#the village is evil. i mean. the system is evil so they have to kill it. then all these fuckers in boruto r like back in the day ninja were

[opens-up-4-nobody]

I kinda want an au to exist where some Uzushio clans survive and just kinda became nomads until they hear of the 9 tails being sealed into an Uzumaki baby.

They proceeded to kick down the gate and an old uzumaki woman who still has red hair and is double the 3rds age just strong arms him into letting them make Lil’ Uzushio. They take the “new” Uchiha spot so the Uchiha keep their old land.

Lil’ Uzushio is functionally a village in a village and Naruto grows up around people who love their little price. Kakashi is also dragged into little Uzushio. He cannot escape, they all know Kushina and Minato loved him like a son. Now he has no choice.

Downside, Naruto is raised fully Uzumaki. By his mother’s childhood friends and family.

He’s like Kushina… but so much worse. He’s a chakra monster with his father’s charisma and god dammit does he use it like a weapon

Good God, if the Uzushio ppl turned up at the gates of konoha, demanding to see the Jinchuriki, it would probably start a war. Danzo would not let that shit go, he would reignite the genocide. And like the only way to justify what the 3rd hokage did with naruto is to say that no clan should hold heavy influence over the Jinchuriki and even then what he did was so fucked. Also the villagers didn't trust kushina and she just like moved in from out of town and mostly grew up in konoha. They would never ever let a foreign power raise naruto, not even within the confines of the village. Konoha would be filled with anti-Uzushio propaganda, compounding the hatred toward lil bby uzumaki.

[mytragedyperson]

So I was reading a TCF reaction fic, I think it was Beginning of the End by who-stole-my-fries. And in that one of the Choi Hans, TCF Choi Han I think, was talking about what happened at Harris Village. And he said something like "I used to wonder how anyone could take another person's life. After that [the assassination of Harris Village], I realised how blind I'd been". Something along those lines.

What a line. What a line to have in a fanfiction. What a line to have Choi Han, the protagonist of The Birth of a Hero, the hero of a story and a hero in this world too, say. And it doesn't really matter which Choi Han said it, because it was referring to an event they both experienced, so we can assume that they both had this realisation.

This somewhat but not really links to an interesting theme among Cale and his friends and family. Because they are heroes, they're saving their world and other worlds and saving people. But none of them are completely pure or morally white. They all have, can and will do evil sadistic things to the people who hurt those they care about and put them in danger and they won't feel remorse for it. They have no qualms about killing or torturing or getting revenge. Because, yes, they're saving the world, but one of their main motivations, main reasons for doing this, is each other, to keep each other safe, to protect each other, to get revenge on behalf of each other. They only do those things to evil people, villains, but it's so interesting, because I feel like if you put them in other worlds, not their story but other stories, they'd be seen as vigilantes or even, in worlds with black and white morality, villains.

And I always think that's really cool. When a story doesn't have that black and white morality, when the heroes have to do "bad" thongs to win. Because really what's the alternative? They don't kill or torture people, they let them live, imprison them or something. Considering some of the villains are gods and others have special powers and abilities, that won't work. And these people aren't going to change their minds and suddenly abandon goals they've been working towards for decades and centuries. There is no alternative.

Or maybe there is. Realistically Venion could have simply been imprisoned, left with the knowledge that the brother he hates, the brother he thought he'd got rid of, had the position he always wanted as Marquis. But he tortured a child, a child dragon, but still a child. So is imprisonment punishment enough? I'd say no. Not for this. For abusing and torturing a child since they were born.

And that's one of the reasons I love these stories. Because there are so many stories where the villain is allowed to live at the end, hoping that justice, the system, will deal with them. But sometimes, sometimes revenge is understandable, sometimes the only way to stop the villain, is to kill them.

Choi Han wondered how anyone could kill another person. But then people came for his family, his friends everyone he knew and cared about, and he realised how blind he'd been.

Sorry, idk what this was. That one sentence or couple sentences from a fanfiction just stuck in my brain, not the exact words but the meaning. Ugh, god, I love TCF and I love fanfictions based on TCF.

[theminecraftbee]

minecraft bee. starign at you. you mentioned nosey neighbors. hello they're my favorite guys do you have anything to share , /nf

so the thing is you may have noticed I have a thing for writing guys who are trying their best in a broken system and like, ALL of one piece is that to some extent, but then I went “what if I make bigb and pearl marines” and they are now ESPECIALLY that. because like—

okay the thing is that in one piece the world government SUCKS. like every arc we learn more and more reasons the world government is the WORST INSTITUTION EVER. and as such, their military force, the marines, generally serve as antagonists and suck, but. MANY individual marines do not suck. because the thing is that ridiculously powerful pirates also exist and they DO hurt civilians and many marines DO want to protect those civilians! we even have people like smoker who is like, javert levels of determined to hunt the straw hat pirates, but ALSO willing to put that aside for the greater good and work with them temporarily (see: alabasta). we have people like garp, who mostly at this point wants to train the next generation and is constantly torn between duty and family. we have koby, my beloved, who was tormented by pirates for so long and joined the marines to get stronger and protect people and stands up to the admirals to try to get them to stop the fighting at marineford after the marines had already effectively won! and yeah MANY of the marines we meet are assholes who use their power over people to get what they want but ALSO they’re often complex people or even good people who have been placed within an evil system.

(side note: being a civilian in the one piece world sucks and is terrifying, for the record, and while one piece is a lighthearted comedy most of the time, oftentimes it does remind us of that anyway. which is definitely part of “why the world government”; if YOU lived in the one piece world, YOU’D probably want the guys who constantly feed you propaganda about protecting you from the pirates who will kill you to be in charge because like. you do not want the pirates to kill you. which many of them will. for fun. JUST BECAUSE THE GOOD GUYS IN ONE PIECE ARE PIRATES DOESN’T MEAN THE BAD GUYS AREN’T ALSO PIRATES WHEN THE BAD GUYS AREN’T THE EVILS OF A CORRUPT SYSTEM THAT SEEKS TO MAINTAIN ITS OWN POWER ABOVE ALL ELSE.)

anyway the POINT is.

so then I made the nosy neighbors marines, and also gave them a cool dynamic where pearl is newer to being a marine on the grand line and while not NAIVE (her village was destroyed by pirates) she has a strong image in her head of protecting people while bigb has been worn down by the system over the years and is more used to the bullshit the world government would have him do and is resigned to it. and bigb teaches pearl a bit about the way the world actually is on these oceans but pearl teaches bigb a bit about how they don’t have to GIVE UP in protecting people just because there’s government bullshit in their way. and ALSO they get to relentlessly pursue Cleo’s pirates AND have a fun dynamic of people going “oh there’s a devil fruit user between the two of them, surely it’s the scary one with the axe” (it is not its bigb bigb just knows how to be subtle, unlike some people).

and that’s why this au has me staring at the nosy neighbors like “OH. THEM.”

