#Would you justify your actions by pointing out how it's not really your fault because you were neglected as a child?

[riddles-n-games]

The Accountability Problem

I see we are again debating who is being held accountable and who isn't. As a Jameson stan, let me be the first to say I absolutely will hold Jamie accountable for when he has been wrong and out of line. I hate some of his decisions and actions, especially in the last few books as of late. For those that are Grayson stans and keep him accountable for his actions, good on you. For the fans who agree in general all characters should be held accountable for certain actions, wonderful. Glad we're on the same page. But let's get something straight.

As unbiased and neutral as I try to be, I often saw that Jameson fans were far more attacked about their favorite than Grayson fans especially back when I joined tumblr in 2022. And let's be honest, as much as Avery and Jamie are among the faves, I would argue that no matter where you turn, whatever the social media, the fan fave character was always Grayson. He's quite literally the Harry Styles of this cast of characters.

Not that I'm mad at anyone for it but it always felt like Jameson fans had to work harder defending their choice and you could see that especially pre-release of TFG. Once TFG came out, I felt those statement posts felt even more valid (the good stuff about him, that is) but once TBH came out, some of that fell into the water. As I've said before, it always did feel like Jamie's development finished in TFG and ever since then, he stopped having progress.

It felt like JLB wrote herself into a corner with him because this series was already meant to be finished (look at TFG acknowledgments). Once Avery's story was done, we technically considered Jameson's that way too, right? Hence, she never knew what to do with him because of his arc being over and that's why I always had the feeling of being stuck in a loop post TFG regarding Jamie's character development or lack there of. But that was not the case with Gray. We knew exactly that TFG was his rock bottom and because he was the fan fave, he was going to get a redemption AND a love interest. JLB had a story to still tell and he had progress which he deserved but that's why Jamie hasn't been as much of a lovable character I'd say. That's why Lyra and TGG exist. That's why Lyra was always loved from the start; because we knew her role through the Grayson lens.

Now don't get me wrong, I certainly get that not everyone loves Lyra or Lyra and Gray as a couple but I think I see more love for them to the point they outshine Avery and Jameson. They weren't even a couple before we started dishing out so many fanfics about them, meanwhile how much time did it take for Averyjameson fics to roll out? 2-3 years on here. In general, it took like a good two years to start rolling out the fics for this series on tumblr, not that this is the point I am trying to make with that statement. Now, yes, times have changed but certain dynamics haven't and that would be the Jameson vs Grayson fans.

I think more valid criticism of Grayson's actions was only really pushed forward once the series originally ended but Jameson's was from the start because of his unruly nature. Now I get that he is a tough character to like so no judgment but the calling out was always there. Maybe Gray had some but not nearly as much. I know right now it seems more Jameson fans are defending his behavior and not all of it is justified because some stuff is for sure his AND Avery's fault (yup I am def saying our Heiress too) but let's not pretend that Jameson hasn't been called out 100 times more at this point than Grayson. If there was anything that Jamie has been right about, it's that even when Emily was playing both of them, it was always Gray. And you guys have always been the louder critics about Jamie's actions ever since TIG came out. There's never been a competition on that front, I just hope you can see that outside your bubble.

Thanks for reading and from now on, let's just say every character deserves criticism no matter how loved or not they are. Keep or change your opinion, that is your right. Just don't be blind.

[into-the-milgramverse]

You're 17.... Probably... You think... You don't really care much about your age.

Your family doesn't either. You can barely even remember your last birthday they celebrated. You don't remember when was the last time you saw them smiling. They've turned their back on you, gave up on you entirely.

It wasn't always like that. There was a time when they thought you'd become something, make them proud. But everyone else went ahead of you, while you stayed the same. Never changing, and not understanding the same things others your age should.

But it seems that when you start causing trouble, they notice you again. You kill a few bugs. You kill a few stray animals. And they scold you. But it only happens once or twice. Soon they stop caring.

So you go a step further. You jump over the fence between your home and your neighbor's, and kill the neighbor's dog. Suddenly eyes are on you again. So you kill more pets, and each time you do, you're getting the attention you needed.

So if killing the specific animals people cared about does that, what would killing a human do? After all, people do value human lives more than animal ones. And there's a child in your neighborhood who you've started to envy too. She's constantly praised, and people around you believe she'll achieve a lot in life.

Next thing you know, almost in a flash, your hands are around her neck. A neck that feels cold. She's gone cold. Strangled to death. By your own very hands.

It happened so quickly before you could process it properly. You know it's hurt people around you deeply, but it's also like the world has finally notices you. Both of your parents rush into the room where you're questioned by some uniformed men, and you pass out. You did something horrible, and you feel guilty over it, but you're also feeling happy.

But the feeling of guilt is getting stronger. You haven't fully understood it all yet. Just barely. After constant nightmares, clawing at your chest from pain this emotion is causing, you start to hate yourself. You hate yourself so much you want to die. You wish you could just... Strangle your old self. It feels almost real. As if your hands are around the neck of your younger self again. You feel the younger you desperately try to breathe. And then a bright flashlight is pointed at you.

You look down. Your hands are wrapped around the neck of a second child. You almost just killed a second child. That's it, that's what you did previously, wasn't it? A child who had a much brighter future than you. You killed that child. You're a murderer.

Can your crime ever be forgiven?

Or is it unforgivable?

Well? Can you? Can you forgive yourself?

Or maybe you need help? Wouldn't it be so much easier to have someone else to decide for you?

All you have to wait for is the final vote.

Guilty or Innocent

[qoldenskies]

what exactly did the cc!brothers experience when they were cursed? was it like a blurry kind of vision? were they just helpless to watch themselves harass donnie? i know they were at least a bit aware, i think leo said smthn ab it in miner’s eulogy. they were aware of what they were doing, but was the curse genuinely messing w their heads to the point they couldn’t even tell what was right anymore ?

technically the curse manipulated their emotions, not their thoughts. it was a slow build of anger and disgust and apathy and hatred over the course of those three months, and the ways they acted in response all came from internalized self-justifications that they made up themselves. they might refer to kitsune's actions like she crafted them specialized torture, but outside of some things like them being thrown off every time they thought something was wrong, their brains came up with it on their own.

the thing is, they resisted it. leo kind of rode the waves from the start because being mean to donnie is built into their dynamic, but mikey's actively trying to spare donnie's feelings as late in the game as right after the closet. raph pulls back, he stops before he goes too far. but they couldn't tell anything wrong because nothing seemed wrong, it all felt like their own line of thinking at the time. raph felt like he was protecting his family (and making donnie better), mikey thought he was both playing around and getting back at his "abuser" (leo and raph's fault), and leo thought he was just giving donnie what he deserved, taking him down a peg, etc.

the thing is that like... when you hate someone, everything's a subject of contempt. ive found things to be utterly insufferable in the people who have hurt me that ive found deeply endearing in my close friends, or would defend someone else for because i dont think being mildly annoying should be greatly worthy of scorn. your brain comes up with double-standards because you HATE them, and you like to look for reasons. that's really how it went with the cl bros, because they couldn't resist those feelings. they'd only build and build, and there's no ignoring that level of hate and anger. it was meant to build to the point where they would be completely comfortable killing him, after all, and even then raph still mentions crying when he puts his hands around donnie's throat. he still loved him until the very end. he almost thought of killing him as a mercy.

this informs them pretty heavily post-curse in general. they remember how they felt, and they felt vindicated, relieved and entertained by his suffering. it felt justified for all the grief and annoyance he'd brought them over the course of their whole lives. and when it snapped, there was a moment where they had to falter and go "wait, what the fuck am i doing??" first. they came out on the other side remembering all of the little ways their brain rewrote history and all the shit they blew out of proportion out of anger, and they cant really do anything but doubt their own minds from then on. even when there's no kitsune to curse them, theyre going to live their lives in fear.

they're not the only ones who got boiling frog'd, after all... their weaknesses were used against them (raph's strict moral code, mikey's self-centered childishness, leo's struggles with feelings of inferiority and envy) as excuses to abuse their brother, and it's why they so seamlessly slotted into the roles they did. it made so much fucking sense to them at the time, and they're so disgusted with themselves in the aftermath. they said a lot of shit to each other, too, so a lot of it was propelled along by them making excuses for each other and enabling each other.

a world where they just had to helplessly watch would be a kinder one to them (raph especially who is repressing BIG-TIME). in the one they have, they dont know when it started, what parts of it were them, or if all of it was them, in a way (donnie doesnt know this either, which makes it worse. and they never get answers out of kitsune). so they will constantly doubt and blame themselves. donnie will trust them and they will continue to hate themselves for it. they overcorrect with unfaltering, unbreakable persistent love because that is the only way they know that theyre in their right minds now. they cant even admit to being annoyed with him for stupid small shit without wanting to hurt themselves atp.

[randomizer971]

Wakfu The Great Wave - Chapter 12

Hic sunt dracones...

... and beware of spoilers, amphibians, Trypophobia and overuse of gif.

Me, watching some NPC blame Yugo & his people for the "sins of the Mother" for the nth time :

Grougalorasalar is so out of line in this chapter! Even that luscious hair and those defined abs don't blind me to his faults!

The audacity of Rasalar to imply those artefacts don't belong to Yugo, Adamaï and co. I'll admit that the Eliasphere and Eliacube are from the Mechasms (stolen, given, rented or whatever the current canon says) but the DOFUS ?! The Dofus Eliatropes are literally those kids' spawn points ! What are they supposed to do when their siblings are still incubating?

Here's your daily reminder that Yugo is living his best Explicit Married Life with his baby siblings stuck on his chest and at least two of them will remember all they could perceive from their Dofus once they're out... but who's judging?

Rasalar has no mercy. Everyone is catching strays today! Let Qilby rest in peace, he's back in his Dofus now. That reptile is so rude! Did he even know any other Dofus Eliatrope to talk about this family like that? I would have loved to see a verbal battle between Qilby and Rasalar. The sass would have been 📈📈

My, this dragon really said "I hate you and your entire bloodline" in 10k words or more. He had been preparing his diss track since Ogrest spat out his Dofus. You know Mewing Lizard was just waiting for Yugo to grow up just to trash him without being accused of bullying kids. Bro had so much resentment toward Yugo and the eliatropes, you'd think he'd taken lessons from Oropo, the poster boy for daddy issues. Is it Rasalar's Euphoria era or something? Was his name Lamar all along ?

In all fairness, it makes sense for a Twelvian to be so against the eliatropes being on the planet. These artefacts and some Eliatropes caused chaos all over the World of Twelve for centuries. Yugo's edgy alter ego had some involvement in Ogrest's Chaos and Nox's vain project to use the Eliacube. Then, there was the whole mess with the necromes and now, it's almost confirmed that Goddess Eliatrope had a hand in the death(?) of all the Twelvian gods. Not that they were much involved to begin with, apart from creating half-gods. How very Olympian of them!

I might get hate for this but, the Twelvian rulers were right to demand the Eliatropes and all their inventions leave the World of Twelve (Seasons 2 and 4).

The monarchs had more to lose keeping the Eliatropes on the planet. Ignoring the more peculiar concerns like where to put all those kids (back when there were thousands of them in S2), who would pay for all this and such, national security would have been the top argument to kick the Eliatropes out. The Twelvian Council had "proof" that the Eliatropes were a threat to the local population, and that was without knowing Oropo's origins and his involvement in Ogrest's Chaos. As rulers, they are accountable for the lives of thousands (current and future generations). Their duty would call for those rulers to deal with the problem asap. Because, if they didn't, the population would be sure to remind them of said duty (riots, vigilantism, civil unrest, coup...).

Apart from late King Oakheart, the monarchs had no deep involvement with the Eliatropes, no positive interaction not tainted by a bad first impression. All they knew was that their respective kingdoms were put in danger because some "wakfu-powered alien children" and their "long-lost, overbearing, self-righteous and possibly unstable" Goddess Mother had decided to crash-land there and open the door to the Necrome menace.

Since the Eliatropes cannot leave the planet without draining it of Wakfu (Season 2, Qilby), keeping the artefacts out of reach from both the Eliatropes themselves and the Twelvians would be the next best thing. It seems Rasalar might be justifying his actions with this thought.

HOWEVER, I disagree with the idea of giving away the Eliatrope collectables to Rasalar. So far, no one has proven worthy of properly using the Elia-artefacts or even keeping them safe.

On one hand, the Twelvians are easily manipulated or tempted into misusing any powerful artefact like they already did with the Primordial Dofus, the Eliacube or Shushu weapons (e.g. Nox, Ogrest, Toross on his planet, Pinpin and other Shushu Guardians). The Primordial Dragons and their Guardians would lose these items, like they often do with their own Dofus (Grougalorasalar & his siblings). Master Joris helped in hiding those treasures away (OAVs) but failed because of Oropo's brotherhood. Regardless, he is currently the ambassador of Bonta, whose queen dislikes Eliatropes. What would he do, should the Bonta queen and queen consort command him to hand over the items?

