#And yet regardless of the timeline or their life they still make the choice to be a hero

[cyraen-ae]

Currently having profound Mechquest Reset brainrot because I looked back on how the DF Hero is shocked to see that Myalos is a robot dragon despite having met two dragonoids in his Mechquest iteration and how it profoundly drives home the fact that these are simultaneously the same person while being fundamentally different, having had vastly different lives, experiences and knowledge.

[moondirti]

featuring: ghoap x nanny! f!reader. parenthood. adoption processes. fluff. slice of life. reader is given an age range

hear me out: simon and johnny transferring to reserve duty – i.e., serving the military on a part-time basis rather than being on active call – once they make the decision to become dads. it comes after a long period of deliberation (and healing on simon's part), but after they're absolutely sure that they want to start this next phase of life together, they call price to get it sorted.

who is thrilled for them, naturally, but warns that they still have a specialised commitment to the task force. if he needs them, then they best make sure they're there. the world isn't a better place yet, and no one can do what the pair does.

fine by them.

so it begins. instead of the complex and ethical choices that come with surrogacy, they opt for adoption and work with an attorney to facilitate the logistics. months of searching come up with a young mother, whose unwanted pregnancy has interfered with her life thus far, and is unwilling to make the further sacrifice that comes with keeping the baby. they must be more understanding, or otherwise less overbearing, than the other candidates – because two months later, they're in a hospital waiting room, anxiously lingering to meet the new addition to their family.

isla riley-mactavish. named after the river where johnny realised he'd be much happier with his lieutenant by his side.

the first few months are bliss. exhausting bliss, but a type of contentment that neither man has known since they first confessed to one another. isla's fussy through nights but they take turns settling her down, and if they have military duties to attend to then it's usually never at the same time. she's spoiled rotten – not just by them, but by the captain and gaz as well, who visit more often than not with bags full of toys they have nowhere to put. a little princess in the eyes of everyone who knows her.

by month five, she's teething and can hold her head up unsupported. simon reads somewhere that it's one of the most pivotal points in her development.

of course the call has to come then.

in the middle of the night, no less, and loud enough to wake her up from her crib. johnny scrambles to calm the bairn down as simon answers, price's grave voice crackling in from the other end. expected to be a long haul. a month at least. state security's at serious risk here, simon. i wouldn't ask you to come out otherwise.

and they made a promise. no matter how much it aches them to leave their darling girl behind.

rdv on base in a week.

he knows that one week is a matter of grace. he can feel the captain itching to hatch the operation as soon as possible, but has staved off to give the boys time to order their affairs. that doesn't mean simon's happy with the timeline, though. seven days is not nearly enough to find a sitter they can trust, especially given their own hindrances.

regardless, they send a job posting for a live-in, 24/7 nanny to close friends – no way in hell are they advertising it to the open internet – and hours later, johnny's sister lets them know of a girl who substitutes at the same primary school she works at. a real darling, apparently. honest 'n' stowed oot of energy, th' weans love her, and she haes experience with bairns too!

promising, but word of mouth isn't enough. they get a name and ask laswell to run a thorough background check. to their relief, it comes out squeaky clean. no arrests, no dui's, no shady travel history. modest socials with only a handful of followers. it's in line with what they know so far, solid enough to encourage them to reach out. so they do: just a brief email, asking what time and place would be best for a face-to-face interview.

they bring isla with them to the agreed meeting spot. a cozy cafe nestled in one of the safest parts of town. it's an early saturday morning and they're scheduled to leave in three days. so far, they've put all their eggs in this basket. johnny has to hold onto simon's hand when he notices the nerves dancing behind his partners usually void eyes. but if he were being honest with himself, he's just as scared.

they notice you as soon as they walk in.

sitting at a table for four, mug of coffee steaming as you bend over a well-loved book. despite your preoccupation, you're observant – they inch in your periphery and your head snaps up, a brilliant smile parting your lips as you spring up onto your feet. simon tallies a point on the ledger in his head. good. alert is good.

as is true for them, it's abundantly clear that you're who they're supposed to meet. johnny can't imagine anyone but a children's educator dressing like that: a gingham babydoll dress over a pair of blue tights, which carries over to the bow in your hair and is juxtaposed by the white oxford lace-ups on your feet. he startles when you extend your hand to shake his and he finds a painted fruit on each of your short nails. positively adorable. and so unlike anything they know.

simon shuffles next to him. isla reaches out from her bugaboo stroller, the colours having caught her eye.

"well hello there! aren't you just the cutest angel i've ever seen? do you like my dress?"

that's another point for immediately engaging with the object of your soon-to-be care. simon watches as you pull out a rattle from your purse, handing it over to the cooing baby. warmth blossoms in his chest, and his apprehension fizzles out in the heat. they hadn't told you they'd be bringing isla – opting to catch you off guard and seeing how you'd deal – so he assumes you carry the toy around for emergency purposes, like anyone else of their ilk would carry a gun.

something about that quirk just screams safe.

"it is a nice dress." johnny pursues, voice smooth in that way it gets when he's flirting but doesn't want it made clear. it took weeks for ghost to attune himself to it – he always just thought the scot spoke like that – but now that he's able to hear it for what it is, he shoots him a cautionary look. not so much mad as he is cautious. wouldn't want to scare her off.

"oh! thank you very much. it's my grandmother's design." you straighten up once isla gains a proper grip on the rattle, patting the skirt like you're basking in the praise. "shall we sit? i assume you have a lot to discuss, and i promise you'll want to try the maple scones they make here."

"please. after you." simon nods.

an hour later, you're giggling into your palm as johnny deviates into a story of the time they took isla to the hospital because they didn't know the soft spot on her head could pulse. simon is quiet in contrast, though not displeased. rather, he's focused on keeping the tally of all the green flags you've exhibited thus far. he doesn't mind that the conversation hasn't followed a typical interview format. in fact, people are more likely to show their true nature when in relaxed settings such as this, which is perhaps why johnny hasn't stuck to the script of questions they'd prepared beforehand. the man is better at social manoeuvring than simon is, anyway. he trusts him to direct this where it needs to go.

"it can be freaky! especially if you've never been around a child that young. i had a similar reaction the first time i babysat my neighbour's infant at sixteen. did you know that they can break out like teenagers? i noticed the poor thing's skin erupt in acne at just a month old and called his parent's crying." you wheeze, wiping the tears along your lashline.

"have ye worked wi' many bairns?"

"oh, yeah. it's been my primary source of income since secondary, all the way through uni. i just finished a master's degree in early childhood education, actually! and i wrote a list of referrals you can call if you need to double check on any of that." you rummage through your purse and pull out an apple-shaped sticky note. "do you mind if i ask what you do? people don't usually look for a full-time nanny unless they're really busy. not that i'm judging! i would ne–"

"military." simon interrupts, ensuring his tone is gentle enough to reassure.

"that makes sense! i mean, for an indefinite amount of time, the pay you're offering is more than perfect. above industry standard, really." you pause, brows furrowing like you're doubting whether you should have said that. "ah– whatever. anyway. isla is wonderful, just the sweetest. and the provided accommodation is an added plus. if you guys have no other qualms, then i'd love to accept the position."

"does i' bother you that there are cameras on the property? porch, kitchen, and living room. jus' for security's sake." simon tests, though he knows he doesn't need to, for extra measure. to someone with bad intentions, CCTV is a massive dealbreaker.

you don't hesitate before answering. "makes total sense! you guys are well within your right to check in at any time."

and they don't have to consult each other to know. johnny is practically buzzing in his seat, muscles flexed with enthusiasm as his gaze flits all over you. lingering on your chest in particular, before he looks over to simon and smiles in an offensively handsome way. simon can't help but smile back, crinkling his eyes more than necessary so the both of you can tell what's going on behind his mask.

it feels a little too good to be true, hopeful in a way that sets off the alarm bells in his head. he's stable enough to recognise that it isn't your fault, though. stable enough not to pin his distrust on you. this is likely the best shot they've got at ensuring their daughter's safety while they're away, and it's come in the form of a vivid, bright little blessing.

(with great tits.)

he'd be a fool to sabotage it.

johnny beats him to the cause. "ye'r hired."

[ next ]

[dollypopup]

I truly cannot overstate just how much I adore Colin Bridgerton as a male love lead, and how important his story is, in particular in a current, modern reading. We live in a time of alpha male machismo that in many ways mirrors the sexism of the historical time period Colin is in, and we have a hero who explicitly rejects it. More than that, we have a hero who first tries on the persona, first tries to fit in, and then determines, with no outside influence and all on his own, that it's wrong. That he doesn't want to be like the men of his society, that he doesn't like the expectation of sex without love and commitment and connection, that he doesn't want to be 'one of the boys', even if it comes at their derision.

Because when Violet says he has always been her most sensitive child, when he has always considered others before himself, when he has always offered a joke or a moment of levity- for so long, he felt he had to. That there was no other choice.

Colin Bridgerton, The Great Pretender, is finally coming into the light.

Take my hand. Come walk with me.

Colin's arc is incredibly clear, and incredibly dear to me. We can track his progress throughout the seasons he has been in, but if we consider his backstory, it comes even more in clarity.

Piecing together a timeline with some influence from the books and loose historical accuracy, Colin loses his father at 12 and then is sent off to Eton. And he is a tiny thing when his father passes, shorter even than his 9 year old sister, Eloise.

(Yes, I checked!! He's half a head shorter than Eloise, and an entire head shorter than Daphne. This boy is SMALL)

So it makes a lot of sense to me that this is the start of his fake-it-to-make-it personality. He cannot grieve with his family in these circumstances, he's been sent off to school with other boys who are bigger and stronger than him, and he must realize relatively quickly that weakness in their eyes will never be tolerated. In fact, Eton was well known for corporal punishment and bullying during this time. Older boys were well known to mistreat the younger once, and considering just how small and soft-hearted Colin is, and just how vulnerable he is having lost his father-

Of course Colin would become a target of such.

