#Guil Arc

[wavingwings]

giver of bad advice

[friendlyloveaffair]

As much as I want to avoid it, it has found me instead...

(It's okay if you actually hate me or report me here for letting it)

SHU!!!

(Crying, shaking right now 😭😭😭)

[wikedphina]

I miss them💔

[oldfaneworld]

I need some clarity.

I don't know how I want to start this so I'm going to ramble this out. The discourse around Lanolin is something I don't really get in all honesty. The plot we have been following since the beginning of The Misadventure arc isn't anything new. The Fandom has dealt with trickery and guile before so I don't understand why this is such a hot topic to begin with. I have a few ideas why it's a hot topic and I'll touch on it soon but first I want to make this very clear. Looking back at the few posts I have on this website, I think I've made It very clear that Lanolin is my favorite character in all of the idw run. I can say this with my chest she is tied as my number 2 favorite character in this franchise with Bunnie d'coolette from the Archie run of the comics both reboot and pre-boot. My number 1 being Sonic from the story book games specifically the sonic and the black knight game.

I have only ‘recently’ gotten back into being a fan of the franchise about a year ago and most of that time has been me sitting down quietly playing Forces, Frontiers, Shadow Generations and reading first the entirety of the Archie run of the Sonic comics and then later the IDW run of the Sonic comics(i’ll get to fleetway soon i’ve just haven't gotten there yet). As for someone who’s been quiet for most of this time, seeing the Lanolin discourse flare back up because of the Riders arc is very interesting to me.

The big thing that gets me about the majority of it feels disingenuous to me from both sides. I am someone who has been very lucky to have patient friends that are willing to listen to me for a few hours on end talking to them about all of this. I am a Lanolin defender if it wasn’t already clear, so to my fellow defenders please don't go out of your way to call people misogynist(its true that there are some who are, but please be a bit more tactful when you do it) just because they don't like Lanolin. More often than not you're just throwing the wrong label at someone and it’ll just make things worse and poison the water for everyone. To those that dislike Lanolin you need to cool your jets just as hard, calling for violence to be done to her and to kick her out of the comics entirely because she’s been tricked is wild to think about especially because we have characters that are beloved that have been tricked and done way worse then she has that never received this kind of backlash. 

My reason why I think Knuckles, Silver and Shadow haven’t received the same kind of backlash Lanolin currently has is for a few reasons. The first is because all of their mistakes they’ve done have been nearly a decade ago if not longer so there's so much real time that buffers them from receiving such a backlash on top of that. Also we didn't necessarily have places like twitter, tumblr, or reddit back then like we do now.

The biggest reason why I think Lanolin is getting so much backlash where the others never did was (knuckles got it the worst but in the end it was turned into a gag) because of the medium her story is being told in. Everyone else was in a game Knuckles (S3&K, SA1, SA2), Silver (06), Shadow(SA2)  in comparison to Lanolin her’s is in the comics. A medium that is way slower than that of the games, just because of the nature of how long it takes for an issue to come out not including any delay. So I honestly think because of the slowness of comics in general people were allowed to sit and let an annoyance at best (in a games case) fester to hate (because of the comics timeframe).  A sonic game can be done at fastest in a few hours (forces) or a month (Frontiers) and that's not including 100 precenting a game. where in the comics Lanolin’s arc is taking longer than a year and a half and it's still going. 

Comparing her story to the three above we are what 2/3rds ¾ of the way through her personal arc about learning how to be a new leader and the challenges that brings, especially when she’s forced to make a choice that feels right in the moment but is wrong in the long term. People saying you can't compare her arc to Silver, Shadow or Knuckles is being dishonest in my book. The only difference in the way the arcs works is that the three’s arcs are done and hers isn't. Silver and Knuckles were tricked by their villains respectfully and Eggman and Mephiles nearly won because of it. Once they realized what they did they worked just as hard to fix what they messed up. Shadow was ruled by revenge allowing himself to work with eggman so he could get closer to the Ark to get rid of the Earth but Amy and others were there to open his eyes and it nearly cost him his life to fix what he allowed his rage to start.

So we know we aren’t done with Lanolin’s arc yet so why is there so much hate? We are just starting with her being redeemed. Why are people so adamant with burying her? I can't imagine another character in this moment of the comics that deserves her redemption more than her. She’s been here since issue 2 of the run and has been working hard in the background since, to get where she’s at and with her first real mistake and people want to tear all her accomplishments away from her. I don't get it? What I do get is having a casual dislike for her because of the way she talked to Silver and Whisper(misadventure) and Sonic and crew(Riders).

With all of what I have said, can someone please explain to me what I'm missing? Even in the newest issue when she is at her lowest she puts herself in the same position she put Silver in! She gave Tangle and Whisper the same power as before to vote her out because she knew she messed up and she’s not holding herself above any of the consequences she placed on other people. This is admirable she messed up and is willing to lose maybe her only chance to make a real difference in her world instead of doubling down and trying to make herself look right.

[tignntand4koa]

Sorry for my english, it's not my native lang

Btw I think everyone posted their own AU-rewrites of NNT so I'm in deal too

Mine rewrite actually does change a lot but first saga isn't changed a lot.

TIGI'S SEVEN DEADLY SINS REWRITE SO FAR PART 1!!!

So the plot, it actually starts the same, Elizabeth meets Meliodas, blah blah blah but Meliodas doesn't grope her, in fact he's just pretty much friendly to her without all those creepy SA things (god thanks NNT isn't 18+ because Nakaba is a weirdo).

And also a moment, there's extra context of usurpation of power in Liones: holy knights are vassals for foreigners (saxons, angles and jutes).

Diane firsly yes had a crush for Meliodas BUT GUSH PLEASE make it less cringeworthy like seriously there's no need to be so bad. It's actually okay to have crush on someone but yes.

Also I think it would be good to add some scenes of Gillthunder where he shows that he actually not very happy to be a part of this tyranny but for some reason he is

For Ban there should be more context why he did allow to chain himself. Sooo... IT'S EXTRA ANTAGONIST TIME, he was deeply scarred by Baldour, the strongest warrior of foreigners and right hand of Hengist and Horsa, also their gray cardinal and the one who's not what he pretends to be. So he only unchained himself when he understood that there's his crewmates.

Also I DO BELIEVE that Elizabeth yet not very good as warrior but she has some self defence skills since she's a princess and only reason why she wasn't trained properly it's because Hendrickson and Dreyfus (or Fraudrin) were afraid of her potential, as much as Baldour.

