#fighting for an ideal that doesn't exist and never existed and never could exist but you can't admit it or else what's the point

[runabout-river]

No matter what Gege does with Gojo, I don’t think it will be satisfying for me

I considered every option for what could possibly happen with Gojo, regardless of how likely I think they are, and I genuinely can't find myself considering any of them a satisfying conclusion.

**1. He is dead and no one will mention him in the last chapter.**

Hate this. So much. Random civilians in Shibuya were shown respect by Yuji in the middle of chaos and panic, but nobody has ANYTHING nice to say about Gojo?? Since the fight ended, we got Kusakabe saying he is at fault for not killing Yuji and Shoko calling him an idiot (endearingly) for not destroying Geto's body. Lovely.

**2. He is dead and somebody will say something or we will be shown a grave.**

Better but still bad. I feel like the ship has sailed at this point. They had a chance while reflecting on the fight and we got nothing. Megumi and Shoko were at Tsumiki's grave and... we got nothing. I think it's pretty safe to say no one will be mourning him in the last chapter, they're already going on missions after all. And a simple mention feels incredibly cold and empty.

**3. He is dead but will come back to life due to his soul still not departing and sacrificing one of the Six Eyes in a binding vow.**

I won't comment on how possible or not this is because Yuta managed to return to his body simply by being in proximity of Rika. If Gege wants to write it, he can. However, we are talking about the last chapter of the manga and this would absolutely take away the spotlight from Yuji. Not to mention that this route needs groundwork that I don't think 19 pages can provide for. ALSO, this still doesn't explain why nobody is sad or willing to acknowledge him because, to them, he is dead.

**4. He is actually alive and that's why nobody has been shown to be sad about him.**

Would make sense in terms of characters like Yuji and Yuta not showing any emotion towards him. But this isn't like Nobara's situation. Like I said, it needs build up. A character like Gojo should be shown making his choice, not just appearing out of nowhere. It would add absolutely nothing to his arc and would honestly be pure fanservice.

**5. The dream theory.**

I don’t know how much you've heard about this but there is a theory going around that these last chapters or more have all been a dream. I won't do any analysis on the validity of it because this isn't important to my point. "Who's dream?" is the actual question here.

**a) It is Yuji's dream.**

You want to tell me somebody as kind and compassionate as Yuji has no place for his teacher in his dream of a happier tomorrow? Get out of here.

**b) It is a collective dreamlike state, a product of Sukuna's activation of the Merger despite the rules imposed on it.**

Again, nobody, not a single soul, has it in their heart to include Gojo in their dream? In any way other than criticizing him? It would go against all the care Yuji and Yuta have shown for him and be a genuinely awful characterization. It would show he was actually not loved at all, something we know isn't true.

**c) It is Gojo's dream.**

So, Gojo is dreaming of a world where his body is used as a weapon, his students don't care enough to even mention his name and life goes on as if he never existed? He can imagine himself being blamed but not having a place in his ideal future? Do you want me to kill myself?

I would really like to hear opinions or other options if you have any. Right now, this is all just sad.

*Cracks Knuckles*

First of all, I have read the dream theory and I believe it's possible but for now we take the last chapters at face value.

Yes, the lack of any mourning for Gojo (and Choso) is sad and a sour note at the end of the manga. We already had this lack of regard for his death during the Shinjuku fights. There I could understand though how the characters pushed all their feelings to the side once Gojo had been defeated.

They needed to act fast and steadfast, so we got most of their concern and other emotions while Gojo was still fighting.

Now though there is no excuse anymore. JJK had alwasy been a little loose when it came to the slower and reflective moments but Gege had the space the previous chapter to fill it with somehting meaningful. Instead we got an unnecessary explanation of the New Shadow Style school system that's just plain unimportant three chapters before the end.

So in that regard, yes, Gege fumbled it. Even in the driest part of Gojo's death, there still should've been an earth-shattering shake up of the status quo the same way his birth had changed the jujutsu world. But that was also lacking because chapter 270 basically erased all conflict in the story.

So what will happen now?

Your option 1) hate it, too :D

Option 2) nothing to add. Perfectly said how Gojo should've already been talked about instead of letting it go to the last chapter where he most likely won't get centre stage.

Now to Option 3/4) First, the last chapter will be longer than 19 pages. It was either double or tripple the length of a normal chapter so there is more time to flesh the last things out. Second, I have my own theory on how Yuta using Kenjaku's CT on Gojo's body and then getting ejected from it, might've have permanently revived Gojo.

I don't like Gojo being just alive though because that would be anticlimatic and detrimental to the high stakes and emotions that came before. It would be just one more thing in this super happy ending everyone got (except Choso). What could work though is Gojo's body being alive but in a vegetatitve state. Then it would be open ended how his story would go on.

Now the thing about the dream theory is: Yuji only imagines the good things. That's why characters where their death was ambiguous are all alive and only those who had been 100% confirmed dead are dead. With Yuji doing the dreaming, he would push negative feelings about death away and mourning is one such feeling and he had done exactly that previously as well.

If this theory comes true, Yuji would be mourning way more than just Gojo's death at the end. He would also be mourning the good end he envisioned for everyone. And that's sad but also... what I would prefer in contrast with this sugar cloud of a happy ending.

[kroosluvr]

temptation

i lowkey have too many notes to write down properly KDFHKDS but ill write them down for Future Cele so i can read it later and be like omggg past cele ur so fun and interesting

in general, the more "color" the scenes have, the closer it is to "real life" as opposed to the muted/hushed winter blues of maruki's reality

i.e. the dark frames w akira smiling and the very last panel are when reality sinks in: first for akira, then for goro

by the way this is long winter au but sumire is still brainwashed. this also works for canonverse but i just had long winter au in mind:o

youve heard of laundry and taxes now get ready for coffee and pastries

in every panel, akira is smiling! :) and goro is very much not smiling.

intentionally his face is hidden in the last 2 pages so its unclear whether it's the "ideal reality" already (akira/goro's daydreams/wants/desires), or if goro is still fighting akira on making sure he picks the right choice

the smoke from the first page kinda leads into the 3rd page omfg COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONAL BUT REALLY COOL LMAOOO

that's nameless and belladonna in jazz jin!!! i love them. I LOVETHEM. i miss them so bad is it obvious

the cafe is loosely based off of caffe strada @ uc berkeley LMAO. my parents used to take me there a lot as a little kid so that's the first cafe i think of when i imagine one. its like right on the streetside, basically on the sidewalk, so its very bustling and people are always walking by... probably a little disconcerting to see everyones summery bright smiles despite the bitter cold and snow

in long winter AU, the Ideal Reality starts before 1/1 so yeah they get to see the new years fireworks together (or something)

also intentional that they wear the same winter outfits in the whole comic although it Probably does not take place at the same time. in maruki's snowglobe, time seems frozen in place... but akira and goro are both acutely aware that the sands are running thru QUICK

goro's frustrated expression on page 3 is one also of disdain: "don't speak FOR me you fucking imbecile" type of expression.

goro, who's never lived a normal life and therefore doesn't know much abt "normalcy" nor really actively seeks it. this 3rd semester is basically purgatory for him and he doesn't care to try and go through the motions the way akira does. akira what do YOU know about the type of "normalcy" i deserve? how do YOU know if i "deserve" that?

im thinking that this is a naive akira who is mostly set on taking the deal because he feels hopeless... seeing all his friends with good happy lives while goro and himself are alive and miserable and shouldering the weight of the world during the horror of long winter......

oh but if he takes the deal they could all be good and alive and happy!!!.... and goro knows this. i feel like in any other universe (i.e. akira is 100% certain on not taking the deal and goro knows this) then goro would be happy and carefree to do these little indulgences for himself and akira's sake, to just enjoy the snowglobe world while it exists.

but this goro is discontent. he sees how akira is enjoying the snowglobe and knows maruki is depending on this. goro has to be the one to remind akira that none of this is his to keep........ in this fucked up world, routine is dangerous. becoming comfortable is dangerous. they cannot keep any of this.

on that note, goro says "i hate you" in a halfhearted sort of way (it's not true and akira knows that.) but he's trying to think of a way that he can dissuade akira from picking the wrong choice.....

and i think the thing is, goro thinks all of this, but he still falls into the rhythm of routine with akira anyway. in a way, goro feels hopeless too.

all of this is maruki's doing........ paralyzed by the inability to choose... whatever you do, you lose. goro needs to hold akira at arm's length so the stupid sentimental fool doesn't get too attached and falls into the wrong universe. akira needs to make a concentrated effort to detach himself from goro even though he wants the simplest thing in the world: just one more unremarkable day with him. it's lose-lose..........,

also i liked drawing the tentacles in the last pic the freaking blue lines on them were SO satisfying to draw

edit: also the last page: the blood flooding the panel….. the idea of the ideal world being built off of the blood and sweat and tears and bodies of the people who could have been. of those lost in the actualization, of those destroyed, of those stitched together and brought back to life. all just for a little false happiness. goro sees it but akira doesn’t, and it’s a grim sight.

