#always respect an honest duel

[beaulesbian]

Every once in a while I think again about the end of Thriller Bark and feel completely insane and ill about Zoro's sacrifice, FOR LUFFY, specifically (you know, the character Kuma's threat was directed at). It wasn't even that long into traveling together, a few months maybe, yet Zoro was ready to give up everything in that moment - in the chapter with Kuma appearing being titled The End of the Dream ! - to protect his crew and Luffy, so he could continue in his journey.

Since Luffy and Zoro met, they always understand how words and promises were imporant to them - with Luffy punching Helmeppo in ch. 3 for lying to Zoro. Zoro learnt how serious Luffy was about his dream, and soon he realized he backed up his words with actions as well - untiying Zoro and giving him his swords back - his biggest treasures. It meant that Zoro could be honest and honor-bound in the same way to Luffy, to gain this mutual respect and trust between them since day 1. To wield his swords to protect both Luffy and later their whole crew, and to step in a way between Luffy and danger.

He was being actually more upset that Sanji got up from the previous Kuma's attack and interrupted their fight - Zoro was trying to keep the whole crew safe by this exchange for Luffy's head - if Sanji was offering his life for Luffy half dead and without much strength left to fight for himself (he started the offering of his own life already believing he woudn't survive, with a "you should find a new cook"), then this very specific sacrifice would be meaningless to the crew (- if this arc was taking place post WCI, then it would turn out very differently, with the strength of Sanji believing in Luffy, but it wasn't his moment during this scene) - it would hurt them more than help them, because as much as Zoro was prepared to die as well, he was prepared to keep fighting until the last breath.

Zoro was thinking he might die - Kuma's words were pretty certain he WOULD die - but he still had the willingness and strength to take on the deal for Luffy, for his captain and his crew. ("if i die here, it just means I wasn't worth much to begin with" this line he says times and times again during the overall story, like in Rogue Town throwing Kitetsu and waiting if it would cut off his arm, up until standing against King in Wano "it's my power that was lacking", and all the other times he was questioning his worth - it's something he tempts the fates he doesn't believe in, to actually harm him, to take his strength away if he doesn't deserve to survive. and it's him saying he knows and accepts his own weaknesses - of not being strong enough (in comparison to Sanji in this example), and always fights through them.)

He threw away his swords, including Wado Ichimonji - literally throwing aside his and Kuina's dream, to compell Kuma into a duel (with the anime playing 'The Very Very Very Strongest' when Zoro bowed down and pleaded Kuma, offering him his head instead of Luffy's) so Kuma wouldn't go after the crew and specifically Luffy later - no matter the outcome if Zoro would surive or not.

And then, he was actually strong enough to survive taking his captain's fatigue, agony and pain! Possibly being the only one who could survive taking Luffy's pain.

Zoro could have back out when Kuma offered him the 'taste' of the pain, with the realization of the scale of the hurt with the very possibility of dying from it. But that wouldn't be Zoro now, would it? He accepted and took all of Luffy's pain so his captain wouldn't have to suffer or die, and when they found him afterwards, he still kept standing, tense with the fatigue but alive! (again, with anime adding the music of 'Luffy's Fierce Attack' to underline the importance between these two).

He was training for this since the beginning - to become stronger to shoulder the pain of his crew if necessary. (And not only that - he was preparing for that so another Kuina incident didn't have to happen). He was the first one to fight one of the Warlords before anything really began: his fight with Mihawk at Baratie really set the tone and his own goals to overcome - a glimpse to see on how much different levels the Warlords actually were in comparison to Zoro, Luffy and the others, and if they were supposed to beat them so Luffy could become the Pirate King, that always meant to be ready and to get even stronger than them.

(small spoiler for egghead, ch. 1102: seeing Kuma (a Warlord at that time) remembering this Thriller Bark event later, during Egghead arc, and thinking that even he might have passed out from the pain, makes it all the more meaningful that it was Zoro who took the pain and withstood it - establishing how high was the strength of his willpower, already before timeskip.)

There could be so many other nuances and details from these last few chapters of this arc, and even what this deal meant for the following arcs! Zoro was still in pain on Sabaody, and because of that the crew wasn't as strong as it could have been (not to say they would have a chance anyway, knowing what all was in the motion).

The next is the tragedy and beauty of LUFFY never finding out about this. Half of the crew knew: Sanji, Brook and Robin knew the details, but would never tell Luffy - and that shows their loyalty to both Luffy and Zoro (and Zoro's decision). Luffy woke up and first thing he did was to jump up and down, excited not to be weighted down by his injuries, and only seeing his swordsman being down with injuries so severe he was out more days afterwards, knowing that something else attacked them (him = Zoro), after he was passed out from the fight against Moria, brought down his mood (even if it's not much noticable, but the change into subtle worry is there in the few next chapters).

"I can't explain it either!" - meaning he was thinking about it too, possibly how weird it was for him to move normally after such long fight. We don't really ever hear/see Luffy thinking about something, except when it's mentioned how he came up with a solution or idea, telling us there's more to Luffy than just being straightforward in his goals and speech. With Luffy being sometimes very emotionally intelligent when he wants to be, he could have figured it out from all these other people in the room asking similar questions and deducing. Even Usopp was putting two and two togehter. We might never find out if Luffy actuallly knows or not. Luffy probably wouldn't ask Zoro directly, especially if Zoro wouldn't tell first and didn't want to talk about it

- because for Zoro, nothing happened! Nothing, that would compromise his and Luffy's first promise. For Zoro to become the Strongest he couldn't back down from the duel with Kuma (just like before with his duel with Mihawk at Baratie. When he's faced with something he swore to overcome, he can't back down or evade. Even back then Luffy understood that as he held back Johnny and Yosaku, but Sanji was perplexed how far Zoro (and Luffy) would go to reach their dreams). When Sanji was asking him in front of Kuma "What about your dream?" Zoro was still thinking about his dream- it was just that the context has changed, it changed into a journey. His dream is the most important thing, but it wouldn't mean much, if, when on his way to accomplish that, he would betray his other words and promises.

[justwinginglife]

Hello!! I absolutely love all your works and always look forward to them! I was wondering if you could write a story where Soshiro is tasked with overseeing y/n, who has been placed under his care as a punishment for reckless behavior in another division.

At first, y/n appears composed and polite when they meet, though sometimes a bit detached. However, on the battlefield, she reveals a completely different side—crazy obsessive over research, (just like Hange from Attack on Titan or Merlin from The Seven Deadly Sins.) She gets excited at any chance to learn something new, eagerly diving into every opportunity.

Y/n also has a sadistic side, often prolonging fights and tormenting her targets to satisfy her curiosity and ambition, showing little empathy towards the Kaiju she encounters. (And maybe kinda found hot out on the battlefield 😗 she can be gun or blade user, either one is fine!)

AHH thank you so much for the support!

Red Alert

Hoshina was shocked that you were here. 

He’d been told that you were reckless, rambunctious, crazy incarnate, a hellspawn, all manner of devious and disastrous. He’d been told he’d have his hands full with you, that any semblance of sanity he had would be ripped to shreds. He’d been told to expect the worst and then double it. 

So imagine his surprise when you showed up at his doorstep, smiling sweetly, so sweet he could almost taste the sugar dripping from your lips, looking prim and proper, salute at the ready, as you patiently awaited his orders. He looked at the transfer orders again, then back at you, then back at the orders. You couldn’t possibly be the devil they were describing. 

“Vice Captain, sir, is everything alright?” You spoke in a mild mannered tone and he could hardly believe his ears. 

He scratched his head. Then he held up the paper in his hands. “This is you, right?”

You nodded. “Yes sir, I’m your new transfer, pleasure to meet you. I look forward to working with you, Vice Captain, sir.” Respect practically oozed from your every word.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, mumbling to himself, “Is the Second Division seriously just full of liars and gossips or what?” Then he ushered you inside the base and began taking you for a tour. 

He watched you curiously as he walked alongside you, but you never gave any indication that you were as wild as the rumors said. Eventually he began to relax. 

If he was honest with himself, he actually enjoyed your company. You laughed at his jokes, regarded him with high esteem (not everyone did), and seemed like a genuinely good person. You even made a big deal out of requesting a duel with him, stroking his ego by making him think it was a great honor to be trained by him. He was astounded to think anyone disliked you.

He’d been told that your transfer to the Third Division was your punishment for insubordination and disorderly conduct, but he thought that the way you conducted yourself was just fine. Was more than fine. He thought you were the perfect picture of an exemplary soldier and an exemplary person. 

And when he began overseeing your training, he was impressed even further by the grace and the skill you possessed. The ease with which you fought made him eager to stand beside you on the battlefield, so he assigned you to the front lines on your very first mission with the Third Division. His eagerness was his downfall. 

