#but he will never be a person who doesn’t believe in murdering and torturing people weaker than him to vent his anger

[mxtxfanatic]

I saw such a bad take on Jiang Cheng's character and I can't stop thinking about how terrible it is. "Jiang Cheng did nothing wrong....couldn't have handled things better because of his situation..."...something something. Why is it so hard for people to accept what's written in canon. MXTX wanted JC to be seen as an antagonist, she wanted him to be a terrible person it's so obvious from all the parallels between him and WWX's characters... A huge excuse when they try to paint him as a "sad, misunderstood uwu boy" is that he went through a lot and thought it was all wwx's fault. But so did Jiang Yanli, and she didn't have any of the reactions that Jiang Cheng did. SHE was the one who lost her husband, SHE also lost her parents the same way he did? I also reread some scenes recently...and his homophobia is so apparent especially in the scene where lwj and wwx visit his parents' shrine. ALSO, his excuse for thinking their dating is that he saw them hug under that tree??? AND HE FOLLOWED THEM TO SEE WHAT THEY'D DO AFTERWARDS😭😭😭

I'm just confused about what excuse they have that makes it so easy to overlook all the shitty things about him💀 (oh, they also seem to hate...wangxian? Like actively believe those two are annoying and that they're bad people. Which is kind of sad, since they're the main pairing of a...ROMANCE NOVEL. So I feel pretty bad for them for having to read a whole book about two characters they don't like) Just wanted to know your thoughts. JC is irredeemable in my eyes. He's not a bad guy but he is a very bad person. But maybe other people see something I don't😂

Somehow I missed this ask, but I found it right on time (after seeing some stan bullshit 🙄) . My thoughts on Jiang Cheng is that the book is very clear that he is a terrible leader, a terrible uncle, and a terrible brother (both martial and bio) who chose the path of his toxic, violent mother to pursue over his kind father. Anyone saying otherwise is not worth engaging.

People don’t see something you don’t about his character, anon; people are choosing to unsee the things in canon because they’ve imprinted on a character that only exists in fan art, fanfic, and “incorrect quotes” memes. The disconnect isn’t a misunderstanding of the story but people uninvested in the original story wanting to impose their own uninspired fandom tropes onto an already cohesive story, and I simply do not have the energy to deal with that level of denial anymore with this fandom.

[yandereforme]

Yan! Mafia! Batfam AU Dynamics

Part 1

TW: Murder, violence mentioned, light mentions of assault, torture, kidnapping

Also, since ages are weird in DC canon (often conflicting) I’m assigning my own choices

Bruce

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, Bruce started working towards controlling crime at a young age. He first gets the idea after his parents died, and slowly over the years he starts cultivating skills that would later become useful(fighting, intimidation, deceptive things that you can do that aren’t exactly illegal, etc.)

He still takes that backpacking trip, and he still meets the league of assassins and has his affair with Talia. The reason he returns to Gotham isn’t a crime as vigilante. It’s to fight crime his own way.

He takes on a persona as the bat, no one knows his face or real name. He garners a lot of attention from criminals, and often steal men from people who he defeats to work lower level jobs(Think Red Hood’s system)

The rugs in the say, you are a mixture of actual criminals, and alternate mob bosses. However, Bruce still keeps the Bat and Bruce Wayne very separate, though he does not utilize a Brucie persona. Instead, he makes himself seem more quiet and soft-spoken so people tend to overlook him.(Bruce does not realize that his persona is someone that is one bad thing away from going full on crazy. Everyone in high society knows something is wrong with Bruce Wayne, and just does not comment on it.)

Bruce still has his no kill rule. That does not change, but any enemy of his will tell you that there are worse things than death.

He is 23 when he adopts 8 year old Dick Grayson.

Dick

Dick joins not long after he does in canon, or at least he tries to. After he figures everything out, he confronts Bruce and says that he wants to be a part of the business. He wants Zucco‘s head on a stick. Bruce gets him to compromise. They will capture Zucco and after a few years of training, Dick will be allowed to do what he wants and take on his own role. 

For a few years, he takes the role of Robin, a terrifying person who has seen as Batman‘s little shadow, constantly following him, and smiling brightly enough that people will forget about the blood covering his knuckles.( some believe he gives the smiles that Batman never has. Others believe he is the one thing that keeps the Bat from killing.)

As he grows, Robin’s persona of a vicious, smiling distraction slowly morphs into an amazing fighter who smiles unsettlingly and bends in a way that does not seem entirely human.(about 60% of Gotham’s criminals believe that the bat and robin and all of their associates are not human. Most of them of them think demons of some kind, though there is a smaller portion that believes that they are embodied souls coming back to enact justice)

Nightwing is not a reality in this world(since that is a story learned from Superman.) Instead, criminals learn to fear Nightingale, a distractingly, beautiful person whose voice tends to make you mesmerized so you don’t see the bloody intent behind it. The underground calls him a siren, and Dick is very good at making people tell him what he wants to hear.

In this AU, he switches to Nightingale after Tony Zucco is finally killed. Bruce had kept Zucco in a cell for years, until Dick was old enough to do what he originally wanted. Dick kills him in an act of final revenge, wearing his family’s colors. After the death, he decides he doesn’t want to dirty those colors anymore.

It becomes a commonly known fact that Robin doesn’t kill, and neither does the Bat. But once they get their own costume, you have to be cautious of the fact that some of them don’t have a no kill code.

Dick is 17 when 12 year old Jason is adopted

Jason

Instead of stealing from Batman, Jason is caught stealing tires of Bruce Wayne’s car. The rest of the interaction follows canon though.

Before Bruce formally adopts him, he tells Jason who is surprisingly okay with it.(Jason grew up in Crime alley. He knew what the Bat did with the worst of the worst, and how the Bat made life more live able.)

He and Dick don’t get along in the beginning, but after an attempted kidnapping at a gala, they get better.

The two incarnations of Robin are very different. Dick’s Robin was loud and haunting in his joy, beating people bloody with a smile. Jason’s Robin was softer in a sense, brash but polite. He was careful to only injure in places that they could recover from, and helped a lot of the victims(people whispered that he was the innocence that Nightingale had lost, that the Bat never had.)

The only people he didn’t care about hurting were the abusers and assaulters, men drunk on power. (More and more people started believing the re embodied souls theory with Jason. He seemed the most human of all the Bat family)

Then, when Jason was 15, he was kidnapped as Robin, and Gotham was never the same.

Note: Thank you all for being so interested in my writings. I don’t know if this is good or not, I’m sick at the moment and just wanted to finally write this. Let me know what you think!

[myslutwritings]

HIII COULD YOU DO THE UPPER MOONS WITH A CRYBABY READER? (A thought of mine,of them taking care of me while I sit and cry and babble in there arms about something small 😖😖😖)

Aww, i love this idea! yes i’ll definitely do it!

➤ Uppermoon’s reaction to their S/O being a crybaby

➤ headcanons

Uppermoons x crybaby!GN!reader

including: Muzan, kokushibo, Douma, Akaza and the Hantengu clones (Sekido, Karaku, Aizetsu & Urogi)

warnings: smaller reader, mentions of murder, semi-nsfw?

Muzan Kibutsuji

• We all know how he is.

• Being the demon king, he isn’t the very best at comfort. I think we’re all aware of that.

• Isn’t fazed by your crying. i mean, it isn’t anything new to him. He murders and eats people on a daily basis so crying isn’t something that’s unusual for him to witness..

• However, it’s YOU crying.

• You crying makes Muzan feel… not good.

• He can’t really explain it.

• All he knows is that he strongly dislikes seeing/hearing you cry.

• At first he scolded you for showing such emotions. But then he only realized he made you cry more afterwards.

• Muzan feels horrible. But you’ll never hear that coming from him.

• The two of you are the complete opposite.

• He only got angry at you for crying at first because you were crying over something so stupid and second of all he didn’t want to admit he didn’t like seeing you cry and has no idea how to comfort you properly.

• He doesn’t want to come off as weak.

• Eventually, he’ll own up, apologize for his behavior. After all, he didn’t really mean it. (Believe it or not)

• Muzan isn’t just so great with emotions and he isn’t used to have such an emotional S/O.

• Will stroke your hair as you lay your head in his lap.

• He’ll listen to you vent about whatever upset you. Even if it’s stupid in his eyes.

• “You weep over such silly things, my dear.”

• Muzan will hush and wipe your tears. Thats all you’ll get.

• Now if SOMEONE upset you, they’ll be dead immediately. No questions asked.

• Muzan doesn’t care if you don’t want it. He’ll do it anyway or just lie and say he won’t do it. Which he will

• Doesn’t give a shit who it is either. Even if it’s a family member he’ll destroy them.

• Because how dare they make his beloved S/O cry?

• He’ll literally torture whoever made you this upset. So that’s another way of him showing his love for you. Even if it’s in a horrific way.

• Then he’ll proceed to tell you about how he killed the person who made you sad. 😟 (Doesn’t leave out any details)

• Goes into a state of severe confusion as you cry more. He expects you to treat him like a superior being and says you should be thankful he decided to lend you his presence and time in the first place..

Kokushibo

• Like Muzan, he isn’t an expert when it comes to comforting someone.

• He’s used to being solitary so this is all new for him! Please understand.

• But unlike Muzan, Kokushibo won’t be annoyed by your crying.

• Kokushibo has cried himself before so why should he judge you? (Even though he’s only cried like.. once)

• All though Koku has cried before. It was awhile ago and he barely remembers it. However, he isn’t a crybaby.

• He’s honestly surprised by how much you cry.

• Never has encountered a human who cries as much as you do.

• It comes to a point where sometimes he feels helpless.

• Kokushibo isn’t very vocal. So expect him to be more on the physical side when it comes to comfort.

• Words of affirmation isn’t his strong suit either.

• Becomes immensely confused when you cry more whenever he hugs you. (You cry more when people comfort you)

• Like huh?? Why did you start to cry more?? Should he stop??

• Kokushibo will just pick you up bridal style and set you down on a futon. He’ll cuddle you for awhile until you fall asleep in his arms.

• Isn’t the type to give you advice nor is he responsive but he’ll definitely listen to you.

• Just holds you against his chest as you sob into his embrace.

• Will brutally murder anyone who upset you. He isn’t going to let that shit slide.

• If you beg him not to he’ll be hesitant. He wants to kill them for you but at the same time he doesn’t want to make you further upset if he does carry out the murder.

• Let’s all be blunt, in the end, he won’t listen to you. He won’t let anyone get away with hurting his S/O.

