest you deem me well enough to leave this place. That would be the only help you might offer.”

“Have I the power to make you stay?”

“Power?” He shook his head. “No. But my wounds are too fresh for me to care for, so I need your skills. I’m not a fool, you know, nor do I not realize the extent of these blasted wounds.”

“I see.” She nodded, although she didn't know if he could see her as well as she saw him. “Very well, you are in no condition to leave this cabin as yet, so I suggest you go back to sleep.”

“Sleep is that last thing I wish,” he muttered even as he sank back into the pillow beneath his head. “And before you ask, I’ll not tell you why.”

“Good.” She stood and tugged the blanket back over him with a bit more force than she’d intended. She didn't know exactly why his refusal to tell her anything aggravated her, especially considering she wasn’t exactly forthcoming with him either, but it did aggravate her. “For I am not interested in why, thank you very much. What I am interested in, is getting back to sleep myself.”

“I did not ask you to come to my aid, you know. You took it upon yourself to check up on me as if I was a child.”

“No, you did not ask, I’ll give you that and nor do I think you a child. However, you did make sleeping impossible, so I took it upon myself to come and check on you, to make certain you were all right, which I now realize was a mistake.” She stood up. “So, if you’re back to yourself, I am going back to bed.”

“I’m fine.”

“Good.”

As much as she wanted to just turn and march out of the room, she was still concerned for him, for what caused his nightmare. But, pressing him on the matter was bound to lead to an argument and fighting with him in the middle of the night was not something she felt much like doing. Even so, she was reluctant to leave him and so just stood there, arms folded, just glaring down at him.

He met that glare. “I thought you were going back to bed.”

A sense of idiocy shot through her and she bent to snatch up the candle with such force that the flame flickered and almost went out. “I am going back to bed.”

“And yet, you’ve not moved.”

She made a face at him and then spun about. However, as she did so, the flame went out, plunging them into darkness and she’d spun fast enough to make herself slightly dizzy. The last thing she wanted, or needed, was to stub a toe on something or trip over her own two feet as she marched away, but thankfully, she managed to avoid any and all obstacles.

Back in her room, she closed the door by firmly and leaned against it, scowling into the darkness. Whatever happened with those halflings, he seemed to carry great guilt over it, and though she was annoyed with him for being so evasive, the primal cry he’d let out haunted her almost as his dreams haunted him. A low sigh bubbled to her lips. How aggravating that she wanted to ease his guilt the same way she’d eased his pain, only to find that there was nothing she could do. Helplessness was not a feeling she enjoyed, for it brought her back to memories of her own she’d much rather forget, and as she slid beneath the blanket once more, she had the feeling it would be some times before she fell back to sleep.

#Lord of the Rings #LOTR AU #Boromir #Boromir fic #LOTR fanfic #Lord of the Rings Fanfic #Fan fiction #LOTR fanfiction #AU #Boromir x OC #Is it hot in here?#Romance #Sean Bean #Everybody Lives #Sons of Gondor

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dontbotherwiththepronunciation · 4 months

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Are there other Theon ships you like?

EDIT: I am sorry for this lateness anon. I thought I had posted this back in September (around the time I was getting survey related asks) shortly after it was sent but I just found it on the queue while searching for something else. Sorry. It was very sweet of you to ask so I feel abad about not realising I didn't post it any sooner.

I have weird feelings regarding ships in this fandom so most of the time with "ship" I just mean "I want to see them interact in emotionally intense situations of conflict, affection and resentment" but here are the ones I could think of in which some sort of romance/attraction/affection is part of my preferred dynamic.

Theon/Jeyne (already explained it here. Basically it's just that I am really into circumstantial affection, codependency and the themes of accountability for past misdeeds and irredeemability vs redemption. I like it at best when it's not outright shippy but ambiguous and open to interpretation. I always recommend Girl On Ice (and I won't stop now) but also I honestly feel that Little Brother, although the focus is truly on Asha and her anxiety over her entire situation in the end of ADWD, has probably my favourite post-adwd dynamic for them and it's even more ambiguous in a very tongue-in-cheek manner that I appreciate.)

Jon/Theon (Similar feelings about circumstantial affection but without the same themes. Like the idea of the two unwelcomed somewhat unwilling members of Winterfell being some of the last remainings of it. Also prefer it as something ambiguous and open to interpretation but with slightly more antagonistic feelings between the two. I like Jon but he'll be ultimately relieved to know Theon actually just killed the Miller's boys and that is not necessarily a good thing for me (although I understand and won't blame him for that possible reaction). I admit to being picky because I disagree with some popular takes about Theon having bullied Jon or them hating each other and I also am very strongly against Stark romanticism which often appears in fics focused on them.)

Theon/Barbrey (Everyone thinks I said this as a joke but I actually mean it. Their conversation during the Turncloak chapter made me cry like a child when I first read it and I haven't been the same person ever since. It completely rewired the way I perceive things. I like relationships that grow not out of love but hatred and feelings of mutual hurt originating from similar issues. I like the idea that she might at some point be the one to fully take the Stark goggles off him. Also prefer it as ambiguous rather than straight up romantic. This is one of my favourite fics ever and it sometimes makes me cry. Canon divergent ADWD where she takes him away from Ramsay and Roose (also "Arya" gets saved anyway, don't worry))

Theon/Kyra (Prefer it as horror from Kyra's side but mixed with the possible former feelings of teenage love they might have had. They seemed emotionally close and I can imagine she might have felt more for him than he ever did for her. That's interesting for me given what happens later on during ACOK and that she still tries to save him from the Dreadfort. I like the idea that when he kissed her on the other side of the river she could only feel fear and indignation)

Theon/Patrek (one of the more wholesome ones here and to be honest it only started really interesting me once Patrek was used as a leverage against his father and they literally tied a noose around his neck. I like it a lot more than I express. I like to think that the anger Patrek might have felt towards Theon at that point was somewhat mitigated or that it will be mitigated now that he has been on a similar position. Preferred daydreams involve small one-night reunions when Theon finally gets to go to the Islands and has to stop at Seaguard where Patrek is. Strange type of meetings between people who were very happy and close during a brief time that was violently and abruptly cut get to reminiscence about a past they feel conflicted about. I like to think their relationship would be re-contextualised given Patrek has been used against his father now).

Theon/Baelor (Absolutely no canon foundation which is weird given I am who I am but I have such a desire for a gap filler where the two get to interact during Theon's time in ACOK and Theon is able to see this somewhat well-adjusted version of himself that has even turned into a figure of influence and just feels completely irritated and hateful by the situation.)

Theon/Falia (Been ruminating on this for a long time now and she could embody aspects of the Kyra to his Theon and he the Euron to her Falia so yes enjoy it a lot. Although I've only seen it written once and it was in a post-ados ambiguously hopeful fic. Really liked it. It was very sweet. However on a long term not I'd really like her becoming a strange type of second chance for what he had with Kyra and him a second chance for what she had with Euron. Horny on main ironborn comes to take the castle of the feudal lord whose lands you live in and takes you, a lowborn woman who seems rather willing, to live there for a while and sleep in the bed of said feudal lord. Things change suddenly and you find yourself physically and sexually abused by someone you trusted.)

Sexual relationships I do not ship but read anyway because of interesting dynamics

Theon/Ramsay (It has to be fully non-consensual, full horror and as canon-compliant as possible. If I see Theon referring to him as "master" I am out. Also I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that erotically written stuff triggers me so it's difficult. Implicit rape/non-con mixed with the horrors of depersonalisation and contradicting feelings about whether he deserves any of what happened to him or not are very welcomed though!)

Theon/Cersei (Talked about it here. People take it as comedic and I see why and it makes me laugh but it only caught my attention once I started thinking more seriously about it and I weirdly enough I can somewhat enjoy it as long as the characterisation isn't purely hedonistic-cringe-fail-milf-hunter. Something I think could be interesting is if the marriage were to take place after Theon had spent a significative amount of time at the Dreadfort but hadn't gone through a drastic change in appearance and thus was not visibly weakened and hurt. Anyway, go read Broken Cage! The Cersei POV voice is perfect.)

Open but not fully into it

Theon/Tris (theoretically I think I'd like it and it fits into themes I enjoy. Both of them at some point pursue(d) Asha due to misreading who she really is and are questioned in regards to whether they truly fit to Ironborn culture (they do!) by the same woman who looks down on them a little. So yeah could be cool! but until now what I've perceived of it is basically "Theon gets a wholesome boyfriend who is kind of wholesome in canon too and isn't romanticised by fandom so he doesn't fell ooc!" and that's very nice and makes me happy for him but it's not very interesting to me.)

Theon/Jory (There was this really good fanfic back in 2017 Russian fanfic website and it has sadly been lost to humanity but it was good.)

Theon/Brienne (Irl friend proposed it as a joke but pre-ramsay he fits her type as snarky, fashionable, mockish young man and it could be interesting because he would be a tremendous asshole and would probably emotionally scar her. That's all I have to say.)

Theon/Meera (Quite surprised at how no one has developed anything complex based on his not very-pure-thoughts back in ACOK and their connection to Bran. Could be interesting.)

#asoiaf #speaking #theon greyjoy

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thegirlwhowrites642 · 1 year

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Jegulus

I don't ship it.

Why don’t you ship it?

Besides the fact that it's not jily and that's already a problem, Regulus is a death eater and James is someone who canonically hates the dark arts so much that until he matured he had an hard time seeing the difference between punishing evil acts and becoming evil himself. Like, how would this make any sense?

Regulus' """redemption""" happens in the last thirty minutes of his life. Regulus is somewhat someone with a similar story to Draco, he is eager to become a death eater then when he does, he discovers that maybe it wasn't exactly that fun. With the difference that while Draco is the definition of an ignavo, Regulus seems to have some courage and something he is willing to stand up for. Therefore there would have been maybe the possibility of redemption for Regulus but Regulus is not simply someone conditioned by his family, he is a full-on Voldemort fanboy, that must say something about him.

Also, the whole trying to make Regulus a good guy is a bit insulting to Sirius, the tragedy of his story, and it implies that Sirius didn't care enough about his brother to save him from their family.

Everything we know about James suggests that he would absolutely despise Regulus.

And, this is a minor thing, I suppose, but making James queer and therefore part of a marginalized group, heavily defeats the point of his character.

