'Hikaru' describes his feelings towards Yoshiki as "love". However, it's important to note that he also says that it's not platonic or romantic, but something else entirely. I interpreted this a an inhuman version of love, something we can only describe and mindless devotion and even obsession. To 'Hikaru', love means that he wants to be one with Yoshiki. Call it morbid, but I find it beautiful in a way. The writing of tshd is so impactful, and the way 'Hikaru' and Yoshiki are written is insanely good.
So I've been reading jaybins time in detective comics, and OH MY GOSH HE IS ADORABLE!!!! like, he's all smiles and cape!!!! Also, batman definitely has piqued my interest, so Im probably gonna read past jaybins time.
Pictures + observations v
Look at him!!! All cape and smiles!!!
These two pages are so fundamental to Jason as a character because these are his expectations for Bruce: his greatest fear and what he is willing to do, which is shown in Batman: Under the Hood. In the first page, even though Batman doesn't tell him that his greatest fear is losing Jason, he still sees that Batman will fight through everything to save him. In the second page, Jason stops Batman from killing the joker because he is overtaken with rage. This sets up his expectations that Batman is willing to cross the line for those he loves. This sets up the moment on Under the Hood, where Jason is mad at Batman for not avenging his death because of what he saw Batman do during his time as Robin. However, deep down, I think Jason knows of his and others impact on Batman as Robin, that he changed Batman for the better and that because of them, Batman definitely won't cross the line.
Holy shit I just wrote an analysis (not a very good one tho lol >u< )
Anyways, this is all based on observation as a new fan. I have not read much batman comics (Im working on it), so this view will probably change. I have read almost all Jason todd comics, and I will be tackling Tim comics next.
Lmk if you have anything to say, I'd love to learn more.
Usual disclaimer to say that these are just my thoughts and you don’t have to feel pressured to agree. This was my thought process as I played through the parts of Chapter 7 Parts 212-226, featuring Leona’s dream triggered by Malleus’s magic.
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I wanna start off by saying that I believe all the dreams are a mixture of Malleus’s magic and the dreamers themselves.
Idia theorized that Malleus is sort of “setting up the parameters” in a way, then each of the dreamers' personalities and imaginations affect the dream in different ways. The emphasis of this has been brought by Idia several times that it’s the strength of imagination that determines how complex dreams are. Which is maybe why in the first years dreams seem so basic? They’re young, their magical abilities are still new, and their magic is no match for Malleus’s magic. That and, to be fair, most of the first years don’t have the same amount of angst and turmoil as some of the other second years and third years have.
With that being said, I believe that because of his high intelligence, magical prowess, and his hyper-vigilance, that is the main reason Leona’s dream was so…different than the others.
But let's get into it!
There are a lot of Lion King references in this dream, and it’s very clear the writers wanted to play around and show this off. I feel like they did a good job of integrating the themes of the movie into Leona's dream. It does give me a little validation as I feel Leona’s struggles and personality are closely linked to his great Seven Counterpart, Scar. More so than any of the other overblotters. When I analyze Leona I sometimes I do use Scar as a starting point to understand his intentions.
This is how I came to the conclusion long ago that being king would never make Leona happy because it's not what he truly wants.
We start with the dream back in the Sunset Savanna. It’s VERY interesting to see that there is hyena prejudice right off the bat as a woman flees from Ruggie while he attempts to buy food.
Right off, everyone can tell something is…off about the city. Especially coming fresh from Ruggie’s dream where everything was idyllic and happy for hyenas BECAUSE of Leona.
Grim hits us with the: “I laugh in the face of danger!” line. We even get the three hyenas referenced and the “love for you to stick around for dinner” line. The once proud lioness-dominated palace guard has been taken over by hyena “ruffians” (interesting choice to portray a disenfranchised group being given jobs as the new guard as a negative thing, but moving on.)
The first interesting thing we get is that the palace is somewhat rundown and empty? The group makes comments of how dark and dreary it is, and how few people are around. Is there an implication that the servants fled at some point after Leona became King or did he replace them? This further shows me that Leona for whatever reason has chosen to isolate himself. To me, it's most likely that he already feels isolated by his country and those in the palace.