• Kokushibo will know this’ll upset you more but he does it anyway. He doesn’t want anyone messing with you.

Douma

• Oh great heavens..

• Out of all the uppermoons he’s definitely the most touchy/affectionate/comforting. (somewhat)

• Knows how to comfort others. (But it’s not genuine)

• With you it’s entirely different though!

• Butttt he’s still the type to tease his S/O. His toxic trait is that this sadistic basted finds great pleasure in seeing you cry.

• The way you’ll cling yourself to HIM, in need of HIS attention and comfort, desiring HIM and no one else:

• Douma FEEDSSS off that shit.

• Gets off by how vulnerable you get. (New turn on)

• Another thing is that he won’t severely pity you when you cry. After all, he’s not the best when it comes to emotion.

• Also not the type to be fazed by your crying state. i mean, he deals with his followers crying to him ALL the time about their stupid problems.

• Does not give a fuck about them.

• He is USED to not giving a fuck. That’s why he’s surprised he cares whenever you’re crying. Even if it’s over something so minor.

• Douma cares but doesn’t understand fully, yk?

• You need to be patent with him. After all, emotion is new for him. (He only experiences it around you)

anyway..

• Babies you whenever you cry.

• “Oh, my, my! What’s wrong, my sweet lotus?”

• As soon as he sees your tear-stained face he’ll just snatch you up without even asking and pull you onto his huge lap.

• Adores how adorable you look on his lap! You’re so tiny in his arms like this!!

• Let’s you babble about whatever upset you.

• Honestly, he ain’t even listening, he’s just admiring how vulnerable you look right now.

• He’ll just pepper your face in kisses and wipe your tears away.

• Cups your face and whispers sweet nothings into your ear. Douma reminds you that everything will be okay and that you’re safe with him.

• Sometimes he licks your tears.

• Teases you relentlessly if you cry over something stupid.

• Will instantly kill anyone who made you upset.

• Douma usually eats people when they’re this upset so they no longer have to bare the pain but he doesn’t want to eat you. Surprisingly.

• Confused by his own feelings.

• There was a time where you were upset and Douma straight up asked you if you want to be eaten by him.

• Yeah, bros a menace.

Akaza

• This man is SOOO sweet about it.

• The first time you cried in front of him he flipped out😭

• Like huh?? what’s wrong?? are you okay??

• On the inside he’s panicking.

• Is surprised by how vulnerable you can get whenever you’re a mess like this.

• If you’re human, low-key enjoys the power imbalance.

• Though, Akaza absolutely despises witnessing you cry.

• Never makes fun of you. Even if you’re crying over something that others view as stupid. He won’t ever pass judgment towards you or even tease you.

• Akaza will 100% listen to you vent about whatever upset you.

• Oh? what’s that? SOMEONE upset you?

• Yeah, he is coming after them. even if it’s a woman.

• Doesn’t care.

• No one hurts his S/O.

• Akaza wants to protect you. Out of every uppermoon he is the most overprotective.

• Is almost TOO protective.

• You were growing relatively concerned for how overprotective he was. You mostly just didn’t want him to get hurt.

• “I have to ensure you’re safe at all times.”

• Kinda scary at times.

• He wants you out of harms way at all costs.

• Isn’t used to physical touch but whenever you’re sad he’ll definitely give you lots of cuddles.

• Will let you babble on and on.

• Isn’t the best advice giver but he’ll help you in his own way.

• Demons aren’t used to comforting others after all so he needs to ease up to it.

• Proceeds to ask you what he can do to make you feel better!

• You cry frequently and it honestly concerns him.

• Once you finally tell him you’re just sensitive and that you cry over things easily he’ll understand.

• Lays down with you and holds you firmly against his chest as you cry your little heart out.

• Forehead kisses too.

• Akaza is a gentleman! Would so cook your favorite meals whenever you’re having a bad day.

• He isn’t toxic in any way. Just his only red flag is probably being too overprotective? (If you could even call that a red flag)

Sekido

• Let’s be completely honest.

• Sekido is going to be aggravated over the fact you’re a crybaby.

• He’ll be passive aggressive towards you.

• Not because he hates you, or because he’s mad at you. This is all just a cover up because he legitimately has no clue how to help you or comfort you.

• He’s very uneducated and inexperienced when it comes to this kind of situation.

• Sekido just grows more angered with myself that he doesn’t know how to help you. Instead of communicating with you about it he just takes his frustrations out on you.

• This makes you even more upset and only turns you into a bigger of a crybaby.

• Sekido secretly feels horrible.

• Eventually he mans up and apologizes stubbornly. Admits that he’s not used to comforting others and isn’t a fan of crying.

• Of course you forgive him because you know how he is. You know that he didn’t mean it.

• Sekido is not exactly uncomfortable around those who are sensitive. I mean, he deals with Aizetsu so he’s used to it.

• Sekido isn’t just used to comforting others.

• In fact, he’s HORRIBLE at it.

• The best you’ll get is cuddles (if you’re lucky)

• Then again, he ain’t used to this 😔😔

• Fortunately for you, Sekido will do his best to try and appear less intimidating around you.

• Lowers the volume of his booming voice for you and attempts to act more soothing around your presence.

• See? he does care. Just is not ideal at showing it.

• Like the other demons if anyone made you cry Sekido will definitely take care of them for you!

Karaku

• THIS MAN ADORES YOU! (in a peculiar way..)

• The second he sees you a crying mess he’s scooping you up into his arms and cradling you.

• He’ll lay down with you and allow you to lay your head on his chest as you cry.

• Karaku will understand if you’re upset over something that actually makes sense but if it’s something tiny he’s like; ???

• Teases you about it:(

• Similar to Douma, he gets off by how you rely on him when you’re an emotional wreck.

• Sometimes Karaku will purposely make you cry because he’s lowkey a sadist.

• Karaku has that little secret smirk on his face whenever you start babbling about whatever it is upset you.

• Just shushes you as your babbling continues.

• First, he will comfort you before gladly executing the asshole who hurt your fragile little heart.

• “Awhh! It’s okay darlin’ you don’t have to worry about them anymore!!”

• Once he debated on whether or not he should tell you that he kills whoever upset you.

• Unlike the other uppermoons for some reason he doesn’t tell you that he killed the person who made you cry.

• Karaku doesn’t say anything in hidden fear that he’ll scare you more or make you cry again.

• Don’t get me wrong, loves comforting you, loves how you need him, but he also hates seeing you cry.

• Always wants you to feel satisfied and happy!

• Karaku will do ANYTHING in his power to get your tears to stop.

• Offers you sex to help you feel better 💀 (bros a hypersexual)

• However, if he’s having a bad day then he might not be the best at comfort. But if he’s not having a bad or unusual day then he dedicates all his time to you and you alone!

Aizetsu

• Aizetsu understands you more than anyone else.

• He also has the strong tendency to be a crybaby himself.

• At first, Aizetsu will he too shy to comfort you.

• This is is mostly because he is afraid he might do something wrong.

• But eventually he gets over it.

• Aizetsu feels bad for you and would hate to leave you alone.

• He does what you do to comfort him whenever he’s upset.

• Like you, small things will trigger his emotions.

• So he relates to you in a way.

• Aizetsu adores you and loves you so much!

• Will give you all the attention and comfort you need.

• Aizetsu will even ditch missions just to take care of you. He’d hate to leave you alone.

• You’re always there for him whenever he’s feeling down so of course he’s going to do the same for you!

• He desperately wants to hurt whoever made you cry

• Unlike the others, Aizetsu will listen to you and not murder who hurt you if you protest against it. He respects you and doesn’t want you to feel even more hurt.

• Y’all are both big crybabies together.

• Crying sessions? yes. 100%.

• Aizetsu will hold you and play with your hair while whispering sweet nothings into your ear to soothe your nerves.

• Literally on the verge of tears whenever he sees you cry:(

• He isn’t a big fan of seeing you upset so he’ll do anything to make his precious S/O smile!

• “You don’t know how much your smile means to me..”

Urogi

• HATES seeing you cry.

• Becomes veryyyy overprotective.

• But not to worry! He will never judge you.

• Might tease you a TINY bit though.

• Okay, i’m bluffing, he’ll tease you A LOT. not as much as Douma and Karaku though.

• Urogi will only really tease you when you’re crying over something small.

• Knows when something is up or when you’re holding back tears. It’s pretty damn obvious no there’s no need to lie to him.

• As i said before, Urogi won’t ever judge you!

• The moment you begin to break down you’re scooped up into his arms

• “Hey, hey, hey! what’s the matter, sweetheart?”

• Will pressure you into telling him what’s wrong.

• Isn’t too thrilled when he realizes how downright negative you are.

• Probably forces you to smile, he’ll gently use his talons to force your lips into a smiling while chuckling at you. (Tries not to accidentally cut you in the process)

• Gives you reassurance that he’s here for you and there is no need to feel upset!!

• Is more than happy to kill the unworthy bastard who made you dry.

• I feel like Urogi would just take you flying somewhere to get some fresh hair. That’ll help, right?!

• The type to wrap his wings around you. His wings are quite big so he loves seeing how tiny you look in them.

• Tickle fights? yes! definitely! Wants to see a real smile so this menace will begin ticking you out of no where until you’re a giggling mess.

• Urogi is the talkative type so he will keep talking to you in hopes that’ll calm you down/distract you at least.

That’s about all! I apologize if some of them are shorter than the others. Thank you for sending in this request! i’m working on more at the moment so my apologies if it takes me awhile to post.

[xxtha-blog]

Why Horrortale Sans is Definitely Evil

Horrortale Sans is evil. This is the opposite of a defence post, I am calling out this character and his many misdeeds! I do not know how people legitimately defend his actions or claim he’s just a normal guy who tries really hard not to eat people. I do not think we read the same comic. This is a comprehensive deep dive into why Horror is evil.

First a chronological look at Horror’s dubious actions. Not all of theses are evil and some have good justification as standalone events, but provide wider context for things:

1. He has to be convinced into helping repair the Core which he knows is broken, and has inside info he knows could help get it fixed, only when Grillby begs him to because as revealed on another page, the loss of the Core means “the fire eats at [Grillby’s] very soul like acid, perpetually burning him alive”

2. He spends a total of 12 months trying to figure out how to repair the Core but based on Undyne’s statements about how he rarely works, either means he’s a. Not actually putting enough effort into it (if we believe her and not Sans) or b. Not telling Undyne and Alphys how his work is going which is probably pertinent information for them to have (If we believe Sans, but want a reason as to why Undyne has that impression)

3. He finally brings her a solution to the Core after knowing he’s going to die (but if you want to be generous, maybe it was just really bad timing and he really did only needed a few more days to bring her a solution) and claims it’s a “long shot” meaning he doesn’t even know if it will work.

