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risuola · 2 years ago

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Please hear me out!

i’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I wanted to write it myself but I can’t write for shit 😭 Here’s my idea, reader (she/her) is close friends with Satoru and Suguru. She takes Suguru’s place instead, and Suguru ends up not going insane, and decides to stick around in Jujutsu High. But because the reader takes his place in this story, she spirals and abandons the idea of being morally good. (She’s a sensitive softie at heart 🥹 the cruel reality of being a sorcerer really took a toll on her). She commits so many crimes that the higher ups urge the strongest duo to finally execute her after dismissing her for nearly a decade. She dies in their hands, and doesn’t get a proper burial. Kenjaku takes her body and uses it as vessel. When Shibuya arc finally unfolds, she shows up right in front of Satoru and Suguru, alive and well. Soon reveals that it’s Kenjaku who has full control of her body. Of course their guilts eats them alive, and the reader (more like kenjaku) rubs salt on their wounds by taunting them about how she’s a great vessel and also a waste that she had to die so soon.

LOST CAUSE — F. READER x GOJO SATORU + GETO SUGURU, but there’s no romance whatsoever, guest appearance of Kenjaku

cw: an au where SatoSugu have another close friend; spoilers for Hidden Inventory/Premature Death arc and the very beginning of Shibuya arc, so much angst and the usual that comes with JJK – blood, hurt, tears and depression : D also, possibly inaccurate references to the original plot, reader's death — 5,5k words

a/n: I’m hearing you out dear! Thank you for the conception, it certainly fulfilled my need to write long and angsty <3

It was stupid. All of it was stupid. Why? Which decisions led you to where you now stood, all of your mind and body filled with devastation as you stilled in time – above the piles of little corpses, disfigured and permanently contorted in a grimace of dread and suffering. A stench of blood and burned bodies irritated your nostrils, your eyes were teary from all the smoke that still was filling the air and as you looked down at your hands, they were covered in blood and purple goo. Sticky. Repulsive. And the screams. In the dead silence of your surroundings, your head was still filled with an echo of those, who were now dead at your feet. Those, who you were unable to save. The imagery of them running, begging, dying carved itself into your mind. Why were you here, again?

* * *

“Hey, y/n, you’ve lost some weight. Are you alright?”, Satoru asked, playing with pencil that just a moment ago he asked you to throw at him. A showcase of his new skills, the techniques he’s been perfecting for the last year after encountering Toji Fushiguro. You forced a smile, squinting from the blinding sun of the summer at its peak.

“Yeah, sure,” you replied, patting Suguru’s shoulder, because his attentive eyes were scanning you already for any sign of disorder; you could hear his analytic brain cranking up, his golden pupils drilling holes in your head. “I’m good, it’s just too hot you know?”

“Wanna go grab some ice cream later?”

“Always.” No, you didn’t wanna go grab ice cream with them. You didn’t wanna grab anything with anyone for that matter and already you had come up with some half-baked excuse to sell later to your two best friends.

You, Shoko, Gojo and Geto were all in the same year in Jujutsu high. You joined them a little late, but quickly found yourself inside the love triangle with the two boys. You called it love, but it truly was nothing more than just a bonding friendship that you wished will last forever; a really close one and you couldn’t imagine your world without their chaos. They were like brothers to you, the ones you’ve never had and Ieiri was like a sister, but she was smart enough to keep her distance from the mess of SatoSugu. You were not as bright in that matter, but for two years, you couldn’t appreciate enough the yin and yang that they created, the casual bickers and deep talks late at night, the cuddles and pinches, the pats and smacks, the tears and laughs, sleepovers, sleepless nights and everything between. You loved them, you couldn’t think of your future without them.

That’s until not that long ago. Few months, maybe. You felt like you’ve been spiraling slowly into something that could only be named depression, because if not that, then what else? Why would you randomly tear up nowadays, zoning out completely in the midst of sentences. Why would you spend nights, blankly staring at the ceiling instead of sleeping, isolating yourself from your friends more and more? And why would you still hear that? The screams, the pleads of hysteric, the soul-tearing sounds of pain and frighten that you’ve been carrying inside your brain since that one mission.

Everything went wrong then, and you were alone. Shoko stayed at the campus, working her way towards becoming a doctor and you, Satoru and Suguru were assigned only to solo missions since the plasma vessel failure. You were strong, it was stated that your year was exceptional, that all of you have a chance to become special grades soon, but you hated that. Being strong came with a burden that you were not ready to take, and when you realized that, most of it was already heaving on your shoulders.

When you got to that school, it was already too late and it wasn’t your fault. You rushed there as soon as you were assigned with the job, but when you dropped the curtain and looked at the building, there was already smoke coming from the window holes, that some time earlier had glass in them. And when you kicked your way inside the little indoor sports arena, the view struck you in ways you couldn’t possibly prepare yourself for and certainly, you couldn’t process it as well. The school was primary, those people were just kids, but the curses pay no mind to age of their victims. This one was particularly playful – or rather, eagerly violent – spreading hellfire around, burning these children alive one by one, causing chaos, suffering and bloodshed. When you finished exorcising it, it was over. For the curse, for your job and for the lives of all of those children. None survived. Not even one.

Not always we can save everyone, Suguru always told you, rationalizing the sacrifices sorcerers have to make and you tried to repeat that in your head when you got out. You tried to play it over the screams, but eventually, the soft tone of your friend’s voice got lost in the catastrophic cacophony of sorrow, sizzling skin and burning death. And that, maybe wouldn’t be enough for you to lose your mind. Maybe you could recover from that, but soon after the incident you witnessed the group of people that stood behind the assault. A band of grown humans, men and women, who were convinced some of those children were possessed by devils or some other shit, so in all hypocrisy known to race, they hired a curse user to fight fire with fire. Quite literally. Those people were so blinded by their fear of unknown that they sacrificed lives of dozens of little children, they shattered so many innocent lives only because they believed in something absurd. And then, they tried to push the blame on you, on sorcerers despite the fact they hired one to do the dirty job. And then, they killed the user, fearing him too. When you’ve got to see the body of a sorcerer that you’ve never got to meet, or at least you thought so, you realized that probably, you wouldn’t recognize him anyway. You’ve seen corpses barely reminiscing of humans, twisted and broken as curses often chose the most petrifying, violent ways of killing, but this? This was something you’ve never seen before – a cruel, ruthless exhibition of pure hate, evidence of deliberate torture, the picture painted in stabs, burns and bruises. All of which, caused by people, who frankly, showed no remorse nor regret as their faces were painted in pride, origin of which you failed to notice.

Those humans. Used jujutsu to commit mass murder only to blame it on your people and kill them. Animals. No. Worse. Much worse.

“Y/n, please, let’s talk it through,” Suguru tried to reason, as you stood up against the two of your friends, in the middle of Shibuya’s scramble crossing. People were passing next to the three of you, unbothered by the way your worlds were colliding right here, in the busiest part of Tokyo. People didn’t care of others, they wouldn’t react if someone next to them would get stabbed to death, only caring about their own shoes to not get them stained in the dirt of blood.

“Don’t be stupid, it’s not who you are,” Satoru raised his tone, but all you felt was nothing. The emotions you’ve seen on his face were real, you knew it. Satoru wears his heart on his shoulder, he pours everything he feels into the words he aims at people that are close to his soul, and you were no exception, but at this moment, you felt nothing. “I know you couldn’t do that.”

“Couldn’t I?”, you asked, thinking back on the last Friday, during which you executed those same people that used jujutsu sorcerers to wipe the floors of that primary school. To wipe the blood and burned bodies. You remember how they knelt before you, how the women cried begging for their lives, yelping that they have children, families and yet, those same children and families were nowhere in their mind when they ordered a mass murder in the primary school. “And why would that be exactly? Because you two think so?”

“Y/n, I get it,” Geto stepped forward, but stopped as you glanced at him. “I really do. You know me, we talked about it. It was hard for me too after Riko, I know what you’re going through.”

“I know Suguru.”

“I thought you keep his side, y/n,” Gojo threw his hands in the air, helplessly trying to find the words to dress his mind with. “I thought you believe in doing good with your powers. That people won’t understand so we shouldn’t look at them and just do what we do. Wasn’t that what you’ve told me?”

“I did, yes,” you gave it a nod and exhaled. “But it changed. Yes, they won’t understand. Anything that they can’t comprehend is pure evil for them and yet they believe in such absurd like gods. They will use us to do their dirty works and then blame us for it, because they cannot understand a single thing. And then, they will kill us, one by one and we, the strongest, cannot do nothing about it. We’ll have to go through life through the corpses of our friends. People don’t deserve what we do for them.”

“Y/n, please, let’s talk about it. Let’s get back to school-“ Geto tried, but you cut him off.

“You two, get back to school. I know I have a sentence already, there’s no point for me to get back there only to get executed. And frankly, I don’t want to get back there, to take part in what they teach us is right when we die for those people. We give our lives for them and they have no idea,” you said, taking a step back. You could tell the lights will soon switch. “Look around, Satoru, Suguru. They crawl around us unaware of our sacrifice and yet, even if they are so fragile a single blow can kill them, they think we deserve to be killed. I’m not gonna take part in this anymore. I’m sorry.”

“We can’t let you go, you know that, we-“

“Then attack me. I’m sure any of you can take me down. I’d rather die by your hands, than on a job of protecting them.”

You turned your back on them, and Satoru raised his hand, pointing at your silhouette, blue already on his mind as his cursed energy gathered in front of his fingers. Suguru’s curses sprawled out of their dimension, but none of them pursued with the attack, unable to do that. They couldn’t kill you. You were too dear to them. They loved you too much to take your life like this. So they let you go, and soon enough, they lost the sight of you in the crowd.

* * *

Nine years. It's been almost a decade and many things changed. You changed your ways completely, making a point of protecting sorcerers from people, even if that meant killing them, but care for humans was something you’ve lost many years ago, having it slowly replaced by disgust. Your once soft heart turned hard and dark and all the good in you vanished as you time after time solidified your beliefs that humans are simply not worth saving, therefore there was no need to keep them alive the moment they became useless. Over those years, you used those people to your benefit, raising money and gathering intel and then, the second their use to you has become nonexistent, so were them. Blood burned permanent stains on your hands but screams of hurt didn’t phase you at all. Have you become a monster? You might have. But for the lives of sorcerers, it was worth it.

It’s been almost a decade since you’ve been dismissed from jujutsu community for crimes, that over those years piled up rapidly and during this time, both Satoru and Suguru tried to stay out of this, whilst Yaga turned a blind eye to the corrupted path one of his students went down by. The now principal felt responsible for not doing enough, for not saying enough, for not noticing soon enough and though the rest of his students, now teachers in Jujutsu high told him that some things were inevitable, it wasn’t that easy to switch off the thinking. Same went for both the strongest, but for years, they waited in hopes for something to change.

