#hidden inventory arc actually destroyed me

[l1m1nalgh0st]

A distant, fuzzy memory that leaves a bittersweet taste on your tongue

[cursedvibes]

Hello, can I ask from this ask game :

https://www.tumblr.com/threecheersforinking/677824836625694720/anime-ask-game?source=share

For anime/manga : Monster and Jujutsu Kaisen.

Sure!

JJK

Favourite Character:

Kenjaku (big surprise)

Favourite Arc/Episode/Scene:

That's a tough pick...I pretty much like the entire Culling Game Arc (ch 159 - 220) and Perfect Preparation is definitely also a fave, but if I would narrow it down a bit more, I'd say it's the stretch from Kenjaku's negotiations with other countries in chapter 200 until the preparation to release Gojo in chapter 220. I just really like the focus we get on Kenjaku's character there, the extra world building and lore and I also appreciate how dynamic and spontaneous things were during that time. The plans of the protagonists where often completely overthrown and you never quite knew what to expect and what might happen next. (I really miss that energy) I'd also like to mention the Baka Survivor mini-arc, which was such a breath of fresh air and did so much to give Kenjaku's and Takaba's characters much needed depth. I never expected it to be so important when it started. Shows that Gege can make the most ridiculous scenario meaningful if they want to. I think for favourite scene, Kenjaku's one-sided talk with Tengen in chapter 222 before the static TV is still my absolute favourite. It's such striking imagery, showed a whole new layer to their character and relationship with Tengen (establishing that despite technically getting what they wanted they realize this has basically completely destroyed their friendship with Tengen and left them unsatisfied) and sets up what made the Baka Survivor arc so successful.

Character I Think is Underrated:

There's a bunch. Takaba, Angel, Tengen and I'd also count Kenjaku because despite being the main antagonist who drives the entire plot forward, many fans still completely overlook them and their influence and at best boil them down to a generic cold Mastermind a la Aizen 2.0 or just make jokes about them giving birth to Yuuji/fucking Jin. It has gotten a little better since the Baka Survivor arc, at least in the Japanese fandom there seems to be a bit more appreciation there.

Character I Think is Overrated:

Geto. His downfall was well-written in Hidden Inventory, but aside from that I don't think he's all that interesting or exceptional. Also Inumaki. He's basically non-existent and irrelevant in the manga, but for some reason always in the top 10 of most popular characters.

Favourite Ship/Pairing:

Tengen/Kenjaku - special mix of obsession, toxicity, codependency and vore

Something I Love About the Show/Movie:

The way jjk fleshes out side characters and gives them meaning with barely a chapter or less. I also like the way supernatural has been interconnected with the real world and history. That's what makes it so fascinating to me and makes me want to dig deeper. I'm not a big fan of high fantasy or "real world but everyone is magical" settings, so jjk struck a good balance there.

Monster

Favourite Character:

Johan Liebert. Generic answer, I know, but he's one of the few anime villains I actually found scary and threatening. I was always on edge while watching the show, wondering when he would show up and even if he was there, what he would do. Just seeing him standing next to a kid is so stressful, even if he doesn't end up doing anything (just means the child will kill themselves later). I also love his co-dependent, obsessive relationship with Nina and the entire mystery about their past.

Favourite Arc/Episode/Scene:

Prague arc. Like I said, the mystery around Johan and Nina's origins is a big appeal for me for the series and this is all that. It also shows just how versatile Johan is. They also captured the atmosphere of Prague as a city, particularly at night really well. Similar to that, episode 49 where the kids are trying to catch JohAnna and one boy gets send to the red light district is probably my favourite. I like it especially because the focus isn't so much on the adult characters, but you really experience Johan from the eyes of an innocent child who just wanted to play detective and accidentally ran into a real serial killer. The chase of of Tenma & Co. was nerve-wrecking to watch because they're always just a little to late. The scene where JohAnna talks to Milosh about how his existence has no meaning is the main reason why just Noto Mamiko in any other anime stresses me out.

Character I Think is Underrated:

None really. I think the fandom shows a lot of appreciation to every important or minor character.

Character I Think is Overrated:

Tenma. He's just...a little annoying. I got very tired of everyone treating him like a saint for the most basic human decency. Also him angsting over having to kill Johan and only he can do it etc. got old pretty quickly for me. I know what he's supposed to represent, but I just think he's not very interesting to watch.

Favourite Ship/Pairing:

Johan/Jan. I just have a thing for naive regular guys falling for murderers. Johan also had a chance to kill him or his mother, but instead he helped them, so...he treated Jan a lot better than most of his victims. Also in a platonic sense, everything about Johan and Nina drives me insane.

Something I Love About the Show/Movie:

The side stories we are taken on, which all are significant often in ways you didn't expect and they are what make the story feel so human and down-to-earth despite the wild stuff that happens. I also love the inclusion of the fairy tales. I still have trauma from the way Nina reads Obluda in the anime. Just hearing 昔々ある所に gives me chills every time. Bůh Míru/The God of Peace is my favourite of the stories. The open end, the implication of suicide is what makes it so frightening exactly because everything is left to your imagination, plus the knowledge that kids who heard the story went through with what is being implied.

[ultfreakme]

You know, I feel so sorry for Toji Fushiguro, he's an unemployed deadbeat, he has no self-esteem, he's unlucky and he still has memory problems because of the trauma his clan caused him. He deserved it but I can't even hate him For me, he deserved another ending to the story. If I were gojo I would spare your life I would force him to enter the jujutsu school to teach and so he could start working and taking care of Megumi It would work on your emotions. Oh I would put a bracelet on him that would reduce his physical strength so that he wouldn't hurt anyone until he had his redemption.

Wait Toji has memory issues??? Afaik, I don't think he does. I don't think Gojo had any reason to spare Toji's life, or for Toji to accept that. Sorry anon but I think forcing him to teach would take away his individuality and would impose on him the very same principals that made him leave the Zen'in clan in the first place.

First, Gojo had no reason to forgive him, or give the man a chance at all. He's an assassin hired to kill the girl who Gojo treasured as a friend and wanted to protect. Toji premeditated and planned Gojo and Riko's murder, and is implied to have killed Kuroi, the only reason he didn't kill Geto was because he didn't know what would happen to the cursed spirits Geto held but he DID injure Geto terribly(if you wanna piss off Gojo, you hurt Geto- at least during Hidden Inventory days).

We as the audience can have sympathy for Toji because we know about his past but at the end of the day, in-story, Toji made his choices. He's an adult and it's not the responsibility of a (at the time) teenager to fix the man.

Toji might actually laugh in Gojo's face if he told Toji to stop, probably be more vicious in his plans to absolutely destroy Gojo. Because Toji's issue with Gojo is personal. Gojo stands for everything Toji detests about sorcerer society, so to have this treasured heir to the GOJO clan essentially looking down on him, it's like Gojo would be saying "you're not even worth fighting, how about you do what I say?". Gojo's not recovering from whatever Toji plans to do in killing him after THAT disrespect.

Also, Toji being forced to be a teacher with his powers suppressed???? First, he would find a way to escape. Second, he would absolutely not be doing it unless the Zen'ins or Gojo were using Megumi as a bargaining chip and not in a fun way(like a "I will literally kill your son, or brainwash your son to follow our ways if you don't comply") which won't make him a good dad, or a good teacher, like I seriously think he'd be plotting more ways to murder everyone and escape. Toji's smart, he'll find a way and whatever massacre he'd leave behind for being FORCED to work in the very societal structure that made him the way he is would be brutal.

Restricting Toji and forcing him to be a teacher would absolutely destroy Toji as a person. His strength is something he clearly enjoys. He likes the fact that a 'monkey' like him can topple the strongest sorcerers. His powers are him.

This is the thing about redemption arcs, you can't force it. The character needs to realize they're in the wrong. No amount of sticking them next to our heroes is going to work if the character isn't willing. I'm going to use Zuko from Avatar The Last Airbender as an example since his redemption arc is one of the most famous. Zuko was a main antagonist who constantly interacted with the main cast and encountered many victims of his family's atrocities for the first two seasons, but none of this actually flipped him around. His uncle kind of essentially did what you're suggesting about Toji be done to him. Zuko just got resentful, he hated it no matter how much he tried, he actually got WORSE.

