#ashtem

[moonsau]

Not much but i got more 💪💪💪

(The last three are from discord with me and my friends)

[greyvear]

The entirety of Season 1 and the first 35 episodes of season 2 were purely leadup to the Reqiuem Project.

First of all, yes, this is how stories work. I understand that.

The thing is, I think we've all forgotten just how horrifying Red Eye was.

Let me set the scene for you:

You're...let's say thirteen watching this new show that's just come out. It's a pretty basic sports story, albeit based around some kind of fantasy top thing. But there's not too much to suggest that it's anything but the norm. Sure, there's some discussion of beys having spirits, but it's vague enough that it's probably just Valt being a kid. Maybe there's this one guy who can talk to ghosts, but it's played in a way that its very unclear if he can actually see spirits or if its just the show joshing with you.

The plot is pretty basic, with a few twists and turns in there, but by no means bad. The show goes out of its way to show you how these characters care for each other. They really are built up to feel like people, and that's what makes it so darn good. No one is static, the main character is allowed to be wrong, but there's this feeling of security and happiness to the whole show, assuring you that it's all going to end with a message of friendship.

Especially Shu and Valt's friendship. Those two would go to the ends of the earth for each other, for good or ill.

(There's one line about something being wrong with the giant guy's eyes, when menacing music plays. But it's so quick and so much other stuff is going on, that it goes over your head)

And, wow, maybe you weren't expecting Shu to lose that battle against Lui - after all you've been counting on seeing Shu and Valt battle this whole time! And when Valt loses to Lui you're really surprised, especially because there's just enough plausible deniability for you to be like: dude it's a spinning top it doesn't have emotions, don't forfeit because of it.

But there's another season coming and you're really excited to see what happens, because Valt and Shu are finally going to get that battle!

Season two starts and something is definitely different. Maybe it's the fact that you've gotten so used to a cast of characters that really like Valt - the Bey club are his best friends, Xander and his crew are really sweet, Zac was fascinated with him, and it was really only the antagonists who didn't like him - so you're not expecting BC Sol to be this antagonistic.

That's definitely it. And you're wondering about where Shu is, but he's been brought up a few times so you're sure they're just saving him for later.

The plot is still about what you would expect. Maybe a little harder to predict once Free leaves, and maybe it feels a bit more mature, but the team is going to the World Cup! Wahoo!

(There's a few more scenes about the bond between Blader and bey. Yet again, nothing definitive, nothing that can't be taken as metaphor.)

And then Wakiya bursts in.

Well this is definitely different than you've expected. this Red Eye guy is weird (maybe you suspect he's Shu. Maybe you don't.) but the Snake Pit is fundamentally a very silly arc. After all, you've got the annoying heat guy, the fortuneteller guy, the acrobat guy, and the amazing dog guy who Valt always forgets the name of. Sure, Violet eye is a bit mean, but Red Eye comes and cleans up before anything bad happens.

It's a weird arc for a pretty basic sports show to take, but ultimately really cool. You're actually excited about the "mystery" of where Shu is, and the next episode is back to your regularly scheduled antics. And you're not fundamentally worried or really expecting too much angst here. It's a kids show! And you're getting to the age where you can predict how these things go, the power of friendship will save the day.

Plus, things are looking up for our protagonists! They're doing really well in the world cup, and it's clear they'll be facing the Raging Bulls in the finals! Look, there's a funny vampire guy who is probably not a vampire because he's drinking tomato juice.

(Red Eye keeps showing up, on his tour around the world. That bit where he screams in tandem with Spryzen is weird but the show doesn't give you time to think through the implications of the Big Ben exploding before its on to the next episode.)

And, that's weird, what's Yellow Eye doing on the Bulls. But, you know what, no time to think about that because Silas won that battle and it's time to Celebrate!!! That scene where Kris eats the cake is so cute!

And then Wakiya bursts in, again.

Before you've got time to think, the music is serious again and all our favorites are in the middle of nowhere, watching Red Eye and Lui battle.

By now, you're pretty sure Red Eye is actually Shu, and you're hyped for how this goes down. It's pretty hard to say what you're predicting. You probably guess that Red Eye will lose. You're probably going to get an explanation of what's going on. Maybe, if you're really hopeful, you're betting Valt and Shu will team up to take Lui down again. Maybe, you've come up with some wild theory as to why Red Eye is even Red Eye including dragons or those metaphorical bey spirits.

And then Shu shoves Valt away.

For the first time this episode, really in the entire show, the tone armor has broken. This is not what's supposed to happen in this sports anime about brightly colored kids.