That was until you killed someone seemingly important. A politician of sorts, high government pawn that you learned was funding a unit of so-called sorcerer killers, ones that modelled after Toji Fushiguro in cold blood were meant to take down a menace that jujutsu users were, as if it was them who were the ones to fear. Opposite to little no-one’s deaths, this one was loud, this one was medial and this one, Yaga couldn’t let slip. So, an order was given.

Kill on sight.

Almost ten years, and yet Satoru still couldn’t believe what happened. Whilst young, the three of you were almost inseparable and you, out of the whole group, were the most sensitive person he knew. You were soft and full of smiles, kind above all else and yet, you were strong enough to hold back the tears he knew were threatening to roll down your cheeks on many occasions. You were soothing, an oasis that was easily able to turn any darkness into light, and what Satoru couldn’t forgive himself was that once that same darkness started devouring you, he didn’t notice. Too focused on his own missions, on lighthearted shenanigans, on perfecting his usage of limitless and six eyes, he had no idea about your state of mind and when he realized, you have already been sentenced. Suguru didn’t notice either. Or maybe didn’t want to notice, because you talked through many nights about the doubts you both had. He knew about the utter devastation that was slowly consuming your soul but hoped you’ll overcome it, because you always were a sunshine, and a sunshine couldn’t die down to shadows. Turned out, this shadow was pitch black and no light made its way through it.

“Y/n,” they called you and the beautiful music that their voices created brought back memories of your youth. Ten years, almost, had passed since you’ve seen your best friends the last time, and with curiosity sparkling through your system, you turned to face them.

“Satoru, Suguru,” addressing them, your lips curved up slightly in a manner of soft joy. Your heart fluttered at the sight; your pulse raised just as it would for person who’s just seen the love of their life. “Long time no see.”

“It’s not as pleasurable as we would like it to be, y/n,” Suguru sighed and you took a moment to absorb the view.

Both of them changed. Suguru, still tall and broad, seemingly even buffier than he was before stood there with his hair now longer and partially knotted and partially left loose on his back. His facial features sharpened, jaw got more edge to it, eyes turned more narrow and focused, but still, some softness remained from what you remembered and probably he would seem even more familiar if not for the tough expression he had going on. Satoru, right next to him, became even taller. His white hair was now pointing up, kept by a white wrap that completely covered his eyes – something that he probably adapted during the time of usage of his six eyes. Not much of his face you could see, but with ease you noticed his features matured. Both were dressed in uniforms that you could only tie to their unbreakable bond with Jujutsu high.

“You’re now teachers, the two of you, huh?”, you asked, smiling softly, but keeping their moves in mind. “I’ve heard this year’s students are exceptional, now it makes sense. Good they have such amazing senseis.”

“You could have been one of the teachers too,” Gojo snapped.

“How could I teach anyone something I don’t believe in?” a chuckle rumbled deep in your chest as you thought of the image. Abstraction of it made you amused. “How’s Shoko? Is she a doctor now?

“She is,” Geto muttered, unsure why is he answering your questions. “Yaga is the principal.”

“Oh, is he? Look at him, climbing up that ladder,” you laughed, “so, it’s on his orders that you two are here?”

“You killed a fucking politician, y/n,” Satoru spoke, sounding calm but you could tell his blood was boiling. Both of his hands hidden in his pockets were visibly clenched in fists and even though you couldn’t see his eyes, you knew his brows were furrowed. “Almost a decade we allowed you to do whatever you tried to do, but this time, higher ups stepped in. The sentence is decided, we cannot let you pursue your goals further.”

“And why are you both here? I’m sure just one amazing special grade would be enough,” there was a certain amount of poison in your words, though it wasn’t directed at your friends and both of them knew it. “Are the higher ups so desperate to get me off the board because it’s them who give green lights to those assholes that kill us? Did you know that that pathetic politician I’ve killed was in midst of creating an army of little Toji Fushiguros? How do you think he even knew about the dude, huh?”

“An army of Toji?”

“Yeah, remember that guy, that cut both of you into slices? Yea, that one. And who’s giving away the cursed tools to said army? Well, it’s not me and I assume not any of you as well.”

“Y/n,” Suguru made his way to the side in what seemed like an attempt on surrounding you, because in that same moment, Satoru began shifting to the other side. “I agree with you. People don’t deserve what we do. But no one else can do it. You’re killing those whom we swore to protect.”

“Tell me, Suguru… how many bodies of our friends did Shoko cut open?” you asked and the question made the dark-haired man tsk. It was the truth that hurt the most, he hated how precisely it hit the spot. “How many of our allies were spread across her metal table after Haibara was there? Well, half of Haibara?”

“That’s not the point,” Satoru scoffed and with an exhale, he raised his hand up to loosen up the bandages around his eyes. “We die just as people die. Sorcerers are not above death. You know that, right?”

“We’re not above that, but we are above people and we risk our lives, which we just like them have only one of, for them. And they fuckingstep on it. If I have to pick who’s gonna die from a curse, why would I pick a sorcerer, when a loss of a mere human will be much less tangible than the loss of one of us?”

“Because they cannot protect themselves from curses, and we can.” Geto replied and in a whiff, you felt the appearance of his curses around him. Both him and Gojo were getting ready for a fight, so you had to get ready as well.

“But can we really protect ourselves from them?”, you glared back at him; your tone calm but laced with icicles that pierced through Suguru’s mind as he struggled to see you inside of you.

All of the softness he had always equated you with dissolved into something he couldn’t quite place. Image of you killing someone just for the sake of killing somehow couldn’t materialize inside his mind and it pained him, breaking his heart to think that he will be the reason of your death. And it’s true that probably, just one of them would be enough for that fight, but there was no way they would be able to chose and no one else could do it. You were the strongest, you grew into a special grade quickly after leaving and your technique proved to have no flaws or holes. You were a threat above abilities of others, stepping down only to the two of your friends, if not being equal to them.

“Let’s do it quickly, Suguru,” Satoru sighed, tucking his wraps into one of his pockets.

“Oh, where’s your playful attitude, Satoru?”, you teased, but somehow it hurt you as well. It was your friend you were talking to. Both of them, that came here to kill you and only way for you to get out of it was to kill them.

And killing them, turned out, you couldn’t do. Even hurting them came with difficulty not physically, but mentally. But you fought them both at the same time, keeping a defensive stance, searching for an opening to vanish. From them, you wished to run away, to not make them take the burden of your death because you could see it in their eyes, you were just as dear to them still, as they were to you. But they left you no opening to run away, so you fought. Using everything you’ve got to immobilize them, because instead of taking their lives, that would give you more time.

The way you stood against them, with your cursed technique of energy manipulation, it gave them the hardest time since Toji, and considering they were both taking part in the fight now, ten years after and significantly stronger, just showed how much work you’ve put into your own development. And with pride you noticed, how strong both of your friends became as well. You countered all of their attacks, slashed away the curses and blocked the blues and reds, albeit it really was a matter of time and you knew that. And so, you pushed through, materializing in your hands weapons made from pure, solidified cursed energy, using swords and needles and creating armor around your body that effectively, shielded you from any attack. Your weapon was different from cursed tools. It was made only from energy, strong and unbendable, changing shapes and forms as you deemed it necessary, allowing you to use it in close combat and on long distances. Any curses Suguru summoned stood no chance against what you wielded, but the sheer amount of them was just short of overwhelming you. On top of that, Satoru’s constant offensive, his fists saturated in limitless abilities, the sheer strength of both bodies that were attacking you, slowly rendered you weaker. And it didn’t surprise you.

The end has come when one of the curses stopped you mid-way, engaging in a fight that distracted you enough for a hollow purple to reach your body. The blast threw you away as your body pierced through three buildings straight, through thick concrete bocks and hard steel reinforcements like it was tearing through wet paper and it’s only thanks to the full body coverage of your cursed technique, that it didn’t kill you on the spot. But it hurt. All of your body felt broken once you finally stopped, back pressed against the wall that still cracked underneath the impact of your frame hitting it. Blood covered your vision and a cough shook your body with painful wave overtaking your entire nervous system.

“So that’s the infamous hollow purple, huh?”, you muttered, leaning your head back against the cold solid behind you. There wasn’t much in your body that wouldn’t be fractured at least, you could tell without a mistake that your heart was still beating only because of the cursed energy that still circled throughout your frame.

Both men appeared in front of you, jumping from above – Suguru coming from one of his flying curses and Satoru, probably just teleported here.

“I’m sorry, y/n,” Gojo whispered, squatting in front of you and Geto followed his motion to level his vision with yours.

“’ts alright, ‘toru,” you muttered, feeling the dizziness taking the best of you. After the hit you took, you were certain not even a genius like Shoko could save you. “Sugu… both so strong.”

Exchanging a quick glance, both sorcerers sat down, on your sides, paying no mind to the puddle of blood underneath you. They took your hands, so small in comparison to theirs, now red and wounded severely, but the pain you couldn’t feel much of anymore.

“I’m sorry I didn’t take this mission for you. Back in our days. It was meant to be mine, but I was training,” Satoru confessed, squeezing lightly the fractured bones in your palm, reminiscing of the day that was the beginning of your end. The elementary. That day engraved itself in his memory as one of many days that seemingly mattered nothing. Yaga told him about the issue, the curse and fire in school for the youngest, but he brushed it off, focusing all of his mind on perfecting the last touches of his technique. He still remembers how sensei was mumbling profanities, but couldn’t care less because he was that close from teleporting.

“’ts okay, ‘toru.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there either,” Suguru added, his voice barely a whisper as you leaned your head against his shoulder, desperate to ease the heaviness. What Geto remembered from the day in question was that he had an issue with his own technique. Little difficulty, as he was absorbing one of the special grade curses he just caught. It wasn’t severe, it wasn’t even that important, he could have fix this on another time and take the god damn mission, but instead, he declined. “I thought if I don’t take the job, Satoru will, but turned out, it got to you.”

“Sugu, ‘ts ok.”

“Remember how we used to sneak out the dorms to get ice cream in the middle of the night?”, Satoru changed the topic completely – a defensive mechanism to lighten up the mood, to prevent him from crying. And you hummed in response, lowering your heavy lids.

“And how Satoru got drunk after three sips of a beer? That’s when we all knew he’s the lightest head in the history,” Suguru added and faded images of how Gojo discovered that he cannot drink to save his life rushed to the front of your mind.

You had no idea how long it took, was it few minutes or merely few seconds, but you listened to both men rambling above your head, reminiscing of your school days and everything that you did together. Of every prank you witnessed that they took on poor first years, of every little mischief and menace they performed, following Satoru’s lead, because it’s always him who stood tall in the name of chaos. You were humming softer and softer, quieter and quieter.

