#I wish I was better at discussions and meta

[manjusaka]

There's not nearly enough activity in The Sign's tag.

I'm seated here, waiting for posts to make me go ooooh, aaaah, hmmm, because this show is serving, and I'm eating it up, but a week is too long to go without nourishment and I need some of that good discussion juice to hold me over.

[ladyaryawolf]

Since I'm thinking constantly about ASoIaF (the main story) for a while now I have to say it's really exausting to be an Arya stan.

The community is great, yes. There is a lot of good people

But the thing is

You enter tumblr

You search her tag

And instead of pretty gifsets

Well written metas

And pretty fanarts

What you see the most is people (we know who) mischaracterizing her, attacking her stans, twisting the narrative of the books about something important that involves Arya into something that doesn't even make sense only to downplay her importance, denying the part she plays on the key 5, not to mention how fixed these people are with her appearance.

I don't know how the stans and content creators are dealing with anon hate nowadays because I have been off for a really long time, (and I will continue to be, tbh), but I remember they were terrible, (anons actually saying Lyanna deserved to be raped to other anons wishing op to slit their wrists and kill themselves)

It's tiring.

And it has been the same for like... years now.

[the-deadlock-south]

aw man, don't even get me started on kiriko. or do, because in the world where both magic and science are known to mess with people and time they could've easily come up with SOME explanation for the age thing but they just... didn't. did they not realize that something was off or did they just not care? there were some plot holes before, some character interactions that maybe didn't straight up contradict each other but felt like the person writing the lines didn't read any of the previous interactions. BUT what they did with kiriko was just... how do you mess up this bad?

like there's writing kinda wonky plot points and the sort but fumbling something as massive as the AGES of your characters when they're pivotal parts of the story like.... not even one or two years off we're talking TEN at most now im no author or even the best story teller but i'd at least make sure my ducks are in a row when it comes to making sure my characters aren't sparring with a zygote

[rosemaryhoney27]

Danny's request for shelter part 1

Title: "Sanctuary of Themyscira"

Danny Fenton stood on the Watchtower, his hands clenched at his sides. The stars beyond the observation deck shimmered cold and distant, but they weren’t what made him feel alone. Somewhere out there, in the shadows between Earth and the Ghost Zone, people were hunting his sisters.

Jazz and Dani hadn’t asked for this. They weren’t ghosts like him—well, Dani sort of was, being his clone—but that hadn’t stopped the Realms Enforcement Coalition or the surviving anti-meta groups from painting a target on their backs. Just for being related to him. Just for loving him.

They’d already been attacked twice. Once at a safe house in Keystone. Again at a supposed sanctuary in Star City. They were lucky to be alive. Danny was done taking chances.

Which is why he now stood before her.

Wonder Woman—Princess Diana of Themyscira—watched him with eyes both fierce and kind. She didn’t look surprised when he explained his request, only thoughtful.

"You wish for them to be hidden," she said. "To be sheltered in Themyscira."

Danny nodded. “Just until this all blows over. I know how it sounds. And I know they’re strong. But this isn’t about what they can handle—it’s about what they shouldn’t have to. Please. They’re in danger just for being close to me.”

Diana studied him. “And what of you?”

He shrugged with a bitter smile. “I’ve survived worse. They’re my priority.”

There was silence between them, filled only by the hum of the Watchtower systems. Then Diana’s voice broke through, resolute.

“Very well. Themyscira will grant them sanctuary. They will be treated as honored guests.”

Danny’s breath caught. “Thank you. You won’t regret this.”

Jazz had protested.

“Danny, you don’t have to protect me! I’ve trained with Batman, remember? I’m not helpless.”

Dani had backed her up. “I literally have your powers! I’ve taken on ghosts that make grown heroes wet their spandex. We don’t need babysitting!”

But in the end, neither could deny the way Danny had looked at them. Like he’d already imagined their graves. Like he'd already lost them in his mind.

So they agreed—reluctantly.

Themyscira was unlike anything either girl had expected.

When they stepped through the portal guided by Zatanna’s spell, they were met with a sun-drenched island blooming with wild beauty and carved stone. Towering cliffs, open skies, and the rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the shore. And warriors. So many warriors.

The Amazons were formidable, radiant in their discipline and power, but it was their welcome that surprised the girls the most.

“Dani, yes? The spirited one,” said General Philippus, eyeing the younger girl with a smirk. “I hope you like sparring. Our youngest cadets are already placing bets.”

“And Jasmine,” added Antiope, voice smooth like flowing water, “We’ve heard of your mind. Your insights will be treasured in our archives. Perhaps even in our strategy councils.”

Jazz blinked. “I’m a psychology major…”

Antiope only grinned. “All the better.”

Within days, Jazz had found herself deep in Themysciran scrolls, helping redesign training protocols and discussing philosophy with scholars and generals alike. It was exhilarating—and humbling.

And Dani? Dani was a menace. In the best way. She flew circles around the training fields, challenged warriors to aerial tag, and managed to beat three of them in a footrace on her second day.

One afternoon, as Dani flew over the coast, a group of young Amazons cheered from below, chanting her name like she was some kind of celebrity.

“She reminds me of Diana when she was young,” said one elder with fond exasperation. “So much mischief in such a small package.”

Back in the mortal world, Danny slept easier—just a little. Knowing they were safe helped. But what he didn’t know was how much the Amazons had taken his sisters into their hearts.

When a reconnaissance agent from one of the hostile groups tried to breach the veil of Themyscira, they were caught, questioned, and sent back missing a few teeth and with a very clear message:

“Harm them, and you’ll face Themyscira’s wrath.”

Weeks later, Diana approached Danny again.

“You did well,” she told him. “Few would have thought to ask for sanctuary, even fewer would have been granted it. But I am glad you trusted us.”

Danny gave a tired smile. “They’re my family. I’d do anything for them.”

Diana nodded. “And they are now our family too.”

And in Themyscira, Jazz sat beneath a flowering tree, writing in a leather-bound journal about trauma and identity in warrior societies, while Dani taught a group of younger Amazons how to do mid-air backflips—and left a trail of laughter in her wake.

They were safe. They were home.

And for once, Danny Fenton could breathe.

[testyqwcde]

Many of you are already familiar with my enthusiasm for the theory that Haladriel may have had an intimate relationship in Eregion. This idea has been subtly hinted at in the context and discussed in detail within the meta. Today, I'd like to explore one more aspect that could further suggest the possibility of intimacy between these two characters.

Being the spirits tied to the elements of Arda, the maiar can draw energy from the natural forces and elements of the world. This connection is often linked to the specific domains they control. For instance, Sauron, who has dominion over the fire, draws power from this force. This is evident after the eruption— he gets the dark power back and while he obviously pretends to be wounded, there’s a shift to darkness in his appearance.

When he arrives in Eregion, he heals and then works with Celebrimbor and Galadriel, appearing almost rejuvenated as if the very light of Valinor is shining upon him, something burns within him as though a flame has been awakened.

However, after the reveal of his true self, his look begins to change once again upon his return to Eregion. His once radiant appearance darkens. In my opinion, it signifies not only his fall into darkness, but also the loss of Galadriel’s light, which had once been a guiding force for him, shining upon him. His dark powers are no longer balanced.

Sauron made it clear that he wished to be bound to Galadriel's light. He wants to harvest it for himself.

How does he envision this process?

It’s not about her physically standing beside and her literal light shining upon him, right?

There’s a deeper connection to be explored here.

This is primarily an emotional bond, where two individuals find comfort in each other's presence, sharing warmth and feelings that create a sense of mutual understanding. This is the feeling they shared in Numenor and Southlands. This is when Halbrand looked like this.

However, in Eregion we have even a better improved Halbrand 2.0 version, he is so fuckingly handsome here, not only being in the light but radiating this light himself.

Where did he get this light? I may assume because Galadriel was generous and shared it with him.

How?...

Many of you know the story about Melkor and Arien. Arien, a Maia who governs the Sun, is a fiery spirit whose light powers the Sun. Melkor, in his desire for her light, ravaged her, causing her to be released from the world of Arda. Many Tolkien enthusiasts interpret this act as a form of violation—Melkor essentially took Arien's light in a brutal and destructive manner, meaning raped her when she refused to become his wife.

In the case of Galadriel and Halbrand, Sauron’s desire for her light can be seen as a similar longing. Instead of merely desiring her physical presence and support, it’s about him trying to harvest her light through intimacy. In many cultures, sexual intercourse is viewed as a ritual for sharing energy, perhaps, Sauron sought to get her light in the same way.

