Reposting my art is okay but please do not credit me or link back here, I don't feel comfortable having my name too attached to my art. Hope that's okay!
I'm so desperate to get people to unfollow me that I nearly started a plot to pretend I love AI slop, including stealing AI images from google (because I'm not wasting water on this shit) and posting about fake AI chats
Anyways, if you're reading this and feel like doing a harrowed soul a favor, unfollow me? XDD
Always always always tell people you love they are so smart and capable. I will die on this hill. More often than not people are raised in unforgiving environments that tell them they are inherently “stupid” and not good enough for things, whether that be parents or cruel bosses or unsupportive friends. An underrated way of supporting people is reminding them they are brilliant no matter what anyone has ever said about their intellect and potential. People can do wonders when it’s affirmed to them their limiting beliefs are just that: limiting beliefs.
So, following up on my recent post about Xeno during the 5 years of separation... I know I might catch some hate for this, but I really need to get this off my chest. I’ve hesitated for a very long time to write this post, debating back and forth whether I should even share these thoughts, but I need to do it anyway.
Just to be absolutely clear: even though I am a massive Stan simp, I deeply love Xeno as a character and I adore their dynamic from the bottom of my heart. (Also this has nothing to do with me being biased toward Stan. If the roles were reversed and Xeno was the one left behind like this, I would be saying the exact same thing.) But... honestly? I have to confess that to this day, I still don't fully understand Xeno's motives during that time. That’s actually the whole reason why I wrote "The Knight’s Retribution".
When you compare their actions, the contrast is heartbreaking. Stanley hunted after Xeno for 100 days straight—even though he knew Senku wouldn't physically harm Xeno—and did everything in his power to get him back. Stan literally surrendered his entire existence to Xeno’s cause when he let himself be petrified that second time. So why did Xeno just accept everything so passively after he was revived?
1. Why did he even allow Senku’s people to hide Stan’s statue in the first place? He could have put his foot down. He could have said, "Without Stan, I am not cooperating with your plan," and chose to be petrified again. Why didn’t he use his leverage? Why didn't he tell them: "Stan is my knight, he follows my word explicitly. If I join you, he will too. Therefore, he poses no threat."? Besides, Stan and Xeno weren't the only antagonists Senku's crew had to deal with, and those other guys were certainly no saints either compared to them. So why was Stanley the only one treated like an absolute 'monster' that needed to be locked away?
2. Why did he do absolutely nothing to search for Stan’s statue? How could he be so sure Senku’s crew wouldn't do something to Stan’s statue? As we know, Stan and Xeno weren't the only antagonists Senku had to deal with... And yes, I am fully aware that Xeno didn't know where they hid the statue. But if I were in his shoes, that wouldn’t have stopped me from going on occasional "exploration trips" with the sole purpose of at least locating him.
3. What would Xeno have done if Ryusui hadn't voluntarily stepped down from his spot as an astronaut? No one else from the Kingdom of Science would have willingly suggested reviving Stan. When would Stan have been brought back then? More importantly, would he have ever been revived while Xeno was still alive? What if Xeno had reached old age, or worse, passed away by the time they finally decided to pull Stan out of his stone prison? I know Stan sacrificed himself for Xeno’s ideologies and "dreams". But for someone who literally spent 100 days chasing after his partner (be it a childhood friend or something more), who gave up his entire self-identity for someone else and built his whole existence around them... you'd think Stan would have suffered tremendously if that had happened, right? In my opinion, Xeno gambled incredibly high by just "hoping" or waiting for an opportunity where the Kingdom of Science would finally need Stan's skills.
4. When Stan safely returned from space and landed back on the Perseus—where was Xeno? Senku’s entire inner circle was right there to welcome him and Kohaku back. If I had been in Xeno’s position, I would have wanted to hold my "partner" immediately, just being incredibly relieved that all three of them made it back safe, sound, and healthy to the Stone World.
These are exactly the questions that drove me to write my story, and they still haunt me now. Yes, I know Xeno is a deeply rational man. I know Stan is a "shoot now, ask later" type of guy. But sometimes, I truly get the impression that Stan clings to Xeno much more than the other way around.
