#i have so many thoughts abt the way he views the people and the world around him

[maomango-doodle]

Getting to know people

Based on @acetrigunweek day 3's quote

[the-knife-consumer]

"Yona was just added bc Nintendo wants people to stop shipping sidlink!" Literally what the hell are you talking about

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

.

[astrophileous]

ZAHRA I DEMAND (request) A PART TWO OF JEALOUS REID I AM BEGGINGGGGG 🧎‍♀️😩🙏 I am actually in love with the way you write spencer like MY GAWD. MY GAWD.

your request (demand) shall be my command, your majesty 🙏

Warning(s): gn!reader, more jealous spencer bcs apparently it wasn't enough in the first one, a cheesy narration abt "change" 🤢🤢🤢 bcs why not.

This is part two for this blurb.

This blurb was written as a part of the "Zara's Birthday Bash and Road to 1K" celebration.

Zara's Birthday Bash and Road to 1K Masterlist / Criminal Minds Masterlist

If there was one thing Spencer Reid always found peculiar about mankind, it would be the general lack of acceptance when it came to change.

Before today, Spencer never understood the science behind metathesiophobia: the fear of change. Unpredicted and terrifying as it was, change was necessary to keep the ubiquitous balance of the universe. Change existed in the smallest and biggest capacity of the world, and Spencer, for the life of him, had never been able to berate change for doing exactly what it was intended to do.

Until now.

As Spencer stood next to the copy machine just a few feet away from the kitchenette, eavesdropping a discussion he had no business injecting himself into, Spencer finally understood why many people in the world feared change. The noises coming from the machine in front of him were tumultuous, but Spencer craned his neck and ears to the best of his capabilities just so he could listen in better to the conversation.

"JJ," Spencer heard you say, "I'm telling you, I'm not interested."

"I haven't even told you anything about him yet!"

"Jennifer, it's not about the guy. I'm sure your friend is lovely, but I'm just... not looking for anything like that right now."

"C'mon, (Y/N)," JJ nearly whined. "Please, please, please, just think about this? How long has it been since you broke up with that Bran guy, anyway? You've been single for a while now, don't you think it's finally time for a change?"

Change.

The word tasted bitter as Spencer felt it burn all the way down his throat.

There was a beat of pause where Spencer's heart thundered inside its crate; reeling in suspense over what your answer was going to be. He heard your sigh before your voice arose once more, "Fine. Just text me his number and I'll handle the rest myself, okay?"

Spencer tuned everything out after that, safe for JJ's elated squeal that echoed nearly halfway through the bullpen.

The rest of the day unraveled like a tedious nightmare. After collecting his belongings, Spencer headed out of the bullpen with his car keys in hand. He was waiting for the elevator to arrive, internally cursing his decision for having driven to work that morning, when an unfamiliar voice suddenly appeared behind him.

"You're still here, Doctor?"

Spencer turned around to see you approaching from the direction of Penelope's office. The smile on your face reminded him of cotton candy: soft and sweet; just like the scent of your perfume as it engulfed Spencer's whole being.

"I thought you already left," Spencer muttered.

"No, I had things to take care of. How about you?"

"Yeah. Same."

The elevator arrived with a ding. You walked in after him and pressed the button for the lobby, your scent attacking Spencer's senses even more ruthlessly within the tiny metal box.

"You have any plans for the weekend, Doc?" you asked once the elevator started going down. "A hot date, perhaps?"

Spencer loathed the view of your cheeky smile, along with the teasing gesture of your eyebrows at the suggestion of him going on a date with another person. Here he was, propelling himself to the brink of insanity over the idea of you being on a date with anyone else but him, and you didn't even bat an eye at the prospect of Spencer being with someone else.

"No hot dates for me," he responded. The elevator opened with another ding. "Can't say the same about you, though, can I?"

Your inquisitive gaze slid his way.

"I heard you and JJ in the pantry." Spencer opened the lobby doors, allowing you to walk through before falling into step beside you again. "So, are you going?"

"On the date? I honestly don't know." The night breeze blew against your face. Spencer shuffled closer when he noticed your subtle shiver. "I haven't even texted him yet. I don't feel like it, to be honest. But JJ just seemed so excited about it, so the least I could do is try talking to him first, right?"

An interim silence settled between the two of you. Before long, Spencer spotted his Volvo being parked a few paces ahead. "This is me." Spencer gestured to the car.

"Nice ride." You smiled, humming appreciatively at the vehicle. "Well, I'll get going, then. See you Monday, Doc. Drive safe."

Spencer watched as you started to saunter away. A familiar flame had begun raging and licking up his spine since the moment you mentioned the phrase a hot date in Spencer's face, and now, he could feel that same flame taking a hold of the beating organ inside his chest.

"Don't do it."

You stopped in your tracks.

It took Spencer a few seconds to realize that the interruption had come from him.

"Don't text that guy."

You spun around fully to face him. "Why not?"

"Because I don't think you should go out with him."

You looked at Spencer strangely. "You don't even know the guy."

"I don't need to. I just—" Spencer's jaw hardened, "—I need you to swear to me. Please. Swear you won't go on the date."

Your forehead creased in confusion.

You knew what Spencer was saying didn't make sense, but what perplexed you even more were the words that came out of your mouth next, "Okay. I won't go on the date."

Spencer breathed out his relief as if you just granted him fresh air after years of being buried underground. He gripped his satchel tighter and fiddled with the strap, giving you a curt nod before he slipped inside the driver's seat of his car.

Spencer drove away after that, leaving you standing alone in the middle of Quantico's deserted parking lot as you stared feebly at the tire marks on the ground. A foreign fire had suddenly flickered inside your chest, and even if you didn't understand the significance of it yet, you knew that it must've had something to do with a specific genius profiler who just demanded you to back out of a date that hadn't even been planned yet.

After casting one last look towards his speeding Volvo in the distance, you turned around and headed for your own car, feeling the fire in your ribcage burn brighter with every single one of your steps.

[kookidough]

AGRGAGRGAV i always ponder how alenoah reunion would go because like . it could go So many different ways

like how do they feel about each other now?? i always feel like after world tour is over, noah’s irritation would fizzle out and he’d be back to winning the idgaf war, accepting that in the end it was just a game and alejandro ended up playing better than him

alejandro’s feelings on the subject feel more complex to me like. does he accept the fact that, while noah’s words were harsh, they held some truth?? i view his reaction to noah talking behind his back as very telling of how close they were (despite the relatively short amount of time they spent together)

personally i think that pre-london they were close friends because they could match each other’s humour/wit, like how they laugh at tyler on the runway and when alejandro tells a mean-spirited joke regarding lindsay’s intelligence he tells it to noah, and Cmon guys, i know it was a team challenge but they still spent like 18 hours traversing the amazon together i just know they bonded during that!!! i wont even get into the fact that they’re always standing next to each other / hanging out in the background because i will be a pigeon pecking at crumbs and ive already gone off topic from the original reunion idea

anyway i think alejandro was mad because he thought he could consider noah a friend but he can see noah maybe doesnt feel the same way + hes a threat anyway soooo bye bye noah, question is would he hold a grudge over it and if yes then how long for

and what r they doing in their lives now when they meet again?? is alejandro still with heather or did that doomed relationship crash and burn (again)? is noah with emma or did things not work out after the race? and of course this differs depending on which world tour ending you’re going for, because is alejandro finally a winner or does his family still view him as the runner up they’ve always seen him as, second place silver in a robot suit, never quite good enough for gold (had to go off topic again, burromuerto family angst Gets Me)

would they miss the brief friendship they had? does noah ever meet a contestant on another one of him and owen’s reality shows and get a fleeting reminder of alejandro when they flirt or flash him a smile? does he get tired of no one else being on his wavelength and cast his mind back to that one boy that was? does alejandro ever turn on the tv and spot noah on one of those dumb shows?? and if he does what does he think?

