#Supreme Leader doesn't make any sense

[randomnameless]

Replying to an ask, I was realising -

We know more about Glenn (Govan Fraldarius?), the brother of a secondary character who died protecting one of the primary ones, than about Supreme Leader’s sibling who was the original heir of the Empire.

Supreme Leader, iirc, was born as Ionius’s ninth child, or fifth one? Something like that?

What about the First child, the heir of the Emperor, son of his wife (Supreme Leader mentions how her mother wasn’t Ionius’s wife, meaning he had one, it wasn’t just, Anselma) ? What about said wife?

Ionius was yeeted away in Nopes, but damn if we don’t know jack shit about Adrestia.

Sure sure, we know Leopold’n’Waldemar, yay - but bar the duo of clowns?

Rafiel is the first prince of Serenes, Reyson and Leanne often mention their older sister Lilia, but no one ever mentions Supreme Leader’s oldest sibling? Ionuis’s first child? Supreme Leader’s stepmother(s)?

Why would Ferdie have developed a rivalry with Supreme Leader, if she had older siblings already in line for the throne? Why would Hubert - the Vestra heir - be “given” to Supreme Leader, if the Imperial Heir was already around?

The more I think about it, the less Adrestia makes sense, or at least the Adrestia we were presented with.

I think those siblings really existed, but their absence in the plot maybe mean the “Vestra” tasked with overlooking, let’s call him (it’s a him because it’s Adrestia!) Hans 2, heir to the throne, wasn’t from Hubert’s dad’s line, but from a cadet line? Cadet line had a child “around the age” of Hans 2, so that cadet branch would have become the most important one, had Hans 2 survived, because cadet Vestra would have become the “Vestra of the Emperor” while Hubert would only be the Vestra of the ninth/fifth princess.

Ditto for Ludwig ?

He’d have championned Ferdie to show his talent and might and “nobility” to Hans 2 instead of Supreme Leader, but when Hans 2 was Arundel’d and only Supreme Leader survived, he switched his focus?

In FE Tellius, in FE10, Tibarn talks about it, passingly. But in FE Fodlan, there’s no rumours of a “plague” having befell the imperial family, mainly the “series of tragedies” in Rhea’s book.

Hans 2?

Even Rhea’s dead siblings are more relevant, they appear in the form of relics ! But Hans 2? His existence blows a hole in the Adrestia we know, its political landscape and Supreme Leader herself.

Of course you should compare what can be compared, but when ASOIAF’s Ned goes “this shit should never have been mine to dealt with, it should have been my dead older brother’s”, this is never mentionned in FE16.

We have Rhea feeling as inedaquate, being trusted in this position as the “Guardian” of Fodlan because her mom was deboned, but Supreme Leader never says this regarding Hans 2.

Ionius himself never mentions Hans 2 or his other children.

Tl;Dr : FE16 wrote a story where the Adrestian Empire’s heir is less important to people than House Fraldarius - a vassal of House Blaiddyd - ‘s first son.

GG guys, 10k years of lore.

[randomnameless]

I wouldn’t call it a genocide.

However, Nopes really made me reevaluate FE16!Claude and tbh, after playing VW and discoursing for, uh, 4 years, I still don’t think I have a solid grasp on what Claude was supposed to be in FE16, as a character.

After Nopes, all the kind of “uhhh” moments I found in FE16/VW really, hit home : Claude has a certain agenda he sometimes reveals, and what I used to find fascinating in FE16 about the unreliable narrators sort of apply - sort of - here, in the end, do we learn what is Claude’s goal? When is he straight out saying it, without metaphors or sweetening it to make sure his allies would support it?

There is this “small” tidbit here that really made me pause a bit after finishing VW :

A rising flame was alight as the flow of time carved a new history for Fódlan.

The ambitions of the Fell King Nemesis were crushed, averting what could have been the greatest crisis in the history of Fódlan. After five and a half years of war, a new age was set to begin.

Country, faith, history... All that had once formed the order of the world was wiped clean. The heroes whose very hands saved Fódlan from a dark fate commenced with the building of a new society.

The leaders of this new, unified Fódlan began their walk down a seemingly endless path—one towards a world that would cherish differences in race and belief, one where all life would be valued equally.

Those leaders clung to the hope that their path would not end with Fódlan, that it would someday span the seas to Dagda, and beyond the Throat to Almyra...

(i don’t have the text in the jp version it’s not in the datamine, maybe it’s a lolcalisation goof?)

How the crap can a world cherish differences in race and belief if faith is wiped clean??

Has Claude learnt anything about the CoS and reconsidered his initial PoV?

There is also this portion just before going to fight Z-Nemesis :

Let's defeat this dusty old King of Liberation and put an end to this history of lies.

Once we've done that, there'll be nothing holding us back. A new and brighter age will begin.

Claude, at this point, pretty much learnt from Rhea why those lies were born, and how the only “history full of lies” is the Church’s history, starting with Sothis, Nabateans being once a thing, Relics, crusts and what not.

Claude, who hides his Almyran heritage to protect himself from people who would, supposedly, bring him harm because of said heritage, wants to put an end to... Rhea’s lie to hide her Nabatean heritage because people slaughtered her race because of said heritage?

“There’ll be nothing holding us back” of course, Rhea conveniently dies at the end of this route (and off-screen because that’s how Fodlan rolls). But what was Claude meaning when he said “put an end to this history of lies”, was he thinking of revealing the Truth about Nabateans and Relics to the world at large ?

Would Rhea really have been okay with him revealing to the world at large that you can slaughter any green haired pointy eared being you find to get a shiny weapon and magical superpowers?

We don’t even need to think about this question, because Rhea doesn’t survive and the other Nabateans are ignored by the plot but it’s still fascinating to think about* : Claude wants to reveal everything about the Church or not? Putting an end to the history of lies means revealing the truth, or erasing history?

And yet, even if this Rhea’s convenient death was already alluded to in the Billy question about a world without Rhea - it was dealt with Claude asking Billy to take Rhea’s mantle and role which is important to Fodlan...

But even earlier, there is this convo :

But be honest. You're having a hard time adjusting to your new role, aren't you?

You weren't even a follower of Seiros to begin with, and somehow you've ended up as a representative of the church.

I realize that you might feel guilty about deceiving the believers for our cause...

But this is just what the archbishop wanted, and she's the highest authority in the church.

Of course Billy in FE16 is TV Static, so they can’t tell Claude whether his assumptions are right, or bonkers. But... B!Billy (even if FEH’s canonicity is, uh, shaky) pops up singing the songs of the Nabateans, L!Billys are guides and accepted their role of a prophet, SS!Billy accepts Rhea’s mantle even if they are a bit lost....

So why is Claude going all “woe is you” here, making assumptions about Billy’s wishes and thoughts about their new role as the leader of the Church?

Actually, I'd like for you to come with me, Teach. To help negotiate with the lords.

They're followers of the Church of Seiros, after all. It'll make things easier if we have someone there to speak on Rhea's behalf.

TFW Seteth - per the SS narrative, is used to “negotiate” and “deal” with randoms and Lords to gather troops... 

But here, Claude thinks Billy, as the appointed successor of Rhea, will make “negotiations easier” because... those Lords follow the CoS, and he believes the word of Rhea’s successor has enough weight to “convince” people? Is he suggesting they are mindless and need the Church to tell them to agree to whatever - because they are religious - or thinks Billy will support him and Billy’s presence (even if they repeat Claude’s words) will have more weight to those Lords because they are religious?

No wonder why Seteth couldn’t have fit that role...

Oh and there was tidbit too which I found really... odd

Good work, Hilda! You didn't do much manual labor, but you managed to rope the knights into helping us restore the monastery.

Claude wants to restore the Monastery to use it as a base of operations, but why the fuck is he thanking Hilda here? When she went “ Yeah! This is an important location for the church. To think you've left it in such a state!” earlier which is very, hm, insulting and grating, it’s not like they were kicked out of their base of operation after Supreme Leader’s visit, scattered everywhere, tried to survive and to find their leader - especially coming from Miss “1181 :  Goes back home to a wealth of free time” ????

So, after playing VW, can we say Claude has grown from his initial assumptions on the CoS and Rhea? Has he learnt anything? About the Church? Let’s check his S Support - avatar games are built like that, the pinnacle of character development for the Lords is often in the S Support

You're the successor Rhea appointed, aren't you? And now you're also the hero who saved Fódlan.

All those weak people who have nothing to cling to but their goddess... They'll rely on you just like they used to rely on Rhea.

You'll be a leader all who are struggling to survive in war-torn lands can look up to.

It’s pretty mild-positive here, even if the “nothing to cling to but their goddess” feels weird, just like the “Billy and Rhea’s role was to be something people could cling to”, but that will devolve in discussions about faith and it’s too serious for this blog.

And I...I want a ruler who can lay down a new set of values for the people. Values that don't exclude anyone for being different.

...

The fuck -

Rhea told you her story, how she tried to set some values through her book “be kind to each other” “don’t abuse the power of crests and relics bcs plz don’t kill me or my relatives” and it ended with Supreme Leader.

Claude is implying the values that “don’t exclude anyone for being different” are new, thus didn’t exist yet in Fodlan? Even if that was in Rhea’s book? And it was what the Central Church was all about - like getting rid of the xeno western church?

So what has Claude learnt at the end of his journey? Did his POV about the CoS change?

Hmm...

From :

The people of Fódlan only know a small part of the world. Their prejudices are born because they don't know what lies beyond their borders.

They totes didnt’ build the Throat because they saw what was “beyond their borders” and saw some people trying to invade them. Nope. They felt like building a fort. And we totally don’t learn what the Almyran army - who hails from “beyond the border” does to Fodlan in Nopes. 

To :

The majority of people in Fódlan believe in the Seiros faith that Rhea preaches.  That's why they accept the noble system as if it were the only option, and refuse to associate with those who believe in anything else. That closed-minded philosophy is the reason why Fódlan's Throat is locked tight. But if you remove the archbishop who strictly advocates that doctrine, that world view is no longer an absolute. There's room for free thought.  The leadership of the church would undoubtedly fall to you, and you would hold the power to change the shape of the faith. Of the world.  Then, for the first time, people would truly be free to think for themselves. To decide what's right, and what's wrong.

There is an odor of sulfur here...

anyways, it’s always funny to see Claude pretending the CoS is the reason why the people of Fodlan “accept” the “noble system” - maybe the CoS also has some reach in Brigid and Almyra to make them accept a noble system? Claude would know after all, he is a Prince of Almyra - and Rhea’s doctrine being the reason why the Throat is locked, and also the reason why the people don’t think by themselves (compare with the earlier point I tried to make about Billy being used as a figure head of the church, which would of course make the religious people nod to everything they say because they are religious and have no free will, having to follow the head of the church) and don’t decide what is right from what is wrong.**

Ending with :

And I...I want a ruler who can lay down a new set of values for the people. Values that don't exclude anyone for being different.

Well.

Claude’s journey starts from someone who genuinely thinks the CoS as it exists under Rhea’s tenure controls people and is the reason they can’t think and are close minded to... someone who, after learning the truth about the Church and its creation born from a story of intolerance***, still thinks it upheld values like “treating differently people who are different is A-ok!” and its subsequent faith should be “wiped clean”.

...

At least he thinks the concept of a Church can be useful - under Billy though - to help the people who might need it, but the current CoS and Rhea ?

Meh. Bleh. Watermelon tier.

Tl; Dr : Claude, even in FE16 and after VW, still thought Rhea was the reason why Fodlan was xenophobic, close minded, relied on the noble system, had too much turnips served at the monastery, etc etc.

If Clout is more ignorant than Claude, they still come to the same conclusion : Rhea is the reason why the Fodlan he wants cannot happen, and he has put as many thoughts about it as Supreme Leader did about her “new MAGA muhritocracy version” Fodlan.

In a way I find VW even more infuriating, because he had time to grow at the academy (even if he discovers water is wet in VW about Petra and Dedue existing), he meets Macuil and hears Rhea’s infodump - so his conclusion doesn’t make any sense, it’s as if you give that boy all ingredients to bake the best flan ever, and he gives you a hard boiled egg instead (in Golden Shower he only had an egg and some parsley).

