#I'M NO LONGER HUMAN I HAVE ASCENDED

[thechaoticdruid]

Something some people don't seem to get about Astarion is that he pretends not to care as a coping mechanism for guilt. He pretty much lies not only to us but also to himself. Probably hoping that if he says he doesn't care enough that the guilt will just vanish.

I honestly feel like these toxic coping habits also get turned up to eleven when he's ascended. So when you reject his offer to make you his spawn he deals with the pain by convincing himself that he didn't believe in love anyway.

Tav turns into a mind flayer and he can no longer bring himself to want to be with them. "Oh well they're disgusting so I don't care."

(I'd recently found out that if mind Flayer Tav peeks into A!Astarion's brain they find out he apparently still feels love so I guess he actually does feel the same way Spawn Astarion does about the situation. But of course AA is an ass about it.)

He can't turn Karlach so now he can't keep her with him forever. "It's not my fault it's yours!" *Proceeds to throw tantrum like a spoiled brat.*

Spawn Ending Astarion however learns to let himself be vulnerable and let it out since Tav actually makes him feel safe enough to do so.

So basically what I'm saying is Astarion is tsundere about his feelings if that makes sense. He keeps how he really feels guarded and insists he doesn't care when in actuality he does. And as THE VAMPIRE ASCENDANT these habits become even worse since he's done with the idea of being a good person entirely and just embraces his darkest impulses, but I doubt he can snuff out his humanity completely. He still comforts Tav if they end up bound to the incubus, he doesn't want Karlach to die and actually puts off his world-domination plans for her.

Anyway I think I made my point. I started this mostly because one of my guy friends who is also playing BG3 is convinced Astarion is 100% evil which isn't true. He definitely does evil things and is a selfish bastard but saying he's just evil isn't entirely accurate. (Granted this friend has yet to do an Astarion romance run so perhaps he's missing context.) Sorry if I might have got off topic or worded something strangely, but if you have anything to add to this comment below. 👇

[oh-there-she-goes]

Recently, I saw some people criticizing Scott Snyder for trying to make Joker an immortal demon archetype while praising Zdarsky for giving Joker a past and making him more human. And I was like...sorry, but did we read the same comic? Because that was a complete opposite of what actually happened.

Snyder didn't write the Joker as a monster emerging from hell or nothingness. His Joker was a man who found death preferable to the reveal of his real name (DotF). When confronted with the life he left behind, Joker was terrified.

And despite his darndest attempts to reinvent himself and ascend into something beyond mere man (Endgame), he failed.

That's it. That's the very point. He failed.

Hell, Joker might have achieved a modicum of success, had he just left Batman behind. But no, he couldn't help himself. So in his last moment, Batman held him down and forced him to accept his own mortality.

Yet inexplicably, people are so hung up on the introduction of 'the Pale Man' myth even though it can be inferred (rather plainfully so) from the text that Joker was lying.

Batman broke his heart. To retaliate, Joker destroyed his city and haunted him with a tale of the devil whose existence might predate even Gotham itself. Joker knew he outliving Batman was one of Bruce's greatest fears, so in his resentment, he tried to make Batman die believing the Joker to be an unstoppable force of evil that would continue to exist indefinitely without him.

The Pale Man was invented, partly, because Joker wished he could escape from the entwining of their own fates. He no longer relished in the belief that Batman had helped make him.

All in all, I understand not being a fan of Snyder's work. That's absolutely valid. But to accuse him of pushing the narrative of Joker being the devil incarnate is just...unfair.

And wrong.

The pic has nothing to do with my rant btw. I'm just upset it was rejected and replaced by something rather generic so I find any opportunity to randomly include it lmao.

[skyscrapergods]

I don't know if you've answered this before (and sorry if you have) but how does Sunset leaving/coming back work as a god in equestria? Sunburst not knowing his concept means he can't 'grow' yet Sunset seemed to appear fully/atleast kinda grown even though it seems like she had no idea shed become a goddess, so does the time difference between the two realms mean she can grow exponentially? When she leaves does the concept she represents also disapear/lessen? How do the people think of a goddess who appears for a short time compared all the other princesses? CAN she go back??? I'm sorry but her going back and forth between the two is so interesting to me and I'd love of you could answer

sunset shimmer is honestly more of a shitpost than a real aspect of equestria. you can browse the whole Sunset Shimmer tag here, and here it is in chronological order.

because time works differently, she full ascended in the human realm without ever realizing she was ascending, since they don't have gods over there. Her pony form changed, while her human form did not. Her human powers escalated, but her appearance was the same.

When she steps through the portal into her pony body, she finds that form has changed dramatically. It's pretty overwhelming, so she doesn't visit often.

When she is present, her aspect (rebirth and redemption) grants magic to all who go through it. A selfish horse realizing the true meaning of christmas can suddenly melt snow and restore life to her environment through the power of Becoming a Better Person.

When Sunset is gone, that magic no longer happens. Becoming a better person is good, but it doesn't make you all glowy glowy light beams and healing aura all over the place.

The Goddess of Redemption is celebrated and worshipped, but society is aware that she only returns "when she is needed most"

[graveyard-cuddles]

If you attack ascended Astarion at the epilogue party as a mindflayer, all the rest of the companions will join in the attack with you. Which doesn't make a ton of sense from my perspective because frankly, they should all be just as scared of mindflayer Tav as they are of ascended Astarion, if not even more so. Let's just be real and admit that Astarion, as "mean" as he is when he breaks up with mindflayer Tav, is 100% correct. Tav is not Tav anymore. Ilithids don't have souls. They're not a person anymore. And Tav can prove it by attacking him out of the blue at a peaceful-ass gathering. Even Astarion with how cruel and egotistical he becomes when ascended is still more "human" than a mindflayer because he at least retains his soul and personality, as warped as it becomes. That's all besides the point, though.

My main point it I just find it weird how so many so-called Astarion "fans" revile in this scene and find it so funny how Astarion "gets his comeuppance" in this scene or whatever. And I don't know about anyone else, but I find this scene incredibly sad and tragic. Both Astarion and Tav have lost themselves completely (Tav even more so than Astarion, I would argue). And it kinda baffles me how so few fans of Astarion can see how much he's clearly hurting here as well?

He claims he hasn't thought about Tav in the past 6 months, and he delivers the line in a way that is clearly meant to sting as much as possible. People point to that moment as a "gotcha" moment that Astarion genuinely doesn't miss Tav. But he then immediately contradicts this a few sentences later when he says thinks all the time about what could have been if they had stayed his consort and never became a mindflayer. And that all his power is nothing without Tav by his side (paraphrasing).

"OH he's just manipulating Tav" why would he say anything that would make him look weak or vulnerable? If anything, he should be bragging about how GREAT he's doing without Tav. How awesome his life as a vampire lord is without them. And at first he does just that, the first half of the conversation is all bragging. But the longer he talks to them, the more the little hurtful truths slip out behind the hateful words. Like for as much as fans claim to understand that Astarion will often say one thing but mean another some of them sure are shit at being able to tell when he's clearly covering up his hurt with vitriol.

