#I just care for her wellbeing in my version so much

[your-ne1ghbor]

Child Asha (TKoRaT AU)

So like remember child Asha in that flashback scene from wish??

Specifically this scene during...."This Wish" segment.

internal screaming

Yeahh, legit the same character but shrunk down and its so obvious...

Hell even the outfit is the same. Like???

So did she wear the same outfit for like 5 years? Did her mom just continue giving Asha the same pieces of clothing as she grew taller? Did Asha just wear the same outfit again...and again....and againn.

IDK MAN, THIS JUST HURTS MY BRAIN WTF-

ahem...anyways

SOOOOO I decided to make her a bit more different ✨

( l love how the hands came out on this one its so good happy pterodactyl noises)

She is also asking Maggy some questions, since Maggy been pushing her away after Amaya took her in and she was able to ask some questions at this point (She is really trying to form some connections with the royals, but Maggy is just pushing her away, as Amaya is starting to warm up to her, but still. It Breaks my heart)

She is still like her older-self. She is still shy, but she is more confident which makes sense since kids don't really care much about things happening around them and sort of roll with it. Idk I really tried making her very much like a kid as she is depicted here

Yah, besides that, her confidence levels really dropped after she got older. (IM LOOKING AT YOU AMAYA AND MAGGY 😡)

forgot the freckles angry pterodactyl noises

Also I'm thinking that it would be funny if Amaya and Maggy just gave her their old royal wear because they dont wear that color anymore (in their emo era silly lil goobers) or that it was clothes when they wore it as a kid and just gave it to her, like how parents sometimes gives their clothes to their kids if it shrinks in the washer (happened to my dad, so he gave me that shrunk shirt to me. I still have the shirt lol) Its a small detail, but yk 🐀🐀

Also I only drew this because I haven't seen any art of Asha as a child and I was like...MORE ASHA AS A CHILD PLSS I NEED TO SEE MY GRILL BEING A WHOLESOME CHILD EVEN FOR A MOMENT

[an-idyllic-novelist]

rimuru tempest with fem!tanjiro!reader headcanons

Hey guys, welcome to another collaboration with @deathmetalunicorn1, though the credit on the concept of the pairing and these headcanons go to my dear friend. I really hope you will enjoy what we have written. If you'd like to see more content like this, or an extended version of these headcanons, please let us know!

So with that being said, sit back, relax, and enjoy! :)

Although Rimuru Tempest  knows his significant other and her little sister are strong, he will not stop worrying about Tanjiro!reader’s wellbeing, especially when she and Nezuko  leave Tempest on a mission, and he is unable to join them for whatever reason. His anxiety will increase tenfold when his relationship with the former Demon Slayer evolved from being friends who just happened to stumble upon each other’s paths as soon as he left Veldor’s cave to being lovers. 

It will be very hard for the demon lord to sleep for the first few nights when he is so used to curling up next to Tanjiro!reader and Nezuko, the latter sprawled out and almost always in her toddler form. However, when she does return, Tanjiro!reader will always bring back a souvenir from wherever she traveled to, normally a tasty treat or a cute little knick-knack she saw at a market. 

[To ease his lord’s worries, Diablo will mobilize a few of the Black Numbers to keep a discreet eye on the Kamado siblings, personally delivering periodical reports on their whereabouts to Rimuru when it was an appropriate time between meetings and inspections around the capital. After all, an excellent butler must be able to anticipate his lord’s every need and alleviate his concerns so that he may continue to focus on his duties in the land. If something does happen, Diablo will act immediately and make sure Tanjiro!reader and Nezuko return to Tempest safely.]

Tanjiro!reader unwinds from her journey with a big hug from Rimuru in both his slime and human form. Rimuru would receive affection from Nezuko if she isn’t sleeping in her box in the form of bone crushing hugs or his hair being ruffled by a clawed hand. If Rimuru hadn’t eaten, she would whip a simple home-cooked meal that is either a traditional recipe from the Kamado household, or one that Mitsuri, the Love Hashira, had taught her when they were alive back in her old world. 

Rimuru will definitely join in and help, even all she’ll allow him to do in the kitchen is wash the dishes. 

After he had been reincarnated in this world, he took the Japanese cuisine he had eaten for granted, even the microwaveable ramen noodle cups he’d heat up in the company break room when he had to work late at the office. Back then, Misaki Satoru didn’t care much about his health so much as worried about forever remaining a virgin because he couldn’t score a date with a cute girl. 

He honestly couldn’t have anything resembling his homeland’s cooking until his country was developed further, including the dwarves’ metal-working and the orcs’ infamous work ethic. He couldn’t remember how many times he had told Geld and the others to rest even when they insisted that they kept working. Now, he could share a meal and enjoy a hot bath with someone he loves very dearly.

Nezuko is, of course, welcomed to join them in the bath since she loves swimming around the large hot spring he had built in the back of his home. When she joined them, Rimuru reverted to being a slime to protect Nezuko’s innocence.  If he’s alone with Tanjiro!reader, he’ll either be a slime or his human form, depending on his mood. 

Speaking of which, Nezuko is the little sister everyone in Tempest adores and will be fiercely protected. Rimuru is her favorite person, but when Milim decides to stop by for a visit, she is Nezuko’s new favorite, no matter how much he bribes her with newest confections that were created or toys. But between these two….Nezuko will always pick Tanjiro!reader, if she’s an option. 

Rimuru’s love language includes quality time, words of affirmation, and gift-giving. But what he enjoys the most is having afternoon tea on the porch, him sitting in her lap as a slime and munching on sticks of mitarashi dango or different flavored onigiri.  

If anything happened to either Tanjiro!reader or Nezuko because an enemy nation was jealous of Tempest’s flourishing economy and thought it would be a brilliant idea to hold them hostage or try to hurt them….they had better be prepared to have another kingdom falling into ruins. 

Remember what happened to Falmuth?

Taglist

@sunnyblackbird

@abelheilonwife

@nunezs-stuff

[bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky]

Scared Half to Death | Bucky Barnes x reader

Hi! I haven't posted a fic in forever. School has been a nightmare.

I literally wrote this in under an hour lol it's very short and not my best. But I just wanted to get something kinda Halloween-y out there in time to celebrate!

🎃👻🎃👻🎃Happy Halloween! 👻🎃👻🎃👻

Warnings: blood, Bucky's anxiety, injury

Bucky pulled his hand from the doorknob with a disgusted expression. A thick, sticky substance coated his palm and dotted his fingers. He rolled his eyes at whichever small child had covered his door handle in candy residue while he was gone. But just as he tried to wipe the syrupy remnants on his jeans, the color caught his eye. The flash of red sent shockwaves through his system. 

He’d stepped away from the apartment for just a few minutes, only long enough to replenish his candy supply for the next wave of trick-or-treaters. But in the short time that he was gone, something terrible- something violent- must’ve taken place. 

He dropped the candy to the floor and struggled to yank his keys from the lock, his hands shaking with anxiety. And when he finally burst through the door of the apartment he shared with you, he only found more carnage. 

Droplets of blood dotted the floor. They coagulated against the tile and wormed their way into the grout, staining it red. Bucky’s stomach turned. A leaden knot formed in his gut and weighed him down like an anchor. Where were you? Was this your blood? Were you hurt- were you dead?

He followed the gruesome path like a trail of breadcrumbs, fearing what he’d find at their end.  Only a few hours ago, everything was perfect. He’d sat with you as you got dressed for your best friend’s Halloween party. He rested on the bed you shared and delighted in watching you dance around the room as you did your make up and put on your costume. 

“Are you sure you don’t wanna come?” you asked as you shimmied into your costume.

“I’m sure, baby. It’s not really my thing,” he shrugged. “You know how I am with big crowds. Plus, Halloween is a little weird for me. People dress as my friends-” He swallowed hard, “people dress as a version of me that I try not to think about… it’s just not for me.”

“Yeah…” 

Silence filled the room. Guilt coursed through your body with each beat of your heart. Part of you itched to change out of your costume and forget the whole thing.

“You know, I don’t have to go-”

Bucky stood from the bed and made his way to your side, “Yes, you do.”

A stern expression crossed your face, “I really don’t. And I shouldn’t ditch you for a stupid party-” 

“You’re not ditching me,” he said. “You love this party! You look forward to Kelly’s-” he paused, struggling to remember the name of the shindig. “What does she call it again? Her Creep-Tastic?”

You laughed, “Spook-tacular!”

“Right!” Bucky rolled his eyes at his attempt. “You look forward to her Spook-Tacular every year! And I’m not gonna let you miss it just because I don’t wanna go.” He took your face in his hands, careful not to mess up your make up. Never had anyone made him felt so loved, so cared for. You put him first at every turn, prioritizing his wellbeing and his mental health above all else. You sacrificed so much for him in the early stages of your relationship; the last thing he wanted was for you to miss out on the party you’d looked forward to for the last eleven months. 

“Seriously, doll, I’m gonna be fine. I’ll hand out candy to the kids and watch some tv,” he shrugged. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

It wasn’t a trick or a test; Bucky didn’t secretly hope you’d choose him instead of the party. He only wanted you to be happy. And you knew he meant every word he said. 

“Okay. Then tell me…” you did a quick spin, “how do I look?”

Bucky eyed you up and down, drinking in the neon pink and highlighter yellow leotard. The electric yellow kneepads. The pink visor. The bright yellow high-top sneakers. 

“You look amazing, Barbie. You belong in the Dream House!”

Not soon after that, you left. He’d walked you to your Uber and made you promise to be safe. He’d told you that he loved you. And that was the last time he saw you.

Until now. 

The trail of blood ended with you. Bucky discovered you sprawled on your back on the living room rug, your body soaked with blood. Smears of red coated your neck and stained your arms. Your clothes were saturated with gore. This Barbie didn’t belong in the Dream House; she belonged in a nightmare. 