----

*which is rich, considering he can marry Flayn, but the implications of “by the way I erased your Aunt and your Grandmother’s faith and I might have told the world by skinning you they will have shiny weapons, but we still marry and don’t tell your dad who can also be skinned for parts” are swept under a rug for a “eloped without telling the dad” jokes. Very funny. Ha.Ha.Ha.

It’s almost as funny as asking them to fight under what used to be Nemesis’s banner !

** Hilda’s paralogue is just like Bernie on a pyre event, it was a programming error in the game, left by the beta testing team. I mean, how could you explain Claude’s mutism in that map - which is native to his route - when he takes time to defend Almyra’s reputation in the Shamir paralogue? Rhea and her CoS are the reason why the people of Fodlan don’t like Almyra, Almyra never did anything wrong to them (or maybe thinks they are cowards :( ). 

We never heard of those raids you are speaking of. Why, if they really existed, you’d think the Almyran prince would think those raids are a more plausible reason explaining why Fodlan doesn’t love his country rather than come up with an elaborate theory about a woman controlling a skynet level of network dictating how people should think and what is right from wrong and removing their ability to “think for themselves”.

*** It’s also never adressed, because why would you care about Nabateans, how Claude’s dream to open borders and live together was... what Nabateans tried to do, and were rewarded with genocide. 

Rhea tells him Sothis tried to befriend humans and share her tech, they started a war against her and ultimately genocided her kin. Rhea trusted a human and made Adrestia? Well, 1k years later, Adrestia and that human’s descendant will invite her to the worst Zumba seminary ever - from which she could die of if she doesn’t rest for a month. And after that? The people her mom tried to befriend send her 5 nukes for funsies.

What do you do when some people accept to live with other people, but those other people refuse to live with you and prefer to see you dead? Everything will work out in the end, and Rhea conveniently dies. So kumbaya time for everyone!...

Or not?

The CG at the end of the route can be interpreted in different ways, but on one side we see Almyra with a kickass camel and many spears, and on the other side we see Fodlan people decked in armor, without weapons, not smiling and looking down.

Hm.

At least it’s better than what Nopes suggested about the shopping for souvenirs?

So, I think it’s time to reevaluate Claude in light of the analysis I’ve been doing. I know I’m going to take some flack for this, but I don’t think Hopes!Claude was meant as a retcon. I think that, due to the “quality” of the writing in Houses, Claude didn’t come out of the oven the way he was supposed to. That the “pure good guy” Claude was a happy accident, while Hopes!Claude is closer to how he was meant to be. The “villain you couldn’t hate.” I think the problems with the execution in Houses amount to two things, that joining Claude would result in a hero path for him due to his own character growth in addition to how people misinterpreted what his issue was.

Most people assumed Claude’s issue was one of ignorance. That he was this guy who comes to Fodlan, knows nothing about it, begins saying that Fodlan needs to change only for his ignorance to be called out in his own route. He learns the truth, reevaluates his positions, and ends up achieving his own form of Enlightenment. He never really does anything too villainous in other routes either, so this must be the problem. Right?

Recently, I’ve been talking about how Claude’s personal classes reveal the truth. He’s a wyvern lord, a guy atop of a lesser dragon. He’s somewhere between dragon and snake. The former represents enlightenment, the latter the poison/flame of hatred or aversion. Claude is also a bow user despite being a flyer, meaning he’s his own worst enemy. And with that in mind, it becomes pretty clear.

Claude dislikes the Church of Seiros, believing it’s the reason Fodlan isn’t so welcoming to foreigners. Specifically, they commissioned a fort to keep the Almyrans out, something that resulted in Almyrans viewing the people of Fodlan as cowards. While Claude has been shown to be able to admit he was wrong when presented with new data, usually through his supports, that is tied to a route where Claude begins working with the Church, becomes more open to the idea of some form of deity, empathizes with Rhea, and ends up believing that Rhea’s work must be carried on. This is presented with the implication that Claude undergoes his own enlightenment during Verdant Wind, resulting in someone who will help reshape Fodlan and Almyra. It is Claude taking up the mantle of the dragon.

I feel if you take this into consideration, Claude’s actions in other routes start taking on a new light. He doesn’t get over his prejudice against the Church in Silver Snow, uses the Church to retake the Great Bridge, causing the Church to suffer casualties that they need a month to recouperate while he then goes off marching to Gronder. He gets his ass kicked, survives according to Word of God only to leave Fodlan and the Alliance behind to rot. When he gets his ass kicked in Flower, he still arranged things so the people of the Alliance would back down and be spared. When he was getting ready to leave in Moon, he set up the Alliance rejoining the Kingdom and handed over his relic. In Silver Snow, he leaves nothing for the Church.

Then there’s his whole neutral stance, Claude is someone who talks a big game about how bad it is people are othered and how we need to accept others and their differences. That, despite Claude’s own aversion to religion. Edelgard declares war on the Church after everything seen in White Clouds, Claude isn’t looking out for a group being persecuted. He just tries to stay out of the fight. And when he does have to fight, he knows so little about Fodlan he assumes that the people his country views as cowards would run away and save themselves, not fight to the bitter end. It doesn’t even matter the fact that Claude outright calls Edelgard’s regime one of “military rule,” or how in Hopes she props up her own Church. He’ll still hand over the Alliance and leave if he can’t win, provided the player doesn’t opt to kill him, but he won’t hand it over to the Church.

Hopes and White Clouds being stopped in it’s tracks messes with Claude’s development. There is no Remire. No monster experiments. No Lonato, or trying to steal Relics. None of that shit. It’s just Edelgard declares war on the Church, invades the Alliance to take the Great Bridge in order to march on Garreg Mach, then tries to take over the capital.  While the invasion of the Alliance can be held against her, and is if Byleth isn’t recruited in Scarlet Blaze, Edelgard is still doing so in order to get rid of a group Claude doesn’t like and wants gone himself. Claude wants the Church gone.

Claude wants a genocide. Not against the Nabateans, but the Church itself. And is willing to work with Edelgard in order to accomplish this, provided the Empire isn’t setting itself on fire under Thales’ control. What’s more, Wildfire represents Claude losing himself further to his hatred after having to kill his brother, something he never wanted to do, because said brother rejected him due to his mixed-race heritage. From there, Darth Claude’s habit of playing dirty comes out more than ever, willing to drag more and more groups into the war just because he wants Rhea and the Church gone.

Claude wants to tell himself he’s the good guy here, but his shadow calls him out on pretending to be the good guy. Likewise, he also talks about how if Rhea is killed Edelgard will lose her justification for the war and unless she wants to be seen as the bad guy will stop. I feel like these both indicate that Claude is aware of how bad his actions actually are, but he wants his own acts to be seen as right. His hatred towards the Church has made him turn away from the truth, just like in his support where Dimitri easily points out flaws in what Claude is planning and how it’ll put him in danger only for Claude to end the discussion.

Least, that’s what I’m getting right now looking at everything. Yet despite this, this only makes me like Claude even more. I mean, it’s the same reason why the Eagles are my favorite class, that without Byleth they become the villains. Really makes Byleth’s impact on their lives be known, in addition to making Verdant Wind stand out more for it’s character growth. Claude goes from someone who wants the Church to be wiped out, in spite of his ideals I might add, to someone who has to face off against the guy who committed a genocide against Rhea’s people. That after Solon tried to manipulate him into fighting against Rhea like TWSITD are implied to have done with Edelgard, Claude rejects their influence and takes out her out alongside Nemesis. That Claude gets Rhea’s side of the story and realizes how she’s been othered herself, how she’s an outsider just like him, and what he wanted to do to her. Claude sees how wrong he was and how his hatred blinded him to the truth, and in the end becomes a better person for letting it go resulting in not only Fodlan changing but Almyra as well.

Claude’s growth is deeper than we realized.

But this is just my attempt at trying to rationalize what Hopes did. Make of it what you will. Cheers.

[sirenalpha]

I'm seeing so much commentary on people reacting to the live action atla toning down Sokka's misogyny

and I'm over here like this is a total non-issue because in my own rewrite of the show I already did that exact thing, it makes complete sense to do it and they should do it because it's a weaker aspect of the original show

Sokka's early misogyny is utterly cartoonish in comparison to the set up of the rest of the SWT, it doesn't feel realistic for the only teenaged boy in a dying culture surrounded by adult women with a grandmother who left a more out and out misogynist society to act the way he does

how Sokka "resolves" his misogyny is equally cartoonish, I never liked how in The Warriors of Kyoshi literally episode 4 of the show makes a teen girl compromise her own culture with a female only fighting tradition teach a boy who is supremely rude and disrespectful to her and then still be attracted to him afterwards, it's more misogyny to fix misogyny and is very obviously men writing about how to fix misogyny especially as they have Aang make a joke about Sokka wearing a dress after going through how meaningful the fighting costume is and how a lot of Asian clothing with hanfu influences like atla borrows from would have men in what to western eyes would be dresses, Aang has already seen multiple male authority figures in robes, the joke makes no sense

I also wouldn't consider Sokka's misogyny genuinely resolved after this, consider how the show deals with his romantic relationships with both Yue and Suki and how both can be seen as extensions of how Kataang is treated in the show, rewards for the hero, especially with how Sokka interacts aggressively with Hahn instead of respecting Yue's wishes whatever her reasons for them, I think an argument can be made that Yue's death is a fridging for Sokka's storyline rather than or in combination with being a consequence of Aang's failure as an avatar or the culmination of her own storyline where she fulfills her duties as a leader to protect her own people

Beyond his romantic relationships, while Sokka drops a lot of his more misogynistic language with Katara, he doesn't support her when she faces off with the NWT leaders to learn waterbending, and he still leaves the caretaking and food preparation and grocery shopping to her which is more common than him going out to hunt or gather in order to provide for the group while he takes a leadership role like determining their travel schedule and routes, it is not an even division of labor and falls along traditional sex stereotypes

In addition to his typical duties to the group, Sokka also remains invested in the trappings of masculinity after ep4, he's concerned about what's manly and how he compares to Jet for example, there's no investigation or interrogation in his interest in meat and hunting and how they relate to masculinity and his misogyny, in the episode with Piando, his insecurity as a non-bender is resolved by giving him a new male mentor and a new martial skill, sword fighting, which is masculine in both western and Asian cultures rather than assuaging his self esteem issues in any less stereotypically masculine ways, I also think it was done so he could compare more favorably to Zuko, another male character, and even his interest in engineering and mechanics comes with a male mentor and is a traditionally masculine pursuit

the show's poor handling of misogyny also extends beyond Sokka, with the NWT, the show acts as if Pakku is the only reason the tribe is misogynistic and the only consequences to that misogyny is that women can't waterbend and there are arranged marriages, and that both the NWT and Pakku's misogyny is resolved by allowing only Katara to learn to waterbend which she doesn't even earn on her own merits, she gets the opportunity because Pakku likes her grandmother

none of this is realistic, misogyny is not because of one bad apple, Pakku doesn't make Yue's arranged marriage, Chief Arnook does, he picked Hahn for her, and the show acts as if Arnook has no authority to compel Pakku to teach Katara or any ability to persuade him in order to reduce his culpability in the NWT's misogyny as its leader to make him a more respectable character so it's not uncomfortable when Aang and Sokka follow his orders in the battle later on, but women not being able to bend and forced into arranged marriages is still status quo when the gaang leaves, Yue's just dead

I'm not even convinced the show runners understand what's wrong with arranged marriage, the issue is not Yue can't be with Sokka who she likes and at most has a slight crush on cuz she's only known him for like two days, it's that she's being treated as male property, a broodmare, and a vehicle to ensure Hahn receives the throne because her father has no male heir and picked some guy to succeed him instead, like it's not explicit in the show but that is the implication based on the historical reality of princesses in arranged marriages, and the show has her get out of it only through death idc that she ascends to being a spirit, it's still a teen girl that dies

