#....also I freely admit that I'm a hypocrite

[ghostmartyr]

I don’t really think Ymir went back on anything her arc built up to, I think her goal was to live a life that she could be proud of, and by saving r&b she followed her principles. It’s tragic but that’s the irony of Ymir, she always wanted to be selfish but couldn’t escape her nature of being a good person. Historia on the other hand…yeah her arc is fucking infuriating

I'm breaking my own commitment to not dip my toes into this, because impulse control what impulse control.

Here's my starting point problem with that:

Ymir does not save Reiner and Bertolt.

At best, her actions get them a pat on the head by their oppressors. They continue to live out being child soldiers for a society that considers them devils. Bertolt dies in their service almost immediately after. Reiner is a suicidal mess whose will to live is bound up in other child soldiers he's responsible for.

No one is saved.

That's a fair tragedy, with someone trying to repay a debt only for it to amount to nothing because the cycles they're all caught up in are larger than any one personal act of altruism. Even trying to good can't undo the harm of systemic cruelty. It's a valid plot for a story like this.

Except Ymir is one of the few characters who realizes how fucked the world is. She's a better person than she ever wants to be, because being good gets you jack shit and she knows that -- but she can't help but lend people the hand she was never given. On its face, that makes her a good candidate for a hopeless sacrifice that saves no one.

The core problem is that, again, Ymir knows how fucked the world is.

You’re going to kill yourself, the ultimate act of submission. Is that how much you want to please the people who treated you like a nuisance?! Ymir, Chapter 40

Ymir kills herself for Reiner and Bertolt, providing the people who left her with decades of living a nightmare a weapon.

Doing stupid shit to help Reiner and Bertolt out tracks. If they hadn't shown up, she'd still be in that nightmare, and she killed their friend.

But she specifically kills herself in a way that aids people who violated her, who will continue to abuse Reiner and Bertolt, and continue to launch offensives that put Historia's life at risk. Ymir has the knowledge to understand that she's not saving anyone from anything here.

There are many potential layers of story that could have been approached with this, but the bottom line for me is that Ymir's most solid convictions are all ignored when she goes with Reiner and Bertolt. There are facets you can examine to make it make sense, just as there are all kinds of things you can examine with Historia's reversal of her arc. It's always a tragedy when someone fails their principles so stunningly. It's the Bad End coming as was dreaded.

It's just that the story does not examine any of it. It's taken as a given that Ymir goes through with this, leaving us with Ymir killing herself for people who hate her in order to give Reiner and Bertolt a temporary reprieve that only condemns them to a familiar suffering.

Even then, you could make a case for characters doing stupid things if the story at least admitted that it was a ridiculously bad idea on all fronts. Our protagonist's arc is built on that. Eren makes bad choice after bad choice after bad choice and every character in his vicinity rightly goes "what." Characters can utterly fail the best of themselves and it can still be a compelling story.

With Ymir, there simply is no story. She chooses to die, and it's taken as inevitable that a character who is so anti-fate and so anti-dickheads would die in a way that benefits a "fate" she rejected and a bunch of dickheads.

Ymir kills herself, and it makes Marley happy and saves no one. She knows enough about the world to understand that.

I do not personally think that the story should get credit for tragic irony that amounts to "what if everything went to hell" without actually bothering to come up with a why for everything going to hell.

Eren's a tragic disaster; Ymir's a dropped thread.

[henrysglock]

Dude the fact that you're hating on the byler side of the fandom for speculating on what they're filming in the church is crazy, when you youself have posted such outlandish theories like 'Hopper killed a cat as a teenager' bffr

Dude the fact that you're hating on me on anon is crazy, when I myself post my hate openly and with my name attached.

🚨 Coward Alert! 🚨

Also: Those posts were non-rebloggable. That means you either follow me, or you stalk my blog. I'm not sure which is more embarrassing for you!

Anyway, to actually address what you said:

I didn't say Hopper killed the cat, I said "which of these two (Henry or Hopper) seems more like someone who would be violent towards animals of their own volition" WORKING WITHIN IN THE FRAMEWORK ESTABLISHED BY HOPPER'S TREATMENT OF EL. The line from the Hopper TFS audition tape indicated that he a) hates cats, b) wants to beat the shit out of one, and c) wants to shake the hand of the guy who killed the (at the time) unnamed cat. Which one seems more likely to harm things smaller than him: A guy with that ^^ line, or a kid who looks disturbed and vaguely ill while interacting with a rabbit that broke its leg in a snare? And I wasn't even entirely wrong. I was wrong about Hopper, which I admitted freely, but I was never wrong about Henry. It was a line that existed in a video that was immediately redacted when the other tapes weren't, indicating that it was too close to spoiler territory…and it DID appear in the play! The content of the other videos did not! Funny how that works.

As indicated above, I do my best to make sure my theories always have some kind of factual basis. The byIer theory you're referring to is based in what people want to see happen, not what's actually been presented to them...and that's ALWAYS going to end in disappointment (<- something I have said many times, something that shapes how I do analysis). There was no indication that the church was going to be about byIer, and I said multiple times that the quote on the sign is more about the Creels/Henry's thing with the Mindflayer...Especially since Mike and Will don't have a lick of religious trauma between them, unlike Henry who has a whole ass arc in a church 💀. Lo and behold: red mindscape lights at the church. Vecna. No Finn, iffy on Noah. Who would have thought...who could have guessed...who could have foreseen...........

I don't have the attitude. When I saw TFS and realized the line had been taken out of context, I immediately posted and said "Huh, I was wrong about Hopper. That's a lesson about assumptions." I didn't overdose on copium about it and post "uuuhuhuh it can still happen Hopper can still have been a violent teen". No. I acknowledged that I was wrong in December, and I have since altered my theories accordingly. I let it go. I've also said over and over that all of my theories have a maximum confidence rating of 50/50. Most of them rank in at about 10-15% confidence. It's the academic writer in me that says "post your hypothesis with confidence, and if you're wrong, then retract and try again". I've never been that cocky and self-assured...because it's embarrassing to have acted that way only to be wrong (especially!! when it's something easily disproven, like "the church is all about byler"). If other people, like you, want to ignore my self-awareness and try to make me out as a hypocrite, that's no longer a me problem. That's a you problem. Lol. Lmao, even.

[jp---v]

Chapter 393

Twice, those names are terrible.

Hypocrite Dabi

Of course Shigaraki would know all about this topic. Comic nerd All for One who was actually around then would have to have talked about it

You know all of these closer shots of Toga yelling makes me think, how often does she bite here cheeks/tongue with those fangs. Like, I have normal teeth and it happens way too often. It would feel like shredding the insides of her mouth with teeth like that

When did she get Pixie-bob's blood? Or measurements if it's from Twice's quirk? Can the Pixie-bob clones use her quirk? Is that why the Twice clones have been forming mountains in the background of the last few chapters?

hork is a bit of a weird onomatopoeia

Uraraka wants to admit her feelings to her crush

Uravity wants to be a hero thst makes people smile

But right now there's a lot more at stake

Freely offering her blood was not exactly what I expected, but I can't say I'm completely surprised.

A huge part of Toga's backstory is being rejected because her quirk requires blood, and Uraraka's trying reach out and understand.

Oh also Uraraka's quirk might've just evolved, and unsuprisingly, the mechanic is similar to Shigaraki's Decay, a self-propogating spread

[galaxythreads]

Its wonderful how u guys misinterpret the dumbest shit and assume what an anon was referring to. When and anon isn't being specific pf whst they mean. how abt take the wank goggles off for a sec?

I'm assuming that you're referring to this:

because if not I honestly don't know what you mean. I haven't answered any asks in over a week.

Here is what I think you are saying: thor is a hypocrite for calling Odin blinded by hatred and grief after losing frigga, when Thor himself is also blinded by said hatred and grief.

I'm just inferring off of this that maybe this means that Odin's plan was better because both of them weren't thinking clearly. Calling Thor a hypocrite when referring to this scene just kind of gives me that impression. I could be wrong. I will freely admit that.

Can you explain to me what I'm missing?