From the looks of it “Malleus’s magic” has given Leona the one thing he has always wanted, but has he? Leona seems less than thrilled and genuinely upset by the fact his whole family is...gone. As I mentioned in my Leona relationships post, I think that he holds a complex relationship with his family, and while he resents them, in no way can I see him wanting them to be dead.
It’s now I started to think that Leona’s magic was overriding the simple “let them eat cake” logic of all of the happier dreams. This dream feels TOO real, dark, dreary, and…sad. Could it be Leona’s intelligence or cynicism, ruining what’s supposed to be an idyllic scenario?
Why is even in his WILDEST dreams Leona is still miserable?
Hmm.
A lot of people have talked about Kifaji and their thoughts on his presence. It’s strange to see people praise him as “a loving parental figure” as if he’s really there trying to help Leona. But, Kifaji is not there. This Kifaji is a manifestation of Leona’s mind and I’ll get to why that’s interesting and what I think he represents. Remember, that often in other dreams we’ve seen of loved ones or rivals and they can act normal, out of character, or even cruel. Vil and Neigie come to mind and Neige turned out to be the blot keeping Vil asleep.
Kifaji is a bit different. He actively tries to help the group wake Leona as opposed to encouraging the twisted dream logic. For this reason, to me, Kifaji represents Leona’s conscious and the Dream!Leona we see represents his shadow self, like the dark side of the moon. AKA, the Leona we meet in Chapter 2. In fact, this whole dream feels like a rehash of Chapter 2.
We get the outdated Leona that dumbs himself down and settles for less, cloaking himself in his pride and believing that everyone is below him. An idle king while he lets others do his dirty work. (Scar basically.)
Leona asks Kifaji to sing (another Lion King reference) and it plays out how you would think. Leona tells Kifaji that he is the only competent person in the kingdom. And he argues that the kingdom is in shambles, not because of his choices as King, but because everyone else sucks basically.
Hmm.
Kifaji reminds Leona that while he is clever and his plans are grand, that he can not treat people like human chess pieces. (Can I just say I love when chess is brought up to us because I find that when people analyze Leona or his thoughts they often forget how much he uses chess to process his thoughts. We saw that plenty in the Tamashina Mina event!) I think it helps him sort his thoughts and emotions which he can have a hard time doing.
I think Kifaji represents Leona’s mindset post Chapter 2 and because Kifaji in his real life is one of the only people who probably stands up to Leona, he has placed him in this antagonist role in his mind. (but not really) Plus, it’s not far off from Kifaji’s actual treatment of Leona in the Tamashina Mina event.
So yeah, Leona acts more like he does in Chapter 2—he's the player or the king even and everyone else around is just lowly pieces.
Just like the scene from The Lion King, Scar and Leona are not happy. Even though they are supposedly getting their deepest desire, they remain bitter and…alone.
When I first began to read into Leona it was quite obvious to me that the whole “I’ll never be king" thing was just a front for something else. What I think Leona truly craves is approval and acceptance.
Being king, especially of a broken kingdom that despises him, will never make him happy. But, why do the people not love him? This is supposed to be a fantasy right?
There is this interesting layer of how he became king too. Instead of Cheka or Falena simply not existing, like I thought it might be, they are dead. That is…so much more tragic than it needed to be. As if deep down Leona believes the only way he can become king (his dreams to come true) is if tragedy happens. This reminds me of his bitter view/the symbolism of his unique magic. That he can only bring misery wherever he goes—everything he touches turns to sand.
I also think that Leona is afraid of failing and much of this dream is his anxieties and insecurities that linger from all his past failures.
Though interestingly enough, I sense that in the dream, as implied later by Idia, Leona has implemented an “over-exaggeration” of his policies and plans for the kingdom. It was almost like he purposely ran his resources dry and gave up trying to compromise with anyone for the sake of “progress.”
Why, though?
It’s very masochistic in a way. It’s almost like he wanted to prove himself right. Everything he touches will turn to sand eventually and his grand plans will fail even if he claims they are “perfect.”
That’s why this dream is probably the most masochistic and self-deprecating we have seen. I think what initially began to draw me to Leona’s character is because of the hidden pain he holds. He is by far one of the most easygoing, and lackadaisical acting of the cast, but…he cares, he cares so, so much about how he is perceived and his haunted by his hopelessness about his future and the failures of his past.