There's also no discussion by the show of the Earth Kingdom's misogyny when it has the exact same shit going on, Toph is the only female earthbender in the show not including avatars, there might have been a female earthbender in the background when Katara broke them out of prison, but I'm not really counting that, the entire army and Dai Li are all made up of men, the EK might even be worse because the show doesn't demonstrate that women and girls even have the capacity to earthbend aside from Toph and avatars and Toph doesn't even learn from a human, she has to learn from animals, the show treats this as commentary on her disability but the show has no compelling reason why it can't also be commentary on her sex, Toph was also originally supposed to be a boy so this could have ended up so much worse there literally would have been no female earthbenders aside from avatars at all, I'm not counting Oma as she might just be a mythological figure not a real person that once lived

The Fire Nation kinda barely avoids the same issue, Azula is the only named female firebender aside from avatars in the show but she has two female sidekicks who despite being non-benders show martial skill and there are clearly female soldiers and guards in the FN military so there are much stronger implications of female firebenders existing and being completely allowed to train their abilities and that Azula isn't exceptional in that respect like Toph is, only for being a prodigy with blue fire

Azula was also originally supposed to have an arranged marriage in s3 and they dropped it in favor of showing that royal and noble girls could casually date in the FN which has wild implications for women's empowerment in the country more so than but especially in combination with the fact women can train and join the military (which is why I say the FN is not fascist it's literally the least misogynistic country aside from Kyoshi and by like a country mile so it's literally not misogynistic enough) not that the show does anything more than minor teen drama with it

again, the vast majority of this misogyny is completely unremarked upon by the show especially after s1 when they leave the NWT, it is clearly a fictional world made by men with no true understanding of misogyny just a vague awareness that misogyny is bad and what the really obvious and outdated examples of it are, this is a narrative inconsistency in the show to have the examples and commentary on misogyny be so cartoonish in the beginning and then disappear after s1

your options to resolve this inconsistency is to either go all in with more realistic misogyny and provide commentary on all of it but this takes effort and will be divisive, or take the easier route and ease off the cartoonish-ness of it and comment less on it to avoid drawing attention to all instances of misogyny in the show

obviously Netflix was gonna do the latter

(not me tho, I'm making it less cartoony and dealing with it in my rewrite)

[michaelsfavgirl]

first kiss

Pairing: Captain EO x fem!reader

Synopsis: You confess to EO that you've never kissed anyone before. Rather than judging, he guides you through your first kiss with care and tenderness.

Tags: fluff, smooching

Word Count: 1.7k

Requested: yes/no

Author’s Note: Wanted this to be a short drabble at first but I'm incapable of writing blurbs so here we are

Links: navigation | masterlist | taglist

The control room of the spaceship buzzes with anticipation as you step inside, greeted by a chorus of voices rising and falling in excited chatter. Your crewmates, a diverse bunch of characters with their own quirks and specialties, are huddled together, discussing their plans for the upcoming mission to confront the evil Supreme Leader.

Their voices bounce off the metallic walls, creating a cacophony of sound that threatens to overwhelm your senses. You raise your voice above the din, attempting to restore order amidst the chaos.

"Alright, everyone, settle down!" you call out, your words slicing through the chatter like a knife. "We need to focus and come up with a solid plan. But keep it down! We don't want Captain EO catching wind of our scheming."

The crew falls into a tense silence at your command, exchanging nervous glances as they remember the consequences of attracting Captain EO's attention. He may be understanding, but when it comes to maintaining discipline aboard his ship, he doesn't tolerate any nonsense.

"But we can't afford to underestimate the Supreme Leader's forces," Fuzzball interjects, his voice tinged with urgency. "We need to be prepared for anything."

Pilot Geek nods in agreement, his expression serious. "Our weapons need to be primed and ready, and our defenses must be impenetrable. We can't afford to be caught off guard."

You nod in solemn agreement, fully aware of the gravity of the situation. "We're not just here to engage in battle," you remind them. "Our mission is to liberate the oppressed people of this planet and bring an end to the Supreme Leader's reign of terror."

The crew murmurs their assent, their determination shining through despite the palpable tension in the room. They know the risks involved, but they're willing to face them head-on in the name of justice.

"We also need to gather intel on the enemy's defenses," you add, your mind already racing with strategic possibilities. "We can't make a move until we know exactly what we're up against."

As the crew delves into discussion, you can't help but feel a swell of pride in their resilience and camaraderie. Despite their differences, they're united in their resolve to make a difference in the galaxy. But just as the planning session gains momentum, the door slides open, and Captain EO strides into the room, his presence commanding attention.

You exchange a quick glance with him, noting the subtle softening of his gaze before he turns his focus to the crew.

"What's all the commotion about?" Captain EO's voice pierces through the chaotic buzz of the control room, his tone calm yet commanding.

The crew members exchange nervous glances, their voices trailing off into an uneasy silence. Sensing the tension, you step forward, taking on the role of mediator, though you can't bring yourself to meet Captain EO's gaze directly. "We were just discussing our strategy for when we reach the planet, Captain," you explain, your words careful and measured. "We want to ensure we're fully prepared for whatever may come our way."

Captain EO nods in understanding, his expression inscrutable. "Good," he replies, his tone carrying a hint of gravity. "But we must proceed with caution. We cannot afford to disappoint Commander Bog again." The crew members nod in solemn agreement, their resolve strengthened by their leader's words.

Before you can say anything further, Captain EO interjects, his voice taking on a decisive tone. "Excuse us, please," he commands, his hand reaching out to gently grasp yours as he guides you out of the bustling control room. The crew members exchange knowing looks, their smiles evident as they return to their tasks, their previous conversation momentarily forgotten in the wake of Captain EO's presence.

As the two of you walk in silence down the corridor, you can feel the warmth of his hand enveloping yours, sending a tingle of anticipation coursing through your veins. With each step, the anticipation builds, the air heavy with unspoken emotions.

Finally reaching his private office, he locks the door behind you, ensuring your privacy from any potential interruptions. The room is bathed in a soft, ambient light, casting shadows that dance across the walls and adding to the intimate atmosphere.

Alone together, EO's stoic demeanor begins to soften, replaced by a warmth and longing that reflects in his eyes as he tenderly cups your face. His forehead pressed against yours, a silent reassurance of his presence and protection. In his embrace, you feel yourself relax, the tension of the day melting away.

"Rough day?" he murmurs, his voice a soothing balm against the turmoil of your thoughts.

You nod wearily, leaning into him as he draws comforting circles on your back. His chuckle is soft and melodic, a sound that brings a sense of peace to your troubled mind. "It's alright," he whispers, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your head. "You're safe here with me." And in that moment, surrounded by his warmth and reassurance, you allow yourself to exhale, surrendering to the solace he offers.

As you pull away from each other, the air between you crackles with an unspoken tension. His gaze lingers on your eyes, a silent inquiry dancing in their depths, searching for something he can't quite name. There's a moment of hesitation, a wordless exchange passing between you, before his attention drifts down to your lips. Your heart quickens at the intensity of his gaze, a flutter of anticipation coursing through your veins. Instinctively, you turn your head to the side, breaking the connection before it can deepen.

Concern flashes across his features as he registers your sudden withdrawal. "What's wrong?" he asks softly, his voice tinged with worry. "Did I do something to upset you?" It's a question that's been weighing on his mind for some time now, as he's noticed your tendency to retreat whenever things start to become more intimate.

You sigh, feeling a pang of guilt at causing him any distress. Before you can fully disengage from his embrace, he tightens his arms around you, refusing to let you slip away. "Please, sweetheart, tell me," he coaxes, his tone gentle and reassuring.

You hesitate, unsure of how to articulate the swirling thoughts in your mind. Finally, you gather the courage to admit, "I've never kissed anyone before."

A small smile tugs at EO's lips, his eyes twinkling with amusement at your confession. He chuckles softly, finding humor in your nervousness. "Is that all?" he teases, his tone light and affectionate.

You pout playfully and nudge his chest, a mix of embarrassment and indignation bubbling within you. "It's not funny," you protest, crossing your arms over your chest defensively.

His smile softens, and he reaches out to tenderly stroke your cheek. "I'm sorry," he apologizes sincerely. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

You lean into his touch, the warmth of his hand soothing against your skin. "It's okay," you reply softly, meeting his gaze. "I just... I don't know what I'm doing."

His expression is filled with understanding. "That's alright," he reassures you, his voice gentle. "I can show you."

A surge of warmth floods your chest at his offer, a fluttering sensation dancing in your stomach. "Really?" you whisper, barely able to contain your excitement.

He nods, a tender smile gracing his lips. "Of course," he replies, his eyes brimming with sincerity. Your heart races at his words, the promise of his guidance filling you with a sense of anticipation and newfound trust in him.

EO's touch is like a gentle breeze, calming your nerves and soothing your racing heart as he cups your face once more. His thumb strokes your cheek softly, a comforting gesture that sends warmth spreading through you like sunshine on a cool morning. "Okay, sweetheart," he says softly, his voice a melodic whisper. "We're going to start with something simple, just quick little pecks, nothing too crazy. I don't want to overwhelm you."

Gratitude floods your chest at his patient and understanding words, and you nod in response, feeling a rush of affection for him. As he continues to explain, your attention wavers, captivated by the rhythmic movement of his lips as he speaks. Your gaze fixates on his mouth, hungry and curious, as you imagine the sensation of kissing him.

A soft chuckle interrupts your reverie, and you blink, realizing you've been lost in your thoughts. "Sorry," you mumble sheepishly, feeling your cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"It's alright," he reassures you with a warm smile that lights up his eyes. "Let's try this again, shall we?" You nod eagerly, determined to focus this time. Closing your eyes as he instructs, you take a deep breath, trying to steady your trembling nerves.

You feel his breath brushing against your lips as he moves closer, and then his lips meet yours in a soft, gentle kiss. It's a simple press of lips, fleeting yet filled with tenderness and warmth. Butterflies flutter in your stomach as the kiss sends a delightful shiver down your spine. You tremble slightly in his embrace, overwhelmed by the rush of emotions coursing through you like a river in full flood.

Sensing your nervousness, EO pulls away slightly, his arms enveloping you in a comforting embrace. "Shh, it's okay," he murmurs soothingly, his voice a soothing balm to your frazzled nerves. "You did so well, sweetheart." You lean into his embrace, finding solace in his reassuring presence. His arms around you feel like a fortress, offering protection from the uncertainties of the universe.

"Thank you," you whisper softly, feeling a profound sense of gratitude wash over you. "For everything."

He smiles warmly, pressing a tender kiss to your forehead. "Anytime," he replies softly, his voice filled with unwavering devotion and affection. "I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

In that moment, cradled in EO's embrace, you feel a sense of peace wash over you like a gentle tide. With him by your side, you know you can weather any storm that comes your way. And as you rest your head against his chest, you realize that you've found something truly special in him—a love that transcends space and time.

© michaelsfavgirl 2024

Taglist: @heartss444mj @yeriminist @yeaiamme2 @helloaugustmoon @cinnamoncunt @theladyofmylife @minekarina @kionaaa @theskinniestjackson-denny @youronlyonenini @graciegizmo3184 @theasexual-jackson @mrsmikaelsxn @fallinlovewithevil @armasbw

[piglet26]

Reylo Scenes: TROS Part 2

After a failed attempt at killing Rey and Rey slashing Ren's fighter. He's relieved he didn't kill her. She's relieved she didn't kill him. He emerges looking fucking glorious while Rey tried to stop a ship from flying off cause she thinks Chewie is on board. What the hell are they doing putting a mask on him at this point?!

In the novel from Kylo's perspective, "But his impulse to kill Key had almost ruined everything he had been planning..... but his deepest desire, the thing he wanted most (Rey) would require planning and patience."

"It didn't matter what or who was inside that transport that made desperate to prevent it's escape, he was not going to let her have it. He reached out, felt the massive machinery in his mind, yanked it towards himself."

What's interesting in this scene is Kylo Ren is pushing her and Rey ultimately pulls from anger to best him and keep chewing. That's what always been interesting about Rey is she's the Jedi, but often times she fights with anger, fear and aggression. In the novelization it's revealed that over the course of that year she's been hearing voices. It looks pretty and it's a good shot, but I kept thinking didn't we already see this? Force wise... they're pretty even. While it doesn't hit as hard as the tug-o-war in the TLJ it does serve a purpose. Rey is a Palpatine after all.

In the movie, as per usual, this next bit doesn't make any sense. Ren seems stunned and just let's Rey, Finn and Poe run off. In the novel it makes more sense.

