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momentomori24 · 2 months

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Keiji is a character that I'm pretty sure every one of us can recognize is an absolute weirdo (ok maybe some are too hard on copium for the "weirdo" part) and sketchy as hell, but thinking about everything he's done it really feels like he's so much shady and ruthless than we give him credit for. So here's me bulletpointing some the moments that I haven't seen too many talk about, a little theory throwing his status into question and addressing the massive elephant in the room that almost everyone refuses to acknowledge. If there's something else you feel I missed or wanted to evaluate on, do leave it in the comments.

[Also, disclaimer: I will be discussing Keiji and Sara in a romantic light near the end of this post, so if that makes you uncomfortable please proceed with caution or skip entirely. This should go without saying but for my own sake I will say it anyway-- No, I do not condone their relationship in real life. No, this is not meant to be "shippy" or endorsement of any kind. This will simply be pointing out their dynamic as another example to prove the whole point of this rant. But if someone else does ship them that's totally fine. Fiction doesn't equal reality and if you harass a real person over fictional characters you will not see the light of heaven. Be civil, please and thank you. My block button is rated E for Everyone and if anyone decides to ignore the warnings and be an asshole I won't hesitate to use it. Thanks for listening. Disclaimer over.]

*Being a murderer.

I feel like I should start with the most obvious and undeniable. I don't think this is debatable to anyone here. Mr. Policeman may have been an accident and kinda confirmed by Midori to have been set up, but he still shot and killed an unarmed man in a moment of panic and recklessness. Even putting that aside, there's no denying that he killed Megumi in cold blood to get out of his debt to her and covered it up to the group to preserve his credibility. Regardless of what you think of Megumi, he has no excuse here. Not only is he one more kill away from being a serial killer, he's the only participant in our group that has actually killed people directly aside from Alice. Another reason why I bring this up is cuz something that completely flew over my head is this:

At the start of the game he had the audacity to complain about not having a partner or someone he knows with him like Sara does as if he didn't literally let Megumi get ripped apart by chains probably not even an hour ago Keiji what the hell--

*Throwing Kanna under the bus repeatedly.

Despite positioning himself as a protector and someone to rely on, he's far from above putting their youngest members in danger. Next to voting for the fourteen year old girl to die, he had the great idea of letting said fourteen year old be the one to babysit their biggest liability. Up to the point where they would stay in the same room both day and night. While I absolutely 100% trust that Sou would never EVER do anything to her, Keiji had no guarantee of that when he send her off. Hell, he literally just got done accusing Sou of setting Joe up to die (which I don't believe almost solely based on the fact that he said it, more on that another time maybe). He knew Sou was bad news, and openly acknowledges how adults can be terrifying, but he did it anyway. The dubiety of throwing the already traumatised little girl to keep watch on what they thought to be the most dangerous adult that had manipulated her once before is not lost on me, and that he didn't take any responsibility for her afterwards isn't lost on me either. To be fair, the Sou and Kanna thing doesn't just fall on him, it falls on everybody (Alice gets a pass because he actually swapped out with Kanna to watch Sou for her), but he was the one with the final say on the matter and who encouraged her to take the role despite Reko's rightful protests. The fact that he also voted for her to die in the Main Game, and is the only adult to do so, doesn’t help his case.

*Attempting to frame Sou knowing Reko was actually responsible.

While you could argue he was trying to cover for her since he knew why she did what she did, trying to pin this act on Sou to cast more doubt on his is extremely shitty. Never mind the blatant corruption and the irony of a supposed man of the law abusing his power to knowingly frame an innocent person (in this situation at least), and him sowing more seeds of confusion and resentment within an already rattled group, and giving Sou legitimate reason to be suspicious of him (and by extension Sara)-- this makes it so difficult to trust him after realising he's done this. Literally every time he accuses someone of being or doing something suspicious (mostly Sou), I always have to think in the back of my head if he’s telling the truth or just telling a blatant lie. He's shown that he's willing to not only lie to cover for himself, but to lie to delegitimize someone else. And Sara never caught onto it (Sou and maybe even Nao likely did tho). She never openly acknowledged it-- No one did. The complete lack of mention of what he did here makes this action quite missable. Hell, I didn't even catch it the first time. Has he done this before? Who else has he lied about? Who else would he lie about? Who else would he knowingly pit against the group? You don't have to wait for that answer, because I will provide an example later. And with "later", I mean now.

*Casting suspicion on Gin before the vote while hiding the fact that he killed Megumi.

While it's not as blatant as with Kanna, there are two instances where Keiji shows a readiness to either put or leave Gin in harm's way. The biggest one for me is in the Main Game. Like, how dare you. That is a furry child, sir. This kid’s like TWELVE. Even though he makes a valid point about calling out suspicious actions to clear them up so we can all trust each other, casting doubt on Gin of all people right there feels pretty screwed to me. This was before the preliminary vote. His words could’ve very well gotten Gin voted for if he couldn’t disclose why he did what he did for whatever reason and therefore being unable to clear himself from suspicion. It’s even more fucked when you realise that Keiji has literally murdered his partner and is currently planning to get Sou killed while giving this whole spiel about doubting others so that we can believe them and pointing the finger at a little kid to make an example to the group. But when Nao, Sou and Sara call him out on his suspicious actions that could rightfully damage his credibility, he tries to shut them down completely. My brother in Christ, you brought it on FIRST (don’t get me wrong I’m very much aware he didn’t really mean the whole “trusting each other” bit but come on dude)--

Speaking about not meaning what he says:

*Letting the group think he’s Ok to vote for knowing he’s the Keymaster.

This kinda got to me because I thought this was Keiji actually being… vulnerable? Accepting the consequences of his actions and allowing them to vote for him in their distrust without protest even tho it could cost him his life, maybe. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I can’t remember a lot of times-- or any times, really-- where Keiji has willing put himself into the line of fire, at this point at least. He always finds a way to keep himself safe, give himself insurance, and I thought that this would be the one time he doesn’t do that. But this feels so ominous looking back knowing that he was the Keymaster the whole time. That our distrust and betrayal and his resignation to it all didn’t matter because he was going to be safe no matter what. That he knowingly allowed us to assume that he was a safe vote because he didn’t want his plan to kill Sou to be ruined, which narrowed down choice of people we can safely vote for even further. That this action is ultimately the reason why Sou and Kanna were our only options to kill off in the end. If he had admitted it there, we could’ve found someone else to vote for so our final options could consist of three people, not two. But he didn’t, and the rest is history. There’s a lot of things he’s done I can’t get over. This one ranks pretty high. The second Main Game is already a huge sore spot for me for obvious reasons; knowing that a lot of the things that happened were due to his inaction where it truly mattered and activity in all the wrong places doesn’t make me fee any better. He didn't say he was a safe vote-- he didn't lie-- but his words carefully omit that voting for him means a total party death, something he should've stated then (and before this, really).

*Leaving Sara with the sacrifice card.

Despite making a big show about “always being by her side” and being her “reliable policeman”, he chose to look away when she was in real danger. He attached himself to her as her right hand man, made her shoulder the responsibility of being the leader, constantly manipulated and flattered her to win her trust and gain her favour-- but when she needed him the most, he basically left her for dead because it was the most beneficial to him. Keep in mind that not only did he know about her getting the sacrifice (he was also the sage so he'd have seen the trade happen), but he had the tokens to help her get rid of it. But those tokens weren’t for her life. They were for his. He used them instead to give himself the Keymaster as insurance for the Main Game (the Keymaster he stole from Sou/Kanna most likely to buy Sara’s trust btw). His desperation for survival outweighed his sense of obligation to keep her safe, and that’s the most subtle yet transparent he’s been about his selfishness. What makes this so much worse is that Keiji is our support character. He’s an ally, and our closest one at that, to the point where Sara burned her hands in a futile attempt to rescue him and signed her life away to save his. And yet his loyalty and protectiveness pale in comparison to other characters. Compare his actions to Sou’s: one of their many parallels and similarities is that both their girls get hit with the sacrifice card. As we’ve established, Keiji was fully aware of Sara being send the sacrifice by Sou, had 50 tokens ready to go and chose to secure his own survival than save her life. Kanna ended up doing it instead, attempting to trade the card off Sara with Sou realising what happened immediately. And what does Sou do? Completely bend over backwards trying to keep her alive. He lied about being the Sacrifice so the others wouldn’t suspect Kanna of having that role, meaning he could try gathering vote for her without anyone seeing his true intentions. He tried to stop her about coming out with the truth of what she had done so she doesn’t sentence herself to death. After everything he did to survive-- after how much he lied, how much he schemed, how much he hurt, and how he had thrown himself away to replace everything that made him Shin with the man that had traumatised him years before the game began to scrape together even the tiniest chance to survive-- he threw it all to the wind and was willing to let it all be in vain if it meant she got to make it out of the Main Game alive. The worst part is that Sou had never intended to make it through that Main Game. He confessed to already knowing that Kanna would choose Sara over him if she truly had the Sacrifice card. Yet he still did what he did all in the hopes that she could win. Because it was all about her survival first, not about them surviving together.

It also gives a different context to Sou's panic and him stumbling over his words trying to come up with any argument to get them to stop. At first I thought that Sou was afraid for his life. Which would make sense-- Keiji and Q-taro set him up to die and seemed pretty adamant on having everyone voting for him to get it all over with. But he was already prepared to die the minute he realised Kanna traded with Sara. So it means it wasn’t his life he was fearing for here-- it was hers. To him, if they voted for him there, it wouldn’t have just been his end but hers too. But we know that Kanna isn’t the one who has the sacrifice. It’s Nao, and considering how the Main Game can end either or both of them dead, I wonder if he regrets not having given up there, not letting Keiji get away with that shitty stunt he pulled knowing it would’ve at least guaranteed her safety than leave her fate in hands of a girl with enough reason to kill her. Ignoring the sounds of my heart shattering into pieces for the 100th time thinking about the Greenblings, it’s so fascinating that our biggest rival and most distrusted member has a greater sense of loyalty and responsibility for his ally than Keiji has for his own. Sou can be a liar and manipulative and selfish, but for how unpredictable he is something I can always trust is his love for those he holds dear (Kanna) and general desire to protect our most vulnerable (Gin). Sou loves Kanna, and so he’s fine with protecting her even if it comes at a price he never wanted to pay. Keiji surely cares about Sara, but unfortunately that is something I can’t say about him-- at least at that time (also the fact that Sou ended up taking more care and responsibility for Kanna despite Keiji having been the one to throw her on him in the first is so ironic).

*Continuously pushing Sara to take on the role of leader.

I think one of Keiji's biggest failures in the game come from his treatment of Sara despite positioning himself as her most reliable ally and her partner. From the very get-go, he was very adamant of making Sara be the one to shoulder the responsibility of the group. He, along with Joe (he didn't do anything wrong here), pushed Sara to be the Challenger during the Russian Roulette, despite Q-taro and Kai being readily available. He made Sara be the one to interrogate the suspicious convict while distancing himself from the situation. And he encourages her to lead them through the Main Game, lets her make the choices that steer them all forward and as a consequence take the fall for them as well. Rather than take on the role himself, or let another adult take it, he places his full trust in her and makes her shoulder everyone's weight so he doesn't have to. And he can see the effect it has on her: having horrific hallucinations due to the immense guilt she feels. But having Sara as their leader gives him a greater shot at survival and helps his credibility, so even though he tries to provide her comfort he still continues to keep her in that role. Again, the high schooler taking responsibility for the adults falls on a lot of the older people here, but Keiji was the one who kickstarted it rather than just go along with it like everyone else had. Gin, Nao, Kanna, Reko and even fucking Sou to an extent all have moments where they take the burden off her and relieve her of that pain she shoulders all the time (or at least try to). I need Keiji to take more responsibility for both the group and for her.

*Pitting Sara and Joe against each other.

This is just another example of the previous point. This isn't as bad, and I could give him the benefit of the doubt that this might have not been intentional, but it's something I want to bring up regardless. I'll be the first to say that Keiji wasn't wrong here. Prying into everyone's votes is a very bad move, especially since no one knew that Mishima would actually die (it was introduced as a practice round, after all). I agree with him, Joe was being rash, but instead of leaving the conversation there, he decided to throw Sara into it to pick a side. Which is... not good. He already won the argument and already had Reko on his side. Bringing in Sara could not only make Joe feel worse and potentially strain their relationship (especially if she rightfully chooses Keiji's side like he was expecting and hoping for), but just puts Sara in the spotlight during something she doesn't want to be part of. While there's a chance he might've done this because he know Joe is more likely to listen to her than him, he should've known better than that. It again makes her take the responsibility of giving the final verdict that would've otherwise gone to him.

*Asking Sara to take responsibility for his life

I've got nothing other that the grown adult swearing his life to the grieving, unstable teenager to take responsibility for while asking her if she'd die along with him is weird as heck. Keiji's said weirder things prior to this, but this one is a different weird. I think Beanieman's post mostly echoes my thoughts on this on, so I'll link it here for this point. This part kinda bothers me:

He shouldn't be encouraging her taking on anymore responsibility than she already is. He knows that the deaths that happened under her leadership haunt her. He knows that she's very much unstable enough already, to the point where he takes baby-steps to avoid triggering her trauma over Joe. He positioned himself as her reliable partner, her rock to lean on (quite literally sometimes). We see first hand how emotionally dependent she is on him. If he died, it would destroy her-- she'd destroy herself over it. He knows this (or should) but he still does it. His disappointment and dismissiveness when she understandably rejects him makes it worse. The guilt of potentially not living up to his expectations is not what she needs.

