#granted i can be very evil lol

[beeapocalypse]

that tweet abt magic in dd being more a division between Order and Chaos changed my life and i cannot even remember the exact wording or know how to find it again LOL

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Zelda's Personality

I did a post about how Link, despite being a player insert, has different personalities through the games that appear subtly and can be inferred based on his behaviors and responses. So now it's time for the Zeldas! More recent games have given more of a shining role to the character for whom the franchise is named, and I love the variety between them all, so let's explore it a bit! (At least for the games that I've played)

Ocarina of Time Zelda - My gosh. I love her so much. This woman ain't a princess, she is a Queen. She is so determined to protect her people that even as a child she's willing to order people around and go against the adults' wishes, despite being ignored. This girl is determined. Like, BotW Zelda gets put down over and over despite her efforts and she is understandably dejected and goes along with what her father wants. This Zelda is straight up like I'M RIGHT YOU'RE WRONG and just moves on LOL. Not only is she determined, she has a plan. A very foolish childish plan because she is a child and no one is going to stop her.

And, naturally, since it's a child's plan against an adult who has all the other adults wrapped around his fingers, it doesn't work. Zelda is left with a kingdom in flames, the evil man she was trying to stop obtained the Triforce, and her father is dead. She's fleeing her home and spends the rest of her childhood in exile. Something like this could destroy a person. And maybe it did. But she picked herself back up. And not only did she pick herself back up, she trained herself to fight. She learned everything she needed to about the Hero's journey so she could guide him when he returned. She stayed in hiding to avoid Ganondorf's watch. She protected the Triforce of Wisdom. This girl is a certified badass.

This Zelda is a fighter in every sense of the word. Nothing will stop her, not even her own mistakes. But she is sensitive too, she's aware of the damage this has done to Link and is apologetic and so incredibly sad. She carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. (Granted, this is Adult Timeline Zelda, but she is just Child Timeline Zelda put through a different scenario, so... same personality for both of them, just different circumstances).

So overall, this Zelda is decisive, resolute, never gives up, empathetic, and probably a little reclusive based on how she's always left to her own devices.

Skyward Sword Zelda - This girl is chaotic and it's wonderful. She pushes her best friend off cliffs and sky islands. She bullies the bullies. She's training in a knight's academy, which more people need to remember dang it. She's protective, she's anxious, she's bossy, she's curious.

This girl is also pretty darn adaptable. Like. She gets thrown out of the sky, out of everything she's ever known, tossed into a world of danger with no one to guide her but a stranger, and has to recover memories of being a freaking goddess and endure a journey of discovering herself while also being chased by Ghirahim. And she does it. Like... Link isn't far behind her, he goes after her literally the next day, and she's already doing her part of her adventure. She was told the fate of the world depends on you and she said okay, then, better get going. Like wow.

She has to have a strong sense of self. This girl found out she was a goddess and told Link after everything, "I'm still my father's daughter. I'm still your Zelda." She was called Your Grace, she was a spirit maiden for a deity her people worshipped, and she still said, "yes. Yes, all of this is true. But I'm still me." Like... I know we see her during her journey when she's still processing and not the aftermath, but this girl has a will of iron and will not let go of who she is.

In summary, this Zelda is courageous, has a strong sense of duty, is a gremlin, excitable, assertive, and stubborn.

Breath of the Wild Zelda - Oh, this poor princess. This Zelda is so sincere and wants to help so much, but she struggles with discovering herself and her powers. She is endlessly inquisitive and absolutely crushed under the pressure her father and her kingdom places on her. She lets it out through understandable frustration, pitting it against someone who, to her, represents everything she is not, which is so interesting.

This Zelda wants for the pieces to just fit but she can't figure it out, and instead of doing some introspection she just continues to look for alternatives. When she does do introspection, it's just to ask why she's defective. Things just need to make sense. I feel like an attitude like this implies that 1, Zelda has no instructor and therefore never learned how to learn, and 2, that implies that everything else she's good at has come naturally to her, such as technology. This girl is a scientist! Who has not learned the scientific method! Though she does try experiments, as poor Link can attest.

When Zelda is allowed to just be herself she seems very sweet and bubbly and excitable. She's so happy when she wants Link to try that frog! She's also incredibly chatty, bless her, having to put up with that silent knight all the time haha (yes, Link does eventually talk to her. Eventually.)

I would also like to note that the instant this girl gets her powers, she goes straight to the castle and holds Ganon at bay for a hundred years. The instant she's free of that burden and bondage, she wants to rebuild her kingdom. Like holy cow. This girl went from doubting herself so much to having so much hope. She is a symbol of hope for her Hyrule.

BotW Zelda is uncertain initially, but learns to have faith in herself and more importantly has all the faith in the world in her people. She is inquisitive, extremely intelligent, energetic, bubbly, and very sensitive.

Twilight Princess Zelda - One of the more mysterious and less prominent Zeldas in her series, this woman radiates quiet strength and regalness. Also, her very first scene (or maybe it's a cut scene flashback in her first interaction in the game) shows her brandishing a sword to fight alongside her soldiers. Hell yes, Queen. But she also has the wherewithal to recognize when she's outplayed. She is wise and knows when to fold to avoid needless casualties. She is willing to put herself in such a vulnerable state in order to protect others. She knew that fighting would still result in the kingdom being overcome by Twilight magic with bonus dead soldiers, so she opted for doing it without the dead soldiers. Knowing when you're beaten and taking it with grace to figure things out takes not only wisdom but humility.

This Zelda is also just... so incredibly understated. Her sadness over her kingdom's fall into disarray is poignant but subtle. Her compassion for Midna when she's dying is muted, but so clearly evident in that she gives her remaining life energy to her. Her acceptance of Link as the Hero, and her sign of respect to him and petition for his aid is just oh my goodness, the regal bow, the willingness to fight alongside him, I love her.

With as little as she features in the game and with as quiet as she can be, she honestly is hard to peg down, but overall this Zelda strikes me as someone who feels deeply and expresses little of it. She's quiet, she's reserved, but she is humble and dignified and incredibly kind.

So there you have it. Some of the ladies for you. I love them all dearly and love to compare and contrast them. <3

[puppetwoman17]

Okay, so there’s this Billy Batson post-Injustice fic called A Reason to Fight on AO3, and it’s got me wanting more fics like that.

I mean, there’s so many different ways it could go.

One fic could be where he did die, and we can’t bring him back. The JL are brought back together to take on an otherworldly evil(surprise surprise) and they need the help of the gods to do it. With both conventional and unconventional means, they’re able to be granted passage to Olympus for this one catastrophic emergency(begrudgingly, because the gods sorta hate their guts).

Then they see this one glowing building, separated from the rest. It’s got a lightning bolt on it. Sparks flying around it. Gives off a less imposing vibe. There’s suspicions about what it’s for, but no one feels compelled to ask. Until a leaguer(doesn’t have to be specific, maybe Guy Gardener or Flash or whatevs) gains enough courage to ask what that place is.

The god leading them to Zeus stops dead in their tracks. They don’t speak yet. They turn and look at the leaguer who was dumb enough to ask a grieving god a question like that.

And the god replies: “The Hall of Champions is where every champion goes when they die. They are allowed to spend their afterlife in complete relaxation as the fruits of their labor. They meet others like them and forgo the troubles of their mortal lives.”

The god says that last part bitterly.

The JL immediately knows who’s inside. The building just speaks Marvel. That same stupid league member asks if they can go inside. If they can speak to one of them, no one in particular(everyone knows they’re lying, but the guilt is just too much).

The god laughs. Actually just laughs right there, in front of a bunch of mortals and super powered people who dare to think they can come anywhere near the former Champion of Magic.

The god tells them: “We granted him his wish of being part of a team because we thought it would help him through such trying times. We thought he finally had others who would look after him, something we may not always be able to do. We thought he would finally, after all these years, have something akin to family.

“And just like that, those hopes and dreams were taken away, all because our champion finally saw the light again. If you go so much as a foot closer to him, the gods of Olympus will show you the same mercy you showed your so-called teammate.”

Lol, that’s as far as I’ve gotten.

Another fic could be where he actually didn’t die, like in A Reason to Fight. He comes back to life after recharging just like in A Reason to Fight. But this time, there’s a change.

He doesn’t make himself known. He changes his identity and stays under the league radar. He doesn’t transform into Cap, but he secretly helps the people of Fawcett with his powers because BILLY was chosen, not the avatar itself.

Dunno how to go about the next part. That all depends on the plot, what characters are still alive and still dead. The timeline of when exactly he comes back and how long he stays incognito.

But somehow, someway, the League becomes aware that Marvel, that Billy, is alive. They rush to see him after (however) long. They see him alive and well…

And he’s just disgusted. Heartbroken. Scared. Angry. Tells them to f*ck off and find some other kid’s dreams to destroy. Tells them to never contact him unless it’s for business that requires the Champion’s reputation. Because despite everything, he still takes his job as Champion very seriously. Because he thought he could finally trust these adults, and they turned their backs on him.

He especially hates Superman for the looks of guilt he gives him. Just wants to punch him in the face. Same with Diana. Same with Lantern. Same with Flash and Cy. Maybe not Batman, but even association can hurt.

Again, idk where this one might go, or how the plot is or whatever, but I need more post-Injustice fics on Billy Batson damnit!

[em0-alpaca]

after like over half a year or smth i finally finished him

meet Dante, the master of light!!! [srry for the bad english, i dont think ive ever written lore for any of my ocs lol]

HIS LORE IS STILL A WIP SO SOME THINGS MIGHT NOT WORK WITH CANON!! [i might miss some details, but thats because i dont wanna write too much]

plus in my au, Wu met Morro when the Elemental Alliance was created already and before Acronix and Krux betrayed them. [if.. thats not already canon lol, i dont keep up with when anything happened]

_____________________________________________

THE PAST:

[12-16 y.o.]

- He was one of the most determined and challenging teenagers, training hard.

- Dante has been the youngest member of the Elemental Alliance, making him the main interest as every single elemental master trained him. [his parents went to a journey, leaving him with Wu ans Garmadon at the monastery and they never came back. no one knows what happened to them, although, that didnt effected him much as he was often left with Wu.]

- when Dante was 16 years old, Morro was taken in under the blonde man wings. At first he didnt like it, but after some time he grew warmer to the jet-black haired boy, taking him for a younger brother and training with him. He mightve gotten more protective over him.

- Dante, too, believed that Morro was the green ninja after Wu talked about it, encouraging him and and lifting his hopes up subconsiously. the rest of the story is obvious.. this was one of the moments that really affected him.

- as he watched the EA fall apart, he craved for more power to fight against evil and find his little brother. he was told his whole life that he should never take his power for granted as its one of the strongest elements, especially with him being exposed to the main source of light very often. Dante, on the other hand, couldnt really deal with others leaving.

HIS ABILITIES:

- can bend and materialize light into weapons [his weapon of choice were mostly his light blades, but anything dual wielded was fine for him].

- he could move at the speed of light, often did it to attack his enemies from suprise [not a stealthy ability as he leaves glowing bright lights behind him when using it].

- can flashbang others by either throwing a small light ball at their eyes or snapping his fingers.

- as hes pretty strong during sunny days, at night and on cloudy days he usually uses weapons from Wu. [that doesnt mean he cant use his elemental power, but during his youth his power wasnt so strong with absence of the sun. it only changed what weapons he uses though]

[18- 27y.o.?]

- one night after sneaking out to clear his mind, a strange figure approached him. it was a tall one, hidden under the black cloak. everyone knew who Dante was, so with no beating around the bush, the mysterious man gave him an offer in joining him. green haired boy declined his offer immediately, but after what he heard he was shocked.. the mysterious man told him that he would help him find his so-called younger brother.

- after making him believe he can erase the evil from all of the ninjago he joined the cult. They burned the mark on his face to officialy take him as their member, making him their leader. the longer he stayed with them, the more corrupted and brainwashed he was, turning him into their weapon. they formed a plan, making an elemental burst and trying to erase "the evil".

- one day, he started his journey to look for Morro, going for days and days into every part of Ninjago, only to find his cold body in the Cave of Despair. he grieved him for a good few hours before finding a field to bury him and let him rest in peace.