[sfsolstice]

hello friend!

i was wondering if i could get a tarot reading? i’ve been making some big decisions recently and i wonder if they’re going to set me on a positive path. i think these are so fun! keep doing what you’re doing :)

even without tarot, i can very confidently say, with certainty, that if you made those decisions with the fullness of your heart, out of honor and respect for yourself and others, with the intention of being open and the goal of expanding / learning, and if you think it'll make you happy, then you're on the right path.

big decisions are SO fucking scary; fucking props to you ! i of course don't know the specifics, but if you can look towards the future with optimism, then i think you made the right decision. even if it might be something that sucks in the short term, but you know you'll be happy in the long term (e.g., picking up a new skill, starting recovery, putting yourself first, etc etc), or even if, later down the line, something ends bitterly or doesn't end the way you wanted it to.

one thing leads to another; something bitter could later become sweet, and vice versa, but i guess what i wanna say is that, no matter the outcomes of your decisions, you'll be alright. you'll be on the path you'll need to be on, and to me, every path is a positive path, as long as it leads you back to yourself ! so i say, instead of wondering or worrying what the future'll be like (very hypocritical of me giving this advice i wanna admit, i've been wondering about the future too much lately), take some time to pause and look at where you are right now, take stock of who's in your life, what's in your life; what's in front of you that makes your heart full? identify something concrete. i'll do it if you do it (i've been doing it this whole time LMAO).

and then go tell them, if you're thinking of a person. or give them an extra treat, if they're a pet. or a place on your shelf, if it's a memory. or a rewatch, if it's a comfort show. and so on and so forth you get it lol

friend, whatever decisions you've made, i'm excited for you !! i hope everything goes in a way that lets you love yourself more (and more freely, if that's something you struggle with at all, but also, i hope that you're content, and happy, and seen, and heard, and and and !), and i'll always be here hoping the best for you <3 so mwah kisses your head go out there and have fun

[rise-of-a-morningstar]

-long post, friends; I'm rambling about somethings that Lexie and Sebby have kept to themselves for Probs too long.

In regards to that last repost,

Honestly we were, and still are, extremely hesitant about how much we're choosing to interact and get involved with HH/HB. Hellaverse is something we've been enjoying greatly and we love sharing our ideas and learning other people's ideas as well, no matter the fandom or media it's over. When we take interest in something, it's deep rooted.

But every time we venture to fandom spaces that we haven't been to, there's this sense of dread and fear we get. Especially when there's a flocking of new and young fans.

Lexie and Sebby were lucky with the delightful crowd they fell into over in the corner of the Star Wars Rebels fandom. We've been lucky to have both friends and mutuals unconditionally support us, be just as eager to hear us explore our thoughts and fantasies as we are theirs.

Above all else, we operate on a ship and let ship type of stature. Don't judge kinks or fantasies or how someone chooses to cope. We get antsy and anxious when people conflate their personal discomfort over X as "X is immoral". I'll be one of the first to admit that there's a lot of weird shit, but weird shit is okay. There's nothing shameful or immoral about it as long as it isn't hurting a real person.

What so many people don't understand is that they are responsible for curating their own online experiences, but they take that as they have to make this other person change. Instead of just simply blocking things or people when they feel uncomfortable.

The "everyone has to be unproblematic and share the exact opinion and perspective as I do" is such a highly and deeply flawed mindset to have. It's the "you don't think the same way I do, therefore you're wrong and that isn't allowed". And often it's hypocritical.

Not everyone will get along and not everyone will agree and not everyone will have the same perspective. But that's life. That's real life. You can either embrace it or just keep scrolling.

Curating your online experience does not mean harass and berate others into submission to your will and beliefs.

For us, we welcome anyone and everyone, we love broadening the horizons of understanding or perspectives. But what we don't welcome is when people try and make all fiction "unproblematic", when they believe that what a person creates is a showcase of what that person's morals are, or when they think it's okay to berate someone over their taste in *fiction*.

We've been fortunate in the fact that someone hasn't directly targeted or harassed us, but that's also because we have a tendency to stick to ourselves and our small circles when it comes to closer/direct interactions.

I know Lexie would love to interact more, but he's also the most hesitant. He acts tough, and he is, but he also has a lot of the mental stuff that he has to balance.

Regardless, we're still excited to share our exploration thoughts and listen to others, excited to meet others. Above all else, excited to offer a safe space for others to explore their imagination freely and without judgment.

I fell asleep writing this, hehe, I'm just rambling. The boys kept this in for too long, and after reading through the documents of what happened, my heart ached. For Shay, their friends, their family, and their dreams and passion.

I hate how toxic fanspaces can become. How unwelcoming. And how it's been escalating from more than just the typically more erotic side of things. Every thought, take, and imagination has to be "the right one". If your imagination isn't an exact mirror of your real world morality, then there's the risk of someone with no media literacy but equipped with more words than they know how to wield safely harassing you instead of simply just scrolling on or blocking.

There's more I wanted to say, but it's not in my mind's orbit at this moment. And I'm not sure what else to say that isn't just going to be repeating what I've already said.

Nevertheless, we still firmly stand on being as welcoming as possible. On providing a safe and gentle space.

Love,

Alice 💖

[zumpietoo]

Now For Pressed....

I should preface this with--this arrived MINUTES after I bagged on Peepster last nite.....(but I was tired....), only further cementing just how obsessed the BB is with me.

It's loonnggg so the TWO full snips will be dragged in two parts, here!

We've already discussed this. She scabbed. And routinely violated other strike rules, because she was also desperate for attention....and I've detailed it all along. However, I AM still waiting for proof of

A) Cole is an abuser

B) Cabana Boi was in NYC....(tho that IS possible, buuuutt....funny how KlasseeereinPP didn't take a pic with him, as well, hmm??)

And it's my blog, I don't have to "shut" anything....

Actually, no to all of the above on the second paragraph. If Peepster were "keeping her relationship private", we never would've had the myriad of Power Couple pap pics she arranged. We wouldn't have had her included in videos by his friends, because those could be edited out, easily....and she would've requested as much (plus his friends all fucking hate her, so I'm sure the little we've seen was because they asked for it).

If anything? Still much moar effective/easier to argue it's a Pee Arr relationship, given how staged it is.

Plus I thought keeping your relationship private (as I already noted) was evvvollll/done cuz makes it easier to cheat? You, once again, don't get to have it both ways.

Apparently you also can't read, because I pointed out not that she's IN her family photos (few that there are), but how awkward and uncomfortable she looks in her clearly obligatory visit....oh and her general lack of interaction, even still with them. I'm sorry you're so stupid.

How exactly am I "harassing" anybody by reposting already publicly posted pics? That isn't stalking, either, because, again....they're all fully aware (or should be, after 8 years) that their pics with her ARE gonna generate moar attention than other families.

PLUS.....we're talking about the same peeps who routinely leaked and shared her, Cole and a child for clicks for fucking years. Again, don't get to have it both ways....

As for Cabana Boi? Yes, I do think it's way too soon.....but y'all didn't and are simply off weeping because of it. Additionally, there seems to have been no interaction between them for a month, now....which is what you're really upset about.

AND that she, yet again, even tho just a few hours drive/on the way to NC, didn't bother to meet his 'rents....

Errmmm....let's see....there's nothing wrong with factual criticism of anybody....but, the BB? Do in fact stalk his IG, leave pointless hate on other posts, send death threats, have freely admitted they exist, entirely to "destroy him" and their hate is obsessive, false and irrational.

Oh and hypocritical.....so, since they're like 12 billion times moar egregious, why are you kewl with them, but not me? And, again, please provide proof of anything....

Again, dude....no. Shit is shared with me in DMs. Now, do I find her assholishness to be entertaining? Obviously.....but I never "claimed to hate her", tho if I did, WTF is it to you, anyway?

And why so suddenly worried about what I do----and do you send the same the the BB for their obsession with Cole and myself?

I believe all that applies to yourself (for sending anon hate) and the rest of the BB, once again....plus, WTF is it to you and why are you here? It's untagged and nobody's forcing you. What's embarrassing is your obsession with ME

Pretty sure it's because you're legit THAT upset that

A) PP's relationship with her "nice family" continues to be increasingly strained

B) No Turkey Day Cabana Pee

PS Ummm.....nope. Nor did that person sound anything like me and I'm perfectly happy to claim credit for what I do....

KISSESSSSS!!!!

[vicroc4]

I'll freely admit that part of the reason I get angry when I'm told I'm wrong is because I was told I was wrong a lot growing up - and later found out that some of the things I was "wrong" about I was actually spot-on. I'm lucky my parents didn't treat me that way, but I'm also upset with my mother for not defending me from her own mother more.