I think the pain of never feeling good enough, causes his mind to be unable to “play nice” with Malleus’s dream magic to even manifest any sort of positive future. One where he holds a position he wants AND is loved and respected. it’s just impossible that he could ever have that, even in his wildest dreams.
He’s too much of a “realist.”
Side tangent, but a frustrating take is to see was the: “Oh yeah, see? He would have sucked as king.” tinged comments after this came out.
I think it’s more complicated than that.
This isn’t me trying to defend him necessarily, but to be fair, all dreams tend to be over exaggerations by the dreamer. Plus, I think the fact that Ruggie HATES Leona in this dream and is suddenly in favor of Falena, is a sign right there we can not trust Leona’s interpretation of the people he knows in his dream. He is sort of an unreliable narrator that way.
Besides, like in The Lion King, why would all the water dry up, just because the hyenas over-hunted?
A big theme in Lion King and even The Lion Guard TV show is "the balance of nature." The blight upon the Pridelands when Scar takes over feels more like symbolism of the “unbalance of nature” caused by the tragedy of Mufasa’s death. Which makes me again, connect that Leona feels the only way he can succeed is by inflicting misery on others. Like his magic, perhaps a part of him believes he is a curse.
I theorized in my Tamashina Mina review, that maybe Leona feels like an outcast himself, and the separation he feels from his country is showcased in how he blames the citizens for the decline of the kingdom, rather than his plans. He feels isolated from them.
By this point, I was having flashbacks to Chapter 2, where he got a whiff of his plan failing and he still pushed through even though he knew it would fail. At first, he may have started doing okay as king, but maybe when he came upon too many obstacles or pushback, He just gave up. Because he was not instantly loved by the people, who probably already feared him, he’d rather not even try. Suddenly, they are “not worth his time”, and he can’t help them because they suck.
Leona’s problem has always been his pride. I think he has to put it aside to genuinely help people reach their potential and learn to collaborate with others more. Part of how this dream plays out, is him realizing that maybe some criticisms Kifaji had about his pride all along may be true. Leona refuses to play nice with others.
That’s why I think Kifaji represents a more sensible and lucid Leona. He is in a sense, talking to his past self, and trying to shake himself from the dream and his outdated ideals.
Ortho even points out that Ruggie is not really the Ruggie we know but rather a part of Leona’s imagination. Again, which puts emphasis on how the characters in his dream are more indicative of his mindset as opposed to being “in character”. Maybe Ruggie hating him in his dream is his inner anxieties about him and Ruggie post Chapter 2 fallout. He feels like Ruggie could never forgive him for what he did. He let him down. And Leona being bad with people and feelings, doesn’t know the proper way to apologize.
Kifaji (woke Leona) says that the state of the kingdom is a result of him “pursuing efficiency over all things and disregarding other people's feelings.” It really feels like he is calling himself out here. Does he REALLY wanna help people? Or is it just Leona’s selfish pride who wants attention for just being smart?
Dream!Leona complains about the protesters interrupting his nap which is another sign for me of the exaggeration of the scenario of Leona being the king. Like...did he not criticize Falena for having the same carefree and laid-back attitude? And yet here he is...complacent in the same behavior he once criticized Falena of.
Interesting.
Ortho mentions that Leona’s dream is clearly a more complex situation than the other dreams.
I think there is a key implication we are missing here too, that I haven’t seen many mention. There is a throwaway line that Jack mentions that Leona has not attended school and is king instead. And he doesn't seem to know Dream!Ruggie either. Nor Ruggie him.
There is no doubt his time at NRC has shaped him to be the Leona we know now. Someone who has at least somewhat benefited with the connections he made at school. It does seem like this Dream!Leona is regressed. And because he never attended school, he is a much colder person who has no regard for others' feelings at all. He is even more socially inept.
I feel like this is a common theme to show us that despite the independent nature of most of the students at NRC, that it can still be “the friends we made along the way.” trope. These connections do matter and especially to Leona. He mentions this in his post-overblot monologue in the light novel. He found his pack at NRC. This time with his dorm members affected his personality for the better. It's kinda sweet when you think about it!