Again, I love StanXeno, but in this specific regard, I just cannot comprehend Xeno. This isn't meant to be an attack on his character, I just genuinely can't wrap my head around it. Of course, everyone sees this differently, and I admit I am very emotionally driven—just like Stan. Maybe that’s why it’s so hard for me to understand Xeno's mindset here...
And honestly? It kind of annoys me (and at the same time, it doesn't) that I didn't include this one final question in my fic when Stan and Xeno finally talk: "What would you have done if we had never seen each other again in this lifetime?"
Because quite frankly... Xeno's answer to that would interest me more than anything.
...If I may give my two cents on this, because I find the contrast in their actions during the show very interesting and I've always wanted an excuse to talk about it XDD
Just to clarify, I am not saying any of this to say your interpretation is any less correct, either. More, since you've said you can't comprehend his actions here a few times, I thought I would leave my interpretation ^^ The best part about StanXeno is how very "show, don't tell" they are about their feelings for each other, so it's always fun to see what people walk away understanding about them. The varying interpretations are part of the fun of analyzing them!
In my opinion, I think the reason why Xeno's actions after Stanley gets petrified seem so jarring is because it is a huge step away from his usual character! But, I don't think this change comes from nowhere, nor does it mean he loves Stanley any less, as he changes specifically for Stan, the way Stanley changed from his usual demeanor for him. (long rant and spoilers up to the end of season four below)
Starting from their childhood, we can see that Xeno has always been the more hotheaded of the two.
Compared to Stanley, he's so very full of passion and love for science. Even upon seeing all of these cool weapons, which you'd think a kid his age as into guns as he is would get excited over, Stanley doesn't even smile. Not until Xeno's passionate rant, where Stan then calls him weird and offers his hand. Symbolically, we could even take the color of their shirts, Stanley's cool rationality and Xeno's fiery love for science.
Which, as you can see, eventually evolves into a purple but we'll get into that later.
Stanley is shown to be a man dedicated to the job and only the job, refusing to take risks and only doing what's necessary. When Luna is left aboard the Perseus, he tells Max and Carlos that it's not his job. When Charlotte is on the ground after being bit, it's Suika that has to come and save her. Even Ukyo vouches for him being as such. He even uses it as an excuse to brush off his collaboration with Xeno on Senku's early revival. (In fact, one minor thing you mentioned that I would like to contest is him being a shoot now, ask later type. He was very cautious about double checking with Xeno that he absolutely wanted Senku dead.)
So, when Xeno is the one to be in danger, instead of handling it somewhat well the way he does when Luna nearly compromises the mission, or when the rocket has technical issues... He freaks out.
This is the kind of effect Xeno has had on Stanley, giving him a soft spot where not even cool railguns could get him excited as a kid. Red and blue make purple, and Stanley has gained a bit of passion and something to truly care for in his life.
So, then, what about Xeno? Why would he spend all that time hyping up Stanley, assuring their deaths at his hand, putting his utmost faith in him and being so utterly impatient at their reunion as to tease him for taking nearly a hundred days- Only to seemingly drop it the moment they have his statue? Why didn't he fight?
The way I see it, it's because Stanley left a message behind for Xeno. One that simply says: I chose surrender, so have fun with your science.
At the time of petrification, he had two options: Shoot the bottle of revival fluid at the perfect time, with the chance of it landing on someone good and reviving their team. Or, ensuring Xeno's revival in exchange for his (assumed) permanent petrification.
His last actions, after doing this, were to drop his armor, bow his head, and smoke a cigarette. All things you would be a fool to do in the middle of a battle, while scrounging for any way you can win before you're permanently turned to stone.
Xeno and Stanley have already been shown to understand even the smallest clues from each other, Xeno has already been shown to believe in Stan's skill as a soldier more deeply than anything else, and Stan has been shown to think quickly on his feet even in the most tense of times.