Come to think of it, that's probably why I'm so eager to shove Nona in a home and forget about her - she was yet another bully of my formative years, and the only one I still have to deal with on a regular basis. And now she gets to bully my daughter, either directly or indirectly through my mother. And it probanly won't end after she dies, because Mom is going to develop a massive guilt complex about Nona dying like she does with everything else.

(And no, I don't consider myself a good person for thinking this way, before anyone tries to call me a hypocrite)

[newwwwusername]

Chicago (Stage Version) - Amos & Mary Sunshine - Tourette's Syndrome Awareness Month Prompt 2 : Motor Tics

Prompt : Write a fic about a character with motor tics Headcanon : Amos has motor tics, Autistic!Amos Author's note : Mary Sunshine's character was based on the real-life reporter who wrote the original play it was based on partially out of guilt for platforming people like Roxie, so I'm just running with the idea that Mary knew Roxie wasn't as innocent as she presented herself to be

Mary and Amos had met immediately after Roxie's trial, once the chaos from the outside murder had died down. Mary, now off the clock, saw the man sulking outside the courthouse and felt a bit of sympathy. Deep down, she knew that Roxie wasn't being 100% truthful in her trial. All of the signs were there.

Amos never seemed like the horrible slob Roxie had framed him as in the court. Of course, Mary also understood that people could be two-faced. It'd be hypocritical to question the legitimacy of Roxie's story but take Amos at face value. Maybe he was a really shitty person behind closed doors and Roxie was right to present him as such.

But he just didn't strike Mary as that good of an actor.

So, she approached him and asked if he wanted to go get dinner with her. Having nothing better to do now that he was alone, he agreed and they promptly made their way to the closest bar, ordered the cheapest appetizers they had, and got to talking.

It took Mary Sunshine a moment to turn off the journalist part of her brain and just listen to his ramblings but, once she did, she found herself fascinated by the way his brain worked, drifting regularly from the trial to his job as a mechanic to what he had for dinner the previous day to the trial again.

He seemed relieved to talk so openly, and that just made Mary more suspicious of the picture that Roxie had painted for the jury. If Amos was really so heartless and sloppy, why was he being so polite and why did it seem like he hadn't been able to talk so freely in years?

Eventually, Mary began to pick up on these little motions he was doing. She didn't notice it at first but sometimes he would blink rapidly and then his eyes would dart to the side or his neck would jerk or his hand would shoot up. She'd been so enraptured in hearing the man speak that she didn't even notice these at first.

When she did notice, though, she couldn't help but ask. "What's with all the little movements?"

"And then he... What?"

"Like the..." Mary trailed off awkwardly, unsure of how to word it. She poorly mimicked the motions and Amos went rigid. "It's not a bad thing, dearie" she backtracked. "I'm just curious"

"I'm sorry" Amos swallowed thickly, his gaze fixed on the table rather than on the woman across from him. The motions ceased, though the sudden tenseness in his jaw made it seem like ceasing them was uncomfortable, even painful, for him. Mary raised her hand off the table to reach for his and assure him that it was okay, but the flinch and the brief increase of the rate of breathing made her falter.

This was definitely not the douchebag that Roxie described.

"I'm not gonna hurt you" she assured him, and he cautiously opened an eye, expecting to get that same, disgusted look Roxie would always give him whenever he twitched too much, but he was met with only a kind smile and concerned eyes. "I didn't mean to freak you out like that... I'm sorry"

"Why are you being so nice?"

Mary smiled. "Because you're a nice person" she told him simply. "I'm simply returning the favor"

"Oh"

"You don't have to hide the movements, by the way" she told him, noticing him closing his eyes tensely for a moment as he seemed to suppress a twitch. "And you don't have to explain them if you don't want to. I was just curious"

"I can't really control them" he admitted, hesitantly letting out a neck jerk and sighing in relief when Mary's kind expression stayed the same. "I mean, I can suppress them for a bit but it hurts" he elaborated. "They just... Happen"

"Fascinating"

"I guess"

...

"Now, about this coworker you were telling me about" Mary said, clapping her hands definitively. Amos' eyes lit up and that light didn't leave even when his hand involuntarily shot up again.

"Right!" he said a bit loudly with a big smile. "So, anyways, you would not believe what he did next..."

Do not repost on other sites! If you want to participate in this month's challenge, there are 15 Tourette's-centered prompts that you can find here

[nekasu]

Letting out a small sigh, Neka lets his sleeve fall down to the point it completely covers his left arm again, and when he removes it from the garment it was back to how it initially appeared.

"I can admit to being a bit...overzealous with my accusations, just as you did right now. I had assumed that I would have to exert a great deal of effort to get you to look at things in a different way as that is how I remembered you. You have indeed changed, and that is quite a laudable goal and for that you have my sincere congratulations." Despite the kitsune's oft-irreverent and whimsical nature, there's no iota of facetiousness or mockery to his tone.

The kitsune's tails swish back and forth restlessly as she claims his views would deprive Inazuma from its potential for growth. Perhaps not entirely without merit despite his surprising adaptability, but it sounds rather hypocritical of her who also denied her people the ability to grow by stealing their earnest ambitions.

"You are mistaken, however, in that I'm not threatening to wipe out your army if you disagree with me. But if they're used to oppress the people, then I will have to side with the innocents instead. It is more a warning to never let things reach such a point ever again."

His expression softens a little in response to Ei talking about her loss. Her suggestion is perhaps more than a little sarcastic, but Neka's reply is neither a barb nor retaliation for the verbal slight. "If you think it would help to talk about things with someone, I can at least listen to you. I think something that would have helped both of us is having someone to vent to. I can at least say I feel at least a little better after letting out 500 years of frustrations, even if I must apologize for directing everything at you. So by all means, let it out."

It's also true that he make little effort to reach out to her, but how could he, since if he'd tried earlier he would have been even more liable to explode than this time.

"You are also correct that you were forced into a role you neither wanted nor were truly suited for. Who knows what would have happened to Inazuma if they found out that their beloved Shogun had died in battle? The Shogun, who thanks to your numerous efforts, was thought to be utterly invincible? You know, while I will criticize you often, I can also freely admit when you do the right thing, and you taking over Makoto's place was indeed the safest thing to do given the circumstances." What she did afterward is perhaps another story, but the kitsune isn't about to repeatedly hammer her when the point has already been made.

Really? She actively kept threats at bay while meditating? Then why had the Fatui been allowed to cause as much chaos as they had? Why hadn't she just ended the civil war and leave Watatsumi Island either a charred hellscape or completely devoid of any rebellious presence? Again, something he'd argue more if he felt like it, but it serves neither of them to hash it out more.

"But, if you wish to know if I can acknowledge my own failings, I am more than happy to tell you what they are. I failed your sister in that I allowed her to go off to die. Granted, she told me to stay in Inazuma while she took care of something, but if I were stronger or able to see through her, could I have made a difference? I'm sure I'm not unique in that particular guilt, since I can only imagine your eternity-focused mindset was caused by similar sentiments, no?" They were indeed very alike with regards to their traumas from back then, but how they handled it was very different.

"As you said, I'm stubborn. Prideful. Lustful. I failed the people during the civil war because I was still bound to the domain, despite being able to hear their pleas. Kitsune are known to hold grudges. I'm not blinded by pride or arrogance to assume that has no influence over how I've talked to you. I will admit that I assumed that you as the God of Eternity did not change at all in the last 500 years, even though you're the one telling me that things have changed."

"So yes, I did overstep some boundaries because I underestimate how much you changed and became willing to accept other viewpoints. And I understand we perhaps got off on the wrong feet, but do know that I hope we can get along. I promise I'll tone down the sharpness of my words now that I've actually gotten to understand you better. Sound fair?" He holds out a hand--his right hand--as if offering her to take it as a sign of good faith.

There's still something important he wants to talk to her about regarding himself and Makoto, but that can wait for another time.

For the fraction of a moment, when her gaze lands upon charred flesh, Ei's countenance seems to soften into one of concern. While it may have been an injury of old, there is no denying that it still seemed like one that still causes discomfort.

Yet as briefly as her expression had changed, it is also quick to ripple and fade into one of coldness.