[zephyrchama]

I was reading your period one. The funny thing is, I am pretty sure human guys might smell periods too? I'm not really sure...call me crazy but like, my boyfriend can smell my period room it's probably from him being around me 24/7 so it's why he can smell it a small bit i think, so I get more chocolate. Weird thing, huh.

(In reference to this post)

Some people absolutely can! I have a friend who describes it as a faint rotten metallic smell, he's always spot-on at telling when someone is on their period. He has to be within a couple feet of them, but he can tell even if he hardly knows the person. I think my friend is a super rare case though, and like with your boyfriend some people might be able to tell if they're really close? In a vast majority of cases people can't tell, or they don't care enough to think about it.

~

Solomon being able to smell it right off the bat seems too powerful. MC going to him for assistance is already awkward, it doesn't exactly feel normal to talk to acquaintances about personal menstrual cycles. But if he can't smell it, he'll need someone who can to help with their experiments. Otherwise, how can he tell if the spell is a success?

"You can't bring in Luke or Simeon, absolutely not. Never." MC is adamant about not involving anyone else. They hadn't noticed the angels reacting in any way to their period, but if it turns out they could also smell it all along? That's just too embarrassing. Let MC keep their perfect image of the angels intact. "You can't tell them about this, either."

"One of the brothers, then?" Solomon asks.

MC hmms and haws. They know for sure the brothers can smell it, but... That's not ideal, either.

"How about I summon Asmodeus or Barbatos? I can make sure they keep their lips sealed."

Barbatos is sure to keep quiet even without being asked, but MC doesn't want to involve anyone else. Especially not...

"Lord Diavolo? We can ask him? It has to do with his exchange program, after all," Solomon teased.

"We are absolutely not asking the crown prince of the Devildom to sniff my period blood." MC pressed their hands against their eyes. "I'd honestly rather perish on the spot. Can't you do anything? Invent some kind of sensor or a magic litmus test? Or... something. Make your nose better? I don't know." They didn't even know magic was real a few months ago.

"You know, you're right." If Solomon can't naturally smell it, a simple sense enhancing spell would do the trick. "You'd be okay with that?"

A few seconds of thought go by. "If it's you, yeah. I've already troubled you this much. Thanks for letting me rely on you."

Solomon says a few things faster than MC can catch and taps his nose. Suddenly, he's sniffing the air in an embarrassingly familiar way and MC's face turns red.

"I see." Solomon grabs a pen and starts jotting something down on a random page of an empty book.

MC curiously tries to look over his shoulder. Though, they're careful not to get too close. They still have dignity and want to mitigate their smell as much as possible. "What's that? You've already thought of a spell that can cover it up? You're a genius!"

"Hm? Oh, no. I thought of that ages ago. I'm taking notes on what you smell like. It's pretty unique now that I can sense it." All in the name of science.

Fighting cramps and lethargy, MC dives for the notebook and snatches it out of Solomon's hands. No way they're letting a record of this exist.

[burst-of-iridescent]

i really hate it when people act as though zuko is being selfish or self-serving in some way when he tells aang in the finale that the only choice he has is to kill ozai because a) at this point, zuko is right and b) zuko's brutal honesty here is coming from a place of fear for both aang and the world.

are we all forgetting that unlearning his own idealization of his father and realizing that ozai never had been, and was never going to be, the person zuko thought he was, was a significant part of zuko's own arc? it took him sixteen years to understand that giving ozai any grace or understanding or forgiveness was a mistake, because it would be just another tool for ozai to manipulate him with. and that's not zuko's fault, because he was an abused child growing up in an incredibly damaging environment, but it does make sense that he doesn't want anyone else, especially aang, doing the same thing.

zuko is harsh on aang here because he sees in aang the person that he used to be - the innocent, naive kid who wanted so desperately to believe that ozai wasn't a monster, that there was any shred of humanity within him at all to be appealed to. it's not a coincidence in this show so rife with parallels that aang goes to face ozai at around the same age that zuko has his agni kai. and what did it get zuko, when he threw himself at his father's mercy and counted on ozai's non-existent humanity and compassion to save him?

zuko isn't coming down hard on aang because he's angry that "aang won't do his dirty work for him" or whatever other bullshit version of this argument i've seen zuko antis make - he HAS to impress upon aang how dire this situation is because he knows better than anyone that believing for even a second that ozai can be redeemed is incredibly dangerous. aang cannot give ozai an inch because it will only be used against him (and indeed, this does happen in the final battle when aang turns down the opportunity to redirect lightning at ozai and in return ozai presses his advantage to the point where aang would almost certainly have been killed if not for rock ex-machina).

furthermore, this idea that zuko wanted ozai dead for self-serving reasons doesn't really have much basis either, because if that was the case zuko could have just killed ozai himself during the solstice. he doesn't because at that point, he still had an alternative: aang (and you'll notice his word choices never explicitly refer to what ozai's fate will be; it's only "i'm going to help him defeat you" or "taking you down is the avatar's destiny"). as with many abused children, it's likely that zuko himself didn't really know if he wanted his father dead, but when it came down to the final battle without any other viable options presenting themselves, it was something he had to resign himself - and aang - to.

zuko himself does not lack faith in others (in fact, his whole journey is about understanding that his love for and belief in humanity is a strength, not a weakness) but he's learned the hard way that having this faith in the wrong people can result in devastating consequences, especially when the stakes are so high.

i imagine it terrified zuko to see the echoes of his younger self in aang, knowing he's sending him to face his father at the height of his power. at this point, with no knowledge of energybending or any alternative way to defeat ozai, well aware that a fight with his father can only end in bloodshed, zuko has no choice but to give aang the reality of the situation: kill, or be killed and doom the world alongside you.

[shadowed-dancer]

Villains and Their Fates - A Tragedy Would Have Been Fine By Me

I've seen a lot of people who try to write off frustration with the league's fates by saying "you just wanted them to survive" or "you're just upset your favourite character died". And while that may be true for a few people, I know that it's at least not true for myself (which must mean there are others who feel the same way). So today I'm here to share my thoughts. Despite liking the villains and wanting them to be redeemed, I was also willing to accept a well written ending if they died. I just wanted to ramble a bit about the three main villains (mostly Toga) and how I felt a tragic ending could have been improved.

The only villain I felt should have lived is Dabi, but that's more because of the awkwardness his unconfirmed death caused for Shoto (read this beautifully written analysis for more). If Dabi had to die, he should have died on the battle field OR in the hospital surrounded by family where he gets a few last words in. Leaving his fate unconfirmed leads to the ruined Shoto arc, but is also just weird for a character who has existed for so long. You're telling me that even Overhaul gets a confirmed ending but DABI doesn't?

I've also talked a bit about how Endeavor's survival ruins the subplot, and in 426 he continues by making Touya's final appearance about him (rather than the two brothers) but that's something I've talked about too much. If Endeavor has to be alive and hogging screen time, the least Hori could do is imply Touya will survive rather than die, so at least Enji isn't literally stealing time from his other family members to have some interaction with Touya.

If Touya has to end up in that machine, an ideal ending would have been the doctor saying "it will be a gruelling and near-impossible uphill climb to recovery" and then Shoto can smile and say "he's done it before". Boom. Simple as that. Leave it open, but at least on a positive note so we can assume that the family will have plenty of time to reconcile, as opposed to an unknown (but limited) amount of time that Enji vows to use to talk to him (yeah I know it's supposed to be a sweet gesture but even Touya calls bullshit on it). Let Shoto and Touya eat their soba, damn it!

For Shigaraki, my grievances extend to the writing of the entire final battle between him and Deku. As such, I don't have much to say aside from that because it really is just a product of poor writing. Neither were really allowed to talk before the big moment (hell, the vestiges were narrating Deku's emotions half the time like "he must be upset, this quirk meant so much to him". Why not let him tell us???) and the back-and-forth of Shigaraki being destroyed and then not only to be destroyed again was too much. It felt sloppy and hard to follow, and once you figured it out it just felt dumb. It's as if each chapter needed some massive reveal, but the story had done it so much at this point that it just felt tired and like it was happening "because Hori said so", and that should never be what drives a story.