He could be sleeping with her, harvesting her light to magnify his own strength. He knows the depth of her radiance, a force that could overwhelm him completely. And unlike Arien, she has been offering it to him freely because she's been in love with Halbrand. That's why it cuts deep and stirs a storm of anger when she refuses his offer to remain eternally bound.

He returns to Eregion to forge the rings alongside Celebrimbor and though he is still handsome, he is no longer radiating this light because he lost its source.

He desperately tries to get Galadriel back and harvest her light that he got so addicted to and when she refuses to become his wife queen again, he ravishes her in a similar way Melkor did to Arien. Brutally, taking her by force.

However, much like in the story of Melkor and Arien, it won't quite work. Arien released her spirit, burning Melkor and leaving him ashen and grey. As for Galadriel... she simply leapt off a cliff, once again denying him the light he so much desire.

[pangaeaseas]

The Problem of Religion in Harry Potter (or, what is Wizard God?)

tl; dr: I wish more hp fics did something with religion and the wizarding world

so to state my credentials up front: I've read a lot of hp fanfiction, a little on the Reformation and religious history--like, I have probably more background knowledge than the average person but I am very emphatically not an expert and have never actually taken a class specifically on any kind of religious history, and I'm an ex-Catholic who did ten ish years of religion classes. There are probably a LOT more people more qualified to talk about this than me but whatever I've never actually seen very much meta written out on this specific issue so I'm giving it a try. (if you have written or read such meta, please send me recs)

ahh the Problem of Religion one of the great unsolved mysteries of the hp world building (similar issues include What the Fuck is Going on with Ireland, How Does the Ministry Actually Work, What is the Population, etc) and I call it 'unsolved' because the fandom has no massively popular solution (like Lordships for the Problem of the Wizengamot) and in general tends to just not think about it, much like JKR originally did. Now IMO she probably intended most wizards to be, like, generically Church of England or whatever without much investment--basically copying the Muggle equivalent whenever it isn't spelled out how the two worlds differ, which is I think a lot of her un-filled-out world building is meant to be. Which. OK. You can do that, but, you know, religion is a very very important aspect of worldbuilding and in my opinion ignoring it and expecting it to be just the same as 1990s Muggle Britain is uninteresting and lazy.

This (wizards are meant to be some kind of Christian and probably Church of England just for simplicity's sake) is evidenced by things like Hogwarts having Christmas and Easter breaks, James and Lily having a Bible quote picked out by Dumbledore on their tombstone, and Draco Malfoy, most emblematically wizard of wizard characters who can be taken as a potential baseline, automatically saying things like 'Good God'. Which, you know, implies that the idea of a single God, and probably the Judaeo-Christian God because that's the same cultural background as the rest of Britain, is taken for granted by wizarding society. It doesn't necessarily imply anything about Draco's or even the Malfoys' personal beliefs, and of course you have other characters saying things like 'Oh my Merlin' and "Morgana" and things like that. Which in my opinion wasn't meant to be indications of some kind of Merlin or Morgana worship but more quirky and fun flavor things of the kind jkr loves to include without thinking out the implications. But you absolutely can take those statements that way--this post is absolutely not meant to dictate how people want to headcanon and I am absolutely here for giving wizards a well thought out pagan or Non-Christian religion, I just don't think that was the author's intent. There's also plenty of other things that imply Wizarding cultural Christianity that I'm not remembering off the top of my head.

And, of course, much better writers than me have extensively discussed all the Christian themes in HP. Of course, themes don't need to affect how people worldbuild in fanfic.

So: with HP canon, we are looking at a society that is probably culturally Christian and probably (key word) intended to be Church of England. But, because JKR wasn't putting much thought into it and basically just took a Chrisitian bedrock of society for granted, the implications of this are not really explored at all. So what I'm interested in is how fandom deals with it.

Mostly, that is...not at all, either taking cultural Christianity in the Wizarding World for granted the way JKR does or by ind of handwaving that wizards have evolved beyond the need for religion and that's just how it is. And that's perfectly fine! Not everyone wants to come up with a full, working, wizard society, and even if they are trying to worldbuild some aspects of wizarding society religion is often ignored, because people don't want to deal with it for often valid reasons (religious trauma, just disinterest, grew up agnostic, not Christian but thinks wizards probably are etc, etc, etc, ) Personally I wish more fics delved into what wizarding religious belief actually is, but to put it bluntly, that's just me. And I have never dealt with religion in my own fics. So don't takethis as judgement at all.

But there are interesting headcanons when people do choose to try and worldbuild religion in HP.

Fom what I've seen, one of the major ways to deal with religion in HP (aside from not dealing with it at all) is to give wizards, often pureblood wizards, some kind of pagan, often Celtic-inspired, religion. And this is quite defensible! Sometimes this is badly executed and/or turned into Death Eater apologia, but the idea of wizards having a different religion is really interesting and a good deal more interesting (IMO of course) than just not mentioning religion at all. Most fics that I've seen don't delve too deeply into, like the actual history and theology of these religions, but there are definitely some that do. (Also if you know any PLEASE send me recs). So if handled well, this is a great way to add some religion worldbuilding in the world of Harry Potter.

However, my personal favorite set of possibilities--obviously I have some personal bias as a history nerd with a long standing if never as deeply researched as I would like to interest in the history of Christianity and as an ex-Catholic--is that, well, we know the statute of secrecy started..when, exactly? 1690. So this much is obviously a result of JKR's Hollywood understanding of witch hunts (a subject for another time and someone far more qualified). For interested wrodlbuilders, we can take this as a guideline at best, as personally I think it would have taken a good deal longer than one year to agree on and implement something like the Statute and I tend to take 1690 as an end date, not a start. I also tend to take the Statue as a largely European phenomenon, at least at first. But, uh, what was happening in Britain at the time..oh, right...the Glorious Revolution....what was happening that created the conditions for the Glorious Revolution...oh, the English Civil War...which was because of...oh yeah, and what was also happening on the continent, maybe it involved, wait, thirty years..oooh, the Thirty Years War...wait weren't there a whole bunch of massive social shifts happening in Europe at this point in time isn't that funny but surely the stature of secrecy could be considered a part of these massive social shifts...all of which was heavily influenced by...you guessed it, the Protestant Reformation.

Wait. So. Maybe, the separation of Wizards from Muggles, at least in Britain, wasn't actually about Muggles hating wizards or wizards hating Muggles. Maybe it was about religion. Now personally I find this ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING. The possibilities, the possibilities...

Wizards had a massive religious civil war that created the blood status system in its modern form? Particular families have wildly different denominations? Excellent. Religion both in terms of level of religiosity and in terms of denomination is a blood status marker? Excellent. Purebloods are all Catholic (what does this do to both Catholic and not Muggleborns?) Excellent. Purebloods are all Puritans? Weird, but if you can pull it off excellent. Purebloods are all one of the wacky new denominations that sprung up after the Reformation and then either died out or conquered the world? Excellent. Pure bloods are all Lutherans who really hated Henry VIII? Excellent. One of my favoirite ways to create a wizarding religion was someone who had most pure bloods follow a denomination that split off from Catholicism in the Great Schism and then a small minority being Catholic, with the worlds splitting around the Reformation. Even the paganism headcanons can be incorporated: the Reformation could conceivably have made it much more difficult to keep practicing wizard paganism causing separation of the worlds.

Personally I would love to see a world that used the history of the Protestant Reformation super well, but it's not the only way to relate a Wizarding religion or a Wizarding religious history. I just wish more people tried to do that at all. Let wizards be religious! Or let them be irreligious but have thought about it, instead of just ignoring religion at all as something that might conceivably have influenced human societies. Maybe Wizarding Britain has state sponsored atheism. Just say that outright!

Another thing I'd like to see more fic doing is theology: how does having magic impact people's religious doctrine? Does every major religion essentially have a wizarding branch with its own theology because magic impacts their view of the world so much, or do most wizards simply follow the majority Muggle religion in their country with no modifications? if so, why? Do some wizards disagree, potentially violently, over how to incorporate magic into their religion? Do some people refuse to use magic because they think it goes against their religion? Etc etc etc you could go on forever. I've seen fic, which randomly enough was about Regulus Black, do this pretty well (or I thought so as a non-Jew) for Judaism, and I'd love it if done with other religions.

Anyway. Now I have to figure out how the hell religion works in the Wizarding Britain of my own headcanon.