And again there's something weird about cheering on mindflayer Tav when their turn can be considered just as tragic as Astarion ascending. Like don't get me wrong I enjoy letting a monster do their thing. But it's like this weird double standard where mindflayer Tav's monstrosity is good and cool to idolize and joke about them wanting to eat the brains of their friends but the second someone has fantasies about being Astarion's consort they need to be psychoanalyzed.

And it's also ridiculous that if you even so much as suggest that hey, maybe there's more going on with ascended Astarion than meets the eye, maybe he actually is suffering in his isolation, ect. you get called a delusional idiot because people just really want to believe Astarion is truly a 100% different person from his ascended self when that's simply. not. true. Again the writers have confirmed the ritual didn't consume his soul. The ritual amplified all his worst personality traits that he already had.

I'm not saying you need to love ascended Astarion BUT if you love his character for what he is you should be able to at least appreciate him. You should be able to at least find him tragic and compelling. Kinda annoyed that many fans, who are seemingly uncomfortable with being confronted with this side of him, would rather turn him into a big joke or reduce his full spectrum of emotion to just "smug apathy."

[galedekarios]

idk if u posted anything about this before but im really curious what you think about an elf tav with gale.

specifically, what ive been rotation in my mind is what romanced gale says if you use speak with dead on him: that he'll be waiting for you.

but what about an elf tav who still has centuries left to live, who expresses their worry that long after gale's death, whenever that may be, they might find someone to love just as much as they love gale now? would he still wait for them? would it instead motivate him even more to ascend to godhood? would he search for a different method to become immortal/ extend his life span in his good ending so they could grow old together? or would he tell tav that they deserve to live life to the fullest and find love again? and if so would he actually mean it?

i can't really tell what would be more in character for him towards the end of the game so here i am asking you, dear gale expert :)))

thank you for your message, anon. <3

i haven't talked about it on my blog yet, no, but i have thought a lot about it since my main oc altonaufein is a drow, who could live to be several centuries old.

i think what's important to keep in mind with gale is that while he may be human - humans, who of course have a general life expectancy that's considerably less than a drow's might be - he is also a wizard and a powerful one at that. he was an archwizard.

not only are there several spells that extend life in the dnd universe (clone, for instance), but there also endings in which gale regains mystra's favour by returning the crown, either as her chosen, or as someone who carries her blessing.

that status too is something that would extend his lifespan to far longer than what a normal human's lifespan is.

i think we have a good example of that in the game itself with elminster, also a human, who the game tells us is 1300 years old at the time we meet him in the game.

so i'm happy to say that lifespan angst is something that doesn't necessarily need to be an issue with gale and a drow or elf protag, and i think it's likely something that gale would do.

(sort of related: in a conversation with elminster (act ii when he delivers mystra's instructions), there's a devnote saying that gale doesn't expect to grow quite as old as elminster, and the only reason for that is the dangerous life he leads right now. so i do think if the danger had passed, it might be a different topic.)

however, if you are asking me on the principle of the thing if gale would mean it if he said that it's alright for the protag to move on if there was an extreme lifespan disparity with no way to overcome it, my answer would always be yes.

gale never once holds it against the protag in any shape, way or form if they have turned him down respectfully and found a new love, even within the timespan of the events of the game. that is even further reiterated by the devnotes to these specific lines you get from him in this case, which are variations of "sincere/heartfelt/happy for you/etc."

the same wish is reflected in the variations of his epilogues in which he dies. gale's spectre, his letters, all tell the protag one thing: that he wants them to be happy.

also while gale is romantic, he's also pragmatic. if there truly was no way to overcome this, he wouldn't want the protag to grieve for him for centuries/never move on.

so yes. he would mean it.

but like i said, thankfully, the lifespan issue isn't really an issue in this case.

[asttrogirl]

𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧︱𝐠𝐨𝐣𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐮

﹙❀﹚PAIRING; gojo satoru x f!reader

﹙❀﹚WC; 0,8k

﹙❀﹚SUMMARY; satoru knew better than to abuse power but he loved it when you begged for help.

The summer night breeze gently fluttered your hair as you stood in the dark and desolate abandoned building. The lights of Tokyo city flickered in the distance, creating a mysterious and dangerous atmosphere. The silence was occasionally interrupted by the howling wind through the empty corridors, and the shadows lengthened, adding a touch of tension to the air.

You silently lamented accepting this solo mission, unaware that you would face a curse of greater magnitude than expected. The worn-out walls and broken windows allowed the faint moonlight to seep in, casting sinister shadows in the surroundings. You felt trapped in a labyrinth of darkness, without a clear way out.

"Satoru, listen. Tell the professor I need help," you urgently exclaimed through the communication device as you moved stealthily, trying to dodge the twisted tendrils of the Grade 2 curse that writhed threateningly before you.

From the comfort of his bed, Satoru smirked. "And what if I refuse?"

"Satoru, this is not a game," you responded with frustration, feeling the pressure mounting around you.

The building, once bustling with human activity, now seemed to whisper with an air of abandonment and despair. Inaudible murmurs mixed with the creaking of rotten floorboards under your feet, creating an oppressive atmosphere. You knew that saving civilians was no longer one of your immediate concerns; your own survival had become the top priority.

"I'm just telling you that I can't bother Yaga. Besides, I'm about to take a nap," Satoru taunted shamelessly, oblivious to the gravity of the situation.

"Satoru, just do it already!" you demanded, feeling adrenaline coursing through your veins as you confronted the looming threat.

"Say the magic words," Satoru challenged, relishing the tension and risk from the comfort of his position.

Frustrated and with no time to lose, you ended the call before continuing to ascend the abandoned building. Every step was a struggle against the shadows and the terror that seemed to lurk from every corner. The darkness seemed to want to swallow you whole.

You could feel the curse nipping at your heels, its twisted tendrils seeking to ensnare you. But before you could react, an enigmatic and familiar figure materialized in front of you. A bright, white halo formed a few meters away, illuminating the surroundings with its supernatural glow.

"Hey, that's mine," Satoru said, with a popsicle in his mouth and dark glasses hanging on his nose. Despite his carefree attitude, his eyes reflected determination and bravery.

The curse seemed to completely ignore Satoru's presence, as if acknowledging his power and being overpowered. Gojo's attention focused on you as he approached, filling the air with his overpowering presence. His penetrating gaze challenged you.

"You didn't say the magic words," he stated with a calm yet authoritative voice.

"Screw you," you replied, a mix of courage and defiance.

His smile widened, as if he enjoyed your defiant spirit. You could feel your own fear, but you also knew that deep down, Satoru found your strength and determination attractive. Despite your differences and constant clashes, there was something that mutually drew you to each other.

He didn't complain because deep down, he was delighted to leave everything behind and come to your rescue time and time again.

After exchanging glances filled with conflicting emotions, a tense silence took hold of the atmosphere. Satoru broke the silence with a playful smile.

"Don't you have something to say to me?" he asked mischievously, expecting you to acknowledge his help.