Speaking of "because Hori said so"...

Oh Toga. Out of all the villains, I actually liked her confrontation the most. (Lies. If Dabi vs Shoto was the end of Dabi's fight, THAT would have been the best. But the Endeavor fight ruins it). Despite having limited screen time, Toga and Uraraka had a surprisingly well-built dynamic. Their few interactions were actually meaningful and created a strong foundation for a fight, and at the very least they had more of a personal connection than Deku and Shigaraki ever did. I think that Toga giving her blood to someone she loves (as opposed to drinking/taking their blood like she had said the whole series) is a beautifully tragic end to her character, but still something that could have fit.

To me, the problem comes with how she died. Let me replay the scene for you: Toga stabs Uraraka in the stomach and Uraraka bleeds too much because she keeps moving around. Toga then realizes she doesn't want Uraraka to die. To save her life, Toga has to do a blood transfusion with herself as a donor and she dies because she has to give ALL her blood.

Now... sure. Ok. Fine. Yeah. Maybe by real-world logic this makes sense. I guess. Whatever. But within the world of MHA, this setup is laughable.

Here's a list of things characters survived (or at least, they survived LONG ENOUGH to get to a hospital rather than dying on the battlefield): Deku shattering his bones with 1 million percent, whatever happened to Best Jeanist when AFO attacked him, Nighteye getting a massive spike through the torso, All Might with "his entrails strewn across the ground", Bakugo becoming Swiss cheese, Grand Torino being punched so hard a crater forms beneath him, Touya being a literal flaming skeleton, Bakugo's heart exploding, Edgeshot becoming a worm. Mirko getting a limb ripped off and then running full speed at Shigaraki. That's just off the top of my head, I know there's probably more.

But you want to tell me that Uraraka getting stabbed and then moving was a fatal wound that required ALL TOGA'S BLOOD? ALL OF IT? The reason Toga's death bothers me is that the setup cheapens the actual moment of sacrifice. It feels preventable, so when she tells us that Uraraka is going to die without her blood, all I could do is roll my eyes because I'm not allowed to use critical thinking skills, I have to just accept what Hori says and take it at face value.

If the author wants you to live as Edgeworm despite saying you were gonna die, you can. But if the author needs a stab wound to be fatal and require ALL of someone's blood? Well tough luck bud, that's just how it goes. Mirko can run and move all she wants after having a limb ripped off, but moving a bit after one stab wound is fatal. Why? Because I say so.

If Uraraka's wound was actually serious then this ending would have been a beautiful tragedy. But as it stands now, the ridiculousness of her wound makes it all feel preventable.

Oh, there's also the fact that Toga switching blood types when she transforms was never established, but I've rambled enough.

That's it. Thanks for reading!

[hazerun3]

Hello user Hazerun3. In front of you there are 2 photos of Passive Nightmare. Corporate wants you to explain the difference between Swan and Passive NM

my handwriting is shit actually so heres the list

Passive NM:

-stewing in resentment and is gonna explode

-so much hate brewing

-prideful, almost out of spite

-relationship with Dream is fucked

-sees Dream as a traitor

-fav book is a revenge story

-Doesnt want to die (fights back)

-Obsession with ideals of nobility (both senses) from his books

-internalised the idea that theres something inherently evil about him (leads into proud acceptance of being a "demon". He is the King of Negativity after all)

Swan (baby):

-He is Coping by dissociating and escapisming so fucking hard

-cant really hate, anger has never won him any favours

-knows swad would go insane w/o him

-doing his best not to burden swad (fails)

-Doesnt want to die (desperate, "please dont leave me alone, brother" but the self preservation is already so beaten out of him he doesn't even consider the apples)

-"Nobility", riches, glory, pride- all dont really matter to him

-internalised the idea that theres something inherently evil about him (people hating him is a fact of life. You could beat him up and hed apologise for existing)

[tossawary]

Regarding "The Hobbit" film trilogy, even if I ended up personally disliking and resenting how much time and focus the elf characters (and others) ended up taking away from the dwarves whom I think deserved more focus as rich internal characters (I know that studio pressures are a factor in that terrible love triangle and so on), I still... vaguely appreciate the effort to create and include named female characters like Tauriel, when the book is sadly lacking in them. I think she's fine, actually. Comparatively, there are many other elements in these adaptations that I think are much, MUCH worse.

But still, if you want to add female characters to this story, the obvious answer to me seems to be to just make half the Company into dwarf women? (With similarly fancy beards and other facial hair! Because I think that's fun.) It's just... so much easier?

Do NOT come at me with that "dwarf women are rare" bullshit. Unreliable narration. Logistically unlikely. Also, if you believe that "men are the warriors and craftsmen, the women stay at home" is how dwarf society strictly functions (boring, honestly, on top of being incredibly sexist), I could argue that the Battle of Azanulbizar and other struggles probably left a significant dent in this dwarf group's male population, leaving behind many widows and mothers without children to pick up the work. The battlefields have come to and TAKEN both Erebor and Moria from the dwarves. I see no good reason why dwarf women would not have equal investment in reclaiming their home and the gold. Many of the Company are not presented to be formally trained warriors, anyway.

Now, ideally, we could do way queerer stuff in terms of both romance and gender here, but we know cowards with veto powers would not let this happen. Still, I feel like basic genderbending would have been a very doable move and is, actually, a very reasonable ask of an adaptation that would have added some depth to the story even if you didn't acknowledge the change at all.

Like, preferably, this would be an adaptational change that would be directly addressed. Maybe all of the Company appear male at first due to traveling that way (and assumptions made by humans and hobbits), then Bilbo might learn that some of the Company are dwarf women when he becomes closer to all of them. We could have a brief scene acknowledging that dwarf women are fighting these battles for their pasts and their futures too. It doesn't have to be a big thing! They can just be there. Existing. Participating.

I even think it would be fun if two of the dwarves were actually an older married couple traveling together, instead of brothers or cousins, because loving married bickering and battle couples are fun. You can have running jokes in the background about how Smaug's invasion ruined their wedding day, and going back and forth with "you never take me anywhere nice" @ each other whenever they're stuck in Goblintown or the Mirkwood dungeons. (I like seeing good marriages & partnerships in fiction and established couples going on fantasy quests together. I just think it's neat.)

But another (sillier) direction is that you could just cast some actresses in beards to play some of the dwarves, then leave the fact that some of these characters are probably dwarf women (traveling as men) as a fun detail for the audience. Bilbo is either too oblivious to notice or much too polite to bring it up at all. It's canonically compliant to the text this way!

Now, obviously some few people would have complained that Tolkien's work was being ruined by "political correctness", but they complained anyway about Tauriel (when there are MANY other bad choices in these movies), and what worthwhile arguments could they have possibly made against genderbending some of the THIRTEEN dwarves? Like, most casual fans I know cannot NAME the entire Company, who get so little character development in the book that the films had to come up with unique designs and backgrounds for most of them anyway. Bro (directed towards someone objecting to the idea of including female dwarves), be real, there's no way that you honestly cared this much about "Nori the Dwarf" before right now.

[drearycrow]

omg i loved your fyodor yan alphabet, do you think you could do one for ranpo? ty!

Notes: I'm glad that you enjoyed it! I loved writing the yandere headcanons for Ranpo. It was a lot of fun! Hope you enjoy

Affection: How do they show their love and affection. How intense would it get?

He is very affectionate to you all the time and gets pouty if you don't give him attention. The love you get from Ranpo is intense. All he wants to do is to be cuddling with you at home.

Blood: How messy are they willing to get for their darling?

Ranpo won't ever kill anyone under any circumstances. The idea of it makes him sick to his stomach.

Cruelty: How would they treat their darling once abducted? Would they mock them?

Ranpo mocks you non stop after he abducts you. He makes remarks about how oblivious you were to his advances.

Darling: Aside from abduction, would they do anything against their Darling's will?

He will never do anything against your will. He loves you too much to lay a finger on you.

Exposed: How much of their heart do they bare to their darling? How vulnerable are they when it comes to their darling?

Ranpo tells you everything about himself. He doesn't hide anything from you. He hopes you open up to him as well.

Fight: How would they feel if their darling fought back?

Probably finds it a bit annoying that you are fighting back. He stands there looking at you not amused by your behavior.

Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy their darling try to escape.

Good luck even trying to escape from Ranpo. He can immediately deduce you attempting to escape from him. You will just get dragged back to his room where he mocks you for daring to escape his love.

Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

You were sent on a case with Dazai but Ranpo started getting upset that about it. He kept telling you that the case is too dangerous and you're better off staying at the Agency where you're guaranteed safety. He kept making excuses to not have you be alone with Dazai. He got so fed up about it that it made it snap, yelling at you in front of everyone. Ranpo felt immediate guilt for doing that to you.

Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling?

Ranpo wants to spend the rest of his life with you. The thought of both of you living happily together makes him smile. It's the only thing he wants.

Jealousy: Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope? 

Ranpo gets jealous very easily and it's quite obvious when he is. He pouts angrily when someone takes your attention away from him. He kisses you, holds your hand, hugs you and anything to make it obvious to the other person that you're his. Poe hardly sees you because Ranpo is scared that you might leave him for his friend.

Kisses: How do they act around or with their darling?

Ranpo loves to be by your side at all times. He's always hugging you or giving you kisses all over your face. He's overall happy when you're around.

Love letters: How would they go about courting or approaching their darling?

You get sent to work on cases with him, mainly helping him navigate the subway. Ranpo always asks for your help and doesn't let you work with anyone else. He wants to spend more time with you without anyone getting in his way.

Mask: Are their true colors drastically different from the way they act around everyone else?

Not really. Ranpo acts the same with you and everyone else. He's more clingy when you're around and wants attention at all times.

Naughty: How would they punish their darling?

The most he does as a punishment is not share snacks with you or completely ignore you for a while. It could last from a few hours to a whole week. You don't exist in his eyes when he is like this.

Oppression: How many rights would they take away from their darling?

Not much really. The most you aren't allowed to do is work on cases by yourself and being alone with another man. Ranpo gets jealous very easily if you are talking to someone else other than him.

Patience: How patient are they with their darling?

Ranpo can quickly lose his patience if you're ignoring him. He will make remarks about mean you are being for ignoring him like that or will mock you until you give in.

Quit: If their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on?

Ranpo wouldn't be the same if you were to die. He loses all hope in the world and doesn't want to be around anyone. The sadness consumes him so much that he gives up being a detective. If you were to escape, Ranpo already knows where you went with his deduction skills. He immediately heads over there to bring you back home with him whether you want to or not.

Regret: Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling? Would they ever let their darling go?

Ranpo feels immediate guilt for kidnapping you when you are sleeping peacefully, unaware of what was about to happen. The fact that he took you away from your close friends and family makes him rethink what he is doing. He wouldn't let you go back to live your normal life. At most, he gives you the freedom to do what you like as long as you aren't alone with another man.

Stigma: What brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc.)

Growing up being an orphan was very difficult for Ranpo. All he had was Fukuzawa as his parental figure and the only person to genuinely love him. He wanted someone else to love him back and you were the unfortunate soul to cross his line of view.

Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

Seeing you isolate yourself from the world or in a upset mood makes Ranpo worry a lot. He thinks he did something wrong to get this kind of treatment and his head gets a lot of thoughts running through. He does anything to cheer you up and see that beautiful smile again.

Unique: Would they do anything different from the classic yandere?

Ranpo doesn't like the idea of hurting you or anyone else in a physical manner. Using violence to get what he wants is absolutely terrible in his eyes. Ranpo is a very loving man and if anyone dares to lay a finger on you, he won't hesitate to blackmail them into leaving you alone forever.

Vice: What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

Sweets and snacks. Ranpo can easily tell that you're trying to exploit his weakness for sweets but he doesn't mind. It's free snacks and you remember all of his favorites which makes him happy. He won't let you go though.

Wit’s end: Would they ever hurt their darling?

It's a hard no. Ranpo respects you as a person and his lover. Hurting you in any way, especially in a physical manner is horrible and he thinks he deserves to die if he ever did that to you.

Xoanon: How much would they revere or worship their darling? To what length would they go to win their darling over?

You get spoiled a lot by Ranpo with free snacks from his stash. It's an honor to even get a piece of candy from him since he never shares with anyone else. You also get small gifts here and there to show his appreciation to your hard work and dedication at the Agency.

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

A few months to a year before he snaps. Ranpo wouldn't last that long without you by his side. Seeing you be happy when he's around makes his heart beat rapidly with love.

Zenith: Would they ever break their darling?

Ranpo would never break you in any way, shape or form. He's too sweet and loving to do any harm to you.

[artsy-waffle19]

officially going insane rn: so I'm rewatching s1 and I just realised that Aziraphale actually says "I forgive you" TWICE in the first season. Once when Crowley says the great plan is horrible and suggests running away together for the first time ("may you be forgiven" "unforgivable is part of the job description") and when crowley apologises and says azira is stupid for wanting to talk to a higher authority over the issue ("you're usually so clever how can someone so clever be so stupid" "i forgive you") and both times it's a situation in which crowley asks for more than zira is willing to give "run away with me/join OUR side"/ "stop idealising heaven/god when they're so clearly not ideal" and usually when aziraphale says "i forgive you" what he means is "I'm not gonna do that (yet) and i forgive you for crossing that line before I was ready" (he never actually says "no" because he clearly knows that he should (and wants to) do those things but isn't ready for them and mad at crowley for bringing them to his attention).

And the sad thing is that most of the time, all Crowley is asking, is for Aziraphale to call the things what they are.

But part of aziraphales process is "doing the things but never calling them what they are" let me elaborate: "There is no OUR side" but "I thought we carved this existence out for OURselves" and "this is technically YOUR car just as this is technically MY bookshop (they're both OURS though)". He won't ever question god and heaven, he'll give away his sword and save the children anyways. He won't confess his love but he'll hypnotyse everyone at the shopkeepers meeting so can ask Crowley to dance.

In his mind: He can do whatever he wants as long as he doesn't have to call it anything that would indicate it strays from what he's supposed to do. If he can twist the words to describe it as something holy, he can do it, even if that doesn't actually describe what he's doing or why he's doing it.

But the thing is that Crowley doesn't care about sides and he doesn't care about others approval. He'd rather lie entirely in his reports back to hell about having dones stuff he actually didn't do (the spanish inquisition/ the french revolution) than to stretch the truth or bend words to make him technically speak the truth. He always did, which is partially also a reason why he fell. For him, that trait of his, saying those things out loud is the reason why he's a demon, it's what makes him "unforgivable"

Now he doesn't want that same fate for Aziraphale, which is also why he respects the "you go too fast for me" because Armageddon isn't about to come then and they're still stuck in certain limitations. In situations in which "calling it what it is" could also cause Aziraphale to become a demon, "unforgivable"

But as soon as the apocalypse is about to start or as soon as they're free from heaven and hell he asks Aziraphale to take the chance and just quit it.

In those situations he starts asking for what he knows Aziraphale wants to give, saying the things out loud they've been dancing around for centuries. "We're on OUR side (you never gave a fuck about the rules and the ideals of heaven, not since the day I met you, now just accept that you don't want to be a part of this and go with me like you always have)", "how can someone so clever be so stupid (you know that this won't work, you know that they won't change, please just accept what you already know and come with me)", and finally: "we're a team, a group, a group of the two of us and we spent our existence pretending that we aren't (need I say more? I mean he says it loud and clear: we're basically a couple and we both know it but we never call it what it is. Please call it what it is)"

But every single time everything he gets back is an "I forgive you" "I forgive you for saying that out loud, even though it's something unforgivable" and everytime he goes back to how things were before without further protest. They have a fight, Aziraphale "forgives him", they leave, they come back to each other with the things unchanged, they do it again. And every single time Crowley backs down and accepts the situation. He accepts the "forgiveness" for saying what Aziraphale can't.

Except for in s2 e6 because this time he refuses to call it anything but love. This time he won't back down and do what aziraphale wants him to do, which would be: become an angle, be forgiven.

Because if being an angle, if being forgiven, means bending the truth and dancing around words, means never getting to be on OUR side, means never getting to be an US, means never getting to say "I love you" to the one person that matters, then he doesn't want to be forgiven.

so he tells Aziraphale "don't bother"

[popawritter12]

How about Yandere Kuai Liang x female reader, where Kuai Liang is jealous of the reader's relationship with Smoke and kidnaps the reader so he could be with her? Smoke finds out about and rescues the reader.

Yandere! Kuai liang x Female! reader

Author's notes: Sorry if it took too long, I had a creative block. But we're back to our old ways! I hope you like this one-shot (although it has a little surprise at the end <3)

Yandere Character: Kuai Liang

From the videogame/movie/serie/manga/anime: Mortal Kombat 1

Case: Jealousy, kidnapping, intent of rescued and a a poorly narrated fight.

Warning: Nothing.