This is the first time you've really seen Valt upset. Sure he cried about Shu's hurt shoulder. Sure he was really frustrated about Wakiya taunting him and sad about Ken moving away. But he looks genuinely furious, and genuinely hopeless standing there as Shu walks away. And you're just struck by how intense this all is. This is not what you were expecting from todays episode, as you watch Valt angrily battle Lui for Shu's honor, not surprised at all by the fact he loses, even as you're in shock.

At least there's no way it can get worse.

You finally get your explanation of what's going on, though. If you take a moment to think through the implications, you realize that Theodore drugged Shu to get him to Mexico.

At least it can't get worse, you think because this episode is already really dark for the standards of this show. When Theodore tells Shu to throw away Legend Spryzen, you're probably annoyed and telling him not to do it, but ultimately think this is a weird scene to put focus on. If you know enough, you might see this as the manipulation attempt that it is, for Theodore to get Shu back under his control at his worst. But there's no way that's intended to be the implication to this scene, right? This is a kids show!

And then Shu's in that tube and you realize everything is going sharply downhill. Because I don't need to tell you how genuinely horrifying the entire Requiem Project is to watch. But right now you're sitting there, watching a human get thrown around onscreen for the first time in this show's history, and the music is all intense, and Shu is wielding an axe?

And then Spryzen shows up.

Maybe you're still holding onto some hope that this is all metaphor. Maybe you're thinking that this is a trick of the experiment or Ashtem. Most likely, you're listening to Shu and Spryzen scream and you're realizing something:

That guy who could see spirits? He could actually see spirits. The vampire really was a vampire. And all that stuff about bey spirits and partners and bonds? All of that was to be taken literally.

Oh crap, you realize, Shu just got possessed.

From then on, you realize things have changed. That this show you've been watching thinking: "wow this is fun but not really full of stakes" has stakes.

It's darker now, and plays with dramatic irony a lot.

Because you know what's wrong with Shu, as you watch Valt go through his ten minutes depression arc and the whole team deal with Free coming back. You know why Spryzen showed up at Kurt's battleground, you know what was about to happen to Kurt if Cuza didn't interfere. You know what the real purpose of the International Blader's Cup is, you know who Theodore is.

And all throughout it, you're screaming at Valt to realize that his friend is in trouble. But there's no real release of the tension, no one but you and Shu know what's really going on until Spryzen snaps at Theodore.

And then, finally, Shu is free. You're relieved as the characters finally talk about what's going on, you're happy for them and all of it.

And then another season is coming.

Well, you think, at least this one won't be so dark.

tldr: Beyblade uses tone armor to the best of its ability to make the Red Eye arc hit you like a truck

[nanaztherealest]

Why Theodore Glass (Ashtem) should be publicly executed

Legal crimes:

(?) • Kidnapping ; imprisonment (up to 7 years)

• Unethical human experimentation ; Death penalty or life imprisonment

• Child negligence ; Imprisonment between 6 months and 2 years

• Running and illegal underground business ; fines, cease and desist orders, and even potential jail time for severe or repeated offenses

• Child labour ; fines and imprisonment

• Child exploitation ; felony

Moral crimes:

• Manipulation

• Possession

• idk but I think he'd be the type to throw trash onto the ground when there's a trash can right there

Sentence: 8 years imprisonment, death penalty, 2 fines, felony, misdemeanor.

(I WILL update this if I find any more)

[ilovefreedelahoya]

i dont think anyone actually seriously ships these two

I just “do” cuz it’s hilarious

[zennx-23]

Beyblade Burst OC - Scarlet Eye

Name: Scarlet Eye

Age: 12-13

Pronouns: She/Her

Occupation: Blader

Beyblade: Hell Hydrax

Type: Balance 

Special Move(s): Hex Drive, Hell’s Gate

Gen: Burst

Bio: Love turning into hate, this young hellion yearns to destroy all bladers in her path, aiming to challenge and destroy the Legends of Beyblade, setting her sights on one Legend in particular, The Crimson Flame: Shu Kurenai. She will stop at nothing to become the strongest and most powerful blader in the world, with Hell Hydrax by her side, the two are a deadly combination of fear and despair, tearing their opponents up with no remorse. Victims who were unfortunate enough to be in her way have recounted how she would sing a song before they met their demise by her hands, being met with a horrific sight before everything faded into black, getting completely wiped out. Upon appearances, she is very reminiscent of Red Eye. Perhaps a fan? A fanatic of the ole blader trying to recreate the old glory days of the past? What could this all possibly mean? And why does she look so familiar?

