#and I'm not going to do justice to him if I would do that just now

[radioactive-earthshine]

Hiya there. I'm sorry but I'm very confused about how old Bart is supposed to be during Young Justice 95. I hear everything from 12 to 22 and I can't look this up easily. If you could help me I'd be so appreciative.

Hello! If you're confused it's because it is a little confusing unless you've read Bart's origins from the beginning, and even then it's weird.

To answer your question I'm just going to go through what happened with Bart and his accelerated aging, and how old he is supposed to be in Young Justice (1998) not 1995.

I'm even going to frustrate you in one key moment, but it's Waid's fault not mine.

The Flash (1987) #93

When Bart is first evacuated from the future to the past, he is physically 12 years old, so this is where some people claim he is 12 - but the thing is, he aged an additional 2 years while running away from Wally putting him at 14 physically.

In Impulse, we do get another recap to what happened and more insight to how "old" he is supposed to be.

Impulse (1995) #1

Transcript of the important bubbles

Apparently, I was born with Grandpa's speed -- and a mega-metaloblism metabolism. It was whacked. They say I was aging at hyper-speed. At two, I looked twelve. I'd still be two in the head if the scientists hadn't plugged it with virtual reality.

So this gives us two details that are important;

1.) his chronological age is two, 2.) he was educated appropriately according to his physical age in relative time (VR) so developmentally he is not a toddler, as some people try to claim. Bart is very clear about this.

There also this very strange list of personal stats that you can make of it what you will from the same issue;

It could mean that when he was physically 8 he was mentally 14, whatever that means, maybe that's the level of "course work" he was doing - it also lists that his "VR Age" is 19 which could mean that when it comes to relative time to Bart, he's spent 19 years there instead of 14, or 8. We have no idea. I doubt if you even asked Waid what this was supposed to mean he would be able to answer it an it's likely a detail we're supposed to ignore but we have it regardless.

The thing about this is that it adds evidence that Bart's age is not entirely reliable based on his physical age, or his chronological age as they are totally out of sync with each other.

This is not the frustrating detail I was talking about. The frustration comes literally later back to back and contains a discrepancy that DC had to make a note about because Waid goofed in his own writing.

Impulse (1995) #1

Max claims Bart is FOURTEEN. 14. We got this. We so got this. Then-

Impulse (1995) #2

Max claims Bart is actually fifteen. 🙃

This however was a printed mistake, and reader Charles Skaggs commented on it as being very strange, which prompted the editor to clarify that Bart is, in fact, supposed to be FOURTEEN.

Impulse (1995) #5 Letters to the Editor Section

So, when Bart is first around as Impulse he is solidly fourteen years and then, as sometimes it happens in the comics, he celebrates a birthday which bumps his age to finally being fifteen.

Impulse (1995) #22

Bart turns fifteen years old in this issue which was released in February of 1997, pre-dating the very first issue of Young Justice.

To quote the editor above, for all intents and purposes, Bart during all of Young Justice is fifteen years old, and then in Teen Titans (2003) he is sixteen.

Comic time can be tricky to parse out and unravel, and it also is not uncommon for writers to contradict each other (or themselves like Waid) and for time to just not add up (Bart's solo features more than one Christmas suggesting two years have past, and Bedlam also claims later two years past since he met Bart but Bart's age doesn't change - this is just normal comic wormhole time that's part of the frustration.)

We're not going to get into the other discrepancies or the time(s) Bart was aged up to an adult as these are irrelevant to his age in Young Justice.

I hope this makes sense.

TLDR: He's fifteen in Young Justice (1998)

[xmissrogersx]

Hello, again | Pedro Pascal

tags: fangirl journalist, pedro being sweet, argentina language.

my writing is entirely my own. Any adaptation and/or copy is forbidden.

i hope you are enjoying my stories! U help me a lot if you give me a ♡! All the love.

The comic-con was booming when we arrived. Thousands of characters passed by walking around us.

-I’ve never seen so many spidermans in my life.

-I think they agreed this year -I said looking for my pass.

-You don't think we should have dressed like that, do you? -asked another guy from the set.

