#twoley

[shadowy-dumbo-octopus]

A character being in love with a robot/machine intelligence is about two things:

Showing them that their value as a person (and the fact that they are one in the first place) lies beyond their designation/destiny/purpose and they don't need to be perfect to be worthy of love

Sticking your fwingers into hteir wires until they b;luescreen

[destiny-of-steel]

and for my target audience of approximately two people:

the freaks

[cupofteasant]

Askblog brainrot amirite… @kariishu @cute-catt @atole-moth @side-jam thanks for the brainrot xoxo

[shadowy-dumbo-octopus]

Ah lads she's at it again

[DISCLAIMER: I'm aware that it's not that deep but I overthink and overanalyse shit recreationally so take everything you read here with a grain of salt - it's my brain's equivalent of doodling around in the margins of a maths notebook.]

So I know that the Henderson videos aren't official canon and we're not supposed to read a great deal into them, but I LOVE the choice to have the Hammer of Glory be attached to Angus II by a chain.

On a surface level it's cool and practical, letting him throw it and swing it around and have it come back to him - very useful in combat! But I'm obsessed with the potential symbolism of him literally being chained to it.

Chained to his duty. Chained to his vengeance. Chained to his bloodline and all the burdens it carries with it. Chained to his destiny. It's always there, always with him, keeping him grounded and reminding him of his purpose. His literal ball and chain.

[REMINDER: the chain only shows up in "He Has Returned" - he swings and throws the Hammer normally in "Keeper of the Celestial Flame"]

Now, we've all heard "Fly Away": V's lament about his destiny and his desire to be free from it and be able to do his own thing. His idea of freedom is flight: flying away on a unicorn to a better world than the one he knows. Flight is freedom, flight is being unbound by destiny, flight is being able to throw off your shackles and go where you please and do what you please.

II is literally chained to his destiny, but he does get to fly, however briefly. He does get to forget the weight of the Hammer for a short moment - and that's by the side of the Robot Prince.

The thing is, no matter how high up they fly, they're still bound by their respective destinies: Angus still has the Hammer with him in these shots, and this scene corresponds to the lyrics:

Far across the stars he travelled Yearning to be free In search of epic battles to Escape his destiny

The Robot Prince can fly around to his heart's content, but even he is "destined to reign forevermore." He flies around in search of epic battles hoping to outrun it, to escape the burden of the crown. These lines can possibly be interpreted as him wanting to die in one of these epic battles to evade an eternity of dominion, but we're, uh, [clutches heart] we're gonna put a pin on this interpretation for a little while.

The point is, the Angi view flight as freedom, and at least II is visually coded to be weighed down by the Hammer like a ball and chain. He always has it with him, even in flight, even when he's the closest to freedom he can be.

And even when he attempts to discard it and reach out to the Prince with an open hand, with a memory instead of a weapon. (Shoutout to the chained and crucified corpse of the Mecha-King on Tooley's side of the room, looming above him like a phantom of his future - or perhaps even the present, with both of them being bound and corrupted by the Knife of Evil. Metaphorising aside, it's a hell of a sick visual.)

Even with the Hammer discarded, the chain remains attached. No matter what Angus does, he cannot break the shackles of his destiny.

But somehow, impossibly, he CAN break Tooley's. Destined to reign forevermore, eh? Perhaps he would've been, if it weren't for Angus recruiting him for their cause and letting him sacrifice himself in a blaze of glory to deactivate the corrupted robot hivemind. A heroic death instead of an eternity of statis and dominion in a gilded cage.

(Doesn't seem like the Mecha-King was able to move from his spot in the chamber even pre-corruption. He looks a bit like a living statue, and given the fact that corrupting him corrupted all the other robots except Tooley, he appears to be some kind of focus point, the heart of Auchtertool. I wonder if Tooley's destiny involves replacing him. I wonder if it means becoming a living statue. I wonder if it means losing his wings and being confined to his throne room for the rest of eternity or until something finally kills him. What a fate. No wonder he's flying around yearning to avoid it.)