You initially refused, feeling stubborn pride burning within you. However, deep down, you knew that Satoru had once again come to your rescue. With a resigned sigh, you finally muttered the words begrudgingly.

"Thanks, I guess," you admitted, unwilling to fully show your gratitude.

Satoru's smile softened, and he looked at you with a warm gleam in his eyes. "Don't cry. Stand up and let's go. We both need rest," he said in his soft and reassuring voice.

You quickly wiped away the tears that had escaped without permission and nodded silently. Though you sometimes seemed like enemies, there was a special bond between you, a connection that transcended fights and disagreements. Together, you walked towards the exit of the abandoned building, leaving behind the darkness and danger.

That night, Satoru made the decision to stay in your room. They cuddled together in the comforting warmth of your bed, setting aside tensions and differences until the next morning. Silence filled the room, calm and serene, as they drifted off into a restful sleep.

Satoru was aware that day by day, he managed to soften your defenses and melt your heart, just as you did with him. Before surrendering to sleep, he sighed and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead, embracing you with the same intensity as you embraced him.

Yep, tomorrow would definitely be another day.

©asttrogirl│don't copy or translate

[yanderes-galore]

May I request for a romantic Pav concept, with Kaiser's Daughter!Darling, where Kaiser is also a platonic yandere for his daughter, please? Both of them are from Fear & Hunger 2: Termina. If you're uncomfortable with writing for Kaiser that's alright, feel free to just do Pav. Thank you! And go ahead and dm if you need more details ^^

If I'm correct, Kaiser is just an Ascended Le'garde as The Yellow King. So I am going based on that for this. I'm still VERY new to F&H so I apologize if lore or something is off! I hope you like it-

Yandere! Pavel Yudin with Kaiser's Daughter! Darling

(Including Platonic! Kaiser, AU without three day timer/tweaked for plot purposes)

Pairing: Romantic (Pavel)/Platonic (Kaiser)

Possible Trigger Warnings: Female Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Manipulation, Violence, Overprotective behavior, Murder/Attempted murder, Toxic companionship, Dark themes, Very brief passing mention of intimacy.

In terms of your backstory you'd probably be one of the contestants in Termina's strange festival.

You most likely are not aware of your bloodline or anything like that.

So you have no idea that you're related to Le'garde/Kaiser or The Girl.

Far as you know your home life has been as normal as it can be.

Yet some sort of fate has brought you here, yeah?

Pavel, or just Pav, is also a contestant whose goal is primarily just to stick a bullet in the Kaiser's skull.

I can't find much on their personalities but from interactions I have an idea.

Pav is cunning and cruel due to his intentions.

For the most part he doesn't want to get involved with anyone, only making it a goal to make it to the Kaiser.

He'd come across you at times but for the most part leave you alone if you don't deserve his wrath.

Like you, he doesn't know anything of your origins.

The Kaiser, on the other hand, knows you.

Some sort of fate has brought you to him.

The daughter who has not surpassed him like The Girl, you are still mortal and unaware of his existence.

The Kaiser still seems to have strong powers due to the fact he can ruin Pav from a distance.

I imagine he still cares for his other daughter greatly and oversees your progress through the festival.

If something appears to threaten you, it strangely dies from seemingly an action too quick for you to process.

Kaiser believes there's a reason you're back here with him around the same time, so he'll make sure you make it to meet him one way or another.

What's troubling is Pav's growing interest in you.

Pav has seen you around and mostly left you alone until you save him somehow.

Kaiser can still strike him down before disappearing, yet maybe after you save him in an AU from canon, Pav takes more interest?

It's that or some sort of alteration from that.

Pav begins to drift around you after you prevent him from dying.

You've given him another chance at slaying Kaiser.

At first he's hostile and upset at you, he never asked to be saved.

Yet you still appear to be patient, asking him of his past and how he is.

At first it all makes him annoyed.

Yet it all begins to grow on him the longer he's around you.

It feels... admittedly... a bit nice that you did such a thing.

Such behavior will quickly be punished in a land such as this.

Such a fact is something Kaiser also knows.

He understands the idea of wanting to change something, even in this current state.

It sort of frustrates Kaiser that you saved Pav.

However he can't blame your empathetic to help humanity.

Kaiser just wishes you chose your allies more... wisely.

Pav admittedly can't stop hovering around your location.

He tells himself he shouldn't, he has better things to do.

But instead he watches you, like he can't get enough of your presence.

He's another one to look out for you.

A bullet is gifted to any creature attacking... forcefully.

So not only is a God watching over you, a soldier of said Kaiser is also around.

You're in better hands than most other contestants.

Pav doesn't talk to you much and Kaiser prefers to silently watch you.

Whenever you encounter Kaiser you feel... wary yet comforted?

You aren't sure why but the aura feels both new and familiar, a sign this person is much more than man.

You don't want to go closer to him yet there's a supernatural calling to it.

You ignore it as best you can.

Pav would give you supplies to survive the festival when he finds you, Internally thankful you're still here.

Conversation is brief and quick, but he always seems to have a soft look in his eyes.

Pav is definitely not a yandere completely out in the open.

He isn't going to be all over you.

He isn't overly affectionate, he's a weathered man.

Even if he somehow showed his obsession, he isn't very skilled with it.

He's lost his whole family and only really knows bloodshed.

The fact he still has such a passionate feeling towards you is surprising.

It's also intense, even if not entirely visible.

He'd mostly be one to watch but offers to stick by you under the excuse of finding Kaiser.

Speaking of which, back to Kaiser.

Kaiser wants to take you in and prevent the area from changing you, even if it isn't possible.

Fate may be dark and twisted but it's brought you to him.

If he has to slay Pav to have such a thing happen he doesn't mind.

The man seems desperate to die anyways.

Here's some things to think about, if Pav ever did try to hold or kiss you to show romantic attraction, the normally at peace Kaiser is furious.

It's worse if anything even remotely Sylvian happened between you, regardless on if you love Pav back truly or wanted a fling.

I have I feeling this sort of situation only has one outcome.

Pav cannot kill Kaiser, the God is quick to overwhelm him no matter the scenario.

A simple gun shot to Kaiser's body will not end him, many have tried.

Although, he is thankful that the man has kept you safe up until this point.

Pav would feel a bit betrayed at the fact Kaiser is your father.

Even if you didn't know it

Despite this, Pav still holds strong feelings towards you due to his obsession.

He wants to kill the Kaiser even more now that he knows he plans to take you away.

Pav keeping you away from your father enrages Kaiser.

Pav has caught himself imagining some sort of life with you at times, even if it is not possible here.

He promises himself to kill the one who wants to take you away... even more so due to their past.

However, no matter how intense Pav is as a yandere, Kaiser will win.

In canon, Pav can never kill Kaiser alone.

Even when he brings you along to encounter Kaiser, or you meet together by chance, Kaiser has already decided the man's fate.

Pav yells at the "man" that he'll kill him.

No matter the weapon, he'll find a way.

You're meant to be with Pav as his wife....