His redemption and realization of his wrongdoings happened when he was alone, left with the consequences. No one was forcing him to change, he came to that on his own.

If we do want a Toji redemption arc, I think a different route would have to be taken. I'm not sure what that would be or where it could start, but forcing him to suppress his powers and teach new sorcerers won't work imo.

Sorry if this comes off as harsh, I tried to be as unbiased as I could ;_;Toji's a cool character though, I like JJK because it's not easy to redeem or change these people's lives. I still can't figure out what would've been a good place for Geto to be redeemed, or Junpei to be saved, or anything. All that happens in JJK happens for a set of very interconnected reasons.

[linkspooky]

Continuing on with a writing ask (I’m the same one that originally asked which characters you needed up liking when writing + which you found difficult to write)…

Since you’ve made OCs for your fics, which OCs did you enjoy writing the most? And which one was the most difficult for you to write?

Commission by @/ JJIMCMSN

Michi is the easiest of my ocs to write. He is my baby darling boygirl. Look how many outfits I've dressed him up in. The reason he is the easiest is twofold he is the oc I spent the longest time developing. He existed for over a year backstory and all ever since right around the hidden inventory arc was running in the manga.

Fandom-wise I was way more interested in the kids in the previous generation (the SSS Trio) and wanted a character to explore them by being another student at Jujutsu High during that generation. Second, I wanted Geto's family to be more explored because we know very little about the members who are not Mimiko and Nanako so Michi was created around the concept of someone who defects from Jujutsu High to join Geto's family, and therefore interacts with both Gojo and Geto.

The second reason he is the easiest, is because so much of him is modeled after Gojo his character voice is roughly the same. Michi dialogue is the same as Gojo dialogue, it's just phrased more politely. They are both characters who say whatever comes to mind and often have trouble perceiving other people's emotions in reaction to what they say. Gojo is the easiest character to write, so Michi who is his double in the story, the moon to his sun essentially comes naturally to me too.

Michi is just also once again the character I have put the most thought into, and planned out his arc. I know him when he was seventeen years old as a student in Jujutsu High. I know him and how he interacted with Geto's family for those ten years he lived with Mimiko and Nanako. For example, Michi never believed in Geto's dream, he only wanted to remain by Geto's side because he believed in some small way that he could course correct Geto. One thing he often did was intervene and try to calm Geto down whenever Geto tried to attack children who were not jujutsu sorcerers. Michi also believed that Geto is the only person powerful enough, to have stood a chance of achieving his goal of just destroying Jujutsu Society point blank and forcing them to rebuild.

(Michi is the alternative to Gojo, if he had Gojo's powers he would have just slaughtered the elders and let someone else take control from there, which is pretty extreme but Michi's belief is child abuse is the utlimate evil that can never be tolerated and should be punished and made so it can never happen again. An institution that exists at the expense of children cannot be reformed in any way, only destroyed. Basically Gojo thinks any radical change wouldn't stick and wants to make the next generation strong enough to take power and replace the elders, Michi has no patience and wants them gone now).

Then, in the third stage of his life post Geto's death, Michi basically has lost his purpose and place of belonging so he finds himself again in creating a place that is safe for other lost children like Mimiko, Nanako, Junpei.

Like, see it's easy to write an OC when you have this much of them planned out down to the smallest detail. When you have their character arc, flaws, and where you want them to end up at the end of the story all mapped out. (Ideally, Michi will eventually be a teacher again b/c working with children is what his character centers around). 

The OC that was the hardest for me to write was Ito Rie from Werewolf, and that is because they're actually not my OC originally. They belonged to a friend who was basically like "can I create an oc for your universe? Okay, well she's a really dirty kid, she used to live with her grandma but now she's a runaway kid, she cuts things with her kendo sword she swings around. Michi found her on the side of the road and gave her food. And also she's a lesbian. And also I think she'd be friends with Mai."

They did not really give me a lot of details beyond that so I had to spend a lot of time asking her questions, and then giving her ideas for what Ito's backstory could be, and how she became a curse user in the context of the story, and what happened to her grandma that caused her to be homeless and continually on the run from other people. It was all those questions I asked my friend about this character that made Werewolf come about, which was essentially Ito Rie's origin story and how she became a runaway.

The other thing that made Rie tricky is I decided to do the possession with Noranso plotline, which meant I had to write a character who was posessed but this was a twist and not obvious right away. Which means I essentially have to write a character acting very noticeably off (hence why she goes by weird girl) and unsettling for a girl, and at the same time like, idk have her have dialogue, have her interact with other characters, have her do stuff without giving away the twist too early. It was just a weird line to balance. The other thing is that Ito is posessed for most of the story, so I had to establish what Possessed! Ito acted like and what Normal!Ito acted like. The Ito we were talking with for much of the story is not the real ITO! TM so I had to find a completely different character voice for pre-possession ITO! and also she only appears really briefly in her first person segments so she had to be someone unique and striking like. You had to get a grip of what Ito was like before she was posessed within that limited screen time. 

I write characters by their voice, basically how they talk, how they think and so characters with clear voices like Michi are easy for me. Characters who are more muddled, which is Ito Rie by design because she's a victim of possesion and she's also a mystery to the girls of the main cast are harder because they're not so clear. Also, in general the more time I spend before planning a story the easier that original character is to write because I have lots of details to inform me how they would act in certain situations.

[dojoliveblogs]

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Movie Thoughts and Update

Heyo, sorry for the absence as of late, several major things have occurred, nothing dire, just some things one after another (the car I drove coming to its end, needing to find a new one, my mom getting injured, etc) as well as being in a bit of a mental funk. Anyway, I am starting to feel up for posting again, though I think I ought to pick specific days of the week to do them on, a vague schedule is easier to keep me on track, I notice. Two side notes, first that I have a couple asks, don't worry, I'll answer them when I decide to do more chapters, the second is that I see Tumblr's link formats for tags on blogs have changed a bit while I was gone (Going from - to %20 between words for some reason), so some of my liveblog links are a bit wonky, I'll fix that later, because, man, that's a lot. Tumblr kind of sucks, lmao.

Though, getting to the actual topic, I watched the JJK movie today! I'll discuss spoilers so the rest of this post is under the cut. I'll also briefly allude to The Hidden Inventory arc as that is relevant to this movie.

To start us off, it's just a visually gorgeous movie, I'm not really one for discussing technical aspects, so I'll leave that to others, only noticeable bit I thought didn't stack up was the CG centipede curses Geto had in the last battle (the ones Yuji destroys with Inumaki's power in the form of a microphone), they blend in with the style and are done great, just slightly noticeable.

Adaptation wise, this one's really rock solid, as I figured most of the expansion occurred in the big Night of 1000 Spirits fight near the end where we got to see cameos and fights from other characters like Nanami, the Kyoto kids and Mei Mei (though, now that I'm looking at the 0 chapters, Mei Mei does make a few minor appearances in the manga with a different looking axe)

Surprisingly, the biggest addition is a post credits scene with Miguel and Yuta in, what the scene leads me to believe is, Kenya, or at least somewhere in Africa. They're having a bit of a chit chat at the cafe when Gojo pops up! Well, that's an extra cliffhanger for me to ponder, I'm still wondering how Miguel goes from working with racist Geto to palling around with Yuta, now I also gotta wonder how Gojo's mixed in. I also wonder if this is a scene from after the arc I'm currently in.

Speaking of that arc, they added a little conversation from it during Geto and Gojo's end talk, I think it's one I've already seen, but not sure. I haven't fully completed the arc, but man, knowing their past even just a bit really does change up how you view some of the conversations and talks happening in 0, which is pretty cool.

That's really everything major I wanted to talk about, it was a fun movie to see and it came with some worthwhile additions. Anyway, see y'all later!