[dark-mnjiro]

kinktober 2024 [week two]

author’s note: I’m a day late because I just didn’t want to edit last night. I’m sorry. I hope you guys enjoy week two. As always, please check the content warnings!

content warnings: narumi gen x afab!reader, use of baby/girl/etc pet names, streamer!narumi, cock warming, voyeurism, exhibitionism, dubcon, public sex, teasing, explicit sexual content, doggystyle, hair pulling, spanking, cream pie, dirty talk

credits: divided by @/cafekitsune

Laying on the bed lazily, you scrolled on your phone as you could hear Narumi greeting his viewers for another gaming stream. It was his yearly Halloween twenty-four-hour stream. You pulled up his stream on your phone before his chat flooded with greetings to you - his now, long-time girlfriend.

“Babe,” you hear Narumi call out. “Everyone’s saying hi.”

You outstretched your arm and waved. Narumi kept the bed off-screen so you could relax in peace but you often would wave to his viewers or say (yell) from off camera. “Hi, guys! Happy Halloween!”

The chat exploded with well wishes from his viewers before they began flooding him with questions about bringing you out during a jump scare game. Pouting, you glanced at Narumi who sported a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“You know I hate jump scares!”

The corner of his mouth tugged into a smirk. “Exactly why you have to sit in on the game.”

You deflated immediately. “Ass…”

Narumi reached behind him before grasping your hand and squeezing you. “Please?”

Sighing, you offered a squeeze back. “Fine. You owe me!”

He chuckled. “Alright, alright. Anything you want after the stream then.”

“You better get me food.”

“Done.”

Shaking your head, you relaxed back on the bed as you watched the stream continue over the next couple of hours. You would comment randomly in the chat, encouraging the viewers to tease and scare your boyfriend with the donation sounds. He would occasionally glance back at you with a playful glare on his face.

“Babe?”

Glancing up from your phone, a smile curled over your lips. “Hm?”

“Ready to play?”

Groaning, you rolled off the bed. “FINE.”

He was an asshole. He has picked a game that capitalized on jump scares as he pulled you into his lap and the Five Nights at Freddy’s logo came up on screen. You took hold of the mouse and began to play.

Narumi’s hands found their place at your waist before resting his chin on your shoulder. His grip tightened with each involuntary jump you made.

“You good?”

He merely smiled at you. “I’m good,” he said before another jump scare flashed over the screen.

You yelped before Narumi’s grip rocked your body against his lap. Your cheeks reddened as you felt his erection pressing against you.

Muting the stream and pausing the game, you slipped off the headset before glancing at him. “Gen!”

A grin curled over his lips. “Yeah?”

“You know what!”

“Come on,” he snorted. “You know how bad I’ve always wanted to do this.”

The heat in your cheeks deepened. “Gen…”

“Baby… I promise they can’t see anything. Camera’s pointed from shoulders up.”

“One time. That’s it.” He assured you. “Just keep my dick warm…”

He merely grinned as you heard the meta clang of his belt undo. His hands slipped under your skirt before slipping the delicate fabric aside so he could slip his cock into you. “Now just sit on my cock pretty girl,” he whispered.

“Ass.”

“That can be arranged.”

“I’m going to break up with you.”

Narumi only laughed before adjusting his hips enough to push his cock into your further. Heat erupted throughout your body before slipping the headset back on and unmuting the stream. You apologized to the viewers mentioning that you two had to discuss a family matter from a nonexistent text you received.

His grip tightened on your hips as you continued playing the horrific game. You had to admit… knowing his cock was buried inside of you while you both gamed in front of thousands of viewers. It seemed to do something to you.

Heat rushed to your core with each adjustment you made or each jump you accidentally made. You heard Narumi grunting behind you, thoroughly enjoying himself as well.

Until a hand disappeared from your hip…

His hand slipped under your skirt before brushing against your clit. You managed to hold back the gasp that wanted to erupt from your throat at his touch. Electricity flooded your senses. What an asshole… Narumi began rubbing excruciatingly slow circles around your clit before he offered a small thrust.

The pace quickened.

Fuck… the heat between your legs radiated.

“That’s it,” Narumi cooed as the chat was led to believe he was complimenting your gaming. But you knew differently. He chuckled before pressing his lips against your shoulder. “See you’re doing fine.”

“Gen…” you warned.

He thrust into you again but disguised it as an adjustment.

A surprised gasp tumbled from your lips, thankfully as another jump scare flashed over the screen. His fingers pinched your clit, sending you over the edge as your orgasm washed over you.

Your body shuddered, making sure to keep your lips tightly together. Any illicit sound or moan would give away what you two were up to… and Narumi’s channel would pay dearly.

Your boyfriend only chuckled as he peered over your shoulder at his viewers. “I think we’re gonna let her take a break,” he commented. “And honestly I need a food break. I’ll be back in about fifteen or twenty minutes.” His stream muted and the screen switched to his break side.

“…did you want me to make you-“

With one swift motion, Narumi had you bent over his gaming desk with his cock still buried inside of your leaking cunt.

“Pretty baby,” he cooed. “Time to finish the job.”

A moan slipped past your lips as you felt his hips smack against your skin. Your hands found the edge of the desk, trying to brace yourself against it. His pace became increasingly rough before a free hand found its way into your hair.

“Sweet baby,” he grunted. As he tugged your hair back. “Loving every second of my cock in you with thousands watching. Does that get you off? You’re soaking wet… fucking dirty girl.”

You cried out his name as your orgasm began building up at your core. Another moan tumbled from your lips as he increased his pace.

Your mind couldn’t keep up.

“Gonna cum? I can feel you clenching baby…” he whispered before smacking your ass.

A yelp escaped your throat as you felt an orgasm finally crash over your body. Narumi continued his brutal as you tried to regain your senses.

“Gonna fill you up baby girl… you’re all mine,” he growled before spilling his cum inside of you. Another gasp moved past your lips at the sensation of your sensitive core filling up. He offered another hard thrust, pushing his seed further into you before finally pulling out.

Panting, you relaxed against the desk.

“You good princess?”

“Mhm…”

Narumi chuckled before glancing back at his stream.

“Oh fuck.”

Confusion filled your eyes. “What?”

“…I must have been too rough… I think we accidentally unmuted the stream.”

“WHAT?”

He rubbed the back of his head. “I think I’m on a twenty-four ban.”

“Gen!”

“…whoops. Let me message the site.”

[lotsofdreamb0ats]

kakyoin and his parents are a really weird and underdiscussed part of stardust crusaders. on the watsonian level, there are multiple interpretations you could have of this, and i think its an interesting show of fanon for a character that is pretty beholden to fanon interpretations.

a fairly common consensus i've seen about kakyoin's parents are that they were abusive or at least maliciously negligent.

for the record, i am totally cool with this! kakyoin's family really isn't elaborated on in canon and you can take his subtleties a lot of ways. whether its whump for whumps sake or projection, people are free to interpret the empty holes however they wish.

that being said, i've found myself... idk. not opposed, but disinterested in that take, because the view of kakyoin and his family presented by canon feels way more interesting to me. here's my take & discussion on it!

[meta headcanon-ing below the cut]

from a very young age, kakyoin is an extremely private & emotionally isolated person. this is a trait he has developed from years of feeling like explaining himself to anyone was a futile juncture because no one would believe or understand him, not even his own parents.

when kakyoin's teacher informs his mother abt his lack of desire to make friends, mrs. kakyoin (at least in the anime; cant attest to the manga) shows concern and almost... futility towards the situation. it isn't that the other students don't want to befriend noriaki. rather, noriaki doesn't want to befriend them.

we actually see a similar sentiment in holly, at least through subtext. holly is not wholly unconcerned by jotaro, but she is overly accepting of his poor behavior and struggles to acknowledge her son's flaws. holly views jotaro as younger and less in control of his behavior than he is to the point of willful ignorance.

kakyoin, meanwhile, is in a constant fight with himself over "letting" DIO manipulate and brainwash him. kakyoin is often victim-blaming towards himself -- he is weak and should've known better, should have never let his fear consume him, should have never lost control of himself and given it to DIO.

(dubiously canon material ahead, but shining diamond's demonic heartbreak is vital to my interpretation of kakyoin. treat this as you will.)

kakyoin is at his most distressed and personally tormented when he feels weak and vulnerable. he laments this weakness in himself -- immaturity, he calls it, although that is a translation -- and says no one is to blame for what DIO did unto him except himself.

and all of this, if you continue treating this version of events as canon, is with the added layer that kakyoin was literally protecting his 8-year-old cousin (ryoko-chan <3) while fighting DIO.