“Oh, god-” Bucky made his way to your side and sunk to his knees, breathless. “Baby, hey- can you hear me? Open your eyes, look at me-” His fingers traced your neck in search of a pulse, desperately scrounging for even a flutter of life. 

And there it was- your pulse. You were still alive; your heart still managed to beat despite the blood loss. 

But Bucky’s gratitude only lasted a moment. He still had to find your wound and stop the bleeding. He had to call 911. He had to keep your heart beating. 

His hands scrounged across your abdomen in search of a stab wound or evidence of a gunshot. But just as he reached for your side, you made a sound.

Did he heard that right? Did you… giggle?

“Whaaaaaaat’re you doin’, Barnes?” you laughed. “Don’t tickle meeeee!” 

Bucky’s gaze shot from your blood-soaked clothes to your face. “Baby?”

“Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, Barbie!” you slurred, your face plastered with a smile. “Oh, nooooo- wait, you’re just Ken!” A fit of laughter exploded from your chest as you sang, “I’mmm juuuuust KEN! Anywhere elssssse, I’d beeee a TEN-” A sudden contemplative look banished your lighthearted spirit. “But you reeeeally are a ten, Buck… and I mean that.”

Bucky remained frozen. He was lost, confused. Were you woozy from blood loss? Or alcohol? Were you even hurt? Did you need an ambulance or a cold shower? 

“Baby, are you hurt? Are you okay?” He took your face in his hands, “Why are you covered in blood?”

“Because this Barbie hugged her friend!” 

A befuddled expression took over Bucky's face. "What?"

The room spun as you struggled to sit up. Bucky’s heart leapt into his throat; if you were hurt, you needed to lie down. You needed to stop moving and let him dress your wound. But you moved without wincing, without crying out in pain. Sure, you swayed from side to side just a little in your intoxicated state. But that was the worst of it. 

“I huuuuuugged Kelly! But Kelly was aaactually Carrie! Y’know, the girl covered in pig’s blood,” you laughed. “It kiiiinda ruined my costume a little. Buut, now I look like Scary Barbie! So s’okay.”

A deep sigh of relief filled Bucky’s lungs. He rocked back off of his knees and plopped down onto his butt. His bloody hands covered his face. “Then what are you doing on the floor, sweetheart?”

“Sometiiiiimes… sometimes ya just gotta lay on the floor. Y’know?” You shrugged, “And I didn’t wanna get allllll the blood on the couch.”

He nodded.

"I guess I fell asleep for a hot sec," you shrugged. "I was just waiting on ya to get home."

Bucky did his best to regulate his breathing, to calm the aggressive tsunami of anxiety that drowned his every cell. His entire world came crashing down the moment he found you on the floor, and now, he had to put it back together. 

“You okay, Buck? I came home early cause I missed yooou- I missed you sooooo much,” you placed a bloodied hand on his face. “But I didn’t mean to ruin your night to yourself. I’m sorry…”

“No, you didn’t ruin anything. It’s not that at all. It’s- baby, I thought…” he shook his head. “I thought you were hurt. I thought you were…” He didn’t want to finish his sentence. 

“Ohhhhh no, I’m fine! I’m okay! I’m druuuunk…” you laughed, “But I’m okay!”

Bucky pulled you close, grateful that the blood clinging to your skin came out of a bottle. "I know that now, I'm just..." he took a deep breath. "It's just gonna take a minute for my body to catch up with my brain." He let his hand roam up and down your spine. He needed to feel you breathe, feel your voice vibrate against his palm. Seeing you like that- bloody and unresponsive- on the floor of the home you shared nearly scared him to death.

This wasn't the kind of Halloween scare that flooded your system with pins and needles and left you laughing. No, this stripped him of all breath, of all ability to think. It cut him to the bone.

He never wanted to imagine you getting hurt, about you getting killed. For him, losing your was a fate worse than death.

The two of you sat there together in the quiet calm as Bucky remembered how to breathe. He held onto you as tightly as he could without leaving bruises, and didn't care than you'd stained his white shirt with your gory mess.

“I’m glad you’re home, doll. And that you’re okay," he said after his heart returned to its normal pacing. "I just- I didn’t expect Bloody Barbie.”

You shrugged, “no one ever does.”

Bucky let out a loud laugh that echoed off the walls and made your heart flutter. “Alright, we need to clean you up and get you to bed, baby. I think we’ve both had enough Halloween shenanigans for the year.”

You allowed him to help you to your feet and guide you to the bathroom for a much needed shower. He was always there for you when you needed him, even without you asking. You knew he'd protect you, do anything for you- he'd even scrub fake blood from your nail beds.

"Buck?" you whispered as he helped you into bed.

"Yeah, baby?"

"You're soooo much better than Ken."

He knew it was a genuine, drunken compliment, but it nearly made him burst out laughing. "Thank you, doll. Yeah, I prefer Allan anyway."

"Saaaaaaame," you sighed, melting into your pillow.

Bucky tucked the covers around you and made sure your water was within reach. He placed a kiss to your forehead, once again thanking his lucky stars that you were home safe.

"Goodnight, Barbie."

----------------------------------

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[wowa-bublord]

Does your Zack ever get to his true breaking point where everything is just too much to push away and he can't help but show his true vulnerability? And if so, what or who is the catalyst?

OMG I RRRRR I LOVED DRAWING 4 THIS ONE OKAY SO. with the au, zack will reach a breaking point with the way he's handling his emotions by blocking them off/bottling them up. It's inevitable. The question of what/who is the catalyst and not when or if it happens hehehe AND IM SO EXCITED TO ANSWER. Through out the au story, zack is stuck in this sorta mentality.

he's so reliant on Cloud being okay, that he can't focus on anything else (for reasons i can discuss another time). My instinctive reaction, it to think that Cloud waking up would give him enough emotional relief to let down some of those walls. But, then I thought that if Zack bases his emotional wellbeing so heavily on cloud...

then theres not going to be a point where Cloud is suddenly 'okay' enough in Zacks brain to let it out. Life has its ups and downs, recovery from physical/mental trauma like cloud went through especially has its ups and downs. Theres always going to be some excuse for Zack to close up even further, particularly since he chooses to be in a caretaker role for Clouds early recovery when he needs it.

So then my mind hopped over to Tifa and Barret, his two closest friends in this au. But I thought that also could only go so far, Zack wants to appear strong for the people he cares for, and in his mind, he's somehow 'tricked' Barret and Tifa into thinking he's stable and tough enough to be their friend, he doesn't want to risk suddenly being too much. (IMPOSTER SYNDROME GANG RISE UP) And since Zack is so numb to violence and battle, I think it'd take a lot to push him out of that even in physically violent scenarios (u could still try though. whump writers i am on ur side 4ever) And not only that, but Tifa and Barret have only known Zack as he is now. They know that he's definitely a bit weird, but they don't know how far that goes, as this is the only version of Zack they've ever met.

BUT HE OBVIOUSLY will still have his own explosion. It's necessary, it's inevitable. Just look at that guy. So I thought, who else?

and who else could it be if not her?

[serafilms]

i wanna elaborate further on my take on sally

i just feel like they’re missing a key aspect of her character, which is how gentle she is and how much of herself she is willing to give up for her son’s wellbeing.

with gabe being kind of a pussy and her arguing with him so easily, i feel like it really undermines how much book sally struggled behind the scenes to make things work (even though percy cares about her and does so much for her, the demigod side of him is something he hasn’t discovered yet and the burden falls on her to handle things — a form of mother’s invisible labour).

book sally married this absolutely horrible guy and went through years of abuse and didn’t fight back directly because the pain was nothing to her if her son was safe. the blue candy was their quiet rebellion against him, and as badass as she was, she wouldn’t have put gabe in his place the way tv sally did, because that wasn’t her priority and it just wouldn’t be worth the effort.

it just feels a little like when they make disney princesses more badass and less feminine?? or like when kpop men do “manlier” versions of girl group/artist’s dances? like it’s undermining her value as a softer female figure, because book sally isn’t a big, strong, badass woman that percy looks up to because she protects him, she’s quietly mischievous and caring and he knows she can protect herself but also protects her as best he can and their dynamic is lost a little bit when she stands up so easily to gabe in a fight that isn’t really worth picking.

and it also irked me a little when she explained why they go to montauk every year, because in the books percy already knows more about his father. she tells him stories growing up because she wants him to see the best in the world and not grow up bitter like luke, because even though she may resent poseidon (since he knocked her up at like 19 after her parents died, and left her broke and with a kid without finishing college), she understands to some extent why he left her and can’t be with percy, and she cares too much about percy and how he feels and what kind of person he is to let him feel her anger towards his father. so she suffers through that quietly too, so that percy can feel like there’s still someone out there who cares about him, like his father is someone to be proud of even though he doesn’t know him.

sally is meant to look for the best in the people that matter, but still be able to see their objective value. it’s a symbolic aspect of her character that she’s a clearsighted mortal, which means she can see these things herself and understand them, but does not have any role in taking action against these things until she has to for her son.

anyways that’s my take. regardless i still am enjoying the show and their relationship very much, but i just don’t think it holds a candle to sally jackson in the books!!!

[theamityelf]

Thinking about the mini senpais and how that affects the order of deaths (a little like in the mini THH au). Chapter 1 with Sayaka will probably be the same as canon and as you described. My main big first difference I think will be a change in Mondo and Taka’s relationship.

Like Taka is learning to be gentle with Mikan, and is also protective of her in general. And Mikan will probably find Mondo to be scary as well. On Mondo’s side, while Fuyuhiko and Mondo will buttheads, the yakuza is gonna be on Mondo’s side when it comes to anything Taka says, so their initial rivalries will probably be way worse influenced by their senpais.

There’s also Chihiro deciding to train himself. I think he would talk to Kazuichi about it, and the latter is like “There’s no way you can train with Mondo!! He’s a super scary guy and has got that Yakuza whispering in his ear!” I think Kazuichi convinces Chihiro to talk to Taka instead, mostly so that they can get help from Nekomaru (who has since been adopted by Taka) but I think Kazuichi would argue that the “moral compass” would never murder even if he can be annoying.