Ortho mentions Dream!Leona appears DEEPLY absorbed in the delusions of his dream. This means that even though he has the lucid failsafe of Kifaji, Leona’s self-deprecation, despair, and pain are still overtaking his logic. That's what's crafted this nightmare. (And he later references it as such.)
Everyone acknowledges that he can’t possibly be happy and looks EVEN MORE miserable than at school. It can't be a silly happy fantasy, but a grim dark reality of what he thinks of himself.
That's why he gave himself the bad ending.
I love the double entendre of Idia saying Leona is building his dream like a “sandbox” game. Lots of Minecraft references. (Leona Minecrafter confirmed? Or hear me out…Leona playing King Crusaders or Civilization V FGHJ)
Anyways, Idia or Ortho, (I forget) suggests that perhaps he has run out of ”simulations” for his dream playthrough. And being an intelligent person his mind tends to overthink naturally and this caused his dream to have a more realistic tone. Plus, I theorize that because Leona is powerful and his intelligent, his magic and imagination was almost able to overwrite Malleus's, a standard happy dream formula.
Ortho suggests Leona chose a more “realistic mode “on purpose.” Perhaps like I theorized earlier, it is almost a masochistic test to see if he could have everything he wanted? Leona is a very analytical person who enjoys games. It makes sense, the way he often plays chess alone to practice “strategies.” But as I mentioned before, I think he just genuinely believes it's not possible. Ortho mentions he thinks Leona’s the type to understand that an “aggressive urban development” would come with risks.
Jack asks “If Leona knew this was a bad plan then why would he make the citizens suffer and be hated?” (Sheesh, now we know Leona really is the type to play pretend and get a lil too real with it.)
Ruggie adds that Leona may be “doing something he knows he shouldn't be on purpose.” Like maybe he did it to be dastardly and maybe he just wanted to “feel the rush” of being a ruthless and hated king.
When Azul asks Ruggie if he thinks Leona takes pleasure in immoral things he says that he can't say for sure, only that he is a prince that no doubt can take pleasure in “bad things”.
To me, however, it feels like a masochistic move to prove to himself his happiness is unattainable.
Then Sebek chimes in: “How could he go so far to kill his family only to abandon his responsibilities as a king and become a horrible one?"
No one seems to know for sure. Everyone in the group has their theories but the consensus in the group is that - nobody fuckin’ knows why this guy intricately carved himself such a miserable fantasy for himself. Very masochistic for a guy who appears to be so proud huh?
Idia continues to mention that Leona’s imagination is so vast compared to everyone else's. It fills out a whole “world” completely and the mechanics of this world must make sense. He's playing on hard mode. In Leona’s brain this seemed to manifest as if he is to “get what he wants” it can't be serendipitous or through triumph, IT MUST be through tragedy.
Can we lighten up a little?
Again, he may have started to do “good work” but quickly realized that keeping up with all to create a perfect kingdom was waaaay over his head. Maybe he was afraid to give it his all, because he knew everyone would still hate him anyway.
Another reason I think Leona thrives better as a “big fish in a small pond” so to speak. Like his dorm leader role where he can interact directly with his cute (this man used this word a lot for some reason) froshes, make tangible make things better for a small group or community.
But as we saw, even with his dorm Leona began to feel overwhelmed with the pretty promises he made to his underclassmen in Chapter 2 about the Spelldrive tournament. He like…wants to be wanted but he’s terrified of people actually relying on him, because trying your best and then failing anyways is the most painful thing to him. His instinct when he gets too frustrated with something is to act like he never cared about it in the first place or anyone. AKA “I did everything right and it's THE REST OF YOU who are incompetent.”
That’s why I personally think that in the future Leona working within a small community might be a better fit for him, using his skills to see potential in others as a way to connect with them and teach them how to thrive.
So yeah, needless to say the group is stumped on analyzing Leona’s intentions and Azul hilariously notes that Leona is just…a complicated person.
What an understatement.
The group hatches a silly plan to have Ruggie puppet a Cheka hologram and yeah obviously it didn’t work.
This is where it started to get interesting again.
Dream!Kifaji said he’s been “waiting for the day Leona would wake up from his bad dream” and joins the fight against him to wake him. It’s like Leona telling himself that it's time to let his original dream go.