What would have made you like it?

There's the quite obvious implication in the books that James and Lily are soulmates, so nothing really. I would warm up more to it I imagine if more information on Regulus revealed heavy justification for his behaviour (having a shitty family or being in Slytherin doesn't justify being a fascist).

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

This ship is like drarry for the marauders era, but at least Regulus is a slightly better person than Draco, and James is a slightly worse person than Harry.

I don't know, really, I understand what people are trying to do here but James is already canonically in an enemies-to-lovers storyline and that one is actually healthy. Jegulus feels a lot like misogyny.

#anti-jegulus

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the-gone-angel · 1 year

Text

Thoughts on Project: Eden’s Garden

After watching NicoB play until the point of the trial, I decided I had already invested myself enough to download the game and play the prologue myself. I have a lot of thoughts to express.

But first... P:EG? The queerest acronym of them all. That sells it for me.

Damon Maitsu:

What a different take on the protagonist. Makoto was the more ‘boring’ and optimistic protagonist, Hajime was somewhat cynical and prickly but still led the group, and Shuichi had a lower self-esteem like Makoto but a great talent that was utilized well in the killing game. When Kaede was the protagonist, I feel it was more similar to Damon in the way that she rubbed some people the wrong way right off the bat and had a lot to say. The same goes for Damon, but he’s a rude jackass who values his own talent more highly over others and when others are conceited, he can’t see that same trait within himself. An annoying person in real life, but a super interesting protagonist! Furthermore, when talking to people, it clearly shows he needs people around him that aren’t as blunt and rude to continue conversation, like Wolfgang or Toshiko.

Damon’s obvious snake on his tie is a clear Biblical reference regarding the snake from the garden that tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God. His name means to “tame/subdue”. Much like a snake. This could be interpreted in several ways. Damon did push his peers during the trial to trust Wolfgang’s intuition, but then he lost their trust when concurring with Eva that they all can’t trust one another not to kill each other. He brought up a valid point in the worst way possible, isolating himself in a Kokichi-esque or Nagito-esque way. Since there was a chapter that contained Nagito’s POV briefly, I’ll assume interactions with peers will be predominantly negative next chapter but they’ll still talk to him. But that comment he made in front of Toku -- that agreement with Eva, when he had been helping Wolfgang (the optimistic one) during the trial, could be seen as a similar effect of Adam and Eve listening to the snake... and then someone takes the bite that starts the game. His words helped push people to formulate that budding distrust.

Eva Tsunaka:

The Ultimate Liar -- but is that a lie, or does she have no reason to lie? If we trusted she’s genuinely the ultimate liar, how can an ultimate liar be caught in a crime? Her name, Eva, is super close to the name Eve, and she is one of the main characters that starts off the game by saying the Ultimates are more likely to kill, causing distrust to brew. Eve is the one in the Bible that listens first to the snake; Damon following suit can mean he’s the Steve in this equation? Damon exacerbated that and aided in isolating the both of them from everyone else. It makes me wonder if they’ll distrust each other or pair up as a duo when solving cases. Either way, I’m unsure yet on whether the person biting the metaphorical apple (murder) would be my theorized Adam and Eve in this equation, haha.

Also, I really like her design in particular. It really gives me Danganronpa nostalgia.

Wolfgang Akire:

Umm, where can I start? This man is handsome. I’m a lesbian, but good god almighty... Anyway, forgive me for starting off thirsting on main when I’m trying to analyze this game. Wolfgang is who the protagonist would be if this game was an official Danganronpa game, but luckily that’s not the case and now I’m going to present that he will be a murderer. Or will that be obvious? But I saw a post on here previously that connected his sheep’s pin to his name Wolfgang, and theorized he is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” that may end up doing a murderous deed. I don’t believe the dude is evil, but he’s the one stepping up in trial on a HUGE moral high ground and he, like Tozu stated, may not have similar morals to everyone. I see him not going through redemption, but through an arc where he loses faith in humanity and decides these Ultimates are not worth saving, aka he murders someone later in the game while acting like a friend still. And I think Damon, who starts off badly with everyone with his “don’t trust anyone” shtick, will have to be the one later to bring Wolfgang down in trial and show everyone he was kinda right.

Grace Madison:

She grated on my nerves when first meeting her, but I think like Miu, I can see myself liking her. She seems like a person that will stick around awhile. She doesn’t think through her actions, but she proved herself smart in trial when having everyone go through the little details. I just think she’s quicker to emotion, like Wolfgang is, which I’m sorry but for a lawyer that isn’t always the best thing. Making emotional appeals to a jury is one thing, but getting emotional yourself is another... Anyway, enough about him. Grace’s animal is the bunny rabbit (her visor) and that confused me because bunnies are timid and this woman struck down Tozu. Maybe it alludes to her being a victim? I don’t know.

Toshiko Kayara:

I love this child and I want to protect her with my life. I don’t put it past this game to kill off a super young kid though. I can’t see her murdering someone unless it’s self-defense. Or maybe she can orchestrate a murder between two people, at most. If she’s a matchmaker, that’s a job that involves research and meddling in people’s lives. In a positive way, of course. But could potentially make her dangerous and keep her name out of any crimes.

Or, this child can stay positive and captain all the incoming ships that are bound to occur with this game (Jean: Hey, I’M the Ultimate Ship Captain, not her!). Yes, I’ve seen plenty of fanart -- you all are quick!

Her design is probably my favorite one, or Wenona’s. I can’t decide. It’s hard.

Eloise Taulner:

I felt so bad for her when Grace and Damon were being mean about her hiding and crying behind a bush. She has perpetrator potential though, unlike Desmond -- his talent seems more obvious for killing people with. Her swan symbolizes her talent too, having the agility and ability to take down opponents. She can play the long game.

Also, we can establish her motive pretty clearly: she’s got a mother who she seems close to and wanted to call early on in the prologue. It’s clear compared to everyone else that she has family on her mind while more of them have their futures on their minds.

*cough* she’s really cute *cough*

Desmond Hall:

Damn, another handsome dude. P:EG out here making me wanna -- Okay, I’ll stop before I make that joke. Even though he’s not a minor, it’s still kinda weird. Haha. I like his calm exterior and I can see him being one of the two survivors. I don’t know why, I’m just feeling it. His talent is too obvious to be a murderer, at the very least. Everyone jumped to the conclusion he killed people when they heard his talent anyway.

Jean DeLamer:

STOP P:EG FROM MAKING ATTRACTIVE CHARACTERS 2023. Jean is your “buff dude”, but he feels more real than that. He’s got the fears and anxieties of everyone else, but he can put that aside and lead. He’s goofy but smart and willing to do what has to be done (touching the dummy body for everyone else). I do see him being a victim because I do think he’ll take on a leader-like role and we all know leaders gotta die. Let’s be real, all the protagonists in the other games should’ve died -- it’s people like Damon that live. LOL.

Wenona:

Hawt damnnnn. My left-leaning politics flew out the door and got stomped on when I saw her. Is she accepting any sugar babies? Haha, in all seriousness, she reminds me of female Byukaya and I don’t have much more to contribute so far than that. I can easily see her siding with Damon and Eva on the trust versus distrust issue though. But I think she’s smart enough to not mention that for now.

Ingrid Grimwall:

She’s adorable. I love her accent. I don’t want her to be hurt or hurt anyone else. She could make a weapon out of pretty much anything though, and that makes me Big Nervous.

Cassidy Amber:

I’m a Comrade for Cassidy. I like her design and I like that she isn’t super full of herself. It’s cool that they are delving into these different levels of narcissism in the game.

Ulysses Wilhelm:

Uh, cute design! Hello! What a sleepy boy. Ulysses seems like a ripe victim ready for the taking -- dude transcribes everything into his journal. Time for someone to rip notes out of his journal after killing him and burn them somewhere, but conveniently leaving evidence behind. If there’s ever a double homicide, I feel like he would be killed second because he witnessed a murder and wrote down stuff to show the others or he’d forget. His shitty memory being his downfall.

Kai Monteago:

Dude, dude, why is this influencer so fucking cute? Put on those waterworks more and I’ll want to give you lots of hugs. I don’t know what to make of whether or not he would die or live.

Diana Venicia:

*cough* cute *cough* But also murderer potential here. Time to work some makeup magic to cover up a crime scene and make “fake” wounds to throw off everyone from the real cause of death. Out of everyone, she could edit a crime scene best.

Also, her and Kai are lesbian and gay solidarity and you cannot convince me otherwise. Those two have to be best friends.

Jett Dawson:

Someone said he fit the bill of a “bear” and that couldn’t be more accurate. I wonder what he looks like under his outfit -- wait, he said he would be naked, whoops. I know there’s a ton of hype for him and I like him fine, but I’m not on that same level as everyone else. I think he’ll be a victim though, and I also agree that him and Mark would be cute.

Mark ‘Mayhem’ Berskii:

What a little garbage can of a boy. I love him already. Someone pointed out the more dead inside he looks, his headphones get dimmer until there is no more yellow on them and I liked that feature a lot. I want to hear his music now. It was cute that Jett hyped him up despite never hearing it before, LOL.

Cara Koskinen and her unnamed killer:

This is definitely going to come back up. This is some last trial shit.

Tozu:

Interesting Headmaster; I enjoy his design, and I applaud his voice actor. I feel like he’s really going to be analyzing these people and their moralities.

Mara:

Hot. Mommy. I’m sorry.

But given the fact there are other masks than theirs in the building shown in the artwork on the walls, is there more than just Tozu and Mara? I feel like that means there’s more masked people.

Morals and Narcissism:

Two big things in this story. A lot of these characters, more so than in past games, seem to have higher levels of narcissism and self-importance. I feel like that’s realistic given how much of a pedestal they are all put on. We also know how much the Bible loves narcissism and selfishness (*sarcasm*). Morals are another big thing. Tozu is clear in his questioning to Wolfgang that he does not know everyone’s moralities and that’s true. Is self-defense still murder to everyone? What if someone accidentally murders someone? What if the perpetrator was blackmailed by another person? What is the victim has done a lot of harm, and someone put them to justice, akin to the death penalty? The Bible itself contains a lot of death, especially from God’s own hand. If Tozu is playing God, then he’s delivering these people’s executions. But, either way, I think Wolfgang will learn his peers do not share his morals.