Toko tells Byakuya about Genocider Syo like canon, but also to ask him if he can look after Gundham if something happens to her. I’m not sure how Gundham would feel but I’m sure he would be concerned for Toko’s wellbeing. And Sonia would be so excited to meet THE Genocider Syo (sort of).

I’m not sure who would kill in chapter 2. Mondo could still have his break down and accidentally kill someone again, it just might be a different target. (Shit what if it’s Fuyuhiko?! He accidentally gets squashed!!)

This could all be different if Nagito gets the idea to share the secrets and tells Makoto to suggest it. But it’s Nagito so rather than to prevent deaths it’s more to see if the ultimates can overcome the despair of their secrets. So everyone gets to find out that Makoto wet the bed until 5th grade. Nagito’s reaction to that might be funny. Though sadly I don’t think it gets anyone else to fess up cuz everyone else’s are all a lot worse.

Anyway thanks to reading my gasbagging.

This is all golden, yes!

As much as I love Ishimondo (both as a platonic pair and a romantic one), I gotta agree that they probably wouldn't fall together as easily during this.

Although! I just imagined a version of the sauna scene where, in addition to asking Makoto to witness, they also have him hold their senpais for them (so, Nagito's on one shoulder, Fuyuhiko's on the other, Mikan's standing in the palm of his hand, and he's holding Taka's basket with Ibuki, Peko, and Nekomaru in the crook of his arm), and I find it really funny to imagine. Some of them are really invested in the endurance contest (Nekomaru asks for a higher vantage point, and Makoto only has so much shoulder space, so he's placed on top of Makoto's head.), and Ibuki is really affectionate toward Makoto because she feels bad about what happened with Sayaka.

And either Taka and Mondo end the contest early because Makoto has to go to bed so they have to take their senpais back, because the senpais are their responsibility, or, when Makoto says it's nighttime and he wants to go back to his room, Nekomaru shouts "SLEEPOVER!" and Makoto cares for six miniature people that night.

Either way, I agree with you that Taka and Mondo wouldn't get as close, at least not as quickly, as they do in canon. (I just had to include the sauna thing because the idea was fun for me, lol.) They're on more of a gradual enemies to friends or enemies to lovers track, which may or may not have time to reach its destination, because killing game.

Mikan doesn't like to be around Mondo, but Peko wants to be near Fuyuhiko and so advocates that they spend more time with Mondo, and Taka cares about everyone getting a voice, so when it's Peko's turn to choose, he offers to let Mikan hide in his pocket or back in the terrarium in his room. But she wants to stay with him.

Just to set some stuff up, in the social landscape of Chapter 2, Hifumi has been making little outfits because Celeste is now coping by living vicariously through Chiaki. So, she has Chiaki playing dress-up for her, styling after her, etc. Chiaki insists on continuing to wear her cat hoodie with the gothic lolita dresses, but other than that she's a pretty good sport about everything.

(Hifumi was given Celeste's sewing kit to do this, and he gave her his tool kit in trade. There was probably some joke about him being dominated, or giving away his manhood, or something like that, because I can't imagine Danganronpa would pass that up without comment.)

Aoi also asks Hifumi to make some tiny clothes, because she's worried that Akane's clothes don't fit her right. (When she asks Akane about it, Akane agrees that they don't really fit but basically says that they've always been like that so she's used to it.)

And since Hifumi interacts with both of them really respectfully and works really diligently, Mahiru is praising him for being reliable, and basically Hifumi has been swimming in female attention this chapter and does not know what to do with himself.

When Mondo accidentally upsets Chihiro, and Taka mentions that Mikan is scared of Mondo, Hifumi probably makes a joke about how some guys just don't know how to act around women.

(And there's no "ironic coming from you" response, because Hifumi is genuinely doing pretty great about that.)

Mondo blushes, but he's also like, "Hey, shut up! F you!" and stuff.

Byakuya is isolating himself from the group because he doesn't trust them, but Sonia is so bored with this. She is way too social to just be going straight from his room to the library and back every single day. As a result, Byakuya is more lenient with letting other people talk to him, for her sake.

This is mostly Makoto. He talks with Makoto, and Sonia with Nagito. Nagito talks with Sonia about the killing game, and how there's tons of historical precedent for royalty enjoying blood sport, and how the group is reaching their potential. She knows there's something off about him, but she's starved for social interaction and also this talk of royals and blood sport does appeal to her, in a perverse way.

It's an interesting vibe, because Makoto is bringing Byakuya slightly down to earth, and Sonia is slightly softening Byakuya's edge, but Nagito is making Sonia slightly less down to earth, and Byakuya is sharpening her edge. They're reaching a weird middle ground where Byakuya is less of a jerk and Sonia is less kind.

As a result of this, Byakuya orders Makoto to come sit with him every day. Sonia needs conversation, and also Byakuya has decided that he wants Makoto to make it out of here with him (to be his servant, of course), so he wants to keep Makoto close. Makoto still takes meals with the group, still mediates the sauna thing for Taka and Mondo, but he spends a lot of time in the library with Byakuya, this chapter.

He's still barred from the archive room, or whatever that room was called.

Then we do get the motive about revealing secrets.

Yes, Chihiro trains with Taka. Wholesome workouts for them!

Toko does tell Byakuya about Syo. Obviously, she waits for a time when Makoto isn't around, but Nagito finds out because Sonia is buzzing next time he talks to her, and while she of course doesn't tell him Toko's secret, her explanation for why she's excited gives him all the pieces to figure it out. He might sprinkle her with pepper, like I mentioned last time, which might cause a killing, if he gets a chance to explain to her that her secret will be revealed otherwise.

I think Mondo would seriously be considering killing someone to protect his secret. Like, I imagine him pacing in his room, not wanting to kill anyone but thinking about what would happen to the Crazy Diamond if it got out.

Fuyuhiko puts aside his prickly demeanor and fully becomes both the older student and the professional criminal. "Okay, so you want to kill someone. Are you ready to seriously follow through? You think you can cover up a murder, if it means everyone in your class dies? If you fail, and you die, what happens to your gang then?"

Mondo decides he definitely shouldn't kill someone. Whatever happens when the secret is revealed, he'll face it like a man. Because he's strong. He's a man, and he's strong. (He's hanging by a thread, but his commitment to specifically not killing someone is strengthened by his talk with Fuyuhiko.)

Optional zag, which isn't entirely in character but just the outline of a murder that can happen:

Little does he know! During the senpais' sleepover with Makoto, Nagito planted some seeds by bringing up Fuyuhiko's sister, the "mysterious" circumstances of her death, and just generally musing that the senpais aren't really a part of the killing game in the same way the others are. Fuyuhiko's trying to be there for his kouhai, but lowkey he is also pretty riled up.

So maybe he suggests that Mondo let out his frustration by (non-lethally) punching that guy who insulted him in front of everybody. After all, Hifumi "looks like he can take a hit", and it's been a long time coming. (Fuyuhiko might have said something like "You gonna let him say that sh!t to you?" when it happened.) If Mondo is keyed up about the motive, then just punching someone who deserves it should make him feel better, and then he can move on.

(Fuyuhiko isn't really aiming to kill Mahiru, at least not consciously, but if Hifumi does fall over and crush Mahiru to death by accident, then that's not a murder in terms of the killing game; Hifumi broke the rule about losing his senpai, but Mondo and Fuyuhiko aren't guilty of anything.)

In this situation, I'm imagining Hifumi brings Mahiru to Taka, hoping Mikan can do something to help her, and Hifumi leaves Mahiru with them and gets killed while he's away. So, Taka shows up to breakfast the next morning with Hifumi's senpai, not knowing that Hifumi is dead. The killer could be Sakura or Toko. Technically, it could also be Hiro. It doesn't feel in character for it to be Hiro, but I also don't have anything else for him to do.

(If Toko is the Chapter 2 killer, then Byakuya takes Gundham once she's executed; Sonia wanted him under their protection.)

But hey, the headline is, Chihiro and Mondo probably survive Chapter 2! And maybe Mikan can help Mahiru. But everything I said after "optional zag" isn't set in stone, lol.

[elitadream]

I know people often talk about your Mario and I honestly can't blame them, but your Peach is so...... 🥺🥺🥺

She's probably the sweetest and kindest version I've seen of the character, and I just love the way you portray her!

Thank you so much Anon! <:) 💗

I view kindness as a very prominent trait of her character, and thus always try to project a soft and compassionate sense of sovereignty in the way she talks and behaves. 👑 It's a major part of what makes her a dignified and well loved monarch in my eyes, which is why this quality in particular is so important to me.

In my AU, the bros were never treated with proper respect when they still lived in Brooklyn, and I wanted the woman that my Mario falls deeply in love with to be the exact opposite of that. To be someone who not only sees his true worth and is awed by it, but shows extensive care and consideration towards him also. Who genuinely seeks his wellbeing and comfort, listens to what he has to say and values him for who he really is. ✨

[corn-producer69420]

Post Extermination~

Updated version part 1

Lucifer x fem reader

Parts on my blog

1.9 k words

This is my first time writing smut so there will be spelling mistakes and other problems

Tw: sex, mentions of injury & demon lucifer

Lucifer and y/n arrived at the hotel after

the extermination, y/n had gotten slightly injured and was carried by lucifer into the main room "are you going to be okay my sweet?" Lucifer spoke out his voice sweet yet concerned "P...please...can we just go to our room" When she spoke, her words were barely understandable, which only added to his concern.

He looked down at her as if he was still trying to make sense of her condition. He wanted to believe her, that she was fine, but the look in her eyes and her wobbly stature said otherwise.