As closer Meliodas becomes for Elizabeth the more flirty Mel is (also Elizabeth age was upped to 20)

And theeen... Here comes the bigger plot divergence! In my AU King firstly thought that it was a accident where his sister died and Ban couldn't do anything, which is really sad and King was upset about Ban but who's King to judge? He let his friend go wrong way, very very wrong way and then let him die.

But then he was convinced by Baldour that it was Ban who killed Elaine to get the fountain, even shown the vision of diverged scene. And even convinced that Meliodas knew everything

(also no scene where Ban mistaked a child with Elaine. Elaine still petite but more in Melascula way, like, you still can tell that she's adult like in human scale around 18-22)

They entered Ghost city by the grievance of TWO (atleast there should be TWO with deep grievance who's not related by blood)

So... Firstly it's King & Guila vs Mel, Ban & Diane and fight is hard and Guile using her explosivos more creatively. Until fight os interrupted by ghost of Elaine, she protects sins from her manipulated brother and holy knight. Elaine still saves Ban from being the statue for eternity like in canon but unlike canon King can see her. Then Guila is overwhelmed even by two sins (I think it's weird that she dominated them while sins are like... LEGENDARY?? And she didn't drink a lot demon blood)

And then they see the strange sign

Little confrontation of Baldour himself against sins and Elaine, Guila is dismissed since she proved the success of newgen holy knight programs. Baldour not getting damage, dominating even but he kicked out from Ghost City into the middle of nowhere (still Britain).

Also, tournament arc starts almost the same but sins know why Diane wears Elizabeth's clothes (shrinkshroom goes brrr).

Veronica believes that she truly protects her sister and thinks she'd be better bring her back by herself than by others or by germanic tribe forces

Also instead of weird ahh appearance of Jerico and Guila they'd be in crowd. Why bomb citizens if you can capture criminals in ambush? Also Helbram appeared faster because tactics. Chaos, mayhem, WTF is that form, King is feeling guilty because of Helbram.

No changes in Gauther arc besides Elizabeth accidentally uses purge on monster before throwing Liz's sword to him.

No weird argue between Hendrickosn and Dreyfus about releasing demons because they're both manipulated by Fraudrin. But there's argue about new generation because that's no way for Liones to break away from germanic tribes.

Sins are ambushed by holy knights and Vivian without insta teleportation. Because TP is OP, more like attacked, gas, and then run away (Golgius with them, his invisibility is really good for this)

Raid on Liones in my mind goes mostly the same but Gauther don't overpower physically Dreyfus, he just breaks him down mentally for a moment and then stops him magically. But there's mentioned informantion that Hendrickson wanted to use grey demon's blood to form an army against germanic tribes so he would be able to defeat Horsa, Hengist and even Baldour.

But things comes canon way in raid

And than some additional info

Germans as new side of conflict because it's Britain of IV-V centuries, the moment when germans and celts started to fight. Hengist and Horsa are legendary figures who lead them

For Diane I prefer imagie this design

Instead of WEIRD flying stingrays holy knights are using griffins

The ranks of holy knights are based on animals instead of gems and metals (Great Holy Knight > Dragon Holy Knight > Griffin Holy Knight > Lion Holy Knight > Bear Holy Knight > Wolf Holy Knight > Boar Holy Knight)

More scenes of interaction between sins

Meliodas is taller, yet short but more like that one friend who looks really young but not like childish child. Just really small young adult

The part 2 would be concepts for arc of celts vs germanic tribes and the secret of Baldour (he's not very human)

[chocohashi20]

In light of the events from the recent ep (Ep 23)…it suddenly gave me this idea of how Shu could end up as Gilarc’s host. Long story short, Guil Arc’s part of the Sage’s trial, gets Shu to be Guil-Arc host by convincing him (or using his concern for Yuma’s safety/insecurities) promising that he can “free” Yuma from the responsibility of being a hero (or something to that sort), ergo keeping him from potentially dying at some point because of being Arc. So on top of the shit that just happened in ep 22, from the whole “I don’t wanna lose you” bs and Shu snapping at Chief Ban cuz he’s basically watching the love of his life fucking get his ass beat with no chance of winning (and if you include the anxiety he felt during the time Yuma disappeared for 4 days during the Blazar Crossover arc, as evident in his diary entries) have this angsty drawing I did based on a screenshot from the trailer (and potentially a what-if scene for the movie lmao)

Here’s the cleaner version:

And here’s the screenshot

Anyways holy fuck I need this movie so fucking bad omggggggggg

[blank468]

Alright let’s beat the dead horse to the ground so hard that it can travel to the center of the earth. I found a tweet from someone who tries to defends Bakugo’s resurrection and say how it and his death raised the stakes in the final arc. I’m not going to reveal who made the tweet just to protect their identity but if you’ve been on Twitter you’ll most likely know where this paragraph came from.

“Edgeshot knows he can’t come back from this. Edgeshot is sacrificing his life to save a kid’s life I want everyone to remember that there aren’t as many pro heroes left after the first war many of the pros retired because of the discourse that happened after the first war. Plus, we know edgeshot’s efforts were in vain now, because Edgeshot isn’t the one who revived him He helped hold him together, but he didn’t bring him back to life. By pure luck, Bakugo’s own sweat exploded and jump started his heart. This type of stuff is seen in Shonen all the time, so I don’t wanna hear any complaining about this one. (Jjba pt3 spoilers until ⭐️) Let’s not forget when Star Platinum stopped Jotaro’s heart so Dio couldn’t hear the beat ⭐️”

First of all, I could care very little if Edgeshot was one of the majority of heroes that retired after the events of the war arc. Edgeshot as a character is a nobody. I’ll be honest, I thought he was pretty cool when he showed up in Kamino and his quirk looked interesting. But just like a majority of characters with interesting concepts, Edgeshot falls back into the corner and is given barely anything to do and has had no meaningful impact and connection with anyone before the final arc even started. I don’t feel anything about him sacrificing himself for Bakugo because he has never been shown or established to have any sort of character for me to give a crap about. I don’t care if he and Best Jeanist were students together at UA. I don’t care if he’s going to end up as dental floss for the rest of his life. I certainly don’t give a crap that Bakugo is now feeling grateful to be brought back by some hack who he had barely knew.