[angelteethcrybaby]

jujutsu kaisen was really hard to get into at first, as i read somewhere- it just felt like a regurgitation of shounen tropes. of course there were moments, but after the hidden inventory arc, is where i actually started enjoying the story and getting invested. things i found cool

- mahitos manipulation of the bbody through manipulating the soul

- mai's hurt at being left behind by maki that she was hiding, deep down- how she values their bond over jujutsu, which she doesnt even care about (and was ready to sink together with her sister and doesnt get why maki couldnt stay) vs. maki who left te zenin clan to pursue jujutsu

- pandas gorilla mode. excellenttly designed

- inumakis cursed speech, soumds sick as fuck in the anime

- gojo telling megumi to let loose and stop holding back vs megumi doing exactly that

- that panel with sukuna and mahito where itadori realises how no matter how you put it, theyre curses

- mahitos weird little faces. pure comedy

- hes so fun in general. the chaotic energy? unrivaled.

- yeah junpei arc. you can fel the fun theyre having in the dinner scene, his mom and yuuji and him. lmao the wilson scene.

- his entire part- his conversations with mahito and when his mom dies and hes all pressed to mahitos side, horrified and needing comfort. vs later when you realize theyre the ones who planted the finger. its the classic character sort of being groomed b a villain and being manipulated and getting "corrupted" but being "saved" by the main caracter/ agreeing to join their side arc and then being set up to be killed for the shock value and to further the hatred the mc feels for the main villain

-megumis deadpan faces and general maturity, responsibility out of the trio vs going feral when hes alone. its why his fights are the most enjoyable. hes so much more petty and don to murder

- the whole gojo and getos backstory fucks so hard.

- amanais admission of just desperately wanting to be with everybody more, despite all of her claims of being okay with the merging (i am master tengen, and master tengen is me!)

- gojos whole i alone am the honourd one, his fight with toji and his imaginary technique!

- then getos spiral and subsequent decision, (are you the strongest because youre gojou satoru? or are you gojou satoru because youre the strongest?)

- choso and his love for his brothers

shibuya incident of course.

- gojo freezing at a crucial incident bcs somebodys parading around with the body of his best friend,

his soul knows its not suguru geto, despite the six eyes.

- that thing that happens whenever somebody fights itadori -

(at that moment, memories overflowed in his brain, memories that dont exist.)

- mimiko and nanakos relationship with geto - they love him, but they want the imposter gone.

"down below...theres a man wearing a priest's robe with stitches on his forehead. please...kill him. please free....master geto."

(we love you. we love you. we love you.

but you.

you're not him.)

- sukunas sheer potential of devastation

- gojos whole universe/infinity/all seeing/omnipotent aesthetic

- yuutas what a relief reveal

- ofc makis entire thing, her borderline redesign- the toji paralells (destroy them all, big sister) the panel with her holding the head? perfect

- fushiguro's - were not heroes, we're jujutsu sorcerers.

- his fight with reggie.

- domain expansion: chimera shadow garden

- his shikigami and the divine dogs

- gojo and geto (as teenagers, mind you) pseudo-adopting kids at the same time. one braincell

- queen of curses rika vs king of curses sukuna

[fuckyouquiznak]

Jschlatt's Return

= Future developments in the Dream SMP plot (theories)

How does resurrection work?

• According to Philza and Eret to revive someone his ghost must be killed in the same way he lost his last canon life (that would also explain why Glatt and Ghostbur came back online recently).

• We also know they may need a totem and the knowledge of the resurrection book, which is now kept somewhere out there in the server, considering Dream said he didn't have it physically in prison with him. (He also said he destroyed it, but do we trust him? Absolutely not)

• We didn't see Tommy's revival from Dream's point of view, so it could be that Phantommy actually appeared and Dream easily killed him on the same spot of Tommy (maybe using the clock or his mask as a totem idk), but we still don't know what kind of information the book provides and how resurrection really works.

What is going to happen?

1. Quackity and Sam

• Quackity's last stream made pretty clear Big Q's intention of taking the book from Dream using all the means possible.

• However, despite the torture, Dream won't give any information. First of all he doesn't like Jschlatt, because he finds him annoying and boring (not like Wilbur) and second, of course, he knows the book's knowledge is the only thing that prevents other people from killing him. And then again, why should he give away the same power that made him a god? Quackity won't kill him without the book, and he is used to pain. Moreover he'll have some company at least.

• Quackity won't give up. He will keep visiting Dream everyday and will eventually start to like making him suffer.

• Sam instead will feel more and more guilty for what he made possible and for the person he became. He has changed since Tommy's death. He had promise to protect him and then he failed him. And then everything went wrong. He likes to believe that Dream deserves this for what he did to Tommy, but he is not sure that's the right way. Sometimes he even feels sorry for him, especially after Quackity's visits. After all Dream is just a broken person. Isn't he?

2. Tommy and the boys

• Meanwhile Tommy goes to Puffy's therapy sessions and opens up about his traumas and fears. It's hard, but it really helps having someone to talk to. Especially now.

• Since he returned to the server he has felt so lonely.

• Everyone treats him differently. Some people see him as miracle and keep asking inappropriate questions. Some others pretend nothing happened. For few of them the server just moved on; for others he is still dead.

• Even so he can't focus too much on himself right now. Stopping Dream is much more important. If Wilbur comes back... he doesn't even want to think about what he is capable of.

• They need to kill Dream, but Tommy is still too scared to come back to prison or to even touch a sword. Every time he suffers a damage he can't breathe: it's like it's happening all over again.

• He can't stay at his house anymore, on the ashes of L'Manburg, nor at his hotel, which is in Jack's hands, and he doesn't want to be alone (it reminds him of exile).

• He'll pass the time at Ranboo and Tubbo's, meeting Michael and working out a plan to kill Dream.

• In Tommy's stream Tubbo showed him his investigation report, pointing out that both Foolish and Ranboo were online when someone damaged the prison (before Tommy's dead).

• Tubbo obviously blames Foolish, nonetheless Tommy understands that something in Ranboo is corrupted.

• He tries to warn Tubbo, who underestimates his friend's words, thinking he might just be jealous of their relationship. They fight. It's a huge argument.

• "It's like you don't want me to be happy" Tubbo screams, shaking his head.

• "I don't want you to be happy without me" as soon as these words leave Tommy's mouth he immediately regrets it.

• Tubbo stays silent for a while. He seems disappointed: "You've changed".

• Tommy tighten a fist. "That's what death does to people, Tubbo, it changes them".

3. Kinoko Kingdom

• At the end Tommy will leave Snowchester and will move into Kinoko Kingdom (he liked the sign of the "free stuff", so why not?). Tommy there is welcome.

• He explains the Wilbur situation to the others, but then something bad happens.

• Hanging out with Sapnap, they talk about Ranboo and Dream's friendship and about how he acted when he received the ":)" message.

• It turns out Ranboo is guilty for the explosions in the prison that kept Sam busy during Tommy's visit to Dream.

• Tommy shows Tubbo the evidences.

4. Platonic Divorce

• After that, the platonic husbands will go through a "divorce arc".

• "How could you?" Tubbo can't help crying and screaming. "I trusted you".

• Ranboo wishes he could do something. But he is scared. He doesn't remember any of that. Did he really help Dream? Why? He doesn't...

• "I kicked out Tommy, my best friend, when he most needed me because of you! I think you should leave".

• Tubbo goes back to Tommy, apologizing. "You were right". And as much as he hates Ranboo, Tommy is broken-hearted seeing his best friend that hurt.

• However he can't help smiling when Tubbo says: "Guess it's just you and me against Dream like it has always been". It's selfish, but he really missed his best friend.

5. Connor's betrayal

• Sam talks with Connor about his doubts related to the all 'torture thing'.

• Connor tries to comfort him and decides to visit Dream with Quackity.

• Dream is relentless: "That villain arc you sewed for yourself is nice. But I won't tell you anything. And the book doesn't exist anymore, now. You can control every book in the server. It will not bring it back" saying these words Dream keeps his eyes on Connor. "The only way to find it should be... be able to travel in time"

• Connor freezes.

6. Karl's arrest

• Karl finds the resurrection book during one of his travels.