-We are press, I don't know if it was ideal.

-Personally, I would have put on my Darth Vader suit -he said proudly, to which we laughed under our breath.-What is funny?

-Oh, nothing, it's just that it's very... basic? -my partner replied, to which they started a discussion from which I quickly escaped.

I saw the Star Wars stand, where the merchandise was simply amazing. A little Grogu stuffed animal caught my attention.

-Can I see it?

-Of course! -the seller exclaimed. I smiled to take it in my hands, stepping back to let other buyers look.

Suddenly, my right foot slipped slightly, making me lose my balance. But out of nowhere I felt a hard surface against my back, making me collide with something, or rather with someone.

-Sorry, I didn't see...

-Calm down, don't worry. Are you okay? -exclaimed a somewhat strange voice, to which he looked up to notice the helmet on.

-Yes, I'm fine, thank you Mando -I answered obviously, to which he laughed.

-I'm flattered to know that you know me, miss...

-Priscilla.

-Priscilla -hearing my name with his modified voice sent an electric shock through my spine.-Are you coming for work?

-Oh, yes. I came with a group of colleagues, whom I have already completely lost. I must make a report to someone from the convention.

-You can do it to me, no problem.

-Excuse me? -mierda, i’m an idiot. How would I react if the greatest of my fantasies in my head were starred by the man who was supposedly in front of me.

-That you can make me the report, I will gladly help you.

-Really? Thank you very much...

-Din, Din Djarin -he exclaimed, to which I laughed, nodding with an obvious head.

He looked at his wrist, reading the time on his watch.

-I have a presentation in 20 minutes, in the main room, in case you want to go.

-I would love to -I nodded and smiled again.

-Your smile is beautiful -he blurted out, leaving me static and sending the electricity again, and then leaving.

I went to the main room, which was already full. I only managed to stand at the bottom. Instantly, all those who were going to show up came out, to which everyone began to applaud effusively.

-Wow, it's incredible that cosplay generates this.

-This is not the cosplay presentation -my partner Honey turned to me, to which I arched an eyebrow.

-I don't understand, they're playing...

-They don't play them, they are the cast of The Mandalorian, they are promoting the movie. Remember you show me the photos of the promo last week. You are the biggest fan of Din Djarin, and doesn’t know it?

-Then...

It was him. Her dark brown hair, which combined with her brown eyes. Television didn't do him justice. And only a moment ago he had been in front of me.

-Pris, are you okay? -she shook my arm, taking me out of my trance.

-Yes, yes... I think -I stammered.

I spend the conference between applause and laughter. Every time he answered a question from the audience, he smiled genuinely. Holy God, his smile already provoked in me too much, but in person it upset me.

Miss, come with me, please -someone spoke to my right.

-Excuse me? -I frowned.

-Come with me, he requested your presence behind -the man pointed out, to what accompanies him.

We crossed a curtain, and then reached a corridor with several doors.

-It's here, come in and wait -he finished and then withdrew. I entered doubtfully, not understanding why I was there.

After 10 minutes, the door handle moved, causing me to paralyze. His figure entered the room. He was wearing the helmet again.

-Sorry for the delay.

-No, don't worry, they brought me a few minutes ago -I nodded, closing my eyes a little in shame, already feeling the blush on my face.-In my head that sounded different, I swear.

He laughed, denying slightly. He raised his hands to the helmet to take it off. I think I've never felt in my life to hold my breath for so long.

-Hello again -he said, raising his right lip up.

-Hi... -I replied stupidly because of my trance, which I didn't want him to notice.

-I have a proposal to make you. I help you with your report, only if you agree to be my guide to show me the city -my expression detonated in amazement instantly.

-Is this your first time in Buenos Aires?

-Something like that, but I would like to see it through you.

la puta madre.

He extended his right hand towards me, to which I replied the greeting even repeating his words in my mind.

-Pedro.

[goodnightmoonvale]

Okay so I'm not religious anymore, so don't take this as me Promoting the Bible or something, but you all need to know about one of the wilder parables Jesus told.

