#i want this tragedy to be over. the cycle finally broken

[parasiticallamb]

i wish i had a choice. i wish i could rot. i dont want to be alive. i dont want to be alive. i dont want to be alive. i dont want to be alive. why cant it ever be my choice

[normal-internet-user]

TRUTHS AND LIES: 3

♤~~◇~~♤~~◇~~♤

Pt: 1 Pt: 2

Summary: After Karai finally comes to terms with the truth, you go along with her to get your revenge on the Shredder.

Warnings: Badly written fight scenes, broken bones, angst

Requested: Nah

Female Reader!

Notes at the end.

....................................

Joy was the only way to explain the way you were feeling. You had Karai back in your life, you had your sister omce again.

The time you were seperated you felt as though you'd been split in two, you had never been apart for so long. You were twins, best friends, two halves of a whole.

So when she renounced you, when she left you behind, you couldn't help but hurt. You felt guilt and shame for leaving, though you knew it was just your habit of taking all the blame.

The two of you had yet to talk about that day. You knew you needed too, it was necessary to mend the strained bond you shared, but you couldn't help but grow anxious whenever you tried.

So the two of you just left it alone, hoping that strained feeling would dissapear. You sighed as you continued to watch your little brothers spar with each other. Splinter insisted that you observe alongside your sister, despite having particapated in their training before, wanting to unlearn the style taught to you in your youth.

A small giggle escaped from your mouth as the boys abandoned their weapons in favor of wrestling on the ground. You looked over at Karai and saw her face also graced with amusment.

"Is this how training always goes?" Karai asks, snickering silently.

"Yame!" Your father shouted, and irrated sigh following.

You couldn't help your own silent giggling, as you had never seen training happen this way before. The water balloons were definitly new.

"My sons and daughters, that is enough for today."

The boys all stand to leave, you were going to go with them, but Karai remained, so you did as well. Leonardo turned to the two of you, "You guys coming?" he asked.

"In a minute." Karai replied, moving to stand by the alter that held the picture of the two of you in your mothers arms.

Splinter moved to stand beside her, glancing down at Karai, "Not what you expected?"

Karai sighed, "I'll admit, it's weird being with the people I was told were my enemies."

You nodded, "Hai. I honestly thought Leonardo was tricking me when he told me the truth."

Karai looked up at Splinter curiously, "What really happened between you, Shredder and our mother?"

With a grim sigh, Splinter tells the tale of his brotherhood turned rivalry. How both he and Oroku Saki fell in love with the same women, and how years of Saki's built up jealousy ultimately led to tragedy.

You were horrified. This is not the tale you were told as a child. Though you figured long ago that it was a lie. But a lie to this extent? It was all Shredder's fault.

He ruined your family, took away your mother then blamed your father, and you believed him. You never desired revenge on Yoshi the way Karai always had, no, but your resentment towards him was always there.

To know that you had been angry at the wrong man your whole life, and the true horror was standing next to you the entire time was shattering. It filled you with guilt.

Karai was angry. You could tell, and she wasn't hiding it. She never did. You knew what she wanted, and it was revenge.

"After all this time," she said, her rage evident, "Haven't you wanted revenge?"

Splinter shook his head, "After all this time I learned that revenge only leads to more pain."

That was true, you supposed. Revenge could go on infinintly in a cycle of tragedy, you supposed letting go of things was necessary sometimes. But maybe not this time.

Karai seemed appalled at Splinter's stance on the matter, arguing with him until Splinter gently eased her. So he thinks anyway.

You and Karai share a glance. It's quick and fleeting, most would miss it, and those who didn't wouldn't chalk it up to anything. But the message was clear.

Tonight was the night that Shredder would pay for his lies at the hands of the two he'd wronged.

Tonight, Oroku Saki would suffer.

That night, you and Karai lay in your shared room, pretending to be asleep. Leo comes to check on the two of you, asking if your awake and recieving no reply.

He leaves, and you lock eyes with Karai. With a nod, the two of you silently creep out of your room and towards the exit.

"Going after Shredder by yourselves is a bad idea."

You turn to see Leonardo, and you silently groan. Karai scowls, "Don't try to stop us, Leo."

Leo shakes his head, "I want to go with you." he says, and Karai looks surprised, glancing over at you before turning back to Leo

"What?" she asks, you remain silent, standing behind her.

"You're right, Shredder will never stop hunting us. The only way for us to be safe is to take him down."

You and Karai look at eachother, having a silent conversation. You nod slightly at Karai, and Leo perks up, think you're agreeing to let him come along.

Karai sighs, "My whole life has been about revenge." she looks back at you as you look at the ground, "We can't ask you to risk your life too."

"Let me help."

Karai approaches Leo, and you watch the interaction slightly ammused as you say, "Sorry, Ao."

Karai punches Leo in the face, and you quickly use a pellet to knock him unconcious.

You check to make sure Leo is unconcious. and Karai nods, "This ends tonight." she states, and the two of you silently leave the Lair.

You and Karai stealthily make your way into the Shredders throne room, something you always hated about this place. It was pretencious, and made him seem a more important man than he was.

Karai motions to the throne, and you spot the outline of your father sitting there. With a shared nod, the two of you creep up to either side of the throne, ready to end this once and for all.

But as you get closer, you're shocked to realize that Shredder isn't there... it's Chrome Dome.

So then where..?

"Karai. (Name)."

You turn to find the Shredder standing over the two of you, and despite your best efforts, despite Karai's clear confidence, you can't help that small trickle of helplessness that fills you.

"You returned sooner than I expected." He says, addressing Karai before turning to you with a scowl, "You however. I have not seen you in quite some time, Uragiri, not for months."

Uragiri. A name that meant betrayal. A stark contrast to your current name, or the name used by your father. You could feel the venom and malice in Shredder's tone, you never had been his favorite. That title went to Karai.

Chrome Dome forcefully grabbed Karai, and you moved to help, only for Shredder to throw you to the side. You slammed into the wall with a yelp, a sharp pain shooting through your ribs.

You watched as Karai freed herself from Chrome Dome's hold, stabbing the robot to incapacitate it. Karai stood fierce before the Shredder, and you joined her side, drawing your own tantō blade.

You did your best to ignore the flare of pain in your torso, watching with slight enjoyment as Shredder realized that unlike Karai, the tantō you used was not the one he'd given you. The blade handle was engraved with the Hamato crest, something you showed off with pride. Shredder's rage was evident in his face.

"The time has come for us to say good-bye, Shredder." Karai said, voiced laced with venom.

You nodded, tilting your head, "I never did get to bid the fairwell."

The two of you charged the Shredder, Karai tossed a smoke pellet in an attempt to distract him, but to your amazment, he didn't react at all.

He blocked both your blades as you swung at him, pushing both of you back and away from him. Karai jumped around Shredder, slicing in an attempt to hit him at least once.

You charged as he turned his back, aiming for the chinks in his armor. However, he turned and brought his fist down on the back of your neck with enough force to knock you to the ground. Your head slammed into the ground, causing your vision to swim as you rolled over onto your back. He stamped his foot down on your torso and you cried out as he applied pressure to your broken ribs.

Angry, Karai stabbed at his face, only for Shredder to catch the blade inbetween his hands. He shoved Karai away with a scowl.

"Foolish children." he scowls, kicking you away in favor of slowly approaching Karai, "I taught you everything you know, you hold no surprises for me. This has gone far enough."

Karai lauched two shuriken in his direction, Shredder blocked them, and Karai continued to attack. Causing Shedder to stumble back where he would see the Hamato crest ingraned on the shuriken.

With a shout of rage, he backhanded Karai as she jumped at him. Karai landed afew feet from you, and you winced as you attempted to stand.

You felt someone's foot push on your back, forcing you back to the ground as Tigerclaw took Karai. Your sister continued to struggle, shouting things you couldn't register as your brain grew foggy, and you fell unconcious...

....................................

Ok, I have some notes to add, #1: I originally intended to kill reader in this chapter, and end the series there, but I figured I'd finsh the episode "Vengeance is mine"

and #2: I have no idea how to write a fight scene ok- 😭

Translations:

Yame = End/finish

Hai = yes

Uragiri = A name that translates to betrayal.