He was sure you’d make quick work of the Yoju before joining his takedown of the Honju, but you toyed with every single one, taking great pleasure in their torment. You were like a kid on Christmas, if that kid was maniacal and clinically insane. He found it impossible to ever erase the image of you smiling sinisterly, your eyes ablaze with a devilish gleam, cackling hysterically, as you slaughtered the Kaiju, and then kept slaughtering them even after they’d gone to their graves. The other soldiers around you shrunk back, wincing, as you massacred the Kaiju corpses, reveling in the desecration of their bloodied remains, even going so far as to giddily collect samples for further research. You found this gory landscape a playground and you were more than happy to play. You took such pleasure from demolishing these demons, from splattering their organs on the pavement, from grinding their matter into grime, that it was almost orgasmic. 

Hoshina was more than embarrassed to realize that the sight of you slaying each monster with such hunger and tenacity, with such joy and thrill, turned him on. He had been instructed to enforce punishment upon you, but he found himself wondering what your punishment on him would feel like. Would he find himself in whatever heaven you were enjoying right now? He shivered at the titillating thoughts that had begun to gnaw at his brain. 

When you finally turned your sights to the Honju and absolutely ravaged it, wreaking nothing less than total havoc and mayhem on its unsuspecting form, Hoshina had to actively stop himself from licking his lips. Was it wrong if he promoted you so soon?

He found you decently pleasant upon first meeting you, but now he was finding you increasingly more enticing with every passing minute. He wondered what it would be like to be ravaged by you and for a moment he envied the Honju. 

Of course, the Vice Captain in him knew that eventually you could grow to become a problem, but right now the Vice Captain was off duty. Right now, he was just Soshiro Hoshina, he was just a simple man. And as a man, he was defenseless against his urges. He was finding himself to be more and more like you, more unabashed and reckless, as he suddenly felt the overwhelming desire to take you right here, among these corpses, amidst the raging battle. Somehow he felt that you wouldn’t care if you were laid bare in the middle of the city, officers and citizens alike gaping, as they watched his lust devour you whole. 

But the obscenities quickly evaporated from his mind the moment he saw you were hurt. It was just a cut on the arm, nothing to be too concerned about; you hadn’t even noticed it yourself, as you were still riding out the high. But Hoshina snapped to attention. He raced to your side with bandages and alcohol to clean the wound. You were honestly shocked when he started attending to an injury you weren’t aware of, but his genuine kindness grounded you, brought you back to the present moment. And presently, you were touched. No one had ever cared about you enough to tend to you like this, no one had ever looked past your derangement long enough to care.

When you’d been reassigned, you’d been prepared to defend yourself, been prepared to go out kicking and screaming, clawing and biting. You were prepared for people to cross to the opposite end of the hallway or even just turn around and go the other way when they saw you coming. You were prepared for whispers and rumors, for malice and misintent. You were resigned to the fact that no one could meet your gaze. 

But Hoshina was looking right at you. He stayed right by your side through your whole frenzy, and he never faltered, and he never fumbled. He kept pace, and even had the audacity to be entertained by your crazy. Was he crazy? 

You wanted to ask him but you didn’t want to ruin the moment. 

He finally broke the silence. “You know, I could always ask the cleanup crew to save some organs for you. For research purposes.”

Your eyes lit up but you were still wary, still unwilling to let yourself dream.

“And I could maybe see about getting you a lab somewhere.” He continued.

The more he talked, the more you wanted to kiss him. 

“I just need you to focus on taking down the Kaiju as quickly as you can so we don’t risk any more lives and then I can get you anything and everything you want afterwards, understood?”

You nodded eagerly. 

He smiled.

Your heart melted.

“You can talk, you know. I won’t hold anything against you.”

You bit your lip. “I know, Vice Captain, sir. Thank you, sir. I appreciate the offer. I’ll… I’ll do my best. For you. Sir.”

He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “You know you can just call me Hoshina. You don’t have to be so formal all the time.”

“Of course, Vice Captain, sir. I will try my best to not be so formal, sir.”

He laughed again. “Work in progress, huh? I’m okay with that.”

You blushed. You weren’t sure how to process whatever mangled mess of emotions you were feeling right now and you felt pathetic that blushing was what you were resigned to at the present moment. 

Whenever you met with Death, your blades clashing with his scythe, you met him with no fear. You welcomed Death. You fed him souls, sent demons to his door, swords in hand. You weren’t afraid to die on the battlefield, Death was an old friend. But whatever monstrosity you were now feeling, that, you were afraid of. That was a whole different beast. 

As you gazed into Hoshina’s eyes, you felt the red alert go off in your mind. 

Danger.

Proceed with caution.

But you fell in love with him anyway, the way you did everything else- with reckless abandon. 

[jintaka-hane]

hello; im not sure if you’re taking requests but could you do a shanks x marine reader? (it can be any gender but id like if it was gender neutral!)

(ps: I love your work!!🤞🤞)

An unexpected evening

Masterlist

Hello, anon! I’m not really taking requests right now, but I just couldn’t say no to you <3 Thank you so much for your kind words and for reaching out! I hope you enjoy this! 😊 Summary: Your marine unit has been disbanded, and you’ve been reassigned to a new division on a distant island. Accompanied by a silent and surly warlord, your journey comes to an unexpected stop along the way. Word count: 1300 Warning: Shanks x gn!reader. Dialogue from OPLA. All my stories are written entirely in Spanish and then translated into English, so I apologize for any mistakes I might make.

You curse under your breath as your boots sink into the sand. Keeping up with that arrogant and temperamental warlord is no easy task—especially when you're wearing clothes that aren’t even yours.

The division you belonged to had been disbanded. In some bureaucratic decision far above your pay grade, a random draw had sent marines of your rank to various islands scattered across the Four Blues.

Your destination was particularly far, and with few ships available for transport, Admiral Monkey D. Garp had a "brilliant" idea during Mihawk’s visit to Headquarters: why not have the Warlord ferry you there on his creepy coffin-boat?

Initially, Mihawk’s response was a curt scowl and a flat-out refusal. But after a long, frosty stare-off between the two men, the swordsman begrudgingly agreed—most likely out of boredom.

The Hitsugibune was comically small for a man of Mihawk’s stature, yet you barely saw him during the five-day voyage. Honestly, it was a relief. You hated pirates. You hated how they ruled the seas with fear and violence, terrorizing innocent people just trying to make an honest living. 

But by the sixth day, you noticed the course had changed. Mihawk, distant and unreadable as always, didn’t say a word. Still, you suspected it had something to do with the rolled-up piece of paper he’d snatched from Garp’s office and now kept locked away in his cabin.

And you were right. His gruff demeanor and the bundle of clothes he tossed at you confirmed it.

“Put this on. Where we’re going, you don’t want to be seen wearing that,” he muttered, gesturing disdainfully at your blue-and-white marine uniform.

Not wanting to provoke the world’s greatest swordsman, you reluctantly changed into an outfit that would undoubtedly get you arrested if any of your comrades spotted you.

Now, you’re trudging after Mihawk along the shore, your eyes scanning the island’s tall palm trees, trying to figure out where on earth you’ve landed. The Warlord strides ahead without stopping, his boots stomping through the sand, the roll of paper clutched in his hand, and his usual scowl fixed firmly in place. When he comes to a sudden stop, you nearly bump into his back.

“This is an unusual place for a man of your... stature,” Mihawk drawls, his eyes fixed on a point ahead of him.

Your first instinct is to respond, but a slightly raspy male voice beats you to it.

“Come on, lads, we’re in the presence of a mighty warlord of the sea. Show a little uuugh... respect.”

You immediately peer out from behind Mihawk and tense at the sight of a group of scruffy men, each looking worse than the last.

“I’m not in the mood for a duel today, Hawkeyes. We’re hungover.”

Your attention focus on the speaker. A striking redhead, draped in a black cloak with an attitude so shamelessly carefree it borders on reckless. Far too carefree, considering who he was addressing.

Your mind races, flipping through every bounty poster you’ve memorized, before stopping on that face.

Red-Haired Shanks.

An Emperor.

One of the most wanted and dangerous men alive.

“I’m not here to fight,” Mihawk replies smoothly. “Not when you’re half the man you used to be.” His hand shifts slightly, stopping you in your tracks when he catches you instinctively reaching for your weapon.

Shanks’ eyes darts toward you briefly, noting your presence before returning to Mihawk.

“I could still take you," he says, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Even with one arm tied behind my back!” He throws his head back in laughter, clutching the cuff of his empty sleeve as his crew burst into cheers.

The two men continue their peculiar conversation, tense yet strangely amicable. Every time Shanks’ gaze flickers toward you, you meet it with a glare of pure disdain, which only seems to amuse him more.