- his desire for ubspeakable strenght grew bigger, forcing him into trying to create artificial element of light and mixing it with his own. this, unfortunalety, worked horribly with his mental state and making him more of a villain. when he attacked the city once, Wu was devastated and tried to help him. this lead them to have a fight with Wu desparately trying to convince him and change his mind. Wu after that meeting tried to talk with other elemental masters to stop Dante.

- when the city got under Dantes control after the cult betrayed him and he fought with the new-built Elemental Alliance, he used the Elemental burst. unfortunately, his light element mixed with the artificial one made him fail to destroy anything other the city. this, made him half-blind and left him scarred on his limbs, losing his power.

- after that he finally snapped out of his sinister desires and managed to ran away unnoticed from the city somewhere far away.

PRESENT [WIP]:

[30↑]

- he lives far far away from the town and anyone else in a small cottage house out of shame.

- if necessary, he comes out of the house in disguise to buy some food. hes had various jobs already, but his bad eyesight [no glasses helped with his vision] he couldnt work in too many for too long.

- his elemental power was slowly recovering, but due to the fact that it was corrupted and mixed with the artificial one, it was infecting his body, making it age slower and weakening him over time.

- after so many years he started recieving money in his mail.. perhaps from someone with a kind heart?

- he tries to stay away from anyone with elements and people who couldve been a part of a terror he caused, especially away from Wu.

_____________________________________________

ive been thinking of making another oc [his child] so for now im not planning on adding too much!!

im not really sure what to add to him in present Dante, but im up for any ideas. :) also i was too lazy to draw more doodles lol!

[meimi-haneoka]

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Chapter 79: Comments + JP-ENG translation differences

Welcome back to our monthly appointment, CCS fans! This chapter comes right after this month's full moon, the Hunter Moon! (lol yes I will feature the name of the relative full moon till the end of the story). And speaking of the end of the story, I will start this analysis and translation post from the end of the chapter, where I found the confirmation to the rumour that had been going on for hours before the official release on Comic Days:

yes, dear readers, this is not a drill, Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Arc will end with chapter 80, after 7 years of serialization! 🎉✨ When *the last chapter* is announced, there's no turning back! No more sudden announcements of extensions! 🥹 But at the moment of writing this post, no mentions have been given about any "epilogue" or extra chapters that might be serialized in the upcoming months leading to the big release of volume 16 on April 1st!

On the translation side, I have to sigh in relief because no major misunderstandings happened in the ENG version, just some minor inaccuracies! I was kinda scared because this chapter is pretty important and complex in itself.

And let me say that what happened in this chapter 79 definitely marks the end of the climax, so I can totally see it ending in next chapter. The chapter tackled some very important thematics regarding the presence of "evil" in this series, that I will talk about extensively in my analysis.

The announcement today made me already a bit nostalgic and sad, but I want to strive hard to accompany myself and all of you towards the end of this arc with excitement and a smile, therefore I won't let myself be prey of the sadness yet and introduce you immediately to the gif of this month, because there's a lot we need to talk about and analyze and we can't waste time!!

This is entirely dedicated to our protagonist and heroine Sakura-chan, because damn, she really slayed this chapter!!! Under the cut to see what miracles she made happen!

The Color Page

My dear readers, after years of countless pleas on my social media, after being let down month after month, CLAMP FINALLY GRANTED ME A COLOR PAGE SOLELY DEDICATED TO KAITO AND AKIHO TOGETHER ON THE SECOND-TO-LAST CHAPTER!! Yaaaay!! Excuse me while I celebrate this event here in my little corner, especially after having a rough month! 🎉🎉🎉 I hope my followers thought of me when they saw it? Like "finally she'll stop asking for it" (breaking news, I'll keep asking for more even after the series is over) 😂 It took them 79 chapters to do so and honestly I'm laughing because....yes, I admit it, I expected another vibe for such an important color page coming after such an important emotional scene in chapter 78, but honestly the first thing I thought when I saw it was "....they had to wait 79 chapters for this? 😧" 😂because it's very very "regular", I think it would've been ok for this to come out long ago. LOL I'm being brutally honest here, I hope no one gets offended, especially because that pet peeve aside, OF COURSE I love this precious color page to bits, and I know under its "normalcy", its got a very important meaning to the both of them.

Akiho and Kaito are depicted together clearly during one of their travels....but the question is, is this from the past? Or the near future? I'd daresay they look the same age they are now, so this might probably be a foreshadowing for the future...? They'll keep travelling the world? But seeing the content of the chapter, this might also be just a call-back to their memories together and everything that they experienced during those travels, tightening their bond. Travelling the world is, after all, really their thing, their element. I really like Kaito's expression, with his usual smile that almost turns into a smirk, he gives off a vibe of being finally free to express his emotions. He looks carefree, and that's really something for him. Akiho, on the other hand, is always so much more expressive than him and you can literally feel the joy and excitement emanating from her delighted expression. Travelling with him makes her happy, so yes, should this be what awaits them in the finale, it's fine by me as long as they're happy (I'm rooting for the other option though, the "stay in Tomoeda with your newfound support network" route).

But as you know, I always have to analyze the color pages a bit deeper, especially when they're about these two. And since I had to keep myself distracted, I made a bit of research. Other than the "travelling" vibe, this illustration gives off also kind of a "vintage" vibe (which is another strong element to Akiho and Kaito). It seems Akiho is dressed in a sleeveless coat with cape and wearing a bonnet fully inspired by those worn by children in the second half of the 1800s, in the Victorian era.

(pic courtesy of Etsy) This is a model from 1896, for example. When I pinpointed the period, I immediately thought "uh, the Victorian era is also the period when Alice in Wonderland came out", although that was more towards the 1860s. I found it really interesting and a nice touch for this illustration with a retro flavor (the suitcase and purse also look kinda vintage).

But another thing that immediately caught my eyes were those cute birds landing on Kaito's shoulder and Akiho's bonnet. I immediately tried to look what kind of birds they are, and it seems like they could really be eastern bluebirds, typical of North America. Searching further, I found out that in several cultures bluebirds are harbinger of happiness and symbols of hope. I couldn't honestly have thought for a more fitting symbolism, for these two. Especially cause birds often are associated with an imagery of freedom, and this is something else that these two need, after being hunted by evil people for so long. They really do look free, in this color page. Also, the presence of the birds in this color page immediately brought me back to the color page of chapter 62, where we can see baby Kaito in a wintery setting, sitting on a lamppost, extending his little hand to a swallow coming to him. Swallows are a symbol of hope and bring a message of "spring is coming", and continuing from that message of hope, of "spring is coming for you too", we can finally see here in chapter 79 our Kaito with his true happiness, symbolized literally by the birds most associated with happiness. Another thing that caught my eyes is of course the lily depicted on the cover of the book Akiho is holding, a nice callback to Akiho's mother and Kaito's torment, Lilie. She's always going to be with them ❤️

The Japanese editorial text over the picture is an excerpt of what Momo was musing to herself in chapter 39, while imagining to talk to Kaito: "You traveled with her, and spent time together with her". I think CLAMP chose to feature this line to indicate an important thing that will be restored at the end of this chapter.

Everyone Is Doing Their Best

The chapter starts with a panel showing some light coming off Yukito's house, and we find out that even Touya fainted, exhausted by the effort to keep time stopped as much as possible. Ruby Moon is cradling his head on her lap trying to assist him and "recharge" his magical power, in hope to be able to maintain time "stopped" a bit more. In fact, if you notice, the "black covering" that symbolizes the time-stopping spell isn't completely destroyed yet, but only riddled with "holes", an indication that the spell is still somehow active, even if feebly. I imagine this might "slow down" the attacks, which are still coming but probably not at full speed like they would if the spell came undone completely. I have to point out immediately a mild inaccuracy in the ENG version, that I want to specify in order to dispel extreme theories before they're born: no, Ruby Moon didn't give up all of her powers to Touya, the verb used here is simply 補える, "can replenish (your magic)", not "give all".

Touya doesn't lose his sense of humor even in a dire situation like this, and comments sarcastically "What are you, a battery?", a clear recall to the whole "batteries" matter that came out in the un-rewritten world. Touya isn't supposed to remember about that, and he probably doesn't, but this is just a way from CLAMP to show that even in a situation where memories have been rewritten, some things will be unconsciously said again, because they're just meant to happen.

Ruby Moon calls for assistance from her "brother" Spinel Sun (love how even in these true forms, she still calls him "Suppy"), whom rejects the appellative of "battery" but agrees to give her a hand with "recharging" Touya to keep the spell up a bit longer. Everyone looks outside, only one thought in their minds, which is voiced clearly by a serious Tomoyo: "Sakura and everyone else are fighting with all they've got". I have to point out a typo here in the Japanese version (nothing serious, it can happen and will be surely fixed in the tankobon version): Tomoyo calls Sakura "Sakura-san". I loved the "sparkles" around Tomoyo's eyes, as if indicating that her extraordinary intuition is "at work" and just telling her that, even if they can't see them because they're quite far away, Sakura and the others are doing whatever they can to stop these attacks. And the fact they can see the attacks, but not their friends and their condition, must be really hard to witness, for all of them. But no worries, there's Touya nii-chan who's always ready to lighten the mood even in this challenging situation, joking that "If they don't get back before the curfew, they won't be getting their snacks tomorrow!". Here the ENG adds "squirt" to make Touya refer specifically to Sakura, but truth to be told, in the JP there's no subject, so he might be referring to everyone. It's amazing how he's able to keep his spirit up and be sarcastic even in this situation....he really believes in his little sister so much!

I'll Make Them Forget About You

Back where our heroes are, the attacks keep coming relentlessly, countered by Syaoran, Yue and Kero in tandem. Sakura reflects on the fact that the only transparent Cards she's got left are these two she's holding in her hands (Time and Rewind) and Flight. This statement leads me to believe that when Record transformed into that crystal that entered her, that meant that the Card completed its duty and disappeared inside of her. But Sakura isn't worried at all, because she knows that she can create more Cards. Yessss, this development that I've been anticipating since quite some time is finally here! ✨🎉 Sakura seems to finally have a concrete plan, but before proceeding, she needs to ascertain something. She asks directly to Kaito: "The people who are using these spells were trying to hurt you, right?". Kaito, with a pensive face, answers affirmatively.

But it's when Sakura asks again "Were they trying to hurt Akiho too?" that his expression turns really painful, the background after him portraying well his raging emotions and, while Mokona-sensei chose to leave Akiho hidden by Kaito's black wings in the previous panels, now she finally shows how both she and Kaito are holding onto eachother, while our boy answers with a "...Yes" dripping with sorrow. It really squeezed my heart with pain, this scene. Because as long as Sakura was asking about him, his expression was pensive but almost as if it's something he's used to, that didn't shake him too much. But when Sakura mentions Akiho, god, that wrecked him. Any mention, any reminescence of what those bastards did to her and how they were chasing after her to put their filthy hands on her again wrecks him even now, and it's like Mokona with her visual skills is showing how Kaito seems to be holding Akiho a little bit tighter, while he answers Sakura's question. I also have to point out something that I had noticed already from last chapter, but a panel tricked me into believing I was just seeing things: CLAMP here use a dark screentone for Kaito's eyes, that he never had before (actually, no other character in CCS got this effect in their eyes). This effect will be used on him for the entire chapter.

And it seems like it's the very same screentone that was used for the dragon. I think this might be an indication that the wings aren't the only reminescence of his dragon appearance!

Sakura shows once again an incredible empathy that allows her to go right to the heart of the issue without investigating much. If Kaito rewrote an entire world, and if it's true that Akiho in the previous world didn't have all the love and familiar support she's got now, it means that she was probably in danger too. And seeing as these people are attacking them now because they freed Kaito from his "punishment", Sakura doesn't really need much to make 2+2 and understand the situation. Sakura believes in Akiho, therefore she believes in Kaito too, and knows that if he came to this point it's because they were in a desperate and dangerous situation.

Showing an incredible insight, Sakura shocks both Kaito and Akiho by asking:

Sakura, JP: "In that case, can I make those people forget about you both?"