Most parables are pretty straightforward, or at least the ones that have filtered into general cultural Christianity. Things like "Don't refuse to help people just because they're your enemy or it's too much work" (the Good Samaritan), "Giving a little, if it's all you have, means a lot more than giving a lot if you have plenty" (the Widow's Mite), etc. Aesop's Fables stuff. (nevermind the fact that some of them are actually much more complicated than they're made out to be, but that's a digression I'm not getting into)

The parable I want to tell you about is usually called "The Parable of the Unjust Judge" or "The Parable of the Persistent Widow" or something like that, and its moral basically boils down to "the squeaky wheel gets the grease", or as I like to say, "being SO GODDAMN ANNOYING about something is the only way to get things done."

Basically, it goes like this:

There's this judge, and he's an asshole. He doesn't try to do the right thing, he doesn't care about morals or social censure or anything. He's corrupt, he doesn't do his job, he's probably trying to do as little as possible and get away with it.

There's this widow, and someone has done her wrong. What happened to her is not specified, but whatever it was, she needs the judge to rule on it for the sake of justice. And he doesn't wanna. Whether he's avoiding his work, or there's nothing in it for him, or he's protecting the adversary, it's not specified other than that he just doesn't feel like doing it.

Except the widow is persistent. She hounds him about it constantly, day in and day out, begging him for justice, pleading for him to take on her case.

So finally, he gets sick of her shit. She's being so goddamn annoying, just whining all the time and making his life a living hell. And so even though he doesn't care about her problems, or about justice, or about doing her job, he takes on her case and gets justice for her and resolves everything to her satisfaction.

And then Jesus finishes the parable by saying "if someone as terrible as the unjust judge was compelled into doing the right thing because of someone's complaining, imagine how much more God, who is good and just, will listen to you if you bother him incessantly with your prayers."

And this parable always baffled me as a kid. Usually the protagonist of the parable "wins" through being "kind" or "obedient" or "compassionate" or something. But "being a stubborn little bitch"? That didn't seem to vibe with ANYTHING I knew about what "being a good person" is.

But I will say, that time and time again, the older I get, the more I like this parable. I HATE bothering people. I HATE being annoying. I would rather keep my head down and tough things out in silence rather than be bothersome. But sometimes, it's the only way to get anything done.

And time and time again I realize... whether the person you need something from is an asshole, or good and well-meaning, your request can just slip through the cracks of daily life. The only way to make sure that you get the things you need, get something done that you want done, is to make your problem someone else's problem too.

(I was reminded of this today bc my friend is trying to renew her driver's license and now that it's REAL ID hours in the US, renewing your license has gotten REAL DIFFICULT, and she somehow managed to get an appointment to renew it after being on hold for hours with the wrong person just because she literally wouldn't let them hang up until they did.)

Anyways. Go forth and be your best, most stubbornest self. And if someone gives you grief about it, just tell them Jesus told you to :)

[14dayswithyou]

Hi, Howdy! Hey! I really love your novel!! I got a little confused by the 4 day, may maybe you help me please? who is it? why we got the bad end staying the night in Ren’s apartment and he disappear of the home screen? I can’t understand “unset memory” game, sorry if I wrote smth wrong or smth sounds rude, I swear that I didn’t mean it if happened, I’m really a fan of the novel, I’ve been playing the game since day 1 or 2 I guess, probably day 1, english isn’t my first language, but I tried lol

⌞♥⌝ I hope you don't mind me answering these as bullet points!! ^^

"It" will be revealed later in the game! So I won't reveal too much right now.

You can only get the Dead End in Day 4 by staying at Ren's apartment — the rest of your choices before that don't matter. I'd also pay closer attention to the black smoke and Ren's reaction towards it!

Ren disappears from the home screen because he promised to help the player out (and stop them from getting the Dead End again). Try replaying the game again from the beginning for a surprise!

"Unsent Memories" was another visual novel (initially being written by @10chimes / @unsentmemory, though the project has since been dropped and handed back to me /pos) and is set in the same universe as 14 Days With You. Its storyline and characters are completely separate from 14DWY, so you don't have to worry about them while playing 14DWY.