*Potentially working for Asunaro

This is more ambiguous than everything else here and more a theory than anything but it's been on my mind for a long time that Ranmaru might actually be onto something here. We know that Asunaro has a strong hold on the police. Midori was able to infiltrate the force, and they were able to get rid of Mr. Policeman for looking into the corruption going on, first having Megumi fire him and secondly getting Keiji to kill him by planting false info about the suspect having a gun. Megumi was also able to get Keiji off the hook for murder, which I believe Asunaro had a hand in too (I theorize this might've been her wish). There's also Alice, who was arrested and sent to prison despite the fact that he (legally) didn't kill anyone since Midori was a doll. The police are connected to Asunaro-- by extension Megumi and extending further potentially Keiji.

Something I've seen someone rightfully point out is that neither of the options you're given to say in response to the accusation... actually deny it? Both choices dance around answering directly, which is suspect as fuck. If Keiji truly wasn't with Asunaro, why not shut that theory down immediately? There's no benefit to answering anything but "no" when he's innocent, and he's lied straight to people's faces for less. So why not just debunk it? I think it's cuz there might be some truth to what Ranmaru was saying here. The biggest reason I think this is because despite the fact that Keiji quit the force, he and Megumi were still associating with each other years later. They were kidnapped together and partnered up for their first trial. One missable piece of dialogue is Keiji admitting that he was with his partner-- or rather a "coworker"-- before getting knocked out.

That slip of the tongue and backtracking makes me believe this part to be true. Him switching from "my partner" to "a coworker", which is a lot more distant and impersonal, makes me think it's got to be Megumi. However, I don't believe that Keiji would wanna keep in touch with her after what happened willingly, so I can only imagine that it's due to that debt he has to her. My little game theory here is that after the shooting, the debt he owed her was a forced recruitment into Asunaro. It's the only thing I can imagine he meant by "the worst kind of debt", a debt he'd literally let her die for to get out of. And if this is true, then it could also explain away his instant attachment to Sara, since he'd know beforehand that she's someone he can depend on due to her having the highest chance at survival. Maybe he already knew about her beforehand, one way or the other. We know Hayasaka did (which I think we as a fandom moved on from way too fast btw). Kai and Sou did too. There's always a chance. And unlike Sou's victory rate and Midori's favourite number, it's not zero. One person made a comic about this idea I recommend checking it out, it's tastefully unsettling. But still very much unsetling and uncomfortale. Be warned that it's also Keisara-centred, so if that makes you even more uncomfortable they did the job right you can ignore it. Proceed with caution or don't read if you don't like.

*Being a predator

I have been waiting so long for this one XD For context: a while ago I made a longpost discussing the sanitisation of soushin and this kind of toxic attitudes in fandoms regarding "problematic content" (ships, characters, shows, you name it). In it, I mentioned that it's not only soushin that receives this treatment but a certain other dynamic too. It's not a rainy day, however this has been way overdue and if I don't get this done now I never will.

Something I've seen a lot, and I mean a LOT-LOT is this notion that Keiji acts "like a father" to Sara and that their relationship is a completely platonic father-daughter bond and that he's the resident dad of the group? Like, it's cute, but that's not at all what their relationship is. At all. Not even a little bit. We called Sou and Kanna siblings before the Greenblings reveal. The difference is that not only does half the fandom think this man is gay, but he's only ever been protective and caring and loving without any romantic intentions towards Kanna ever. His title as her brother was deserved, based on the genuine affection and platonic protectiveness similar to that of Alice's. Keiji has made advances tho, on many occasions, and his flirting is repeatedly acknowledged by other characters. Namely Sou and Reko.

(Sou grills him for being a creep every chance he gets I love him XD) But yeah, these are not the type of reactions and comments you receive when being a "father-figure" to the teenager. You get all this when you hit on the teenager. Which he does all the time by calling her "cute" every time she asks something and his "cute little detective", swearing himself to her by saying that "he's always on her side" or something like that, asking her if she'd die alongside him, repeatedly claiming or insinuating that they're on a date, or ""having a moment"" and going to ""take the next step"" when in private (*cough* groomer *cough*)-- you name it, he likely said it. He's a walking-talking ladykiller machine and teenage girls aren't safe, apparently.

(Quick note: The dialogue for the Russian Roulette one is a tad different now. In the new translation he says "cause you're so darn cute" now. I dunno if that makes it sound any less weird, but I felt like putting that out there. What I'm also putting out there is that according to the trivia he calls her cute 8 times throughout the game so. Yeah. *Cough* groomer *COUGH COUGH*)

Like, who tf says this?? Especially that last part 💀 Even if you wanna die on the hill that these are supposed to be "jokes" not to be taken seriously, we should all be able to agree that the (ex)police officer in his late 20s jokingly hitting on the high schooler he follows around is still weirdo behaviour at best and down right despicable at worst. The fandom seeing lowkey predatory/inappropriate behaviour from a figure of authority persistent for almost three entire chapters and dismissing it as "fatherly" and "platonic" is, well, concerning. It's very concerning. If your dad acts like Keiji, you should probably call the police. Unfortunately for Sara, Keiji is the police. And considering this guy got away with manslaughter, I don't think said police would do anything anywho. But yeah-- he uses flattery and flirting to distract her from prodding to much at him while simultaneously aiming to gain favour in her eyes. He showers her with reassurance of his loyalty and affirmation of his deeper attachment towards her and her alone every chance he gets to cement his position as her closest and most trustworthy ally. He insinuates a romantic partnership between them to others to mostly keep her to himself or the two of them alone (he always does that when they're investigating or going to investigate by themselves). There's such an obvious romantic undertone to their relationship and his actions that it going almost completely ignored in the fandom feels weird to me.

I want to make clear that there's nothing wrong with headcanoning Keiji as a father figure to Sara. It's cute. Keiji didn't have a dad himself, and the closest thing to a father figure he had was the man he shot dead. He's a damaged and hardened guy. But Sara's dad is involved with Asunaro and Gin's is an alcoholic, and in a situation where they both need guidence and protection he tries his best to grow and change, fumbling to become that decent father none of them got to have. It's nice, and a wholesome dynamic for our "characters with memorandum counterparts and only non-determined deaths" trio. But that's obviously not what their dynamic is. There's a difference between headcanoning something and erasing canon and the Yttd fandom leans heavily into the latter. Keiji's a creep, he always has been, yet 90% of people I see always portray him as a Mr. Dad Guy or completely sanitise him to hell when him being creepy and unnerving to be around is what made him such a fascinating character. Just like I said with Soushin, the sanitisation to make canon more digestible is one thing: harassing or insulting the people that explore canon is another. I'm gonna take a bullet, derail this rant and say it-- Keisara shippers get so much shit for literally being right it's so infuriating. Keiji does hit on Sara, a lot. He's creepy and weird like that. Him flirting with her isn't a "mistranslation" or a joke or anything like that; his dubious wording and antics are very much intentional. Yet the only people I see actually addressing and acknowledging that without adding fluff is keisara shippers and other ""proshippers"" only for them to get fucking sniped for it I cannot 💀💀 I have yet to meet a single eastern fan who calls this cop "fatherly". This really feels like such a western issue cuz the majority of the japanese fandom agrees that this man's a predator (correct me if i'm wrong but keisara is the most popular ship in the japanese side of the fandom, right?). Then again, eastern fandoms are more chill over there when it comes to separating fiction and reality in general anywho.

*Yeah, I think I'm done with the Keiji slander. Yay. Time to unceremoniously end this.

There's more to say about that, but this is a Keiji post, not another shipping discourse post (although it's hard discussing Keiji's predatory behaviour without bringing it up too). Before I do spiral from the original point, I'm going to try and reach some sort of conclusion here. While I did spent the majority of this post just reading Keiji to filth, and am very salty towards him in particular, this was not just to rake him through mud for my own sanity (tho it's part of it XD). Keiji's character is that he started off as someone who wanted to do the right thing, someone who wanted to be good and moral and protect others by joining the force only to kill all the progress he made along with the person who inspired him to become an officer in the first place. It heavily contrasts the Keiji we have now, a sleazy, unreliable and corrupt ex detective who flirts with underage girls and is willing to resort to the most bankrupt of decisions to save himself. A man that has long lost hope of his wounds healing that he lets them fester and his rot spread onto others. And while I headcanon Keiji to just inherently be a piece of shit, his former self tried his best to be genuinely good before he became so convinced he can never be better that he made peace with his shittiness in the end.

With all this I wanted to highlight some the shadier and bankrupt things he's done that I haven't seen much discussion around and refresh myself on them before the final part. Both so no matter how emotionally dependent and therefore rose-tinted Sara is about the man I don't forget what he's actually like and what he's done while also being able to appreciate how much he's changed for the better. Some of my favourite examples about how he's changed are these:

Before the second Main Game Keiji was willing to let Sara and Kanna die because it was the most beneficial option for him, but in Chapter 3 he takes the on the role of "it" from Kanna and refuses to tag Sara when he thought he was gonna die after failing to beat Midori.

Actually showing more sympathy towards Sou after the Main Game. He was very mean about dismantling his pretence of a cold front to Kanna's death, don't get me wrong, but he showed a lot more consideration and understanding for Sou's feelings and acknowledgement about his active role in it than he ever had beforehand.

He was genuinely fighting for everyone to survive the game, not just himself. While Keiji would prefer everyone making it out safely, he has a tendency to guarantee his own survival first through any means necessary. His plan to corner Midori in the banquet could've cost him his life if it weren't for Q-taro's final stunt, yet he still reassured Sara to save Gin even tho it could've resulted in his execution from Meister potentially finding him guilty of violating the rules.

Him hugging Mai and trying to be more cheerful was cute as heck. I'm sorry but him showing more vulnerability around his allies and being less closed off in a way he hasn't been before is something I'm very head empty about. That he was hugging and interacting with Mai without making any unwanted advances or ladykiller jokes and generally just having a more friendly vibe was nice. It makes his creeping on Sara more unfortunate, but I'll take what I can for now. The bar is in hell.

And that's it, I think. Overall, I hope they do address some of his actions here in the final part or make them have an impact on his and Sara's relationship. Especially that Asunaro part. The person who wished for Sara to join the death game is still unknown and so is Keiji's consent form wish (same goes for the Dummies, Hinako and Megumi), so I'm curious if they're related or not. If he's going to go down an even darker path or redeem himself as much as he can we'll see when the final part drops. He has the potential to go both ways. This is going to be kinda awkward if the next part reveals him to have been a decent guy all along, so hopefully that doesn't happen. Please be morally bankrupt, man. This post didn't end up the way I wanted it to, nor bring up as many points as I would've liked, but I know I won't finish it if I went full perfectionist on it (I already spent months on this writer's block do be a bitch) and it's looking kinda long already. Hopefully it's still decent enough as is right now. I'd like to say that this is my apology for the last longpost I made, but I brought up one of the most controversial and hated ships and traits of Keiji's character and defended them, so maybe I shouldn't 🙃 Anywho, hope you enjoyed and cheerio.

#yttd #your turn to die #keiji shinogi #keisara #character discussion #apologies to all the keiji fans i promise i'm one of you. sorta #he's one of my faves in the game and ranks pretty high but not for the reasons he should i think #keiji's one of those characters i feel negatively about yet want to learn and do more with so that's the energy i probably give off here #also i noticed that most of these points involve sara which makes sense but is also very sad when you think about it #there's a lot of other things i'd want to expand on (mainly that last point) but i suppose i can wait another day #this is going to be my last longpost in a while because i'm going to be busier from today for better or for worse. probably for better lmao #last reminder to be nice. this isn't twitter but i know better #i'll beta read it again later for any mistakes i missed so apologies for any potential typos or errors #also it might actually rain today so heck yeah #i'm a soushin shipper so happy keisara week to anyone that participates btw ^_^#momento rambles

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felixisourayofsunshine · 11 months

Text

Okay so I really wanted to talk about emonette's character plus Shadybug and Clawnoir's relationship......... Well this is gonna be a long one so sorry in advance

Okay let's go!!!

So as we saw in the special emonette said that she was constantly bullied by Chloe(guess she doesn't change in any universe 😔 that damn brat I hate her.... not more than Lila though) and considering how broken she sounded that was not the same bullying that Chloe of this universe did to Mari that shit must've been extreme. However, I donot think that the bullying alone there must've been more aspects which lead her to the path of evil.

Well, while we're at it let's talk about this scene.. God this was so heart wrenching....

When she said that-

"I'm sorry mommy dear, I fine I just- just dropped my sewing kit it's A BIT DAMAGED"

When she said the above line while glancing at her face which reflected on those broken pieces of mirror.... I swear I wanted to cry. Don't you see how poetic this was, while she seemed to be taking about the broken mirror we can clearly see that the one who is broken Is her some one once said

"But that's the irony, broken people, are not fragile....."