Ortho is surprised Kifaji is on their side, that he should be the darkness pulling Leona back in, but like I mentioned I think Kifaji is actually a “fail safe” Leona created to stay lucid or...maybe the little bit of hope he has fostered now that he has grown from Chapters 2’s events.
Since Kifaji is the one to normally call him out, maybe he's Leona’s way of processing his relationship with him. And that maybe…sometimes as annoying as Kifaji is, he has a point. Kifaji is the one who is implied to have raised him after all, so it's no surprise Leona sees him in a father-like role more than his own father.
“No one understands me, it's not my fault.” Leona laments running away, running away from himself.
Reminds me a lot of Chapter 2 Leona where he began to feel sorry for himself instead of actually trying to fix things. It's clear that no matter how smart and mature Leona is…is that he still has a lot of growing to do. And that his relationship with his family and country are complex. There is not a black and white or good and bad with this situation and I feel like this is important when talking about him and his relationships with his family.
He was very much ostracized and probably neglected to some extent by his real parents but at a certain point, Leona decided to give up on improving himself just because he didn't achieve the results he wanted to. It's one of his biggest flaw.
His complacency is what drags him further into the darkness. Not Kifaji.
Sitting and stewing in his despair and how unfair his life has been instead of reaching out. Rehashing all thise chess strategies alone on his chess board until his brain hurts. Making grandiose plans instead of actually working hard toward a realistic goal.
The idle king. A king with naught. (Nothing.)
I am now realizing that in a way (because Ruggie and Leona are so similar) Jack is Leona’s foil; he is the determined and earnest one who admires Leona at his best. He still holds the innocence and the idealism of working hard.
The group jumped through the darkness with Leona and we are replaying the events of Chapter 2 once again.
Ruggie and Jack watch it go down in dismay. Ruggie addresses that he once did think Leona’s way of thinking/plan was good and it’s cool to see he clearly regrets it now too.
They watch the drama play out as if Leona’s plan in Chapter 2 actually succeeded and see that he craves more. More ways for Savanaclaw to get ahead by unsavory means.
Jack says even if Leona becomes king there will be no end to his dissatisfaction. BOOM, there it is.
That is why Chapter 2 is so mind boggling. Leona’s whole speech was about being king and second. But it’s clear now, it's not what he truly wants. I think Leona is afraid to admit what he really wants. Because that takes vulnerability and then comes the possibility of being rejected.
Jack also notes that, despite Leona getting “everything he wanted” he seems more grumpier and dissatisfied than usual.
“Leona is not your King, hes’ our Dorm Leader,” Jack growls. They fight and we get a nice callback to Lion King here. “Remember who you are.”
As Leona wakes up from his dreams he straight up says, yeah the scheme from Chapter 2 was…stupid. (Nice.)
Oh and we finally get some acknowledgement that Ruggie feels like Leona abandoned him in Chapter 2 which SHEEEEEEEESH. This is a deep cut for me, considering Ruggie’s real dad abandoned him. And it really confirms the fact he sees Leona as a father/big brother figure.
But, Leona doesn't, he sacrifices himself for Ruggie as the whole group tries to escape the crumbling dream. And while Ruggie cries out for Leona, Leona goes down smirking not knowing what will happen to him.
It’s time for him to face himself, his blot monster.
Blot!Leona wants them dead, all of them. Cheka, Falena, everyone. The real Leona finds it kind of pathetic. Because, in reality, I don't think Leona hates Cheka or Falena and he doesn't want to be alone anymore.
Leona admits to his blot that yeah, no he can’t do the job. He can’t be king. And instead of it being a negative it’s more a relief? Maybe he is incompetent too. He is addressing himself and his previous grandiose illusions. He hasn’t done anything worthy of being king.
However, he will not give up. He’s finally living up to Savanaclaw’s motto of perseverance (which he sorta laughed off in Chapter 2?)
This next part is what struck me the most because. He just lays it out so simply, finally saying it out loud.
Self awareness!! Like he finally said it!! (And I felt very vindicated in this moment, NGL)
What he desires most is the approval of others.
Ah, and Blot!Leona responds with the fact he can't earnestly try, it's too painful to think of failing.