Speaking of Bakugo, if all of this is really Horikoshi intended to happen in his story, then why not do the basic thing when writing any story is to make a plan. There clearly should have been a dynamic between Bakugo and Edgeshot for this moment to feel impactful than it does. Horikoshi really dropped the ball with having his favorite character join Deku and Todoroki in the work study with Bakugo. He can’t go through a single arc that Bakugo is in without getting him involved with crap he has no real contribution to. I said in a previous post that Wonder boy has no real purpose/contribution in the main story line. His involvement with things like Deku, OFA and other side plots doesn’t amount to anything other than mindless yelling, guilt tripping, and just him treating everything as damn a competition. An egregious example would be the Endeavor Agency arc. Him acting ad the third wheel along with Deku and Todoroki doesn’t do any thing but give us more annoying moments with him. It’s one of the reasons why I dislike the dynamic between these three. I could on about why their dynamic is the most annoying and stupidest crap I’ve seen but that’s for another story. So back to the Endeavor Agency arc, He acts incredibly aggressive and inappropriate when he’s with the Todoroki family. He’s only in that arc so he can have power progression.

If Horikoshi wanted me to care about his dynamic with Edgeshot, why couldn’t he just have Bakugo do the work study with him instead of making a third wheel just because he’s afraid that his fans will get upset. Bakugo taking up on a work study with Edgeshot would have given the story a chance to do things that would have improve the final arc than it does. Let’s list them.

1. It gives a chance for Bakugo to develop as a character on his own without it being related to Deku

2. It could have helped painted Bakugo in a better light by having him feel guilty about Best Jeanist and make him regretful for his shitty attitude towards him during his internship

3. It would have given the creator an excuse to establish Edgeshot as a character and his relationship with Best Jeanist.

4. Edgeshot would give Bakugo some words of advice about not getting hung up over your past mistakes and focus more on improving yourself.

5. Edgeshot would have stated that he doesn’t blame Bakugo for what happened in Kamino; especially towards Jeanist

Second of all, what exactly is in vain here exactly? The only thing that I can think of that is in vain is his ego. Edgeshot I would think would have been better established to be more than just a support hero if he can do medical treatment on a battlefield. He had knowledge of this ability all this time and he chose to randomly choose it on this one kid who he barely knew.

Third of all, just because you excuse something by saying it’s a Shonen and you should expect it to happen doesn’t automatically excuse bad writing. Most shonen not only establish the world so the audience can get familiar with but they alsocreate rules on how stuff work like power scales for example.

Where in this story has it been established that Bakugo’s quirk can jump start damaged organs with the touch a tiny explosion? And how does that tiny explosion not do any damage to an organ that was or not have been stitched yet?

So basically what I’m saying is that Bakugo’s quirk somehow being able to jump start his heart was an asspull. And no, saying that you have spoken to a real doctor to get knowledge on the science of heart surgery doesn’t excuse your bad writing. It was already bad enough that a nobody character came in and turned into the world’s greatest surgeon incredibly late in the story, but the very thought that Wonder Boy’s quirk was able to jumpstart his heart without it damaging him is not only ridiculous but it ruins the stakes for this story. Why as a reader would I feel worried for a character if I know they’re going to be fine? Imagine if there’s a sequel to MHA and Bakugo as a Pro hero gets pummeled by a villain and his limbs were broken to the point where shouldn’t move. Would Horikoshi have Bakugo’s quirk somehow instantly heal his wombs and he’ll get back up like nothing just happen? How many fake out deaths is the creator’s pet going to have in this story? The amount of times characters have walked out of situations that should have killed them is not only laughable but proves why the story has no real stakes.

[lil--nuggett]

Hey guys, so if you know Baldur's Gate 3 this is an AU for that with Hardenshipping but it's really fucked up. I will explain why it's fucked up below the cut.

Maxie is a High Half-Elf Warlock (his patron is Groudon), and Archie's a Human Fighter <3

Also I just realized this is the first time you have seen me draw Archie seriously lmao my bad guys I'll try to draw him again soon

I took a ton of inspiration for various things for these designs, including Guile for Archie's armor bc I love Guile sm!!

(More info and our dumb AU lore under here - No BG3 Spoilers I promise <3)

I'm going to tell you this now... this gets really fucking crazy and honest to god I know I'm going to have a hard time explaining this. It WILL be quite long and I WILL be yapping.

This AU is really just something we did on impulse and it's really fun to mess around with, so I'm hoping you all will enjoy the concept as well :)

I'll try to explain it simply as I can. I thank you in advance to all who sit here and read this ily sm if you read it all <3333

Anyways, okay so imagine how one could do a bg3 AU for these two fuckers...

And throw it right out the window because you'll never guess how me and my friend have done it.

The Backstory:

This all started when my friend decided to play BG3 for the first time, and he jokingly said to me "Should I make Maxie our main character??" and I replied "I you want, but I won't force you" and thus BG3 Maxie was created, and his misadventures began.

Now your probably wondering (if you've played the game) what about the guardian?? Who did we make the guardian?? Well, we made Archie the guardian. However, I did not know just how wild this idea would get within the next few days.

So, eventually we realized how crazy the BG3 lore actually is (it's a like fucking DnD campaign idk how we didn't realize this beforehand), and so, we jokingly started our own "AU Lore" that ties in with the BG3 Lore.

If you really want to know, I have an entire note in my notes app dedicated to keeping track of what happens. It is very long.

The Parasite:

Now, if you've played the game or know anything about it, you know about the Mindflayer parasites. Well, one fateful day, me and my friend joked that the Parasite in Maxie's head was this little freak who looks like Archie.

The two have no correlation other than looks, its completely coincidence and it's not a mimic situation. The Parasite "Archie" does nothing but talk nonsense to Maxie all the time, and initially the bit was that he only talked about Fortnite. All because I made the joke that the dream realm in game looked like a fortnite update. By now, that bit has fallen off (thank god), replaced by just general nonsense and lies.

Also he fucking looks like this:

Weird little freak. This is just one of his talk sprites I have, this is just his neutral expression.

So basically it's:

- Maxie was supposed to be on a Geology research trip, but instead he got dragged into the Parasite issue with the rest of the companions. He really just wants to get home to Archie.

I am the one who handles everything for Maxie in this AU, I do his voice, I handle his lore, etc.

- Parasite Archie is this 1 foot tall, neco arc-esque version of Archie that sits on Maxie's shoulder and tells him nonsensical things. He also says Maxie's name wrong, he says Maxie's full first name and pronounces it as "Maximilliam" instead of the "N" at the end. For Maxie it's like handling a toddler but the toddler fights back, doesn't shut up, and threatens your life. He also has a ton of his own lore that my friend continously adds on to, so I can make another post with just the parasite's part of things.