"I will not." In contrast to the heat of his wrath, hers is contained in ice. "Am I supposed to feel sympathy for your plight when you refuse to acknowledge the simple fact that all that you did unto me was cause pain? That your self-assumed 'methods' of guidance were naught but your own assumptions on what I require, no matter how 'well meaning' you thought they were. I spoke of your compulsion to control and here you are, controlling the narrative by bringing your own circumstances up and deflecting blame off your own shoulders so as not to claim responsibility for your failings."

As much as it pains her to admit, Ei continues.

"You are loyal to my sister's legacy, Neka. You were loyal to the Inazuma of her time. Not to the Inazuma of the present. All of your perspective, all of your impressions on what was needed, all of your attachment is to the version of Inazuma you remembered. You may have helped Makoto build the nation eons ago- that is true- but the nation you remember have long since changed. It is you who cling to the past and stand in the way of it's growth now with your assumptions. That is tantamount to betraying the nation by depriving it of it's potential to grow. On top of that, it is you who is always so keen to leverage the welfare of my troops and threaten their lives whenever you perceive any disagreement with your words."

Ei is under no illusion where his loyalties lie. The only reason he so stubbornly remained was to honour his oath to his sister and yet it is also that same oath that compels him to steer her into decisions Makoto would have made, despite the clear changes that were present in the nation's culture, environmental and societal needs. When it boils down to things, Neka himself has no idea what people actually wanted. Especially not when he holds occasional distaste for them.

"You are not the only one who suffered or endured great pain on behalf of the nation. Should I, following your example, then bring up how much loss I have endured during the cataclysm too? How many friends I have witnessed fall, how many I've been forced to cut down myself?"

Someone like him who is unable to place his own prejudices aside to focus on learning about the current nation at hand and it's differences, is incapable of leading, much less so in advising anyone on how to progress.

"In these two years, when have you asked about what I had accomplished to preserve and rebuild what was left of Inazuma after the cataclysmic disaster? When have you tried to reach out and spoken to me directly about what was unfolding behind the scenes? When have you tried to understand my reasons for sequestering myself in my plane of Euthymia?"

After all of this, what he cared for in the end was that no one was left to grieve his death.

"I did not ask to be instated as an archon. That was in part why I was never keen on ruling alongside Makoto in the first place, preferring to act in the shadows under her will. What choice did I have but to step into the role, when all whom she cared for looked to her to end the ravages of the cataclysm?"

Ei takes in the sight of the other, really looked at them in all their indignance and fury.

"I was willing to give up everything in exchange for preserving Inazuma in everlasting Eternity. To ensure that it will never be left unguarded, I relinquished my body, my identity and existence to create an undying vessel. My realm is a space devoid of all matter; deliberately structured such that I could focus and channel atmospheric lightning as this nation's defense and obliterate threats from the outside. It takes a great deal of focus in doing so, thus the Shogun was deployed to take care of internal affairs. Why should I have any reason to 'hide' like a 'pouting child' when all my efforts went into actively keeping threats at bay? But of course, you are welcome to cling onto that perception you have in your head."

In all the past centuries he'd spent out, when had he thought to establish contact with her and asked what he could have done to support her attempts at bringing structure once again? When had he thought to ask for her perspective instead of dismissing her? When had he ever seen her as anything but her sister's failure of a replacement? When had he tried to let go of his preconceived ideas of what's 'right' and sought to provide suggestions? For all he talked about her potential and abilities, he certainly doesn't believe in it whatsoever.

"The Cataclysm happened precisely because of human ambition. Something as dangerous as a gnosis will only attract those of ill intent; Celestia may have awarded Makoto one. But neither she nor I saw the need to harness it. And neither of us believed it helpful to the people- that is why we had Miko seal it away from the beginning. Did she not speak of this with you as her familiar? If it comforts you, you can very well try and take it back from the harbingers. I will not stop you from doing so."

Ei closes her eyes briefly. Though she has no need for breathing, she does so anyways to allow herself a means to anchor herself to the present by focusing on the whirring of air beneath mechanical parts.

"I extend my sympathies for your plight and I apologise for aggravating your hurt by comparing you to the traitors, that was indeed uncalled for. And while I can sufficiently state I recognise the source of your resentment and bitterness now, I stand by my original point: Until you can acknowledge your own limitations, failings, justification in the trespassing of my boundaries at every turn and responsibilities, I do not see any chance of a 'heart to heart' conversation. Neither of us are human but that does not mean I will remain tolerant of your continued abuse. Please leave."

[theinnerunderrain]

In the midst of dreams [Yan! Scaramouche x Fem!Reader]

Warnings: Yandere implications, disturbing texts.

Note: I also want to give a big thanks to @cocosakuya15 for suggesting the idea! I'm honestly not completely caught up on the genshin lore so I don't really know how Nahida's powers work but it sounded like a fun idea to write about!

+

It was no secret that children have been the only ones in Sumeru who can dream due to their innocence.

Humans in general utilize their dreams as a way of organizing their thoughts, regulate their emotions, and even occasionally to carry their aspirations to life. Perhaps it resembles a realm in which they can freely wander on their own, free from the constraints of Teyvet or the divine principles. Animals dream in a similar way to how people do in order to assimilate and comprehend their habitat, obviously their dreams are not going to be as complex as humans but it's nevertheless the ability to dream.

Dreams are the very foundation of life.

Ever since she took Kunikuzushi, Nahida has considered the possibility that the puppet may well be capable of experiencing dreams. Nahida would assume it is conceivable since even a simple being such as a rat can dream, although clearly their dreams will differ greatly from those of a simple human. Therefore, it is logical to assume that a puppet created in the likeness of an archon would be capable of dreaming.

Isn't this theory intriguing to comprehend?

Given that he was within her responsibility and had started to show signs of perhaps emerging out of the coma during the past three days, Nahida wouldn't deem her actions inappropriate. She only intended to observe his mental condition since whatever he was dreaming about was causing his body to spasm, other times he would mumble incoherently under his breath.

He was bound to wake up soon, Nahida was certain of it.

Nahida inhaled deeply and channeled all of her energy toward the immobile man. She presses her fingertips against the temple of his forehead as a sudden surge of force rushes throughout her body. She waited and watched, anticipating nothing to result from her hypothesis, as everything appeared to become still. The man can perhaps be nothing more than a puppet, a lifeless shell devoid of feelings or heart. So it wouldn't be so surprising if her hypothesis is wrong.

Perhaps Nahida made the wrong assumptions, was the Shogun capable of dreaming? She couldn't recall.

It was silent for a moment.

Nahida was so worried for him that she almost believed her conclusions were incorrect and that she was simply hallucinating his behaviour. Nahida had to admit that she had a feeling of responsibility over Kunikuzushi, similar to the emotion a parent would have for their child. She was conscious that it was a tad hypocritical given their relative difference in age, but perhaps she felt sorry for him after knowing of his abandonment and the motivation behind his actions?

Instead of intruding into his thoughts in this way, Nahida could simply consult him when he awakens. Although she has her worries about his ability to be entirely honest, she has predicted that given his coma, his personality may diverge from the norm to some degree.

Nahida watched for a few more seconds, but she saw no evidence of development or even the slightest hint of movement from the young man.

She might have been mistaken after all.

But as she prepared to get up from the chair, she suddenly felt a loud ringing tremor throughout her head and heard a sudden swarm of voices. She grasped her head as she struggled to steady herself against the bed as the sounds crept into her mind, causing a faint tone of anguish to emerge from her lips. Although it appeared that several people were speaking, Nahida could tell that it was only one person. The voices simply represented the various stages of the person's life and the thoughts and feelings he was experiencing at the time.

It was Kunikuzushi.

Guilt, rage, apprehension, joy, and love. Those were the sort of emotions he experienced.

[First Name].

[First Name].

[First Name].

[First Name].

[First Name].