“Oh, lighten up, you somber son of a gun! Drink with us!” Shanks cheers, holding up the bounty poster of Monkey D. Luffy in his hand.

Horrified by the invitation, you turn your eyes to Mihawk, silently willing him to decline. Surely, his disdain for unnecessary human interaction would align with yours. But to your dismay, he doesn't.

“I suppose a drink wouldn’t hurt,” Mihawk says casually. You bite your tongue, suppressing the urge to protest.

Seated on the sand under the starlit sky, a roaring bonfire warms you as you eat and drink alongside Mihawk. The Red-Haired pirates have laid out their best food and bottles, laughing and chatting boisterously as they devour the feast and drink like the rowdy cosacks they are. You take cautious sips of a spectacular wine, doing your best to stay sober. You can’t afford to let your guard down around these dangerous sea dogs.

Shanks, cheeks flushed partly from the fire's warmth and partly from the barrels of alcohol he’s consumed, keeps unabashedly staring at you. You notice it but pretend not to, avoiding his gaze as your fingers idly toy with the hem of your shirt. Then, with the grace of someone who owns every space he steps into, the redhead saunters over and drops into the sand directly in front of you.

“So… are you two dating?” he asks, a wolfish grin spreading across his face.

Mihawk’s already stiff posture somehow straightens even further, but you rush to answer first.

“NO. I’m a mari—”

“—Y/N,” Mihawk cuts you off, his icy glare practically freezing you mid-sentence.

Shanks’ eyes widen, and a grin so big it could split his face appears as he gives his friend a hearty slap on the shoulder.

“Well, damn! Married? To this beauty?”

If looks could kill, Shanks would’ve been dead twice over.

“NO,” you and Mihawk bark in unison, prompting Shanks to raise his hands in mock surrender.

“Alright, alright,” he chuckles.

You go back to your drink, but maybe it’s the alcohol, or maybe it’s just him, but there’s something overwhelmingly magnetic about the redhead. You watch as he raises his cup, laughing so freely and attractively that it’s almost impossible to look away. Your thoughts blur for a moment, and you abruptly stand, muttering something about needing to get away from the fire.

Stumbling slightly in the sand, you make your way toward a secluded, wooded area and lean against the trunk of a tree. Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath to steady yourself.

"You OK?"

Your eyes snap open at the sound of Shanks' voice. The man approaches with a particular gleam in his eyes and an amused twist to his lips.

"Yes..." you manage to say.

"Good." He grins.

Damn... that devilish smile again.

He steps closer, dangerously close, and raises his only hand, offering you a swig from his bottle. You shake your head, your gaze briefly settling on his empty sleeve. He notices and furrows his brow in an exaggerated attempt to look serious.

"You should've seen how the other guy ended up..."

As soon as he finishes, he laughs, but this time it's a softer, almost melancholic sound. For the first time tonight, your expression softens as you look at him, the corner of your mouth betraying you with a slight curve upward.

"So..." he leans in closer, and your breath catches in your throat, "you're not with Hawks?"

You shake your head, swallowing hard as you feel his nose playfully brush against yours. He smells of campfire smoke, salt, and alcohol.

"Good, good..." his voice drops lower, "how about we have a little fun, just the two of us? Hmm?"

You hated pirates. The academy had drilled into you how cruel they were, how ruthless. And yet here he is. So lighthearted. Sharing his food, his booze, and by his insinuation... even his body.

You close your eyes and nod, feeling his breath against your neck.

"It's a shame you took off your marine uniform," he says and your heart stops. "Would've made this even more fun."

...............................................

Taglist: @fanaticsnail @armiliadawn @pandora-writes-one-piece @i-am-vita @eustasscapitankid @nocturnalrorobin @daydreamer-in-training <3

[klonoadreams]

Haven't had the chance to check my Fellow in class, but seeing this elsewhere has made it official for me and that's borderline transfer student Rollo and snuck onto NRC Fellow and Gidel except Crowley knows and allows it cuz of Yuu (ewe) not complaining about anything and ends up just filling out the paperwork anyways so no one asks questions about the super senior on campus learning further mathematics from the tutors with Deuce and also the tiny cat boy that keeps sneaking into the cafeteria for more food — the OTHER cat boy, Ruggie is a regular (hyenas are felines), we talking about sonboy Gidel.

Saw art of Rollo decking someone in the face for challenging him to a duel and to pick up the glove.

This is Floof's Ramshackle Dorm becoming more inhabited besides just the ghosts, and it's just probationary student Rollo getting reformed for his trauma induced crimes during GloMas, and Fellow Honest, a grown ass man in his mid 20s saying that the rundown Ramshackle Dorm is a nice place, caring for a magicless cat beastfolk for god knows how many years.

Floof can fix them. No one knows how, but the Beast Tamer EX can fix them. Kinda. They're just on the edge of becoming respectable members of society maybe...but they always make an exception for Floof.

Lmaooo

[aita-blorbos]

Aita for punishing my (42M) son (13M) for undermining me in front of my employees?

I run a very large company, which since its foundation, has been run by my family. My son is set to inherit from me when I die, even though my daughter (11F) is more qualified, which I dislike, but I have no real choice in the matter. To be honest, he doesn't have the ability to be a leader - he's always worrying about the little things, and doesn't look at the big picture.

Truthfully, ever since his mother left when he was 10, he's become worse. His mother was coddling him too much, and he needs to learn what the real world is like. His uncle (49M) doesn't help either, he ran away from his responsibilities on the board when the going got tough, even though he was about to complete an incredibly important project.

Anyway, there was an important board meeting recently, where we have been working on an aggressive takeover of another company, and he snuck in. As if that wasn't bad enough, he disagreed with the plan of one of my top employees, just because it would have put one group of our newest batch of recruits in the line of fire!

In our culture, disputes are settled in a public duel, and the best dueller will win. So I told him that he had to take part in a duel, because he didn't respect the authority of me, or my employee. There must have been some crossed wires though, because he thought the duel was against the employee, but it was against me, because it is my company, and any slight against members of the company is a slight against me.

He then refused to take part, but he needed to learn that he can't just back out of things if he doesn't like where they're going, like a coward, so I continued. I ended up giving him an injury that didn't kill him, but also left him with some permanent injuries, so that he could remember his cowardice.

I also ended up sending him away for some time, to complete a bit of a fool's errand, so he'd be away for a while and so he could learn what the real world is like. Honestly, if anything happens to him and his sister has to inherit the company, that's fine by me.

Aita?

[velvet4510]

Wolverine, Cyclops, and Learning to Respect Your Rival in Love

I have thoughts on Logan and Scott’s relationship in the Fox films. (I’ve never read the comics; this is strictly a commentary on the movie-verse.)

I always say ship and let ship. If you wanna look at these two through shipper’s goggles, fine. I won’t stop you.

But when I look at these two, I don’t really see something shippy. I see something actually quite remarkable, something that is very rarely depicted between rivals in an onscreen love triangle, and something that speaks to Logan’s incredible character development.

We are used to love triangles where the rivals despise each other to the point of competing, name-calling, fistfighting, and even duels to the death. Two people who have the same love interest are stereotyped time and again in fiction as bitter enemies who don’t care about the other’s wellbeing at all.

But Logan and Scott are different. Logan’s feelings toward Scott have a total 180 arc throughout the series, and it’s a phenomenal piece of character growth to witness.

X1 and X2

It’s no secret that they start off very jealous of each other and there is a mutual dislike as a result. They both want Jean. Logan is upset that Scott already has Jean, and Scott is upset that Logan is trying to steal her away. And let’s be honest, Logan is pretty disrespectful to both Jean and Scott’s feelings in the first two films. He shows no shame in flirting with Scott’s girlfriend in front of him and trying to get her to cheat on Scott when Scott has been kidnapped. When Jean insists she loves Scott, Logan just asks “do you?” as though she doesn’t mean it, and then kisses her despite her saying no. His desperation for love and attention makes him disregard and try to ruin Jean and Scott’s committed relationship. It’s not good behavior, and it’s probably Logan’s greatest character flaw in X1 and X2. Scott has every right to hate Logan for this.

But then something changes.

Then Jean disappears and is presumed dead.

Suddenly Logan and Scott have something in common. Suddenly they both are thrown into unimaginable grief and agony. Suddenly they are sharing something.

And then Logan comes clean with Scott. “She did make a choice. She chose you.” Finally, he understands Scott and says something respectful to him.

The Last Stand

And then a few years later, Jean reappears, not herself, and it is Scott who vanishes. Suddenly Jean is not only alive, but kissing Logan just as he has always desired. He becomes lost in the passion for a moment, because omg this is it, she changed her mind, she wants me, miracles do happen … The Logan of X1 and X2 would’ve gone all the way with Jean/Phoenix with zero hesitation.

But then Logan does something incredibly admirable and mature.

He stops.