Ao = Blue

[jaybee2000]

Alternate Umbrella Academy Season Four Ending Monologue

Look. I really like them sacrificing themselves for the world and that ultimately their job was never to stop the apocalypse but to let it wash over them and through them. I love a good tragedy. But it has to mean something. It can’t have been left unremarked upon. Otherwise what was it all for? The cycle has to be broken, someway somehow. It has to mean something that their kids got through it and have a chance to move beyond the trauma of the past. So I wrote a monologue to put over the final shots. Imagine this in a tone of a story told to Little Grace and the twins by Claire in the park. (Lila wanted to be sure Grace got her bedtime story). Maybe she’s even written the comic book and is reading it to them. You can still play I think we’re alone now if you want :)

Claire: On the first day of October, 1989, 43 children were born all across the world. They were special. They were different. They could do things that we couldn’t imagine. Lift cars! Control your mind! Throw things with uncanny aim! Lasar eyes! But they were still people. With the same problems as anybody. Things could be hard for them, but still they did their best to be heroes. In big ways and small. Though it shouldn’t have been possible, they would become a family. Our family.

When our parents were little, they were given a tattoo on their arms, just like this. An umbrella. What their father wanted it to mean, I don’t know. But I know what it really means. Listen close, Gracie, and I’ll tell you.

When it rains, even when it pours, an umbrella protects you from the rain and cold. It takes the wind so you don’t have to. And it gets wet and tired and worn down, but under its shade you’re safe. Safe so that when the sun comes back out you can smile again.

That was the umbrella academy. Heroes, sure. But most of all, family, that kept us safe even when the hail came. Because that’s what our family does. They made us a dry place to land even if they never had one themselves. Our whole world is under their canopy. We’ll remember that, me, you, the twins. Remember that when the clouds get dark and the wind picks up, you’ll always be glad you can open an umbrella.

☂️☂️☂️

[wanderingxrivers]

This has no title and only came into existence because we do not get the Eddie/Maddie interactions that we should. Is it done? Probably not but it's a start of something and I kinda like the direction where it's heading.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Against the backdrop of beeping monitors and the whoosh of the ventilator, the whisper of the silver chain sounds like thunder as he removes the medal that brought him home because it has a new purpose now, a new family member to protect. Eddie’s fingers tremble with a level of anxiety that he hasn’t felt since the birth of his son. Buck, his Buck is laying in a coma and all the words he wants to say, needs to say, are caged behind his teeth. He doesn’t want this. Buck doesn’t deserve this. He deserves a real confession, not one at a hospital bedside where Eddie is terrified that he won’t come home. 

So, Eddie acts because while he is not an eloquent man, he is a man of action. He places the necklace around Buck’s throat, the glint of metal against the too pale skin a reminder of the love that Eddie holds, a promise to come home, to be the light in the darkness when all else fails. He adjusts the medal so that it sits just below the hollow of Buck’s throat, a shield against all harm. The words come to him, a memory from Catechism, floating up from the depths; Protect him, today in all his travels along the road’s way. Give him your warning sign if danger is near so he may stop while the path is clear. Be at his window and direct him through when the vision blurs from out of the blue. Carry him safely to his destined place like you carried Christ in your close embrace.  

Faith has left Eddie behind long ago but these things, these talismans against the chaos of the world, stick with him long after the original meaning was lost. This kept him safe in Afghanistan, it will keep Buck safe as he comes home. It has to.  He can’t live without him. It will break him.   

There’s a certainty to the knowledge. Losing Buck will absolutely break him beyond repair. Buck’s woven himself in their lives in a way that can’t be undone. He’s co-parent to Christopher, Eddie’s partner in all things but the things Eddie wants most because he’s a coward. He can’t bring himself to say the three words that will let him have what he wants, that will let him finally truly be happy the way he wants to be.   

A voice in the back of his mind that sounds suspiciously like Frank’s floats a simple question. “What harm comes from letting yourself be happy?” Before Eddie has the time to turn that thought over and examine it further, the door opens. He looks to the direction of the door, his shoulders losing their tension when he sees that it's Maddie.      He flashes her a wan smile in greeting. It’s a pale imitation of his usual grin and feels deeply out of place in a hospital room but he doesn’t trust his voice. If he speaks, then everything he’s felt for the last several years will spill out of him and Maddie will see all the ways he’s been a coward and a fool and he doesn’t know if he can expose his broken messy heart where the object of his deepest affections lies somewhere between life and death. This was not a conversation he wanted to have with her here, not now.   

Her warm brown eyes meet his, an eyebrow raised in question. Of course, she’s noticed the lack of the St. Christopher’s medal around his throat and its new place embracing Buck’s. She knows what it means, how it was a symbol of hope that brought him home through tragedy after tragedy. Maddie’s face cycles through a series of emotions that Eddie is too tired to track but it settles on something that is fond and understanding with only a small note of surprise.  

There’s a hand on his shoulder, and for a moment, he wants to cry because it’s the same place where Buck places his hand when they share those shoulder touches. He breathes deep, forcing a harsh breath out through his nose, fighting back the tears because once they start, they won’t stop. While Eddie never had an elder sister, he knows the burden of being the elder sibling, of carrying the worry for your younger siblings in your bones even when there is nothing you can do to protect them. He knows that Maddie is feeling that agony and they can only wait for Buck to find his way out of whatever liminal realm he’s in and rejoin his family here.   

Maddie’s voice is quiet. “He loves you; you know.” At Eddie’s surprised look, she chuckles lightly. “No, he didn’t tell me in so many words but he also didn’t have to. No matter who he dates, he always comes back to you. It’s always you in his weekend plans, his calendar, the pictures on his fridge, the lock screen on his phone. It wasn’t hard to figure out. You just had to pay attention. You have to tell him though.”   

The pressure at his shoulder leaves and there’s the scrape of a chair being dragged across the room and she’s sitting at his side. “This is the thing about Evan, you have to spell it out for him. If you leave any grey areas, he’ll think the worst.” Her hand lays over his, where it's clutching Buck's. “Can you please promise me one thing?” Eddie’s head nods before he realizes what it is he’s agreeing to. “Tell him. Tell him in no uncertain terms that you love him and that the family he wants; he has with you.” She stares at him in that knowing way that she gets, the look reminding him uncomfortably of his own sisters when they’ve caught him a trap of his own making. “Didn’t you tell Chim once that tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone?” He bobs another nod, recalling the conversation well, how he had told Chim to make a move and actually tell Maddie that he loved her because tomorrow was in fact not promised to anyone. 

There’s a wet chuckle that is uniquely the Buckley siblings’ that escapes Maddie's throat. “This is the part where my brother would tell you that the universe is screaming at you. Now I’m going to ask, are you going to listen?” 

[faceless-mirror]

CHAPTER 2

Ship: Hozier and Farren(ONBC)

Andrew and Farren have been traveling through the centuries. Andrew remembers each time, when each of their times together ended in horrible tragedy. Farren never remembers, but their hearts call to each other in every life time, even if it brings pain. Andrew is breaking now, just needing one happy ending where they don't die crushed to death- sacrificed to old gods- hunted for their love- or torn apart in battle.

All he wants is to have Farren and live in peace. Hopefully, the Gods will grant mercy at last for his past transgressions that led to this cycle.

Taglist: @rowanballard @likehipsters @darkcloverme @holy-shitposting @cwooley1999-blog

(If you'd like to be added or removed please let me know)

Farren woke the next morning to golden rays burning across their face, causing them to hiss softly in pain, rolling over trying to throw the bed cover over their face grumbling softly and angrily at the sun for daring to wake them, even if it was their own fault for not closing the curtains.

It was a moment of quiet contemplation, eyes held shut, breathing in and out easily. Finally when their brain decided that it did, in fact, want to be alive and awake, they slipped out of bed steadily, bare feet hitting the floor. After going through their morning routine, they sat down at their desk, ready to get started on their projects for the day. Though upon opening the laptop, it was an email that caught their attention. 