Finished: Yes

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

He was his brother, he had never understood why he felt that way, especially about him, after all he was his best friend, he was the person he trusted the most; even more so than his blood brother.

But that fear always existed in him in the depths of his soul, he knew and knew very well the fact that he was willing to harm others if necessary, especially that feeling emerged much more strongly when Tomas was close to her, when he was so close to his darling.

That's why he had to resort to this; He never knew if this was right or wrong, many nights he wondered if he was really doing the right thing, if he was right to lock her up like this, to keep her away from everyone and especially from that gray-haired man who had caused him so many problems.

In his head, there was the constant struggle of whether he could have done everything differently, but he couldn't help it. Every time he tried to get close to her, there was him. It didn't matter where he was, it didn't matter the time, nor the time, it was as if he knew when to act. And the thought that her dearest brother was acting on her mind to keep her all to himself and keep her away from him, and who knows how many other horrendous things!

She was in danger, but no…, he was his brother, a man who was raised under the same ideals as him, and who was willing to honor his clan with the same intensity as him, who had to give his life for the clan. If necessary, he had to be disciplined, kind, and give his best.

But then, if he had ended up committing such horrendous crimes, what would stop Tomas from doing the same?

And why doesn't he care better about Bi-Han? I mean, he could hurt her for angry issues.

No, Bi-Han doesn't want to be with someone, and he didn't care in the slightest about her existence, much less the infatuation that was in Kuai Liang's heart.

Bi-Han couldn't care less about his (Name)!

But Smoke…, he was that person who had so much hindered her approach to him. The one who was always closer to her, closer to her, and who had her as his damn best friend.

He was always one step ahead of him.

But that wasn't the important thing now! He already had (Name) in his arms, why worry about Tomas?, and it was obvious that he was not interested in knowing what Tomas wanted to do about her disappearance, and although he seemed worried, it was just a fake felling, something fake like a mask he had formed especially for this situation

Even as his stomach turned as he comforted the man who was called his brother, his heart and mind only thought of one thing; the excitement he felt knowing that she finally belonged to him, the thought that he should no longer worry about him because it wouldn't be necessary to harm him, much less kill him.

He was different, he just wanted to be with her and he smiled every time he saw her near him, he never wanted her as a partner, he only wanted her to have her as his best friend; He always smiled and felt safe around her, however that generated a lot of distrust in his brother. It was ironic to know that it was Smoke who had introduced her dear friend to him, introducing her as one of her best friends, a person she had met outside of Liang and Bi-Han and the Lin Kuei home.

That's why he felt too disgusted with the idea of feeling so bad seeing him around her, but his heart had the thought that he was to blame, that he never left her and was too stupid to find the answers for the feelings that his brother had for her.

Yes, it was Tomas fault, it wasn't his for having fallen in love… after all he was human too!

It was his fault for not noticing it and not for having taken caution when seeing how other people around her disappeared.

It was his fault for not realizing how much Liang longed to have her close to him.

It was his fault for refusing to stay away from her when he simply asked if he could keep his distance from her.

It was all his fault!

He didn't want him to be happy with her!

But that's why he was afraid, that's why he thought that he knew this, that his brother knew what he had done, the sin he had committed and all the crimes that were behind him, but it was never like that, and yet that feeling of uncertainty always remained within his heart, even now with her beneath him asking over and over again what he had done why he was hurting her like this.

And now, it all comes down to this.

—Let go of me now, Liang, —the woman threatened, her gaze meeting that of the man in front of her.

—Honey, I can't do that. —he said, worried.

—Why you can't? Your reasons literally make no head or tail.

—It's not that, (Name), I know you won't understand, at least not now. —He mentions, the pads of his fingers playing with each other.

—There is nothing I don't understand! —The woman raised her voice—, you are the one who doesn't understand that this is just so fucking evil.

The man snorted, still feeling that fervor of hope that she would accept this relationship, longing to receive her warmly in her arms and provide him with that comfort that he always wanted to give her.

—Please, (Name), you have to understand, I can't just…

He hears the door open abruptly.

The familiar shadow enters the stage, at the same time that heavy, protesting gasps resonate with his abrupt arrival; Tomas had finally found them, or rather he had found where his dear brother had the woman he considered his best friend and almost his sister from another mother at large.

—So you had hidden her here, right? —The gray-haired man joked, an attempt at mockery going slightly unnoticed in his appearance—don't you think this place is a little… awkward for a woman?

It was a dusty room from a house that the world vaguely knew about, since the Lin Kuei clan had discovered this ruined place a few years ago and had never taken it into account due to the lack of need to resort to acting on it. same house, so Kuai Liang was surprised to notice that his brother had indeed been found earlier than expected.

It was more than obvious that this was not the place where his darling belonged, —and it was never going to be— since it was simply a temporary hiding place until things had calmed down and he could take her somewhere a little safer and away from the crowds; but it seemed his lie had been discovered faster than he could have expected.

On the contrary, the woman was happy, a smile adorned her face when she heard that man's voice, knowing that at least during that time she had the possibility of waiting for him to rescue her, that he could took her to a safe place away from this man who said how much he loved her that he had only kidnapped her for love.

The discussion was increasing in intensity as the tension grew in the air, neither of the two was willing to give in to the other, which led to a fairly obvious conclusion for both the woman and the two men present.

Tomas knew from the beginning that there was a possibility that he would have to fight with the person responsible for the disappearance of the woman he loved so much as a friend, but he did not expect to have to fight with his own brother, and not with Bi-Han, where even though it was more justifiable because of how badly he treated him, no… it was with Liang, his brother, the person who received him kindly with the simple fact that he liked him. That feeling destroyed him mentally, but at that moment he was not there to talk about his feelings.

—I don't want to fight you, Liang —Smoke clarifies, —, but I can't accept that you want to do this to (Name)."

—You don't understand this, even if I explained it to you. —Liang's tone of voice changes, a seriousness in his voice appearing as he shifts his focus to Tomas.

—You're the one who doesn't understand it.

Tomas tries to approach Liang, his arms lowered, a look that only reflected tremendous disappointment, a disappointment that in turn was a wish, a longing for him to repent and accept his mistake, but in his mind, he was determined to do anything to keep his best friend, his- (Name), safe.

—There are other ways to solve this.

—Do those ways include you taking (Name) away from me?

She, confused but with her heart pumping blood with pure fervor and adrenaline, knew that she would only be able to struggle against the rope. So, out of obvious intuition, her hands began to move abruptly. She tried to be silent, and in turn, Tomas heard the sound of the rope moving a little, so he knew that she had to distract Liang.

—Why do all your thoughts orbit around the idea of me taking you away from her? —Tomas tries to stay close to her brother —, I won't take you away from her, I just want to help you.

Liang looked unfriendly, his frown resembling that of her brother Bi-Han, which reminded her somewhat of him.

And the mere thought of Liang ending up on Bi-Han's side made him sick, made him feel like his chest was sinking into her chest just by thinking about it.

—I don't want to hurt you, I know you can take another path, be you again. You could even...—Tomas pauses for a second, his thoughts darkening at the thought of him even wanting to be close to her again—..,you could try dating other people.

And those words, those measly words ignited that anger inside Liang, and hearing the accidentally loud noise of the rope giving a little to his grip ended up overwhelming his mind, finally leading him to remember the reason for the actions. her.

He didn't do it for his own pleasure, or because he loved seeing (Name) suffer.

He loved her, he wanted her, he wanted to be close to her and touch her skin, to be able to receive affection from her and provide protection and a lot, a lot of love to that woman who caused so many things in his nervous system—Or body in general—.

Tomas could barely see the cut on his cheek coming.

He had aimed at his eye, his damn left eye.

Blood gushing from the wound, and he took several steps back.

The chain approached him quickly, and he knew there was no other way.

Oh sweetheart, there could be no other way.

It was more than obvious that the first advance was made by Liang, rushing his body towards Smoke, and even if he tried to avoid attacking him, it was impossible to always escape from him, and when he felt the skin of his arm being burned, he knew that he was willing to treat him as his damned enemy. Maybe it was fate that knew how to play with the mind of the adopted young man, or at least that was what crossed his mind to condemn him to one of his worst nightmares; fighting with the brother he loved most and with whom he had —or he thought he had— an almost unbreakable brotherly relationship. It is then that given the intention of the situation, both of them decide to attack. The sound of clashing weapons accompanied by the brutality of the blows and techniques that were used in this situation managed to generate more uncertainty in the woman who was at the mercy of anyone who wanted to harm her. And her perfectly tied ropes made her wonder how long had been practicing Liang to be able to tie such a good knot.