[sasukeless]

2 If you’re still doing the controversial ask game

hi

2) was sasuke right?

ahh this billion dollar question isn’t it. i feel like this is the top 1 most discussed thing on this app for years, i have read every side of it.

to give #my opinion, im gonna go with yes. but its far more complicated, like most things are with naruto lol. i believe sasuke is right because he sees there’s a flaw in the existing system around him and to finally do something about it the only way to do that it’s to get ride of the system from the root.

now, as much as i agree with sasuke there i don’t agree with the way he tries to do that revolution. i dont mean this in a “oh violence wont be fixed with more violence” bs. i mean this because where sasuke’s goals are born for and how they affect his plans.

when sasuke finishes listening to the kages and it’s coming up with his thoughts, he immediately is bombarded by memories of itachi (itachi only, not his clan) and itachi’s words to him. when he states he will not let the village be destroyed he does it by adding “itachi’s will”. when sasuke is dying in the war arc his only thoughts again are that he doesn’t want to waste what itachi wanted to die. this shows us very clearly that sasuke’s revolution is very influenced by itachi’ wants. a little different, sure but still the same. which makes sense why his goal at vote2 is destroy the last person he loves and bear the hatred of everyone so the villages can have peace between them as long as they focus all on him. and this is quite what itachi did, just on a bigger scale. naruto = uchiha clan. the villages = konoha. sasuke = itachi.

^this is where many people complain that kishimoto had to turn sasuke ooc to make him evil and i can see what they mean but personally i dont view it as such when i look at what sasuke’s arc has always been. i have seen also that they dislike that post reveal sasuke’s character seems to be focus on itachi more than in his clan like in part 1 which i also disagree. itachi has been sasuke’s main influence in his character since day one. even in part 1, sasuke’s hate towards itachi isn’t just because he killed his clan, kishimoto focuses alot in showing itachi and sasuke having a loving relationship. kishimoto is very specific that sasuke’s biggest grief at the end of the day is not the massacre alone but the fact it was itachi who committed it. this is essentially what sets sasuke aside of other characters that lost their family/clans/parents etc. its not only what he lost but by who’s hands he lost it. so his focus has always been in itachi. so i dont think it was only part 2 that sasuke became more driven by itachi than anything else… anyways going back to the topic because im going off the rails (sorry).

sasuke has always had itachi first imo. and sasuke has always been defined by love too so ofc he’s gonna forgive the person he loves even if he doesn’t deserve it, ofc he’s gonna try to achieve that peace his brother “sacrificed” his life for (even if thru different means that he wanted you to). but while i understand and love sasuke’s character, i still think these are all very personal reasons for his revolution plans and thus why it fails.

his revolution plans are also self destructive but he doesn’t care because he still views it as his ultimate duty (again why he was so distraught when he was about to die without doing anything). he wants to become the bearer of all evil, and pain and hatred and wants to be all alone, even tho that is something that has caused alot of his pain in the past, he even talks about possible immortality and its just, well sad. you can tell hes about to sell his own doom because he thinks thats what he has to do to fix everything. he is ready to become a martyr. and forgive me but i view as that as a very tragic

so while i will always view him as being in the right, because when you put him in comparasion to most characters that doesnt realize whats wrong w the shinobi world, he will always come as one of the few that actually isn’t blind (even if its framed as bad for pointing that the system needs to be destroyed), i still dont think his plans are the right ones

[mikewheelerfan2022]

How S1 Lloyd achieved his goal of being a great villain

No, this is not an April Fool’s post. This is a post I made on Fandom a while ago and have decided to bring it over here. Here’s the transcript:

You might see the title and be confused. Because obviously S1 Lloyd is a terrible villain, all he does is steal candy from villages. Of course, he does release the Serpentine, but that was more dumb luck than anything else. However, I recently came to the realization that S1 Lloyd caused a chain reaction that led to all of the events of S1, S2, S3, S8, S9 and S15. And some of the events of S4.

S1: This one is quite obvious. Lloyd released the Serpentine, who in turn released the Great Devourer. And both of those are the main villains of this season. So, Lloyd caused all the events of S1.

S2: Also a bit obvious. In order to defeat the Great Devourer, Garmadon created the Mega Weapon. Which he uses in the early episodes of S2, when he’s still the main villain. When he lost the Mega Weapon, he decided to find the Dark Island. This is the only reason the Overlord was able to possess him. So the Overlord being released is Lloyd’s fault.

S3: You know who Lloyd also released? Pythor. And Pythor is the one who helped the Overlord come back to power in S3. Now, if I remember correctly, the Overlord got into the computer system by himself. But he also wouldn’t have been able to come back without Pythor. So, since Lloyd released Pythor (and technically the Overlord), this season is also Lloyd’s fault.

S4: Now, the Tournament would obviously still have happened whether or not the Serpentine were released. But Zane’s sacrifice wouldn’t have happened without S1 Lloyd’s actions. And if Zane wasn’t dead/missing, the ninja would have no reason to participate in Chen’s Tournament. I think Sensei Garmadon even warned them against doing it. Obviously the stuff with Chen imprisoning the elemental masters would have still happened. So Lloyd caused part of this season to happen.

S8: If the Serpentine hadn’t been released, the Great Devourer wouldn’t have been released. And Harumi’s parents wouldn’t have been killed. So she would have no reason to become the Quiet One. The Sons of Garmadon might have formed without Harumi, but I don’t think the remaining leadership would be able to get all the masks. Killow doesn’t seem that smart, Ultra Violet is insane, and Mr. E just follows orders. It’s clear Harumi was the strategist. So, once again, Lloyd’s fault.

S9: Although this season is split between two groups, both of them wouldn’t have happened without Lloyd’s actions. Yes, I know that the stuff in the First Realm would have still happened. However, the ninja wouldn’t be in the First Realm anyways, since they wouldn’t need to escape the Bounty. And obviously all the stuff from the previous season carry over to this one. So, yep, Lloyd’s actions caused this season.

S15: The Overlord is the main villain of this season, but he wouldn’t have been released without Lloyd. So the Council of the Crystal King would have no reason to form. And Harumi wouldn’t be evil so she wouldn’t have collected Vengestone to build an army (on the Overlord’s orders). Which means that Lloyd caused this season too.

In conclusion, Lloyd is actually the evil mastermind that caused most of the events in Ninjago. Just kidding! But still, it’s kinda funny that so much of well…everything is Lloyd’s fault. If only he hadn’t tried to follow in his father’s footsteps, the ninja would have had a much easier time.

[comikadraws]

Thank you for your answer! It was very nice talking with you and I hope to talk to you again sometime! You're right, even if kishomoto fumbled on hia writing out of naivety, there's so much going on here and Konoha is ultimately a dumpster fire of a place, it's just as flawed and horrific as the other villages. I mean, sarutobi didn't even bother helping naruto or Sasuke or even adopting them. They both lived on their own in a small apartment and I'm starting to question how they get their money since they were no more than 12-13.

On another hand, it's so ridiculous that the villagers never apologized to naruto, choji, Lee or everyone else they bullied. They only started kissing naruto' feet when he started fighting for them and became hokage. Like a bunch of strangers have that much resentment on naruto over something he didn't cause.

I always find that Hiruzen is a hard character to talk about due to the disparity between his actions and the way the narrative presents him. He is painted as a kind-hearted, selfless, and honorable leader but ends up being negligent, enabling, and indifferent. He is not a bad person. But also, he is a bad person.