"Kylo Ren watched the freighter rise into the sky, Rey inside it. She had beaten him again (she thought she killed her friend not really a win but you're emo) and yet, he was filled with triumph. He'd been right to push her. She had just demonstrated unbelievable, mind blowing power. Dark power. Sith Power. The scavenger was almost ready to turn. And when she did, they would both kill their light, embrace their darkness, then the star destroyer fleet and the Sith throne would be theirs."

Kylo Ren is a Reylo and is trying to make power couple goals happen and we have to appreciate that.

This is concept art from "The Rise of Skywalker" notice how their costumes mirror each other.

The chemistry between Rey and Kylo is electric whenever they share the same space, so much so that sometimes it feels like we, the audience, are intruding on a private moment between the two.

On board Ochi's ship Rey confesses she has sex dreams about Kylo Ren. Let's be honest they both do and she confesses she's had visions of her and Kylo Ren on top the Sith throne.

Next scene is them in Kijimi. Ren is looking for his future Queen who is trying to find the sithway finder or whatever. Arriving in his pretty cool ship.

In the novel per Zorii, "As the black clad man approached the squads officer snap to attention, "Supreme leader".... the man standing below with his gang od butchers was Kylo Ren himself.....The supreme leader said his voice was tight and calm, but Zorii got the feeling he was barely containing his rage. He looked around almost as if he were sniffing the air. "We have a perimeter around the city." The lieutenant began, but Kylo Ren cut him off, "We're too late, the scavenger is gone." Zorri goes onto describe Kylo Ren having a moment whipping his lightsaber out and going beast mode.

In the movie through the force it's implied that that's how Rey knows Chewie is onboard Ren's destroyer, but in the novel it's different. He interrogated Chewie forcefully (wink wink ha ha ha) to get information on Rey. Rey was able to link mind with Kylo Ren and that's how she knew Chewie was onboard. They should've shown them linking minds more.

Then Rey was in his room, or excuse me, private quarters. Anyone else surprised his room was so white and pretty, if no impersonal. Where's his bed? I saw it in the first movie I think.

"Rey. Wherever you are, you are hard to find."

I'm wondering if at this point that can connect to one another more voluntarily. Rey is always swinging first. Like always. This scene can only really be described as exposition scenes, but there is a nice aspect to it. It's nice to see what they see from one another's viewpoint when they force bond. They just see each other. The dyad is increasing in power, not only can they now touch through the force, they can fight and their spaces even blend. They were together and yet separate. Kylo Ren also seems to be very excited his girl is in quarters and wants to lock down that ship.

In their next scene, again, Kylo tells her the plot of The Rise of Skywalker while wearing that damn mask. I have questions when did Kylo Ren find out they were a dyad?! Why were denied this scene? Obviously they instinctually know they are connected, they just never knew the word to put to it, but were is the exact scene? The thing about Kylo Ren is he uses information to twist it like a knife. He's going to use the truth that they are Dyad, that she is a Palpatine and ultimately the attraction she feels for him to seduce her to the dark side. From Rey's perspective, "He extended his black gloved hand to her, she looked at it, remembered. The last time he extended a hand had been in the wreckage of Snoke's throne room. Their combined power had defeated him. It was true. That together they could do such incredible things. Suddenly, she sensed a weight at her back and along with it... Finn. His presence a bright beacon of light piercing the dark." Ren pulling some MJ Smooth Criminal moves there.

After Rey flees with her crew, in the novel it's gives Kylo Ren's reaction. Her surveys the damage left from The Falcon's engine wash. "Kylo considered it a small price to pay to encounter Rey again. To provoke her into a rage. To say the word Dyad and watch the truth of it wash over her lovely face......he hardly paid attention, he kept seeing her face. The way her lips had parted with surprise. The way her body had canted (leaned) toward him. If the Millennial falcon hadn't appeared she might have come to him. Taken his hand. Kylo really hated that ship.... he'd been so very close, but now she knew the truth. She would accept it."

Yeah, they're horny. It's the first time Kylo described her in such detail and really let us as the reader or audience know..... he wants power, but he wants Rey more. If Ren had the world in his hand it wouldn't mean as much without Rey. This is the first scene in the movie where Rey acknowledges how much she wants to be with him. Interesting, Finn again is really her solid base on the good side of the force.

Side note: Dark Rey is hot.

The lightsaber fight onboard the death star wreckage. I've heard criticism that this fight while beautiful is pointless. I disagree. It's actually a scene that pushes them forward. Rey said, "give it to me" and Ren giving this shudder like he just came in his pants. hmmhmm! Ren likes feral, passionate Rey. He's pushing her and pushing her when she's already at the edge. Interesting enough, Ben can take whatever Rey has to give. All the anger and the fury she's had to hide from everyone else she can express to him. The fight is really about their likeness and yet difference, their passion, how Rey has grown in her lightsaber fighting and fixing the end of The Force Awakens. Ren is fighting at full force capacity, he's not injured and he's not emotional.

The way he is in love

“He sent the thought directly into her mind: I know you. No one does, she shot back. But I do.” WHY WASN'T THIS IN THE MOVIE?!

They fight until Rey is exhausted and when it looks like Kylo Ren might strike the killing blow, Leia reaches out through the force before she passes. In a fit of rage Rey stabs Kylo Ren, but snaps out of it when she feels Leia's passing. She begins to heal the wound she created.

How did she heal? Oh, you know those books she had in the beginning of the movie? Those book were the sacred Jedi text from Acht-to. She smuggled them onboard the falcon. So they never were actually set fire. Turns out Yoda that they actually were useful.

Rey showing him compassion, healing him, believing in him almost doggedly is so empowering for Ben Solo to return. His parents might be gone, but he still has someone to return home to. This movie has flawed writing but sometimes almost accidentally that land on something that works. The line where she admits she wanted to take his hand is a great line. It's declaration of love for Ben, not a rejection of Kylo Ren. It's her saying, "I didn't reject you. I wanted the best version of you"

After the unconditional love offered by both parents and the selfless, sacrificial love offered by Rey...... Kylo Ren becomes Ben Solo again. We just don't see him for the next 20 minutes as Rey processes her identity crisis and then goes off to fight to Palpatine..... without a plan.

There's also something purely adolescent about Reylo. Even in TLJ, these two throw themselves into one another. Like Rey having a vision of their future together so she goes alone to an enemy ship based purely on belief in him. Now we have Ben Solo, in a moment of pure adolescent "I gotta get to my girl" just needs to be with her on exegol as she faces down Palpatine.

From Adam Driver, "and the thing that we started with for "Who is Ben, then? There's no ambiguity about what it is that he has to do. There's no more seesaw that's happening. For the first time, someone who has never had the answer now finally knows his purpose or destiny. But I don't know that he entirely is sure of what's going to happen from there, nor do I think he cares. I think it's so long as he is with her, he's on the right path. " Adam driver is a Reylo.

Ben solo is back and he's glorious. He's likeable, charismatic, he's funny and he shoots backwards like his dad. People appreciated Adam Driver in an all new way with these scenes. He doesn't say a word except "oh, but you know he's shifted from Kylo Ren to Ben Solo. His physical acting is so strong. The subtlety showed his talented and not many actors can say that.

It such a beautiful moment when finally Ben Solo and Rey connect instead. In the novel and in the film especially so because she reaches for her connection to Ben right before she's going to kill Palpatine.

He acknowledged her and Rey’s lips parted in surprise. The connection was… right. Good. Like coming home. They wasted a precious moment reveling in this new sharing. This is how it should have been all along. A true dyad.

Rey lowered the lightsaber behind her back, as if readying for a massive blow. She reached for the Force. The effort made tears sting in her eyes. [...] She raised her hand ... which was now empty. She had projected her weapon away. [...] The moment Ben felt the grip of Luke’s lightsaber in his palm, he knew it belonged to him, an extension of his very own self. He raised it slowly, relishing the feel of it. ”

It's a beautiful moment where Rey and now Ben Solo have a redo of The Last Jedi. Rey looks at Ben with such love, joy and relief. Ben looks at Rey with such confidence, determination and love. It's the "Are you with me? "Yes, I'm with" Now with them both in blue light.

Finally Ben Solo and Rey are united. These soulmates separate by so much over the course of two movies are finally as they were suppose to be. Palpatine and Skywalker standing together. What it should have been is act of love, redemption and hope defeating evil. It should have been Ben Solo confronting his demons with the woman he loves and fought to be with. It should have been is Rey belonging; a redeemed Ben was supposed to become her new home and/ fulfill her need for a family. It should have been a power couple fighting evil with the Force.

But no. Somehow the two of them coming together empowered the devil. Their power like a source of life itself. Then Ben Solo is chucked off a cliff after draining their energy. Why? Ben Solo should have faced his grandfather's and father's enemy, or his clone. Palpatine confirms all the voices he's been hearing in his head has been Palpatine. He literally made irrelevant to something he is very relevant to.

They fail together, but she succeeds alone after the spirits of the Jedi aiding her?! I hate all this. Then she dies after her energy being drained, or she clutches the lightsaber too hard, I'm not sure it's not described. It's annoying. Ben drags himself up broken ribs and all to get to Rey. He crawls to her when he realizes she's passed. It's a horrible moment where you feel how alone Ben feels.

"He could see her now, collapsed on the floor, and the pain in his chest was suddenly so much worse than that of a couple broken ribs."

Ben initially mourns her until he realizes there might be a chance to save. He heals her like she healed him. Oh also none of the films go into the fact that because of their bond they were able to learn the force, including fighting moves, from one another. "Ben poured everything into her. He found reservoirs he didn’t even know he had. He gave her his whole self"

Then Rey finally takes his hand! She's back! Ben is so relieve that she's there. In the novel, "She was glad to see him. Glad to be with him in this moment. It was the greatest gift she could have given him. His heart was full as Rey reached for his face, let her fingers linger against his cheek. And then, wonder of wonders, she leaned forward and kissed him."

Reylos! We finally get our kiss, they smile at one another, look they're so happy! Probably the happiest they've ever been. A celebration!

Anddddddd he's gone. Seriously. Rey mourns him in the novel like we never see her do in the film. "The girl who had felt alone for all those years on Jakku had been part of a dyad the whole time. And just when she'd discovered that precious connection, that incredible oneness, it was ripped away. A voice came to her through the Force, clear and strong. I will always be with you, Ben said."

It's tragic because there's so much to Ben Solo we just don't see as an audience after 3 films!!!!!! He doesn't have any lines.

This movie was edited until literally the week before the films release. The recall of the artbook, the last-minute editing, Adam Driver recording new dialogue in his closet..... I'm wondering if the original idea for TROS Reylo was, well, this. We know from the editor, they didn't know for sure if they wanted them to kiss until post-production. Much of the movie wasn't decided until post-production.

And then we get to the ending. Rey Skywalker. How are you not Rey Solo after the man you felt kinship with and the man you were in love with?! Like da fuq?!

Moving forward to this Rey 2025 movie. I'd like it to do well. I hope it does well. It probably won't unless Ben Solo returns. Reylo might be controversial (whatever) but it's currently one of the biggest draws this franchise has. Kylo Ren/Ben Solo is the most popular character out of the sequel trilogy. We deserve it and I'd pay to see it.

sigh the ending we should have gotten

This post took me like 4 days

[thelemoncoffee]

i had made a highly chaotic sleep deprived version of this thought before i went to bed, but i wanna actuly rewrite it and make it make sense

i like thinking about saiouma opposites, and i was on about their bark vs bite.

with Kokichi, he's very much all bark no bite, but it's not that he doesn't deal damage- it's just not the damage he's telegraphing. Kokichi will yap about being a malevolent supreme leader of evil who's relentless in his crule actions, but he's full of shit and could never actually pull off anything he claims, but he does like coming out of left field to pull completly different non evil stunts that you weren't expecting that in the long run were more effective and causing phsycological damage than anything he spoke of actually could. he's like- all bark, no bite, but he'll kick you in the nuts. but we all knew this right?

the interesting one here to me is Shuichi, cause i like the idea of reading him as all bite no bark. hear me out- he's very polite and anxious and he may have a panic attack or two while handing serious situations, but he will eventually get the job done even if it kills him, he's very persistent in that right. he's like- no bark, so little infact that if he tries he whimpers pathedicly instead, but he can and will bite the everloving shit out of you while he's whimpering.

yk what no i don't think this makes any more sense the sleep deprived version, gonna hit post anyways tho because fuckit

[aziraphales-lawyer]

Archangel Michael Changing Sides in s3 (?)