(as a side, hierophant green's lesser used powers (notably utilized while kakyoin has a fleshbud and almost never again) involve extreme control and precision. he is quite literally shown to puppet others from the inside using hierophant while operating his own body as well. kakyoin himself says no one can understand him without hierophant green; it isn't farfetched to say hierophant green's abilities reflect its user.)

all of this to say: i don't believe kakyoin's family was abusive in the traditional sense. i think kakyoin is the adultified child to jotaro's infantilized one.

i don't doubt kakyoin loves his parents, but it stands to reason that -- like jotaro with holly, if not more so -- there isn't a respect for his parents authority. adultified children often develop a lack of trust in the people and agencies that are supposed to protect them, like parents or teachers.

if kakyoin has felt like he could only trust himself and hierophant green his entire life, how is he supposed to seek support or protection from his parents? i honestly don't think he would. with hierophant at his side, it's easier (less disappointing) to uphold himself to this extreme standard of strength and maturity than be vulnerable with anyone.

noriaki's mother and father have eachother. noriaki has no one.

(taken from kakyoin's character profile, which you can see in full here.)

based on the flashback, i personally believe kakyoin's parents just... left him to his own devices. if noriaki doesn't want to make friends, it wouldn't be right to push him, is it? he's independent, well-mannered, an excellent student. responsible, trustworthy, far from a delinquent. so isn't it better to accept their son as he is?

even if they're not sure who he is?

as kakyoin is all shattered parts, crumpled against a water tower with a hole in his stomach halfway across the world, he looks at the clock and thinks of his parents.

...but not in search of comfort.

seeing as this is the first and only time kakyoin's parents are mentioned, i honestly wonder if kakyoin just... didn't mention them at all. if he didn't call attention, save the odd comment about being a student, to his age. to the immaturity he's so ashamed of.

(again from kakyoin's character profile.)

kakyoin went on this fifty-day journey to egypt without even consulting his parents, who earnestly believe he ran away from home and are worried to death about him.

and kakyoin KNEW they would worry, and then he knows he is dying, and all he can manage is thoughts of them sleeping and an apology. he doesn't regret going on the journey. even as he's dying, 17-year-old noriaki kakyoin treats his own demise as a necessary loss. in kakyoin's mind, life is something he could (should) wager for those he cares about, and thinking of those who care about him in return isn't enough to convince kakyoin otherwise.

all of this to say, i think kakyoin and jotaro are two sides of the same coin.

[broodwoof]

things are coalescing in my mind.... ( hopefully yall don't mind being tagged! if u do just lmk and i'll remove it <3 )

@nists art and its statement about solas being a desiring and willing partner to elgar'nan...

@charamei's meta about elgar'nan as a spirit of faith...

all the voice lines from the fight, including the data-mined (and voiced!) lines that @flowersforthemachines posted here....

the dialogue between solas and cassandra during inquisition, such as:

Solas: You seem troubled, Seeker. Still plagued by thoughts of your order?

Cassandra: I... am reminded of what I was told following my vigil. They said my abilities were a gift from the Maker, a reward for my faith and dedication. But it was a trick, wasn't it? A ritual no different that the Harrowing, simply magic...

Solas: Do you know how rare spirits of faith are? How difficult it is to draw them to this world? You should be proud, having accomplished something so remarkable, not ashamed it was not what you thought.

Cassandra: Thank you, Solas. That... does make me feel better.

Solas: Your faith does you credit, Cassandra. I hope your Maker is worthy.

and cole:

Cole: I am sorry your friend died, Solas.

Solas: Thank you, Cole.

Cole: I didn't know there were spirits of wisdom.

Solas: There are few. Spirits form as a reflection of this world and its passions.

Solas: We will never lack for spirits of rage, or hunger, or desire. The world gives them plenty to mirror.

Solas: The gentler spirits are far more rare. We can ill afford the loss of even one spirit of wisdom, or faith...

Solas: Or compassion.

Cole: I will try not to die.

Solas: Do that, please.

and this banter, also with cassandra, which does not directly touch on the subject but does give us some insight into solas and his concept of faith, and specifically how he does not really have faith as such, but believes in people - perhaps a change from believing in faith (Faith) once

Cassandra: Solas, if you do not mind me asking, what do you believe in?

Solas: Cause and effect. Wisdom as its own reward, and the inherent right of all free willed people to exist.

Cassandra: That is not what I meant.

Solas: I know. I believe the elven gods existed, as did the old gods of Tevinter. But I do not think any of them were gods, unless you expand the definition of the word to the point of absurdity. I appreciate the idea of your Maker, a god that does not need to prove his power. I wish more such gods felt the same.

Cassandra: You have seen much sadness in your journeys, Solas. Following the Maker might offer some hope.

Solas: I have people, Seeker. The greatest triumphs and tragedies this world has known can all be traced to people.

and i am connecting the fucking dots here

(okay i am actually open to many interpretations and hold multiple interpretations of things simultaneously, but this is giving me a very compelling angle to explore)

elgar'nan as faith. solas as wisdom+pride (bc i do think he was tapping into both aspects regularly). solas asked to take form to help quell elgar'nan, perhaps because mythal could see the corruption beginning to take root, or perhaps because of the titans more than elgar'nan; nonetheless, he took form and walked amongst the evanuris for so long

somewhere in that span of time, approached by elgar'nan or approaching him, discussing things at length. conversations that lasted days, weeks. debates that were heated but never angry. faith and wisdom+pride pushing each other, but never maliciously. a rigorous scholarly exercise

and then. the beginning of the end. elgar'nan growing a little colder, a little sharper. making more demands of those who followed him - willingly. the wars taking their toll. fewer debates. more arguments, or more condescension. solas, bitter and hurt, retreating to mythal... much later regretting this (not because of mythal tho) since he is convinced that he could have reached elgar'nan at this stage, could have made him see what he was becoming

solas being disappointed to see a spirit of faith being corrupted, trying to stem the tide (alongside mythal, in my view!), but eventually losing the battle. the deep regret of that; of, one, having someone you care for slip away, become someone - something - else; and, two, having that someone else become a tyrant. believing that you had a chance to turn them from that path if you had only done it right. the weight of that regret... and how solas is so shaped by his regrets...

different angle on solar'nan and i am Thinking About It 👀

i also want to include this bit of solas and cassandra banter, because i feel like it touches on solas' view of the evanuris, of course, and arlathan, and organizations - very possibly including his own rebellion - but can also be looped back to more broadly referencing the corruption of, in this case, elgar'nan and how that was the beginning of the end for an arlathan he remembers fondly:

Cassandra: I noticed, Solas, that you did not seem surprised by what I uncovered about the Seekers.

Solas: No? They are an organization.

Cassandra: You think organizations to be inherently corrupt?

Solas: Given enough time, yes. To survive, an organization must devote resources to maintaining itself. Those resources inevitably accumulate until the original purpose, however pure, is all but lost.

Cassandra: You make the Seekers sound like a mindless beast.

Solas: A beast, no matter how mindless, will die and give way to a successor. An organization is eternal. There are always corrupt men who hoard power for their own gain and there are always honorable men who hoard power to fight them.

side note, i absolutely love his "No?" the question mark. solas the man u are.

[jesncin]

Spirit World, Ride the Cyclone and Death. A weird comparative analysis

Gonna combine my musical nerd and cape comics fixation together for a rambling meta thought. I've been reflecting on how taboo the topic of death is in media after getting into Ride The Cyclone (highly recommend watching the slime tutorial and Waiting in the Wings' documentary on it) but also contrasting that musical with how Spirit World handled similar topics.

Both stories cover characters whose lives were cut short from a tragic circumstance, but while Cyclone directly talks frankly about how each character uniquely grieves over their lost life (and eventually accepts death)- Spirit World uses death as largely an aesthetic to a generic fantasy superhero adventure.

[spoilers for Ride the Cyclone and Spirit World]

Spirit World is about non-binary, half dead half living Envoy Xanthe Zhou, as they go into the Spirit World with John Constantine to rescue Cassandra Cain Batgirl. They eventually go toe to toe with the spirit of a bitter dead poet.

Ride the Cyclone is about 6 choir teenagers who die in a roller coaster accident in their small town. In the afterlife, they are given the chance to vote which one of them they believe should be resurrected.

For Spirit World, do we even know how Xanthe feels about being "half dead"? What does that even mean? They died as (what looks like) a 3 year old, and have clearly aged 15 more years since then. So they can age? Do they need to eat or drink (they're seen with a drink in a Pride comic)? Xanthe keeps mentioning they're half dead and half living, but the comic doesn't seem to want to discuss what that means. How would Xanthe feel that they were essentially given a job as an Envoy the minute they died as a very young child? Was this even a choice?