The villagers, to me, are a different story, however. They could be seen as opportunistic, of course, but generally speaking, I just consider them to be irrational - Which is a fairly realistic depiction for a population. They are scared of Naruto and traumatized by the ninetails attack at first but are forced to change their opinion of him once they owe their life to him. The majority of the population probably didn't even actually bully these characters at all. They were just indifferent. And indifference by itself is not a crime or immoral. It is simply just realistic.

I also would've preferred though if the story had actually dealt with those feelings and, again, acknowledged the wrongdoings of the past. But this is one of the lesser evils in this story to me.

Regarding Konoha, I wouldn't necessarily say that it is as bad as the other villages. Not just because Kiri is competing too (lol), but also because the story is very Konoha-centric. This is both good and bad when it comes to judging its politics because

Everything is shown from Konoha's perspective and allows us to feel more sympathy towards the struggles of Konoha citizens (in-group bias)

We spend enough time with Konoha to be actually given a deep-dive into its politics and become critical towards the system (availability bias).

On the surface level, Konoha definitely looks better than Kiri or Suna. The Hokage doesn't try to kill his own 5-year-old child and children are not forced to kill each other to become ninjas. But as soon as we were to actually take a closer look, Konoha might actually look better or worse compared to either.

[papermonkeyism]

Oh. Wow. I'm suddenly having. Some kind of emotions? Definetely multiple emotions. Many of them.

I'm not sure if I know how to describe this... But, like, in the ancient times of my childhood, back before internet ever got to be a thing. Pretty sure the village I grew up in had a grand total of, like, maybe two computers at the time. With the beige boxes for screens. BEFORE dial-up. I had just discovered the existence of fantasy genre thanks to my literature teacher (technically mother-tongue teacher, but I think that doesn't translate to english directly as English is a foreign language here so the meaning of the class isn't strictly the same BUT I DIGRESS) who had lent me the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and I discovered there was in fact a fantasy shelf in the library, so I pretty much devoured most of the books I found there...

I was a MASSIVE fantasy fan. Still am, but back then I consumed so much more of the books. All of them. I was obsessed.

Like Special Interest™ level obsessed. Absolutely autistic amount, as you know. Except, as this was before internet happened to my world, there was nobody else I knew of who would also be interested, and somehow I guess I thought I was the only one reading this stuff.

At some point I kinda grew out of some of the prevalent tropes, and stopped reading (as much of) the books, and kinda fell out of the most intense obsession. Like I had a favourite book trilogy at one point that I absolutely adored as a kid, but which didn't really hold up after I re-read it somewhere around my later teens, and I found out I wasn't as into some of the tropes anymore. (like DnD alignment systems are fine for games built around battling but I prefer my stories without the "this entire race is evil and should be killed on sight" and such)

But the thing is, I haven't thought about those books specifically in twenty years. It was something only I had experienced and then gotten over, and didn't cast a thought about in two entire decades.

In hindsight, considering how much I like DnD now, it probably shouldn't surprise me this much and yet

But I just clicked some random pics of some art of drow elves and

What do you mean there's an actual fandom for stories of Drizzt Do'Urden? You're telling me that wasn't just some kind of childhood fever dream I had forever ago? Why do I recognize all these names of places and NPCs and stuff, that's not a real thing is it? These are Actual Memories I'm for some reason still having??? (oh gods, I'm suddenly getting flashbacks of tormenting my poor english teacher by asking her how to pronounce all the atupid drow names because "the author speaks english so I'm sure these names must have english pronounciation" I am so sorry...)

The fuck???

So.

I feel like I just failed a saving throw and took 3 d10 psychic damage.

I'm

What

[neonscandal]

Something I realized is that gege akutami doesn't create many punishments for ''bad'' characters other than death. I think an interesting punishment for the geto character was to create a binding vow in which he was obliged to save humans and never harm them I would have liked to have seen him save those he hates and abhors most.

⚠️ Implied spoiler warning for season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen.

I think Jujutsu Kaisen has such an incredible unbalance between the lives of the "good guys" and the "bad guys" to the point of being hilarious.

SORCERERS

The show is from the perspective of the good guys of which there are never enough. They're also never quite strong enough. They are frequently shown fighting for their lives even when its a 2 or 3 on 1. They are struggling and suffering casualties and even Megumi vocalizes that losing a partner is not uncommon. Even innocuous missions like the one that introduces us to Megumi could end horrendously and it was not looking good for him before Yuji ate that finger which effectively leveled the playing field.

CURSE USERS AND CURSES

When I think of shows like Tokyo Ghoul or My Hero Academia, the "villains" are working in the shadows and condemned to move in secret. Not in Jujutsu Kaisen. The main antagonists are living their best life playing soccer on the beach, playing video games, relaxing while they lay in wait for their plan to come together. The quality of life compared to sorcerers is absolutely laughable and this sense of comfort stems from the fact that they are so numerous compared to that of the sorcerers.

THEME OF GOOD vs EVIL

If I thought about it, I'd assume that Gege Akutami is essentially using this imbalance to perpetuate the idea that there is no benefit or glory in being good. Empirically, anyone we've seen with earnest intentions has been killed or driven to their literal breaking point. Good guys who operate in a shade of grey or, as Gojo put it, are a little crazy, seem to fare slightly better. A perfect example is Nanami who left his salaryman job because the money wasn't worth how soul crushing it was to return to jujutsu society to stringently enforce the protection of children. Inversely, Mei Mei, his foil, is essentially a mercenary, gratuitously extorting others before she'll consider taking on a mission and comfortable with insider trading and being wildly inappropriate with her brother. Only one of these characters makes it to a vacation in Malaysia.

Mei Mei is just one example. We see that, even within the ranks of the jujutsu caste system, not only are some of the Big Three families unscrupulous as hell, but, even the elders handing out death sentences appear to be somewhat corrupt if Gakuganji and his off the books mission to kill Yuji is any indication. It's hard to stay good and sincere when the payment of trying to help people or do the right thing seems to just be... suffering. ✨ What do you think this persisting theme means for the possible ending?

PUNISHING GETO

Like, I know he "hated monkeys" but it was informed by the difficult position he found himself in. In his mind, he appointed himself a savior of the weak when jujutsu society just asked him to exorcise curses. Work not necessarily befitting a child, mind you, but he internalized so much pressure to give it meaning that it was always going to backfire because how much self-flagellation can on take before they begin to question the point of their suffering?

Lowkey, I think Geto was already going through it with his course of action. To our knowledge, his current kill count includes: the people in the village, his parents, the man who ordered the hit on Riko Amanai, and that one guy who accosted him when he was still haunted by curses after no longer contributing financially to Geto's group.

I'm not saying Geto is a good guy. But I also don't think he was radicalized so much as to not feel the weight of what he'd done, the original transgression. He had to give it a reason for it to sit right in his mind, had to vehemently commit by killing his parents to cement the idea of this conviction even though he knew it was unrealistic and impossible to achieve. I concede that I might be over humanizing the antagonist because, at the end of the day, if Geto could trick his mind and heart into believing his mission was pointing due North, perhaps he could do as needed without continued angst or questioning.

Especially since, after everything was said and done, homeboy looked like this. 👇🏾

Come up in the spot lookin extra fly-head ass.