"Fine... just hold on tight." He replied politely as he picked her up again in an easy carry.* charlie the others stayed silent looking at the both of them as they walked toward their room, once they were inside y/

n sighed *He closed the door behind them, still carrying her. The room was quiet, aside from the muffled voices of the

others on the outside.

He walked forward slowly, still carrying her in his arms. He slowly sat her down on the bed and took a step back to observe her, now more concerned about her

wellbeing.*she tugged on his pants softly* He looked down to see her tugging on his pants, and his eyes widened again. His body was already burning with desire for her, and that was making it even harder for him to concentrate on anything else right

now.

He swallowed hard and leaned down just a bit to keep their faces level.

"Hmm? Do you need something, my

sweet?" *y/n pulled him in a tight embrace and leaned back on the bed so he was on top of her* His body was shaking all over as he was pulled into her hug. He tried to remain in control but couldn't resist the urge to press his body against hers.

Every inch of his skin was burning, aching to be held by her again. The heat was building inside him at an unimaginable rate, until he could not help but hold her even tighter. He knew it was wrong, but every part of him wanted to claim her. He couldn't resist her vulnerability and wanted to protect her. He needed to be the one holding her, making sure that no one can

take her.

It was a selfish need, but he couldn't even care. All he could think about was being with her. *it was too much for him...almost

like she was teasing him....she is in such a vaunrable state, it makes him want to claim her all the more, so only he can hear her soft moans and whimpers* The sensation of her body underneath him, combined with her soft moans she uttered breathlessly, began to get his body moving on its own. It was as if the heat inside of him had a mind of its own, taking control over every movement without his input.

He was losing control, unable to keep himself from going further. His own body was leading him in a direction he didn't want her to think he felt."Lucy...what are you doing~" Her innocent question

seemed to jolt his body back into reality, breaking him out of this primal state. He was immediately overcome with guilt and regret.

He looked into her eyes and could see how tired she still was. He realized he was taking advantage of her almost drunken state, and that was just the worst.

"I...I'm sorry..." He whispered with guilt, slowly moving off her body. "Don't be~" she said grasping his arm from moving "No, I..." He seemed conflicted about this. On one hand, he desperately wanted this and couldn't resist her. On the other, he knew it wasn't right and shouldn't push further.

When she grasped his arm, however, that was all the encouragement he needed to lose his inhibitions.

He pushed himself back on top of her, pressing himself close to her body, not caring anymore about if it was wrong or

not. *she moaned softly* Her soft sounds filled him with an immeasurable sense of pleasure, making his body tremble. His eyes were fixated on her face while the only thing filling his mind was her body.

He looked into her eyes, wanting to see her reaction to him. With the heat building inside of him, his need overpowers him once again, sending him into a state of pure desire."So where's that devil you used to fight adam~" she said suddenly making him seem confused "y/n do you really want to see that?" He looked down and saw her lips slowly move up the bottom of his chin as she spoke. Her voice was very soft and her words came out slightly slurred.

He was so tempted to say yes and show her the true extent of his power, but it would be a bit risky for her to see him in

that state."Oh yess~ I didn't wanna say anything...but it makes me wet just seeing you like that" she said leaning and whispering in his ear as he shuddered at the feeling of her breath on his ear, sending chills down his spine. Her words sent a jolt of heat down his body and he could not help but let out a deep growl, leaning his head down slightly to make his presence even more intimate. *he switched into his demon form and looked down anxiously to see her reaction. The sudden change took her by surprise. She was still a bit disoriented from the medicine so her eyes took a moment to adjust to his new form. But as soon as they did, she was overwhelmed with a mixture of fear, wonder, and arousal. She found it both terrifying and thrilling to be so close to him, while looking him directly in the eyes and seeing every detail of his new

appearance.

Her eyes shifted between staring up at him. and away, completely torn between curiosity and fear.*she then smiled and pulled him into a passionate kiss*When her lips met with his, every other thought was pushed away. He was so consumed with the intense feeling of her body and her kiss, and he gave into his desire and embraced her fully. His hands gripped hold of the sides of her body tightly, and he kissed her back with feverish passion. She moaned into his mouth and the sound of her moan pushed him over the edge, and his body was shaking with anticipation. He desperately sought for more of her mouth, her taste, her presence. His body quivered with each moan, each shiver of her body.*his forked tounge explored her

mouth finding the back of the of her throat

only to discover she doesn't have a gag reflex*. The realization that she doesn't have a gag reflex surprised him, but it was a welcome one. He smiled slightly into the kiss as he ran his forked tongue against the soft flesh inside her mouth. This discovery was only adding to the heat burning within him. He was feeling everything he felt before, only now with this newfound knowledge.*she smiled blushing heavy as they pulled away* He finally pulled back as well, breathing heavily and shaking from the intense sensation of their kiss. He was still holding her tightly in his arms, trying to get grounded again, but he couldn't stop grinning widely. The feeling of her lips against his was still sending shivers of pleasure throughout his body.

He smiled softly as he finally spoke. "Did

you like that...? Hmm? A little demon tongue?" He paused looking at her beneath him "Oh I loved it~" y/n smiled pulling him in by his collar and unbuttoning his shirt. His eyes widened in surprise when she pulled him back into a position of control. When he realized she was unbuttoning his shirt, his heart was sent racing once again. It was as though he was back where he started, completely dominated by her every touch.*she tossed his shirt aside, caressing his chest with her right hand as her left hand unbuttoned her own shirt and

tossed it asside *His mouth went dry when he saw her unbuttoning her own shirt. The sight of her was enough to push him into a primal state. His hands instinctively gripped her hips tightly, holding her firmly against him. His breaths were getting deeper as her touches left him utterly breathless.*She slipped a hand between

them and unbuckled her bra revealing her bare chest *His body reacted instantly to the sudden exposure of her bare chest. The sight of her made his breath catch in his throat and his eyes grew wide. She was just stunning, and every little ounce of her made his desire rise even higher.*she lifted up her skirt and sliding her shorts and underwear off* His gaze shifted again when he saw her lifting up her skirt. When he saw what she was doing, it was like his body was taken over by desire once again. His hands began sliding up her thighs as he began getting more and more

impatient. "Shhh~ wait" she chuckled as he began to quickly remove his pants and boxers. The sound of her laughter sent a jolt of excitement through his body. He started to slow down and relax to let her take control of the situation again.

"Yes, darling..." He whispered, unable to control just how much her voice affected him. *she pushed him aside and got on top of him* His body instantly reacted to her as soon as she pushed him away and took control. He let out a deep groan when she got on top of him, her breasts bouncing in the air with every movement.*she smiled moving his hands up to her chest* His fingers curled around the side of her breasts and his eyes remained fixated on her. Her soft flesh felt so good, especially how warm it was. He felt a spark of electricity run through his body when he touched her, making him want to grip them harder; but at the same time, he was also afraid of hurting her in his lustful

state.*she leaned in and kissed him on the neck, trailing her hands down lower and lower* His neck was one of the most sensitive parts of his body, and he could

hardly breathe as she kissed him on the neck. Her hands started trailing down lower and lower, which only made the heat within him rise higher. Every kiss, touch, and moan was pushing him closer to the edge. His eyes closed as her tongue began to explore his mouth, as her hands began slowly creeping downward. Now that she wasn't controlling the situation, his hands began to slide down her body as well. His lips were moving with hers as his tongue explored every inch of her mouth. She smiled, caressing the back of his head softly as she slid his length inside of her. They both moaned loudly as she bounced up and down, his cock reaching her g-spot as his fingers trailed around her clit* "nngnnmm" she mumbled in a pained noise as his fingers rapidly slid across her clit making her body tremble in pain from over stimulation, lucifer was lost in a craze

as he pushed her down gaining the upper hand and sliding her legs over his

shoulders before fucking her relentlessly, her screams and moans echoed through the halls as she cummed but lucifer

couldn't...wouldn't stop, he ran his cock over her moist clit before sliding it back into her, pushing in and out hard and fast as she started to plead and beg for him to stop "I...Lucy.. p..mnngghplease" she stuttered grasping the bed as she cummed for a third time, lucifer grasped her hips bringing them forward before thrusting again into her harder than the last time. She let out a struggled gasp and she looked up at him “p…please” she stuttered as lucifer cupped her face with his hand, nuzzling into her chest “okay” he smiled warmly as he pulled his cock out of her abused cunt as he smiled at her “sorry…got a bit carried away~” he cooed as he pet her head. She looked at him with a soft expression ‘That's ok…i know how you get” she stuttered as she caressed the back of his head for a while. She looked back down at him once more only to find him asleep on her lap, nuzzled against her chest, She smiled looking down at Lucifer's now vulnerable state as his chest rose and fell synchronised with her own breaths. y/n’s eyes started to drift closed until the both of them were asleep in eachothers arms.

In the morning y/n started to drift awake, pleased with herself that she woke up first and was able to look down at lucifers calm, vulnerable and adorable state first thing in the morning

[betabravo]

Snippet: Homeroom Miruko x Red Flag (Deus MHA AU) Part 9

Izuku PoV:

Well, shit.  This just took a turn for the worse.

All I wanted to do was confront a stalker, but no… It turned into a villain attack, because OF COURSE it did.

This sludge villain is apparently trying to take over my body somehow. Probably using his liquid body to enter me and control me from the inside. So I just won’t let him.

Guess I’d have to use Overdrive now. I inhaled quickly, gulping in as much air as I could before the villain could catch me and began thinking.

(Listen Izuku, the reason holding your breath is used for shooting is to steady your hands, and by extension the firearm. But there are other, less known uses for it. Normally, if you hold your breath and stop thinking, your body can move purely off reflex, making it useful for a barrage-type attack. But in our case, it’s somewhat the reverse. By cutting out breathing and body movements, you give your brain a temporary boost in processing speed. This isn’t even a Quirk and anyone can do it, but it’s still a skill. A tool in your arsenal.)