ough i got off topic so many times i love thinking abt them in the future, they dont even have to reunite i also enjoy the bittersweet angst of right people wrong time/place… i think things would’ve been better for them if a million dollars wasn’t on the line

also i am not reading all this before i post it so if there are mistakes or it doesnt make sense then . pretend u didnt see it ^_^

[ranhaitanisgf]

Hi! Headcanons of “delinquent and class president” with Senju and “stolen bag”. Someone steals your bag and Senju helps get in back for you. You decide to treat her for some bubble tea to thank her. Thank you.

— senju kawaragi (akashi) // delinquent & class president // stolen bag

☆ ˎˊ˗ hellooo thanks for requesting senju !! i luvvvv writing for her omg :D i think the senju lovers r gone from the fandom cause i never see any fics abt her .... its ok tho im here to revive senju love bc she deserves the world ! hope you all enjoyyy xoxo

☆ ˎˊ˗ gn!reader

☆ ˎˊ˗ wc ; 1.1k+

masterlist || 2k masterlist

❥ coming out of school, you were already dog tired, having run around all day doing errands and completing your responsibilities as class president, (sometimes you wonder to yourself why you ran for the position). all you had on your mind was going home and flopping on your bed for a while, and who knows, maybe you would even make a nice snack and watch a movie! 

❥ you probably should have known that it wouldn’t be that easy, especially after the day you’d just had. 

❥ as you were walking out of school, you got shoved to the side, feeling your bag get yanked from your shoulder. you managed to balance yourself enough to not fall, which gave you a perfect view of the punk who had just stolen your school bag off your shoulder, running away snickering. all you really could do was sigh; of course this was happening to you. why wouldn’t it?

❥ you were too tired at that point to try and chase the culprit, much less even yell for someone to help, (really, do people ever actually help in these situations?). you weren’t sure what this punk thought he was going to get out of stealing your bag; all you really had in there were class notebooks and class budgeting documents you were taking home with you to complete. if he wanted to complete all your work for you, then he can be your guest for all you care. 

❥ you were ready to just continue your way back home, but out of the corner of your eye, you noticed someone sprinting in the direction of the culprit, wait no, how is this person running so fast?!

❥ you watched in the distance as the person roundhouse kicked the punk, grabbing your bag from his fallen body and casually walking back towards you. you just stared at them in shock, realizing who the person had been once they got closer to you.

“no way…senju-chan?!” “yo! i got your bag back, (y/n)-chan!” 

❥ all you could do was stare at the girl in front of you as she held it out to you; there were so many questions running through your mind at the moment, though the first question you had was is she wearing a gang uniform?!

❥ after your moment of shock, you decided to put all your questions aside. no matter how she did it, senju had gotten your bag back from you, saving you from a lecture from your teacher about losing class documents. you gratefully accepted your bag from her, trying to think of a way to pay her back. 

“ahh, you really didn’t have to get it for me! i’d already accepted it…”  “nonsense! i won’t allow anyone to dishonor my beloved class president!”  “haha, i think you’re exaggerating a bit, but thank you, truly. actually, are you free right now?” “hmm, i think so…? why?”  “let me treat you to a meal as a thank you!” 

❥ and so the two of you set off, casually chatting as you searched on your phone for a nearby place to take her to. you kept repeating to yourself in your mind that this is not a date, that you were just treating her as a thank you! after all, she helped you out in a big way, so this is normal, right? 

❥ the two of you eventually ended up at a boba restaurant; although you knew that this was definitely going to hurt your wallet, you just couldn’t say no to senju’s pleas when she saw the place, talking about how she’d been wanting to check out it for ages. 

❥ as the two of you were ordering and you saw the price kept going up on the register, you knew that your wallet would be lighter when you put it back into your pocket, (you decided it was a necessary expense, so it was fine). 

❥ when the food came out, the smell of it made you realize just how hungry you’d been from staying after school for so long. from the way senju was eyeing the different dishes, you were sure that she felt the same way, which made you feel better when the both of you started chowing down. the boba that you had gotten was especially good, and by the time the two of you were finished, there was absolutely no scraps of any food left. 

“wahh, that was so good!! thank you, (y/n)-chan!” 

❥ you’d felt a bit sad at the fact that the two of you had finished already, but you supposed that you already knew senju wouldn’t be able to stick around too long. when the two of you exited the restaurant, you began to say your goodbyes to the girl, which made her look a bit confused. 

“huh? why’re you saying bye? i’m gonna walk you home, of course!” 

❥ her statement took you off guard, especially when she was acting like it was an obvious thing to do, (were you crazy? do normal people do this after hanging out with friends?). you just went along with it, feeling happy that you got to spend a little bit more time with senju. 

❥ you had to admit that you felt safer with her by your side, especially now that it was getting a lot darker out, (seeing her roundhouse kick someone like it was nothing highly contributed to this). at some point during the walk, she looped her arm with yours, happily continuing with your conversation as if she hadn’t done anything. 

❥ when the two of you arrived to your house, you thanked her, bowing in gratitude for her getting your bag back for you. she’d brushed off your thankfulness, saying that it was nothing, she was glad to help! she started going on about how she would never let anybody dishonor her class president and favorite classmate, and that nobody would be bothering you now that she had claimed you, (what was she talking about? actually, you’re not going to ask). 

❥ before you went into your house, senju suddenly grabbed your hand, pulling you a bit closer to her. her lips pressed against your cheek for a moment, giving you a peck. she pulled away a moment later, giving you a big grin and saying that she would treat you on your next date. 

“bye bye, (y/n)-chan! i’ll see you tomorrow!”  “wait, senju?! come back- ah, she’s gone…”

❥ you stood for a moment, staring at her as she ran away, watching as she faded into the distance. while that wasn’t exactly the outcome you had been expecting…you supposed it was okay for now, (you were absolutely over the moon). 

❥ you were definitely going to be having a talk with her tomorrow.

[okkottsus]

I usually dont mind ppl having different interpretations of characters and relationships, but this is just an insult to my boy’s character and his connection to nagi.