On the other hand, the Eliatropes, the rightful owners of most if not all these Eliatrope collectables, don't have the cleanest track record either. Qilby is out of commission for some time, but nothing says for sure he won't try to use the Eliacube again, even with his last-minute "redeeming arc". With some Eliatropes living among a population with mixed opinions about them, who is to say one of the Eliatropes won't turn into the next Qilby, Oropo or Bouillon in a few years or in a few generations?

Adamai seems to have good decision-making skills but most of it lies with his fear - fear of losing control, of making the wrong decision. He is so unsure that he'd rather not act because he also fears what Yugo would do with the powerful items (e.g. OAVs and Season 3).

Yugo is...Yugo. He has matured a lot since Season 1, but, he mostly thinks with his heart. From this, he would act on what he believes is right, while pushing aside the very real and often negative consequences of his choices and actions. He is a brave warrior and overall a kind person...but his very dichotomic view on right and wrong could make him a questionable ruler when political acumen is preferred over sheer might.

Right now, Yugo is still reeling from his confrontation with Oropo and the fight against the Necromes. With the tasks of caring for two kingdoms, maybe we'll see him make those hard decisions. However, as he is now, I cannot imagine Yugo not using the Eliasphere & Eliacube to try and "be a hero", if push comes to shove. The webtoon made that PG-13 plot armour disappear, opening the door to not only some Yumalia fun but potentially to explicit death and gore. This means that, in the webtoon, Yugo with his current mindset could try to "save everyone" only to fail miserably.

Yet, the webtoon has just begun. There is still time for some kind of evolution for his character development. Although, given the title "The Great Wave" and the state of the world in Waven, I'm not holding my breath.

As long as he doesn't end up alone on a planet destroyed by his own hubris, Yugo is good to go!

What I don't understand is…why now? It's been months (?) since the Battle against the necromes. Why does Rasalar want to talk, scheme and let out his grievances now that everything is relatively quiet? Is it because it took time to reunite all the Primordial Dofus? Was he spying on Yugo and the others to gauge their strength before attacking? Was he on his training arc to master the Primordial Dofus before confronting the Eliatrope twins?

Rasalar demanding those Eliatrope limited edition items be like

The audacity of this walking crocodile bag! Who does he think he is ? I know Spicy Lizard didn't just demand those sacred Elia-McGuffins! I know the genius who lost his Dofus, not once but twice, didn't just ask the Eliatrope artefacts and even added a tight deadline and a menacing debt collector (goth queen Julith 🖤).

That guy?! Who would give anything so dangerous to the very dragon who couldn't keep his Dofus safe from fusing with a baby (Maître Joris) and later could only watch as a crying toddler (Ogrest) gobbled the egg down? Be for real !

And now Rasalar is threatening people ?! This guy needs to disappear TODAY ! I'm saying this as a totally unbiased person who has no favourite at all. If this dried-up reptile hurts my beloved child Amalia or little Grougal and Chibi !

One too many people have been talking big just because they got some Kinder eggs stuck on their back !

How are they so loud, when they look like this?!

Tell me this is not what dark!Adamaï, Toross and Rasalar looked like? Embarrassing!

On a side note, Rasalar sacrificed all these villagers to revive The Butcher of Brakmar only to use her as his Uber driver?

Heretic!

Anyway, as usual, the art is fantastic and the pace is great. All those cameos from the animated seasons, making me all teary-eyed and stuff. My boy Nox ! 😭😭😭

I'm looking forward to this new wave of drama! Hopefully, more character development will come for the non-Iop cast. 😒

*End of my rambling*

[cosmicjoke]

Some people are really out here claiming that Isayama having the alliance become the champions of peace at the end is pushing a colonialist agenda, lol. I saw a post recently talking about how all the members of the alliance should all be in prison for their "war crimes", and how everyone should hate them for being the "instigators" of the Rumbling. You can't make this kind of stupid up. Do they mean Eren? Because he's the ONLY instigator of the Rumbling. If they're talking about Reiner, Annie, Pieck, Levi, Hange, Connie, Jean, or Mikasa, then they're fucking moronic, because all of them were doing their best to STOP the Rumbling. And it's always the same bullshit, 'oh, boohoo, only evil white colonial oppressors think AoT is good'. How do these people not get that Annie, Reiner and Pieck were all victims of Marley's propaganda and were all CHILD soldiers? Do they not understand that children literally can't be held responsible for this stuff? They can't consent. They were Eldian's being used as weapons for Marley's imperial agenda. How is that their fault? Are we really supposed to sit in judgement of the only people who risked their lives to try and save a world that had done pretty much nothing but treat them like shit? It's Marley's government that's at fault, and THEY paid the ultimate price by getting themselves and everyone else flattened for their imperialism. That's the entire point. The Rumbling happens because of imperialism and oppression and prejudice and hate. It's a direct result of colonialism! "Attack on Titan", through this outcome, expresses the ultimate condemnation of war, imperialism, oppression, prejudice and hate. It drive me fucking crazy that so many people don't get this. They're so stupid.

And if I see one more asshole call the main cast of AoT "war criminals", I think I'll kill myself. How are Hange, Levi, Armin, Connie, Jean, Mikasa, and Sasha war criminals? They didn't attack or target any civilians. They didn't instigate hostilities or attack any other nation unprompted. If these people are going to cite the attack on Liberio as evidence that they did, then that's just disingenuous and a bad faith argument, because it, like so many bad takes on AoT, completely ignores context and the fact that Eren literally forced them into having to attack Liberio in order to get the only defensive weapon they had back. They very literally didn't have a choice, because Eren's attack was going to happen, whether they went to rescue him or not, and Marley, in turn, was going to attack Paradis in retaliation. That was literally Eren's and Zeke's plan. The both of them knew the SC wouldn't have any choice unless they were willing to just let everyone die. If the Survey Corps hadn't gone to retrieve Eren then, they and everyone else on the island would have been left as sitting ducks, waiting to be exterminated by Marley's and the rest of the world's forces, which were absolutely coming, again, because Zeke had convinced Marley's higher ups to declare war and they used Eren's attack to rope the rest of the world into joining them. It was all a set up. How do people not get this?

I think what these people are actually angry at is the alliance for condemning the Rumbling, because they stupidly think Isayama is saying that you shouldn't fight back against your oppressors through the alliance's attempt to stop a mass genocide. That isn't what Isayama is saying at all. He's saying that oppressing people leads to tragedy. That's what he's saying, but instead they choose to interpret it in the dumbest, most asinine way possible. They think any and all actions taken by Paradis against the world should be framed as correct and good, as retribution for Marley's actions. They're angry at the alliance being framed as heroes for attempting and eventually succeeding in stopping the Rumbling because they think it's the Yeagerists who should be framed as the heroes, that their actions should be justified by the narrative, that the narrative should suggest that any and all action taken to fight back against an oppressor is justified, because otherwise the audience might come away with the impression that the story is claiming oppressed people deserve to be oppressed. But only a genuine moron would come away with that impression after reading AoT. It's the same bullshit take we've seen before from these people, claiming that the narrative is sending the "wrong message" by showing both sides of the story, wanting instead this black and white "good guys vs bad guys" narrative, with Paradis' actions framed as wholly justified and positive. They want the people of Paradis' to be portrayed as wholly good, and for Marley and the rest of the world to be portrayed as wholly evil. They don't like and can't handle the moral complexity of AoT, despite the ways in which it so perfectly reflects the reality of the world we live in. They think it's "dangerous" to show that an oppressed people can resort to unjustified extremism in their quest to free themselves from their oppressors, despite the fact this is a very real consequence of oppression in real life. It's so twisted, and so wholly misses the entire point of the story. The condemnation of Marley's oppression lies in the fact that, through it, they drive Paradis to extreme and unjustified actions which end up negatively impacting people who had nothing to do with the oppression of the Eldians to begin with. It's meant to show the cyclical nature of violence and the tragedy that occurs with the kind of oppression and prejudice that Marley was engaging in. In the end, everybody loses, and that's the point. Nothing good can ever come from oppression. Somebody always ends up as an innocent victim and both sides end up becoming monsters. The Eldians oppressed the Marleyans, and the Marleyans in turn oppressed the Eldians, and then the Eldians, again, attempt to oppress the Marleyans, and in between all of this, countless innocent people end up paying the price.

[thornybubbles]

Random Gemstone Themed Yandere Prompts with the Jobros.

Warnings: Typical yandere horror stuff, abusive behavior, possible harm towards reader, disturbing situations, good guys gone yandere, anti-comfort, and canon typical violence. Remember that you alone are responsible for what you choose to read. 

---------

Speedwagon: Prompt 17 -- Unakite- does the yandere have a point of no return or will they eventually realize how dire the consequences of their actions?

As far as yanderes go, Robert is pretty tame. His point of no return would only happen if you were ever harmed in any way. His greatest fear is if you get hurt or worse. Having his greatest fear realized would unlock a side of good ol’ Speedwagon that not even his closest friends have ever seen. Remember, he was a violent thug before he got involved with Jonathan and his quest to put an end to Dio. If anyone was ever dumb enough to put their hands on you he would revert back to his thuggish nature, only worse. It’s not a side of him he ever wanted you to see, but he’ll happily sacrifice his reputation if it means protecting you. 

As far as realizing the consequences of his actions, he’s pretty lucid. He knows that breaking into your home to watch over you as you slept is not only unsettling and inappropriate, but highly illegal. He knows that following you around to keep an eye on you is borderline stalkerish behavior. He doesn’t care though. In his eyes, it's all perfectly justified. He’s extra careful to make sure you never catch him in the act of doing these things, but rest assured that if you ever did he wouldn’t bother lying to you. He’d come right out and tell you exactly why he was doing it. 

“I don’t mean to be overstepping any boundaries, but the world’s gettin’ a lot more dangerous lately. More so than usual. Someone’s gotta look out for you in these dark times and I figure that someone may as well be ol’ Speedwagon.” 

You’ll find it difficult to look into those big, sad, brown eyes and find any fault with him. Speedwagon a stalker? Absurd! Because of this mindset that you have about him, he’ll never really experience any consequences. You’ll just have him walk alongside you instead of trailing behind you in the shadows. 

Caesar: Prompt 9 -- Diamond- what does the yandere want from their ideal darling?

With Caesar it’s all about romance. He’s no stranger to having ladies swooning over his words and actions, but just once he’d like to have someone make the first move or at least offer him something in the way of a challenge. He occasionally finds himself bored when he’s the one doing all the wooing. He flirts and flirts, but nobody ever seems to flirt back. More than even that, he’d like it if his darling didn’t just turn into a blushing mess the moment he put on the charm. Make him work for it!

If he finds you attractive, he’ll flirt the moment he lays eyes on you (though it’s mostly to annoy Joseph… at first). Maybe he goes for the traditional kiss on the back of the hand and instead of just standing there looking up at him all smitten and red-faced, you grab him by the wrist and yank him close. 

“Nuts to that old fashioned stuff! If you’re gonna kiss me, then just kiss me!” you say. 

And then maybe you pull him in for a kiss right on the lips. If you do something bold like that, you’ll completely throw him for a loop. He’ll stand there, feeling like his face is in flames and his heart is going to beat out of his chest. That brazen action of yours may have been the very thing that caused his yandere side to come bubbling up to the surface. You can’t just… you can’t just do that and walk away from him! You just can’t! You better expect him to pursue you now. As far as Caesar is concerned, you and him are practically engaged, so you may as well get used to him being around. 

Kakyoin: Prompt 14 -- Moonstone- are there things that the yandere will hide from darling at all costs?

Noriaki definitely has a dark side. We��ve seen just how bad it can get with his first introduction while he was under the influence of one of DIO’s flesh buds. Even when he is his normal self, Noriaki has a vindictive and violent side. It’s this part of him that he doesn’t want you to see. Ever. He wants you to view him as the polite, somewhat shy boy who always manages to make you swoon without even trying. He wants you to love him, not fear him. 

His dark side is reserved for people who deserve it. Like anyone that tries to interfere with his relationship with you. Let’s say some guy tries to sway you away from him while he’s standing right there: 

“Hey there, hot stuff! Why don’t you come hang out with a real man, like me, instead of this skinny dweeb?” he says as he reaches over and flicks Noriyaki on the forehead, laughing boisterously at the redhead’s displeased expression. 

Suddenly, the guy stops laughing. 

“S-sorry… about th-that…” he stammers with a strange look on his face. “I-I was out of l-line…” 

He then staggers away, staring blankly into the horizon. 