So I’ll use it. Villain seems to be a liquid state, so physical attacks won’t work on it. But why did it have to open the manhole cover partway? If it was fully liquid, it could just go through the holes on the manhole cover. Meaning there are parts of it that can’t liquify. Judging by its movements and how it left the manhole, the most solid parts are its eyes and teeth. Priority target: first the eyes, followed by teeth.

But as it’s about to hold me in its grip, me attacking it is impossible. So need to get myself away from it so my stalker can attack. I can even tell her to aim for the eyes. But since physical attacks won’t work… this is gonna suck.

As I gasped from holding my breath and the villain start to surround me, I pulled the taser from my pocket…

And slammed it into my chest.

///

First/Last/Next

Ho boy, here's a version of Izuku not caring about his own wellbeing. But to be fair, there's not much else he can do.

First fight!

Fun fact: I'm posting this on my birthday! :D

[ddarker-dreams]

hi locky!!!♡ this might be really personal, but have you thought about SR reader being comforted by her boys after or during an anxiety stage? if you feel fine with it, of course🥺💕 it's just that your SR story is a comfort to me🌸

HI HI i have seen you in my notifs enjoying SR and it's brought me lots of much joy!!!! i consider it a comfort series too, so i'm happy whenever i see it fulfills a similar role for others. coincidentally, i've thought about how anxiety might play a role in SR reader's life. she has a lot to be anxious about tbh hjrktme she doesn't want to take the time to process things and would much rather distract/keep herself busy... it's an element of her characterization i haven't explored enough!

[Scarlet Ribbons index]

Warning: Depiction of anxiety/panic attacks.

Giorno

Giorno is checking you all over for injuries that aren't present, given the attack's psychological nature. Once he confirms there's nothing physically wrong, his mind goes back to the long nights he spent without his mother as a child. That level of visceral panic mimics what he's witnessing here. He does what he wishes he had a parent around to do for him — speaks to you in a low voice, reassures you that he's not going anywhere, that it's going to be okay. He'll gently remind you to breathe. Considering he's improvising on the spot, he does a good job. He'd have a lot of questions, ranging from how frequently this happens to if there's any way to circumvent it, but he'll hold his tongue until things settle down. His initial panic further reveals to him just how much he cares for you and your wellbeing.

Bruno

Bruno never loses his cool, but seeing you succumb to this paroxysm out of (seemingly) nowhere almost has him spiraling. He's known you the longest out of all the others, so he mentally derides himself for not catching onto this earlier. The cheeriness you exude masks anything you don't want others to see. He wants you to feel comfortable enough to tell him anything. Due to his protectiveness over you, he might insist on going to the hospital, so long as you aren't vehemently opposed. The powerlessness he feels watching you battle your anxiety is the worst part, he wants nothing more than to make it stop. He might be a bit pushy about getting you to explain what just happened if you aren't volunteering the information. It comes from a well-intentioned place, though.

Fugo

Fugo does surprisingly well considering how delicate the situation is. He excelled at academics, which naturally encompasses psychology as well. He probably understands what's happening here best. This knowledge doesn't translate seamlessly into reality — due to the tension in the air, his words come out more clipped than he intended — though he's still able to lead you through some steps to calm down. It's a touch clinical but it works. Afterward, he's digging through scientific journals and learning everything there is to learn about anxiety. He's especially interested in what may have caused it, so that you can avoid it repeating in the future. He's practically a licensed psychiatrist by the end of the week. Obtaining knowledge helps him feel more in control of an otherwise chaotic situation, so this is his way of making sense of things to help you better.

Mista

Mista snaps into a more serious version of himself immediately. He has excellent interpersonal skills, from your body language alone, he could tell something was wrong before the panic attack actually occurred. It helps that he also knows you like the back of his hand. If this is the first time he's been around for this, he'll use his intuition to infer the best way to help. Should you seem receptive to it, he'll talk to you in a low voice, serving as a grounding figure amidst the tumult. He has this infectious optimism that you can't help but be soothed by. When you're feeling up to it, he'll ask if you wouldn't mind telling him what that's about. He definitely doesn't want you to have to go through it again.

Narancia

Narancia, bless his heart, initially makes it kinda worse. He isn't exactly a mental health aficionado. Since he doesn't see any clear cause and effect, he'll mistake it for a Stand attack. He'll summon Aerosmith and promise to take care of whoever is behind this. When you insist it isn't a Stand attack, he'll start fussing over you, asking how he's supposed to help. He's horrified by the thought of anything happening to you, his best friend whom he loves dearly. Until you're feeling up to explaining what anxiety is, he sticks to your side like glue. If this happens again, he'll do a lot better. It's just the first time where he's at a loss on what to do.

Abbacchio

Abbacchio is at an absolute loss but manages to maintain a composed façade. He might not understand the specifics of what's happening, but he knows he should take you to a private area. It's rather jarring to see you go from your jovial disposition to being overwhelmed by some force he can't make sense of. It twists his heart and churns his stomach. He'll wonder if you've silently been dealing with this all along. He isn't the best at waxing poetic, but he'll be there until it subsides. He quietly apologizes for not being of much help in the moment. When you tell him that just having him present was all you could've asked for, he honestly feels somewhat emotional. He will sit there for hours and listen to you talk about it, if that's what you want.

[nitewrighter]

So, re-read your Cindy story (still amazing!) and ended up going down a research rabbit hole with different fairy tales and found out about Donkeyskin. (Wikipedia link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkeyskin)

And wow. I know fairy tales are dark but there is a very human kind of horror to me with this one. Read: the king’s incestuous desire for his daughter and the prince spying on her while she’s changing.

Obviously I know it’s a whole thing about oral traditions, there not really being one ‘true’ story but different tellings with different tweaks.

But my point is that if the fairy godmother in this story is anything like Cindy’s I’m getting pretty strong: “hey do you want me to kill this guy for you? Because it sounds like he sucks and I would totally kill this guy for you.” Vibes.

Oh yeah--Donkeyskin was also definitely a variant of Sapsorrow (the version used in Jim Henson's "The Storyteller"), which did also partially inspire my version! Though also the threat of incest to drive the princess to another kingdom in disguise I think is a mechanic that has found its way into multiple fairytales. On a much tamer note, in the Perrault Cinderella, the Dad was very much still alive, he was just a chickenshit who couldn't stand up for his own fucking daughter, so maybe it's cruel of me to heap all that grief on Cindy, but honestly the prospect of having someone who could stand up for her but doesn't got me too angry and I think that anger kind of distracted from the core of the narrative, which is that Cindy holds onto her own hope and kindness in spite of her cruel surroundings. I really didn't want to write a scene where Cindy goes, "Hey Dad, I know you watched me get abused and basically get enslaved by the woman you married and did absolutely fuck-all, but I forgive yoooooouuu." Like, nah, bruh, I could NOT write that. That's also kind of why I avoided writing any outright forgiveness on Cindy's end toward the stepfamily and went for more of a "The center cannot hold" sort of thing when she leaves and takes her labor with her. While Cindy does ultimately find a new family, I do consider labor itself to be a major component of the story. That's also why I do talk about Cindy still doing work as a Princess Consort and it still tires her out but... it's work she's proud of! It's work with people who share her values and who care about her wellbeing! Like, there's work you do because it gives you a sense of pride and purpose and you feel like you're actively making your environment better through it, and then there's work you're doing because you're being exploited--Cindy's happy ending is the former, and her time with the Stepfam is the latter.

Again, Fairy Godmother is partially inspired by east coast energy, and partially inspired by the sheer bloodlust I felt playing as Aqua in Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep when you drop into Cinderella's world literally minutes after her stepsisters have torn her dress to shit.

[kafus]

i know at the moment the episode with dot and her mom hasn't aired but i'm losing my mind over the direct contrast of her and liko's family dynamics. i'm reading a lot into the episode preview right now so my thoughts might change later but like, it is itching at my brain and i need to ramble about it

(i watch the subtitled version so spoilers ahead for episodes that haven't been released dubbed yet!!)

liko has pretty distant family, her grandma is usually off doing god knows what adventuring (she wasn't even going to tell liko that she was leaving the brave asagi and liko & co only threw the surprise party because liko overheard her talking with friede about it!!), and while she speaks positively of her parents, it's odd that her mom isn't home at all when she's with her dad in one episode, and that her mom doesn't come to see her off - her mom said herself that she wants liko to make her own choices and her teaching style is pretty hands off, but it's still a pretty bold move, even with the threat of the explorers around. i don't think this is an unintentional side effect of the curse upon all pokemon parents where they have to be okay with the child protagonist going on a wild adventure either, because horizons has an honestly large focus on family dynamics (including the found family on the brave asagi), and hell even delia expressed more concern for ash's wellbeing. and like... that one shot of her family walking away in the op?? in direct contrast to roy sitting happily reading the ancient adventurer book with his grandfather?? lol

not to say that liko's family don't care about her btw, they do, they're just incredibly hands off and there's a huge focus on liko figuring out what she wants to do on her own terms. (this wasn't meant to be a liko family psychology post sorry LMAO i could get into this way for way longer some other time)

on the other hand, murdock is already implied to be very attached to dot, he just respects her boundaries and doesn't want to push her past her limits too quickly. he lives on the brave asagi with her and is shown to fret about her, so that's already a pretty big difference, though not suuper substantial or anything. but then the episode 41 preview, the implication that dot has an overprotective and overbearing mother who she's uncomfortable with because she is trying to tell her what to do is in DIRECT contrast to liko's situation. liko has had so much choice handed to her and it seems implied that dot's mom is doing the exact opposite for her daughter.

again we have very limited snippets of this episode and the wait is UNBEARABLY LONG BTW... LIKE... MARCH 1ST... I'M DYING... but i'm really interested to see how this plays out (especially because it implies that dot fights her mother maybe at the end?? her lycanroc??) and i hope it goes a little hard on the contrasting family energy so i can make something out of that between liko and dot. because there's a dynamic to be had there where liko is able to understand closer familial connection through like, dot and murdock, while liko is able to show dot she can make her own choices and be more confident in herself - WHICH THEY'RE ALREADY DOING BTW, the rising volteccers r just one big found family that are giving liko a ton of guidance and love, including murdock, and liko and roy have dragged dot out of her shell and she's been able to stand on her own lately, IT WOULD JUST... REALLY HIT IT HOME FOR THOSE THEMES TO CONTINUE HERE...