Reo may have developed an interest in nagi bc of his talent (and i find the notion of him doing the same thing he hated his family for at the start very interesting btw), but since then he obviously has developed an emotional attachment, and to him, it has to be nagi. he’s met people with even more skill than him in blk but he still hasnt spared them a 1/100 of the attention he gives to his best friend.

ofc i think it was important for them to improve on their own and maybe it was premature of him to go back to devoting himself to nagi so quickly, but i truly believe its bc he understood nagi’s perspective since he “abandoned him” and his true intentions.

the difference in their perspectives is very clear even before they enter blue lock:

at that point winning the world cup was just reo’s dream but even then, to reo, the most important thing was for them to be together until the end (nagi was the one who made him promise that would be the case too !!) , while nagi was content with just going along with him bc he started caring abt him as a person

until they lost to isagi’s team. from that moment, he decided (and was right imo) that they need to do whatever they can, even if they have to take separate paths for some time, to get stronger.

and nagi didnt “lose sight of their og goal” what are they talking about?? nagi literally mentions/thinks about their dream to be the best together every chance he gets?? he even got mad at reo cause he thought his friend was the one who forgot about their dream. he thought he was taking the vital steps to make it a reality and was frustrated reo couldnt see that:

reo felt betrayed because he cared about nagi himself as much as he cared about their dream and thought that nagi used him as a stepping stone to move forward alone, when actually it would be more accurate to say that nagi views everyone except for reo as a stepping stone. (i dont blame reo for this, since even tho nagi tried to communicate that hes doing it for them, he did a terrible job of it).

but during their latest talk reo had already worked on himself and had acknowledged the fact that he was in the wrong for assuming that them being together no matter the cost was the right thing

so when nagi approached him and explained himself a little better this time (boy was shocked when he realised how reo took their separation and put in a little bit more effort lol)

reo finally understood how their desires intertwine now. how can people claim that reo sees nagi as a tool when its more of the other way around; meaning reo sees himself as a tool for making nagi the best striker in the world and he already declared that to Ego before:

and again now:

plus saying that he and nagi arent friends and they are just using each other is so out of touch with everything we’ve seen so far. reo’s devotion to nagi aside, nagi too cares for reo a lot outside of soccer. even after he left reo, he still got excited to see him and talk to him despite everything; to him it was obvious they would continue to interact no matter which team each of them was on:

and he also felt bad for hurting him and expressed the hope that he would forgive him

the only thing that i wish would happen now is for nagi to apologise to reo face to face instead of only doing it in his own thoughts, and for reo to also talk about why he was hurt. but i feel like they understood each other either way without many words, because in the end, their bond is just that strong.

they now both want to succeed more than they ever have before and have stopped being their complacent selves we met during the first selection. they are both thinking far into the future and not just within blue lock, so whether they keep moving forward together or separated from now on, it will be knowing they are working towards their shared dream.

[pennyserenade]

God Sejanus is so damn special to me. He’s such a unique character and I love him with my whole heart. He carries this belief that he’s somehow abandoned his people, abandoned himself, when he’s doing all he can to put an end to the games but he’s just a teenage boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders and he still feels like he isn’t doing enough despite doing more than anyone ever has before him and all he wants is a better life not for himself but for everyone suffering and oppressed by the capital and he’s just so important to me, like such a pure good hearted person in a world full of hatred and violence and he still thinks he’s not doing enough when staying as kind as he is and keeping his connection to his home was an act of resistance in and of itself

I could talk about him for hours tbh

i'm very happy to be receiving this ask because he's truly been on my mind for WEEKS. i feel oddly protective of sejanus because i think a lot of people have come to view him as weak and annoying---which, i think, is mostly a reflection of the way coriolanus views him. i do think there are conversations to be had about the fact that the decisions sejanus made weren't always sound, but he was meant to serve a foil to coriolanus. every move coriolanus made was calculated, thought out to even the most minute detail at times, and sejanus' were quick, instinctual, done not to impress because they he they had to be done. when arcahne crane was murdered by her tribute, coriolanus hesitated, had to be told by lucy gray to help, and did so because of the cameras. sejanus knelt down and spread bread crumbs over her body, without a single thought about the cameras. he did not care that no one understood this gesture, or that arachne was someone who never treated him with an inkling of respect. coriolanus thought about that-- he thought how she was evil and deserved to get her throat slit, and he thought about how he wasn't her friend, not really, and he even thought it was ironic that he was painted that way later. sejanus was angry at these people but forgiving, good, and he spoke out vehemently against their games and as often as he did because he hoped against hope; he wanted to reach them because he felt that he could. in all of his anger, sejanus never robbed these people of their humanity the way that they did the district people, because he knew how erroneous it was. the fight would not be worth fighting if he felt, even for a second, that there was no one to listen.

i also love that his identity is shaky; that, even though he has fierce, unapologetic ties to district two, he knows that they don't view him as one of their own. this is one of the parts that i find myself relating to the most when it comes to sejanus. i think many first gen latines can and do feel the same way. it is an odd experienced to be othered by your own and simultaneously hated by what you're 'meant' to be. sejanus could not readily fit in to the capital no matter how hard he might've tried, and he couldn't fit in to the districts because he was too 'capital' in their mind, just for the mere fact that he'd been sent there and taught there. and you do feel endlessly guilt about it -- at least in my experience -- and it is hard to contend with. you can carry on their traditions and love what you are and defend it until you are blue in the face, but what happens when they are in the cage and you stand on the other side, privileged? and like -- this is a real life thing that happened! they put children in cages. i wish with EVERYTHING in me that people would start talking about the parallels between the events in the ballad of songbirds and snakes and trump presidency because that's what it's talking abt!!! it is no coincidence they casted who they casted

[mostlymaudlin]

what's the worst take you've seen on your favorite characters?

HAHAHAHA this is a funny question 😂 i dont really like to yuck other peoples yum, and that goes for pretty much everything in fandom! so i don't wanna like, call out bad takes, but rather just be vocal abt my own takes?

so, on that note...

i have a lot of thoughts about andrew's mood/connection to his own emotions. one really unhealthy way of dealing with a lack of control over your mood/emotions/general situation is compartmentalization and repression -- for me, that always looked like rationalizing my feelings away until they hurt, but i'd convinced myself that it's stupid that it hurts & so i will not acknowledge the pain/do anything to address it -- im just gonna push on through like nothings wrong.

and like... this works! for a while! sort of! it's dysfunctional as hell and probably damaging to many aspects of your life, but you can survive with this detachment as long as you can maintain your web of lies.

with andrew, you can see that he maintains a very rigid view of the world: he does not CARE about anything, he does not WANT anything, he will make deals and he will do exactly what it takes to uphold his end, and he will expect that of others. in the books, esp in TKM, we see that as long as he can operate under these assumptions, he can maintain that famous apathy. but whenever this worldview is challenged, he flips out (example: that scene where aaron accuses andrew of killing tilda for his own benefit, and he gets PISSED and says he did exactly what he said he'd do and "fuck you" if you thought otherwise.) he also tends to lose his apathetic facade around neil, because neil inherently challenges his perception of his own caring/wanting, and it's especially bad when neil does or says stuff that like rly makes andrew's heart squeeze hehe.

i believe andrew is really good at repression. but the thing about repression is that it takes constant, difficult work to filter all sensory input through your internal logic, so your mind is constantly racing as you rationalize everything down into a place where you don't have to acknowledge how you feel it. so if we're talking about how andrew thinks, i'd say that he's incredibly self-aware and a big thinker, because he's doing a lot of internal work to maintain apathy.

and also, from personal experience, it's extremely difficult to cope when you can't lie to yourself anymore. if you believe that you're worthless and undeserving of feeling your pain, and someone comes along, makes you trust them, and then is willing to die to prove how wrong you are -- how are you supposed to rationalize that away? and how are you supposed to shoulder all of those emotions when you don't know how to process them? that's so scary, and so hard, and something that takes a lot of time and support.

all of this is to say: i view andrew as a character that is clinging desperately to a thin mask of apathy, and i don't think he can hold on for much longer. i think he feels soooo many things and is constantly at war with himself over it, because he does not have any tools to cope. so FOR ME, i have trouble reconciling this with interpretations of andrew that show him as someone actually feeling apathetic. but, like, to each their own!!