[a-host-of-dancing-daffodils]

And because I recently read the Chocolate Box...Please enjoy one of the only things I feel like the show did right with this particular story...

Poirot looking super dapper in his Belgian police uniform:

The cut of this uniform is very flattering on him, I must say...especially with the way it accentuates his chest, his waist, and his ''''''''seat''''''''

And I love the design on the collar/sleeves. Very fancy/official

also. please look at his very silly official hat

Gotta say. Hugh Fraser may have been the eye candy of this show, but. David Suchet sure knows how to be pretty, too

[bigeloo]

Indulging myself in the usual bullshit

[regretismyconstantcompanion]

Albus didn’t respond right away. He sat with Harry’s words, letting them echo through the flickering quiet, the weight of memory gathering like dust around them. There was no anger in Harrys voice. Just rawness. Hurt, confusion, maybe even longing. Albus could feel it, like the pulse of a spell still vibrating in the air long after it had been cast.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low, stripped of any rhetorical flourish. “I understand why you’d ask. And I’m not going to hide behind caution or clever words. You deserve more than that.” He looked toward the memory basin, its silvery threads still faintly swirling, before turning his gaze back to Harry.

“The truth is… I fell in love with him.”

There. Simple. Honest. Unflinching.

“I had never known love like that. I’d known admiration, certainly. And the sort of affection that came from others who saw me as something grand or impressive—but never as a man. Never as someone who could be challenged, sharpened, understood." Albus leaned back slightly, his fingers lacing together in his lap, his expression distant but not detached.

“For the first time in my life, I met an equal. Not just in intellect, but in magic. Someone who could match me spell for spell, idea for idea. He was brilliant, Harry. Blindingly so. And more than that… he saw me. Not the prodigy. Not the grieving eldest brother trying to hold a shattered family together. Just… me.” His voice softened, but did not waver. “I had never loved like that before. Never felt that connection. And when I met him, I thought I’d found everything I’d ever been missing.”

“I think that’s why I gave him so much, so quickly. I was starving to be known—not admired, not revered, known—and he offered that. We spun dreams together, magnificent and terrible. We spoke of changing the world, of tearing down the boundaries between wizard and Muggle, between magic and fear. But beneath all that... was hunger. His, and mine. And I was too young, and too eager, to see the danger in that.” Albus looked away, jaw tight for a brief moment.

“I gave Gellert more of myself in those few months than I gave anyone else in my lifetime. I was dazzled and when he looked at me, not with awe or fear, but with recognition, I gave him everything. Not because he earned it, but because I needed it.” “At the time, I believed in what we were saying. I thought Muggles needed to be guided—controlled, yes, but not harmed. I told myself that if wizards didn’t step in, the world would spiral into chaos. But deep down, I think part of me blamed them. Blamed Muggles for what happened to my sister. For the way they broke her. For the way they broke my family.” His voice caught briefly, but he pressed on.

“I didn’t want revenge. Not exactly. But I wanted power. Enough power to keep it from ever happening again. And when Gellert spoke of reshaping the world, of lifting us above the fear and making the world better, safer… I listened. I agreed.” Albus looked to Harry, solemn now.

“But I don’t believe that anymore. I haven’t in a very long time. Muggles are not lesser, Harry. They are not the enemy. Pain and cruelty live in all people. Wizard and Muggle alike. But so do compassion, and grace. I was blind to that once. Wilfully so. I'm not now.”

He let out a soft, self-aware breath. “I thought we were dreaming of a better world. But it was never really about justice or peace. It was about power. About control. And we dressed it up in ideals. We called it the Greater Good. I called it that. But underneath it all… we were just two boys, drunk on each others intellect and incapable of seeing where we were headed." He looked back at Harry then, eyes older than even his face betrayed. “So, no. It wasn’t just about his looks. It wasn’t some passing attraction. It was love. Blinding, reckless love. And it left scars I’ve never fully healed from.”