[faceofpoe]

The way Identity Crisis was supposed to give some depth to Emerie and instead just kind of made her... shallower. And reduced her final reflection moments to the civilian version of "Good soldiers follow orders."

"Just doing my job" the hell you were.

She had depth. They made such interesting animation decisions with her but subtle, her reactions to the things going on around her. The look she gives Hemlock in s2e14 when he loses patience with Crosshair - is she reacting to discovering an unknown sister out in the galaxy, or is she reacting to his "all clones are my property" declaration?

She does bad things - she is doing her job/following orders/etc. Echo calls her on her shit.

But she comes across as a rather conditioned victim herself, at least initially (and I do think this impression was severely undermined by Identity Crisis). Crosshair demands her access card - "it won't get you outside"; but Nala Se's datapad will get Omega to a hangar? There's very much a vibe that she's just as trapped as any of the prisoners, but almost doesn't recognize it or fully appreciate it. She tells Omega she's safer in Tantiss than "out there" - in the jungle, or in the broader galaxy?

She cares about Omega's wellbeing in the way she knows how, which is the same way she tries to spare Crosshair suffering needlessly: do what Hemlock says, cooperate, do your job, follow orders, and things will go as good for you as they can (there's no escape). Her hesitation to call security down on the lurca kennels, she wants to spare them both the punishment of the attempt. And then rationalizes it with - it just won't work, you can't escape, better you're punished in here than dead out there.

The look on her face when Omega gets indignant on Batcher's behalf - you don't know she won't survive, she deserves a chance.

Like - that was where the root of her questioning her situation felt like it ought to be. And then their successful escape from the planet? Builds on that! Your reality has been turned on its axis, Hemlock is not infallible, escape is possible, there's a life worth living beyond this mountain and one Omega and Crosshair were willing to fight for!

And then we get to Identity Crisis and... we need Emerie in the orbit of the children (because the Vault was not whatever the Emperor visited in e3, it was the galaxy's worst daycare). So actually, now, despite keeping her away (and never mind all the scientists already working in the vault), and her own attitude of "best not to ask questions" actually sure, why not, be chief scientist. It's like we suddenly portray her as closer to high level subordinate than... almost prize pet clone weird vibe it felt like we had before.

Her entire turnaround became solely 'torturing and experimenting on grown men was one thing but discovering the top secret basement daycare is a step too far!' and it just - falls flat to me. And she was on my bingo card for being the topic of Identity Crisis! Just... not like that lol. Part of it maybe felt like she and Hemlock were both sort of testing each other that episode, little furtive glances but... nothing really came of that either. Hemlock just says 'yeah sure leapfrog over all the other scientists on the project you've earned my trust' when she wasn't even allowed to know the truth of the project until now?

Her whole vibe giving the sense of not really being permitted outside the walls of wherever Hemlock is working at the time and then just - yeah sure go on a Coruscant supply run, whatever, I've got a phone call to get to.

Was straight up shocked she knew how to fly the ship when Echo asked.

Who the fuck is she? Why does she exist, why was she sent away, where did she go, why does she have a last name? How and why did Hemlock snag her? Did she know about Omega before Hemlock started looking for her? Just - nothing.

Her recognizing Echo was *chef's kiss* best moment of that episode. Understanding she wants to do something but needs that extra push/support to figure out how - awesome.

But it really feels like they pulled back from portraying her as a different brand of Hemlock victim and, quite frankly, she deserved some recovery downtime on Pabu too.

(and don't get me started on how much we deserved Crosshair being the one who has to choose to trust her, and they never even got another interaction)

(also don't get me started on the similar 'give me five quick words to encompass this character's morality revelation/turnaround' vibe that was Howzer & Crosshair and "loyalty meant something to me")

[tobiasdrake]

Of the Danganronpa casts, which 8 characters do you think would best fit the Adventure Crests?

Ooh, that is a fascinating question to think about. I can't do an episode of Digimon today because I'm back at work after two days off so I not only have a lot of backlog to attend to but also end-of-week reporting to shoot out.

But this is a fun idea for an exercise to keep my brain moving through the day.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Courage: Mondo Owada. Mondo's issues with masculinity map well onto the Courage template. He's brave and impulsive to a reckless degree, driven by a desire to prove himself. His life has been defined by the virtues embodied in the Crest of Courage, both for better and for worse as his reckless bravery ultimately got his brother killed.

Mondo's story ends in a betrayal of his virtue. In the equivalent of Dark Evolution consuming his Digimon and driving it to kill him. But even this supreme act of cowardice occurs because he is shamed by the courage that Chihiro demonstrates. The virtue that Mondo has strived to uphold.

Friendship: Junko Enoshima. That one's going to take some explaining, but weird as it is to think, Junko's entire gambit as the Mastermind is a dark inversion of the virtue of Friendship. She knows each and every one of these people intimately, and she cares. She has to care for their deaths to bring her the despair she seeks.

The entire Killing Game is a form of self-harm, as despair-obsessed Junko inflicts emotional scars on both her friends and peers, and on herself. It's just like when she stabbed Yasuke; It only works, it only gives her the emotional response she desires, because she cares so much and knows so much about each and every one of these people.

Junko herself has the Crest of Friendship. Which she has corrupted in pursuit of despair.

Love: Sakura Ogami. Sakura is driven by love. Though seen only as a powerful and dangerous ogre by others, it's love that motivates her every action. It's love for Kenshiro that leads her to work for Junko. It's love for the rest of her peers that leads her to betray Junko.

Even her death, her final act in this world, was done out of love. Her final moments spent with a candy in her mouth; A present from a beloved friend. Sakura has a bottomless capacity for love.

Purity/Sincerity: Hifumi Yamada. A Purity-bearer is someone who is emotionally honest and sincere in their presentation. They wear their heart on their sleeve; What you see is what you get. They are, in every moment and every interaction, their truest unfiltered self. For better or worse, they shower everyone they meet in unrelenting emotional honesty.

Hifumi is often difficult to be around. His obsession with his favorite magical girl gets uncomfortable at times. But it cannot be said that he has any sort of filter or that he's concealing any part of himself. Hifumi puts his true self out there in every waking moment, even when you kinda don't want him to. He's not ashamed of himself and he's not going to pretend to be anything he's not. As such, Hifumi embodies the Crest of Purity more than anyone.

Knowledge: Kyoko Kirigiri. I mean. Obviously. Obviously the Ultimate Detective has the Crest of Knowledge. Kyoko is driven to find answers. So much so that she let Makoto die (or almost die until Alter Ego saved him) so that her investigation could continue. There is nothing that motivates Kyoko more than her own curiosity and need to find the answer.

Sincerity/Reliability: Kiyotaka Ishimaru. It can be confusing that there's two Crests named Sincerity in different versions. But they refer to different kinds of Sincerity. The Reliability Crest is exactly what it sounds like. It's the team mom. The most trustworthy person among us. Someone who is dependable and responsible for everyone's wellbeing, who steps up to make sure we're all cleaning our rooms and eating right and making good choices. Or at least tries to.

Up until trauma cracks him in half, that's Taka in a nutshell. A hard-working and diligent believer in effort over talent, Taka futilely tries to be the glue holding this group together and create a sustainable community within Junko's wicked game. He fails miserably, but it's still an effort worthy of the Crest of Reliability.

Hope: Makoto Naegi. He's literally the Ultimate Hope; Who else would this be?

Light: Sayaka Maizono. The Crest of Light is always a hard one because it's more of a spiritual thing than physical. The Light-bearer experiences reality in a unique way. They represent the force of life itself and are attuned to spiritual affairs beyond the mortal realm.

For me, that could only fit superstar pop idol and inexplicable mind-reader Sayaka Maizono.

Kindness: Chihiro Fujisaki. While not appearing in 01, the Crest of Kindness was added in 02 so I think it counts. Obviously there is no one more suited to Kindness than Chihiro, who would sooner give blood to a mosquito than smash it.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

Courage: Akane Owari. Akane is Courage incarnate. Every bit as heroic, impulsive, and reckless as any Goggles Boy. Ready to fight at a moment's notice but disinterested in putting real effort into personal growth. She once threw hands with Monokuma hard enough to get one of her teammates killed; If that's not Crest of Courage material then I don't know what is!

Friendship: Gundham Tanaka. For all his bluster, Gundham cares a great deal for other people. Though he's uncomfortable with human contact, he's devoted his life to building relationships with others, even if they are primarily animal in nature.

Indeed, Gundham himself is no island, no single man standing alone, at any given time. He is accompanied always by his Four Dark Devas of Destruction, working together as a team of five to accomplish any goal. Gundham understands the value of teamwork and companionship like no one else alive.

Love: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu. Though he tries to be the big bad gangster tough guy, the force driving Fuyuhiko has always been love. Love for his Ultimate Little Sister Natsumi and love for his dearest friend Peko, who he all but begged to deprogram from his family's conditioning.

Even before the Tragedy, Fuyuhiko had killed for love. In the Killing Game, he very nearly died for love.

Purity/Sincerity: Hiyoko Saionji. Again, she can be absolutely unbearable but for better or worse, she always puts forward her truest self. What you see is what you get with this foul-mouthed little bully who hurts animals and people for fun.

Knowledge: Sonia Nevermind. As the Ultimate Princess, Sonia is driven to learn much so that she can become a fair and just sovereign. The only reason she's even here is because she came to Japan to learn about the culture, and she also demonstrates a ravenous if amoral curiosity about macabre topics such as serial murderers.