[tantai-jin]

thouttes abt the boy and the heron

informal summary of some of my impressions and interpretations now that i've watched the film twice and want to put some of this into words... more like assorted notes than an essay with a refined theme or thesis. obv some spoilers ahead

p much the biggest impression i had after my first watch was that this film felt a lot sadder than many of the other studio ghibli a/o miyazaki films, and i think i pinned down some of the reasons better after a second viewing. main examples of this to me were

prominence of death in the story/worldbuilding

dreamlike elements were generally more unsettling and lonely rather than whimsical

music

protagonist's relative solemness

the finality of goodbyes and endings

want to expand on all of these a bit -- be warned that i will have some comparisons w other ghibli films, but since i have not watched all of them super recently and there are a couple i haven't watched (from up on poppy hill, porco rosso) my comparisons may not be that accurate. but i'm not writing an academic essay here, so bleh. for me, the point of comparison here is not to say which story did what better but to look at some similar elements and see how they evolved to serve this story. anyway!

prominence of death in the story/worldbuilding

i think actually the majority of ghibli protagonists have to deal with death intimately -- they may be orphans or have a parent who passed away or is on the verge of it. i think the difference in this movie is that mahito is still grieving for his mother in a more obvious (to the audience) way with his dreams, and then he enters another world through the tower that is "mostly" filled with the dead. kiriko and himi are not dead, but they seem to be more "liminal" than say natsuko or mahito -- younger versions of the people that mahito knows, around in this other world for a very long time, perhaps as long as they can remember, taking care of the warawara who will eventually become the living in the world(s) "above". it's not really clear (to me) if this is THE underworld or afterlife -- although it's filled with the dead, to me it felt like it was just a possible location, one of many possibilities. but then again it also hosts The Stone, which floats above a little island covered in blocks that are made of stones for tombs and tainted with malice. the source of power (and arguably life) rests directly above one representation/connection to death. i don't have a full thesis here but i am chewing on the thought

i thought it was really interesting that the dead did not have the power to kill in this world, and kiriko and himi seem to be the only people apart from the tower master who have powers (kiriko with that wand of fire) + the dead and warawara have to rely on kiriko for the fish catches. anyway i think death itself felt more prominent to me in this film bc mahito was always feeling the absence of his mother and then sunk into a world of death, even if death was not the only thing in that world.

dreamlike elements were generally more unsettling and lonely rather than whimsical

this movie felt a lot more liminal and generally "dreamy" to me, and while a lot of ghibli films are known for their whimsy and cute elements i felt that this one leaned a lot harder into creatures or sensations that were less pleasant. ofc i don't think it's the first one to do this -- off the top of my head, princess mononoke, spirited away, and HMC all definitely depict some "unsettling" stuff like gushing blood, goo, creatures or people melting, and so on. but in those works i feel like there are also a lot of beautiful or cute and whimsical creatures or moments to balance that out a bit, whereas in the boy and the heron it seems to happen less or it Feels less (to me) bc the unsettling parts have greater impact (to me) than the ~beauty~. the heron is beautiful and graceful at a distance, and then it follows him from window to window, interrupts his sleep, flies directly at him like an attack. you have the serene pond by mahito's house in his original world, and then there are the mobs of fish and frogs chanting at mahito and almost smothering him. you have the cutie warawara, and then some of them are eaten or go up in flames. you have the beautiful structures and gardens of himi's home and The Tower, and then you have the unsettling murderous parakeets in them. maybe the point is that they are all "tainted" or somewhat balanced like this.

also, the loneliness. again, not unique to this film, but i felt the presence of it more heavily, especially visually. in mahito's house in the countryside, most of the rooms are quite bare, save for natsuko's bedroom with its ornate wallpaper and carpet. mahito's room is quite sparse apart from the books on his desk. once we get into the sea world, it's wide and relatively empty -- an uninterrupted expanse of sea, eventually dotted with small islands, but those little islands are quite sparse too, mostly filled with trees. the lines of sailboats on the horizon, "none of which are real," as if they're all optical illusions. the rowboats powered by the dead, all of the rowers onboard appearing exactly the same with no way to differentiate one from another. inside the tower and near it, there are also these "bare" spaces -- that very illusion-like space of those arches, where you have to cross that empty and silent expanse from darkness into the blinding light that leads into the paradise-like garden. the island where The Stone is, just a hill covered in stones and grass growing over top. the delivery room, which is dark and bare apart from the mobile with the rotating paper strips. so much of it felt isolated and quiet in a lonely way to me.

music

to tie in with that last part, i think the music also felt generally more sparse and solemn than other ghibli osts, and i'm sure it was intentional. i've been listening to the ost for the past two-ish weeks and my impressions are that there's generally "less" orchestration and a lot more isolated piano sound. a lot of that piano is slow/drawn out and there's not as many chords, and the chords that Are there are simpler (maybe only two or three notes). there's a lot of intentional dissonance, both in piano parts And the parts with more instruments -- isolated piano is more obvious, but i can definitely hear it in the strings. it's hard to explain more than that without like, showing examples of specific clips or sheet music lmao but i think it definitely contributes to the overall moods of loneliness, somber tones, and unsettling vibes. like when you know you're having a really weird dream but can't wake up from it.

protagonist's relative solemness

most ghibli protags are precocious and have a greater sense of responsibility than the average child/teenager their age, but i really felt it with mahito. the sequence of him briefly in school was so interesting -- i really like how there was no dialogue in it and it was just music, bc the conversations didn't really matter when mahito was going to purposely isolate himself/make it so that he didn't have to go back and attempt to make friends there. mahito does have moments where he shows strong emotions: grief abt his mother, anger when the grey heron "disrespects" her honor with the illusion of her, more anger when he sees the warawara being burned, determination when he tries to get natsuko out of the delivery room. but in general those seemed like short bursts between longer stretches where he felt much more solemn and accepting of the current circumstances. when in the sea world, his curiosity about it felt restrained or maybe even limited -- he was there to find natsuko and nearly everything else was less of a priority. even when he decided to accept natsuko as his mother, it felt almost like he knew it was his fate and he simply had to go along with it without any other passionate conviction. he didn't seem to care about finding his own path or realizing any dreams for his future. i don't think this is a bad thing, but it was a different tone than i was used to for most ghibli films.