#danganronpa #p:eg #project eden's garden #project: eden's garden

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just-a-carrot · 6 months

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[Easter + Our Wonderland spoilers! Also a pretty long analysis, oops.]

The more I think about it, the more OW and Easter seem kinda like antitheses to each other. Even TVTropes pointed this out:

"Spiritual Antithesis: The whole game is intended to be one for Easter, coming from the same author. Easter had a troubled protagonist, while his friends had more carefree lives and were unaware of his issues, while Our Wonderland has a fairly normal protagonist who is completely unaware of his friends' troubled lives and issues."

This is somewhat of a barebones explanation of it, and I'm not sure if it was exactly "intended", but it still rings true.

Easter ends up trying to ruin everyone else's lives, and in turn drag them down with him. He also never owns up to or feels guilty for his actions. In fact, he tries to pin a lot of the blame on Nester for supposedly not doing anything to help, to the point of him becoming a "bad guy" in his dream sequence. (Leave it up to the traumatized six year old to save the day. Yeah, very smart, East.)

Iggy does the exact opposite. In each arc, he tries to "help" whichever of the LIs the arc is focusing on in any way he can, which in turn makes him lose sight of his own self and get dragged down to their level. (This is especially prevalent in Arc 3.) He also seems to put all the blame on himself, quite literally stating that everyone would be better off without his existence in Arc 1.

Also, each game has a character who's a sort of "exception" to this rule.

In Easter, for example, Nester is also traumatized, and he is fully aware of Easter's actions. Yet, unlike Easter, he tries to move on with his life and leave the past behind.

Also, can I just go on a "quick" tangent and say that Nester's camera is a really good metaphor? During all of Easter's Escapades ™, Nester was fully aware of what he was doing, and yet never tried to do anything about it. He would just observe. (Though I will say that Easter maybe gives him too much shit for that, as he was, like, six years old, freshly traumatized, and also the least liked of the group, so good luck trying to convince anyone Easter's out to get their asses.) And think of what a cameraman does in a movie? He's fully aware of the current events, and yet he is in no power to change them, all he can do is record. Just like Nester... I know the camera literally only shows up two times but I just thought this was cool, okay?

Anyways, in Our Wonderland, Genzou, despite also having a troubled life, doesn't escape to Wonderland until the very end. And when he does, he doesn't end up going insane because of his wish, remaining Iggy's ally until the end of each arc.

Considering all of this, I think the endings for these games make perfect sense.

The problem with Easter is that he's stuck. As Nester points out, he's been fully consumed by hatred, and as such makes no effort to move on or become a better person. This is makes the hopeless ending work, as it shows that Easter's stubbornness and hatred has finally led him to the point of no return. He may have been redeemable at some point, but now, it's too late.

In Our Wonderland, things are different. Even in the cast's hateful, fucked up states, there is still a glimpse of humanity deep within them. There's still that wish to make things right. And unlike Easter, the OW cast find the strength to push through their corruption, and end up on the road to recovery. Of course, this did not come easy, and it won't get any easier, but what matters is that they did it. They are finally confronting their issues head on, and choosing to work through them, granting themselves the freedom that they sought do desperately in Wonderland. But freedom does not come from escaping, freedom comes from accepting, and letting go.

Our Wonderland shows that redemption is possible. Easter shows that it takes work.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

oh my gosh alkdjfasdk this is quite the analysis????

yeah i did see that on the tvtropes page, along with some other easter-correlations, though i admit freely that no connections between the games were intentional and i wasn't thinking about easter at all when i starting thinking up ideas for OW 🤣💦 then again i do often have people point out connections even within OW that i had never planned on/put in there purposefully, so i'm perhaps not the best judge... 🥴

(the tvtropes page used to have some really weird/inaccurate stuff about gidget tho until someone corrected it... 💦)

i think that is a really interesting point tho. easter and iggy couldn't be further from each other in the way they approach things and their general mindsets. which is a bit amusing as they still both somehow manage to be at the center of their respective friend groups with the other members generally all liking them to various degrees (easter doesn't have the love square that OW has LOL tho if i'd been more courageous of a dev at the time of making easter, i had originally wanted to add some latent feels in there between totl and easter)

iggy definitely gives up a big chunk of himself trying to be what his friends need, to the point where wonderland itself is actually helping to morph him into that role during each arc; meanwhile, easter is jealous that all his friends are better off than him and wants to see everyone suffer as much as he did. in both stories, there's this intense interconnectivity within the friend group revolving around the respective MC, but they're kinda opposite mindsets/approaches 🤣

"Also, can I just go on a "quick" tangent and say that Nester's camera is a really good metaphor?" -> LKDJASDFADS add another one to the list of "things carrot didn't even realize themself" 💦 that is a really cool analysis of that...

that's a great point about easter being "stuck." like in his head he had convinced himself that there was no way moving past it and he was hopeless, to the point where the only thing he could think of to do was lock his memories away (until over time they broke free again). whereas with iggy, despite everything, he has to keep trying, 100s and 100s and 100s of times, if only due to the nature of the loop. so he kinda just has to keep trying and keep moving forward every time they have a new breakthrough

"Our Wonderland shows that redemption is possible. Easter shows that it takes work." -> this is really good lakdfad easter didn't even try, while iggy is forced to try one way or another kinda lol

at any rate this is a really interesting analysis and look into how the two games play off each other (even if none of it was intentional from my part LKDJALDSF). thank you so much for writing this up and all your thoughts, i really enjoyed reading this!! 🥺💕

#ow: asks #easter: asks

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skrunksthatwunk · 1 year

Text

GOD sorry. i am once again thinking about how tragic kiryu is as a character bc it's hurting my feelings. idek if I've made this post before but fuck it I'll make it again.

he just wanted to protect the ppl he loved. he just wanted to love and be loved and that's literally it his entire life and everyone who despised him did so because he was too good or because he hurt them by protecting himself.

he swore up to prove something to his foster father with his childhood best friend. when he got into hot water by chance and that same best friend tried to kill him to save him from torture, he accepted it blamelessly. and when he came back to save kiryu, he welcomed him, despite having pushed him away after the whole attempted murder thing. when that same bestie shot their patriarch to protect their other childhood friend (who they were both in love with), kiryu took the fall, went to jail for ten years, and accepted the title of patriarch killer. all to keep himself from having to figure out a world without nishiki, or to have to watch him suffer like that. and when he got outta jail there was no one (minus majima) to welcome him. suddenly the daughter (presumed niece) of his love shows up and he's got to seek yumi out. in the process he loses friends in shinji and reina, his father in kazama, his love in yumi, and, of course, nishiki. basically everyone in his life is dead and he's about to go to jail before date tells him he's gotta step up for haruka because she needs someone. no matter how badly he wants to tap out of life and go back to wasting away in prison, he's got a responsibility to yumi's daughter, now his.

so despite living one of the worst possible months of his life, he takes her in. he's traumatized, obviously. he moves away from kamurocho (idr if it's out of kamurocho or just further away from the center, but it's not the same spot) and tries to raise haruka somewhat normally. he doesn't want to get wrapped up in further tojo business. he's the ex-chairman and a legend, but he's got a daughter to raise and he's very aware of how simply being around him can endanger her. but if he doesn't help the tojo, a lot of people are gonna die. so he has to help. has to find daigo and get him out of his funk. legit i don't remember the plot of yk2 that haruka's kidnapped again despite his best efforts. he gets stabbed. he's almost blown up. ryuji (supposedly) does, as does... idk.. that racist cop? there's probably someone else. point is him moving a bit away wasn't enough and he needs to cut things off entirely.

so he decides to leave. he moves cross country to okinawa, leaving the tojo (and thus his son daigo) in majima's capable hands (one of the few friends he can trust to take care of himself). he starts an orphanage, a dream of his stemming from his own childhood as an orphan. he just wants to give back, to help these vulnerable children. and for a couple of years it's alright he adjusts to raising 8 children. he thought he was in danger by the local clan, but he smoothes that conflict out relatively easily. it's alright. things are peaceful here. and then the local patriarch is shot. and daigo. his son is in a coma. and people are trying to take the land his orphanage rests on. so he's got to go back to protect his new life. he reconnects with majima and date and the others, and it's so tempting to stay, to be with them. but the orphanage is destroyed. rikiya is killed. it's been a couple years since someone's died in his arms and you can just feel that "oh god not again" feeling in that scene. daigo wakes up just in time to watch his boyfriend most trusted friend due by suicide for their sakes as redemption for almost killing him. after declaring his love for him of course. kiryu is stabbed, but recovers back in his rebuilt home. it is a little emptier, but mostly still intact.

i also legit forget 4's plot but like. a stranger washes up on his shore in a position kiryu was once in. he has to help him. and he just so happens to be majima's sworn brother. so he helps him back. then due to reasons i do not remember he's back in kamurocho and immediately finds out majima's getting arrested. it's daigo's doing and he has to beat him up about it. yasuko dies. idk it's a mess. he gains new allies but he is once again dragged back in. knowing this series he probably has another fakeout death idk

so, he's had enough. haruka wants to pursue her dream, and he's told outright that he can't be in the picture if she's to succeed. so he leaves. he moves far away to work on his own and provide for the orphanage from afar (unsuccessfully sneakily). he adopts a fake name. he drives a taxi. it's okay. he has a framed photo of the orphanage that he keeps facedown on its table. he's fine. daigo hops into his taxi one night. he did not want to be found. he can't do this again. he gives clipped advice. daigo disappears and kiryu is sought out to explain it. and suddenly he's back in it. again. and for the first time in the series he says outright that he cannot escape being yakuza. it's a part of him, and it will follow him forever. he's trapped. no matter what he does, sooner or later, he's going to get dragged (kicking and screaming) into a new conflict. he will be hurt and scared, and he will watch people die. people he could have saved, and failed to. the only thing he can do is run away from it all as fast as possible, because then, at least, the people he loves might be outside of the splash zone. and then majima dies. kiryu wasn't even in the same part of the coutnry as him, but he could have been... and now he has to investigate. and then he gets tied into a plot involving his daughter. they're trying to kill her this time. he cannot support her, even though she's come so far. she is so strong, and so like her mother. he can't even go near her, but he has to protect her, no matter the cost. and he fights. he fights incredibly hard and he's injured. his daughter finds him, having sacrificed her career and endured public scandal to reunite with him, because she doesn't think it's right to abandon her father for her career. he is bleeding out, and has nearly frozen to death. he doesn't believe she's real. he's hospitalized.