And despite that, we meet him in Season 1 with an endearing earnestness and hopefulness in the world. Something inside him, something sweet and gentle and warm, thrives to live. And fights against grief to do so. How easy it would have been for him to lose his father and be bitter. How easy for him to see his father die from the steps of Aubrey Hall, to be sent to a boarding school away, and withdraw in on himself.

And yet, he doesn't.

At least, not in the way one would suspect. Instead, Colin becomes a chronic people pleaser. If the people around him are happy, then he will be safe. Will not be hurt. And they have no space for his own hurt, regardless. There's hardly even any space for his mirth, as most people didn't even reply to his letters on his travels the previous season.

In Colin's confession in Season 3, he says 'I have spent so long trying to feel less', and this numbing begins early in his life. He's a consummate gentleman in Season 1. He does everything by the book, everything as he should. He wants to be accepted in his society, wants to be taken seriously, wants to belong. So he sees a pretty woman, and he gets along with her well enough, and he courts her. Openly, honestly, in full view. It isn't a heart-stopping love, but he has numbed himself for years at this point, so affection will do, and if proper men of his society are married, well, maybe he'd finally be taken seriously.

And yet, no one notices him, even still. No one except Penelope. His own mother doesn't recognize his behavior, and worries for him after she does. How long has it been since she's actually seen him? We know from the show that he's incredibly close to his mother, and loves her dearly, but we also know that after Edmund's passing, Violet was mired in grief and post-partum depression. Colin misses much of this as a firsthand witness since he's at school, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to tell, wouldn't be affected by losing his mother and father in one fell swoop. In fact, Colin loses his connection to the majority of his family in being sent to school so soon after the tragedy. So of course he comes back and he tries not to make waves. Tries to do things correctly.

His friction with Anthony proves time and time again that nothing he does is entirely ever able to fully please him, and this causes contention in their brotherly bond. Of all the siblings, Anthony is arguably the most harsh with Colin. And he is also the model for who a man should be in the family, as the head of the family.

So when Anthony sees Colin earnestly try to marry, he scoffs him off. Accuses Colin of only wanting to marry to have sex, and then claiming "It is my fault. I should have taken you to brothels." This is the first on-screen shaming of Colin looking for connection before sex, and Colin doubles down. He wants to marry for love.

But he doesn't actually love Marina. Neither of them truly know each other, and so when it all blows up, and he is humiliated to the entirety of his community, Colin gets his first taste of romantic failure. He tried to do it right, and it ended more wrong than he could have ever imagined. So, maybe Anthony was right. Maybe he is just a foolish, green boy, who has no idea how to go about things. The fallout of his failed engagement echoes in the persona he puts on in Season 3, and the choices he undergoes during them. Is it any wonder he ends up going to brothels to have unfulfilling sex if even his own BROTHER, the head of his family, tells him to do so?

It doesn't happen right away, though. Despite the fact that no one truly checks on him or sees how this breakup effects him (Eloise dismisses the hurt he must feel in light of such events with an honestly rather accurate wave-away "Men are always less affected", and that is true), it is evident that he is NOT okay.

We leave Colin in Season 1 putting on a mask, a happy face to his family, a 'you inspired me' to Penelope, and then spends his travels sad. Depressed. Taking drugs to try to ease his mind, occupying himself with writing to Penelope. In Season 2, he spends the entirety of it trying to be useful. And he does this with Penelope. He feels deeply for her, he cares so much for her, and he even says it to her aloud 'You are special to me' and 'I will always look after you' and how he could never give her up. Season 2 is a season of healing for Colin- he closes his chapter with Marina with a relationship post-mortum conversation after he does a wellness check to make sure she's alive (let's be real here, no one else was going to reach out to her. She made it clear to him that even her own father didn't want her), makes amends with Will, proves himself useful to Penelope, and departs on a high: he thinks he threaded the needle. He thinks he was successful sending Jack off, that he made Penelope happy, and that he's in with The Boys.

But whilst the person he is around Penelope is genuine, the person he is around these men are not. We know from Season 3 that they don't actually like him. They make snide, underhanded comments toward him, and laugh at him. I stand by the idea that end of season 2 is Fife and Co. laughing at Penelope AND laughing at Colin. They don't care about their friendship, they're teasing him for caring about her so openly, and Colin is protective of the relationship he has with Penelope. So he makes a comment for the boys, and puts on his mask. 'I would never court Penelope Featherington' (look, I'm just like you. I walk like you, talk like you, speak like you) 'Not in your wildest fantasies, Fife' (I am one of you one of you one of you- so why does it feel so hollow?)

He gets, now, his first taste of acceptance from them. They come to him to Mondrich's bar, he repays his slight against him, and he feels he is one of them. (Does he truly *want* to be one of them?) And so when we open Season 3, it's a smooth progression.

Colin is walking the walk and talking the talk, and yet his heart isn't in it. He's not one of these smarmy men, but he mimics them. Their behavior. In part, at least. Whilst Fife is out preying on 18 year old women in coat closets, Colin is telling gaggles of girls how pretty they are and how with such nice dresses, they're sure to find a husband. He makes it clear he's not an option, but that he doesn't mind being a fantasy. And Luke Newton does an amazing job making that clear: there are three sides of Colin. The Colin portrayed to his society in the light in good company (1) and the Colin portrayed to his society in the dark, in. . .less savory circles (aka: The Lads)(2), his 'armor' as his mum calls it. And finally, the most important but the one kept closest to the chest: the Colin of truth. The Colin who cries alone in his room after a breakup, the Colin who doesn't burden others with his feelings, the Colin who writes to Penelope, the Colin who loves deeply and feels deeply.

But his society has no use for a man like the real Colin, they do not *want* a man like real Colin, so he puts it under lock and key. And so much of this is centered around his feelings about sex, so here comes my 'Colin is Queer' soapbox. Colin does not experience sexual attraction like the rest of the men of the ton. He is expected to find it casual and be cavalier about it. To just want to fuck for the sake of fucking. But Colin needs love and romance and connection to actually enjoy sexual interactions. Nowadays, we recognize this as being on the asexual spectrum, of being demisexual, but he didn't have words for that in the time period he's in, so he has to forge ahead to figure himself out without a community identity to find solidarity with. That's what makes the brothel scenes so interesting as a narrative device: in the first, he's masking even in the midst of it, and in the second, he can't. After kissing Penelope, he finally, for the first time in his life, has a sexual interaction that means something to him.

It's the first one he truly enjoys, and the first one that feels right to him. It clicks for him that oh, that's what it's meant to be like. And the strain of that realization whilst still having to be what his society expects of him puts immense stress on his shoulders. You see how he grows more and more uncomfortable about the conversations, until finally he rejects it outright.

Even when it's very much not encouraged for him to do so. He's even told "You are much more fun this season." That's why he hides himself. From near everyone, even his family, even his brothers. It's telling how Anthony's positive interaction with Colin is when they're at the club, and Anthony praises him for his most recent attention. Have we seen much of Anthony being proud of Colin, otherwise? Not really. So he's reinforced in his persona. Doesn't boast of his travels because it didn't have anyone liking him for it, before. Doesn't even say how many cities he's gone to. Except with Penelope.

In the books, there's a line about their kiss, referencing how his world will never be the same. And it won't be. Because when Colin says that she helps him see the world in new ways, it's in a multitude of meanings.

Penelope refuses to let him wear the mask, because in truth, Penelope is the only one who doesn't like it. Not only does she see the real Colin, but she enjoys the real Colin. Whilst everyone else is simpering over Colin's new look and attitude, rejects who he is in reality, Penelope dismisses it, wants the person she knows him to be instead. It's only when he strips down the facades that Penelope allows him into her life again. And her Whistledown article was harsh, but it was also true. He *is* masking. He *is* putting on a persona and a role. But she was wrong when she asked if Colin even knows which is real: Colin knows very well which is real. And he also knows the realities of him haven't been accepted.

When Colin tells Penelope charm can be taught, he speaks from experience. When he says 'living for the expectations of others is a trap' it is because he has already fallen into it, and if he can't dig himself out, maybe he can keep her from it. Colin tells her 'you do not need lessons' and that she is fine exactly as she is, because just as she sees the real him and loves him, he sees the real her, and loves her, too. But they both live in the constraints of their society, and so they both put on the masquerade. Even sometimes to hide from each other.

The current climax of his arc is when he's out with the lads, after they all go off to the brothel again, and he disassociates from the experience. Playing cards and insisting on sharing sexual exploits, to which he does not want to take part, and makes a lighthearted dig at them. 'There is no gentleman at this table'. He includes himself in that, and then clarifies. He speaks aloud for the first time to them the truth of his heart- 'Do you not ever tire of the expectation to remain cavalier about the one thing in life that holds genuine meaning? Do you not find it lonely?' Can it really only just be him?

And it is. Or, maybe it isn't, but the rest of them aren't brave enough to admit it, so they're okay in making him feel like it is, in outcasting him for being a romantic, for caring about a woman beyond what she can provide for him sexually. Colin professes he doesn't like who he's become, doesn't like the expectations for him to behave the way he has, and they laugh at him. Again. He is made fun of, again.

He goes home and he falls in his bed and he feels like he lost it all. Lost Penelope to his own advice, and lost his newfound shine in his community. But when he's faced with which one matters more to him, he chooses Penelope. Unhesitatingly.

Colin chooses to be sensitive. He chooses to be a warm-hearted, gentle man in a society that prefers sexist machismo. Act one way in the light and another in the shadows. Colin wants to live authentically, as a man he doesn't really have a role model for. He is brave and he is tender, he sees the sexism of his society and he rejects it. He sees the importance Penelope has in his life, the way she makes him feel, and he embraces her wholeheartedly. He wants love and romance, he wants connection and meaning.