We've already covered the numerous plot holes in Xanthe Zhou's poorly thought out backstory so I won't go over that again. But honestly apart from the thematically loose "the dead shouldn't be forgotten" moral, a lot of how death is presented in Spirit World feels so superficial. When Xanthe is formally introduced as this cool character with a giant sword hanging around a gravesite, fighting all these hopping vampire creatures... this scene would play out the same if you swapped the setting with a forest and zombies as bad guys.

The Spirit World is less an afterlife for the spirits to move onto and more an MMORPG setting for our superheroes to travel across and fight generic evil beings and encounter eviler, bigger, boss battles at the end. Then there's the poet clout villain whose problems are just easily solved by Xanthe promising to remember her. I've already covered what a lost opportunity thematically this character was in my last Xanthe essay, but this time I want to contrast her with Ride the Cyclone's Jane Doe. I also want to compare Xanthe with Noel Gruber afterwards.

Ride the Cyclone's musical numbers follow each character performing a song reflecting their wishes, and musings on life (this sounds depressing but the musical handles all this with comedy and wit), hoping to prove themselves as worthy of a second chance at life. Of the characters, Jane Doe is the mysterious odd one out. The accident decapitated her, leaving her to enter the after life with no memories and the people of the living unable to identify her.

You might see where I'm going with this. So in Spirit World, Wan Yujing was this famous poet mourned by an entire empire. She only goes monster mode when a handwave-y "time erodes all" happens in the Spirit World and she is eventually forgotten- so she becomes desperate to demand to be reincarnated by the Jade Court. Because her clout ran out. Again, I already made the critique in my previous essay that this villain would better link to our protagonist if she was a queer poet whose poetry was being purposefully straight washed as an act of queer historical erasure. But I want to bring up how truly unsympathetic this villain is. She gets Shakespeare levels of clout but still demands more because she isn't getting reincarnated fast enough. Xanthe promises that as an immortal "half dead half living" person that they will remember Wan Yujing, so she too can be immortal in some way.

I think about all the Jane Doe-s in the Spirit World who don't get to be famous poets that have Empires remembering who they were. People who died anonymously without a past. In Cyclone, the main character chooses Jane Doe as the person who should be brought back to life. Our cast of teens come to terms with the fact that while it's tragic that their lives ended shortly, they conclude "to say that if one dies young, they die needlessly... that is to discount the years we had. We had a life, she didn't. That's my vote." Since Jane Doe has no memory of who she is, it's only fair that she is given that second chance.

I get that Spirit World is choosing these "larger than life" characters as villains, but it's at the expense of their own supposed themes. Of all the people to die and face off our hero as the villain, a character who's essentially an influencer but somehow has an entire empire forget about her anyway feels thematically hollow.

Modern Superhero comics are suffering from a specific problem right now; they're not really about anything. Characters don't feel like people with interior lives informed by the context of who they are. Class, race and bigotry are only touched upon as lightly as possible. Queer characters are now Pride ads with no personhood or flaws. They punch gentrified crime and fight for no one in particular. Even recent adapted media such as My Adventures with Superman and Caped Crusader follow this. Superman fights white-washed xenophobia, while Batman fights gentrified, white-washed classicism. It's why comics like Superman Smashes the Klan, Catwoman Lonely City and Alan Scott Green Lantern stand out so much. It's been a while since these characters talked about anything that matters. Don't get me wrong, slop that's about nothing exists in every industry. But when these characters and worlds historically used to have more bite- it's especially obvious.

If I could be playfully conspiracy theory-like for a second; I believe Xanthe Zhou was pitched so that DC Comics can buff out their Pride Anthology or AAPI anthology with a new younger character. The company will give this character one limited series, but that's it. Xanthe will appear in the larger DC universe whenever big magic plots happen, but that's it. Maybe they'll get a YA graphic novel. I would love to be proven wrong, but the problems with Xanthe are baked in the dough.

Because they don't feel like a person, Xanthe feels more like an industry planted Pride ad. They're designed to be the most palatable and marketable image of Asian androgyny. They literally have no flaws to grow out of, and their backstory makes no sense. They weren't built to be a sustainable solo character.

So I want to contrast Xanthe Zhou against Noel Gruber from Ride the Cyclone. Because they're both queer characters whose lives were cut short at a young age.

In a dramatic lament, Noel Gruber expresses how if he had a chance to live, he'd want to live the horrible cinematic messy life of a French sex worker woman in post-war France. He struggled as the only gay boy in a small town and never got to kiss a boy before he died. It's a look into a queer life that could've been lived, one with all the messy texture and self destruction Noel couldn't have but desires. We get to see how death and queerness intersect into rich, unflattering, gender-messy themes. "I want to be that fucked up girl." Noel sings.

But what's Xanthe's deal? They died as a 3 year old, got brought back, avoided their family at all costs for 15 years, and then had a transphobic confrontation with their family when they're invited to dinner way later. If Xanthe grew up in a transphobic household, how did they ever figure out they were non-binary when they were 3? Could they even verbalize it? Or did they instead figure out their queerness after they died? But how is that possible when they already held a level of familiar resentment towards their family's transphobia as if they've had several fights about it? It's hard to picture a 3 year old having multiple heated debates about gender with their parents for this level of resentment to make any sense.

Details aside, how does Xanthe's queerness intersect with themes of death and grief? Well, it just doesn't. This scene ends with Xanthe's sister telling them that she bothered remembering them even though their parents moved on from their death (which makes no sense since the parents wanted to have dinner with a random 18 year old they correctly assumed was their long dead "daughter" but whatever). Honestly, the only reason queerness exists in this family drama is so that Xanthe has a tense relationship with their family. The story would be exactly the same if Xanthe was a troublemaker that brought shame to their family. Who they are isn't specific to whatever grief exists in the comic.

When people give the critique that modern Superhero comics aren't about anything anymore, we usually think of these comics as "lacking political bite and commentary". We don't often think of something like Death to be political. And even though it is in many ways, it's also a social taboo to talk about. Death is an uncomfortable thing to confront, even in the safety of fiction. It's what made Ride the Cyclone such a difficult stage musical to market.

So how does a modern mainstream comic like Spirit World fit into that? It just sits there in this non-committal way. Yes, this is a story about a trans teenager who died, but only in a cool Superhero Origin Way, not in any way that would make readers uncomfortable. Bury Your Gays is a stereotype after all, so we can't talk about how queer people feel about death. We don't get to know how Xanthe feels about death as a non-binary Asian American. Especially if it's messy. It's the reason why Wan Yujing's character can never commentate on themes of historical queer erasure. God forbid superhero comics be about something.

I think about how, in the original Hellblazer run from the 80s, John Constantine had an elderly gay friend who was diagnosed with AIDS but was killed by a homophobic hate group. The comic openly talks about the sheer amount of gay people dying of the epidemic, a looming threat that informs John's queer life. It's such a culture shock, to contrast these early comics with how John Constantine is written in Spirit World. A character stripped of his own queer history and is at the mercy of incessant slutty bi jokes. Where is the desire to talk about how death informs a queer person's life? The mourning of a lost generation to the AIDS crisis? Something John lived through?

How about how any of this intersects with being an Asian American queer person? Queer people of color are often erased or purposefully excluded from queer history and communities. As a Queer Asian American, what does it mean to have identities that are often perceived to be in conflict with each other? Would your queer Asian ancestors even be remembered? Cultural differences with how you'd mourn your communities? But answering any of these questions means an uncomfortable conversation for Spirit World. For Xanthe. It threatens to be about something.

Which makes it all the more silly that, of the two stories, a musical about teenagers dying from a rollercoaster malfunction is more willing to have that uncomfortable conversation. You should ride the Cyclone.

[criminalmindsxdc]

Our 2025 Prompts!

We tried to do something a little different with the prompts this year and grouped them in ways we thought might be fun to blend together. About half of the prompts are new, and half are reused from last year based on discussion with my lovely collection mods!

We hope you have a great time!

PROMPT LIST

Day 1 - Monday, February 3rd

Better Call Constantine || Supernatural Unsub || Magic User!BAU Agent

“Wheels up.”

Day 2 - Tuesday, February 4th

Meta!BAU Agent || FBI Fitness Test/Certification || Attending a Wayne Gala

“What kind of nickname is ___?”

Day 3 - Wednesday, February 5th

Kidnapping || Batskills Save the Day || Canon-Case, Hero Victim

"I think, deep down, we're all capable of unspeakable things."

Day 4 - Thursday, February 6th

Throwback Thursday* || Time/Dimension Travel || Double Cross(over)**

"The only difference between insanity and genius is success.”

Day 5- Friday, February 7th

Soulmate AU || Secret Relationship*** || Identity Porn/Reveal

“It’s actually safer to kiss.”