Song(s) Associated with the character (to get a sense of themes and vibes and foreshadowing):

Danzai no Solitude(Solitude of Conviction) by BUD VIRGIN LOGIC

×旋律-Schlehit Melodie- by BUD VIRGIN LOGIC

[tribius-art]

stuff that I made for *something* else and that I can show only like this atm

[evelynendar]

Oh yeah I gave him a bey :3 her name is Ancitif or sumn idr but she’s like a spider demon thing with threads n shit I’ll draw her at some point

Here’s Diddy

Ahem

Theodore/Alexander/Ashtem

Masterpost

[mach-speed-spin]

Beyblade’s manipulative villains

A lot of Beyblade seasons will have 2 main villains, with one being the strong blader and the other pulling the strings. We get this with Balkov-Tala, Doji-Ryuga, Ashtem-Shu, and several more. But each one of these villains operates differently from the others, and the specific methods they use vary

Starting with Boris Balkov. He appears in both season 1 and G-Revolution. In the first season, he runs the Balkov Abbey, an orphanage that’s really a cover for training child soldiers. Other than Kai, pretty much everyone in that abbey was an orphan, and Boris chose his elite team purely on merit. Once you’re in the abbey, he cares about nothing except your ability as a blader, but the only way you’ll end up in the abbey is if you won’t have anyone looking for you. It’s an orphanage after all. If you had a family looking after you, you wouldn’t be there. Kai is the only exception, and that’s because Boris was financed by Kai’s grandfather, meaning that Kai not only didn’t have anyone looking after him, but had family actively keeping him with Boris

In G-Revolution, Boris’s methods are different. At least 2 members of the Justice 5 have known families, and BEGA kickstarted one of its member’s idol career. Rather than going after bladers who had nothing, he went after bladers who had a tangible goal he could help fulfill. You want money to pay for your sister’s healthcare? Boris can do that for you. Want to become a world-renowned athlete? He specializes in that. Want to become an idol? He’ll handle the marketing and give you venues. The abbey, as scary as the Demolition Boys were, was extremely inefficient. Boris had to find orphans and try to mold them into soldiers, hoping they’d be able to withstand the process. BEGA is much better. You find strong bladers, and promise you’ll help them fulfill their goals. And since pretty much everyone has some goal that can be achieved with the power of money and/or status, Boris can just hire whoever he wants

Gideon is the supervisor of Team Psykick. Outside of the cyber bit-beast users, we don’t know much about the bladers working under him. The 2 agents lack any clear goals, so it’s unclear why they work for Gideon, but it’s likely because he pays them well. Doctor B is a unique character. He’s not in it for any tangible goal, but rather because he wants to push the limits of human technology. He creates the cyber bit-beasts simply because it’s never been done before, and Gideon simply gives him the means to do it. Doctor B has no sense of loyalty or morality, which makes him extremely easy to get on your side (he won’t hesitate if you offer him the resources to do what he wants), but also extremely hard to keep on your side (all he needs to turn on you is a good counteroffer)

As for Wyatt, he wanted to become stronger so Kai would pay attention to him. And making Wyatt a stronger blader is exactly what Gideon wanted. It was a win-win situation (except for the part where Wyatt couldn’t handle his bey)

The rest of the cyber bit-beast users were mind-controlled by their beys. They were baited in with “hey you’re strong bladers and I want you to test out.” Gideon just picks out a blader he wants and goes “here try this” before letting the cyber bit-beasts do the heavy lifting

Doctor K starts off working for Zagart, but later goes rogue and leads the Parts Hunters. When she gets Alan to steal the rock for her, she gives him Impulse in return, but doesn’t give it a bit-beast. Unlike Balkov, she doesn’t keep her promises. When Balkov says “work for me and I’ll give you X,” he means it. Because Doctor K scams Alan, it’s unlikely he’d ever do another job for her. Doctor K destroys any chances of someone working for her twice

With the Parts Hunters, she’s only there to stick it to Zagart. She offers the Parts Hunters resources (upgrading their beys) so they could do the job for her. Unfortunately, Doctor K sucks at her job. The new attack ring she gave Queen? It fucking exploded. Then Doctor K interfered in King’s battle against Tyson without telling King she’d do that beforehand. Nobody would ever work for her twice, so she has to keep finding new bladers all the time