Until you were not.

“And then we put those cupcakes in Nanami’s bed and-“

“Satoru,” Geto cut him softly, looking down at your stilled frame. At your frozen chest and softened features, sensing no more heartbeat. And Gojo turned his eyes towards you as well, taking in the last picture of you, who he loved as his little sister, even though there was no age gap between you and him. And then they both cried in silence, spending another hour with your dead body before gathering you and taking home.

* * *

October 31, 2018

21:18

Only word that could describe what was happening in Shibuya at this moment would be chaos. Pure disorder, people frightened and running, some unconscious on the ground and some other hiding from what was happening in the Shibuya station. Most of them couldn’t see it but felt the terror, saw the blood, smelled the death in the middle of which, two men were standing.

Both Satoru and Suguru, when they came down here to fight whatever the hell was attacking people, couldn’t move; their heads void of any logical thoughts as memories rushed to the fronts of their minds. Stunned to the core and frozen, they looked into the eyes of the person in front of them, distrusting their own vision. The person that wore the familiar look of you, the energy of you and what seemed like – the same cursed technique, and voice, and face, and hair, and everything. Not one thing betrayed trickery or deception as there you stood, facing them both with a smile on your face – one of those soft ones that had melted their hearts on the spot a decade before. Your features relaxed, genuine, borderline joyous as you breathed the air around them once again.

“What…?”, Suguru snapped first, forcing his own body to move and smacking his friend’s shoulder. “How?”

“Who the hell are you…?”, Satoru whispered, voice stuck in his throat as all of the information that his senses were receiving contradicted with what his soul was telling him.

“Aah? It’s been few months, but do you not recognize me anymore?”, your voice flew through your mouth, the very same gentle and bright tone they used to fall asleep to. “It’s hurting my feelings.”

“Cut it,” Gojo snapped, now putting more pressure on his vocal cords, a groan escaping his throat in effect. “Cut the bullshit, you’re not her. You cannot be her. Y/n is-“

“Dead? Yeah, that purple really messed me up,” you chuckled, shrugging your shoulders slightly and stepping forward. “I have to admit, restoring the body wasn’t the easiest of all.”

“Reveal yourself,” Geto took the defensive stance, ready to pursue with attack if needed and his curses floating behind him on standby. “You’re not fooling us.”

“Ah, how stubborn,” another laugh brightened your face, only now more menacing, more teasing as your dainty fingers reached up to gather the lose hair out of your forehead, revealing a line of thin stitches across your skin there. “See, you really did me a favor by burying her body oh-so traditionally. Isn’t that the procedure to burn every deceased sorcerer?” your mouth was moving, spilling the words interlaced with taunt as the, what looked like, thread was pulled out of the horizontal line above your eyebrows and soon after, grabbed by the hair, the top of your head was lifted, revealing the terrifying image of a brain. With mouth of its own.

“What did you do to her?!”

“Oh, I just took what you two threw away,” you replied, slowly putting the upper skull part down on its place, matching the lines as the thread went through the holes by itself, securing the head together. “And I have to thank you for your little sentiment. If not for that, I wouldn’t have my perfect vessel. Ah, but it’s sad, isn’t it? Such a young, pretty girl had to die so early, and more so, killed by her own best friends. What a waste to jujutsu community, don’t you think?”

Both the boys stood there in shock, guilt eating them alive as the salt and acid was being rubbed into the wounds that just opened. The scabs of the past were ripped away, revealing the gushing pain and Satoru growled in anger, realizing that once again, he might have been responsible for what happened to you. This time, Suguru kept up with him in terms of fury, feeling his own blood boiling in his veins, unable to watch your body being possessed like this, used like a toy.

“Y/n, I know you’re there-“ Gojo called, but got stopped quickly by another pilfering laugh.

“Oh, but she’s not. Her soul is long gone and dead. You made sure to have her soul dead, and you have to know I nearly teared up reviewing her memories when I took the body. Such a poignant story, oh, so heartbreaking.” The teasing had no end as more and more poisonous venom spilled through your mouth, contradicting the carefree and joyful tone of your voice.

“What makes you believe that even if you take her body, you can win here? We’ve defeated her already,” Suguru narrowed his eyes.

“Oh, you’ve won but that’s because she let you two won. Wasn’t that surprising how easily you finished her? A special grade? How she didn’t even try to dodge the hollow purple, like the little curse that she was fighting with was really that much of a struggle? Oh, don’t be silly, you two. It wouldn’t be that easy if she tried.”

“We won’t let you-“

“You must understand your situation. What you’re standing in is a special grade cursed object. A prison realm, and to say it simply, you’ve already lost,” you pointed at the floor, from where the four corners of a cube stretched into a mass of flesh, with an eye – giant and bleeding, staring at its target, as the next stage of sealing began before either of sorcerers reacted. “And what’s more interesting, the prison realm can seal only one person at the time, but with the incredible technique of my current host, I was able to fuel its capacity to two occupants, by manipulating the cursed energy it used. Marvelous!”

The cursed object began enveloping both men, rendering them helpless and immobile, as their cursed energy became unavailable for their use.

“We’ll save you, y/n, you hear me?”, Satoru yelled in unison with his friend and the lone tear rolled down your face, before your hand reached up wiping it in amusement.

“Gate close.”

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scifibabee · 1 year ago

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hey fam, welcome to the April 2024 roundup of the best hannigram fics i've read this past month! i read over 100 fics total, and these were the cream of the crop.

as a reminder: the ingredients for a five star rating typically (but not always!!) include some combination of a.) believable characterizations of both Hannibal and Will, b.) compelling plot and/or character arcs, and c.) high quality smut.

that being said, my judgment of the aforementioned ingredients is powered almost exclusively by vibes and as such, is incredibly subjective.

you can find past recs below:

February March

and if you have any recs of your own for me, PLEASE SHARE.

anyway, in no particular order, let's go!

A place you can never go by det395

Word Count: 84,596 Summary: When things don’t go according to plan, Hannibal makes a wish. He finds himself a year-and-a-half in the past and seemingly given another chance with Will. His feelings about the situation only get more complicated when he realizes he may not have completely lost access to his old timeline after all. A Digestivo canon divergence.

If you follow me, you probably saw me already raving about this fic. This was so fucking good, holy fucking shit. And also heartbreaking. Made me think a lot about the nature of reality and what does it mean for something to be "real." Plus, I really love fics that explore their shared mind palace because I genuinely think that is one of the more underexplored aspects of their relationship. Definitely heavy on the angst, but there is a happy ending!

even though our love is doomed by bleakmidwinter

Word Count: 82,427 Summary: Hannibal solves the mystery of time travel and he and Will decide to go into the past and take opportunities previously missed along with rewriting the regrets they each hold. Changing the past does not effect the future and they have free reign to play as the please.

GIVE ME MORE THAN FIVE STARS PLEASE. I am obsessed with this fic. I've mostly stayed clear of time travel fics (aside from, you know, the one right above this) because the execution can be hit or miss, but let me fucking tell you. This was a god damn home run. There's a little bit of angst, but then there's also a chapter where Will challenges Hannibal that he wouldn't have been able to seduce him while Will was still working in Louisiana fixing boat motors. And obviously Hannibal decides to take that challenge.

Railroad Romance by OneWhoSitsWithTurtles

Word Count: 12,400 Summary: Hannibal is still Hannibal, and Will is still Will. Except Will is not part of the FBI and they meet on a two day train trip from New Orleans to Baltimore.

Dirty. Talk. In. FRENCH. Holy shit. Okay this was excellent. EXCELLENT. Perfect characterizations, and wonderful dialogue. Wow. Also, I love trains. Who doesn't love trains?

patroclus in furs by bleakmidwinter

Word Count: 130,185 Summary: If Will and Hannibal hadn't gone into their respective careers, they would have become porn stars.

I had my doubts about a pornstar AU, but I've really enjoyed everything else by this author and it was over 100k, so I gave it a shot! And WOW. The characterizations of both Will and Hannibal were spot on and believable. A good mix of fluff and angst, and the author clearly put a lot of thought into the porn scenes. Tbh I'm probably going to reread this shortly.

Pavlova by nbcravenstag

Word Count: 33,369 Summary: It’s not like Hannibal didn’t know that Will was hiding something. It was after the third body drop a week ago that it became clear that Will had a secret that somehow involved the case, one he wasn’t willing to share yet, not even with Hannibal. At 6:43 AM, Will had texted Hannibal that a fourth body had been found and that he was on his way to the scene with Jack. At 8:06 PM, Will had stepped into Hannibal’s office, thirty-six minutes past his appointment time, and practically shouted “I used to be a stripper!” as loudly as his hoarse voice would allow him to. Hannibal Lecter, though not phased by much in life, has never been entirely able to predict Will Graham, but this is just… getting out of control. Alternatively, the FBI is hunting a serial killer targeting male strippers, and Will decides to throw himself into the fray. Hannibal is beyond pleased.

An AU where Will was a stripper in college and now he's working a case where he can be live bait as a stripper? Shut the fuck up. Mostly told from Hannibal's perspective, and it's just *chefs kiss*. Who knew Will giving Hannibal a lap dance would be so HOT. (I could have guessed.)

Lessons In Submission by wyldefire

Word Count: 5,173 Summary: Hannibal was stubborn, independent, and Will had always loved that about him, but there were times, times like these, in the midst of heat, in the midst of such a thorough breeding, when lessons in submission were necessary.

My only thought at the end of this was, "Shut the whole fuck up" in the best way possible. Smut. Just all smut.

A Very Special Guest by LesBeanBurrito

Word Count: 56,660 Summary: Season 1 AU in which Will stays for Hannibal’s dinner party after bringing the bottle of wine at the end of 1X07 Sorbet. Embarrassed and Sassy Will Graham meets Smitten Hannibal Lecter.

I LOVE a good season 1 AU and this was checking all of the boxes for me! There's a secret relationship, Hannibal actually gets Will treated for his encephalitis, Will finds out about Hannibal, etc. Very much loved the plot, and the characterizations were spot on.

lover to your nightmare (look what you made of me) by merrythoughts and ReallyMissCoffee

Word Count: 123,367 Summary: Driving back home, it’s then he reflects on Hannibal asking him to run away that night. To forgo their plans altogether, to slip away. [Canon divergent. Will confesses his betrayal and asks Hannibal to run away with him, but Will has a plan of his own...]

You want dark!Will mixed in with some incredibly jealous and possessive Hannigram? Hooo boy do I have a fic for you! The ending was a little abrupt, but it was the perfect mix of gut-wrenching angst and toxicity + smoking hot smut. I genuinely had to stop and focus on my breathing more than once.