Because our girl needs to make sure that the plan she came up with won't have any undesired consequences. But most importantly, she needs to have their consent. She reiterates this once again, actually she will make sure to ask Kaito and Akiho's consent 3 times in total. She says: JP, lit. "If going back to before the world was rewritten will put you through hardships once again, then, can I just make them forget?" Kaito is even more shocked, because he finally understands Sakura's intent. A generous, selfless intent born from a loving heart. Our girl wants to make sure that these two will be safe and sound once she fixes this situation. She can't take risks, because their happiness is all she's really caring for right now. And in his shocked expression, I can also see some kind of "omg YES, PLEASE" vibe. Because probably, having those terrible people forgetting all about them is everything he ever wished, but couldn't achieve. And I think it's really funny how we berated Kaito so much in the past chapters for making Akiho and the others forget facts that happened before and forgetting about him, but here Sakura just takes "inspiration" from him and actually decides to use that same "trick" in the right way. Because it's not fair that it should be them, the abused people, to forget about their most important person, in order to achieve a happy life for at least one of them. It isn't fair and it isn't right that Kaito was driven into making all the mess that he made, pushed by desperation. The abusers, that clan and Association of magicians, should be the ones forgetting.

But this is Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card's finale, and Sakura definitely hasn't finished with being amazing yet, she actually just started. Her very strong power at this point allows her not only to see things that were difficult before, but also to connect the dots more easily thanks to that renowned instinct that I've always talked to you about, and that she learned to finally listen to.

As if she were seeing through him with X-rays, she confidently affirms that there's a book inside of him, a white book where you can inscribe magic on. And she also knows that that same book was inside Akiho, once. I guess this might be even coming from past memories of the unrewritten world (do you remember when, before the play started, Sakura said that she could feel something inside Akiho?). Akiho of course is shocked to hear that, and from her expression you can almost feel the chill that went down her spine in that moment. Sakura affirms that this book knows both Akiho and Kaito (thanks to the fact that it was inside both of them - something that I've always found painfully heartbreaking but also quite moving, for my ship), and it's got a very strong power inside of it. These will be two crucial things for Sakura's plan. In fact, our heroine is hellbent in attempting something pretty arduous: utilizing that artifact's power to create a new Card. For impartiality, I have to point out that the ENG added (completely on their whim) a "you, her special person" that isn't there in the JP version! Of course it's all the better for me, since they repeat (finally with the right adjective) that Kaito is Akiho's special person, but it's kinda funny that they messed it up so much in the previous chapters, and now they're adding it where there isn't any mention of it!

Sakura will be using a tool that knows the both of them, therefore she is sure that her plan will succeed, because the Card will know what it will need to erase. Sakura asks for Kaito and Akiho's agreement one last time. After hearing how those people wanted to hurt them both and even implanted the same magical artifact inside of her, Akiho is quite resolute and doesn't have any doubt: on with the wiping off! It doesn't matter who those people are, they've tried to harm her most important person and her too, so she doesn't really seem to give a damn about proceeding with this plan. Kaito, on the other hand, seems to be giving a more lackluster affirmative reply, but it's not that he's uncertain: he's just still riddled with guilt for all the mess that he's done, and he's probably realizing that now Sakura will need to put herself on the line in order to fix this and protect both of them, hence his sad face.

Still surfing the confidence wave, Sakura guesses that once those people have forgotten about Akiho and Kaito, then the magic arrows will stop too, and Kaito confirms that: forgetting about the person who had the Seal of D enforced on him will be equal to "undo" both the activation of the Seal itself (when Kaito removed the book from Akiho) and also the rescission of it (what Sakura did when she freed Kaito from the cage). This will therefore stop the arrows too, because the Seal wouldn't have been triggered in the first place. However, Kaito warns her that, although time is still barely "stopped" (because the time-stopping spell is still weakly on), it's necessary an enormous amount of power in order to do what Sakura wants to do. I have to point out another inaccuracy in the ENG translation in this part, which makes Kaito say "before things could get worse" and I have the feeling they misunderstood the word 辛うじて, "barely" or "narrowly", which is also written with the kanji of 辛い, "hard" or "tough". So Kaito isn't saying "before things could get worse" but actually meaning "although time is barely stopped".

Sakura doesn't seem to be scared by Kaito's warning, and activates her wand without a second thought, and immediately we can see that her task wil NOT be easy, as she can feel the strain almost right away.

Here we go with another inaccuracy of the ENG translation:

Sakura, ENG: "Great book, please show yourself! My power alone won't be enough...!" Sakura, JP: "The book....doesn't want to come out. (it's too difficult to pull it out) with just my power..."

Basically, Sakura isn't begging the book to "show itself", she's actually actively trying to pull it out of Kaito, and she's aware that it's opposing a lot of resistance, and her power alone isn't enough to take this damn book out. Sakura refuses to give up, because everyone else is doing their best too. Yes, everyone else.

And that's when CLAMP decided to bring us a big surprise for this finale.

A pair of hands seem to be appearing next to Sakura's, as if a spirit is hugging her from behind. We can see the famous fan that we learned to recognize so well ever since her first appearance in Movie 1. Sakura feels immediately the same magical power of Syaoran surrounding her, and with her instinct she finally recognizes her: it's Syaoran's mother, YELAN!!! We can see her, sweating and all, in her sacred chinese pavilion, lending her power to help in this difficult task.

What a great, welcome surprise for this finale!! You might have heard me saying on Twitter that Clear Card is really a celebration of motherhood, with this constant presence of mothers and mother figures who try to help these kids growing up without removing their right to choose for themselves. And since Yelan is the only mother figure who can concretely help Sakura in this moment, with her immense power, I really loved to see how this woman didn't hesitate to assist her future daugher in law. For any SyaoSaku fan, this scene here is a huge thing. We have seen in the anime how Yelan doted on Sakura ever since she met her in Movie 1, even before her own son realized his feelings for this girl. Yelan and Sakura haven't met in the manga yet (and hello, CLAMP, now this is a good chance for letting that happen, after the madness is over), but the woman didn't hesitate a moment to lend her power. I can really imagine how along these two will get, in the future. ❤️

Sakura thanks her aloud, while her eyes show that she's really really tired. Yelan's assistance is finally effective in summoning the artifact book out of Kaito, and we see again those countless book pages that we saw both when Akiho used to go "berserk", and also in the most heartbreaking scene of chapter 70. Kaito, still holding onto a worried Akiho, seems to suffer physically from this removal, and I can't understand if it's because removing something magical from inside is naturally painful (we've been shown something like that before, Syaoran crouching to the ground in pain while the Sakura Cards were being removed from inside of him) OR if the removal of the artifact also triggered his poor health conditions in which we left him, before he disappeared in chapter 70.

Sakura tries with all she's got and finally manages to turn the artifact into its "true form": a book filled with countless of spells written in strange magic runes.

You have spotted it, right? ☝️ I haven't seen many fandom reactions yet, but I guess this "cameo" made more than one person scream: it's Fay D. Fluorite's tattoo, yes! This page of the "book" is probably describing the procedure to cast that tattoo (which was also a kind of "seal", if I remember correctly). So that spells exists in this CCS world too! 😅 The magic Sakura is weaving starts "working" on the book, literally removing the spells from its pages and turning them back to their original form of magical books (remember that the Squids used to say that they would inscribe "magic books" and their power onto Akiho?).

Then, solemnly, we hear probably for the last time ever the magical incantation that accompanied us in the beginning of the story, used by Sakura to secure the strange manifestations of power into a transparent Card:

ENG: "Force without master, heed the call of my Staff of Dreams and become my power! SECURE!"

The countless of books and all this tremendous amount of power get secured into the birth of a new Card: BLANK!!!

Blank got the human appearance of Akiho, but also the protective wings of Kaito. The girl is holding a book (of course, how perfect for her) which is the representation of the artifact that was inside both Kaito and Akiho. This card is really so meaningful for someone like me who loves Akiho and Kaito. It's representing them united in their suffering (the artifact) but also in the hope for a better future (Akiho is smiling and the Card will be used to grant them safety, away from their abusers). I've always imagined that one of the last Cards Sakura might have produced would have Akiho and Kaito's elements, and here it is.

Also, how AWESOME is that Sakura managed to dispose of that damn artifact and succeeded to use it for Kaito and Akiho's sake, and turned it against the monsters who created it??? HOW. AWESOME. IS. THAT!!!!

Producing the very first consciously created transparent Card sucked almost all of Sakura's power and strength, and she's close to fainting, under the terrified eyes of Akiho, who lets go of Kaito for a moment in a gesture of going towards her "sister". But Sakura isn't done yet, no. She can't give up yet because her job isn't done.

And I Will Make Them Remember About You

Sakura wants for Akiho and the people who care about her (the ENG decided to translate this with "the people SHE holds dear") to remember who Akiho really is. She wants basically to "undo" what the rewriting of the world caused on the people who know Akiho, making them believe that she was born into the Kinomoto family and that she was Sakura and Touya's sister.

After pondering for a while and discussing with my friends over at my Discord server, I decided I'm not gonna go out on a limb and assume things from this decision, because I definitely NEED to read the next chapter to see how much Sakura intends people to remember, with this move. It's really not clear at all, as of now.

Anyway, other translation inaccuracy incoming!

Sakura, ENG: "I'm going to make another new card for that...and I might not have the power to do it alone" Sakura, JP: "It might probably be really difficult to create one more new card with my power, right now..."

As you can see, the nuance is different, because Sakura in the JP addresses how it's almost impossible for her to create another new card in the situation she is in right now, exhausted and all.

That's why, very cleverly, she's going to do something different. (My gosh how proud I am of this girl!!)

Saying "But these two Cards will surely help me", Sakura skillfully manages to merge Time and Rewind to create a new Card, not from scratch (which requires more power) but using what she's already got: and that's how the REMIND Card is born!!! The name of the Card originated by just replacing the "W" of Rewind with the "M" of Time. Ingenious, isn't it???

And as the two Cards merge, they give us lots of flashbacks, like the "effect" used here resembles a lot the one that used to happen when Sakura was changing the Clow Cards into the Sakura Cards back in the old arcs, or how the merging of two Cards seems to also be a callback to how the "card without name" and the "Nothing" merged to create HOPE in the very last minutes of Movie 2! What a nostalgic trip down the memories lane!

And the appearance of this Card is even more touching, because it features Syaoran (with his current age) holding Nadeshiko's pendant watch. I found that so sweet, especially coupled with Yelan's assistance to Sakura in this chapter. Yelan associated with Sakura, and Syaoran associated with Nadeshiko. How sweet. And when you think that even Lilie, Akiho's mother, was associated with Kaito, you really can realize that this is some kind of "theme" that CLAMP seemed to be wanting to portray in this story.

I Can't Be On Everyone's Side

And now, the scene that I think is worth the whole chapter, but probably the whole Clear Card Arc in its entirety. As usual, with important scenes, I'll use the literal translation from Japanese:

Sakura, JP: "It might not be right that there'll be people who will forget things (after this), but....I can't be everyone's friend/ally/can't be on everyone's side. So I won't go back...but actually, along with the people important to me... I WANT TO GO ON"

Wow. Let that sink in.

Sakura, of Cardcaptor Sakura, just came to the realization and spelled out clearly that she cannot be on everyone's side. That she cannot be "everyone's friend", like in a cheesy fairytale.

And I really, really, want to thank CLAMP-sensei for this scene and this line because for a period, long time ago, I was worried that this story would go down the "let's be friends" or "let's show sympathy to them" route. But as the chapters continued and the things CLAMP told us about the Association and the Squids were more and more cruel, and they made me more and more sick, I started to realize that there was simply no way CLAMP could've had Sakura try to justify or compromise with them. Because when cruelty is real, there's no compromise to be made.

This scene also shows how Sakura realizes for the first time ever that in her world, contrary to what we all believed previously, evil exists. It might not touch her or her "entourage" directly (and she's really blessed for that), but it exists out there and it's hurting people, people who can also become really important to her. And she decides to not stand idly by, blessed as she is with the luck of not experiencing that evilness, but actually using whatever it is in her power to bring those suffering people to safety.