Colin, The Great Pretender, sick of pretending. Colin, walking into that ballroom and giving Fife the cut direct when he invites him out. Colin, cutting into a dance in the middle of a ball between Penelope and a man the entire city knows is about to propose. Colin staring deeply into her eyes with such unfiltered longing even *Cressida* can't help but notice what's going on. Colin running off after Penelope in full view of his society, outrunning a *carriage* to see her. Begging her to let him in. Colin on his knees, all but flaying his chest open for Penelope to see his heart. Colin made a choice when that candle flickered out, and his choice was Penelope. His choice was himself. And his choice was to flip off societal expectation and to live for love, damn the consequences.

I think our own world would be a better place if modern men took his example, too. Colin Bridgerton as male love lead in Bridgerton, a global show, is such a refreshing, wonderful example. A man who tried to be like what the world wanted, and who decided to go against the gender norms of his time. A man who prioritizes the woman he loves, who risks ridicule in doing so and comes to realize that he doesn't care. He doesn't care anymore about being one of the boys, one of the lads, one of the guys. Fuck his society if his society can't recognize the beauty of what he feels with Pen. He cares about being the best self he can be. And that best self is around Penelope, inspired by Penelope.

Because how he is with Penelope? God, I could swoon. At every turn, he prioritizes her comfort and personhood. He validates her, he sees her in beautiful, positive light and he helps her see herself that way, too. He encourages her to be brave because he already feels she is, he refuses to let her call herself stupid or a laughingstock, he apologizes without excuses, he checks in on her every step of the way. He's so passionate in that carriage, he's burning for her, he's yearning, but he doesn't do anything until she agrees for him to. He confesses his feelings and when she says they're friends, he backs off. He listens, he cares. He apologizes for overstepping her boundaries, and then when she gives him her consent, the only thing on his mind is showing how much he wants and appreciates her by providing her pleasure. Colin, the people pleaser, dedicated only to pleasing two people in that moment: Penelope, and himself. Because he wants to do that, to give her an orgasm that exists just for her. He's a witness to it, and that's pleasure for him, too. He waits for her nod of consent, he revels in seeing her enjoying herself. And the aftercare- I could cry.

Colin is a man who had every single reason not to be a kind, sensitive soul, and still he chose it. Chose to share it because the headline, even a wallflower can bloom, that's not just for Penelope.

It's for Colin, too.

[evilbihan]

I'm not going to acknowledge that person by name because I have no wish to interact further with her, nor to have others find her and give her any attention. But with Noob Saibot being brought back, I remembered this rancid take they had, quote: "Bi-Han is a man who has time and time again become Noob Saibot, a man whose endings have shown the Netherrealm is where he wanted to be" which is wild af to say.

Because Bi-Han doesn't just 'become" Noob, he is literally made into Noob. Quan Chi resurrected him as a wraith that turned him into Noob Saibot and now Titan Havik tortures him and uses some insane magic even Liu Kang doesn't know, to turn him into Noob. It's not like some magical girl transformation. We're talking awful evil stuff being done to Bi-Han against his will, to warp him into this being known as Noob Saobot, who is stripped of his humanity and almost everything that made Bi-Han who he was.

And Bi-Han never wanted to end up in the Neatherrealm. In the previous timelines he literally had no choice. He was forced into the role of assassin. He was molded into one practically from birth. In Mythologies when he goes into the Neatherrealm he's informed that his soul is already tainted with evil, which is why he can exist there. That's not because he simply woke up one day and decided to kill some Gods for shits and gigs. He had to do what he was ordered to do or be a traitor to the clan and marked for death anyway. It was a lose lose situation. If anything this shows that Bi-Han was never where he wanted to be. His strings were always being pulled by someone else. History is repeating itself now. And leaks even say that Liu Kang doesn't fault him for his desires, but only the ways he goes about achieving his ends. Which further proves Bi-Han doesn't have some nefarious plots in mind with the deliberate intention of landing himself in the Neatherrealm.

She said she doesn't hate Bi-Han, but then this reads as a deep missunderstanding of his character. And at that point, if you can misinterpret his character to that degree, you probably don't like him much either.

Another day, another take so stupid it makes me want to never interact with anything MK related ever again.

Oh, who am I kidding? The trailer already achieved that.

Needless to say, you're 100% correct and this person, whoever they are, is obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed. People who think Bi-Han wanted any of this are either being ignorant on purpose and want to misunderstand his character because they hate him or they're so blatantly stupid they don't understand the very simple fact that Bi-Han being turned into Noob Saibot always happened against his will in every damn timeline.

Does it look like Bi-Han tied himself to that damn wheel we see in the trailer? Does this person have the attention span of a goldfish and just missed the part where he looks terrified out of his mind when those drills/needles approach him?

For goodness' sake, I didn't want to talk about the trailer because watching it made me want to gauge my own eyeballs out. I never felt this sick looking at something in my life (that's coming from someone who plays horror and fighting games on the regular) and yet here we are and I'm talking about it regardless now. I hate it here.

But anyway, you're right. What more can I say? Anyone with even an ounce of common sense would know that. Anyone who has ever played any of the Mortal Kombat games should know that Bi-Han was forcefully turned into Noob Saibot. He was never evil. He was always a neutral character and he's still a neutral character in the New Era.

What more confirmation do you need outside of Liu Kang himself admitting that there's nothing wrong with Bi-Han's ambitions, only with his methods of achieving them? Ashrah says Bi-Han can be redeemed, Bi-Han said only people who don't understand him would mistake him for evil, the Lin Kuei all stand behind Bi-Han and support him... He isn't evil and he never was.

He literally saves Liu Kang's entire stupid trainwreck of a timeline single-handedly in this DLC and people still have the audacity to say he's evil?

I wish he was.

I wish Bi-Han would just sit back and watch Havik destroy Liu Kang's timeline along with all the pitiful hypocrites in it. I wish he'd let all of the fandom's pathetic favorites get torn to shreds and laugh.

But he won't. Because Bi-Han is a good and honorable man deep down.

Disagree and be wrong. It's as simple as that.

PS: Wasn't MK:Mythologies Sub-Zero all about Bi-Han trying to avoid ending up in the Netherrealm? He reacted with shock and concern to being told his soul is tainted with evil by Raiden and he was trying to turn his life around. There's even an ending in one of the older games where he kills Shang Tsung and leaves the Lin Kuei with the prize money from the tournament. Bi-Han never wanted to end up in the Netherrealm. Claiming anything else would be ignoring canon lore.

[brucewaynehater101]

Talon Dick via Tim AU

@hisaribi came up with the initial AU and helped flesh this idea out!

To start out, most of the timeline is the same up to just before Jason comes back as Red Hood. Here are the two main differences to the OG timeline:

Before Dick's parents died, the Court of Owls experimented slightly on Dick. He was a candidate they were considering for the Talon program. They injected him a few times to monitor results before deciding whether to initiate fully. They brainwashed him with some latent codes and were planning to take him after his parents' deaths. Obviously, Bruce stopped the second part of their plot. The codes and serum still existed in him as he grew up, though.

Tim's parents were invited to the Court of Owls. Due to their travels, though, they weren't able to meet membership requirements. Tim thus knew about the CoO but wasn't a part of it.

Here's where the timeline starts to diverge. Tim's been Robin for at least a year now. Bruce and Dick are somewhat talking again. Everything is okay (not necessarily great, but Tim hopes one day it could be).

Then Bruce causes Dick to die (dealer's choice on how deliberate it was).

A second son of Bruce (and perhaps the last child he actually considers as his own) dies. Obviously, this man tries to reenact his brutality boogie through Gotham.

Tim believes it's his fault that Bruce caused Dick to die (if Tim had done his self-assigned job better, if he had healed Bruce more, if he kept a tighter leash on that man, maybe Dick wouldn't have died).

The techniques Tim had used before to pull Bruce from that ledge aren't working. The teen is barely able to restrain the Batman's more violent tendencies. He's trying, in the midst of his own grief and self-blame, to do what he became Robin for. He's really really trying.

Tim, the lovely little rascal, gets the brilliant idea to use the CoO resources to bring Dick back to life. Perhaps he can fix his failures, prevent Bruce from drowning, and have his brother back.

It somewhat works.

Due to the shit in Dick's system before he died, more injections are able to receive Dick. It changes him, but he's alive. That's what Tim cares about.

Yet, the CoO find out about their shit being used and steal Dick away.

Tim then spends almost a year rescuing him from the CoO, trying to fix all the brainwashing, and reforming Dick's sense of identity. Dick isn't fully himself, he follows orders too readily, and he spends a lot of time dissociating. He has some physical traits of Talons, but he also has more autonomy and resistance than the others.

Tim can't quite present Dick as a fresh Talon to Bruce. That wouldn't work and might make Batman even more violent. Thus, Tim spends that year juggling his mentor and Dick's wellbeing. That poor kid is stressed and going through it (he's also fighting off the CoO alone and has to hide Dick). At the very least, Talon!Dick cares for Tim. They are close, and Tim gets showered in affection by the older one.

Unfortunately for the teen, a certain red helmet starts popping up in Crime Alley.

Jason is high key pissed at Bruce. He is raging and foaming at the mouth because Dick died (and no one but CoO and Tim know otherwise). Jason has let go of some of his hatred for Dick. He's able to remember the better times and that the man was his brother. They didn't have a perfect relationship, but they were siblings.

Bruce killed him (Jason's perspective on it regardless of how purposeful Bruce was in orchestrating Dick's death). Bruce killed Dick, the original Robin, and he's got a placeholder still prancing around in stoplight colors.

So, Jason goes to beat the shit out of Tim to prove to Bruce that he obviously can't protect anyone.

When he gets to Drake Manor guns blazing, a very angry and protective Talon!Dick starts beating the shit out of him. Only by the grace of Jason's helmet being removed mid-battle is Jason saved.

Later, when a cold Dick refuses to stop hugging Jason, Red Hood raises an eyebrow in Tim's direction and asks what the fuck is going on.

Tim wants to ask him the same thing.