He lets himself think, and he realizes: This isn’t Jean. The Jean he knew committed herself to Scott. The Jean he knew loved Scott, not him. This is wrong. She’s suddenly making a move on him, with no mention of Scott? This can’t be right.

So he asks what happened to Scott.

Scott, a man who Logan once dreamed of getting out of his way, is now a man whose life actually matters to Logan.

Then the rest of The Last Stand happens, and everything falls apart.

Days of Future Past

And then comes the greatest test that Logan has ever faced when it comes to this messy love triangle.

He travels back in time to change history. Back to a time before Jean and Scott ever met, before he ever met them. He finds himself sitting before a young Charles, the man who introduced Jean and Scott in the first place, wbo introduced him to his beloved Jean and to Scott in the first place. A young Charles who has read his mind and seen his memories of his love for Jean.

And here, right in front of him, is an opportunity to get what he would’ve done anything to get in X1 and X2. A chance to perhaps prevent Charles from ever introducing Jean and Scott, so he can be with Jean in the new future. To not tell Charles about Scott, to only tell him the names of Jean and his other friends like Storm to ensure they are still with the X-Men in the future.

But instead? He says this:

“Promise me you’ll find us. Storm. Scott. Jean. Remember those names.”

He mentions Scott! He mentions the man who he once envied, who held Jean’s heart and held onto it even as Logan gave his own heart to her. A man whose life and future he has now learned to appreciate and grow protective of.

He lets go of his jealousy, of his resentment, of his own desires. He honors Jean and Scott’s feelings, not his own.

He makes sure that Jean and Scott will still meet in the new timeline, that Charles will still bring them together, that their love will still grow this time around.

Then he goes back to the future and finds that it worked beyond his expectations. The Last Stand never happened. Jean and Scott are alive, well, and together.

In the end, Logan finally understands that Jean and Scott truly belong to each other, and that he was wrong to get in the middle, and so he sets off the domino effect that ultimately creates true happiness for Jean and Scott.

Logan changes from prioritizing his own feelings to prioritizing Jean and Scott’s feelings. He goes from trying to break up Jean and Scott, to personally ensuring that Jean and Scott still find each other even when history itself has changed.

Rather than destroy his rival in love, Logan instead ensures his rival’s salvation.

If that isn’t character development, I don’t know what is.

[keiko-cornetto]

Contrary to what “catphiles” think, for most people cats are bad, egocentric, individualistic and completely insensitive animals. In fact, the film industry has been saying this for years, as the world is the world and Disney is Disney. However, there are some approaches, like the film The Aristocats, in which the good guys are (incredibly) THE CATS! OOOOOOH! And this is actually the only exception, because in all other cases felines are the cruel ones in the movies.

While dogs participate in films filled with love, cats in cinema are generally associated with villains.

Disney

Dogs are by far the population's favorite animals. Due to the ease of acquiring and maintaining at home, they have become ideal partners for anyone who has a pet at home. Cats come next in this dispute and associating a “rivalry” between animals (very associated with films), created this duel between pets and naturally those who have fewer fans end up being the “villains” of the story, in this case the cats

I can mention here several cartoons, books and films with the figure of the cat associated with the villain. Obviously, it's not just the same ones that tend to be associated with the villain, just look at the wolves that are also widely used. The thing is that it has even become a culture to create a production and place the cat as the villain because it is easier to associate and less complicated, even in several cartoons, such as Sylvester being less of a villain than

Sincerely? I have NOTHING against dogs, they are all beautiful, intelligent animals and deserve respect for their feelings, but the whole world has a wrong view about the personality of cats, aaaah yes they do!

So, let's get to the point: Another photo gallery, featuring the best-known feline villains in the history of cinema and television.

You've seen her in every Sylvester and Tweety cartoon you've watched. In them, Sylvester is always shown as a malevolent and stupid cat, whose only objective in life, to eat Tweety, is frustrated at every attempt by the canary's supposed superior intelligence. Sylvester and Tweety, who already existed separately in cinema, were coupled in 1949 by a Warner Bros. designer, Friz Freleng. In other words, for 51 years, children all over the world

Jerry the mouse, from Tom and Jerry, is perhaps even worse. Alone or with his minion, the mouse Spit, Jerry tortured the honest, sincere and gullible cat Tom in no less than 160 cartoons for the cinema, from 1940 to 1967. The creators of the duo were Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera (in fact, also responsible due to the impoverishment of cartoons with the "simplified animation" technique, which they invented when they started producing for television in the 60s). The latest designs were already delegated by Hanna and Barbera to bagrinhos, but the initial concept of the series never changed; While trying to protect his home from the presence of the parasitic and disgusting Jerry, Tom is electrocuted at the socket, set on fire in the fireplace, drowned in the sink, crushed by pianos and blasted through the ceiling. Insensitive and perverse boys watch this laughing in front of the TV - and probably repeat such violence with their cats.

There are no cat heroes in these powerful opinion makers that are cartoons. The heroes are always dogs, rabbits, ducks and, incredibly, especially a muddy mouse who hasn't made a film in 47 years and, even so, remains a symbol of a cartoon empire – have you ever heard the sound of Mickey Mouse? Walt Disney himself, although always careful that his studio did not offend anyone) was unable to hide his prejudice: in his films, the dog is the noble animal (see Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians, not to mention the 44 drawings of Pluto and 42 of Goofy made between 1940 and 1965). Nothing against that and Walt could like whatever animals he wanted. It turns out that almost all of his most famous drawings are also Anti-Cat

In Pinocchio, one of the villains is a weak and filthy cat who helps the fox deceive the doll. In Cinderella, the fat and treacherous cat Lucifer is a frightening threat to the mice Gus and Jaq. (clean rats that do not transmit any danger to humanity) In Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire cat is far from being a sympathetic character – he knows that Alice could get into trouble and does nothing to stop it.

(I particularly love this cat)

In Lady and the Tramp, Si and Am are the two Siamese who destroy the curtains, attack the canary and the goldfish and attack the family's baby, causing the chaos that will send Lady to the cart.

And even in The Aristocats, which is supposed to be a pro-cat film, there are a handful of nasty stray cats on the scene, and the hero turns out to be, in fact, a mouse named Roquefort. And it's worth remembering that, in Mickey's very first cartoon, Steamboat Willie, from 1926, he tortures and executes a cat by turning it by its tail and throwing it into the sea. Come to think of it, Disney couldn't really like cats - he got rich building human mousetraps like Disneyland and Disney World.

It is normal that cinema has never done for cats what it has done for countless dogs, since Lassie and Rin-Tin-Tin; cats refuse to be actors and it is impossible to train them to do things that dogs, seals and even elephants accept naturally, such as climbing stools, doing somersaults or balancing balls on their noses - the intelligence, dignity and independence of cats does not allow them to play these humiliating roles. It is only possible to make a film like Stuart Little, in which the cats seem to "do" things, by filming them naturally and adapting the scenes to the script, when not altering them electronically

but remember that all cinema portrays cats like this

as a cartoon that really disappointed me because it was one of my favorites, it's Shaun the sheepwhere the cat is shown as a villain and is evil in every episode

There are people who say that cats in cartoons like Lady and Tramp are villains because the story is portrayed through the eyes of dogs where cats will always be the villainsbut because when the cartoon is about cats, dogs are never villains, since dogs don't like cats, cats are afraid of dogs and in cat cartoons their friends are dogs

For those who love cats, don't be sad as there are many, many animes that don't portray the cat as a villain

In fact, cats have more space in anime than dogs, there are hero cats, there are villain cats, there are all types of catsCats are everywhere, it doesn't matter if the cat isn't there there will always be something that reminds you of the cat like clothes or cat ears in anime

44 cats and superkitties and they're really good

another very good film coraline:

and as always, those who don't like cats have theories that the cat was the biggest villain in the film

but I disagree since the cat always helped Coraline, even at the end when she wanted to open the door the cat went ahead because he knew she was in danger

This was the post about the poor cats, this post is not originally mine, I just added some things and I also didn't make this post with the intention of offending anyone.bye Bye

EDIT:

and the Oscar for most disturbed people goes to: Lim Yirang & Heo Sunhaeng two soulless South Korean directors

these two together directed a ridiculous and disturbing crap animated short film is a colorful and lively animation that takes place in a garden, it seems to be a type of children's and educational cartoon for children, where there are several cute stuffed animals and elves and even a princess everyone spends the seasons happily every day, until one day a huge evil CAT comes into action and kills everyone in the garden except the ''poor defenseless girl (the protagonist)'' what was supposed to be a beautiful and enchanted cartoon turned into a horror film, that's the kind of thing they want children to watch a scary CAT Everyone knows that most people who have a phobia of cats are because they only see them in films as villains or hear people who hate cats saying how dangerous they are. And the worst part is that this stupid cartoon actually takes place in a potted plant and they are all stuffed animals and die because the evil cat killed them, and the biggest destroyer of stuffed animals is man's dear best friend, that is, the puppy. but how these two Koreans probably fuel this rivalry between dogs and cats so something bad that the dog does they go and make a cat do it instead because the only villains in this world are cats Just like Mr Walt Disney (Koreans also show their huge preference for puppies) this animation should be remade and the big planes being two giant South Korean men with enormous evil in their hearts, children watching this later become afraid of cats and this even contributes to animal abuse these two men should be arrested

This animation could be beautiful but with a very low budget and stupid ideas the big villain should be a human since the biggest destroyer of nature is humans themselves, an animal would never destroy nature These two and Disney have a lot to learn from the great studio Ghibli, there are only good films for people of any age to watch

the biggest villains are humans and not cats

[the-flowerwolf]

Hogwarts legacy headcanons

While normal people go and socialize I wake up and think about ✨them✨

So there's some headcanons about my favourite Legacy Team (as I call them) for ya folks while I'm writing a really big fic about them. Careful, some of them are sad. And don't mind my poor grammar thanks.