An interview for the bartender and artist position. Responding quickly they decided that if they could interview today they would. Starting by the next week would be divine. It didn’t take too long to get started on their commissions, though they were anxiously awaiting to hear from the venue.

Almost two hours later, they got a phone call, offering an on the spot interview. 

***

A few hours later, Farren was there in front of the building, dressed in a white button down shirt and bell bottom stretch pants, wearing platform shoes. Looking around they were a bit shocked, it was a nice large venue, with some historic undertones. All they could think of was hoping to be a candidate for the job.

Stepping in, they couldn’t help but appreciate the red brick walls and the hardwood bar that greeted the doors. There was a man sitting and waiting, for them it seemed. The way he jumped to his feet, moving close hand extended, blond locks tied back neatly. “Avira Swan- It’s lovely to meet you- Farren was it?” he questioned warmly, gently pressing a hand to their back guiding them to an office with a smile. 

“We just came under new management- and we’re determined to put in a beautiful mural-” he explained. It seemed this man had visions for the venue and was insisting upon it. Already pulling out a contract. “Feel free to sign, Mx. Doven.”

“What about the interview-?” Farren started to question, reading through the contract curiously. It was fairly standard. Some things were… odd. Riches and prosperity for as long as they obeyed, if contract is broken, owned by one (1) Avira Swan for ten years. That was the line that stood out.

“Don’t worry about the interview. Your art skills are exactly what I want for the mural- Absolutely beautiful.” he said reassuringly, devilishly green eyes watching them like a hawk, except focused on the pages in their hands. 

They hummed softly, they’d be stupid to turn this down. It paid so well… but the one line worried them. “What does this mean… can you clarify…?” Farren questioned, “I would love to accept so long as i can understand this or have it removed-” they said licking their lips nervously. Something felt wrong with this- but the money they couldn’t refuse.

Avira frowned in concern and looked over, and sighed, “Oh- I can have that removed. My lawyer must have taken a joke too far- I apologize.” He took the contract away and the feeling subsided, “Thank you that could have been a lot of paperwork later on.” he chuckled.

The beautiful man smiled fondly, “Let me get that taken care of.” he said softly, standing and moving to a filing cabinet throwing out the old contract and bringing over a fresh one and offered it to Farren. They looked through it firmly, humming softly as they did. A melody that haunted their head. “That’s an old song, dear,” Avira commented thoughtfully, elbow on the table his fingertips supporting his chin as he watched them. “Take care of what it may summon, my dear.”

“You know it?” they questioned, attention diverted.

He smiled softly, “It’s an old song… very old. Legend says it was written by a fae who fell in love with a mortal despite the warnings that he shouldn’t, that he would be cursed as they would be. Whenever the song is hummed or sung… played… he shows up searching for his love. Destruction follows him…”

Something… something itched in the back of their mind at the story. It couldn’t… it wouldn’t be real. They hummed running their fingers through their black and blue hair. “It sounds like a tragic love story… but just a story.” Their lips quirked, eyes returning to the contract reading through it. Nothing was jumping out this time at least. 

“If it is just a story its a story that’s unfinished, dear.”

They didn’t know what to say to that, so they asked a different question. “What is the mural to be of?” they asked.

“I’d like it to be a mural that depicts the fae… and music of course. Just whatever feels right to you. I’ll show you the spot for the mural.” he added as those almost glowing green eyes focused on her hands signing the contract. 

“Of course. Can I get a copy of the contract please? For my own records.” she clarified.

“Of course.” Avira said warmly, pulling out a contract from the same folder passing it to her, letting her glance through it before standing. “Now… let’s get you that tour to the place for the mural.” he purred, a sound that seemed to soak into her mind.

- - - - -

Andrew had been getting ready to perform feeling a tremor along the red cord coming from his chest making his throat tighten. They remembered the song. It had vibrated many times over the years. It always happened at odd intervals but… that was a sign. His long fingers touched the cord lightly. “Beloved… I’ll find you. I’ll find you no matter where you are.” he breathed out, muddy green eyes focused on the translucent cord. “My beloved.”

[yngikr]

every universe?

written adaptation of this piece of art!: tayxst on insta!

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song: forwards beckon rebound by adrianne lenker

(this is most def not plot accurate lol i did this more focused on the art rather than the actual storyline.. if u get me)

𝜗𝜚

in the heat of the battlefield, where curses roared and sukuna’s flames licked the air, choso stood beside yuji, both battered and broken. the crimson streaks of his blood mingled with the sweat on his pale, scarred skin. his vision blurred, but his eyes remained fixed on yuji, the boy who had become his brother, his anchor to humanity.

they had fought hard. too hard. and now, as the cursed king's flames crackled closer, choso knew his time was running out. he could feel his body giving up, burning from within, the cursed energy he had held onto so tightly flickering like a dying candle.

yuji was beside him, his eyes wide with fear and disbelief. despite everything—the pain, the losses—yuji still had hope. but choso? he had accepted this. he had accepted the fate that awaited him. the very fate yuki had once told him about, her voice echoing in his mind.

choso had always been a cursed spirit, but yuki’s words had made him want to be more. to live as a human, even if just for a fleeting moment.

and that moment had come.

the flames danced around them, growing closer by the second. choso could feel the heat gnawing at his skin, threatening to swallow him whole. but still, he stood tall, his body shielding yuji from the brunt of the destruction, just as he had sworn to do.

in the midst of it all, yuji’s voice broke the silence. it was soft, cracked with emotion, and barely audible over the roar of the cursed flames. “choso… do you think we’ll be brothers in every universe?”

the question hit choso harder than any attack ever could. he turned to look at yuji, whose eyes were brimming with unshed tears. yuji, who had come to mean everything to him. not as a vessel for sukuna, not as a warrior, but as family. as a brother.

choso’s lips quivered, and for a moment, he thought he wouldn’t be able to speak. but he forced himself to, his voice hoarse yet steady. "i sure hope so."

he wanted to believe that somewhere, in some distant world, they could live without war, without curses, without this endless cycle of pain. a world where they could just be brothers, no burdens, no tragedies.

but not here.

choso knew this was where his story ended. his body was failing, the cursed flames consuming him more with each passing second. yet he stayed there, rooted in place, giving everything he had left to protect yuji, to keep him safe for just a little longer.

as the flames engulfed him, choso felt no fear. there was only peace. in his final moments, he thought of yuki, of the humanity she had seen in him, and how he had tried to live up to that, even though he had been born a curse.

he thought of yuji, the boy who had given him the chance to be a brother.

and as his vision blurred and the heat of sukuna’s flames swallowed him whole, choso smiled, his last breath a gentle whisper: “thank you for becoming my brother.”

yuji’s scream cut through the air as choso’s form disappeared into the blaze, leaving only ash behind.

for yuji, it felt as though time had stopped. the world, once so loud, fell silent. choso was gone, and with him, a piece of yuji’s heart. he knelt in the ashes, tears streaming down his face, his chest tight with sorrow.

but even in his despair, yuji held onto choso’s final words, echoing in his mind like a gentle whisper, yuji responds: “thank you big brother.”

somewhere, in some universe, they would meet again. brothers, forever.

for now, yuji stood, broken but determined. he would carry choso’s sacrifice with him, a reminder of what it meant to be human, and of the brother who had given everything to protect him.

[that-darn-clown]

so. had this thought as i was going to bed last night. y'know those Tag Yourself character memes? that, but it's the Rewrite Fnaf Characters. and the descriptions are just the most heartwrenching shit.

so like it'd look something like this:

Which Fnaf Rewrite Character Are You?? 😆🤣😎

Michael Afton:

Your life has not been your own for a long time. You have faced countless tragedies, never given a break. You have felt unneeded guilt for ages, blaming yourself for something that was never your fault. You wish the cycle would stop, so that you may finally put yourself back together, but you also fear that stopping to finally fix yourself will force you to confront how broken you are. You just want peace, to finally rest. You just want to be your own person.