More snippets for this AU:

Because Dick is immortal as a Talon, he's forever as he is. One day, all of his younger siblings will grow older than him

Jason and Tim will teach each other not to base so much of their life off of Bruce. From opposite ends of the spectrum (devotion vs malice), they base their choices, demeanor, and paths according to Bruce.

Dick oscillates between the two during their arguments about Bruce (especially due to his Talon state being more or less present)

Dick struggles with his memory. Both recent and pre-Talon memories can be harder to recall some days

Jason is chill with killing, but Dick despises it. He doesn't want to kill, but, due to his programming, he's been forced to.

When Dick is forced to follow an order, he has two reactions. He either blanks out and wakes up with no memory of what he's done, or he is mentally present the entire time as he screams at himself to stop :(

When Bruce gets lost in the timestream, Jason believes Tim. However, he wants Tim to let Bruce die

I think I covered everything we chatted about! If not, I'll add more ^^

[a-concert-just-for-me]

The significance of 9, 99, and 999 in Asriel’s letter

Or: a disjointed analysis of Chara’s obsession with power vs. Asriel’s obsession with friendship and novelty.

Disclaimer: I haven’t played the game in a while, so some of the information may be misremembered. I tried my best using clips/screenshots for reference.

Disclaimer 2: I am also a Chara sympathizer!!!!! I changed the wording a bit to reflect this.

Chara loved the number 9 because they believed that in reaching the highest number, they’d become invincible. It’s implied in-game that Chara didn’t have a good past with the humans, so when they fell into the underground, the concepts of being safe and having power were likely novel experiences to them. They found comfort in the finality of “making it to the top” and staying there.

(Asriel was just happy to have a friend.)

Chara used to fill up their glass to the brim. Not necessarily because they were all that thirsty, but because it was “the most efficient way” to do things. Asriel followed their lead.

(There was a lot of spilled water in the house.)

Chara, regardless of if their motivations were altruistic, neutral, or vengeful, wasn’t fully satisfied with their life in the underground at some point towards the end. They utilized the influence they had over Asriel to strong-arm him into a plan he voiced becoming uncomfortable with on a couple different occasions.

(He recorded the two of them talking about their plan. He kept the lens cap on by accident at first. Then on purpose. Then, when he took it off, Chara instructed him to turn off the camera.)

Asriel valued having Chara in his life. The thought of his friendship with Chara having a an expiration date was terrifying to him. He decided somewhere along the way that if he wanted to hold on to every single good memory they shared, he’d need to ensure he had enough space for them.

Asriel’s “highest number” in the letter went from 99 to 999 in the same letter. Maybe he could just keep adding more 9s to his memory counter. Maybe if he didn’t keep an eye on the numbers, he could stay with Chara forever…

(When Asriel didn’t do what Chara said— when Asriel said he didn’t want to kill the humans on the surface, Chara tried to take control. They couldn’t compromise on what they wanted. It killed both of them.)

Asriel later gained the power to reset. He couldn’t feel anything for anyone anymore, but out of curiosity, he tried every combination of actions available.

It became boring. He wanted more. He wanted Chara.

If he squinted his eyes really hard, he could pretend that YOU were Chara.

In the normal ending fight with Asriel, his stats became infinite. You felt the space in your inventory becoming smaller and smaller, filled with “Last dreams.”

(Through determination, the dream came true. You were able to heal yourself. Nothing could hurt you anymore. You were invincible.)

He still wanted to defeat you. He still wanted control. He still wanted to reset and bring all of your memories back to zero. He told you that determination, the power that let you get this far, was going to be your downfall.

(It was for him, after all.)

Yet as the player, you were still able to come back from death, so long as you stayed determined. It frustrated him. He told you he was fighting to keep Chara around because he cared about them.

He told you he didn’t want this to end. He told you he didn’t want to say goodbye.

When he became a monster again, he made a choice of his own: he wanted to break the barrier and let everyone to free.

(He sacrificed his own happiness to let everyone else be free. He accepted that he needed to let go. He accepted that you need to continue on in the timeline without him.)

Still, you as the player have the option to undo all that progress, if you feel the desire to. Just like Flowey, you can start seeing experiences and friendships as just numbers too.

On the neutral/pacifist run, Chara never fought for control over the player. But once you started killing in the genocide, they gained power and sought to use it by the end of the story.

In the genocide route, Flowey begged Chara to let him help. He thought up a plan to go to the surface and then live there. He was tired of the resets. He wanted stability with the one person he found interesting.

And then that person killed him.

Unlike Asgore in the scene before, there were no 9s above Flowey’s head when he died.

(I’m not 100% sure of the implications there, but it feels like a loaded detail, now.)

At the end of the genocide run, Chara wants to be your partner now. They have you trapped in the void. If you don’t do what they say, you’ll be stuck here forever.

If you want to keep playing the game, you have to agree. They kill you. Your screen floods with more 9s than you can count.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Chara’s next goal could be to conquer YOU.

(But. No one can hurt anyone anymore)

Chara’s next goal may just be to stop you.

But again: Overall, YOU still have the power to reopen the game. YOU have the power to play around with everyone’s lives. No matter how much control the kids fight for, they’re at YOUR mercy, at the end of the day.

(There’s a highest number for you, too, though, isn’t there? Eventually, you’ll get bored and turn off the game.)

But maybe not. You can always turn on the computer again and meet with Flowey at the beginning, like nothing ever happened.

Maybe Flowey was right when he said that determination would be your downfall.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

hii so as wick said you are the killer guy. ive learned a lot abt him through you i think, and if i make or reblog smthn abt him and then *you* reblog it im like "!! i did him right i got the character right!!"

so as such ive gotta ask. ink and killer. both are aware of someone watching them, making choices for them to further the story as they please. the creators/players. but both have different opinions of them. i wanna know what you think would be like- differences/similarities between their views. would they get along on this subject, would they not (i dont think they would tbh), etc.

im sorry if this isn't very coherent im still asleep 😭😭

Hiii! 👋 I always enjoy reading or seeing anything you make about killer, id reblog and like every single one.

And I agree with you that this is a subject that ink and killer wouldn’t really agree upon, simply because their experiences with the creators/players are very different.

Other than the obvious ones, where Ink has a positive outlook on creators and Killer doesn’t really, Ink also needs creators to stay alive and healthy. And if I remember correctly, Ink was not made by creators specifically to protect AUs. That’s a choice he made on his own, to not only ensure his own survival, but to have a purpose and feel like his life has meaning.

Ink had some agency in a way, and was happy to do something as grand as protecting entire universes. No one’s gonna be able to really stop him if he decides to shrug his shoulders and retire from protecting AUs one day, no one but himself really.

Meanwhile, Killer’s Determination would not allow him to do that so easily. Just look at Stage 4.

Killer did not have any real agency or a say—Sans did not agree to anything like gaining Determination or ‘fusing’ souls—and he was “created” and cultivated for specific purposes; to kill, to entertain, to be a partner, to do a Genocide. To destroy timelines and worlds in a way. If you interpret the Angel in the prophecy to be the Player, it can be said that Killer was made and cultivated for the purpose of being our avatar.

He enacts our will. We want him to kill? Do a Genocide? We want to be the Angel of Death and liberate the Underground by emptying it completely? He is one of our means to do that.

We want to complete the game, try every single avenue and maybe even create our own paths, regardless of how it actually affects the structure of the world/game? He’s our means to do what we normally couldn’t. To do something new.

Because we aren’t doing it. He is, by following our commands. Proceed.

Killer is our right hand, Frisk is the left, and Chara is the feeling we have when we level up, when we gain more stats; they guide and support us on our way eventually, as they do for Killer too; until Killer decides one day that he no longer needs them and needs something new. They are our means of interacting with the world.

Which means Killer could also have the dual purpose of being Chara’s partner, meant to accompany them along on their journey. Perhaps Sans was just the Player’s favorite character, or we just wanted something new. And Chara wanted a partner, a friend, a companion.

I’m sure there’s an ending out there where Killer never turns on Chara and the two of them find a way to leave their timeline to continue on elsewhere. Perhaps by Erasing it and moving on to the next world, as Chara says at the end of the canon Genocide route.

Only we don’t have complete control over Killer, because he is not supposed to be our Avatar. Killer is not supposed to exist, yet he does because we wanted him to. The whole reason Killer’s Stage 2 exist in the state that it does is because it represents Sans fighting back against the Determination SOUL.

Because Sans never wanted this. Ever. We just made him think he did. Something New was Snowgrave before Snowgrave.

We took him and shattered him completely and arranged his parts in a way that suited our desires and built him back up in our preferred image before freezing him in that state. And we did it by first taking everything from him, including himself.

Ink doesn’t remember anything after he tore up his soul, and even if he did, why would he chose anything differently? He and his universe were nothing but incomplete, rough sketches that were abandoned.

Ink came from nothing, and now has everything.

Ink finds purpose with the Creators and admires their works, seeks to protect their AUs and their scripts from anything he perceives as an anomaly.

Killer has a purpose for existing. He just wishes he didn’t. I’m sure that, at his lowest points, Killer would give anything to go back to being nothing.

( @alyimoss ).

(Also maybe an odd opinion but I honestly feel that this particular part of Something New is the reason why it would’ve worked a bit better in a game format rather than a comic.)

(And you know. I can see a little scene where, like..Ink says something about how the Player prefers “Killer” over “Sans” now. So Killer must feel very loved by us.

And of course, as is often the case with Killer, his emotional investment and reactions about/towards the Player during conversations with people like Ink would differ based on what Stage he is in.

Stage 2 is unlikely to be able to feel much intense emotions or opinions about us, and is therefore is able to approach this type of topic from a more detached, apathetic lens. A sense of resigned acceptance, even. He exists because we want to play, so he will put on a show.

I’m sure he’d have strong feelings about it in all the other Stages, but it’s not like Stages 3 and 4 are exactly capable of sitting down and having clear minded full conversations about it.