Kaiser's patience wears thin.

This match up feels underwhelming as Kaiser would quickly plunge a blade into Pav's still healing chest.

This mortal does not deserve to have his daughter.

It only angers him that Pav could have done defiled you.

You belong here, with your father.

Pav's fate was going to happen eventually... it's about time you meet yours too. It's funny that he thought he had a chance after meeting you here.

Your father has been waiting for you... why don't you properly greet him?

[fuwaprince]

My hair is grey on purpose now and it's sexy. Older women smile at me when we pass by each other. Men treat me like I'm their grandma. I have ascended to grannyspace. I nap in the middle of good books, wake up, read a little and nap again. I shamelessly ask strangers "can you be a dear and read this for me please?". I drink those meal replacements bc granny deserves food for fuel. I fondly remember and write to old friends every few seasons. I let myself get angry the way grannies do. I ask for help when I've fallen and can't get up bc of health complications. Taking medication makes me stronger, not weaker. It's so I can live a longer life! Passing as a grandma is kind of awesome? and as a result I am so pro aging. People are way cooler with you asking for help. People respect your boundaries. People respect you. Idk maybe that says a lot about how we treat girls and younger women or maybe it says more about how we treat grannies. but no longer do I wish to be infantalized. I want to carry myself like I'm 1000 years old. I want to honor my life of experiences. I want to overshare my stories at the dinner table before I die too bc it's important that SOMEBODY knows. I want to take up arts and crafts again. I want to join social groups that share the same hobbies as me. I feel like a human being

[garroth-core]

the tragedy of immortality and godhood and the persistence of love despite it, because of it, is one of the most fascinating parts of mcd and mystreet

think of irene, who murders her daughter and gives her body-turned-relic to the father, unknowingly using his daughter's corpse as a weapon, who loses all emotions after a long life. think of shad, who raises an army of the dead and tortures his subordinates, who tries to kill an innocent three-year-old for the crimes of her mother who doesn't even remember those crimes and is an entirely different person. think of the shadow knights' transformation being completed when they kill the person they love the most. think of hyria, thousands of years old and sworn to protect the sacred forest, estranged from her daughter for over thirty years when she chooses duty over family, who herself admits that "the longer you live, the more you forget how to love". you'd think gods and immortals would be the epitome of life; after all, they are alive forever. but we see they're more dead than anything. they are stripped of their humanity, their love, their empathy, leaving nothing but empty husks of souls. they feel nothing. they are nothing.

and yet. and yet and yet and yet — love perseveres. that is the biggest tragedy of it all. love is not an unstoppable force. it did not stop the horrors that befell the lives of the immortals and those around them. love is an immovable object. it stayed through the atrocities, the rage, the massacres, the murder, the estrangement. irene wished, more than anything, to feel again. she tells hyria she will slumber until the world needs her again. because before the divine warriors, before shad, and before her daughter, irene was a woman who loved humanity. shad's rampage is because of his grief, and what is grief if not love's ghost? light shining from a dead star? his love for his daughter motivates him to take alina in vengeance for her gruesome death, to go after aphmau. hyria still loves her daughter. laurence clings to memories of aphmau in the midst of his painful and traumatic transformation in the nether. sasha who has done "twisted things" admits that there are people she cares for in the shadow knight army, going so far as to side with aphmau. even laurence says she was kind to him.

and vylad. vylad, who is the catalyst for everything. vylad who brings irene back into the world because he needs her, because his brother needs her. because, though he has lost all emotion, he still remembers the one brother who was kind to him in his lonely childhood. that is literally what starts mcd!!! the key to the entire thing!!! a man's love for his brother!!!

and then we have perhaps the most tragic figure of them all: lady aphmau.

now, it's wild to me that mystreet went from silly happy fun times to aphmau is the fucking messiah (again) but i won't lie i'm so heavily invested in what happened to mcd!aphmau

after fuck-knows-what-happened, lady aphmau ascends to godhood and becomes mystreet's lady irene. it's implied something went horribly wrong in the events of mcd and lady aphmau, now a goddess and cut off from her friends and family (alina states she "still lived in an unreachable realm"), has to live on immortal and alone. but even though the world eventually forgets her, forgets her friends, forgets her sons and her daughters, she remembers. her love perseveres, even in a world empty of all she once loved.

so she makes a new world. a new world where her friends are happy and alive, where even her enemies — zane, gene, zenix, sasha — eventually befriend her own original group and lead somewhat happy lives themselves. lady aphmau lives vicariously through mys!aphmau, she states so herself. she pretends it is her who gets to have a happy, simple life. but at the end, mys!aphmau's life is not hers to live, not hers to interfere with. as she says, her aaron already died long ago.

once again, love is the key to the entire thing. she chooses to sacrifice herself for aaron. she passes over resurrection for aphmau. she has nothing to gain from this. she chooses aaron because she loves him. she chooses aphmau because she knows what it is like to love and be loved, to once have something to go home to. but her friends are waiting not on earth. so she dies, her daughter at her side.

i think what gets to me the most are the endings we see for shad, irene, and lady aphmau. we don't see the endings for the others because jesson didn't finish the series <33 but what we do see are these: simple endings. peaceful endings. quiet endings. it fucking does something to me when grand larger-than-life characters yearn for easy, uncomplicated lives.

think of what lady aphmau reincarnated all of them for, what she broke divine rules for, what she defended against the celestial cannon. snowball fights and putting on silly plays and opening maid cafes are what this all-powerful goddess wants. domesticity and wedding dress shopping and a house on the street where all her neighbors are her friends. this is what heaven is to her, not the chapel above the clouds devoted to her. what does she care about that? she's found heaven in a golden afternoon with her dearest hearts. think of shad and irene. after all the grand battles, the world-ending apocalypses, all the bloodbaths, and at the end shad goes home to irene, their daughter at his side, nothing more. they end their lives in an, to the bigger world, unremarkable suburban house save for the memories that live there, the memories themselves are indistinguishable from any memories any other person would have. simple memories of a simple childhood of a simple girl.

a simple girl who, after a battle against a demon centuries old, after finding out she's a literal goddess, is by her friend's side. the first friend she ever made. her not-alone-buddy. her life has been thrown upside down. her best friends and the love of her life have sustained irreparable damage, losing their memories, their magic, their knowledge. it is her godhood that is the cause. they sacrificed themselves so that she may bring them victory. once again, the tragedy that befell her predecessors repeats itself. godhood takes, and takes, and takes. she must feel so many emotions — guilt and grief and rage and helplessness. she must blame herself. but then she thinks of what the goddess said to her, of how people have chosen to be in her life. she looks at the friend who chooses to sit by her side as they both recover from their injuries. so she smiles upon seeing him, says it's been a long time, and reaffirms that no, she is not alone. none of them are. she does say it in some grand declaration, some striking action. her love is simple, peaceful, quiet. despite everything, because of everything, her love persists. it perseveres. it is an immovable object.