Imagine how disgusted he'd feign, pushing off grateful people after they've been save and just spraying deodorizer spray like -

Let's take your idea and add a sprinkle of this comic by @keniaku as recommended by another anon to really turn up the silly.

[whumpshaped]

After reading through the entire EMBAC master list in nearly one night, I absolutely have to offer up two of my favorite ocs for the Ask game!!

First is named Finnegan. He is the oldest son of a well known family of vampire hunters, which is further part of a large gated community of vampire hunters! They not only have people, but their own marketplace, school, traditions, etc. Like a little village. Hunters begin training 12, and become hunters at 19. He's 26 with seven years of experience behind him, meaning he certainly doesn't have the experience to go after a vampire such as Helle. He believes hunting is a mercy for the vampires, that by killing a vampire not only is protecting humans, but also setting a vampires soul free from the inherent torture of being a cruel vampire. He's a bit... Optimistic in ways like that. He's got terrible luck in general, though especially with compasses as he gets lost often, and has an intense phobia of dogs, despite never having actually seen one due to pets being illegal in the community. He's also got quite a loud personality and doesn't often think things through.

The second OC is Finnegan's younger brother, Declan. Declan is three years younger then Finnegan, and not a vampire hunter. He decided not to at 12, and promptly became a social outcast, losing all his friends and support systems. Except for Finnegan. His brother being on his side and defending him is the only reason he didn't die young and he knows this well. Declan is a self taught lockpicker, having been getting into the classified Archives since he was a kid, and learning things that the communities Council would much prefer hidden since he was a kid. He also has his own way in and out of the community, since one can't leave without permission. These are all grave offenses that could cost him his life if they were to be discovered. Declan doesn't believe in the inherent evilness of vampires, but that they can be good just like any human could be. This has led to him trying so hard to drive his old beliefs and biases from his mind, that he accidentally reversed it. He'll always give a vampire the benefit of the doubt, and assume anyone saying a vampire did something wrong had the same views of his parents and was being judgemental and biased. It's also worth noting that, because of the taboo of vampire bites, he has developed a ... Strange desire to discover what they feel like. How his blood tastes. He's eager to know these things, very much so.

In the story I have planned for them, it basically involves Finnegan getting captured somehow on a hunt, and Declan sneaking out to *save* him. But not really, he simply wants to get his brother away from their family and community, force Finnegan into therapy, and live happily ever after. There will be many trials during this time, like vampires the family has pissed off, but that's fine.

Sorry for the absolute wall of text... /Gen

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"A hunter village..." Beck mutters. He likes the sound of that, even though he knows he could never become a hunter, thus could never gain the protection that would come with living there. "I'm jealous. It must be the safest place on earth. I... I also think... well... I think it makes sense that a human soul would suffer in an immortal body. And I think that's what turns vampires so cruel. But as much as I like to say I think it's merciful to send a vampire back to the grave, and it's not even really 'killing', I... I can't do it. It's too much like killing."

"I hope Finnegan will be okay. He sounds like a sweet person..." He thinks about Gael, the hunter he immediately got killed possibly at the very beginning of his hunter journey, and he shudders. "He should stay away from this area, though. Please."

"As for Declan, please stay away even more. Helle would tear him apart! Can you even imagine? A naive guy like that, looking to be bitten– God, Helle can be so manipulative, they'd have too much fun with him... But, but I do understand why he'd think like that. And why he wouldn't become a hunter. I wouldn't do it either." He thinks for a moment. "I'm sure he'd be okay if he found one of those vamp-obsessed communities here. They're also outcasts, but... a community of outcasts. I think they must be looking out for each other. If he wants to do dangerous stuff, he should at least do it with like, twenty other people."

Helle's eyes light up at the mention of a hunter village. "Oh, what fun! I would love to meet them all." They're 100% thinking about picking off the hunters one by one until the whole village crumbles under the weight of terror. "What an adorable life philosophy. Mercy killings... Even the term makes me... excited."

"I would love to be the lucky guy to capture Finnegan on a hunt. I would treat him so well! I would only let him get attacked by a rabid stray dog once." They love exploiting phobias a little too much. But then again, what is too much? "For the rest of his stay, I would be the only one doing the biting. Cross my mercilessly un-staked heart."

"Oh, Declan..." Helle is practically buzzing with excitement. They have to take a deep breath to calm down so they can even talk normally, without sounding too unhinged; without mentioning the thounsand different ways they would love to exploit that sort of curiosity, that intense need to be right about someone's innocence, that desire to forgive and accept. They'd give Declan a detailed description of the taste of his blood alright. Every single night, forever. Oh, how they'd love to use the stupid kid as a chewtoy, to show him all the ways a vampire can be cruel and depraved. "He sounds lovely. My mansion has a nice, shiny lock, and hides many treasures. Just putting that out there."

[aprito]

(English is not my first language, so I apologize if what I say is not very understandable).

It left me thinking what you said about some people only being interested in your account to escape reality through fandom.

Have they even stopped to think that the canonical history of the fandom they follow is full of wars, and children used to kill?Aren't we all worshiping Sasori, who lost his parents in the war and then became an active participant himself, being just a child?

Are they so oblivious to the fact that these characters made us see the gray of a world full of death and violence, that they cannot realize that all these stories are a representation of the real behavior of our humanity?

Don't delete anything, please say everything you feel necessary to say. These people have me in shock.

Naruto's ""darker"" themes has always been an analysis of how inherently evil militarism, feudalism, hyper nationalism and exposing literal children to the horrors of war and death can be and how these systems enabling these horrors shouldn't exist. It's not black and white like you said, but there are beliefs that will always be red flags to me. Take the Uchiha massacre for example, which would be the closest comparison we can make to current events.

Unfortunately, partly due to Kishimoto's shitty centrist writing and due to how predispositioned and pre-propagandized the audience is, all of these conclusions can get glossed over and lost. How many in this fandom defended Konoha's violent pursuit of Sasuke for the longest time? Saying that he wasn't allowed to deal with Itachi, and then reprimanding him for turning his hatred towards the village? Worse, how many fawn over characters like Obito, Shisui, and especially Itachi - who had no qualms about endangering their clan and ultimatively agreeing that none of them deserved to oppose their oppressors and live? Konoha, not just Danzo, in turn had kept up a heavily propagandized image of the Uchiha due to their own personal hatred and beliefs. In Danzo's case, an excuse to get access to their organs for personal profit. Worse, they (Itachi, Shisui) didn't bother being honest with their own people, ultimatively not allowing them to escape or fight back. Contrast this against the hatred for Fugaku, who not once decided to act on his own and correctly pointed out that they have been ostracised and dehumanised for things they didn't do and feared it would get worse. Sound familiar? People are correct when they call the Uchiha massacre a genocide because that's what it was, but those are the people who actually drew from real life examples to criticially engage with the material.

Analysing real world struggle and applying that analysis to the narrative is the reason I continously empathize that Sasori's hatred for Suna shouldn't be glossed over for cushy high ranking positions because he just so happens to be talented. It's integral to his character and his actions, and it's a valid hatred to have. I honestly wish Kishimoto would have a fraction of enthusiasm for exposing the systems of oppressions as Oda has (a lot of conflicts in One Piece heavily, I mean HEAVILY, draw from the Cuban Revolution), because Naruto as a story would be far better off and probably would have more to say.