Sincerity/Reliability: Nekomaru Nidai. As a coach, Nekomaru's dedicated to spending the very last years of his life to building people up. What time he has left in this world is his gift to the athletes training under him, and he will take a bullet for them in an instant. He is a responsible authority figure who selflessly and tirelessly works to build up everyone else, and for that reason he deserves the Crest of Reliability.

Hope: Nagito Komaeda. Again, this one's fairly obvious. He's a dark reflection of Makoto and Junko who embodies hope but in a twisted sort of way. Technically Izuru Kamukura gets called Ultimate Hope but that's just, like, the school administration's opinion, man. It's Nagito who has a complex relationship with the very concept of hope and so, I think, the Crest of Hope would go to him. Please use it wisely. (He won't.)

Light: Chiaki Nanami, of course. The digital human who serves in secret as one of the admins running the program, directly connected to the Neo World equivalent of Homeostasis.

Kindness: Mikan Tsumiki. This is another obvious one, I think. Of course the Ultimate Nurse gets the Crest of Kindness. Mikan struggles with her assigned virtue; she has some resentment in her, she's been abused so much she can't recognize positive reinforcement, and she enjoys the power trip of being in charge of others.

There is certainly a risk of a Darkness Evolution from Mikan. But I think those struggles only reinforce that importance and centrality of Kindness to her existence.

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

Courage: Tenko Chabashira. Tenko's a full-blown magical girl superhero. She's the Champion of Women, trawling city streets looking for rapists and abusers she can throw hands with.

In the Killing Game, she ticks all the boxes. Impulsive? Check. Reckless? Check. Heroic? Check. Does things without thinking to both the benefit and detriment of those around her? Check check check!

Friendship: Kaito Momota. Kaito well and truly believes that friendship and bonds of togetherness are how we're going to get through this alive. He's a serial adopter of isolated people, dragging anyone who doesn't have a friend into his own social group where he pushes them to become the best version of themselves.

In fact, his greatest flaw is having too much faith in people, blinding him to the darkness inside of them.

Love: Maki Harukawa. Furious though she would be to receive this Crest, Maki's capacity for love influences much of her story. Child caregiver for her orphanage, she became an assassin so that someone she loved wouldn't have to.

As the Killing Game progresses, Maki's capacity for love finds her again. Love is what drives some of her biggest and most influential actions.

Purity/Sincerity: Miu Motherfuckin' Iruma, shit-for-tits! If this were the Crest of Innocence, it'd be Gonta for sure. But this is about unfettered self-expression, and Gonta has to remind himself to conduct himself gentlemanly. He has fetters.

Miu, however, does not. Every last stray impulse or thought that hits her brain comes straight out of her mouth, even when it definitely shouldn't. She is honest and sincere self-expression incarnate, like no other.

Knowledge: Shuichi Saihara. Like Kyoko, this one's a no-brainer. Though he's reluctant to commit to the role, the Ultimate Detective is here to uncover the truth. His relationship with curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge defines his story throughout V3.

Sincerity/Reliability: Kirumi Tojo. Do I even need to explain why? The Ultimate Maid is the ultimate caregiver for all of these children. She is the pillar that makes living here sustainable, even comfortable. And she does it all without a single complaint. Caring for others is what she lives for.

Hope: Kaede Akamatsu. Though she isn't with us long, Kaede carries hope in her heart so strongly that it ultimately kills her. There is no greater gesture of hope in the entirety of V3 than Kaede's desperate gamble to try and corner the Mastermind. She risked it all on the belief that she could end everything right then and there.

She was wrong. But her effort earns her the Crest of Hope.

Light: Angie Yonaga. Cult leader and possibly oracle, Angie's life is downright haunted by her spirituality. She is already (allegedly) the vessel of Atua; She's the perfect choice for the vessel of Homeostasis.

Kindness: Gonta Gokuhara. This is the Crest that belongs to Gonta. Gonta is a gentle giant who loves all things big and small, but especially small. Though he can be scary at times, he means you no harm. He just wants you to meet his bugs. He loves bugs and he wants you to love bugs too.

Ultimate Team

So, of the three sets, who best embodies the virtue of their Crest? Let's assemble the team.

Courage: Akane Owari. Mondo ultimately falls short of his values. Tenko does a better job of it, but she's also terrified of pain and cracks easily under pushback, which holds her back from being a true icon of Courage.

But Akane gives zero fucks. She is, in every moment, the person that Mondo and Tenko aspire to be. Bold and headstrong to a fault, Akane Owari is officially the Goggles Boy of this team.

Friendship: Kaito Momota. Junko is hahaha no. Her subversion of the Crest's values pretty much disqualify her. Gundham and Kaito are close. However, while Gundham has a wealth of animal friends, he struggles with direct human-to-human interpersonal contact which costs him.

Kaito, meanwhile, is able to embrace the values of Friendship with open arms. An incorrigible friend-maker and support system for every introvert he kidnapped into his orbit, Kaito is a friend to all and a pillar that can always be leaned on for support, through thick and thin.

Love: This was a close one. Sakura, Fuyuhiko, and Maki all have their strengths, and they all perform incredible feats of love. Honestly, they all deserve the Crest equally. I agonized over this choice. But if I have to have to pick one, then I'm going to go with Maki. Because it's funnier that way.

Purity/Sincerity: Miu Iruma, queen of the overshare. Hifumi and Hiyoko are in-your-face with their personalities and proclivities too, but I feel like Miu goes above and beyond in the field of shameless, unapologetic self-expression.

Knowledge: Kyoko Kirigiri. Though Shuichi's story revolves heavily around deconstructing the pursuit of knowledge, he is by design a pale and unwilling imitation of Kyoko. Sonia's boundless curiosity puts her closer to Kyoko, but there's simply no competing with the Ultimate Detective in the field of pursuing knowledge.

Sincerity/Reliability: Nekomaru Nidai. Ultimately, Taka and Kirumi both crack under pressure, but Nekomaru holds true to his values to the bitter end. This is a man who would give everything for his athletes, and he puts his money where his mouth is twice over.

Hope: Makoto Naegi. Ultimate Hope. Contrary to the way later entries treat him, Makoto did not singlehandedly defeat Junko by shooting lightning from his eyes and disintegrating her. But he was the inspiration at the eleventh hour that burned away despair and made her defeat possible.

A triumph the series has never managed to truly recapture, despite two separate attempts.

Light: Chiaki Nanami. As the conduit to a digital god, it's hard to find someone more appropriate than a humanoid AI. You might think that should disqualify her from being a Chosen Child but I support AI personhood and also something something DR3 retcon says there technically was a real Chiaki so AI Chiaki can just use her Partner and Digivice. Nyeh!

Kindness: Oh fuck me, this one's pretty evenly split too. Chihiro, Mikan, and Gonta all deserve this slot on the team. I can't decide between them. So... I'm going to choose....

Hm, we have three DR2 and three DRV3 to two DR1 in this group. Alright, I'll give this to Chihiro so the numbers can be even. I didn't plan on it being even. But this would make them even and that's pretty neat.

Alright, there we have it. Three teams of Chosen Children and one Avengers-style Ultimate Chosen Children team. Holy shit, that was a hell of a thing. ^_^

[heliphantie]

It's not symmetrical or perfect But it's beautiful, and it's mine

Some long ramblings about Isabela under 'read more':

I originally didn’t use to be interested in Isabela, brushing her aside as yet another emancipated princess character, but with time, I figured she’s more dimensional and distinctive character of her kind, and possibly, most multifaceted one next to Bruno. More than that, the two, as opposite they look on the surface, have enough things in common for him to have more rapport with her than with Mirabel, as movie seems to suggest.

First of all, magnitude of their powers. All of original triplets have got gifts that surpass any others in the family, outright divine in nature – abilities of healing, conduct the weather and foreseeing future. While out of third generation, Isabela has got an ultimate divine power – of bringing life out of thin air, and in accordance with her emotional state no less. Thus, her powers also require thorough control, which may be another hidden reason for her always needing to keep herself straight. And it’s apparent too, bearers of greatest gifts are also under hardest pressure, with Bruno and Isabela even visually (in the sequence of “Dos Oruguitas”) indicated to be most subjected to.

Second thing is, external and internal presentation. Out of all characters, the two have the most conflict between public perception and genuine expression, and an array of different facades in case of both – from impassive and contemptuous to caring and heartful. We don’t get to see any objective view of Bruno’s behavior in the past, but from how he’s perceived in retrospect, it appears he used to give off impression of distant and uncaring to people around him, which could’ve been simply an effect of his professional duty, including acting impartial to the events he gets to witness as local oracle and avoiding personal interference with anybody’s fate (just my conclusion, anyway). Which is rather similar to Isabela’s acting around people – pleasant, but not extremely intimate, more like performer than participant, and impression of egoistic, haughty person she leaves on Mirabel. (Did encounter with and insight of real Bruno give no clue about what her sister’s situation would be? It’s not a Mirabel-bashing article, but she’s one dense protag, I must say…) In that, they’re two people in family who appear to bottle their feelings and maintain the constructed façade the most of all (“So much hides behind my smile…”). In addition, as parallel to Isabela’s built image of conventional feminine “perfection”, Bruno has his own invented persona of Hernando, which seemingly serves as “perfect”, and more stereotypically masculine version of himself. (Their natural selves are, of course, still properly feminine/masculine, just of more subtle and nuanced variety.)