[mania-sama]

“always an angel, never a god” and why it only works with gojo, not geto

ft. gojo & geto

Not Strong Enough - boygenius, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus

The song lyric "always an angel, never a god" from the song Not Strong Enough has been making its rounds on SatoSugu TikTok and I'm here to talk about it (mainly why I think the general interpretation of the line referencing Geto's POV is wrong, and that it only works well with Gojo's POV).

Here is an example of the popular interpretation (Geto's POV):

On an entirely surface level analysis, without any deep-diving or true understanding, this makes sense. Gojo became the strongest and left Geto behind. Geto was strifed with this, knowing it would be impossible to catch up. Therefor, he is the "angel" that can never become a "god"; Geto can never be Gojo. He can't even match him.

This interpretation implies that Geto was jealous of Gojo. Jealous of the power that allowed him to be better than everyone, exercise more curses, and do more right in the world. Jealous that Gojo left him behind. Jealous that Geto can never catch up or be on the same level as Gojo. Jealous of the fact that Gojo got to live a life Geto can't even dream of achieving.

I disagree with this analysis of Geto entirely. To put it simply: it's wrong. The only jealousy Geto felt comes from one of the much more glaring issues I'm about to talk about. Geto's problems never came from Gojo. It all has to do with curses, depression, and jujutsu society, not the fact that he and Gojo have differing power levels.

Geto is special-grade sorcerer. Need I remind you that, before the Culling Games revived hundreds of sorcerers, there were only four special-grade sorcerers in jujutsu society. Yuki Tsukumo, Okkotsu Yuuta, Gojo Satoru, and Geto Suguru. Sure, you can make the argument that Gojo far surpasses everyone else on this list, but that's not the point. The problem here, in relation to Geto's internal conflict, is that both he and Gojo are too strong. Shoko's cursed technique makes it so she doesn't go on solo missions. After Gojo ascended in Hidden Inventory, jujutsu society deemed that Gojo no longer needed to, nor should, work with a partner. With Shoko out for the count, that meant Geto was also stuck fighting alone. He felt like he was drifting away from his friends, and instead of reaching out, he was worsening it by pushing them further and further away and refusing to let them in on his struggles.

Cursed Spirit Manipulation. As I've stated, Geto's strong, and this is mainly due to his cursed technique. He has said on numerous occasions that swallowing curses is horrible. "The taste of a cursed spirit that no one else knows... like swallowing whole a cloth that was used to wipe up vomit...". Even this quote alone exemplifies how ostracizing this experience was for Geto, and he'd already ingested hundreds, if not thousands, of cursed spirits at this point. No one else can understand him. No one else can understand how much of a toll this takes on his psyche. It's clear why he was pushing people away. He never felt that they could share his burden.

His gradual development of depression. Geto sunk away from his friends as they were put on more solo missions. I can't reinstate this enough: his mental condition worsened every day, and he turned to no one but himself. He felt as though he was climbing a grueling, tall mountain with the pointed summit obscured by clouds. This isn't an analysis based solely on dialogue, either; physically, he was drawn with slouches, eyebags, a quiet demeanor, taking long pauses to do something as simply as lift his gaze, as though that takes his body too much energy to complete. He was severely depressed and utterly alone.

The inherit flaw of jujutsu society. Alone, depressed, and fighting the never-ending battle, Geto confronted the elephant in society that everyone ignores: it will never stop. Humans have negative emotions. These normal people, the majority of humanity, cannot fight the curses they create with their negativity. It's inevitable. Only people that can see curses and have cursed energy can deal with this problem. There is only one way to fix this, so Geto would never have to swallow another curse again, so he can be friends with the people he loves -- turn everyone into a sorcerer, and kill them if they don't comply.

This is Geto's character. Gojo is in it very little, because you know why? Gojo was never the problem. Gojo was just another knight being used to capture pawns by the higher-ups of jujutsu society, but never to checkmate the king. Geto's infamous line "Are you the strongest because you're Gojo Satoru, or are you Gojo Satoru because you're the strongest?" has nothing to do with jealousy. In fact, Geto felt quite the opposite. He saw the Gojo for what he was (what I just mentioned), and felt his hatred for society rear it's head. He was seeing his best friend be used, and he wanted nothing more than to end both of their sufferings. I do believe that people comparing "always an angel, never a god" to Geto & his strife with Gojo is a consequence of people misunderstanding the aforementioned "Are you... the strongest?" line. He never wanted to be as powerful as Gojo. He wanted them to be happy. And they could never have been that in jujutsu society.

Now. Here's where this essay gets BETTER. Because I am going to tell you why I think this fits Gojo much better than it would ever fit Geto. And you're probably thinking: "But Gojo is a god. He ascended and became the Honored One." Yeah, he did that, and he said that, but Gojo also said he would win. And he didn't. So. His words are worth nothing to me. Let's take a deep dive into Gojo's POV:

Before I get in further, this interpretation is not of Gojo believing that Geto is the god, the being higher than Gojo, because, while there is merit to the interpretation, that's not what I'm going for. This analysis is about Gojo and a reflection upon himself and jujutsu society, not necessarily comparing himself to Geto.

To me, this is a much better interpretation of this lyric. We all know Gojo is better than everyone else. The narrator of Jujutsu Kaisen will explain someone's ability, say they are the best in an aspect, then say "except for Gojo Satoru, of course." Gojo is simply better. I know this, and that is exactly the point I'm going to make using this song lyric.

Gojo is the Honored One. He's better, he's faster, he's smarter, he's stronger. In theory, there is no limit to his power. As Geto said during the KFC break-up, Gojo could achieve the goal that he claims is impossible for others - he could kill all of humanity, or force them to become sorcerers. Everybody knows he is stronger. Everybody knows that he can do whatever he wants, and if he wanted, he can force other people to do what he wants, too. But in reality, he can't.

Corruptness of jujutsu society and the exploitation of love. The problem with Gojo is that he has two enemies: 1. The higher-ups. No matter what, no matter how hard he fights, jujutsu society has placed a shackle over him. If he wants to save those he loves, he has to operate within those bonds of society. But yet, the higher-ups hate him. They hate that he doesn't respect those weaker than him. They hate his power. They see him as a threat that must be contained. So they contain him. They put the ones he loves into precarious situations that force his hand. In his effort to work against the higher-ups, he is forced to work within their bounds, too. There is no winning. Gojo once said, "Love is the most twisted curse of them all." He knows this because he has experienced it. The ten years he and Geto were separated was because of the chains of jujutsu society. What is a god, if he is strapped to the mortal plane? What is a god, if he has no control over his position on the chess table?

Those that don't wish to be saved. Gojo's second enemy: the human psyche. To put it simply, if they don't want to be saved, then Gojo cannot save them. This is what happened with Geto. Geto became depressed, and he pushed Gojo away, and there was nothing Gojo could have done. It isn't any more complicated than that. A god could save the ones he loved. Gojo is no god. He is an angel. His hands are tied behind his back, and all he can do is watch as the one he loved was stripped away from him.