• He immediately plans to give it to Tommy, but when he comes back, someone is waiting for him in the library.

• "Well, look what the cat dragged in" Quackity stays still, his arms crossed, next to Connor and Sam. They all wear armours. "So it is true. That's a huge secret you have, Karl"

• The library behind them is destroyed. Books lie on floor ripped. They were looking for it.

• Karl puts the book of Necromancy back, his voice shaking as he realises Sapnap and George aren't there. "What are you doing here?" He asks, making eye contact with Connor, who quickly looks away, ashamed.

• "I'm sorry, Karl" he whispers "But Jschlatt is my friend"

• Quackity walks slowly towards him. "Give me the book, Karl". He has a creepy smile on his face. Is that even the same Quackity? This one looks different.

• "Quackity, you don't have to-"

• "Don't tell what I have to do. If you refuse, I might have to declare you under arrest"

• Karl holds the book tighter. If he gave him the book... no, he can't do that. For Tommy's sake, and for the rest of the server. If the book has the power to revive Wilbur... it must be destroyed. He grabs his sword, ready to fight.

• Quackity looks disappointed "You didn't give me another choice, man" he says, before killing him and taking the book from his inventory.

7. Dream and Karl

• Karl is later taken to the prison and put in Dream's cell.

• "Well, green boy, seems like you service is no longer required. However, I want to keep having fun with you. I'll revive Jschlatt, and then I'll execute you publicly. Enjoy your last hours: I got you company" Quackity leaves with a victory smile on his face.

• Dream looks horrible. He is covered in blood, his body painted by new scars. Karl has never seen him like this. His hearts are low and he hasn't eaten in days.

• Dream is the first one who speaks: "You found it".

• Karl freezes. What does that mean? "I though I had hidden it too well" he keeps saying, washing his blood away. "Maybe I should have really destroyed it"

• How cool would it be if Dream actually hid the book in the timeline? He couldn't burn it. Otherwise if he died no one would have revived him. So he just hid it where only Karl could find it.

• So yes, Dream knows Karl's power because he has a similar one. And yes, the prison was actually built for Karl (that's the only theory I care about).

• "We are not that different, Karl. Forgetting the people you love.. I know what it feels. I can help you controlling it. Have you reached the In between yet?"

• What if Dream is the one leaving Karl books and suggestions about his travels?

• They spend some time together and they surprisingly get along well. It's like someone finally understands.

8. Sapnap's lore

• Sapnap finds out Karl has been arrested, but he doesn't know why. He is angry.

• He faces Quackity who giggles. "Apparently there are a lot of things we don't know about Karl" but he doesn't tell him Karl's secret.

• Quackity and Sapnap break up (I won't ever be over Quackity's stream with El Rapid)

• Sapnap joins the children group. They are breaking into prison, right? He needs to save Karl.

9. Escape from Pandora's Vault

• Tommy, Tubbo, Ghostbur and Sapnap manage to break into Pandora's Vault when Sam and Quackity aren't online.

• When they arrive in Dream's cell, he is talking with Karl.

• Sapnap, horrified, takes Karl away from him. He doesn't trust Dream anymore, not after what he did to Tommy. He is sure it's his fault if Karl is here now.

• Dream can't help smiling when he sees the little party there. Especially when he sees his best friend Tommy. He tries to get closer.

• "I'm gonna kill you man. What the hell-" Sapnap punches Dream away. The anger and the resentment spread all over his body. They didn't deserve so much pain. Maybe the server will be a peaceful place without him. "You killed Tommy and then you gave Quackity the book- you"

• Karl stops him, defending Dream. "Sapnap, please. He didn't give them the book. I was the one who did".

• Everyone hold their breathe. What? Why? Wasn't it burned? How did you...

• "We need to get him out"

• Tommy grifts his teeth: "No way he is coming with us". He tries to grab his sword trembling and gagging, but it's too much. He can't... that place...

• Dream steps away. "Oh, you came to kill me" he whispers. "Do it. I'll be dead by tomorrow anyway"

• "You can't die yet!" Karl screams.

• "C'mon, Karl-"

• Dream smiles. "Don't forget who you are, Karl. And don't stray from the path. The SMP needs you more than you know" (= Dream is the one who leaves Karl notes about time travelling in the In Between :])

• "We don't have much time, guys"

• "Yeah, Tommy you don't have much time. Are you going to kill me? Or are you too afraid?" Dream starts teasing Tommy. "I bet you can't do it, right? You're too weak. And down deep you know you love me. We are best friends after all, aren't we?"

• Tommy doesn't react. He is as pale as a ghost, his eyes wide open.

• Tubbo steps in. He can't look at Tommy like this. He hates Dream so much. "Stay away from him". Looking back at his life, Dream has always been responsible for the bad things happened to him. The discs, L'Manburg, Tommy's exile, his death...

• Dream raises his eyebrows. "Tubbo, how's Ranboo?"

• It happens in a moment. Tubbo just loses control and kills Dream. Don't worry Dream's stans he'll come back one day. Bigger plans for that greenboy.

10. Resurrection

• They all run away.

• That same night Jschlatt is publicly revived. "¿Por dónde empezamos?"

• Quackity, Sam and Connor stay behind him.

• "Tonight our country has faced a loss. Four intruders entered the Pandora's Vault, killed Dream and helped the prisoner Karl Jacobs escape. Sapnap, Tubbo, Tommy and Ghostbur are now officially wanted. Dead or alive."

End of the season? Maybe?

How does the server react?

• Tommy, Tubbo, Sapnap, Ghostbur and Karl are criminals. They become nomads for a while. Samnook gives them an hand.

• Tommy keeps thinking about what Tubbo did. They really didn't talk about it after the break-out. Tubbo just pretends nothing happened.

• Karl and Sapnap aren't talking neither. And when they do they fight.

• The only happy one seems to be Ghostbur, who is excited to be on a vacation with the boys.

• Dream's ghost (Specdream? Nightmare?) appears to Ranboo, who is alone in a self-exile because he doesn't want to hurt anyone. Dream's ghost would be much more like Clay, so he won't be that dangerous like c/Dream (cfr. Ghostbur and Wilbur). But still it would be insane to see those two hanging out.

• Jschlatt and Quackity open their Casino, helped by Jack, who sells the hotel.

• After Dream's death and the destruction of Kinoko Kingdom, George takes Quackity's side. He is sure Sapnap killed Dream and he doesn't know how to feel about it...

• Philza, Techno, Eret and Niki, wanting Wilbur's return, will do the same (they need Ghostbur btw). Techno in particular will hunt the fugitives.

• Puffy and Fundy, contrary to them, will try to find Ranboo and the others in order to stop Jschlatt and Quackity.

• Wilbur and Dream meanwhile are having so much fun in the afterlife.

Even if solitaire is not chess

[resonating-kitty]

Exile Arc drabble? Exile Arc drabble.

It finally started to sink in as the night started to creep in and darkness swallowed the light. Tommy huddle within the earth walls with nothing to a flimsy door to protect him against the monsters that would be emerging with the darkness.

His armor, his weapons, and his other items had been destroyed. He grits his teeth as his mind replays Dream's commanding voice, "Drop you stuff in the hole Tommy." as the earth crumbled away at his feet to form a shallow hole. As he is reminded that Dream stood, hand on his sword, as Tommy unlaced his armor and dropped it reluctantly into the shallow pit. His weapons had followed and so was everything else he had on him. Ghostbur even volunteered his inventory as well, unbidden, before Dream lit tnt and dropped it down amongst the items. Tommy had called out in shock as he ducked away, cowering as the small explosion shoot the ground. He'd looked back to find the hole slightly bigger but slowly closing as the server fixed itself. He managed to glance down into the pit before it closed and saw that all of the items were gone.

He remembered standing there, glowering at Dream as the man starting manipulating the earth, coaxing four walls to rise from the ground. Once finished he constructed a door and fixed it to an opening in one of the walls. He didn't even bother with a roof.