the finality of goodbyes and endings

again, certainly not the first time something has literally crumbled or been destroyed in a ghibli film: the forest in princess mononoke, howl's moving castle falling apart, the existing ravaged/poisoned world in nausicaa. however, i think the scale of it was much wider here: instead of an important structure or one contained place, the original stone was shattered and that whole world collapsed completely into space/time so that the pieces could not be rebuilt. the ending still has some hope - mahito chooses to return to this world so that he can be with his family and friends. but seeing how worlds could be built with two handfuls of building blocks and be knocked down just as easily, and then watching all of it shatter before his eyes? watching the (probably) only remaining version of his mother go through the door to another world separate from his own? a bigger loss to experience, imo. if the stone was destroyed and the tower collapsed, there's no other way to even try to get back to that portal space and other worlds (not that mahito would actually try to). that's the point, and despite knowing that, it still feels like a heavier blow to me that All Possibility is truly gone. unless another similar stone falls from the sky i guess lol, but the point is that it would never be the same.

as one friend put it, this felt like a goodbye from miyazaki. the possibility for a perfectly harmonious and peaceful world does not exist; those in power will seek to destroy what they cannot control and there may be no coming back from it; perhaps you must accept that you must live in a world of atrocities.

and one last thing i wanted to talk abt even tho this is so long already: symbolism regarding suffering & critique of society

not at all surprising that this film too shows some effects of war, but that was not the biggest impression of Suffering that i got from it. three main examples for me: the pelicans, the parakeets, and the building block stones.

pelicans: brought to this world by the tower master himself, unable to eat most of the fish in the sea, forced to eat the warawara to survive. doing something that others consider terrible bc they have to in order to live. no matter how they try to escape, they can only fly so high and it's not enough. birds that forget how to fly and/or are (symbolically) chained/caged to one place (there is prob more to be said abt how there are so many birds in this movie and they're all fucked up in a way but i don't have the thoughts/words to expand on it).

parakeets: normally(?) considered cute but kind of grotesque in this story, at least in the sea world. often moving in units like soldiers or as if an assembly line, mechanically and identically, having not much purpose other than guarding their territory, identifying and eating outsiders/intruders (the living??). seem to be kind of stupid -- can be tricked very easily. they unanimously celebrate their king, a parakeet that looks more like an eagle bc of his coloring.

speaking of which: the king himself, insisting on punishing transgressors even though they haven't done any tangible damage, holding rules/the current system in greater esteem than the situation in reality. claims to do everything for the good of his kingdom/people but haphazardly tries to seize control and build a new world himself when mahito won't do it. on the one hand, it makes sense that he would get mad that an outsider (mahito) has so much control over and responsibility of his people, rather than the parakeets taking care of themselves. but then he decides he'd rather destroy everything rather than rebuild? he does not wield his power responsibly here, and in the end he also has to escape. i feel like i'm barely scratching the surface of the potential commentary about this, and i definitely am not being precise enough with my wording. but it's not a very subtle allusion being made in the film haha

and then, the little stones! first, it's interesting that supposedly an entire world comes into being and continuously exists because of a couple pieces balancing on each other. perhaps more ironic that they resemble children's toys, simple shapes, but then are made out of the same material intended for tombstones. precariously stacked to make a new world, and they have to be rebalanced -- always shaped by someone's actions, not just something that stands on its own.

a whole mound/small island of them tainted with malice, and above them floats the ~divine~ stone, source of all power. mahito won't touch them, so the tower master searches through space to find pure ones. even stones untouched by malice cannot create a purely harmonious and peaceful world because the creator/master will always have some malice on their hands, some stain that makes them imperfect. he does have one piece with him when he returns to his original world -- sign of potential for building something new in the future, even if it's just in his own world? or is it just a momento of everything he experienced?

anyway. phew. how to end this. there are def some things i still don't understand fully - why natsuko was in the delivery room/why she felt like she had to have her baby in this world; what exactly made mahito decide to accept natsuko as his mother; the tomb behind the gate that said "those who seek my knowledge will die." there's probably more but i can't think of it right now. maybe an eventual rewatch in the future will unveil more for me! but i do think the mystery is part of the fun and part of the intention. it's hard to understand every facet of a dream.

[quirkle2]

has zombie mob ever bitten someone before? i know that he's pretty chill, but i like to think that the hypothetical situation that would trigger him would be if someone where to hurt ritsu or someone from the gang in general :o

(ALSO HIIII I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO OPEN TUMBLR BUT AAAH I'M SO GLAD YOU DON'T MIND MY ASKS 🫶🏼 i just love mp100 AND zombie films, never thought i'd come across where these two are combined 🥹)

HIII im ALWAYS happy to talk abt the sillies there is never a time where im Not thinking abt the sillies <33 !!!!

to preface this answer, there's little settlements of survivors dotted around the place in this world, and for many people, they're safe havens that are stocked w food and supplies and people who are willing to help you. the people there are typically heavily armed and ready for any zombies that come their way, and they patrol the territory regularly not just to loot the places nearby, but to watch for any zombies that have gotten through defenses

the settlements are full of people who, in general, like to help any outsiders they can—if they see a person trying to survive out in the wild alone, they'll offer shelter and food to them as long as they're not infected

if ur not ritsu, that is.

(warning for guns and some gore btw)

normally, they'd be more than happy to help a kid as young as ritsu. but he's traveling with a zombie. that is obviously an instant red flag for them, bc to them, it's pretty much guaranteed that ritsu is infected at this point. they don't see zombies the same way ritsu does—they don't know that zombies r still human and capable of very human thing

settlements actively Hunt zombies, instead of just kill them when they come around. they go on patrols and Search for zombies to take out, even if the zombies aren't actually endangering anybody atm. it makes sense to them, it's the obvious answer to them, but to ritsu, that's unbelievably cruel. to ritsu, that's no different from attacking humans unprovoked

they will also kill any infected people, even if they're still very much human in behavior. they see it as mercy kills. ritsu is very bitter abt it, but defending those zombies means putting his brother in danger, and his brother matters more to him than anything

to most people, seeing a settlement up ahead is a godsend. to ritsu, it's an oncoming death sentence. they WILL shoot him and shigeo on sight once they figure out shigeo is a zombie and ritsu is traveling with him, so ritsu has to be Extremely careful when around settlements. he generally tries to steer clear of them—the areas around them r usually looted already anyway, so there's no point in getting near

they're hard to avoid, though. and sometimes he runs into people patrolling the area. and sometimes they see ritsu guiding a zombie by the hand, and they're suddenly right on top of them and aiming to kill

shigeo doesn't just bite somebody. the fight evolves from ritsu aiming pitiful shots from his own pistol that all miss, to trying to disarm one of the patrol guys and getting pinned to the ground where the barrel of a gun is inching worryingly close to ritsu's face

shigeo doesn't just bite him, he tears out the guy's throat. ritsu scrambles away and takes the shotgun that he'd barely kept away from his face, and he simply watches in horror as shigeo rips tendons and muscles out from a man's neck. he gets it all entangled in his teeth and it takes everything ritsu has not to vomit immediately—he can't seem to look away from it, from the strings of flesh and blood dangling and trickling from his brother's mouth

when shigeo calms and he's not biting down on muscle anymore, ritsu has to get on his feet and get near his brother, which is admittedly hard to accomplish at the moment. he eases into his field of view and when shigeo sees him he doesn't immediately growl—his angry eyes actually soften, and ritsu gently pulls him up and pointedly ignores the blood covering shigeo's chin

cleaning the blood off his brother's face later makes the experience feel Real to ritsu, and he does his best not to burst into tears. he firmly decides that if (when,,, when.) he Does find the cure, and if shigeo Doesn't remember this, ritsu will never tell him. he's pretty confident that his brother would never be able to live with himself, if he knew what he just did to another human being