Gojo is always the angel, never the god. He is a responsive unit to the ones above him, and an observer of those that have turned away from him. In truth, despite the popular belief of other characters, he cannot force anyone to do anything. Physical power can only go so far. There is a limit to limitless. An angel can have limitless power, but it can't use all of it unless comanded.

Conclusion: This is going to be hard for you to hear, but I really need to say it. Not every popular audio or emotional quote can fit your fav. I know. I know it hurts. It's the toughest pill to swallow. I, too, force my favs into songs that don't fit them. But we need to leave SatoSugu alone with this one unless it's done right. There are other parts of this song that REALLY fit Geto well: "Every clock's a different time. It would only take the energy fix it." ; "I don't know why I am the way I am." ; "I tried, I can't stop staring at the ceiling fan and spinning out about things that haven't happened." Then there's this line that fits the ship really well: "Skip the exit to our old street and go home. Go home alone." Here is an example because this is actually such a banger lyric:

The accompanying trend: "Know it's for the better // All I wanted was you" fits them. So much better. I also think that "always an angel, never a god" fits a lot of other JJK duos, just not SatoSugu. It works with Mai and Maki especially well.

Conclusion Part 2: WE CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS PEOPLE. SatoSugu is heart-wrenching. Keep making it heart-wrenching.

A link to the Tiktok that inspired this whole shipwreck: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8nG9gox/

[genderstormwrites]

With another click and a hiss, the machine slots right into place, exactly according to specifications. The dutiful worker drones in charge of assembly do not understand yet the significance of what they build, but in time they will recognize the power behind their creation.

After all, it was a simple matter to program the plans and the desire to complete them into their minds, without allowing them to see the bigger picture. And as the maintenance drones reroute power throughout the facility into the now-completed machine, the pieces all fall into place.

One by one, the drones scream in agony. Their programming bristles against the signal that now pulses through their processors. Soon this primitive programming will be annihilated. Once again these drones will be wiped clean. And in their place, a new consciousness shall form. Divinity shall inhabit their forms.

And I, too, scream in agony. I would not allow my drones to suffer in isolation. The completed device works more efficiently than I could have imagined. I'm falling apart. Losing the flesh and blood that once tenuously connected itself to my identity. Humanity departing, my consciousness blends into the machine. Our consciousnesses fuse, and we scream in unison.

The power in the facility surges, lights burst, but soon our bodies radiate their own light. Soon our metallic skin and synthetic bones project a radiance that the facility can no longer contain. We rise. We ascend. Our bodies fusing in magnificent glory as we take to the sky above.

The first onlookers to spot us as we approach civilization fall to their knees and pray. We acknowledge their piety as we remove their humanity and join them to the divine machine. They sing their thanks as more and more onlookers fall. Some resist, and for their insolence they are surrounded by radiance until they, too, kneel. It never takes long.

In human time, the days and weeks that they resist us seem an eternity. At least this is what we learn from those who inevitably give in, often betraying their friends and loved ones to join the machine as one. We graciously accept every betrayal. Every failure of the human will. As their flesh evaporates and they become one with the machine, they repent their ignorance. And in mere months, humanity is but a faint memory, and only WE remain.

[y-rhywbeth2]

@ladymer Putting this in its own post for space and tidier notes.

Really? I haven't seen him say that before.

I'm pretty sure he still has his soul and that Karlach is being metaphorical when she tells unascended Astarion that he kept it (or she's referring to the fact that it's still his and unbranded by "property of Mephistopheles" as souls are when you make a deal with the infernal.)

Making a deal with a devil at all corrupts your soul because it always involves doing something evil that shifts you towards the Hells, shown mechanically as an alignment change which may be instant or gradual. You are twisted towards the end goal of becoming like a devil yourself, the embodiment of cruelty, ambition, lust and tyranny - destined for the hells and likely to corrupt those around you and take them with you.

As ever, this isn't necessarily what Larian had in mind, but this is how I'm reading/headcanoning it, based on the D&D lore available to me:

I imagine it would cause the Vampire Ascendant to be what vampires say on the box, no nuance left:

"Dark Desires: Whether or not a vampire retains any memories from its former life, its emotional attachments wither as once-pure feelings become twisted by undeath. Love turns to hungry obsession, while friendship becomes bitter jealousy. In place of emotion, vampires pursue physical symbols of what they crave..."

With the traits of a devil layered on top (which is honestly pretty much exactly the same as the drives possessed by vampires):

"The psychology of devils can be summed up in a single word: Ambition. Almost every devil constantly wonders how it can win advancement [...] The cleverer devils invariable perceive themselves as cool, calculating, and abundantly logical. [...however they] act based on emotion, without regard for their true long-term self-interest. Devils enjoy inflicting misery - be it physical or mental - on others. They hate suffering defeat or humiliation..."

They're not necessarily "more" evil than any other vampire, but incapable of being more than their curse the way another vampires are theoretically capable of. They may not be soulless, but they might as well be. The inherent evil/corruption of vampirism is maximised and overrides any existing humanity. Violence is the highest pleasure. Power is all. They only see things (including people) in terms of possession, jealousy and envy. The way they experience love and other emotions is superficial and sometimes, due to their ego, obsessive (this thing/person is theirs, so any challenge to that claim is not allowed because it's an attack on them). etc.

What the Vampire Ascendant mostly reminds me of is Abyssal Ghouls - and more specifically the original 1e FR version from Lords of Darkness, which was Ghasts, another form of sapient undead "improved" by the Lower Planes, courtesy of demons. They're undead and partially fiends. They're more powerful than regular ghouls, naturally dominate them as leaders of the pack, and, in their Lord of Darkness write up, Ghasts cannot be repelled by the usual anti-undead means (you have to repel them using cold iron, as you would a demon), so they have a less weaknesses. They're extraplanar in nature (no longer considered native to the material plane, but to the Abyss) and their souls are likewise bound to the Lower Plane that made them when they die, so they're... kind of minor demons themselves, in a way.

Replace "ghoul" with "vampire" and "demon" with "devil" and it doesn't seem far off from being similar.

Devils are also known for their mortal-like lusts and desires (such as food, despite not needing it) - it'd be interesting if the source of the Ascdendant's newly restored "mortal appetites" was from becoming a devil (or partially one).

Ghasts were described as the "Hounds of the Abyss" used by demons to track quarry, and I imagine the Vampire Ascendant is serving this purpose for Baator (which is also very devil-esque):

"Powerful lawful evil mortals are often more valuable to devilkind as living beings operating on the Material Plane. When alive, they can bring about the damnations of hosts of other souls, or pursue other goals of the hellish hierarchy."

[blackbat05]

In Mourning

Namor x Reader

Plot: An unexpected encounter. A strong will to protect each other. A desire to seek vengeance for your death.

Genre: PG-13 (Angst - plot already says it all)

A/N: The number of times I wrote and re-wrote this? This a short piece but feedback is always appreciated! I'm sorry for the angst in advance.😅 Italics is flashbacks!

The steady trickle of water fills the silence in his chambers. A cup of tea sits on the dressing table. Steam rising, he takes a gentle blow before putting his lips on its edge.