That’s more Stage 1’s thing, with all the emotional baggage and all. Because it’s not like knowing why really changes anything for him; he still did it, it was his hands. He does have a tendency to hurt himself for us, as Color has said.)

[11cleyvaart]

Trans Quimby headcanons, 2015 please?😘😘😘😘

To start 2015 Quimby is his own thing, and the show to be goes a different direction from the 83/85/ and Gadgetinis timeline.

So the time frame would differ greatly from the 1980's version making them in their forties now leading them to be born the 1968.

So here are some of my 2015 Quimby Headcanons:

His dead name is Marcy Quimby. He knows he can't erase the years before he became Frank but he simply doesn't want to remember them

He was born into an Irish Catholic home, with some roots deep in there of Polish decent. But he is more Irish than anything.

He went to Sunday schooling and all girls school when he was growing up. But he knew he was different than the others firstly because he was labeled as an 'ugly girl' by his parents. He didn't have his mother's looks.

He has a noticeable underbite due to his jaw being broken as a child from a large fall while playing with the other boys when his mother told him to play with girls. He has no regrets.

His parents wanted him to become a nurse but he had his sights set on becoming a police officer.

His first act of defiance was cutting his long hair off knowing that he was tired of being viewed as someone he wasn't. This promptly caused his parents to kick him out as he told them he felt more comfortable being called Frank. Being of the mid 1980's time he felt more free to be himself.

He still hadn't started any HRT nor could pass as a man, he was only 5'2 with no facial hair. Yet he was adamant to be the man he was.

He did become a police officer and rose in the ranks to sergeant. This is when he met Augustin. (Which also is when the viewed perspective on Quimby changed when Augustin became Gadget. Seeing Quimby as a buff man when he's short and doesn't fit the memories of Gadget ⬇️)

He and Augustin began a relationship while Quimby was just Transgender. Augustin didn't mind as much, he just was in love with the person. (2015 Augustin differs from 1980's as well)

With Quimby having higher ranking than Augustin, he became the Chief inspector as Augustin became apart of the detective sector with Quimby as his boss.

It when here by the 1999 did Augustin marry Frank, yet they had to use Marcy for it at this time, but they got married regardless. It was Augustine's way of showing that he wasn't leaving Frank for anything. Allowing for Frank to become Penny's uncle as well.

Frank began his HRT and gained the facial hair he always wanted, focusing mainly on growing a mustache also thanks to his genes giving him more of a boost to grow a full mustache.

Frank was able to get his chest redone with the inverted T incision, he had a larger chest. He didn't get any lower work done as he felt more comfortable having his chest redone and that mustache he's always wanted.

Yet he was still able to sadly get pregnant, which he and Augustin had an accidental dealing with Quimby getting positive results. Fear of being seen by his husband as something he wasn't caused him to begin to try to hide it until he broke down. They accepted the inevitable. But it never came to be as Quimby suffered from a difficult miscarriage.

This caused severe mental anguish for Frank, both in getting pregnant and now losing it. This pushed him to begin binge eating to cope.

He was soon diagnosed with bipolar 2 after experiencing a major change in his emotions of gripping depression. His choices became skewed blinding him of what mattered. It put a strain on Augustin, but he still loved his Frank no matter.

Frank was put on medication and was able to gain his life again being himself once again.

Not soon after, roughly three years, did Augustin suffer from a traumatic accident himself that Frank started to become unwell mentally and physically once again. He would tend his husband until he passed away, seeing the man he loved and married, die and be reborn as Gadget before him changed him.

His husband was technically deceased yet he still had Gadget now, who seemed to remember him as his lover. But the relationship was strained at times as Gadget had neurological damage causing the caring nature to be lost at times. But Frank still loves and tries his best to be there.

He lives in a home away from Gadget but is still able to come over, he often has to remind Gadget of their relationship together as Gadget has amnesia at times.

With Penny, Quimby has some disdain for her once she became a teenager. He has deep rooted negative feelings towards girls and women after his years of ridicule. He tries his best to be there for Penny but he at times doesn't like it. He also has fear for Kayla, that she reminds him of those who mocked him.

On his free time, Frank likes to eat mainly but also take naps. He finds comfort in sharing a bed with Gadget in many ways. He finds that feeling the man he once knew next to him again takes his sadness away.

More than likely I missed some (and misspelt) but that's what I can think of at the moment. He's had a rough time but he's a happy little critter when he can be.

[wetcatspellcaster]

I read the latest chapter of Honest Lie: it was devastating. I was smashed to the floor, it was incredible.

I loved the support group feedback.

Something I’m looking forward to is seeing how Rosalie deals with allowing Astarion to ascend. Rosalie’s straightforward ways of dealing with good things and bad things are something that I find difficult to comprehend - I think I personally am much more willing to compromise on good and evil for a person I love and a person I hate. I wonder if the party’s adoration for Rose is partially because she provides that strong moral compass that they all so desperately are looking for being

Good —————————- Power? Power!

(See companions vacillating between both spectrums, with Karlach being the exception, in my opinion)

And I do love Astarion’s cautiously made point, which (maybe? I feel?) that Rosalie hasn’t quite yet seemed to express fully in my reading - that people should be allowed to choose. There’s this line from a book that often resonates with me (I’ve put it below!! Please excuse my quoting another author at you, you being my respected and much loved author!) which states basically that choice is the most important thing to preserve, because it lets us choose to be whoever we want to be, which!! I love that BG3 seems to show us, that we persuade the companion but the companion makes the actual final choices!!

I’m super looking forward to the next installments!!! I enjoy reading so much your good and amazing works! Wishing you a great month ahead :)

“It was the right thing to do because it gave us choices. Having a choice is the most important thing.”

I’d heard that before. It’s a bullet-point line in the graduation handbook: As a general rule, regardless of the specific situation in which you find yourself, at every step you must take care to preserve or widen the number of your options. It hadn’t quite sunk in properly, but now it did. Having a choice meant being able to choose something that worked for you and whatever you were carrying and whatever you’d prepared. Having a choice meant you got to choose getting out.”

The Last Graduate, Naomi Novik

hey lovely, thank you for the message and feedback on the chapter, I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

I just want to give a quick reminder that Astarion doesn't Ascend in An Honest Lie! That is not my canon playthrough narrative and Pieces has the tagline 'Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence' for this reason. I only bring it up to put the lingering fears of any readers to bed, but also because it informs my response to your message!

Because, um, we've already *seen* the timeline where Rosalie gives Astarion full and free reign of choice... and that is, in fact, Pieces Still Stuck In Your Teeth :'))))

I totally get where you're coming from. I love that BG3 post that goes around occasionally being like 'I believe in supporting my friends' choices and BG3 really tests that by making my friends want to commit mass murder, become a God, kill a defenceless woman...' bc it sums up my feelings pretty succinctly. While in theory, I'd love a world where Astarion is given space to fix himself and then makes the choice a good Tav wants him to make, the fact of the matter is that if you do not make the (admittedly low DC) persuasion check, if left to his own devices Astarion will always choose to Ascend.

I've thought about that choice by Larian a lot. It's part of what made Pieces so compelling to me as a worst timeline, because that crucial moment seemed to become a perfect storm of 1. Rosalie doubting herself and her own values, choosing to put love first but in a way that is essentially, more self-sacrifice and self-effacement and self-doubt, and 2. Astarion losing a key source of support at the scariest moment in his life and suddenly feeling lost and alone. Rose doesn't speak to him once, past the flashback, in that timeline - she lets him take the lead.

So in response to your question, I operate on the belief, however subjective, that Rosalie's refusal to give in actually is what opens up more choice for Astarion, not the other way around. Because (as plenty of other meta posts that come before me have said much better than I could) he thinks the world works a certain way, and all his decisions are made within that matrix and the assumption that this is the only way the world works. Rose is offering a new model of behaviour - I'm not saying it's flawless, or even correct (it's mostly just autistic). It's just an alternative perspective that I believe (inevitably, as its author) is needed.

A secondary example of that, is him mechanising love in the Chapter 11 argument to try and get his way - he knows he can get people to do what he wants through sex, surely love is just a more powerful version of that? This is the way the world works. But Rosalie refusing to back down despite being in love with him, or love manifesting in a way that isn't immediate acquiescence, also challenges that perspective. It shows that sometimes love or sex or attraction isn't the automatic tool to a person's complacency, and that in fact sometimes love is actively working to better yourself, if you care about a person enough. Sometimes love/attraction isn't making the other person do something for you, but doing something for them instead.

I agree people should be allowed to choose... but sometimes people need support and also, to be quite honest, coaching to get through the most difficult times in their lives without turning into the worst version of themselves. That's not a failing of the person, it's just proof that things are easier when you have a support network. Astarion wants independence as freedom but I don't think independence as loneliness serves him, as it reinforces his worldview, of choices as survival and nothing else.

[thelavendercatalogue]

LJS Alternate ending Pt1: A Choice in Eventualities

Alternate timelines and hypothetical endings for Lupin III: The Lavender Jacket Series.

Route One: A Choice in Eventualities

TW: Character Death.

Jigen sits by him and Lupin notices that Jigens eyes are red and that he looks like he’s been crying and that’s when Jigen tearfully asks him what does he want him to do. Lupin…for once of his life…doesn’t know. He really doesn’t, he’s just tired, so tired But not tired enough to turn one of his IV covered hands palm up to grab at Jigens hand and him doing that alone is enough to break Jigen cause in the end Lupin still trusts him to make the right decisions no matter how heartbreaking He just wishes, as Jigen cries into his neck, that Jigen didn’t have too But in the end whatever choice they make- no matter how big or small- they’ll make it together no matter what

Even if it meant pulling the plug. . .

Jigen knows Lupin better then anyone

He knows him like he knows his gun, his hat.

Because he’s always with him

No matter what he’s always with him

Just like now. . . he’s with him in the end.

They take him for surgery to repair the leg and try to salvage it as best they could. They tell Jigen the risks, tell him what to expect. Tell him that even if he makes it he’s still unstable and to just. . .prepare in case.