Albus Dumbledore was sitting on the couch, staring into the fireplace that was across from him. The crackling of the flames was the only sound breaking the silence in the cottage that was nestled in the Scottish Highlands. It was isolated, miles away from even the nearest village. He had chosen it for that very reason, desperate for solitude even if it wasn't something that had been forced upon him. He had lost the duel against Grindelwald. He had known that had always been a possibility. There were equals after all and had known each other painfully well. They had spent that summer duelling, friendly but pushing each others boundaries. They had grown and changed and become more powerful but their tendencies had lingered. The fight had lasted well over an hour but in the end, Gellert had just gotten the better of him and managed to disarm him and send him flying backwards. His only minor consolation was the fight had left them both panting and injured. But it had been clear who the winner was. There was no backing out of the agreement they had made. His time in Nurmengard had been brief. A chance to recover from the duel before Gellert gave him an ultimatum. He could remain free if he agreed to leave Hogwarts and retreat from the Wizarding World. Albus had already known he would leave the school, for certainly he had lost that right when he had failed his students and the Wizarding World as a whole. He had agreed, knowing Gellert wasn't giving him a choice and not agreeing would result in either his death or being imprisoned in Nurmengard forever or the deaths of those he cared about. And so here he was, over a year after the duel. Staring into the fire, sitting beside a cup of tea that had long gone cold. Books had been removed from the overflowing bookshelves, scattered around the room. Some had been read, some he hadn't even yet opened. Plain parchment piled up on the desk. Few knew where he was and so letters came rarely. He had picked some of the fruit and vegetables he grew in a small garden he tended to. Perhaps he would make some jams and chutneys if he could find the strength and motivation. It came sometimes, mixed in with the heavy weight of despair that seemed to fill his waking hours. He had failed. He had let down the wizarding world and now he banished just beyond the world he loved so much. He knew what was happening there, of course. He did his best to learn of Gellerts ongoing plans and rise to power. Without him there, there was nothing to stop him. He knew the few Ministries that still existed moved against him but it wouldn't take much for them to fall. Everything would be lost then and Albus knew he was powerless to stop it. @johamfated

[room-surprise]

Man, everyone is always talking about how Kabru is wearing eye makeup, but you guys understand that he is just naturally heart-stoppingly gorgeous right? He's probably not wearing any makeup, he's South Asian and he has naturally long, dark lashes, and a delicate, feminine face. He's a beautiful man! He'd look radiant even naked and covered in mud.

He's the type of beautiful that people write poetry about and start wars over!

This is just canon. It's shown and told to us multiple times and ways. People see him and swoon on sight, even when he's barely trying. Even when he's dirty and tired, even when they are hardened warriors and spies. And it's implied that he can and does do this sort of thing regularly... He has a whole flock of women that he's charmed.

And it's not like Dungeon Meshi has sameface syndrome. There's plenty of other men that don't look like Kabru. Kabru's meant to be very, very beautiful. AND on top of that, he's also insanely charismatic and genuinely good at reading people, figuring out what they want, and finding ways to give it to them that makes them like and trust him. He manages to do it within minutes of meeting Daya's hostile, jealous fiancee.

He's a Cleopatra, an Alexander the Great, a Caesar. If he was in a war he'd go out with 10 soldiers and come back with 20 because he convinced the enemy to defect and join his mission.

He's not perfect but he's damn close. His biggest flaw, Kui explicitly tells us, is not having enough experience, and specifically not knowing enough about monsters. The first will naturally be fixed as time passes, and the second.... well, it isn't a problem as long as he's not in a dungeon, which is 99% of his life....

[sword-wielding-sapphic]

calling Black Sails fans 📣

does anyone know of any fics where Silver convinces himself that he's only seducing Flint to manipulate him and only realises later that he actually does love him?

please xx

[katanova]