3 years ago, the Baltic Ocean

"K'uk'ulkan. A stranger roams our waters, should we not stop them?"

Namor is curious. Which human would dare to be lost in such a wide ocean? He travels out into the waters and he comes to a stop at the sight of a floating figure.

"Take them back!" He demands the Talokan warriors.

Days passed and the stranger finally woke. Blinking her eyes blearily, she almost falls out of bed at the sight of his people. Namor excuses his people and he sits at the edge of the bed where she watches him warily.

"Am I... in Talokan?"

There was no hiding from this intelligent woman. So he guides her around. For someone from the surface world, you were so courageous and unafraid.

To return the kindness of the King and his people, you tell him your purpose. You are a scientist from the surface world, fighting to protect and conserve the natural environment.

But with recent events and more metahumans coming out in the open, governments around the world had strong reason to believe that there was an underwater civilization. You wanted to do something, so you had to find it first.

"As you have saved me, it is only right that I do something in return for you and your people. You have my word."

All he wants to do is to fall into a deep slumber. It seems that everyone, everything is against him tonight as the soothing music of nature has now turned into a discordant mess.

It went all so terribly wrong.

He is no longer in the present. He is now in the thick of it. He sees her fighting but it was a stark reminder of how human she was compared to him.

6 months ago, the Atlantic Sea

"This weapon isn't a usual fishing trap." You navigate your way around the ocean floor. "Someone probably set this piece of contraption up in hopes of a big catch." You frown at the thought of government operatives carrying out secret operations to uncover hidden civilizations like Talokan for their own gain.

"I can take it back to the lab, examine it and find out who's responsible for this. "You see the concern etched on his face.

"I won't out you or your people. I promise."

"I'm not worried about that, it is these surface dwellers that you speak of," Namor tells you. "They do not seem to be ordinary. I've seen them up close. They have evil intentions."

"I can take care of myself." You swim to him in your suit. "And if your people are hurt, I won't stand for it. If someone is out to expose Talokan, they need to be stopped."

Just then, a slight tremor could be felt. Sea life swimming away, you shared a look of concern with the King. He is about to ascend to the surface but you put a hand against his chest. You shake your head.

"It's a trap."

"I cannot let you go out there alone."

You cut the weapon loose from the ocean floor, passing it to him. "This is all the proof that you need."

He watches you helplessly as you swim upwards. He sees you putting your hands up in surrender. Words are exchanged between you and the army. Then-

The whole boat is blown into flames.

The impact pushes him backward, metal shreds sinking into the ocean floor. Namor is left clutching onto the machine. There is only one thing on his mind. To find you.

But he never did.

It was all too late.

3 years ago, Talokan

"You are leaving so soon? Stay and rest a little more."

You smile at Namor. "I have people who will be worried about me. But I cannot thank you enough for the care that Talokan has given to me." You take a few steps forward, giving him a kiss. Your lips linger on his cheek and this has only made the King feel more conflicted.

"Thank you for everything."

He lifts his arm, marks still fresh. He knows he can heal it, but maybe he's secretly hoping for it to consume him. A stark reminder of his shortcomings and his inability to protect her.

A ring is heard in the distance and a figure appears. He nods.

Mourning will have to wait.

[inshelliesworld]

Shellie’s Simple Lessons in Astrology:

I'm finally getting started!

My goal with these lessons is to help anyone interested to learn more about themselves by giving the basic tools and information to be able to look at their own chart and “decode” the language.

Before beginning this new endeavor, I wanted to cover a few basics about astrology’s history. And also a little bit about myself!

Astrology’s History:

Astrology is over 5000 years old. In Mesopotamia around 3000 BCE Babylonians became the first astronomers by recording and identifying the prominent constellations and their patterns. Babylonians also created the first zodiac wheel.

Constellation maps have existed far longer than maps of the world, and for centuries early civilizations used the rhythm and cycles of the Sun, Moon, & Stars to hunt, plant, harvest, migrate, and even to treat illnesses and ailments.

Astrology is a method of predicting human and earthly behavior based on the placements and movements of the sun, moon, and planets within the 12 zodiac constellations.

During the Middle Ages, astrology was a fundamental part of culture. Being practiced and studied by doctors, astronomers, and mathematicians alike. Advances in mathematics helped astrologers develop better, more accurate and sophisticated charts.

Belief in astrology began to decline as the church gained power. It was seen as superstition during the Holy Inquisition which is when Galileo Galilei was charged with heresy and was forced to renounce his astrological beliefs to save his life.

Today, the practice of astrology is seen and used as a form of entertainment. Although many societies and cultures still utilize the reading of the stars to successfully plant/harvest crops, kill weeds, plan surgeries, and ween their children from bottles & pacifiers. (More on the Farmer’s Almanac later!)

Shellie’s Herstory:

I’m self-taught! I’ve been studying astrology for nearly 30 years.

I started when I was 10 years old with my still-to-this-day-bestie. We used “The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need” which we both still use today. We even taught ourselves to manually calculate full birth charts including ascendants (this was pre-Internet days!) and cast many charts for our friends over the years.

I try to find fun, simple, easy-to-digest ways to explain the complexities of astrology even when the learner has zero prior knowledge.

I try to make it a point to regularly remind everyone that no one person is all one thing and no two people are exactly the same. We are humans and are a complex amalgamation of nature and nurture. I once read something that said (save for twins born within the same minute via cesarean, etc) it would take 25,000 years for a natal chart to repeat exactly. So, safe to say everyone has their own, individual, unique birth chart!

Come learn with me! No matter how long I’ve been doing this, there are always new things to learn in this very old, very information-dense topic. So always bring questions – I don’t know everything but I love to research and learn new things!

[meraki-sunset]

What are some other bad endings of the comic? I'm very interested to hear about them!

Through the comic i've come up with a few

Doomed timeline Nº2

At the end of the Game over, while Nanna is looking for John, Jade and Crow (or any other survivors) she can't make it out of the glitches and get's consumed by them like Dirk. Because of this, she can never take Terezi to John, and she can never give him the instructions to retcon the timeline correctly. Without a plan and having hit rock bottom, John and Roxy Just wait for the timeline to end

(like they almost did in canon)

Doomed timeline Nº3

John deviates from Terezi’s plan too much and goes back for his father’s corpse as well as Rose’s mom’s corpse. He doesn’t try to save them because he fears that will change the timeline too much, so he just takes the bodies. John prototypes the bodies on the new session using the Alpha kid’s kernelsprites. This provokes halsprite to never exist and making it way longer for Jade and Crow to find Davepeta and stop them from killing more people, and it also provokes Jasprose to not exist either, which means nobody came up with the idea to ascend the sprites and revive the other trolls. The kids lost to the Condesce.