“That was weird.” you say, disturbed by the whole interaction. 

“Probably on drugs or something.” Noriaki comments, disinterested. 

Moments later there is the sound of shrieking tires followed by the sound of a car ramming into a human body. 

“That guy just walked into traffic!” someone shouts. 

You turn your head, but Noriaki is quick to shield your view. 

“You don’t want to see that!” he says as he ushers you away. “Let’s just get out of here before the rubberneckers show up.” 

Not wanting to get caught up in a crowd wanting to see blood and guts, you agree and allow Noriaki to lead you away. Nori’s expression is grim and you wonder if he saw the accident as it happened. It worries you. The last thing Nori needed was more trauma to have nightmares about. Egypt certainly took a toll on him. He still refuses to tell you anything about why he ran away or what he was up to during the time he was gone. All that you know is that whatever happened, it nearly killed him. You lean into him and he holds you close, seemingly grateful for you for just being by his side. 

As you leave the scene, Noriaki calls back Hierophant Green. The Stand slithers out of whatever is left of the lowlife’s body and returns to his master. Noriaki wants to smile in satisfaction, but he refrains. He’s very glad that you can’t see Stands, or else you would be horrified by what he’d just done. 

Okuyasu: Prompt 16 -- Rhodonite- does the yandere want kids and would they force darling into having them?

 (This is assuming that reader can have kids in the first place)

Does Okuyasu want to have kids? OH MY GOD, YES!!! Poor Okuyasu’s family life suffered so badly after his father became one of DIO’s followers. He longs to have a normal family again, or at least as normal as he can have while being a Stand user. Okuyasu sees having kids with you as a means of getting back the family that was taken from him. You can bet that he’ll be a great dad, if not a little over-protective. Okay, maybe more than a little…

As much as he wants a family, he will NEVER force it on you. If you aren’t interested in having kids, he’ll be a little disappointed, but he’ll settle for it just being the two of you alone. 

“I’m… I’m gonna be a dad? Really? Y-you’re not messing with me are you? You really mean it? We’re gonna have a kid?!” he’ll say when you tell him you’re expecting. 

Once you confirm to him that he will indeed be a dad he sinks to his knees and bursts into happy tears. After about ten minutes of that, he’ll dry up and shout, “I gotta go tell Josuke, Koichi, and everybody else in the whole neighborhood!!!” 

Before you can stop him he’s on his way out the door. He returns a moment later, grabs you (gently, of course), plants a long kiss on your lips, then runs out the door again. You stare at the door. He didn’t bother to close it behind him. You shake your head and allow yourself a small smile as you close the door. You love Okuyasu, but now that you were both going to be parents, you were going to have to have a long talk with him about his over-protectiveness. 

Bucciarati: Prompt 8 -- Chrysoprase- how does the yandere deal with heartbreak?

Honestly? Not very well. He should have expected this to happen and he blames himself. It was only a matter of time before you discovered his career as a Mafioso. It’s only natural that such a thing would scare you away. It was bad enough that you wanted to leave him, but the way you looked at him with fear and suspicion as you broke things off absolutely destroyed him. He tried to explain himself, tried to explain what his true intentions were: to destroy the illegal drug trade from the inside out, but it meant nothing to you. You wanted nothing to do with such a lifestyle. It was too dangerous for you and far too frightening. He understands why you want to leave. He really does.

But he doesn’t care. 

He should never have pursued you in the first place. He should never have let himself get involved with a normal citizen that had no connections to either Italy’s underworld or the equally hidden world of Stands and their users. You were right about it being too dangerous for you but he was far too obsessed to let you go. He should have never let himself fall for you so deeply…

It’s far too late now. Not only is he overwhelmingly in love with you, but even if you leave him, you’ll still be a target for his enemies. You’ve already been seen together far too often, so surely some of his enemies know of your connection to him. They will use you to get to him. Most of them will be Stand users, too. You aren’t a Stand user. You will have no way to defend yourself. If you go now, you’ll be putting yourself in harm’s way. You’ll be alone, without him by your side and his enemies would take advantage of that. So, that’s why he has to spirit you away and hide you somewhere that no one will find you. That’s what he tells himself. He deludes himself into thinking that he’s doing it for your own good, but deep down he knows that he just wants to keep you from leaving. And you really are in danger now, so this is mutually beneficial! Even if you don’t love him anymore, he’ll keep you safe… whether you like it or not. 

“Glare at me if you wish. Call me all manner names and swear at me if it makes you feel better. Scream until your throat bleeds. None of it will make any difference. I won’t allow you to put yourself in danger.” he tells you as he unzips your limbs. 

Anasui: Prompt 6 -- Carnelian- how does the yandere deal with their darlings strong will?

Ah yes, one of JJBA’s canon yanderes… 

Your strong will may very well have been one of the many things that attracted Anasui to you but, if your strong will leads you to push him away, when you’re so obviously meant for each other, then he’s going to be a lot less happy about it. He feels that he learned his lesson with Jolyne (he hasn’t). If you push him away the first time he puts on the charm, he’ll apologize and dial it back a bit. He doesn’t want to come on too strong, not like he did with Jolyne. So he’ll restrain himself and bide his time. You’ll come around eventually. All he has to do is find a way to endear himself to you while secretly scaring off (or getting rid of) any possible competition. It has to be different this time… he can’t take any more heartache. 

If you still refuse him, though, he might go “full yandere”. Believe me, you don’t want that. He’s only ever done that once before and that’s how he ended up in prison in the first place. Being cheated on and then rejected by Jolyne… he can’t take anymore heartache. So if you keep refusing him, he’ll realize that he’ll never earn your love. So he’ll just have to make you love him! This will lead to a psychotic break in him that will change his way of dealing with you. He’ll grow cold and sadistic. No more simping. His patience has run out. He’ll just have to kidnap you and teach you how to love him. He’ll have to punish you when you get it wrong. He won’t permanently damage you, but if he has to break you for you to learn your lesson then he will without hesitation. 

If you keep resisting even then, well it’s obvious to him that there must be something wrong with you. Maybe if he takes you apart he can find out what it is inside of you that makes you keep refusing him and remove it. He just hopes that he can put you back together again when he’s done…

“I’ve accepted the fact that I’m completely unlovable,” he’ll say in tearful rage, “but I will never accept being unloved!” 

Gyro: Prompt 12 -- Kunzite- is the yandere’s motivations love, lust or something else?

All three. Love and lust go with the territory in a romantic relationship, but Gyro also wants something constant in his life that is only for him and no one else. Gyro spent much of his life living up to his father’s strict expectations and dealing with responsibilities that were foisted upon him at an early age. He found himself taking on more responsibilities when trying to earn amnesty for young Marco. Then he agreed to help Johnny during the race and teach him the art of Spin. Nearly everything that Gyro did was for someone else’s benefit. He can’t remember a time when he did anything for himself and himself only. 

Gyro reasons that he has every right to be selfish when it involves you. He wants your love, your affection, your heart, your soul, and anything else you have to offer. Plain and simple, he wants you. Sometimes he feels guilty for his selfishness, but the moment you throw your arms around his waist and give him a loving squeeze, all of that guilt goes right out the window. You're his and his alone, and he wants everyone to know it. It's the reason he becomes like a rabid dog when you’re around anyone but him and Johnny. Gyro knows that Johnny won’t interfere, but other people? Not so much. That damned Dio keeps throwing you smug grins like he knows something… what’s that all about? And Mountain Tim had better keep his distance or he’ll end up with more scars than just on his face! 

Expect him to do a lot of hovering whenever you’re out and about. It’s a little weird, but it seems like he’s trying to hide you with his own body sometimes, almost like he doesn’t want anyone to even look at you. For example if you go to a restaurant with booth seats, he’ll always have you slide into the booth first then slide up as close as he can get to you. 

“Gyro!” you grunt uncomfortably. “Will you give me some space? You’re practically sitting on me!” 

Of course he plays it off as a joke. 

“Hmm? Wha? Did you hear that, Johnny? It sounded like the bench was talking to me! I must be losing it…” He’ll say, pretending that you aren’t practically wedged up under his ass. 

“You already lost it.” Johnny quips, ignoring your plight completely. 

He’s not about to get involved with whatever it is that’s going on with you and Gyro. 

You groan and poke him in the ribs, inadvertently starting a tickle fight. It completely takes your mind off of his clinginess. 

If he sees you spending far too much time talking with someone while you’re in town, he’ll grind his grills together so hard they shoot sparks. Once he calms himself down a bit, he’ll saunter over and fling an arm around you. 

“Hate to break up the party, but we really need to be going.” he’ll say with a good natured smile that doesn’t at all indicate how he really feels. 

That’s odd. You thought you’d have plenty of time before your group would have to get back on the road. Oh well. Guess an early start won’t hurt. 

While he’s leading you away, he takes the time to shoot the person you were talking to a warning glare. The message is clear: Stay away, or I’ll make you pay! They distance themselves from you after that. 

You are the only thing that Gyro has that’s all for him. He’s not sharing you with anyone!

[sunderwight]

I keep seeing people argue that Aziraphale is "intelligent" or "not a fool" and that this means he can't possibly have fallen for the Metatron's blatant manipulation tactics or still genuinely believe in Heaven's righteousness.

Setting aside the validity of various theories (most of which I at least find interesting, if not outright compelling!) I think there's an issue here, which is that intelligence doesn't protect you from cult-like thinking. Especially not when you've been more or less born and raised in the environment.

In fact, what intelligence tends to do to people who have been indoctrinated into cults (and a cult is exactly what GO Heaven operates like) is give you even more tools for justifying or thinking your way around the contradictions of the cults actions vs message.

We even see Aziraphale do this, several times!

In fact, at the end of S1 doing this is part of what helps save the day. When he points out that Heaven can't know that they aren't defying God's ineffable plan while trying to follow the Great Plan, he's not just talking them into standing down, he's giving them an out. Because the whole Armageddon thing has already gone to shit and cannot proceed without Adam's cooperation, what they're really dealing with at that point is getting Heaven and Hell to accept that without retaliating. Even when Satan shows up it's because he's pissed, not because doomsday is still on.

Aziraphale uses the cult's own logic to give Heaven (and Hell) a plausible reason to back down without completely losing face. They don't have to admit that they were wrong, they can just file everything under "ineffability". Aziraphale pulls this off so well in part because he's been doing this to himself for millennia.

When he doesn't understand or really approve of the Flood, he files it under "ineffability". God has a plan but it's too complex and beyond even angelic comprehension to understand, so there must be a good reason for the Flood, it's just that Aziraphale can't see it. When he sees Heaven being complicit in Job's suffering and the potential murder of his children, he reconciles it by deciding that what God really wants is for him and Bildad to secretly stop it. But he flounders on that later, because to some extent I think he knows that this reasoning is self-serving.

(Knowing it's self-serving doesn't refute it, though, it just means that he worries about that until he talks himself into a bunch of reasons why it's still probably true.)

In S1, when Crowley broaches the subject of the apocalypse, Aziraphale's initial response is to recite the propaganda. It's all going to go according to plan, and it will all be great! When that doesn't work (because of course it won't be great, he's going to end up losing his true home and the person he loves most if this all goes down no matter who wins), he lets Crowley help talk him into how he could thwart the plan without "really" betraying his concept of God.

Basically, if Aziraphale's values come into conflict with Heaven, he decides that God secretly agrees with him. It's very like people who find their values coming into conflict with the institution of their church or temple, and so decide that there's nothing wrong with their actual religion, it's all just normal human corruption (or in GO's case, angelic corruption) muddying the waters of an otherwise purely good thing.

Now in real life of course this gets to be a thorny issue, but keeping it simple there isn't really a total separation between a faith and its institutions. You can't claim that there's nothing in the religion that lends itself to bad takes, just like you also can't claim that any ideology or belief system is invulnerable to corruption. Likewise, even if every bad thing in GO were to turn out to be the fault of Heaven and Hell and not God, God would still be accountable for a lot of the situation because God still set the stage.

But what matters for Good Omens and Aziraphale and this post is that, Aziraphale has put considerable mental energy into justifying how God and Heaven can still be Good and Right even as both of them do things he finds intolerable. Whether it's "God secretly wants me to do what I think is right instead of what I'm being told" or "Heaven has earnestly misinterpreted the will of God due to not knowing as much as I do", he puts his intelligence to use in protecting himself from the kind of revelation that would uproot his worldview.

The only kind of knowledge that actually protects people from cults is the knowledge of how they operate, and awareness that you're dealing with a cult. Aziraphale has a terrible disadvantage on both fronts because even though he's spent years watching humanity get into hot water with this stuff, he does so with the firm perspective that things are different for angels. He can't necessarily apply what works for humans to himself, because he knows he's a different kind of being (and unlike with IRL cults, it's actually true in his case, though I think demons and angels are both less different from humans than they believe).

