#also if you stan him without reserve and cannot bear to hear me say one (1) critical thing abt him don’t read it save urself the trouble

[ashlingnarcos]

unhinging my jaw like a massive fucking python rough draft Carrillo meta rambles, extremely rough draft Carrillo meta rambles

there’s really no reason for me to feel more nervous about writing for carrillo than for other characters but that’s where we’re at rn so I’m just. going to make a long ass list of things I know to be true plus other things I think are true plus other things I just pulled out of my ass smelling of roses ok???

violence as gateway to intimacy

i think for him intimacy and permissiveness are linked? in his head, it’s probably more that intimacy and shared values are linked. intimacy and trust are linked. intimacy and understanding are linked. but the specific instances of shared values, trust, and understanding that he responds to? are fucking war crimes, okay. it’s a really clear pattern for him, that once he receives assurances that the other person (whether that be Javi or Steve) is willing to cross moral boundaries to commit violence in service of the anti-Escobar cause, then that is, for him, basically the building block of a certain type of trust/intimacy/relationship. for him it’s about commitment. and a “we’re on the same wavelength” kind of thing. but it is, and this is key, expressed through permission to commit extreme, illegal, and arguably immoral violence

the pointlessness of one cruelty is key to understanding the thread of cruelty & revenge running through all of it

on the other hand I think there’s a streak of cruelty and vindictiveness in this which he himself never acknowledges? I’m thinking specifically of dropping people out of helicopters, over a forest. This isn’t something that he does to even have an intimidation factor. in all likelihood these bodies will not be discovered, given the remote location. also, while he attempted to extract information using fear of death, it clearly didn’t work, yet he still threw the last person out of the helicopter. so that’s about cruelty. even if it comes down to eliminating certain players, which frankly I don’t think it is as these were not super high level guys and could’ve easily done the old “rot in jail” thing—even if it WAS that, he could’ve just shot him in the head. to drop a man from that height, in a remote area, with nobody left alive to intimidate—that’s for one reason and one reason only, which is that you want him to suffer extra. that’s the difference between the helicopter and the bullet. it's about the fall. if we acknowledge that on at least one occasion, he committed an act of violent murder primarily out of revenge, vindictiveness, cruelty, sadism, spite, whatever, then I think it's perfectly fair to call into question how much of his other acts of violence are motivated at least in part by revenge & cruelty. I think it's fair to say that whatever the motivation percentage is, it's nonzero.

"i wouldn't judge him", loss, & responsibility looping back to intimacy

no but like there’s an element of responsibility, leadership, and camaraderie that is the other side of that violence coin. He specifically bonds with Javi over the killing of Gacha not only because it was a killing but because, in Carrillo’s own words, he is tired of sending young men to die, and it is implied that Gacha’s death is in some way rendering meaning to those deaths, preventing more of those deaths, or both. He speaks of widows and orphans and I don’t think he’s talking about them in the abstract, I think he’s talking about them as individual people, as a widow he personally had to talk to, a young orphan barely old enough to go to school that he’s tried to look in the eye. I think it must take courage, for someone who cares, to make the kind of decisions that will lead to more of these losses. I think even the most stalwart of hunters must sometimes doubt. I don’t think all the widows and orphans he speaks of really necessarily care whether the narco targets get killed—perhaps some do, but the children especially likely only want their fathers back. He can’t give them that, though.

Javi says that Carrillo has had several partners before, but in the show we mostly see him operating only as a commander or receiving orders—the closest to someone at his level, a peer, is Javi, and that’s just not the same. Trying to imagine how hard it would hit Steve or Javi if their partner died, that’s tough. We saw what Javi turned to after Carrillo was killed, how much of an influence that was on him. Now try to imagine what it must have been like for Carrillo, to have that happen several times.