So while emonette is completely broken inside she never lets show on her face, no matter how sad, how broken, how miserable she is she keeps moving forward, you wonder why? Well, because it's MARINETTE for crying out loud.... no matter what universe it is our Mari puts on a brave face in front of other, she tends to hide her scars and crying silently not letting others know. Even in the original universe she would have broken much sooner if it was not for Alya finding out her identity. But as emonette said herself she doesn't have loving parents, a best friend and a supportive boyfriend, she was left all alone to suffer without anyone by her side

I still wonder what her wish really was though, knowing her it certainly not power. Could it be something else which she yearns for. Okay so hear me out do you remember what she said to Mari? She said:

"Do you think that it'd be any different from how it is now? Guess what, I don't have your nice little life. The world where I'm from there are no awesome girlfriends to inspire me everyday, no amazing bff, lovable, calm and gentle mom or a boyfriend who doesn't think I'm a total loser...."

These lines broke me though 😭...

So my theory is that in that universe Tom is dead and Sabine is abusive( I totally can't imagine that tho) that would explain why she behaved like that with Sabine and she works in her dad's bakery to keep his name.

Oh well I have a worse on........ Both Tom and Sabine are dead and she was adopted by someome who were very abusive(let's consider that after she graduated junior high she moved out of that school and is probably out of Chloe's grasp) they even intended to sell the bakery, the only belonging of her late parents she was left with. That was when she met supreme and he offered her that in exchange of killing her abusive guardian she will have to work with him. So maybe her wish could be returning to those happy times with her parents without Chloe or any suffering. Well I guess it was a bit far fetched but anywaaaays.... 😅

Okay let's analyse another scene..... The one where she was reading Mari's diary.

What's interesting about her in Mari's room was that she certainly recognised her room and we can see that she does live in the bakery after all. The reason why she acted that way was to save her identity getting exposed to Claw Noir(which I don't think she cares that much about) or she really wanted to find out if this version of her had a better and happier life than hers.while she pretended that she wanted to look for clues, she went through Mari's personal stuff life her computer, her diary and her other things not because she was looking for clues but because she wanted know what kind of life this MARINETTE had.

Look, she was crying while reading that diary. She wants this life.

Just look at her... Looking into the life of a version of herself she wishes she could be. A world where "THERE ARE AMAZING GIRLFRIENDS TO INSPIRE HER EVERYDAY, AN AMAZING BFF, LOVABLE AND CALM MOM AND A BOYFRIEND WHO DOESN'T THINK THAT SHE IS A TOTAL LOOSER".

You see.. behind that evil mask there is a broken girl who longs to be loved. she wants a shoulder to cry on, hands who would embrace her tight when she is crying. She may look like a total badass who doesn't need anyone but no! that's not the case at all.

Aaaand I think she does have someone like that in her life already, and that person is the one and only CLAW NOIR. ........Even if she refuses to acknowledge it.

So, while she was shutted down, abandoned, bullied and absused her whole life and had no one to helf her up, Claw Noir was there for her,even though he is a total dork who teases her all the time.

Well yeah he is hella rude and disrespects her A LOT, it may look like she may never fall for him normally, but lets consider emonette's circumstances...... As much as we know she doesn't have anyone to rely on, no friends and probably no family. She never had anyone to inspire her. In a life like this...... After she got her miraculous and met Claw Noir, she finally had a reason to live, a reason to fight and a person, she could work together with and trust just a little bit yeah not totally cuz well he does let her fall head on..

In Mari's room when she reads the diary and learns about Ladybug and Chat Noir's relationship, their friendship, their partnership. She does look like she wants that too. (Also this may not apply to everyone but sometimes two people who like each other tease each other a lot....... )

They may fight eachother and not consider each other as partners, but they do make an amazing team. They may not be partners but they've got eachother's back at time of need. Just how Shadybug needs Clawnoir's strength while fighting and how Clawnoir relies on Shadybug's plans.

Also this scene...... While you can say that he is acting this way because he now knows that she is Marinette, the girl he likes.., but we know he is Adrien afterall he may care about Shadybug deep down without realising it and with him now knowing who she really is has realised it.

Just look at him he looks sad when he sees her cry too. He may act like he doesn't care but he actually does. He is like "I am the only one who can hurt her, anyone else who dares to do that must pay....." .

And the scene where she opens up to Mari was just so emotional, I literally started crying. There was pain, sorrow and grief in her eyes. She was suffering and was jealous of Mari,'cuz she thought that she had everything for granted, she thought that she never knew what suffering was like. Her words were so sad. But after Mari made her feel that they really are alike and changed her for better I felt so happy......

And after that when she met (now improved) Claw Noir they felt like they were more to each other and I loved it..

All I want now is a ShadyClaw series.. we need to know what happened after that.... And before they landed in the multiverse.

Well aren't they the cutest.

I wish they become a couple in future.....

Oh well that was a long one.....

Well I had it in mind for quite a long time but couldn't write it because I have exams coming 😭. But wanted to finish it before I forgot it. So here I am. I hope y'all liked it though.

Okay let's end it with a quote:.

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”

I hope this becomes true for our beloved emoadrinette.

Bug out!🐞🐾

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spilledmilkfkdies · 3 months

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Hello! I have a headcanon ask; how do you think the wizards are when they’re sick? (As in ‘having a cold’ sick, not ‘complete and total destabilisation of their powers and turning into a bat demon’ sick.)

Wdym "not 'complete destabilisation of their powers and turning into a bat demon' sick"?? 😔😔 that's my favourite type of sick!! Scurvy close second. But FINE, I guess we'll stick to a cold, perhaps a tummy ache if we dare-

Getting Duman out the way right off the hhhnnnggggg bat. I don't think he really gets sick. In a regular sense. The viruses and whatnot just don't really have anything solid to hold onto like that idk. If anything he is the disease, he carries so much shit in there it's unreal. Could probably give someone the worst rash of their life with just a touch if he really wanted to! Or the plague. Again.

Nah but actually!! If we imagine him to be close to something the average person might consider sick for a sec, for him that might be fatigue, general discomfort for whatever reason, things like that- This creature gets so incredibly moody, snaps at anyone and anything, wants to be left alone really bad. Also often experiences a change in appetite as well, so making sure he gets his fuel is a must, even if he's being a total bitch about it. If the change in appetite refers to him being hungrier though? Genuinely good luck with that. Either stock the fuck up or make peace with the fact he's gonna be out. Doing stuff. Where does he leave it all? Idk the void?? Duman’s insides are an abyss of their own, literally don't worry about it.

Gantlos!!!!! Gantlos strikes me as a very "As long as I can stand, I'm fine." *noticeably struggles to stand* "..As long as I can hold my head up-" type of guy. Doesn't get sick a lot, according to himself. But only because things like a common cold get ignored so insanely hard by him, except for the occasional nose blowing and expertly concealed coughs. If it doesn't leave him bedridden, he simply does not acknowledge that he's sick. He's not above popping a few aspirins though, maybe surprisingly? Healing spells are an absolute no though.

He just doesn't enjoy being "in the way" or a "nuisance", so nobody is allowed to take care off him or be bothered by the fact he's not 90% healthy- Except himself. Same applies to injury cases as well btw. It's not because he doesn't like the care itself, necessarily, it really just boils down to "Surely you could be spending this time doing something more important" but nuh uh. Gantlos get a grip smh. Massive hypocrite btw, literally if anyone else is sick he's the first person to get them whatever they need. How absolutely outrageous that anyone would DARE to try and do the same for him right-

Ogron absorbs all the germs. And I'm not fully confident in saying that; unlike with regular damage, it does nothing for his powers. Because imagine!! He sneezes and something just EXPLODES in the background? Now, does it make sense? Maybe not. But something about snobby, confident, put-together Ogron completely losing his grip does something for me. And I would very much like to explore it. Tbh illness affecting the wizards' powers as a whole is so fun to play around with.. The doors Duman has opened.. But rn I'm grabbing Ogron specifically, both because of the reason mentioned above, but again, the damage thing as well kinda. What's an illness if not your immune system taking a couple hits amirite ahaha- "Oh dude! You seem to be taking damage!! Not to worry though, I got ya covered." *proceeds to provide Ogron with enough magical energy to explode things with his eyeballs* ass immune system smh.

Beside the magic thing though? I bet sick Ogron is so incredibly annoying omg. Coughs once and slips into the role of a dying Victorian child. Take him to see the garden. One last time. Like literally just drink your water and take a nap, there's no need for all of that.

Then we once again have Anagan, our saving grace- In like the least boring way possible, he's pretty chill about it all. He doesn't usually stay sick for very long though, so maybe that plays a part. Just takes some rest, eats his fruits, knows his own limits pretty well and all that. Unless the illness sticks around for too long. Like maybe a day over his usual and he starts getting a bit whiny, but offer him any remedies, magical or not, and he'll refuse with a "Nah, it'll be over soon anyway." ??? Stfu then smh JKJK-

In his defense though, it does depend on what illness he's throwing hands with. He handles colds fairly well, but anything that makes any of his muscles start cramping up is his absolute worst enemy. AND STOMACH BUGS, those put him out of commission no matter how long they last fr. Speedster with a more sensitive stomach than usual? Going through a lot of motion? Nobody wants that. Anagan least of all, he despises being nauseous with his whole being. Who doesn't? Relatable king! What he'd really need then is some company. On the other side of the couch. Do NOT touch him. That's when the others can really tell Anagan is feeling under the weather, the noticeable lack of physical contact. Still can't fully distance himself though, he's just a very social individual like that.

#it took me a while but!!#i had fun with it :D #i hope you can TELL #and not just by the size dang #my bad #he's a large man #and this is like the shortest i allowed myself to make it too #i have my degree in wizard yapology #only degree i'll ever get yikes!!#winx club #winx headcanons #winx season 4 #winx villains #wizards of the black circle #winx ogron #winx gantlos #winx anagan #winx duman #answered ask

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deancasbigbang · 1 year

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Title: Phantasma

Author: thisisapaige

Artist: Sketch

Rating: Explicit

Pairings: Castiel/Dean Winchester, references to past Dean Winchester/others, references to past Castiel/unnamed male character, minor Sam Winchester/Jessica Moore

Length: 30900

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Tags: Alternate Canon, Angst with a Happy Ending, Pining, Strangers to Lovers. Paranormal Romance, Stanford Era, Ghost Castiel, Hunter Dean, Bad Parents (John Winchester and Namoi Novak), not MCD

Posting Date: October 9, 2023

Summary: Dean doesn't have the guts to grab Sam from Stanford. Dean fails to find his missing dad. Dean can, however, hunt the ghost haunting his house. Yeah, Dean buys a haunted house. On purpose. After a quick salt and burn of the bitter old ghost of Naomi Novak, Dean can finally have something in his life go right. But the ghost isn't what Dean's expecting. The spirit he finds is a polite, broad shouldered, blue eyed man in a trench coat who, instead of throwing Dean through the window in a vengeful rage, asks Dean for help. Dean agrees to assist Castiel, the Friendly Ghost, with moving on to the next life. Cas isn't like any ghost Dean had ever met. The usual rules don't apply to him. He's kind to Dean. He loves books. His cold touch brings mortals close to death. The more time Dean spends with Cas, the less Dean wants to let him go. Cas is good company. Dean hasn't let himself get close to anyone in years. In a different life, Dean could have fallen in love with him. Or maybe he already has.

Excerpt: “Hey, uh, Castiel?” Dean asked. “Where’s the statue?” A hiss of electricity, then Castiel said, right in Dean’s ear, “What statue?” Jumping Janis Joplin on a jackrabbit! Dean put his back to a ghost, didn’t think twice about it, and now that ghost was right fucking behind him. Dean whipped around, trying to lift his gun with one hand, and attempting to dig out his iron knuckles from his jacket pocket with the other. Instead, he hit Castiel, his whole body moving through the ghost. Cold. No, that wasn’t a strong enough description. Frostbite. An Arctic expedition wearing only his Batman underwear. Losing all the blood in his body. His heart stopping. Darkness. Being lowered into his grave. Death. It was like death. Dean slammed against the floor, gasping and shivering. Pain radiated through his body. Rolling onto his back, he waited for the stars to clear from his vision. “Dean? Dean?” Castiel’s voice came from above. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” Slowly, Castiel’s concerned blue eyes came into view. Taking a few short, shallow breaths, Dean had enough air in his aching lungs to force out an, “I’m fine.” “No, you’re not.” As Dean struggled to sit up, Castiel retreated. Dean put a hand on his chest and felt his heart beating. He was back in the land of the living. He’d never had that happen before. Most ghosts used their psychic powers to fight. A few had punched him or grabbed him and yeah, it was cold and unpleasant, but Dean had never fallen through one before. That couldn’t be summed up as unpleasant. Dean was convinced he had died for a few seconds. He probably would have been completely dead if it’d happened with any other ghost. The vengeful spirits he’d faced off against before would have finished the job. But not this ghost. Not Castiel. Castiel stood with his back against the wall. The paint showed through his semi-transparent body, casting him a green sheen. Shoulders slumped, Castiel stared at his hands as Dean pulled himself back onto his feet. “Tah-Dah!” Dean said once he got up, slightly swaying. He wiggled his fingers. “See? Totally fine.” Maybe it was odd that Dean felt the need to comfort a ghost after that, but Castiel clearly regretted it. “It was only a little death.” Castiel’s head snapped up at that. “The, uh— The—” He cleared his throat. “The French way?” “I—” Dean lowered his brows. “I don’t know what that means.” He tapped his chest. “I mean that it sucked but I’m still ticking. So, let’s get back to helping you.” “You’ll still do that?” “Yeah, buddy. It’s what I do. Just, ah, no touching and no spooking. Capiche?” Castiel nodded and said, seriously, “I capiche.” How in the hell could a ghost who kind of, sort of, killed him be so freaking cute? Oh, no. What was Dean getting himself into?