4. Undyne, thinking that is an insane plan, tells him she has a different plan. Sacrificing him to save everyone. Sans makes it clear he would never let himself die to save everyone.

5. When a guard begs him to sacrifice himself to save his wife and children, Sans launches him into the stratosphere saying: “fuck off.”

6. Even though Undyne attacks him first, it’s actually Sans that takes out her head and eye first.

7. Sans brutally murders the guards who helped Undyne.

8. When Alphys, showing Sans that her plan has objectively work and he is not dead (bonus!!), Sans destroys the Core.

He destroys the thing that will keep him, his brother, and literally every person in the underground alive. Grillby now suffers eternally, and everyone will die a slow and painful death. This does not help him in any way, does not change the fact his head is broken, he does it purely out of malice. The equivalent of getting shot, surviving, and then nuking the town you were shot in. He does not take his eye back if you thought it was to take his eye back. It’s still in the broken Core.

9. He lobotomizes Alphys

10. He gets Aliza to become a cannibal

11. He tortures and maims Aliza (let’s her get cut in half by a bear trap, pulls her hair so hard it bleeds, let’s her freeze to death in a puzzle, sends her to Grillbys where she gets partially cooked alive, cuts her arm off)

Really great guy here.

Secondly let’s get some of the common defences out of the way:

1. Sans had a plan that would save everyone! Undyne was therefore making a bad decision by trying to killing him

a. Sans says his plan IS A LONG SHOT

b. Alphys explains Sans’s plan would have taken a lot of time and magic ie. time that would get a lot of other people killed

c. Undyne’s plan actually goes better that expected! What was assumed would kill Sans doesn’t end up killing him at all. Literally a win-win for everyone involved.

d. Undyne/Alphys’s plan works, and therefore objectively saved more people. 0 net casualties if Sans had a single ounce of humanity.

2. Sans worked really hard and Undyne betrayed him. Undyne should have told him first

Undyne doesn’t tell him because she doesn’t want to consider hurting Sans despite monsters dying. Moments before Sans shows up, a child dies in a mother’s arm. Then Sans explains his plan is to dismantle the Core, which ‘might’ work, and will take a lot of effort and magic to do so, which is time they do not have (it’s been 12 months. He has had 12 months.). He also blames Undyne for getting them into this mess and mocks her for letting people die. She then attacks him. They end up both losing half their head and eye in the fight, making them perfectly even. The core’s power is restored.

But, whether or not Sans feels betrayed or not is irrelevant to the fact that Undyne makes the most reasonable and moral decision in this moment and also Sans has kind of done everything in his power to not sell his idea and piss off the person he knows is considering killing him so big L on his part for that one.

It also does not in any way shape or form justify destroying the Core, which is probably the most evil thing you could possibly do in that scenario.

3. They both are at fault for the Core/Both Evil then

There is literally a world of difference between:

“Sacrifices 1 person who ends up not dying, to save everyone. Which succeeds.”

And

“Destroys the thing that will successfully keep everyone alive, thus dooming everyone including yourself to die a slow and agonizing death, because you are angry your friend tried to kill you in an effort to save everyone”

That’s not even including the 10 other things on my list that are definitely also evil, but I cannot take people seriously if they put these two things on some sort of a moral equivalence. Undyne is in the right. 1 person for everyone is a worthy sacrifice. If anything Undyne’s only flaw is waiting so long to do it.

4. (Unrelated to the Core incident) Sans is actually morally grey, he doesn’t eat humans like everyone else which is a complex character motivation

You’re right, Sans doesn’t eat humans. Instead he finds enjoyment in torturing them brutally, a much worse thing than eating to stay alive.

His fight with hunger is also entirely self-made. Both because it’s not morally wrong to eat another living being to survive (and it’s not cannibalism to eat a human as a monster) and because he is the reason this is still happening 7 years later. It is literally his fault he is hungry. There is no interesting moral conundrum here, he does not care about hurting people. He is just out of his mind.

In conclusion, Horrortale Sans is a deeply selfish and uncaring person. Whatever minor good deeds he does throughout the comic are so immensely overshadowed by his absolute depravity that they might as well not exist. He is the reason every single monster in that underground continues to suffer, including himself, and while in his mind maybe there’s some weird justification, no outsider observer should look at these actions and think, yeah, that was reasonable. Much less think Undyne or Alphys are somehow WORSE. He destroys the Core because he didn’t die after everyone is saved, solely to be vindictive. He does not gain anything by doing this. He doesn't even take back the eye he lost which is still in the broken core! He lobotomizes Alphys because he’s mad he looks like a freak. He murders people who wants him to help everyone stay alive. He maims and tortures children and no amount of not eating them afterwards makes that any less morally apprehensible.

None of this is meant to say you can’t like him as a character. It is just to explain why characterizing him as a poor lil guy who did nothing wrong, is a little… wrong.

i believe this is an extensive look into why Horrortale Sans is evil.

Thank you for reading :)

[doomzidle]

Legacy/Radical Jack isn't the same monster you think.

I keep seeing Legacy/Radical Jack get chalked up to being nothing short of a 'evil person who wants to do evil things', which... ISN'T true in the slightest. Yes, he's bad. But there's reason. Not everything is so black and white. Here's a dive into Legacy/Radical Jack's character, and why he acts the way he does, along with a retrospective into Jack's life before DSaF. Here's my take on Jack's motivation for the Legacy/Radical Jack routes.

This is all referring to Jack’s hatred towards the real fredbear and fredbear 'cursing' him. Jack blames himself for Dee's death before any of the games happen, and that's clear through just how much regret his soul has (Blackjack being able to literally cross timelines.) and multiple dialogue trees in the game. That Jack would do anything to bring her back, or redeem himself, and Fredbear knew this. Personally? I believe Jack felt obligated to promise he’d give all the souls their happiest day, as he saw it as a way, if not the ONLY way to redeem himself. Why else would a person put themselves through ALL that torture, and be willing to receive nothing in return?

Jack regrets it. Specifically in the legacy and radical routes. He regrets that he ever made the promise because he doesn't want ANYTHING to do with ANY of it. Because it has nothing to DO with him. Dee is gone and dead, and nothing he can do is going to bring her back, so why even bother? Dave encourages him to let loose and not uphold some insane, crazy promise that was shoved in his face. Fredbear cursed him, and that's how Jack sees it. He doesn't want to dedicate his entire unlife to some promise, to have to endure his body rotting and falling apart, people treating him as if he's not even a person, and in the end get NOTHING for all his troubles, all for some stupid bear diety. Frankly, I also think that that's maybe why legacy kills Dee in the flipside. Because he doesn't see that as DEE. His little sister died over 60 something years ago, and he doesn't see that as her. Or, because we know that at one point Henry’s soul enters Jack’s body, Henry killed her instead. It’s one of the two. And, if he doesn’t die? He doesn't have to face eternal nothingness. Which is what WILL happen when he dies, because he has no soul. He can't go anywhere. So, he joins Henry, in the hope of abolishing death and spreading the joy of creation so he won't have to ever face death. Legacy/radical Jack will make himself the problem that fredbear wanted him to get rid of. Not to mention, most people forget it was Jack’s CORPSE who made the promise with the real fredbear, not Jack’s soul. And when Jack’s dead body was awakened to be asked the problem, Jack’s fate was already sealed. Before he even said ‘I promise’ his body wouldn’t ever be able to rest because of the sheer fact that they decided to wake him with his soul out of his body. They took away his chance of ever being able to peacefully rest. They MURDERED him, because they wanted his help.

I don’t really think he had a choice with that promise. He’s gonna end up in the same place no matter what choice or action he makes, he’ll never be rewarded or punished for anything he does, so why bother? Fredbear KNEW Jack felt obligated. It's all obligation. ..this is probably why he kills the real fredbear, and maybe kills to children to piss him off. To make Fredbear's hope of ever giving children their happiest day nearly impossible by killing more and more kids

All because fredbear took his chance of having a happiest day away

And then, you look at Henry's influence over Jack throughout all the games; Especially in the ‘an ending’ ending, after certain in-game criteria are met you can get specific dialogue; BlackJack: ''Well done. Well done, indeed. You've really created a whole legacy out of spite, haven't you? I should have intervened, but I didn't. Was this a passing fancy? Or is this your legacy? Is this really you now?''

Jack: ''This is who I am now. This is my legacy'

BJ: ''I know you'll never be able to put yourself back together, but must you cause such suffering?"

Another secret one you can get from the SAME ending if certain requirements are met

BJ : THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME I HAVE SEEN YOU LIKE THIS. I CANNOT TELL IF YOU ARE LOST, OR JUST TOO CRUEL TO UNDERSTAND. IS THIS HOW YOU GET YOUR KICKS? IS THIS HOW YOU FEEL POWERFUL OR, ARE YOU TRYING TO LURE ME OUT? I WANT TO KNOW WHY YOU KEEP DOING THIS.

jack: Perhaps I am trying to follow Henry.

BJ: YOU ARE A FOOL IF YOU THINK YOU COULD EVER KILL YOUR WAY TO HIS DOORSTEP. HE IS GONE. I MADE SURE OF THAT. I AM GOING TO ASK OUTRIGHT: WAS IT ME YOU WERE LOOKING FOR? OR ARE YOU SEARCHING FOR THE OTHER PIECES?

jack: I refuse to put anything back together. Meaning, Henry hadn't interacted with Jack yet, but jack was trying to contact him, and Jack doesn't WANT to put anything back together again.

They broke HIM, so why should he fix them? You also gotta consider Henry's manipulation towards Jack. Through SEVERAL instances in the third game, we see Henry telling Jack the same things he told Dave. Hell, even Doggo confirms that Henry's only manipulating him. Each route of Jack, they're all the same jack- Just the anger directed towards two different sides, two different extremes.

Good route Jack is one extreme, the one that's willing to do anything and everything he can to put everyone else back together, because he himself was broken.

Legacy/radical route jack is the other extreme, the one that's willing to do anything and everything he can to give back what HE was given.

They broke him, so he's going to break them. Hell, all throughout the games it is PRESSED upon the player just how broken Jack is. Dee says it, Dave says it, Fredbear does- Jack Kennedy is more broken than anyone else. They are TWO halves of the same whole, two ends of the same line. One if fueled by regret, the other is fueled with hurt. Another important thing you also have to take into consideration is just HOW broken this man was, EVEN before the games. Here's a short retrospective on Jack's life BEFORE his parents died- Just gonna throw in his life after his parents died too, because it was kinda rough looking back on it. They died when Jack was 16/17, and he was solely in charge of raising Dee, as Peter had already moved out and living with his wife.