I don't have a whole lot to back this up but I've noticed that there isnt a whole lot of theories about Michael and Uriel—especially Michael since Michael *is* one of the most prominent Archangels alongside Gabriel Raphael, Uriel, etc. And they knew that! Basically appointing themself as Gabriel's unofficial replacement (and its safe to assume that Michael expected to be the official replacement once they find (and then fire) Gabriel. Even AZIRAPHALE knew that, saying "Michael" immediately after the Metatron asked him about who would be the next Supreme Archangel. It seems like everyone is aware of this hierarchy. And the Metatron is very very aware of this hierarchy, needless to say, the bitch does NOT care. The Metatron let Michael play leader for a while and even let them believe that they're the next Supreme Archangel.

That being said, what happens to Michael now?

By the time s2 ends, Michael STILL thinks that they're going to be the next Supreme Archangel!! The Metatron made all the angels (except Aziraphale and Muriel) go back to Heaven. Michael is unaware that they are, in fact, NOT the next Supreme Archangel - but rather the traitor angel who has gone 'native' and, as far as they're concerned, immune to Hellfire.

Michael is also considered a prince of heaven, much like Gabriel. They're considered Chief Prince and would be the one to supposedly lead all the angels to victory against evil in The End Times (this role sounds awfully familiar). But now their role seems to be taken by Aziraphale. (Oof). So it seems like they will either be Aziraphale's right hand like they were Gabriel's (unlikely – and I'll get more into that later), or (the only other option) defy the Metatron's plans.

They know Aziraphale is as much of a traitor as Gabriel (trying to stop Armageddon AND "Fraternizing" with a demon!! – and Michael is aware that Aziraphale did it first anyway!!!) So, the Metatron appointing Aziraphale? It Does Not Make Sense. So either they take Aziraphale being Supreme Archangel at face value or NOT. Which will probably start a small Arc of them questioning Her Plans.

Not that Michael is all-innocent, either. After all, they're the angel who has direct contact - not just to *Hell* but to the *Duke of Hell*. Regardless of whether or not Gabriel knew about this contact.

Michael seems to be cautious, hiding it from the other angels despite their authority over them. They know they're not supposed to "fraternize" will Hell, yet they do. And this probably won't be the last time they do it! Michael already has one foot in the door, just needs a push to get them through. That being said,

They also provided Hell with Holy Water and brought it down there themself. Now, regardless of whether this was an agreement between Heaven and Hell to trade Hellfire/Holy Water, it's still striking that it was Michael who brought it Down To Hell, seemingly not even bothered by the fact that they're surrounded by demons. Michael - who, in Christian belief - being the one who led the army of angels who cast down Satan and his army of rebellious angels into Hell. Michael basically waltzed into the teritory of Every Person Who Hates Them Ever and didn't give a fuck. This may be due to their trust of Heaven/Hell's truce to execute two beings. Though I doubt Michael WOULD trust the truce (again, Michael walked into the Michael Hate Club HQ). No, Michael is aware of their power over the situation of their power over the demons because they've done it before. Being around a legion of them doesn't scare Michael, and they're probably prepared to smite any demon who even tries their patience. They were only genuinely worried when Aziraphale (as Crowley) went into the bathtub unscathed. At that point, Michael realizes that they have power against every demon in Hell. Except One. Which brings me to the next point–

I dont think Michael will play nice with Aziraphale being the next Supreme Archangel. And neither will Aziraphale to Michael. To put it in a parallel (kind of), Aziraphale probably hates Michael as much as Crowley hates Gabriel. Beelzebub may have put Crowley in trial, but it was Michael who personally brought down the Holy Water. Maybe Aziraphale expected something horrible from the demons ("You're The Bad Guys") but Michael? "Archangel Michael?"//"I made Michael miracle me a towel", no, Aziraphale is just as pissed, and I believe he's playing it down like Crowley. Aziraphale was surprised it was even Michael at all, not the Holy Water, the fact that The Archangel brought it down themself for the destruction of his beloved demon. (Ineffable Idiots is a separate post, honestly). And now they're supposed to work together to bring about the Second Coming while Aziraphale just took the Major Role that Michael would have played in it? That doesn't sound like they'd work well together – that's why, I think, they wont.

And here's more things to consider:

(Images via @noneorother )

In the image– Composition is very important! But guess what- Michael is not just NOT WITH THE OTHER ANGELS but also ISOLATED on the OTHER SIDE! Their body is facing away from the other angels but towards Shax (who is now Duke of Hell by the time s3 rolls around, I suppose???) Which we know Michael has contact to (or knows how to contact). Theyre also facing the same direction as Gabriel, now if that means much – and this is a shot about as long as the Bentley/Aziraphale body swap theory – but the Va Va Voom Yellow paint was something they weren't even expecting people to notice so I'm taking this opportunity anyway!

Anyway, like I said earlier, Michael already works with demons and has been since s1. They obviously know how to access "back channels". With their dispute with Aziraphale, questioning why the Metatron appointed him of all angels– well, Michael has more than enough (albeit, selfish) reasons to do it again. (Sometimes a selfish reason is enough, worked with Gabriel after all) I wouldn't know what their plan would be but all their motives to do so are already spelled out for us.

And as a cherry on top

On the next image, its pretty easy to see how the character/backgrounds are tilted. Most of them "line up" with their respective backgrounds-except for- you guessed it. Michael. (And I think Saraquel too?) BUT while the angels are tilting one way - a different direction than the rest of the gang - Michael's tilt is the same direction as the rest of them even though their background is tilting another way (like Uriel's). This can either be read as changing sides despite their percieved respective side - OR - they are playing both sides, or will be.

Either way, I don't think Michael will continue to play with the Metatron's games after the Metatron took away their biggest role in The End Times and gave it to Heaven's most notorious traitor.

[moretheta]

my personal thoughts below the cut:

gonna say no to benjamin, personally. partially because i trust longhi's judgement on the matter, but mostly because it just would not make sense to go to such lengths for a person who is already at the top. all beyond would need to do was stack up the military and let benjamin's connections do the rest of the work. also, not very interesting story wise (would be kind of insane if nasubi's firstborn wasn't even his own lmao). 1/10

camilla actually has a lot going for her as a candidate. i think the fact that she already has curse users on her side speaks for itself- i could see beyond being the one to put that into place. everything we know about camilla makes it seem like she's not someone who's much into planning or relying on others. on the other hand, she would undoubtably be tough to control- not good for making beyond's puppet king dreams come true. i also saw someone say she bears a similar mentality to (isaac) netero and beyond: namely, a selfish pursuit of her own interests, and the will to do absolutely anything to accomplish them. 7/10

zhang lei: i'm already 90% sure he's meant to be the son of onior longbao, so he's really not a top candidate. not to mention the idea of him being such a senior prince who doesn't know nen or is surrounded by other competant people who know nen doesn't make me feel like he's being supported by beyond behind the scenes. 1/10

i'm hearing a lot of tserriednich talk, mostly due to his resemblance (debatable) to young netero and his vast nen potential. personally i'm not convinced: i think beyond would have put more defensive countermeasures into protecting his child; including, say... a loyal retinue of guards!? like if tserriednich wasn't such a monster at nen he would be dead right now. all of his guards seem either indifferent, scared, enjoy the way he enables violence, or actively plotting to kill him. not a whole lot of loyalty. also.... it would be kind of boring story-wise IMO. like he's already got so much going on, it makes the world feel kinda small. 4/10

i don't really see tubeppa as them either, mostly for the same reasons as zhang lei ; a senior prince who was never taught nen / or is guarded by skilled nen users? unlikely. although it would be a moment of supreme dramatic irony for longhi to have to kill her own prince. 3/10

tyson: kind of a dark horse candidate tbh. we also know so little about her!! and also, by extension, her faction. maybe there's a hidden nen user amongst her guards? i kinda wanna see it, mostly to watch her get roped further into the story. since kurapika already has eyes on her via izunavi, i've kind of been waiting for the moment she becomes more relevant to the plot. not to mention the fact that she and beyond both have cult leader vibes (or in beyond's case, are directly inspired by a cult leader). 6/10

i'm 90% sure luzurus is brocco li's son (same deal as ike zhang lei). but we know as little about him as we do tyson (although he is slowly becoming more relevant) so possibly the brocco li thing is a red herring? it's weird that he doesn't have any guards who know nen, but we also haven't seen enough of his faction to be a 100% certain of that... idk, i'm still gonna say 2/10

salé-salé: dead. 0/10

halkenburg: unlikely IMO, especially after 403. i think having TWO secret parents would be kind of overkill. i also think that, considering how much insight we've gotten into his own thoughts, that he would never bring up beyond or the hunter association or anything. 2/10

kacho: dead- but i give it a 1/10 in case of the twin thing.

i could see a world in which kacho and fugetsu are revealed to not really be twins (they do look completely different) but i think it's odd for her to be so unprotected and defenseless right now. beyond seems like the time to have more of a plan in place to defend his kids. could be interesting story wise, but... i'm not buying it. 3/10

momoze: dead. 0/10

marayam: this one makes sense to me. although he's a bit on the younger side, which means that beyond was a little late on the jump when it came to siring a prince, his youth does make him the perfect target for a bit of fatherly manipulation. and it would make sense for him not to know nen, because he's not really old enough to learn (unless beyond awakened him as a baby?) although even in that case we haven't gotten explicit confirmation (i.e. him or another charcater outright stating it) that he doesn't know nen. and there's something to be said about him having a super powerful spirit guardian beast that keeps growing... and yet, we've yet to see it's parasitic nature reflected in marayam's behavior. kid must either have a MASSIVE pool of aura or his nen beast is just built different. that also might explain why sevanti was so desperate to protect him. 8.5/10

woble: to be honest, the best case i've heard for woble is that silent majority was sent to PROTECT her by beyond (or someone in the hunter association). yes, it disrupted kurapika's nen class, but it's possible the assassin just disasgreed with kurapika's methods. so far, all of the people it's taken out have either been woble's enemies, or had the potential to be enemies. it speaks to this idea of a third party trying to assist a prince. there;s also the idea that perhaps woble's nen beast hasn't shown up yet because it might be a giveaway to beyond's identity, and for the same reasons as maryam it would explain why she doesn'st know nen. also, we already have a confimed beyond spy on her team: bill ( love you bill, i don't think you want to hurt the baby- but maybe you're being manipulated without knowing it). on the other hand, the fact that oito seems completely unaware of beyond's plan speaks to her either lying (unlikely IMO, i just didn't get that vibe from the panel) or she.. didn't know. which is terrible in it's own way but also definitely something he would do. from a story perspective, it would turn longhi into an enemy, which would be sad, but good potential for drama. 8/10

other: i think everything going for woble goes just as well for oito. we don't know exacly how old she is, but considering the fact that beyond is probably older than he looks it's safe to say it isn't completely impossible. on the other hand, there is the fact that she's from meteor city.. and the middle child of five. perhaps she was planted there for her own safety, until it came time for her to meet the king? i also wouldn't put it beyond nasubi to have struck a deal with beyond. and i also think it's possible that she has no idea who her father is, and beyond kept her in the dark so as to better control her, but positioned people around her as protection. also, it would be cool. 8/10

[cerisetial]

Hello! Could I request shuichi maki kokichi and tenko with a GN ultimate fashion designer s/o who loves to dress up with them, like skirts and matching dresses?

my favorite fashionista ft. some of drv3's cast! (shuichi saihara, kokichi ouma, maki harukawa and tenko chabashira)

synopsis: what's it like to be with someone who has an amazing sense of fashion and an adoration for both dressing up and their lover? you can ask some of these guys for the answer!

shuichi saihara

as someone who is very self conscious (same), he's really careful about choosing what to wear and how to look like

so he never really imagined himself together with an ultimate fashion designer, but he wouldn't have it any other way <3!

he loves your style. adores it. looks up to it. he isn't exactly one to focus on wearing something flashy but what he does and can do is appreciate beauty! so when he sees you try on some of the outfits you've made he can't help but to stare and be amazed

shuichi is never one to turn down the outfits you ask him to try on. although there are a few outfits that he would rather not be seen wearing, he still tries them on :). although only if you two are alone, he would die of embarrassment if anyone else were to see

he absolutely loves the outfits that you put together for him! it helps boost his confidence a bit, and it makes you happy so he's hitting two birds with one stone here

i feel like you, kaede, and kaito would get along very well, so that makes shuichi much more happy seeing his friends get along with his significant other :).

very supportive! on some days where you feel like the outfits you make don't really meet the standard, he's quick to try to dispell these negative thoughts

hype man! hype man! though a quiet hype man, he's still your number one fan! whenever he sees you get praised for the outfits you worked hard on, he can't help but feel his heart warm up

it just makes him really happy to have his wonderful fashionista get the praise and acknowledgement they deserve

likes the idea of matching clothes with you but he gets a bit shy about the thought at first. in the end with a bit of convincing and reassurance, he'll agree to it and will end up loving it!