Btw, collages are mine, feel free to use them💙

🐍Sebastian Sallow🐍

First off all, if you turn him in, I don't trust you

Literally a typical Slytherin

A nerd. Just a nerd.

Quidditch? Babe, the only sport for him is dueling

Felt absolutely helpless when his parents died. And that's why he's so protective. He just can't let anyone else die on his watch

Really is a small version of his father and proud of it

Believes that the end justifies the means

Hopeless flirt BUT a gentleman. Wouldn't do anything you don't like

And also most probably believes in true love

A proud bisexual

Everyone think that "he fucks everything that moves" but he's a virgin who "saves himself for the one and only"

As some fan said, he was probably born on 18th September. And it's a canon now.

A great friend but a terrible secret keeper, so for Merlin's sake, don't tell him ANYTHING

Knows how to braid hair into the most complex ways

Pro feminist! Treats women right and knows all important stuff thanks to his sis

🔥Natty Onai🔥

I'm sorry but she's so underrated and for what??

I believe she really respect traditions she were tought as a child

Her favourite holiday must be her birthday. All because it was the only day of the year when her parents forgot about all the dangers and sorrows and they just got together, spending the best time

Most probably will return to the homeland after Hogwarts

Is the only member of the team who play quidditch

(as a keeper ofc)

She's a lesbian idk dudes

A very honest girl who were raised to be a good person

So she just expects the same from others

A very competitive. But not like Imelda. Natty respects fair competition and knows how to honorably recognize a match

Although this does not mean that she will not destroy you to win

Is always cold poor thing

Religious bc I feel like it

Has mommy issues and don't tell me I'm wrong

Will definitely become the best auror one day

🌼Poppy Sweeting🌼

Her favourite holiday is Christmas lemme tell you that

Trust issues

She's trying her best to be gentle with every living being because she saw too much violence already

And that's why she thinks animals are better than people (agree)

She's definitely an INFP and I won't change my mind

Looks like a cinnamon roll but will kill you

A cliché but I feel like she's an excellent cook

Although she would LOVE to find someone to understand her (like us) she's totally okay with being on her own

Is into mind games like chess

But will go to see a quidditch game just to support Natty (and mc if they play)

Is always up to an adventure

Bullies? Girl grew up among killers, you really think she would care about some bullies?

I feel like she has the strongest personality in here. Doesn't matter what happens she will always stand straight while helping others

Is a cat person

Can't cry bc she was not allowed as a child

💚Ominis Gaunt💚

Just an innocent little boy let's be honest

He may look like he can kill you but he's just a cinnamon roll

Jokes about his blindness as a defence mechanism

Had a crush on both Sallow siblings at some point and I can't blame him

Saw a theory on tiktok that his patronus would be albino snake. CANON

Just wants to have a simple quiet life without any drama

Protective of his friends BUT is more protective of his boundaries

Don't mind his blindness he knows EXACTLY how to be a fashion icon

Another cliché: Omi can play piano

And it's the only thing his parents tought him that he loves. Playing helps him to calm down

Is very private, but as soon as he starts to trust you, he will immediately blurt out his life story, dreams, fears etc

Though he can't see an actual game, Omi likes to go on a quidditch game, because of the happy energy around him

Is sick most of the time for some reason. Cold, stomach ache or anything really

Also a nerd. But unlike Sebastian he's a fiction lover. Helps him to escape reality, especially in his family's house

Clingy with everyone he loves bc they make him feel safe

[greenerteacups]

Hi, hi! I never shut up in my fic comments, so I’m going to practice restraint here and quietly scream that I find everything about Lionheart delightful. It’s such a smart, witty, honest, beautiful, and deeply romantic story that honors a character arc for Draco that scratches so many itches in my brain. Every time I read it, I feel spoiled. 

I have SO MANY questions and general exclamations, but I’ll stick to one. I always love reading your thoughts, but there is zero, null, zip pressure to respond in any way. Just think of this ask as an energetic virtual wave. 

So, if your Narcissa and Molly were forced to name each other’s biggest flaw, what would they say? (I ask this knowing that what whatever they said wouldn’t necessarily be true, of course.) I’m endlessly fascinated by their parenting, but also the lives they lead beyond it. Molly and the Order. Narcissa and the pureblood circles she’s navigated her whole life. They both so obviously love their children, but I can’t ever decide if Molly’s dislike for Narcissa (I mean, I’m assuming she dislikes her) would include a stiffly admitted “you’ve raised a good son,” or if she’d say “Draco became good in spite of you.” 

<3 Tig

TIG!! Hello! I read your comments religiously, and by that I mean with the totemic reverence properly afforded to King St. Stephen of Hungary's right forearm. I hoard them in my inbox like Smaug's jewels and kick my feet like a schoolgirl over them. Or like a very schoolgirlish mixed metaphor of a dragon, that is. The longer, the more dragonly schoolgirling. To wit, I have been grinning at this stupidly for like, five whole minutes.

What would Narcissa and Molly say about each other? I wonder, I wonder. They're quite alike in being protective and (in their way) nurturing mothers. They both take pains to keep their children out of the war effort, albeit somewhat unsuccessfully. They're also very prideful, domineering, and intent on getting their own way. I think Draco acclimates to Molly's parenting style when he's around the Weasleys in part because it's so similar to his own home: you have a present and visibly dominant mother figure, who gives most of the orders, and then an auxiliary (or, in Lucius's case, absent) father figure whose name is usually invoked only to give force to the mother's commands. They also had children around the same time, though Molly was a mother years before Narcissa was, and so probably thinks of Narcissa as quite young. I expect there would be an element of mutual condescension, if not outright scorn. Both of them believe very strongly that their ideas are The Right Things, and if you disagree with them, it doesn't matter what your reasons are, you are simply Wrong. They have equally inflexible moral compasses that happen to be oriented around radically different poles.

They are also both — and I don't think it's a spoiler to say this, because everything I'm about to say is stated in the text — extremely competent fighters. Narcissa never fought in the first Wizarding War, but she's still an accomplished duelist, and formidable enough to have the respect of both Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore. She's an expert Occlumens, practiced Legilimens, and her husband was the Dark Lord's right hand. Molly Weasley, on the other hand, is one of the only people alive to have beaten Alastor Moody in a duel, and one of the few people in the Order who seems to feel comfortable giving shit back to him at Grimmauld Place. It's worth noting, too, that Molly is fairly bellicose as a person — she has a snap-your-fingers temper — and among her seven children, you have (canonically speaking):

a curse-breaker (one of the hardest/most demanding intellectual jobs in the wizarding world),

a dragon-tamer (holy fuck),

a Head Boy with more N.E.W.T.s than Hermione canonically has, who got a high-ranking aide position in Wizard Parliament straight out of high school,

two crackpot inventors who start a business selling bioweapons at age 17,

a chess prodigy who beats a 50-something master at age 11; hijacks a flying manual car, teaches himself to drive it, flies the fucking thing from Devon to Surrey, and kidnaps his best friend; subsequently flies it again from LONDON to HIGHLAND SCOTLAND; uses said car to bulldoze a horde of giant spiders; threatens a serial killer to his face, while nursing a broken leg; breaks into the wizarding version of MI6; blows it up; ensuingly helps prosecute a war effort to prevent a fascist takeover of Britain; and:

Ginny Weasley.

And on the other hand, you have Narcissa (in Lionheart), whose children, though few in number, consist of:

Draco Malfoy (prodigious, annoying, thus far remarkably hard to kill).

So regardless of your stance on the nature/nurture debate, you have to believe there's some fairly intense parenting happening on either side of the equation.