Jigens heard the song and dance before since he’s gotten here the first week. So Jigens good at that. He’s good at preparing for worst case scenarios.

But something feels different this time.

Because before they cart him off, Lupin and Jigen have one final moment together, and Jigen notices a look in his eye. One that to many would signal that this is probably it. That this is probably going to be the last time he ever see’s him alive again.

But Jigen’s not ready yet. Not sure if he'll ever be. So he tries to tell himself and Lupin for that to not worry. That everything will be fine and that no matter what happens Jigen won’t leave him.

They take him up

Something goes wrong.

Lupin doesn’t wake up after surgery. His vitals are in the toilet and stay that way. The machines and the drugs are the only thing keeping him alive and even their struggling to do just that.

The doctors talk to Jigen, discuss options, what they can do, how long they could wait but the outcome is not good regardless of what they say or choose.

Jigen has to make a choice.

In the end fate was thankfully kind.

Jigen didn’t have make the ultimate decision

Lupin in the end makes the choice for him.

The rest of the gang simply help him along with it

The gang are more then friends

The gang are family

No matter how much Lupin doesn’t trust them sometimes. No matter how much they fight. Backstab. Whatever. In the end their family. And they always would be.

Though Jigen has the ultimate power over decisions, they all make decisions together regarding Lupin. That’s why when Jigen found out about what they wanted to do with the leg, he had the discussion with the gang to come down to a joint decision.

The night Lupin died was the night Jigens body finally gave in to the fatigue. The one night out off all the weeks he had spent staying up late where his body did the one kindness it could give him and allow him to lull into a deep sleep beside his partner.

He didn’t even hear the monitors start too go off. Start blaring early in the morning. But the others did. They had come to see them and when they start, Goemon and Fujiko are the ones to make the decision.

They already knew Jigen had all intentions on letting Lupin go as peacefully as he could go if the decision called for it. And they both figured this would be how Lupin would have decided too go.

With Jigen by his side no matter what.

It hurts them. . .god it hurts them. . .but it’s the one kindness they can give Jigen and Lupin.

The ultimate kindness to make the decision for him so he doesn’t have to live with the guilt believing that he could have done something to have change the outcome.

He still would blame himself of course. . .they know that. . .but at least he won’t have to feel like he killed him.

Jigen wishes he could tell someone that in the end Lupin pulled off some sort of miracle. That in the end he survived the impossible as Jigen laid with him that night…that despite the odds, that ol Lupin charm and charisma won out and Lupin miraculously survived

…but he doesn’t tell anyone that

because he can’t

Because Lupin never did

He just stopped breathing a day before the final choice was made

And it was so simple.

So. . .easy.

So. . .un-Lupin to go out so quietly the way that he did.

It almost doesn’t seem real

But it is. . .it is real.

Lupin was never suppose to die like this. It’s wrong. He’s suppose to go out with a bang. They both were. . together. . .not one leaving the other behind, not with a bang but a whisper befitting a snuffed out flame while they both slept.

But that’s what happened.

That’s what happened and there’s nothing Jigen can do to change that no matter how much it kills him on the inside and leaves him cold.

Jigen turns around, sees Lupin still where he is. Still where he left him that night. If he squints, Jigen could almost pretend he’s just asleep, ready to be gently woken for another day. Another day of sitting by his side and tenderly stroking his hair until his eye opened. But it won’t happen. It’ll never happen again.

The sun is rising just over the horizon when he wakes up. A winters sunrise. Coloring the wispy clouds with a golden glow, sending orange streaks across the sky. It looks oddly like an oil painting, one that Jigen would see in the homes of their wealthy victims during a heist.

He remembers how much he and Lupin liked watching it together.

Before he knows it, Jigens saying, “Look at the sun out there,” too late to remember nobody is around to hear him. Lupin won’t see it. He didn’t stay alive long enough to see the sun rise on this new day. He won’t ever see it again. That realization is like a shot to the heart, and Jigen feels tears stinging his eyes again.

Maybe if he tries, Lupin will actually wake up. Revive suddenly, like last night didn’t even happen.

Lupin? You awake?

He will hear tapping

Yeah?

Feeling alright?

Yeah. . .. I’m just Fine.

_ _ _

If you must mourn, my love Mourn with the moon and the stars up above If you must mourn, Don't do it alone

If you must leave, Leave as though fire burns under your feet If you must speak, Speak every word as though it were unique If you must die, sweetheart Die knowing your life was my life's best part If you must die, Remember your life

Keaton Henson-You

[suekreandtheidiots]

There was an "Incorrect OC quotes" generator hype going on on IG a while ago and, of course, I couldn't not. 😂 I only just remembered that I wanted to take one particular quote PLUS a story reply from my friend Teo aka @teo-s-art-corner as an opportunity to ramble about some of the teenage gang a bit. The boys, to be precise. 😂

(I don't care if I'm shouting into the void here, that timeline gives me so much life, teenagers are hilarious. 😂 I also enjoy the feeling that writing them gives me, but that's for a different conversation!)

ANYHOO. Let's go!

"Fozzy is the most straightforward."

Yep. In a way, he is. Lance is very straightforward, too, as in "not afraid to speak his mind", but Fozzy has the tendency to just blurt out with whatever comes to his mind, without thinking. Lance is a liiittle more mindful about the things he says. He doesn't exactly have a filter either, he is just more "collected" in his choice of words, while Fozzy is just... BLAH, regardless of how dumb he sounds. 😂 He always appears a little "simpler" than others but that isn't at all the case: Fozzy is really intelligent. So. much. more. than he ever appears. I'm not saying he has the same academic brain that Lance has, but he's actually really clever... and calculating, of all things. That's part of why his parents were so desperate about him squandering a huge chunk of his youth and falling for sex, drugs and rock'n'roll instead. They knew that their son was a hundred percent aware what he was getting himself into there, they knew he knew he had the potential to do better. He just didn't care, he wanted to go nuts. It drove his parents mad. There's a certain darkness to Fozzy (at least to his younger version), too, that is hard to put into words... but it's definitely there. But yeah... unfiltered madness, for sure. 🤣

"Cal is oddly specific in his choice to commit violence."

Alright, this was a super fun sentiment (thanks Teo, I'm cackling again 😂) but I gotta say here that Cal really isn't one to randomly commit violence. 😂 Still, I always imagined him to have this bit of... hilarious randomness about him? Which makes this fitting. He just says weird and funny things at times, he's a delightful person, blessed with the kind of wit that makes people laugh. (Something I see in Ali, too, by the way. Both Cal and Ali have a bit of a male Lorelai Gilmore vibe to them, if I HAD to give an example.) So, when Cal blurts out with something like the above, he usually really doesn't want to punch people in the neck, it's just something randomly creative that comes to his mind and that he feels like sharing. 😂

"Mark is very polite."

He is. Mark is, indeed, very polite. A little calmer than his peers, too. I know I talked a little about him before, but I'll say it again: Despite all the weird crap, Mark was the most "progressive" of the gang in their time. Feminism, racism, ableism... pretty much anything regarding social injustice he had a better, clearer grasp of than his friends. The "male ego" wasn't really a thing for him, he knew how to properly apologise when he did or said something wrong, he was usually the one to call out sexist remarks towards the girls that most other boys usually tried to brush off as "Come on, it was a joke!". He sure had his flaws but Mark was a bit of a walking green flag. 😂 Girls felt safe around him, without actually being able to point out why. I still don't know what he does for a living nowadays but I really kinda see him working as an equal opportunities commissioner of a company or something. I don't know yet but he still has it in him, and he only got better over time. There's a reason Aimee stuck by his side. She saw all of it early on!

"Lance is seeing the bigger picture."

True. Lance's brain often goes where others don't. He is a pretty dominant person, too. I hate the term alpha-male for it's extremely negative connotation, Lance is aboslutely not that person, but he really is a bit of a natural leader; he just takes charge without thinking too much of it. He has major problems with authority, too. 😂 Sooo, seeing the bigger picture is a thing for him, mainly because he thinks that he has to, to stay in charge and protect his peers, but wanting to assert dominance for the sake of asserting/maintaining dominance also kinda is a thing for him. 🤣 It's hard to explain. He's just such a handful and I love him to pieces. 🤣

"Tim is wondering why he's still hanging out with these guys."

... yeah. 😂 I mean, Tim totally appreciates the friends he picks and the fun times he has with them, but I think what I failed to express so far is that Tim isn't actually always super cute and easygoing. He isn't exactly the Voice of Reason. He's more like the one who watches the stupidity unfold and who laughs when someone gets burned. 🤣 He's friend material in his own way, he values loyalty and he's kindhearted, too. He's blunt as fuck, though, and easily annoyed, too, which has always been a thing for him, not just because those weirdos tested his patience all the time. I know next to nothing about D&D but I always kinda saw him as this extremely annoyed healer of an adventuring party who sure does what he's there to do, but who often hasn't a whole lot of empathy to offer on top of that, especially not when the stupid outcome could have easily been prevented. 🤣 "Ah, she called you out on your shit? Good!", "Oh man, you have a hangover? Really? Those 38 shots were a bit too much, you think? Pf, lol, told you so. *carelessly tosses a pack of aspirin*" ... Tim was willing to stick around for anyone for sympathy, but he never tried to make excuses for anybody. Which made it easy for him to walk out on Cal, Fozzy (and Mark) when they planned the stupid prank on Lance. Being blunt and honest is one thing. Deliberately planning to cause harm and hurt was another. It was neither about demonising Cal nor protecting/coddling Lance, the whole thing was just something he couldn't have lived with, so he did the best he could think of and backed out.

Some additional thoughts:

I never wanted to create this little group as a mix of stereotypes, liiike... there isn't the designated "Goofball" or the "Stupid One" or the "Brainy One" or whatever else role there is that could be filled, so pleasepleaseplease always take these kinda things with a wee grain of salt! 😂 One of the parts I enjoy most about my own worldbuilding is how I want everyone to be humans in first place. Humans who don't always do what people expect them to, who are capable to surprise others, who have off days and also dull moments.