On the Lam by shotgun_sinner

Word Count: 63,992 Summary: Post-Fall (Hannibal)season 4Crack Treated SeriouslyOn the RunWill Graham Discovers FanfictionExplicit Sexual Contentsexual identity crisisThat's Not Really A CrisisWill Graham is HannisexualMurder HusbandsHomophobiaMurder of a HomophobeHannibal Lecter Loves Will GrahamWill Graham Loves Hannibal LecterPower Bottom Will Grahamthey love each other your honorvery meta

This was such a fun read – I love the implication that hannigram fanfiction exists and it's all there for Will to accidentally discover. I adore this author and just thoroughly enjoyed how Will learned a thing or two about himself by reading smutty fics (same dude).

Golden Promises by shotgun_sinner

Word Count: 68,488 Summary: Hannibal (TV) Season/Series 01Alternate Universe - Canon DivergenceEpisode: s01e07 SorbetHallucinations?Will Hopes SoLELOplugSexuality CrisisThat Ends Up Not Being A CrisisWill Graham Has EncephalitisHannibal Gets Will TreatmentDeveloping RelationshipWill Graham's Dogs - FreeformBonding over fooddoting hannibalEventual SmutHannibal Lecter Loves Will GrahamWill Graham Loves Hannibal LecterAlana DisapprovesRimmingOral SexBottom Hannibal LecterTop Will GrahamBottom Will GrahamTop Hannibal LecterWill Graham KnowsNon-Consensual Drug UseWill Gives Him Shit For ItMurder HusbandsCannibalismis that tag even necessary?Hannibal Lecter Loves Max

This was fluffier than I typically read, but I told y'all I love this author. Pretty much no angst, and the smut, as always, was next level. Also, the idea that Hannibal would wear a solid gold butt plug to his dinner parties had me laughing before I even started reading.

What Hatches by HotMolasses (@snazzymolasses here on tumblr)

Word Count: 107,847 Summary: There is a village, nestled on the edge of an ancient forest where it is always winter. Few of the townsfolk ever venture into it, except for one lonely hunter named Will Graham. A loner who makes his living selling stag meat and spends more time with dogs than people, he finds his life changing when he comes face-to-face with a magical beast, one that he cannot get away from, and isn’t even sure he really wants to.

What started out as a curiosity about the monsterfucking tag on AO3 brought me to one of the most unique and interesting hannigram AUs I've read??? I'm as surprised as you are, if not more. I adored this fic and I loved how both Will and Hannibal were characterized and the plot and the smut (oh my god, the smut) and the ending? Phew. Go read this.

lay like a flood spills away by bleakmidwinter

Word Count: 35,733 Summary: Will starts going to a nude beach that happens to be for gay men, even though he considers himself straight.

This was highly enjoyable. I LOVE AUs that manage to keep the characters true to canon. Also nude beaches. Hannigram and nude beaches. Eating ass and public sex with some actual plot sprinkled in. Say LESS.

Now, What Should We Do Next? by HigherMagic

Word Count: 51,116 Summary: Kinktober 2018

Smut. All smut. I showed this fic to a friend who has literally never read fanfiction, let alone Hannigram, before and she is now hooked. So. Do with that what you will. And it's so clear that this author has actual, real-life experience with kink and it comes across so well! Bonus point: there is also an equally good sequel.

To Mend With Gold by beforethedawn, ConstructFairytales, Destinyawakened

Word Count: 98,863 Summary: Will and Hannibal have been living as a gay married couple for three years, but they haven't slept in the same room let alone the same bed. Will Graham has a reckoning, one way or another.

THIS WAS TENDER. Fluffy, angsty, smutty, I loved it. Molly showed up with Will's dogs and decided she wasn't going to turn them in, which was a little weird, but I really loved this fic. Just them learning how to be with each other. Also EXCELLENT marathon smut scenes. Like yesssss, of course they can each cum like three times in a row.

A Clutch at Balance by Deverauxs_Disease

Word Count: 25,466 Summary: When Will Graham storms into Hannibal's house muttering about kissing Alana Bloom, the good doctor makes Will an offer: Pretend to date Hannibal in order to prove to Alana that Will is not only stable but capable of being in a relationship. When Alana is convinced Will is the man of her dreams, Hannibal will step aside and Will can get his girl.

Y'all know I love fake dating that all of a sudden, whoops! Isn't so fake anymore! Sprinkle in some jealous and possessive Hanni and Will? I'm sold. Say less.

And that's a wrap on this month! See ya next time!!!

#gracie reads hannigram #hannibal #hannigram #will graham #hannibal lecter #murder husbands #nbc hannibal #hannibal tv show #mads mikkelsen #hugh dancy #hannibal nbc #hannigram fics #hannigram fic recs #hannigram fic rec

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clumsydolly · 5 months ago

Note

so my thoughts on obey me as someone whos completed both games and played for maybe 4 years

Things I liked:

I always enjoyed that every character is unique in personality and design and that everyone is datable so there Arnt any routes. I loved seasons 1-3 of the og game, I always look fondly on season 3 though because of how it took place in the human world, was more domestic and we got nice lore drops that didn't feel shoved in. I liked the stakes of season 1 and 2 so but id have to say season 2 is my second favorite because of how it expanded more on the first season. I do wish there was a little more worldbuilding and consistency, but I'm not too pressed about it since it does leave things open ended enough for the fandom to exist creatively in.

Season 2 of nightbringer was also good up until the end, which is where my grievances start appearing.

Things I didnt like

There was a LOT retconning in Nightbringer, which made things so confusing that I just disregard most of it as non-canon if they dont fit with what I had imagined in the first game. My two biggest peeves though are

1.) The focus on forgiving the celestial realm/ their father).

-It felt really weird how hard they were pushing the idea that the celestial realm wasn't that bad and disregarding how oppressive it was and how their father literally tried to execute their sister. I understand missing the realm (it was their home after all) and any angel living there being good people, but I'm definitely not okay with forgiving their father (god?). That guy is abusive asf, if there was ever a villain of the story, it has always been that guy. I wish I could have seen more of the characters talk about their familial (religious) trauma and not exclusively Lucifer or Simeon (which was already rare enough and the retconned at the very end).

2.) The lack of a overall plot.

-We started the story with the goal of being the one to master them all, as well as achieving Diavolo's goal of bringing peace to the 3 realms. Problem is that we never got there. The celstial realm is still oppressed, I dont even think the majority of the human world knows demon and angels exist, nor do anyone who knows seems very interested in peace. Diavolo is still the crown prince (which is fine I guess) and we never got to meet Michael. Luke still dosent seem to understand the prejudices of the Celestial Realm and we still dont know much about Solomons past, eg: who was his first aprentice, how did he meet Barb, how did he fight all of the Devildom, what was his time like as king, his family.

We never actually made any big changes, and now the games over.

Miscellaneous thoughts I have:

Don't like the same gag being used excessively for the same characters

I wish I could have seen Satans birthmark :/ its on his back

I would have liked to know more about what happened during the war, but it probably might have been too drab for the game

I think Simeons arc of not being an angel should have just left him a human

The sibling interactions in the game are hilarious

Wish there were more characters, even briefly, the cast feels a little lonely :(

The mc is perfect

Okay okay! First thank you for asking dear! 💕

Now, I'm about to yap my head off so get ready lol.

Now I too love the characters I have such a soft spot for them all especially since I found the game right when covid happened and I had to be inside all the time so the game is such a comfort thing for me. I love the designs but Satan's sweater is fucking annoying ngl but other than that no complaints! I also loved that Obey me! allowed us to date everyone but I remembered people being upset about there being no routes so I'll probably have a lot of routes so people can just pick, "do I want a harem?" "Do I wanna only be with 1,2,3,4,5,7 of them?" Ya get the point!

I truthfully haven't moved past season 3 so everything I know about both that and Nightbringer is from media or my friends but I do in fact also love 2 and parts of season 3 I feel like they were just so cute cause everyone was still figuring out their feelings and it gave us more info on how everything was going on after we left and stuff and season 3 is so domestic in the human world (also how did they get a place like I know they are the top 1% in the Devildom and it's said they can persuade humans, ➖ Mc, sorcerers and witches. But like come seriously?! How!?) I love seeing them all interact cause it's so cute and funny.

I agree the world building definitely needs to be expanded on and more fleshed out we only go to a few different places and when we do it's like we were the only people there lol, no I interactions with anyone outside the cast fr.

Again I haven't played Nightbringer I will now that I plan on writing but Irdgaf in the beginning cause everyone was like "ehhhh" "why's there need to be another game??" "Tf?" So I decided to just kinda ignore it especially since people said they didn't really like it and as you said didn't agree with where it was going so I'll talk more on that when I subject myself to that.

O.M.G

You have no idea how much this rattles me! WHY DO THEY NEED TO FORGIVE THEIR FATHER IN THE FIRST PLACE?! Like I was always annoyed by that. I mean their Dad fucking killed their little sister and exiled the brothers I mean lookkkkkkk

Got this from @flemmingbamse btw so thank you!!! 💕

They literally were exiled from their home and were forced to become a whole other species and they lost their wings/had their wings changed completely. Lucifer gave fucking birth from his back apparently which is how we get Satan and Satan is obviously wearing Lucifer's 2 lost wings and I mean imagine your so fucking pissed you have a god damn child from your anger. Like apagejsjakaopahaiqkqh. Their status in heaven? Gone. Family? Besides each other, Gone. Lilith? Dead. Their home? Not their home anymore. Anyone else they love, who fr weren't a real one low-key. (Kinda looking at Simeon but it's obvious he regrets it so I'm blinking slowly) BUT Raphael? Michael? Actually I don't think Michael is god. God is god. Michael is a seraphim. So they are the children of God or Seraphim? Either way, BULLSHIT! everyone turned their backs on them. And that war I think it's a testament to how strong they are cause they went against ALL of heaven and still held their own granted they lost but they were against ALL of heaven and I think they only really lost cause of Lilith being hit by an arrow and Lucifer giving birth. (Still can't get over that). And I mean they got punished from heaven to hell, literally. So they are still being punished? Does Michael wanna be forgiven or not? Bitch ass fr. NO SYMPATHY.

I will come back to this but the Brothers definitely have religious trauma and I think that Simone started realizing that right before the war was happening when he had to fight Lucifer and saw he was on opposite sides of the battle filed and it's obvious he regrets it and wishes he fought on their side. I think it's a tell tale with how Luke acts and angles are told that God is great and Michael is great and everything they do is right. I mean look at how Luke admires- no, idolizes Michael. I think whenever he brings up Michael the brothers get really quiet and just nod along to just get him to shut up. I think there is super manipulation going on in heaven and only the higher angles, archangel and seraphim are aware of what is going on but not ALWAYS aware which is how Simone got started to officially realize just how wrong Michael's mindset is and started to oppose it silently and when he started getting louder and started falling for Mc this God and Michael got mad (idk fr its a thought tho). But I don't think heaven is it fr.