I find this pair more interesting in Gifs than in the actual show. I feel like they deserved better as individual characters as well as a duo. Fraser was so off in the last two seasons that i wished he would just quit his duties as a mountie & left on 4x01 without telling anyone about it. I needed to see Kowalski losing his sanity because Fraser was gone and nobody knew where he was. I wanted rayk to look for him, I needed to see them missing each other, finding each other & truly connecting without their masks of mountie & tough guy. The show threw hints of something wonderful but never fully committed at giving them closure that when the show ends, i'm left wondering...how the hell did those two end up together? I was almost certain Fraser would end up either with his horny boss or alone in the middle of nowhere like the show started because it was obvious he didn't fit anywhere, he felt guilty for hurting vecchio AGAIN after just reuniting and Kowalski was always annoyed by him so he was ready to let him go as well. Now, don't get me wrong, i'm thrilled F/K is endgame but the last season & last episode just didn't do them justice, just compare it to the last episode of Merlin where it's just him & arthur going through hell but having the most beautiful moments that you truly feel they're falling in love but sadly, i didn't feel that romantic love in the last episode of DS. I believe they still haven't figured out their feelings for each other are romantic, but i'm sure they will eventually after many nights inside a small tent sleeping next to each other. I mean, that sexy tension was definitely very clear from the start, so thank you show for not disappointing in that aspect. 👏

Benton “Ray Ray Ray LOOK AT ME Ray” Fraser

Ray, Ray

Ray, Ray, Ray

Ray, Ray, Ray, Ray, Ray, Ray

“Ray, my friend, I am going to endanger your life in a WILDLY BIZARRE way.”

“it could be a sign of affection”

[sskk-manifesto]

Next time we should just skip over ep 3 and do a chapters 84-87 reread

[wajjs]

John failed because he was too cocky. Overconfident, depending way too much on his ring to the point that it became a very literal crutch. Cosmic Odyssey #2 builds up to that, from the get go J'onn and John's mission has that momentum: John depends more and more and more on his ring until he can't do anything without it, until his arrogance blinds him to the point of total tragedy.

He's cocky to the point of recklessness that's also very... stupid. There's no kinder way of putting it, John makes the very stupid decision of leaving J'onn behind because he believes himself to be unstoppable. He thinks that as long as he has his ring, nothing will defeat him.

Of course, his overconfidence leads to an extremely tragic ending. It leads to total genocide, to the complete and irreparable loss of an entire planet with all sentient lives still inside it. He flies high like Icarus, and falls to his hubris just as hard. I mean, his storyline in Cosmic Odyssey is a western comics version of a Greek tragedy. It follows the same story beats, the same progression of events, the same gut wrenching ending for the protagonist:

He wasn't just careless. He made a mistake that costed everyone else everything they had (their very lives) because he did not care to stop and think for a single second. He went in hot, his pride being his downfall. That is the main point of his storyline here. He's the protagonist of a tragedy that is of his own doing. And J'onn is there to let him know that, trapped in place by John and forced to bear witness to total annihilation:

In contrast, Coast City's tragedy was not a direct cause of Hal's actions. And while it's true that it does not happen in a main Green Lantern comic, Hal is in fact present when his city gets destroyed. He is the other Big Hero (in the meaning that he's a founding member of the Justice League, because Supergirl and Superboy are also there) fighting the threat alongside Clark.

Coast City gets blown up in issue #80 of Superman 1987 run (a year before Cosmic Odyssey #2 gets published btw):

In Superman 1987 #82 you have Hal fighting Mogul and getting wrecked in the process, though he does win:

"Kryptonite. Everywhere. No one... could have survived this."

In The Last Will and Testament of Hal Jordan (one of the best written comics ever published by DC Comics) this part of the story is even more gut-wrenching:

Hal's emotional turmoil is just... poorly written in the 80s comics. Hal is shown as okay, but it becomes clear that his being okay is another construct he creates to get through life. And even though the writing is focused on being edgy and grim in the late 80s, we do get glimpses of Hal's devastation here and there.

Take Superman 1987 #83 as example. The hero community gathers to talk about what they're going to do with the killing machine that was built upon the remains of Coast City, machine that used the flesh and blood of all living things in the city as part of its creation when the city was destroyed. Hal wants to make it go away. He wants to metaphorically burn it all down, he doesn't want the memory of all those lives lost to be tarnished by the very thing that killed them.

But what's the reply of the hero community? That it's too bothersome (Arthur), and that a compromise needs to be reached (Clark) because Hal's asking for too much.