Sakura cannot fight those people on equal terms. She's just 13, and although her power is very strong, she's still inexperienced. Moreover, she cannot really bring herself to deny her current nature and use violence on other human beings. That's not Sakura. I want you guys to reflect on this because I know that one of the favorite things expected for this finale was to have a direct magical confrontation with the true villains of this arc, defeating them and restablishing the peace. And I am sincere when I say that I would've wished for the same too, because you know how much I love Kaito and Akiho, and how much I was disgusted to read about what they did to them. I've spread my "burn the squids" gifs all over the fandom. I wanted someone to vindicate them. But not here. Not in this manga. I realized that after the initial satisfaction, I would've probably felt like the series would've been "defiled". And that's exactly what happens when you answer to violence with more violence.

Sakura just could not go hunting those bastards down and defeat them in a magical battle. Because, powerful and corrupted in their greed as they are, the only way to "fix" this situation would've been to exterminate them. I just could not picture this story to cross that boundary, no matter how much the bar had already been raised well over what we initially thought.

So, if someone out there is disappointed by this outcome, I'm sorry for you, but it was just not meant to be and I'm actually really glad that this series kept true to its fundamental values. Of course it would, CLAMP really do care about this series and they know very well how far to push the plot, and when to actually stop.

So what is the role of Akiho's clan and the Magic Association in this story, especially considering that we never saw their faces at all? Talking with lots of fans in these years, especially Japanese, I've come to the conclusion that they are not in this story to fill the "villain that needs to be deafeated" role, but actually they're a representation of abusive families that smother and suffocate their children with expectations, completely disregarding those children's natural inclinations, and abuse them when they do not meet such expectations, but also the society as a whole, that looks at you only basing on how it can take advantage of you. Which is exactly what happened to Akiho and Kaito, driving them to very dark places. The absence of faces for those characters makes it possible for the readers to see the Squids and the Association as the representation of whatever environment they relate the most to. It can be family, society, school, workplace etc... It also helps us focusing on their actions, rather than their faces, and not attribute any prejudice to them (because of religion, race, skin color, or whatever other attribute they could have).

Seeing as the story treats them more like a concept, than an actual entity, it's basically impossible for Sakura to defeat them (and their great power is an indication of that impossibility). Just like in real life, darkness will always exist, along with light. Good and evil will always be side by side. It's bigger than any of us. Then, what can we do, in a situation like this? What Sakura is choosing to do, here, is not to confront directly with violence these people who are way out of her league, and not even to sit back and look, but actually finding a way to make them forget about her friends and keeping her friends safe, granting them the possibility of living a happy life, finally away from the darkness of the past, healing the wounds on their souls together with the people they love and who love them back. Because even if you've been abused in the past, you can still hope for a happy life.

The focus here is all on helping the abused people. And Sakura, in order to do that, is okay with coming to terms with the fact that she can't be on everyone's side, and she needs to choose. In the end, the thing that really matters the most is to GO ON with your most important people. Not going back to what is lost, but going forward. And I know that this is such a CLAMP theme, and I'm glad that they reiterated it in this arc. When I say that Clear Card brought Sakura so much more closer to what's usual for CLAMP, I mean this.

The panel with Sakura raising her staff and shouting she wants to go on is absolutely beautiful, with those wings growing so big and unleashing Sakura's power in a storm of cherry blossom petals.

Sakura is exhausted, she finally reached her limit by using her ultimate magic. As she faints, her eyes just make it in time to catch a glimpse of her prince, the love of her life grabbing tightly his girlfriend's hand, to not let her fall, while the watch of Remind and the book of Blank do their job in the background. And I really loved this spread too, because even if it's not a conventional romantic scene made of physical display of love, this in my opinion is even more powerful. Many were reminded of Tsubasa, but I was also reminded of the long time those two spent unable to touch one another, and this scene here seems like a catharsis for that hardship they went through. Syaoran will always catch Sakura everytime she falls, he will always be there to grab her hand, no matter if he can really touch her or not. Cause his love is stronger than any kind of impediment. He will always be by her side, no matter what. When she's exhausted by her heroine's duties, she knows that she can always count on him to support her.

And speaking of "always be by her side", I just can't avoid mentioning how Akiho and Kaito stayed "glued" to eachother for the entire duration of this chapter, protecting and supporting one another. Kaito, in particular, kept holding Akiho even as Sakura's magic was hurting him like hell, because it was extracting the book from him. Even in excruciating pain, he did not let go of Akiho, intent in protecting her and keeping her safe in his hold. Akiho let go of him just for a moment when she was scared out of her mind for Sakura, but went back to him when she saw that her "sister" was hellbent in completing her task no matter what. Kaito, as the good "moon boy" he is, is someone who shows his feelings through his actions rather than words, just like Syaoran. And his constant grip on Akiho in this chapter, such an opposite act compared to how he used to stop his hand everytime it started reaching out to her, told me all that I needed to know about him: she's his most important person, and he will never let go of her, ever again.

Sakura wakes up in her bed. The scene is a direct parallel with an almost identical scene in chapter 3, as you can see here:

Kero is next to her and is relieved to see her awake, so he goes to shout in the hallway, directed to Touya, that Sakura is finally awake. Sakura seems a bit surprised to see Kero talking so nonchalantly with her brother, and he tells her that he chatted with him back at Yukito's house, together with Suppy, so I guess now he finds it "natural" to talk to her brother too! 😂 I'm kinda glad to know that, I like this "change of relationship", compared to the old series (and it was also kinda long overdue).

Sakura opens the palm of her hands and she finds the Dream Key, still intact and all. She also asks about Remind and Blank, and Kero confirms to her that she was able to use them successfully! Sakura is absolutely delighted to hear that, and says "We were able to go on!"

And thaaaaaaat's how the second-to-last chapter of Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card ends! Solving a lot of the pending situations, but still leaving some secondary questions that will surely find a (more or less) detailed explanation in the final, next chapter. And well, we also have to prepare to not have ALL the answers to ALL the questions we might have. This is usual for CLAMP, and especially in their Spaces they never made it a secret that they love for their fans to wreck their brains over theories and imagining the characters' future after a series is over. They love for the fans to give their interpretations to things, they encourage that a lot (also because it creates more long-lasting engagement with their series).

Alas, I expect they'll leave something in particular to everyone's interpretation, but we'll see. 😅

Overall, I really loved this chapter and it was really emotional for me. I think it's fitting for a "climax". Sakura was ABSOLUTELY running the show and after this I dare anyone to say that she isn't the main character of her story. She pushed her limits, and even questioned her own morality in doing so. What a wonderful thing. She reminded me so much of Sakura-hime when she shooted all those monsters in order to take the precious egg, back in the Acid Tokyo arc of Tsubasa. She knew she was doing something bad, but her wish to do everything needed in order to "have him back" was stronger than anything else. And she made her own choice. Here, Sakura, on a smaller scale, made her own choice too.

Now, I hope in the last chapter we'll be granted the possibility to delve a bit more into Kaito and his thoughts, I need to see his character development, I need to see that he learned something from this. That he -at least- started to interrogate himself over the nature of his feelings for Akiho. I know it's reasonable to think that with him, things will take looooong time, but as least show me the signs. Because I need to know that Akiho will be truly happy with him (I know she will!), and she can only be if he's learned to be honest with himself. And learned what Lilie meant with the last conversation we saw between them.

Also, WHERE'S MOMO, I NEED TO SEE MOMO BEFORE THIS ENDS!!

Okay, this is probably the longest post I ever did but I think as the second-to-last chapter it deserved to have some big thematics explored in depth, because they're very important. I'm still pondering if I should divide the post of the final chapter in two because, in addition to even more pages, I expect there'll be soooooooooo much to talk about (cross your fingers with me that there won't be any translation mistake).

I also hope there'll be room for an epilogue or a couple of extra chapters, to help us coping with the separation in a more gradual way, cause after 7 years it's quite hard. I was curious to see the end, of course, but also not entirely ready to let this wonderful story go. I really, really enjoyed it and I say this from the bottom of my heart. I don't care what everyone else thinks, I can only be grateful to CLAMP for Clear Card Arc. 🙏

Chapter 80, along with all the tears that will come with it, is expected to be uploaded on November 29th on CLAMP's Youtube channel. Yes, it's less than a month away! I also expect some news about the anime (BLESS THE ANIME!! Something to cling onto when the manga is over 😭).

Well, see you at the end of November (please come to hold my hand cause I cannot do this alone, lol) !!!

[natalyarose]

🥀 It's so nice seeing the Vedic Astrology space start to talk about Ayanamsa- when I was first in the space, virtually nobody in the online Nakshatra based Astrology-sphere was talking about or questioning Ayanamsa, or really anything beyond what they were taught.

When I started talking about it, people acted like I was a little cray or just forcing something to fit- granted; I think back then I wasn't the best communicator. I was always good intentioned, but kinda flimsy in my arguments. I would get very stroppy when people challenged me because I would just crumble and think 'they're so right, I'm a stupid spineless lil amoeba, idk nuthin, I'm ashamed that even tried to pretend I know anything :(' lol. Ahh; I was so young, I forget that sometimes. I lacked self-belief, so why would others believe me?

In fact, I said a lotta stuff back then that people treated me like I was crazy for lol, but it's very healing to be seeing people starting to talk about the very same stuff I was on about a few years down the track.

I remember I always wanted to join in on the Twitter Nakshatra exploration, but mannn there was a lot of toxicity in that space. Some brilliant observations and minds at work, but a lot of unfair bias and judgement brought into a sacred practice I found /: (so and so Nakshatra are evil, etc.)

I don't mind what anybody else believes, but I have so much respect for people who are open minded regardless of their own beliefs/ideals 💜 I'm really enjoying Tumblr because from what I've seen, it is a much more balanced place.

I've always had a theory that on Twitter, the word limit on Tweets made people feel inclined to say more cut-throat, black and white things because there's not enough space to eloquently explain your thoughts. Saying (just as an extreme example lol) 'Sun men are evil womanizers', takes less characters than, 'Sun men can be inclined towards not placing much value on attachment, and therefore can exhibit womanising tendencies & in an unbalanced state, very self absorbed, callous behaviours'... wayy too wordy for Twitter. However, I think when talking about astrology it's important to put the TLC in and fully fledge out explanations. This knowledge is so sacred and we are blessed to have access to it, the more sophistication we speak of things with, the more we can do it justice 🌌🍃

I feel astrology is best utilised as tool for bringing people closer to divinity & unity rather than dividing and judging others. Granted, we do live on the physical plane so it is also important to understand division, but why not try to bridge that gap?

It's important that when we find ourselves having the blessing/burden of knowledge in our hands, we use it wisely 🤍🌜

- someone who doesn't know which way is up 😎

[thegreymoon]

The Story of Minglan

I probably won't be able to pull off a whole episode tonight but I. Must. Know 😭😭

***

The way she keeps begging her worthless father for even a crumb of acknowledgement that he had any feelings whatsoever for her poor mother, smh.

***

Oh, fuck you.

All he ever thinks of is his dick and his pride. I don't think he has ever truly loved anyone except for himself.

***

Oh, baby 😢

Why are you even still expecting anything from his worthless, selfish ass?

***

YES. SEE HIM FOR WHAT HE IS.

He deserves neither your love nor respect. Please stop crying because of him!

***

Ugh, this evildoer.

Don't worry, I have no doubt you'll eventually get yours too! 😡

***

Who?

What are the names of those two princes again? Yan and Yong?

***

I am suuuuuuper confused.

Are Consort Yong and Duchess Ying the same person?

(Also, finally! These Yan and Yong people appear! I have been trying so hard to remember these names because this drama keeps hinting they will be important.)

***

No, not the same, because Consort Yong is a princess, not a duchess, smh. Then what are they both wearing pink for? A little consideration for us face-blind people would have been nice!

***

So.... let me see if I've got this straight.

The Princes Yong and Yan are the current Emperor's brothers?

***

Oh, wait, I just realized that this toxic gossip is Yanran's shitty younger sister!

I didn't recognise her in fine clothes, lol.

What the hell is her problem? She's still mad about being beaten at a game of polo?

***

Jesus Christ. Now she has the attention of these witches on her.

This is all Qi Heng's shitty doing. I hate him more than I can express 🤬🤬

And it's not just Minglan, these Imperial fuckers can ruin her entire family too!

***

LOL, who's the little whore?

Is there a single woman in this drama who doesn't have a problem with mistresses, concubines, serving maids and prostitutes? 😅

***

NOOOOOO, DON'T GO MEET WITH HIM!! 😭

AND THIS CREEPY WITCH SAW!! 😭😭

***

STUPID. STUPID. STUPID.