[̴F̴i̸r̶s̸t̴ ̷N̷a̷m̸e̶]̴.̴

[̸̧̙͍̥̺̎F̵̥͙̆̉̈͘í̷̡̗͈̓̓̓ȓ̴͕̣͖̬̌s̵̢͎̩͆̌̇̃͛͜t̴͈̒̀ ̵̡̎̽͘͝Ń̸̢̫̘̗̞̇̓̕̚a̴͓̬͙̞̳͊̉͊͂̚m̷̝͝ė̴̛̻̩͍͉́]̷̟͚̏.̶͎͙̆̑͛̄̓

F̷̭̗̣̯̱͎̼̹̗͔̈́i̶̢̘̠̲̰̫͚̺͇̅̃͊͐̿͐̃͌̋̔̃̕̚͘͝ͅr̵̻̖̟̫̈̓̓͋̽̀̂̈́̄̈̃̿͘͘͝s̵̟̭̰͗ͅṫ̷̡̢̗̹̹̱̪̈́͌̈́̇͂̀̒ ̵̲̃̈́͋̉͊̒̎̿̔̓̐͝Ṇ̴̨̬͚̰̦̗͒͆͋̕ͅͅà̵̺̖̬̥͙͇̱̐͐́́m̵̡̧̛͉̯͇̱̬͔͖̉̇ẽ̶̢̧͓̼̣̣̱̝͇͈͓̥͕̣͂̃̊͛͒̃͆]̸̢̨̜̹͇͔̇͂͛̂̆͘̕.̸̪͖͎̎̎̒̒͠

[̸̢̨̬̗̲̫̹͈̤͎͇͕̗̤͆͛̓̓̄͝F̶̢͕̮͉͌͊̄̓̂̓̏̈́͒̾̉́̾͆́̎͌̔̽́̔̕͜͝͠͝ͅì̶̜̄̿̊͋͘͘ͅr̷̨̡̢̦̘̤̝͙͍͙̹̖̻̄̌̏̏̊̀͐̃́̈͂́̀̆̓̔͌͒̌̒̅́̽̋̈́̉͝s̶̨̡̹̻͈̮̼̙̖͙̟̙̣̫͚̙̦̝̦̠͉̯͓̍̉̆͊͂̐͑̅̊͒̈́͒͌͋̈́̓̕t̸̡̧̛̛̛̛̪̬͇̣̝̪͙̙̎̑̉̓͆͒̇̊̄̈́̐̐̀̎́͌̀̅͗̐́̈́̕̚̕͠ ̴̧̢̢͓̩̠̟͙̠̘͖̤̻̝̥̜̉̂͌̉͂̕͘͜ͅͅǸ̸̡̪̪̖̱͍͈̭̲͉̺͖͕̜̗̩̮̖͍̫͉̰͙̳̬̘̰̲͕̭͑̈̆̕a̸̛̟͙̲̬̮͎̙̼̲͌̇̋̅̍̂̽̌̍̆̈́̾͆̃̿͊̿͗̎̆͝m̴̡̛͈͉͇̪̦̤͚̜̺̳̣͕͍̒͛͒̑̓̐̀͜e̴̡̼̬̫̫̰͇͕̻̜͚͎͓͕͉͈̦̻̰̘̗̼͇͍̭͙̯̕͜ͅ]̴̛̥̗͎̪̰̠͉̥̃́̄̾̀̑͐̃͛̓͛̌̊̽̒̇̏̈̒͂͠͝͠.̶̡̱̭̲̘̜̞̳͇̰̳̪͚̭̩̺̪͇͚̞̻̝̉̽͋͛̋ͅ

F̷͓͇̬̞̟̣͔̹̦͎̥̳̼̾̎͒͊̏̏̓͊͛͌͆̆̒̋͆̌̀̀̊̐̕í̵̡̢̨̨̲̭̟̝̱̩͇̞͉̺̝̥̼͕̝̮͚̺̰̲̘̜̪̰̟̻̠͍͈̱͉̰͉̾̀̓̽̈́̍̌̃͊̌̋͋͗̐̂̉͂͜ͅr̵̨̧̼̤̞̘̯͉̠̲̮̳͓̜͓̰̝̞̪̭͚̱̒̀̉̍́̆̊́̀́̾̓͘��̡̨̝̥̥̪̩͈͇̗̳͖̯̘̬͜s̵̡̡̧̢̨̛̛̛̲̮̙̠̰̖̻͔͔̣͈̱͕̤̩̭͍̤̬̰̖̟͓͍̩̖͍̦̟̞͎̹̹̾̾͛́̐̈́̌̋̽̒́̇̀͛̒̎̄͊̇̌̂̊̿̽̄̾͌̆͊̈́̃̌̓͆͘̕͜͜͝͝͝t̸̨̢̢̗̼̹̣̳̹͈̰̮̣̱̯̺̯͖̤̝̠̣̪͇̮̍͐͗̔̂̃͋͑̍̈́̃̉͒̐̔̍͒̽̀̃̽̓̋͊͑̃͗͊̚̕͜͠͝͝͝͠ ̷̧̛̙̲̩̤̠͈̗̟̝̯̠̣̺̘̠͔̜̬̗̫̰̰̠̠̝͓̣̾͐̏͗̐̾̎̾̈̐͊͑͝Ņ̶̡̢̨̧̙̹̭͉̞̟̫̟̞̜͍̬͙̺̱̜͔͚̯̤̥̞͍̹̠̹̣̙͍̳̥̩͍̋͑̂̇͐͒͒̋͂̒̿͆̆͑̎̇͗̄̏̎͂̎̊͋̉͐͘͘̚͜͝͝ͅą̷̧̧̢̡̛̪̗̝̝̰̘̠̠̙͍̻͚̲͍͉͈͖̥̘̦͎̺̦̙̈̽̅͌̊ͅm̷̢̢̹̖̘̹̬̟̞̝̭̟̝͓͔͍͉͙͕͕̜̲͖̯͎͓̠̙̏̏ͅͅȩ̴̢̡̧̡̛͉͎͎̞̠̝͕̬̠̞͔̼̥̜̦͙̼̯̮̖̗͓̣̙̩́̿̂̓̔͐̓͛͌̆͗́̿͗̈͝͝]̴̤̳͖̇̽͗̄͑̏̈̄͆̑̍́̈́̄͛̀͒͒̄̓̉̆͘͘̚̚͝.̴̢̡̧̛͖̠͉̥͖̻̻̙͕̞̞̯̱̼͙̙͍̘̟͎̟̪̪̰̠̄͊̄̒̉̒̅̀̓̈́̑̚͜͝͠͝

Nahida reeled back, feeling a jolt of surprise flood throughout her entire body. Her chest heaves up and down as an attempt to catch her breath, her head feeling somewhat warm, most likely from the sudden override of Kunikuzushi's emotions. Nahida wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting, but it wasn't that at all. She had partially thought his mind would still contain that notion of desiring for godhood, or perhaps his dreams would involve his past.

But she wasn't expecting for his mind to be so disturbed.

As if his mind was only capable of conjuring the thought of you, and Nahida couldn't help it wonder if his desire for godhood was solely built upon his own desires or if his desires expanded on something else, a person if she's more concise. Nahida pushes herself off the stool and lets out a sigh as she pulls the warm blankets over the majority of the puppeteer's body with her tiny fingers tugging at the soft edges. Maybe she should just postpone the mental assessment for today; Kunikuzushi didn't seem to be psychologically stable enough to be studied for a valuable cause. However, the young man seems to place a lot of weight on this [First Name] person, whoever they may be.

Maybe Nahida should learn more about this person? Bringing you into Sumeru might serve as a key to reawakening Kunikuzushi, perhaps the both of you can work together to regain his stability.

"[First Name]...."

She might be wrong about the puppeteer's emotional capabilities after all. If the man were to suffer any unfavourable consequences, maybe Nahida has figured out a means to keep him under control, she doesn't mean that she wants to harm you, but perhaps you can act as the person holding the leash to him instead.

Obviously not without your consent first but Nahida is sure that both of you can reach the middle ground for some sort of contract or deal?

It doesn't seem like a bad offer at all, does it?

But, just for today, Nahida is willing to let him rest for a bit.

It's a rest for her too, considering his mind was more disturbing than she had anticipated.

[still-a-morosexual-help]

May I ask your opinion about Mammon calling MC his "servant"?

I mean, Mammon is tsundere and all, and he calls MC names in S1, and keeps calling them "dummy" (and personally I love that "dummy" as it sounds very soft somehow 💗).

But "servant"?? In the "Mammon the butler" Mammon tells MC that he wants equal relationships, so calling them "servant" sounds out of character for me. It's somehow.. upsetting, it ruined his birthday event for me, and now I can see it in S3 as well 😥 but I think may be I misunderstand something and it's ok?