DCBB 2023 Posting Schedule

#dcbb 2023 #fic preview #2023 promo #deancas #destiel

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bloodsbane · 1 year

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Adventure Time Watch List

With Fionna and Cake currently airing, a lot of people have gotten interested in possibly watching Adventure Time lately - either for the very first time or returning to the show after having dropped it at some point. I've already started helping a friend watch through the show with me and have talked to other friends who expressed interest in doing the same.

For the above reasons I thought it would be fun and helpful to create a watch list, and then I thought it might be of use to others! It's a list I'd describe as lightly curated, but keeping things extremely easy for anyone to choose how they, personally, would prefer watching the show by leaving all info/options available.

Personally, I think Adventure Time is a show worth watching in its totality! At least once, anyway. But I acknowledge it's intimidating to get into a show with 10 seasons and over 200 episodes, plus some people are mostly interested in specific characters or plots, or have watched through most of the show before and want a faster way to catch up on 'key info' without running through the first five seasons with a fine-tooth comb.

So, the document! It includes:

A key for how I marked every single episode (based on their necessity for understanding the overall plot, which eps introduce and expand on recurring concepts/characters, which are arguably "totally skippable", etc.)

Highlights marking all F&C episodes and each of the mini-series arcs.

Colored hearts which mark major character appearances (Ice King, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline) and significant episodes that center on/continue the arcs of Finn and Jake respectively.

>>> You can view it here! <<<

(if any of my choices on this doc are ones you disagree with, that's fine! but please don't try to argue with me or complain to me about anything if you think something is marked wrong or missing. this was mainly done for personal/friends use. feel free to take this list and use it as a base to make one of your own!)

The idea is that you can use the list to curate your own experience in watching through the show. If you want to watch everything, you can! But maybe you only want to refresh yourself on the main plot, or maybe you only want to watch all of Marceline's episodes, etc etc.

I would like to emphasize one more time this was very casually made. Hopefully, if nothing else, it works for anyone who's interested in AT but doesn't know where to start beyond just watching the show from the beginning.

I also wanted to put out a list like this because I've heard of the existence of watch lists that will recommend skipping a majority of episodes outright, including entire seasons, which ??? sounds absolutely insane to me! Even the earliest seasons of AT contain episodes absolutely crucial to the overall plot!!

(This probably comes from the idea that the earliest seasons of AT are "worth skipping" because they're "not as good" as later seasons, or that early AT is only okay but "gets better" around the middle. I heartily disagree with this; some of my favorite episodes are within the first three seasons. I will of course acknowledge that some of the earliest episodes probably won't suit some folks' tastes even if what comes a little later on definitely will; hence, this list.)

Anyway, I hope this helps anyone interested in watching! If you do give Adventure Time a try, I hope you have a great time with it! It's a fun show and I think watching the whole thing is definitely worth it~

#banebabbles #at watch list #do i want to put this in the tag. probably not lol #i can and WILL lock reblogs on this post if folks start acting like clowns

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miraculouslbcnreactions · 6 months

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I just realize you're the only person who point out that Felix and Kagami would be just as in the wrong for hiding the truth from Adrien. Most people I know puts the blame entirely on Marinette and like yeah, I get it it's really bad she would keep something like that a secret from her boyfriend but at the same time how do you deal with that big of a burden?

If it were up to me, I'd make her deal with it the same way like in the Dragon Prince with how Rayla tries to tell Callum and Ezran about their dad being dead but idk, maybe it's not the same with Adrien so it's unfair.

I'm just irritated at people who blame Marinette just cuz she's her gf and not at the adults like Nathalie or Amelie, Marinette's a child, what about Felix and Kagami? They care about Adrien too right?

Yep, it's somehow all Marinette's fault even though Felix knew for all of season five. He knew before then, too, but at least you could argue that he was fearing for his life in previous seasons. As soon as he got the peacock? No excuse. Especially since he got the peacock by trading away Adrien's freedom. A thing he arguably didn't even need to do since I don't think anyone believes that Gabriel would have said, "No" to only getting all of the miraculous. Felix just offers up the ring without even waiting for Gabriel to ask for it. A master negotiator this boy is not.

To add even more insult to injury, season five gives Felix a subplot about informing freaking Kagami and faking her amok. A girl he literally just met gets the treatment that Felix arguably owes to Adrien after all the shit Felix has put him through. You can't even argue that Felix did it because Tomoe isn't a threat on the scale of Gabriel. She's literally a co-conspirator in season five and Felix knows that because Kagami wouldn't be a sentimonster if Tomoe wasn't involved. And Tomoe has always been written as far more hands-on than Gabriel when it comes to controlling her kid, so this isn't even a case of Felix picking the easier target. He doesn't care about easy targets or subterfuge since he, you know, kidnaps Kagami in front of her mother?

But does anyone in the fandom seem to acknowledge that? No and I really don't get it. If hate must be assigned to a character and not the writers, then Felix deserves so much more hate than Marinette.

Kagami isn't innocent either. She knew the truth for about half of the season and yet she doesn't seem to care about telling Adrien. At the same time, she's fine outing Ladybug's secret identity and fine telling Marinette everything, none of which is done in the name of justice. Kagami does it all for purely selfish reasons. To me, this was as much of a character assassination as the whole Kagami believing Lila thing even though Kagami should know the truth about Lila after the Oni-chan incident (Lila faking the kissing picture and texting it to Adrien's contacts).

Then there's Nathalie. In my opinion, Nathalie's redemption is a joke and one of the key reasons for that is how little she cares about actually saving Adrien. At no point does she tell him the truth even though she knows she's dying. She could have very easily died much sooner than the final, leaving Adrien to obey Gabriel's commands, never knowing that he was being controlled. She doesn't even try to find someone else to guard Adrien's ring. She just maintains the status quo and pretends that everything is fine while occasionally asking Gabriel to pretty please change his mind and think of Adrien? Please?

Lady, you literally pinned this man to a table at the start of the season and you are his second in command. You know all his secrets. You have access to everything. You have the power to take him down. You have the power to save Adrien. You are an awful, awful mother figure who put Gabriel's wants above Adrien's needs right up to the very end. Did you even think you had a chance to fire that cross bow or was this just another, "I'm totally helping" feel good moment to assuage your guilty conscious before you died?

And Amelie. Oh, Amelie. If you hate what Colt did to your son, then why are you idly standing by while Gabriel does the same thing to your nephew? You know that Felix has the peacock, so he's safe from being snapped. Why aren't you encouraging him to help Adrien? Or, if you want to keep protecting Felix, then why don't YOU go to Ladybug and Chat Noir and tell them that Gabriel is behind everything? Surely you have to know that Felix isn't safe as long as Gabriel has all those miraculous, right? Gabriel knows that you and your son know everything. A terrorist knows that you're a chink in his armor. Why aren't you terrified by that?

In summary: yeah, Marinette should tell Adrien. It's totally fair to be mad at her. But dear God, she should never have been put in a position where she needed to tell him because one of these four should have done it long before the end of season five! The fact that Marinette was put in this position in the first place is terrible, nonsensical, illogical writing. So go ahead and be mad at Marinette, but you sure as shit better be just as mad at the people who knew everything and did nothing, leaving a teenage girl to face it all alone while bearing the safety of the world on her shoulders.

#ml writing salt #ml writing critical #ml season 5 salt #adrien deserves better #marinette deserves better #ml fandom critical #Wow I got pretty heated there didn't I?#You can probably tell that I feel pretty passionate about this one #Marinette has many faults but at least she's actively trying to do the right thing!#Unlike these other four #To be fair it's really a writing problem and I blame none of these characters except maybe Nathalie #I really hated Nathalie in season five she was such a self-righteous hypocrite

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space-blue · 1 year

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Hi! I like your Arcane anaylses :) I wanted to ask for your opinion on why Sevika is celebrated and Marcus gets shamed? I mean, they basically did the same thing. Both betrayed their "friend(s)" - Vander and Grayson - for their personal beliefs.

Heya Anon, thanks, I'm glad you enjoy my meta! Hope you enjoy me disagreeing with your premise x'D

Sevika and Marcus have nothing in common imo. At no point in the show is it established that Sevika and Vander are friends. There are no outward signs of friendship. The person standing next to Vander and joking with Vander, and left in charge in episode 2 is Benzo.

We meet Sevika in a confrontational scene where she's against Vander. Vander doesn't meet her or anyone else's needs in that scene. He puts them all down and enforces, as he's been doing for years, The Status Quo. He doesn't listen, he's doing this meeting to reinforce that nothing should be done and enforcers left alone. Vander is ruling. He's the leader of the Lanes.

Sevika and Vander in that moment have conflicting interests. Sevika wants change. Sevika wants to lash back while Vander wants everyone to stay under the heel of Piltover, hoping that if they don't fight back the boot won't squeeze.

You can't blame Sevika for thinking that's crappy. She's making a life choice informed by her analysis of the situation. We don't know when she made her decision either, or for how long she's been hostile to Vander.

I'd argue too that there's a strong argument that Silco already has Sevika as an ally at that time :

He's famously untrusting.

The chemist I nicknamed Syd is at Vander's place riling people up with Sevika, and next scene he's manufacturing Shimmer for Silco, which can't be an easy process.

Silco has people spying on Vander AND his kids.

I think this telegraphs that Sevika has potentially been on his side for a while and was at the Last Drop to undermine Vander.

That's rough life politics. What can you do? You can't blame Sevika for having dreams of her own and seeing Vander as a massive obstacle on the way. Again, she's never shown to be one of his cronies and we have no clue about the nature of their relationship besides the fact she used to respect him. But we know so did Silco, and Vander has changed a lot.

On the other hand, Marcus has a very bad start…

He's an enforcer with a chip on his shoulder. I made this post theorising as to why… And it's whack and may be totally wrong, but it's clear Marcus is shown as going above and beyond in his hate of "trenchers". He uses slurs, is violent towards even children, and is happy to take bribes and underhanded deals in his goal of dragging said trenchers to jail.

He's also a doofus who doesn't realise what he's getting into. Blinded by his hatred and wading into dangerous waters. He's not smart enough to come on top and ends up being a tool.

Also… he's a COP. He's part of a system. He has a boss who he's NOT friend's with as far as we see, but he's her explicit subordinate and gets thrown around the office after disobeying her.

He put Grayson in a bad spot and led her to her death, failing his entire organisation by then not coming clean. He keeps dirty secrets that weigh him down, while Sevika is shown to be blunt and entirely truthful to Vi, Jinx, and even Silco.

He goes behind people's back, and sure, Sevika goes behind Vander's too. But Marcus is paid in literal blood money and never comes clean. Sevika is fine being open with her allegiences once shit hits the fan, and she's there for ideology, not self interest.

We don't know the details of Sevika's dream, but we know she keeps Silco on his toes. Silco's dream is the Nation of Zaun. Independance. Not the erradication of Piltovans.

Meanwhile Marcus just wants to throw children in jail, and DOES, again behind everyone's back.

Sevika is a bull. Marcus is a snake.

Sevika is making life choices and chosing who will serve her interests. She chose the anti hero who wants freedom for her oppressed people. Marcus is THE OPPRESSOR and a shitty one to boot who disobeys the very order he serves.

Funniest of all, I don't think Marcus was betraying Grayson. Her death was not part of "the deal". That asshole truly just wanted to arrest a kid and glean the recompense of a job well done. But there's no hint that he was trying to unseat Grayson.

In a way he's just as zealous as Sevika. He follows his hate and prejudices and she follows her principles. She doesn't mind bashing her own people to get to her goals, but Vander is literally doing Grayson's job for her. He's a freelancing cop and an enemy of any Zaunites dreaming of independence.

Vander has a stance, and Sevika has the opposite one.

The only person who perceives betrayal is Vi. But Vi is a child and doesn't understand politics at all. She's completely blinded by her love for Vander and her mindset of 'everybody is my enemy'. If she slowed down a bit, she might notice she and Silco want the exact same thing. Literally. A better world for Powder, and everyone like her. Vi is poisoned against Silco by Silco and Vander's fateful clash. It's perfectly understandable! I don't think it'd be easy to have her not be rightfully prejudiced against Silco.

But she IS our eyes for a lot of the story. We perceive Vander a lot through her extremely rose tinted view.

Sevika probably doesn't couch her own siding with Silco as a betrayal…

That being said, we don't know their backstory. Maybe Sevika was friends with Vander when they were younger? We have a picture of young Silco at the bar with Vander… did she know them both? Because then we can do anything you want.

My favourite take being that she took Silco's side after Vander's betrayal, but stayed out and public and was careful not be 'seen' with Silco. She's a true believer. I think if she had hesitations, learning Vander was sucking Grayson's toes most likely fully turned her away. That's just my prefered fanon, but if you have a fanon theory of her being Vander's friend, of course it'd colour your view. I just don't think the canon reactions of both characters really compare.

#anon ask #arcane #arcane meta #vander #silco #vi #jinx #sevika #marcus #arcane marcus #arcane vi #grayson #thanks for the ask

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cutebutalsostabby · 7 months

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Which Link is most likely to go for a trans surgery?