Here is where Xeno must take from Stan, and the professional way he handles the things he loves. His hotheaded nature must take Stan's cool rationality, and instead of risking everything trying to force a win where he can have everything, accept Stan's sacrifice so that he can learn more about the universe. Red and blue making purple.
He doesn't give up on his ideals when his co-workers call him out on the idea of becoming a stone age dictator wielding science, he doesn't give up when he's messaging young Senku, he doesn't give up when he has to kill Senku, he doesn't give up when he's been kidnapped and is trapped underground with Chrome, he doesn't give up the entire time they're on the run from Stan, he doesn't even give up as they get petrified.
It's only when he sees Stanley's last act before petrification, the message he left behind, that he finally stops talking about these ideals he has. The love and trust he has for Stan is enough to make him put a pin in those emotions and passion that have always boiled over on him and just quietly stare at his statue with such longing before going on to start work on the rocket.
Passion that's only uncorked again once the option of reviving Stanley is brought to the table, where Xeno tries to sound calm but can't even turn to look at them and desperately negotiates with all he can offer.
Now, granted, he's also off screen for a lot of this time. We can discuss Inagaki and Boichi's writing styles all day long, why this may not have been explored in canon, but this is just simply my take on it using what we have. Outside of work, Xeno could be feeling anything. We just see him having fun building elegant rockets, which is exactly what Stan had hoped for.
Waiting for a moment when the Why-Man threat is taken care of, when tensions aren't so high, people have had time to forget, and more resources would be available to keep eyes on the prisoner if revived is a very logical move. One Stanley probably would have told anyone under his command to employ if it was their loved one trapped in stone.
I think the beauty in their actions is how clearly they rub off of each other, in the best and worst of ways. Of course, again, this is all just my interpretation! There will of course be things here clouded by my own biases, gaps in canon filled in ways others would fill differently, and also as always just different readings of different actions.
I hope this helped you understand Xeno's mindset a bit more, or at least how others could see it as an act of love instead of coldness!
Oh my god, thank you SO much for taking the time to write down this incredibly beautiful, thoughtful, and deep analysis! Reading your thoughts honestly brought tears to my eyes. 😭❤️
Please never hesitate to share your thoughts and interpretations like this—this space is absolutely meant for discussing and sharing our different views, and I am so incredibly grateful when people do!
You put into words exactly what I feel so deeply about them, and what often gets lost in more 'sterile' or purely rational discussions. It breaks my heart when people reduce Stanley to a cold-blooded, emotionless soldier. He is so much more than that. As you beautifully wrote, his entire soul, passion, and even his choices starting and ending with Xeno—that makes him so incredibly human and emotional under his tough military facade.
I absolutely love your metaphor of 'blue and yellow making purple' (that violet lipstick detail is just perfect! 💜). It perfectly captures their duality. And your take on Stanley’s final act before petrification—leaving that silent message of absolute trust for Xeno, which Xeno then had to carry for five long, lonely years—is brilliant and so incredibly moving. It explains both Xeno's desperate drive to build a safe world first, and the immense emotional weight Stanley carried when he finally woke up.
So, following up on my recent post about Xeno during the 5 years of separation... I know I might catch some hate for this, but I really need to get this off my chest. I’ve hesitated for a very long time to write this post, debating back and forth whether I should even share these thoughts, but I need to do it anyway.
Just to be absolutely clear: even though I am a massive Stan simp, I deeply love Xeno as a character and I adore their dynamic from the bottom of my heart. (Also this has nothing to do with me being biased toward Stan. If the roles were reversed and Xeno was the one left behind like this, I would be saying the exact same thing.) But... honestly? I have to confess that to this day, I still don't fully understand Xeno's motives during that time. That’s actually the whole reason why I wrote "The Knight’s Retribution".
When you compare their actions, the contrast is heartbreaking. Stanley hunted after Xeno for 100 days straight—even though he knew Senku wouldn't physically harm Xeno—and did everything in his power to get him back. Stan literally surrendered his entire existence to Xeno’s cause when he let himself be petrified that second time. So why did Xeno just accept everything so passively after he was revived?