he doesn't even get to see some of his visitors before he's hauled off to jail. it's another few years. he can handle it. he waits, and he waits, entrusting the orphanage to haruka. her career is ruined, in a way, because of him. in the way mirei told him it would when she found haruka, when he agreed to leave. eventually, haruka stops visiting. just like the others when he was in for a decade. it's probably nothing. it's nothing. at the very least, he can't do anything about it now. and he finally returns to his children after three years in jail and months before that in fukuoka. and haruka's missing. she hasn't been there in years. so, immediately, he has to leave to find her, and bring her home. what's the point of sacrificing everything for family if you can't be together? so he does a bit of digging and it turns out she's in a coma. she was hit by a car. and she has a baby. she is around 19. kiryu is now a grandfather. no one knows who hit haruka, why (if there is a reason), or who the father is. child services doesn't recognize him, and is going to take the baby away, his baby's baby. so he kidnaps haruto. he starts seeking out answers. suddenly people are after the baby. of course they're after the baby. god, he's so tired. he gains a few more ducklings to chase after him and call him aniki. this hasn't gone well the past few times. one of them is haruto's father, unbeknownst to anyone but their patriarch. kiryu punches him through a glass door for being irresponsible. he goes on this big fucking thing to help everyone out yadda yadda. the patriarch dies. haruka wakes up and he and haruka, haruto, and yuta reunite. yuta promises to take care of her. he scolds her for leaving, even though it's a classic kiryu move. and it's here that he sits down and pens a letter to daigo. his will. it is here that he decided to die or fake his death, and leave it all behind. to cut himself out of their lives and their love completely, so that haruto, at the very least, could grow up in peace, with the loving family he deserved. no violence, two parents. a dream he could not provide haruka, or daigo, or any of the morning glory kids. they'll be okay now. he does not ask if he'll be okay. it doesn't matter anymore. he pens a letter to daigo admitting he feels as though he is daigo's father, and that he is a shitty one. he gives him one last piece of guidance before he disappears. it's a confession. (unbeknownst to kiryu, daigo reads this letter. he begins to refer to kiryu as his father directly. kiryu will never know his feelings are reciprocated by his son. he will never know the fondness the letter inspires in saejima and majima, two of his closest friends). he watches someya die for nothing, then another friend (the mama?? idr her name) die (he doesn't know she survives). he is tortured. he's getting too old for this. he fights, and it's bloody and desperate. it doesn't really matter if he dies anymore, because he'll be as good as dead soon anyway. he "dies" in his daughter's arms. he negotiates the faking of his death. and he returns to morning glory one last time to see haruto begin to walk. they don't need him anymore. it may be hard, but they are beginning to walk on their own. he's got to trust that they'll figure it out, eventually.

and that is the last time he lets himself see any of them. he's gone.

idk what his role in y7 is because i haven't gotten that far, but ik he's there. the trailer for y8 has him (w his kpop hair jdhsj) so it's not like he's disappearing completely. but at the very least during the kiryu saga that's it for him. that's the end of his story. god.

kiryu, a character defined by his love for and loyalty to others, is torn between protecting his two families, and someone always, always slips between his fingers. he is such a deeply passionate and warm and thoughtful perosn. literally all he does is try to help people dude. but because he's too fucking good at helping people everyone's in danger all the time. he is constantly torn between protecting the people he loves and the greater good, and he distances himself further and further from his loved ones because he just can't stop pulling them into hurricane kiryu. so he tries to separate himself from the love that's kept him going to the point of abandoning them completely just to protect them. in the fight between love and duty, love lost. he decided he wasn't able to protect them, and he left.

idk man.. i just think it's sad. he tried so hard and he definitely fucked up but so mucb of what happened was not his fault, not really. but does it matter when people's lives are at stake?

they're better off without him, anyway.

(p.s. i think this is part of what makes kiryu and majima such interesting foils when it comes to this kind of sacrifice. with makoto, majima quickly decided that she was far safer without him, and cut her out of his life. his entire adoption of the mad dog persona, to some extent, could be him keeping others distant for fear of entangling them in violence again. kiryu, on the other hand, tried desperately over and over again to protect people and failed until he finally came to the conclusion that majima did, that people like him are dangerous. that the noble thing to do is to avoid company out of love, to sacrifice your own happiness for others. to view that companionship as selfish. majima resigned to the fate kiryu fought for decades, and lost to. and once saejima's out of prison, majima slips right back beside him. and he cares for daigo, as promised. and he cares for kiryu. he's becoming closer to the people around him as kiryu's drifting away. (y3 is really where they intersect most in this, which is also why it's the most gay kazumaji-wise). god they just really won't let themselves be happy or love people even though they're such naturally caring people. what the hell. and part of why they don't quite distance themselves from each other is because they're both super duper strong. there's a safety there that numbs their protective instincts bc they're true peers. gah anyways love them)

#rgg #ryu ga gotoku #yakuza #kiryu kazuma #rgg analysis #god sorry i love him so so so much #kiryu is not perfect but he is trying so fucking hard and he's not having a good time of it

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we-pay-for-everything · 2 years

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I felt really tempted to compare Angel to Person of Interest, so here it goes. I’m sure there are some Angel x PoI fans out there, since both series star Amy Acker.

First things first, the first two seasons of PoI are remarkably alike the first seasons and a half of Angel. Both are procedural shows wherein each episode a small team works to save people from various situations. Each team works with, or against, the police, and law breaking is a must. There’s a member on each team who gets information on who needs saving: the Machine gives Harold a number, while Doyle or Cordelia get visions from the PTB. The number could be the victim and/or the perp, while the visions are always of people in need of help; either way, each team has a wannabe hero always ready to give his life for a random stranger.

Angel and Reese actually have a number of similarities. They know how to fight, they are lost then found and given a higher purpose, they are alone, they have lost the love of their lives, they have a multitude of sins to atone for, they do not believe they deserve to live.

The Machine and the PTB also share some similarities. They both give information on only one city (NYC and LA), they are all-seeing and all-knowing (one sees possibilities and the other manipulates time itself), they are neither good nor bad. This is where the similarities end, because the Machine is programmed to save people - the irrelevant numbers, which are really cases of premeditated crime - and has the ability to distinguish right from wrong, whereas the PTB are fickle and amoral - they maintain the balance between good and evil and no one knows how they choose who to save.

However, just as the PTB are one of many higher beings out there - the most notable one being Wolfram&Hart, who work directly against Angel - the Machine has an evil twin, Samaritan. Both Wolfram&Hart and Samaritan are in bed with the powerful and the corrupt. Still, Samaritan is ultimately programmed to achieve a “better” world - whatever that means -, Wolfram&Hart wants the opposite; but their tactics remain the same.

An important theme in both shows is redemption. Angel and Reese are obviously characters who try to achieve redemption through a higher calling, but characters like Harold, Lionel, Root, and Shaw are also working towards redemption in their own ways. Harold certainly used the Machine as a way of making up for the destruction he caused by building it in the first place. Lionel and Root didn’t believe they needed to be redeemed per se - at least, not Root - yet helping people changed them. Reese and Carter showed Lionel how to be a better man, and he became a completely different person; Root believed in something bigger than her, in the Machine and in Harold, and they became her moral compass. There’s no equivalent to Root on Angel, but Cordelia and Doyle are not unlike Lionel. Furthermore, I would say that Gunn and Shaw have similarities. They were both fighters and saw the world rather simply. Shaw killed whoever Research told her to kill, and Gunn just killed any vamp he saw. They were loyal to their team, and fighting is all they knew.

I believe the biggest comparison I can make between characters, however, is between Wesley and Harold. Both were benign and good-nature scholars - Wesley had something to prove and was seeking a purpose, while Finch already had a purpose - but both characters were hiding a darkness underneath their somewhat foolish appearance, which slowly got exposed as the show progressed. In their teams, they were the strategists, the ones with all the answers (and the questions...). They had a close relationship to the designated savior of the group. They had good intentions, but they liked to make certain decisions alone and to hide their feelings. Harold’s decision to uphold his morals and not kill a Congressman resulted in Samaritan becoming active; Reese and Shaw both advised him to kill the Congressman, but Reese obeyed Harold’s wishes in the end, so the Congressman lived. Wesley, on his part, discovered a prophecy which would kill Connor and unilaterally decided to save him without warning Angel or discussing his decisions with his friends; Connor was consequently taken to another dimension by Holt. An obvious difference between Harold and Wesley is that Harold had all the information while Wesley had been fed false information. There was also no fracture between Reese and his team and there was one between Wesley and the Angel’s Investigations gang. It’s not that Wesley and Harold’s stories parallel each other very closely, but their personalities and mentalities are similar. They’re both reclusive, introspective, intelligent, observational, dark types. They’re complex, but that’s not clear from the get-go.

Another major similarity is Amy Acker - literally. Root changes Harold’s life: he begins to see his creation, the Machine, differently because of her, and his personality changes too. It’s Root’s death that is his undoing. After she dies, Harold becomes much darker, as well as more impulsive, secretive, combative. Fred’s death had a similar effect on Wesley. He became violent, unhinged. But what held both of characters together was finding traces of these women in another being. The Machine took Root’s voice - and, in many ways, her personality - and Illyria looked like Fred. When Harold thought he would die, he saw the Machine as Root, and Illyria became Fred in Wesley’s last moments... They were also both willing to die for a cause they didn’t believe they could win.

Tied into the theme of redemption was the idea that people could change if given a second chance. Both teams believed people were worth saving, and redemption was synonymous with a higher calling. The characters were lost until they found each other and a shared purpose. Both series have existential themes. In seasons 4 and 5 of PoI, the characters fight a battle they have little chances of winning - they’re outnumbered and their opponents have more resources and power; but they fight anyway, because they don’t have a choice. The only choice is resistance. I think it is Harold who talks about what it means to create meaning in your own life. The characters create meaning in their lives by giving up their lives for something bigger than them. And they know that even if they win the fight, the fight isn’t over (another AI could take Samaritan’s place, and certainly would in the future). Even the numbers they save amount to very little, yet each number is important. Like Angel says, if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do. Angel is more explicitly existentialist than PoI, but PoI is existentialist as well.