Hmmm. Well: all of them are SOME flavour of trans and/or genderqueer (I don't make the rules, except when I do, and yep: thems the rules), but I don't think many of them would actually have surgery, per se. For several reasons, which all basically boil down to this: Hyrule is a better place than the real world, and they can do cool stuff we can't do here. Behold as I infodump all over your question.

First off, my opinion is that there's less social and legal pressure within most of the game settings to conform to particular gender presentations. Which is obviously far from the sole reason why surgery would happen in the real world, but it does mean that you can decide 100% for your OWN sake, not for anyone else's. Note: Western transphobia developed under specific conditions which we don't have to transpose into fictional worlds. We can just do what we want. It's great.

Second, and this one is pretty clearly demonstrated in game lore, mechanics and dialogue: kids in Hyrule, Skyloft and the Great Ocean are treated really well compared to the real world, in that they have 1) the ability to make personal decisions WITHOUT parent consent, and 2) direct access to libraries, doctors, clothes shops, potion shops and etc. Sure, money is a factor here, but the Links at least tend to have spare cash and/or the ability to earn it. Plus, potions at least are not that expensive, nor is that one medical bill from the Oracles games from memory? Idk. If you have 50 rupees every now and then, you're probably set. So if there's a particular surgery a trans person might have in the real world as a direct result of not being able to make their own choices during puberty... that doesn't have to apply in a fictional world. Unless they either didn't know or didn't have access at the time.

Related to the above: most of the games have some form of magic and often also some form of science. I think surgery would be a last resort, used either where magic isn't available or where the magic that IS available doesn't do enough. So probably only for major changes and/or in low magic settings.

As for who, then, based on the above:

TP!Link does come from a low magic world where one of two doctors is a raging racist, and that could limit his access to HRT equivalents. The fact that he comes from a small village could also impact his access to information about being trans, though his house IS full of books and his adopted dad and childhood friend's dad ARE connected with a bunch of people across Hyrule, including the one non-racist doctor. If I didn't HC him as being intersex and totally fine with his body, he'd be my pick.

Since I do: Hyrule (ZeldaI&II!Link).

I HC him as transmasc, but I think he was probably late to put actual words to that, given he's been travelling alone since a young age. Potionsellers do exist within his world, but they're a) rare, an b) expensive. My boy is POOR. But luckily, the town healers and magicians both offer their services for free! YAY! He can get all the surgery and magical HRT he wants :) just so long as he's both cool with having a little blood spilled and able to stick around in a town long enough to recover. Which he uhh... CAN do... right?

Congrats on your top surgery, Roolie!! 🎉🎉🎉

#asks #long post #zelda lore #the important kind #legend of zelda #queer #idk if this was intended as an LU question but if it was that's fine too #queer those fools into oblivion

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until-another-one-comes · 4 months

Note

HI I WAS ACTUALLY DISCUSSING THIS WITH MY FRIEND THE OTHER DAY. Not all of them fit super cleanly and they are almost entirely based off the Nightmare neighbors jobs but. You know. Also I did base some stuff off personal headcanons but. In reality we don't have much to go off lol.

Roman -> Soul eater could tie to the fact he's an accountant, a job tied to people's livelihoods and wellbeing as he directs when money is given out. He is helping the system suck out people's souls. (This is actually fairly far off the mark, he's definitely not a bad person he's just trying to live.)

Lois -> Nightmare Designer could tie into her being a huge gossip, and very mouthy. She makes the lives of the people around her a nightmare due to her getting in everyone's buisness/being a bitch (Pretty on the mark, but it's ignoring her more soft side. She's only a bitch to people she doesn't like.)

Robertsky and Albertsky -> Putting them together because my explanations for their things are. The same. Both are blunt, mostly standoffish men who don't talk much and seem awfully distant to people. Human Hunter and Torturer are how people see them because someone like that must be a violent freak (So far off the mark. They want to do their job then go home)

Angus -> I see him being a mutilater as more like. He doesn't care about other people. He wants a spectacle, and he will rip through anyone to get that. He wants all eyes on him. (Wow that is just Angus)

Selenne and Elenois -> These two are also together, just because. They are twins with very similar jobs, witch and summoner. I do think his is more like the idea that powerful people (women in particular) have sold their souls for beauty and fame, or that anyone that beautiful must be in convent with the devil (??? They are normal ladies???)

Arnold and Gloria -> Occultist and gravedigger huh. That kinda sounds like. That kinda sounds like you know. Black Magic. And what you do after killing someone. Both things tied to putting down a certain race particularly in the USA (It is the 1950s these two are going to have a horrible time out there. They are good people? Leave them alone?)

Izaack -> As soon as I saw his job as being a ritualist it gave me pause because. Like above. That job can be tied to things used against a certain group of people. And with him being a reporter, you know, controlling the news, yeah. Yeah. (Can we leave this guy alone? Please?)

Margarette -> Causes famine huh. *Checks notes* applied to specifically a larger woman. Huh. Huh. (??? What is with this floor and people suffering from bigotry???)

Francis -> Vampirism. You know, being a bloodsucker. Or a drain on other people. Sucking the joy out of their day by just being there. (Yeah no this one's accurate)

Anastacha -> I really hate to say it but sometimes a child can bring misery to their parents, and while I totally don't think it's Anastacha's fault you could see how her existence could be brought up in arguments. (She is fine??? She is a baby. Leave her alone.)

Afton -> Stealing skins seems just. Really interesting to me in a game about things that steal identity. But he also like never puts himself on the list, is obviously really suspicious, and is tied to the dopplegangers through the project. He also says he's a physicist and is working on a team researching dopples???? (He isn't a dopple but.)

Mia -> Princess of Death. First off they did NOT need to go so hard for her but unfortunately I think the only thing that could tie her to that is the fact she also doesn't put herself on the list, like she wants the dopples to get in and kill everyone. (Idk...suspicious...)

Nacha -> Brings pests. This can be tied to Anastacha because if Anastacha causes misfortune and Nacha brings pests...lyou know, blaming her for having a child. (A lot of these people are just getting bullied huh)

Steven and Mclooy -> These are the only two where I bring their designs in lol. They look so different because they both have a dissociative disorder from being soldiers (with Steven's medals we can imply he was a fighter, and since most family members have the same jobs we can infer they are both a) pilots and b) soldiers) but yeah. They are seen as violent monsters because of them being former soldiers (Steven is fine, he's generally peaceful. I think. Mclooy isn't as nice.)

Alf -> Soul Scarecrow could be seen as him being a sort of strawman. Like, yes you have a lawyer. You have a chance! (You don't. You are going to lose his case) But you know. False hope to the people relying on him (I dunno about this one is he a good lawyer??)

Rafttellyn -> Deforms faces could be taken metaphorically, like destroying people's public image. Since she is both a housewife who is a gossip and is married to a lawyer that might give rise to that idea (I don't think she does this)

This is all my opinion and none of the notes I make here are any digs against the creators, I think exploring period relevant bigotry is a good idea, especially in a game where the main idea is you can't trust your neighbour.

Damn no one can catch a break lmao. These bitches keep CATCHING STRAYS

OKAY OKAY but the reason why I'm really interested in the twins nightmare intrepretation is because its the most obvious to me. Like, they're models which means they're beautiful and desirable and even in game their designs/expressions give them a 'haughty' look. And while I don't think they are haughty or prideful (or at least, not as bad as some people might think), their position definitely means a lot of people (especially men) thinking the worse of them, definitely for shitty reasons. Its not out there to think that their jobs causes a lot of bad faith look to them like them being seducers or whatever when they're just tryna do their jobs.

Oh shit I did not think about that with Roman. Do you think maybe its less about his job or more with how he looks cuz he definitely looks scary and I wouldn't be surprised if people thinks he's some scary guy with a violent past.

The Peachman brothers and Angus's explanation is sending me oh my Lord. (especially Angus. Oh yeah his nightmare version is just him but more fucked up lmaoooooo)

Arnold and Gloria, oh man... I didn't know those were tied to black magic :(. (also Arnold's nightmare version being the only outwardly animal looking monster makes my heart hurt. NOT DIRECTED TO NACHO SAMA cuz I don't think thats intentional but with this intrepretation that definitely kind of hurt and does not look good)

I more prefer the 'Izaack's nightmare version is a reflection on how he sees himself' theory but I also dig how you see it. Reporters usually do get a bad rep of being nosy or life ruining so it does make sense that Izaack might have that reputation and looking like a worm.

Margarette... NOOOO thats so fucked :(((. She is a nice warm person who would definitely feed you cookies and tea when you come to visit and make sure you eat well because 'you look too skinny!!' like a doting aunt.

I can't believe rhe joke of Afton beinf sus cuz 'haha purple guy' is semi canon. What is this guy's deal.

I just thought kf this but I think Francis's nightmare version (bloodsucker) is maybeeee tied to the era's joke/common thing where 'the milkman/mailman seduces housewives' or something?? Cuz I can def see that being the common perception on him and that he's a homewrecker (he is not he just wants to go home and sleep)

The Nacha and Anastacha one... ow. Why do you do this to me/j

THE ALF AND STEVEN ONE YESSS. Alf's job as a lawyer I can definitely see that!! Same with Steven- Slipknot reference aside I LOVE how his nightmare mode job is Annihilator when his real job is a military pilot/soldier. The few residents where the nightmare/real job have an almost direct connection.

TYSM for sharing these AHHH THEY'RE SO INTERESTING AND I LOVE READING OTHER PPLS THEORIES/ANALYSIS ON THIS MODE

#that's not my neighbor #thats not my neighbor #tnmn #asks

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androgynousblackbox · 6 months

Text

Welcome to Hazbin Vale. Epilogue [Radioapple, Appleradio]

"And so, that is how it goes, my dear sinners! Our beautiful Hazbin Hotel is going to open its door to receive his Majesty King of Hell himself, Lucifer Morningstar!" The radio host reclined in his chair, letting his perpetual grin grow ever wider. The red lights above him declaring that he was on the air seemed to glow even more for a second, but no one on the other side would be ever to tell. After so many years, he had finally learned to control that damn static. For the most part at least. "It's truly an honor to receive him today and we hope that it doesn't end up on such a fruitless endeavor like his reign here has been, ha ha! Tune in next time for more hellish updates! Your good friend Alastor will see you all soon."

He turned off the microphone finally and stand up, letting a soft jazz tune to follow him around as he put on his coat. Humming along softly, he looked himself on the mirror for a moment. A few strands of hair stand out, but nothing that some brushing couldn't fix. His bowtie was perfectly centered. His smile was as deadly as always.

He grabbed his cane and sighed presenting his best pose, standing tall to show off the confidence that he absolutely, no doubt about it, had. Not a single nervous spec of cell on this entire display, no sir. No one would ever be able to tell what was going on inside of his head. Just another normal day in Hell for the Radio Demon himself.

Not at all wondering himself if maybe he had changed too much. If he was even recognizable anymore. If even if everything turned out exactly how it was supposed to, too much time had passed already for any of his hopes to have any point.

If he had wasted years expecting something that was never going to happen anyway.

Because that was a totally pointless thing to even think about, of course! The slight trembling of his hand as he fixed up the front of his shirt? A trick of the light, don't worry about it.

Taking a big breath, Alastor came out in direction to the lobby, where he could hear everyone moving about.

Thank god none of the sinners here was a party planner because they all would have been fired at their first job. Alastor doesn't know if he is more dissapointed on how bad did it look or in how much effort clearly still went into it. But oh well, he supposed that was to be expected from this group.

"That is great, everyone, it looks amazing!" encouraged a very clearly already stressed Charlie, indicating to Razzle (or Dazzle, one of the two) to fix a WELCUM DADDY sign up.

"Ssstop trying to grab one!" was saying Sir Pentious to the sneaky hands of Angel Dust, constantly trying to grab one of the pastries he had brought.

Alastor looked over where Husk was, casually drinking out of another bottle, but following Angel Dust attempts with the same attentive look of a bored cat.

Well, they were definitely together in the same space.

He had fulfilled his part of the deal and thankfully that whole thing was over. What they decided to do after that was completely out of their own volition and, frankly, he could not care less.

It had been truly a blessing in disguise that Charlie had already recluted one part of the pair before he ever spoke to her. All he had to do was bring the other with him and made sure he couldn't just ran away.

"Everyone, please, stay calm" said Charlie to no one specific, clearly needing a break herself as he clasped her own hands. "This no big deal, no big deal at all!"

"Hon, it will be fine" tried to reassure her Vaggie for what must have been the fifth time of the day. "If anyone can sell this hotel, it's going to be you."

Charlie smiled, grateful, but before she could say any more they all heard the door bell of the hotel. Alastor used one of this shadow to travel along with her to the entrance, standing politely close to the door, a respectable distance that would not look either desperate or impatient whatsoever, like some pathetic dog waiting for a treat. He was curious for seeing the king, as anyone else would.

But he still didn't even tried to open the door. Charlie didn't mind at all before she took a gulp of air. In fact, she probably haven't even noticed he was there.

"Hi, dad!"

"Charlie! It's so good to see you!"

Oh, well, this isn't fair at all, thought Alastor spitefully as he squished his cane behind his back, feeling again the rising of that familiar indignation.

Was it possible that he was even smaller now? How come that his eyes looked even bigger now? The red was definitely a good color on him. And who the fuck had the brilliant idea of giving this tiny man that sharp pointy smile, that was still somehow so warm when looking at his daughter?