William Afton:

Your grief has been all consuming, and you never knew how to properly handle it. You have been trying to fix things the only way your broken mind can think to, but in reality, you have only made things worse. The train wreck you created ruined lives, including those closest to you, but you refuse to admit that it's mostly your fault. You may be forced to face those consequences sooner rather than later, though; Don't keep the Devil waiting, Old Friend.

Henry Emily:

Guilt has become a familiar emotion to you. Your fault that she died. Your fault those kids died. Your fault that this even happened in the first place. You've never been good at comfort, but everyone comes to you for it. So you try your best. Your hatred simmers beneath the surface, unseen to anyone else. But that begs the question: Is the hatred for the one who caused all of this, or towards yourself for not preventing this train wreck in the first place?

Charlie Emily:

You are tired. You were forced to grow up too fast, to care for those around you who were screwed up in the same way you were. It is in your nature. But you're tired. You just want to rest, but the others must be safe first. The others must be saved first. It doesn't matter how long it takes. You will free them and protect others from meeting the same fate as you for as long as it takes. You will lift them up into your arms just as someone should've done with you.

Sammy Emily:

Others would call your anger and obsession worrying, but to you, it is your only form of coping. You look over everything with a careful eye, over and over. Because there has to be a clue somewhere. Something to tell you what happened to her. Some clue of who had done it. That night replays in your mind, and perhaps guilt is an inherited trait. Perhaps, in a sense, your life ended with hers on the night of May 13th, 1982. You were twins, after all.

Cassidy Afton:

You were always the black sheep of the family. Scared of your own shadow in a way that your siblings weren't. Treated like a porcelain doll that would shatter if not handled carefully. Until you did break, and you changed. But not for the better. You have rough edges now, and you don't know how to go back to that child that everyone expects you to be. Eventually, it seems that it was decided that it would be easier to dispose of you rather than deal with those jagged edges. What once was love seems to have turned to hatred, at least in your eyes. So you lash out, angry at the unfairness of life and what was done to you and those closest to you. You are labeled some form of demon, some being to be avoided because of how volatile you are now. You are just an angry, scared child. That's all you've ever been. You just want justice. For you and everyone else. You are the one he should not have killed.

Tag Yourself!! 😆😎

(so yeah, Sad Boy Hours!!)

Ough... I am charlie tho

[callmegaith]

Hey! I'm just wondering where you got the idea to start shipping Dale and David? (Cool art btw!) As far as I know they've met thru Birthday but are they related in any other way?

Oh boy. Okay. This is gonna be all over the place.

So birthday, you get the letter from David saying he's sorry and all that. Yeah. Dale and David are connected, we just don't know how yet. Something important to David was for whatever reason in Dale's home.

But really the appeal just comes from what if scenarios. Both Dale and David are victims of their circumstances. David made Dale the person he is. He set him on the path of the lake, doom pretty much. And seeing he was remorseful for that in his letter, I like to imagine a world where David is doing his best to undo the damage he's done....

And so Down the Rabbit Hole is born. (If you haven't read it, I feel like it explores my idea for their dynamic better than my rambly post can. It's a comic series I'm working on exploring Dale and David's relationship during David's own paradox journey)

To me they are like two people chasing each other for opposite reasons. David just wants forgiveness so he can let go of the guilt of what he has done to Dale, and Dale wants peace of mind and an end to the trauma that the events of that day caused him... Or revenge even.

The potential of those two just... Meeting again, talking, and David finally having the chance to clear everything up to Dale can make for something so beautifully tragic. There's a story to be told here, not necessarily romantic. But a good tragic story about healing and moving on which is what I want for both of them more than anything. David has turned his back on the Lake. He has betrayed his gods and ran away unlike the rest of the souls at the bottom of the lake, and Jakob wanted to hunt him down and kill him for that. He's been up to something we don't know since then and that eventually led him to Dale. And I just imagine a world where the two of them become the characters that break the cycle of the Lake.

It's the star crossed trope really. With all the jumping around and changing pasts and futures in this game, the idea of them being doomed in every loop, every universe, every recreation. It's appealing to me. Just two people who are broken, running circles around one another but never being able to reach out to finally break the loop. And so they're stuck, never being able to move on while desperately wanting to. And there's just something so MWAH, chef kiss, about the tragedy of them.

So TLDR??? Makebelieve and doomed yaoi :)

It's really hard to explain and I do it better with art than words. I'm not very good with explaining things so I'm sorry if this made 0 sense. But hope it answered your question well enough or that at least Down the Rabbit Hole gave you a better idea than this xD (tho Down the Rabbit Hole is not a ship comic, it just shows the dynamic and idea I have for them)

Generally, the ideas I have for them aren't specifically romantic. I just like dudes kissing :)

(which I never even drew them doing except for a meme)

So yeah, gay, not gay, I just want the two of them to meet again and reconcile.

[robynrocksforbrains]

"Full circle moments"

Saw someone in the tag say that they think Will dying would make a lot of sense, and I was gonna reblog and disagree with them. But I have too much to say so I'm just making my own post.

(This person wasn't saying they wanted Will to die. They were just saying it would make sense. But I think that's an awfully sad perspective to have, and I'd like to provide some reasons to the contrary.)

Stranger Things doesn't need to be brought full circle, and even if it did, Will dying would not be necessary to do so. Yes, full circle moments are fun, but they're not necessary for a good ending. Having a few full circle moments for byler would be incredible.

Examples: Flickergate, Will telling the story of how they met so we have it from both of their POVs

I'm sure there are more possibilities that I can't think of right now.

Anyway, my point is, the show doesn't have to be brought "full circle" in every sense of the term. There are some things that just should not be returned to. Ending the show the same way it started - with a tragedy - would genuinely suck. That wouldn't be good writing. It wouldn't be satisfying. It wouldn't be thought provoking. It wouldn't send a message of hope, which is the Duffers' goal. They said it themselves, they want this show - in it's entirety - to send a message of hope to people, but especially youths. And I can't help but think that queer youths are one of their main targets with this message of hope.

Will is a character that many many queer kids relate to. In a meta sense, his story being marked by tragedy after tragedy resonates with the pain that queer people face in their childhoods. Realizing you're queer, especially in an environment where it is not safe to be so, is terrifying. We see this literally and metaphorically in Will's story. We see the pain and anger and confusion that comes with that. Literally, when he's confronted with his sexuality and tears down Castle Byers because of it. Metaphorically, it's shown through him being at the center of the supernatural plot. He can't seem to escape this. No matter how much he tries, it's always looming over him. "It" being his sexuality, the fear that comes with it, internalized homophobia, all of that fun stuff. The Duffers love using horror as a metaphor.

No full circle moment is worth killing him off for. Not when his death would crush so many queer people, especially queer kids. Not when his death would squash the hope the Duffers have stated they want this series, upon completion, to give to people. It wouldn't make the most sense. It would be awful. Point blank period. There would be absolutely no silver lining to something like that.

The most logical conclusion, the one the show is obviously barrelling toward, is for Will to have his happy ending. For Will Byers to finally get to breathe, and just be. For him to accept himself, and be accepted. For him to have his love reciprocated. That's also the most satisfying conclusion. Because the entire audience (barring mlvns and homophobes that hate him) is so tired of seeing Will suffer. We're tired of seeing him stuck in this cycle of pain, and fear, and isolation. The most cathartic ending for us as the audience is one where we watch that cycle break. Not because he dies, but because he finally gets what he deserves. The supernatural threat that's been following him being done away with once and for all. His connection to the UD (a representation of bigotry and self-loathing) being broken for good. Him being able to come out to his friends and family and being accepted. His belief that romantic love is just not for him being proven wrong. Those are the components of a good ending for him.

If he got all of these good things, and then died anyway, how does that send a message of hope? To me that says "Queer people, you can have good things, but only temporarily, eventually tragedy will catch up to you because that's just how it works."

Something tells me that the Duffers don't wanna send that message.

I think the best ending for Will wouldn't be a full circle moment, it would be to stop going in circles. They've been writing in circles for him so that they can end his story by breaking the cycle.