My friend handles everything with the Parasite himself, comes up with the lore, does the voice, etc. I simply keep track of it.

- The "dream visitor" version of Archie is not real either. It's linked to the Parasite in ways that if I get into it, I will spoil a good chunk of the game. Sorry. Just know you can consider this and Parasite Archie kind of as one in the same almost.

- The REAL Archie is still at home, completely unaware of what's happening, while Maxie is fighting for his life. He does miss him, though, and hopes he gets home soon. He and Maxie are only boyfriends, they haven't gotten married yet. (They also haven't been through their rivalry yet, as this all takes place before that happens.)

Sorry for the convoluted yap sesh, I just have more art planned for this stupid AU and- God I cannot possibly just post this shit with no context. Like, I'd have to explain it eventually so I might as well do it now beforehand yk 😭😭

I might do separate posts with our HCs and some silly conversations that have happened between Parasite Archie and Maxie if you guys would want that :)

Also, I do have all of the sessions from where my friend plays the game recorded and I'll be sure to post some clips of what Parasite Archie sounds like eventually, possibly with snippets of my shitty Maxie voice in there as well. You'll get to see the talk sprites in action with that, too.

[cornucopiawrites]

Let's take a look at this panel. What do we see?

We see Makima's apartment. Specifically, the entrance to her apartment, right by her shoe rack. And what does she have on display at the entrance? Well, it's an obvious recreation of Gustave Doré's, Satan Falling, c. 1866

As the title implies, it depicts Satan being hurled out of heaven by God into the flaming abyss of hell. The real-life illustration is associated with John Milton's Paradise Lost, as Doré' provided this illustration for this specific edition:

(You can find a collection of his other Paradise Lost illustrations here.)

So, let's go ahead and pull up Paradise Lost from Project Gutenberg and see how Milton depicts Satan's fall from heaven. It happens early on, in Book I.

Th’ infernal Serpent; he it was, whose guile Stird up with Envy and Revenge, deceiv’d The Mother of Mankinde, what time his Pride Had cast him out from Heav’n, with all his Host Of Rebel Angels, by whose aid aspiring To set himself in Glory above his Peers, He trusted to have equal’d the most High, If he oppos’d; and with ambitious aim Against the Throne and Monarchy of God Rais’d impious War in Heav’n and Battel proud With vain attempt. Him the Almighty Power Hurld headlong flaming from th’ Ethereal Skie With hideous ruine and combustion down To bottomless perdition, there to dwell In Adamantine Chains and penal Fire, Who durst defie th’ Omnipotent to arms

Not the key words used here, ascribing the causes of Satan's banishment from heaven: guile, Envy and Revenge. Pride. Ambitious aim. Vain attempt. The core faults that lead to Satan's fall are laid out in a straightforward list here. But in the epic itself, Satan is such a major and multifaceted figure, that it's hard not to feel a sense of sympathy with his insecurities and his mindset.

Concerning this, let's turn to C. S. Lewis's A Preface to Paradise Lost which, I think, is relevant to how Makima might interpret Milton's Satan. We read in Chapter 13, Satan:

The Satan in Milton enables him to draw the character well just as the Satan in us enables us to receive it. Not as Milton, but as man, he has trodden the burning marl, pursued vain war with heaven, and turned aside with leer malign. A fallen man is very like a fallen angel.

And, in the same chapter,

To admire Satan, then, is to give one’s vote not only for a world of misery, but also for a world of lies and propaganda, of wishful thinking, of incessant autobiography. Yet the choice is possible. Hardly a day passes without some slight movement towards it in each one of us. That is what makes Paradise Lost so serious a poem. The thing is possible, and the exposure of it is resented.

Often, people draw comparisons between Satan's fall and what Denji is going through in the Control Devil Arc (which acts as a climax for Part 1). We're not going to do that here. In fact, we're not even going to consider Denji.

Why? Because:

This is Makima's apartment. And that illustration has been sitting there, on that wall, by the door, near her shoe rack long before Denji set foot into that apartment for the first time.

Denji's literacy is severely limited given his age. It's doubtful he would have even fully known what the illustration represented, and impossible that he has read, understood, and thought about Paradise Lost.

Miss Makima does read.

Given her fascination and consumption of the humanities, along with the prominent placement of the illustration in her apartment, it is certain that Miss Makima has read and thought about Paradise Lost.

So we're not going to discuss Denji. Just Makima. Makima, the Control Devil, who works for Public Safety, and has read and thought enough about Paradise Lost to put that illustration up by her shoe rack.

And we've touched on how Satan is a figure human readers can see in themselves. A figure they can resonate with.

Just imagine what Milton's Satan is to Makima. A devil, leading devils, while influencing humans.

And what depiction of this striking, legendary, tragic figure does Miss Makima choose to look at?

His greatest defeat. The violent culmination of all his faults.

And when does Miss Makima set eyes upon this avatar of herself — this allegory of her own nature?

When she leaves for work, to conduct her work for humanity, and when she comes home, after doing the work. It is a symbol she primes herself with as she readies herself for the trials of the day, and also a symbol she invites herself to meditate upon, considering the results of the day's labors.

It's like a motivational poster, and its effects are reflected in her personality, behavior, and how she presents herself.

She rarely monologues or grandstands. And when she does, it's to check the pride and vanity of others. While she certainly talks down to those she considers lesser, she does not flaunt or embellish her own strengths and qualifications. (For the record, there are several.) When she kills, it's swift and does not revel in the suffering and voilence. And when she does show the extent of her terrifying power and capability, she maintains an air of cordiality and professionalism, never shedding her role as a civil servant.

Even as she experiences her death, and her fall, her composure is nothing short of admirable. If there is pride to wound or vanity to scorn, Miss Makima politely keeps it to herself.

Hurled from the lofty heights of her dreams, she does not fall in thrashing rage, but dives into the abyss with grace.

Personally, I hope she continues to persist in the cultural consciousness as the anti-heroine she is, soaring, plunging, rising, falling just as Milton's Satan has. Because there is a Makima within us, too.

[tyrantisterror]

No Small Feat Artwork Pt. 2 - Major NPCs

By request, I'm gonna show off some of the artwork for No Small Feat, a Midgaheim story my friends and I told through the TTRPG system Fabula Ultima. I drew a lot of characters and monsters for it, and my friends - in particular, @dragonzzilla, @scatha5, and @dinosaurana - helped line and color them so we'd have cute little sprites to use on our online battlemaps, which really helped sell the whole "we're playing an oldschool turn based RPG" vibe that Fabula Ultima's system is going for.