Angel represents existential doubt and the quest to find the meaning of life. It represents the loneliness of existing. It depicts the characters’ encounters with the absurd and challenges them, and us, to face the absurd, to embrace it, to accept it, to transcend our fears, to find a reason to live that doesn’t depend on what happens to us. But in PoI the characters already have these answers (or have perhaps never needed them). They have already found a way to transcend their fear of death and the meaningless of it. Winning or losing, they march on without a doubt. PoI represents living with the absurd (pardon me for butchering Camus).

Furthermore, both shows are very moral. The world isn’t black and white, but, in their own way, both shows attempt to draw a line between right and wrong - if only their enemies let them. Samaritan is not necessarily evil - it also does good - and its power is given to it by its agents, who are human. Getting rid of Samaritan doesn’t solve anything, because its power resides in the humans who obey it. People are corruptible and easily manipulated, and have the potential to do evil. Just like Holland Manners tells Angel, killing the Senior Partners won’t stop evil, as Wolfram&Hart can only exist because we exist and evil lives inside us. To fight evil, the characters are forced to commit evil themselves...

Both shows also believe in free will. Even if people are evil, they must choose their own path. Samaritan and Jasmine both attempted to create world peace and were willing to kill a few people to achieve their goals; they believed it was for the greater good. They also brainwashed, deceived, and surveilled people. Connor knew the truth about Jasmine yet he believed in her cause and that the ends justify the means. Similarly, Root could’ve been an agent for the wrong AI... However, while Harold knew the perils of free will, as did Angel, they believed free will was the right option, the only option. The most precious thing we have is ourselves. We can only be ourselves if we are fully conscious, free to know ourselves, to find ourselves, to make our own choices, to create meaning in our lives. Also, we should be weary of easy fixes - they don’t exist, and two wrongs don’t make a right; doing the wrong thing for the right reason can become a slippery slope.

There are many other parallels - Lilah/Elias (both evil, yet also allies in some form), Angel and Reese’s romantic lives (Buffy=Jessica, Cordy=Carter, Nina=Iris), Root/Spike (in a way - they aren’t really moral but grow to care for the cause), Kate/Carter (kinda, down to the self-destructive end), etc.

Anyway, thanks for reading if you made it this far!

#ats #angel #wesley wyndam-pryce #poi #person of interest #harold finch #etc.

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zorilleerrant · 7 months

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Frederick the Frog: Star

Chris is trying, but the bag is so heavy, and his dad won't let up. His hands feel wet even under the wraps, and he's not sure if it's sweat or blood, but the bag swing less and less each time. He can't see anything soaking through the cloth, so it's not like they're slick enough to slip, but he feels them skidding across the bag anyway as his shots go wide.

"Go on, Frederick, reach for the stars," Chris says, trying to keep the punching bag still as the frog slams into it. He's only making one shot in three, but one shot in three is up from one shot in five, and Chris has to be more prepared than ever to keep the bag from rocking him backwards whenever Frederick lands a hit. "Keep it up, buddy, you're doing so good." He braces his legs and doesn't fall.

Chris thinks he's going to throw up, even though he skipped lunch so he wouldn't. His stomach hurts and he can't tell if it's the muscle or his insides doing it, the way he can when his arms and legs are sore. His eyes are sore, too, but he's pretty sure that's from crying. He wonders if you can throw up your stomach if it doesn't have enough food in it when it hurts this bad. He does another situp, and his dad grunts, clenching his shoes harder.

"Do it just the way Uncle Richard said," Chris tells him, even though he can't keep track of the instructions. A frog is going to need different guidelines than a human, so it stands to reason, and obviously Richard's got a lot more experience in that sort of thing than he does, but it's still weird. He's not completely sure frogs even have stomach muscles, but he's got to get his core strength from somewhere, or he wouldn't be able to punch all those guys out. Frederick struggles into a somewhat upright position, and possibly grins at him. "That's my little superstar."

Chris hates the way the costume feels, like molasses weighing him down, but he has to get used to dragging it around if he wants to actually fight, not that someone like him would probably be any good at it. He's not used to it yet, but he wasn't used to dragging his own useless carcass around until he got used to it, so he perseveres. It's better to take instruction from people who know more than you, if you want to make big differences.

"You're going to look like a rock star when I'm finished with this," Chris says, with a snort, wondering if he should invest in a little froggy sized guitar, not that Frederick's superpowerd would probably help with playing that. Or at least he's never met anyone whose superpowers make them play guitar good, only people who learned by themselves. And he's never seen a regular frog play guitar, either, which he figures probably would've shown up on the Discovery channel at some point, if it happened. Frederick keeps prodding at the material, looking curious to try it on. "Yeah? You like that, little man? I'll add some more glitter ribbons." Chris picks up his needle again, and gets to work.

Chris's dad keeps reminding him that the world has gone to filth, that he's the only one who can clean it up. That some people are just beyond redemption, some people just can't be saved, some people are just too mired in the muck to be worth it. That the more of these vermin he can put down like rabid dogs, the more peaceful the world will be. A purer, more wholesome world for his children.

"He's calling himself Snowfrog," Chris tells Richard, dubiously. It's a hell of a name, and he wouldn't have picked it, but Frederick's got to make his own choices. Richard seems to be trying not to make the same face Chris is, and it's nice he's trying to be polite to the frog, when he knows Richard didn't think it was a great idea for him to take on a sidekick in the first place. Frederick poses in his little cape and hat, ribbiting proudly. "I don't get it, either, but you know what, it's his show, so let's let him star in it."

#look i said something #my writing #fanfic #peacemaker #froggyfall #zorille's frederick the frog

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justali-anne · 1 year

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Undertale characters - Scale of GOODNESS

Scale:

Bad Boi/Gorl/Smol

Dahk Grey

Mehhhhhh

Somewhat Gud

Gud

A Good Boi/Gorl/Smol!

A Fantastic Boi/Gorl/Smol!!!

Frisk (3) - Depends on the route. This kid is capable of anything, from saving all of monsterkind to assisting with the erasure of the world!

Flowey (2) - He is a bad guy for the most part, but he has some redeemability to him.

Toriel (5/6) - She's in between these. What stops her from a higher rating is her hypocrisy and bitterness towards Asgore (which is totally justified). Otherwise, she's an overly worrying mother figure who's been through a lot of crap, and honestly just wants you to be safe (though she could improve her approach a bit).

Sans (6) - I might be a little biased here (lol), but when I look at Sans, all I get from him is silly supportive big brother vibes. He wants the best for his friends and his brother especially and he proves to be insanely loyal to them. He wants to befriend you but if you drive him to it, he will try to stop you in any way possible from destroying the world. What keeps him from being a 7 is, well, his laziness. Also his hesitation to stop you from killing everyone he cares about until you're LV 19. And his mischievous tendencies, of course. Seriously, edgy much?

Papyrus (7) - Need I say more? Okay, actually, yes I will. Papyrus is goofy, supportive, ambitious, loyal, and tries his best with everything he does, even when he's bad at it. He keeps that beautiful balance of being a mature adult while healthily embracing his inner child. He believes in you, even when you don't. He's just... He truly deserves the name he gives himself.

Undyne (5) - She attacks a human child, sure... But honestly, I think she's just trying her best. When you befriend her, she's actually a really good friend. Loyal, supportive, passionate, fun to be around... And she will immediately step in when she can to help others in need. What keeps her from being higher is... well, other than her meanness, the fact that she thought it would be best to kill a child.

Alphys (3) - Alphys is a toughie. She's not BAD, but she's not entirely good either. She's nice and very passionate once you get to know her, and her anxiety and depression makes it super hard to hate her, at least for me. Especially since she sincerely regrets everything she's done. But... experiments aside (which I don't think she would have anticipated), she still has manipulative tendencies and is a compulsive liar. She lied about Mettaton to get her job in the first place, she used Mettaton to be a part of Frisk's story, and she lied to Undyne about things like anime so Undyne would think she's cool. She can actually be pretty dangerous if she applies herself to the wrong thing. But honestly, I don't think she's entirely bad, and she has the potential to become a much better person. She's already proved this when she evacuated all the monsters in the No Mercy route. She'll get there.

Mettaton (3) - He's selfish, egotistical, a bad boss towards Burgerpants in particular, vain, dangerous, has both selfish and selfless intentions behind trying to kill you, charismatic, helpful, caring, simultaneously loves his fans and humans, and absolutely hilarious. When the time comes, he can be rather selfless, like in the Genocide route when he sacrifices himself so Alphys can save more monsters. But he's also pretty selfish, such as leaving Napstablook alone to their depression in order to achieve fame. He's a bit of a mixed bag, really.

Asgore (4) - Honestly just trying his best. He's been through a LOT of crap, okay?! From the war to losing his family and his best friend, is there any wonder why he did what he did? He felt like he had no other choice because he just wanted everyone to have hope. Give the guy a break... And a real redemption arc because we only get to see him for one or two scenes in every route. I feel like more screen time would suffice.

Okay, that's all the main characters! Now it's time to add some extra ones!

Chara (3) - Is it still controversial to discuss them?

Asriel (4) - What keeps him from being higher is his actions during his Hyperdeath high. This kid is sweet and cute, but he can be really malicious when he feels like it. I'll give him some slack, though. He's been through a lot... OF CRAP.

Napstablook (5) - If they would step up more, then I think they would be higher! They deserve a lot of love and kindness after being alone for so long!

Anyway, I'm losing my motivation for this post, so I might make a Part 2. Who knows?

#undertale #sans #papyrus #frisk #toriel #undyne #asgore #flowey #alphys #mettaton #chara #asriel #napstablook #my thoughts #my alternate canon

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maliignant · 1 year

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@nytehavyn-circle asked: ((Does your Dru have a capacity, at all, for good? Even though Spike was soulless at first, he had the capacity for doing good as was seen. So what about your Dru? Is it possible?))