Minglan, where did you lose your brain??

***

WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT YOUR MISERABLE BODY

YOUR EVIL MOTHER BEAT A WOMAN TO DEATH BECAUSE OF YOU. FUCK YOU AND FUCK HER AND FUCK YOUR ENTIRE HOUSE

***

There is no chance this will not pulverize both her reputation and that of her entire house.

First of all, the Emperor would never offend his parents by granting this marriage and second, the scandal of it will do soooooo much damage to her and her family. Just imagine how pissed off his parents will be, in addition to every other snooty noble who is very much going to take her trying to marry above her means as a personal insult. Sheng Hong has neither the power nor the mental capacity to deal with the fallout of that.

***

LMAO, where did his stupid ass come from? 🤣🤣

He's like a jack-in-the-box, always popping up, it seems.

***

LOL, bribe him with the cake to keep him quiet 🤣🤣

***

Yes! Finally, somebody is speaking some common sense!

All her stupid maids to is enable her because they think it's sooooo romantic 🙄🙄

***

Yes, baby! Here for you and your petty goals! 🤗

***

Oh, nooooooo 😬😬

Of course Buwei gets blamed. Of course!

[differentclasss]

Can u do a jackson rippner smut for fem sub reader where like, they work together and she is assigned on a mission with himmm

The Professional - Jackson Rippner x Reader

C/W: guns, typical assassin stuff, smut, rough blow job, vaginal sex, canon typical violence, and Jackson Rippner is a dick lol.

A/N: Thank you for the request! Also the song, "The Professional" by Pulp inspired this fic. I hope this is good! Also, I started working on a Neil Lewis request, hopefully, it will be easier to write less dark topics for a change!! 

˚ · • . ° .˚ · • . ° .˚ · • . ° .˚ · • . ° ˚ · • . ° .˚ · • . ° .˚ · • . ° .˚

You were just the informant. Just a measly informant who honestly, really would rather not work for a group like this. To be honest, you didn’t even like what you did. It just gave you enough money to enjoy the modern comforts of life. All those things you wanted for so long now were yours after living from paycheck to paycheck before. It was dirty money, you knew that of course, but if it kept you housed and equipped with nice clothes, fine jewelry, and the nicest home decor, you could withstand a little grime on your hands. It wasn’t like it was you who killed or terrorized, you just made sure they had all the information to do so. It was sleazy and even a little vain, sure, but you never owned such nice clothes and jewelry.

You didn’t have that before, in fact, you were the first person in your family to ever achieve this sort of success. Your family, the bleeding heart folks they are, had all lived comfortably but never extraordinarily. You had suspected the same, to live that safe typical life. That changed when you got a job at a firm of some sort as a private investigator. Or, what you thought was a private investigator, you weren’t stupid, you pieced it together that this job was investigating people who had to be “taken care of” or whatever mob movie-esque way of saying it was. After some time the firm was more open about their true colors regarding their work. You told yourself that you were in too deep to stop now, too far gone to stop yourself from continuing. (And the money. Jesus the money! They do say that money is the root of all evil, don’t they?) You weren’t even sure if you believed in hell but you were sure that doing this work was your ticket there. 

Still, you did it. You worked around the clock to gather as much information on a client as possible, even knowing exactly what time they left their house every morning on average. You weren’t one of Charlie’s Angels, no, not by far, but you did have a knack for finding information on people. It gave you some comfort knowing that you had plausible deniability, if one day this whole firm was busted, you already knew you could cry and say you had no idea. You were just doing what you were told. To be fair, you did anything Jackson Rippner, the manager of the firm, said. There was just something about his cocky charm that got to you, like how it got to everyone else he interacted with. 

There were a few words to describe Jackson Rippner, he was a charming douchebag, among other ones. Granted, you were hardly at the receiving end of any of his lectures or reprimanding but you saw it happen enough to know that you never wanted to be the one who was. You figured that if you kept doing what you were doing you would be okay. Most of your interactions with him were seemingly pleasant or at the very least, cordial. He was a looming presence when you were sitting up in your office, piling through everything a client had done. He seemed to micromanage, always looking over your shoulder and telling you to make sure you remembered to look into so and so as well. It could be bearable on some days and other days, you had a ringing in your ear by the time you had left your office. Sometimes his “pointers” just seemed condescending. Not wanting to be a bother though, you always nodded along and acted like whatever he had told you to do was something you hadn’t already planned on doing. It also was apparent to you that you did want to make him proud, for some reason. You had an idea of what his real work was, but still, you wanted to get his approval.

Jackson had made note of your unwavering subservience, granted he had picked up on it before you were even aware of it. Reading people was something he had a great strength in, he could see your weaknesses from the moment you walked into this job, full of naivety. He had no issue whatsoever using this to his advantage, he knew you wouldn’t say no. On a rather plain morning, he had come into your office, and you expected the same sort of run-down as usual. You expected a stack of papers and a few names as a week’s worth of work but he had a different idea of how you would be working that week.

“Good morning,” Jackson said as he stepped into your office. “I have a proposition for you.” He could be blunt, never leaving too much for interpretation. 

“Uh huh…”You said with a lifted brow. “What is it?”

“Nothing you can’t manage, I’m sure…” He replied, slinking over to your desk and taking a look at what you decorated it with, which wasn’t much more than a few cups of pens and pencils. Keeping pictures of your family here just seemed like a bad idea. “It’s simple, you won’t even need to do anything for the most part. You’ll just be accompanying me on a mission, it is as easy as it sounds.”

How vague.

“Oh…” You said and nervously glanced over at him. “Uh… Why? Don’t we have someone you want me to look into? I do better with paper honestly.”

“Come on,” He said with a little grin. “It would be good for you to get out of this stuffy office and get some real experience in this field. You don’t want to be a paper pusher forever, right?”

“I guess, but I’m pretty comfortable right here.” You stammered for a reason to reject this offer. “I probably won’t be very helpful. Like I said, I do better with paper.” You added, hoping he would get that you weren’t interested. At that point, it would just seem too involved. 

“Don’t tell me no,” Jackson said, putting on his best charming smile. “Your work here is greatly appreciated, it’s only fair we give you a chance to learn how things are done outside the office.”

Suddenly it really felt like you couldn’t tell him no. He has a way about him to make plans seem like they were your idea all along. Or maybe that was just your budding attraction towards him speaking. You didn’t like to admit it but you did see him as more than just your cocky higher-up. Either way, you swallowed your spit and sighed.

“What would I be doing?” You asked after some initial hesitation.

“It’s simple, you should be able to keep up.” He said with a layer of condensation. “You’ll come with me to a gala, one of our clients really can’t stand the man throwing the party. You’ll be a buffer of sorts, if we just play the part of a wealthy couple going there together it’ll be less likely we draw any suspicion. Power in numbers as they say.”

“And then what? Are we going to look into the guy and try to find information on him?” You asked cautiously.

“The next part isn’t something you should concern yourself with.” He explained. “All you need to do is come with me dressed in some pearls.” He added with a small grin.

You let out a tired sigh, already feeling bad. It just seemed much worse to go out with Jackson and play into this whole mission. It was wrong, you knew that, but when he mentioned a bonus, you felt inclined to say yes and swallow that diminished sense of conscience you had remaining.

In the days prior to the party, you had a few errands to run to ensure you would blend in and most importantly, not piss off Jackson. You knew he held a certain standard for these types of missions and because of this, you put effort into achieving these silent standards he placed over you. As a way to prepare, you learned what the demographic was going to be, bought a new and much too expensive dress, and watched Sex and the City. The whole party was a very WASP-y upper-class event, you figured the TV show would be a good way to base your mannerisms for the event.

The night of the party you could safely say that it was the best you had looked in a long time. Your dress fits in all the right places without being over the top. You knew you looked the part, you just had to be as inconspicuous as possible. Jackson, being as thorough as he normally is, already had fake identities for the two of you. A husband and wife who were thought to be wealthy investors. You tried not to think too hard about it but you thought the choice was odd. 

The party was just as you assumed, very white collar and white pearls. You and Jackson made it your goal to just blend in. Dressed in your incognito you both made it through the party with fake stories of your identity rehearsed and studied. He stayed as charming as always, making witty comments to other guests and being polite. You mostly stayed quiet, afraid to say the wrong things and get odd glances and whispers thrown your way. To anyone else, you and Jackson looked like the prototype of some rich couple, his hand on your waist with you smiling and nodding to every word that left his mouth. 

As the night aged, Jackson excused himself and left you with a woman who wore a lipstick shade too bright that drew attention to her large teeth. Not having him guiding you through conversations made you feel a little anxious, you had to rely wholly on your judgment and try to not reveal anything about yourself if it wasn’t necessary. The woman with the large teeth didn’t notice your apprehension to conversation, instead, she rattled on about some trip to Aspen she had gone on with her husband and children a year or so ago. Or maybe it was a trip to Lake Tahoe. You weren’t keeping up with the conversation as much as you got more nervous the longer Jackson was gone. It was a strange sense of abandonment. You eventually excused yourself, asking for directions to the bathroom and then disregarding them to find Jackson elsewhere. 

The house the party was in was nothing short of a mansion. As you walked through the quiet upstairs you took note of every detail of wealth. Paintings from famous artists, pristine floors, and how the whole upstairs seemed to be a labyrinth of fine living. Even the fucking trim on the walls seemed to be custom-made. You could only survey the state of the house for so long as you walked through the halls, searching for your escort. Each time you passed a room with its door closed, you pressed your ear to it for a moment, waiting to hear something. The last door at the end of the hall was your last bet, you pressed your ear to it and did hear something. It sounded like a struggle.

Two people, or how it sounded, were scraping against each other, their movements were erratic till you heard a loud thud followed by Jackson's voice. He was threatening someone, his words full of cruelty. The other voice, a man, had managed out some pleading words before there was a muffled sound, you thought it could’ve been a gunshot, but it was indiscernible. Then there was silence. A silence that made you sick. As you listened with your ear pressed to the door, it was opened by Jackson and he pushed you inside quickly.

“Goddamnit.” He hissed at you as he pulled you in by the wrists and slammed the door behind you. He stood directly in front of you. “I almost blew your brains out!” 

He looked like he was about to lose his temper. You were too distracted by the blood coming from the man who he had presumably just shot and by the gun in his hand. The man, who you thought was the man this whole mission was for, was undoubtedly dead. An expertly shot bullet wound between his eyes gave you a feeling that this was obviously not Jackson’s first time. You always thought you would’ve screamed in a moment like this, instead, you just stayed wide-eyed and white in the face. Jackson paid no mind to the man he had just murdered, he was all but focused on you. 

“Well come on,” He sighed. “We gotta go.” 

You were too frazzled by what you had seen to not comply. Jackson led you back downstairs to the now thawing-out party by the wrist and made your way to the foyer, sending anyone who noticed you two quick smiles and waves. The driver was already there in the valet, Jackson practically shoved you into the back seat and followed after you. Your entire body felt tense, all of this was too much. Quickly you realized this wasn’t the life for you. You didn’t cry though, you didn’t do anything besides look in front of you and take shallow breaths. The driver was silent as Jackson made a call, murmuring how it was done and there were no complications. He ended the call and looked at you curiously.

“You look like you just saw a ghost.” He noted. 

“I’ve felt better.” You mumbled. He let your words sink in and then patted you on the shoulder.’

“Sounds like you need a drink,” Jackson replied with his boyish grin that you were beginning to see too often. “Let's stop at my place for a nightcap.” 

You didn’t have the time to accept or reject his offer as he told the driver that there would only be one stop. As upset as you were, you were doing better than you ever would’ve expected. There were no tears or refusal, you accepted everything so quickly. The car drove swiftly and the sky from the window looked black as midnight approached. The moon was covered by lazy clouds that clung to it, streetlights taking its place as a light source instead. 

By the time you had pulled in front of his place, a quaint little cabin far from anyone, you had fully accepted what you had taken part in. You still had the tightly tied knot in your stomach but it was no use trying to argue with your conscience-laden mind. Once you were in his home, you sat down on one of the barstools at his kitchen’s island and watched as he made you some vodka-based drink. He was right, you did need a drink. Desperately. 