Though, interestingly, he's closer to a accepting the truth when it comes to the differences between angels and demons. In S1 he is fully confident that he could possess someone, because even though angels don't do that, demons can. Whether he admits it or not, Aziraphale really does believe that Crowley is not meaningfully different from himself in terms of personhood or ability. If he can make the leap to the idea that angels and demons are not exempt from human-oriented concepts of self-determination and free will and unfair treatment by authority, and reconcile it with his own intense distress at challenging a core belief, then the fact that he's quick on the uptake will really start to work in his favor.

[countcait]

The S2 Ending the Arcane Ctitical Community Deserves

A comprehensive fix-it fan fiction by countcait

The sunlight was blindingly bright as Jinx emerged from the airship’s cargo hold. She’d been holed up in the dark for two days, and she’d finally given in to the temptation to sneak onto the deck for a look at her surroundings.

She had no idea where this ship was headed, not that it mattered, so long as it took her far, far away from her past.

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she could see blue ocean stretching endlessly beneath her.

Jinx sighed, feeling the familiar ache in her chest. The weight of her pain was ever present, and yet, Jinx felt a rare kind of peace as she watched the deep blue waves below her. Perhaps she really was ready to move on and become someone new.

The airship was only lightly manned, and Jinx had made sure that the deck was clear before emerging from the cargo hold. Which is why she was particularly shocked when she turned her head to see a person standing directly beside her. She yelped and leaped into a defensive stance. Her muscles went slack as she realized who she was looking at.

“Ekko?”

“It’s me.”

Jinx’s mouth formed several different shapes before she managed to speak. “How did you get here?”

“It doesn’t matter now, baby.” Ekko stepped forward and tenderly took Jinx’s hand in his. “What matters is that we’re together.”

Jinx stared at his hands like they were a pair of aliens. “Don’t you hate me?”

“I could never hate you.”

Jinx tilted her head and peered at Ekko suspiciously from the corner of her eyes. “I sabotaged the firelights and threatened everything you were working toward.”

Ekko’s eyes bled with kindness. “You did it because you were hurting, and no one understood you.”

“I killed your firelight friend right in front of you.”

“Jinx, that firelight girl wasn’t nearly as traumatized as you. She didn’t have the same tragic, mentally ill it-girl factor. I mean who even remembers her name? Plus she reminded you of your sister who you were totally justified in having homicidal feelings for.”

Jinx screwed up her face in abject confusion. “....What?”

“Baby, please don’t think that I would ever hold you responsible for your actions.”

“You don’t feel…a little miffed about the killing-your-friends stuff?”

Ekko placed his hand over his heart. “Jinx, I love you. That means I will never prioritize my own feelings over yours.”

Jinx narrowed her eyes into slits and crossed her arms. “Okay. I think this is what I get for eating those snack cakes in the cargo hold. Those had definitely gone bad.”

“Here, take this gun.” Ekko pushed a pre-hextech pistol into Jinx’s hand. “We’re turning this airship around.”

Jinx stared at the gun. “...What did you just say?”

“Big things are happening back home,” Ekko grinned. “It’s time you took center stage.”

“Uh…”

“We’ll start by paying your good-for-nothing sister a visit!” Ekko yelled as he pulled a grenade from his pocket and ran toward the front of the ship.

Screams and explosions sounded from the cockpit.

“Oh shit…”

===============================

Rays of sunlight shone through the windows of the Kiramman mansion.

“I’m the dirt under your nails, cupcake.” Vi leaned her head onto Caitlyn’s shoulder lovingly. “You’re never gonna clean me out.”

Caitlyn rested her head on top of Vi’s and they both revelled in their mutual sense of warmth and inner peace, at least until the bow of an airship came crashing through the wall in front of them.

Rubble cascaded from the ruined wall as Ekko leapt from the airship and into the living room, his finger pointing straight at Vi. “YOU CALLED YOURSELF DIRT?” he roared.

Caitlyn screamed.

“What’s going on?” Vi cried.

“You’re a class traitor, Vi!” Ekko boomed. “You chose to become a cop and live with your piltie girlfriend. That makes you just as bad as the enforcers that killed your parents, but also it’s not your fault because you’re a poor orphan and you have no self-awareness or autonomy.”

Vi stared at him, blinking. She pressed the palms of her hands to her head. “You-you’re right.”

She gazed around at the velvet, the silk, the overall opulent extravagance of her living space, airship-sized hole in the wall notwithstanding. “What am I doing here? Why would I accept food, shelter, and comfort when living in poverty is morally righteous?”

Vi looked toward Caitlyn and her hands curled into fists for the first time since the war. “You! I thought this was love, but we’re two different socio-economic classes! That means it’s nothing but manipulation and dependency!”

Caitlyn gasped. “Could it be true?” She gazed at her own hands as if she could see them covered in blood. “When I laid down my life for you, was it just a game to score an easy poor girl?”

Jinx, who had been watching the scene in a slightly nauseous daze from the bow of the airship, now climbed down into the remains of the living room.

She gasped as Vi pulled her Into a bone-crushing hug. “Jinx!” Cried Vi, “Thank gods you’re alive! Now I can be your parentified older sister and trauma sponge forever!”

Jinx slowly nodded to herself. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that right now I’m actually in the cargo hold, tripping out of my mind from botulism.”

Ekko folded his arms and nodded his head approvingly. “Glad you’ve come to your senses Vi. I think you can go without punishment for now.”

He whirled around to face Caitlyn. “You on the other hand,” he growled, eyes seething with hatred, “you’ve got a lot to answer for, Kiramman.”

Caitlyn hung her head in shame. “You’re right. I know I’m no better than Jinx. I hate that I–”

“No no no no no,” Ekko interrupted her. “No one wants to hear you reflect on your role in perpetuating the cycle of trauma and violence.” He sighed in exasperation. “The problem is that despite your status as literal Hitler, you were allowed to keep your fortune, your life, and your dignity. It’s time you faced some proper punishment.”

“Proper punishment? W-what do I need to do? Lose a body part? Give up my seat at the council?”

“No. For the crime of evoking slight parallels to sensitive real-world issues, there is only one way to make yourself whole in the eyes of the cancel gods.” Ekko lifted his chin in order to look down upon Caitlyn, which was difficult given the height discrepancy. “You need to DIE and make a dramatic show of it.”

“Yes, I see now.” Caitlyn placed her hand on her chest, her breath quickening in the wake of her come-to-Jesus revelation. “I was going to dedicate the rest of my life to criminal justice reform and undercity equality, but why do that when I can cut it all short by self-immolating and fulfilling a vague sort of symbolic contrivance? How could I have been so blind?”

“Do it,” Vi crossed her arms smugly. “That way I’ll be free of you and your abusive wallet forever.”

Caitlyn turned to Jinx, a kind of crazed benevolence in her eye. “Jinx, what do you think? Should I martyr myself for good optics?”

“You’re asking me?” Jinx leaned back against the wall and gave Caitlyn a once-over. “I mean, sure. I’m not gonna ruin your fun.”

“Make sure to do it in a way that incorporates heavy-handed thematic motifs,” Ekko chimed in.

“I’ve got it!” Caitlyn exclaimed. “Vi’s old solitary confinement cell! It’s already a visual parallel to the bunker where Vi and I made love and caused Jinx to kill herself. I’ll go there, and you can flood it with the grey. It will be my tomb and Vi’s key to freedom. ”

Jinx looked from Caitlyn to Vi and back again. “...Did you just say you had sex in that dirty ass bunker cell?”

Caitlyn suddenly lunged forward and clasped Jinx’s hands in hers, causing Jinx to yell at the jumpscare.

Caitlyn stared deep into Jinx’s eyes, her expression bleeding with earnestness and sympathy. “It’s okay that you kidnapped me from the shower and murdered my mother. I participated in an oppressive system by virtue of existing, so you really had no choice.”

Jinx pulled her hands away, shivering.“I’m starting to miss my old hallucinations.”

Ekko called out. “Come on, we’ll take the airship to Stillwater!”

Jinx watched as Caitlyn and Vi followed Ekko onto the deck of the airship.

“You don’t think someone in Piltover’s gonna notice a hijacked blimp at some point?” Jinx droned.

“Piltover? Ha!” Ekko grinned triumphantly. “As of earlier today, it’s Zaunover.”

“Uh.”

Ekko held his hand out to Jinx. “Come up here, I’ll show you.”

Jinx sighed and let Ekko haul her up onto the deck. He pointed at the horizon where a huge smoke cloud billowed between skyscrapers.

“See?” He beamed. “Sevika knows that lesser evils are still evil, so instead of working within the system like a bootlicker, she took the initiative to bomb the entire council building to the ground.”

“Damn. I mean…not like I can talk, but…damn.”

Vi threw back her head and cackled. “I hope every last piltie suffers the way I suffered! Now my true healing can begin!”

“I cannot judge the manner in which the oppressed choose to free themselves from their shackles, for their pain is not mine to comprehend,” Caitlyn monologued.

“No one asked you, pig,” Vi snapped.

Ekko stepped over the hog-tied airship captain and took hold of the steering wheel.

He smiled at Jinx. “You showed us all the right way when you blew up the council building the first time. Why have social progress years from now when you can have a smoking crater today?”

“That was not an ideological manifesto, Ekko, that was me having a psychotic episode.”

“So modest.”

As the airship sailed over the city, Jinx could see fires flickering from the windows of Piltovan apartments and hear faint screams drifting through the air.

“Sooooo what’s the plan for ‘Zaunover?’” She kicked her feet up against a nearby crate. “Are you gonna make it an egalitarian democracy? Re-do the infrastructure, create clean air and water, accessible healthcare?”

Ekko doubled over laughing. “You’re funny! It’s an autocratic corporatocracy just like your based dad Silco intended.”

“Oh.”

“Everyone knows that unregulated, illicit drug markets are the only cool form of capitalism,” Ekko continued, “so we’ve made Zaunover into a shimmer empire and you get to be the new kingpin!”

“Mmkay. What if I don’t want to be the kingpin?”

“That’s only your internalized classism speaking.”

“Hmm.” Jinx clicked her tongue. “If I jumped from here, would I wake up or just die? This is getting old.”

===================================

Jinx, Ekko, Vi, and Caitlyn arrived at Stillwater Prison and filed through the dank corridors on their way to Vi’s old solitary confinement cell.

Once, the prison was filled to the brim with downtrodden Zaunites, now former Piltover enforcers reached out from between the bars, along with their spouses, household pets, and small children.

“The fact that I feel empathy toward these topsiders shows that I’m complicit in the oppression of the Zaunite people,” Caitlyn announced dutifully, to no one in particular.

“Impressive haul in here.” Jinx eyed the imprisoned Piltovans warily. “Didn’t you say the revolution just happened this morning?”

“Yes, but there’s been several music video montages since then,” Ekko explained.

The group reached the door of the solitary confinement cell.

Caitlyn stepped inside and stood beneath the grey-filled vent that conveniently materialized on the ceiling.

Vi slammed the door behind her and fastened the lock.

Caitlyn gazed back at her former lover through the bars. “Oh Vi, I’m sorry I nearly risked shooting a child and hit you with the butt of my rifle whilst breaking your heart and sending you into an alcoholic spiral.”

Vi gave a menacing, vindictive grin. “Good. You finally learned how to make a real apology with words and suicide.”

Vi pulled a gas mask from somewhere and placed it over her face, she then handed two more gas masks to Jinx and Ekko.

Jinx raised an eyebrow as she fixed the gas mask to her face. “You realize that cell’s full of holes? The gas will just dissipate.”

Ekko turned on Jinx with enough speed to make her hair do a cartwheel from the wind.

“Impossible!” Ekko exclaimed, his green gas mask goggles glowing. “The grey is both the densest gas and the most potent toxin known to science! One cloud is enough to gas an entire city! Countless Zaunites died in an infinite radius around KKKiramman’s genocidal chemical war crimes!”

Jinx blinked. “Damn, is that what happened when I flooded Piltover with the grey?”

“Of course not, you just gave the overcity a small taste of the air us Zaunites breathed for decades.” Ekko pointed his finger at the ceiling. ”Release the grey!” He commanded.

A thick, greenish cloud of gas coiled into the jail cell and Caitlyn began coughing and choking in spectacular fashion. “At last,” she gasped, “I can feel the privilege leaving my body!”

Five hours passed.

Caitlyn continued to cough dramatically as the three Zaunites watched.

Vi clenched her fists and growled in frustration. “Of course a Pilitie would think she can take up all of our time. Why aren’t you dead yet?”