Props for Leona acknowledging his flaws! Just like with the other overblotters. But I'm especially floored here because of how PRIDEFUL he is all the time.
In order to have better relationships with people, he has to leave that whole “they all hated me” shit behind. Because in reality, there are people who care for him despite his flaws. There are those who look up to him and admire him, for him.
But, the idea of that I think is so…crazy to him that he tends to deny its very existence. Then when he is genuinely complimented on his leadership or whatever skills he brushes it off.
He calls himself disgusting which feels kinda sad but it’s proof he has moved on from his previous way of things. What did I say earlier? Leona is afraid of failure.
Giving being a king a earnest optimistic go is too painful for him because ultimately he is afraid of failing. Like he was happier to play the role of tyrannical king than to bother to build relations with the citizens of his kingdom.
As his blot self withers away it’s almost…sad compared to the previous blot monster showdowns we’ve seen. It mentions something about “his friends” (A reference to Scar’s final words.) like he’s reaching out for Leona so it's not alone anymore. And Leona almost embraces his monster? It’s clear he feels pity for this thing…him. His pain, his depression, his loneliness. Maybe a step in the way of self-love? He acknowledges (almost as to soothe it) that it will always be with him, clawing from inside. Except now, he won’t give up.
He vows that he will get what he wants one day, for both of them. He’ll have his “own throne and pride” instead of wanting for someone else’s. He’ll find his place to belong through his own merit.
It reminds me of that expression “find your own tribe” which is an expression that those who are not close to heirt families understand all too well. He wants to find satisfaction outside his desire to rule and maybe because we know he prefers NRC to home, this confirms his fondness for his dorm life. (Savanaclaw found a family dorm.)
When he returns to his original dream of being king Kifaji is there as they look on at Pride Rock. The fact that it is raining is telling that hope has returned. (Just like at the end of Lion King) and that by accepting that “being king” is not what he really wants now “all things are balanced again”.
They have a nice moment here. Leona acknowledging that he has been given the tools to do good things by Kifaji’s training is a big mature moment for him. (Especially how they acted toward one another in the Tamashina Mina event) And Kifaji praising him, since this a dream, could be a testament to what he wishes would happen between them.
AKA Leona finally feels more, “at peace” with himself.
As Leona destroys this false kingdom with his sand he seems reserved, it’s almost bittersweet as it all settles over him, his new found aspirations, letting the old ones go. He's letting the past go. A big theme in Lion King. (I really feel the writers must be fans of the movies.)
Kifaji says: “Go to the place you really belong.”
This line kinda got me. Because the implication is that Night Raven College and his dorm is where he really belongs. Leona is confirming that his experiences at NRC have shaped who he is SO MUCH.
For years he accepted his life as it was, a cage, and now he is acknowledging that he has the power to break that cage and do whatever he wants. It’s a great callback to the advice he gave Jamil in Chapter 6.
This is quite refreshing as he mentioned before that it was too “late for him”. Now, he realizes it isn’t.
Back with the gang, Ruggie admits his fear that Leona will abandon him again. Leona denies it, and says somewhat casually that he is in fact a true friend of his. This feels like a clever inversion of the line that Scar says to the hyenas about being his “friends.”
But, we know now that Leona does mean it now. And this shows Leona’s desire to finally stray from the “path” of his Great Seven counterpart and actually like…have friends?
The reunion of the Savanaclaw trio is actually really sweet. For a dorm full of cocky jocks with strong personalities they seem to be so genuinely happy to be reunited.
Jack bursting out into tears and crying got me tearing up. Like Ruggie and Leona clearly are bit more reserved in their emotions but we see Savanaclaw really are close, despite their disagreements. They care for one another as a dysfunctional little family.
As a dorm that doesn't get much mainstream attention compared to others it was so nice to have this little moment. It's hard to tell, but I’m 99% sure there was a group hug based on how the sprites moved and the sound effects. At least a nice back pat from Leona. (Thanks, dad.)
All in all, I really...enjoyed his dream section. As someone who is pretty hyper-critical, for the most part, it satisfied most of the things I wanted to feel. I even got emotional at a few points! Yes, it would have been nicer to spend more time with “king” Leona and dive into it more. Or get more lore about his family. But, he admitted it FINALLY, everything I have clocked about him all those years ago. It’s very satisfying to see his growth in a tangible straightforward way, instead of just me reading between the lines.