Day 6 - Saturday, February 8th

Lazarus Pits || BAU vs. the League of Assassins || Unexpected Allies

“Give a man a mask and he will show his true face.”

Day 7 - Sunday, February 9th

Backstory Reveal || Undercover Justice League || Profiling a Rogue/Bat

"Life is a hell of a thing to happen to a person."

*Choose a prompt from a previous year that you wish made the cut!

**This can be taken as a literal Double Cross = Betrayal prompt, or as an excuse to throw in a third universe!

***This can be romantic, platonic, or familial! The world is your oyster, be free!

[itsbumblebunnybee]

DELTARUNE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

(Also fair warning: I don't really take part or read meta posts or discussions, so this may be something people are already discussing, but I still want to put my thoughts out there. I'm not super interested in debates but feel free to comment respectfully! <3)

So we don't yet officially know that Ralsei is Kris's costume horns, but I feel like... it's pretty easy to put together, and it'll take some convincing on Toby's part for him to be something else.

What's more interesting to me is, if that is the case, what Ralsei means to Kris. I feel like a lot of people have assumed over the years that he is Asriel or represents Asriel somehow, which like, I understand assuming that. The mixed up name and the look and everything.

But I'm thinking about the horns. Kris is a human, adopted by a monster family. They clearly wore the costume horns because their adopted family is made up of goats, who all have horns. They wanted to fit in, to be a goat monster too.

Ralsei loves Kris. He treats them with affection and respect, but not quite like a sibling would, and not quite romantically either... more like... he's used to taking care of Kris for a long time. More like he knows them better than anyone, maybe. Maybe he cares more deeply about them and their welfare than anyone else.

Ralsei, the red-horned goat, Kris's halloween demon horns that they wore to feel like they belonged in their family.

Ralsei, whose name is an anagram of Asriel... but what is Asriel's name? A combination of Toriel and Asgore's.

If Toriel and Asgore had another biological child after Asriel, would they have named it similarly?

Would that name have been Ralsei?

Does Ralsei love Kris so dearly because he is a version of what they wished they could be?

Because he represents what they never would be?

Is Ralsei a nightmare-mirror of Kris's identity and grief over never belonging?

Again, this may be an old and wrung-out discussion by now. But I feel like the new chapters really give credence to it, thematically ig.

Food for thought, at least.

[cosmic-light-fics]

It's one in the morning and I have to get up early for work, but my brain wouldn't shut off until I got this off my chest.

I'm a nobody in this world. Most days I barely know who I am or what I like or what I want to do with my time on this earth. I hardly ever get attached to things because of past trauma, but I got attached to The Bear. I attached to this story of found family and love and redemption and rekindling of passion because it struck a deep chord within me that craves all those things. I loved the story for what it was in Season 1. I loved the promises it made of a better future in Season 2. My faith dropped a lot in Season 3, and I convinced myself that Season 4 would be the one that held all the answers, it would be the one that brought us back to the feeling of Season 1 and fulfill the promises made in Season 2.

I couldn't even bring myself to finish this entire season. I got to episode 5, stopped and skipped ahead to watch episode 10, then called it quits. I didn't realize how much of my internal happiness hinged on my boasted expectations of this show, nor did I realize how entangled my overall wellbeing would be in an outcome like this.

It's got nothing to do with shipping. Honestly, after season 3 my hopes for sydcarmy vanished. The utter disappointment and hollowness I feel for this season stems from the treatment of Sydney and Carmy's partnership. The writers created something so wonderful and undeniable, only to mangle it all. I honestly can't articulate my thoughts any better than this. I am tired. I am sad. I am passed the point of anger, just drained and resigned. I am at a loss for words.

I appreciate you all for this wonderful community that you created. I think that being here and reading all your thoughts and meta is what made the show so special to me.

I'll no longer be participating in the discussions or in the fandom. I've lost the love I had for this show and anything I'd have to say about it from here on out would be distasteful, so I'm stepping away completely. It was so nice being here and I wish you all nothing but the best. 💙

[joannerowling]

I’m curious - why do you think Fred dying was necessary? I’m not disagreeing but I was devastated so I’m curious what your thoughts are! (Especially after your Percy meta 🤌🏻)

Many reasons! A Weasley always had to die in the last book because, as JKR put it, it wouldn't have been realistic for all of them to survive. They were too involved.

With regards to Percy specifically, well… Percy's return always had to come at a price, to really drive home how poor his decisions were. Percy's arc teaches the reader a lesson about family, and being careful about the sort of wedges you're prepared to drive between them and you, and why, because if you ever change your mind it might be too late, especially in uncertain times. Think about Covid, or the Israel-Palestine war, those are the sort of political situations which can create huge tensions and sometimes tear families completely, and needlessly, apart.

The point isn't really that Percy was in the wrong when he stood with Fudge in OotP, his real offense was his refusal to come back after that. He had ample opportunity to do so – he could have admitted his mistake, apologised, and the family would have forgiven him in time. Instead he wallowed in his pride and/or shame. Then the war truly started in DH and even if he'd have wanted to make contact it became either too dangerous or impossible (as he wouldn't have known where they were hiding). And then right as he finds them back again during the finale battle, right as he's making tentative connections (a joke!) with the member of the family he had the toughest time communicating with, giving us some hope for reconciliation and growth… Nope, it's too late.

It ALWAYS had to be one of the twins because they were the ones Percy had the most volatile conflict with. It could have been Arthur, but Arthur had already a close call in OotP and Percy's emotions over that had already been shown so it would have felt repetitive. Plus, as discussed in the previous post, Percy takes his "big brother" status seriously, so it HAD to be a younger sibling he failed to protect and ever fix his mistakes with.

What makes it worse (and therefore better! :D) is Percy COULD have been close with Fred and George: they are the closest in age after all. But the fact they were twins meant they were always their own little team within the siblings + their personalities didn't match with Percy's + they were all competing for Molly and Arthur's attention. (In fact i think there's a good chance that a young Percy at some point wished he only had one little brother instead of the twins, so it could be Bill & Charlie, Ron & Ginny, and him and whoever would be instead of the twins. Obviously, once one of the twins gets actually killed, it wouldn't have been a great memory. I know, i'm extrapolating a lot here, but some people in this fandom think Evan Rosier was fucking Luna Lovegood's mum so just indulge me lol)

ALSO (i'm stopping after that promise), does Percy's behaviour remind you of anyone? Ron is very Percy-like in DH. But unlike Percy, Ron needed to have a bit of Voldemort's evil soul hanging around his neck to make that kind of choice + he regretted it immediately and tried to come back + crucially he was ready to admit his mistake and work on his flaws. He sought the advice of Bill when Percy isolated himself. That's why Ron doesn't get punished, and also probably why Ron's a main character and hero.

Tl;dr: Fred's death is the inevitable conclusion of the tragedy that is Percy's arc about being too proud to solve minor conflicts with his family until it was too late.

[tociminna]

Baldur's Book Club, Episode Two: Natāre

Welcome back to Baldur's Book Club, where the gang gathers to snack and talk shit about various Forgotten Realms literature.

Episode 2: Natāre

AO3 link

Characters: Gale, Wyll (POV) and Shadowheart, with appearances by Astarion, Karlach, and Halsin

Book: A juicy bit of mermaid smut I invented (AKA a sequel to the book Wyll and Shadowheart discuss in Act 3 banter). Hijinks ensue. If you have ever had a strange desire to discuss meta-smut, this is for you.

Rating: Soft M for genital metaphors 😃

Word Count: 1.7k

The book had been Wyll's idea, following a conversation he'd had with Shadowheart about a book his father had kept stashed in a desk drawer, many years ago. It turned out they had both read The Salty Mermaid so many times as to have several sections fully memorized, so they had chosen its sequel, Waves of Ecstasy, for their book club meeting. 

Gale had been dubious, but ultimately the man could not refuse an invitation either to read or to talk about what he'd read. Wyll had a sneaking suspicion, based on a conversation he wished he had not overheard at Last Light Inn, that Gale was much better acquainted with salacious literature than he would publicly admit.

A bottle of Mermaid whiskey sat on the small table, three glasses arranged before it - his contribution. Gale was cooking, of course; Shadowheart had lifted her chin and said her trenchant commentary would have to be enough.

Astarion walked by, stopping to drop a brief kiss on his cheek. “Enjoy your silly book, dear man. I'm going to have a long bath.”

Warmth rose in Wyll - not quite arousal, not quite love, but a deep appreciation. A gratitude. He was grateful they had a place of relative safety such as this, a place where Astarion, who had long shied from any kind of vulnerability like a spooked horse, could rest and relax. He needed it. He deserved it.