We were not told, so we will never know, whether he stopped having partners because he himself couldn’t take it anymore, or whether he stopped having partners because no good soldiers were able and willing to take that risk.

us vs them & the magnifying effect of being cloistered

yeah so I think he dehumanizes his enemies to an extreme and that’s amplified by the way his whole world appeared to be separated into enemies and allies. Outside of his coworkers and his wife, who is he ever with? Who could he be with, when there’s such a large target on his back? Perhaps if he was less of a workaholic and got out into the world more, he’d experience more contact with people who aren’t engaged in the war, people who are trying to get by in a way that’s barely relevant to the war. As it is, his view is skewed because all he has are, broadly speaking, people who would gladly kill him if they could, and people who are risking their lives to further a cause he shares. That’s a world of extremes. In many ways, his sense of morality is less about rules surrounding specific acts and far more about teams. He approaches each person not as an individual but someone who he can place in the constellation of relationships that make up this war. It’s about context, it’s about history

I can see the bottom of the pool but just barely

You know how in Succession, Rhea says of Logan, “I can’t see the bottom of the pool?” As in, I don’t know how deep this darkness goes? I am both relieved and disgusted to announce that I have found the bottom of the pool. Unfortunately it is very deep, but it’s there. Notably, he told Pablo that he knew where Pablo’s family was, that he knew where Tata had shopped that day. Didn’t kill her, didn’t kidnap her. Clearly there is some type of divide in his head between civilian and non civilian, and she made it on the civilian side, however barely.

this part is specifically for the Javi x Carrillo shippers I know you're out there bless you’re doing the lords work

No but I’m serious the entire episode about getting Gacha and the way that Javi reacted to Carrillo’s death, what am I supposed to do with that??? There’s such an intimacy in the way Carrillo has left his fingerprints on Javi’s whole worldview and it’s so fucked up but there’s a form of memory there, there’s a kind of Javi carrying Carrillo forward. Leave me alone I’m fine. No but think about how he and Javi were just hanging out having dinner when Steve called with the information that led to the raid that killed Poison. “Cheap” okay but how is that not a date???? How is that not a date????? Genuinely how. These two clearly do not get much understanding and companionship on the level of “you know where the bodies are buried, both literally and metaphorically” and so. Just to have a little human understanding in what is usually an ocean of treachery—Carrillo has to eavesdrop on his own men to ensure their loyalty! He might have eavesdropped on Javi if he could, but I don’t think he could, and he went ahead and trusted Javi anyway. “Y yo en ti.” I am feeling so fine and normal about this rn okay

but what do we actually know about Carrillo's canon relationship and children?

Juliana had a pretty solid role in her own way as his wife. It’s a very traditional marriage, as far as I can tell, but it appears functional in every way except one. He’s relaxed and affectionate with her. Noticeably, I think the costume department gave her that green dress because it looks literally so much like an army uniform and I do think that Juliana serves in her own way. Her reaction to a knock at the door and her husband reaching for a gun is concern, but not panic. This is not something she’s unaccustomed to and it will by no means drive her away.

As for the fucked up part of things, aka she has no idea the lengths to which he will go and the literal children he will kill to achieve his goals, well, in a sad way I think that’s what makes the marriage work for him? He has a place, home, where he is very much just a straightforward good guy, adored, able to be domestic and happy. Doesn’t fear being judged.

But in a way I think that’s really wrong of him, to keep all of that from Juliana. If you’re living with a man, having and raising his children, taking his ring, sleeping with him, tending to his emotional and physical needs, that’s a level of support at which you’re definitely supporting him in his work and just the idea of waking up one morning to find out your husband is dead and also guess what he was a war criminal and you never knew…horror story. Genuinely think he did her wrong with that shit. It’s every woman’s right to Lysistrata the living hell out of a man whose actions she can’t support, but without knowing his actions, it’s like they were living in different worlds. Juliana was loyal in the face of literal assassination attempts and this is what she gets? She did nothing wrong, she deserved better treatment. And as I say, I see why he did it, but also, fuck you for that one Horacio in like a big fucking way

He wants control, right? He is used to getting it, at least among folks on his own side. He’s willing to be affectionate and soft, but on his own terms and with someone whose view of him he apparently tried to restrict a fair amount. So I’ll just let that thought marinate for a second…the gender roles and relations of it all too oof. OOF

There’s literally no interactions with his children. I can’t believe that he’d be massively neglectful given his general inclination towards duty and responsibility, but I also can’t believe that he’s home every night given how often and hard he works. It’s overtime on overtime afaik

Room to move and change

one question I’m always asking myself is, oh cool you have a character you love? How can you believably change them and/or fuck them up even worse?