THERE ARE SEVERAL FACTORS REGARDING THIS QUESTION that I feel need to be addressed before providing a full and decisive answer, for it really isn’t that simple. I’ve thought about this extensively because yes, we have seen it to be possible for a vampire to want to be better and do good and not give in to their destructive nature. However, with Drusilla, she has no moral compass in fact, part of her inner anger and turmoil resides around the fact that her innocence and anything that had once been good about her was taken. Her functioning skills are not in any way, shape or form, ‘normal’. That fact, is what pulls her mind into a darkness even she cannot escape from, her anger fuels every destructive desire she has. Spike, as bad and horrific as he was, still had tendencies to want to be good for Buffy which means, that inclination and ability had always been there. When he was with Drusilla, all of that was set aside. But we saw it even when he was first turned, how he wanted to save his mother. Or even soulless, his want to save Dawn not just for Buffy but because he genuinely grew to like her. But, that part of him is what drew him to Drusilla in the first place. With her moral compass being so out of whack, spinning like crazy, his was stable providing somewhat of a balance. But with Drusilla herself, that capability of stability no longer really exists. Even if there were hints of moments in which she might have been capable of being ‘good’, it would be just as easy for her mind to switch into a want or need to be ‘bad’. If that makes sense. @captainperoxidespike & I have spoken about this in length in fact and the overall conclusion is this: Spike was a tether to the humanity and innocence Dru lost and wanted back in some form or degree, without him, her compass is constantly spinning like it's on a giant magnetic field. But when they're together, she can always find true North. Spike is her big and brightest star and is there to lead her in the right path when needed. Without him though or in being surrounded by the wrong people (i.e. Angelus), she can easily get lost or strayed. So, to go back to your question as to whether or not there is a capacity for goodness in her, the answer is strictly dependable but more often than not, non existent. Is it possible? To an extent, yes. Is it likely? No. Her mindset simply does not have the capacity to tap into that side of her that wants to be good anymore and the anger she feels from that is what drives her entirely. Fact of the matter is, Angelus created her and made her insane for the sole purpose of taking all of that goodness from her. Everything that made her who she was, he wanted to twist it into the very ‘evil thing’ she feared of becoming. So to me, it would not make logical sense to say that she could be good or do good as it is no longer in her nature. The whole point of her existence as a vampire is the fact that she is quite literally the epitome of being a dangerous creature in every way possible with no semblance of redemption.

#nytehavyncircle #nytehavyn-circle #Mɪss Eᴅɪᴛʜ sᴘᴇᴀᴋs ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴛᴜʀɴ. (messages)#Wᴇ·ʀᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴏʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ. (musings)#I·ᴍ ɴᴀᴍɪɴɢ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀʀs. (headcanon)

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gentil-minou · 2 years

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Since we're discussing abuse and whatnot, what's your take on Chloe? Abused/Neglected or not?

Short answer: a combination of neglect and over-indulgence that would explain why Chloe behaves the way she does.

So Chloe has an interested presentation because the way her mother and father treat her contrast greatly but they do give us some insight into her upbringing.

For starters, her parents treat her both differently and together that's created a challenge for her developmentally and warped her idea of what it means to be liked.

Her mom neglected it, that is a fact. I would say her neglect is different from Adrien's. Where Gabriel neglects Adrien in that he doesn't give him the attention a child needs, Audrey does give Chloe attention but only to berate and ridicule her. It's a form of persistent emotional abuse, even caring so little to remember her own daughter's name which is really damn hurtful.

Growing up in this sort of scenario, where it seems like Chloe is always at fault and not worth her mother's time is easy to internalize, to the point where she believes it. Then her mom leaves, and I would hypothesize that Chloe's response is to feel like she was the reason her mom left. That is pretty traumatizing, and we even see her having flashbacks in the show which suggests it still affects her.

So the neglect is there, but then we have the way Andre over-indulges Chloe likely in an attempt to fill the void left by her mother. Most parents want to give their children the world, but an adult is also supposed to show healthy boundary setting and model appropriate behavior as well as setting reasonable expectations. By being overindulged, Chloe seems to have developed a somewhat greedy personality and self-centeredness, which makes sense given how she was raised. It also may have made her feel love was conditional, maybe encouraging her to act out more and throw tantrums in order to receive attention and affection. It's a cycle of reinforcement that seems to have warped Chloe's perspective. It also makes rejection much harder for her to deal with, and that is why she reacted so strongly to Ladybug in S3 and why Garbagemoth's offer of the miraculous (conditional, like what she has been used to) was so tempting.

Her having a sister also sheds some light on her interactions with Marinette. People often make the comparison between Marinette and Zoe, and I have to wonder if that might be intentional in terms of character design. See for Chloe, who wants to please her mom as much as possible, she might have looked at Zoe who at least was in NY at the same time and been jealous, wishing she were in Zoe's shoes (though I have a feeling Zoe has a different perspective of the situation, and I think her mom probably played a role in Zoe's anxieties, but I can save that for another ask).

So with the thought in mind, I can easily imagine one day Chloe going to school and seeing Mari for the first time and instantly being reminded of her sister. We don't know much about Mari, but we do know Chloe would bully her. So it's possible the reason Chloe targeted Mari specifically was because she reminded her of Zoe. It doesn't justify the reason at all, but it does provide some insight.

I know Chloe fans hate Zoe because it appears she may be denying the redemption arc, but I would argue Zoe is Chloe's guide for redemption. As seen in Queen Banana and also in Optigami, Zoe is the only member of Chloe's family to ever show her unconditional love. In addition, when Chloe threw a "tantrum" at the end of Queen Banana, Zoe didn't give in and indulge or ignore Chloe, but remained firm in her attitude and hold her ground in a way that modeled "What you did wasn't right and you need to apologize, but I still love you anyway." I would even argue Zoe might end up being a better parental figure that their parents were. I'm looking forward to seeing where they go with her character arc!

#i'm glad you asked this cause i have been thinking about my feelings on chloe a lot #she reminds me of a bully i had growing up (where i was more like sabrina than mari i think) and it made it hard for me to care for her #but this at least allowed me to see things from a different perspective so thank you!#miraculous ladybug #chloe bourgeois #ml meta #ml psychology #i have a feeling penalteam will play a role here but we will have to see how that story ends to figure out more #asked and answered #bushy overthinks things

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makeste · 3 years

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BnHA Chapter 316: We've Had One, Yes, But What About Second Explosion

Previously on BnHA: Deku was all “[powers up like whoa because it’s time to end the fight]”, and he saved Overhaul from getting not-shot, and then smashed up Nagant’s arm with the power of his new rechargeable super knees. Nagant was all “yoooo this kid is crazy strong whaaaat, it’s like he’s some kind of protagonist or something.” Deku was all “I AM A PROTAGONIST, ACTUALLY, DO YOU WANT TO JOIN FORCES AND FIGHT BAD GUYS WITH ME?” Nagant was all “ah shit why the hell no -- ” and then AFO was all “SURPRISE” and everyone was all “?!?!?!” and AFO was all “TIME TO EXPLODE NOW” and made Nagant explode because he’s an absolute fucking dick. And then Hawks showed up, because Horikoshi just wanted to stuff as many plot points as humanly possible into a single chapter I guess.

Today on BnHA: Hawks is all “good job giving motivational shounen redemption speeches Deku but I’ll take it from here” and screams very earnestly right in Nagant’s face until she finally wakes up. Nagant is all “oh hey it’s my successor, you seem surprisingly unfucked-up from your own HPSC tenure, how did you manage that?” Hawks is all “fandom is going to love hearing this one, but basically it’s because I’m very upbeat and also I had the world’s best role model Endeavor to look up to,” and I swear this man stirs the pot on purpose, but damn it I still love him so damn much. Overhaul is all “HELLO AGAIN, JUST A REMINDER THAT, THE BOSS!!” and Deku is all “MAYBE TAKE TWO SECONDS TO REFLECT ON HOW YOU TORTURED A LITTLE GIRL,” which, thank you, lol. Nagant is all “btw AFO’s hiding in a house in the woods”, and so Deku and the gang go to the house in the woods. Video recording!AFO is all “hi I’m AFO welcome to Jackass” and blows up the house. Sometimes I wonder if this manga is just a weird dream.

I am once again reading the Bean version because I think it was actually the best out of all three translations last week. and that is surprisingly including Viz’s. “faux” is not nearly as entertaining as “knockoff”, and also I have literally no idea why Caleb thought Deku was saying the Third’s lines lol

oh hey, Endeavor’s here too! not that you’d ever be able to tell from this first panel lmao

glad you received All Might’s call, mysterious unidentified glowing smudge

oh snap he says he’s weaker in the rain. is that why AFO told Nagant to attack then?? except that as we discussed the other day, I believe that AFO fully intended for Nagant to lose the fight, so him giving her info that would give her an advantage doesn’t really fit in with that. maybe he wanted Deku to be separated from Endeavor and the rest for maximum angst, though

btw Deku’s eyes are unsurprisingly back to the new normal here

alas, the angst continues. I say, pretending like I’m not totally eating it up each and every week and writing essay after essay about it lol

anyway so apparently Hawks can’t actually fly lmao. he was just yeeting himself with style

for some reason this is the funniest fucking thing I’ve ever seen omfg. wave to Hawks, kids! say “bye, Hawks!”

j/k of course Deku is catching them. -- except???

wow so he was just running on fumes there at the end. well, good to know there is actually a limit to his shenanigans, particularly regarding this new “knockoff” 100% OFA. it will definitely not alleviate any of the discourse, but it’s good for my own peace of mind because it’s solid confirmation that he still needs his pals in order to win this thing

anyway, but on to the rest of this conversation, which is basically Deku deducing what we all deduced last week -- AFO implanted some sort of trap into Nagant when he gave her Air Walk. though I’d still like to get the actual details from AFO and/or Horikoshi, because this was particularly wild even by quirk standards lol

omgggggg

she still has a face after all!! so it’s confirmed, Horikoshi has no idea what “blowing up” actually means. we might have guessed, based on what happened to Toga in the MVA arc, and also based on everything Katsuki does ever, but shhh

so now Hawks is all “NAGANT PLEASE WAKE UP, IF I SHOUT MY NAME AT YOU WILL THAT DO THE TRICK”

this is actually kind of touching though because even though we all know (or most of us acknowledge at any rate) that Hawks is a pretty caring person, it’s rare to see him actually panic over someone’s welfare like this

oh shit Horikoshi is really doubling down on it

I wonder how much Hawks knew about what really happened between Nagant and the HPSC. regardless, he probably sees her as a kindred spirit of sorts, and I’m more than happy for Deku to pass the redemption torch onto him now that he’s on the scene. like no offense Deku but they actually know each other and stuff lol