“It's very sweet, you know,” Shadowheart said, coming in from the hall to sit across from Wyll. “The way you look at him. I believe the term is ‘moony-eyed’.”

“Ha. I see the trenchant commentary has arrived.”

Shadowheart smiled. “I am a woman of my word. Is Gale ready yet?”

“I think he will be soon. He said he was finishing up a few minutes ago.”

“The food last time was… well. Even if I hadn’t been interested in the book, this would be worth it.”

Wyll poured whiskey into all three glasses, topping up the last just as Gale arrived, levitating a tray before him. He placed it on the table, picking up a glass as he sat.

“Whiskey! Lovely,” he said, taking an appreciative sip. “And thematic, too.”

“What's the menu?” Shadowheart said, leaning forward and looking as if she were restraining the urge to rub her hands together in anticipation. The top of the dish looked to be mashed potato shaped into a fish, complete with scalloped scales and browned just so. 

“Fish pie,” Gale answered. “Needs to cool a bit before we can eat it.”

“Also thematic,” Wyll said. “Perhaps a touch… cannibalistic? Given the story is about a sentient bit of seafood.”

Gale shrugged. “Merfolk eat fish. Besides, Karlach has been going on and on about the pie at the Blushing Mermaid. I tried it last week.”

“And you thought you could do better,” Shadowheart said.

“I know I can do better. In fact, I'm quite sure I have. You’ll see.”

Karlach wandered in, eyes half-closed in bliss as she sniffed the air. “Do I smell fish pie?” she said, longing in her voice.

“You do,” Gale answered. “Sit and try some. I've made more than enough.”

“Gale, this has fins,” Shadowheart said, poking at it with a fork. “And a tail.”

“You can do a lot with flour and butter,” he said proudly. “Mix them into the usual potato and it's quite sculptable.”

“Does it have the heads in?” Karlach asked eagerly, sitting down.

Gale made a face. “No, that ruins the texture. The heads were used in making the stock.”

Wyll laughed. “Are we going to talk about it, or eat it? I'll grant it's quite lifelike.”

Substantial helpings were dished and served, and all conversation ceased. 

“Ye gods, man,” Wyll said, resisting an impulse to lick his empty plate, “that was sinful. You must have used a week's ration of butter.”

Shadowheart, working on a second helping, said nothing.

“Hmmm,” Karlach said, a note of doubt in her tone as she tapped her lower lip with her fork. “It's real good mate, don't get me wrong, but it's missing something.”

“He probably washed his hands before he started cooking it,” Shadowheart pointed out. “The Mermaid is not known for its attention to cleanliness.”

“It's good for the constitution!” Karlach said defensively. Gale looked between them, slightly green.

“I ate there last week,” he said. “Is it really that bad?”

“Let's just say the Blushing Mermaid’s initials are… evocative.”

Gale's greenish hue deepened.

“It was a week ago. You've survived it already,” Wyll said with a chuckle.

Karlach stood, patting Gale on the shoulder. “Anyway, good stuff. I'm off, have fun with your book thing!”

Dishes cleared, whiskey in hand, they leaned back. 

“So,” Wyll said, taking the lead. “Waves of Ecstasy.”

“Honestly?” Shadowheart took a sip. “I think it was a quick cash-in on the first volume. You can tell it was dashed off in a hurry.”

“The prose is certainly, er, rustic,” Gale said. 

“Are we really here for style, though?” Wyll asked. “Or for substance?”

Shadowheart laughed. “If by substance you mean dirty scenes, then absolutely substance.” 

“I don’t see why we can’t have both.”

“Gale, do you suppose there’s such an abundance of smutty mermaid literature that you can pick and choose?”

“Isn’t there?”

“Sadly, no,” Wyll answered, shaking his head in mock sorrow. “Centaurs have been all the rage lately. I haven’t seen a good mermaid tale in ages.”

Gale looked faintly horrified. “Centaurs? Is that safe?”

“It’s fiction. You can’t perforate your imagination, can you?”

“I suppose not.”

“Rustic prose or no, there were some enjoyable moments,” Shadowheart mused. 

“I certainly learned a few terms,” Wyll said, laughing at the memory. “I don’t believe I’ll ever forget ‘his fingers slipped gently into her bewitching bivalve’.”

Halsin, coming in through the main door, stopped when he overheard this. “Bewitching bivalve? Have you found clams for dinner?”

“Even better,” Shadowheart said. “We’ve found some naughty metaphors that are absolutely delicious. Come and see.” 

Halsin sat beside her, taking the book from her hand. He lit his pipe, the sweet-smelling smoke blending pleasantly with the aroma of whiskey, and began to read.

“Gale, did you have a favorite?” Wyll asked.

“None of them made sense,” Gale lamented. “I suppose ‘his jutting bowsprit bobbed in rhythm with the waves’ was rather obvious, if a bit too nautical for my liking. If one had never been on a boat that would have been a reach indeed.”

Shadowheart giggled. “My favorite was ‘she took shelter in her lover’s humid grotto’.” Next to her Halsin snorted and turned a page.

“It’s so nonspecific,” Gale complained. “Why, a grotto could represent any number of places, anatomically. It’s just a small, damp cave.”

Wyll joined Shadowheart in a fit of snickering. “That’s the point, isn’t it?”

“Oh, I like this one,” Halsin said, and cleared his throat to read aloud. “‘His dowsing rod found moisture, straining in his grasp.’”

Shadowheart choked on her whiskey, coughing and wheezing with laughter. Halsin patted her on the back until she recovered, still peering at the book.

“How is this position possible?” he asked. “Is one of them an octopus and I’ve missed it?”

“That happens rather a lot,” Wyll commented. “It’s easier if you stop trying to keep track of appendages.”

Gale shook his head, looking disappointed.

“What is it?” Wyll said.

“It's just…” Gale frowned and folded his arms. “The author clearly didn't bother to do a speck of research. How are we to suspend disbelief when there are so many glaring inaccuracies at the fore?”

“How would you know it's inaccurate?” Shadowheart asked. “How many times have you been up close and personal with one of the merfolk?”

“They are rather famously unfriendly,” Wyll added.

“Does it matter how I know? The point is the sloppy background work. It positively kills immersion.”

“Heh. Immersion, get it?” Shadowheart smirked, pointing both fingers at Gale, who rolled his eyes.

“You're just jealous she got to the pun before you did,” said Wyll. “And you haven't answered the question, though I'll go on record to say I'm not sure I want to know the answer.”

“Yes, come now, Gale,” Halsin said, puffing on his pipe and handing the book back to Shadowheart. “Even I do not know the… intricacies involved. Enlighten us.”

“Fine!” Gale threw his hands in the air. “True Polymorph is a thing, if you must know! If the author had a bit of integrity or commitment to proper research they could have asked any wizard!”

No one spoke. The only sound to be heard was Astarion splashing faintly in the bath and Scratch chewing on his favorite stick in the next room over.

In the interest of not focusing too sharply on the meaning of what he'd just heard, Wyll opted to nitpick.

“Not any wizard, surely. That spell is one of the most difficult out there. Only the highest order of casters can perform it.”

“Well, yes, obviously,” Gale said.

“I will guess that you yourself have attempted this, then?” Halsin asked.

A flush began to creep up Gale's neck. “It's all much more cumbersome than you'd expect. I shan't be providing details, except to say that the humanoid party either needs to use Alter Self to breathe underwater, or you have to Levitate several hundredweight of mermaid. Merman. Merperson. Rocks and sand do not make for a pleasant experience, either.”

Another silence, this one longer and heavy with speculation.

“I'm never going to be able to read this book again,” Shadowheart said wistfully, placing it back on the table.

“Is Alter Self something you find useful in that regard? In a more general sense?” Halsin asked. “It is not nature magic, but I have always been curious.”

Gale opened his mouth to answer. 

“Don't answer that,” Wyll said hastily, suppressing an urge to cover his ears. “We're all very grateful for that little hut of yours. What happens there needs to stay there.”

“Gods, I know,” Shadowheart said, wrinkling her nose. “It'd be like hearing your parents. Or so I'm told.”

“You're older than I am!” Gale cried, indignant.

“Most fish do not possess matching, er, equipment.” Halsin was still thoughtfully working away at his pipe. “Does the transformation require a more mammalian type for compatibility? Say, a dolphin tail, rather than a fish?”

“You'd be surprised at how far you can stretch the -”

“All right!” Wyll clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention. “Book club has been wonderful, hasn’t it? But now it’s over.”

“Thanks be,” Shadowheart said. “Is there any whiskey left?”