"That should do it," Dream had muttered, turning finally to address Tommy. His mask hid his face but the man still oozed a dangerous aura that Tommy would never admit made him nervous. An armor clad arm rose and a glove covered finger pointed at the pitiful excuse for a shelter. "That will keep you safe tonight. You can built something later, I don't care. But you stay here. I catch you on the lands of the Dream SMP and I'll end your life Tommy. Do you understand?"

Tommy glared. He says nothing and makes to walk straight past Dream and into his "shelter". He gets maybe a step past Dream before a hand is closing on his arm, it's tight but not quite to the point of pain but Tommy makes an angry noise of protest as he is roughly jerked back around and brought back to face Dream.

"I said," Dream's voice was low, ticking with a growing anger that made Tommy's gut twist, "Do you understand me, Tommy?"

"Yes!" Tommy exclaimed, frantically pulling against the hold on him. It doesn't give and Tommy practically yells, "I understand! I can't go back to the SMP or you'll kill me!" The grip finally loosens and Tommy yanks his arm free.

The two stand for a moment, staring at one another. Dream victorious and Tommy heaving with barely hidden panic.

"Good," Dream says finally, shifting to turn away. He glances up at the darkening sky, "Night is approaching. I'll leave you here for now." he starts to walk away, leaving Tommy. He throws over his shoulder as he departs, "Try not to die, Tommy."

And Dream leaves. Tommy is all alone - well Ghostbur is with him but the ghostly imitation is excited.

"Lads on tour Tommy!" he whispers repeatedly as they sit in the little pitiful shelter that Dream constructed. As the sound of the monsters outside grow.

His brave façade and his anger start to crack and fade, leaving only the sting of betrayal and heartbreak behind. Tubbo actually did it. Tubbo chose the country, the nation, over him. Over their friendship. Tubbo exiled him and now he's out here, alone and without an ounce of protection against a wilderness and a enemy that could kill him.

[vannahfanfics]

Hello! I stumbled onto your Luffy x Nami fic "Natural" last night and absolutely adored it! I was wondering, if you take fanfic requests, could you write a cute friendship one shot for Law and Chopper? Their interaction in your fic was just so adorable that I'd love to see you do more. Thank you for your hard work!

Thank you so much for requesting this; I had a lot of fun writing it! Chopper is the best boi, don’t try to change my mind~

EDIT: My dumb ass forgot Chopper was in Zou during the Dressrosa arc. We’re gonna pretend he wasn’t. :D 

Just Another Day in Crazy Land

Law squinted slightly as he stepped out into the morning, raising a hand to his eyes to shield against the persistent and bright rays of the sun shining in the clear sky above; it was quite a difference compared to the dank, gloomy shack he had just exited. Really, it was only so dark because the windows were shielded with thick, dark curtains, staving off any prying eyes that may discover the crew of pirates recovering within its unordinary wooden walls, a tangle of limbs and blankets and bandages. In the distance, Law could see the also-recovering capital of Dressrosa Kingdom; the jagged rubble of collapsed buildings made ugly peaks against the blue sky, like some sort of twisted mountain range. It had only been a night since Law had accomplished his goal of putting a bitter end to Donquixote Doflamingo, with Straw Hat Luffy’s help, and he really ought to stay inside and continue recuperating; however, if he spent another minute amongst their snores and snorts and mumbled lunacies, he was liable to go insane. Additionally, Law had never been one to laze around and sleep all day, even when he had sustained injuries such as those he bore now. Thus, bored and wide awake, he had been lured outside by the rising sun. With a small sigh, he leaned against the wall of the building with his sword propped up beside him, watching the sun paint the sky of dawn.

“Um… Mr., um, Law, sir?” The Heart Pirate captain glanced down with raised eyebrows as he was addressed by the unmistakable, high-pitched, shaky voice of Tony Tony Chopper the reindeer; the little pirate doctor was standing in the threshold of the ajar cabin door, looking like he was trying to peer out from behind the building but was oddly in the complete opposite direction, his entire body sticking out with half his face hidden by the wooden structure. He stiffened as Law turned his gaze on him. Law had discovered he was a skittish thing, and Law in particular intimidated him. He didn’t fault him, really; Law hardly ever smiled and knew he had an intense demeanor about him.

“What is it, Chopper-ya? Do you need something?” Sweat began to bead down his furry face as he debated continuing the conversation and his gaze flickered about before settling on his hooved feet.

“I was, um, wondering if you would take me into town to get more medicine… My stores are pretty low…” That was no shock; Luffy and Zoro were more bandage and salve than person at this point, and the rest of them hadn’t escaped unscathed, either. Chopper stared at him hesitantly, likely expecting a blatant refusal. It’s not like Law wanted to do it, but in the state of disrepair that the city was, with some of Doflamingo’s minor goons still running about and the entire place a construction zone, it likely wasn’t a safe place for the little reindeer to wander by himself, either. No doubt, the rest of the Straw Hats were still passed out on the floor, otherwise Chopper wouldn’t have come within ten yards of him and asked him a favor. Besides, he was awake anyway, so he might as well give himself something to do and hang around one of the loons he actually had something in common with. With a resigned sigh, he pushed himself up off the building and grabbed his sword, swinging it up to prop it on his shoulder, and then looked intently at Chopper.

“All right, then, let’s get going.”

“Wah! Okay!” he squealed, darting inside to scramble around and gather up his money and take inventory of what he needed. With all the banging and bumbling happening inside, Law was amazed that none of the slumbering pirates awoke, but as the reindeer scampered out breathing heavily and shut the door behind him, Law heard no signs of life from within. He turned on his heel to set off across the rocky landscape towards the shell of the capital, and heard Chopper’s hooves striking the rocks as he scurried to keep up with him. Law didn’t pay much attention at first, his dark eyes sweeping across the uninteresting rocky steppe of bleak, muted tones and scrubby grasses and shrubs, but eventually he became aware of Chopper’s labored breathing and unsteady gait and he glanced over his shoulder to see him lagging behind, so he took more care to match his stride to the little reindeer’s. Zoro-ya would kill me if I lost him. Law wasn’t afraid of him, but he also didn’t care to have to go up against him, either.

“Wow. Look at it; the Birdcage did so much damage,” Chopper breathed as they came upon the outskirts of the city, the first to be sliced to ribbons by Doflamingo’s power. Since Law had slowed down a little, he had lost the touch of exhaustion to him, and flitted about Law’s feet as he drank in the mass destruction with a mixture of awe and horror. The road was not so much a road, as the dirt path had been eclipsed by the corpses of residential buildings. Law carefully picked his way across the labyrinth of carved stone and shattered glass with Chopper hopping along behind. At first it was easily navigable, but as they headed deeper into the capital, the destroyed shells of the building became more densely packed, spilling over the road in mountainous heaps. Several times Law had to clamber over collapsed sections and pause to grab Chopper by the back of his shirt to haul him over, and every time to little reindeer went limp in his grasp, freezing like a cat held by its scruff, until Law set him down again and he would hop up blushing and rubbing the back of his neck while he sputtered gratuitous remarks.  

After about half an hour of picking their way through the ruins, they entered the area where the pirates and the citizens had made their stand against the birdcage; aside from the deep scores in the ground and a few clipped-off sections of a few buildings, the area was relatively unharmed. It was here that the two pirates finally stumbled upon signs of life- clotheslines strung between adjacent buildings with drying fabrics fluttering in the breeze, houseplants and barrels and decorative items bringing color into the otherwise colorless roads and buildings of stone and wood, a few people strolling about or chatting idly across the way to each other. Chopper got all flustered again when he had to ask a young woman where their marketplace was currently set up, and then he shyly related it to Law, pointing down the street before trotting ahead of him, face scrunched up as he set himself into mission mode. Law strolled along behind the reindeer, his dark eyes creeping into every alleyway and dark corner; it was common knowledge now that he had been instrumental in Doflamingo’s downfall, and the lower-ranking brutes that were still skulking about would no doubt like to get their revenge against him for ruining their paychecks.