Now on the lack of plot everything did feel everywhere some times like some things we're just happening just cause and I feel like Dia's dream was kinda side tracked and after Mc got pacts things were just kinda happening lol. Ngl I think Michael's bitch. Not sure if y'all could tell but yeah. Still I'd like to know more about him too. Now Solomon the shady sorcerer we know and love. Now I heard some people say that they think he was Lilith's lover, the one who she and is the whole reason the war happened, fell in love with and tried to save with a potion which is why Solomon has lived so long. But I'm not too sure about that cause other sorcerers and witches also live super long probably because they are more than likely taking potions or casting spells and he'd probably do that too cause he's one of the great sorcerers and I think it was said that it was another guy Lilith was with but I don't remember. Also irrelevant but, It's said that man got like 300 wives or some shit so he's a whor- Truthfully, I need to think about him a bit more cause I feel like I could say anything about him for real cause that mf is SHADY! lol but I think Asmo would be a bit easy for him to get a pact with since, well, he's Asmo, and I mean look at their relationship. but Asmo did also give the Mc a hard time when they were trying to get his pact so idk. BUT what I wanna know is how that mf got Barbatos to get in a pact with him CAUSE I KNOW THAT MF HATE THAT SHADY OLD MAN I SWEAR- but it's obvious Babs has some sort of animosity towards Sol so I don't know what to think about that.

Hmmm I don't know exactly what you mean by gags but if you mean the same trope or joke being done I totally get that.

When Satan came out of Lucifer he took 2 of his wings with him. Satan has a birth mark on his back in the exact same spot Lucifer lost his wings and both the scar on Lucifer's back and Satan's birthmark look exactly the same.

Ngl I'mma flesh out that whole war and all those bitch ass angles fr. With all their eyes and shit and apparently can't see the BS right in front of em. ALSO there has been so many games/shows where angles are these fuckass manipulative oppressive hypocritical beings who are like kinda crazy and they throw a lot of religious trauma in there fr and I'm not mad at it. Also I think angle's true forms are ugly/scary (I don't know the feeling honestly) . Like uglier/scarier than the demon's true forms. Maybe that's just me. I don't know.

Simone....I'm not sure if I wanted him to be a human or demon but I definitely don't think he should have gone back to being an angel. There was no point in that and it could have helped emphasize how he loved the brothers and wanted to be with his brothers and he should have been in the first place on their side. It could have shown how he was learning just how wrong the war even happening in the first place was. Him going back to being an angel just, like for me at least, completely ruins that while plotline. It's stupid. I'm not sure which is better for him to be, demon or human, but he won't end an Angle that's for sure.

Yes as I said too lonely definitely needs more characters and will happily add them and will take any requests or oc's or anything. The mc is amazing lol

I'm happy to hear anyone's ideas and as always reblogs are loved and appreciated. I'd love anything anyone could give me! 🩷

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athousandbyeol · 6 months ago

Text

keep up the thamepo [episode 3]

this episode is deliciously insane. so many things happened and there are so many things I want to say. but in this post, I think I want to focus on some little details about thame and po/thame and jun the most.

at this point, i shouldn't be surprised at how good thamepo is at switching the narratives, allowing us to perceive the story from both ends. but I'm still pleasantly blown away by every watch. I'm really happy that thamepo is courageous to show the story from two sides. i think it gives us (the audience) the liberty to choose or relate to the side we favour more. maybe it doesn't work that way for others, but I love how these multiple perspectives allow me to weigh the characters from both sides and not only one, somewhat giving me the chance to either 1) be biased of one side or 2) be open to both. i just think it's very well-executed and thought out. kudos to p'mui and her team for thamepo's wonderful structural premise.

it's such a treat that we're introduced to the friend arc in thamepo. it's about time we entered the minds of the members, while still laying out thame and po's thoughts and traits in the open. maybe it's just me (or how I actually write my stories) but I'm so amazed at p'mui's storybuilding and characterbuilding. i find it so fascinating because nothing feels rushed or uncertain. every choice she and her team made was perfect for the past three episodes. I'm in awe, really.

but the thing that surprises me the most in this episode is how the story is mainly focused on jun and thame, but with the lingering presence of po as the 'healer' or 'fixer'. he exists as a binder that glues thame with his members. and it's fascinating to see how po somehow camouflages himself to every member's personality and need, offering a different approach (with thame's guidance). po and thame made such a great team. i understand now how and why they'll fall (heels over head) in love with each other in the future.

1. after thame, jun loves mars the most

i was a bit scared last week because I never foresaw someone from mars to betray thame. it was never in my head. so when I saw last week's teaser, I believed jun wouldn't be the person some might assumed he would be. but thamepo has always been a surprise and very good at twists and turns, so I tried to be more open about it.

so… jun's a bit like a diva to me? he's kind of… a lot (at least to someone like me, jun intimidates me beyond my comfort zone). throughout this very awkward exchange between thame and jun, one thing I realised after I watched the episode again was they were actually covering up each other.

thame was trying to send jun a signal. jun received it. but he didn't think it would be a smart choice to talk about it in front of the reporters. so that's why he steered the conversation to (presumably) thame's benefit, in hopes the media wouldn't doubt him (because at this point the news of thame going on a hiatus was already released by the company). i think it's more of jun trying to save thame from further damage than breaking their friendship apart even more.

it's very smart of p'mui and the team to 'paint' jun as the bad guy initially because he did seem like a person that might stab someone's back for his benefit. i think it's the typical stereotyping of characters that appear aloof or unbothered—this coldness that jun exuded—many might assume jun would definitely go against thame.

but he didn't.

and it's an exceptional twist! (for me, it really is!)

thamepo is breaking the norms i see in many dramas of the past and like I mentioned, it's so refreshing to look at the story from multiple lenses all at once, but it was unveiled at the right pacing and time. very, very well done!

another thing that i find very interesting is when po carried out the interview with jun, even though it was mentioned that this was scripted, I believe this is everything jun wanted to say to thame.

again, they're switching the perspective here. in the previous episode, we knew that thame followed the script he was given because he lost his voice. his words no longer hold importance in the company. everything thame said to po for the interview was what the company wanted him to say. we (the audience) are aware that those were lies.

but here, i believe this is what jun wanted thame to know. he might never get a chance to say it to thame in this manner (because I see that jun is the kind of best friend who would say he hates thame when in fact, he loves him the most). it's 'PR' friendly but it holds this sincerity; everything that jun silently wishes for thame (when he embarks on a new journey in Korea).

it's amazing how they give us two things to ponder about the significance of these scripts: 1) a forced responsibility for thame, and 2) jun's inner voice that he couldn't express aloud (perhaps because jun doesn't want to sound/look sappy in front of thame [very very best friend behaviour right there hahaha]).

it's so heartwarming to me that thame isn't alone, after all. like baifern to po, jun is thame's best friend, someone he can confide in. I'm glad jun saw everything that thame tried to hide from the members. I'm glad jun really saw him.

and i have to say, this scene made me smile because thame is so leader-coded through and through. he took the blame for jun because he didn't want khun pemika to 'punish' jun (and take away jun's chance at debuting). thame's selflessness goes beyond everything I have in mind. I'm so excited to see to what extent thame helped the other members in the past because that would be one of the reasons for them to reunite—they just love thame as much as thame loves them.

along the way, thame might think he lost jun, but that's not the case. i guess both of them just needed something (or someone) to break the (very fragile) wall separating them. these two have so much love in their big hearts, but they aren't the best at communicating. so this is when po plays an important role as their messenger.

po is so crucial to mars because he advocates communication and peace. honestly, it would save po from a world of heartbreaks if he just minded his own business and got the documentary over with. but he is just selfless and has too much love and is too kind for the world—so he definitely would want to help his nongs. the bond they'll share is going to be so beautiful and heart-wrenching. God knows what will happen to po and mars (and us) once the company forces another separation between them (I'm ready to jump and cry my eyes out).

i can't help but think maybe some of mars's fans ship them (and I can see why xD). but these two are better off being the best frienemies. (but maybe in an alternate universe… who knows… they might be a thing…) [slaps myself] [drags myself away from the mic] ok that's enough delusional talk for today…

2. thame and po; "i find comfort in you"

when messages from the company buzzed into thame's phone endlessly, thame was visibly restless. he knew what he did was causing more damage to the company. but damage to the company equates to chances for his friendship to mend. so, thame took every chance he had to seize it, despite the circumstances.

in this scene, po addressed that thame should at least give a call or do something to clear the air. but I think thame has better judgement and control over the issue, that's why he ignored it and turned off his phone. clearly, thame was searching for a distraction. he didn't want to think about this problem now. he just wanted peace. and being with po gave him peace.

so they did this activity together; thame threading the thread into the needle while po was doing another fixing. it's a therapeutic activity for thame, and we can see how he immediately relaxes once po stops pushing the idea of confronting the problem right now. it's so thoughtful of po, and I'm happy that thame noticed it too.

all the while, his eyes were always at po. he was looking. studying. understanding. i think thame found so much comfort just in po's presence because of po's quietness. he's such a grounding figure, and I think it helps thame both grasp the essence of reality while also indulging in this dream-like sensation whenever they're together.

the stares… thame's smile. oh. by now I know, thame's feelings for po are certain. but how about po? i don't know about others, but to me, po's still struggling. still healing. still scared. but he's slowly opening up again towards the end of this episode. it's so bittersweet.

it's also very heartbreaking how po quickly apologised because he thought he caused another trouble for thame—and thame did the same, insisting he was another damage po needed to fix. these two deserve each other because they'll help each other realise just how important love and sincerity are. these will be their strongest suits when they're in a relationship, but also be a double-edged sword if they don't overcome their weakness: communication.

some words don't have to be spoken to be understood. this is when thame and po are speaking the language of love and affection. but they tend to keep everything to themselves whenever danger arrives. i hope they can deal with this together because if they don't, it'll be another gut-wrenching heartbreak for them.

i don't know if thame is aware of how po's world has turned downside up whenever he offers a promise of sincerity and comfort. i also don't know if po is aware of how thame's world has turned upside down whenever he offers a promise of peace and assurance. i hope they do. someday.