He had seen pictures of him. This version of Lucifer was notorious enough that he would appear on fashion magazines from time to time, despite his reclusive nature. He had seen his wink at the camera, showing his slitted tongue playfully, had seen him even model for Asmodeous's fashion line one time or not.

The impulse of buying every single one of those images, so no one else could see them, and build his own altar out of them was there for a while, but he had managed to squandered it by sheer force of will. Truly, one of the most difficult test he had to endure. And yet, none of that had actually prepared him to seeing him in front of him. To actually hear his voice.

Who needed to breath anyway? Not him, that is for sure!

But the worst offense, the one he had to concentrate on to keep it together, was that hat. That stupid tall hat that was hiding his stupid perfect hair from view. The audacity! Clearly he had to be doing it to just annoy people as much as possible.

Charlie, the estranged daughter now, was doing her best to present the hotel without seemingly picking up how clearly not interested her father was. It was more than obvious that he had only come there at all for Charlie, to be around her, and her little side project was nothing he cared to think about too deeply.

In a way, it was weird seeing him like that. The Lucifer he knew at least pretended to be interested in other people out of a pure sense of politeness. But he imagined that it made sense that a king would not bother with empty gestures like that on his own kingdom.

Maybe the Lucifer he knew was truly gone now?

On this reality this tiny man was centuries older than him. He had lived a very long and eventful life completely on his own. He had never even put a single hoof in Earth. Everything he had experienced was far beyond what a simple toy maker on a small town could ever hope to see.

What could even be there about that Lucifer?

To say that the thought was crushing would be an understatement.

But if there was something he ever refused to be was a defeatist. He would have never reached the level of power that he was enjoying on that reality with a mentality like that. So grabbed that thought, cut his throat and buried it's body on the basement, just as he followed around as Lucifer kept going with Charlie's little tour with a much less than impressed expression.

"Well, it's got a lot of character! But what in the unholy hell is that?"

His opportunity to intervene.

"Oh, that is just some of the renovations we have done" said, transporting closer because somehow he knew he couldn't move his feet out of place. But still not too close, as if he didn't want to get caught on his orbit. Not yet at least. "Adds a little bit of color, don't you think?"

Lucifer looked positively annoyed at being talked to directly.

"And you are...?"

His heart had no right to jump the way it did as now he teleported to the side of the king. His head still reached just above his stomach so he was wrong, he was still the same height.

"Alastor, sir. Pleasure to meet you, quite the pleasure!" He took a step back to admire him full again. "It's nice to finally put a face to the name. I must say, you are lot shorter in real life."

The magazines pictures were never even close to make him justice, so that wasn't surprising either. He paid attention to Lucifer looking to Charlie for further clarification in who was the rude demon in front of him, not blushing at the sudden reminder of his height like he would in another life. Even his frown was different, more pronnounced, agressive. He truly did not care at all about appearing more approachable, did he?

"You might have heard of me from my radio show!"

He tried not to think too deeply about what it would mean if Lucifer did do that. That all of this time Lucifer had listened his voice and never once had a face either to relate to it or find anything especial about it outside of a mere form of entertainment. Just some white noise in the background while doing something else.

Luckily for him, Lucifer had not, which was still weird on itself. How out of touch was the king of hell himself to not know about one of the most notorious overlords in hell right now? They were all in the same ring. Was that some kind of classist attitude or something else?

"Well, on top of that, right now I am the host of this distinguished establishment that our dear Charlie is managing" added, brazing himself for potential disaster as he extended his hand forward. "The Radio Demon at your service, sir."

For a moment he was concerned that Lucifer would reject it or ignore it completely. His tiny toy maker had been an open book, and maybe because of that, he couldn't quite get a grasp of this man. But king of hell or not, Lucifer took one look to his daughter before taking it, rolling his eyes like this was such a big ask out of him.

The gesture seemed to froze in place at their contact. Alastor literally would not dare to move a muscle as he saw the expression of Lucifer gradually soften. By the time his red pupils looked up to him again, Alastor felt a wave of relief to see something else. Something that looked as fragile and lost like a bunny abandoned in a forest to it's own luck.

The man was looking at him as if suddenly had no idea of what to do or say.

"Alastor has been a great help around here!" helped Charlie out.

Lucifer blinked, disoriented, and Alastor regrettably let his hand go to brush at his blond hair. Was still as soft as it looked? Or it had become rough here in hell, like his hand had?

Alastor hated that is where his mind went. Hated that no doubt he was going to think about it again.

"Has he...?" questioned Lucifer, as if for a moment he had forgotten where he was. He looked over at Alastor again, squinting. "Is this the reason why this place is the Hazbin Hotel?"

Alastor's grin grew wider, realizing that none of them would truly understand that question. Not in the same way they did now.

"It was my idea" commented, now taking a step towards him.

Lucifer's eyes went up and down his figure and moved closer too, seemingly taking on the challenge.

"Well, that is not very clever, isn't it?" teased the king, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, I beg to differ, your Majesty" answered Alastor, connecting his hands on the back to resist the urge to go touch him again. Maybe if they touched enough more of his toy maker would come out. It was an stupid idea, born of a stupid impulse, but it was a very tempting one. "I think it is a very good name."

"Do you now?" Lucifer got even closer, a little smile forming on his face, enjoying the game.

He did always loved games. That at least haven't changed. The warm that expanded over him at the realization made his shoulders relax. His voice dropped an octave, almost a whisper on that space that they had created. Soft enough to not break it.

"Absolutely."

Lucifer crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side. The pointy smile was a great look on him like that as he absent mindlely played with a lock of hair.

"You would know, I suppose."

"I do."

"Mmm."

He could have stayed looking at that little cocky smile for an eternity. Two if he got lucky.

"Um, dad? How about I present you to the rest of my friends?"

Idiot. He had completely forgotten what was the reason for that visit.

He cleared his throat and took a step back, pretending that he had lost interest on their... whatever it was. His hand gripped the top of his cane as he forced himself to calm down.

Lucifer still dedicate him one last look before turning to Charlie, letting her go through each other of the residents and staff.

Alastor couldn't help but to find amusing the way his eyes light up for a moment when it came to the turn of Husk and the slight frown when he heard the voice of Angel Dust greeting him. Did he remember far enough for that? Had he realized that was the Anthony of this reality? Or was just like the remmant of a dream, half forgotten, half remembered now?

That was something that he was also concerned about. Memories could be tricky things even on human minds that lived and died on a normal lifespan. But what effect could it actually have to add a entirely different existence on top of that one of the creator of hell? Could it hold on at all or it would vanish?

And even if he did remembered perfectly well, just as clearly as he himself did, there was no garantee that was really going to amount to anything. Not that he truly expected that it would, but the not knowing truly was the worst part.

By the end of the day, he was drained.

Between Mimzy suddenly appearing with a bunch of shark demons that he had to eat to protect the hotel and Lucifer getting swayed by Charlie into supporting her proyect, they didn't had any chance to exchange a word and he just felt cheated now.

Even their handshake seemed to have been far too short now. Thousands of years of waiting to see each other again and that was it? Why did he let it go at all?

The presence of that golden ring on his finger bothered him far more than what he would ever admit. Wasn't that thing with Lilith be finished already? Wasn't that a free man then?

Logically he knew that was none of his business. But what he knew on his head and what he actually wanted to do were two completely different stories.

For one, he shouldn't have let him just teleport away like that, without at least having a talk. But he didn't even know that was a thing he could do in the first place! No fucking magazine or newspaper had ever bothered to detail it. How many bullshit fallen angel abilities was hiding on that tiny body?

Not just that either. He had just reconnected with his 200 year old daughter after who knows how long and he didn't even think to staying for dinner? Just poof and until next time, kiddo. If Charlie wasn't annoyed by that, then fuck it, he was going to be annoyed on her behalf instead. Just what could be so important that he needed to get away as fast as he did and without even looking at him once? Did he had any care at all for the shit he went through in order to reach his hand? All the bodies he had to walk over to get to it?

And this time he couldn't judge him for it either, because he was already serving his time for it anyway.

Once inside of his room, he let the angry static fill the air as he took out his coat and got ride of his bowtie, each movement causing another cracking. He didn't know what did he expected, but it wasn't that, certainly not! He could leave a note or something! A promise of a another visit soon!

When he started to unbutton his shirt, that is when he heard it: a little tap tap against the glass door to his balcony. That immediately turned the static off as he got closer, confirming it further. That was peculiar. He wasn't near any tree for it's branches or leaves to ever bother him like that.

A insect, perhaps? Well, if it was big enough at least he could find some form of catharsis by crushing it himself. He moved the curtain away and looked up to see... a yellow bird.

In hell there were no yellow birds.

That alone was confusing enough until he realized the wite bird had a stupid tall hat on top of it's head and two red dots at the sides of his beak.

Ignoring the thunding on his chest, Alastor used every bit of his will to move the glass door out of his way as calmly as possibly and not desperately like the starving dog that he felt as.

"Hey" said the bird, flapping his wings towards his railing. One red poof later, Lucifer was sitting against it with an awkward smile.

Shapeshifting. Another fucking power he had no idea he had. Alastor saved that as another note on the back of his mind and smiled. Well, he always did, it was part of his brand now. But more sincere than before.

"Majesty, we have a front door if you ever need anything from us" commented, deciding to play it safe.

For now.

"Yeah... no, no, no, it's okay. I don't wanna bother Charlie for this" Lucifer looked so adorably, familiarly, lost that Alastor was pleasantly surprised. His tiny toy maker would have sported the exact same posture so many times before.

"And what this would be?" asked with fake innocence, walking towards him.

"Oh, come on" Lucifer sighed, the corner of his lips lifted in annoyance. "Are you really going to make me say it?"

"I don't understand what ever could you mean, your Highness" Alright, maybe he was enjoying a bit too much the teasing. He had a thousand years worth of it that he had to catch on. Yeah, that was going to be his excuse and not the fact he managed to see Lucifer blush, a hand scratching at his nape. Absolutely not the pure delight of knowing he could get those reactions out of him still. "Did we had any unsolved business you and I? I wouldn't have known with how quickly you left us. You seemed to be in a hurry."

Maybe he also just liked to be petty.

By now they were so close that he just had to extend his hand a little and he would touch him again. He would feel his stripped vest so easily if he wanted to. But his hand remained in place.

"Okay" Lucifer took a deep breath and let it go, both of his hand lifted to brush his hair back. When he looked up again, he almost seemed pained. "I am just going to ask this one time and then I will leave. Please, don't make a big deal out of it."

The smile on his face froze. Leave? Again!?

"Sure" said as if talking through nails.

Lucifer's eyes still darted around, hesitating. Alastor would have usually find that endearing in a nostalgic way, but now it was just making him even more impatient.

"Alright. So... this going to sound very crazy, but... have we met before?"

Alastor internally screamed.

Lucifer was confused. That was to be expected. Just suddenly having a bunch of memories out of nowhere in someone's head was bound to do that for that peson.

He knew that, rationally speaking. But more importantly, what was that talk about leaving if he did remember? Didn't he know already that was literally the worst thing he could do to him?

"Why?" said and he knew that was mean, and didn't care. He had done plenty of work already, he could do the rest for a change! "Did my face suddenly reminded you to someone you knew?" Lucifer looked again doubtful with himself, and he could not do it any longer. Fuck it. "Yes, your Majesty."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now if you want to talk about it we could come inside..."

Lucifer didn't let him finish his offering for a cup of coffe before he had lunched himself to his arms, wings out and all. It wasn't really that what shut up him quite as effectively as the fact that he was kissing him like his life depended on it. Instinctively he had grabbed the tiny king by the waist.

When they separated for a moment, Lucifer just about as surprised as he was. He seemed to be waiting something out of him, to him being pushed aside or anything.

Alastor simply stared at him back, knowing full well that falling from the side of his own mouth was drool.

But the stillness lasted just one second before Lucifer grabbed him by the front of his vest, forcing him to his height as he walked foward and Alastor backwards inside of his room, until his shin touched the side of his bed and he fell on top of it.

"You like it when I am more active" gasped Lucifer, pushing him all the way until his back was against his covers with one hand. Alastor gulped when he saw the black claws burying themselves on the fabric over his chest, just above his heart. "That I remember."

"Yes" said in a sigh. Tentatively he lifted a hand to wrap it around the wrist of Lucifer and went up, not intending at all to fight the pressure, but just wanting to feel the muscles of his arm. Knowing that those muscles were probably a lot stronger than they were ever when he was human was doing things to his body that he haven't known it could do in ages. His tiny toy maker was decisive and confident in these situations, but this Lucifer could kill him if he really wanted to. They were both as aware of that as of the fact that it wasn't going to happen. The risk of it was still intoxicating. "What else do you remember?"

Lucifer smiled, wide and mischiveous and absolutely beatiful as he quite literally ripped his clothes out of him like some savage beast.

Somewhere inside of his mind Alastor lamented that now he was going to have to go to the tailor again, but that mild voice was quickly drown out when Lucifer came down to kiss and nibble at every portion of skin he had exposed. The sensation of sharp teeth against his neck was something new he didn't knew he was missing until now.

"Alastor."

The way Lucifer would moaned his name had forever being engrained on his brain, worse than any prayer could. But his wings were so big that they created a shadow on top of him, breaking the illusion that they were back on their little town, back on a Earth, passing another afternoon together.