Tagging @12thhouse-sun, @residentdormouse, @optimisticgrey, @lemonwoodwrites, @aoifethephoenixqueen

[moongothic]

So a few weeks ago I ran into this, old, old Crocodile meta post from 2015, the OP of which hasn't been active on Tumbr (at least on that account) since 2018. And this post (along with some of the OP's other posts) has been living in my head rent free since then.

There was just something there about seeing these old meta posts, completely detached from the current state of the story, the fandom and the Crocodad Propaganda... It just made for a truly refreshing read, but they also had such great observations about Crocodile I hadn't even thought about or noticed*, and somewhat most importantly... validating my own feelings/observations about things I've been kind of afraid to vocalize myself lest I apper completely delulu. Like I dunno I do worry sometimes if I'm just reading into things too much just to make massive reaches to get The Reading of the character that happens to support the Crocodad theory specifically, instead of trying to get a more objective reading instead. So seeing someone else make either those exact same or similar observations nearly 10 years before I did is so validating, and really just made me want to discuss some of those things.

*(Like this whole post about how "DON!" is often used to add emphasis and show the true beliefs of characters, and how Crocodile doesn't really say things with a DON!, almost like his heart isn't in most of the things he does or says. I dunno it was such a good read)

Sidenote: I do want to quickly comment that I don't agree with the OP on some of their readings about stuff, and more importantly, due to the age of the both the original posts and the OP not being active anymore, I didn't want to, like... Treat them as if they just posted it recently and interact with the posts as such. (I dunno, when people go digging through my decade old main blog and start reblogging shit I posted in like 2014 it just. I dunno, it's just kind of uncomfortable. Like you're allowed to browse my past but I wished people let my ancient cringe stay in the past. But that's just me) Like for example I feel like OP has a fundamental misunderstanding what being "trans" really even means (thus I don't agree with their take on trans Croc), but again, OP's take is old and so I don't want to hold it against them. They could have grown since then and come to better understand what being trans means, and regardless of that they don't have to buy into the theory either. And I absolutely do not want anyone to start trying to pester them about it or anything (again, they posted these things nearly 10 years ago), regardless of if they're still active or not. But yeah, that's why this is a whole separate post rather than a reblog with commentary.

So OP in their post speculated how in this moment (chap 206), based on the face he makes and the serious look he gives to Luffy, Crocodile seems to find the idea of someone being willing to die for someone else's sake absolutely incomprehensible, as if he's trying to wrap his head around the mere concept. That, or he used to know what it was like to hold someone/something that dear to you, but has long forgotten what it was like

Rereading this arc a while back I couldn't help but to take notice of this panel too and that unusual, somber(?) look on Crocodile's face. But because I'm a Crocodad Truther, of course I couldn't help but to feel that this was a face of recognition, of Crocodile understanding Luffy exactly in this moment, that willingness to do anything for a loved one. Especially because I have been speculating Crocodile might've been doing all of this with the goal of nuking the World Government out of orbit to protect his long lost baby boy (it's just that he simply finds Luffy's insistence on protecting this random ass princess from a random ass country he has zero ties to ridiculous, as opposed to like, doing all of this to protect immidiate, close family)

So again, despite the different reading it is validating as hell to see someone else think this panel in particular was odd. But the more I thought about it, I did kind of start leaning towards OP's reading. Now this one was originally pointed out by opbackgrounds, how in this scene (chapter 196) while Crocodile is meant to be laughing and mocking the royal guard for "throwing their lives away" to protect Cobra, he isn't actually smiling. We don't even get to see his full face with his eyes blacked out, so we don't get to see Crocodile's true feelings in this scene

And that does kind of reframe what he says in the second panel. For a long time I wondered if the implication was that Crocodile does actually value people's lives more than he lets on (especially with his seeming willingness to blow up a million people in a violent, orchestraded coup), just having a "small sacrifice for the greater good" kinda outlook (as we know, casualties can't be avoided in war, Croco and Luffy both agree on that) (where as I would IMAGINE Dragon having a more "no sacrifices, we have to save as many people as possible" kinda principle)

But now, looking at these two moments together, and knowing Crocodile has trust issues for unknown reasons, there is also that option that, perhaps... No one has ever shown that kind of loyalty towards him, a willingness to follow him to the grave or support him, to stay by his side? And if so, maybe, in these two scenes, Crocodile does recognize that kind of deep loyalty and trust and love, and has to cope with the fact that he has and may never experience it himself, that he's doomed to be alone, surrounded only by people who "respect him" out of fear (something that could be extra painful while knowing someone had just recently betrayed him by leaking his info to ruin his plans/after figuring out it was Robin, his very literal partner in crime. Like talk about rubbing salt into a wound).

And y'know, that is an extremely sad reading and I feel so bad for my poor little meow meow (that man needs a hug so bad), but also that doesn't really add to pushing The Crocodad Agenda, which is very unfortunate. Especially because I feel like between the two readings, Crocodile recognizing loyalty no one will ever show him (and being hurt by the fact) feels like a more comprehensive and simple reading, than if one is about him showing he doesn't fully believe in what he's doing is right and the other about him relating to Luffy on a deeper level.

But then, as OP pointed out in their post, for the entirety of page 2 of Chapter 207 while Luffy is keeling over from the poison finally kicking in, Crocodile looks like he's fully letting down his walls to express genuine relief, as if the those beliefs Croc had carried and convinced himself were true were just confirmed

What're his beliefs again? That trust in others is worthless, and you can not afford to have ideals if you're weak, great strenght being the only thing that allows you, if not straight up justifies you, in doing whatever you please? Now, maybe it's just me, but if Crocodile was showing relief here over his belief that trusting others is worthless after being reminded time and time again of the love and loyalty the Strawhats have for each other and the Alabastan kingdom has for everyone in it (etc)... I dunno, I feel like that would be kind of weak, if that's where Crocodile's internalized beliefs were wavering. But if Crocodile's whole Utopia-plan had been about destroying the WG to protect his baby boy (and release the whole world from the WG's oppressive rule while he's at it) at whatever cost, while he deep inside knew what he was doing was fucked up beyond belief... Yeah, Crocodile trying to convince himself what he was doing was "justified" would make sense. Him having his beliefs potentially even waver a little bit through out this whole ordeal would make sense. Crocodile in this moment experiencing relief that what he had told himself was the righteous would make sense.

Everybody remember's Doflamingo's speech from Marineford, about how history is written by the victors and its them who decide what is right and what is wrong- the winner becomes "justice" itself. Vegapunk kind of called back to this concept during his broadcast too, and yeah, Crocodile did kind of introduce us to it back in Alabasta. If he had won, he would have been "justified" in what he had done, because it'd be him who'd be deciding what's right and what's wrong.

Now I don't really have anything else to add to that post in particular (though I absolutely love the reading on the Crocodile vs Robin part and now that I've read it I can't unsee nor disagree with it), but OP did make a separate post speculating about some of design decisions Oda made regarding Crocodile, starting with discussing the logo for Baroque Works. And they pointed this out

Bro wrote this in 2015, they have no idea, oh my god, dude had no clue whatsoever

So quickly looking that one up and yeah, wings have sometimes been used to represent the sun (most commonly with the sun, as a winged sun?) and yeah, that actually has a lot of meaning in the current state of the series re: God of Liberation the Sun God Nika. But what's more is that this is actually the SECOND time we're actually finding a way to link Crocodile to sun-symbolism, the other being Crocodile being a reference to the Egyptian god Sobek (protector god, god of military, go to Wikipedia), who has an alternative form (/fusion with Ra) called Sobek-Ra, where he is a sun god. And what was Crocodile trying to do in Alabasta if not falsely "liberate" the country from its original rule. Also worth noting is that seemingly the winged sun was most commonly used in Egyptian iconography, so if Oda ever did research Egyptian mythology for inspiration in Alabasta (which, considdering the sheer amount of Stuff in the story as a whole is more than likely), then it is very possible he could have read about the winged sun and used it intentionally.

But what I do find interesting is that, yeah, wings kinda are a symbol one would considder "heroic" or related to "freedom". And, as I have been going on and on about, if Crocodile's ultimate goal in creating his funny little "utopia" was to overthrow the World Government and "free" the whole world of their rule. Like. That really lines up with the whole symbolism with the sun and the liberation and the freedom and shit, like. Why does it line up so neatly good dear god

I dunno how to end this post, these were just a few little things that I had been thinking about after coming across OP's blog and, yeah, just wanted to discuss them.

Again, OP hasn't been active for years, but if they did suddenly come back please don't bother them or god forbid harrass them/try to get them to change their mind about trans Croco. Just don't start shit, please.

End of post byeeeeeeee