It is here where she asks herself why, what is the need of that man to have resorted to that? And it wasn't because the idea of love was stupid for her… no, it was because she knew very well how to differentiate between unhealthy obsession and honest love. And this, for her, was living proof that an honest friendly affection was different from one full of obsessions, and mainly, of dark desires to harm, to distance, and mainly, to possess, to possess someone until consuming their life and that they can only think of one thing: loving them and living for them.

However, at the same time that she was fighting against the ropes that hurt and bruised her skin, there was a reality that neither of the two members of the Lin Kuei wanted to know, or rather understand; both of them were equal. Both power and determination to keep (Name) safe, and even in both of them there was a certain pain to fight, but they thought that it was the only way, that there could be no other resolution to this horrendous situation. But even with all the fierceness that was presented in combat, and with the violence behind hitting or intentionally harming the other, Tomas tried to resonate with him, but every time he tried to do so his brother only responded by trying to hit him with serious ferocity, where he The gray-haired man will understand that Liang was not willing to dialogue, and was even less willing to negotiate the freedom of his dear darling.

However, in that mere distraction that Smoke had intentionally caused, a small-sized blade, looking more like the size of the palm of an adult human hand, falls from his pocket, curiously close to the woman.

One of her feet miraculously reached the blade, caressing the sharp area before managing to draw it quickly. It took a few seconds of bearable stretching—although it caused a little pain—in her body.

But a pebble fell on the sole of her head, causing some disagreement. When she raised her head a little, she noticed that the thunderous blows and use of techniques collided against the delicate and sensitive grayish walls that generated a certain smell of dust in the environment; but they were ignored due to the smell of fire burning skin and cloth, and blood spilling on the ground.

—Tell me, Tomas —Liang mentions at one point, before roughly taking her hand, forcing her wrist to twist, but without breaking a bone or tearing a muscle —, you want her too, right?

The gray-haired man gasped in protest, managing to kick out, barely landing the blow due to the speed with which the other moved away from him.

He could have broken his arm, but he didn't. And it wasn't because he had decided to be pious that day.

As soon as the ropes softened their fierce grip and she felt her wrists being released she had little time to think about what was happening, both Smoke and Liang were not in the best state after the fight, and the situation was so violent that she inevitably. She noticed the number of bars and parts that were falling apart due to the fight, announcing in an almost conclusive way that the building was about to collapse if they continued with that fight.

She tried to break the ropes on her feet, but it was difficult because the stones fell more regularly, and while the breaking of the stones could be heard, the pieces became larger and larger, increasing in size with each fall. It wasn't going to take long for the walls to fall.

She already had the option of trying to stop them, trying to save her friend or simply observing the situation. So this is where I turn to the question, what is the

true decision that is correct here. Escape; help Tomas; or try to save both.

Even if she tried to scream, her heart was pounding too hard, and a fear grew with every second she saw the danger she was in.

Anyone would know that this decision would not be easy and the fact that these were two people that she appreciated with all her heart, if it were one more than the other, caused her intention to become increasingly heavier, taking on the weight of conscience that all her heart over and over again without stopping for a second.

It's here where you readers decide which of the 4 endings that I have planned in my mind to act on. Be free to vote for the one you think is the most interesting or best for you!

----

(5 failed tries later i understand that i need to put the mf choose in ANOTHER PUBLICATION so please go right there and vote :3)

[eldritch-spouse]

How would the TCE boys hold up in a zombie apocalypse?

Putting aside the fact that Krulu and Miara would never let that happen.

[A zombie apocalypse setting is very intriguing, because you have to ask yourself a series of questions here. Are there only human zombies or monster zombies too? What properties do monster zombies have in particular? What has started the apocalypse? How does it spread?? It'd take so incredibly long to piece this all together coherently. So I'm going to go with something quite generic.]

TW: Mild gore; Unsanitary acts; Mild angst.

Morell has a very unique skill in this bleak scenario. Provided the zombie isn't too old, Morell can probably cook it in a way that still provides some type of nourishment and doesn't infect you. Or maybe it does... Just a little bit at a time. Maybe that's why he's been a little more bloodthirsty and twitchy lately. Is that a dark patch spreading around his cap? Zombies have began to avoid him, perhaps because he's a freak even to them. A zombie that eats zombies...

Grimbly is not having fun. But for one reason only mostly. Undead blood doesn't taste good, and it hardly sustains him. Depending on the scope of the invasion, he may die of starvation, or simply have to target survivors. Otherwise, he'd likely have an easier time avoiding zombies due to his speed, and killing them likely isn't that big of a hassle either. Grimbly could make a living wiping out groups of zombies for people and getting paid in blood.

Gallon would move to water bodies and mostly remain there. Zombies are sluggish in water generally. Slimes can remove nutrients from a surprising amount of things, so his biggest fear Iis only getting distracted enough to get bitten, and that the infection starts rotting his slime too fast for him to regenerate in time. He's so alert he's going vastly insane and extremely murderous towards most.

Santi is... Existing. He fucked a few zombies, don't judge him! Some of them are entertaining and clean, others just kinda... Well. He doesn't really find them to be ideal meals. Especially when he has to crush their jaws and break limbs so they don't infect him during coitus. He doesn't exactly feel threatened, but he does feel lonely and always a tad hungry. He's waiting to attach himself to someone and gain a steady stream of food, preferably someone weaker so he can act as their guard dog. Please he's so tired of limp zombie dick and lumpy pussy. They can't even suck.

Vinnel is getting a little too silly with it. Zombies can't pierce his suit, it was made by a God, after all, no rotted teeth and claws can ruin it. So he just floats around, picks some of them up and performs for absolutely no one but himself. The jester has put clown makeup on at least five zombies. They have names and they're his best friends! Except Pogo, the little shit keeps tearing the tutu off. Ungrateful fuck. Not everyone has the privilege to look good during the apocalypse, Pogo. Vinnel is also always starving to a degree. He doesn't kill survivors anymore out of desperation for genuine conversation. Most people just run from him.

Nebul, as an undead, has nothing to worry about. He will actually weaponize large hordes of them using his abilities as a wraith. Nebul is a creature to be feared during an apocalypse. He's likely the mastermind behind organized zombie attacks. His goal? To establish control of sizable portions of land and inflict total submission on those living he comes across. It may devolve into an apocalyptic cult. He's having a grand old time really! You may find him walking around with several bare humans in leashes crawling by his side. Somehow, someway, Purpur can eat zombies and be perfectly fine.

Patches, likewise, is not a target. Except he's less preoccupied with domination and more so trying to fight his instincts to put the living dead back into their graves. It's strange, his dullahan instincts don't usually react like this to other undead... He's holed up somewhere like a hermit, trying to study the source of the infection and keeping Stitches from exhausting himself in an effort to kill all zombies. Curiously, the sound of his yelling as a dullahan causes great confusion and fear in these particular types of undead. He has succeeded in controlling at least one zombie, but killed it shortly afterwards.

Belo is devastated, like any angel ought to be watching the Earth get populated by corruption that Dorem ought to have fixed. He kills most zombies he comes across and cannot be infected as far as he knows. Zombies avoid him, actually. Belo spends his time finding groups of survivors and attempting to help them fortify their bases. After all, they're all that's left... Even if they're demons, anything is better than those rotting husks. In a way, Belo feels as if he's been abandoned a second time, his existence is vastly miserable.

Sybastian is having a strange time. The zombies that have a fainter sense of smell don't pick up on him when he mimics them, the rest do, forcing him to be very careful. He's not having an easy time considering his method of dispatching zombies is very physical and he could get bitten in zones of his body that he fails to harden. Sybastian has lost many a mimicling to the apocalypse and lives mostly to protect the remaining ones, who have managed to survive alongside him. He too wants to find a group, in spite of adult mimics not being pack species.

Fank-e is having a... Boring time, mostly. He's not a target, in fact, he's loud and grating enough to drive zombies away. He doesn't need food or water. But he does need maintenance, so it's imperative he finds someone who can work in robotics minimally well or he'll perish eventually. Truth of the matter is he can't exactly die from battery loss, he may just lie dormant collecting moss and dust until someone with enough resources finds him. It's just as likely that he'll get torn into pieces and reused as armor or plating for other important machinery.