This batch is comprised of what I'm calling the Major NPCs - recurring non-player characters who had a big role in the campaign. Fabula Ultima has a Bond system that gives players a tangible benefit for getting invested in the story and characters they meet in the game, so I tried to structure it so they would have some character who they'd be inclined to form those bonds with so they could exploit that mechanic. I personally love it when a game gives a mechanical incentive to getting invested in its story, it just seems so intuitive and obvious for an RPG, and I wanted to do my best to make that mechanic work.

The first recurring NPC the party met was Leonie Ymbessil. Most of the characters in No Small Feat were designed to fit fairy tale archetyepes, and in Leonie's case, she's the Disobedient Girl - your Red Riding Hood/Goldilocks style young woman who is given sound advice that she promptly ignores, which draws her into peril as a result. There are disobedient boys in fairy tales too, but the way their stories play out tend to vary quite a bit - a disobedient girl will almost always be thrust into incredible danger that, if she even survives it, will leave her so traumatized that she never breaks a rule again, while disobedient boys get to rob giants through trickery and guile and become kings.

And while No Small Feat was a fairy tale homage by design, I also wanted it to be a bit of a subversion when it came to some tropes - Fairy Tales off the Rails, if you will. And one of my big secret goals was to see if I could convincingly buck convention and get my auidence/fellow storytellers on the disobedient girl's side, and help her make out like a bandit the way all the disobedient boys do.

Leonie began the story as the spendthrift daughter of a wealthy merchant, who was currently down on her luck because her father cut her off for being too careless with money and forced her to work in one of his shops to earn a living. But she also had a plan - namely, to marry some lonely rich bastard and live off his fortune. Though definitely greedy, Leonie is also incredibly charitable, often giving away ludicrous amounts of whatever wealth she gained in a particular arc to people who were needy or just glum - her spendthrift nature is partly a reflection of her desire to see other people happy and taken care of.

Eventually Leonie, like the PCs, became more formidable as the story went along, occasionally even acting as a temporary ally for a couple boss fights. She, uh, might have taken up my brain a bit. I have a lot of Leonie art that wasn't strictly necessary for the campaign, but was necessary for my happiness. Some of that art I can even show in public!

(there's even more of it, but we'll get to it when we cover another Major NPC)

The next Major NPC the heroes were introduced to was Sir George Garston I, who is essentially Midgaheim's take on Saint George. The most prolific dragonslayer of all time, George is an affable, down-to-earth gentleman who, at the beginning of the campaign, saw his duty as being the protection of mankind against vicious beasts. Our party was leery of him because, well, because they know I love dragons to death and that my Midgaheim setting is positively flooded with dragons who are Really Good Guys, so a guy whose whole deal is "he's killed a shitload of dragons" has to be bad news, right?

And, like, George definitely was not a perfect person at the beginning of the game - he views the conflicts between dragons and humans from the human side by default, never once questioning whether the dragons may be the wronged party from time to time. But he ultimately proved to be a person who wanted to help his fellow human beings, and one who did not delight in killing - dragonslaying, to him, was an ugly but necessary job, and when the story unfolded to the point where he could see how, sometimes, humans were the aggressors in these conflicts, George did shift his view, recognizing that dragons were living things who needed to be protected at times too. The nuances of living in a world where giant lizards are capable of abstract thought but rarely capable of expressing it in ways humans can understand.

George was also a sort of secretly sad individual, being blessed/cursed with a magically extended lifespan and a much slower aging process, which allowed him to not only outlive his wife by decades, but look far younger than he feels in the process, which was wreaking havoc on his psyche at the start of the campaign. Our heroes caught George in the first of what are likely many breakdowns in an immortal's life where they wonder why they still exist when everything they loved has passed. It's ok, the party got him what passes for therapy in a vaguely medieval fantasy land.

Our party had one more fabled hero to meet among the Major NPCs, and that was none other than the posterboy for Disobedient Boy heroes in Fairy Tales, Jack Giantslayer. Midgaheim goes with the "all the Jacks in Fairy Tales are the same Jack" approach, and the result was a neurotic, twitchy, easily startled mess of a ginger who my notes told me to "Try to channel Charlie Day as much as possible, even though you can't do a good Charlie Day impression." Oh, and he's blessed (cursed?) to be really good at killing ogres, even when he's not trying to - which our heroes found out when he tried to cause a distraction with his slingshot, only for his pebble to pingpong around until it hit a painting that fell off from just the right height and angle to decapitate the ogre butler they were trying to avoid.

Anyway he ended up dating Leonie fuck you it's my RPG I can indulge if I want

Our party had a few nonhuman helpers, too. The Phenex chick was rescued by them after they fended off a pissed and dying phenex, and provided them with a small but occasionally refreshed supply of ashes that could be used to bring a player back up from 0 HP mid-battle. They also met a bridled kelpie that, once freed, decided to help shepherd them around, giving them a fast travel option that was VERY useful given the... other travel mechanic this game had going on, which you'll find out in a later entry.

Some of our PCs needed an extra kick out the proverbial door in session 0. In Charles's case, he was led astray by Cassandra, a sphinx in Aesopton who lived on the outskirts of town and was always gloomy and aloof around others. Being burdened with the gift of prophecy, Cassandra had somewhat selfish motivations in leading Charles astray, as she knew he would not only be crucial in saving Engelsex from the crisis that was going on in the campaign, but would also be able to rescue her when she was kidnapped and placed into a menagerie sometime after Charles was lost. Charles didn't hold it against her, though, and the two ended up in a bit of a romance by the end of things.

For Montblanc and Edmund, though, I called upon another fairy tale archetype: the Wicked Witch. And I specifically grabbed one of the biggest from English folklore, albeit with a slight tweak to her name - Bleak Annis, infamous hag and boogeyman, cursed Charles to take on a bestial shape while gifting Montblanc a grimoire before tasking him to draw 100 beasts. She wasn't done there, either, showing up now and then to manipulate the rest of the party into finding the right clues and being in the right places at the right time to face the big threat, all while remaining ambiguous about her true intentions for most of the plot. She also served as the pokedex narrator for Montblanc's growing bestiary, which was fun for me to RP.

And that's our major recurring players! Well, except for the antagonists of course, but we'll cover them as we look at individual arcs from here on out.

[galebrainrott]

Hi Galemancers, indulge me for a moment.