1. Why did he even allow Senku’s people to hide Stan’s statue in the first place? He could have put his foot down. He could have said, "Without Stan, I am not cooperating with your plan," and chose to be petrified again. Why didn’t he use his leverage? Why didn't he tell them: "Stan is my knight, he follows my word explicitly. If I join you, he will too. Therefore, he poses no threat."? Besides, Stan and Xeno weren't the only antagonists Senku's crew had to deal with, and those other guys were certainly no saints either compared to them. So why was Stanley the only one treated like an absolute 'monster' that needed to be locked away?
2. Why did he do absolutely nothing to search for Stan’s statue? How could he be so sure Senku’s crew wouldn't do something to Stan’s statue? As we know, Stan and Xeno weren't the only antagonists Senku had to deal with... And yes, I am fully aware that Xeno didn't know where they hid the statue. But if I were in his shoes, that wouldn’t have stopped me from going on occasional "exploration trips" with the sole purpose of at least locating him.
3. What would Xeno have done if Ryusui hadn't voluntarily stepped down from his spot as an astronaut? No one else from the Kingdom of Science would have willingly suggested reviving Stan. When would Stan have been brought back then? More importantly, would he have ever been revived while Xeno was still alive? What if Xeno had reached old age, or worse, passed away by the time they finally decided to pull Stan out of his stone prison? I know Stan sacrificed himself for Xeno’s ideologies and "dreams". But for someone who literally spent 100 days chasing after his partner (be it a childhood friend or something more), who gave up his entire self-identity for someone else and built his whole existence around them... you'd think Stan would have suffered tremendously if that had happened, right? In my opinion, Xeno gambled incredibly high by just "hoping" or waiting for an opportunity where the Kingdom of Science would finally need Stan's skills.
4. When Stan safely returned from space and landed back on the Perseus—where was Xeno? Senku’s entire inner circle was right there to welcome him and Kohaku back. If I had been in Xeno’s position, I would have wanted to hold my "partner" immediately, just being incredibly relieved that all three of them made it back safe, sound, and healthy to the Stone World.
These are exactly the questions that drove me to write my story, and they still haunt me now. Yes, I know Xeno is a deeply rational man. I know Stan is a "shoot now, ask later" type of guy. But sometimes, I truly get the impression that Stan clings to Xeno much more than the other way around.
Again, I love StanXeno, but in this specific regard, I just cannot comprehend Xeno. This isn't meant to be an attack on his character, I just genuinely can't wrap my head around it. Of course, everyone sees this differently, and I admit I am very emotionally driven—just like Stan. Maybe that’s why it’s so hard for me to understand Xeno's mindset here...
And honestly? It kind of annoys me (and at the same time, it doesn't) that I didn't include this one final question in my fic when Stan and Xeno finally talk: "What would you have done if we had never seen each other again in this lifetime?"
Because quite frankly... Xeno's answer to that would interest me more than anything.
...If I may give my two cents on this, because I find the contrast in their actions during the show very interesting and I've always wanted an excuse to talk about it XDD
Just to clarify, I am not saying any of this to say your interpretation is any less correct, either. More, since you've said you can't comprehend his actions here a few times, I thought I would leave my interpretation ^^ The best part about StanXeno is how very "show, don't tell" they are about their feelings for each other, so it's always fun to see what people walk away understanding about them. The varying interpretations are part of the fun of analyzing them!
In my opinion, I think the reason why Xeno's actions after Stanley gets petrified seem so jarring is because it is a huge step away from his usual character! But, I don't think this change comes from nowhere, nor does it mean he loves Stanley any less, as he changes specifically for Stan, the way Stanley changed from his usual demeanor for him. (long rant and spoilers up to the end of season four below)
Starting from their childhood, we can see that Xeno has always been the more hotheaded of the two.
Compared to Stanley, he's so very full of passion and love for science. Even upon seeing all of these cool weapons, which you'd think a kid his age as into guns as he is would get excited over, Stanley doesn't even smile. Not until Xeno's passionate rant, where Stan then calls him weird and offers his hand. Symbolically, we could even take the color of their shirts, Stanley's cool rationality and Xeno's fiery love for science.