“Don’t worry,” Caitlyn wheezed, “I think I’m starting to develop COPD.”

Suddenly, the sound of high heels clacking against stone echoed through the prison. Mel Medarda rounded the corner, looking frazzled, her face contorting into a forced smile upon seeing Jinx.

“Jinx! Lovely to see you, happy mob-rule takeover day. I was wondering if you might introduce me to Sevika so I can have sex with her in order to shave off some oppressor points and improve my image,” her eyes glanced nervously toward Caitlyn as she spoke. “We all know I’m not the worst of the Piltovans, right?”

Before anyone could respond, there was a brilliant flash of light and a swirl of iridescent technicolor. Jayce and Viktor appeared suspended in the air, embracing each other, sparkling like a Lisa Frank illustration.

“Aaarrrgh! Quick, we don’t have much time,” Viktor said, his unstable magical form shimmering and glitching at the edges.

“Mel was getting too much attention,” said Jayce. “RRRRrrrggg we had to RRRaaahgh return to the corporeal plane to revel in further platonic male touching.”

“Behold,” announced Viktor. He pulled Jayce close and pressed their foreheads together.

Everyone except Jinx let out a collective “Awwww.”

Caitlyn, who had passed out from shortness of breath, now shot straight to her feet and pointed toward Jayce and Victor. “Wow! Look at those intimate foreheads! I thought Vi and I were gay, but we’re nothing compared to two canonically straight men!”

“SHUT UP, FASCIST!” Yelled Vi as she sucker punched Caitlyn back into unconsciousness through the bars of the cell.

“I support my boyfriend in his homoerotic yearning,” Mel chimed in cheerfully.

Victor looked down at her. “Actually, you’re jealous and low key abusive to Jayce,” he instructed her, “that way I get to rescue him.”

“Oh right, sorry,” said Mel. She cleared her throat. “Jayce, you inadequately manly bastard! Stop floating so I can act shallow and greedy in your general direction!”

Viktor gazed into Jayce’s eyes. “It was always you, in every universe, even whatever this crack shit is.” He turned his head to address the onlookers. “That means I’m gay for him,” he clarified.

There was another blinding flash of light, and the partners phased into the astral plane once more.

The awed silence that followed was broken by the sound of Jinx slow clapping. “Ok, bravo. Very special and interesting and what have you, but I think it’s high time that I woke up in a pile of my own puke.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Ekko said. “Next I’m gonna introduce you to shimmer-zombie Silco and his boyfriend, shimmer-zombie Vander.”

Before she could say a word, he grabbed hold of Jinx’s hand and started to pull her back down the prison hallway.

Suddenly, reality warped and shifted and the walls of Stillwater melted away.

Jinx and Ekko were now standing in a complicated hextech machine, built within a soft and cozy version of Jinx’s home.

“Uh oh,” said Ekko. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Jinx gazed slack jawed at her surroundings. “What? Is this my hideout? Why do you have a ponytail?” She looked at her own arms. “Why am I so tan and healthy-looking?”

Ekko sighed. “Okay, hold on. Let me drop a section break while I explain all this to you.”

================================

“You mean to tell me,” Jinx spoke slowly, “that there’s a 100% canon alternate timeline in which Zaun and Piltover are working toward equality, you and I are mentally stable and in love…and the problematic lesbians are dead?”

Ekko folded his arms. “Hey, don’t go thinking this excuses the writers. It’s really nothing but propaganda to make us think that we can achieve equality by working with our oppressors.”

“Right, right,” Jinx droned. “Not enough bloodshed and collective punishment.”

“Exactly.” Ekko shook his head in exasperation. “Those French creators really keep missing the mark when it comes to representing the opinions of chronically online, anti-establishment Americans. They need to get educated.”

“Well, we can change the vibe right here right now, can’t we?” Jinx stepped down from the machine and stretched her arms above her head. “Let's go to Piltover and blow some shit up. Dunno if this is a fever dream or some Dante’s tenth circle of hell shit, but either way I may as well have some fun.”

Ekko cheered. “That’s right, baby! You and me against the world!”

And with that, alternate universe Piltover erupted in a rainbow cloud of toxic gas and shrapnel.

The end.

[lord-squiggletits]

i know i’m late to the conversation—i just watched the movie this month—but i feel compelled to say this because i was genuinely shocked (still am) to see that the overwhelming takeaway for many viewers was the "d-16/megatron was right" bs. while it’s understandable to sympathize with his anger and grief, justifying his actions in the end or framing them as entirely right feels so deeply misguided. what surprised me even more was the tendency to shift the blame on orion/optimus, as though he was solely responsible for d-16’s downfall. it’s disheartening to see orion/optimus being villainized so much. his efforts to reason with d-16 came from a place of desperation and hope, as he tried to prevent the escalation of violence. at that point, d-16 had already begun to spiral into his unchecked rage, disregarding the safety of those around him. to see that nuance overlooked, with orion being faulted for a situation that was far beyond his control (the whole "don't be like sentinel" thing is often used to shit on op lol), is genuinely baffling.

while i love that the movie showed the tragedy of d-16’s arc and even empathize with his situation, painting his actions as justified—and vilifying orion/optimus in the process—feels like a misreading of the movie’s core message. sorry but i was so happy to see your post about the movie, it was tiring to see so many 'megatron was right about this and that' comments.

Oh man if you're new to this fandom, you really ought to know that this place is full of people who glorify terrorism and war in the name of "justified revolution" and it doesn't really matter what Dee/Megatron does or how horrible/over-the-top it is, he's oppressed or he's mentally ill or he's just plain upset which means that everything he does is justified and questioning him makes you evil.

It's so funny because I hoped for sure that a continuity where both OP and Megatron were working class individuals before the war would reduce this kind of shit take (compare to something like archivist/librarian OP and gladiator Megs in TFP or CBV, or cop OP and miner Megs in IDW1), but unfortunately this fandom literally still found a way to blame Orion for everything even though he suffered the exact same things Dee did..... and furthermore Orion literally was the rebel challenging the system compared to Dee who wanted to keep his head low and not cause trouble so honestly at this point I just think the fandom (and somehow new fans whose first exposure to TF is this movie) purely sides with Megatron on everything as either a knee-jerk reaction or some misguided attempt at being counterculture and intelligent.

People get sooooo mad when you tell them that unbridled rage and killing everyone who disagrees with you isn't a good social/political strategy, but then again this is a problem that is universal to humanity and not just the Transformers fandom. It's just a shame that so many people looked at a movie that blatantly spells out what the moral of the story is, and has all of the protagonists be working class oppressed people fighting against a tyrannical system, and their takeaway from it is still basically "fascism is okay if you're mad enough about it and if your friends try to stop you it's a sign that they're centrist liberals who think punching Nazis makes you as bad as a Nazi." It's childish black-and-white thinking masquerading as critical literary analysis.

And at this point people pretty much just don't give a shit about Orion/Optimus and will find a way to make him the villain no matter what the context is, no matter if he also has feelings or if he also deserves to be respected/listened to/validated as Megatron's long-time (possibly lifelong) friend. If ppl look at the way Dee treated Orion and their other friends and DON'T see what was concerning about that then there's really no saving them until they deradicalize a little and learn what usually happens when "kill all the bad people until society is a utopia" is implemented as a governing party's primary strategy.

[knightofthenewrepublic]

Percy would have worked with Octavian, but the Augur never gave him a chance

(or Why Octavian's actions weren’t justified)

As people spend more and more time critically examining the Riordanvese (often to a fault, it must be said) one of the most common revisionist arguments is to try and absolve the mortal villains of the consequences of their action; usually by exaggerating their motivations. That includes the argument that Octavian was so quick to war partially because he was treated poorly by the Greeks. Particularly by Percy Jackson. 

But does that actually hold up?

People will argue that Octavian was not evil, because attacking Camp Halfblood was justified from his perspective; he thought they had broken a truce with New Rome and attacked it. And that would be a fair argument, IF that was the only bad thing Octavian had done, or even the worst thing. It wasn’t. And Octavian had begun trying to trigger conflict well before that. Percy, on the other hand, did his best to prevent it.

The first scene where Percy meets Octavian, is also the first time we see his sinister side. And that is of course when he tries to blackmail Hazel into supporting him for Praetor.

Now there is an aspect of the context of this scene that I think a lot of people overlook; their ages. Octavian is 18, or near enough, and Hazel is 13. This is a guy old enough to vote, (the only one of them who isn’t a child soldier) blackmailing a girl too young to get a learner’s permit. Just before this, Percy says Octavian reminds him of someone; which is obviously a reference to Luke Castellan. This type of nearly grooming behavior would have really reinforced that impression; which explains Percy’s hostile reaction to it.

Percy slipped his hand into his pocket, and grabbed his pen. This guy was blackmailing Hazel. That was obvious. One sign from Hazel, and Percy was ready to bust out Riptide and see how Octavian liked being at the end of a blade.

But Percy keeps these urges internal. He doesn’t voice his anger, and doesn’t give any visible reaction. The other two keep talking like he’s not there. This is a pretty good demonstration of Percy’s hard won self control; on his first day at Camp Half-Blood he doused Clarisse with toilet water for less, without even meaning to.

The next interaction he has with Octavian isn’t much better.

“Recruit,” he [Octavian] asked, “do you have any credentials? Letters of reference?” Percy shifted. “Letters? Um, no.” Octavian wrinkled his nose. Unfair! Hazel wanted to shout. Percy had carried a goddess into camp. What better recommendation could you want? But Octavian’s family had been sending kids to camp for over a century. He loved reminding recruits that they were less important than he was.  “No letters,” Octavian said regretfully. “Will any legionnaires stand for him?”

Now just asking this question is obviously standard practice, so Octavian isn’t wrong for that. It’s his condescending reaction that is the unsubtle putdown.

But then things come to a head very quickly, when that night’s game of capture the flag ends in a visit from the god Mars, and the command he delivers; a quest to retrieve the legion Eagle, and free Death.

Now what’s really important here is that, while people often think of Leo attacking Camp Jupiter as the point where Octavian turned against the heroes, THIS is the actual point. THIS is where he goes from being a nuisance to being an antagonist.

It starts in the Senate meeting the next day, when Percy tries to make sense of the situation:

“This Giant, the son of Gaea--he’s the one who defeated your forces thirty years ago. I’m sure of it. Now he’s sitting up there in Alaska with a chained death god, and all your old equipment. He's mustering his armies and sending them south to attack this camp.”

Percy is just repeating what Mars literally told them the night before. Octavian’s reasonable reaction to this is:

“Really?” Octavian said. “You seem to know a lot about our enemy’s plans, Percy Jackson.”

Him, and everyone else who was conscious at the end of the war games.

In spite of being almost outright accused of treason, Percy still keeps his cool. This shows a lot of growth on his part, compared to where he was in the second book of the previous series:

This was so completely unfair, I told Tantalus to go chase a donut, which didn’t help his mood.

After a bit more discussion, Octavian makes his move. First he gets in another insult. 

“Mars has clearly chosen the least likely candidates for this quest. Perhaps it is because he considers them the most expendable.”

And then he argues that the senate should not give any of the support that would normally be given to a quest. The odds of them succeeding are already so low; better to use their resources to protect the camp.

It’s pretty easy for us, the readers, to overlook what a dick move this really is. Of course WE know that the heroes are going to come back alive; but in universe, there is nothing to guarantee that. Even a small magical trinket could be the difference between life and death. And Octavian is trying to deny them that.

This could be understandable, if there was any sincerity to it. A sad but necessary sacrifice for the greater good, to protect the camp. But after arguing that all their resources have to be saved for the battle, Octavian proceeds to do nothing with them. When the giant’s army arrives, the legion simply marches out and fights them with conventional ranks and swords. Aside from a few roman scorpions (large crossbows), no specialized weapons are brought out, no magical items are used, they didn’t even build a wall or a trench. So there was no real reason not to give them anything; even if he sincerely believed the quest was doomed, that was all the more reason to help. The right magical tool might have at least given them the chance to get back alive. Depriving the questers served no purpose other than to make them fail.

You can also see this, in the fact that all Octavian’s stated reasons don’t actually win over the senate. 

The senators’ eyes moved back and forth between Octavian and Reyna, watching the test of wills. Reyna straightened in her chair. “Very well,” she said tightly. We shall put it to a vote.”

No one gives their support to Octavian before this. The senators are waiting to follow the person they see as more powerful, not the argument that was more convincing.

As for motivations, there is only one that Octavian could have; with the election just days away, he wants to prevent a rival for the praetorship.