This also means, of course, that I recommend the audience to engage with this subject, and not fall for the propaganda of their oppressors <3 Palestine: A Socialist Introduction is currently free as an ebook for a start.

[ichangenameseveryfiveseconds]

Ok I've come to mention it in some posts but time to actually explain it

MY ABYSS. thing. Idk.

It's where my children(the abyssals, they're called in canon) live

It has. Regions. And yes that is inspired by rain world. We have the following regions: Wrath, Dream, Village, Tech, Sunlit, Deeper, Flood, Mind, Space, Base, Entrance, Flora, Famine.

Some regions are ruled by certain Abyssals.

Almost all the regions are made with a certain effect in mind, which are the following:

Wrath region: :Kill or be Killed' - a very dangerous region, where every creature located in it is passively more aggressive than usual, the danger not being helped be eased with the many weapons scattered around by the ruling Abyssal: Carnage, Great 5th.

Dream region: 'Dream peacefully' - the second smallest, and objectively the most peaceful region, every creature inside is passively more tired, and with the many comfortable resting spots is the perfect place for a nap. Bonus add-on is that it is impossible to dream a nightmare in this region unless not in favor of the ruling Abyssal: Somna, Great 8th.

Tech region: 'A little interest' - A vast difference from all of them other regions, being a complex facility rather than the cave system. The smallest region, yet the one with most in it. The effect raises curiosity in any creature in the facility. Almost all of them equipment is made by the ruling Abyssal: Code, Great 2nd.

(Xero you'd love it here there's so much technology)

Sunlit region: 'Sunshine all around!' - As you would expect, almost the entire region is lit by "suns" floating around the region. The effect is that every creature is able to photosynthesize, no matter what they are. Don't ask how. Ruled over by two abyssals: Dawn, Great 6th and Sunset, Great 7th. The two are twins.

Deeper region: 'The deepest you can go' - just like the effect says, it's the deepest you can go. The usual cave system with plenty of food and places to rest. Good place to camp! No actual effect, but If you search deep enough, you may find a lake. I live there canonically. Yep. I rule over the region. Going to the lake means breaking the 4th wall.

Flood region: 'A natural swimmer' - Most of the region is flooded as hinted in the name. The effect makes any creature be able to breathe underwater(it isnt actually water it's just liquid abyss) as well as webbed hands (if the creature has hands). Ruled over by Ocean, Great 4th.

Mind region: 'Think a little deeper' - You will get free therapy here. I'm not even kidding. The effect makes any conscious creature question their actions, emotions, morals and if it is there, trauma. Ruled over by Noir, Great 3rd.

Space region: 'A little less pull' - exactly what you expect. It's themed after space. The effect is just less gravity. Not a really built-up region, because it is rather new. Ruled over by Star, Great 9th.

Flora region: No effect. - basically just a lot of plants. A bitch(evil plant overlord, she killed Boo qnq) used to live here, she's dead now, thank abyss. Not ruled over by anyone.

Entrance region: No effect. - not really a region but I like to include it. The entrance/only exit to the abyss. Not ruled over by anyone.

Base region: 'Welcome to the abyss.' - The region closest to the Entrance, lays a base for everything in the abyss. Ruled over by Void, Great 1st.

Village region: No effect. - While not originally a region, it has been deemed one due to being home to the largest settlement of mimics in the entire abyss, forming a large village if not a small city of just little guys... Not ruled over by anyone, but all the Abyssals check on this place from time to time.

Famine region: 'Everpresent hunger' - sighhhhhh. It's just like you would expect. Little to no food. I chucked stams Castor in here and he got cannibalism. Effect is basically little nightmares 1 hunger. Not ruled over by anyone, this is no man's land.

I'd explain more but I'm lazy, so LATERRRR

[gamerdog1]

Devil May Cry Review

Last year, I adopted my little PS2 from a Value Village. I lovingly took it home, gave it a gentle bath, and spent at least a dozen hours carefully swabbing it's insides of dust. All this, so I can get the experience of playing popular and longstanding game franchises, like God of War, and Metal Gear Solid, where they began. The things we do for love, I guess.

Since then, I've been on a bit of a side-quest in life, sort of. A quest to discover why popular pieces of media got so popular, by experiencing them first-hand. I have this drive to learn about what is beloved, to join in the fun of fandom with others, and so when I saw a lot of fanart of white haired brothers with magic swords, I got curious. One thing led to another, and after many, many hours, I have some thoughts.

Devil May Cry, for the PS2, is a very interesting case. For one, its the accidental sister to Resident Evil, as it was originally intended to be the third installment in that franchise during development. Yet the two could not be more different, in terms of gameplay style, visuals, and execution as a whole.

Where Resident Evil is all about forcing the player into difficult situations , Devil May Cry feels a little more lax. Resident Evil makes the player slowly take in the atmosphere, learn about the lore, and use their knowledge of the map to their advantage, while Devil May Cry prioritizes snappy combat over exploration and puzzle-solving.

The focus on combat is what everything in DMC revolves around, for better or for worse. There's a variety of visually interesting moves you can pull off, and more to unlock by trading in currency gotten by killing enemy monsters. More upgrades means more cool moves, means more interesting combat, and more ways to tackle bosses.

At times, though, the complexity of the combat system left me feeling overwhelmed. This is one of the few games where I had to read the manual in order to play, as there isn't any tutorial, and combat can be punishing in early stages if you aren't fully familiar with Dante's moves.

Even after learning the ins and outs of the controls and combat, I still got my ass handed to me by the first boss, and every one after that. Each one felt like a massive hurdle, and forced me to really learn how they worked in order to even stand a chance. In the moment, I was frustrated, but looking back now, I haven't had to work this hard with a boss in years. Spending hours sitting on my couch, going over the attack patterns, it was almost meditative (if not for the occasional shouts of expletives here and there on my part).

Devil May Cry, as a whole, isn't incredibly difficult, as long as you know what you're doing. The game is about figuring out your enemies' weaknesses and the best ways to exploit them, not just rushing in and hoping you'll live. Figuring this out is the first challenge, the second is the underwater controls.

Apart from gameplay itself, DMC is pretty interesting. The gothic architecture is a bit of a far cry from Resident Evil, but carries over it's grim tone and atmosphere. Colors are muted, music is oppressive and heavy, and everything lends to this feeling of grandness and fantasy. It really makes the player character stand out, which is great when you're getting ambushed by ice lizards, or something equally monstrous, in one of the many grand halls.

This review also wouldn't be complete without talking about the main character, who is a delight to be around. Honestly, Dante is the reason I picked up this game, and the reason I kept coming back to it, even after countless GAME OVER's. His snarky attitude, stylish coat, and cockiness make him a fun character to see interact with others and his surroundings, and really help him stand out from the holier-than-thou demons he faces. He's always got something to say, isn't afraid to speak his mind, and just wants to have fun, and really, who can blame him?