And what is fundamental trait shared between two: the extreme selflessness and devotion, and sense of responsibility, being prone to self-sacrifice with long-lasting consequences and openly declaring their willingness to give it all for the family. Which also slips into coming to well-intended, but misguided, and even hurtful in perspective, decisions: no, making yourself a traitor in the eyes of your relatives, never getting rewarded for your good will, while for noble reasons, is not going to bring family together, and neither does confining yourself to lifetime of fake love relationship (and hell knows how suppressed discontent seeping through would manifest itself in the end of things… Mariano dodged a bullet, also not deserving such misery). Anyhow, willfully getting your freedom cut short for the rest of your life for the sake of wellbeing and benefit of your loved ones is tremendous sacrifice (and yet again, it’s such a short sight on Mirabel’s part to take confession of that sacrifice lightly, beside of not realizing she is a case of Isa’s predicament, what with approving a proposal behind her sister’s back). And that’s where Isa is deconstructing Disney rebellious princess archetype even before her breaking out: unlike Jasmine or Merida, she actually holds her family in priority over whatever carefree life she could lead, and makes mature move, total opposite of pampered princess Mira thinks she is. It should be said, marriage is not something exactly forced upon Isa, but rather silently accepted on the assumption she does return affection of would-be fiancé. While Isabela seemingly doesn’t have the same luxury as Jasmine to reject suitors left and right (it doesn’t seem there’s a lot of options…), nor fiancé in question is as obnoxious as any of Jasmine’s, or, say, Gaston, she definitely has enough authority around the town to deem any suitor unworthy of herself or make her own choice, so she’s not that submissive in that situation as it may look. (And nothing indicates any of older Madrigals were forced into arranged marriage, which makes me think that is not entirely in Alma’s hands to decide on whom or if her children going to marry.) It appears, based on observation of similarities between Alma and Isa being possible reason for her singling the granddaughter out as her favorite, Alma might just have been projecting her own perfect romance on the young couple, being convinced they’re destined for each other just as she and Pedro were, and have to make up for her own abruptly cut matrimonial bliss, not taking in account Isa doesn’t have to be her carbon copy. Note that, entering marriage, Isa is not simply getting what she (presumably) wants, she puts herself in a role of next (after Julieta, most likely) matriarch, a head of family, a ruler of town, accepting huge responsibility, quite an opposite of effort-free fairytale life.

Which brings me to connection between characters affirmed in the movie itself: what was exact output of Bruno’s words – either prophetic or not – for Isabela? She is the only one, whose prophecy wasn’t appearing to fulfill itself, and she doesn’t comment on it even in the moment of honesty. We never get closure on that issue, let alone any conversation between two (because poor Bruno was denied of opportunity explaining himself properly by his kind relatives…). One answer that seems to be likely correct in context of Bruno’s reputation: because his vision always undoubtedly becomes reality, promise of the dreams coming true was taken for granted, and Isa considered that, as long as she goes with the flow and doesn’t take the initiative in deciding for herself, she obtains happiness by default. So, she’s basically another princess in waiting for the miracle (hm…) until she gets to break free on her own, which is consistent with modern trend of Disney subverting and defeating their own fairytale standard.

But other possible interpretation is: what if that promise, while leading to wrongful and harmful conviction, was giving her strength to follow her path and assigned duty, vested with faith she, by doing right thing, eventually will become a master of her life and achieve fulfillment. (And probably, it makes sense for her to think Mirabel, revealed being linked with imminent destruction of miracle, somehow also leads to her miraculous destiny being dissolved with no hope left.)

Worth noting, it brings up a parallel with classic story about destiny – and also another one of Disney fairytale standard – tale of Sleeping Beauty, blessed with magical gifts and cursed with ominous future, outcome of which tale being basically the same as Encanto movie: fighting future is dangerous, some losses are inevitable, but what’s matter is what we learn and take from it to improve even more distant future. Also, there’s even visual parallel – Aurora’s two-colored in funky manner dress as result of fairy godmothers fighting over its color, and Isabela’s multicolored holi’d dress, I wonder how intentional it was.

And one another minor and not instantly obvious connection, not clearly visible in the movie: both Isa and Bruno may be “brains” of the family! Some concept arts depict Isa being something of a bookworm, and while you have to be really observant (or peek at production art), there’s hints in Bruno’s environment he’s one himself – in addition to some books in his hideout, there’s drawings on the walls showing doodles of rats in casting of stage plays of Shakespeare’s tragedies and “Don Quixote” (both are not exactly light literature).

And while Isabela being an intellectual isn’t something directly stated in the movie, it’s still part of her development and isn’t contradicted by anything on screen. Though she probably may give preference to non-fiction on the topic of biology. Speaking of nerdy inclinations…   

One last (rather tangential) thing worth of discussion: abandoned Bubo storyline and its connection to ultimate version of story. For the aspects that justify it being scraped for good: first, as I stated above, her being actually loyal to family, instead of trying to elope, makes for all more powerful presentation of her character. Second, is unfortunate implication of her being driven to person simply because he understands her (which is valid on its own) rather than because she likes him for his own qualities and personality. But it may be just lack of context for single scene, otherwise dynamic of two people with connection to nature and such contrasting behavior and appear is pretty endearing. (Official source states the storyline is written off so Isa in the end does not “defined by a man”, but then, Mirabel is treated like hero and she’s “defined” by two men, given she’s in need the word of Bruno on what action to take, and if we take literally statement that she was “send by Pedro” to save the family…) So while I appreciate her ending as more independent and decisive person, I still like how concept of that relationship speaks of her personality, and it did find its way in final version, even if in funny way, by replacing man with cactus:) Even as brief moment leading to big reformative number, having her admiring the “imperfect”, peculiar creature gives evidence of her carrying deep fondness for unconventional forms of beauty, fascination for irregular, whimsical (as opposed to what she’s assigned for -  Mariano, while having his own depths and not entirely flawless as well, kind of dorky in his own way, is simply that – conventional and too ordinary for Isa to spark interest). And considering that trait of her was maintained through the variations of story, it seems more than plausible she may develop profound fondness and connection with her eccentric (and definitely “fish out of water”, as Bubo is described) uncle, which makes it a loss that the story didn’t even tipped toe into interaction between the characters. (And it’s hard to overlook, Bubo’s personal and even physical traits also seem to transfer into final version of Bruno, so the character’s concept wasn’t entirely lost either.)

On the final note, bunch of random musings about the character of Isa, that neither here nor there:

Speaking of unpredictable nature of gift and popular parallel between Isabela and Elsa: may it be that Isabela had to teach herself to regulate her power for pretty much the same reason, given connection between emotions and outcome, and inability for child to properly control it? Even in suppressed state, Isa’s powers have dangerous side to them: we see her being able to use vines to restrain people, making flowers grow from every surface, and later she creates carnivorous plants and just unleashes botanical chaos all around the town, not to mention that her negative emotions resurface itself as plants that unsafe for handling. Between Alma’s worried notion that Isabela got “out of control” and Bruno’s reluctance to face her (which he only partially admits to be for the fear to meet Alma), there could be something that young (and simply not being in existence yet) Mirabel might not knowing about full effect of Isa’s power when unbound and under emotional affect.

And one aspect that felt conflicting to me for some time: as for type of person with “green thumb” she’s supposed to embody (and more prominent “child of nature” image with which her character was conceived at first), Isabela acts rather violently, shown destroying her creations, plucking roses out of her flower bed, ruining topiary and such. But considering she’s not simply nature lover and expert (who she seems to genuinely be), but embodiment of nature itself, like Pepa is an embodiment of atmospheric forces, it’s organic for her to having embraced its destructive side as well, as part of death and resurrection circle. /So she’s a bit of like Stitch, with equally creative and destructive inclinations at one because of immense abilities she’s packed with:)/

I definitely have a little more to say, and contemplate, about the character… but some of it going too far into speculative and fanfic-y territory, so it’s a topic for another time. And sorry for all incidental Mirabel kicking:) – I have things to say about her too, but in its own turn.

[sillypiratelife]

Sanji's fake confidence is everything to me what do you mean he is ridden by guilt and the need to be accepted and loved despite the many sins he thought he committed?!?!?!

It's insane 'cause over and over Sanji participates in those moments when the strawhats show to someone they love that they are worthy and they are good and they can have nakamas and they can be loved and they can become better and— Sanji thinks it all applies to others but forgets to remember that it applies to himself sometimes?

I'm not saying all his confidence is fake, since he knows he is good and he is proud of what Zeff taught him. He knows how good of a chef and a fighter he is, okay? But he has too many traumas with authority figures and parental figures...

He chases affection from women like a man who begs to be whole, to be loved, to feel appreciated. He throws himself into every opportunity to prove his love for his crew by sacrificing his wellbeing or even his life. For how much he acts like he thinks he is the most amazing man, he looks down on himself too much. Unlike Zoro, his doubts are not based on his skills (see the whole "I need to be an even better swordman" theme). Sanji thinks he's only worthy as a sacrifice. He must be killed if he stops being convenient. He lives to repay debts to the people who love him, like love is a transaction and not something freely given.

He's the perfect man but he reeks of desperation. All his bravado? It's enough to remember how he tried to leave Baratie and how he eventually broke down to know he's a soft man.

I think Sanji is too used to insulting the dudes he cares about and fussing over the girls he cares about and it's all a distraction.

Haha, you're stupid and you're a pain in my ass and I'd fight with you all the time and this is just a way of me avoiding to say I'd miss you terribly if you went away, because if I don't say the words then it won't hurt that bad when you finally leave me like I know you'll do. I don't want to show how attached I am to you, because my walls need to be always up with men. I've been tricked one too many times.

Haha, I totally charm you and show romantic and sexual attraction to you and I do everything to be your perfect man, the one you desire, the one you miss and love and care about. Look at me, please, look at me. Aren't I worthy of your love? Look my way, say you love me, shower me with affection. I would do anything to protect you, okay? Look, I'm so strong and brave and—

Sanji is not that different from Ussop, who keeps saying lies and projecting that desired version of themselves so they might be complimented. He's not different from Nami, who tried to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders in secret and was always faking a personality, until she met the strawhats and forgot the weight of her past and was able to enjoy herself, but ultimately she still felt terrible, like she wasn't worth all the trouble.

Sanji shares so many things with his nakamas...

Problems he would gladly help carry, but he won't let others shoulder his own burdens.