Is the fulfillment of an epic quest a silly basis for entrusting someone with supreme executive power? Yes, in the real world, it is. But demigods don’t live in the real world; and in their world, everything revolves around quests. Quests drive every important event in the series, and are the ultimate standard by which the skill and power of a demigod are demonstrated. As Annabeth puts it in TLT:

“At camp you train and train. And that’s all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That’s where you learn whether you’re any good or not.”

If Percy returns from a land that wiped out half a legion of demigods, with the long lost legion Eagle, the mob that is Rome will raise him up on the fanciest shield they can find. And Octavian isn’t the only one who has put that together. The very next chapter sees Reyna tell Percy that he could stand for praetor if he succeeds; and we are reminded several times that Octavian is far more politically savvy than she is. If she’s put it together, you can bet that he has.

But going back to the senate meeting itself; we see another example of Percy choosing not to start a conflict with Octavian, even when he seems to be trying to get him killed. Instead, he focuses on the important issues:

Frank jumped to his feet. Before he could start a fight, Percy said, “Fine! No problem. but at least give us transportation.”

Percy is more concerned about succeeding in saving the camp than satisfying any grudges. Octavian is more interested in how many insults he can fit into one meeting.

“A boat!” Octavian turned to the senators. “The son of Neptune wants a boat. Sea travel has never been the Roman way, but he isn’t much of a Roman!”

(The insult proves to be quite a hypocritical one in BOO, when Octavian has boats built to surround Camp Half-Blood.)

Octavian’s next attempt to start a conflict with Percy is slightly more subtle.

They were only halfway across the forum when someone called, “Jackson!” Percy turned and saw Octavian jogging toward them.  “What do you want ?” Percy asked. Octavian smiled. “Already decided I’m your enemy? That’s a rash choice Percy. I’m a loyal Roman.” Frank snarled. “You backstabbing, slimy–” Both Percy and Hazel had to restrain him.

Why is Octavian talking about being enemies? It doesn’t say Percy asked angrily, or Percy growled, or Percy glared at him. It’s a very dramatic reaction.

And Percy has done nothing to suggest that he wants to be Octavian’s enemy. Sure he has grown to dislike the augur, as most people would with someone who insults them and blackmails children:

Nico put his finger to his lips. Suddenly all the lares went silent. Some looked alarmed, like their mouths had been glued together. Percy wished he had that power over certain living people . . . like Octavian, for instance.

But he’s been keeping those critical thoughts to himself. He even avoided arguing in the senate meeting so as not to escalate things. The worst thing he’s done was knocking Octavian out during capture-the-flag which was both a perfectly fair move and a good strategy. Hardly something to base a feud on.

Most likely, this is a freudian slip on Octavian’s part. He’s already started to see Percy as an enemy, for no other reason than he might be a rival. That, or it’s an attempt at gaslighting Percy into thinking he somehow provoked Octavian into trying to get him killed. In any case, the augur hardly seems unhappy to see him, and the two legionnaires at his side, go off to their deaths.

Octavian smiled wickedly. “The last person she [Reyna] had a private talk with was Jason Grace. And that was the last time I ever saw him. Good luck and goodbye, Percy Jackson.”

If he’s happy to see them go, he’s certainly not happy when they come back alive. 

The look on Octavian’s face was priceless. the centurion stared at Percy with shock, then outrage. Then, when his own troops started to cheer, he had no choice except to join the shouting: “Rome! Rome!”

Not the appropriate reaction when Percy is saving the city, not to mention Octavian’s own life. The auger doesn’t have a single kind word to say.

The Roman symbols burned into Percy’s arm: a trident, SPQR, and a single stripe. It felt like someone was pressing a hot iron into his skin, but Percy managed not to scream. Octavian embraced him and whispered, “I hope it hurt.”

Just before this, Octavian kills a teddy bear and reads the future from it, announcing:

good omens for the coming year–Fortuna would bless them!

It has been suggested that Octavian actually had a very different vision at this moment; that he saw the Argo II opening fire on New Rome, and kept that to himself, but turned against Percy and the other Greeks because of that. This doesn’t seem likely. It would serve his purposes better to share that information; and he would have seen that vision in front of hundreds of demigods hardwired to notice small details, none of whom notice him having any visible reaction to it. Besides which, this can’t be the point when he turns on Percy, since he’s already been trying to sabotage him for most of the book.

Now if there is some big conflict between Percy and Octavian, this is the time for Percy to win it decisively. To use his new power and authority to put the auger in his place.

But Percy doesn’t do that.

“Why should we trust these Greeks?” Octavian was saying. He’d been pacing the senate floor for five minutes, going on and on, trying to counter what Percy had told them about Juno’s plan and the Prophecy of Seven.

Rather than simply steamroll over the discussion, and try to use his authority to silence any opposition, Percy allows Octavian a reasonable amount of time to air his concerns, before finally stepping in with his counter argument.

When Percy lays out the details of why they must join the Greeks, Octavian never comes up with a logical counter argument. Instead, when a messenger reports the Argo II has been spotted, he resorts to paranoid rambling.

“Praetors!” The messenger cried. “What are your orders?” Octavian [who is not a praetor] shot to his feet. “You have to ask?” His face was red with rage. He was strangling his teddy bear. “The omens are horrible! This is a trick, a deception. Beware Greeks bearing gifts!” He jabbed a finger at Percy. “His friends are attacking in a warship. He has led them here. We must attack!”

Yesterday when he last read the entrails, Octavian said the omens were good. Now, they’re suddenly horrible. That pretty well justifies Percy’s growing disregard for Octavian’s auguries.

Not only that; he is accusing Percy of treachery, while at the same time suggesting they attack a ship that can be seen bearing a white flag.

And this is before a single shot has been fired on New Rome. That false-flag attack by Gaea can not be the inciting incident for Octavian’s hostility to the Greeks. Not if what he wanted to do before it happened is the same as what he wanted to do after it happened. The attack is just what incentives the rest of the camp to support him.

The last interaction between Percy and Octavian is pretty much the first two chapters of MOA, where Octavian does his best to offend the Greeks.

“You’re letting these intruders into the camp!”

When Reyna orders Octavian to go make a sacrifice to the gods, Percy adds:

“Good idea. Go burn your bears Octavian.”

An insulting way to put it; but no more so than calling the Greek ambassadors (including a Roman praetor and Percy’s own girlfriend) “intruders.” And no more harsh than the insults Octavian has used for legionnaires below himself, like Frank and Hazel. And Percy has been given enough reason not to trust Octavian’s auguries any more than he trusts him.

The last exchange between them is about the praetorship:

Octavian snorted. “Which means we have three praetors! The rules clearly state we can only have two! “On the bright side,” Percy said, “both Jason and I outrank you, Octavian. So we can both tell you to shut up.” Octavian turned as purple as a Roman T-shirt. Jason gave Percy a fist bump.

I can only imagine how long Jason has been waiting for someone to say that to Octavian. It has been suggested this is an abuse of power on Percy’s part, but there is no reason to think so. They are surrounded by the senior officers of the legion, some of whom will be on Octavian's side, and no one raises an objection. And it's not like Octavian actually treats it like an order.

“I’ll step aside for Jason,” Percy said easily. “It’s no biggie.” “No biggie?” Octavian choked. “The praetorship of Rome is no biggie?”

No need to go into detail about how the rest of the series goes. Gaea triggers a war between the Greeks and Romans, and Octavian walks right into it. There is no reason to think he was working for her; but he was plainly looking for an excuse to start hostilities.

[pruneunfair]

Old Disney was good, they actually made a good mean girl character that makes sense

I remember watching her as a kid and despite not liking her much at first, Amber really grew on me, she really is a good princess, I mean despite her haughty and mean girl attitude, she's very serious about being a princess, also it's funny these days people overly criticize the princess behaviors from princesses characters even though that's exactly how princesses act?

Like how ppl hate Navier cuz she acts like she's such a princess even though she's raised to be one and it could've been better if the narrative acknowledges that she's imperfect and she doesn't understand how bad the hierarchy cuz that's not what she's raised to know, instead of "She's always the good Empress" without giving us much background infos other than her charity funds that she just send out but never actually go on-site, I'm suprised Navier wasn't blamed for the reasons of embezzlement not becuz she endorses it but bcuz she basically ignores it, Rashta was blamed even though she's severely inexperienced but Navier didn't cuz they would give us an excuse that Navier is always careful but I don't see Navier doing much things about crimes and societal issues other than her problem being the girl who her husband cheated on her with

Navier also clearly play favorites but ofc pointing that out mean ruining her perfect queen symbolism

Amber herself has flaws: She's immature, insecure, mean, ignores things she dislikes, doesn't care about the status quo cuz she's living the high life, but she's also kind, understanding and willing to learn to be better from her flaws, that much tells me she's a good princess, her character makes more sense than Navier cuz she's a child and Navier's an adult woman who has more melodramas than a teen even though a lot could've been less angsty if she didn't go cold all the time, ma'am I get it, infidelity is bad and you're really hurt, but lots of things could've been less problematic if you just let go of your pride, put your foot down, be less of a victim cuz you're not the biggest victim here and made it clear with both Rashta and the biggest culprit, your husband

It literally never occurs to her that Rashta did it all for her survival and her child's survival but ofc why would the comfortable in luxury Empress cares about some nobody slave? I know I didn't care until I do and now I'm mad at her cuz she's supposedly older than me by years but she doesn't know better about things she should have, I know age doesn't mean wise but thinking back, it does feel that Navier has a massive victim mentality

She only acts if her benefits or her closed ones are involved (That simp noble guy who stabbed Rashta, her stupid brother, her bitch lady in waiting, etc....) her actions are only justified bcuz she definitely believes what happened to Rashta as justified actions, switch the perspective to me, if I'm so relatable to her than I can relay Navier's character and it's basically what everyone commonly thought (Prune you're talking to Navier's real counterpart cuz apparently it's the Fiction imitates Life effects for me, this was supposed to be me sending about my childhood fave Amber 😭, but damn it I need to yap about Navier)

Navier's thought process was like: "Sir (whatever his name was) stabbed Rashta cuz she spread rumours about Nian and she provoked him first, Kosair threatened her cuz she wasn't aware that he hates her even though she should've known already, how shameless, she probably purposefully provoke him to make me look bad, Laura didn't deserve to be punished because that girl was vulgar and have no manners"

All this boiled down to "Rashta's faults"

As much as this sounds anti Navier, but it's not, Navier's behavior in the entire comic shows, just because she avoids conflicts doesn't mean she's the better person, rather it's cowardly if you think about it, she only fights back if it threatened her benefits meaning that if Rashta had left her alone and act like a villainous mistress or a lowly unnoticeable mistress, Navier still benefits anyway, Navier is utterly selfish, she only has ever done things that directly benefit her wellbeing, she never allowed herself to be near Rashta's level cuz all she sees is just a useless nobody. I don't need Navier to be a Hero, I need her to be honest about herself, she doesn't look any dishonest if she just gives it straight that she wants nothing to do with Rashta rather than ignore her and give her all the wrong ideas, if I know this story's writing, I would say if Navier was blunt, Rashta would try to be an even bigger bitch to her cuz they need petty conflicts

Navier's so me that's why I understand her the best, even if she never said it outright, she can't deny it can she really? Literally one of the only times Navier's thoughts are heard truthfully, she basically villainize Sovieshu and Rashta, never once she thinks she's in the wrong and ofc since you're the perfect victim, why bother with understanding your enemies? Oh sure the lawful wife is always completely innocent and ignoring that her husband is the problem and she dislikes the mistress cuz she's so not like them, that she's different, that she's the better person

Navier's famous quote is: "But if someone comes at me with a knife, I'm not just going to let them stab me just because they're weaker than me" yeah I know this sounds cool and deep, she's right of course, but she also ignored that "the girl who might harm me literally can do nothing to me, the girl who's my enemy never even have hatred towards me", this quote is usually weaponized against Rashta without realizing Rashta never really did any damages to her, even stealing her husband basically becomes void cuz Navier already prepared a new one like she bought a new Ken after the old one got stolen by another girl, it felt so meaningless that is Navier's story, she's always refined, never feels guilty, hurt or sad, she did but now it's basically nothing cuz she got a man to fix it for her so really Navier, what is it that you lost?