DAMMIT NAGANT CAN’T YOU SEE HOW LOUD HE IS YELLING

apparently being freed from his HPSC shackles has finally given Hawks the space to embrace his own inner shounen protagonist. is there anything more shounen than trying to motivationally scream someone awake when they’re lying in your arms inches from death?? 100% guaranteed to work

!!! IS THIS NAGANT’S POV OMG

SO SHE IS ALIVE. THANK GOD. Horikoshi doesn’t want to meet with my emotional distress lawyer today after all

love how she’s all “just gonna stir up the weekly Hawks Discourse pot here by implying that he probably committed a lot of Atrocities just like I did, so now people can get all hopped up about that, even though there’s no evidence he’s ever killed anyone aside from that one horrible ‘damned-if-you-do...’ situation with Twice.” no one asked for your provocative speculation young lady!! trust me Nagant, our rabbles don’t need the rousing lol

but nice save there with the “so how are your eyes so untainted” well you see it’s because even when he was following the HPSC’s orders he always went to great lengths never to go against his own moral compass. which just to be clear was incredibly difficult, and led to a ton of pain and suffering on his part, because the life of a spy is basically just one impossible situation after another. but in spite of that he never stopped trying to do his best to help people. I don’t really know where this tangent came from or is leading to, lol, but anyway p.s.a. I love Hawks a lot and he’s a good kid dammit

oh shit??!?

how is the League always able to swing all these fancy forest mansions. where do they find them. how many do they have

so Deku’s dropping them -- very roughly, not sure if he was reacting to finally getting AFO’s location, or if his energy really is giving out -- and now Nagant’s saying that AFO hired other villains as well. well of course he did. gotta keep chipping away at OFA’s ninth successor little by little

now Nagant is asking Hawks how he’s able to keep making “that” face. I assume she’s again talking about the fact that he somehow didn’t let the HPSC wear down his spirit

oh my god???

thanks for stuffing this chapter to the brim with good nutritional Hawks Feels, Horikoshi. what a good. he just keeps on trudging forward undeterred no matter what bullshit comes his way. what a steadfast little guy. I WILL PROTECT YOU FROM DISCOURSE MY SWEET SUNSHINE

lmaoooo

“SPOTTED THIS DUDE JUST CHILLING OUT THERE ON THE ROOF WITH NO ARMS, SEEMED PRETTY SUS” good job Endeavor

anyway so you don’t really need me to tell you that Overhaul is immediately starting in with the “BUT THE BOSS WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE ME TO THE BOSS YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD TAKE ME TO THE BOSS” stuff again. but I will go ahead and tell you anyway. so yeah. he’s doing that

OMG YOU GUYS LOOK AT DEKU’S “of all the fucking assholes to just randomly drop in on my life once again why did it have to be you” FACE THOUGH, OMG

fun fact, if you go back to chapters 124 through 160, there was an entire story arc where Overhaul imprisoned and tortured a little girl. yeah, I know!! suuuuuuuuper evil. anyways just an interesting little anecdote for you all that’s somewhat relevant to the current situation

OMG, YES. FUCK YES, DEKU

THEN WHAT ABOUT SPARING ONE FOR HER!!! YES!!! EXACTLY!!! JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, SOMEONE GETS IT

HERE’S THE PANEL OF DEKU SAYING THE EXACT SAME THING I’M SAYING LOL

(ETA: so apparently there’s some discourse about this because some people are interpreting this as Deku saying “you should apologize to Eri”, which would obviously be a terrible idea even if Overhaul actually wanted to do that, because Eri shouldn’t ever have to see him again. however I just want to point out that there is a HUGE difference between saying “it would be nice if you could direct that feeling of regret/being sorry towards Eri as well”, vs saying “you should also apologize to her.” all Deku is doing is rightfully pointing out that Overhaul has hurt way more people than just his boss, and if he really is remorseful, then he should extend those feelings of remorse to Eri and the rest as well. it’s not a directive to take any specific action, and I’m 1000% sure no one at U.A. would let Overhaul within 100 miles of Eri ever again.

tl;dr “try feeling remorse sometime” =/= “do you want me to fly you over to U.A. right now to surprise the little girl you traumatized”, lol.)

[slings an arm around Deku’s shoulders] you’re a good kid. I like you. I don’t know if I tell you that enough, but it’s true

meanwhile here is Overhaul’s “spare... a thought... for Eri...???????” face sigh

the struggle is real y’all

(ETA: and that’s... the last we ever saw of Overhaul, I guess? well all right then. I assume Deku will make good on his promise, so we know he’ll get that little bit of closure before going back to jail or whatever, and I confess I’m more than fine with leaving the rest of it open-ended, especially given his character’s history. I think this was pretty generous all things considered.)

lmao holy shit

All Might what did you do to those tiki torch guys?? did you thrash them. did you give ‘em those hands. did you deliver their own asses to them complete with a sticker reminding them Amazon Prime Day is on June 21. we missed out goddammit

so Endeavor, who wasn’t the one he was asking, is telling him that they captured (well let’s be real, Deku captured, give the credit where it’s due) Nagant and Overhaul. and so I guess they’re going to take Nagant to the ER now

fire is no one’s weakness

-- oh my GOD I scrolled down and audibly gasped

[is politely but firmly approached and asked to remove my arm from Deku’s shoulder by the physical manifestation of all this Dekuangst] “we’re sorry, he’s not allowed to have visitors right now” oh shit, my bad. [goes to stand behind a police barricade]

lmao what. did you run out of room on the previous page

what an exaggerated fade to black lmao

-- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I actually can’t see what he’s reacting to so maybe I’m just seriously jumping the gun here lol, but THE HELL WITH IT. the next panel appears to be a cut to Haibori Forest, so I’m just gonna go ahead and declare that Deku ran off on his own all wounded to go have more Dekuangst, just like I manifested. now go call Katsuki goddammit

[scrolls three more inches down] oh

yeah so like I said, Deku is walking very slowly a few feet in front of Endeavor, who’s telling him to wait up. yep. we’ve all gotta be so careful to not just jump to conclusions. I know we’re excited but still

anyway, so! welcome back to Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods (ARE YOU GUYS DATING) and Edgeshot! have fun walking into this obvious trap lol

dammit Deku why are you so determined to tempt fate

[monkey puppet meme faces]

OH MY GOD THIS IS PURE GRADE-A CHEESY COMIC BOOK VILLAIN 101 SHIT AND I’M HERE FOR IT

that’s such a weird way of clapping who claps like that

unlike certain other people who shan’t be named, AFO doesn’t feel the need to inexplicably take his shirt off when recording sinister villain monologues. I think we’re all pretty grateful for that

high fives to everyone who called it!! yep yep

anyway so this whole scene has major booby-trap vibes, which I’m enjoying immensely even though I don’t think anything is really going to come of it lol. probably just another long-winded AFO Speech. but wouldn’t it be funny if like the ceiling started lowering down to try and squish Deku afterwards lol

(ETA: well the explosion was still pretty funny too ngl.)

ffff

[“Dekuangst is the trap” intensifies]

anyway so yeah. he’s just hitting up all of his usual villain talking points. we get it, you’re so smart and you see right through the thin veneers of society and people who don’t conform are left to fend for themselves and labeled as villains and history is written by the victors, and blah blah blah dude are you just jumping randomly from one soundbyte to another lol. literally what are you talking about. what does this have to do with you blowing up Nagant

-- holy shit??

[”Dekuangst is the trap” intensifies MORE?????]

LOL WHAT

BRO. WHAT IS WITH YOU. DON’T YOU KNOW HOW TO LAY ANY OTHER KIND OF FUCKING TRAP GOOD LORD

“YOU’RE NEXT” THE CALLBACK?? THE PARALLELS?? THOUGH WHEN ALL MIGHT POINTED HE MADE IT LOOK WAY COOLER. AFO’S POINTING JUST LOOKS LIKE SMOKEY THE BEAR

HAS ANYONE CHECKED IN ON KAMUI WOODS I HEAR HE IS WEAK TO FIRE?? THE ONLY ONE WHO IS, APPARENTLY

r.i.p. to this particular forest mansion. don’t worry they have a ton of backups

remember last week when I said maybe AFO thinks explosions are gauche. well never mind. he fucking loves explosions

anyway so that’s the end of BnHA, everyone. hope you enjoyed. it was a good ride while it lasted. see you all, good luck in your travels

#bnha 316 #hawks #takami keigo #lady nagant #midoriya izuku #all for one #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #manifesting 317 opening with a slightly modified version of my previous fantasy scenario lmao #'WHADDYA MEAN THEY BLEW UP THE NERD'#that's *his* job #sorry lol I kid I kid

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haleigh-sloth · 2 years

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What did you think of the way the redemption arcs were handled in Naruto? And do you think the bnha's redemption of their villians follow a similar path to how it played out in Naruto?

Well now that my initial reaction to the story has toned down, I can look at it a bit more clearly lol

At first I really liked Naruto's and Sasuke's storyline together, AND I STILL DO--BUT, there are some things in it that fell kinda flat to me at the end. My initial reaction was just "Omg they're friends again and they love each other again I'm so happy happy endings for everyone", but now I can actually see some stuff I didn't care for.

But really quick: honestly the only redemptions from Naruto I see being somewhat replicated in BNHA are Sasuke and Obito.

I did a really long explanation here on comparing those two to Shigaraki and Kurogiri, so I'm not gonna get super into it again (it's a lot of words lol).

BUT to answer your question yes I think those two arcs are big inspirations for the way Shigaraki's and, eventually Kurogiri's, arcs will play out.

Sasuke's arc, I mean I loved it and he's my favorite from Naruto. His arc had all the drama and pain and just, his arc was the heart of the story. But his character specifically was not exactly the best handled.