In my fic, they also both hold similar roles in the present: involved in the war effort, but not in the same way some of their colleagues are, either by choice (Molly being the de facto quartermaster for the Order safehouse, and hence the Order) or by necessity (Narcissa being unable to come out publicly on either side of the conflict without putting herself, and Draco, in danger). Those positions of "neutrality," which for both of them is really just a cover for their work as covert operatives, is made possible by the fact that they are mothers. No one would suspect the impoverished housewife Molly Weasley of running a guerrilla military out of her kitchen; likewise, few would suspect reclusive, tragic pureblood widow Narcissa Malfoy of being the pet huntress of Albus Dumbledore. Which is part of what makes them so effective. There's also something in the fact that they're both very feminine, both in their position and how they hold themselves, but they embody different aspects of femininity — specifically, the elements of femininity that are useful to their cover. Molly leans heavily into her role as the blustering, bossy, overworked mother, to the point that most of her children don't see her as anything else. Narcissa, on the other hand, leans into the "Mater dolorosa" angle, presenting herself as this demure, ladylike mistress-of-the-house, which is helped by the fact that her husband's death gives her an excuse not to go out often. The perception that she's a frail widow crippled by grief — which is anything but the truth, as becomes clear pretty much by her first appearances of Lionheart — means that people in her pureblood circles don't make the same demands of her that they would of Lucius, and she absolutely exploits that to her advantage. They're both Gen X women who grew up during (if not slightly before) the second-wave feminist movement; their relationships with sex and social position flow from that. They don't break molds; they flip them to their advantage.

Anyway, I've totally neglected your question. To wit: Narcissa would say that Molly's greatest flaw is her inability to conceive of an ideal more important than happiness. Molly would say that Narcissa's is cowardice.

[howtofightwrite]

Hello there! What are the pros and cons of using naginatas as a weapon specifically? Is it fairly similar to the ones for lots of other polearms? Or is it it's own unique thing? (Trying to get an accurate idea of how it would feel to use one in combat for some writing I want to do.)

Thanks!

Pros:

Firmly encourage people to maintain social distancing.

Slice people you haven't even met yet.

Slice people riding horses or standing on low roofs.

Add ribbons and streamers as fashion accessories.

Easy to carry.

Can always find one at the right length for you.

Better leverage for your blade than if it had been mounted of a katana.

Never need to explain that you're overcompensating for something.

Amazing looking duels with fellow naginata users.

You can use it on horseback.

Try to impress the Onna-musha.

Cons:

A little bit claustrophobic.

Not great in a mosh pit.

Doesn't like going indoors.

Not good against people who refuse to social distance.

No one will respect you for being a samurai, and may still make fun of you.

Still a delicate razor blade.

Fail to impress the Onna-musha, they know all your moves, are probably better at them than you, and are more interested in making jokes about the length of your shaft.

So, the naginata is basically the blade of a katana mounted on the end of a long shaft. This doesn't make it inherently bad. But it does inherit some of the weakness of a sword, combined with the range of a polearm. That said, keeping them intact is quite doable, you just need to be careful about how you strike.

As mentioned above, and as with almost all polearms, it shines in situations where you can keep enemies at range, and becomes a lot less appealing if you can't keep them off of you. This means it works really well in phalanx-style applications. As with all (or, almost all polearms), it has serious value as an anti-cavalry weapon, letting you dispatch riders.

As for it being its own unique thing, yes and no. It is a different kind of polearm, and you can probably some surviving manuals on exactly how to use them. And there is a modern martial art based on the original form. However, I don't know how much of the original Naginatajitsu martial art has been lost. As far as I know, there were at least a few decades between the, “death,” of the martial art in 1868, and it's revival sometime after 1889. Also, when it was revived, it was as a physical fitness regimen, and not as a martial art. That's enough time, to lose a lot of the technical detail, and meant that if it was preserved, it was done so quietly, which increases the risk of elements being lost.

As polearms go, the naginata is pretty light, ranging from about 3 to 8lbs. (Specifically 1.5 – 3.5kg.) Which does make it a bit more agile than you'd expect from a polearm. It's not clear how much of the flourishes you'll see from modern martial artists were actually part of the original martial art or just spectacle, but you can get some solid movement out of them. And even in its day it the weapon's agility was noteworthy. (Though, to be fully honest, I'm not sure how much of that was in the contemporary literature, and how much is from modern analysis. I do suffer from not being able to read the primary sources in this case.)

Naginatas were a very egalitarian weapon, used by the samurai, monks, peasant footsoldiers, and the Onna-musha (women warriors.) That last category has become one of its more enduring cultural associations. In fact the physical fitness revival was specifically targeted as exercise for young girls. (This is part of why the weight range is so wide, as there's a massive variance in shaft length. Anywhere from 4 to 8 feet in length. (Specifically 120-240cm.)) As a polearm, that's kinda short, but the blade itself adds another 85-100cm. This puts the total length at between 6'8” and 11'2”. And, yeah, a three meter polearm is not a joke. Even if there is an unusual amount of blade on the end of that shaft. It's part of why the naginata is immediately distinguishable from other polearms of similar sizes.

The short answer would be that it is a specific weapon, with its own identity. Some of that is a function of physics and some is cultural.

-Starke

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[mary-the-traveler]

Unmasked - Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 Trailer

In the first four episodes, over 2.3 billion minutes were viewed.  The highest debut weekend in history for any Netflix show, the historical drama was filled with romance, action, and comedic endeavors. The first part focuses on the romantic story of Colin and Penelope, while the second part will explore the mystery and unmasking of all the personas introduced in the first part.  To say we are ravenous for the final episodes is an understatement.

"What is concealed, shall be revealed"

A New Betrothal

Everyone in the Bridgerton family is excited about Colin and Penelope's upcoming wedding, except for one member. Let's be honest, Violet had already practically picked out the stationery. In like manner, during season 2 when Anthony calls on the Bridgerton family to help him "woo" Edwina, Penelope is in the drawing room. Undoubtedly, she is like another sister, and the brothers joking that Anthony may need to fight a duel for her speaks to her connection to the family.

The fact that the Featheringtons found out about the betrothal through Lady Whistledown speaks volumes. Albion Finch, always the supportive brother-in-law, clearly deserves the Brother-in-law of the Year award. I must admit, I enjoyed seeing the sisters' surprise and his smile. On the contrary, Portia didn't seem pleased. Undoubtedly, a lot was going on after the, ahem, carriage. Finding out that your youngest is marrying the best out of the three, and you didn't know about it, is likely to cause conflict.  Portia also appears unhappy after two seasons of trying to finally get her connection with the Bridgerton family -- and she isn't happy about it.  On the bright side, this means she's the next Catherine the Great, right?

The Reward

 "Whistledown is power."

As Penelope is finally making progress towards marital bliss, the issue of the Queen and Lady Whistledown remains unresolved. Over the past three seasons, the Queen has been trying to find Lady Whistledown but has been unsuccessful. She has even offered a reward of five thousand pounds to anyone who can uncover Lady Whistledown's identity. The clock shown multiple times in the new clip suggests that time may be running out. The question remains: what will the Queen do with the information once she finds Lady Whistledown?

Last season, when Eloise was discovered by the Queen and pulled into the carriage, we got an idea of just what she might do with the power that Whistledown may bring. Whistledown, with influence, was able to bring down Nigel Burbrook in Season 1. She has released some pretty risky stuff. If that power was in the wrong hands, it could be troublesome.  On the other hand, just the knowledge of who the penned author is, the Queen may respect Penelope. Only time will tell, and that is 9 days to be exact.

What are you looking forward to most in Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2?

By Mary The Traveler

[mercyillustrator]

Nebula Valfrey Honour Tier🔥🦋

So I decided to do Valfrey Honour Tier by double checking to see how my OC Lady Nebula and been doing research for samurai anyways here I go and shoutout to @gethoce for having honor tier valfrey https://www.tumblr.com/gethoce/757248588300566528/thinking-about-how-funny-it-could-be-for-valfrey (idk how to put the original there :<)

Ever since she had a friendly duel Valfrey. Nebula met a different species that were a different species samurai like her She was shocked Where Valfrey got her whimsical side but cool with her cause she doesn’t mind as long she never judge by its appearance and being firm. She doesn’t make a sound nor ask about it and respects them and knows that Valfrey is a queen herself and sometimes she tries not to get too overexcited when it comes to familiar faces and people. For the gifts she welcome with matcha green tea with some treats of sushi and rice ball. She bows down when they dismiss any meetings as well thy duel. She wouldn’t know that she had a little sis figure Nonsurat (AU).