I hope we will continue to see even more growth with his character (Like we did in the Halloween event) and I’m excited to see the role he will play in the rest of Chapter 7, even if it’s just him being a cranky old man. (What do you expect he was raised by one?)
I'd like to end this with some positivity. As someone who deep dives into character stuff a lot I know it's really comforting to see part of yourself reflected back in your favorite characters.
To anyone reading who feels they have things in common with Leona or his despair, the truth is that you should keep going, even if it's just to spite the world itself.
Your vision and presence in this world are valid all on their own and that failing is not indicative of your value as a person. It never will be.
Keep fighting to find your place, your pack and never forget who you are.💚
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Thanks for reading!! This one took quite a bit to edit and think through so if you like my Leona analyses, I’d appreciate a reblog or even just if you wanna share it with your friends! Shoutout to the youtuber ガスマスクゲーマー whose video I pulled these screenshots from. Thank you!
Can I just say- this is some frontiers spoilers my dudes
the entire interaction between Sonic and Amy on the first island is really cute and solemn. They really do feel like long time friends with light jabs and soft comforts sprinkled throughout their dialogue.
I did switch the voice-over to Japanese so it might be influencing my perception of their interactions, but it was great to see Sonic and Amy interact in a way that felt more three-dimensional than the usual one-sided crush annoyance thing.
They illustrated Amy as someone who believes in the power of love but not exclusively her own, as a power that can tie fates together even beyond apparent demise. We got to see Sonic trust in her strength and intuition and act as a support for Amy’s convictions- even when it felt like, to him, it was getting in the way of his real goal - saving his friends.
And after voicing his annoyance we got to see Amy challenge him and a compromise was reached. They really did seem like a pair of individuals, like Amy wasn’t just there as a goal for Sonic to progress. The only downside is her run cycle at the end of the first island- hate it-never want to see it again lol
More characterization stuff under the cut:
This was a bit of an idea the games like to dance around and lightly touch on in terms of Sonic’s characterization, but he’s really thoughtful and cares about his friends... almost to the detriment of others he doesnt particular know or care about. He’s a quick thinker and boasts quips and jabs, having retorts fired up and ready to go with very little delay between others’ sentences. But yet, he does slow down and ask if his friends are all right, how they’re feeling, and if they are still thinking about that terrible thing that happened. It is very cool to see him take the time to help Amy and just talk to her and see how everything’s going.
Interactions between Sage and Sonic are very interesting because we have a dead wall, a closed book, unwilling to give any extra information to the “enemy combatant” and a poking and prodding hero trying to get them to talk. Sage delivers information very matter-of-factually and is met with joking responses and boasts that they find foolish. Sonic will then ask a question and Sage will deny any help, leaving Sonic with a bit of a “fine whatever” response. It isnt until one of the last Sage interactions on Kronos where Sonic switches tactics and asks them quite politely (or as politely as sarcasm can go) what their name is. He doesnt get a good answer and grumbles in annoyance (in the Japanese dub) but quietly says to himself that he doesnt get a negative feeling from them.
When faced with another titan and effectively proving Sage wrong in the coolest most over the top way possible, he still retorts to her threats with jokey sarcasm- in line with his usual display and not gaining any animosity in his voice. It seems Sonic is more interested in getting answers to the mystery than beating Sage, he even seems to be contemplating whether or not Sage is the “bad guy”. He isn’t jumping to conclusions and it’s a nice break from the act first ask questions later attitude we saw in Lost World. Sorry to mention Adventure like everyone else, but it’s nice to have another example of Sonic trying to understand his opponents’ purpose and reasons more than them just being another thing in his way.
Perhaps even the fact that you can just find Sage on the map standing there and Sonic chooses to talk to them first says a lot as well.
I’ve only just made it to the second island, Ares, and Sonic’s interaction with Knuckles is top notch.
Okay so I know the Judge said everyone failed but Eleanor but I think that’s not fair to say. I think they all passed.