They must have been going the right way, because it wasn’t long before the air was filled with the hum of countless voices; shouts and calls and chatter bounced off the buildings as they approached, and through the gaps in the structures Law could see colored fabrics of tents and banners flapping about in the wind. Lights were strung between lampposts, indicating that the market still had a very active nightlife, and the simple stone beneath his feet gave way to elegant cobblestone arranged in a concentric circular pattern throughout the marketplace. He came up on the entrance, where Chopper was perched up on a barrel with one hoof held to his eyes as he scanned the throng for a suitable stall. Law hovered on the edge of the crowd, having no desire to venture within; the place was packed with people. Apparently neighboring islands had heard of the struggle within Dressrosa, and vendors had thought it quite the money-making venture, to bring their wares to the recovering city. Law heard them shouting above the cacophony, offering food and clothing and other things for cheap, good-luck charms and talismans and other scams, “buy-one-get-one” and “half off for five minutes!” The corner of his mouth twitched at the thought of diving into the chaos, but there was no way he could let Chopper go in there by himself, because he would be trampled for sure.

When Law looked at the barrel, there was just empty air where Chopper had been sitting a few seconds ago, and his heart stopped as he realized he was dead meat.

“Shit! Chopper-ya, where did you go?” he shouted and shoved his way into the throng of people without another moment’s consideration. He used the scabbard of his sword to make himself a wider berth in the crowd, and though he got cold looks and affronted gasps from the people there, he righteously didn’t care because he was too busy looking for the doctor. He stumbled out of the writhing crowd on the right side of the market, dashing from vendor to vendor gasping “Haveyouseenatalkingreindeer?” and before the person had even finished refusing and tried offering his wares he would be scrambling off to the next. Law had made a half-circuit of the marketplace and was descending further into a panic as he realized he would be on the receiving end of Zoro’s katanas until he heard distinctive wailing amongst the crowd.

“Wahhhhh! Lawwwww, where arrrrrrrrrre you?”

“Hold on, Chopper-ya, I’m coming!” Law called out before climbing up onto a barrel beside a stall, snapping at the vendor, “Shut your damn mouth, can’t you see I’m busy?!” when he sidled over to the edge of the stall to try to sell him some girly-ass necklaces. He straightened up with his hand held to his eyes to block that annoyingly bright damn sun while he surveyed the gaps in the crowd, looking for any sign of the crying reindeer. His shoulders sagged as he searched for a minute or so to no avail, until finally he caught a glimpse of brown fur and curved horns; his eyes locked onto a sniffling Chopper, who was miserably talking to a brawny man who definitely did not look like he was concerned for Chopper’s well-being. Oh, fuck, he’s gonna bribe him with candy or something and make off with him! he thought in fear, and practically swan-dived off the barrel into crowd. He shoved his way through the men and women frantically, ignoring the cries and curses, and just as the man was reaching down to grab Chopper, Law threw himself out, slid on his belly across the cobblestone, and wrapped Chopper up on his arms while he glared savagely up at the very confused man. “Fuck off. My reindeer.”

“Um, look, I don’t think-“

“I said fuck off! My reindeer! Mine!” Law hissed, practically rabid from his period of heightened emotions, and the man knit his eyebrows as he leaned back and looked at Chopper hesitantly.

“It’s okay! This is who I was looking for! Thank you very much, mister!” the reindeer laughed as he repeatedly squished down the top of Law’s fluffy hat, and which each movement his fur brushed against Law’s cheek; that’s how closely he was holding him. The man looked a bit disgruntled, eyeing Law suspiciously, but the Heart Pirate just continued to glare savagely at him until he shrugged his shoulders and disappeared back into the crowd. Heaving a sigh, Law slowly sat up and brushed the dirt of his black clothes before his intense glare flickered to Chopper. The reindeer instantly stiffened and tears up again, quivering. Law debated yelling at him for a moment, but decided that it wasn’t worth the effort and just settled for flicking him hard in the forehead. “Ow!” he yelped while tenderly rubbing the spot.

“Don’t do that again.”

“Okay… Sorry…” Chopper mumbled obediently as he continued to rub his forehead despondently. “You looked like you didn’t want to go in the crowd, so I thought that maybe I could just be quick, but there’s so many people here that I got swept away…” Law exhaled sharply out of his nose as he looked away awkwardly; he made a mental note to not let his emotions and thoughts show so easily to the little reindeer, lest they end up in more near-disasters like such. He pulled himself to his feet, using his sword as leverage, before propping it on his shoulder again and looking at him pointedly.

“Look, I said I would take you to the market, and I meant it. Now, from this point on, hold onto my cloak so you don’t get lost,” he ordered.

“But-“

“Hoof. Cloak. Now.” As the harshness descended into Law’s voice, Chopper squeaked and hurriedly clutched onto Law’s cloak with his little hooves, nervously gulping. Once the reindeer had securely latched on, Law groaned slightly and let the tension melt from his body; when he opened his eyes, he noticed that he had gathered quite a crowd of concerned-looking people. “What the fuck are you all looking at? Mind your own goddamn business. I’ve got shopping to do!” he snapped with bristling shoulders, and they hurriedly dispersed, not hasty to incite more of his rage. He heard Chopper giggling and he looked down with grinding teeth. “What?”

“Sorry, it’s just kinda funny. You remind me of Zoro.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment? He’s an idiot.” Law pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping that the circus of clowns he had been traveling with was not rubbing off on him too much. He glanced down at Chopper out of the corners of his eyes to see him still grinning, and Law allowed his lips to curl into a faint smile. At the very least, he wasn’t bored anymore. “All right, Chopper-ya, let’s get back to what we were doing, yeah?”

“Mhmm! Y’know, you’re not as mean as I thought you were.” As Law lead him out of the middle of the crowd toward the outskirts, he laughed bitterly as he hung his head, admittedly a little sad that the reindeer had been so scared of him.

“Thanks, Chopper-ya…”

“Will you teach me some stuff about medicine sometime? Pretty please? I still have so much to learn!” the reindeer asked with sparkling eyes, and Law could not help but smile in bemusement.

“Sure. Medicine first, though,” he smirked as he led him over to the proper stall, and when they were close enough the reindeer let go of his cloak to scamper over to the stall, a small skip in his step as he beamed in glee. As Law watched him, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly at the mental image of being the apparent caretaker of the excitable little creature, no matter how hard he tried he could not wipe the small smile off his face. Just another day in Crazy Land with the Straw Hats.

They’re a headache sometimes, but they’re not that bad.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to perusemy Tableof Contents!

[newhologram]

Glorious purpose, sacrifice, and the god who started it all

Send a heartbeat to The void that cries through you Relive the pictures that have come to pass For now we stand alone The world is lost and blown And we are flesh and blood disintegrate With no more to hate

- The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning by Smashing Pumpkins (because this song is 100% about Avengers)

Been on an MCU binge to put everything under a microscope, so here’s what’s been rolling around in my brain. 

Infinity War spoilers below with speculation/theories for Avengers 4 that includes A4 spoilery set leak stuff. 

**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT**

* * *

There’s a lot to talk about as far as theories as we were given some hopeful leads in IW and other films. Just to take inventory on some other speculations and fun ideas: 

Shuri may have backed Vision up

Soul World: is that where Gamora is? Is that where everyone who was dusted went?

Nebula may get a meaningful role in helping to take Thanos down

Captain Marvel’s role in all this??

The possibility of Adam Warlock coming out of his cocoon

The Eternals maybe

Hawkeye/Ronin

Thor’s Stormbreaker handle being made of Groot somehow solving something

Thanos being overcome with grief in his isolation

The possibility of a major time jump in A4 to see how Earth has moved on after the snap, which may include Tony’s future with Pepper and their child. Everyone will have lived so many years with the consequences of the snap.

It also feels like each character might have to go on their own hunt for the stones, which might lead to an interesting reversal of the loss and sacrifice they faced in IW. I wonder who gets assigned to each stone and how that’ll play out for their individual character arc? There’s one stone for each original Avenger, so that’s cool to think about 

Erasing versus dying. If you’ve heard anything about “the Event” that a lot of astrologers have been talking about lately, basically our reality is due for a cosmic event which splits us—leaving people behind and taking the rest into a prosperous new universe. Some will be “erased” from this existence. It’s been called the Rapture. Which is uh. Pretty interesting considering IW premiered on the actual date of the rapture prediction and how the Snap is absolutely a kind of sad superhero bad ending rapture. 