1. One must live their life for a purpose such as serving a shogun or protecting one’s people.

Nebula is a leader of the Fighting Group that defeat monsters and enemies to take them down and her job is protecting her girls to fight in war like how Galaxy Soldier Army do but that involved female puffballs possibly different species disguised themselves as males . But she has to face anyone that she may heard or never heard and Nonsurat (AU of mine) whom wanted her to be safe when it comes to enemies

2. If left without a purpose one must make it their mission to find one.

Ever since her little sister Starla died in war by NME she has to stay strong and fight monsters and even during fighting group it could be hard for her to deal with my (AU) Nonsurat left to GSA but she still never gives up and gets back on her feet but stay strong for her sisters and her girls

3. Be the master of one’s emotions, yet Do not rob yourself of your whimsy for it’d poison your mind.

Nebula wouldn’t let that to be poison herself cause she is aware of it that comes to being a master herself though she’s a leader and being cautious

4. Always be honest unless doing so risks the safety of those you swore to protect.

She is welling to sacrifice herself for everyone indeed and she would spit it out and not lie to anyone or else nobody would believe her unless someone that she has to deal with it.

5. Do not steal unless it is to protect.

Nebula would do everything to protect it unless she is wise and being careful with it as long she takes care of it like guarded them luckily she return it on time

6. Do not sneak attack when a fair battle is possible.

Basically she has a friendly duel cause there’s got a duel but recently she is fine with duel whether it’s her friend/rivals/enemies or anyone including her girls in the fighting group

7. There is no honour in being outnumbered, use usually unfair tactics to even the playing field when the odds are stacked against you.

She would try to remind calm but she doesn’t wanted to let it affect her even little things that took her seriously unlike Sir Solar (Lady Stella)

8. Respect yourself, keep yourself healthy and well groomed.

Treated someone as a respect is the key as long her and her girls don’t disrespect by not having to show any cowardly behavior towards anyone. so treat others the way they wanted to be treated.

9. Stay true to your principles.

She’ll try to do her best not to take a wrong turn and not to fall into a rabbit hole

10. Do not slaughter your own kin (members of your clan or similar concepts) unless they strike first.

That’s the tricky one and she doesn’t know what that means but if that happens when she got corrupt again her fighting group has to attack her

11. Take vengeance on those who have wronged you or your kin.

She doesn’t really take her wrath upon anyone I don’t think she had any kins here but if anyone decided to make fun of her members or her dead sister Starla she would jump on them and it will get ugly

12. Be polite and respectful to those who deserve it.

- I believe she does and doesn’t normally complain type of puffball nor being having negative energy cause she doesn’t want to make it look bad but rather show honor

13. If one serves something like a clan or leader that disrespects them or otherwise goes against their principles the clan does no longer deserve to be kin.

Then Nebula would politely to tell her girls/ members to be careful by their actions, words and anything they up to but correcting them before but respect her boundaries and do not hesitate to disowned them plus would tell them to stop or knock it off.

( BONUS: here’s the drawing of them interacting that I drew so far :) ) - 💠🎨Mercy🎨💠

[dollypopup]

i don't talk nearly enough about how great Colin is

-excellent fencer, clearly dedicated to it. great taste in puffy shirts 10/10

-brave af!!!! idk about you, but the very idea of being out at sea for several months pretty much w/ no one who knows me scares the soul out of me. bruh is out here on a ship headed to a completely unfamiliar place w/ not one shred of fear

-he's such a good brother? the way he supported Benny was so sweet? and all his little quips with Eloise? they are the sarcastic siblings for SURE. boxing with Greg? playing hoops w/ Hyacinthe? his 'I'm clearly Daphne's favorite'? i adore him

-calling Anthony an ass in defense of Marina was ICONIC

-let's be honest, he was a real one w/ Marina all around. boi was out here defending her left right and center. and that scene where they go 'That's a. . .rather long engagement. . .' 'Or simply romantic! :D ' was adorable. then his 'Why does anyone, marry, Brother? For love.' line? so earnest! heart in his hands!!! and even after it all went kaboom he didn't say a bad word about her. told her he would still have married her if she just told him and he meant it. said that with his whole chest, too. got a reality check from her when he visited and then when asked STILL said 'we could have done more for her' KING 👏 SHIT. may we all have an ex that respects us this much

-canonically the best dancer out of the Bridgerbunch

-loves his mum with all his heart and soul. that scene where he's walking her up the stairs and they're joking around is so wholesome. that scene where Violet is looking for someone to escort her and A and B all flee the scene but Colin steps up? our boy is so sweet

-his scene w/ Jack where he's all puffed up and imposing and tall af going 'how dare you take advantage of them??? fix this shit, NOW' and then turning around and bashfully going 'i rehearsed that speech for hours' when he and Pen could talk privately again WAS ADORABLE, don't even TRY to deny it

-multitalented! our boy can do it all: he sings! he dances! he writes! he drinks his respect women juice on the daily! he fences! he's fluent in sarcasm! he rides horseback! he has anxiety! he's a flirt! he can't stop snacking! are you not entertained?

-also his scene w/ Will where he's like 'no, i fucked up, i insulted you and i messed with your business. i'm sorry and i'm making it right' was sexy as hell. he didn't have to, he could have totally just let it slide under the rug, but he took accountability and made amends

-speaking of sexy: our little rule breaker! holds Penelope's hands in front of everybodyyyy! no glove no love, who? writes her (love) letters while he travels! doesn't give a fuck about propriety! does drugs! I LOVE HIM

-so much integrity. when he messes up he takes full responsibility for it. he's nice as hell to Phillip, encourages his interests, nerds out with him. Stuck his whole neck out for Pen the Featheringtons. 'Do you think I would care that she loved someone else before? That would make me a hypocrite' apologizing to Pen before leaving for his tour. telling her she inspires him. is always there to escort his mum. everything good.

-lost and aimless, my beloved. he's just a dweeb putting on a front and it's so wonderfully relatable

-i love his hero complex. yeah, i said it!!! Dancing with Pen after Cressida spills the drink? HOT. Getting Marina away from the old dude clearly making her uncomfortable? HOT. Standing up to Jack? HOT. Getting Kate and Anthony to trudge along after that Pal Mall game? HOT. Daphne coming to him in the middle of the night demanding to know about the duel and him getting on a horse and heading out with her? HOT.

-he's sarcastic as hell. 'She likes me MUCH better than you, Benedict' 'Maybe he's still at the altar waiting for Miss Edwina' 'Of course not, you are *clearly* sober', Anthony: 'I wish to apologize' 'Are there locusts in the streets??? Blood in the Thames? Is the end of days upon us already?????' 'our host looks a bit fussy. do you think if he goes to bed we all have to leave?' and, of course 'Have you ever visited a farm?'

-he's just a lil shit w/ a heart of gold, how can you not love him?

[kcuf-ad]

What is Playmaker to you?

Atem: Ahh, a worthy adversary. I have to admit, I was extremely confused at the new Summoning Methods he pulled against me and how skilled he was with his deck, but that only shows that he truly bonded with his cards. And... if I am being honest...

Yugi: I am actually pretty impressed at how the generation of duelists has grown ever since I became the King Of Games, but with him around, it shows that the game can still be enjoyed by all. Not to mention...

Jaden: Dude! He is a pretty chill guy once you get to meet him! Sure he may not be as talkative as the people I talk to, but he is still a nice and respectful man that I love hanging around with! Though, if there is one way to perfectly describe him...

Yusei: I find him pretty interesting. He is actually one of the people that helps me out with everything around machinery and is willing to test out the new equipment I get. Also, I can't forget this...

Yuma: A pretty rad dude! He may be as untalkative as Kite and Shark combined, but hey, he is there if I need help with homework or even with some dueling! Oh, and...

Yuya: Ah! The guy that I always try to make him smile, but it also fails. Shame though, as I have to be honest, his smile could lit up a room! He may be serious, but honestly? A funny guy that while not cracking jokes, is good with talking back. But... if there is one thing anyone can agree on... He is...

Everyone: The Strongest.

[new-tella-us]

Soooooo I made fan children. Lil drafts of them at least.

If you couldn’t tell from the horn colors, these are James’ gremlins.

Let’s start with the easier one, Annabell. Or just Belle for short. She’s five at this point. Having one human-demon child was already astronomically rare so they really didn’t expect Belle’s arrival but she arrived in all her glory. She managed to somehow get more of Laura’s angel DNA than Mika did and got some lil wings. They’re too small to be functional though. Maybe one day… The James genes are STRONG with this one, having his exact skin tone, eyes, and taint coloring. She’ll get his nose too when she’s older. If it weren’t for the hair, no one would guess than Mika birthed this one. Belle has a very sweet and inquisitive personality, always trying to see how things work, she’s also a voracious reader reading a few levels above her age. A lil James she is. The big difference is that she can also be very emotional and throw ground shaking tantrums when she’s angry.