Dr. Zagart doesn’t exactly look for bladers and manipulate them to get them on his side. Most of his bladers we know nothing about (like Foxy and Gordo), except Zeo. Zagart doesn’t manipulate Zeo like Balkov did to everyone. Zagart and Zeo share a mutual goal and they collaborate because achieving said goal is what really matters. Zagart is still a terrible father (and even worse in the manga), but he doesn’t manipulate anyone like Balkov does. If anything, he’s very straightforward and honest with Zeo (in the anime. Manga Zagart is a whole other character)

Jean-Paul Barthez is the coach of the Barthez Battalion. He gets his bladers to do what he wants by physically punishing them is they disobey. He keeps this a secret however, and to everyone else, Barthez is a kindhearted, benevolent coach. We don’t see how Barthez met his bladers, we just know how he keeps them in line. Much like real life abusive authority figures, Barthez didn’t handpick who he would have authority over (while Balkov had the luxury of only selecting the best), and he’s more focused on keeping them in line because they’re all he has

I’ve talked about Doji’s methods before. Basically, Doji will take anyone that comes his way if they can help him further his goals, but if that person has a support network, then he’ll only use them in the short-term (like Kyoya). The ones he keeps around for long either are vital for his plans (Ryuga), or have no one else for them (Yu, Tetsuya). Doji also has different relationships with everyone. He may act like a father figure, servant, employer, or whatever makes bladers more useful to him

In Shogun Steel, he operates from the shadows, and lets the Garcias do most of the work. He first reveals himself when Kira wants to go against the Garcias’ orders, and gives Kira what he wants. Like in Fusion, Doji’s relationship with Kira is built purely on what would make Kira the most useful to him (in this specific case, helping Kira rebel against the Garcias)

Dr. Ziggurat has a very specific criteria for who he keeps around. Namely, they must be compatible with the arrangement system. Unlike Doji, who will make anyone he can be useful, Ziggurat ditches those that aren’t compatible. Ziggurat is also much more upfront. He won’t pretend to care for you. He keeps his distance and it’s very “do what I say and you’ll be rewarded.” He primarily uses blackmail (as seen with Zeo), while Doji only ever used blackmail on Tobio and Ryutaro. Ziggurat will also lie about helping you, like when he put Toby through the arrangement system

The way he speaks to Jack also implies that he has a personalized approach to each blader. He strokes Jack’s ego as an artist, praises Damian as the chosen one (even though he was actually after Toby), and uses Toby as leverage against Zeo. With the Garcias, it’s purely about money, but the Garcias were never important to him, but rather were only hired to prevent anyone from interfering with his plans (akin to private security)

Pluto lets Johannes do most of the work, so I’ll be covering both of them together (but Pluto is the mastermind). Pluto only ever got 3 legendary bladers on his side (not counting Rago). Dynamis was straight-up mind control/ possession, but shows that Pluto will use supernatural methods to get his way (kinda obvious when you consider what the entire plot of Metal Fury is)

With Chris, he was offered money. Nit because Pluto defaults to paying people, but because money was the only thing Chris was after. With Aguma, the promise wasn’t money, but that the Beylin Fist would prosper, because that is what Aguma was after. Like BEGA, Pluto will promise bladers whatever they are after specifically, and won’t resort to threats (probably because legendary bladers are strong enough that he doesn’t have much power over them)

Theodore Glass, aka Ashtem, is the head of the Snake Pit. Notably, he, as Theodore Glass, lured Shu into the Snake Pit where he became Red Eye. Now, there’s two reasons he went after Shu superficially. The first is that Shu was really powerful (one of the top 4 in Japan), while also being in a bad state mentally. While characters like Joshua, Free, and Lui were stronger than Shu (at least before he became Red Eye), their mental/ emotional states were not bad enough for Ashtem to take advantage of

With most of the Snake Pit bladers (like Boa), Ashtem promises power. “Do as I say and you’ll become strong.” His training methods are similar to the Balkov Abbey, but unlike the abbey, everyone chose to be there (already filtering out those that aren’t interested). If the way Shu became Red Eye is any indication of how the rest of the masked bladers got their rank, then Ashtem is lying (Shu didn’t have to train to become Red Eye. He was handed the mask as soon as he showed up). Ashtem also doesn’t seem to care about anyone other than Shu (Gold Eye and Boa were planted in the tournament to test Shu’s power)

In Shu’s case specifically, he wanted to become stronger. Lui fucked him up (twice) before Ashtem recruited Shu, and then fucked him up again before Shu underwent the Requiem Project. Shu already showed a disregard for his own health if it meant becoming stronger (and beating Lui), so he was perfect for Ashtem, who pushed that already existing character flaw to the extreme