Navier is like me when I lost stuff, at first I'm stubborn about it and I hate it bcuz I'm very careful with my things, I don't like losing things, I might cry, I even suspect someone stole it, it resulted from the awful bullying at school where my stationary was stolen in class as a cruel joke just to mess with me, I always hate that kind of behavior, it's similar to how Navier felt when Rashta touches her stuff, eventually I realized that how impermanent it felt, if I lost a pen, I can always get a new one, just like how Navier can always have better things even if it's taken away, I'm not saying Navier should share some stuff with Rashta like a good Empress, I get possessive of my stuff a lot of times and yeah Sovieshu was being horrible to make Navier the bitch cuz she felt petty and annoyed that Rashta touches her stuff, it's a matter of personal boundaries and Navier wasn't wrong for feeling attacked about it, however she's very vague about her boundaries, if she just says that she doesn't want Rashta touching her stuff then great, it's better than throwing around accusations on who's the bitch here, Rashta doesn't seem to want Navier's stuff even, hell it could've been better if Navier asked if Rashta wants one, she can ask someone who made that chair to make one for her, Rashta was literally a newbie, of fucking course she didn't know shits about you, lady, your husband just brought her there out of nowhere

Navier acts like she doesn't give a shit when Sovieshu threw her away and she already got a hottie back up anyway, so yeah when I remember how ppl still use that chair bullshit to hate on Rashta/Navier, it feels ridiculous, if her husband rather an Emperor is this replaceable, that she only wants to be an Empress no matter where, why should she cares about a chair? I feel that her actual issue is with Sovieshu but ofc she didn't say it cuz she misunderstood that Sovieshu wouldn't listen, she's right, it doesn't make her better cuz she kept her silence, Sovieshu will never listen but it doesn't hurt if she just says what she really has issues with about him, rather than blaming Rashta but do nothing to make a change, Navier's decision to ignore an isolate Rashta out of her Life proves to be worse than good as we've seen

Navier, your pain isn't light, I understand that feeling of yours, but it doesn't mean that you're blameless, how you act is exactly like how a girl who has always been loved and cared for by everyone got someone else shows up and steals her favourite toy away, you're sad and you're hurt, but eventually you lost interest cuz for not doing anything that doesn't befit your interests, you can't take that toy back so you moved on to a new favourite toy and basically ignored everything else cuz you're so perfect, everything will always work out doesn't it?

You're the perfect Empress, even though you just sit, everything good comes naturally to you, the throne, the Empire, the Emperor, every single thing, that's why you do nothing at all, all you did is watch the fools fight while you sit on the throne like the Queen you are

The problem with Navier is that she isn't Navier, she's the Navier everyone wants her to be, the Remarried Empress, not Navier, a woman who has a life and flaws

Navier is only justified because she's Navier, the Protagonist, not because she's a good person, I understand that justification isn't wrong, everyone is justified in their own ways, but as I was taught since a child: Not everyone would think you're just and right cuz that would conflict with their justification (This actually comes from my parents reminding me that only they can handle my real personality but not society, which is very true, home is where I can be myself even though it's suffocating, I am free to be myself there and ofc only my parents/relatives can handle me in my truest self, but definitely not strangers, that's why I have my masks outside of home, I feel like this could be the thing with Navier's parents except they don't have issues with her but mine does with me, that's why she's fictional and I'm real)

I'm suprised by the deep connection I have with this Empress, ofc I don't believe I'm her, but I can understand her in her place, because her personality and behavior is eerily an exact copy of mine

Thank you for pointing that out, I always wondered Navier really did as empress besides write checks for charities. We don't really see her do much nor are we really told what she does. As far as we know... she doesn't nothing with her power except defend other noble characters, making donations, and use occasionally mention a crisis going on.

So many ways Navier could be interesting all thrown away for the sake of fantasy fufilment

[redrosesandcharmingsouls]

Anyway my take on ''Was Odysseus liying to Calypso when he said he loved her '' is yes ,but i think he did it out of compassion .

Odysseus has entered his monster era by this point ,but as we have seen though the story hes not a bad person at hic core .We see that he tries many times not to harm anyone before his monster era he feels guilty for his actions ,the wooden horse scheme gets many trojans killed but its also an act done to save more lives from his side (''does a soldier kill sleeping trojans cause hes vile ? or does he throw away his remorse and saves more lives with guile?)hes tries not to kill the infant at first (i could raise him as my own ,or send him far away from home ,make sure his past is never known ,I'd rather bleed for ya,Down on my knees for ya ,I'm begging please,Please don't make me do this, don't make me do this),he tries to find a way so they can find food and still not killing amyone ,he adopts Polites open arms approach ,he spares the cyclop,he is intent on saving his men from Circe ,he cares about Athena more as a friend rather than the mentor who can give him greatness .All of this to say ,he didnt start out as a monster .He starts out as a loving and kind man who is trying his best (we even hear that in the musicals final song that’s who he was before “I am not your kind and gentle husband “and Athenas comment on how his light went dark )And thats why its tragic that he turns to ruthlessness .But ,whilst this song is mostly about Calypso’s severe loneliness and pain and her non apology to Odysseus ,I think the bit where he says he loves her shows us a crack in his monsters facade that we don’t usually unless he’s talking about the loved ones he lost or his family .

He hates Calypso who has put him though hell for seven years,we see very clearly that in ''Love in Paradise'' ,he is lead to suicide cause she keeps him trapped (hes also traumatized but its worth noting that when hes free he very much wants to live ,that is because he has the hope of seeing his family again) but in ''Not sorry for loving you '' she is yeah ,kind of manipulative in how she doesnt really apologize and at times act like Odysseus is at fault ,but she also tells him about her how she has been alone for years ,cast away when she was young (it is implied) by the gods .And thats why she traps him ,to have company and love she has always craved .Is it fucked up ? Yes does it justify her treatment of him ? Also no .But i think Odysseus can relate to like ,being in so much pain and having been though so much you get ruthless in getting what you want cause in some way or another mercy wont help you (ofc in VERYYY different ways but you get what i mean).

And shes like ''i wish you would lie and say-'' and he says that he loves her ,than adding that he does but in the way that she wants him to.I think he is lying here cause the musical gave us no indication that he feels love for her and she literally asks him to lie .but he can at least give her something to lessen her pain ,whilst maintaining that he has a wife to return to.

In this moment hes sure hes gonna go home ,as Calypso says to him that the gods told her to release him .He is in a situation where he doesnt need ruthlessness to survive ,nor does he really need to lie .But he pities her and so he lies.And he sings the whole thing pretty gently .

One could almost say he was being merciful .Ar least this once .

[chrkrose]

Hello. I've seen you answer an ask about Lyanna Stark. It's rare to see people point faults in her. Usually, they say Rhaegar is to blame, and Lyanna's age dismiss her actions. Even those who say she was rickless still go back to say anyone who points out her mistakes is misogynistic. What do you think of this say? Should we really not talk about it? Is Elia having negative feelings toward her that taboo and un-adult like? I have mixed feelings. I read many posts that defend her and that as long as you are young/child, you don't get blamed, but the thing is, I feel that it's not the actual reason. I feel that they just want to reject her mistakes and use the age and gender as an excuse to make the opposite person feel like an asshole for pointing out that a young girl carries some responsibility. And in a scenario where she and Rhaegar lived, I feel she would still be with him, and that just feels selfish and inconsiderate toward Elia. Is it really that bad to dislike a young person? Was all she did because of naivety? Because to me, she wasn't naive in that aspect (love doesn't change a man's nature). What do you think of her? I really don't understand how she is liked that much as nothing but victim. Sometimes, it feels forced other times self insert or uncare. I feel it's all to the hype George gives her from being remembered to having a rare flower as her motif to being jon's mother and Arya's aunt and being Rhaegar's love. Or am I being too emotional about what I see as justice? I wish to hear your thoughts.

I do think that Rhaegar bears more responsibility than Lyanna, both because of his age and because the exact circumstances around how she left with him remain unclear. But honestly, I feel far more sympathy for Elia in this entire ordeal. She was a woman of color who suffered greatly because of this situation, and a far more interesting character if you ask me. That matters to me more than what people assume about Lyanna's motivations, especially the idealized "fanon" version.

If Lyanna went willingly, her youth can explain and justify some of her decisions, but I find it unfair to excuse all her choices as a result of her age because fans certainly don't extend the same generous view to Jon (14 years old), Daenerys (13 years old), Sansa (11 years old), Robb (16 years old), Myrcella (10 years old), Arya (11 years old), etc, all of whom struggle with difficult decisions around the same age or even younger. I think it’s disingenuous to absolve her of the weight of what happened when these characters and many more aren't afforded the same grace.

Lyanna fans and Lyanna/Rhaegar shippers face a dilemma. Either she went and stayed willingly even after knowing about what was happening – making her a hypocrite for running off with a married man after her whole discourse about Robert and a pretty selfish horrible person given the brutal murder of her brother and father, never mind the civil war that followed it – OR they must accept Rhaegar held her captive once her initial feelings changed after knowing about her brother and father/ Rhaegar lied to her and never told her the truth about what happened because he knew she would leave his ass. That destroys their idealized image of a loving prince, and destroys the perfect impossible predestined love story they made up about these two. They can't have it both ways, but they sure try.

But this is all beating around the bush. Let's be real here about why Lyanna (and Rhaegar/Lyanna as a couple) have a somewhat significant fandom for the amount of development they have in the actual text. The reasons are: 1) she's white, and 2) she's a blank slate for self-projection. Far more interesting characters and couples (cough Nettles and Daemon cough) exist with similar levels of textual development and don't get nearly the same attention. That speaks volumes. Lyanna and Rhaegar are a blank slate where they can paint whatever they want, as long as they can ignore the more uncomfortable parts and the ramifications of their story.

This bleeds into how Elia is treated by much of the fandom. It boils down to racism. Were the racial dynamics reversed, the fandom response to these women would be fundamentally VERY different. Just look at how Nettles/Daemon are treated compared to Rhaenyra for further proof. What's the difference there in the dynamic? A married prince meets a girl and falls in love with her, abandoning his wife and children for her. You don't see fandom contorting themselves into saying that Rhaenyra deserved it, that she had it coming, rejoicing in her death, gloating about how she went down. And Rhaenyra was actually a terrible person. Elia was nothing but a good woman, who was married off to a prince and paid a brutal price for his lack of care and abandonment, suffering until the end of her life and dying in one of the most horrible ways I've read about in this series. And yet she's demonized. Again. Racism.

The truth is, her fandom project their own desires onto Lyanna. They love the "not like other girls tm" idea of her, they love the pick me girl energy of her story, and she fits the bill for their self-inserts. The misogyny runs deep even among those who considers themselves her fans or shippers of the couple, and they don't even realize it.

My dislike of her is a lot influenced by her fanon version, because the truth is that there isn't enough material for me to actually care about canon Lyanna outside of the tragedy that was her life. Canon wise she might be interesting and maybe a character I would enjoy, but the truth is that there isn't enough there. And if I have to care about characters who have that little textual development, I find other characters such as Elia, Ashara Dayne, Nettles, etc, much more interesting, engaging and worth of my time

[f1orza]

Austrian GP thoughts, sorry if I'm not very articulate 🤓 just rambled really not proofread cause I'm busy

Do I think the collison was Max's fault? Yes. Do I think that the contact was inevitable and BOTH of their faults? Also yes.

Max shouldn't have moved during the breaking but they were both driving aggressive. They both wanted to be first, they both know what's it's like to be first and they won't settle for second now. I think in Lando's case he seen that if he wants to be first he has to try harder? Or that you actually have to be "agressive" to get onto that top step.

Do I think Lando was being childish? Yes. And I'm saying this as a McLaren fan.

Though I also think that any sport where you're fighting for first is inherently a bit childish. Might just be because I have siblings and we always used to fight over first place as kids 🤷🏽‍♀️idk

That doesn't justify Lando's response. Even when you're upset and running on adrenaline, you should be able to be handle your emotions I think. (I know as humans it can be hard) but if you're on live tv being broadcasted to millions of people...you should have a better handle on you're emotions; even if you feel you've been wronged, because no one will listen to you if you are acting like that. If you're levelheaded about it people are more likely to listen,(woman experience this all the time.) He needs to work on that and on taking responsibility as well, because the blame isn't 100% on Max.

That's one thing I can say about Max, I wasn't here for the "Mad Max" era but from videos and word of mouth, I can tell he's matured a lot and you can definitely see it. Max had every reason to be upset after this race (but not really), he had a good lead against Lando until RB's slow pit stop and then he went from first to fifth and some might say that's not bad, he still got points, and etc. That's not the point - his race was still affected but he did not go on live tv and speak badly on his friend.

They need to - like Max said - cool down and speak about it afterwards. I personally don't think it is worth ending a friendship with someone I considered a good friend but maybe they see it differently idk. It's something they need to talk about before the next race. And if they believe that it was worth losing a friend over, especially when they know this is situations that happen in racing then....

And I've seen a lot of people mentioning Lando still wouldn't have been first, even with the 5 sec penalty, he would'v been second with George being over 10 secs behind, I can understand why he believed Max ruined his race.