He understood now that this Lucifer was always going to be inherently different. He was never going to be the same toy maker that he had missed for thousands of years. But as long at least this Lucifer was his, he would take it gladly with as many differences as it came.

"I missed you" whispered softly, kissing the side of his head as he ran his fingers through the blonde hair, soft and cool against his skin.

Lucifer let out a small chuckle.

"Me and my stupid hair?"

"Always."

He didn't realize in what moment his pants had received the same treatment as his vest. Suddenly the pressure that was starting to annoy him was gone and Lucifer was touching him, lifting his legs up as he kneeled in front of him.

"Wait, wait" said without breath. The slit tongue of Lucifer was out and something about how long it was making it very difficult to grasp the words he needed out. "I... I haven't done this on this reality, so..."

"Oh, yeah" said Lucifer, as if a new memory had unlocked for him.

Alastor covered his face with an arm when realizing he knew exactly which one. The one where he had to explain to Lucifer that he barely had any sexual attraction towards anyone before meeting him so he never did anything sexual previous to their relationship. Even touching himself was extremely rare, mostly a hazzle that left him with a headache right after and really wasn't worth it. He just lacked whatever impulse made people seek out those sensations on the regular.

That is why he and Lucifer had worked on that area. The initiative of Lucifer was the kindle he actually needed. Without it, he just wouldn't have the drive to keep going without it feeling forced and unnatural.

"Aww, babe, you still get embarassed for that?" Lucifer come up again to take his face between his hands and kiss his lips, far gentler than any of their previous kisses. It made his heart flutter inside his chest all the same. "Honey, it's okay. Everyone works differently and it wouldn't be the same Alastor I knew without that. If anything, it makes it even better now."

"Why?" asked, having an idea of where Lucifer's mind was at but wanting to hear it from him.

It seemed that Lucifer read his mind as he got close to whisper into his ear.

"Because it means that I get to teach you everything all over again. I might even teach you some things that I learned only on this reality. Would you like that, Alastor?" Lucifer accompanied those words with a deep chuckle as his claws buried themselves on his thighs without breaking the skin. Alastor just knew that some mark was going to be left on him after and he couldn't wait to see them again.

He lifted his legs, grabbing onto the almost fully clothed fallen angel closer to him.

After they both finally settled down under the cover of his bed, Lucifer spoke up.

"Sorry about your suit. I will buy you a new one."

"I have my own money, thank you" Alastor nuzzled the top of Lucifer on top of his chest, hiding his eye roll. "It's fine. I didn't exactly stop you either."

"No, you didn't, slut" Lucifer of course had to show off the grin on his face. "Did I just unlock a new kink for you?"

He didn't had to be so smug about it.

"Aww, Al, don't pout, I am just playing" Lucifer laughed before kissing his cheek.

"I am not pouting. I don't pout" said Alastor, poutingly.

"Sure you don't" Lucifer's head returned to his chest, the twinkle on his eyes just as loud as his laughter. "You have no idea how weird this is to me. You look so different now to the image I have in my head."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't exactly given an option about it."

"I like it" Lucifer's hand went up the to tug softly at the portion of red hair on his chest and then up to this other ears on top of his head. Those shook and move at the contact involuntarely. Alastor wasn't still sure if he liked the attention on that zone or he could become indifferent to it. "Especially those. They are softer than the rest of your hair. And your tail is the cutest thing I have seen."

Alastor turned his head, not pouting at all. That was a good reason as to why he hide that last trait with his coat.

"You on the other hand, barely changed at all" commented, booping him where a nose had never been.

"You see, that too. It's weird to think of me as a human at all."

"I can imagine" commented Alastor, nodding.

"It's like waking up from a dream. But instead of waking is just another dream and the dream is actually reality. Does it make sense?"

"Yes, I felt the same when my own memories were translated to this body."

Lucifer frowned at that.

"Hey, how long have you had your own memories back?"

"Since my first killing as a human on this reality. I want to say... maybe 200 years ago now? I figure it wouldn't send me to a reality where I wasn't a serial killer. Not a lot of entertainment to be had then."

"Wait, so you have known the entire time you have been in hell? Why didn't you try to touch my hand before?"

Alastor blinked.

"Do you mean to ask me why I didn't try to touch the hand of the king of hell as a simple overlord? The king that is notorious for not making many public appearences and lives in a castle with the best security anyone could ask for because he is, wouldn't you know it, the king? My goodness, you are so right, my lord. I have no idea why I didn't thought of doing that before."

"Yeah, okay, okay, I got it" Lucifer sighed, now he sporting the pout. "You know, you are still an asshole."

"We are in hell, darling. Everyone is an asshole here."

"Touché" Lucifer got back to resting his head against him. "What happens now? I can't really explaint to Charlie that I am fucking her friend on the side because we met in another life. And I don't really want to explain the whole interdimensional eldrich monster that killed us all before. She has so much on her plate right now and I don't really want to add to it."

"Agreed" Alastor also couldn't imagine a scenario where they could make any sense of their situation to other people. Normally that wouldn't mean much to him, but now there were so many other factors to take into account. "If I might propose something, I believe the best course of action right now is to keep our relationship between us."

"We have a relationship?"

Alastor stared a Lucifer with a sarcastic comment at the tip of his tongue, but then saw the face of the fallen angel and realized that was a question out of giddy amazement rather than needing a clarification. Like he couldn't believe how lucky he was. That thought made him feel warm all over.

"Yes, we do" said instead, caressing his cheek. How silly could he be to ever think otherwise? "You thought this was only going to be sex?"

"I didn't want to assume" Lucifer blushed, taking the hand of Alastor on his to kiss his knuckles. His blush now was a soft gold that expanded beyond the red dots on his cheek. Angelic blood was truly fascinating. "So I came here because my daughter invited me over and I come out with a new boyfriend. Best day ever."

"If you say so" Alastor chuckled too, kissing his forehead. Lucifer wrapped his arms around him and lifted himself up to kiss him more deeply. "But it's a secret for now."

"Yeah, I heard you. Until when though?"

"No any time soon, I am afraid. I would personally prefer to not give my enemies any amunition either."

Lucifer snorted. He lifted over his arms on top of Alastor and sat on his stomach, looking down to him.

"Is that a joke? I am Lucifer Motherfucking Morningstar. I can obliterate any sinner barely lifting my pinkie" Alastor had no doubt that he could and that was exactly making him find out things about him that he didn't expect. "Come on, just give me their names and you won't ever have to worry about them ever again."

He still needed a moment to clear his head again before he could speak. This version of Lucifer was just full of surprises. Did he know how beautiful was like this? He did probably. This Lucifer would know.

"For as... lovely of an offer that is" said slowly. "I prefer to deal with them on my own way, darling. Not to brag, but I have done a lot of stuff to get where I am today and I would hate to see it wasted."

"You mean killed a lot of people."

"On top of other things."

"I don't need to know the details" Lucifer fell to his side of the bed again, the murderous intent already gone from him and back to the relaxed state of before. "Are you sure?"

"Positive, darling."

"Fine. But you have the head honcho of hell one text away if you ever need me."

"I still don't have a cellphone, love."

"Still?! How did you managed to survive this long without ever being connected?"

"I talk to people, darling."

"I talk to thousands of people everytime I post on Pentagram! At the same time! And we could text! It would be so fun!"

"And we would have one of those enemies I told you immediately knowing all about it" Just thinking of Vox getting to use that kind of information to undermine his reputation made him sick. He wasn't about to give him that satisfaction. "Before I didn't really like those cellphone, but now less than ever."

"How come now I am the older one here, but you are still the old man in this relationship?"

"I am not changing my mind, dear."

The groan from the fallen angel was muffled against Alastor's shoulder.

"Fine. But I don't have a landline either so what are going to do for communication?"

"You could get a radio. I can always transmit even if I am away from my studio now. The line is secure and you can talk to me back."

"Can I come visit?"

"Of course you can, love. Charlie would be happy to see you around too."

Lucifer didn't jump on happiness at that, which surprised Alastor.

"I don't... know about that. Today was a good day, but I don't really want to just impose on her life like that. She is all grown up, in a good relationship, has a job. A mission even. She probably has better things to do than to deal with her old man."

"She would still like it" pointed out Alastor softly, taking up the hand over his chest and squeezing it once.

He wasn't an expert when it came to daughters and fathers, his own father was a horrible example that nobody should follow, but seeing these two together had reminded him of how much Lucifer still loved his daughter above all else. Maybe love wasn't always enough, but it certainly did a lot and he could clearly see that Lucifer would try as harder as he could.

"I-I will think about it" Lucifer gave him that tiny smile that meant he didn't want to talk about it now, so Alastor didn't push. "But I can still portal here if you would have me."

The thought of coming to his room at the end of a hard day and finding Lucifer casually waiting for him made his heart a bit faster. There was so many books that he fantasized talking to him about for years, so many more music that he wanted to see his reaction to and now he could finally do it.

"You are always welcome, darling" assured, giving him a soft peck on the lips. "I could visit you too, you know. Through the radio. If the king of hell is not too busy for me, that is."

"I can make a space for you" Lucifer giggled, like it was still somehow funny to him being able to do that or having that particular excuse for it. Alastor thought that was still true to his toy maker too.

"Oh, what a benevolent king. What ever could I do to deserve such grace" joked without malice, brushing his hair lazily with his own claw.

"Yes, I am, actually. Not many people appreciate it here. Glad that you can see it" The beaming that iluminated his face was so adorable that Alastor had to laugh too, some of the static of his radio accompanying it. Lucifer gasped. "You still do that?! Aww, cute! I didn't know I missed it so much until now."

"I can do a lot more things than that" Any opportunity to show off his power was a good one. For now he was just happy to put music that seemed to come out of nowhere. "Do you remember this one?"

"Our first date at that jazz club."

There was a lot of new things he wanted to talk to him about it and also ask him. Find out how much of his life was different, what did he liked to do now, everything and anything so he could start knowing this version of him even better. But reminisce through their own shared history was interesting enough for both of them.

Eventually, Lucifer had to get up and dress again. Outside was pitch black, only the city light breaking up the total darkness. Alastor didn't protest at first just because he always enjoyed the way that Lucifer fixed himself, so methodic and careful in every movement until he was the very image of composed. He felt blessed even to being able to witness his little ritual.

"Are you sure you can't just stay, darling?" said at last, when Lucifer was putting his boots.

"If I stay I won't ever want to leave" said Lucifer sincerely, sitting on the bed again.

"Would that be so bad?" Alastor already knew the answer to that one, but could he be blamed for trying at least?

"I still have to fix a meeting with heaven" Lucifer sighed, clearly not really wanting to do that. The way his eyes looked so sad for a moment gave Alastor a lot to think about later. "I still don't have any idea of how I am going to do that. They don't particularly like me up there."

"Obviously they don't have a taste as impeccable as mine then" said, taking the hand of Lucifer over his bed and squeezing it. "I am sure it will be fine. If you can convince humanity to create sin, you can fix a mere meeting. It will be easy for you."

"Oh, I am sure heaven very much appreciate me doing that" Lucifer sighed again, more deeply, before reclining to kiss his head. "I will get the oldest, rustiest, clunkiest radio I can find in hell. Just for you, babe. If I am lucky is going to be powered by a hamster so not electricity can contaminate it."

"Aren't I honoured?" replied with irony, rolling his eyes. "Look in pawn shops" added, not without some pain over finding out that is where the majority of radios found it's place nowadays. People had no respect for the classics. He hoped that attitude was going to change now that at least he was back on air.

Lucifer nodded, searching for his lips for another kiss. Alastor let him find them, barely containing himself to not just bring him to bed again. Not even for sex, just to feel him close, to know that he was really there, to hear his dorky laugh again.

"Hey, I just had an idea" said Lucifer, perking up. "If you are an overlord now, then you like a good deal, don't you?"

"Oh. What do you have in mind?" asked, finding it rather amusing that it was the king of hell himself the one to propose a deal to him with no hesitation, when his own naive daughter had wisely refused to do so.

"Here are the terms. If you ever have to change reality again for whatever reason, you will do whatever you can to always find me and make me remember you. This or any other life that we have together."

"Mmm, tempting" So tempting in fact, that Alastor was sure he was going to do just that anyway. But he was too curious to hear the rest. As Lucifer had said, he just couldn't resist a good deal. "That is my part of the contract. What does His Highness can offer me in return?"

A lovely gold came to color Lucifer's face as he smiled, the sparkles of his eyes softening his looks even more. Alastor had never seen someone finding such pure joy in a transaction like this.

"In exchange for doing that, when the time is right, when our enemies are defeated and my daughter is safe" said, remarking every conditions by getting more closer and lowering his voice until it was barely above a whisper, "and of course, if we both want it, I, Lucifer Morningstar, will marry you. Do we have a deal?"

It was always fascinating to him how a mere look from him could be enough to choke him out, to make him forget that words existed. For a moment Alastor did nothing else but hear the static that he wasn't controlling just around him, going up in volumen with the almost painful beat on his chest.

"Yes" was the only thing he could force out of his lips, thankfully remembering that deals needed clear consent.

"Then it's done" Lucifer lower the whole way to join their lips.