Yes, Will's death would bring the show full circle in the worst way imaginable. But I don't think it needs to be brought full circle at all. I think a more impactful conclusion would be to stop circling.

[gleamingtempest]

DRDT Death Order Predictions

My predictions for the death order of Danganronpa Despair Time TW for mentions of s*****e & this post contains spoilers! All speculation about this series wouldn't be possible without the amazing hard work of the creator & team of Danganronpa: Despair Time, a fan web series which can be found on Youtube. Please go check them out! Also, obviously, literally everything after chapter 2 is completely baseless, I'm just going off what I think would be a likely direction for the story to go in. This will be updated as each chapter is released or if my thoughts change over time on it. (which they do a lot)

Chapter 1 - Legends Never Die

The 'mastermind' among the cast mentioned by MonoTV in the prologue relays a message from the now late Mai Akasaki to Xander Matthews which informs him that the only way to end the Killing Game is to 'Kill Teruko Tawaki'. While attempting this murder Min Jeung attempts to save Teruko Tawaki and in the process she kills Xander Matthews, forcing her to choose between her own life and the lives of the other group members.

Chapter 2 - All That Glitters

After giving up on becoming a better person Levi Fontana plans to murder the 'biggest threat' in the group, Arturo Giles - part of his plan to do so involves the help of Arei Nageishi however when approached with this plan Arei refuses to help, calilng him out for his past as a killer. She tells him that if he does this he will just be falling back into whatever cycle he was stuck in in the past and that he can choose to change if he wants to - which then results in Levi freaking out and knocking Arei out. After this point he then gives up on becoming a better person entirely and uses the plan he intended for Arturo on Arei instead.

Chapter 3 - ???

Arturo, Ace and Hu all separately create and set up their own individual 'murder' plans however they all intersect and interfere with one another resulting in an entirely unintended result - Ace intends on killing Nico, Arturo intends on killing Eden and Hu intends on taking her own life because of a particularly bad depressive spiral after David's betrayal. Within this chaos Nico is unintentionally mixed up with Hu's plan and is instead the one dies as a result of it. In the trial it is revealed that Hu was the one who actually made an attempt on Ace's life and Ace is forced to reconcile with how horrific their treatment of them was for something they didn't even do. Adding onto the tragedy, Eden once again feels that the deaths of the chapter are her fault because if she hadn't avoided Arturo's murder attempt Nico and Hu might both still be alive. (Though of course, this is largely irrational - Eden's way of coping with the tragedies going on around her is to increasingly place the burden on her own perceived lack of control of the situation. To quote her secret quote "You can’t go back, no matter how hard you try.")

Chapter 4 - ???

Now forced to completely sit with his actions Ace makes a plea and attempt to actively do better - the first step he takes in doing this is opening up with the group about how terrified he really is by everything in this Killing Game - by doing this he doesn't gain forgiveness but he does allow himself to begin healing. On the other hand, Arturo has only gotten worst. Completely isolating himself from the group at this point, Arturo's mental health has been continually taking steeper and steeper turns since chapter 2, and now that he has made attempt on Eden's life two times he believes that everyone in the killing game will be out to get him. Someone else who has also been isolating from the group recently takes notice of this, and, unsurprisingly, begins to egg him on - that person of course being Veronika Veronika manipulates Arturo into making one final murder attempt, this time on the entire group because she believes that he is already too broken to be fixed at this point - however before he can go through with it, Ace interferes and in spite of how terrified he is, he chooses to face off with Arturo and ends up killing him in order to protect the entire group. This is also serves as a callback and subversion to Levi's planned attempt on Arturo's life in chapter 2 being something entirely selfish now being carried out (in spirit) by Ace, who for most of the series has been a 'coward', in order to actually protect the group for the sake of protecting the group. Most of the trial is a discussion about whether or not Veronika would technically be considered the killer since she 'masterminded' the murder plan and at the end of the trial after everyone begins to condemning her Veronika has a breakdown and is treated as the acting antagonist going into chapter 5.

Chapter 5 - ???

I have the least amount of specific predictions for this chapter because I'm pretty sure it will take some loophole in the rules and exploit that in order to create a really cool twist but I'm not very good at that stuff so I'll just talk about plot points I think would be really cool! I think David, Charles, and Eden will all be really heavily involved with this case and I think that it will ultimately be a plan which aims to somehow greatly disadvantage or outright expose the 'mastermind' through some loophole in the rules. I think some character will be at a really high risk of being the killer however they will ultimately get off scott free thanks to said loophole and what will instead happen is that this plan will result in the destruction of MonoTV, which will not outright end the Killing Game (as was teased in the prologue) but will instead provide the remaining survivors with a signficant advantage going forward in the Killing Game. I do think the victim of this plan, Veronika, will also be the one who came up with the entire plan in the first place - I think that ultimately Veronika is not evil, but instead a very very hurt person who believes they cannot be fixed - this plan will be both a blessing and a tragedy since while it does allow the players to move forward it is also a demonstration of what ultimately happens when someone gives up on trying to heal entirely and instead resigns themselves to their fate before they could see the other side. I think that's something which Teruko and several other characters need to witness at some point in the story and chapter 5 feels like the appropriate turning point for it to occur at as a precursor to the final act.

Chapter 6 - ???

The Killing Game is a time loop, Whit's mom orchestrated/planned out the killing game to begin with, Whit was groomed for the role of 'mastermind' by his mother's family (the spurlings) for most of his life and believes that he has no other choice but to go through with it, even if it's not something he really wants in the end. Mai Akasaki was previously apart of the killing game and for a long time she was the only one aware of this time-loop. At first she cared for her classmates and tried to find a way to end the loop altogether but as time went on and she was forced to witness the deaths of her classmates again and again and again, she grew nihilistic, unable to continue putting her heart out their to be wounded again and again. Eventually Mai found a way to remove herself from this hellish cycle however in the process she gave someone else this role: Eden Tobisa. Eden has for some indeterminant amount of time, been stuck in this Killing Game cycle, continually trying to go back and save her friends again and again but always getting the same result in the end. "You don’t understand, do you? I used to be like you. I barely remember, but I used to be like you. I cared so much about people, I cried everytime someone was hurt. I suffered for a long time stuck in here caring about people." Eden will by the end of this loop be pushed to her brink, as once again, even after trying so hard, she felt she was at fault for being unable to save her classmates time after time after time - even if she goes back again, what is it really going to accomplish? With each loop things just keep getting worst and worst. Why even bother? However in the end, when it feels like everything is falling apart and that not even the most positive member of the group can continue to push through the tragedies, there is a light in the darkness - Teruko Tawaki. Teruko, who for most of the story will have been negative, and cold, and cruel, all because she believed that to be otherwise to be naive and childish, will be the one to pull everyone back out of their stagnation. She will reach the group and choose to keep on trying, and to not give into the loop because their lives are worth it simply by existing as they are - Charles, who began as abrasive and cruel, was able to change, not thanks to Whit or any other person alone, but because Charles always had the capacity to be better if he chose to be. Rose, who had become disillusioned with the world and the way it constantly forced her to push forward day after day in a life she no longer enjoyed, learned to be alive again - to create, and love, and care, even in spite of the dire circumstances around her - because that spark never really left her, it never broke - it just changed - and eventually, Rose changed too. J, who felt that she was never able to rely on anyone in the Killing Game, partially as a fault of Teruko's own cruelty towards her, even at her darkest moments never fully gave in or inflicted needless cruelty on another, because even if only in spite J refused to hurt others in the way which she had been hurt. Even David, who had undoubtedly been needlessly cruel - someone who had given up and chosen to inflict the pain which had been inflicted onto him onto others - someone who believed himself to be completely unsavable, and broken, and horrible - had been able to open his heart and change - because people can always change. Eden, in all her grief and pain and self-blame, will reject all of this and claim that even if that is true, she is a monster worst than any of them because no matter how hard she tries she can't ever seem to save anyone - and that in the end, Teruko would just end up dying herself and resetting the timeloop, even in spite of all her efforts - Just like Min, Just like Hu, Just like Arei, and just like all the others - and Teruko will fully reject this. Everyone, will fully reject this.