[heartless-curr]

(hi initially i was going to make an argument as to why i think ryuunosuke leaving the mafia and doing something like joining the ada might be narratively interesting and justified but this uh. turned into a ryuunosuke character analysis instead. please take this as some sort of prerequisite to that future analysis.)

i don't know how common this take is as i only really got into bsd like. 1 month ago. but there is a take that i have seen that's been bothering me about ryuunosuke that i'd like to dissect and discuss.

ryuunosuke does not have any excessive loyalty to the mafia itself. that is not why he acts in that way.

it's never been about the mafia — never has been, and never will be. we've seen ryuunosuke defy orders to run off on his own before — most notably during the guild arc, where he runs off to go fight atsushi, going so far as to break the cease fire between the PM and the ADA to pursue his own ideals. in 55 minutes, he also ignores his own mission the second he figures out that atsushi is also on the island and has a reason to kill him (atsushi presumably being a terrorist).

however, we know why ryuunosuke is in the mafia — he's looking for a justification for his existence.

he doesn't want to go back to the slums — and he wants a reason to live. he wants to be of value. to him, in his mind, his three options are being in the mafia to prove himself to dazai as someone who is strong enough to be worthy of life, dying, or living in the slums again. ryuunosuke has never known any other life. just how dazai joined the mafia because he mistakenly assumed it was the mafia's proximity to death that fascinated him rather than chuuya, and wanted to find that reason for living, ryuunosuke joined the mafia for the sake of finding a reason to live.

if the person making this offer wasn't dazai — ryuunosuke would never have accepted. he's loyal to dazai, and not the mafia. his case isn't like chuuya's — he never pledged his loyalty specifically to mori in the same way.

(interestingly enough — whilst chuuya tends to be called a loyal dog, when ryuunosuke talks about his relationship to the mafia, he calls himself a humble dog)

he's committed himself to the impossible goal of getting dazai's unlimited approval as a way to motivate himself to keep on going — he needs something to commit himself to, or else he's worthless. and in this world — his world, the only one he's ever known — if you're worthless, you're dead.

he has the approval of dazai that he's been aiming for — but he can't accept that. the second he accepts this fact, the second he loses that reason to live, in his own eyes, he loses his right to live.

so he continues killing for the port mafia. it's all that he's good for, really — even in the slums that was what he did.

referring back to the first set of screenshots with kyouka — he explicitly says this:

Your Demon Snow is an avatar of massacre. That is your skill. ...Living outside of the mafia?

....

You must keep killing, Kyouka...

...As a member of the mafia.

If you don't, then stop breathing. Worthless humans like you have no right to breathe.

replace "kyouka" with "akutagawa" and "demon snow" with rashoumon and. Well.

the mafia is just a means to an end for him. if he knew there was another option that could a) give him a reason to live, and b) not result in him ending up in the slums, it's possible that he'd take it (this would i think largely depend on if he can take gin as well)

you're free to disagree with me here, of course — however, i've seen a lot of stuff of ryuunosuke being overly defensive of the mafia, which always pegged me as Off coming from someone willing to abandon his missions for the mafia at the drop of a hat for his any and every whim, and i think his actual motivation is much more interesting than simply being "i am loyal to the mafia because the mafia took me in and well Someone needs to do the dirty work".

(there's also a very interesting argument to be had here about ryuunosuke's motivations and obsession with being worth something being partially born of survivors guilt, as seen here:

but that's something i'd like to spend more time reading into before making a proper analysis of it).

anyway, see you all next time when i make the actual analysis i was supposed to write instead of. this. lol

[super-paper]

How do you think AFO would be taken out?

Hard to say! All the heroes uniting against him as ~the ultimate evil~ might seem satisfying on some level, but it also plays directly into AFO's toxic comic book narrative and it doesn’t really "engage" with his character in a totally satisfying way, if that makes sense. I'm firmly on team "afo shouldn't get what he wants, Ever" so I'm not a fan of any ending that merrily sends him off into his next life as a "demon lord" instead of actively trying to rip that mask from him. Hori hasn't really let me down on this front, yet-- and as I suspected, it does seem as though chapter 419's AFO is more or less picking up where body!AFO's character arc left off. AFO's core desires as a human and the immensely fragile "heart" he's hidden away are both things that are being directly challenged in the most recent chapter, too:

Izuku, the hero, constantly inspires others to come to his aid because he doesn't hide his humanity, his identity, or his struggles from others-- people see him fighting for his life and realize that he is "just like them," and that motivates them to rush to his side and offer help. Meanwhile, AFO finds himself completely alone because he wont let go of the demon lord role and accept his own humanity. Something something We Still Need To Know His Name smthing sm.

With all of that in mind, I still think the most appropriate way of defeating him involves forcing him to confront his own humanity + weakness in all its ugliness (which Hori has already been doing at a pretty steady rate this arc!) and ultimately forcing him to take responsibility for Yoichi's death. This might seem like a massive leap from the person AFO is right now, but depending on how things go, I do think Hori could pull it off.

Anyway, as for what I would like to see:

Personally, I would like an end where he willingly lets Yoichi go (and by proxy, finally lets Tenko go). Not because I think this would redeem him (it wont) or because I want him redeemed (i don't), but because I do feel like something along these lines would be the natural conclusion to his character arc and the best way to symbolize him accepting death/his mistakes. He came into the world desperately gripping onto Yoichi, and was unable to ever truly live or truly die due to his obsession-- so it makes sense to me that AFO will only be able to leave this world when he finally lets Yoichi go. Like.... even now, we see him stubbornly persisting with the idea of conquering the world even though he feels it's totally pointless-- with the implication that he's doing this because the demon lord role and the captain hero comics are literally the only thing he has atp that still connect him to Yoichi in some capacity.

If I end up being right and the OFA embers now exist within Tenko's body, then ideally, I still want some sort of conversation + resolution between the brothers before Yoichi finally passes on with the rest of the OFA embers. I'll admit that I've never been 100% fond of the idea of reading Izuku & Tenko's story as Yoichi/AFO's "good ending", simply because so much of Tenko's story is about reclaiming his own identity (+ detangling himself from his abusers) and so much of Izuku's story is about finding his own identity-- which is why I feel the final resolution to the OFAFO plot needs to be between AFO and Yoichi, not Izuku and Tenko.

I actually don't want Tenko to kill him! I think I've said this before, but I feel this outcome would be only satisfying to folks who want Tenko to have very surface-level revenge on his abuser w/o thinking about the effect this act would have on Tenko himself. I personally feel it wouldn't do Tenko any favors, mentally, since the crux of AFO's abuse involved convincing Tenko that he only exists to destroy. And people really hate to admit it, but-- Tenko sincerely loved AFO and I don't want him to have to repeat the tragedy of being forced to kill someone he loved all over again (even if they don't deserve that love by any stretch of the word). Like, a lot of people want Tenko to take AFO out the same way he took Kotaro out, but I feel this would only emphasize how Tenko and AFO are trapped in an endlessly repeating cycle.

side note: Kotaro coming directly from AFO's stomach/womb during the 270's vestige realm sequence feels extremely intentional now, what with the constant cannibalism and pregnancy imagery surrounding AFO and Tenko. MHA continues to be a masterful example of visual storytelling and Horikoshi continues to be a straight up freak for no real reason /positive!

A big part of Tenko's healing was always going to involve him confronting his feelings for Kotaro, specifically-- all of his love and disappointment and wishes and anger. And with that in mind, it feels like Hori is setting AFO up to act as a sort of Kotaro proxy for this next stretch of Tenko's character arc (even TomurAFO's current hairstyle and facial structure reminds me of a mix of Kotaro x AFO x Toshi.... Hori really said "Tomura's final character design is gonna be a mish-mash of every potential father-figure who has ever let him down byeeeeee :)" and he was sooooo sick for doing that wtf). Anyway, I know people like to joke about AFOtaro, but honestly, the narrative itself really does justify the read of Tenko being AFO and Kotaro's traumababy lmfao...., 😭

Also worth mentioning is that this iteration of AFO/TomurAFO has pupils, despite there being no Tenko component to his personality at this time. AFO's lack of pupils are textually/canonically meant to convey his inability to "see" others as people, so I'm very interested to see where Hori intends to take things from here.

[lightningbreath]

I want to make it clear from the outset that having headcanons or theories is not a problem. Getting frustrated when they don't come true is not a problem either. But it is when people treat these headcanons as if Nintendo had an obligation to fulfill them.

I find it genuinely funny how some fans got so deep into their headcanons to the point of getting angry at the existence of Yona (poor girl) and the fact that Sidon is in a straight relationship, but that doesn't surprise me coming from people who claim to fight against stereotypes but are the ones who live and propagate stereotypes the most (the amount that most of the queer people I've met have been bugging me about being bisexual and aromantic is unbelievable).