Rewriting everything that we’ve seen in the past 6 years in canon

I’ve also seen some talk of theories such as “Loki is Bruce Banner in disguise”. I can see why this theory is popular because Bruce acts really weird the whole movie and seems to know things he shouldn’t. But I’m not too into it because it feels like there’s a big payoff coming with the Hulk (as in, we better get a cool shot of him bursting out of the Hulkbuster armor, like the toy).

There’s also some talk about spotting Quicksilver and even Wolverine on the set but I have nooo idea what those would even mean, not just in regards to the plot but with the whole joint custody thing Sony, Fox and Disney have been working out. 

All of that said, I’ve been thinking about a few other threads in particular though, so that’s what I’ll be exploring here. Just speculation for fun. Let’s see where it leads.

☀ Undying Fidelity

The opening scene was really suspicious to me for many reasons. These directors are sharp and I believe there is purpose to everything we see as well as what we don’t see.

Let’s talk about my boy Loki.

He starts out pretty scared. The guy is sweating bullets. 

After the Hulk engages Thanos, Loki isn’t on screen for several minutes. We don’t see him reacting or hiding or anything. I don’t trust that, especially not with the Russo bros directing it. I feel as though something is being hidden from us in this moment, distracted by the Hulk just as much as the bad guys are.

When he reappears to offer himself as a guide to Thanos, suddenly his demeanor is totally different. He seems calm, resolved even. 

His choice of words is very important. The most suspicious to me are: “rightful heir to Jotunheim”, “God of Mischief”, “do hereby pledge my undying fidelity”. Loki does not want us to forget that he’s not only a Jotunn, not Asgardian by blood, but he’s a God, and a very, very cunning one. To be honest, it doesn’t feel like that last line was for Thanos at all. It honestly feels like he’s saying it to someone else—maybe himself. To his own duty in this moment. Which brings me to the next bullet point:

After that last line, dagger forming, his eyes quickly dart down. There’s a pause. A small beat there. He looks as though he’s steeling himself. That, to me, is the face of a man who very much knows he’s about to die. It’s a very Obi-Wan moment, right in front of Thor. It’s somehow even more heartbreaking if he knew it was coming, and was still so scared and small when Thanos wrapped his fist around his neck. 

Loki’s a smart cookie. He may be relatively young for a god/alien but this isn’t his first rodeo. He already knows how deadly and terrifying Thanos is without the Gauntlet/stones, so what does he think he can do right now? He knows a little dagger isn’t going to win this for them and that’s precisely the point. He isn’t dumb enough to try that sincerely, which makes me believe even more that it was strategic. I have a feeling Thanos chiding him about his choice in words (”undying”) is going to come back to bite him in the ass.

Back to Loki’s words being important. When he’s first about to surrender the Tesseract earlier in the scene, he says to Thor, "I promise you, brother, the sun will shine on us again."  He says it with so much purpose.

And his final words to Thanos: “You will never be a god.” Another reminder: Loki is a god. He’s survived a black hole, stabbing, Hulk-smashing, Grandmaster’s orgies, and likely more in his years. We’ve come to expect him to fake his own death by this point, though I’m still on the fence about whether this one was fake, or a necessary one he knew needed to happen, or somehow a bit of both. I wonder, only a little, where did Loki’s body go, is it just floating around with the rest of the dead? 

For that matter, where the hell is Valkyrie? Is there any meaningful payoff rather than just humor for Korg calling Loki a ghost in Ragnarok? I’m not too hopeful for something like that, but it’s a thought. 

Later on in the film we see Thor, another god, (barely) survive the concentrated full force of a dying star. I’m supposed to believe Loki, an incredibly gifted frost giant child trained in the arts of magic, Loki Ha Ha Duplicates of Me Everywhere Odinson, Loki I’m Right Where I Need to Be Laufeyson just has a sudden brain fart, tries to stab the Mad Titan, gets his neck snapped in front of his brother, and it’s not on purpose? 

BITCH. DID. NOT. TURN. BACK. TO. BLUE. 

Do I really think Loki is still alive? I don’t know. Loki is very, very dear to me but like I said, I’m on the fence. Because it seems like the deaths that happened before the snap, save for Gamora, might be permanent because we needed to feel that the stakes were high. On the other hand, again, Loki is very gifted. We’ve seen him “die” before and I still have a very hard time believing he’s fully dead and not god-level deep coma smacked down needing time to regenerate if he doesn’t just turn blue right after since his iconic look is an illusion too. His line about the sun shining on them again uses the word “us”, which could indicate a revival and reunion somehow. 

But I’m cry because you know he and Thor got into a lot of trouble growing up, and big brother was always there for him. But then little brother goes through some hard stuff, falls into a black hole, gets picked up by a cult, and it all comes down to this moment now: no home to return safely to, no mother to console him after Odin’s discipline, Thor unable to save him. 

♥ We Don’t Trade Lives

Before I go into A4 speculation, let’s look at how each character deals with sacrifice, just for fun: 

Loki is given a choice: his brother’s life, or the Space Stone → Loki surrenders and sacrifices himself 

Quill is given a choice: the love of his life, or Thanos getting closer to winning → Quill is hesitates and is unable to keep his promise of sacrificing Gamora

Gamora is given a choice: her sister, or the location of the Soul Stone  → Gamora surrenders to spare Nebula 

Thanos is given a choice: his favorite daughter, or the Soul Stone → Thanos sacrifices Gamora for the stone

Dr. Strange is given a choice: Tony Stark, or the Time Stone → Despite earlier warning Tony he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice either him or Peter if it means keeping the Time Stone safe, he surrenders the stone → He sacrifices his duty, his life, and the lives of everyone else who gets dusted in order to put them on the one right path he saw out of over 14 million

Wanda is given a choice: Vision, or the Mind Stone → Her struggle with this choice starts earlier on when Vision offers to sacrifice himself to destroy the Mind Stone → Cap tells him “we don’t trade lives”  → Wanda is also not willing to immediately kill him when asked → They run out of time and options, Wanda finally sacrifices Vision, which as we saw didn’t really work out the way they wanted

Our characters struggle with sacrificing something important to them in order to save the universe (remember, in the eyes of Thanos, he’s saving the universe too). Many of the characters value their loved ones above everything else and don’t want to have to make that choice. They don’t want to face the pain of a life without that person, or they don’t want another person to suffer or die painfully because of them.

Alright. Let’s talk bidness. 

♛   Reframe the Future

Yeah—remember B.A.R.F.? Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing. 

This has to be what Tony will use to look back at things. I see him replaying the events of the first Avengers over and over, trying to figure out how it all could’ve gone so wrong, what clues they missed, and how to fix it. 

Which brings us to the question of time travel. Is this where the idea of Infinite Avengers will come in, if the multiverse is explored? I don’t have too much of a lead on that, but it’s interesting to think about. If that ends up being the title of A4 it would certainly point to that.

(Note Tony’s greying hair which supports the idea that A4 will start 5-10 years after Infinity War)

Many have speculated about the devices on their wrists in these photos, as well as the fact that while Tony and Ant-Man seem to be their present selves, others are in their old costumes from the first Avengers. Doesn’t quite answer why Cap is wearing a device, unless they recruit lots of multiversal Avengers from various timelines/realities/points in history to help? (Wouldn’t it be crazy to find out that Ant-Man has been a secret tiny time traveling Avenger the whole time?) 

It’s hard to know exactly what kind of time travel shenanigans we’re dealing with. Maybe we’ll learn more when we see Ant-Man and the Wasp, since they’re going to be dealing with the quantum realm, where time doesn’t really exist. In the quantum realm, every possibility exists at the same time. 

We do have some clues though. 

Exhibit A: Loki in all his muzzled glory, as seen at the end of Avengers.

We know that this time travel plot would involve going back to where it all started. But what could be done, what is Tony’s play? 