"this is wonderful! you really outdid yourself on this one!"

kokichi ouma

oh boy, now here's the little menace

he has this habit of toying with you by hiding your tools and supplies which is VERY annoying >:( but he has a cute face so can you really get angry...

you can, but does he care? not really he thinks your angry face is both cute and funny

he's like one of your biggest supporters, will not tolerate anyone hating on your designs because he is the law which means he is always right!!!

would totally wear the clothes you ask him to try on zero hesitation. he says they make him look cooler!

the type to express his excitement and amusement when he sees you wearing some clothes you've designed

will not hold back on compliments that's for sure

hype man but LOUD. the type to brag about you whenever people compliment your work

"you see that? that's MY s/o's design! uh huh uh huh jealous?" - kokichi to some random person who was amazed at one of your designs probably

he's the one who asks to match clothes with you. he needs to show people that you're his and he's yours, so what better way than matching evil organization outfits >:)

would ask you to make him a new ultimate supreme leader outfit- don't get him wrong he loves his current fit but he think an upgrade is necessary!!!!

"c'monnn pleaseeee?! i swear i'll wear it and show it off!"

maki harukawa

thought your talent was pretty stupid at first but once she's seen some of your designs, she'll learn to appreciate it

she's not one for fashion. she doesn't really care much about what she wears and if it's fashionable or not. she's more for wearing whatever will make her comfortable and makes her job easy, so she didn't exactly expect to get together with you, the ultimate fashion designer. but, she wouldn't have it any other way

gives amazing constructive criticism. would do her best to word things in a way where you won't get offended, but her advice would be clear enough to where you'll be able to improve your design and make it better than it already was earlier

would probably refuse to trying on the clothes you make for her at first. it's not that she hates your designs- she just gets a bit shy and you asking her to do something like try on your work flusters her a bit. give her some time and she'll warm up to the idea and do it- albeit still a bit hesitant

will NOT tolerate anyone bullshitting your designs. you're the ultimate fashion designer, not them, so what gives them the right to say anything as if they're the expert??? don't listen to those people she'll say. you are more knowledgeable they're simply a bunch of nosy people who have their nose shoved so far up their own ass

she doesn't know why you'd want to match clothes with her at first. she thinks it's unnecessary but once you explain things to her, she'll understand and eventually comply. she's a bit shy about it at first but she's extremely happy that you trust and appreciate her enough to the point where you'd do something so sweet with her :).

would high-key tell kaito to get fashion advice from you. "you look like you threw on random clothes you found on the floor and called it a day. you should ask y/n for fashion advice maybe they could fix up your wardrobe" - her words, not mine

maki <3 can you tell that i love her

"i think a lighter color would match what you told me you're going for. although, it already looks good. you're the fashion designer here, not me so, do what you will" (she'd be happy if she sees that you listened to her tho so pls do it)

tenko chabashira

WAS YOUR FAN BEFORE YOU TWO GOT TOGETHER!!!

she was in love with your designs, she made that obvious with the way she would talk so highly about them

flipped the fuck out in a good way when you two started dating. she was over the moon < 3 okay onto the actual content

loves loves LOVES your style. thinks it's cool and she tries to imitate it sometimes! she feels so happy when her friends compliment her look because she got it exactly from you so it's basically almost like they're complimenting you too

would try on anything you ask her to wear. doesn't matter what it is she'll be happy to try anything for you :)

yells at guys whenever she feels like their gaze on you has lingered for too long. how dare these degenerate males look at you with such nasty thoughts?! not on her watch though she'll make sure those guys don't come anywhere near you and your fashion

has always wanted to match outfits with you but was a bit shy to bring it up so she was over the moon when you offered to do such with her

matching skirts matching pants marching shirts matching dresses matching suits, doesn't matter what article of clothing so long as you two are pairing!

would gush about you to himiko and angie and excitedly talk about the clothes you two were planning on matching

cries when you make an outfit for her that she can use for neo aikido. that's it she's made up her mind she's absolutely infatuated with you

"hey! get your eyes off of them you disgusting degenerate male! geez, are you okay y/n? don't worry those perverts won't bother you, i'll protect you from them!"

star notes ☆ —;

this was so long overdue! i'm terribly sorry that it's been months since i've written for danganronpa, i've been falling in and out of the fandom constantly which has obstructed me from writing, and if it wasn't that i'd usually be so unsatisfied with my writing that i'd end up restarting and rewriting until I get burnt out :( but! that doesn't matter, i've finished this request and i shall proceed to the next ones soon enough! don't forget to stay hydrated and healthy, keep safe my stars!

— cerise

[ollieoliver910]

*In Regards To Wong Creating The New Avengers...*

Yeah, I'm done with Marvel. I'm tapping out. Any lasting hope I had, especially when it came to Doctor Strange. One of the last pre endgame characters left that is still popular and relevant is now completely gone.

Benedict Cumberbatch man...he was so fucking robbed of something more. It also doesn't help that he had acknowledged in a podcast that M.O.M. did not feel like HIS movie...which it wasn't...which is why it sucked major donkey balls. Trust me, you do not want to suck donkey balls, but I wouldn't doubt that the people at marvel are getting high writing this shit just by doing that.

I don't even know where to start because I was processing the "Wong will create the Avengers" information for a couple of days...So I think I will begin things with this.

STRANGE should have replaced STARK as the leader (or one of the leaders) of the avengers. Infinity War and Endgame almost hinted at the fact that this was going to be the case...AND THAT WOULD HAVE MADE SENSE FOR HIS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! Strange has problems working as a team, something that Tony himself had to overcome for almost ten years! The fact that they had this fantastic set up for Strange, especially when he is the exact opposite of Tony when it comes to his powers, and they didn't jump for it, like...ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? As a writer, this hurts me SO BADLY because it was the OBVIOUS thing to do! Even a high schooler who knew enough about the marvel cinematic universe would probably want Doctor Strange to go in that direction too! This isn't even a college level writing class thing, or a college class that trains you to pick apart every word from a book and analyze it. This is, simply, the most EASIST SHIT TO CONNECT. Even if you don't write for a living, you can just see and feel where they should have taken Doctor Strange and or the rest of the movies that followed Endgame. If it was me, I would have put Doctor Strange and Black Panther together as the next Iron Man and Cap dynamic, which again, with them being opposites (magic vs technology) would have worked so damn well! Sadly, because Chadwick Bosemen passed away, that will never come to be and with how bad the writing has become overtime. I don't think marvel would have the mental capacity to try to catch lightning in a bottle twice.

THIS, one top of my seething list of issues of how they disposed and misused Doctor Strange is why I am done with marvel, PERIOD. M.O.M wasn't even a Doctor Strange movie, it was a Wong and Wanda road trip movie that FORGOT they had set up something with Mordo and NEVER followed though on it. Plus, it didn't even feel like a Doctor Strange movie VISUALLY! That's what I loved about the OG movie. It was a trippy, surreal film with AMAZING effects that were also present in Infinity War, which to me, made that fight with Thanos my favorite scene in the movie.

In M.O.M, all that is GONE! Or is limited to a 10-20 second scene when Strange and Chevz travel to another dimension. I read a while back that Scott Derrickson wanted the second Doctor Strange film to be a horror movie, which sounds fucking awesome! But Disney was so against the idea that Derrickson left due to creative differences...and we got what we got instead...damn.

What makes everything a thousand times worse is the Wong pandering in every fricken film/tv show that comes out, and I used to like Wong! Mostly because in Infinity War and Endgame, he was robbed of any substantial screen time in those movies and I kind of felt bad for him because of that. Now, he has WAAAAY too much screen time, to the point where ALLEGEDLY, Wong might be the one creating the new avengers too...sigh...push an agenda.

Doctor Strange has only been demoted from Sorcerer Supreme once in the comics (I believe) in order to save the whole damn universe, but outside of that. Sorcerer Supreme IS his title. This is what makes him DOCTOR STRANGE, and to give that title to, essentially, your sidekick who does nothing other than berate your actions because your a straight white man is just like...FUCK. HOW DID WE GET HERE??? HOW???

I have no hope for Doctor Strange 3 if Marvel decides they are going to pursue it, why? Because there is no way a writer on that film can develop Strange and Clea's relationship within a single movie right before Cumberbatches contract is about to end. I literally guarantee you when Secret Wars is finally released. He will be one of the first ones to die. Without going too much into the comic itself, he was done justice there. With Secret Wars, his death will be agenda based, I would bet money on it.

So yeah, that's it. I'm done. I'll just sit behind my computer screen and continue to watch Disney burn. They already ruined all the other franchises they own, I guess pain is nothing but a flavor for them at this point...

Rant over.

Edit: Spider-Man: No Way Home is the last movie I felt Doctor Strange was phenomenal in. I wished they pushed the father/son dynamic with Strange and Peter so much more since Tony is no longer part of Peter's life...but don't worry. Marvel will revive everyone and none of this will matter in the end...barf...

[randomnameless]

Sorry I need to send this about the "children of the goddess should not be allowed to rule" thing. Cause like, why shouldn't they. We, as humans generally appreciate the guidance of someone older and wiser. Wouldn't a nabatean's lifespan and experience make them the most "fit" to rule? Like, yeah, I trust someone with a millenia life experience to lead more than I trust someone with under 3 decades. And maybe it can be argued that Rhea didn't do a good enough job, but that doesn't actually disqualify the rest of them? Like, either they're truly godlike and should lead due to their inherent experience and wisdom, or they're just like any other person, in which case why shouldn't they get the CHANCE to lead. Like, is the situation that they live in fodlan, but have no rights to play a role in the future that they'll have to live in? They're not allowed to be in a position of leadership due to their race? Cause that's like. Pretty bad. But this is a question the game cannot answer because it might make homegirl look slightly morally questionable.

Go ahead anon, rant!

I think this issue could have also been raised in FE10 - but that game and "racism" is like... you believe you're eating a chocolate flavored peanut, and only realise you're actually eating a peanut flavored chocolate.

For all of the focus, in both games of the duology, Daien got as the laguz hating country, there's no line/zilch about them being happy - or not - with having a heron branded queen? Miccy will age slower than regular beorcs, will Daein peeps be okay with that? We don't know, but we sure know that legends will remember Ikey-poo fondly, just, don't give a fuck about the world or the other characters from the verse please.

As for Nabateans not being allow to do either X or Y based on their race... well, it was basically raised early in the fandom days by some people, myself included, but I guess being able to drink tea with Freezer overwrote that issue.

We could argue using headcanons all day long, for 5 years lol about what Rhea did or didn't - since the game loves to tell and show different things, but the fact that Nopes had to add Yuri and Dimitri discussing about common sense, like feeding people first before giving them education, I'm pretty sure the devs never believed people would seriously wonder what would Clout/Supreme Leader/Dimi's policies about "making a better world" would entail : both Yuri and Ferdie's supports are just here to, in a typical Fodlan fashion, sprinkle peanuts on your ice cream to make you believe you're really eating a snickers.

"We're a very serious game about having three political powers discussing about the future of the world and what should be done to reach this ideal !"