Peter for some reason DIDN'T help, he even apologizes for abandoning them, and leaving them alone in dsaf 3's good ending.

A big fault on Peter's end, but there's an important reason for WHY he did this, and I'll get to that in another post. A 17-year-old would've had to drop out of high school to take care of Dee, and we already KNOW he has problems. So, you take a clearly struggling teenager, who was shoved into the role of being a parental figure in an INSTANT, add the other fact that he probably thinks Peter has something against him because PETER left him behind, and add in the fact that there's no room to healthily grieve his parent's death? NOTHING good comes from that. Jack Kennedy is NOT fit to be raising a whole ass toddler on his own. Even IF Dee is Jack's WORLD before she dies, and I full-heartedly believe Dee was the one thing keeping Jack going at one point, that is NOT enough.

But anyways, you have a clearly struggling guy raising a kiddo, and y'know what? His little sister wants to have her birthday party at where he works.

The Diner.

He thinks, sure, why not? It's safe, I work there, my boss will be there, other adults will be there. Nothing bad could happen. He thinks it's safe to leave her alone for a moment. Maybe to go grab her cake, or to use the bathroom, who knows-

He THINKS it's safe, because, y'know, ONCE again- it's where he WORKS. His boss is there, adults are there, he thinks dee is safe. And when he comes back, she's gone. I think the sheer amount of regret Blackjack has is pretty telling on how much Jack blamed himself. So, Jack, panicked, full of self-blame like he usually is (it's a main part of his character), goes home in a panic, finds his DOG dead. His sister is MISSING, his dog is GONE, and what does he do, because he has NO other way to cope with whats happening? He drinks. I'd imagine that's something he's either picked up from Peter or a family member (There's a scene in the game that show Peter drinking, but that's when Peter's a phone-head, so it might be wrong.) He gets drunk. He wants to find dee SO badly, so he goes to the diner. It's night. That's NOT good. He gets caught by an animatronic, and he's dragged to the back, and shoved inside of a springlock suit. (These are the kids doing this, and it's said during the whole flashback when Jack makes the promise. They purposely murder Jack because they want his help.) He's never been in one before, he only worked the nightshift. He doesn't know how it works. He panics, the springlocks go off, and he dies. Henry finds him, and brings what seems to be dee's corpse into the other animatronic in the room. I have no idea if Jack SAW dee, but I am led to believe that it's Dee, because we know Dee was still moving AFTER Jack was dead.(Horrible to think about.) And the previous two children would've been stuffed away already. So, you have Jack. His soul is gone, he's dead. He's awakened, and every AWFUL thought, every AWFUL feeling is still there. He's STILL stuck in the springlock suit, still drunk out of his mind- but something wakes him up. He hears a voice. You have an intoxicated orange who's probably not thinking clearly and is STILL probably overwhelmed by everything that's just happened. He's just lost TWO important people in his life, and he's dead, and he's in pain and he can't even THINK properly at the moment, yet he's being asked to do something that's so IMPORTANT- Jack blames himself for what happened to Dee. He blames himself to SUCH an extent, that he'd do anything to redeem himself for what he did, So, not thinking straight, in unbearable agony, full of self-blame, he accepts the promise, and he drags himself, CRAWLS out of the saferoom. IT ONLY GETS WORSE, FOLKS. His brother, Peter, sees the news. He believes the news over Jack. Jack has nothing. He's LOST everything, and he has nowhere to go, nowhere to turn. He has been broken without any hope of ever putting himself back together again. God, just imagine how AWFUL Jack must've felt when he saw the news, seeing his own face as the murder suspect. Legacy Jack is nothing more then a broken, BROKEN man who wants to give back the world what they gave him. He isn't black and white, good or evil. Henry took advantage of Jack's anger and spite towards those who hurt him, and used it.

[oversensitiveandoffputting]

I think Stolas, like most white liberals, genuinely believes he isn’t racist.

Let me explain.

Everyone, every single person, in a racist society will internalize it. Even Blitz has internalized racism against imps. Because of course he does. You can’t grow up in a racist society and not internalize its values.

I think Stolas is being completely genuine when he says he never looked down on Blitz. But at the end of the day, that doesn’t matter. He may not actively look down on imps or go out of his way to make their lives worse, but he also doesn’t do anything to challenge the status quo. He’s only ever seen imps and hellhounds in service positions with Blitz being the sole exception.

I’ve noticed he never, ever mentions he doesn’t look down on imps. He always says he doesn’t look down on Blitz. And a lot of white liberals subconsciously believe that marginalized races are in service positions for a reason and that meritocracy is real. Not quite as bad as “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” but closer to “well he pulled himself out of poverty, so surely you can too and you choose not to.” If imps and hellhounds are only in service positions, they must choose to be there, right? It could never be because that’s all that was available to them. It doesn’t help that the first time he’s had to actually think about class and race disparities was when he was being tortured and almost murdered. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the whole topic is a legitimate PTSD trigger. And he’ll still have to figure out how to work around that.

Look, I’m in an interracial, interclass marriage. I have been for years. I am the white person who came from a well-off family. And even now I still have to face some very ugly things I thought I unlearned. I still have to be called on my bullshit sometimes. And so will Stolas. This will be the biggest part of his arc because while working on his interpersonal behavior is great, he’s still going to move through the world hurting the people he cares about until he can empathize with the lower classes.

[vendetta-if]

Hi! Sorry if you've already answered this but what does each RO feel and think about MC path of either Justice or Revenge? (Heir path)

(Love to see what everyone else thinks as well)

I'm just curious to know what Rin truly thinks about MC going for revenge, because I feel like he's a bit reluctant? But also, an heir to a crime family going for justice? (Giving him over to the police after getting enough evidence to convict him) I can't really see him approve that, either.

I'm also curious of what their "preferred" heir MC is, Ruthless or Merciful, admired or feared etc.

Am definitely curious to know how that affects Ash as well. I love my little psycho MC (Definitely some Jinx vibes going on there) but then I get concerned and worried when I see Ash being like "Whoa, so cool! Never seen a body rain blood before, awesome! Whoo, murder! 🥳"

Then i'm like "Wait... No, this is bad Ash, BAD! Blood rain isn't awesome! It's horrifying! It's literally what happens in the APOCALYPSE! That's it, we're going to have a long talk when we get home about Wrong and Right!"

...then later when she gets her birthday present she'll giddily ask Luka if she can try torturing him too 😭

I feel so conflicted when Ash asks MC about what she will do with the killer... Then says what he wants, which is exactly the same, so I can't really tell him not to do the same... But it makes me so concerned every time, and guilty.

I don't want to bring my sweet, beloved firecracker down and even darker path than the one we're already on 😭

Ash and Rin prefer revenge to justice (letting the justice system do what it was supposed to do a long time ago). Probably because of the families and environment that they’re both raised and live in, they believe retaliation against such personal slight should be taken into their own hands.

However, whereas Ash’s revenge might be explosive and impulsive as they chase the quickest way to personally get their hands on the one who wronged them, Rin’s revenge is cold and calculating.

It’s full of reckoning, scheming, and pulling of strings behind the scenes and they’re content to let others to do the dirty work. They don’t really care about seeing the one who wronged them face-to-face and kill them with their own hands like Ash does.

That doesn’t make their revenge less personal though, and dare I say, sometimes, their revenge ends up being more drawn-out and torturous for the poor schmuck. The true definition of “revenge is a dish best served cold”.

And Rin does prefer Ruthless MC in the sense that they both have a more similar mindset. Of course, they’ll still love Merciful MC the same, but being with such kind MC makes them highly protective of them since they don’t want to see them get hurt or taken advantage of.

They’ll do whatever it takes to keep MC safe behind MC’s back, doing the necessary things that Merciful MC might not have the heart to do themself. Same thing with Ash as well, which is why in the Ash/MC/Rin poly, Ash and Rin will actually become really close and trusted confidantes of each other because they—almost all of the time—have the same mindset and overarching goal.

Santana and Skylar, of course, prefer justice and letting the right people dispense due punishment. Although, a more cynical Santana might not be too opposed to MC having revenge as well since they’ve seen firsthand how corrupt and sometimes incompetent the system is; they can’t really blame MC and the Morozovs to want to take matters into their own hands.

And as for your last sentence about Ash… 🥺 They’ll gladly walk with MC down a darker path. They actually feel they are already walking down that path a long time ago, especially since they accepted working as the Family’s enforcer… 😥

[oh-my-bindery]

Drarry: I love that Harry the hero is down for murder. But Draco the guy who comes from a long line of a family of dark magic is the one that hates murder (it's literally canon Draco can not kill anyone for shit) and it gives me so many feels. It's partly because I love healer Draco. But also because Harry is reckless and does not have a lot of self preservation. His idea of justice is like you die by the sword.

Definitely! I draw all my conclusions from canon.

Buckle up bc I went on a rant here

The way Draco is written and what we are shown of his actions and character, we can clearly conclude at least few things:

- Draco is a person who fights with his words, that cut deeper than a knife. He knows what he is doing and wants it to hurt. I believe he does it to feel better about himself.

- Draco can’t kill. He literally can’t kill. Even his wand (that chose him) is one that has the most difficult time turining into Dark Arts. It reflects on his character. He is different from his family.

- Draco is a very sensitive boy as we are told by Moaning Myrtle in HBP. We also get to see him break down and for the first time show his real emotions which is a new thing from him. Harry has never seen him cry. Which leads me to ask, why? All 6 years and no one saw Draco cry before? No one saw him express deeper emotions that his usual proud and snarky / bully mask? It is definitely connected to his family, most likely Lucius, as Narcissa is the one who even though believes in blood purity shit, never takes a Dark Mark, never fights for Voldemort, her main concern is always Draco. She has so much love for him. It is probably why Draco even knows that he can allow himself to cry, even if it’s on his own.

- Moaning Myrtle also tells us that Draco is lonely.

- On Harry Potter wiki and Pottermore (I think) it says that Draco was never able to produce a Patronus spell as he didn’t have a strong enough of a happy memory - well that’s sad seeing as Harry was able to do it with how shit his life was.