[dandyshucks]

rambling about Guz under the cut hsdhgjkl, CW for abuse and (c)ptsd talk as well as discussion of racism

i've hesitated to say anything about his trauma-caused aggression and anger because i fear it'll be misconstrued by ppl (<- tags on that other post that i'm going off of bc i wanna ramble abt it)

he's not Scary or Violent or Mean. i mean maybe other ppl might view him that way, he might come across that way if you don't know him well, but like.... its trauma. if you were physically abused as a child... yeah. youre gonna come out of that with issues that won't be pretty. you're not going to be the Perfect Victim. you are going to have symptoms and reactions and whatnot that are ugly and difficult and upsetting and hard-to-be-around sometimes.

I am really aware and cautious of the stereotype where many men of colour (mainly black men, but this also includes indigenous men and some other men of colour) are portrayed as being Big and Aggressive, so I have avoided getting anywhere near that, especially since I made the decision to change Guz's skintone in my portrayal of him (which I'm not going to get into, at least rn, but that decision was carefully thought out as well for me). So I always get a bit worried that IF I show any of that side of his trauma, it is going to come off the wrong way.

When I look at him being angry and aggressive in any way, I'm coming at it from the perspective of "this is a man who was a child who was abused and beaten, and he's grown up being taught he needs to Fight, that he needs to be scary in order to be safe, and he is very afraid in a way that translates to anger because that's the way he learned to deal with that emotion." And then we (Guz and co) figure out how to work with that, how to start unravelling all the trauma that's packed into that behaviour, how to start unlearning those reactions and begin working on new ways of Being. He's got a safe environment now, where the people he's around genuinely care about him, where he doesn't have to scare the people around him in order to be respected and safe. Plumes and the squad love him, and Junebug loves him, and he doesn't want to hurt any of them. He also doesn't want to continue that cycle of abuse, doesn't want the grunts or anyone else to feel afraid of him like he was afraid of his dad, nor does he want any of the grunts to feel like they have to be aggressive to be safe in the world.

I'm also aware of the fact that I have white skin even if I am indigenous lol, and the little white-skinned partner appearing to be the "uwu soft niceys" one in the relationship with the big "aggressive" man with brown skin is uhhhh a really fucking awful look! really fucked up! And it's not something I'm interested in presenting to the world, even if it's just in this small circle of the internet. That's a really fucked up dynamic to be putting out there without context lmao.

Anyways, so even if Guz has that shit going on, I'm very careful with how I present it and aware of how it might come across, and if I ever step over any lines, people are more than welcome to holler at me and let me know I've fucked up!

Currently, I figure he was working on shit for a while before my self-insert came along (this is not a case of "i will fix you all by myself" because again... my white skin makes it look like white saviorism, plus I do not think thats a very interesting dynamic for me personally anyways lol, you gotta be putting in a bit of work yourself for me to stick around very long and help you out), and then Junebug showing up was just another motivational force to keep working on his shit. Guz has a good group of people around him and Junebug is just kind of a bonus in the situation. He'd be putting in the work either way, but they're just a little extra boost for him.

I think he’ll always have a bit of a tendency to react with the fight instinct rather than flight or freeze in situations where he is genuinely terrified and doesn’t have time to think through a reaction, but all of the rest of it improves. It’s amazing what a person can change about the way their brain is wired with enough time and effort and support!

[jetglider]

hiiii i am desperately eyeing ur fsa links can u pls tell us abt ur hcs/ideas behind the designs??? 👀

HIII OMG.. I have so many thoughts about them but its hard to put everything into words but I guess a few basic things should be enough to itch my brain tysm for asking btw!!

Thats about it in terms of pronouns lol. also including Shadow!

For the most part when it comes to their designs, spc the way their clothing looks is too more or less represent how their approach to the outside world is, for example ;Reds being the baggiest+longest shows how reserved she is when it comes to the outside world and as a way to kept himself safe/to feel safe. its not nice when others pick on you so you hide ykwim. Red's ears are usually downturned to make herself smaller visually in a way. He has some burn scars on hands from handling the fire rod for the first time without any protection, she also has freckles!

Blue's is tighter but even more covered up inclusding gloves but also allowing more movement, its supposed to give an illusion of being a put together stronger figure, someone who can hold his own. The bangs over his right eye are styled to hide something mostly himself, keeping himself at arms lenght somehow if you will, he'll engage with others but in a surface level and its more like trying to repot a cactus without gloves. Blue's ears are tilted down to communicate a displeased/annoyed mood to most others so they won't approach him.

Green! hes. hes autistic. (they all are but bear with me for a second) Greens is supposed to be an everyman type of look, friendly and approachable, his ears stay up most of the time along with purpousely making his eyes bigger with a slight smile to communicate a friendly demeanor, inherently tied to his recklessness go the somewhat unkept/messy look (only one rolled up sleeve, tear on the knees, dirty boots etc.), the orange fade to the ends of his hair has to do with something very important (to me at least) but! id like to elaborate at lenght sometime later on.

VIO. Vio my friend Vio, their clothes are very put together and clean, x views themself as someone who is to be kept at arms lenght, you can trust x, right? ,Vio is missing a small notch of their left ear from something that happened when they all were younger, they are the only one without a belt detail and an extra layer of clothing underneath that covers most of x neck. Vios ears stay Always in a completely neutral position, x is the one with the most control over it and how people generally see x.

[brittlebutch]

neo i clicked on ur link to With the Light and binge read like half the series for the past 4 hours. PLEASE tell me ur thoughts abt this series im in love with it !!! the framing of hikaru's issues as inherently blameless is amazing to see, and the focus on letting hikaru enjoy what he likes and letting him choose/listening to all the ways he communicates made me so happy. the way sachiko firmly refuses to let people be ableist or mistreat hikaru is so refreshing, and her patience and intentional care and observation ends up encouraging other people to stand up for themselves and build a lovely community of support and acceptance. i especially liked the incisive way they address people's condescending attempts at caring (the parents' talking down to sachiko, the teacher offering to make the races have no winners, etc). im so glad u posted abt this, i definitely never would have found it otherwise, and i would Love to hear ur thoughts ^_^

Dude!!!! I am so glad that you had read this series and enjoyed it, I'm SO thrilled that I finally was able to find a site where I could recommend it to people! I could spend hours talking about every single minute detail of this series that I love -- if I tried to talk about it here, I'd probably break the text box lmao. I keep trying to break it down to broad strokes and failing, I love the characters, I love the narrative, I love the educational aspects and the way it handles all these different topics and the fact that throughout the series, the thing that always comes through the loudest to me is a deep felt love of Autistic people and the Hope that one day the world as a whole will change to accept us as we are.