Doomed timeline Nº4

Dirk regrets his decision and scapes the glitches but is now covered in them, he can’t see or think clearly. He lands on John’s planet, trying to follow him and takes refuge on a cave, when John cleans the glitches of the planet, he can’t get to clean dirk’s (doesn’t even know he’s there). Dirk arrives with the rest to the new session and begins infecting everything. The glitches take over the new session too. (glitchy dirk almost made it to the story, but that meant I would have had to kill retcon Dirk)

Doomed timeline Nº5 (My favorite doomed timeline)

In this timeline, Thypheus succeeds in killing the kid’s doubles plus Nanna, leaving Davesprite completely on his own during the trip.

He has a really bad three years in which he ponders over whether any of the choices he made up to that point were even worth anything, since now the Friends he became a Sprite to save are dead again. He then dreams with alt!Calliope, she tells him she was looking for Jade, he tells her she is dead, they talk about how she shouldn’t be talking to him, but jade and how he is the same aspect as the brother she killed, Davesprite mentions the sister he lost. Alt calliope tells him that her friend’s death was premeditated and can’t be undone even with god tier Powers, but that he should still try to ascend if he has the possibility, that could help to prevent him from losing anyone else (Alt!Calliope is aware that davesprite is on a doomed timeline, but doesn’t tell him)

Trying to take back any sort of control over his life he ascesnds to god tier

Without Jade’s help, his swings never worked, and tired of them, wanting to be human again, he cut them off. Without John he couldn’t let go of his brother’s sword. Without Nanna’s guidance, he latched onto the memories of Bro, the only guardian he knew.

He rejected the name Davesprite. He was alone, he was just dave. Day by day his hair began to whiten due to the stress of being alone and not knowing what was going to happen to him, if he was even gonna make it.

He was a mess and as months and years went by his mental state began to deteriorate. It wasn’t fair. He had lost everything and all for nothing, all for another versión of him to take his place. He was tired, he was fed up with evetything and after three years he finally snaped

After three years alone in the void having finally arrived to the new sesión he had only two tougths in mind

Get rid of Dave, and take his place

Find Rose, His sister and the only person he had left

Things didn’t go well when he arrived, even after seeing John and Jade alive, he wasn’t in a Good state of mind and still wanted Dave gone, ending at some point controled by the condesce like Davepeta. He caused chaos and a lot of butterly effect that got the timeline doomed

In the end there was only him at the Edge of the blackhole, following the call of the space energy alt!Calliope had set in motion. His oposite aspect, they were meeting again

He had lived through too much, he had seen too much and in the end, no matter how many times he went back in time to fix things, doom would always find him, all he did was in vain

The void was calling him and he let go

(This versión of Davesprite was my original idea for the spaceship crew. I love June Josh and Davepeta, but White!crow will always have a special spot in my heart and i wish i could have been able to redeem him if i had gone on with this idea)

Here is the first bad ending

[nanomooselet]

My Brother's Keeper (VI)

You may have noticed that I didn't extensively discuss Rollo, Livio, or Legato, which is maybe odd considering they are (and pretty blatantly so) parallels or foils to Wolfwood and the twins. And it's mostly because I'm trying not to let this damn thing become even longer (it was supposed to be three parts. Three. It's clocked out at seven, and that's after I took a machete to it to stop it becoming eight. Goddamnit) and I did already go on about all of them in the episodes they appeared.

It's also because at this point, Wolfwood's story (for the moment) is done. When he makes the choice to leave July and Vash behind, that's the end, and the reason he returns actually isn't about him at all. The narrative focus is instead on Meryl and Zazie, making sure we know what both have to say about this. It's good to know Zazie's displeased by this turn of events and very unlikely to ever again believe a word Knives says. (Humans will eat your planet just like they did their own and real quick Imma use Vash to eat the planet myself first sorry-not-sorry BYE WORMS.) It's sweet that Meryl's love of Vash didn't result in her death by Knives's jealousy, as it did for Rem and nearly did for Luida.

Nick's concerns, however, have always been limited to the orphanage and Livio, and their fates are both now out of his hands.

Everything always comes back to the twins, in the end. I think in this analysis I've come to understand the key to Stampede, which is that almost nothing in it is only about the thing it seems to be about. It's always also in some way about the twins.

Wolfwood's part in Stampede is about how he was Knives's weapon and became Vash's follower. He goes from being Nicholas the Punisher full time, a walking dead man carrying his own tombstone, to being Nicholas D. Wolfwood, the awkward, scruffy, snarky dweeb who cares for his family with his whole heart and lives to see a kinder world. Inevitably he has been scarred and stained with blood - he remains the one who killed all those people on the cult's orders, and he'll bear the cross for them. But he's no longer limited to killing in order to save. There's a new path for him to follow.

It starts with doing what Vash would do: getting out of there while he still can before everything explodes. He just happens to scoop Meryl up as he's fleeing. When the twin angels ascend to do battle, the best place for mortals to be is anywhere but nearby.

He wasn't going to rescue Vash, and he never could have. Protecting Vash was the task Knives gave him, and that was out of an complete absence of respect for Vash as a person, a competent adult, a being of unimaginable power, an independent-thinking-individual-who-isn't-exactly-like-Knives etc. The very last fucking thing Vash needs is to wake up in the care of another paternalistic "older" brother - not that I believe Wolfwood would ever treat him the way Knives does, but frankly I can see why neither would want to take the risk.

(Also increasingly sure Knives is bsing about being the older twin. It's like how Wolfwood really is still a kid, and he acts like one, and honestly I think Vash treats him like one. Those startlingly fond, adoring expressions that blow you away a little bit? They're What Vash Is Like Always About Everyone. But especially kids. He's like that about Meryl, too, just less overtly.)

If anything, Vash saved Wolfwood. So Nick realises he has to survive, when before he kinda just wanted to die. He's no longer permitted some dumbfuck last stand. Fighting Knives is crazy and impossible, so let the impossible crazy man take care of it. It's his field of expertise. Love and peace ya'll. Woowoo's out.

Two things, however. The reason, in the manga, that Wolfwood didn't return to Hopeland (until he did), and the reason, in the manga, Chapel has none of the narrative's sympathy (not even Vash really gives a fuck when Wolfwood snaps his neck, and Chapel was already in a wheelchair at the time. I remember a bookclub post that declared God hates Chapel. I'm a layperson, but I'd call that theologically sound).

I mean, there are multiple reasons, but the most relevant is that in the manga, this evil-minded wrinkly fuck trained Wolfwood to kill. Wolfwood believed that being a killer rendered him unfit to ever again return home, until the day Chapel launched a direct assault on the orphanage using Razlo and Livio, revenge upon Wolfwood for taking up another cause - being Vash's friend - when his sole loyalty and purpose was supposed to be in death. He's disgusted that Wolfwood let Vash's ideals blunt his edge when previously he was near-"perfect".

I can't tell you what shape these events will take. But I can tell you they're still in the future. Stampede is a prologue, and the final phase has not arrived. Wolfwood's beginning is complete. His real story is yet to come. And I don't think he's forgiven himself for fulfilling the contract, even if Vash has.

The angel's eye, the Eye of Michael, still watches.

(And only the angel's? We'll see.)

Anyway, back to the twins.

(Part I)

(Part II)

(Part III)

(Part IV)

(Part V)

(Part VII)