“I have to say,” Jackson chimed as he poured some mixer into your glasses. “The dress was very fitting for the event. You played the rich socialite part well.” You muttered a thanks and as he sat the drink in front of you, he looked at you with a raised eyebrow, like he was trying to figure you out. “What’s wrong?”

“You killed a man.” You whispered hesitantly. 

“That’s what this whole deer in the headlights look you have is about?” He asked, amused, took a sip of his drink, and then cleared his throat. “Listen, it was nothing personal. It’s about being a professional. You should know that.”

“It just seems wrong.” You replied not looking him in the eyes which caused him to sigh a bit annoyed. 

“You need to lighten up.” He told you with no hint of joking either. “Now, just take a drink.” And you did as he said, like most things. 

You drank in silence, not a single word coming from either of you till the glasses had nothing but a few ice cubes in them. The air around was tense, and as much as you accepted the whole ordeal, this sense of guilt and dread hung over your head. Jackson picked up on it and walked towards you, standing in front of you as you sat on the edge of the bar stool. 

“You don’t need to feel bad.” He told you. “You didn’t even do anything, you’re just the witness.”

“I think I would be considered an accessory after the fact.” You added grimly. 

“You know,” He said as he rested one elbow on the counter. “You’re much too talented with this work to be so tense. You had a special knack for this sort of thing, something I find highly admirable.”

“I don’t think I’m right for this sort of work.”

“Don’t say that.” He shook his head and then put a less-than-comforting hand on your shoulder. “You have it in yourself to do great things, trust me. Especially if we work together as well as we did tonight. You just did whatever I said. I like that about you.”

You blushed. Goddamnit, but you blushed. 

“I just… It’s hard for me to wrap my head around what you do and how you don’t feel bad about it.” You sighed and turned your head to the side, looking at the wooded view outside his home.

“There’s no use in being over-emotional.” He told you with that sly grin. “Just be a professional about this and you’ll be fine.” 

You didn’t think you were over-emotional, especially for what you had just witnessed. Depending on your persuasion, it would’ve been more than okay for you to act totally hysterical but with Jackson's hand on your shoulder you found yourself more susceptible to his words. As artificial as you were sure they were. There was something calming about him though, even for what he did. You just felt like he was right, like everything was going to be okay. Just like he said.

“There’s nothing to worry about.” He said calmly, slightly massaging your shoulder. “I just need you to keep being good, alright? You did so well.”

You nodded, feeling a little embarrassed by how red your face must’ve been. He just looked amused with how this whole thing was turning out. You were sure he knew about that attraction you had for him that you tried to keep so hidden. It was honestly hard for you to feel bad for that man who he had shot. After all, you didn’t do it, and plus, he was just some rich asshole. As you had your inner monologue, Jackson’s hand moved from your shoulder and to your cheek, bringing your eyes up to his. You bit the inside of your cheek and expected him to reject you, now that it was obvious you had some misguided feelings of attraction towards him. You expected him to toy with you, perhaps say some kind words, and then ship you out in a cab all alone. 

“You looked beautiful tonight,” He said quietly. “If that’s all consolation.”

“Thank you.” You whispered. If he was just going to toy with you, you would put this night out of your mind, you decided. You would never think of it again, instead, you already figured you would chalk it up to adrenaline and a mixed drink. His fingertips lightly grazed your cheek, eventually falling to the corner of your mouth. 

“You’d do anything for me, wouldn’t you?” He cooed with a hint of smugness. “You tell me you don’t like what you’re doing for me but yet you do it.”

“I just needed money…” You started to say but he cut you off abruptly.

“I bet you would suck my cock if I asked.”

The way he said it made you stop speaking and just look at him. You couldn’t talk, you must’ve lost the ability to speak right around when you lost your rational thinking. The words held heavy in the air, you could only think about doing what he told you. After a moment, you stopped thinking about any repercussions and just asked.

“Do you want me to?” You asked hesitantly. 

If he says no, you could excuse yourself to the bathroom and then fling yourself out of the window. You thought that would be the only sensible thing to do.

“I knew it.” Jackson chuckled and then his finger traced your bottom lip. There was no motion except his finger for a moment. He looked at you with a shit-eating grin, just for anticipation. “I’m waiting.”

“Right,” You said and nervously lowered yourself to your knees. “Right…” You added quietly. 

With nervous hands fumbling with his belt, you had gotten him free from his confines and pulled down his boxers. He was much bigger than you would’ve thought, you had seen his bulge in the dress pants he normally wore but that was nothing but an understatement to how he was underneath. You wet your lips before you parted your lips to take him. You took as much as you could with your mouth and used your hands on what you couldn’t fit in your mouth. Without any warning, Jackson grabbed a handful of your hair and pushed you all the way down, his cock hitting the back of your throat causing you to gag in surprise. 

“Fuck,” He groaned above you. “You look so pretty like this. So pretty with my cock shoved down your throat.”

You had never deep-throated someone before, yes you had given men blow jobs, but you were always under the assumption that the whole point of a man having his cock stuffed in your mouth was because it was attractive to see a woman working fully for their pleasure and have stimulation without the same feeling of a pussy. This wasn’t the case though, Jackson kept his dick deep in your throat, holding it there as he looked at you with your reddening cheeks and tears threatening to spill. You couldn’t assume this was as good as a usual blow job, it seemed psychological more than anything. Jackson, it seemed, just wanted to see how submissive you were for him. Seeing just how long he could keep you still with your mouth around his dick. 

You breathed through your nose as he kept his grip firm on your hair. His breathing was still for a moment before he pulled you off and then shuttered. With his grip still harsh, he pulled you back to his cock, forcing your mouth open with it and guiding your head up and down him. A bit of drool escaped from the corners of your mouth and left a trail down to your chin. He grunted at the look of you and eventually pulled you off completely and coughed as you caught your breath. 

“Get up.” He told you as he lifted you by the bicep, forcing you to your feet. 

You were still recovering from your rough blow job when he bent you over the counter, ass up, and fondled your waist and hips, feeling your body through the dress you wore. Your entire head was spinning, mostly from how fast this was all going and how once you were sure that any sort of contact from Jackson was going to be reserved for your late-night fantasies. It was humiliating how you were so willing for everything he put you through. Without a warning, he lifted your dress and bunched it around your waist, and then brought his hand to toy with your cunt through your underwear. 

“Lace?” He mused as he touched you. “You were just hoping this would happen, huh? If I had known how much of a slut you were for me I would’ve bent you over a desk at work already.”

“I’m not a slut.” You defended meekly as you desperately pushed your pelvis a bit closer to where you wanted him to touch.

“No?” He chuckled. “You’re no fucking Madonna, that's for sure.” 

Your witty response was caught in the back of your throat as you felt him push your panties to the side and work a finger into your cunt. You bit your lip enough for it to bleed if you had sunk your teeth down long enough. He watched as you tried to stay composed as he fucked you with his fingers, collecting your slick with curled fingers. Every pump of his fingers was driving you insane. 

“Please,” You moaned. “Please fuck me.” 

“Needy little thing.” He whispered, “Be patient for me, alright?”

You nodded, letting him continue to pump his fingers in and out of your now-soaked pussy. You could’ve cried when he finally paid attention to your swollen clit. After a few circles around your clit, you came and he looked at you with a mocking grin. Like a Cheshire cat. 

“You really get worked up for me, don’t you?” He teased and then leaned over you to speak directly into your ear, giving you goosebumps with each word as you came off of your orgasm. “You’re gonna come on my cock too. I’m gonna fuck you till you’re sore.”

Your stomach flipped with anticipation, rutting your ass against his crotch. How he quickly turned you into this moaning whore was beyond you. All you could do was try not to moan from the simplest of movements. Like when he stripped your panties off and held your hips in place with his rough hands. When the head of his cock was between your folds you could’ve melted on the spot. As he pushed into you, a wanton moan escaped your lips much to his pleasure. His fingernails dug into your hips as he pushed his cock fully into you. With a bit of strain, he found a rhythm as he fucked you. His grunts of approval could’ve made you come alone, but you held off. 

With his body weight pushed against you, keeping you secured to the edge of the counter, you had very limited movements. Jackson wanted it like that, he wanted you fully enraptured and to only feel him. Eventually, his movements had gotten quicker, less focused on making this enjoyable for you and more focused on his own pleasure. His hips rammed into you, and you cried out in somewhat pain and somewhat pleasure. A string of curses and cries escaped your lips and yet he kept his increasingly faster speed on you. 

“So fucking tight.” He choked out. “I should just hire you as my own personal whore, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Just fucking me as a job?” 

“Fuck,” You cried out, tears now pooling down your cheeks in a sloppy manner. “Jackson, I’m gonna come.” You warned and then he brought his hand to your clit, quickly bringing his middle and ring finger to it in almost over-stimulating circles. 

“Wanna feel you come on my cock, wanna see you come for me.” 

His filthy words were just what you needed to come. You cried out in ecstasy, your moans just as filthy as his as he orgasmed after you. His come seeped out of your pussy after he pulled out and let you both catch his breath. You slowly rose from the counter, straightening your back out after being put in that position. With a nervous look, you glanced at Jackson who looked very pleased with himself. 

“I should really take you out on missions more often.” He told you and you suddenly felt that it was all worth it, in a fucked up way. 

[synapticjive]

"Mask Off" Initial Thoughts

Okay, after marinating on all of this...

For context, I'm playing as a ruthless evil Durge, and it made sense in my RP to ascend Astarion. At some point well into Act 2, I was unable to persuade Astarion out of ascending. His choice to ascend locked in fairly early for me. Every time I challenged him, it defaulted to him making excuses and insisting that ascending was worthwhile, that I was worrying for nothing. He's naturally eager that I'm Bhaalspawn, and the "don't let him" dialogue felt very out-of-place considering how cold and detached we were becoming (don't ask me why, I'm still wrapping my head around this.)

The ascension was a welcomed change of pace, as was Durge's baptism. But regarding the mask...

Spawn Astarion does clearly read as someone who is deeply wounded and using performance/charm/sexuality as a way to manipulate others- for vengeance, for control, for power, for safety, and eventually with Tav/Durge, for intimacy. I do think he's always had a bloodlust and intense hatred for others that a) cross him and b) that he perceives as lesser than him- this is especially true if you think that his history as a magistrate and slaver (controversial) is canon. His past mistakes and/or problematic viewpoints are no way a justification for his experience of sexual abuse and trafficking, it just intensifies and complicates his recovery and relationship building. It explains why he uses Tav/Durge, but then when his sudden feelings are reciprocated, he can't let go.

I've had limited access to clips of spawn Astarion throughout Act 3, and I have no idea how he reacts to Tav/Durge. I saw some epilogue clips, just barely, and I can't conceive of how we even get to that point, considering how much pain he's in, how much ground we'd need to cover in getting him to that place of near acceptance and peace(-ish). I guess a lot goes down in those 6 months, huh?

I always thought A!A (granted, I love him, I love dark romances and awful villains) was just all of his growth locked in time and space, just completely coming to a grinding halt. I don't think that his progress with Tav/Durge is undone (if that was the case, he wouldn't love you anymore or even understand the purpose of you in his life). He's just raw in his anger, vitriol, using his power(s) to protect him from all of the pain and fear that he experienced. Power, wealth, and violence are what protect him now, not Tav/Durge. He doesn't "need" you, but he still wants to "own" you because he... loves you, sort-of. You're under his skin, and he can't let go, I think. Or maybe he still wants something from you, maybe subjugating you somehow amplifies his power fantasy, especially with someone he seems to control and can tolerate ("you're degrading yourself/he can do that.")

He's always had a power fantasy, he's always loved dom/sub dynamics (hinted at in the game,) and so far, as evil Durge, he's been treating my character well (she also doesn't want to leave, not yet anyway.)

I'm still waiting to finish this first playthrough before I have more conclusive thoughts. Preliminary: he's not masking his anger/his dark triad (lol) as AA, whereas he was desperately trying to as a spawn. He doesn't give a single fuck about how people feel about it once he ascends, it's just him and you and everyone beneath you both as far as he's concerned.

Sorry, lots of thoughts, y'all. I need to play an origin run & a spawn Astarion romance to get the full picture.