Which, as you can see, eventually evolves into a purple but we'll get into that later.
Stanley is shown to be a man dedicated to the job and only the job, refusing to take risks and only doing what's necessary. When Luna is left aboard the Perseus, he tells Max and Carlos that it's not his job. When Charlotte is on the ground after being bit, it's Suika that has to come and save her. Even Ukyo vouches for him being as such. He even uses it as an excuse to brush off his collaboration with Xeno on Senku's early revival. (In fact, one minor thing you mentioned that I would like to contest is him being a shoot now, ask later type. He was very cautious about double checking with Xeno that he absolutely wanted Senku dead.)
So, when Xeno is the one to be in danger, instead of handling it somewhat well the way he does when Luna nearly compromises the mission, or when the rocket has technical issues... He freaks out.
This is the kind of effect Xeno has had on Stanley, giving him a soft spot where not even cool railguns could get him excited as a kid. Red and blue make purple, and Stanley has gained a bit of passion and something to truly care for in his life.
So, then, what about Xeno? Why would he spend all that time hyping up Stanley, assuring their deaths at his hand, putting his utmost faith in him and being so utterly impatient at their reunion as to tease him for taking nearly a hundred days- Only to seemingly drop it the moment they have his statue? Why didn't he fight?
The way I see it, it's because Stanley left a message behind for Xeno. One that simply says: I chose surrender, so have fun with your science.
At the time of petrification, he had two options: Shoot the bottle of revival fluid at the perfect time, with the chance of it landing on someone good and reviving their team. Or, ensuring Xeno's revival in exchange for his (assumed) permanent petrification.
His last actions, after doing this, were to drop his armor, bow his head, and smoke a cigarette. All things you would be a fool to do in the middle of a battle, while scrounging for any way you can win before you're permanently turned to stone.
Xeno and Stanley have already been shown to understand even the smallest clues from each other, Xeno has already been shown to believe in Stan's skill as a soldier more deeply than anything else, and Stan has been shown to think quickly on his feet even in the most tense of times.
Here is where Xeno must take from Stan, and the professional way he handles the things he loves. His hotheaded nature must take Stan's cool rationality, and instead of risking everything trying to force a win where he can have everything, accept Stan's sacrifice so that he can learn more about the universe. Red and blue making purple.
He doesn't give up on his ideals when his co-workers call him out on the idea of becoming a stone age dictator wielding science, he doesn't give up when he's messaging young Senku, he doesn't give up when he has to kill Senku, he doesn't give up when he's been kidnapped and is trapped underground with Chrome, he doesn't give up the entire time they're on the run from Stan, he doesn't even give up as they get petrified.
It's only when he sees Stanley's last act before petrification, the message he left behind, that he finally stops talking about these ideals he has. The love and trust he has for Stan is enough to make him put a pin in those emotions and passion that have always boiled over on him and just quietly stare at his statue with such longing before going on to start work on the rocket.
Passion that's only uncorked again once the option of reviving Stanley is brought to the table, where Xeno tries to sound calm but can't even turn to look at them and desperately negotiates with all he can offer.
Now, granted, he's also off screen for a lot of this time. We can discuss Inagaki and Boichi's writing styles all day long, why this may not have been explored in canon, but this is just simply my take on it using what we have. Outside of work, Xeno could be feeling anything. We just see him having fun building elegant rockets, which is exactly what Stan had hoped for.
Waiting for a moment when the Why-Man threat is taken care of, when tensions aren't so high, people have had time to forget, and more resources would be available to keep eyes on the prisoner if revived is a very logical move. One Stanley probably would have told anyone under his command to employ if it was their loved one trapped in stone.
I think the beauty in their actions is how clearly they rub off of each other, in the best and worst of ways. Of course, again, this is all just my interpretation! There will of course be things here clouded by my own biases, gaps in canon filled in ways others would fill differently, and also as always just different readings of different actions.
I hope this helped you understand Xeno's mindset a bit more, or at least how others could see it as an act of love instead of coldness!
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