Draco is supposed to seemingly be rich, get everything he wants, he has a family that is alive , Mother who loves him SO MUCH, father that would she if anything happened to him (well he failed to protect Draco from the worst and then did nothing after the fact, continued being awful but that’s another rant), Slytherins seem to like him, he has some friends although I’m not even sure he likes them or if they like him (from canon we know that by Deathly Hallows - Crabbe and Goyle hate him. Draco never really liked Blaise (or wasn’t fond of him. He tolerated Pansy and had some trust towards her.)

So even though Draco smilingly has all, he doesn’t have a strong enough of a happy memory.

- Draco is terrified of killing someone, so much so he stops eating, keeps to himself and stops being himself when tasked with killing Dumbledore.

When Harry sees Draco in his Voldy visions - Draco looks terrified and broken when asked to torture Rowle - the sight of how Draco is being pushed into doing those horrible things and how much he could be suffering- canonically makes Harry try to get rid of the visions because he doesn’t want to see Draco torture people or if he refuses/ can’t- see Draco being tortured or killed.

- Draco doesn’t care if he dies. Why? Who knows? But he literally lies to his whole family that are depending on him to identify Harry as Harry Potter at the manor and he just doesn’t. He knows what are the consequences of failing to capture Harry are (probably being killed by Voldemort, him and his family.) and Draco knows it is Harry. If he was cruel and and awful person he would say “yep, that’s Potter” but instead Harry notices that Draco looks just as terrified, hands shaky as Harry was. Draco literally would rather have Harry survive and himself die than other way around. It is SO CANON.

And Harry wise

- Harry is super hot-headed as we know.

I think looking at his reaction when Sirius was killed, he literally sprung from Remus’s arms, shooting, shooting curses after Bellateix. He crucioed her. No, thinking, he just does.

When people whom Harry loves / cares about are killed or harmed Harry has no thoughts just do. Give them hell. He will deal with consequences later - he is bad at the ‘dealing with the consequences bit though. He doesn’t want to be a killer, and hates himself for being capable of it.

When Snape kills Dumbledore, Harry is in SO MUCH RAGE. He goes after Snape and literally uses Sectumsempra on him, knowing what it would do- if not helped Snape literally would die lol.

But when it comes to Draco and Harry almost killing him, knowing about Dracos Dark Mark, him being suspicious all year, being horrible to him all other years - ABSOLUTELY NOT ACCEPTABLE.

He leaves Draco alone even after he find out Draco was going to kill Dumbledore.

In conclusion, Harry would 100% kill for Draco, no questioning it. He wouldn’t feel bad about the person being killed but about the fact that he is capable to killing.

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 70 – American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis

I’m honestly not sure I ever would have gotten around to reading this on my own, but ended up buying it through the ‘blind date with a book’ thing a bookstore in New York was doing when I was visiting (incredible gimmick, for the record). The fact that it then took me a solid three months to actually finish probably tells you something about how genuinely difficult a read I found it. Not in the sense of being bad, but just legitimately difficult to stomach at points. Overall I’d call it a real triumph of literature.

Not that anyone doesn’t already know, but; the book is spent inside the head of Patrick Bateman, high-flying wall street trader and Harvard blueblood at the close of the Reagan era. Also a serial killer. The story is told as a series of more or less disconnected vignettes, jumping from dinner conversations at one exclusive bar or club or another to the brutal torture and murder of a sex worker to several pages of incredibly vapid pontification on Nina Simone’s discography. The story vaguely tracks Bateman growing ever-more alienated and out of control as the year goes on, but there’s very much not any real single narrative or cathartic climax here. - most stuff just happens (stuff that’s either incredibly tedious or utterly nauseating by turns but still just, stuff).

So yeah this is an intensely literary work (obviously), a word I’m here using to mean one that is as much about the form and style of the writing as about the actual events portrayed. Bateman is a monster, but more than that he’s just an utterly boring and tedious husk of a man, traits which are exaggerated to the point of being fascinating– if you told this story in conventional third person narration without all the weird asides, it would be a) like half as long and b) totally worthless. The tonal whiplash of going from an incredibly visceral depiction of Bateman cutting out the eyes of a homeless man to six (utterly insipid) pages on the merits of The Doors is the selling point here (well actually I think Ellis goes back to that specific well probably one time too many, but in general I mean).

Bateman is a tedious, unstable monster, but as far as the book has an obvious thesis it’s that he differs from the rest of his social milieu only in degree. A symptom of a fundamentally rotten society, not a heroic devil among sheep. The book’s climax, such as it is, involved Bateman getting into a drug-fueled gunfight with the NYPD, shooting multiple people in the middle of the street, and then stumbling home and leaving a rambling confession to every crime on his lawyer’s answering machine – but despite very clearly wanting and trying to get caught and face some sort of consequence or justice, people just refuse to believe that someone like him is capable of anything like that. (It’s not, it must be said, an especially subtle book).

There is, as far as I can recall, not a single character who gets enough screentime to give an idea of their personality who I’d call likeable. Sympathetic, sure, but that’s mostly because it’s pretty much impossible not to sympathize with someone getting horrifically tortured and torn apart (at one point a starving rat is involved). The upper crust of New York yuppie-dom is portrayed as shallow and vapid, casually bigoted towards quite literally everyone who isn’t identical to them, status-obsessed to the point of only being able to understand the world as a collection of markers of class and coolness, and totally incapable of real human connection. Bateman is a monster not because of any freak abnormality, but just because he takes all of that a few steps further than his coworkers.

The book is totally serious and straight-faced in its presentation, and absolutely never acknowledges any of the running gags that are kept up through it. Which shows impressive restraint, and also means that none of them exactly have a payoff or a punchline – it’s just a feature of the world that all the expensive meals at trendy restaurants everyone competes for tables at sound disgusting when you think about them for a moment, or that the whole class of wall street trader guy are so entirely interchangeable that ostensible close friends and coworkers constantly mistake each other for other traders and no one particularly cares. Or – and I’m taking this on faith because fuck knows I’ve got no idea what any of the brands people are wearing are – that the ruinously expensive outfits everyone spends so very much time and money on for every engagement all clash comically if you actually looked up what the different pieces looked like. The book’s in no way really a comedy, so the jokes sit a bit oddly, but they’re still overall pretty funny, at least to me.

I like to think I have something of a strong stomach for unpleasant material in books, but this was the first work of fiction that I had genuine trouble reading for content reasons in I can’t even remember. I’m not sure it’s exactly right to call the violence pornographic in a general sense, but as far as American Psycho goes the register and tone Bateman uses to describe fucking a woman and torturing her to death are basically identical (and told in similarly explicit detail), and all of Bateman’s sexual fantasies are more or less explicitly just porn scenes he wants to recreate, so. Regardless, the result’s pretty alienating in both cases – his internal monologue never really feels anything but detached and almost bored as he relays what he does, sound exactly as vapid and alienated as when he is carefully listing the exact brands and designers every person he ever interacts with is wearing at all times, or arguing over dinner reservations for hours on end with his friends and lovers (though both those terms probably deserve heavy airquotes around them). He legitimately sounds considerably more engaged when talking about arguing over sartorial etiquette. It all adds up to a really strong alienating effect.

Anyways, speaking of sex and violence – perhaps because my main exposure to the story before this was tumblr making memes out of scenes from the movie, but I was pretty shocked by just how explicitly awful Patrick is ‘on screen’. The horrible murder, sure, but also just the casual and frequent use of racist and homophobic slurs, the pathological misogyny, the total breakdown he has at the idea of a gay man being attracted to him and thinking he might reciprocate – all of these are entirely in character for an asshole Wall Street ‘80s Guy even if he wasn’t a serial killer, but it’s still oddly shocking at first to see it so thoroughly represented on the page. It makes how comparatively soft-pedaled the bigotry and just, awfulness, of villains in a lot of more modern books stand out a lot more, I suppose? I have read a lot of books that are in some sense About queerness and/or racism in the last year, and no one in any of them holds a candle to good old Patrick Bateman.

Part of that is just the book being so intensely of its time, I suppose. The New York of this book is very much one of the late ‘80s, incredible wealth living side by side with social rot and decay, crippling poverty everywhere and a society that has to a great degree just stopped caring. Absolutely none of which Bateman or any of his peers care one bit about, of course – they’re too busy showing off the latest walkmans and record players, going to the newest clubs, and just generally enjoying all the fruits of Reagan’s America. Recent history has made the fact that Bateman’s personal idol is Donald Trump almost too on the nose to be interesting, but in 1991 I’m sure it was a bit more subtle in how telling it was.

Anyway, yeah, horrifying and exhausting read, triumph of literature, my god did Easton Ellis hate America (this is a compliment). Now time to go watch the movie!

[soullessjack]

ok so carried on from this post theres a specific tag i wanna elaborate on which says ‘[jack] isn’t a pacifist he actually has a very complicated relationship with violence’ in relation to how he’s usually (mis)characterized by the fandom.

so first, Jack isn’t a pacifist. pacifism is a total opposition to all war and violence, and a belief that it is never justifiable for any reason or circumstance. He might be averse to violence as a first response or reaction, and he’s frequently shown to want to help the person before anything else—especially people he finds sympathetic or similar to himself (ie Mia Vallens, Sylvia)—but he’s not averse to it altogether.

Jack seems to really only be against violence when it’s used against innocent or undeserving people, including himself. Like in S13, he has no problem using his power to force an angel to stab themself with their blade or going to war with Michael and killing thousands of angels in his army for roughly 6-8 months (and we must remember, it was an effective genocide before he decided, completely out of the original plan, to kill Michael and made it a war) but he still has a total meltdown over accidentally killing an innocent security guard and almost strangling someone who did nothing wrong like he’d assumed. In Ouroboros he states that anyone who could hurt/kill an innocent person is a monster, even if they’re human, which is probably the clearest establishment of his moral code the show could offer.

I think Jack’s particular aversion to violence or even general aggression/anger is also caused by the fact that he, at three days old, was told by Sam that he would need to be kept from hurting other people while his powers were still largely uncontrollable (and therefore, still making him a threat and “evil” if he couldn’t do that). He’s also seen for himself what his power/his overreaction inadvertently causes for other people–like throwing Sheriff Barker into the vending machine (which he apologizes for later)—and is blatantly scared of it at first, so I think it makes a lot of sense that he prefers nonviolent behavior as an initial or default response. However, pacifism is still defined by the belief that no circumstance or reason whatsoever can justify an act of violence, which directly goes against how Jack personally feels about and uses it.