Personally it's not a big deal for me (and I'll break down why) and it'd be pretty hypocritical of me to have a problem with it (so disclamier/warning I'll be using personal examples) .... but I totally understand why it might make someone uncomfortable and tbh I did prefer his 2020 birthday event (because MC went absolutely wild in it - they were so active, just took charge, amazing)

Okay so why I think it's fine;

1.) Friendship

The most important thing to remember is that Mammon & MC are friends before they are anything else. Not just friends but according to the game, close friends (possibly bestfriends depending on how the player interprets it) and (at least for me) this is definitely the kind of shit you say about your closest friend

I know I'm close with someone when we can be complete dickheads to each other and still know that none of that is said in seriousness and that at the end of the day we love each other and would go through hell for each other and that's definitely how I see their relationship as well

From my experience, dating your best friend doesn't so much change your friendship, rather it adds a new element to it. An element that doesn't really take up a large fraction of your time? Like you're not gonna be romancing them 24/7, yknow? You're still gonna spend most of your time getting together trying to pull off stupid shit, or to call the same entitled asshole you both know a fuckhead to his face, or to talk about cool frogs you saw, or to introduce said bestfriend you're dating as 'this fucking shithead stalker' for a whole day because they cheated in a game. Dating's an added bonus (because you accidentally went and fell in love with them) where you get to kiss their stupid face whenever you feel all your love for them overflow or where you get to tease and fluster them in front of their friends till they're hiding their red face in their arms.

So yeah, the way I see it MC & Mammon are bestfriends who happen to be dating and bestfriends are gonna act like bestfriends

Also, MC calls Mammon their 'pet' in a chat. It definitely reads as teasing (and Mammon's reaction only adds to it)

Note: you wouldn't call them names like that where they can't hear and so won't be able to react. The whole point of teasing someone like this is to get a reaction. Both MC and Mammon call each other names in places where the other is clearly present

Tldr: as far as ik, introducing your best friend to complete strangers as your 'servant' or trying to get them to actually be your servant (aka fulfill your every stupid wish) on your birthday is normal?

2.) Actions

7 outta 10 times Mammon's actions and words don't match up. He is much more likely to show how he feels than say how he feels

And there's not one point during the whole game where he treated MC as a 'servant' , even when they first met and he was snapping at them and trying to take control of their pact he had a grudging sort of respect (?) for them when they snapped back

I mean:

1.) He's constantly buying them things that they like

2.) Constantly prioritising their safety over everything else (even his own safety)

3.) He's very supportive about them studying to be a sorcerer and the last thing he says to them in S3 is how he knows they can do it

4.) A lot of his 'tsundere' characteristics have dropped in S3 and he freely admits that he loves them/cares for them

5.) This man straight up gushes about MC, multiple times. Under the truth bracelet he said that if he was gonna list how perfect they are he wouldn't be able to stop

6.) He never genuinely orders them to do things, sure he bosses them around and asks them to do things, but it's never an order you'd give someone you saw as not being on "equal ground"* with you. Mammon, himself, doesn't believe what he just said

(*Not my personal belief. Your job doesn't dictate your worth as a person and I actually went on a huge tangent and wrote a complete rant about this before I realised I'd completely deviated from the topic and deleted it all)

The way I see it, words need to have meaning behind them.

When you're close enough with someone you can say shit and have them completely brush it off because prior examples have shown them that there's no intent or meaning at all behind the words. It all boils down to Trust. You trust them to not take you at face value. And they trust you not to mean what you just said.

OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN'T JUST DO THIS WITH JUST ANYONE/EVERYONE!!! You need to be really close and able to understand each other and even then it needs to be someone who's okay with it? Like someone who is 100% okay with teasing and can give it back at the same rate. Who would never internalise it etc.

It's also about knowing someone's boundaries and respecting them. Eg: Mammon didn't really seem to care when MC called him their 'pet' but he'd probably be really hurt and upset if them called him 'Scummy'

Eg: I've got a friend who I've known for 17yrs who I'd never say anything like this to meanwhile here's a real conversation I just had a couple weeks ago:

Me, *texting the girl I've known for 5years in tears while I complete an assignment for her a couple days before the due date because her boss is the kind of Evil that doesn't even give her a proper lunch break* : You bitch, you monster, I hate you, I genuinely fucking hate you, I hope you fall in a ditch you cruel tyrant, when I'm done reading ((*through these journal articles for you*)) I'm gonna come stab you to death

**Her: Cool, how far along are you?

Me: Need 1500 more words, what's the referencing style you want?

**This fucking idiot ran into a room and dragged my ass out because it sounded like the entire roof was gonna collapse into it and I love her to death

3.) Reality

Aka The Butler Card vs Mammon calling MC his servant

So, as said above;

1.) Mammon & MC are close enough friends that the "servant" thing isn't really a big deal (for me)

2.) He said it in front of them and they barely even reacted

3.) None of his actions point to him actually believing what he said, and I doubt MC would either considering they've seen the way he really feels about them

So how does the butler card differ from this?

It's reality.

The servant thing has no basis behind it. It has less of a foundation than "Dummy or Airhead". It doesn't affect their relationship or cause a power imbalance.

The butler card does.

Mammon calls MC his "servant" and there's no truth behind it, at most it's teasing. MC is never obligated to listen to him or serve him.

In the Butler card, Mammon wears a collar and an uniform, he has to be poilte to MC and do everything they say, if he doesn't he's reprimanded - there are external consequences to not listening to MC. He has to call them Master during the whole thing. What's happening here is "real". There is an actual power imbalance between them in it. Like Mammon says, they're not on equal ground.

Tldr:

The two situations, despite seeming similar on a surface level, are completely different from each other. Mammon does want an equal relationship. There are many reasons why him calling them his "servant" a couple times (to a stranger and during his birthday, while in front of people who know that isn't true) doesn't affect them having an "equal" relationship. Whereas, in the the Butler devilgram, he was very much their actual butler and they were his "Master", and there were real consequences if he disobeyed them. Their relationship was very much not equal here.

Hope this helps clear it up! Let me know what you think?

[mc-critical]

I'm so angry with Süleyman. Even if his love for Mahidevran faded, I think he should have still respected her as mother of his first Şehzade. He gave all his love to Hürrem but he also gave too much power to her against Mahidevran (basically giving everything Mahi dared to want to Hürrem). I think he had such big influence on the bickering of two women and he was responsible for every trouble that came out from it.

Oh, you have no idea how much I agree with all of this! Süleiman should've managed this all better and he could, but didn't want to.

What failed even harder for me there was him just seeming detached to Mahidevran from day one. The contrast between the flashback in the first episode and how he met her when she arrived in Topkapi was so strong - it was clear something was very different. And you know, I would never fault someone for simply falling in love, because despite of everything, yes, SS fell in love with Hürrem and it's something no one could change. That's why I think he never actually loved Mahidevran. He could've been very passionate for her in Manisa, yes, but love? I highly doubt it. If he loved her, he wouldn't have done what he did.

What also annoys me immensely about all this is that since he didn't really love Mahidevran in my eyes and he has already grown tired of her by the time he came to Topkapi (look at how even before they met again in E01, Valide asked for Mahidevran in a scene right before the first ring flashback, SS responded.... not indifferently exactly, but way too simply, like he was simply stating facts. Compare and contrast that to the way he spoke about Hürrem and reacted about Hürrem throughout S01 - he had this excitement and happiness radiating from his voice, something we never ever saw with Mahidevran right from the start.), it's like he only waited for a reason to discard her nearly entirely. There's no doubt that Mahidevran's actions in S01 added even more fuel to the fire and had an impact on how SS viewed her, but to me, it always felt like these actions were only a reason for him to discard her nearly entirely and go to his loved one. It's like in Topkapi, Mahidevran wasn't anything much to him even before the whole conflict began (and also viewed her as an obligation: he didn't kick her out when she went instead of Hürrem because of this and this alone) and her actions only helped and cemented the rift between them, because SS never actually loved her, they weren't the whole and main cause of it. It's like he used them as an excuse and it was horrible. Look how anytime he scolded her, he always capitalized on himself, how he took it, not how his love was hurt and how much damage Mahidevran's actions could've actually done. He puts only himself on the center stage and it always seemed more like his Ego was wounded and that was the only thing that mattered to SS. No matter how much he loved Hürrem, Süleiman cared about his Ego first and foremost, because he scolded people for actions that concerned himself the most and he could freely ignore actions against others, he forgave Hürrem for killing Isabella after all. When it's against him, it's a cardinal unforgivable sin, when it's not, it could be fine, as long as it's his loved one. He outrightly admits the attachment he has to Hürrem and how he lets her get away with stuff anyone else would have been beheaded for, similarly to Ibrahim.