"My friends are buried under this junk heap and I'm not about to let it stand as their tombstone!"

The machine starts crumbling under its own weight, however, and everyone with a power ring/green lantern ring scrambles to use their weapons to eliminate all the toxins. Which in turn makes Arthur's whole ramble about how toxic it would be kind of a moot point.

Clark creating that monument out of a piece of the machine that killed everyone only serves to calm his own consciousness. The tragedy happened because of him. Hal was a witness to it. He heard the explosion. He was among the first to see what became of his city. He was there for all of it.

In comparison to everyone else, Hal is the only one visibly beaten down and physically injured. Hal is the one carrying in his body the reminder of this great failure, of this tragedy, of all the lives lost. His broken arm, his shattered knee, they are the marks upon his body that no one else carries. After this, Clark goes back to Metropolis and talks about sunny days being nice. Every hero goes back to their own lives and Hal is left with virtually little to no support/safety net. From here, his pain grows exponentially until it erupts in the explosion of Parallax.

So if you place these two events together, the contrast between Hal and John is obvious and they seem to be two sides of the same coin. Their stories are both tragedies. John's story is marked by his hubris. Hal's story is marked by his grief.

(As a side-note, it's always been interesting to me how no one ever talks about Guy being affected by Coast City's tragedy, considering he lived there and all.)

when you compare the two events together, it is interesting to see how Hal failing to save Coast City and John failing to save Xanshi sparked in them different reactions motivated by two similar, but yet distinct, emotions: Hal's descent into madness is fueled by unadulterated grief, while John's rapidly and steadily consumed by his life-altering guilt.

And it is also interesting to compare them from the point of view of what caused the tragedies: in Hal's case, it was the lack of help and the scope of events being way more than what he and Superman could handle, meanwhile in John's case the tragedy happens because he grows too overconfident and cocky.

In the two cases the heroes lose. Except in one case the hero ends up turning into a tragic villain.

[icharchivist]

rattles the bars of my cage with righteous anger

[moe-broey]

Also something that's fucking me up actually. Nothing of huge note is said in Tana/Peony duo's bio, but the associated characters...... they're all either someone's brother or in Eirika's case, someone whose brother is extremely significant to her esp as her twin

And. That paralogue dialogue again.

I am. So. I'm. This HAS to be intentional WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[astr-owl-ogist]

Stolas nodded along. "I've no problem signing a document like that, it's wise for you to protect yourself given our history, what I'm asking of you, and Blitz's impulsive nature. But I have no illusions about leaving a lesson from you without having learned several new ways pain can be felt. You're an expert, I'm a beginner. This is why I.M.P. refuses to help me improve, they don't want to hurt me."

The fallen prince kept his voice steady. This part was the dangerous bit but he didn't back off. "Most of my payment from Blitz is in room and board so I don't have money for more than my round trip ticket. My payment to you will be both you getting to regularly beat the shit out of a Goetian who keeps coming back for more, and in my being harder to kill."

A dark chuckle rumbled in his chest. He leaned forward, resting his chin on his steepled hands with narrowed eyes. "Before you dismiss that as valid payment, allow me to clearly lay out our mutual entanglement, hm? Thanks to that farce of a trial all of Hell knows you were hired to kill me. It is known you captured me with a blessed rope lasso. Since I escaped your clutches you clearly failed to kill me, even while helpless. Since your narrative was that Blitz wanted me dead? There was no one and no team to protect me so I must have escaped on my own ability and cunning. Meaning that even while helpless and kidnapped I was too much for you to handle. So. Imagine some other upstart little mercenary getting hired to finish the job, or perhaps just getting it in their head to give it a go for the justice or glory of it. After all, the great Striker couldn't handle me while I was tied up and bound by holy power."

"And what if they do succeed? Where do you think the Goetians will begin their search for my killer, to wreak vengeance upon? Even banished, I am from a royal house. I am slated to return to my title eventually. My death would cause the full wrath of House Paimon to descend upon the one already known to have been hired to kill me first. If you survive the torture and your little bar survives the blaze there will still be someone else out there claiming the kill. Some little pissant claiming to be better than you by fulfilling the mission you failed--killing the helpless Goetian you failed to."