By sharing her grief and connecting with the others, Eden finally reaches their hearts and little by little, they are all able to change - to choose something better than what they have experienced before - and finally, to end the Killing Game. Despite putting Whit in the chapter 6 tier, I don't actually think he'll die - I think that, whether him or someone else, the mastermind as a logical extreme to the supported narrative perspective of 'You are never too broken to grieve and heal from past trauma and choose to be better in the process', I think shouldn't die at the end in some final big extravagant execution. I think it'll probably be something where they aren't exactly able to change his mind at the end, but he is still alive to heal in the future - to be able to live in an envrionment separate from the terrible people that pushed this game onto him in the first place where he can process his and truly feel his grief and begin to change now that he's around people much better than those he grew up around.

Final Thoughts

While most of this list is baseless speculation & I'm not very confident in anything past chapter 2, I do really think this is probably a bit how the actual conclusion will play out. I think that it is really true that no one in the cast is exactly 'evil', but rather that they're all very hurt people who needed to be around people that weren't terrible to them in order to begin healing. I think trauma, and the nuances of perpetuating the hurt put onto you, and being able to choose to be better even you aren't perfect, and especially the impact that not process and sharing and feeling your grief can have on you are all huge themes in DRDT which will come full circle in the end and I think the time loop theory fits really nicely into them. I think Whit is the character with probably the biggest connection to unprocessed or unshared grief and I think it'll work really well as a parallel to the betrayal Teruko experienced at the beginning with Xander if Charles is forced to experienced that same type of betrayal at the opposite end of the story from Teruko. Most of all I think it'd just be nice to see everyone comforting and loving on Eden at the end of whatever hell she's gonna go through in this Killing Game. I used to think she was gonna die in some kind of martyr-y way that would snap Teruko out of her self fulfilling prophecy, fated bad luck nonsense mindset, but that's always kinda felt bad to me. Like I just don't think it would be a super cool ending for the kind character's entire existence to be dedicated to finally changing the jaded main character's heart, even at the cost of their own life, without the characters in some way acknowledging and connecting with her own struggle bc she's a human too & deserves that! Idk, sue me, I'm a huge sucker for characters like Eden - they're cool and I don't enjoy seeing them be needlessly brutalized by the story without some kind of acknolwedgement that they are also a person who hurts when things hurt them, and that even if they are kind, they are also human. Having her play both a big role in the story where the people around her are able to care for her and comfort her as well as having her survive to the end without having to be some kind of sacrificial martyr would just be rad imo. Regardless ty for reading this iteration of the post and I hope you don't think I'm too crazy for rattling on this much about a bunch of media which doesn't even exist yet - I can't wait to delete all of this in like half a year when chapter 3 drops and Teruko Tawaki & Mai Akasaki are killed by mega plot twist chapter 3 killer Charles Cuevas or something/j 💀

[shakespeareaddict]

Slightly salty rant about PJO fandom incoming:

I usually don’t bother engaging with content I don’t enjoy (what’s the point, I’ve got better things to do than argue over media interpretations) which is why I’m not putting this on anyone else’s posts or putting anyone on blast. But I keep seeing these posts about Charlie Bushnell’s Luke and particularly his writing/delivery to the effect that “they’re making Luke so much more sympathetic” and “you can finally understand him, it’ll be awful when he’s proved wrong”, or stuff about how Kronos corrupted him, and like. I do agree the kids are all doing great and I think they’re setting up Luke’s betrayal well.

But.

I feel like a lot of you are kind of…missing the point?

Like, Luke was not wrong. Luke literally was not wrong.

The gods don’t care about their kids. The heroes are pawns of the gods. Everything about the “system” of Camp Half-Blood—leaving demigod kids undefended until a satyr happens to stumble upon them or they get eaten, training kids to kill man-eating monsters and go on quests and be soldiers, sending kids on dangerous life-or-death quests—it’s incredibly fucked up! When Luke was sent on the quest to get the Golden Apples, the one where he got his scar, it’s implied that there wasn’t even a reason for this quest! Luke was just sent there and back because heroes had done it before, so they might as well have another expendable hero doing it again. To say nothing of the cabin system itself—the gods might straight up forget to ever claim their children, so because of this we shove thirty-odd kids into a cabin built to hold half that number? Percy came to the camp with nothing but the clothes on his back (which seems to be the default for most campers’ first arrival) and the camp doesn’t even provide him with a sleeping bag and a few T-shirts—Luke had to scrounge and steal them out of the camp store.

The system was broken from the start. The gods have been around for thousands of years and they haven’t really changed. In some ways they can’t change. Remember Dionysus making a big deal about how he loves his wife Ariadne? In the myths, Ariadne was abandoned on the island of Naxos, where Dionysus found her and slept with her—and left her. He’d keep returning to her and abandoning her in a cycle while she was mortal. And while it’s implied he does love her and he has improved since then, look at the books: We’re told he was sent on a 100-year probation to camp because he chased a nymph that Zeus wanted (how many non-Zeus nymphs did he also chase?), and we meet his demigod twins. He’s a more loving father than his attitude towards the other campers would imply, and he has a lot fewer children than every god but the Big Three (and Hera and Artemis), but after two thousand years he’s still sleeping around on his wife. All the gods are! They all make pacts and promises with each other and with mortals, and they might hold to them for a while but sooner or later they all break them.

Luke was right about the gods. He was right about the system. He was right that every single camper deserved better than chasing after the faded glory of heroes long gone, and he was right that every kid who didn’t survive the trip to camp deserved a full and fearless life, and he was right that demigods were, are, and always will be the pawns of the gods. That's the tragedy of his story: He was right about everything, and was right to want to change it.

Luke’s only mistake was believing Kronos. Changing what side of the chess board you fight on doesn’t make you not a pawn.

[illest-stan]

U destroyed me from the inside out. Yet all I can do is think about you. Do you ever think about the things you've put me through, or is your ego really that blinding that you truly believe I'm the only one who has done wrong. I picked up my broken pieces by myself just to mend yours back together. I sit here night after night thinking about the rumors you believe and wonder how someone who claimed they loved me could seriously think I would be so evil. My mind, body, and soul weren't who I really was when you first experienced me, so I decided to work on myself because I knew you were someone I wanted to put in effort for. I thought we had moved on because of the words you expressed to me, only to find out nothing you were relaying was true. It's hard to understand how you think I am the liar. My mental illness started to act up so I decided to move out because you kept talking about needing space, but with that space you filled it with drugs and money instead of growth. I clung on to your soul as tightly as I could, praying to a god that I don't believe in to please bring you back to me. Bring me the man I know, the man who is mine and mine only. I prayed to anything that would listen. But you kept slipping further and further from my grasp, and I started to see the harsh reality of someone who was never mine to begin with. The pain of realizing I'd never be loved by you the way you promised was worse than that of even the death of my own grandmother and best friend. They say with my condition we feel emotional turmoil like a 2nd degree burn patient with burns covering 90% of their body, but this pain I could swear had every inch of my flesh scorched to the bone, till there was nothing left to do but disintegrate. I had nothing left to do, to say, to try. The only thing I could, the only thing that my inner child was screaming out for was to numb it all. "Please make it fucking stop", were the only words my body could ever make out from my soul because my heart couldn't stop weeping. So Instead of kissing your lips to finally feel peace, I kissed the tip of any bottle I could get my hands on, until there was nothing left. I finally could get some sleep because the crying and the liquor mixed together like NyQuil and it seemed like my favorite remedy until the sun would rise and the light would pierce my eyes and I would have to go through the same cycle of agonizing pain all over again. I had done this for months, 7 to be exact. You would show up sometimes, mean, disconnected, malnourished, but your presence was the only thing I craved so I took what I could get. Giving me the euphoria I so desperately needed and then you would disappear again only for my days to drowned into eachother again. Tragedy struck finally and the very thing I prayed for not to happen, did. Like it was some inevitable destiny that not even the gods could interfere with. I started to never see you again. Never feel you again. Now I was a junkie, looking for my fix, ready to expierence you anyway you would allow me to, and everyone around didn't recognize me anymore. And I didn't recognize you. Then I was left with the only question I had left, how can you say I did not love you?