Going back to Ouroboros, he personally defines a “monster” as anyone who would willingly harm or enjoy harming someone who doesn’t deserve it, even if they aren’t actually a particular species of monster. And going back to S13, he has no problem murdering Michael’s army or even torturing Michael himself (which he specifically does because Michael “hurt his friends, hurt his family.” Ergo, Jack does believe in using violence, so long as it’s only used as a justified defense, and I think that is also a part of why him torturing Nick so horrifically is meant to land on us as Something Ostensibly Wrong. Did Nick deserve it? Yes. Mary isn’t even upset about him being killed; she just halfheartedly tells Jack “not like that.” Nick deserved it, but he is still barely a threat to someone like Jack (which everybody knew)—and because he isn’t a veritable threat, none of what Jack does to him can actually qualify as a “defense.”

It’s violence for the sake of violence, with a personal grudge for motivation, and while it’s shown a lot throughout SPN, it hits a lot harder coming from Jack specifically because he, again, is generally averse to [ab]using his power like that—even against other enemies. He believes in necessary and defensive violence and acts accordingly, which makes the completely unnecessary violence he uses against Nick more disturbing; it’s not about defending his loved ones or even stopping a nefarious plot anymore (he literally banishes Lucifer within seconds of getting there). It’s just about making someone suffer and enjoying it. In Absence we also get the vague implication about Jack’s particular fears and insecurities: he’s afraid that he isn’t really loved or wanted for himself, but rather that he’s valued for being “the muscle to take out enemies,”—that he’s nothing more to the Winchesters than a pet monster and easily discardable if he’s no longer useful to them.

On the flip side of that, he’s also canonically very happy to be wanted, needed and helpful to his family/friends—which is to say, again, he’s perfectly fine using violence as a justifiable defense that serves his family (which is also why he chooses to burn Nick to death after Sam indirectly wishes it on him, and why he’s happy to murder all of Dumah’s targets under the guise that it would make Sam and Dean happy). Once he realizes the truth and horror of his actions, however, he tells Dean that he is a monster, by his own definition. But how exactly is this complicated, you might ask? Well I’m glad you did, because I’m getting to it. Throughout his entire short-lived life, Jack has had to be painfully aware of the damage he can and does cause, and what it means for how he’s perceived and the ever present debate about his “true” nature.

I can’t find it now and probably won’t bother looking, but i had another post about how Jack inwardly perceives himself and wants to be perceived in return, particularly when he’s perceived as a threat. To summarize: because of his particular moral code, Jack inwardly knows he would never [want to] use his power against his family or friends, and is therefore not a threat to them, and therefore does not want to be perceived as one despite the danger he still poses with the potential alone. The eggshells that people walk around him are solely based on the fact that he has immense potential and capability to hurt them, all prevented by his simple continuous and impermanent choice to not hurt them.

The only thing standing between them and everything he’s ever done to their enemies is the fact that he considers them friends and has no reason to want to hurt them, and that’s exactly what Jack himself personally lives by. It’s the same blind trust that Sam and Dean have built with Cas; they know what he can do, and they know when he would or wouldn’t choose to do it. It’s a mutual understanding that “I know you can hurt me but I care about you enough to trust you not to do that,” and “I know I can hurt you but I care about you enough to not hurt you and Im glad you trust me to not do that.” I also mentioned it in the post that in Last Holiday, Jack doesn’t deny it when Mrs. Butters says that he’s insanely powerful; he does, however, deny her saying that Sam and Dean should be afraid of him, because “[he] would never hurt them.”

Insanely powerful? ✅

Potentially dangerous? ✅

A threat to be feared? ❌

(This is also what makes Mary’s death by Jack and Sam and Dean’s subsequent actions exceptionally tragic on both sides; their mutual trust is inadvertently, yet still effectively, broken. Jack has also effectively gone against his own morality by harming people he loves and people who don’t deserve it, and now in S15 is struggling with the loss of said trust and the need to earn it back).

That, my hypothetical audience member, is the complicated part. Having to find a middle ground between necessary, defensive, justifiable violence that his surrounding community would approve or appreciate, and the completely unnecessary abuse or misuse of power (ie violence) that would register him as an evil monster and/or a threat to be put down for the justifiable greater good. There’s also the additional middle ground between presenting and maintaining the image of himself as docile and non-threatening (the behavior of which is hugely infantilized by the fandom), while also still being able to defend others with the same violence that could easily lead to him being seen as a threat.

in conclusion (1): Jack is not a pacifist but he has an extremely complicated relationship with violence and the fluctuating justifications surrounding it which he must meet in order to continuously be perceived as safe and trustworthy in spite of his capabilities.

In conclusion (2): this is the truest of jack true forms:

thank you for coming to my yap session, don’t let the door hit you where the good lord split you on the way out 🫶

[maybe-im-dark]

🔍 X-Men Origins: Wolverine & X Men 2 - The Cold Manipulation of William Stryker 🔍

Okay, let’s talk about the absolute MASTER of manipulation in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X Men 2—William Stryker. If you thought this man was just another “mad scientist” villain, buckle up, because we’re about to dive into the layers of how twisted, manipulative, and downright delusional this guy really is.

1. The Ultimate Manipulator: Twisting Truth and Emotion

When Logan confronts Stryker about Kayla's death, we see the FULL extent of Stryker's manipulative skills. He doesn’t miss a beat—looks Logan dead in the eye and says, “I didn’t know it was Victor. I swear on my son’s life.” And for a second, you almost believe him, don’t you? Because he’s just that convincing. But let’s be real: it’s a complete LIE, and what makes it so twisted is that Stryker knows EXACTLY how to push Logan’s buttons.

The thing is, swearing on his son’s life means absolutely nothing to him. Why? Because he HATES his son. In the comics and movies, Stryker’s son is a mutant, and that’s a source of shame and rage for him. He despises mutants with every fiber of his being, even when it's his own flesh and blood. So, in that moment, when he swears on his son’s life, it’s not a gesture of sincerity—it’s an act of cruelty. He knows it’ll manipulate Logan into believing him, and that’s all that matters. Stryker doesn’t care about truth; he cares about control.

Key Point: Stryker’s willingness to use even the most personal aspects of his life as tools for manipulation shows how far he’ll go to get what he wants. He’ll twist any truth, exploit any emotion, just to keep people dancing to his tune.

2. Logan as the Ultimate Experiment

The moment where Logan gets the adamantium injection is the perfect example of how little Stryker values him as a person. When Logan’s heart and brain activity stop, there’s this brief moment where Stryker looks devastated—like he’s just lost something precious. But let’s be clear: he’s not mourning Logan’s death; he’s mourning the failure of his experiment. Stryker isn’t sad that Logan might be gone; he’s ANGRY that his weapon didn’t work. That’s what Logan has always been to him—an experiment, a tool, a weapon.

This man never cared about Logan’s humanity. He never saw him as a person with feelings, memories, or dreams. To Stryker, Logan was just another piece of the puzzle, another project to perfect. And the moment it seemed like that project had failed, Stryker wasn’t heartbroken—he was infuriated. That’s why he doesn’t even flinch when Logan starts to regain consciousness. There’s no relief, no joy, just the cold, calculating realization that his weapon might still be functional.

Key Point: Stryker’s reaction to Logan’s apparent death reveals his true feelings—Logan is nothing more than a tool, a means to an end. There’s no empathy, no connection, just cold, hard science.

3. Stryker’s Fantasy of Being a Hero

Here’s where Stryker’s delusion gets next level. He lives in this fantasy world where he genuinely believes he’s working with mutants to make the world a better place. But let’s be real—Stryker hates mutants. He despises them, fears them, and wants to control them. But instead of facing that reality, he convinces himself that he’s the “good guy,” that he’s fighting the “good fight” to protect humanity from the mutant “threat.”

It’s the ultimate form of cognitive dissonance. He’s not building weapons to protect humanity—he’s building weapons because he wants CONTROL. He wants to be the one who decides how history is written, who the heroes and villains are, and who gets to hold the power. And the most terrifying part? He actually believes his own lies. He’s convinced himself that he’s a hero, that his actions are justified, even as he tortures, manipulates, and murders.

Stryker isn’t just a villain—he’s a man who’s so deeply trapped in his own delusions that he can’t see the monster he’s become. He thinks he’s “saving the world,” but in reality, he’s only saving himself, saving his ego, and building a legacy on the bones of the people he’s destroyed.

Key Point: Stryker’s need to be seen as a hero blinds him to the reality of his actions. He isn’t fighting for a better world; he’s fighting to create a world where he’s in control, where he’s the savior, even if it means becoming the very monster he claims to be fighting.

4. The Warped Sense of Control

Stryker’s obsession with controlling the war against mutants isn’t about “protecting humanity”; it’s about rewriting history to cast himself as the hero. Every lie, every manipulation, every betrayal is just another step toward cementing his own power. He doesn’t care about right or wrong—he cares about winning. And that’s what makes him so dangerous. It’s not that he doesn’t understand that what he’s doing is wrong; it’s that he doesn’t care, as long as it means he gets to write the ending of the story.

5. “Only I Understand You, Logan” – The Offer to Join Him Again

In X2: X-Men United, Stryker tries to tempt Logan to join him once more, saying, “You were always an animal, Logan. I just gave you claws.” And there it is—the classic manipulation. He preys on Logan’s fear, his sense of not belonging, and tries to convince him that only he understands him, that only Stryker can help him find his place in a world that sees him as a monster.

But let’s be clear: if Logan had accepted Stryker’s offer, it wouldn’t have been a partnership. It would’ve been enslavement. Stryker would have used Logan’s power, his rage, his pain, and twisted it into something monstrous. He would’ve used Logan to kill his own friends, likely through mind control, and then basked in watching Logan spiral into guilt and self-hatred once he snapped out of it. Because that’s what Stryker does—he takes the broken pieces of people and molds them into weapons of his own making.

Key Point: Stryker’s offer to Logan isn’t about understanding him—it’s about owning him. It’s about taking Logan’s pain and using it as fuel to further his own twisted agenda. And the worst part? He’s so damn good at making you believe that he’s the only one who truly gets you.

When he looks at Logan, he doesn’t see a man—he sees a weapon. When he looks at mutants, he doesn’t see people—he sees threats to be eliminated or tools to be used. And that’s why he’ll never be the hero he pretends to be. Because a hero fights for people. A hero values life. And Stryker? Stryker only values power.

---

TL;DR: William Stryker is the ultimate manipulator, using lies, emotional exploitation, and self-delusion to control everyone around him. He doesn’t care about mutants; he doesn’t care about making the world a better place. All he cares about is control, power, and rewriting history to make himself the hero. He sees Logan not as a person but as a weapon, and his disappointment at Logan’s apparent death is the purest reflection of that. Stryker will always be trapped in his own fantasy, unable to see that he’s the real villain in his story.