Yup, he absolutely fueled the conflicts between the two women... solely for his Ego and amusement, really. The way he so often used Mahidevran when he was mad at Hürrem, as a way to punish her and spite her, was so disgusting. And he actually made both of them suffer because of it, since while he invited Mahidevran in his chambers, he didn't touch her at all and all her hopes were in vain. He did all this purposefully and it empowered the enmity between them. What's even more hypocritical is him always saying that he didn't want trouble in his family and yet he intentionally pulls strings that cause conflict among his family.

He should've been handled things better with Mahidevran, a little more respect and a little less hypocrisy because of his Ego would be in order. Because in example, I sure didn't get why he refused to free her in E45. All I saw was him being irritated that she dared question him so openly. One could argue he didn't do so, because he didn't love her or because "she didn't ask it for a good deed", like Hürrem did, but these are solely excuses he would love to use, and she caused that ruckus to begin with, because he didn't let her in, why exactly? No reason at all, except because he can and because of plot convenience. (one of the big problems I have with the whole episode - most things happen because they're forced to by the writers, because they're convenient to the plot)

Like.... he's so well-written and interesting as a character, but I hate him so much when it comes to this. He ended up only causing misery and pain to his family when that was his biggest fear and his treatment of Mahidevran and Hürrem and his utter hypocrisy were the earliest pinnacles of this.

[vulpixelates]

i did also like maggie/winston until something happened that i don't remember in the last season i saw (haven't caught up yet oops) aowifsjeaoi and alex/jo until... y'know 😔😔😔 i did actually really love alex and jo, i was an alex fan for a brief second there in the later seasons until he blew his life up and left the show

HOWEVER. i will say: in an alternate universe in which i was writing grey's anatomy and couldn't make cristina an autistic lesbian, i think that her and jackson would have made a good ship bc the one time he hits on her, it's very clear that he's attracted to how talented she is and respects her but they're also more equal than any other man she dates on the show

really tho i think the problem is that my standard for men being decent is too high for men's fanbase who write m/f stuff to find interesting 😔 and therefore i'm just constantly disappointed and mildly revolted by the behavior that even fictional women put up w when it comes to men meanwhile toxic lesbians rule my brain space

i will freely admit to being a hypocrite

i keep seeing this post going around that's like "tag your sexuality plus your fave m/f ship" and it's making me realize that i. just don't like any anymore AOEIFJOAWIEJF

[paragonevil]

I'm gonna be honest, as far as Aku, evil overlord dictator of an empire that's dedicated to wiping out most if not all of humanity, you write him too mushy. He's supposed to be a sociopath, from what we see in the show, but you have him being shipped with like, a dozen people. You write him waaayy too nice. That being said, I suppose if you didn't, you would have very limited interaction with people, and you've written out "development" for him, but the point still stands that he's way too roman

What do you think about my interpretation? | accepting!

ooc ★ Before I get onto my response, I’d like to thank you for having the audacity to send this. I feel there’s this unhelpful idea in the rpc that people have to agree with everything you post; and to say you disagree with someone’s interpretation is often met with ferocious resistance. But when I reblog memes of this nature asking for opinions, I want the good and the bad. I AM always looking to improve, and to not take criticism when I so freely dish it would be hypocritical of me, I guess. ( For lack of a better word, right off the top of my head. )

I COULD put this under a cut, but I feel this is important enough to just let it sit out in the open. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a while.

That said, two things for you.

Firstly, I LOVE writing violence! In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s in my top two favorite things to write, right beside slow-burn romance ( and particularly one-sided yearning ). However, while I used to jump at every opportunity to write violence, I can admit I’ve since slowed down a bit. Not only because I’ve gotten progressively less and less people coming to Aku trying to pick a fight with him, but also because I’ve come to feel that fight threads without a purpose to further the plot are repetitive and somewhat boring. It tends to be a lot of the same-old same-old; repetitive actions, repetitive imagery. And yes, while this is a significant piece of his character in the show, and I love exploring it even further and particularly pushing the bounds of his abilities, if it doesn’t serve a purpose in the greater scheme of a plot or an arc then... Why waste your time with it? And frankly this goes for all repetitive actions, like gratuitous sex and slice-of-life. If it doesn’t serve a purpose to write, such as say to kill an important enemy or fight a significant battle or even to maim a loved one when he’s not himself and bring down the angst hammer, then? Why.

Secondly, despite not wanting to write violence just for the sake of violence... I can admit I want some conflict over here. But that’s just the thing. In Aku’s main verse he’s samurai-less. I did this simply because the NUMEROUS Jack blogs there used to be have since become inactive, and if my initial intention with Aku’s blog almost from the very start was for him to kill a Jack and switch over to my Bad End universe, I can’t very well have Aku always worried about a ghostly, intangible threat that he can’t confront. And of all the Jack’s on this hellsite, of which I’ve written with and followed more than a few along the way, I can only name ONE which is still active. ( And another which followed me today, on that note, but they don’t have a rules nor an about page, so. )  ...But that first Jack I mentioned, @sonxflight, we don’t really write anymore. Nowadays Dari’s been more focused on fluff / romance threads, and I’ve been more interested in developing Aku’s mental health. Aku isn’t gonna go out of his way to confront a Jack that he views as not being his problem. Dari’s Jack isn’t the one from my Aku’s universe. Dari and I just kinda tag each other in dash memes and comment on one another’s posts once in a while; and that’s about the extent I see action from a Jack nowadays.

I would LOVE some more conflict on this blog! But I’m not going out of my way to find it if it doesn’t particularly serve to further my current plot— which is Aku’s eventual ascension to Godhood at the end of this year. And that’s another thing, if Aku himself doesn’t stand to gain anything from talking to someone, inciting a conflict, or being a dick to somebody, he’s pretty much going to keep his distance. He finds most people to be a waste of his time; and this is nothing against other RPers whom I love seeing on dash! Because lord knows I’d love to push him to interact with folks. But if Aku himself looks down his nose at most people and finds them not only boring but also boorishly stupid, then there’s not much else for it. He sees others that come to him for money, freedom, and other boons in exchange for their services as nothing more than cattle; and frequently this is how his meetings with new people go. Meeting others out in the field is the best way to get a truly organic and not copy-and-pasted interaction out of him. And even then, there’s still numerous factors which would predicate how such an encounter might go.

Because there’s not too much conflict on this blog for now, I’ve decided to take greater liberties with exploring shipping and platonic relationships also. But for those of you who have followed me for a while, who have seen me mention on more than one occasion that slice-of-life threads aren’t really my schtick, I can understand why you might be a bit confused. Well, allow me to explain: the reason I’ve chosen to place greater emphasis on these kinds of relationships lately is to preclude a little RP / character bleed mishap which happened recently and which impacted my enjoyment when writing as him and even just simply being on this blog. And by ‘recently’ I mean slowly, over a period of the past several months.

Aku’s entire arc with Rick demonstrated to both of us that he’s in an incredibly bad kind of headspace in regards to healthy relationships on this blog. In his universe with Rick, basically all his ties are a result of his relationship with Rick. Bill ( wildgcd, whose blog has since been deleted ) and Ashi ( @tigersteeth ) are both inactive, and have been for months +. They’re the only ones with whom Aku has a healthy relationship that isn’t directly tied to Rick in that universe, and as a result he tends to rely quite heavily on Rick for his social needs. So when Rick left him too, Aku’s abandonment issues reared their head. Unhelpfully, mun has a problem with abandonment amongst a slew of emotional / psychological problems quite similar in nature to the one’s Aku suffers from— albeit with a fun little mortal twist. 🤗 So I knew I needed to take action so I could comfortably be on his blog in the inevitability that Stephanie goes on hiatus again. Which is why I’m trying to focus a bit more on building more platonic and romantic relationships besides the ones with Rick and co. that way Aku has more people with whom to spend his time when Rick is away.

Furthermore, now that Jack’s out of the picture regardless of verse, Aku’s allowed himself to focus more on making friendships and forming attachments just in general. One of the reasons he tended not to do such before is because he felt that Jack would kill whomever he felt close to in an effort to get to him. In fact, he even shouted at Rick for daring to mention that he and Jack could possibly work together to build a future which would be brighter and better for everyone; because he felt certain that Rick would wind up being targeted by Jack to get to Aku.