"And no one thought about food? People needing food to survive? Before doing anything else like getting a proper education or wishing to have a say in the politics of their respective states?"

"... Well, we also tackle very serious themes like isolationism and its effect of society and prejudices!"

"By depicting the foreign neighbours as MENA inspired people being bloodthirsty and deadset on pillaging or rampaging in cities? They attack for fun and let their orphans die as canon fodder? And the main lead who wants to talk about opening the borders and isolationsim never mentions this? At all? Especially since he's a prince of this MENA inspired country?"

"... but we hammer in 3 routes how this lady is evil incarnate, and in the 4 others, we say she sus!"

"Your point being? One person hearsaid to be wrong doesn't suddenly make the rest of your cast likeable, especially if their writing has glaring holes like the ones I pointed!"

"... we can sell super rad umbrellas?"

And you know what, it's a damn shame the devs didn't believe in their "homegirl" as you said it, because Freezer is somehow super popular, and that was even before the DBS retcons!

[let-us-cultivate-our-garden]

Someone DM me insisting that Belos is a Hate Sink unlike Lord Voldemort because "their fantasy crimes are too unrealistic to be hated" unlike Belos who "is a human planning to murder all the witches, who are highly similar to humans." And I'm like, did you even read Harry Potter (I mean, there are legit reasons not to)?

"This fantasy wizard who is planning witch genocide is too unrealistic unlike that other fantasy wizard who is also planning witch genocide!!"

No seriously, it's funny because Belos and Voldemort have a lot of similarities and to say that one is more realistic than the other is absurd: Both are former humans who perverted and destroyed their bodies through the misuse of magic, both see their group as superior to another group that is just minding its own business, both seek to destroy said group because of that preconceived sense of superiority. Both even brand their followers with magical tattoos to signify that difference! The causes of their motivation are different but they are functionally the same.

Back when Harry Potter was the biggest fandom in the world, a lot of people made comparisons to Voldemort's Death Eaters to the Nazis; both are obsessed with blood purity and seek to rid the world of those they consider impure and to have their supreme leader rule everyone.

Like, it's really obvious.

The fantasy genre as a whole has an escapist element and a common plot that pops up a lot is the "diverse group of heroes set out to destroy the Big Evil trying to take over the world as Supreme Dictator For Life." It's an easy Good vs. Bad plot and if you add in how the Big Bad oppresses people based on physical traits, beliefs, etc. then you can easily read a political angle as well.

And honestly, really good and memorable villains will have that real world element to make the threat more believable and engaging for the audience: Voldemort is basically Wizard Hitler, Darth Vader is an authoritarian, etc. So the idea that a villain is so hated because their "fantasy crimes are too realistic" is laughable.

(Also, as a side note, it's really funny that that person said that TOH witches are really similar to humans while HP witches and wizards are literally just humans without any pointy ears to physically distinguish them from Muggles.)

I honestly think the reason why Belos is so hated is because of Hunter--full stop. If he wasn't abusive toward Hunter and people didn't project their own feelings onto Hunter and see how relatable his situation is, then I doubt Belos would get this much vitriolic hate. (We're also in this very strange time where some younger fans seem to think that liking a villain means you support their actions.)

I think that's the element of realism that triggers people the most; compare Voldemort to Umbridge, people can like Voldemort and not get flamed for it but EVERYONE in the HP fandom hates Dolores Umbridge. While Voldemort is more of a typically fantasy villain, Umbridge feels like a person you could meet in real life. She's a bureaucrat who takes over the school and enforces her oppressive and nonsensical laws with an iron fist. Power wise, she doesn't stand out from the other wizards but she has institutional power, which makes her terrifying as a villain. It's easier to defeat the one Big Bad and save the day but it's damn near impossible to destroy the System that makes little Umbridges every day.

Again, I think that what triggers people about Belos is how he treats Hunter not the whole witch genocide thing or "colonization" because the show spends more time showing us how much Hunter suffers than the whole Boiling Isles.

[sobeautifullyobsessed]

Pulling them into another kiss before either of them could catch their breaths. Defender/OFC of your choice, please

So, I started to fill this Ask three times, with three different scenarios, until I was able to finish this one. Not sure if I even like how it turned out, for it doesn't have the charm or ease I was hoping for. Still, at least it's written! Oh, and though you asked for one of my OFC's, I ended up using the same Sorceress that appears in my No Defense for the Heart series. Thank you so much for your patience and constant support, my friend!🥰🥰

Defender Strange x Sorceress Reader

edit by @doctorstrangeaskblog

Well this was not the way you'd planned to tell Stephen your life altering news. He had only arrived home from his latest mission with the Defenders twenty minutes ago, and you had hoped to allow him a while to acclimate to normal Sanctum life. Take a shower, see to any dings he may have suffered in whatever battle he'd endured, then sit down to one of his favorite home cooked meals (you'd learned once you'd moved to Bleecker Street, the necessity for a stasis spell; as Sorcerer Supreme and leader of the Defenders, his schedule was far too unpredictable to plan meals--so that you always had a couple set in stasis for when he had actual time to sit down and enjoy one). But all had been upended when you broke from his arms as you greeted him home, to rush to the bathroom before you lost your lunch all over him.

Stephen rapped firmly on the door again, his voice calm but clearly anxious. "You okay in there, honey?" You sat on the edge of the tub, breathing deeply while trying to calm the roiling in your tummy, not sure how to answer just yet. "Can I come in, baby? Maybe there's something I can do to help..."

You cleared your throat, then stood up on shaking legs. "Um...I'm alright..." You gave a quiet belch, hoping he didn't catch that. "Just give me a couple minutes and I'll be right out."

"Alright, Y/N...if you say so." Your heart gladdened at the concern and healthy skepticism in his reply. "But I'm not going anywhere until I can see for myself that you're okay."

"Yes, of course." You tried to sound lighthearted as you stepped to the bathroom sink and slathered paste on your toothbrush. "I just need to make myself presentable, darling." Plunging the brush in your mouth, you began to scrub your teeth and gums with the dedication of a newly minted dental hygienist. Once done, you splashed your face with water, noting how pale your cheeks appeared. Can't be helped, you thought, but maybe he won't notice. Following up with a double rinse of mint mouthwash, gargling each time. Hoping it would be enough to allay any suspicions Stephen might have that you weren't merely sick.

Taking one last look in the mirror, you fluffed your fingers through your hair and gave your cheeks a quick pinch to try a raise some healthier looking color. It would simply have to do. Composing your face to reflect a serenity that eluded you at the moment, you opened the door. The relief on Stephen's face at the sight of you made you smile sincerely.

"What happened, honey?"

You took his hand, leading him to the divan at the foot of the bed. "Nothing much, darling. I've just been...um...a little under the weather the past few days..."

His reaction was immediate; seeing that you were seated first, he laid a palm across your forehead. "Have you been feverish? Wong tells me there's a nasty bug running its course through Kamar-Taj - did you visit there while I was gone?"

"No...no," you assured him gently while urging him to sit, "Not since we were there together the week before last."

"Good," Stephen nodded, "Though you look really pale. Do you think it was something you ate? I know a charm that can help with that..."

"Yeah...no, I'm pretty sure it wasn't." You lowered you eyes, suddenly shy that the moment had come, and come so abruptly. Sensing your reticence, Stephen traced a finger along your jawline, stirring you to shiver, so that he immediately pulled you into his arms. You murmured against his neck, "And it may be a while until I'm gonna feel back to my old self..."

You felt him stiffen a little, his apprehension piqued by your cryptic reply. "Wait...is it something serious? Something requiring traditional medicine?" You realized you'd tripped Stephen's fierce protective instinct - something you had come to adore about him, especially when he directed it at you. "I knew the best doctors in every field in my days at Metropolitan General," he went on, a grim edge to his voice, "More than a few of them owe me favors..."

You shook your head against him, smiling despite how serious he'd become. "Darling, now as always, you're the only doctor I need." Moving enough to face him, running your fingertips across his furrowed brow, you added, "And you're the best medicine a woman... this woman...could ever hope for." Sighing hard, you twined the fingers of your left hand through his right, the diamond of your engagement ring softly glinting. "It's only that I've muddled up the order that we planned for ourselves...if...if you know what I mean..."

Now Stephen looked perplexed, for though you thought he had clues enough to reach the proper conclusion, this was one of those times when the answer was staring him in the face, but his prodigious mind failed to grasp the simplest of realities. "You know, the long-term plan. Engagement. Move in together. Tie the, uh...knot. And then, when the time is right..."

His eyes went wide as saucers while he gasped his surprise. "Start...start our family..." Stephen sputtered, "...when the time is finally right..."

"Uh-huh," you shrugged, feeling both sheepish and contrite, " I got a little ahead of schedule..."

"Oh, my baby doll," he grinned, "My sweet, sweet girl!" Barely leaving you a moment to draw breath, Stephen pulled you to him, planting his lips on yours, murmuring your name as he kissed then kissed and kissed you. Dazed and dazzled as you drew away, you had only a second to memorize his euphoric expression before he pulled your face to his again, for a deeper, more enduring kiss - which was all the assurance you needed to know that even the best laid plans of the most formidable Master of the Mystic Arts could be happily laid waste for sake of the woman who had laid her gentle, loving claim upon his heart.

tagging: @groovyqueer @mousedetective

[lockpickingliar]

Ouma Kokichi (Cookie) on Death

Or: Ouma Kokichi on the Hydraulic Press

CW: Explicit descriptions of gore

By the time Momota and I had everything prepared and I was finally on the press, I was genuinely unsure if the press or the poison would finish me off first. That panel moves pretty slowly, y'know. The game seems to speed it up a little bit to get the satisfying look of the splatter of a grape being stepped on, but it was actually much, much more agonizingly slow.

The poison was eating away at my brain and nervous system, making it difficult to breathe and shutting down my organs little by little, basically turning my insides to soup. I thought it was the most painful thing I'd ever had to go through, and to my credit it was.

But that doesn't count the impending pain of the press and my imminent death.

Imagine already being in that much pain, and then slowly that panel comes down and you can feel your skull slowly splitting like a watermelon. Your rib cage flattening into whatever's left of your lungs. Your hips cracking like a wishbone under the pressure.

I couldn't scream. The camera would catch it and then it'd all be for nothing. Thankfully you can't really scream when you can't breathe, especially when all the air is being methodically pressed out of your lungs like a particularly slow compression of an accordion--too slow for the passage of air to make any noise.

You'd think once your skull cracks it'd be over, but you'd be wrong. The brain is a funny thing and can handle a surprising amount of damage before it finally checks out--you've probably read horror stories about lobotomies and victims like Phineas Gage--and the press... it was so slow I never quite passed out from the pain as it slowly increased.

I wonder sometimes what Momota must have heard as he was forced to witness it all. I was in so much pain my senses weren't exactly functioning properly. I couldn't really process the sound of my own bones cracking. I couldn't process much of anything at all in the face of pain, pain, pain. A steel panel makes things pretty dark when it's slowly smashing itself into your face.

Don't scream.

Don't cry.

Don't let the camera hear your voice.

You'll ruin everything.

It was a mantra that kept me sane. (Could I still be called sane by that point?) That and the thought that maybe with this, I'd be able to make up for all my mistakes. The shoddy job I'd done as a leader. What kind of Ultimate Supreme Leader couldn't lead one little group of fellow Ultimates? I could make up for it, pay for such pitiful work with my death and my plan to end the killing game.

It would end one way or another--I had contingency plans--but I really hoped that my sacrifice would go hand-in-hand with it, just to make it a little more meaningful. To make up for everyone who died on my watch.

For Ran-chan, who I didn't stop that night from going with everyone despite the sneaking suspicion he was planning something reckless.

For Akamatsu-chan, who I ignored despite her clearly sketchy behavior as she and Saihara went around on their little fetch quests.

For Hoshi-chan, who I left alone despite knowing the gravity of his martyr complex.

For Toujou-chan, who I never thought to consider the pressure she was under in favor of taking my stress out on her.

For Yonaga-chan, who I ignored the dangers of with her cult shit and its influence on the class.

For Chabashira-chan, who I completely failed by allowing that other ritual to take place in the first place, let alone assisting with it...