[nightcolorz]

so funny that people are only simping this hard for Louis because he tells us every single episode he's the saddest most tragic serial killer in the land. Literally seeing people with my own eyes say Louis has experienced trauma and loss Armand can never imagine under gifs of Louis making fun of human trafficking and the palazzo attack.

Like obviously Armand is a deranged bbgirl torturing and manipulating those men for love!! But people treat it like it's a 1v1 pvp whoever has the weakest finishing move is the Objective Innocent Victim, like abusive relationships between two mass murderers aren't more complex than numerically tallying who you think has the most strength points at any given moment. like louis has barely been concealing his disdain for armand since they met. He gives armand NOTHING. all he does is recreate every shitty abusive act he's ever complained about other people doing to him and doing them to armand.

swear the only thing that man thinks about when armand shares his tragic backstory is embarrassment at finding out that the entire time he was bragging about how everyone in the avant-garde movement tooootally like his art more than Picasso, Armand had paintings in the louvre.

Cw iwtv typical sexual abuse talk and spoilers for iwtv s2

ur so right literally say that shit 🙏‼️ I love Louis and I honestly find it so gross ?? How some people act like Louis is only capable of being objectively the exclusive victim in any given situation or relationship. like it’s fucking weird that someone would reduce him so exclusively to victimhood bcus he was in an abusive relationship to point where theyd insist Louis is not capable of causing harm or being a complex flawed person beyond his victim hood. It takes away his agency and reduces everything that is interesting about his character to one dimensional victim which like, why would u die on that hill as someone who loves Louis’s character?? It’s once again, fucking weird. Louis has been presented to us from the beginning as capable of violence cruelty and selfishness, and him being abused by lestat doesn’t take away his capability of being cruel to Armand 💀 I think that some people were so attached to their assumption pre s2 that Armand would be lestat part 2 who is even more abusive that they refuse to accept or embrace the much more complex reality. Loumand is toxic but very much mutually so, there has been thus far nothing to suggest that Armand is forcing Louis to be with him or abusing him in anyway akin to how lestat abused Louis. Jacob Anderson has even spoken about how louis and Armand are mutually toxic and louis mistreats Armand 😭and louis being a fucked up person is like, smth I wouldn’t understand why anybody would want to deny, it’s very overt. And dying on the hill of “Louis is never ever bad” is like, very weird to me especially since Louis is like canonically capable of being sexually exploitative (literally a pimp) and violent and selfish. Like I love Louis!! In all his horribleness 🙏 and you can too believe me 😭

it’s also fucking weird to insist that Armand is always 100% being manipulative and abusive in everything he does towards Louis bcus, especially in the case of him talking about his trauma, it makes some rlly uncomfortable and gross implications?! Like, I’m not here to say that Armand is the most ideal partner of all time who does no wrong 💀 obviously, he’s pretty mf gaslighty and horrible and violent, but suggesting that what is presented non ambiguously as Armand being vulnerable with Louis about his sexual abuse trauma because louis wanted to know the real him is definitely abuse and manipulation is…like fucked up? 😭 like?? The jump to “oh this character I don’t like is talking about being sexually abused to his partner after having a conversation about how they aren’t vulnerable enough with each other, yes this is Manipulative” is genuinely kind of fucking insane I’m sorry 😭🙏 what Armand has been through is incredibly horrific and noticeably difficult for him to talk about and the assumption that since everything is black and white and Armand is bad he must be talking about this with evil intent is dumb and it’s ignorant. Like yes abuse victim talking about his abuse to his partner who explicitly asked for him to share that, wow that is so emotionally manipulative of him. What a hill to die on 🙏I hope u guys who think like this don’t think this way about ur friends when they vent to u cuz omg 😭

I guess my point with this is that I’ve noticed a lot of people in their refusal to interpret Louis as anything but unambiguously in the right all the time r being like unintentionally offensive and ignorant in a way that’s wild to me 😭 Like guuuys, you can love Louis and talk about how his relationship with Armand is bad for him and Armand harms him without insisting that Louis mockingly telling Armand that the man who groomed and raped him as a child “made him into a little bitch” was justified 😭. Also, friendly reminder that Louis’s daughter was raped and abused in a similar way that Armand was, which rlly goes to show imo how fucked up the way he treats Armand’s sexual abuse is. Like if he is so willing to say shit like that to Armand the moment they have an argument I imagine that his empathy for Claudia does not extend so far. He still was a pimp lol 🙏 and it’s been pretty overtly portrayed time and time again that living a good portion of his life having a position of power where he sexually exploits women for money has limited Louis’s perspective and capabilities for empathy for the people who have been sexually abused in his life 🙏 and guess what!! 😋 this is the horrible abusive murderer show, u can still love Louis (I do) while knowing he is horrible 🙏

thanks sm for the ask ‼️

[remi-harbinger]

Breaking news: Bingyuan is more toxic than u believe?? (not clickbait) (reaL)

ok so ive been thinking long and hard about their relationship and it doesnt make sense to me its so toxic and idk why theyd be the main pair of svsss that has so much potential for healthy loving ships (re: liuyuan)

Firstly: their relationship as a whole Binghe is notoriously sticky, and because we are sort of reading the novel through shen yuans eyes its an endearing trait. But if you think about it isnt it suffocating? It also shows an innate lack of trust in SY to do his own stuff and come back afterwards because of Binghe’s trust issues (ofc id have trust issues too if someone pushed me off a cliff but still). Binghe needs to work this out because the smothering is so toxic…

Next: love bombing and semi stockholm syndrome? this relationship is so funny to me because its like stockholm but weirder. SY literally lived in fear that LBH would murder him in the future and this causes him to cling to any affection LBH is giving because he’s taking it as reassurance to himself that he’ll live to see another day. Also im going to be honest the way SY treated LBH is sort of love bombing. He acts like a stern shizun at the start of the novel to not be OOC, then suddenly starts treating LBH as the sole star shining in the dark, then throws him off a cliff… It really gives a guy whiplash yk? Especially when you consider that aside from the washer woman, LBH has never been treated with love in his whole life up till this point. Hes been bullied so badly and even his own shizun hates him. He’s a literal child at this point in time, he’ll crave any love given and it is easy to see how this thirst for love could spiral into the more obsessive tendencies.

Now: Binghe and Bingmei I think that as Demons, you could sort of boil both OG!Binghe and Binghe (Bingmei)‘s treatment of SQQ into the base 7 deadly sins. Binghe would be Ira (Wrath/Hatred) and Bingmei would be Greed (Obsession). Their growing years as children under their respective shizuns has shaped their views and their feelings towards said shizuns have been carved deeply into their hearts. You can see how strong these emotions are in both Binghe’s elaborate and drawn out torture of OG!SQQ and Bingmei’s stickiness and overall yandere tendencies towards SY. Judging from the scale of LBH’s hatred towards OG!SQQ and drawing a parallel, current Bingmei’s obsession and greed for SY’s love is off the charts.

So what would happen if SY didnt reciprocate these feelings? If he did something that made Bingmei irrevocably angry? Emotions are wildly changing and never constant, and thus Bingmei’s affections is and will always be a damocles sword above SY’s head. SY may think he loves Bingmei, but he clearly doesn’t trust the constancy of the reciprocated feelings, and he definitely thinks about LBH getting blackened.

LBH and SY’s befuddling relationship dynamics: Now, they started off as master-disciple. This may seem not as important, but in Chinese there’s this saying “teacher for a day, father for a lifetime”. Do you understand what this means now that theyre in a relationship? Its a really weird power dynamic. Not to mention the whole “Demon lord/Person who swallowed said Demon Lord’s blood”. As I mentioned previously, because we are seeing SVSSS out of SY’s perspective, the importance of this is sort of glossed over with a “but its Binghe! Binghe’d never hurt me…”. LBH is able to control the blood to harm on scales unimaginable. He can kill, torture, cause you to be in excruciating pain, etc. LBH forcing his demon blood in SY is equivalent to LBH ripping out SY’s beating heart and holding it in his palm. He can literally crush the heart at any given moment and end SY’s life. Much motivation to convince yourself that you are in love with the one holding your life in his hands, right?

Wrapping this up because idt people will actually even read this: SY and LBH’s relationship may look like love up close, but its really toxic and they clearly lack the trust needed in a relationship. If there isn’t mutual respect and trust, can you even call their relationship love? I personally am of the opinion that it isnt love, especially considering the obsessive tendencies of LBH.

Ofc I have more to say and I hope you guys will discuss with me, but its late now so im keeping this quite short. If you’ve read the entire post marry me and pls still read SVSSS its a gem :)

[cod-dump]

hi! I feel a little bit bad for asking since you JUST posted "Time" (the monster handler AU), but would you mind giving any HCs/details about the verse? Like (if you need ideas):

assuming the insectoid is Roach, what're his abilities?

what is demon!Ghost's personality?

what eras are Soap & Gaz originally from?

what event led to Price summoning Ghost?

also: the moment I read that Nik was some kind of lycan, the term "bear" came to mind 😅 anyway, I always love your drabbles/ficlets! It's like getting a new episode of my favorite show! Have a great weekend...oh & what kind of monster would YOU want to be?

I don’t mind at all! I have been wanting to talk about it :)

———

Roach is indeed an insectoid! His face is mostly human but he still covers up to hide it from everyone. He doesn’t think he’s ugly or anything (some have described his face “moth-like” with ant antenna) he just had too many run-ins with people who are deathly afraid of bugs.

• He has regenerative abilities (if he loses an arm it will grow back the next time he molts). But if more serious damage is done to something like his head or chest, he won’t be able to recover from that.

• Roach has venom (it paralyzes whoever he bites but if he injects too much it can cause lasting damage to their nerves). Roach has accidentally made someone permanently lose all feeling and function in everything below their waist. Now he’s very careful when using his venom.

• He can stay underwater up to twenty-four hours before he needs to get air (this is helpful since he isn’t a very good swimmer)

• Roach is pretty strong. Not fifty times his own body weight strong but more like twenty (he has picked up a couple teammates and ran because they were in danger and the assholes weren’t listening to him).

• Roach loves sweets. He’ll eat anything without complaint (he’s eaten rotten carcasses before) but sweets are his absolute favorite.

• And, last of all, Roach can communicate and control some insects or creepy crawlies! He’s like the ultimate bug queen (don’t call him that). Flies, ants, roaches— They all listen to him. Bugs also tend to stick around him (he attracts them).