3. messages po didn't send — "i see you in ways I didn't before"

early on in episode one, we were informed that po was a clingy lover. it might be one of the things that earn despised (I'm just assuming this because they made po being clingy as a negative for his character).

po was restless. he knew thame would handle it well with jun, but he couldn't help but worry. it's clear that thame has become an important figure in his life, but to what extent? i think po's still clueless about it, too.

these messages, he kept typing and deleting. he wanted to send them, but he didn't want to come off as 'clingy' in thame's eyes. he didn't want thame to be annoyed or—hate him—for worrying—for caring.

but i believe, in one way or another, thame will enjoy this attention from po in the future. the messages po will send to thame definitely will help thame emotionally. it's going to be so vital in their upcoming relationship as they have to be secretive about it. these texts will save and heal them. i hope it won't destroy them, though…

throughout the episode, i was a bit frustrated because thame—friend—how can you not save po's phone number? or at least give him a call from po's phone so that you could have his number immediately?

but when i watched this episode again… i realised… perhaps the reason why thame didn't save po's number—not until his friendship with jun was salvaged—was probably because it was at this point that thame was certain of his feelings for po.

thame has always had feelings for po, even from the first event he saw po briefly. but this was the time that thame knew he liked po, romantically. some might say it's too fast, but for someone like thame who might never have a chance for romantic relationships throughout the years of being in mars, meeting someone as incredible as po, how could he not harbour feelings?

when thame said he wanted to remember po's number, it was him wanting to remember po's existence forever—he wanted to keep po in his memory for a lifetime. it was thame accepting that he's in fact… in love with po.

the severity of his emotions is still on the surface, but it's more than enough for thame to act on it—to have po in every way possible. thame wouldn't want to forget his saviour, his future lover.

when he repeated the number after po, it echoed and reverberated not only in thame but also po. maybe at this point, they're almost reaching the same line, but po needs a little more push to come clean with feelings. and I have a feeling next week will be po's trigger in accepting his fond feelings for thame. (the smile on po's face is so precious... :( I hope he has more reasons to smile now because of thame...)

but at what cost?

if i can make speculation, next week's episode will be rough and heartbreaking because thame's going to confront someone who holds a grudge against him—the fire in the group—dylan.

it's either dylan will burn thame to ashes, or thame will let dylan burn him to cinders, or po will tame dylan's fire for thame. it could be all. and I'm so excited about every possibility.

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neuroticbookworm · 11 months ago

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The Trainee continues to be perfect: A post-episode 4 praise post

We got to see more of the interns this week and all the unique flavor of foolishness each of them were capable of. The first half of the episode was cartoonishly hilarious, as we got to see the interns run around like headless chickens for no goddamn reason. But the best parts of the episode came in the later half:

Ba Mhee and Pie bond in the bathroom after facing some good ol' workplace misogyny. And Pie finally confesses what's been bothering her the whole day: she has a meeting scheduled with Baimon to talk about the previous day's shoot and her mistake. Pie was wrong to let the extra go without checking with others in the production crew, but that does not mean that she's incompetent. And Ba Mhee makes sure that Pie hears that. It was a heartfelt moment between the girls and I was over the moon when Pie teared up. I've had workplace bathroom meltdowns and I've supported my friends/co-workers through their workplace bathroom meltdowns, and the most pressing concern in this situations is that we would be viewed as unprofessional in these situations. Well, fuck that. When we gotta feel the emotions, we gotta feel 'em. And may we all always have a bestie in the bathroom with us to wipe the tears and snot off our face, and tell us "You're doing amazing, sweetie".

Tae had the right idea to let the adults know about the broken hard drive, but the Council of Dunces voted it down and they spent the entire day wasting their time. And when the jig was finally up, the adults were rightfully incredulous because of course they have a backup, they are a media company, they wouldn't put all their work on one (1) drive! The lesson was two-fold: 1. Interns are allowed to make mistakes, they're here to learn. And 2. they should communicate with their team/mentors freely because sometimes the solution could be very simple and they wouldn't know it because they're new in the industry and are here to learn. Perfect execution of a workplace arc, 10/10.

Pie went into the meeting thinking that she's gonna get fired, but quickly found out that the case is the opposite. Jane assigned her to run Unit B because he knew she was capable of handling it alone, and he wanted it to be her stepping stone for moving into the second Assistant Director position. I love how both Jane and Baimon highlighted that her confidence was not the problem, because it is rightfully rooted in the knowledge of her competence. The problem was her not communicating with the team before acting on her decisions. And I also love that Pie was allowed to be weepy here as well. My girl has had A Day and she's only a wee intern. We've already established that she's more than capable of holding her own in this industry, she's gonna be fine. Bonus points for showing us how Ryan is genuinely happy for her, and for using her weepy garbles to show us that Ryan's crush on Jane is blossoming nicely.

I am so happy that the show is so consistent in its themes, story arcs, and its comedic flair. The show knows exactly what it wants to do every week and does it perfectly. And for that I will continue to show up with my wholehearted support.

#jane and ryan was not the primary focus this week #but jane still managed to make me drool by backing up pie and being the best mentor ever #when they start going hard on the romance i'm gonna turn into a puddle #the trainee #the trainee the series #thai bl

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lightningant · 1 month ago

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A Study of Resonance is brilliant but ultimately left me high and dry because the tension (couldn't find any other word) between Tom and Percy didn't really result in anything, not even an acknowledgement that there's something going on ...

In general, what are your feelings on fics where two leads have insane chemistry and there's a clear possibility that they may end up together, but nothing of the sort happens? Like their equation remains a question mark and the romantic undertones never really become anything concrete?

Maybe it's because I'm aromantic but I cannot relate to this at all! I think the story would have been much worse if it executed the romance entirely. Sure, I'd love a what-if AU, of course I would, but the story is perfect the way it is.

And to me "obvious romantic undertones left hanging" is such a staple of queer literature it's actually a little surprising to see anyone express this concept as a generically negative trope while applying it to a gay relationship.

But even for heterosexuals. I would never in a million years say the ending of My Best Friend's Wedding detracted or denied me catharsis. There had never been a more satisfying and emotionally rewarding ending to a romcom. I bawled.

As on why I think it would detract from the quality, spoilers for the fic under the cut:

I think Tom or Percy acting on their desires would have made for a significantly worse story. Percy begins every engagement with Lord Voldemort by fumbling that bag to a point that is nigh-apocalyptic. He is constantly emotionally manipulated through a reified image of masculine friendship. He is the exact type of person Tom preys upon, Tom goes "yeah, I prey on guys like this", and exploits him in a way so obvious Snape should have been admitted to St. Mungos for ulcers. And when Percy steps up and starts changing his approach, what he is reading is "I understand him, because a part of him is in me". He toes this feathered and invisible line going purely off nothing but a very raw and vulnerable self-identification in the other.

Moving onto romance would ruin this. Moving onto romance would completely shift the entire dynamic from "I am him and he knows that, a thing I believe because of my understanding of 2 perspectives" to "I can fix him, a thing I believe because I like him so much", especially in the ending arcs where Percy and Tom's mutual love and willingness to kill each other is in perfect synchronicity and we start seeing Tom fumble the bag as he loses understanding of Percy's capacity for character development. How can he fumble a bag he already secured 🫤

And they did like. Kiss. Like they had a gay m/m romantic kiss in the text. I wouldn't say their romantic arc goes unacknowledged, because they kiss and Percy expresses uneasiness and embarrassment with this in a way that communicates that he is considering the homosexual ramifications of his actions. Like yes it's not resolved, Percy doesn't ever come to a concrete conclusion on what that kiss means, but it's very "is Hannibal in love with me?" in its expression. They are feeling out what they're not acting on.

And of course like...is Percy even in a place to be in a relationship? What would "ending up together" look like? How would the forbidden love angle even work here? Percy at this point is absolutely fucking fried, he got his self-conception scrubbed out of him with steel wool and his soul is bleeding on the counter. He is not seeking intimacy or love atp he is seeking the divine release of god. He would not only find no respite in frotting it would make him suicidal. Hasn't he suffered enough

........On the other hand I do kind of wish the Percy/Snape was a lil more concrete because it had me gagging. It had me dying on the floor. It had me wilting like a little flower. It wouldn't take away anything it would just be different and I want to play in the greener grass please fucking god please❤️ 😇🔫

#asks

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zipzapfrogboy · 5 months ago

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BYLER DOUBT BE DAMNED (An analysis on blocking and it’s significance)

Read this if you’re having doubt because I promise it will help at least a little.

(This might be sort of long and a bit unorganized because it’s my first analysis of sorts but just stick with me.)

The main thing that confirms Byler for me (and helps with doubt) is the final shots of season 4.

You know. Those.

I’m definitely not the first person to point it out but I want to talk about it a little more in depth. Specifically the blocking. It is so clearly a deliberate choice to place Mike and Will between two other canon couples (Joyce and Hopper and Nancy and Jonathan respectively). It’s most definitely foreshadowing both to romance and possibly s5 teams.

I’m a theatre kid, I’ve been acting since I was seven, I have experience and know some stuff. If directors don’t like what you’re doing or don’t think it works then they’ll tell you stop. The improv you see in shows and movies are things that were approved and stayed in because the directors wanted it to (in like 90% of cases). Same goes with blocking. Actors can’t just stand where they want unless explicitly told to do so.

Placement has purpose and meaning. It is so unbelievably specific and thought out. I have a director/theatre teacher who gave us at least a 30 minute explanation about how important stage placement is and the what it can convey. On numerous occasions she’s made us take two small steps forward, a large step back, stand a bit further from xyz, etc.

I was in a show that started rehearsing in June and the director had been planning and working on it since March or maybe even before then. Blocking (and choreography in the context of musicals) is planned for weeks to months ahead of time. Directors have visions and the reasons behind how they set scenes is to execute that vision perfectly and convey the right message and emotions.

I’m sorry if that all seemed random I’m just trying to emphasize my point.

Obviously it’s a bit different for filmed content but I don’t doubt that the same logic is applicable. You don’t place two characters who hate each other together because it doesn’t make sense story wise or character wise.

It’s thought out, planned, and so purposeful. It’s not just random placement and it’s certainly not foreshadowing just team pairings. Two characters who are a part of a complex love triangle standing between two already existing couples? Right…

And so now my question is, why?

Why else would they set it up and block it like that? Give me an answer that explains the reasoning behind that choice; the choice of having El stand alone in front of them and having her boyfriend stand next to the person who’s in love with him. What else would that mean? That’s simply not how you do blocking.

When you as a director look at something from the outsider/audience perspective you need to see it with their eyes. What else could that convey? I’m being genuine when I say I don’t see anything else. If there is another way to interpret it (that makes sense and isn’t plagued by bias) then please tell me.

It’s a perfect example of foreshadowing. El standing alone symbolizes her arc of becoming an independent person outside of romance and Hopper. Her whole story has been about learning how to be a person and be herself. Her standing out alone in the field in front of her burning hometown isn’t supposed to mean nothing.

Just like Mike and Will standing together isn’t supposed to mean nothing.

We know Jopper is endgame, I can’t see why they wouldn’t be, and I’m 90% sure that Jancy will be endgame (or if they break up it will be on good terms). So, again, why would they place Mike and Will between those people. If it was supposed to be showing how close they are and how wonderfully strong their friendship is then why did they choose those other characters? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. IT’S THE DEFINITION OF A PARALLEL.