Hikaru isn't the POV character, but this series never falls into the mistake of forgetting that he is a character. There's no Symbolic Representation here (see Jessie Gender's video on this topic for more on that); Hikaru isn't just a walking DSM checklist of autistic traits -- he is a full person with likes, dislikes, interests, friendships, and even with his autistic traits, they're unique and specific to him instead of a broad attempt to make him carry the whole of the spectrum on his shoulders. (That's one of many aspects where I think the choice of narrative really works for the series -- having one family move through a variety of different schools, services, and organizations means that there's ample opportunity to introduce a wide range of characters that can highlight different traits, behaviors, and points on the spectrum without it being overly pointed or confusing).

And the series is always sympathetic to his perspective; we never really get into Hikaru's head, but the characters and the narrative still absolutely ooze an empathy for his experiences throughout the series. The characters often talk about not only the stress of having autistic children, but the stress of being an autistic child. They talk about sensory experiences as being overwhelming and painful, they identify the struggle to identify your surroundings as scary, discuss how frustrating it must feel to not be able to express yourself effectively. Sometimes it's speculative -- although they do also sometimes talk about having read things that actually autistic people have written about being autistic, but the core empathy is always present. Even when discussing something frustrating or dangerous (a mother talking about how her daughter sometimes tries to run into the street because she likes the white painted lines on the road), they still often take the time to consider and empathize with their children's point of view ("If the whole world was confusing and overwhelming, then it must be a relief to find something to look at that always stays the same").

and YEAH i love the way this series handles communication. Again, the narrative works in its favor on this topic, because Hikaru doesn't have to be someone who uses a shit tonne of different communication methods; they found what works for him and stick with it, but can also talk to other parents/educators about all the options that exist out there. The series goes into depth about a lot of different methods of communication, all of which are celebrated and accepted - deliberate use of direct speech, more abstract use of verbal speech, PECs cards, AAC technology, written directives and lists people can point to, type to talk, nonverbal gestures, body language, etc.

But to me, the most important conversation about communication is a moment when Hikaru's elementary school teacher Aoki is talking about another autistic student in his class. He is talking to the children's mothers, and pulls up his sleeve to reveal an injury on his arm from where Miyu bit him -- "Whenever I see this, I realize that I'm not communicating with Miyu-chan in a way she understands". Not only is Miyu "Allowed" to bite without being punished, but the biting itself is not dismissed as an aberrant "bad behavior" that needs correction, but is correctly identified as a method of communication that the allistic adults around her need to listen to. Miyu cannot talk and she's too little to read or write, she can only communicate her frustrations in the few, limited options available to her -- until she's able to learn how to express herself in more effective ways, it's important for the people around her to pay attention and actively listen to the ways through which she can express herself -- including in strange or "inconvenient" ways, such as biting.

And the very deliberate ways they teach Hikaru how to communicate is also Super fucking important. It's really significant to me that the first things Sachiko wants to work with Hikaru on are 1.) How to express needs/wants and 2.) How to tell her "No". For the series to correctly identify that the ability to tell someone "No" is not only a right, but an absolutely vital life skill is SO significant. Not only does Sachiko accept the idea that Hikaru will tell her no, she takes deliberate steps to teach him how to do so. The series goes into depth on how Sachiko (and Hikaru's other caregivers/educators) help teach him how to correct them when they screw up, how to ask for things he needs and reject things he doesn't, how to set his own boundaries and communicate his needs and dislikes -- no matter what that communication looks like.

I love that the series and the characters' main focus is never on getting Hikaru to "fit in" to society, but to figure out how to live a life that works for him, that allows him to be as independent as possible, no matter what other people think about how it looks for him. Another really important moment in the series for me is when Hikaru's grandmother is saying that the progress he's made since he was a small child isn't good enough, and when she asks "What happens to children like him?" Sachiko is absolutely stalwart when she says "He'll grow up, and become a young man with autism" and DUDE i love that so much. Not a single hint of the notion that he'll either be infantilized forever or somehow grow out of his autism, it fully embraces the fact that he'll be an autistic adult and remains adamant that that's a good thing!!!

Again, I could talk about this forever. I love that the series always empathizes with Hikaru's meltdowns and never just dismisses them as "tantrums", and when other characters talk about meltdown prevention, it's never in terms of "Well, we need to figure out how to force Hikaru to get used to X", it's always in terms of "I should have realized he was reaching a breaking point before things got that bad; we need to help Hikaru learn tools to calm down and make sure he knows how to establish boundaries and leave situations that aren't good for him". With the right adults, Hikaru is always able to leave an overwhelming situation and not return until he has decided he's calm enough to try again - no one pushes him to recover faster than he's ready to. I think there's one scene in the entire series when two adults who don't know what they're doing try to restrain Hikaru during a meltdown, and every other time Hikaru reaches that point, the other characters make sure to give him ample space to calm down without overwhelming him further.

I love the ways this series handles ableism in all of its forms. It addresses ableism that comes from ignorance, from malice, and from places that are "well-meant" in really educational and helpful ways. I love love love the way the series normalizes disability when explaining it to children -- there's a few moments throughout the series where other kids mock Hikaru, but the adults handle it so wonderfully. The "Hikaru struggles to talk the same way you struggle to run a marathon" explanations do so much to make disability just a normal thing, instead of some awful secret that you're never allowed to address directly. I think it's really wonderful.

I think this post is getting too long, tumblr is getting mad at me lol. There's still so much I'd love to talk about: I love how the author includes so many lovingly illustrated panels of Hikaru stimming, I love that his family is allowed to be frustrated without that frustration ever coming across in a way that demonizes Hikaru, I love the relationship that he has with his younger sister, I love all of the friendships that he's made and maintained since he was a toddler, I love the "It takes a village" approach that really highlights the significance of having a good support system, and I love all the different people that come together to help teach Hikaru and make sure that his dignity and independence are always prioritized. I love the little details of Hikaru's character like the way that he's really good at identifying/taking care of plants, and his love of dolphins, and the way he repeats the things his friends say to him to hold onto the thoughts after they go home/back to class. I even love how some of the teachers that Hikaru has in school aren't always great at their jobs (I actually think the Gunji-sensei arc is one of my favorites in the whole series), and I love all the side characters that the series introduces us to, and the care that the author has when educating readers about autism and all the different aids/accommodations that can make life easier and less frustrating/painful.