The thing is, he’s a remarkably stable character throughout his two seasons. I can see his categorization of who is a civilian becoming smaller, his categorization of who is an enemy becoming larger, as part of a moral corruption arc. I really doubt at this point that he’d change in the opposite direction on those categorizations, and I doubt that he would narrow the list of things he’s willing to do to his enemies.

In terms of the other things that make him who he is, I could always try changing the external circumstances that provide the foundation of his life. I could remove his responsibility, which a pillar of his life, possibly even stripping him of military rank—who would he be if he wasn’t a soldier? That would probably severely fuck up his life and worldview. Similarly, he is beloved by his men and he is known for being incorruotible. What if that element was taken away? And as I’ve stated, I do think his home life is part of why he remains functioning despite the amount of stress and trauma that he’s enduring on the daily. So if you take away Juliana, you would likely get a man who a) tries to get that sense of stability, affection, and domesticity in other ways b) if he can’t, maybe is a workaholic to an unsustainable level ?? Oh don’t mind me I’m just crouching over my bubbling pot muttering about my potions and poisons I’m an old hag and imna ruin some lives it’s fine.

I should write a fic about his reputation being attacked specifically regarding his loyalty, his care for his soldiers, and/or his incorruptibility

NO but also what if he finally got Escobar? What then? Next up the Cali cartel? But here’s the thing, Cali doesn’t operate the way Pablo did. They would not have bombed a ducking airplane for starters. He would have a harder time justifying his all-out, no holds barred approach when it comes to them…unless he connected them to Los Pepes…which in turn would put some blame right back on him…no but would Los Pepes in the world of the show even get as much done as they did if Javi hadn’t turned to them jnthe wake of Carrillo’s death??? Man I’m losing it trying to think my way outta this one

Yeah I mean bottom line is I think there would be far less tolerance for his human rights abuses if he had a different enemy, one who tried to stay as clean-looking as possible and who treated the media aspect and the civilian casualties aspect way differently than Pablo did

Like ultimately the cops did take Pablo out, but in a way he took himself out by endangering his own operations. First eith his desire for love/political power, then with his increasingly bloody tactics. The part that really got him was the part in which he started killing so many civilians AND even some of his own allies out of a mix of rage, desperation, and paranoia. Without that, though, would Carrrillo as we know him even exist????

The tl;dr

Face: ten out of ten

Morals: zero out of ten but three bonus points for passionately pursuing what he thinks will better his country and caring for his men

Shoulders: ten out of ten

Javi chemistry: seven out of I don’t think they fucked and not all intimacy has to be romantic but like it deffo could’ve been you don’t gotta squint much

Marriage: ten out of ten but I’m docking it like six points because he kept her in the dark for the whole time about the war crimes

Bravery: eleven out of ten

Diagnosis: absolutely hopeless, he’s in a weirdlu politically symbiotic relationship with the worlds most powerful and violent drug dealer and all he wants is to kill him but the second he DOES kill him, he’s basically no longer the right man for the moment he’s basically the Pablo Acosta of unethical policing and I think he’d probably deal with it either by finding another white whale to hunt somewhere in the world or by, you know, doing a Pablo Acosta

[mottephobia-imagines]

BNHA as Hetalia Characters (Axis + Allies only)

Hahahahaaaa.. I’m still Hetalia trash 😇

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Mirio Togata as America

I first put Denki as America but then I saw a post and now I can’t stop thinking about BTT SeroKiriKami so yeah-

Mirio and America have more things in common other than being blond, blue-eyed precious beans that need to be protected

First of- s t r o n g. They’re both canonically some of the strongest characters in their respective series despite their relatively young ages (Mirio being above some pro-hero levels despite still being in high school and America being well America lmao)

Additionally, they both have drive; they have a determination to become as strong as they possibly could, and stop at nothing to get there

Also, they love helping people! Mirio wants to save a million smiles, and America is a self-proclaimed hero (who admittedly isn’t the best but he’s trying okay)

Both of them kinda also have a hidden intelligence? Like, as in one would never think of them to be highly intelligent people because they’re so goofy and energetic

Since it’s implied that both Tamaki and Mirio game in their free time, him and America are also avid gamers (imagine them playing smash together lmao I feel like they’d break all the controllers)

Both v v competitive too (not as much as the next duo tho)- they’ll never back down from a challenge and face it head on with all their might!