If I end up being wrong then idk.

Thank you for reading :)

Also there’s this so like

#byler #will byers #byler endgame #byler nation #anti milkvan #mileven is bones #mike wheeler #blocking is everything im telling ya

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bobauthorman · 9 months ago

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One Piece of the New Era

Occasionally in One Piece, the phrase "New Era" is tossed about by various characters. When the story starts, it has been 22 years since Gold Roger's legendary execution, when his final words spurred countless pirate crews to form in search of his treasure, the One Piece. This is called the "Great Pirate Era". But in the two decades since it began, no one has claimed the treasure, and the world has entered a status quo, upheld by the three Great Powers; The Navy of the World Government, the Seven Warlords of the Sea who work with them, and the Four Emperors of pirates. So, what is the New Era supposed to entail?

The first time we hear of a "new" era is in Jaya, where Bellamy tosses this out;

As far as Bellamy is concerned, the New Era is where pirates give up on immaterial goals like becoming Pirate King or pursuing dreams. Instead, they focus on regular treasures, like what pirates normally do. As the arc goes on, it becomes apparent that Bellamy is just a bully looking for a fancy rhetoric to hide behind, to the point that even Blackbeard calls him out indirectly. Luffy easily driving Bellamy's head into the boardwalk later shows just how weak this "new era" talk is.

The next time we hear of a new era, it's from Bellamy's boss, Don Quixote Doflamingo;

This is very vague, and hard to figure out, but essentially Doflamingo's version of the New Era is where the relative 'peace' established by the Three Great Powers will come crashing down, and only the truly strong and ruthless will be able to make their way. As we learn, Doflamingo has ties to both the World Government and Four Emperors as a Warlord and black market dealer, so he's in the perfect position to let the chaos unfold, safe and secure. No matter who wins, he comes out on top.

Except, he's not as safe as he thinks, which Trafalgar Law proves when he pulls the Straw Hats into his vendetta;

As Law points out, just because Doflamingo has had a good run doesn't mean he can hold onto it forever. If only the truly "daring and mighty" can survive, where does that leave the puppet-master who hid in the shadows? Nowhere. In this moment, Law trumps Doflamingo's rhetoric, and later on Luffy, who embodies the true freedom the series preaches, takes down the Celestial Demon.

And speaking of Luffy, what about his idol, Shanks?

Shanks also speaks of the New Era. From what I gather, he sees it as a changing of the guard, with new blood coming in to replace the old. He clearly sees Luffy as the bastion of the New Era, the positive aspects of it. However, he also sees the New Era being developed by Blackbeard, and tries to warn Whitebeard of the danger Teach poses. But Whitebeard was already aware of Blackbeard's threat, and his inability is a sign the old pirate is losing his place in the world...

And when Luffy's group does prevail in Wano, defeating both Kaido and Big Mom, who is there as an 'attaboy?'

You guessed it.

With all this in mind, it says a lot that in a series of inherited will, the greatest enemy is Imu, a being who is apparently immortal.

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universaln0b0dy · 1 year ago

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rewriting miraculous- Marinette Dupain-cheng

[Note] Hey, hey! I wanted to start rewriting and designing miraculous for the fun of it. Please note that this is just for fun and giggles! I will try to keep the rewrite as close to the show as possible, at the same time I want to put as much of my ideas into it as I can. Also this is probably an angst au, because of my 3 am brainrot.

(Warning, if you are a fan of Chloe redemption arcs you might not like my rewrite as I plan on making Chloe the villain she has always deserved to be. And I mean that totally positive.)

Marinette Dupain-cheng

Of course I have to start with the problematic main character of the show. Marinette is far from perfect and her actions lack mind and consequences, but despite all of that Marinette is a great character that fell into the hands of a bad writer.

Like most characters in the show being kinda butchered for Marinette (they did Chat noir soo dirty), she was also butchered for the sake for being a main character. Marinette has a character that doesn't fit into a "kids show", maybe that's the reason they never properly executed it. But enough of me yapping! Lets start drawiting!

Backstory:

Marinette is half french, half chinese. I want to keep if that way, even her design mustn't change that much (more to that later). Something that bothered a lot of people is how little Marinette knows about/ is in touch with her chinese heritage, despite Sabine clearly still being chinese. But what a lot of people forget is that it's been hinted at that Sabine might not be as in touch with her past as she acts like she does. (For example changing her first name, I am not sure if that is something that happens commonly, but I don't think is.)

So one thing I will add is that while Sabine doesn't completely reject her culture, she has a strained relationship with it, not raising Marinette to be a part of it, without telling her why. No speaking mandarin, no chinese new years or other festivals, nothing.

So we already know that Tom and his dad don't have the best relationship and as far as I remember only one of Marinette grandma's visits, rarely. So in my version Marinette grew up only knowing about her parents, completely unaware of other relatives. Her grandma starts visiting when she is uhh 10? Which let her to be slightly an outcast.

You know how when children tell you all about the holidays, their aunts and uncles or grandparents? Or how even the teachers just tend to assume everyone has grandparents that you get to visit? Well Marinette had none of that. That means she was often confused or left out of conversations starting in pre-school.

Another aspect I want to include is the whole Kim/Chloe thing. It was often mentioned that Chloe used to bully Marinette to the point where she was sick of school and even starting her villain arc in a different universe. Problem is in the show this is a massive: "Tell don't show." I want to stop that, I want to have it actually seen and mentioned multiple times in flash backs, etc. Because with what we have at the moment I don't understand why all of Marinettes classmates hate Chloe so much.

With the worsening of the bullying I want to make another parallel between Shadybug and my Marinette. It is briefly mentioned that Shadybug doesn't have any friends in her universe and is constantly put down by Chloe, so what if because of chloe people avoided talking to Marinette in order not to become another bullying subject? This all changes when Alya (who actually in the start of the series was mentioned to be a new student?) decides to not give two fucks about Chloes status and defends Marinette, becoming her first ever friend.

About the Chloe Kim situation, I will use that as the reason (and Marinettes blatant distrust) why she became a stalker. Despite being bullied and all, Marinette develops a crush on Kim, because he was actually nice to her, like once. Her love quickly becomes an obsession because she doesn't know how to act around her crush, not having any female friends to tell her that the way she likes him isn't healthy and having a dad that cries wolf just as soon as she mentions a boy's name.

Marinette is during that time not as bad as she is with Adrien, her crush is unhealthy, yes, but he is sadly the last straw of hope she can cling too. Chloe notices this and decides to take advantage of Marinettes obsession by asking Kim to go out with Marinette. Blinded by his crush on the blonde Kim decides that would be a small sacrifice, ready to become Marinettes dream boy to please Chloe. He feigns intrest in design, art, baking and more simply because Chloe wants him too.

Marinette starts to act more normal around Kim, her obsession calming and her healthily starting to love him, until the scene in the swimming hall. Marinette is quite littarly shattered, her heart in pieces all over the floor, realising she had been bamboozled for 3 MONTHS. Her last straw has sunken and she swears to herself that she won't ever date someone again unless she knows that every little thing he has said was true.

A year later she finally meets Alya.

Her Personality

(start of season 1 to season 3)

Marinette is still kind, but in a way that makes her naive. After Alya fights with Chloe for her sake and the other girls in class also start to befriend her, she is willing to forgive and forget. Her friendship is build on trust and acts of service (Fixing clothes, building charms, doing homework) with Marinette giving and the others receiving. Sadly the others unbeknownst to even themselves take advantage of her kindness until Alya bursts in and calls out what their doing is wrong.

Clumsy. Insecurities can make you anxious and being anxious has an affect on the body. During the time she was bullied she would cower in fear only making small steps looking around as if something was going to jump at her. So scared of her surroundings she occasionally lost footing or dropped everything she was holding. It looks comedic but stomps from her damaged mindset.

Stubborn. What she says she will do, no matter if that is climbing the Eiffel tower or travelling to china in a day by foot, she will do it. Her stubbornness comes from the fact that she refuses to believe that what she is planning is impossible, stemming from the fact her parents kinda spoiled her and refused to tell her that what she was doing is impossible.

Crush is followed by distrust and obsession. This is something that plays a big part in my au. Marinette has trouble trusting people she is crushing on, it even happens with Luka, but the blue haired boy is a lot more obvious to this when Adrien. Marinette isn't really fine and probably needs therapy. Even Marinette doesn't understand why she feels so anxious about every time her crush says something, she blames it on her promise to herself.

Clingy and easily scared of rejection. Because of her being formally bullied Marinette clings to people she trusts, Alya doesn't mind, but that doesn't go for a few other people. Marinette doesn't like rejection (not taking stuff she made, not wanting her help etc) , occasionally she can either become pushy or completely reduce herself out of your life.

Easily jealous and occasionally selfish. This personality trait will be important for my kwami redesign. Marinette can't help it but be wary of people that also show interest in her crush or intrests, she grows jealous easily though she tries to hide it. Because she never had anyone to talk to about her jealousy before she met Alya, so she thinks that that emotion is just another feeling, that eats away at her until it explodes. Her jealousy blinds her causing her to act irrational even willing to humiliate people.

Optimistic but toxic . Well, she is a good liar and that includes lying to herself.

(As Ladybug)

Oho, Marinette as Ladybug is a surprising change, I kinda wanted add the fact to her that her personality changes when she becomes Ladybug.

Ladybug is the part of Marinette that was looked away for waaaay too long. After she gets used to being Ladybug she grows confident, she feels like she has a purpose in life. Ladybug is everything she wanted to be. Ladybug has no fear and no insecurities that is the reason why no one believes Marinette is Ladybug.

In my au Marinette gets so lost in the perfect version of herself she occasionally transforms just to escape her life. She has friends now, yes, but that doesn't get rid of her insecurities and Ladybug has no insecurities.

As a hero Marinette is a quick thinker and has a great memory (I mean, she was able to remember and find out adriens schedule for the next 50 years). She also knows where to get information and how.

She uses everything she learned as Marinette in her superhero job and as Ladybug she moves with more contraction and grace. No one would dare to laugh at Ladybug and that makes her stand up straight, make bigger movements and never loose her footing.

She is incredibly caring as Ladybug at the same time she isn't. She only is nice to people she as Marinette likes or has never met. Chloe is the person she even occasionally refuses to help, until chat noir mentions just how much of an asshole she would be for this.

(During season 3-5)

Because of the many hardships she faces Marinette grows as a person, her personality towns down and she deals with the consequences of her actions in a good manner. Even as Ladybug she became less of a selfish prick and someone to be idolized.

Smart. Marinette becomes smarter in many ways, one of them is people smart. She is able to start telling if someone is on the verge of getting akumatised, or if they are lying to her. She does better in school mainly because she stopped getting bullied.