Some of y'all have a very bad habit of taking things fans do out on the drivers. If the FANS keep voting him DOTD that has nothing to do with him, if you want others to win then yall might need to vote more ig 🤷🏽‍♀️ and the chanting on the podium is again rude and nasty behavior but that again has nothing to do with Lando, I can promise you even if he would speak out it will not change anything, people will do what they want and what they feel they are entitled to do. I've seen it happen in so many fandom spaces, some people just don't care. Lewis has told people not to hate George after last race and I can guarantee that there is still people that do.

Now I've also seen people talking about Lando's attitude, I agree on some things and disagree on others. And this isn't me being a "Lando crazy fangirl" trying to justify his actions but I'm just telling it how I see it. So if you disagree okay, but do not start shit with me okay? 🙃 cause I know y'all like to fight around here 🤥

I think Lando feels stuck in that wasted potential. Where people having saying for years you have the potential to be a champion and even with all the hardwork you do, it doesn't feel like it's being shown. And especially as someone who went so long without a first win. Everyone's saying McLaren made a mistake by re-signing you or that your teammate is more deserving of the first seat. You feel like you're letting people down: you're team, family, fans and yourself. Not to mention all the hate you've been getting for NOT winning, then you'll definitely be in a bad headspace. And now that's he's won and KNOWS he can win, he'll want it all the more. He has the fastest car on the grid right now, he IS a good driver (contrary to what some of you believe), and he is a bit more optimistic than last year. Now that first is within his grasp, he's been hungry to get a second one. And I think he's been a bit overconfident about it, but that's honestly all drivers, I think if you are upset about Lando's ego but not other like Ocon than you dislike Lando for other reasons and are just finding excuses now. Even more so knowing he is second in the championship standings. Now that you know you're capable of being first you wouldn't want to settle for second, just like Max. Max constantly talks about not being there for second place but many of the other drivers feel that way, Lando is clearly one of them.

Do I think Max should have just let him go by? no. Because this IS racing and if you want to be first and become a champion you have to work for it. Max has never been the kind of guy to just let you pass him, not even for a friend. So Lando needs to understand that if he wants to keep fighting Max in the future. If you want to prove everyone right or wrong, only YOU can do that and by being overly eager and dangerous, well it clearly doesn't work in your favor 😭 (sorry lando 🤧). Only thing is you do is improve yourself and I'm not surprised that Max is a champion when he is always driving be it racing or sim. If your competitor's are doing a 100% you need to be doing 200%, that's the only way to get to the top.

[going-to-ikea-for-the-fries]

why did you tag your post with gaz erasure my ass? like what was hard to believe that the cod fandom has blatant patterns of purposefully removing the only black character and replacing him with everyone under the sun? your friend lied about killing themself to make them look like a victim. and you participated in harassing people who saw this for what it was. you need to step back and reflect on your own self on why you thought that your friend’s “death” was caused by people calling out patterns of anti black racism and then go on to harass them. you are not an ally by any means.

Back when I used that tag, I paired it with another tag right after, it was meant to be an aggressive call out on misinformation, I had meant for it to read as 'Gaz erasure my ass, y'all just can't read'.

(This because the original post didn't read like intentional erasure but rather like codslut thought Gaz didn't fit the post, since she also didn't use Reboot Soap, she used *Captain* Soap, idk how best to explain it but to me the two soaps are different characters so i figured it was an intentional choice to use him and keegan rather than reboot soap and gaz)

Edit: I want to add that I also used codslut's own explanation as the basis for why I didn't think it was erasure. And at this point, she's clearly not to be fucking trusted, so it wouldn't surprise me if it really *was* erasure/racism and I believed her word that it wasn't.

As time went on, I dropped the last part of the tag of 'y'all just can't read', and looking back it not only reads as a racist dog whistle but also, just in general, sounds and looks fucking disgusting.

I've said this before, but I think it warrants saying again: I *didn't* mean to say Gaz erasure doesn't exist. It does very much exist in the community and even Activision themselves often erase Gaz from promo materials.

I'd hate for people to think that I either dislike Gaz or don't see the blatant racism/dislike/erasure that happens with him on the community. That's not the case. Gaz is a main character (unlike König like so many people try to replace him with) who I absolutely adore, and I call out erasure when I see it here on Tumblr, on Tiktok and on Twitter.

I never meant to make it seem like Gaz erasure doesn't exist. I only wanted to call out misinformation... and ended up doing the exact opposite of both my intentions. I'm sorry about that. It was not just disgusting but full on stupid of me.

I also want to say that I didn't think that that screenshot post specifically or even the act of people calling out racism where they saw it was the cause for codslut possibly killing herself. That is not what I meant at all. And I don't want anyone to think I blame @soapskneebrace or @glossysoap or anyone else for that. Blood was never on their hands, I want to make that very clear!!!!

When I was confronting people, I was doing so on the basis that they're big creators with big platforms and that by accusing codslut of racism/erasure they opened the door for anons to justify their actions when going after codslut because they have so much reach and people with bad intentions need less than that to justify the hate they send people.

Looking back, I know I was in the wrong for how I spoke. I was aggressive and rude and mean, and none of the people involved deserve that. Hell, my actions were hypocritical as hell and I probably opened the door for them to get hate themselves. I'm really fucking sorry.

If I could take it back, I would. I never believed nor wanted them to believe that someone potentially harming themselves was their fault. It wasn't.

I do plan on taking a step back to reconsider not just the way I acted but everything that's happened. In fact, I was already taking said break and came online only because I got word of @/fulltacs' post.

I appreciate and thank you for holding me accountable (and by that I mean you and everyone!). And I especially thank *you* anon for wording this ask this way, and giving me, at least, a chance to explain.

[ouatsnark]

So.

I've seen people compare Hook killing his father, Brennan, to the EQ killing her own dad, Henry 1.

Which, yeah, technically it is the same thing on surface level but I feel like people ignore the circumstances.

EQ apologists will claim that EQ murdering Henry was his own fault because he allowed her to be abused her entire life (which... While I would argue Cora is abusive, I don't really agree with because the man himself never abused Regina and even tried to advocate for her from what I remember) and because he owed it to her so she could be happy.

They then say she made up for it by naming her kid after him (which awww sweet, naming your kid after someone you MURDERED. Isn't that such a nice way to make up for what you did?).

They say his afterlife was too good for him/was given by Regina and he should be thankful he didn't get worse when he was a 'shitty' dad.

But they then turn around and go:

Oh Hook is a MONSTER because he murdered his own FATHER.

They point to the flashbacks in a swan song, ignoring the part where he abandoned them. Saying him lighting the lantern means that he was a good dad and him abandoning them couldn't be helped.

They say his actions didn't parentify Liam 1. They say he was sorry because he named his 3rd son after his first and that should have been enough.

That Hook was an asshole who orphaned his half brother out of jealousy and showed no remorse, ignoring the fact they eventually made up.

I just... don't see how?

The number one thing with Regina apologists is that they HAVE to make Regina into the biggest victim so that they can justify their love and defense of her indefensible crimes. In short, Regina Apologists are the biggest double standard hypocritical losers I’ve ever seen.

They have to insert their head canons about Regina’s childhood, demonize Henry Sr and then lie about Killian’s father, Brennan’s and Killian’s motives, ignore canon instances of Killian’s remorse just to lift up their tyrant queen.

They then come up with these ridiculous reasons to absolve Regina and Brennan of their crimes while ignoring the fact that if we use their logic, Killian should also be absolved of his (if they’d accept canon fact of Killian’s remorse). No, naming a child after your victim doesn’t absolve you of crimes. What good does that do anyone but Regina or Brennan? It doesn’t. The naming was solely for their own benefit.

How is replacing your first born making up for abandoning your children into slavery? Oh and if they say Brennan didn’t have any choice then why does he need to make up for anything? Can’t have it both ways peeps! No, Brennan naming his third son Liam doesn’t mean he is sorry it just means he’s giving himself a second chance and assuaging his own guilt just as Regina did with Henry Jr.

How about the truth: Villain Regina and villain Killian were both monsters for killing their respective fathers? Why can’t we leave it at that? But sure if they want to play the game of which one is worse, well, I have bad news for them. Regina was.

1. Regina murdered an innocent man. Killian killed his scumbag fugitive father.

Henry Sr was a loving doting father that stood behind Regina no matter what she did. No, Henry Sr did not “allow” Regina to be abused her entire life

Anon is absolutely right when they say Henry Sr did try to advocate for Regina and did his best to stand up to Cora (1x18). Besides. What did they want him to do? She was a powerful dark magic user that could kill him with a snap of her fingers.

I find it interesting that Regina Apologists use the excuse that Regina fixated her revenge on Snow and not Cora because she was afraid of her powerful mother. Like ya wanna think about this for a second, RAs? If you claim that Regina was so afraid of her mother her entire life (even tho she snooped in her desk with no fear etc etc) then do you all think maybe her dad might have been too? What could Henry Sr have done against a powerful wife? He had no powers himself. So if he was scared of Cora, he put Regina before his own fears and stayed for Regina’s sake. He never abandoned her to face Cora alone because no matter what happened at least he could be there for his daughter? Just a food for thought there.

Bottom line was, Henry Sr never abused Regina but he was always there for her, no matter what atrocity she committed, even while she was killing him. So no, adult Regina being abused by her mother over who she marries does not justify murdering the father who loved and supported her and it sure as hell doesn’t justify murdering him so she can get a happy ending and curse an entire kingdom to a life of misery.

It’s like Regina Apologists can’t think past her heaving cleavage.

Brennan did abandon his kids to slavery and to suggest otherwise is a lie. No, him naming his 3rd son Liam doesn’t make up for his abuse

He may have left a lantern on but that means jack crap the moment he abandoned his children to save his own skin. He had a choice. His choice was to die protecting them or at the least ensuring their own escape at his expense. But he chose to save himself and left his sons to face an unimaginable fate without him. Escaping your crimes and leaving your children to face your consequences is most certainly child abuse, neglect and abandonment.

And just so we are clear: Killian’s feeling of betrayal doesn’t justify leaving his half-brother an orphan. But which crime is more understandable? I can sympathize a lot more with the pain Killian felt in the face of his father’s betrayal than I can with Regina murdering a man so she can destroy the lives of an entire kingdom.

2. Regina committed her crime to destroy the lives of an entire kingdom. Killian’s crime effected three people.

Regina committed cold-blooded premeditated murder of an innocent man for the sole purpose of ruining the lives of an entire kingdom. Her goal was to punish Snow for a crime she didn't even commit! The only person that Regina was taking into consideration here was herself.

Killian wasn’t even going to go through with Regina’s test of killing Brennan, a crook and a child abuser, until he learned his half-brother’s name. It became a heat of the moment crime. A crime that only effected three people: himself, his scumbag father and his half-brother.

"You named your boy Liam. After my brother, after the son… you abandoned. Was he really that easy to replace? I saw what you said to him in there! It's the same thing you said to me! It was a lie then, and it's a lie now! … you would leave me." - past Hook 5x11

And despite what Regina Apologists say, Killian didn’t kill Brennan out of jealousy. To frame this as simple as jealousy diminishes the gravity of the situation here and Killian's pain. Put yourself in Killian's shoes for a moment.

You can think Brennan is telling the truth in this scene but I don't blame Killian for not believing him. The man callously left his sons to be enslaved, an act that eventually led to his beloved brother’s death, and here he finds out that his father has simply replaced his brother with a new son. When faced with this, Killian's walls go back up.

Brennan naming his son Liam was not an apology. It was to assuage his own guilt and give himself a second chance. Brennan claims he was honoring Liam 1, and maybe he thought he was, but it doesn't mean that Liam 2 wasn't a replacement for the sons he abandoned.

Lastly, it's a lie to say Killian never showed remorse.

The fact that he made Regina swear never to speak of this shows how immensely guilty and wrecked Killian was over this.

He was also willing to die for Liam 2. Even in the past, he wanted to help his brother turn from the path he was on and not make the same bad choices he'd made. If Henry hadn't returned, Killian was ready to let Liam have his vengeance.

So I have some questions for the Regina Apologists:

If Henry Sr is a shitty father and doesn’t deserve an afterlife for not being able to protect his adult child from his powerful wife, then what does Regina deserve for emotionally abusing the son she illegally adopted and putting her curse and her happiness before his welfare? And yes, she abused Henry. Yes, she is to blame for how she treated him. This isn’t up for debate.

How is naming a child after your victim showing remorse and making up for the act? but Killian Jones can’t be forgiven when he actually expresses remorse and was willing to die for his half-brother and made peace with Liam (as Anonymous pointed out in the ask)?

if being a coward that didn’t stand up to someone more powerful means you don’t deserve happiness in the afterlife then what should murdering, raping and abusing children get you? Yeah, Regina did that.

So please answer the question Regina Apologists!