The story of the game, though, left a bit to be desired. Yes, its epic, and gets better in the second half of the game, but for a while, the game felt aimless. Why do I need to get these magic items, to unlock these doors, to do these tasks the game sets as mission objectives? In most games, they usually directly tie into what the player character is doing, and help facilitate a progression of story. For example, when Jill finds Richard in RE1, and has to get him an antidote before he dies, its not just a fetch quest; it teases the snake boss, establishes Richard as a character in the game's world, and depending on whether or not you save him, it affects future gameplay.

In DMC, though, each mission feels like homework, an assignment to do before a deadline or else. Sure, its a good way to show players the next objective, and as a neurodivergent person I love having clear and concise instructions, but it kills the mood. I never felt like I was exploring the castle, discovering new things and furthering the plot. It felt like I had a to-do list from the game devs, full of tasks that rarely were related to the plot, and usually just meant 'go here, get the thing, bring it somewhere else'. It would've been nice if the quests explicitly furthered the plot, but at least they told me where to go.

Don't get me wrong: I don't hate this game. I actually liked it, but there were lots of issues I had with it that soured my experience. Unforgiving bosses, overly complicated controls, and a lack of story immersion made me feel like this game was an experiment with this style of gameplay on Capcom's part. If this had a bit more polish, or maybe a tutorial, I might try playing on a higher difficulty. For now, though, I'm excited to see what's new in the sequel. I've heard its... rather infamous. Exciting.

[somegiantmess]

Some screenshots and spoilers for FF seven Reb*rth under the cut

So I got to Cosmo Canyon yesterday.

Not gonna lie I enjoy the aesthetic of the village and especially the lab and the music in the lab is really cool too.

Now with the critics.

I'm somewhat bothered by the fact that the people who care about the planet (through what they call planetology in the game) give such a vibe of... something close to sectarians and gurus? And I'm pretty sure it wasn't the case in the original game? Tbh when I came across random NPCs that laid their religious-like speeches earlier in the game, I thought it was just some random guys who came to that. I wasn't expecting the inhabitants of Cosmo Canyon to all be like that? With all the rituals the speeches the prayers etc.

Maybe the religious vibe serves to give room to make things "magical" and have the ceremony and all but I would prefer having the people in Cosmo Canyon care about the world and life like they do, but with a more scientific —and compassionate/empathic because yes both can be a thing simultaneously— stance. And like they can definitely have their own culture around it, and I mean you could make it religious maybe but the way it's done here feels overdone, feels like a cliché.

Also yes I'm aware the lab adds a scientific aspect to all that but it's not the aspect you see the most at the end of the day.

And so (spoiler: real life themes) ultimately I'm bothered because I make the link to our real world. Detractors of ecology love to paint people who ask and fight for ecological actions as: cranks, crazy, enlightened guys who are simply over sensitive and make a "religion" out of their values/beliefs, who are irrationnal, that kinda thing. Which is why I'm pretty bothered to specifically have the "ecologists" in this game now being painted as people who deliver vague speeches and talk like gurus?

Medias are vectors for our imaginations and even sometimes our assumptions about stuff, right? Whether we want it or not, whether it's a good thing or not. I'd be pleased if medias were more often and more properly a vector for knowledge and awaraness about our ecological predicament. As well as for positive imagination of different, sober lifestyle. I mean, sure, various themes tied to that can be found in a lot of content. But pieces of media that make it really central and on point? That make it realistic, relatable and emotional? That brilliantly manages to spark something -hopefully positive and action-inducing- in the viewers? More and more content that would help introducing curiosity and eventually a real culture around those topics? Would love to see more of that.

And less of "oh my god look the evil guy says he wants to save the planet and to do that he's ready to kill people/humanity! look this is what ecology does to people hhaahahaa" (for fuck's sake everything is so wrong with that— btw do you see mcu thanos? if it was real life never dare calling reducing the number of living beings on earth an ecological solution. wtf. the problem isn't the number, it's a worldwide system that relies on infinite production to create infinite capital and that implies very high material and energy consumption (especially from (spoiler) a minority of human beings). Also do we forget that not all species are in the same situation? is it ecological to reduce to half the number of individuals of a species that's on the verge of extinction even though it had a role in an ecosystem somewhere? look I don't remember all the details of how thanos thought he would do good but I saw him labelled as an evil ecologist or ecoterrorist or whatever. And his fictional argument was something like "there are too many individuals there's a balance that's being endangered in the universe let's make disappear very randomly half of the living beings and everything will be settled" —and was it supposed to be a paralell to our real world? because damn. so wrong. Did I also say that "saving the planet" is a questionable phrasing? cause when you care about ecology you care about the living beings -including ourselves- more than "saving" the earth just for the sake of it or something abstract. The planet itself will outlive us don't worry.)

Ok wow that was a very long digression.

So going back to the game; I'm just sad that the theme of ecology is here in some way, but it's like it's, in part, reduced to something that'll look religious and fanatic to most people. Even though there's room for something more impactful. Even without turning the game into something that'll obsessively revolve only around that.

Not that I'll be able to write that myself but I mean if you're a pro writer/scenarist I'm sure there's something to do.

Still want to add that if I sound anti religion or something that's not my point. My point is it's the guru vibe of the guys in the game and how they're probably perceived by players that makes it feel wrong when you're into the same irl topics as I am. :')

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Thinking about the the worst Hokage, minus Hiruzen is really difficult… it’s a bit like trying to make a mortal rating of characters based on decisions they made when they were in power. Problem with that is assuming that they are above human feelings and bias… No one is going to be completely good or completely evil, and while an improvement may not be perfect it can still be better than the previous situation.

Hashirama made a school to teach kids how to fight, yes. Which was better than what was happening before where they were sent off to “learn” on the battlefield.

Tobirama had very strong prejudices against the Uchiha, which were deeply ingrained in him as a means of survival after a lifetime of fighting against them. He also advanced a lot of the institutions and systems that set Konoha up to thrive.

Minato may not have done much but when faced with a catastrophe, he did his best to minimize the damage and casualties.

Hiruzen (and I say this as really despising him) probably genuinely thought he was doing the right thing when he took over as Hokage again after Minato’s death and in all of the terrible things that happened after.

Tsunade was doing the best she could moving from crisis to crisis but it was also a job that she didn’t want, and she made that known.

I don’t know enough about what Kakashi does as Hokage but there will certainly be things in it that weren’t the best option.

I think that sometime people forget that leaders are human too, capable of making less than perfect decisions or able to turn things into a perfect utopia in just a few years. There is another problem in there where changing people’s takes an incredibly long time and is a very slow and painful process… but I’ve already already dumped a bunch of stuff here.

See i don’t expect any of them to be perfect. I don’t think Kakashi is a ‘perfect Hokage’ as there is no such thing.

But i do hold a certain standard and ‘clan Massacure’ is far below that standard.

Tobirama loses points for admitting he thinks that ‘if the Uchiha clan died to protect Konoha then it’s a good thing’. That’s never an acceptable stance to have. Children were killed and there’s never an acceptable time to agree that it was alright to Massacure children.

As you said Tsunade was just trying to survive and keep the village going for the five years she was in power.

I’ve said it myself, Minato wasn’t Hokage long enough to be a good or bad Hokage. He never got a chance to do anything meaningful.