///Spz\\\

[rex-shadao]

I love Tragic Villains

And when I mean tragic villains, I don't mean the Mr. Freeze kind of villains, or the Prince Zuko kind of villains. I mean tragic villains that actually live up the Greek definition of tragedy.

The downfall of a powerful or great figure, brought low by their own character flaws.

They are not people who became villains because of some horrible accident happened to them. They are not characters who are horribly abused by their parental figures. Or forcibly transformed into weapons.

They are villains who made wrong choices and continue spiraling down further into villainy because their personalities cause them to double down and dig deeper. They could turn back, they could make different choices, they could admit they were wrong... and yet they don't. They wouldn't because their pride won't let them.

And they make for compelling characters because you can see their downfall a mile away. You know exactly what is causing it. And you know it's their own fault. And all of that... is relatable to all of us. Tragic Villains are not anti-villains. They're not villains who you always want to be redeemed. Heck, many tragic villains are outright monsters or irredeemable.

This is why you may hear from Tony Jay that Frollo is a tragic villain, despite the fact he's one of the vilest villains ever put out by Disney. And he's right. If he was just a vile villain, he wouldn't haven't gotten that much focus from the fanbase to the point he gets his dedicated character page on TV Tropes.

He's a character with his own inner conflict. His conflict of devotion to God and his primal lust for sins. He's a walking hypocrite, but not completely oblivious one. He's repulsive yet pitiful because everyone, including himself, knows exactly what's wrong with him and yet he will not change because it's not in his nature to do so. And thus, we can only wait to see his downfall by his own hand.

Other tragic villains include Ganondorf from Wind Waker. I recall many people think that WW Ganondorf is too sympathetic or that his sudden speech about the wind doesn't excuse his crimes... but that's the point. Wind Waker Ganondorf is not an anti-villain, he's a tragic villain.

He hates being in this eternal conflict with Link and Zelda over the Triforce. He remembers why he wants Hyrule so badly. He's grown wiser since his last defeat... and yet he cannot move on. He's stuck in the past, and he knows it. He knows that he could break the cycle by using his Triforce wish for a selfless purpose, but he chooses to wish for Hyrule to belong to him alone. He could have broken the cycle by simply leaving Hyrule and forge a new life on the Great Sea, but he chooses not to. He is his own worst enemy. He rants about how the gods destroyed everyone through this endless cyclical war of good and evil, and yet he will not do anything to deviate from that despite being a major player. In the end, he ends up dead and buried beneath the waves, forgotten to the sands of time, while Link and Tetra are free to make their own destiny. It's a hopeful future for Hyrule's descendants, but also a tragic, fitting finale for a great villain.

There are other villains that I want to talk in these categories, but I kinda waiting for the Owl House Season 3 to see if my prediction will come true.

[septembersghost]

no actually, and i could write an incredibly detailed thesis and explanation here if i wanted to because the themes of this story have always read in a very deep and specific way to me in regards to humanity, growth, grappling with morality, the consequences of actions, development of empathy, plus grander ideas about fate, justice/vengeance, nature vs. nurture, transforming definitions of love, and the lasting effects of trauma, grief, and bloodshed. i don't think i've ever seen anything fundamentally misunderstand, undermine, and ultimately destroy what its underlying ideological purpose and metaphors were like this. i didn't like the original ending but did see the reasoning for it (now i can actively DEFEND it, which is wild), but you do not, cannot, build years upon years of story studying a character's growth, avoiding labels of all "good" or all "evil," showing fallout and suffering, proving how much he was manipulated and abused in his trauma into becoming a kind of tool and a self-proclaimed monster, counter that with his deep well of intuitiveness and season upon season of revelations of his emotional capacity, the unquestionable ability he finds to truly love those close to him, intentionally ASK the audience to confront these many quandaries and to see his potential, make him try and try and try over and over again for the barest sliver of light (usually losing and yet still seeking it), make continual commentary on the human condition, have him find new aspects of his being every season, conclude in the tragedy of necessary isolation, him finally feeling entirely human but having to endure it alone

and then bait and switch at the very end into saying he was an irredeemable psychopath all along, never actually dealt with any of this, never understood the consequences of his actions (even though we hear his narration proving he does and struggles with it), never felt emotions or actual love (lol what? at the very least, why is he haunted by the memory of his closest person as an extension of his conscience then? god that idea is unconscionable), and had to be put down like a rabid animal. it's not his death that's an issue, death could've happened in any number of fulfilling ways that honored the journey, as could capture, but vilifying him entirely at the last second to force this outcome feels like weird moralistic bullshit punishing and mocking us for caring and believing in more. which is offensive and i reject it. it's not only a cruel/derivative take, it's a boring one.

this is not even to get into every laughable waste of narrative space, the erasure of canon, the numerous retcons of vital facts, and the many inexplicable plot holes. not to mention the REPREHENSIBLE conclusion that a cycle of violence was somehow broken by...perpetuating and enacting more of it with no hesitation and making a kid a killer and suggest patricide has fixed him? to scold the audience for their investment? thematically that's so much worse than the idea of having to abandon everyone because of the destruction caused. clownery.

[austajunk]

two more if you don't mind...komahina and hinanami :)c

KomaHina

-Whether I ship it or not

It’s been a long journey, BUT GODDAMMIT I LOVE THEM.

-Why I ship it or not

At first, I really didn’t ship them. I thought Nagito was selfish and I couldn’t empathize with him until I started getting more in the fanbase. I really just couldn’t feel Hajime being with him and was interested in other ships beforehand.

But when I saw the OVA and the end of the anime, strangely things clicked into place for me. I ship them because they have a longing to understand each other and thats beautiful.

-My opinion on their canon potential (chemistry, canon interactions, etc)

Are they canon? I’d say yes. Alongside HinaNami, I feel these two are actually canon. Sometimes I can feel so jealous at how this ship usurped all other ships for Nagito and Hajime, but I understand why.

They really do work for each other. As partners. As adversaries. They’re both two different broken people tormented by how this world has isolated them from their peers and their self worth (along with Chiaki, of course). Chapter One KomaHina is so interesting because it’s not exactly a lie. Nagito has an immediate interest in Hajime and wants to help him. There’s an innocence to Nagito at first, wanting to cheer Hajime up and come up with silly Ultimates for Hajime to supposedly be and Hajime accepts it and is truly distraught when the “real” Nagito surfaces. By the end of his free times, Nagito tries to confess to Hajime but… he pulls back. Because what if he does say he loves him? That he wants to get close to him? Will his luck cycle take Hajime away too? Will his Hope be lost to the world? He doesn’t know and he doesn’t want to know. And so we end on more longing and a bit of a tragedy.

Then we have them as adversaries. Nagito looks down on Hajime for being a nobody and lords being above him. But he’s always still yearning. “You’re a nobody so why do I still care about you?!” Nagito’s values and everything he truly believes in order to survive the harshness of their world is battling against his legitimate feelings for Hajime. He pushes Hajime away and mocks him and I really do think he does it to protect himself and that he is actually jealous of Hajime being more certain of himself and his identity despite not being special.

Then the OVA rolls around and finally, after a long day inside dreamland without Hajime, the time a figure that seems like him appears to Nagito and the walls fade away again. This thirty minute episode is so beautiful and symbolic, I can’t even begin to describe it. The walls come down and Nagito takes one look at just a thing that seems like Hajime and reminds him of him and knows he would choose an imperfect world as long as he is in it. He came back to him and Hajime was the first thing he saw when he woke up and he woke up accepting Hajime as he was. Not as Izuru Kamukura.

They’re so beautiful, y’all. I love them. 😭

-My opinion on fanon interpretations/fandom around it (Favorite widespread hcs, pet-peeves, etc)

Honestly I feel a lot of fan interpretations of them can be way off and are over eager to get to fluffy depictions of them. And that’s not what drew me to them. It’s their struggles and their yearning and fighting to understand each other and affirm one another. But the art and fics are truly beautiful and so are the fans. ^^

HinaNami

-Whether I ship it or not

YUPPPPPPPP.