(I wonder if his death was a relief on some level. I wonder if he was happy that at least he would die doing something important. I wonder if he was happy that at least he got to fly with Angus one final time, if only to get him out of the blast zone.)

The Robot Prince was freed from his destiny by death. Angus, no matter how much he might wish for it after the Starlords nuked the timeline and destroyed everything and everyone he's known and loved, will not get the luxury. After all, the Hammer is still chained to him, and his destiny lies elsewhere. And destiny is all that matters, no?

Well, at least one of them is flying free.*

(*or IS he? "He Has Returned" DOES end with "the Robot Prince will return" so it's possible that not even death can save Tooley from his destiny. I guess we'll have to wait and see!)

Now, in light of all that, let's take a moment to wonder why exactly Gloryhammer chose to cover "Mighty Wings" out of so many others songs out there. Sure, it's not canon, we all agree it's not canon and the interview about how it can be interpreted as II singing it to the Robot Prince is probably a joke, but that doesn't change the fact that the band CHOSE to cover this particular song and that this desperate, yearning cry to be taken away on mighty wings lines up perfectly with the recurring motif of flight as freedom.

Destiny is a Hammer chained to Angus's wrist. He can wield it, spin it around in battle, even discard the Hammer for a while, but it will always be connected to him, pulling him down to earth.

Freedom is soaring among the stars, winged and weightless, unburdened, away from expectation, obligations and prophecies. Unbound by destiny.

Angus associates the Prince with freedom - even if for a little while. The Prince, through meeting Angus, defied his destiny and found freedom in death.

Just.

I don't know. I know it's probably not that deep but that fucking chain fascinates me. Henderson couldn't have picked a better upgrade to Angus's Hammer, and the lads couldn't have picked a better song to cover in-between album 4 and "He Has Returned."

(I also think it's funny that V, notoriously reluctant to fulfil his destiny and die, notoriously yearning to fly away and do his own thing among the stars, is portrayed sleeping with a Robot Prince plushie. I know it's 100% fanservice and, again, not canon and it absolutely 100% doesn't mean anything symbolically, but it's just a funky little coincidence given everything I've been overthinking today. Little II has a unicorn plushie. V wants to fly away on a unicorn. V has a Robot Prince plushie. II finds freedom, however briefly, by the side of the Robot Prince. GOD, GLORYHAMMER, PLEASE HAVE THEM INTERACT IM ALBUM V PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE THEYRE5MY FAVOURITE ANGI AND THEY MAKE ME SO UNWELL.)

(ALSO since we all know I love to over-analyse things, II and V are very similar visually. V's helmet looks like a grown up version of II's baby one and he wears the same style armour as adult II. It doesn't mean anything, it's just Alex reusing assets and it's 100% not canon, but it's just a neat detail I noticed while watching "Ultimate Sacrifice" for the first time.)

Same helmet with longer horns, same armour with either flipped greens & blacks or SAME ONES depending on the video, same desire to fly away and taste freedom for once in their lives.

(Same flying bestie who dies at the end of the song, rip Sparky the Unicorn, you will be missed.)

[shadowy-dumbo-octopus]

A headcanon

Okay, I worked it out. In "Wall-E", two robots doing a little zzt energy exchange by touching foreheads is an equivalent of a kiss. What if the robots of Auchtertool do something similar?

The current exchange is a sign of affection with several different meanings depending on how it's done. A forehead touch is your classic tender romantic kiss, while gently poking the other bot in that specific spot on the forehead with your finger is more casual, kind of like a hug or a friendly nudge. Boop, you're my friend.

So when the Robot Prince first zzts little Angus on the forehead after saving him, it's meant to be a friendly "stay safe out there, kid."

But funnily enough, Angus zzting him on the forehead to wake him up from stasis in that tomb isn't actually meant to be a display of affection - it's meant to jumpstart him via that little current transfer. Gotta wake the Sleeping Beauty somehow, y'know. Then again... Maybe it's a bit of both? "Wake up," but also "lasers down, I'm a friend."