For Kiyo-chan, who I completely breezed past the red flags of as background noise to everything else.

For... Iruma-chan... who I could have just leveled with from the beginning instead of using as cannon fodder...

For...

..........

He didn't deserve anything I put him through. Much less what I made him do in the end.

Even if he agreed.

Even if he assured everyone that he was willing.

I shouldn't have suggested it. But I did.

And then right before they took him away, I lied to him. Right to his face. A kind lie, one that would allow him to die with a sense of peace, feeling like he could rest assured that everyone would get along after he was gone.

But a lie nonetheless.

I should have died with him. That vote should have been 50/50 and I should have died with him as an accomplice.

Damn you Saihara.

...

Anyway.

Between that and my atrocious performance as a leader from beginning to end--failing to convince the others of the dangers of the flashback lights, failing to pull off the Motive Viewing Party, failing, failing, failing--I was hoping it would make up for everything. I would die and I would feel better because I atoned and I made up for everything.

And I did die.

But I didn't feel better.

So now what?

But that's a topic for another essay. I wanted to talk about death here. About the pain, because even after I died the pain didn't stop.

In fact, it continued so vividly that I didn't even notice I'd died at first. I laid there in a pulpy heap for at least a minute before I realized it was over and I was somewhere else so I could finally scream.

And boy, did I scream.

Everyone in town heard it, I've been told. The agonized wail of suffering so visceral that it emanated from my soul itself, with no mouth left to project it.

And then I blacked out for a while to awake in that goddamn hospital. Tubes and wires all hooked up to try to get my organs to respond.

But no heart monitor.

Hospital rooms are a lot quieter without the constant beeping of your heart to keep you company, I've learned. It's an absence you can feel. Everything hurt. My entire body was in agonizing pain even after they put me back together. I couldn't breathe unassisted, and even if I didn't have to it made my lungs burn if I didn't. I couldn't eat because my digestive track wasn't working. I couldn't move because my muscles weren't responding. All I could do was lay there on my back and stare at the ceiling. In the dark.

The dark makes any ceiling look a lot like the press, I realized.

I still get hung up on it even now, months later, after I've already been discharged. I prefer to sleep on my side now, curled up with my back pressed against something--usually Ran-chan or another member of DICE--because I can't stand leaving my back exposed after being shot there by Harukawa.

You'd think you'd be able to leave your trauma behind when you die, but I was sorely disappointed.

Or maybe that's a good thing, because it gives you the opportunity to move on and heal rather than erase it like it was nothing. Because it wasn't nothing. It shouldn't be treated like nothing just because you died, I think.

That's a lie.

I think I'm going to have to carry the weight of that press with me for the rest of eternity. It's more than just the pain or the gore. After everything, I still have nightmares not because of dying but because that press represents everything that drove me to that point. It's a culmination of what the killing game did to me.

It put on the pressure until I couldn't take it anymore. It was unrelenting in my efforts to fight back and try to take control and dare the hope. Until I cracked and split apart and all the blood and viscera of my shockingly fragile existence spilled out in a tragic, gory mess on the exisal hangar floor. Until I became nothing.

Hope turned me to paste.

[odmn124]

I kind of realised something about the number of characters for each of the twst dorm - if someone else already did, nvm, mb, t'is but a thought.

Indulge my thoughts here. Maybe I am overthinking it, but especially after seeing all the Tsumsted wonderland Groovy cards so far, the number of characters for each dorm seems to hold significance as to the dynamics of the characters themselves.

For Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw, Octanivelle and Pomefiore, it is all in odd numbers, contrasting Scarabia, Ignihyde and Diasomnia. Now, this might not actually matter, but I think it actually works with each of the characters' dynamic and standing, especially when interacting with one another.

Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw, Octanivelle and Pomefiore, despite their differences, unanimously establish that their dorm leader are usually positioned smack dab in the middle for a number of the dorm groovies.

And while that doesnt mean that the other dorms dont value their leaders, the personalities of the mentioned dorms very much match the physical positions in these examples.

Riddle in Heartslaybyul sees himself as a supreme authority that upholds and enforces the rules of the Queen of Hearts. That is clearly presented so when he interacts with the other dorm students, acting as a leader. [Plus having Ace, Deuce, Cater and Trey act as the 4 types of cards work with the aesthetic of the dorm too.]

Leona sees himself as the King or Savanaclaw like the King of Beasts, for his intelligence, wit and strength [and also desires to be so for his kingdom despite the realities of his social standing]. Despite his more lazier moments, there is clear respect for him in the dorm anyways, especially when he does show up and act more like a leader when the situation calls for it.

Azul sees himself as calculative in managing his dorm and businesses, and knows when and how to use others for his own benefit while maintaining his authority - to some extent. Yes, the Leech brothers do indeed listen and help carry out his plans, but that is largely to their discretion and for their own amusement in some ways. Regardless, this is clearly shown in handling the Monstro Lounge, during the Octanivelle arc and the Scarabia arc.

Vil leads Pomefiore like the Beautiful Queen, and sees himself as the top, never stopping to reach perfection. This is prevalent in how he interacts with his dorm, like in the Dorm SSR story.

These personalities perfectly would suit people who would want to be in the middle as the focal attention.

Contrastingly, for Scarabia, Ignihyde and Diasomnia, that is not really the case.

Kalim as the easiest example, doesn't seem to show himself as authoritarian, or superior to anyone. Rather, he sees other dorm members like he would with other students, simply fellow classmates. This extends to Jamil, despite the nature of their relationship as master and servant, and this shows in the tsumsted groovy, where they both appear on both sides rather than the middle.

[ALSO SIDE NOTE:in this tsumsted groovy, Jamil is at the front, possibly wanting to covet the attention of the viewer in this shot, much like how he wanted to covet the dorm leader position. NOT REALLY RELEVANT TO MY POST, BUT I LIKED THIS DETAIL].

For Idia, while I cannot really think of any examples of Ignihyde SSRs, he also doesn't really seem to be showing himself to be superior to the other students, [aside from taking on the role of dorm leader], let alone to his brother Ortho. We don't see him being in the focal position because his personality does not seem to mirror this attitude, except for the Ignihyde arc when he is acting as a director de facto while his parents were away.

And lastly Diasomnia - now this oen might not make the most sense compared to the previous two I mentioned. the dorm puts Malleus on a pedestal, and for sure, he is certainly someone who will eventually take the position of a king or leader as the crown prince. But despite this, the way he interacts and presents himself in the story thus far shows otherwise. For Sebek and Silver, ofc they would see themselves as below Malleus' standing, and if it were the three of them only, the positioning would make sense. but WE HAVE LILLIA [for now lol].

Lillia acts as a parent, and often represents Malleus in meetings due to his absence, but doesn't assert power over the dorm like Riddle or Leona for instance. Additionally, Malleus does not really enforce his authority that much to the dorm, it is more like he observes their shenanigans and lets it be, sometimes causing some shenanigans himself like in his Dorm SSR story.

Again, I am 99% probably overthinking it, but I love that in some ways, these dynamics are reflected well in the groovy arts and number of characters in the dorms.

[ceiling-karasu]

A bit more of world building with a possible OC, White-Naped Crane focused.

I know that I mentioned in a previous world-building post that the White-Naped Cranes were part of a ruling priest class, in the old Joseon style species caste system, that was overthrown generations ago in my AUs.

The caste system is based around the idea of Confucianism, with the ideas of ritual performance and piety towards a leader. This is combined slightly with Shamanistic and Hindu values that somewhat did influence the traditional Korean values, that hold that an authority figure should make rules and laws for the good of the family/community, all turned into a religion that held the caste system and separation of species as holy.

Although, whether the cranes fully worship this idea, or just want to reclaim the power they used to have, is a mystery they keep to themselves.

In real life, White Naped Cranes live in the demilitarized zone of North Korea, but will migrate to other countries each year, primarily to Japan, where they depend on a specific sanctuary to feed them.

(White-Naped Crane migration distribution)

I find that it does make sense for the majority of the population of White-Naped Cranes to go to Teikoku (Japan) during their migration, since the kingdom there would welcome the Cranes due to shared shamanistic beliefs, as well as possible information sharing about Flower Hill. Flower Hill doesn't necessarily like this, but the White-Naped Cranes are traditionally from Flower Hill, so for diplomatic purposes and migration rights, they are allowed to stay for now, even if they do run large temples in the south of the peninsula that the weasels flock to. Besides, their ability for Opera performances is superb at festivals (very popular in North Korea).

Their migrations have them bring back strange, new ideas of subservience to emperors and the old caste system, and they cause enough disruptions with their preaching that Flower Hill considers revoking their traditional permits to come and go as they please.

The carnivores in the south still believe that they are superior to smaller animals, so the cranes' preaching is more welcome there. Especially since Teikoku left a few colonies down there.

Which brings up the concept of migrating species that I will have to figure out, but I assume such travel will be allowed unless it will be too dangerous. There are small birds in the show that appear non-sentient at first glance, since they don't wear clothes, but they can also talk and participate in festivals.

But most of the migrating species in Korea do appear to be the cranes. Ducks migrate as well, but I assume that the ducks in the show have eschewed that tradition since they are part of the navy.

So, I have created the leader of the White-Naped Cranes, Chongsu (Superior/Supreme leader). She is also a mudang shaman who participates in traditional rituals, as much as Flower Hill participates in those other than enjoying operas. Since the role of such a leader is hereditary, her father was the previous leader, who passed away due to a mysterious illness. However, she is rather young, and also sickly, so cannot leave her temple for long periods of time, and certainly not without an escort.

(I'll find an OC generator that does cranes eventually. Or I'll just draw one myself)

Her biggest wish and command is for all races and species to get along with each other. What she does not realize, is that as the supreme leader, this could possibly be misinterpreted as a command for her people to reinstate the caste system, by any means possible, which could even mean teaming up with weasel or tiger leaders who also wish to return to the caste system.

As the leader of her group, she does occasionally have to meet with the Commanders of Flower Hill, but is sickly enough that the higher priests that serve as her guards often speak for her.

This makes the Flower Hill Commanders very suspicious of the White-Naped Crane population, because after all:

The Commanders are very aware of the power she wields over the White-Naped Cranes, and that she could be manipulated into giving orders to perform hostile actions. They just don't know when it could happen, but assume it will due to their friendly relations with the enemy. But ordering the Cranes to stop leaving the country, investigating their loyalty, or ordering them to leave since they do share more beliefs with Teikoku than Flower Hill, could be seen as an illegal purge or discrimination towards a minority group by the international Hague courts, which would get Flower Hill in trouble and decrease support.

Since I am roughly using the world map as seen in the show, I am making up some names for countries that are somewhat related to the country and culture. Also, mostly focusing on countries that have strong relations with North Korea, both good and bad.

I will be going with the idea that Rabbit Village is China. The police work with Flower Hill in capturing 'escaped criminals.'

Chaand Hadia (Moon Gift) is Pakistan. This country has a close relationship with North Korea in real life, to the point of smuggling in nuclear weapons.

Japan will be called Teikoku (Imperial State/country). They have tried to take over the Peninsula in the past, but an internal civil war and economic strife forced them to leave their colonies behind.

South Korea, with the weasels, I would think would be the colonies left behind, which still believe that Teikoku want them to take over Flower Hill, and possibly the continent. However, since the ideals and culture have drifted away from proper Teikoku values, it is unknown if their parent country wants anything to do with them. I have decided to call the country Usuhan Jiyeog (Superior Area/Territory). They also believe in weasel/carnivore superiority, and thus see Flower Hill as weak, and ripe for the taking.

Supposedly, the Wolf Unit represents America, to the point that US can be seen printed on merchandise in relation to the wolves. So I guess I'm calling the country the wolves came from the Unites States Alliance.

Jindo Dog Island (or Jindo empire), is an actual place. It is the only location that has the authorization to breed the National Korean Jindo Dog. The waters there can be very dangerous, so it makes sense to turn it into a powerful nation.

I also made up a country named Chambelli Koh, which is Urdu for Flower Hill, which will be used for a different AU. Although it could be used by both Flower Hill and Chaand Hadia as a buffer zone, since any invading weasels coming from that angle would take over that small country first.