He sat back up in his seat, arms widening as if to welcome an attempt on his life. "And, certainly, you could easily kill me yourself. Especially in this moment. As we established earlier no one knows I intended to come here, you could easily make me vanish. You could even find someone willing to pay you for it, I imagine you still have Stella's number. But my disappearance still means you'll be the number one suspect, the wrath of House Paimon still descends, and your quiet life disappears. Probably your entire existence and legacy. You just get a head start to pack and run away on your remarkably well-trained horse."

Slender arms folded over his chest. "The greatest service you can do for yourself is to teach me how to defend my own life. I'm not saying any of this with malice or mockery, Striker. I know you were only stopped from killing me once and had spared me the second time. But the truth doesn't matter in the face of already established public narrative. You need me to stay alive, and I'm offering the chance for you to help me do so."

Agreeing to the trial had bound Striker to whatever lies Andrealphus wanted established. No one would believe his denials of being involved if Stolas died. Reminding him of this would ensure not only did Striker not just use Stolas as a punching bag but actually help him improve.

Striker's expression didn't change during Stolas's speech about the reality of the situation, he wasn't keen on getting it on with them, he saw them as spoiled, even though they were not the main reason he hated royalty, everything he saw or heard about them was someone who lived a rich and spoiled life without responsability besides that book they needed to deal with the moon, besides that, nothing but having servants serve him.

The topic that changed his expression was the lessons they asked for, the ones to learn how to fight. His smile grew increasingly wider as he leaned in, head tilted down, one big eye staring at Stolas. The hands had frozen where they were, one on the back of the chair, the other in the air where they had pushed his hand to earlier. His smile appeared almost impossible with how many rows of fangs there were, as he'd have a glee unparalleled.

"Oh, I can help ya fight, make you faster, stronger, more.. tactical~." He'd linger on the word before leaning back up and pouring all of the wine from Stolas's glass into his maw, the imp's mouth shaped so it seemed like nothing as it disappeared past his lips. He'd walk around to his side of the desk again, the wine doing nothing to him, barely even a buzz as he'd sit down and stare at the fallen prince.

"I need a form of payment, a guarantee perhaps, anything worth well enough for you that I know after I do these lessons that I won't be having you flake on me and run back to your imps and spout fake claims… A contract, simple one… But don't think I will be going easy on ya, you'll have to either learn fast, or get used to leavin' all beat up cause you fall on your ass or can't dodge or block a punch."

He seemed eager to scare Stolas, hoping they'd lean back on that princely nature and wish not to do something that might be painful.

"But if you think you won't be able to handle it, then I can't fault you, being a prince for so long and gettin' everythin' handed to ya must make the real world so very stressful and full of hard work, right~?"

[marinehero]

I know I've likely already talked about it before, but. Garp has always believed in Luffy. He knew, nearly better than anyone else, what it took to thrive in this world. He'd seen Roger. He'd seen himself. But just as he knew Luffy's strength, he knew the forces that would work against his grandson. His fears had always taken the priority, his stubborness in refusing to acknowledge anything else triumphing any possible hope of Luffy's survival.

But the timeskip, after Marineford, Garp has become fully supportive of his grandson's endeavors. The point of his desire for Luffy to become the strongest Marines was in order to protect him, but following everything that's happened — Enies Lobby, Sabaody, Impel Down, Marineford — even he can tell that Luffy's long gone past the point of return.

There's grief. There always will be. But more importantly than that, after years and years of fighting it — of fighting Luffy — Garp has finally decided to put his trust in his grandson and the crew of misfits he'd acquired.

And he's proud of his grandson. He's so openly, enthusiastically proud of Luffy following the timeskip and he couldn't give less of a crap of who doesn't like it. It thrills him whenever he finds someone who likes Luffy, one of his crowning moments being when Shirahoshi only acknowledged him as "Luffy's grandfather". He'd never wanted the title of Hero, even if it was incredibly convenient, so if the world remembered him as nothing more than Luffy's grandfather, he would die happy with that.