[slightlyhopefulromantic]

been thinking about doing a class swap for a week or so, but i couldnt think of anything for prudence - until party fowl, of course, where oxventure gave an alternative class to me XD i might come back to these and do lines and color, but for now, just some sketches :]

some extra rambling under the cut about my thought process for all of these:

corazón was a pretty easy choice, considering he's already in a band and loves to charisma his way out of things, haha. he's a little less flashy than canon corazón since being a bard gets him plenty of attention as is LOL so he dresses more plainly. he puts up a display of being very cheerful and a friend to all, but this is very much a display - he still is corazón, with all of his brooding and jealousy, which led to him getting the rest of his pirate crew cursed, of course. though he was not initially captain of the joyful damnation, he took control of it after the incident of the cursehole, and is slightly prone to going on rants about "oh, they never took old CORAZÓN seriously, but see who isn't cursed now!" (<- was the one who got them cursed)

prudence was still raised by cyrus the hermit, but when she decided to follow cthulhu instead of zargon, she left behind the life of a warlock entirely. she still follows cthulhu, hence the evil-looking octopus tattoo on her shoulder, but this is purely a religious thing and does not grant her power. she's path of the beast because of course she is, she's a werebear. she carries an axe. she does not use said axe when she can just claw wildly or whip her tail around, but she definitely carries it!

dob was my favorite to draw. he's a pretty boy :] he has the most different backstory - he still got rabies, but an archfey took pity on him after suzette left to find a cure and gifted him with a fruit from feywilds to cure him. he spent some time in the feywilds as he recovered and was only returned to geth quite a few years later, and promptly set off on a quest to find his lost sister. this was, of course, a way for the fey to lay claim over him and now he's in a deal that greatly hinders his life, but he likes looking on the bright side of things! everyone thinks he smells lovely and comforting and he doesn't even have to wash himself for it to happen! awesome!

egbert is incredibly similar to canon. he has a big shield, hits people with his mace, and he's the religion guy (does not do anything with this). when he left the noble order of le dragon d'or, he was called to follow la vache mauve and was bidden to swap his class to cleric. he is not exceptionally good at the healing side of being cleric, but luckily he's light domain, so he can just blast people with all sorts of fire and radiant spells

merilwen was probably the hardest for me to sort out, since she is so based in being a druid and going with ranger seemed too easy (and also was already given to dob, lol). the vision of her riding on a bear took over though, so i went for cavalier so she could have advantage with mounted combat! i imagine that she would very rarely get to do this, but she loves that she has the ability to, and she definitely has an unnecessarily high animal handling score

[xayneimagines]

HEY GUYS IM ALIVE

Fandom: One Piece

Pairing: Monkey D. Luffy x Reader

Genre: Uhhhh adventure ish I guess idk.

TW: None!

Title: Help from a unlikely source

Summary: Luffy finds himself being a captive of a very weird lieutenant.

I didn’t proof read this because I’m just trying to get back into writing. So my bad lol

“So, you’re Monkey D. Luffy? The infamous Strawhat captain?”

The restraints around him were so cold that they nearly burned. When he had first come to, Luffy did his best to break from them but found the effort futile. He didn’t know what they were made of, but he had to get out of here. He had to save his crew! He didn’t know how he ended up as some marine crews captive in the bottom of their ship, but he was going to make them pay and destroy whatever got in his way!

His rage was building to the point where he almost hadn’t heard the voice. He shot up a glare at who he figured must have been the lieutenant of this ship. He hadn’t expected someone like them, but he had been traveling long enough to know looks could be deceiving.

“Let me out or I’ll kill you! I need to save them!” He spat out, already feeling blinded by rage. His blood was boiling at the idea of his friends suffering.

“You’re talking about your crew right?” They asked with a tilt of their head, staring into Luffy’s eyes as if to study him.

“Who the hell else would I be talking about!? Now let me out!” He screamed, trying to kick his legs.

The lieutenant hummed, staring at him for what felt a little too long, but before Luffy could repeat his threats or thrashing, they shrugged.

“Yeah, sure. Hold on, I gotta find the key.” They reached into a pocket and pulled out a collection of keys and Luffy was so caught off guard that his anger faltered. Was it a trick?

With the click of the restraints, Luffy lunged forward and tackled them to the ground. He hadn’t expected the restraints to actually fall, so when he was able to yank them by the collar of their shirt, he was shocked.

What was more shocking was to hear the laughter. It wasn’t a mocking laugh or some kind of evil laugh like he had heard before. It sounded more like when he was playing tag with the others and felt full of warmth.

The lieutenant’s hands came up to grip lightly on the one that held on tightly to the fabric, the laughter turning into small giggles.

“I guess I shouldn’t have done that mid-thrash, huh? My bad.” The smile on their face was almost blinding with joy and Luffy had never felt more confused. He was about to kick their ass but then they just let him out? And now they were giggling?

“You’re…you’re just letting me go?” He asked hesitantly, slowly lowering their back onto the ground.

“Yeah, sure. Why not?” They asked, their expression now matching his own confused one.

“I’m a pirate?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he now fully sat up. He didn’t feel in danger any more. Granted if they did try to fight him, he was pretty sure he could win. He was still on top of them after all.

They propped themselves up with their elbows, looking up at him and nodding.

“I mean yeah. That’s not a very good reason to keep you locked up though. Your friends are over on that nearby island right? I don’t know if we can dock there, but we can at least get you close enough to be able to fling yourself there.”

It was almost hard for Luffy to register what they were saying. All he could do was nod, wondering what his crew would do in this situation.

“Okay, good. Now let me up so I can tell my crew and we can get moving.” Their smile returned easily and there was a fleeting thought that he liked it. It reminded him of his friends.

Hesitantly, he got up, offering a hand for them to pull themselves up by. Once they were to their feet, Luffy crossed his arms.

“Aren’t you gonna get in trouble for this? Why help me?”

They shrugged at his question and started walking to the stairs, expecting him to follow.

“Maybe I like that you care about others or maybe I just happen to think you’re cute. Does the whys really matter at this point?” They asked, smiling back at him before opening the door to the deck. “Besides, I haven’t gotten in trouble in a few months now. I think it’s long overdue.” They grinned and shut the door behind him as he watched their crew scurry around the deck. The lieutenant spoke with a loud voice, getting all of their attention before telling them where to set the course to and to be fast.

“You’re not like other marine lieutenants...” Luffy couldn't help the comment. So many had tried to kill or had hurt him and the ones he cared about.

“No, suppose I’m not. Doubt I’ll stay one much anyway though.” They crossed their arms and looked out over the sea before pointing. “That shadow in the distance is the island. We’ll get as close as we can, but the reefs are pretty delicate and in danger here I think. Granted, I don’t actually know, I just heard someone on the crew mention it and I’m pretty sure they would be bummed if we messed them up.” They lightly patted Luffy’s arm. “Sorry we had you chained up. After I got you out of the water we had an emergency and since I wasn’t sure what was going on, I didn’t wanna risk you hurting any of them. You’re whole thing is king of the pirates right?”

“I’m gonna be king of the pirates, yeah.”

“Cool! Man, I can’t wait to get to brag about meeting the future king of the pirates. You better not make me a liar.” They grinned at him and Luffy felt his own normal smile begin to spread on his face.

“I won’t! Thank you for your help!”

“Don’t mention it. Just go kick those guys asses. They were literally the worst coworkers you could ever ask for. If they ask how you survived, tell them I sent you!”

“Who are you anyway?”

“Lieutenant ____. Though next time you see me, I won’t have that title anymore.”

[muzzleroars]

Where in the timeline do you think god died? My best guess would be soon after the crucifixion/resurrection/ascension considering the whole plan behind that was the atonement of all humanity's sins (which would also deny Hell new souls) using his own aspect (the son) as the perfect sacrifice.

Yet it failed, humanity is still wrong and Hell is still being fed, and he can't claim humanity is beyond saving because he's god! there could be no more pefect of a lamb to wipe away his humanities mistakes than himself!, but the son lived among them for so long and got to understand them on a level that he could never do as god and upon rejoining the trinity brings this knowledge and allows for the realisation that was he was the problem, he can't fix sin because he himself is nowhere close to the perfection he demands from all of his creation. And I think that would cause all the cracks to finally break.

This would mean that Mary would live her life, ascend to Heaven to find it in chaos with her son nowhere to be found.

This would also give quite a long time for Lust and Greed to build themselves up before Heaven sorts itself out, 2000 years is a long time for a human but not much for a husk and even less for an angel.

I hope this all makes sense!

ouuuugghhh this is interesting, because i think this can work from a scriptural sense - though there is no appointed time for the second coming, some of the gospels could be interpreted as suggesting it would happen within the contemporary generation. however, it's wholly possible here that the son changed this timeline and ran everything off the rails entirely because of what he saw and learned in his human life. human life is fill to the brim with complexity, with ambiguity, with strife and joy sometimes all at once, and being so infinitely limited in their scope and with such a short existence, i think his ideas just. shifted. sinners are often stuck in situations they didn't choose, they are often powerless and rendered unable to change through stigma, and he knows this because so many transformed instantly when all he did was offer them a bit of help and compassion. yes, there are cruel and wicked people, those that worsen the existence of others for their own gains, but so many that he once condemned as god, sinners of necessity, of ignorance, of mistake, he could no longer see evil in. and so when the trinity is reunited, when the son returns to the father and the holy spirit, he is not in sync with them. this is ultimately what i see as the reason for god's destruction, that the holy spirit, analytical as always, interprets god himself as the problem and so self-destructs essentially.

and it makes sense in the timeline capacity too, for lust to have been so built up, would take....a VERY long time if you consider all the components that had to come together to do this. they would first need to get used to the lower rate of angels, which may be a pretty long period before it reaches the point where they realize their presence has been permanently drastically reduced. then minos would have to be able to organize the people, which seems a difficult task since so many are traumatized or reduced to their husk instincts (i tend to think lesser husks have the capacity to be much more human, but the environment doesn't allow it). finally, he (and i assume other greater/supreme husks) would need to plan, to mine resources, to acquire the materials necessary and work their technology from the ground up all in the hostile world of hell (unless it was too interested in their trajectory and granted a reprieve. just to see what happens lol) to have this functioning society with a massive city that's all now left in the past would take incredible amounts of time. and like you say, 2000 years is long on a human scale, but likely very little to the immortal angels of heaven.

i sort of have the idea that many of the angels, particularly human-born ones, were kept in the dark about god's disappearance. it would be easy enough, i think, as he is likely rather distant from them and the new arrivals wouldn't know the difference but....it's an impossible sell to someone like mary or the apostles. it's likely that gabriel would have been the one to inform them of the situation, especially when it comes to mary - he was the annunciator, and additionally he is depicted perpetually adoring her in dante's paradiso. yet even he cannot tell this mother where her son has gone, and it quietly tears him apart. he wants to believe in the eternal existence of god, that he is all things, yet informing mary of his absence makes him see the all too familiar grief reflected in her eyes. all of it was too good to be true, she thinks, and gabriel begins to consciously think the same. all of it was always too good to be true.

[bthump]

Ok there's something I just have to respond to you about, that being the BOD saying that Griffith is the true light that burns them. I don't think it's saying that Guts's love for him is more important than his relationship with his companions, it's saying that Guts's hatred and desire for vengeance is more important. Because that's what the beast wants. Also how do we know what it says is even true? It's an entity of evil that's trying to manipulate him so it can take control of him.

It's not an entity of evil manipulating him, it's his own subconsicous. This is made very clear through the themes of the story revolving around humanity's dark side, through the Beast of Darkness "manifesting" in Godo's cave where evil spirits can't enter, through Guts giving into his dark side to assault Casca in broad daylight when he can't be possessed, through Grunbeld calling Guts' armour shape (the beast of darkness) his true power, and through the blatant parallels to apostles and Femto, which are explicitly people's inner darknesses.

Here's a post that goes into that at length.

Every scene with the Beast of Darkness is Guts wrestling with his own worst impulses. I really don't think this is even debatable, it's part of the thematic bedrock of the story, and it's the reason the Beast of Darkness exists as a speaking role.