Kakashi’s time as Hokage are only really addressed in ‘Kakashi Retusden’ so you’d have to read the book, but even he’s bias against himself. Like this man actually did do some meaningful good changes (capture enemies instead if killing and even going so far as having iruka teach him how to knock an enemy out because he’s only ever known to kill. The Acadamy being open to everyone even if they’re not going to be Shinobi and just want to learn things that can help them in their every day life, creating trade agreements with the other villages and helping Konoha become an economic giant instead of just being a shinobi village). Kakashi did all of this and still craps on himself so much that he thinks Minato, a man who had no opportunity to do anything as hokage, was more deserving of a book than him. He also never expected anyone to like him. He thinks about an old woman in Kiri who spit on him during a visit and he holds no anger toward her because he understands people are going to be angry and hurt after all the war. Her son died to a Konoha shinobi and Kakashi accepts her anger being directed at him)

I will say that Tobirama making the system as is is honestly not something i look up to. Like, i know he may not have intended it to be used the way it was, but five year olds at the acadamy learning to fight? Six-ten year olds doing the chunin exams? He set those things up and as someone who was a child soldier for a war against the Uchiha i HATE it. His brother wanted so much better for future generations and Tobirama focused soley on making Konoha a military village and nothing else

[soultronica]

doflamingo's conception of family as "Me and Mine" is actually something i wrote about before as a response to the relatively common question of "can doflamingo feel love?" and it's one of my favourite ways to understand his character.

the love question comes up as a reaction to his good treatment of cora and the flashback of him adoring his mother. the assumption some people seem to make from that is that doflamingo is originally fundamentally Good, but he was shaped by his trauma and treble&co into believing his special manifest destiny as a celestial dragon, and then kills cora out of hurt betrayal when cora goes against him. i personally don't think that's right at all.

in the first place, i never really agreed with the assertion that treble&co groomed doflamingo into believing (or reinforcing his belief) that he was special, i have to assume it came from a meta posted here somewhere because i've only ever seen it on tumblr and having reread the passage in the manga multiple times it seems like a bit of a reach. sure they're the 'yes men' that surround powerful people and there's a feedback loop in there but i don't see it as anything powerful enough to actually shape his ideology. it was already shaped in childhood.

you see it in the flashbacks, baby mingo thinks he's a different breed and he's entirely unable to conceive of anyone not of the same breed as human, their suffering and hurt do not even register to him. yet he loves his mother.

this is where his character gets interesting, i think. in children's media there is a tendency to portray the bad guys as bad all around, all their emotions are evil emotions. it's kind of what you'd expect from one piece as well, after all it's what oda's done with the celestial dragons we've met so far, down to their ugly character design. but with doflamingo he gives a more accurate portrayal of a bigot.

it's not that bigots can't love, it's that their love is inherently tied into a conception of "Me and Mine".

first of all, there's an in-group ("Mine") and an out-group: all people in the out-group are not worthy of being considered, all people in the in-group count as real human beings. doflamingo loves his mother, but it's only possible because she's a celestial dragon, like him. she's one of the chosen people. so is cora as doflamingo's brother, and it's why no one from the donquixote family is allowed to touch him, it’s an actual blood crime.

it's possible however to be booted from the in-group, and that's when an individual goes against their rightful special place in the world and the group's interest/ideology as a whole. that's where doflamingo's father comes in. the trauma doflamingo suffers due to this reinforces this conception. it was particularly interesting to me that during this gruesome scene oda chooses to have the villagers recount the things their own loved ones had suffered at the hands of the celestial dragons, and it's worse than what they're doing (making this not a milquetoast "all extremism is bad" issue like again you expect from children's media, but a more complex recognition of the violence created by structural oppression). obviously none of this registers to doflamingo, it's forever irrelevant. it seems to have registered to cora, who suffered the same trauma.

the second aspect is that the whole system centers around doflamingo himself ("Me") (i think the fact that he's the oldest son possibly matters here, i'm not sure if things would've been different if cora was older). thus, it's also possible for people from the out-group to gain special status, by subserving themselves entirely to doflamingo as dictated by their natural place in the world order. and that means total subservience -- we've seen it, members of the donquixote family are meant to die for him without hesitation. here again, i think doflamingo is capable of love towards these people, though it's always within that framework. he seemed sad that monet died, while finding it entirely natural that she would. similarly i think doflamingo was genuinely fond of law, grooming him notably in tactics ie his own strength, though he was meant to die for doflamingo in the end by giving him immortality.

but again, going against the ideology is punishable by death -- cora's crime of betraying doflamingo supersedes his privileged position conferred by his blood status. but up until that point, these people are still naturally his, as is his wont. i think it's an aspect of what the post before this was about, that doflamingo naturally expected law to come back right until he really crossed the line. of course there's a practical aspect to this, because immortality is doflamingo's main goal and only law can give it to him, but i also think he considered law his until it couldn't be denied that he wasn't.

of course this is just my reading of the character! but he's one i really like for essentially this reason.

[righteousinadversity]

Hi! I love your blog and the way you articulate your posts, so I wanted to ask for your opinion on something. Do you think the clans are the second coming of the Wen Remnants? Is that the purpose of the narrative having WWX forgive them? Are the clans in Wei Wuxian's second life what the Wen Remnants were in his first? Do you think the clans and the Wens are in the same situation?

Hi! Thank you so much for all the love! I am so glad you enjoyed my posts! I am sorry for not answering this sooner, but I wanted to think this answer through for some time because there are quite some interesting aspects to be explored about this.

I think there is merit to recognizing the reality that there are undoubtedly cultivators who are part of the Sects who are much like what the Wen Remnants were to the larger Wen Sect – cultivators who don’t really have the power to stand up against the gentry in power and cannot or do not want to leave the sect altogether for a variety of different reasons. Cultivators who are not responsible for the crimes of other sect members and shouldn’t be made into accomplices. When I rant about the cultivation world, my general anger is toward the gentry-centric, classist structure and society, rather than all the individuals involved. It is towards the broken system. Treating everyone in the cultivation world as a monolith evil group is not really fair – especially because we know that is how the Sects treated the Wen Remnants. So, while I may refer to the Clans as a monolith, they are not really so - painting everyone with the same dye as the people who were in power and had the means and responsibility to make good choices (literally any of the clan leaders) and didn’t is not really fair.

So. Are the Clans the second coming of the Wen Remnants in Wei Wuxian’s second life after being the second coming of the tyrannical Wen Sect during the end of his first life?

And the simple answer is no. Now, there is indeed a similarity in how two of the main Clans and many minor Clans were attacked and cruelly killed by the Wen Sect unprovoked and how the Clans attacked and cruelly slaughtered the Wen Remnants unprovoked. But despite this outward similarity, the two incidents are quite different for a variety of reasons, ranging from the circumstances, the consequences, in what they mean to the narrative and to the theme of the novel.

First – the circumstances. The Clans are powerful and wealthy and prestige before being invaded by the Wen Sect – the Wen Remnants are outcasts barely surviving in a place people dared not venture near for centuries. These circumstances are also the ground rock which many of the other differences depends upon. The difference in their circumstance is really best articulated like this : 1) One very powerful country attacks other smaller and less powerful countries targeting the ruling class of those countries and in some cases, trying to outright slaughter everyone in said ruling class. 2) Many countries lead a siege upon a small village of non-combatants living peaceful and slaughters every one of them. Is there is death and destruction in both cases? Yes. Are the situations completely alike? No. This is especially demonstrated by what these circumstances mean for what follows, and that brings us to consequences.