Basically I think what Horikoshi is doing with Shigaraki is a way way wayyyyy more improved version of Sasuke's arc:

Goes down a dark path due to trauma and manipulation

Gets worse and worse throughout the story, as in commits more crimes/atrocities/causes more pain to others/whatever

Develops through friends they made along the way, reminding readers of their humanity

Get even WORSE closer to the end

Being shown one final attempt of love and friendship/compassion and all that and finally breaking down those walls between the two opposing characters

Redeem themselves by reconciling/uniting with the protag and helping defeat the common enemy, therefore saving the rest of the cast the readers care about

I would say that Sasuke fell short on the "developing through friends" part, as I never really got the vibe that he was super invested in the wellbeing of "Snake"---> "Eagle". Whereas with Shigaraki, it's kind of just ingrained in his character that he cares about other people but can't healthily express it due to the Traumas™️.

I ALSO think that it was kind of dumb to have Sasuke reunite with team 7, defeat Kaguya, and then still double down and want to kill Naruto of all people because he made a last minute decision to take Naruto's dream from him. But more importantly, there HAD to be an open heart-to-heart between the two of them for the ending to land. I loved the final fight between the two of them, but I think it was out of order. Like...if it had happened before the fight against Kaguya, idk.

I see what Kishimoto was trying to do though. It's basically what Horikoshi is trying to do too (just better). You have someone who is drowning in their pain and has lost the ability to even ASK for help, and then you have someone who is willing to risk it all to get through all that pain and get to the core of that person and bring them back to the surface, because they care and love and feel all those things for people they aren't obligated to care about and love. It's a pretty feel-good story. Both of them are, but I think Shigaraki is just, ten times better written than Sasuke.

Kurogiri and Obito---> I don't have much to predict except I think things will get desperate and they'll need Kurogiri's warp maybe, but because of Shigaraki's hand thing possibly decaying everything in sight they'll have to leave Monoma to erase decay and Aizawa will make another attempt to get to Kurogiri's core. Which will eventually lead to Kurogiri helping Aizawa realize that the way heroes have been handling villains for generations is not going to help anything, and some changes need to be made. And I don't know how, but I'm assuming Kurogiri is going to die in the process of helping Shigaraki and Midoriya defeat AFO, like as a final act to make sure AFO disappears for good Kurogiri sacrifices himself or something. Basically a lot like Obito I think he'll end his arc saving everyone alongside the LOV and it'll be a bittersweet good bye (also that's what I think will happen with Twice too at the end).

And then, exactly in the same way Konoha pardoned Sasuke after he saved all of them, I really do think society in BNHA will look the other way from the LOV after they save everyone. I really expect this conversation to take place again between Aizawa and the LOV at the end:

as well as this one:

Aizawa's conversation with Aoyama is too perfect to not be repeated and used with the LOV. Walking alongside people who reach out to you....come on man. That's the LOV and the UA kids.

But anyway, aside from the other things throughout the story that were clearly an inspiration for a lot of stuff in BNHA, those two characters' arcs are the endings I expect to see basically taken right out of Naruto and put into BNHA lol.

#bnha #bnha asks #anonymous #naruto #shigaraki tomura #shimura tenko #kurogiri #shirakumo oboro #obito uchiha #sasuke uchiha #boku no hero academia

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mrs-bartowski · 3 years

Text

My dudes. My guys. My pals.

I’m about 10 seconds away from going feral.

So, I’m the kind of unfortunate chump whose brain requires continuity. Meaning, when I started thirst watching Supergirl during its mid-season-2 hiatus and came across the realization that it had crossovers with all the other arrowverse shows, my brain tasked me with watching them all. I won’t put you through a recount of this arduous feat, but it does leave me with the certain advantage of having immediate and full-contextual access to any parallels between supercorp and canon CW DCEU couples.

Normally, this is a good thing, because it’s just another crumb to obsess over. But I just finished watching Legends 6x02 and...I. AM. FUMING.

I literally don’t even know where to start, but know that if you’ve made it this far you’re in for a long ride because my entire being is in Scream mode right now and I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop typing until it passes.

OKAY. So.

Meet Sara Lance (lol jk y’all thirsty gays know who she is I mean look at this flawless human)

Next, meet her ******* Ava Sharpe (who is literally the definition of white European beauty standards-based perfection because she’s a clone from the future)

And finally, meet Gary Green. He’s...well, he’s Gary.

Sara started out on Arrow and is now the captain of the Legends. Ava was the director of the Time Bureau and Gary was an agent, and now they are also members of the Legends. Sara has been there (and been the show’s effective lead) since season 1. Ava and Gary both came in at the beginning of season 3.

Gary is (as pictured) an absolute fool, but he is also kind of regarded as the one the Legends Must Protecc. The whole team is considered a family, and, while they are not necessarily labeled as best friends, Gary has been Ava’s longest and most loyal companion, and Sara has a way of adopting him because she’s the best equipped to keep him out of trouble.

So, why is all of this relevant to why I want to go feral? Because it sounds a bit familiar, yes? Member of the team that is somewhat a black sheep, doesn’t get included fully or all the time but often comes in with save-the day type shit (even though with Gary it’s more of a distraction than a save because he’s a mess of a man). Close friend to one of our two main heroes and, subsequently, that hero’s closest companion puts them at the top of their Protecc list. Has little faith in his relationships with the team so he is constantly going out of his way to help in whatever way he can to prove his usefulness. And so on and so forth.

Well, 6x01 marks exactly 3 years since Gary’s first appearance, and what did we find out in that episode? That Gary is an alien. And not just any alien - an alien who was sent (by the woman he was traded to) to get close to Sara because she has been labeled as one of the world’s most dangerous creatures. Not to mention, his species of alien feeds on humans (not him of course, he’s reformed, but nonetheless not a friendly species). And we find out all of this because he and his master abduct her.

Sara finds out in person while Ava and the rest of the Legends solve the mystery on their own. Now, I’ve drawn a lot of comparisons between Lena and Gary to make a point about the time frame and nature of their relationships, but let’s take a look at Sara, shall we? For starters, she’s been “dead” either literally or supposedly about...what, 15 times now? If you think that’s an exaggeration, here’s the link to her fan wiki which says she’s been presumed dead 10 times and actually dead 5. The sg writers tried to sell season 5 as “the fight for Lena’s soul” but Sara LITERALLY LOST HER SOUL when she got resurrected in the Lazarus pit. 90% of Sara’s character development has been based on her certainty that she is too close to death and evil and destruction (getting possessed by a demon, perhaps, had something to do with this?). She was an actual literal assassin and she has left civilization out of anger and pain to go back to that life once before.

She has always believed that she is too dangerous to have real love or relationships or friends. And now she has found and built and led this family through time and space and she’s done so with this goofball by her side that is endearingly attached to the love of her life. So, how does she react when she finds out Gary is an alien? Well, clearly, she goes down a dark path, right? She cries and screams and talks about betrayal because she’s had such a hard time with feeling like she only ever puts the people she loves in danger and now here she is finding out there’s been a human-eating alien in her family for three years that was tasked with observing her and keeping her in check because she is exactly that dangerous?

Yeah...try again. This is how Sara reacts:

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And then there's another scene that apparently no one even bothered to put on YouTube where you can see the pain in Sara's eyes when she asks him “why me?” You can see how hurt she is that after 3 years she’s just finding out that their friendships is based on lies and that she has trouble keeping her faith in it. But in both of these instances where are the ��crocodile tears?” Where are the fearful, shaky confessions from Gary about his fear of losing the only people who have ever really loved or cared about him and desperate justifications about how he just wanted to protect them and keep them in the dark so his master didn’t come after them? Where is the outrage from Sara about how everything Gary has reassured her about over the past three years when she was scared to let the damaged-soul assassin inside of her out was a lie and he doesn’t get to tell her who or what she is again? Where is the determination from Ava to make Gary pay for not only lying for three years but for ABDUCTING THE LOVE OF HER LIFE TO HAND OVER TO A FLESH-EATING ALIEN??????

Nowhere. Those things...they’re nowhere. There’s anger. There’s pain. There’s doubt and heartbreak and fury. There’s betrayal and helplessness and desperation. But there is no scene with Sara standing on a balcony and Gary looking up at her longingly because he wants to talk to her about the secret and he knows it will change everything between them. There is no scene with Sara and Ava lamenting over what this means for Gary and the team and the world because he’s no longer the person they knew. There are no romantically-scored scenes of them looking teary-eyed at the pictures they took together or reassurances that the others’ intentions are good and trustworthy now that the truth is out in the open. There is nothing to imply that the last several years of friendship are now entirely suspect (damaged, frayed, clouded, maybe, but definitely not voided) because Gary kept this secret to protect them. And Gary isn’t made to feel obscenely guilty or shameful because his intentions were good and he only did what he felt he had to. But most of all, the world doesn’t feel like it’s going to end.

And I’m not talking about we’re now scared Gary will take his master’s side or Sara will suddenly decide that she never wants an alien to fool her or hurt her again so she’s going to make sure he doesn’t have the choice. I’m just talking about the way they address each other. There are no sobbing tears or laments over the biggest mistakes of their lives - even though it’s quite possible Gary could see this as his. There are no screaming matches over betrayal and mistrust and years of doubt and confusion. There will be no episode dedicated to going back and seeing what could have happened - what kind of danger they could have avoided from the alien(s) controlling Gary - had he told them the truth sooner because that’s the only way to save him and the world. There will be no episode where he has to single-handedly save them multiple times as some example of redemption. There will be no adamant looks and declarations about how the team knows his intentions were good and they forgive him. There won’t be any of that. Because Sara is not in love with Gary. And Ava is not in love with Gary. And Gary is not in love with either Sara or Ava. They’re just close friends. Family. Loved ones who mean a lot to each other but whose betrayal and seeds of doubt don’t bring on emotions whose force and ferocity could be acceptable for finding out the apocalypse is nigh.

I have many, many more feelings about this but right now I’m going to go write things that will make me feel better and not things that make me want to gather every writer from every CW show in a line and run down the line smacking them all in the face while the Legends writers watch and cheer. But I’m fuming. THIS is what it looks like when a years-long, heavily weighted lie is revealed between close friends/family. So, in conclusion, Supercorp endgame or die.

#supercorp #supercorp endgame #cw supergirl #supergirl #the cw #the cw network #legends of tomorrow #avalance #gary green #ava sharpe #sara lance #kara danvers #lena luthor #legends of tomorrow spoilers #Youtube

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