We know that what it says is true, or at least, something Guts believes, because of that. And also because that's the role of both Guts' inner darkness and most evil spirits in Berserk anyway lol, they're like a greek chorus. They speak uncomfortable truths that highlight people's inner darkness to get into people's heads. And we know they're speaking truth because we see it plenty of other times - when Farnese is possessed the spirit gets to her by pointing out she's turned on by suffering, not by making things up. In chapter 118 the ghosts voice Guts' guilt over killing children and his temptation to become a monster. In other moments in chapter 290 the beast voices Guts' deep fear that he's a danger to his companions. etc. It's also a very typical storytelling convention.

And Guts is able to be possessed when his desires align with the ghosts desires, at the end of chapter 4 when they all want revenge, and after the Hill of Swords scene, when Guts strangles Casca and thinks to himself that he wanted to after Puck tries to reassure him. This is pointed foreshadowing for Guts sexually assaulting Casca a montage later, without being possessed. This is part of a strong motif of Guts wanting to do bad things, which ghosts and the beast of darkness tend to put into words while Guts usually tries to maintain more denial about how far into darkness he could slip.

And we know the beast is calling Guts' love for Griffith his true light because a) light is a consistently recurring symbol of emotional connection and love in Berserk as a whole, b) his companions are "warm lights" in that same monologue, and c) he wants to crush Griffith because that true light burns him. It's not the desire to crush him that's burning him, the desire to crush him is a result of that burn.

It's also a parallel to Ganishka and Griffith's confrontation, in which Ganishka shifts from wanting revenge to simply desiring another connection in the darkness when he ascends and finds himself consumed by isolation and loneliness.

I'll grant that you can argue it's just a "hawk of light" reference, but I think that's a weak reading comparatively that requires ignoring the beast describing his companions as lights as well (and I'd argue he's called the Hawk of Light because of this symbolic imagery anyway lol, but I digress).

Finally, here are a few examples of light as an illustration of emotional connection, which you can contrast to Miura's consistent illustration of loneliness/isolation as darkness:

[adracat]

G Witch episode 14 thoughts

WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER WEEK FOR MORE??? OMG. I need to take a deep breath and calm down fr. Ok ok, let's do this. Starting from the begining—

We open with Prospera detailing Quiet Zero to a very suspicious Mio. You have to admire mama Char's audacity tbh. Just going yeah, here's my evil plan to network all mobile suits and totally use them for peace and not war crimes. Mio's not gonna fall for it(hopefully?), but we do gain insight on why Delling might be pushing QZ. If it's truly Notrette's vision then he'd feel obligated. We'll have to see if Mio feels the same as her father. Granting this woman any amount of control over a whole network of machines sounds like a recipe for bad times.

Back with Suletta, it's time for the 5lan sexual harassment segment. Mans can't read the room. She's besotted with short angry CEOs in training. Gotta give him props for persistence I guess.

Thankfully, Suletta is saveda by Sophie. She thinks he's a creep too, bless her. It's a shame these two are fated to probably die, because I do find them interesting and sympathetic.

Well maybe not TOO sympathetic. When you threaten best girl, you lose any rights. Sorry Sophie. Tickled by Suletta's firm insistence she has a bride, thank you very much <3

And then the casual atmophere breaks, the illusion of duels is lifted, and our cast are treated to what it truly means to use weapons of war. I loved this segment so much because it drives home the vast gap between the earthians and spacians. Spacians, especially the students, only see Mobile suits as toys at best and vehicles for wealth to the corporations. For earthians, they're grotesque harbingers of war and should be recognized as such. As Norea and Sophie help demonstrate by killing prospective duelists, destroying the arena in the process. A fake battlefield just became a real one.

Meanwhile, Shaddiq takes this chance to manuever himself into power. He kidnaps his adopted father and secures Grassley. His faithful girl posse don't even balk. You have to admire their dedication if nothing else.

You really can't help but empathize with Sophie here. She just wants what everyone should rightly have. Things she was robbed of simply because she's earthian. Her desperation for Suletta to join them is out of those desires--something Suletta understands

And recognizes in this moment her hypocrisy. Because just like Sophie, Suletta would do anything if it meant protecting that which she desired/loved. She murdered without hesitation when Miorine was at stake, and likely would again. HNNNNGGHNG ok, I'm ok

As Sophie continues to press her, you can see Suletta slowly piece it together. Aerial is a tool of war. Why did Prospera build her? Why did her mother sanction murder if it's wrong? She's been conditioned to think Prospera is right and only wants the best for her, but then why is she having her kill and fight in a war machine?

And the question that's been on everybody's mind from the start has been answered! Suletta is not Ericht Samaya. Then where is Eri? In AERIal of course! Lol I was expecting it but it's one thing to theorize and another to see it actually happen. You're one messed up mama, Prospera.

Poor Bel did not see it coming though. She's absolutely horrified Prospera went to these lengths. I still think it was an accident probably but Prospera isn't willing to clarify anytime soon. She's doing it all for Eri she says. Hm, X) DOUBT

Well maybe she THINKS that but we all know she's just using her daughter as an excuse to go off the rails. Massively entertaining either way!

RIP Sophie. You will be missed tbh. Very interesting that she could see/hear Eri inside of Aerial. The true extent of the permet network seems to be a hivemind. Hinted before with Prospera ofc.

Poor Norea though. She seems genuinely struck by Sophie's death and the reminder that she'll share that fate. She's also terrified Suletta can operate Aerial without that inconvenient side effect. I do wonder why she doesn't just crush Suletta when she's floating, but maybe even Norea is scared of the dreaded witch from mercury.

And we're back to Suletta desperately clinging to her mother's teachings. You understand why, but it's heartbreaking. Also sad for Eri, who is confirmed to have died as a child and trapped in a metal prison of her mother's creation. These poor girls aren't through the ringer just yet. We still have plenty more season to go. I really hope Mio returns soon and provides some solace or at least can talk sense into her. But that's for next week, ALAS

[randomnameless]

I think the "Billy should ditch the boar" takes comes from AM being the one route that breaks their self-insert fantasy. Flamey and Emile doing their stuff and the Jerry thing etc do not matter bcs its not being directly mean to YOU, the player, in YOUR story. Edel-chan is a very sad and traumatized girl that will ALWAYS love YOU no matter what you do and she will doodle YOU and squeak about rats n stuff, but you don't have to actually deal with any of her supposed trauma in a realistic way (+)

(cont) She will always be fine and ready to gush after you, the trauma is only a plot device to make her wary of other people that aren't you, and be attached to only you. What she does to randoms doesn't matter as long as she's nice to you. But the evil european barbarian boar dares to actually show his trauma and negative emotions around you, and make you uncomfy, and bring any sort of realism to your fantasy! how dare he! Not only that, but he admits he didn't like you at the beginning!!!(+) (cont) you, the player, isn't above other characters when it comes to him being rude because of his trauma and mental illness, and the story dares to show your avatar feeling sad and powerless instead of badass and cool. He won't listen to you until another character opens his eyes first, and even if you marry him he's still hearing voices and struggling with his issues, your love won't cure him!! Not only that, but AM is his story, not yours! (+) (cont) It relegates your self-insert to a supportive deuteragonist instead of the main hero the plot centers around. He will become The King and you will be just a religious leader, following the footsteps of the Evil Lizard Lady!! Obviously you don't want that!! this is your story, where you can dump all your anti-church IRL arguments into, and be a super cool baddass mercenary who never has to deal with negative emotions!! And that's why AM is the only FE16 route where I actually like Billy.

Sorry anon for the tardiness of the reply!

Yep, I feel like for both Dee and the evil lizard lady, at one point, they are unhappy/upset/angry and more or less negative at Billy - who is, in this situation, taken as the player.

I remember during the heights of 2020-2021 discourse people sending asks to other asking how can they like Rhea bcs she was meant to "u" and whatnot, and it's just... Self-insert at its finest?

But Billy - the character we see in Nopes, FEH and FE17, wouldn't feel like the player in those instances (because Billy the character would never pick the "uwu" option in the Holy Tomb, and Billy the character would understand and/or at least get how Dimitri doesn't want to talk right now) - so again, it's the same old question, who is Billy? An empty self insert who feels a lot of sad uwus when Rhea threatens to rip their heart out as they assist and support who swore to kill her because her ears are pointy and cries whenever Dimitri doesn't want to talk to them, or is Billy the character we see in other games, who shows more empathy and tries to understand people, and thus, wouldn't have been able to pick a certain route in FE16?

Lol I just remember now how some people didn't like Cyril or even Seteth because they didn't slobber over Billy - as the self-insert - in their first 5 lines unlike the rest of the cast ^^

Granted, this "YOU must be the most important person EVER" comes back in full force with the S-supports (tfw seteth doesn't mention his family to billy when they hold hands) and it reiterates something I always knew : Avatars were a mistake.

Parasocial maybe saved the franchise from turning into another F-Zero like saga, but damn if it nuked a lot in the process (and by, a lot, i mean coherence and characters networks).

[hypermascbishounen]

Interesting that you point out how babied Lenore was in S4, because

yes, she was. She was written like such an immature brat, making stupid jokes and constantly whining that she was so boooored and no one needed her anymore and oh no she's so scawed of mean cawmiwwa 🥺 and it feels disingenuous, no I'm sorry I get that the context is different but the Lenore who cries that Carmilla lied to her is not the Lenore who was able to gaslight Hector into believing that actually he was lucky that he was beaten and imprisoned.

this is yet another way her character got disrespected, if you care about her. Remember, the other council vampires clearly had a poor opinion of Lenore. Carmilla made fun of her for her tendency to take care of animals, Striga implied that she saw her as a hopeless romantic, Morana talked about her like a silly little girl living in her fantasies. And the most charitable explanation as to why Lenore snapped and beat Hector to an inch of his life when he threatened her is precisely that he, too, saw her as a young defenseless girl: to be fair, would he have thought to attack any of the other three? Probably not. And Lenore clearly resents this situation so much, which is why he beat him way past self defense, which is why she had fun dominating him, which is why she was eager to humiliating him in front of her sisters, who both admired her for her genius and were disgusted by her sexual comments (a way to keep the control of the conversation)

I like this idea. Both Hector and Lenore are the "weak link" of their group, looked down on for their apparent "softness", but while Hector apparently didn't know, didn't realize or didn't care (if the writing was good, I could say that it's because he lived a life of abuse so he doesn't realize his own worth), Lenore very much did, and she rebounded too far in the opposite direction. Her kindness can almost be seen as a subtle way to feel powerful, more subtle than simply beating people into submission: sure, taking care of someone is a nice act... but also, they depend on you, and they're more malleable to your wishes.

So yeah, from this perspective, her constant 🥺 face in S4 is infantilizing an abuser. Lenore did nothing wrong. She always wanted to protect Hector, really. He was having fun when she manipulated him into sex, so what's the big deal. They are such good friends who understand each other. Of course Hector would love her and protect her with barely a second thought. Who wouldn't? An evil person? But they're so cute together 🥺

(btw, I'm interested to know who is the other Beatrice you mentioned lol! As for the Sugarman one, she is such a fascinating character who is so, so pitiable for what happened to her, but still not woobiefied for the horrible way she took her misery on her innocent son)

(also sorry for the ask lol, I didn't want to make a long post longer than it already is)

(no worries, feel free to send asks or messages! I always have more to say than I know what yo do with lol)

The other Beatrice is from Umineko, a series of murder mystery visual novels in the wider When They Cry series. She's hard to describe without spoilers tbh, but relevant atm: she can be a real smug sadist while still containing genuine tragedy, and her relationships get to actually mean something. Here she is expressing true opinions about nfcv:

I feel like a Lenore whose loss of humanity was allowed to be explored as a legit Dracula parrelel, could have almost been interesting. Oh well.

The biggest issue imo, is that she can't really exist as a character without Hector, but the story itself feels threatened by Hector being a character compared to her. This means that no matter how much they try to build her up by contrast, she gets dragged down anyways. So now all they have is two ruined characters for the price of one.

Personally, I think maybe the catharsis granted from a character who does bad things, is only as good as the work lets you engage with them on that premise. If you keep dragging it back to how they're basically in the right anyways, it can lose the emotional opportunity for the audience to explore dark feelings. This doesn't mean you can't write them to be sympathetic ever, but it does mean they risk falling into a weakened power fantasy or cheap fanservice, if you effectively just preach to the audience about how cool they are, esp at the expense of other characters.