Also, they’re basically the blond boy of the month but it’s every month lmao

(In my eyes they’re both cute little golden retrievers shshsjdjskal)

In conclusion, they’re sunshines who deserve the world and more

Katsuki Bakugo as England

Okay fr hear me the fuck out-

I know it’s an unlikely pair

But they have their similarities just bear with me here

Yes, I was initially going to put in Romano for Bakugo (anger issues gang)

But then the more I thought about it, the more I realized that unlike Romano, he wouldn’t back away from a challenge or run at the slightest scare- Bakugo would take that shit and smother it into the ground

And while England may sometimes be portrayed as a prude gentleman type, we can’t forget his history- this man is probably one of, if not the most, ballsy countries to exist (at least back in his prime)

England is smart, calculated and cunning- how could you not be when you’ve conquered nearly the whole damn world?

He’s proud and maybe a bit too egotistical, and while lacking the anger issues and probably dead vocal cords of Bakugo, he sure as hell matches him in the pride and power aspect

Bakugo, on the other hand, is literally top of his class; boy is a nerd and has a perfect record

So he’s by no means any less smart than England, maybe a little more reckless, but he’s 16- you can’t exactly compare his mindset to a country’s

Even so he does act quickly on the battlefield, much like England assessed situations very precariously (most of the time)

Both of them would probably look an opponent dead in the eye and tell them to do it, bet you won’t pussy ass

On a lighter note tho, they’re two blond, spiky-haired tsunderes who are way to proud and smart for their own good

They also both listen to rock/punk so there’s that too

foreverfurrowedbrowclubTM

Aoyama Yuuga as France

I know I just said SeroKamiKiri is the BTT but once again hear me out

I couldn’t not put Aoyama in as France

It’s literally a match made in Heaven guys cmon

They’re both sparkling, flamboyant and fabulous blondies

Although sometimes their attitude can be interpreted as holier-than-thou, really they just know that they’re amazing and don’t care what people think (we stan confident kings 😤)

They also know that they deserve the best luxuries in life, and definitely won’t settle for anything else

In terms of courage, they’re pretty much on the same level; they get scared easily and will more than likely either back out of the challenge or give up the moment they feel tired

The difference is, France will never regain whatever bravery he had before the French Revolution, but Aoyama is slowly building his courage up in his journey to become a hero

They also take things in stride, willingly or unwillingly (whether it be an ugly outfit or a defeat, they won’t be a sore loser lmao)

While not necessarily flirty like France, Aoyama can still charm people with his whims. Also, their relationship towards people that they can’t charm kind of mirrors one another? (Might be reaching here lmao)

I do think though sometimes that Aoyama shows some similarities with Poland/2P!Romano, but he has the most similarities with France so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Toga Himiko as Russia

You may say she’s more like Belarus but nay nay I say

Belarus is the more kind of ‘stoic’ cruel in my mind; she doesn’t show much emotion besides annoyance and getting angry

Russia however

He’s ‘childishly’ cruel- looks innocent but is capable of some horrible, monstrous things.

Even though his face says otherwise, he does take some glee in torturing harming others (like, a lot)

Toga also does this, but in a much more obvious way lmao. She’s a villain, who drinks blood, there’s no doubt she hasn’t killed anyone. She also takes a lot more pleasure from hurting people than Russia does

They not that close with people, but the ones they are close to they are immensely protective of (Toga and the LOV, Russia and his sisters)

They also are capable of being highly intelligent, knowing more than what people think they know (Toga helping Twice our, and I high key headcanon Russia as a manipulative and cunning bastard who’s done many horrible things to people to get his way)

(I still love you Ivan)

I think this goes without saying but they’re really really violent

Russia just likes using his magic metal pipe of pain, and Toga likes her knives

They also have some really shitty pasts that have lead them to be who they are today