UGH I really do love this series so much, I'd happily keep talking about it and answering questions about it for forever! If my ramblings have encouraged anyone else to give the series a shot, I'll leave you with this: the first two chapters are the hardest to get through because Sachiko and Hikaru are extremely isolated and Sachiko does not understand what Autism is yet -- if you're hesitant about it, you can skip to chapter three where things start to look up a little more sharply and start there instead, and please continue to read through the rest of the series. It's truly one of my favorite autism medias of all time <3

[saintbehemoth]

I always wonder what would have happened if Jace had survived the dance instead of Aegon and Viserys, what kind of man would he have become after the war and the loss of his entire family. would he have come to rule? or would he have been forced to leave? they say Targaryen madness comes from the desire for power but in Jace's case I can see him losing control of himself in despair and grief

i think he would have become king, i think his grief and rage would necessitate it. what would be the point of all the pain and war and death of his family if he doesn’t end up on the throne? i think that’s how he would think of it

i can see a ruthlessness that aegon iii didn’t have but jace would - like he wouldn’t stand for the suggestion of treason. he would take cregan’s route post dance and execute all those involved on the green side. bc of this i think people would view him the way they do daemon - half think of him as a tyrant, the other half as a just king who punishes all crimes as befits it. that’s like decades later, immediately after when he kills alicent and jaehaera (by dragon or sword or ‘under mysterious circumstances’) he would immediately regarded a third maegor and have to put down another rebellion/false king thing. many possibilities out there <3

after the war i think the smallfolk would generally admire him for his good policies but the houses he punishes through idk taxation and social shunning bc of their role in the war - eg hightowers and lannisters - would absolutely hate him and trying to sidle back into his good graces for various reasons

if vermax also survives i think that would cement jace’s place as ruler, the last dragon king. credibility and authority etc etc and also having a fucking giant murder tool.

i can see jace super isolating himself, trusting no one entirely. lonely and melancholy like aeg3 but also with this festering rage. lowkey always looking for an excuse to let it out. most of the court defo has to tread carefully around him. any hint of conspiring behind his back - imagined or real - and jace is immediately like [crazy eyes] Do We Have A Problem :) (→ worst smile you’ve ever seen in your life)

if baela and rhaena survive he’d defo have to marry one. i think it would be good if it was rhaena… like not marrying baela would be the ultimate symbol of the loss of the security of their youth and of what they were promised in their youth… the castle of childhood finally crumbling to ruin and they have to live in the real world where nothing worked out as they wanted it to…

also the jace-angst of baela being like ‘actually i want to marry alyn, your maybe half brother who looks more legitimate than you do, who is replacing your little brother’s place in the world’ WAIT WAIT WAIT even as i type the thoughts r flowing… post war baela saying to jace i hardly recognise you anymore and calls off their betrothal. anyway then of course baela and alyn have a horrible marriage and she majorly regrets it but can’t do anything abt it because now rhaena is queen ^-^ i think being married to rhaena would help heal some of his wounds, like she understands they were her family too. i feel like rhaena is calmer compared to the fieriness of jace and baela so might help balance him out. downside of that is he walks right over her when he believes his way is righteous

longer than i anticipated but yeah there are a few thoughts!!! rotating the concept in my mind now veryyy much 😵‍💫

[yonemurishiroku]

i know you said you haven’t figured out it out yet but i’d like to hear any thoughts or random ideas you might have abt nezha & nico, either in general or in the time travel verse 👩‍🏫

Wow I didn't expect someone would actually be interested in this... Well, all the more motivation to be enthusiastic, then. xD

You're right that I've yet to figure out their connection, however, I can tell a little about that that drew me to the idea of them in the same picture.

The first would probably be their characterization.

Both are painted in black and white, of kindness and the flaws within. Afaik, the whole thing about Nezha is that he's a naughty, carefree, uncontrollable menace yet also kind in his own ways. He did so many wrongs and he tried to do just as many rights to make up for it. It's similar to Nico, in the way that they are kind at heart, yet can appear evil in others' eyes for some reason. And yes, they both have committed conventional horrible. Hell, Nezha peeled off Ao Bing's spine or st. Would you look at that, Bryce?

Grudge-holding. Now, I'm not saying I fancy what Rick did to Nico's fatal flaw, but talking in canon here, Nico held his sister's death against Percy (and himself) for quite a while; whereas Nezha, having died and was reborn again, literally came fighting his father because the man ruined his temple, where his soul resided. Like. If that isn't one hell of a grudge then I don't know what is.

Their spirits, their willpower, the prowess they possess despite their young ages. They are both so fierce, unstoppable, and resilient. Nezha is portrayed as a literal child in Chinese mythology, but his story is one hell of a ride (ya know, with all the slaying dragons, carving up his own flesh...). Idk about you but it gives me an impression of how intense Nezha might be, which is quite a reflection of Nico's story and characterization. Because Nico is... extreme, too, and you can't possibly tell me Nico's life story, with all that Tartarus and torture in the jar, isn't a grand tale in its own way. Alas, against all odds, they both emerge victorious. I love them.

They're both freaking powerful too, btw. But again, I guess every mythological figure is powerful in its own way.

Idk about you but I think Nico and Nezha should be allowed to sit down together and trade gory, creepy, bloody stories about themselves just to scare everyone else.

2. Their backgrounds, their stories.

They both have daddy issues omfg. Nezha literally fought his father, who ruined Nezha's temple, to the point of interference from other deities. And while I love Nico and Hades's love with everything in me, they did have a strained relationship throughout PJO. Hades told Nico he would prefer Bianca over him, and later nearly fired a ball at him. If that isn't parallel I don't know what is.

Their mothers love them so much I'm crying. Nezha's mother, Lady Yin, carried him in her womb for years and built him a temple when he asked her in a dream. And I suppose we don't need to talk about Maria anymore.

They are both, technically, 'prince's LMAO. Nezha is known as the Third Crowned Prince (or whatever that is bc Chinese is so hard to translate into English omg) and Nico is well, Nico. Their fathers are both technically kings, as well. Hades because obviously, Li Jing is known as one of the Heavenly Kings. And if you really look into it, Nezha is a commander of Heaven's army, directly under his father, whilst Nico is the Ambassador of Hades. Wow.

They are viewed as awful in people's eyes but still took efforts to help. I'm gonna admit my viewpoint might be altered by the Nezha (2019) movie. Nonetheless, I find it quite interesting that Nezha and Nico, though being scorned and ostracized by their kind, ended up being their saviors. Nezha killed himself when the Dragon King threatened to flood his hometown, and Nico went such lengths to aid the Seven with their world-saving quests. This is also proof of their kindness, which I adore so much, btw.

Feud with the sea. Well maybe not feud in Percy and Nico's case. A sensitive topic. History, maybe? Lol. Anyway, the fact remains that both Nico and Nezha share an unpleasant history with a son of the seas. If you take Nezha (2019) into consideration though, they both make peace with said animosity too! xD

They both befriend their old enemies. I'm talking about Wukong and Bob. It's fascinating, in a way lol.

These are everything I can come up with so far... Huh. I didn't expect them to share so similarities... I'm serious about Nezha and Nico having a bonding session now. These two are deemed to be besties.

It doesn't need to be in the Time Travel AU. Nico crash-landed in China before, didn't he? Maybe, Idk, Nezha was sent to investigate, and they ended up friends because Nico is as social as a capybara and Nezha has all the purity and generosity of a carefree child who fears nothing.

...I'm so deep in this omg...  

Anw, if you want to share your Nico and Nezha content, I'm all ears!! xD