Currently, I have a specific OC that I romance with Gale (and I write fanfic of.) However, my very first Tav had a horrific story arc and I just wanted to share it. Spoilers for the entire game

My very first Tav, who I lovingly named Wendy due to her orange double braids, was a street urchin. (Bard x Rogue multiclassed)

Most of her day-to-day pre-bg3 consisted of busking and hoping she made enough to get some food. If she didn't, well, she relied on her sleight of hand to get her by. Some would call it an unfortunate life, but she was happy enough to be able to sing everyday.

This was, until the events of BG3.

Tadpoled, lost, far from home and surrounded by strangers, she had no other choice but to rely on her guile and charm. She was funny, lighthearted. She kept everyone in check, made them feel comfortable, let them open up to her.

But she was in unfamiliar waters. Lae'zel, Karlach and Wyll had endless years of combat experience. Halsin, Shadowheart, and Gale no doubt had some fighting experience, even if just a little.

Wendy, however, was a bard. A performer. She lived on the streats and avoided trouble when she could. The first thing she killed was an imp, on the nautiloid.

It's a devilish creature, don't feel bad for it, she thought.

But it was so small, and looked almost like a toddler somehow. She had no time to process any of that until she had to kill again. And again, and again.

There were so many things to learn, things to read, things that were important to the journey. But Wendy was illiterate. There were many times when she, bashfully, had to ask Gale or someone else to read something for her.

Not to mention the fact that all of the armor was far, far too heavy for her. So she gritted her teeth at every attack. Just because Shadowheart could heal her, doesn't mean that it didn't hurt though.

She bonded with Gale, as she started asking him to teach her how to read. At first, she was scared.

Would he think of me less? She thought, I know how much he loves to read.

But he didn't. He taught her with an endearing passion, not at all talking down to her. She liked him for that. A lot of smart peoppe tend to be demeaning, but he was different. He just enjoyed the things he liked and loved to share them.

They got closer. But the journey went on. And she found herself having to make decisions that she was not prepared for.

The orb? Shadowhearts parents? Ascension? Vlaakith?

All of these choices, weighed on her shoulders.

There were times where she wanted to scream, I don't know! I don't know what any of that means!

Whenever one of her companions sought her counsel, she worried endlessly about whether she was making the right choice or not. Is it naive to not seek a goddess' forgiveness? Is it foolish to not want to ascend to power? What are we even fighting?

Then came her final decision. Orpheus, the orb or herself.

Orpheus, the heir to the githyanki and the final piece of their freedom, he can't turn into a mindflayer.

Gale using the orb? Obviously not.

Which only left her. But who cares about her, truly? If she had become a mindflayer, who would really grieve? She had noone back home, and she had only known her current friends for a few months.

They all had somewhere to get back to, something to want. But she?

So she did it, she became the mindflayer. All was won.

At the end, when she talking to her allies, they all suggested she hide away. Understandable.

She talked to Gale last, afraid at what turning into a mindflayer might mean for their relationship.

He, however, smiled, and proposed to her.

Even in my current state? She asked.

Your current state is that you're the one I love, he replied

So, anyway that HORRIFIC first game of mine is why I love Gale so much.

My tavs, henceforth, are stronger so that it's evened out a little.

Thank you Galemancers.

[friendlyloveaffair]

From Ultraseven's iconic "Duwa!" to new hero Ultraman Omega's grunt...

Re-edited a video my favorite Ultraman stock grunts & voice work from the original voice actors. 🗣️ And a special mention to Jiro Dan. ❤️

I added some info that might be helpful, especially to new fans!

All credits go to Tsuburaya Productions.

[babyrdie]

Although in earlier texts Briseis's future could be theorized (for example, I agree with the interpretation that The Iliad hints that Briseis will be given as a slave to Neoptolemus), it's usually an unstated future. A rare case is the Byzantine text of Ioannis Malalas, which says:

[...] He was the son of Achilles by Deidamia, the daughter of Lycomedes. After the death of his father he was sent by Thetis and Peleus, his grandfather, at the request of the Achaeans, to avenge his father’s blood after Achilles was murdered by guile. Having armed, he mobilized against Troy with 22 ships from Peleus, taking an army of Myrmidons, 1750 in number. Sailing away, he reached Troy, and found in his father’s tents Hippodameia Briseis, the guard of the possessions of Achilles. He received her and held her in much honor, asking her to be the guard of his own things in the paternal tent. After a short time, Briseis died, struck down by illness.

Chronography, Book 5. Translation by Brady Kiesling.

The frustrating part is that this version isn't similar to the more common versions of the myth, it's more like texts like Dares the Prygian and Dictys Cretensis. And that means that even though I'm finally seeing someone say what happened to Briseis, it's not enough to assume that it might have been an older version… it might have been a recent invention ("recent" in relation to Malalas, who was from 6th century! Not us!), just like a lot of other stuff in Chronography. I really wish I had some clue that in the more common versions Briseis's future was considered at some point, but it seems she is actually ignored in the surviving sources unless it involves the "character arc" of Achilles. Still, I keep looking.

[kitlandslot]

Just saw the Welcome to Noxus video and dear god I am SO excited for Mel’s story it’s kinda unreal. Knowing that Arcane was just a prequel to her and we’ll be getting a story entirely focused on her arc with no distractions is making me giddy. Here’s to hoping she becomes part of the Trifarix as the Principle of Guile 🙏

[ryttu3k]

There was a thread on Reddit about non-Tav or Durge BG3 ships and I'm a chronic overexplainer and my reply ended up being 1,250 words and three comments long, not including the 725 words of an Astarion-related post I had done earlier and linked, or the shorter Wyllachstarion mention from yet another thread. For my own records, here's about two thousand words on BG3 characters I want to smush together like Barbie dolls.

--

Rampant multishipper (and also honestly not really into OC ships, so this is my preference over Tav or Durge anyway), this will get long-winded. Apologies in advance. The short version is: basically a tadpolycule, also a concerning amount of ships for Astarion, Karlach, and Halsin specifically, but Wyllachstarion is my ultimate ship.

The number one ship: Wyllachstarion. They just... work together in every way possible. I absolutely goddamn adore all three of the constituent ships too, and even if only two of them got together, the third would 100% be a huge part of their lives. Some linkspam here.

--

Wyllachstarion for life.

Art, art, art, art, art, art (and tag commentary), being Ulder's in-laws, Astarion's plans, shenanigans, little things, and some fic recs in the comments of my own 70k fic.

Anyway. I goddamn love them.

(Oakbloodweave is also very good! I'm doing that in my current Gale Origin run.)