The zzt to restore the Prince after he was stabbed with the Knife of Evil, however, was absolutely intentional. "I'm your friend. You're my friend. Remember. Come back. Come back. Come back."

Also, perhaps the robots can recognise each other through the zzt. Even if their bodies are different, or it's been many, many years, they recognise the other's unique frequency via the connection. So when Angus zzts Tooley, Tooley can immediately recognise him as "Prince Angus II" and later "my friend and companion", even under the influence of the Knife.

This, however, also implies that their first zzt wasn't just "take care out there, kid" but also "I want to remember you. No matter what happens, no matter how long it might be until our paths cross again, how different we'll both be when it happens, I'll remember you, and I'll recognise you immediately."

"I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world." ("The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller)

And then, when the Robot Prince does return like he FUCKING PROMISED AT THE END OF THE SONG, Angus will fucking FLING himself at him and headbutt zzt him so hard that they'll both bluescreen for a little while.

[shadowy-dumbo-octopus]

Angus should call him "Angel".

Little Angus seeing a winged, luminous figure reaching out to him through the smoke and thinking about the eagle-winged warriors from the stained glass windows of Dundee's chapel.

Years later, in that forgotten crypt, the pieces don't all assemble automatically. Angus coaxes them where they should be, carefully, with hushed reverence, and murmurs "c'mon angel, work with me here" without even realising.

A nickname, casual and affectionate where "Prince" feels too formal. Angus doesn't even remember how it came to him, but it sticks in his brain and refuses to be shaken off.

A question, followed by hesitation and then a sheepish chuckle. "Yeah, I remember when you saved me at Cowdenbeath. I was really little back then, so you looked like an angel. Sorry, I- I don't know why it came back to me just now. I can stop calling you that if you- No? Oh... Okay then."

A new title unrelated to dominion and destiny. Definition: Something beautiful. Something powerful. Something pure, benevolent. A messenger of light and justice wreathed in golden feathers. A gift rather than a designation.

Fond, warmed by gratitude like summer sunlight. "Thanks, angel."

Breathless, thrumming with adrenaline from the battle they just won. "That was a close one. You alright, angel?"

Confused, tinged with alarm, before mellowing into relief. "Angel? Where- ah, there you are."

Hushed, breathy, far away from his companions and the destiny hounding their steps, flushed skin and elevated heartbeat. "Ah- angel, please..."

Not a Prince. Not a pawn. Not a cog in the machine. Something precious. Something unique. Something separate from the identity of the immortal Robot Prince of Auchtertool.

And then...

A Knife. A curse. A crimson tide eating away his code. A ceaseless flow of alien commands to kill, to destroy, to-

Shrill, frantic, reaching out towards him like a child lost amidst smoke and ashes. "Angel! Angel, listen to me, this isn't you! This isn't who you are!"

An identity gifted and accepted as his own, one which not even the Knife of Evil could take away from him.

Angel. Definition: Messenger of light and justice. Powerful. Beautiful. Pure. Benevolent. Loving and beloved in return. A beam of sunlight in the darkness guiding lost souls to safety.

A protector.

3...

2...

1...

A flash. An explosion. An wave of force capable of reducing any evil to dust.

Silence.

And then...

A pair of hands clutching a single golden feather. A rain of tears falling on the cursed soil. A voice, soft and shattered, uttering a name like a prayer which he knows will not be granted to him ever again:

"Angel..."

[shadowy-dumbo-octopus]

Hi. Hello. Hear me out.

Everytime we touch is a twoley song.

I am hearing you out SO FUCKING HARD YOU HAVE NO IDEA.

Modern AU Angus out there blasting Cascada while lying on his bed, blushing and giggling and kicking his feet and twirling his hair while he's doodling hearts all over his engineering paper with a glittery gel pen.

[shadowy-dumbo-octopus]

What if I said that "angel with a shotgun" could be a Twoley song