-

Ghost more or less the same. Though everyone questions if he genuinely cares about his team and the people he works with or if it’s just a ploy. He mostly sticks around Price (for obvious reasons) but he does venture out on his own (no one knows what he does). He’s good at hiding that he’s a demon and people tend to only find out when someone tells them. Ghost never likes revealing what he is to people unless the absolutely have to know (it causes distrust and that isn’t good for missions).

-

Soap is much older than Gaz and follows the old vampire laws. Cannot enter a privately owned building without verbal permission, contact with sunlight is almost always lethal, can’t tolerate garlic, can’t eat human food without projectile vomiting— all the things people know vampires for. His much older bloodline is the cause for him having to follow these strict laws (and he’s miserable because of it). Soap was turned against his will centuries ago in Scotland around 1300 (where he was born) by a woman that was supposed to be his bride. He’s long cut contact with her, not agreeing with her idea of changing him so they could be together forever.

Gaz is much, much younger than Soap. He was born shortly after WWII ended in England and was turned around 1963. He says he was turned unwillingly by vampire who he would later kill. This act should have cured him of his vampirism but he remained a vampire (it is uncertain why). Because of Gaz’s bloodline, he doesn’t have to follow the old vampire laws (sometimes he does so in a mocking/teasing way).

-

Price summoned Ghost years ago after his captain was brutally tortured and murdered by an organization that would later be revealed to be lead by Vladimir Makarov, a descendant of what people believe to be Dracula himself (though Dracula is more or less a over hyped vampire that many agree wasn’t the strongest or even a well liked vampire).

Price knew that he, as a simple human, wouldn’t be able to stand a chance against Makarov so he made a spur of the moment decision to find a way to fight him. One dug up corpse and ritual later (which resulted in the Zaragoza Drug Cartel in being massacred), Price would summon a demon that he would later name Ghost. This all happened before he met Laswell or Nik, of course.

If he had something in his life worth keeping, someone to care for or look out for him, he wouldn’t have sold his soul. But he was young, upset over his captain’s death, and he wanted to do something about it. Dwelling on it won’t change anything, so Price has just accepted that Ghost will someday eat his soul.

Until then, they have work to do.

-

Yes, Nik is a bear-like lycan. He has blond fur with dark roots which led to Price nicknaming him ‘Blondie’. Considering Nik’s human form has black hair, no one gets why Price calls him that (until they see Nik turn, that is).

-

Dragon. Dragon anything, really. Fucking love dragons omg-

[geekishfangirl]

I can’t view Batman/Bruce as a real hero

So I’ve gotten into DC recently, or more specifically I’ve gotten into the Batfam, and the more I learn about Bruce Wayne the harder it is for me to look to him as a hero.

I’ll preface all this by saying I have consumed very little DC content, so if something I say is not actually canon pls let me know.

It started when I learned that this man seemingly has an absolute no kill rule. Not a “I try to avoid killing and only do it when absolutely necessary” rule, but a “I refuse to kill anyone no matter the circumstances” rule. I honestly hate this because it’s not effective in any way. Take the Joker for example, Batman has to fight him over and over again because they simply cannot seem to keep that man in prison and Batman won’t kill him or let anyone else do it. I think this is because he wants to believe that anyone can change, and they can, but just because they CAN doesn’t mean that they WILL. People have to choose to change and the Joker has had like 30 chances to do so, yet he continues to kill innocent people. How many innocents have to die before someone acknowledges that the Joker will never choose to be a better person and finally decide to do what’s necessary to protect everyone? They either need to find a way to keep him in jail or just take him out.

This got worse when I learned about Jason Todd. Here you have a poor boy taken in by Bruce, who idealizes him and views him as a father, and when he gets kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by the Joker he dies alone. When he is brought back to life, he’s mad at Bruce, not because Bruce didn’t save him, but Bruce didn’t kill the Joker to avenge him. Because Bruce didn’t love him more than he loved Justice. Hell, even on his grave, “A good soldier”. I’ve seen ppl say that maybe he didn’t say son because he didn’t want to erase their family ties and the kids never took his last name and sure, I get that. But putting a good soldier instead? He didn’t have to do that. Jason wasn’t a soldier, he was a little boy. It seems like Bruce forgets that about the Robins sometimes. (None of this is even getting into my feelings about Bruce taking in multiple children and having them fight crime, literally risking their lives every night but then this rant would be even longer)

And apparently Bruce fucking decks Dick because Dick was asking him why he let him become Robin before he was ready? Bro cannot take any criticism for his actions I swear. I mean, even if he never officially adopts them (I’m very confused on that tbh) he does still view them as his kids. He still helped raise them. After all, they were all underage when he met them and took them in. So to straight up deck your eldest and tell him to get out literally right after your other kid was murdered solely because he questioned you is actually wild.

Then you have the whole batarang incident, which just makes me question his morals more because he’s got the whole “no killing whatsoever” thing going on but then decides, “I won’t kill the man who murdered my son and countless other innocents, but I can and will slit my son’s throat and leave him for dead.” Like, HUH??? Also, didn’t Dick accidentally kill the Joker once and Bruce went out of his way to REVIVE HIM? Honestly feels like Bruce has some weird relationship with the Joker cause he seems to care about him more than anything. LET THAT MONSTER DIE!

I saw someone say that they thought the “no killing” thing wasn’t effective but was accurate to Bruce’s character because his vigilanteism isn’t actually mainly about helping but about punishing himself for what happened to his parents. And if you kill the villains when you need to, you can’t keep punishing yourself through fighting them. Like a self-sabotage thing. I thought that was super interesting but it would also just go along with him not being a truly effective hero, cause he won’t make the hard calls that are sometimes needed.

In conclusion, while I am sure Bruce has done good for people, it’s hard to see him as a truly effective hero (or a good person/father for that matter) when he does stuff like this.

[arclundarchivist]

[Spoilers C3E100] The Nuances…

I am obsessing over the nuances that Downfall has brought when it comes to the Gods and Aeor.

The Arch Heart is infinity seeking the finite. A tortured artist , a reveler who spoiled the revery. The fact that the two they chose to move through Aeor with are the one who hates them the most and the one who could grant them what they seek: Honesty. Finality.

They chose to be a work of mortal hands, they chose to create a place of merriment and life, giving a place to *be* for the creations and slaves of the dour and harsh kingdom around them.

They find beauty in an ending, *yet* they don’t seem to like the cost, *unless* it was for them alone.

They find beauty in Aeor, for their gift, taken from the hands of another, is what allowed it to be. Magic. Aeor, their mortal form, the Factorum Malleus, a poem, none of it would be possible if they had simply had restraint.

And the Spider Queen, she is the Goddess of Treachery. But how can she not be? When the *thing* she made was claimed by the one she first gave it to? Where is the credit? Where is the love? She is a Spider. She made the Weave. Yet the Clown has center stage.

The Matron’s nuance is best exemplified when you see the stark separation of her as a mortal and as a goddess. A harsh fascination with eternity and covetousness over death as she walks as a human once again. *Yet*, she lets her power flow and all be judgement *goes*, the harsh passion become soothing calm. She is not a judge. She is a guide. Her End is not final. It is a doorway. The next step. The Unknown. And I am reminded of her line in LoVM: “Death gives meaning to life.” Props to Laura for immediately channeling that energy.

Beauty and Death understand each other better than the others. Yet she, is not truly Kin, and *that* makes it easier to speak, because her understanding will not be colored by a joint past.

The Everlight, and her silent grief, the hole at the center of her finding a light she never could have expected.

“You are a miracle.”

A believer, in a den of deicide.

She means it, how could she not? She sees the innocence and the love, and the chance for this place to be built better.

She refuses to give up, *yet* again the hope she has for others is soured as the person tells her “We can help you, by murdering your kin.”

She doesn’t want that. No more than she wants Aeor to die.

There is only so many things she knows how to do.

But some wounds refuse to be healed. Some people simply will take the hand that aids.

She is stuck, in the midst of a fight she never wanted.

Because she loves. She can’t help it.

And there is something so interesting about Asmodeus’s reaction to that faith, that love.

It disgusts him, but why? Is it because he has had to force adoration, force loyalty, while for her she need simply be as she *is*.

Or is it because it forced him to remember when she had faith in him. When he loved her? Is the disgust internal?

Ayden believe so. The new Dawn, humble in his mean, recognizing the sorrow of the former and attempting to still find hope in this place where Hope should long be dead there is an naivety to him, and I have to wonder where it’s going to lead.

Because it is his soldiers, his forces that revealed the deception the plan. That rage that claim “if you wanted us to follow you, you should not have made us good” not misplaced and maybe it is just a mean he wears, but there is a goodness to him just as there is a goodness to Trist.

But you need not look far for where that anger could be funneling from a pious man of false face a very well accomplished liar. Would it be better if it is all just deception born from the archangel or would it be better if his rage were true because from the way, it seemed that angel before he died was on the precipice a fall of his own.

The Wildmother and the Lawbearer, ever dualistic, lovers representing concepts that many would consider alien. Yet they, more than any of the others know what the Calamity has cost Exandria.

Natural world devastated. Civilizations destroyed.

*Domunas Gone*

*Marquet Burned*

*Exandrians Dead*

Yet, one stood back while the other charged in when it came to a threat that could further unravel everything.

The Emissary, an attempt to bridge that gap. What is his purpose? A gift to her beloved? A being of the natural, elemental world, that seeks to comfort the ailing wild. He is so fascinated by love and life. He could he so much… Why did she send him, while she waits in the background planting a seed that will grow into something so foundational to the world. A new law. A new truth.

Yet the one time blame for so much of this devastation, seems to feel at least at times, a bit of remorse.

The Ruiner, was far from that once, a guardian, a defender, the first to act.

And destruction is not inherently evil, for they learned to wield it as a weapon against true entropy. Through their power something new would grow.

Yet… whose hand has marred the world more than theirs?

Of them all Torog is the one that is easiest to understand. He looked into the face of something even the infinite could not understand and it drove him mad. The pain, grants lucidity, why would he ever want it to stop? Pain is a lesson, pain is a teacher, pain reminds you what you must not do again.

The only I trust the least though… is Ioun. There is something she knows that she does not dare to speak. Why? What would it change? What good does hiding it do? Why do you pry so readily into the knowledge of others yet withhold your own? Has she been shaped by Aeor? Covetous of what she keeps?

All that is to say this story has compelling more than I thought it could, and I am both anxious and excited to see its end, to know the truth of the fall.

And my biggest worry, the biggest question that remains for me: “What are the Bell’s Hells thinking?”