[Original thread: favourite throuple]

--

Now, character by character! I got extremely long-winded for Astarion here, so I'll just link that instead of repeating myself;

--

Top favourite is probably Wyllachstarion just because they balance each other in such wonderful ways. There's a great post about their dynamic as a trio here (platonically, but I feel it works just as well romantically too). I love all three pairings individually, I think they work amazingly together, they're just. So good. I may have written a 70k fic for them.

For the listed ones, honestly, I adore all of them except Astarion/Shadowheart (although I do love them as bitchy siblings, I just usually ship Shadowheart with Lae'zel or Karlach).

Astarion and Gale? Both know what it means to hunger, not just for blood or the Weave but for power - not power for its own sake, but the power to be safe and free of others that would control them. Both have a strong narrative arc of being corrupted by the idea of power and changing irrevocably, or of coming to accept that they're worthy of being loved as they are, and I can see one encouraging the other that they're enough, and also coming to realise that by inference, he himself is enough. Not as the Vampire Ascendant and the God of Ambition, but as Astarion and Gale. They could make each other worse, but they could also make each other so much better.

Astarion and Karlach? As a friendship or as a romance, they adore each other and it's canon. If you start out romancing them both then leave one for the other, they're both completely understanding, because they know the other deserves love and care and gentleness. But the two of them, romanced? They fit together so well. Astarion gets someone who will fight the world for him. He gets someone who loves so openly and loudly and without guile that all his usual manipulations and tricks fall flat. He gets someone who drags him into caring. Karlach is a precious golden retriever of a woman, but she's also strong enough to survive the Hells for ten years; she's no pushover. In her own words, she can handle Astarion. It's not a perfect romance. Their first scene (playing as Karlach) can be pretty rough, and it's going to get messy. But there's enough genuine care there to make it work - he'll literally go to Hell to be with her.

Astarion and Wyll? They balance each other perfectly. Wyll is selfless to the point of self-sacrifice; Astarion has spent two hundred years having to think of no one but himself just to survive. Wyll can slowly coax Astarion into caring about others; Astarion can coax Wyll into caring about himself. Wyll starts out as a monster hunter who is forcibly changed into a monster himself; Astarion has been a monster for a long time and is only just starting to rediscover his humanity (elfmanity?) when he's freed from Cazador. They meet in the middle. Here is some propaganda, and I wrote about them more here, also includes a bit of Wyllachstarion at the end. Anyway they're down hilariously bad for each other and it's canon.

Astarion and Halsin? Halsin offers stability, caring, and strength. He's got his shit together to a much greater degree than the others - while I feel Astarion would want or need to be careful with some of the others, just because they're a lot younger and have gone through some awful stuff as well, I feel he could be unashamedly vulnerable around Halsin, who's a natural and willing caretaker, is older and wiser, and is also an elf, someone who at least gets Astarion's lifespan (which would be uneven with the others, even without vampirism!). Halsin definitely isn't 100% well put together - he has unresolved trauma about the three years he spent held captive by the drow, and about the Shadow-Cursed Lands, and he's still trying to find a path that truly suits him other than Grove leadership - but that's something he can work on with Astarion, on an equal basis.

And Astarion and Durge? Quite literally, they're made for each other. Their stories are intrinsically intertwined. Playing my resist!Durge against Astarion just... was one of the most satisfying gaming experiences I've ever had.

So basically, hard to answer, so many of them are amazing pairs. I think, in lieu of being able to answer Wyllachstarion, I'm going to vote for Hellspawn, but really, it's close!

[Original thread: favourite Astarion ship]

--

I'll also add in Spawn!Astarion/Gandrel, in an ending where he stays in the Underdark, Gandrel admires Astarion's self-control and ability to change and turns to him for advice on raising his newly-turned daughters, and they bond over time; I also enjoy Raphstarion in an absolute trainwreck kind of way, here's a fun fic for them.

Karlach: Basically... everyone? She loves so fiercely I can really see her with anyone. See above for Astarion. She and Wyll are just made for each other, they're perfect for each other, there's affection and care and concern and love. Shadowheart - I feel she'd be very drawn to the initially withdrawn cleric with a surprising soft side. Lae'zel? They bond over sparring and end up teasing out each other's soft sides, knowing the other has the strength to support their softer sides too. Karlach and Gale are a really fun combination, the whole Bomb Squad dynamic of considering themselves doomed, so they might as well make the most of things. I can actually also still see it working long-term too, though, with the other able to draw out Karlach's curiosity and Gale's... latent feralness. As for Halsin, she canonically gets a little blushy when Halsin mentions liking strong women in Reithwin, and I like to think that after her engine is fixed and the Shadow-Cursed Lands are cured, a non-romanced Karlach definitely hooks up with him and a good time is had by all. For non-companions, she and Dammon are adorable, and I'd be willing to bet she and Fytz had at least one youthful hookup that didn't go anywhere long-term but was very nice at the time.

Wyll: Astarion and Karlach are obviously my top picks and I don't really see him long-term with anyone else, but I feel he'd also complement Gale extremely well. They could have an absolutely grand romance. Also he is Not Immune to Halsin's biceps.

Gale: Top pick is Astarion, also mentioned Bomb Squad and Bladeweave above, but I also adore him with Halsin! I feel they'd initially bond over discussing different forms of magic (druidic magic is something totally outside Gale's wheelhouse and I think he'd be fascinated), there'd be mutual attraction, and I think it'd be very healing and healthy for Gale to be with someone who appreciates and is attracted to him so physically. I get the read that everything he did with Mystra was Weave-based, it was very detached from his actual body. Halsin would be great at giving him that body positivity he'd be craving, and I think he'd be so into Halsin physically as well (see: comments on musk). I don't see it working long-term, if only because their views on exclusivity are so different, but I think it'd be a very healthy, if temporary, relationship, and I think they'd stay great friends. I also think he'd be super fun with Lae'zel - I first was introduced to the idea in a fic that had Astarion/Wyll and Karlach/Shadowheart, and at first it was like, haha, the nerd and the warrior. But they are actually a fun combo - Gale has a danger kink, and Lae'zel is... Lae'zel ;) She has a surprisingly intellectual side, he has a, well, kind of feral side. They'd likely hook up in the aftermath of a violent battle and just go on from there, I think?

Shadowheart: Shadow'zel supremacy, it's the classic enemies to lovers story. I just see it happening in basically... every universe. She's canonically attracted to Halsin and I love the idea of her farm being near Reithwin and just ending up part of a big happy family and community. And I'm 100% convinced she and Nocturne were together. They both had their memories of the actual details wiped, but the emotions - the care and trust - always remained. I really hope Nocturne is able to leave the Sharrans one day, and I hope she seeks out Shadowheart when she does!