It's also why I don't really like answering questions like "Who is the most (insert adjective)?" ... like, sure, there are characters who have traits that shine brighter than their other traits, and I do enjoy a wee brush of stereotype here and there, too, of course, but I usually don't really think in certain categories and I really love keeping things and interactions as natural as possible. I just want to see people as a whole person and that is how I always treat my OCs, too!

[literaphobe]

TVL CHAPTER 10!!!!!!! This chapter said “we kinda already know these people have issues, but let’s get into WHY” and it was SO GOOD!!!

Both of them avoid looking too deeply into things so they don’t get hurt and, while I can understand that, it makes me soooo insane!!! Because if they talked about it HONESTLY without FILTERING THEMSELVES then MAYYYBBEEE things could get better. But of course they won’t do that because it’s too scary and unpredictable and in both their minds it could maybe lead to the END OF THE WORLD. So if they ask themselves “what the worst that could happen?” Well. It’s that.

and yet. AND YET!! They can’t live without each other. They’ll come back to each other either in some way or another because life doesn’t feel right without them. It’s so AAAAAAUUUUUGGGGHHH but like in a good way. 10/10

heheheheh HIIIIII

i think it’s definitely a good and long overdue time to reply to this ask and i was so glad to post ch10 bc while a lot of the information it presented could probably be inferred through bits and pieces teased in tvl chapters it’s nice having to actually see how much pain these characters have been through before tvl canon timeline… namely, it focuses on the fallout AFTER those big scary situations. u don’t see the adrienapocalypse (apocalypse where he died as opposed to the chat blanc apocalypse where maribug died) happen or the adrienette break up but u get a sense that it happened and then u see how deeply it affects adrichat. and u get to see him watch how much it hurt maribug. even though in his perception at the time that was just ladybug hurting from her own separate relationship breakdown

the tragedy of that is of seeing chat noir observe and greatly empathize with everything ladybug is going through and telling him about. that, even though he questions and poke holes at some of her choices and logic, he ultimately AGREES with her once she explains and spells things out. he SIGNS OFF on his own dumping as a result, inadvertently tells his ex gf that leaving him was the RIGHT thing to do. and it’s upsetting to see because you know that if he knew the truth he’d completely switch up and beg her to stay. it’s sad because he agrees with their break up on a logical level, but emotionally he would’ve tried to stop it somehow, because he can’t give up on their love even if the universe is at stake

this is evident when it comes to tvl ladynoir. Tvl chat noir knows about the chat blanc incident. he’s heard every page in the book of reasons why they shouldn’t date each other, shouldn’t fall in love. LOGICALLY, he knows why ladybug would reject him, REGARDLESS of her feelings. emotionally, this pisses him off and makes him want to put an end to their Arrangement to feel SOME kind of control over the situation. because the hold she has on his heart is so strong it renders him helpless. but well. his feelings for her won in the end, at the end of ch10. The chapter shows you how much he’s been hurt and pained but how he inevitably puts it all aside because she always comes first to him. it also shows how she’s adamant about his importance, and how inevitable ladynoir is, in that it only takes a matter of weeks for them to majorly gravitate towards each other again post breakups. and then again in the final scene their inevitability in terms of how angry and messy it could all get but STILL there chat noir is, running back to her. and there she is, giving into his whims. CRYING during their reunion

[teaandfiction-28]

Angst #1...please and Thank you

Thank you @solo4214 🥰

So I couldn’t really think of another place in the story that this prompt would fit aside from the back end of Perfect Storm...when things started going a bit pear-shaped! 😂 Given it’s a continuation of a chapter, it’s pretty short but I hope you enjoy nonetheless! 

—————————

Prompt: “How do I make you love me again?"

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: None

Timeline: Set immediately after C35 of ‘Perfect Storm’...almost a continuation, if you will! 

“I know. I just need some time to figure out how to protect myself.”

His eyes fluttered closed, subconsciously leaning into her touch as she gently stroked her knuckles against his bruised cheek. He had been incredibly tight-lipped about how he’d gotten his injuries but, if the bruising pattern and lacerations on his face were any indicator, someone had really done a number on him and he obviously hadn’t put up much of a fight. 

“You don’t need to protect yourself from me, Kate.” He whispered, his russet orbs drifting open to meet hers as she gazed down at him, both of them desperately trying to keep themselves together. “God, I’d rather die than hurt you.”

There was no doubt in her mind that he was telling the truth. While his acerbic words had been like a serrated blade through the centre of her chest, he hadn’t been wrong, he hadn’t asked to fall in love with her. But, then again, neither had she. She hadn’t asked to fall in love with her boss, a man twenty years her senior who had a raft of emotional baggage that he was evidently still yet to unpack. 

“Kate, please, just...how do I make you love me again?”

His quiet, almost broken question bought tears to her eyes, her legs suddenly feeling like they wouldn’t support her weight as she slowly lowered herself back down onto the sofa next to him. Only this time she sat much closer than before, their thighs pressing together from knee to hip. 

“Oh Hank.” She sighed, grasping his hands tightly in her own. “I couldn’t stop loving you even if I wanted to.”

If he didn’t look so utterly dejected, Kate might have laughed at the fact that he thought she had any kind of choice in the matter. What she had felt for Jake, a man she had intended to spend the rest of her life with, was just a drop in the ocean compared to what she felt for the man at her side.

“Me needing a bit of time isn’t because I need to figure out if I want to be with you.” She explained gently, lifting her chin to meet his tearful russet orbs. “I just need some time to figure out how to be with you...because being without you isn’t an option for me.”

The ironic thing was that he was just so easy to love. He had his faults just like everybody else but he never stopped trying to be better; to do better. And regardless of what happened between them, in a little over six months’ time they would be parents to a tiny human that they had created together. 

She was forever tethered to him now, just as he was to her; he just didn't know it yet. 

As she sat with his roughened hands clasped tightly between her own, she idly wondered if she should just rip off the proverbial band aid and tell him the truth.

Tell him that, despite how utterly terrified she was, she wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life raising a family with him, bickering about the most mundane things like forgetting to take the trash out or who’s turn it was to do the school run. She suddenly realised that the future she hadn’t even been sure she wanted, she wanted so desperately that it made her chest ache. 

But she only wanted it with him.

Whilst there would eventually come a time when she wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret any longer, the two simple words she needed to say seemed to catch in her throat every time she tried to speak. 

Kate had absolutely no idea if he was even remotely interested in their relationship becoming anything more than it currently was. Living between two houses, their own space when they needed it and an easy way out if they wanted it. He had already done the whole ‘wife and kids’ thing and, given how that ended for him, she wouldn't be surprised if he had absolutely no desire to give himself over to that kind of commitment a second time. And right now really didn’t feel like the most appropriate moment to have that particular soul-searching conversation. He had just lost his best friend and they had a psychopathic criminal on the loose trying to sell innocent children in his city.

No. Now definitely wasn’t the right time to spring the news of his impending fatherhood on him. 

“I didn’t mean what I said, I was just angry-”

There was only so much self-flagellation she could watch this beautifully broken man put himself through and enough was enough. 

“Listen to me.” She interrupted firmly, turning her body to face him slightly, lifting a hand to cup his face, her fingers stroking through the greying strands at his temple. 

“I know you didn’t mean it and it’s not something I’m prepared to stay angry about, Hank.” 

He seemed to sag a little in relief, the air leaving his chest in a quiet whoosh as he leaned into her hand, his eyes still locked on hers. 

“But what terrifies me the most is that you’ve got the power to hurt me like nobody else ever could and, if this is gonna work, I need to figure out how to make peace with that.”

Kate leaned in close, pressing her lips against his forehead softly. 

“When this case is over, we’ll sit down and work things out but...” She eased back slightly, her eyes locking with his. “...just know that I love you.”

With a squeeze of his hand, she pushed a long, lingering kiss to his lips before getting to her feet and leaving him alone in his office, his heart thudding wildly against his ribs as he turned her words over and over in his mind. 

He knew things were far from fixed and they still had a ton of shit they needed to work through, but for the first time in what felt like an age, he had hope. 

[snowaftermidnight]

you're tangled in the great escape

read on ao3

tags/cw: jay merrick/tim wright, major character death, spoilers for entry 80, character study, pov second person, hurt no comfort, slight canon divergence, timeloop, poetry, freeform, title is from a pierce the veil song, tim's pov

isn't it a lovely thing

to be doomed by the very narrative

that brings you life itself?

no matter what paths you go down

or what choices you make

even if you choose to do nothing at all

his fate will never change

he was dead before the story began

it isn't exactly the same

as a tale as old as time

those ancient stories,

they function as the blood

the very bones

of the cage you live in

"someone has to leave first"

"this is a very old story"

"there is no other version of this story"

it's not about being relieved of some great responsibility

to know that nothing will change and so nothing you do matters

no, that will never be the meaning behind this story

because in every version

every timeline

every universe

you try as hard as you can to break free

you cry, you plead, you beg, you bleed

and yet the cycle renews

and you do it all over again

do you remember your past lives? your past attempts?

do you repeat because you don't remember?

because you do?

because you have to? because you have to at least try? because leaving him would tear you to pieces?

or because there is no universe in which you choose to walk away?

maybe it's because this loop of damnation means you couldn't leave if you tried

something will always pull you back here

to hell

to heaven

to home

is it love?

spite?

hatred?

memory?

do you remember anything but this?

do you want to remember?

how long has it been?

you've known him--this small slice of him

(the only part of him you can ever know)

for years

hundreds

thousands

maybe millions of years

he's known you as long as time

from the beginning to the end of his universe

does he love you?

would he love you if he knew?

do you want him to love you for it?

no, that's not what this is about

this dance, this game

this purgatory

are you even doing this to save him anymore?

or is it your own eternal punishment

for the crime of not being enough?