Exhibit B: Tony Stark in S.H.I.E.L.D. gear. More specifically—

As one of Loki’s escorts.

What we don’t see in Avengers is how everything goes down when they take Loki back into custody (after grubbing on shawarma). We don’t see the discussion about what to do with him and Thor’s decision to take Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard. 

So, again, what the hell is Tony’s game plan? 

If he’s disguised as a guard, there could be a chance to get alone with Loki and talk to him. Tell him everything that goes down. Get him to help. Get info from him, and make sure he knows how things need to play out in order for this all to work.

I’m not sure how yet though. It seems this could somehow involve Stark making his own Infinity Gauntlet, but that’s later down the line. Where does Loki fit into the plan beyond the time travel scene? That may be all we get of him. 

I’m so excited for the possibility of my two favorite characters working together or even having just once more scene together, however it plays out. Tony and Loki both smiled at each others’ jokes in A1 and I loved it. I feel like their dynamic would be so interesting to explore more. Tony totally clocked that Loki is a diva, because they’re both like that lol.

☮ Glorious Purpose

But what’s most interesting to me right now is the implication that if this is the closed loop kind of time travel, it would mean Loki has known about all this since the end of Avengers. 

When the Hulk was distracting everyone, was Loki hiding behind a wall, readying himself for what he knew he needed to do next? I’ve heard talk of the possibility of a duplicate since that’s what Loki does, but would Thanos have been able to tell he was killing an illusion? He didn’t have the Soul Stone then which likely helped him tell which Strange was real later. I’ve also heard talk of a Loki switchout, but I’m not too convinced because it would involve somehow transporting another Loki there. Not so sure there would be a stealthy way to do any of that. 

Did Loki die in the beginning of Infinity War fully knowing all those years that it was going to happen, that it needed to happen, in order for the sun to shine again?

Did Loki die to help save the universe?

...

If Loki knew those few weeks on Sakaar were going to be his last, do you think he was like, “Guess I better live my best life and spend my final days sipping cocktails on Grandmaster’s lap.”

My final speculation prediction REQUIREMENT from Marvel Studios is to have Avengers 4 end with a beautiful Pepperony wedding filled with superheroes. Whoever’s left, that is. 

(This also means if there’s a time jump, Tony will possibly erase the present he has with Pepper and their child in order to save everyone... Should be interesting.)

In conclusion, have this whiteboard drawing I did for @spazzeon as I tried to explain all of this

[ultfreakme]

Hi,.....if you don't mind me asking, can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from JJK? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this question before....

Also love to read your blog, like I also learn quite a lot of various things from reading your blog....Thanks for sharing them....

Yes, I'm the one who asked the same format ask but from ATLA. (Hi....!)

Hi Anon!!! Nice to see you again! Thanks for sending these asks hehe they're super fun <3 ^_^!! I just realized sending similar asks is a thing on tumblr, i never get asks so I wasn't too sure on ask etiquette and am still learning.

Onto the answer!

Hmm...top favorites.....

Itadori Yuuji: So I like Superman comics a lot. I love optimistic protagonists who choose love and hope no matter how difficult. A critique lot of Superman fans have is that it's unrealistic for Superman to be optimistic and if he was ever faced with true horrors, he'd turn evil. There's games, movies and comics based on him just losing one person he loves(his wife Lois Lane) and going absolutely evil. People use that to justify nihilistic doomerism. "See! Everyone's got evil in them!" Enter Yuuji. He's got that Superman personality and motive. He's evidence to how no matter how horrible the world gets, no matter how much you lose, it's important to hope, to have heart and to love people. To never stop caring. I hate what he has to go through, it always hurts, but to see him form bonds and keep being kind to people is so nice to see. Being kind can be an act of immense strength. Always be kind, never let go of hope. It's a lesson we can learn at 5, 10, 15, 25, 35, 65, doesn't matter how old or young you are and Yuuji really reminds me of that.

Geto Suguru: I think this is obvious hehe. He's very relatable. I've actually been experiencing a level of that existential crisis he's going through in Hidden Inventory. You work and work, you see people die and suffer while all you can do is stand by and watch. His pain his understandable and watching him go through it is pretty validating. So many young people have their hopes of making a better world crushed because capitalism, because money, because you have to compromise and be uncomfortable and take every horrible thing the system throws your way without question because that's how you survive. Everyone suffers through this but due to the emphasis on individualism, people don't realize we're all in this together. Geto's methods are obviously extreme and irrational but the pain is relatable and a good example of the disillusionment we feel towards the systems we're in.

Gojo Satoru: Is this surprising? Lmao I post about him pretty often too. I used to not like him as I mentioned before but his character arc is very intriguing. It shows how power and absolute strength honestly doesn't mean anything when you're alone. I think the idea of 'power' and 'strength' is relative. And sure Gojo is good at everything he does and is canonically the strongest but even he is limited by the social norms and mores of Jujutsu Society. Geto was wrong, Gojo couldn't have achieved the impossible mission of saving sorcerer lives. Power is something to be afraid of, it's a heavy burden. Gojo revels in his fights but it also causes him great pain by entirely isolating him. I think he's a good commentary on what power means, what people can do with it, and how it functions under an oppressive system, and what 'strength' means (he's privileged and wants to fix Jujutsu Society from inside out but never manged it). I love how yeah sure Gojo is physically powerful but his most impactful and long-lasting effect comes from his time as a teacher(Hakari and Kirara finding their own path, Yuuta functioning outside of the higher ups' order, Maki destroying the Zen'in clan and ending the 3 clan system, Yuuji going up against Sukuna). Honorable mentions! Yoshino Junpei(again, obvious af for me), Maki, Yuki Tsukumo(I want to fight Gege for what he did to her like fuck this), Choso, Nobara.

Top 5 favorite moments(not in any particular order).....

Sukuna v Jogo/ Sukuna v Mahoraga In my heart I am a fight fan and these fights were majestic. I'm grouping them together because they happened back to back.

The alley scene at the end of JJK 0 I was so shocked and it hurt me so much. Gojo was so devastated, it's so clear he wanted to save Geto, make him smile, keep him safe but I think they both knew that Geto was already dying. It's so tragic gosh Geto's smile after what Gojo said(HE SAID i LOVE YOU HE HAD TO HAVE) is imprinted on my brain I've doodled that smile like 10 times.

Yuuji holding Junpei's hand saying "I won't curse you anymore."

Just, look at this. I am not strong. I can't do this. It's such a good demonstration of how kind Yuuji is. Like he let himself get STABBED just so he could reach out to Junpei and hear him out. The way he's carefully taking Junpei's hands in in his. Like this is Yuuji's character summed up.

4. Maki v Mai Actually all of EP17. Maki's a pretty effective counter to Gojo whose strength is immense but due to it being conventional to Jujutsu Society rules, he is still ineffective. Maki though, is a glitch in the system and this episode and fight introduces us to that. She can topple the Jujutsu Society by merely existing and using her strength. Her existence is a threat to the house of cards they've built.

Momo talks about how women need to be "perfect" to get ahead in Jujutsu Society. Nobara then asks the question "okay why the fuck should I care about what the Jujutsu society wants from me?" and Maki goes "you norms are shit anyways, and I'll prove to you exactly how".

Maki(and Nobara) show that abiding by the rules of Jujutsu Society is never going to get you freedom. You have to break it to find true happiness defined on your own terms.

5. Maki v Naoya

I loved watching her whooping his disgusting ass. I have no grander explanation for this one. She's scarred up, her hair is burned short, she's fucking brutal and fights with this animalistic, uncontrolled, wild energy. The opposite of everything Jujutsu society wants from a woman and it is glorious.

Side Note: I love how Yuki. Nobara and Maki fight ugly. It's terrifying watching them. I love when women are portrayed as bloody, spitting out blood and tooth and snarling and smirking when they fight. Give me more of that. Gege fucked up so bad in killing most of his female characters in Culling Games.

Utahime, please, I need you to pull a Kali(hindu goddess) and dance and stomp on some curse's spine till they break.