Lae'zel: Already covered basically everyone else! For long-term relationship potential, I best see her with Shadowheart, but all the rest work at least a bit.

Halsin: Not an Origin but I adore him, so. Already mentioned specifics above for each character, with my favourites being with Astarion or Gale (or both, which I did in my Gale Origin run!), but I'll also include Halsin/Zevlor, surprised at how little there is considering how much it makes sense. (You can't romance Halsin at the tief party because he already has plans to Make The Sad Paladin Smile.) Given druid views on casual sex, too, I'm pretty sure the entire Emerald Grove has hooked up at times, too. Halsin and Nettie, and Halsin and Rath, for sure. Also, uh, whatever this is.

tl;dr everyone adores each other and I can just see it being one big polycule. Go read What Drifts on the Air, but also a social forced question and answer game (I first read it when I had COVID and couldn't breathe properly and nearly asphyxiated, which is my highest level of praise: go read this fic, it nearly literally killed me), Did I Think That Out Loud?, and Sharing.

(Can't include Minthara, I have an allergy to evil runs because I don't like making video game characters sad and see also: I adore Halsin, so I don't really know her well enough. I have heard good things about her and Karlach, though!)

For the non-Origins, the canon ships of Isobel/Aylin and Alfira/Lakrissa are both adorable and precious and they deserve the world. Orpheus/Voss is particularly tragic if Orpheus becomes a mind flayer, but I definitely think they get back together if he stays gith (and also adopt Lae'zel), although Orpheus is going to have to be okay with Voss and Qudonos also being together.

For ones that aren't explicitly canon, I adore Blurg/Omeluum (cutest old married couple who haven't actually realised they're married. "It's hard to explain, but I feel happier when I'm around Omeluum." Pookie you're smitten), Jaheira/Nine-Fingers Keene (Keene clearly respects and admires Jaheira enormously, Jaheira is likely the only one to actually call her Astele, if they haven't had a thing in the past I'll eat my goddamn hat), Barcus/Zanner (they bond initially over purely business, getting the Ironhands and Gondians working together, but Zanner has been lonely ever since Obelia's other parent died and Barcus is still smarting over how things ended with Wulbren, and start getting close), and, for a 'they'd be terrible for everyone around each other but also deserve each other', Araj/Dalyria. Unethical experiments ahoy!

Also it's not so much something I actively ship as 'they were 100% canonically together and you can't convince me otherwise and it ended in the most tragic way possible', but Balduran/Ansur punches me in the emotions. I have yet to read 'Dear Ansur' without tearing up.

[sailorspica]

reijean v-day 💝⚔️

see vee's prompt graphic for this. i tag anyone in any fandom, i want to hear about your OTP!!

💝 favorite canon scene:

these panels in the 57th scouting expedition right here.

in the anime the only internal monologue we get is from jearmin, which is a big rewatch tell of oh shit! why are reiner's thoughts private (armored hehe). but the ONE time, ONE time we get reiner's thoughts in this arc in the manga... it's about jean. and it's not like he takes over narration like armin did when he encounters annie alone, or like jean does once these three meet up. it's just one stray 💭 of "jean really... is different."

sure, other characters note jean's maturity since joining the corps, but recognition from reiner stands out here as a vote of confidence from marcel!reiner, AND four years later: when he still describes jean as "an irresponsible jerk who only ever thought of himself," even though reiner knows first hand that jean grew so, so much after trost. and it's his fault.

💝 a song that reminds you of them:

i previously posted SASAMI's I Was a Window, but another one that screams reijean to me is Till Death by Japanese Breakfast. briefly, it's about marriage, but she wrote a whole book about the context that this song and her relationship come from, which i highly recommend.

so many images in it are so post-rumbling to me: "get these days to go by like the swaying of a ship," (the studio recording starts with ocean sounds); "sing me to sleep, soothe this insomnia"; "your embrace healing my wounds / teach me to breathe, teach me to move." the beginning of verse 2, "steering on hostile waves of panic, like fighting a wheel that pulls to the right" makes me think of a later jbrekkie song, Slide Tackle, which IS reiner.

💝 favorite official picture/graphic:

back to back on the vol. 32 alliance cover baby!!

💝 favorite fanfic:

i have to say two:

vermin by @oxygenbefore1775: delicious cadet days, delicious fucked up time in reiner POV, delicious, smart tangling with the technological/material/cultural gaps between the walls and the rest of the world. how much of RBA's deep cover is culture shock? the total lack of guile jean has while running roughshod over the land mines in reiner's head with just "bunny." god.

from shiganshina with love by @fromriches-tosin: this is really the one that lured me in. it feels like a locked room, three-hander play, when even being in the wide open air (well, not reiner) is claustrophobic because two characters are intertwined and dug into one another. and as someone who has inhaled shelves' worth of eruri fic and doujinshi, vee's levi is one of my favorites.

💝 favorite fanart:

oh, this and everything by @mikibagels. one thing about reijean that goes so hard is jean's growth spurt, cadet and post-rumbling reijean both have height difference. similar vein, @valmendy illustrating reiner's flirting from never let me go: "i feel like i missed out on my little brother growing up." hello???

💝 why i ship:

i binged the anime so late, just in time for season 4, and when the finale came out i could hardly think of anything other than "we're scouts, we don't know when to quit."

back in my day (i'm turning 27 this month), one dude beating up another in shounen launched a ship, a fleet of ships, and kept it afloat for years, but yams gave us their more obvious, huge interactions in the last... fifteen chapters. but there's so much history between them that screams to be noticed on initial reread and rewatch: the reijearmin (horrendous throuple name) date that was the female titan arc, that jean keeps his cool when the 104th hop on the armored as reibert and ymir try to flee, the whole return to shiganshina, the echo i come back to of "the jean kirchstein i know only thinks of himself."

with jean's OVA, they're the characters whose moms we see the most of besides carla jaeger??? the difference between karina and jean's mother is vast, yet their sons turned out so similar, despite it all. so caring, so haunted by that care. jean takes his leadership in the post-time skip survey corps so seriously, he agonizes over his field leadership in trost, while reiner feels like he killed marcel and bertolt and doomed annie, and in his lowest, lowest moments still manages to protect and worry for falco and gabi.

also, another big why: you people. this is such a cozy pontoon. 😘 happy valentine's day!!!