Now Ray. Ray is the firstborne at fifteen years old and oh BOY could he not be any more different from his father if he tried. He’s sloppy, lazy, a backchatter and has a chaotic streak. Both blessed and cursed with gifted child syndrome, Ray is far too smart for his own good. He doesn’t need to try in school (yet) so he doesn’t try and still gets the As that keep James off his back. Now that doesn’t mean he has no ambition, he has a goal but it has nothing to do with the human world. He wants to become magically strong enough to go to the Abyssal Plains. James always says that it’s “dangerous” so what better way to prove that Ray can handle himself than by beating James in a duel? That has become his goal for his teen years.

Don’t get it twisted, he loves his family. He doesn’t even dislike James, he respects his father and even admires him but he feels bored with his current life and also feels like James doesn’t respect him enough so that reflects on his actions. Ray is an absolute Mama’s boy, respecting Mika more than he respects James honestly. To him, Mika is more honest and willing to tell him a real answer. Plus they just grew up close so if there’s anyone who can talk Ray out of his stupid ideas, it’s Mika.

As for how the siblings feel about each other? Well Annabell looks up to Ray as an example but feels like he babies her too much (well I guess Ray and James do have some similarities) and Ray is protective over Annabell even when he finds her annoying or bratty.

[kashilascorner]

Thank you very much for your very nice reply! I'm still sorry if I came off a tad too strong in the original ask, but yes, I did see that you noted on the orientalism still being there in the film. It's just that for me, the seduction plot is still weird as a writing choice done by the script writers, and an added issue to the orientalism.

Re: Edmond and Haydee, I actually don't have much of an issue with the romance turn at the end, but this is due to several factors. I will however, note that I don't begrudge people for being weirded out by the turn, since the main issue imo is that there's not much of Haydee within the book to begin with, nor is there more on her relationship with Edmond over the years pre-Paris, so it's easy to see why it feels like a weird and sudden decision for the ending of the book.

I think that mainly to me, Edmond and Haydee in the book is still a tad 'better' than in the movie in terms of the revenge plot because yes, in a way she is another part of the revenge, but not one that Edmond needs to push directly onto the Mondegos because he's firstly misusing Albert's trust for that, and then is also the one to make Fernand's crimes of treason public. It's really up to Haydee whether or not she chooses to go and stand as witness in the trial because during that time, Edmond is away with Albert. And while it does again fall back on the issue of Edmond being the 'mastermind' to coordinate all these people at different times, Haydee makes her own decision to enact revenge the way she'd want to. As for the romance aspect, this is purely my own view of it, I don't ask for anyone to agree with me on it, but I guess I always saw it as less than "ew father and daughter" and more as two people with pretty similar pasts deciding to support each other. I don't think it's healthy or any good model of a relationship at all, but I can see why someone like Edmond at the end, while contemplating dying once his revenge plot is over, accepts that Haydee loves him completely and in a way that I think he always wanted Mercedes to love him. Edmond's view of love and devotion is pretty unhealthy like his views of justice is (like you mentioning the 'punishing the children' theme), you can obviously see it in how he hated Mercedes for not "honoring" her vow of dying or being loyal to him even when he 'stayed' loyal to her and thought of her in prison. He can be very loyal and giving himself to the people he loves, even with someone like Maximilien, but I think he also wants that in return (which Haydee gives him). Again, not a model of a healthy relationship in the slightest, but to me it made sense that he and Haydee became codependent with one another at the end because of their similar circumstances. (I would also like to note though that his feelings towards Haydee in the book kind of go back and forth on the daughter thing. In the book prior to his duel with Fernand, he does wonder if he would've been happy with her as his partner, and then after the duel, at least in my copy of the English translation, he says he wonders if there is in fact, 'another Mercedes', and he could once more be happy. Personally, I thought that Edmond doesn't actually have a sense of being a proper parent to her or any of the other younger people he calls his "child", because he was also never a parent unlike his foes (not that they were significantly better or perfect as parents), and a lot of his behavior towards her and Maximilien, or even Albert, is unlike that of a parent, if that makes sense.)

PS. I do agree though that the movie at least was way less harsh towards Mercedes, and for the better. I think one of the parts that should always be absolutely changed is her end and tbh Albert's, too. While I know why the book has him go off into the army and thinking that he can regain some sense of respect in being an honest soldier, I don't think that's necessary in a more modern adaptation. Have him be his mother in a safe place away from high society, living comfortably. And not have Mercedes think that she needs to spend her life weeping for "the men she's lost".

you're good! This is an interesting conversation and I always love discussing different insights :) (linking prev ask here for reference)

The thing with Edmond is that he accepts no love that is not total, complete and unquestionable devotion and kinda blind trust. He will not be questioned, he wants/needs complete surrender. I love that you pointed that out about his codependency with Haydée and comparison to Mercedes. Yes, his view of love is not healthy and I think it again points out to what I refer to as Edmond's God complex. He believes he's the hand of God in his vengeance but in a lot of ways he has simply built himself into a god. Lots of people point it out throughout the book. The narrative that Dumas poses does seem to justify him, does seem to point out to him enacting rightful, God-guided justice so the narrative excuses Edmond again and again. But as readers of course we start questioning. Haydée's total "giving" of herself to the Count is exactly what he wants, maybe even what he needs, as much as being recognized as a romantic partner is also wanted/needed by Haydée. In this aspect, I once again prefer, at least partially, the movie ending over the book. On one hand, in the book, Edmond re-learns love. On the other hand, with his vengeance done, his means virtually unquestioned (the only one left to do so would be Valentine, as Villefort has lost his head, and we barely see her react to her family's fate) except for a moment of doubt on account of Edouard as collateral damage, getting together with Haydée reafirms the way Edmond has loved before. In that way, he has not grown beyond the "Count" (by the Count I mean what he became after choosing to get vengenance). Forgiving Mercedes and still calling her "unfaithful" on to back is also a sign of this.

I understand what you say about Haydée and Edmond getting together in the end. It does make sense to the book and what Dumas seems to have meant to imply. It brings his point to a conclusion although for me, personally as I pointed out in the previous paragraph, it simply falls a bit flat in that it shows Edmond has not "grown" in the sense of questioning his views though he himself speaks on the necessity of God being questioned. He thinks himself "perfect", so to speak, he still believes himself to be God's hand (which is frankly just one way of saying he is a god himself).

On a more personal level, for me Haydée/Edmond does not work not because the romance comes out of nowhere (she clearly pines for him from the very first moment we meet her, Edmond grows slowly into it), but because of a combination of what I stated above, plus what I feel as underutilization of Haydée and a lazy, cliché necessity to have the hero getting the pretty girl by the end. That is the sense in which I prefer the movie ending: Edmond is by himself, but he is not necessarily alone. In a sense, he has grown. In both my Spanish audiobook and the french text in which I took notes he mentions the same about a "second Mercedes" that you pointed out. That is part of my issue. Haydée is a second, more perfect, younger, more faithful Mercedes, but not so much herself. The final, personal point is just how unbalanced their relationship is from a modern perspective. He is very much above her in everything, he is richer, he is significantly older, he is more or less her tutor, etc. Personally I have no issues with the age gap (they are both adults), but the tutor/father figure for me is a bit gross already and the dealbreaker is that all of that comes together with Haydée literally having been bought by him. She is his slave, and even though she is free to do anything, he doesn't treat her as such, he offers her up her liberty and her right to chose again and again, she seems perfectly content with remaining a slave, whether literally or metaphorically, which plays into orientalist tropes as well. For me the circumstances of their relationship cross a very thick line into unhealthiness, though this is my personal view only.

As for Albert, I do like an ending in which he has to "work" to earn a living. He was a spoiled child and it does him well to make a name for himself and see the world from a point of view that is not as privileged. Sadly the army is the most obvious choice within the context of the book for someone who wants to make a name for themselves. I think it also allows him to atone for his father's crimes while wearing the uniform, which of course are not Albert's (or Mercedes') fault but they have indeed helped them live their comfortable lives so in the Christian retribution sense that the book is preoccupied with, it makes perfect sense and I do like that. That being said, I agree with you that Albert and particularly Mercedes deserve a far better, more gentle, ending. The thing I do love about the book is that they both take the reigns of their own lives and live ahead without looking back.

Re: crying over the men she has lost. Another thing that frankly saddened me about Mercedes' ending is that she doesn't seem to actually grieve much for Fernando which, given her character, I don't believe. In my book she says something like she "approves the death [of Fernando], but must pray for the dead" which feels cold to say the least. It leads me to think either she's not disclosing everything honestly to Edmond, or Dumas just did not want to get into that. In the beginning Fernando and Mercedes were absolutely insane about each other, in a loving way (not saying it was healthy at all) but that probably transformed and went on with time. See how Fernando ended. But in general: Mercedes deserves so much better than what she got in the book. At least it makes me happy to know that she is very much loved by readers and also for many characters in the book.