The consequences. The Wen Sect faces the consequences for their atrocities. More importantly, the people in power responsibly for those atrocities faces the consequences. WRH, WC, WX, they all face retribution for their crimes. In fact, it is that retribution when turned into blatant cruelty to be dealt out to anyone carrying the Wen name, became one of the biggest injustices in the novel. But no one in the Clans face any consequences for slaughtering a group of innocents. Not JGS or JGY, not JC, not NMJ or LQR or LXC, no one who was involved with the decisions made. Sure, narratively, none of them gets a fantastic ending. But are also never held accountable for those actions. The Wen Sect gets their punishment – their name and bloodline are almost entirely wiped out. This is because the Clans were in the position of power and prestige to band together and fight back against the Wen Sect. The Wen Remnants simply weren’t. They were outcasts, and the only one standing between them and the Clans who thirsted for their blood was a man the Clans enthusiastically painted to the public as a nefarious villain. Their story is completely erased, turned into the monsters of history with no one left to hold the Clans accountable on their behalf.

Finally. Victors and victims. This is the most jarring difference, and the most obvious one. The Wen Sect lost the war, the Clans won the Siege. In the first case, the tyrannical forces are overthrown, but in the second, the tyrannical forces win and they crowned themselves as righteous warriors who rid the world of terrible villains. Again, the Wen Remnants are outcasts – the literal remnants of the once mammoth like Wen Sect. The Clans in WWX’s second life are not the remnants of the side that lost in his first life – the Clans did not lose at all. They are victors, the ones responsible for the slaughter of non-combatants, a mob brutality they covered up by pretty lies about monsters in mountains and heroes and righteous purges.

The two situations are not similar. And it mainly rounds back to what I said in the beginning about the system – the society of the cultivation world is inherently flawed, and the wide gap left by eliminating the Wen Sect doesn’t change the corruption and the general injustice. It carries on, a relentless wheel crushing victims beneath it as it goes.

Now the second point I want to make in this answer. How the Sects and the Wen Remnants represent polar opposite beliefs and how the Wen Remnants and their choices highlight the theme of the novel about moving on and letting go of resentment.

The Clans are attacked by the Wen Sect, and they take that thirst for vengeance, that resentment against the Wens and turn it into cruelty, into punishment to be exacted upon anyone who bears the same name as the tyrant responsible for the crimes against them. They let that resentment poison them and turn them into terrible people who became part of the mob responsible for the gruesome slaughter of innocents.

The Wen Remnants are chased out of their homes, made to suffer inhumane torture, driven to live in a mountain of death and resentment, slaughtered in the small home they carved out for themselves, and then left to soak in resentment in the Blood Pool, with no mercy even for their souls. But faced with their murderers, faced with the people for whom they would only ever be Wen-dogs, they actively choose to not exact their revenge. They choose to give back the protection Wei Wuxian once gave them, and with that last gift, moves on. They choose to let go of their resentment, even with 13 years of build-up power in their broken, battered bodies.

And the Clans are left largely ashamed of their past that they had desperately tried to hide. The past that was now laid bare in front of the juniors, all of whom realize the truth behind the so-called righteousness of their older generations.

The choice of the Wen Remnants is further reflected in the choices both A-Yuan and Wen Ning make – two of the last surviving victims of the brutality of the Clans. In the end of the Novel, they choose to bury their family with respect and remember their stories. They choose to not pursue the path of violence and revenge, a drastically different choice from the Clans.

Another interesting aspect to this (and frankly what made me take so much time to answer this ask) is what the Wen Sect and the Clans mean to Wei Wuxian, the protagonist.

Both the Wen Sect and the Clans do the exact same thing to Wei Wuxian. The Wen Sect attack and completely slaughter every single member of the Jiang Sect which is largely unable to defend itself. The Clans attack and slaughter every single Wen Remnant when they are wholly unable to defend itself. In both situations, Wei Wuxian is faced with the loss of people akin to family to him. However, Wei Wuxian’s actions against the perpetrators after the brutality are wildly different.

Wei Wuxian had gone down that road of revenge and vengeance before, and while it was completely and utterly deserved, it was also carried out by a Wei Wuxian who was struggling with multiple traumas, topped off with one huge mountain of it from his time in the Burial Mounds. Wei Wuxian recognizes that many of the actions he took during that time are not actions he would do anymore. This is because at his core, Wei Wuxian is the person who saved the Wen Remnants and protected them despite knowing how dangerous of an idea that was, despite the people of the Sect being the cause of much of those very traumas.

For Wei Wuxian, after 13 years of being dead, holding onto that rage and going back for revenge is not particularly appealing for a variety of reasons. For one, he is very particular about holding only the guilty accountable - right out at the beginning, Wei Wuxian actively protects the little Lans, despite the Sect being present at the siege to kill him, because he knows that these tiny Lans are not at fault for the crimes their seniors did.

Another reason is that Wei Wuxian is most likely tired of the violence. He wants to leave his past life in the well, past. It's not really about forgiveness - he is well aware how unfair the Siege was and how the Clans wronged him and the Wen Remnants. In fact, for much of the beginning of his second life, he seems to be actively suppressing the memories he had with them, especially memories of A-Yuan (This is also a narrative choice because it is of course one of the two big reveals that flips the script of the story - but even when he is talking with Wen Ning, Wei Wuxian emphasizes how he doesn't want to linger in the past.)

But you don't have to forgive someone to move on with your life. You sure as hell don't have to forgive someone to not continue the cycle of violence.

Wei Wuxian doesn't want to let that wheel of resentment and violence continue to spin. He knows how that story ends - he has seen what it did to the Wen Remnants. He actively chooses to put an end to it. He actively chooses to go against what the clans expect of him. The clans think that much like them, he is going to be driven by revenge and vengeance - they actively expect him to cause unspeakable horrors should he come back to life.

It is an interesting subversion that occurs in the Burial Mounds. The Clans set up one hundred and twenty stone beasts on top of the Burial Mounds and routinely conducted soul-summoning rituals, because they were terrified that he would come back to life and lead a bloody revenge from his lair. And Wei Wuxian does come back to life. And in that very lair, he paints a spirit-attraction flag upon himself to save the very people who pushed him to his death - who were still crying for his death.

Both Wei Wuxian and the Wen Remnants are the victims of much of the cruellest actions in the entire novel. But they also embody one of the major themes of the novel - choosing to let go of resentment and moving on. The Clans, especially the people in power, embody the people who let that resentment rot their morality and let themselves be by-standers and/or directly complicit in the cruel machinations that occurred. That's the thing about choosing to move on. It's not about the justice or the vengeance or the righteous rage (Because it is righteous, make no mistake about it.) It is about choosing what is right for you, what you want for yourself as a person. Wei Wuxian chose to not let violence be his legacy. He had once made that choice during the Sunshot Campaign - and that's not the choice he wants to make now. It is admirable and amazing and the core of the ideology Wei Wuxian represents - remember the things others do for you, not the things you do for others. Only when people don’t hold so much in their hearts would they finally feel free.