Confident. Her straightened back is more than enough proof that Marinette has changed. She has found a balance between Ladybug and Marinette. She starts standing up to Chloe on her own and everyone else who bothers her. This confidence makes her cocky, but luckily her friends are there to help her turn it down a bit.

Mature. Marinette acts older than she is, especially after getting the miraculous box. She finally realizes that she won't be able to act as childish as she does forever. Her maturing also becomes part of her healing arc. She still has a crush on Adrien, but she grows less obsessive and is even able to see him have Kagami as a girlfriend without feeling like dying.

Drawing:

Don't mind this, I am still learning how to draw, so this will probably look akward. Soo I kinda wanted normal Marinette to look like she was styled by Disney, but not too bad. Her styling her clothes like she does is her way of showing she likes fashion, without showing she likes fashion. Her hair is supposed to be so black it seems blue under light, which is honestly a hair colour that surprises me.

Ladybug follows the concept of the more power you have, the more you look like the animal your kwami is based on. (More to this when I rewrite the kwami's)

I like the poncho I gave her and the wings! Also the Uhh... bug exo skin? She probably doesn't stand out as much as she should, but her costume is that one connection to herself as Marinette.

Soo here is what I tried to "animate", Marinette looks a lot more stressed and less "happy" and as Ladybug she has some slight arrogance and anger to her expression, though I might be reading into my designs too much. Please tell me which you like better!

So next is well, Adrien! Yay! Please tell me what you think so far and what else I should include during those rewriting sessions?

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanart #miraculous au #marinette dupain cheng #marinette redesign #mlb rewrite #mlb redesign #ladybug and chat noir #ladybug redesign #lol #just a thought #mlb au: the superior hero

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seysei · 6 months ago

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Thoughts on the ending of Servamp (Containing Spoilers)

Okay. So.

I had decided to wait until the final chapter of Servamp was released before forming a final opinion on the ending. Now that it’s finally been released, I’ve taken some time to process it on my own, without knowing how others feel about it, so I could give my genuine and honest take on it.

I... unfortunately found the ending to be somewhat disappointing.

The main issue lies in the final two chapters, which felt so rushed that they failed to leave much of an impact on me– I didn’t really feel the shock, excitement, or joy that the events should (and could) have delivered.

And i don’t mean this in any condescending way– I genuinely loved Servamp, which is why the ending feels so... upsetting. It had so much potential– if only the events had been stretched out over a few more chapters.

With that being said, there were some decisions I personally wasn’t a fan of. They felt a bit forced, a little cliché, maybe? you name it.

Tsurugi’s sudden return and immediate confrontation with Mikuni felt rushed and, honestly, a bit awkward. Like. Tsurugi’s return makes sense within the context of the story, especially with the recurring theme of “calling out someone’s name” as a way to reach them. However, the way it was executed felt far too easy, almost undermining the emotional weight of it.

And while his return aligns well with the story’s themes, his confrontation with Mikuni feels misplaced. I personally believe that it would’ve made more sense for him to confront Mahiru instead, serving as a narrative challenge for Mahiru to come to terms with his death (which I’ll get into later).

This is not to say that tsurugi has no relevance in the themes surrounding Mikuni's arc– if you can even call it that. The theme of blood versus chosen family could have been explored just as effectively through someone else’s confrontation with Mikuni, someone Mikuni isn't just pissed off with, allowing for a more personal moment where Mikuni could genuinely listen and come to terms with the issue, rather than being forced to accept it, which ultimately leaves him without true resolution or peace.

And like, hasn’t this been the go-to for confrontations in Servamp? Pride, gluttony, greed, wrath. Each one leading to emotional growth, where the characters develop through understanding and acceptance. It feels unfair that the envy pair’s confrontation was cut short and kind of sidelined when they’ve played such a key role in the development of the story.

And by now, you’ve probably already guessed who I would’ve preferred to confront Mikuni.

Though honestly, this isn’t just about personal preference– it’s about what felt natural for the narrative. Jeje just seemed like the more fitting choice to confront Mikuni, considering how their relationship had been built up throughout the story, and moments scattered throughout Gluttony’s arc, as well as Chapter 125, seemed to build toward a much needed confrontation between the two.

A moment between them could have given Mikuni the chance to face his pain and begin finding peace– not by pushing him toward a resolution, but by allowing him to feel properly understood. Seen, rather than judged.

Jeje has been shown, more than anyone, to genuinely understand Mikuni, at least in the ways Mikuni can be understood, and does so without judgment. What I mean is that Jeje’s approach has always been one of quiet understanding and restraint, never forcing Mikuni into a box or an easy solution, unlike others. It’s not about fixing him or forcing him to change, but about giving him the space to confront his struggles and, hopefully, begin to heal.

Like, come on, wouldn't it have been perfect for the man with god complex to be confronted by the ex-priest? (T▽T)

With the way Chapter 148 went, though, it feels like all the buildup was brushed aside to quickly wrap everything up.

There’s this moment between them in the final chapter…

And it’s kind of like... aftercare, without the sex. lol. like. huh? okay? Jeje was so sidelined through the whole confrontation that this feels... almost empty, really.

I can’t help but feel like it would have meant so much more if Jeje had been the one to confront Mikuni. Not to change him or force some convenient, happy ending for himself, but to offer him the comfort he so clearly needs.

In the end, this moment could have led to Mikuni realizing that he’s better off without his family– a realization that makes so much sense given everything he’s been through. For countless reasons, Mikuni’s connection to his blood family has been toxic, and that’s why I was genuinely shocked when the decision was made for him to return. It felt forced and, frankly, out of place. There had just been a whole discussion about how blood family isn’t everything. Sure, it doesn’t mean everyone has to cut ties, but in Mikuni’s case? Shouldn’t that have been the turning point?

I wasn’t expecting Tanaka to have him go back to that house after what felt like a half-hearted acceptance, if you can even call it that, of everything Mikuni endured with them. It didn’t feel like true growth for Mikuni. It felt like a step back.

No matter how I look at it, in the final chapter, Mikuni doesn’t seem genuinely happy– certainly not in the same way Misono does, who essentially got the fairytale ending he always dreamed of.

Sure, forgiveness and second chances are important themes, but wouldn’t it have been a powerful and unique choice to have Mikuni walk away instead? Not everyone has to forgive, and not everyone has to be forgiven. I get that it's a tough choice to make, especially with the limited time they had, and that ending in particular being (as far as im aware) unpopular amongst the fans. That’s why I think Servamp could have used a few more chapters.

Honestly, the simplest way to put it is that the last two chapters felt a little inconsistent– not just with each other, but also with the chapters that came before them.

Mahiru’s role in these final chapters is another example of those inconsistencies. I hate to say it, but my guy didn’t really do anything– other than preach something he went on to contradict. I understand that Servamp isn’t a story where progress only happens when the main character is involved, and honestly, I love that about it. But this was the final battle. Giving all the spotlight to Tsurugi, especially when he already had so much focus during C3’s arc, felt like such a missed opportunity.

Oh god, everytime I mention tsurugi it sounds like i hate him i feel so bad XD seriously though, I love him– but come on!

Sure, Mahiru wasn’t the right person to deal with Mikuni, but that’s exactly why I think it would’ve been more fitting for him to get his moment through a confrontation with Tsurugi instead. This could have been a chance for the narrative to challenge Mahiru to accept Tsurugi’s death– just like he once challenged Mikuni to accept his family’s fate.

And that brings me to something that’s felt off for a while now, even before the ending. There’s a contradiction in the narrative being pushed throughout these chapters. It had been pushing this theme of accepting people’s choices and mistakes, no matter how flawed or tragic they might be.

Yet, it contradicts this message by changing Mikuni’s decisions and actions, no? While extreme, his choices were his own, and the story had emphasized that even bad decisions deserved understanding. So why was Mikuni’s attempt to rewrite his past– however messy and full of loss– condemned, while rewriting the past to undo the mess and losses during August was apparently acceptable? It felt like the narrative was suddenly rejecting the very ideas it had been building up to, leaving the ending feeling inconsistent and unsatisfying to me.

And sure, Mahiru wasn’t the one to directly make it happen, but his willingness to do so and his suggestion alone should still count.

If the hypocrisy here had been acknowledged, it could have added depth– I’m all for flawed protagonists, after all. But instead, it feels like it's been treated as more "reasonable" or "fair" compared to Mikuni’s re-writing of the past.

And that has me like...? I'm failing to see how it's any different?

Now, take this with a pinch of salt since the official translation isn’t out yet, and I’m not entirely sure if Touma’s conversation with Mahiru addressed this contradiction. If it did, then hooray.

Because what seemed like the best way to handle it would have been either to address it and, as I've mentioned, use it to add depth, or to have Mikuni reconsider and change his own decision. Otherwise, it feels odd that the person who (genuinely) preached against changing others' choices ends up doing it himself for his own convenience, and it's completely accepted, although the antagonist had just been condemned for it.

wwwww... am I being too harsh about it? XD

While this is a critique of the ending, I want to make it clear again that it’s not meant to be disrespectful towards Tanaka-sensei. It comes from a place of appreciation and investment in the story. It’s because I care so much about these characters and themes that I feel compelled to share my thoughts on how the conclusion played out honestly. It’s easy to just call it a good ending simply because everyone is alive and seemingly happy. However, I wanted to take the time to offer a genuine, albeit somewhat critical, evaluation of the final events, because a story as great as Servamp deserves it.

To sum it up, I feel the ending was a bit rushed and didn’t quite match the usual pacing and flow of Servamp. Personally, I’m not sure this was the direction Tanaka had in mind from the start, based on certain elements in the story. But if it was, I respect their choices, even if I don't necessarily agree with all of them.

On the bright side, most of the questions about the Count were answered, and the whole idea of him being an 'entity born from people's emotions' really suits his character.

There are other things worth mentioning, such as the truth about Mikuni's " My fair lady" ability.

In the final chapter, it is revealed that Mikuni's ability isn’t just about the act of murder itself– it’s also about the guilt that comes with it. It’s about the weight on your heart, whether you actually committed the crime or not yourself.

The guilt you feel for it, the emotional burden, replaces the weight of the act itself, and becomes what kills you.

This matches the method of hanging used in the ability, which often symbolizes suicide– because it’s like you’re killing yourself, consumed by the weight of your own guilt.

And this... ties back to a central figure in Mikuni’s life, his mother, Kiriko, whose guilt consumed her and drove her to commit suicide.

So yeah.

The writing there is fire.

I'll have to see if I change my mind regarding certain things when the translation comes out.

#I guess its more of a first impression on the ending rather than final opinion #since that should arguably come after the translations are out #servamp #servamp manga #servamp manga ending #mikuni alicein #mahiru shirota

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