-Why I ship it or not

This is probably the most wholesome ship I’m in love with. From the Human Chiaki meeting her first friend to the AI Chiaki learning to love and protect her classmates, I am in love with them!!! There’s something so wholesome and yet so daring about them together in both the anime and the games. The way that Hajime makes Chiaki daring to get closer to her classmates, the way Hajime learns to understand her and start wanting to make her happy. The way Hajime fucking cried as he realized that he would have to lose her in the fifth trial. The way they depend on each other and Hajime is just taken in by her courage and the way she looks forward.

The ending blows me away every time with their combined “NO, THAT’S WRONG!” as they carved out the future for themselves. Fucking beautiful.

-My opinion on their canon potential (chemistry, canon interactions, etc)

Hinanami, like KomaHina, is the only other ship from the second game that I consider to be canon. Because well, obviously their feelings are a big canon portion of the game an anime. There’s so much to talk about here just like with KomaHina, so I’m gonna try to cover why they worked so beautifully. While Hajime is a normie, it’s clear that he is lonely and isolated and stuck in his own world trying to get noticed. He wants to be someone so badly that there really isn’t any fun in his life. No friends. When he starts to feel camaraderie with his classmates in the first chapter of the game, he’s surprised at how they’re helping him to open up. But Chiaki is already like him as well. Her talent (and her status as an AI in the game) keeps her isolated and to herself, not wanting to dare to step out of that line like Hajime.

Both in the anime and the game, Hajime learns to depend on Chiaki a lot. I think he even idolizes her in the anime as she’s able to move outside herself, putting her on a pedestal and longing to be with her once their friendship grows. But he knows the Reserve course holds him back, not understanding that Chiaki truly loves him for being her very first friend. Not for what he could be in the future. It’s her same feelings, the simple feeling of wanting to reunite with someone you love and do something as innocent as playing a game you love with them that brings Hajime back to the surface of Izuru Kamukura. She proves that Hope is there and it is worth fighting for.

And what does Chiaki do when Hope and Despair are too much? When Hope isn’t enough? She is able to rebirth her classmates and bring Hajime back to fall in love with her all over again. And he did. And he has to lose her again. But those feelings are strong and powerful inside of him. To the point that in his moment of crisis, he truly sees her and all she is. They are still able to reach out to each other and draw the strength to squash Junko Enoshima for good. The future of the series is what they’ve created together.

When Hajime says good bye, he thanks Chiaki and it’s clear, his words carry the truth in them. He loved her and she loved him with all their hearts. And together, they pushed through.

It’s such a fucking beautiful story. I love it so much.

-My opinion on fanon interpretations/fandom around it (Favorite widespread hcs, pet-peeves, etc)

God the wholesome art and interpretations of this ship! The lovely fics of Chiaki living and joining Hajime again in the future. It’s all ours! And not to mention, the best of both worlds, KOMAHINANAMI.

Just yes to all of this!

[tomhollandnet]

Tom Holland in the Wild and Woeful Cherry: Exclusive First Look

Cherry is a movie that dares you to try and describe it in a few lines. It’s the first film that Anthony and Joe Russo have directed following their Avengers finales, Infinity War and Endgame, and it reunites them with Spider-Man star Tom Holland. It also compresses their penchant for large-scale action and cataclysm into the core of a single person.

Holland’s title character is both volatile and vulnerable, a hard-knock nobody from Cleveland who’s just scraping by but doesn’t even have any big dreams to guide him. Every solution to his problems only deepens the trouble: College isn’t working out, so Cherry joins the Army to serve in Iraq as a medic. He returns home haunted and damaged, and starts abusing opioids to blunt his PTSD. To pay for the drugs, he resorts to bank robbery. The more desperate he gets, the more banks he has to rob.

It’s tempting to call this film, which hits theaters first on February 26 and then premieres globally on Apple TV+ on March 12, a smaller, more intimate project from the brothers who made some of Marvel’s most grandiose films. It’s definitely a passion project for them. But Cherry is also a sprawling tale that ventures around the world, albeit locked within the mind of Holland’s sweet-natured, grimly addicted bandit.

“We do think about it as an epic film, and it is very much a person’s life journey,” said Anthony Russo. “But it does have a little bit of a split personality between being this character study and an epic life cycle.”

They described Cherry as six movies in one, spanning from the mid 2000s to the present. “He travels a great distance over a 15-year period,” Joe Russo said. “The movie’s broken up into six chapters that reflect those different periods, and each one has a different tone. It’s shot with different lenses, different production design. One’s got magical realism. Another chapter is absurdism. Another is horror…There’s a bit of gonzo in it. It’s raw in its tone. He’s a character in existential crisis.”

Based on the 2018 novel by Nico Walker, the screenplay was written by the filmmakers’ sister,  Angela Russo-Otstot (V, The Shield), and Jessica Goldberg (The Path). “The book was very, very self-aware, self-deprecating, and self-loathing,” Joe said.

They felt a strong connection, even if the story doesn’t necessarily mirror their own. It’s close enough: “We’re from Cleveland and Nico’s from Cleveland. Interestingly enough, we know a lot of people that are implied in the book,” Joe added. “I think he’s fictionalized names and personalities. But I worked at the same restaurant that Nico worked at, 10 years apart. So he had a very similar upbringing to us. He just had a very different journey than we did.”

The Russos also wanted to tell a story about the people back home who are hurting. “Ohio is unfortunately at ground zero in the fight against the opioid crisis. And we’ve got a lot of people in our family that have either passed on or died from the crisis, or are struggling with their current addiction. So, this is a very, very personal movie for us.”

The one bright spot in Cherry’s life is Emily (Ciara Bravo, A Teacher), whose devotion to the love of her life may reveal her own self-destructive tendencies. While she’s the stabilizing thing he clings to, the only pure thing in his life, Cherry’s reckless actions threaten to destroy her too.

“The love story is the central spine of the film,” Anthony said. “Without that relationship in the movie, it all falls apart for him. We knew that we needed to make her presence and her character glow in the moments that we did have with her.”

“We really wanted someone that embodied that sense of innocence for him. It was a dream girl, the girl next door,” Joe said.

That’s a quality Holland also brings to the screen, from his breakthrough as a resilient kid trying to survive a tsunami in 2012’s The Impossible to his “aw, shucks” approach to Peter Parker in the Marvel films. With Cherry, the 24-year-old weaponizes that boyishness, allowing it to be battered and bruised and blasted off of him by the harshest things life can throw at a person.

The Russo brothers know this might sound like a turnoff. That’s why they wanted the role to go to Holland, whom they had successfully lobbied to get the part of Spider-Man in 2016’s Civil War.

“When Tom walked into the room…what, six years ago? He was younger, raw. His charisma just blew us away. There was an effortless charm to him,” Anthony said. “As an actor, that is very difficult to replicate. He’s just so likable. We knew for this part we were going to need someone of Tom’s charisma to keep the audience from shutting down during the darker parts of the film.”

“This is a movie that’s supposed to define the experience of having PTSD, the experience of being addicted to opioids,” Joe added. “And the mission of the film is to generate empathy, not to generate disdain, not to indict. It was critical that you empathize with his struggle and his journey because a lot of people are going through this, and they’re having a very human experience. I think empathy is in incredibly short supply right now in the world. And it’s a tragedy.”

As it traversed a decade and a half, Cherry also gave Holland a chance to show a more somber screen presence. “Tom is a nice person. He is, but he doesn’t let himself get trapped by that. He’s a seeker, he’s an artist, he’s always looking, running after complicated things in life,” Anthony said. “He’s a young actor, right? We haven’t seen him do that much up to this point. This is definitely something he’s had within him the whole time. We just haven’t been able to see it yet.“

Joe and I were surprised ourselves to see how thoroughly committed he was to every facet of that character,” he added. “The darkest, most difficult sides of that character, he really embraced them and ran at them and tried to give them life within himself in a way that not a lot of people could pull off.”