I mean, as if canon would stop fujoshis from turning all the men in a series gay, no matter their sexuality, way of behaving or if they're in a relationship or not, so I don't understand why they say that Nintendo "removed the queer coding" when this was just a hc, Nintendo never implied that Sidon was queer, if they had said something like "a Zelda character will be queer" I could even understand, but that wasn't the case.

Now, in my opinion, the way Sidon talks and treats Link reminds me a lot of how my sister acts with the BTS boys, I think Sidon has a very idealized vision of Link, he talks about Link as if he were his favorite Marvel superhero and if we take into account that Link doesn't even seem to have frequented the Zora Region much during the time between Botw and Totk and that his ring doesn't even go on his ring finger.... anyway, it was cool to see Sidon's maturity, although his behavior is adorable, he's not a baby anymore.

I admit that Yona's introduction came out of nowhere, but honestly, TOTK introduces and disappears characters out of nowhere, Kass simply disappeared from the map, NPCs forgot about Link and the whole story of Sonia and Rauru also came out of absolutely nowhere. If Yona was the only one in this situation I would give her the benefit of the doubt, but that's not the case.

Not to mention that for a game ""with a hetero code"" I wonder why Nintendo didn't confirm right away that Link and Zelda are a couple instead of just saying this, I swear, how hard is it to formalize them? People will complain about anything, but no, Nintendo is afraid of I don't know what.

I will never forgive Nintendo for taking away the possibility of Zelda being a companion in the adventure or at least having a more constant presence. Thanks to that, I am living off of fanfics and fanarts.

P. S.: I wonder, if we ever get a remake of OoT, if Nintendo gives Malon a husband or canonizes OoT Zelink, how the fandom will react to that?

P. S. S.: Also, since people still complain to this day that TotK didn't turn Ganondorf into a "uwu boy who's just a poor victim of circumstances", a theory fueled by the appearance that the 10,000-year-old Hero had on the tapestry is because Ganondorf is a sexy man.

Although, on this last point I have to be honest, I was disappointed with the fact that Nintendo basically threw away the cinematics from the first TotK trailer and basically ignored the Sheikah technology, everything that Botw had hinted about the Zonai and the whole story of the Calamity from 10,000 years before Botw.

Anyway, it's just a question of how this fandom takes headcanons as if they were an absolute truth, and this ends up causing unnecessary fights because no one wants to admit that their hc may be unlikely to happen.

But that's just my opinion. Thank you for reading.

[ficsinhistory]

Spider sense and bonds - A meta about the bond of Miles and Gwen.

Hello, hello, tumblr fellas! The final scene where Gwen senses Miles in danger even in another universe has been rent free in my head for the past month, so I've tried to think of how that works.

(If you want to comment on something here, please do! I love hearing what others have to say!)

Let's go! Let's start with what we know. Spider Sense is in the movies:

Just like in the comics, I'm assuming that Spider Sense exists thanks to the Web of Life and Destiny.

(Beatiful, isn't it?)

Being a clairvoyant power of certain level, it works with what can happen and the most relevant will be warned to the spider. In we have -

a. A danger sensor, be it yours or a loved one of the spider in question. Like Miles and Jeff in the spot fight at the beginning of the movie.

Or Pav and Gayatri in the bridge scene.

b. A sort of sensor for other spiders. In the first movie, that's how Miles and all the other spiders were able to connect and recognize each other.

However, this does not happen so often in ATSV, with just Margo and Miles at Society HQ

(Remember this information, it is important.)

Which brings me to my theory.

Spider sense works as a connection and communication between the Web of Life and Destiny with the spider, which studies all the possibilities that can happen and warns and guides the spider to the event.

Most often with imminent danger.

In the case of Miles and Gwen, like bonds of compatibility, guiding them since they met and only deepening over time.

Gwen felt Miles even in completely different universes because they are the multiversal soul mates most appropriate to each other among the possibilities of the Web of Life and Destiny.

And don't get me wrong, they don't have that connection because they're a couple written in stone by some higher force. Because the Web, the Spider Sense, doesn't work with anything written in stone (including that's where Miguel made a mistake).

If they had never met, they could fall in love and live happily with other people. But they are each other's ideal people. The best compatibility of each other. And that it would only be enough: for them to coexist, to have the possibility of seeing each other, and boom! This connection so strong that it could exist was put to roll.

That's why Gwen was taken to Visions even before Miles was stung. That's why she feels Miles universes away. Of the probabilities in entire realities, they are the ones that work the best. The multiverse judged it that way and guided them and guided them, because they looked alike and because they worked, not because they were destined to do so.

(After all, the whole theme of the movies is about fate is bs and it's more about the odds and your actions on things, so...)

And you must be wondering: why Miles then doesn't feel Gwen the same way? And got that instant hookup vibe with Margo instead?

Here comes the fun part.

Our Gwen from Earth-65 is the best match for Miles Morales, the boy from Earth-1610. And Margo with Spider-Man from Earth-42. Miles from Earth-42. And as Miles was bitten by the spider from Earth-42, Margo and Miles felt that residual connection. (And so I call Prowlerbyte in Beyond)

Remember I said it's not Destiny? Our Gwen and Miles work, but not all versions of them will work. Some are, some aren't (yes, Earth-8 can still be a thing, no worries.)

And that's their fun!

They fall in love, love each other, because they are the best for each other. Because they, just like in real life, found each other and clicked.

They are soulmates because they love each other, and they don't love each other because they are soulmates.

[arkiwii]

Saria and Kristen when they were younger they were a healthy couple but sometime after Rhine Lab was established and built their relationship started to show cracks. Before all that I like to believe that Kristen wagged her tail behind close doors when Saria was around, just a slow wag. What do you think of Saria and Kristen?

oh boy, Saria and Kristen huh. rubs hands with malicious intents. I have, some THOUGHTS about them, i want to study their relationship under a microscope alright

to start with "they were a healthy couple", it's something that i can question. i mostly think about how Kristen lost her parents at the age of 10, and of her conversation with Saria about the subject in the manhwa:

Saria "always protected Kristen", and she said that since she lost her parents, "not many have been willing to defend her family's reputation". which means, Saria was pretty much the only person Kristen could rely on, and if she was able to continue and go on, it was thanks to Saria. once again, she lost her parents early, she was very likely alone all this time, and for a child, it can create a huge hole in their heart, one that Kristen probably and definitively tried to fill with Saria. she followed her, Saria was like a lighthouse for Kristen; and that's why it couldn't be healthy.

because of Saria's views, her beliefs on how emotions are a bias to scientific avancement, Kristen very likely followed these, but to an extreme. to the point of going against ethics to fullfill her ambition and continue her parent's legacy.

this is not to say Saria ever agreed with this, maybe even before Ifrit, if she knew about it, she would have stopped it. but it's to say that Kristen used this belief to feed her ambition, to see it as an open door to push the limits of what is allowed.

once rhine lab was created, once it became succesful, and Kristen was at the top of it all, she had no need to "use" Saria anymore. their relationship fell apart because Saria could not "defend" her anymore, now that Kristen was in control. she doesn't need anyone to defend her now.

so now, i'm not saying that Kristen never had any consideration for Saria. people in these situations may not even realize that what they are doing is wrong, that they may hurt someone. and i do believe that Kristen cares about Saria, and in fact, she truly does;

she doesn't want Saria to be hurt, she actually did nothing that would hurt Saria. but is it the present Saria she cares about, or the past Saria? when Saria met Ifrit and Silence, she opened her heart to emotions, she who never had a family who cared about her, she saw this child being hurt, mistreated, alone, and she wanted to protect her. the present Saria may still struggle, but she discovered what it is to feel loved, which she probably never discovered with Kristen before.

but Kristen, she wants the Saria who is ready to step on boundaries, to ignore emotions, to achieve scientific avancement. she wants the Saria who protected her, who stood by her side when she was alone and hurt.

but, she knows that this Saria doesn't exist anymore and she knows that Saria would never have agreed with her, she knows Saria would have tried to stop her. she studied Saria, her way to fight, her Arts, and she literally created a barrier in her office that cancels her Arts, she created power armors who can also neutralize Saria's calcification. that means one thing, Kristen was afraid of Saria. she knew she fucked up.

of course, Kristen would ALWAYS be ready to welcome Saria with open arms, she doesn't want Saria to go away from her, she never accepted that she left Rhine Lab. maybe Kristen is idealizing a Saria who is like her.

their relationship is MMWAH chief's kiss I LOVE psychology and character development. what i say can work even if their relationship is purely platonic, but i enjoy the little twist it gives if it was romantic, which means that Saria had experienced something toxic and it made her afraid of love above all emotions, which fullfill my evil thoughts about Saria x Silence