Chidi: yeah it took him forever to make a decisions but that’s just who he is. He overthinks. The key part is that he chose the brown hat and didn’t second guess himself. He stuck with it and was satisfied with it. That’s a great improvement over him saying yes then going on and on about if it was the right choice. The other major time when he didn’t look back on the decision is when he decided to help Eleanor.
Tahani: okay yea she wasn’t supposed to go through any doors but I think it was important that she faced her “parents” (since they werent real) and realize for herself that she can have an identity and a sense of accomplishment that wasn’t dependent on them. That she was able to say “I don’t need to be my sister or make you proud, I’ve made myself proud” was super important and showed that she didn’t crave their approval anymore. It really completed that arc of her growth
Jason: This was a bit harder to say he pass or not but I think that the fact that he didn’t “say no to the game” wasn’t the point. It was the point that he was going to do something he truly hated to save his friends. He’s a dumbass that’s written as too dumb to be completely selfish but he was also too stupid to do things for others(or do them well). He made the decision that he needed to protect his friends no matter what and put himself on the line to do so.
So while they didn’t pass the tests in the ways they were supposed to, I think they did in another way and I hope Michael brings at least some of these things up
So my younger sibling, literary genius that they are, pointed out that the Shen Gong WU has part of WUya's name in it. That was most likely intentional on Christy's part, but it got me to thinking more about Wuya.
There are a lot of theories going around that Wuya was a Xiaolin Dragon or had elemental powers. Which I think is great, but something about it doesn't add up.
What We Know
Raimundo said in Panda Bubba that Master Fung had chosen him to become the Dragon of Wind. Now this could mean he had elemental powers and was then brought to the temple, but the way he said it, made it seem that formal training is needed in order to become a Elemental Dragon.
Now back tracking to Tangled Web, Omi mentions that he had been studying up on women through a tome he found in the temple library. Obviously an ancient book, but it does shed some light on how the previous Masters must have thought.
The Showdown Universe says that there are Heylin and Xiaolin Shen Gong Wu. Both Wuya and Dojo are the only people who can naturally sense when a Shen Gong Wu has been activated. In the first episode, it is insinuated that Dojo can find them sense he helped hide them. But that doesn't explain how Wuya can sense them.
In Citadel of Doom, Wuya's powers fall into two basic categories. Illusion (Changing Magazines and tempting Raimundo to join her side), Manipulation of the Earth (Her palace and to some extent her rock creatures).
From This I Draw
Wuya had the potential to become the Dragon of Earth, however due to the time period she lived in, the at the time Grand Master refused to teach her. Why? For no other reason then she was a girl.
Insulted, she went to prove that the old masters of the temple were wrong to think she would never be a warrior. She studied under a Heylin Witch and went back to challenge Dashi who was also in training. However, her magic was limited to illusions. She failed to defeat him and found herself laughed out of the temple once again.
She needed something more powerful to bring the temple to it's knees. So she enchanted a few items (with mediocre magic) and forced her way into the temple, stealing one of the ancient scrolls. After which, she hid the tools she had used to break into the temple.However, as shown by the prologue, Dashi got credit for making all the Shen Gong Wu. He probably came up with weapons to fight her off if/when she returned. Anything she made probably got lumped together with his.
The scroll she took had Shoku Level Earth techniques. She studied these, combined them with her illusion powers, and made it appear she could summon living rock creatures (who were essentially glorified puppets). For a while, she laid waste to the village and temple, making a mockery of everything the old Xiaolin temple had stood for. However, Dashi eventually captured her in the puzzle box and the rest is history.
Wuya in Citadel of Doom (Headcanon)
I can't find it because I didn't tag it, but someone suggested that Wuya's power had something to do with life (since her release plunged the world into darkness and decay) and I think there is some truth to this. Balance in XS is a pivotal point in explaining many of the major plot points. To get something, you got to give something.
Earlier I mentioned that Wuya's Heylin power is illusion. In order to create something from thin air, she has to take the power of something else. With all the plants gone from the surrounding area, and no wildlife in sight, she would need to take life from something else.
Which brings me to the question DN asked in her 30 day XS challenge. Why did Wuya reward Raimundo instead of back stabbing him and kicking him to the curb. He had already served his purpose by releasing her hadn't he?
Unless the reason she kept him around, was because his Chi and life force was what was maintaining her power and illusion of control.