They may look cute on the outside, but they are oh so very cruel on the inside

Shota Aizawa as China

Haha, old man syndrome-

These two have more in common than you’d think

First off, they have that wisdom that comes with age, and are trying to get the younger ones to learn it (Aizawa does this better lmao)

I can totally see them complaining about ‘kids these days’ even tho they’ve done the same shit back then-

Along with wisdom comes cunning and craft. I headcanon China as a low key genius, so he’s probably on par with Aizawa, if not better (in terms of battle strategy and such)

Even though they come off as strict, all they really want is the best for their students/siblings

They’re both physically strong (China was probably once hella jacked, and Aizawa speaks for himself)

They do tire out quite easily tho so there’s that

Both have a penchant for cute animals like cats (Hello Kitty’s a cat don’t @ me)

On a darker note, they’ve both suffered losses of close friends. While China has definitely lost a lot more, Shirakumo’s ‘death’ still took a huge toll on him. Likewise, China has lost all his ancient friends over the years, making him the last one left (except turkey and Mongolia they don’t matter rn)

Tenya Iida as Germany

You cannot tell me this isn’t also a match made in heaven

They’re literally, at their very core, almost the exact same person

Iida is a stickler for rules- he follows every single one of them. Any and every. Pretty organized too, if I do say so myself

Likewise, Germany is also very strict with rules and regimens. He’s also canonically OCD so mans cannot stand messes (people or things)

It may make them seem like pains in the neck but really it’s the only way they know how to interact

Also have some angsty connections with their brothers

Although not as easily provoked as Germany, Iida can still be just as terrifying (mans tried to kill Stain I mean come on-)

As with nearly all of these characters, they’re both strong as hecc

Also, I feel like both of them are somewhat pressured by what their other family members have accomplished and want to achieve the same thing (Iida coming from a family of superheroes, and Germany really looking up to his father and brother and wanting to be like them but less yknow)

They don’t really know how to communicate well?? Like, of course they can talk and hold conversation but they have difficulty with most social interactions (it’s adorable)

More often than not the louder voice of reason within their friend group (Everyone in the Dekusquad besides Deku himself is the voice of reason lmao, and Germany is a no-nonsense kind of guy)

Smart bois (In Gakuen Hetalia, Germany is said to be one of the smartest students and tutors Italy, and Iida tries his best)

All in all very awkward and loud losers beans that need to learn how to not be so stiff lmao

Shoto Todoroki as Japan

Y’all already know I had to pair the introverts together

Calm, collected and reserved- these two mind their own business like it’s a sports championship lmao

Even though they may come off as intimidating sometimes, in reality they’re just shy and don’t really know the basics of social interaction (more than Germany and Iida lmao)

They’re both fairly strong, too (Todoroki with his icy hot quirk makes him one of the most OP characters in MHA imo, and Japan definitely doesn’t carry around a katana just for show)

Very very convoluted and not so great childhood (Think the sengoku period was Japan’s childhood so he was basically torn up as a kid while Todoroki had to deal with Endebitch)

Also both pretty smart??? Like, high key they’re both very intelligent and skilled

Both their friends are slowly helping them get out of that super duper introverted mindset, but the poor bbs are still trying to learn how to be a lot less stiffe

They’re also really into architecture esp traditional Japanese architecture (canon in both)

I honestly think they’d get along pretty well if they met, tbh

(Japan would get him into anime and manga and the bookworm in Todoroki can’t resist)

The strange circumstance of Italy

Honestly, I could not find anyone in MHA that was remotely similar to Italy

I was very close to putting in Mina or Nejire, since those two come to mind whenever I think of bright and bubbly (Maybe Kirishima too, but it just doesn’t fit)

So while those two are pretty much the most fitting I feel, they don’t completely encompass his character enough yonow?

Like, I genuinely cannot find anyone who is similar enough to compare him to

So for now, until I can find a suitable pick, Italy won’t have a MHA character to be paired up with 😔 sorry guys

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What do you guys think? Do you agree or do you think different characters should be put in place?

If this gets enough notes, I might make a part 2 including female nations and the others (or whatever characters you guys request)

Requests are still open! You can ask for edits or character imagines/headcanons!