no matter what paths you go down

or what choices you make

even if you choose to do nothing at all

his fate will never change

he was dead before the story began

he loves you

but he'll never tell you

he doesn't have enough time

you've told him you loved him so many times you've lost count

love didn't save him

you're not sure if this feeling can be described as "love" anymore

even so, you tell him

more to reassure yourself than for him

love didn't save him

your love won't save him

it can't save him

but you have nothing else to give

you've been weathered down to blood and grief

and spilled blood is the grief of the universe

and grief is just love with nowhere to go

and you have nowhere to go

love will never save him

no choice you make will change his fate

he was dead before the story began

but you will never leave

you'll never be the one to leave first

no, it's not about being absolved from choice

               (because you always end up making the same choice in the end

               maybe because you forget how quickly the moment comes

               maybe because you're afraid to end this hellish cycle

               to leave him behind)

or being free from guilt

               (after all,

               his blood is on your hands

               regardless of how he dies)

no matter what choice you make

               (you blame the rest to ignore

               how your own guilt threatens to swallow you whole)

the outcome is the same

               (you never even see the gunshot

               you only ever hear it from a distance

               but you know.

               you know, and it feels like his wound is your own each time.)

he dies alone

               ("this wasn't supposed to happen."

               that's what still drives you, isn't it?

               your hubris tells you that you know his fate better than the universe

               and if you make the right choices at the right moments

               distill it to a game, a performance

               then neither of you will have to leave)

and you wake up too late to save him

               (his body is already cold when you find it.

               there's too much blood.

               how long did he wait to die

               between leaving his ghost on the cold, dirty floor

               and taunting you with your bitter mistakes?

               you hope it was instant.

               you know it wasn't.)

it's about the twisted relief in knowing that he'll never be the one left behind.

               (did he scream?

               did he cry?

               pray that you'd save him?

               curse your name?

               wish that he'd never met you?

               wish to die quickly?

               does he remember each resurrection?

               each death?

               does he leave first in hopes you'll forget him?

               let him rest?

               let him die?

               does he hate you for putting him through this?

               for putting yourself through this?

               for weighing the universe against itself?

               for weighing your own soul against a single stray blue feather?)

oh, how wonderful.

               (you'll never let go

               because you love him

               because you hate him

               because even if he leaves first

               you will never [leave, let yourself leave, leave yourself, leave him]

               you'll chase his ghost

               and he'll chase your shadow

               until your sins are etched into your very DNA

               and his spilled blood washes your hands raw

               and the cycle will continue long after the last stars go dark

               and you will continue to make the wrong choices

               and everything will be fine.)

[fumiko-matsubara]

A Timeline of the whole messy Kaho + Maehara + Seo situation

Just trying to make sense of what was shown and hinted in the manga.

Because Class E students typically don’t graduate by the end of the school year, they are officially expelled from Kunugigaoka by the 3rd Trimester (Jan-Mar), which is all about high school exams preparations. The Class E building will then instead be occupied by the future Class E students for accommodation purposes.

The sorting for future Class E students among the 2nd years will likely occur a little after the announcements of their final exam results, which was in December.

Which means that Kaho and Maehara likely dated before December 2013.

Maehara basically ghosted Kaho ever since dropping to Class E.

Maybe until somewhere in May 2014.

And within those 5 months of ghosting, he probably even dated a bunch of girls behind her back. It explains why Nagisa described Maehara as someone who is so popular that the girl he’s seen with constantly changes.

He cheated on her 4 times the whole time they’ve been apart.

And it also explains why nobody was under the impression that he and Kaho have been dating for a long time, even though Maehara is notorious for his extensive dating history.

Hell, I’m sure that people barely even knew that they dated, or that they had already forgotten that they were dating by the time the new school year began.

Enter Seo, the new guy in the situation.

Who is also unaware of Maehara’s relationship with Kaho for some strange reason despite having a whole wide network of people to tell him what’s going on.

Horrible temper, verbally abusive, incredibly rude, and his appearance couldn’t even make it up for his horrible personality - not a single box was checked in Kaho’s criteria for the kind of guys she’s famously into (Ikemen).

So, no fucking way would she date him.

But, here’s the catch: Seo is a virtuoso - his incredibly high social standing in Kunigigaoka’s student hierarchy despite his horrible personality canonically makes everyone uncomfortable.

And Kaho is just another student from the most average class in their year.

But she’s incredibly pretty.

It could be to make himself look good in front of others for having a beautiful girlfriend or whatever. Regardless of what Seo’s reasons are for dating her, the extreme power imbalance between the two of them gives Kaho no choice but to date him at his demand.

This could have happened in April 2014, when the new school year solidifies Seo’s standing as among the virtuosos.

Fast forward.

It was in June 2014 when some of the current Class E students spotted Kaho and Maehara walking together under the rain.

That makes it more than 6-7 months of dating.

And yet, for some strange reason, none of the present Class E students where under the impression that they were dating for a long time. In fact, Kaho was made seem to be a new girlfriend of Maehara’s instead.

Which could mean that Maehara waltzed back into Kaho’s life fairly recently.

I’m just gonna assume it’s somewhere between late May to early June.

The 5th time he cheated on her, was when he scheduled that date with a girl from another school, when they are actively dating.

Because there is no other way he could schedule a new date that quick right after Kaho officially broke up with him, when preparations still had to be made for Class E to execute their revenge plan.

And he looked guilty as fuck.

Kaho and Seo most likely broke up after fighting over who gets to use the bathroom in the convenience store.

As shown in the baseball arc, Kaho openly hates him to the bone.

Since then, she has been actively going after other boys she finds cool.

Then summer came.

According to Gakushuu, if Class A had won the bet against Class E, a truth that Maehara specifically isn’t allowed to lie about when asked was the fact that he had been cheating FIVE TIMES.

(I used a raw scan I have saved in my gallery, because the two available English scanlations online translated that question in such a vague way you wouldn't have caught it - how many times you've "lied/been distracted" - when the first two characters here 浮気 translates to anything that literally means "cheating (in a relationship)").

Meaning, by the time summer came, not even Kaho knew about this.

Note: There's a chance that the amount of times Maehara had cheated in a relationship isn't actually exclusive to just Kaho herself and it might just be in general.

But the way that the people around them were seemingly under the impression that Kaho is a more recent girlfriend of Maehara's, when they've been actually dating for half a year, just solidifies the theory that he had been seeing other girls behind her back all this time.

But whether that theory is correct or not, it doesn't change the solid fact that he still cheated on her at least once, which was when he already had that other date scheduled.

This arc... pisses me off. I know I've said that many times already. And I will still say it.

What initially seemed to be an arc about Maehara's early character development because he was the focus here... ended up blatantly showing how much of a hypocritical trashy guy he instead actually is.

Because how shameless are you to be going around cheating left and right without any regard for your current girlfriend's feelings, but the second you're on the receiving end of a cheating matter, you didn't even hesitate to expose her just so you wouldn't get the blame?

And for that alone, Kaho throwing him under the bus right after was honestly DESERVED.

I would have found this arc less pointless if the deleted Valentine's arc with Okano was instead the follow up, where Koro finally gave Maehara a piece of his mind about this whole non regard for a girl's feelings after realizing that the kid learned absolutely nothing from the situation with Kaho.

None of that whole bullshit about being completely transparent in Maehara's report card just to motivate him to do something. I just want Maehara to set things right with Okano on his own accord. No outside influences or whatsoever. Because that report card threat just made everything seem not genuine and it would really hurt to be Okano in that situation.

I don't mind the retaliation arc being left unchanged if it was instead used as a motivation to set things right in the future.

[hanszoe]

you know it's interesting. when positing inserts you always have to consider dissonance where there must be some character's motive or feeling that's now incongruent with the insert, and i thought a lot about hansi's death in this sense. but as it is in the final narrative, eren irrefutably kills hansi. back to "slavery" (hate the way the narrative mythicizes this concept by the way, actually my thesis on everything wrong with it could probably return to that, failure to adequately examine structural power), in its very watered down sense the narrative talks about this a lot. levi is somehow freeing erwin from a role by killing him. i don't agree with his choice as much as i understand it, but it's interesting to consider eren killing hansi may be something along the lines of this. we get into complex things here. manga yet to be read disclaimer as always, but the exact, irrefutable situation of 132 is thus:

the rumbling is coming. floch shot a hole in the plane. he would rather they all die here if it means saving paradis.

well, if nothing is done, they do all die here. veterans, volunteers, engineer crew (who die anyway), and the entire remaining 104th, including armin and mikasa.

this is a timeline branch. assume that hansi does not volunteer to go and no alternate solution is proposed. eren not only kills hansi, but both armin and mikasa. the rumbling wipes out eren's only friends and the entire alliance.

we go back to what exactly does eren know. because would eren ever start the rumbling if it would kill armin and mikasa? 132 isn't about hansi in this sense. he got that close to killing both of them. did he know they would live? did he know exactly how their survival would come about? because if he didn't, this isn't only him killing hansi, it's an attempt at armin and mikasa's lives too.

though a bit unclear, i don't find that to be likely. that means either eren knew hansi would die to save them, or hansi's life genuinely didn't make a difference, not the way the anime posits it does.

now re "eren knew hansi would die to save them". eren could have stopped these titans regardless. hansi's life was irrefutably taken by him in this sense. yet somehow i feel had hansi not gone, eren would not have killed armin or mikasa. meaning assuming hansi is still with them there as they were, that would also be their additional survival.

eren's first dialog after he kills hansi reiterates that all of them are acting of their own volition. i wonder if it was that eren knew hansi wanted to go, and let them. ironically, we return to midnight sun. though i doubt anything is comparable to the infinite nuance of how levi felt about erwin, especially not this dumb teenager killing my baby, it makes it at least a situational parallel.

with the potential for him to be someone who poked around inside their mind a little, the significance of their dialog after he potentially wipes their memory being essentially "i don't want to do this anymore" also does not escape me.