He’s started going to therapy, also, to address long-held mistaken beliefs in himself, too. Beliefs which interfered with the relationships he had tried to foster with others; it was enough to frustrate him, when he let himself acknowledge such, and he knew he needed to sit down and talk with someone professionally if he didn’t exactly have friends around per se with whom he could talk. Also, I personally believe he chose not to do such before, because his very existence was hinged on destroying Jack so he could conquer the universe in peace without meeting resistance. While he knew he was unhappy and knew furthermore that he had some problems that needed addressing— and had even made a thin attempt to talk about such with himself in show canon as you recall—  ultimately his mental well-being took second banana to making sure Jack was DEAD.

The therapy, coupled with his own slow internal journey, some perspective which was afforded to him during Rick’s absence, and some 4th wall Discord conversations has lent him valuable insight on the way he functions—and how Nightmare works too. Who, in many ways is just himself but with unchecked mental delusions and mistaken beliefs that had grown unchecked. He saw what had happened to Nightmare mentally, and didn’t want such a fate for himself. Hence the therapy and greater, braver attempts to let himself be closer to others.

Finally in the case of Bill and Nightmare... both of them take place in different universes, of course. Universes which in themselves were split just after the break up between Aku and Rick. Aku is still thoroughly alone in those universes, because again. He doesn't have Rick and all the people who were brought into his life as a result of his relationship with him. He’s at that point in his immortal life where he’d like to try his courage and test out the things he’d discovered about himself in therapy and in his personal self-explorations, and see about developing a relationship with someone with a fresh perspective with his recent failure as Rick’s partner in mind. Which is why he’s so amicable with them and trying to get to know them better. He wants to see what a healthy relationship, platonic or otherwise, developed on his own might be like.

However. I WILL acknowledge that Aku trying to make friends with people is ooc. It’s ALSO ooc for Aku to try fucking / romancing someone. There, I said it.

But you know why that is? It’s because that facet of his character was never explored in canon, even in all the comics, games, and the addition of the 5th season in 2017. So I suppose you could say that if I were to play him absolutely true to his canon material he’d only ever be a fucking mauling, mutilating, destroying, force of nature. Which yes, he still is despite my writing him how I do with a greater emphasis here lately on developing relationships with other characters. I ask you: isn’t the whole point of RP to develop dynamics and explore facets of a character that canon neglected? I could do fight threads all day, boy; but please ask yourself: how much would that really serve to further my interpretation and understanding of him, if at that point I’m just rehashing canon fights with a fresh coat of paint and different enemies? Whereas platonic and romantic relationships are a thoroughly headcanon and character-development heavy area for a character like Aku, who hasn’t had a single friendship or romantic relationship in his canon media.

And if you’d like cliff notes, rp examples of him being fucking EVIL, and links to evil headcanons I have you’re more than welcome to send a second ask asking for said information. But I think I’ve already given you plenty to think about and read, unless you’re some kind of masochist and want to torture yourself more with reading my self-absorbed and self-assured opinion. Thanks for making it this far, here’s your consolation prize.

TL;DR: Canon already gives me fights for days, boy. And while I thoroughly enjoy writing fight threads, they tend to be repetitive and exhausting if they’re not serving a purpose in a plot arc. Whereas things like interpersonal relationships for a character like Aku, who did not see such development in his canon media, is full of things to explore. And ultimately that’s what RP is about, exploring facets of a character which canon doesn’t explore for you. Once again, thank you for asking, and I hope this answers your question. I can provide examples for everything cited above, as well as fight threads and evil moments abound if you’d like. Furthermore, if there’s anything I do in RP which confuses you or which you feel is ooc, I invite you to jump in my askbox again with further questions. I’d be happy to explain my reasoning for ANYTHING I write!

P.S. I INVITE you to form your own opinions and compare me to my duplicates, 90-100% of whom are inactive. <:) Here they are, for your browsing convenience: @unspeakablyevil @akunoakuma @onibred @aku-blogs @shogundad Take a gander, consider what I just told you, and then see if you can hit me with this same anon again, yes? 😏💕

[irregularjohnnywiggins]

Okay WhatCulture, let's do this.

Good

6: Felicity Smoak

No. Next.

5: Showcased Lesser Villains

I will give you that. They're often the wrong villains, and they're mostly badly used and misinterpreted, but it does showcase them.

4: Oliver's Killing Streak

I agree in principle - Oliver should kill as he's starting out, it's the most logical decision. But, I'm sorry, Oliver's killing people is explored well? Do you remember that time he freely admitted he liked killing people before unnecessarily murdering three guys and then the next episode had Felicity saying that he wasn't a monster because he only did what he had to do? Do you remember the Huntress episodes, WhatCulture? Because I remember them.

3: The Lazarus Pit

I would like to point out that the title of the video is about Arrow's effects on Green Arrow mythology, which the Lazarus Pits have never been counted as (have they even shown up in a Green Arrow story?) but aside from that, how exactly have the comics not touched on the negative effects of the Pits? Their entire thing is that they're slowly turning Ra's insane, they're so bad that Batman, the man obsessed with stopping death, won't use them and openly destroys any he comes across, almost everyone who's resurrected by them is insanely fucked up (Nyssa al Ghul, Nora Fries, Cassandra Cain if I'm remembering that arc correctly, the list goes on) but suddenly Arrow is the one that suggested they're a Bad Thing?

2: Slade Wilson's Descent to Madness

I suppose that if you care about Slade Wilson his fall in Arrow is really affecting and touching. I do not, so all I remember about it is that it fridged Shado, who is genuinely one of Oliver's most fascinating villains in the comics, for the sake of Slade's arc, whereas Slade's arc in the comics involves his wife full on shooting him in the face. Forgive me if I can't help but feel this is a bit of a downgrade.

1: Introduced New Readers to Green Arrow

This isn't a valid point, by the way. Almost every comic adaptation has convinced someone to read the comics, just as every book adaptation has convinced someone to read the books. I know someone who only started reading the Percy Jackson books after they'd seen the films, does that mean the Percy Jackson movies are good now?

Also, speaking as someone who started reading Green Arrow after Season 3 of Arrow, is it really a point in the show's favour that people read the comics because they want to see the characters they liked in a story that doesn't suck? And, given the fact that 'comic fans' has become shorthand in the more insular Arrow fan circles for 'people who don't like the show', can this be said to actively encourage people who do like the comics to stay away from the show?

Bad

4: Butchered Black Canary

See, I agree with this on principle, but the shitting on Earth-1 Laurel is exactly the opposite of the point that you're trying to make. Also, no-one cared when she died? Mate, I wasn't even watching Arrow when Laurel died, and I can tell you that A LOT of people cared. Hell, people cared SO MUCH that well established DC comic writers were actively calling out the show for killing her off, and Gail Fucking Simone was praising Katie Cassidy's portrayal of Laurel. Ratings dropped dramatically and they had to beg and scrape to get her back. A lot of people cared.

3: Death is Irrelevant

I agree with this, both the criticism and the tangent about Oliver's death and rebirth (which I haven't gotten to, btw, but I'll get there someday).

2: Too Reliant on Lian Yu

Honestly my main problem with Lian Yu is that time ARGUS set up a extra-judicial prison there for metahumans. Does anyone else remember that? Man, that was fucked up.

Also the flashbacks should have stopped after Season 2, or at the very least stopped being serialised.

1: Arrow is just Batman-lite

And this, I feel, is the greatest flaw in Arrow, looking back on it. Because let me tell you a secret: when he's written well, Oliver Queen is nothing like Batman. He's rarely written well, I should say, but when he is Oliver Queen is a deeply flawed man who recognises and attempts to overcome his flaws. When he's written well he's someone who holds his fellow heroes to task, whether he's being hypocritical or not, because he's an asshole with a bow and arrow and people like Superman are supposed to be better than him. When he's written well Oliver is someone who makes mistakes, and surrounds himself with people who are unafraid to call him out on his shit, and he's someone who works to fix his mistakes. When he's written well Oliver is flawed, and messy, and probably problematic, but he's also intensely human, in a way most DC superheroes aren't.

Arrow's Oliver is not a good Oliver. He's just a badly written Bruce Wayne with a bow and arrow.