Alastor had closed his eyes at first, but opened them up again when he felt the familiar grasp over his sould. Under the eyelids of Lucifer he could see his golden magic shine through, just like he knew his own had to be glowing in green. Their magic combined surrounded them, mixing together, and finally came back to their bodies with a piece of each other.

Was this one of his bullshit fallen angel powers?

"We didn't shake hands."

"You can actually make deals with any contact that is freely given and mutual" explained Lucifer with a wink. "But people don't tend to realize that. For the majority of cases, a handshake is the most neutral and safest option. I just wanted to make ours something different."

"Interesting."

Alastor saved that tidbit of information for later on the back of his mind. He was so intrigued by the fact that there was still things to learn about the topic, that it took him a second to catch on the fact that they had technically just gotten engaged.

They had only talked about marriage once before, more than 200 years ago, in another life.

This was the first day they saw each other since then.

And he had said yes without even thinking.

Had he lost his entire mind?

Lucifer seemed pleased to see the realization reaching his face and chuckled, kissing his cheek.

"Now I really have to go. But I will be hearing you later" promised the king, and he lifted to leave, opening a new portal just behind him.

Before he realized that is what he was doing, Alastor reached for his wrist. The tiny king tilted his head and Alastor suddenly knew perfectly why he had done that.

"I love you."

He didn't want to wait another disaster in order to say it. The words could still feel somewhat weird on his mouth, but the way that Lucifer's whole body relaxed made it worth it.

"I love you too."

One last kiss and then Lucifer was gone. But at least he would have their music until the next encounter.

#radioapple #appleradio #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel lucifer #duckiedeer #hazbin hotel au

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thelunarfairy · 9 months

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Hey I LOVE your Yugi twins analysis post!! ( not because I like the toxicity/ incest I just think it’s a great analysis of tbhk) and I wanted to ask your opinion on a thing

Toilet Bound Hanako Kun as a series is a Gothic Romance

I’ve been going insane about because I’m a huge fan of the genre

( some examples: Crimson Peak ( movie), Jane Eyre, Dracula, Rebecca ( novel and movie), The Fall of The House of Usher, etc)

and I’m 100% convinced by now but I need validation

agree or disagree?

Oh! Thank you!! I'm happy to know you liked it :3

Yeah, I don't like incestuous relationships either, but if it's in the story we have to analyze it.

I don't know if this helps you, but here in my country, this anime is within this genre. Even if elsewhere it does not have this classification, the story itself leads to this path.

"How is the Gothic novel characterized? The Gothic novel is an essentially hybrid manifestation, a link between the novelistic and the novel in which an atmosphere of mystery, affliction and terror prevails."

There's a strange duality to the relationships in this series. If I were to ask you if you could name me any JSHK romantic relationships that are TOTALLY HEALTHY, could you name them for me?

Mitsuba x Kou It's not canonically romantic yet, but even before it is, Kou is aggressive and demanding of Mitsuba, not to mention that he puts Mitsuba's wants above his own. Mitsuba, on the other hand, demonstrated a desire for "death together", which Kou tried to do without hesitation. A guy tried to take his own life for someone else, and Mitsuba wanted to trap him in the PP arch along with him.

Aoi x Aoi Akane is extremely possessive, aggressive, jealous and intolerant. When I say intolerant I am referring to anyone who has a romantic interest in Aoi. He doesn't give her the power of choice, he simply decided that she is his. Traces of an EXTREMELY abusive and DANGEROUS relationship, yes, imminent risk of death. Many REAL LIFE cases start like this. Aoi is jealous of Akane's popularity (in terms of friendships), and doesn't think twice before impaling him.

Hanako x Nene It follows a fine line between Aoi x Aoi, the difference is that Hanako is not aggressive, BUT, he is vengeful. We constantly see him punishing Nene when she shows interest in other guys. He makes decisions about her life alone without consulting her and without allowing her to choose what is best for her or not. He is jealous, possessive, insecure and needy. Hanako would be able to kill Nene if he believed it was the best option for her. I don't need to mention the PP arc or the number six arc. Nene is a girl who tends towards disrespect, she flirts with other guys in front of Hanako, even though she is about to enter into a relationship with him.

This is just a SUPERFICIAL summary of the three main ships in the series. They all seem to want to culminate in tragedy, something that fits into the gothic genre.

Besides of course, the relationship between the twins, a mysterious and dark relationship, you can't follow this relationship without thinking that there is "something strange"

If we compare, for example, the relationship between Edward Elric and Alphonse, we see here a healthy and common relationship between brothers, with its ups and downs and with great brotherly love between them. Remembering that Edward's entire journey is dedicated to his younger brother. Ed made a mistake in the past and his younger brother suffered a serious consequence, Ed took responsibility and promised to solve the problem. They are together almost all the time and yet you clearly see that it is a healthy relationship.

Not in the case of twins. There's a strange ambiguity in what they consider "love", it doesn't feel like sibling love, and it's not ordinary love, it's something more obsessive, more… how can I say… suffocating? There's something I still can't see. It's not just "maybe it's incest" it's something more than that. Maybe one day I will be able to organize my ideas and think more clearly.

So yes, JSHK fits into this genre, it fits into many other things in this genre too, I only focused on relationships because you talked about the twins' relationship.

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highfantasy-soul · 6 months

Text

Things I LOVED in NATLA Episode 6 - Masks

Opening with Zuko pre-scar getting ready for the war council - you really didn't have to gut-punch me like that, show

Starting the camera from behind his head so we don't know yet and having Iroh's monologue starting up - really really great stuff

Dallas Liu did such a great job acting as a 3-years younger Zuko here! The way he holds himself, the tone of his voice THE WAY HE FREELY SMILES!!!!! Immediately lets you know this is younger Zuko before the most traumatic shit of his life

Damn that transition from young Zuko to him on the shiiipp!!

Zhao is so slimy and is so good at making you hate him

Love Zuko's desperate plea to his crew that they stand by him and then Jee's outburst at the way Zuko treats them

We see both sides (and even more by the end of the episode)

Love the added layers to the 'villains' of the story

"We can solve the world's problems without hurting anyone!?" "We can try"

Such a great back and forth there - already showing where Aang's ideas are at and how he's a pacifist at heart

But he still mentions painful consequences if they fail - consequences those of us who know the animated version know all too well how close that is to Roku

The Mother of Faces! Great deepening of lore and reinforcing the themes of identity and masks for the episode

Though I miss Roku wrecking shop at the temple, seeing the fire sages all taken out by Nyla's paralysis was dooooopppee!!!

June is so cool and so very, very competent. Love her to death

Zuko's resigned 'no' as Aang begs him to let him go save his friends :(

Yet another instance showing that although Zuko's put a mask on to show the world since his banishment, Aang is the one who can see through it because he truly believes the best in people - even enemies

Baby Zuko in the war council not paying attention

Just trying his best but clearly not taking it as seriously as he should - giving plans of attack they'd already discarded

He just wants the approval of his father

Love the added depth from Ozai here

He WANTED Zuko to come up with a good plan, he's DISAPPOINTED he didn't.

This Ozai hasn't written Zuko off from the start, he's 'giving him chances' to be the son Ozai wants him to be - and is failing

Let's be clear here, it's not ok that Ozai is doing this and this doesn't mean Zuko brought his abuse on himself, it means that in Ozai's mind, he can justify it and 'gave chances' - see the cycle of abuse

Zuko's core shining through as, even though he doesn't have a good plan himself, he KNOWS what the other general suggested is wrong

You don't have to be an expert on world affairs or battle plans to know WRONG when you see it - it's basic humanity and anyone who tries to tell you you shouldn't have a say because you're not an expert can eat shit

AAAHHHHH Zhao throwing it back in Zuko's face that defying one of Ozai's generals (admirals), Zuko is defying his own father

AARRRUUGGGHHHHHHHAHAAAAAHHHHAAAA

Zuko strategizing immediately!!

Iroh trying to talk sense into him!!

Everything from this point on is almost directly pulled from the animated series and I think the show knew EXACTLY when to do a 1-1 translation to live-action

Zhao's little smarmy speech to Aang, Aang then blowing him into the door XD

Zhao's absolutely pitch-perfect middle manager 'Our numbers have been great this quarter, here's your pizza party!' energy that's waaayyyy too into this

He's so obsessed with the appearance of power and the rush of shouting accomplishments to uproarious applause, he doesn't care about anything else

Spit in my mouth, that pan over to The Blue Spirit hanging out in the tree and the little head tilt as he hears the wagon rolling underneath - uuuuuuhhhhh that was…good. Yeah, that was good. Ahem, I'm fine, totally normal over here, carry on.

NiNjA sTuFf!!

The whole unseen hallway fight *chefs kiss*

"Who are you?" Head tilt "Right, talk later, run now" while the Blue Spirit is already all the way down the hallway XD

Their heads popping up above the crates to scope out the courtyard XD too cute

"Now is that 'loyal' or 'faithful', sir?" 😭

Zhao's panicked scream after just having been so confident 🙃

SIIIICCKKK sword flourish!

ALL the choreography at the top of the battlement was fantastic - I could see the CGI doubles in a few places, but really, it was so good I didn’t care

Just two cuties stilt-walking across a courtyard full of enemies, nothing to see here

I LOVE how The Blue Spirit holds himself so differently than Zuko does. The mask hiding his features really does let him take on a persona that he can really settle into

The way he holds a stance ready to fight is completely different than Zuko does when he's firebending and I think it was such a good touch to make sure their fighting styles were nothing alike (even barring the difference in weapon)

It's sooo interesting that in this version, you can see through the eye-holes of the mask - looking closely, you can see Zuko's fear and insecurity, even his shallow breaths as he's terrified his plan won't work. It's something you have to look closely for, but it's very very good.

And that little nick on Aang's neck from the swords! Zuko really was holding them tight to him

Zuko slapping Aang's hand away XD it's hilarious in how honest of a teenage reaction that is

So much of what Zuko does is exactly what teens do when they're trying to be badass and edgy, but to us olds, it comes off so try-hard and petulant - it's a mask of confidence and badassery that's so easy to see through

"Can I ask you a question? It might be a little personal - goat hair or rabbit?"

I legit almost cried at that - it's just SO AANG to talk about mundane things with the 'enemy' to try to find common ground. Humanize each other so they can find a way to resolve the issue without threats or violence.

Ugh just, ugh - Aang telling Zuko that the work he did in the notebook was really good and helped him a lot

Zuko has finally heard he did a good job - something he did was worthy of praise. It was unique and impactful and Zuko should be proud of it. And it's his enemy telling him that - a genuine complement, not gloating or digging at him, but genuinely telling him that he did a good job

Zuko breaking and opening up to Aang!!!! Them bonding!!!!

Zuko's little smile at Aang's joke about snoring while meditating!!!

Love this expanded conversation between them - really humanizing each other and seeing the cracks in Zuko's façade, his mask that he thinks he needs to strengthen to be what he's "expected" to be - and how he reacts with anger when people try to lift that mask.

The Agni Kai - just….wow, yeah, it was a lot

Again, I love how they expand these scenes to really delve into character more rather than a quick, frankly a bit surface level, bullet point of character these scenes in the animated show had.

I have a whole essay about the Agni Kai in my analysis of the episode, but cliff notes:

All of Ozai's lines are dripping with depth and nuance to why he's doing this and a deeper meaning to this lesson than just throwing Zuko away as a nuisance

Ozai really wants Zuko to do well, to prove himself

And Zuko tries - he tries insisting that they don’t need to fight, that he does respect Ozai and the military, then he tries to please his father by fighting

The choreography is brutal and stunning

The fight builds, flows, and ends with Zuko showing compassion, unwilling to really strike his own father

And I've again, written an essay on it, but I do like seeing the conflict on Ozai's face as he brands Zuko

He's not any less horrific of a father, but he is more REAL - which makes it all the more terrifying and heartbreaking that we can see people like that in the world, he's not just a character relegated to a cartoon - his type of abuse is very real and present in our everyday lives

Aang talking about Kuzon :'(

"He's hurt" "He'll recover" "But he'll never heal"

WHAT and exchange.

"Sometimes the weak can become stronger. Sometimes, you just have to give them the chance"

Aaahhhhh!! There's Zuko's character thesis right there: he's always had to fight for his abilities, it's never come easy for him - but what 'strength' is will change and grow with Zuko through the story!

Jesus, Daniel Dae Kim's voice is just sooooo goood as the fire lord. It's not fair. Seriously.

Mark Hamill is legendary - there's no doubt about that, but damn if Daniel Dae Kim doesn't do just as good of a job, putting his own, very resonantly deep take on it.

And the 41st reveal!!!!!

I think this was a genius addition by the live-action team

Bringing it all around full circle where everything is connected.

Iroh cupping Zuko's face and him pushing him away, back to the 'petulant' (what he thinks is strong) mask D':

"There actually are a few of us who care about…about such things"

Cue the waterworks

"Our prince has returned"

Again, waterworks

No, it's not 'home' in the Fire Nation, but it IS the home that Zuko and the crew have made over the past 3 years

Enter the trope of home being where you least expect it and all that

"They must have missed you at music night" DX

Coming in again with the fire ending monologue )':

No Gyatzo waiting for Aang DX

Zuko seeing his unscarred, happy face in the mirror DX

"What's hard is knowing that sometimes, the mask is who we really are"

There were a lot of big emotions in this episode - I needed some time to recover

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

#natla #avatar live action #avatar atla #netflix avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar netflix #natla positivity

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