#and he is so proud of his successors just because they are still alive

[weepingtalecowboy]

also the very fact that four probably had the most harsh example to live up to

Like sky with his quest of searching for Zelda probably set the bar way too high

Like thinking about it

Four first encountered Vaati and Vaati just turned Zelda to stone in minish cap

And nobody had any idea what even was going on

Like by then the green tunic would not yet be a sign of a hero

The master sword wasn’t even around during his time

He created the Picori blade from elemental ores and in order to even have the ability to defeat something with it he needed light force

His Zelda got drained like a capri Sun by Vaati

And every knight was charmed into trying to kill him

Four legit probably had no context for anything happening nor did anyone else

And sky was the equivalent of a mythical creature

Like where sky at least knew what is happening four probably doesn’t

Four only ever heard of the hero who came down from the sky like a fairytale

And then when it was his turn he kept messing up in comparison to said guy who actually managed to get his Zelda

Four just wasn’t fast enough and let Vaati go god mode and then he had to fight god mode Vaati who turned everyone into stone and was going eldritch

Like their adventures mirror each other a lot

Both where friends with their Zeldas

And also just some regular guy

Then Zelda ends up being harmed

Now they have to go man up and figure out what even is happening

And get a Random item for a guide (hat/sword)

Who drops lore on them when necessary

They encounter some sort of white rat who is a degenerate who primarily uses a purple color scheme

And that rat has problems with them for no other reason other than being a problem (Ghirahim and Vaati)

They have to go power up a sword and then try their hand at beating the pest

Once the Pest is gone

God boss final battle happens

Because the purple maniac used Zelda like a capri sun and drained her light magic juice

Then they beat an eldritch horror dude and say goodbye to the talking item they befriended lol

Like someone copied the homework (and it wasn’t four )

Do you think Four actively seeks Sky's approval? Like, he's his first successor, he really doesn't want to let Sky down. In fact, one of his nightmares is Sky being angry at him for not being good enough

[shiroganeryo]

DGM 252: New perspectives and confirmations it has given us

⚠️First of all, I'll be tagging this under DGM spoilers so if you have somehow stumbled upon this even if you're avoiding spoilers for Chapter 252 (or the most recent DGM talks as a whole), this is your warning to turn back now!

And secondly, I'm under the effect of allergy meds so please pardon me if I'm talking gibberish 😂 But the latest chapter has given us some food for thought and I've been mulling it over.

There are two points I want to cover in this post; the first one being much extensive while the other is rather short.

1. Bookman Jr.

The reveal that the guy we had thought to be Past!A all along was actually the former Bookman Jr. in one of the best twists Hoshino has given us in a while - she sounded very proud of how we were all misled by her narrative and honestly I tip my hat at her for such genius - has also fueled questions about his identity.

I'll start by saying I do not believe he and Cross are the same person. That's not what I'll be talking about so I'm playing this card right off the bat. This theory, although popular, has always had way too many gaps for my liking and after the latest chapter, the chances are practically null that it's true.

If you want a discussion as to why, this post has put it into words better than I could and I agree 100% with OP's point, hence why I don't see the need to say anything on the matter.

But there's one thing that I'm yet to see people discussing and it's about the talk Lucia had with Joe back in The 222nd Night: Searching for A.W. - Hypokrisis.

(I'm showing what I believe to be the official translated English version by Viz and there's a reason why)

For a long time, people have debated about this small exchange between Lucia and Joe. There's no doubt the one they're talking about is old man Bookman, so we can confidently affirm he's the one waiting at the Campbell Mansion.

And what about Lavi? This is where the next dialogue from Lucia comes into play:

Since this is probably the version a lot of people have read, I must make it clear that the like "Junior, his successor, isn't here" was a mistranslation. Here's the original:

Lucia: Koukeisha to naru Jr. wa mou imasen. (The one who'd become his successor, Jr, is no more.)

I've double-checked with the Brazilian Portuguese translation because it tends to be as close to the original as possible, and surely enough, it's translated correctly:

(image courtesy of the volume I own by my so-so phone camera 😋)

"Junior, who was his heir, is no more."

The literal translation for what Lucia is saying is "isn't among us anymore", but that's an expression in Portuguese that means that someone has died/doesn't walk on Earth anymore.

While the mistranslated English version and the original Japanese/Brazilian version have similar meanings, the way it's worded gives the sentence a completely different meaning: in one we're led to believe Jr. isn't physically there at the Mansion, while the other two make it clear that Jr. has died.

And that's exactly why that, after Chapter 252 dropped, this scene is given a new perspective - because Lucia was referring to the former Bookman Jr, and not the current one.

We don't know the whereabouts of current Lavi - cue in the chair jokes, I unfortunately love them all - and while I might be wrong, I have my reasons to believe he's alive.

It just doesn't feel like Hoshino to kill an important character off-screen, plus she has said we'll see him again eventually and that the mystery of what's behind his eyepatch is still to be revealed (and will only happen once Bookman passes away, something that will possibly happen before the story reaches its end).

I have the feeling Lavi still has much to contribute to the story and he's actually one of the characters that, to me, seem to have the highest odds of making it alive until the end. It also isn't mere coincidence that Bookman picked the same alias for both Juniors, since Lavi has mentioned in a discussion room that the aliases refer to their record logs and the Holy War is being recorded under 'Lavi'. There's unfinished business to be taken care of.

Using the mistranslated version to illustrate was important because I've seen people wondering where Lavi is if not in the Mansion, while others were afraid he has died. He's very likely in a predicament, but dead? I don't think so.

So that only leaves us with one viable subject for that dialogue, that being the former Bookman Jr. (now affectionately dubbed Lavi Sr. by the fandom).

"But how come they didn't know Bookman already had a new apprentice back in Chapter 222 if the Zoogles mentioned it in Chapter 251?"

Yes, it's a little odd. What I can infer from this is that they either 1. Didn't know Bookman already had a new Jr. because he had been unconscious and only after they stabilized his situation they could talk, or 2. Did know about the current Lavi but believe him not to be ready to take on the mantle yet while Lavi Sr. was (but unfortunately deserted the clan).

Since only the Bookman and his appointed apprentice, who was born with the seal, can exchange information and records via their blood, it might be not that off the chart that the Zoogles weren't up-to-date on his affairs since they're not Bookmen themselves but rather a bloodline of people scattered across the globe who are supporters of Bookman's mission like Lucia has explained. Yet, even if they aren't all-knowing, it seems odd for them not to know something as vital as that about the person they're supporting.

And of course, there's also the possibility of option 3, something else that I completely failed to consider right now. Time will tell which one.

Note: By the way, the Lucia in 222 and the Lucia in 251/252 are indeed the same person; Hoshino seemed to hint there's a reason behind her sudden aging that we don't know yet. It's important to make this clear since what I've said is related to dialogues delivered by her.

2. Past!A = current Allen

(image courtesy of Kougeki Scans' Chapter 251's translation)

There were theories around and people still considering the possibility of our current Allen being a clone and all sorts of theories because of the unexplainable age gap between him and Past!A, but it seems the deaging theory has been fully confirmed by Chapter 252, as we saw it taking place before our very eyes.

There are still some mysteries surrounding it, but seeing how Apocryphos mentioned the "Helix", we can't help but be taken back to the explanation we've previously seen about the Helix of Life (The 221st Night - The Clown's Joke).

Since that's a topic that feels like there's more to it as of now, I won't be discussing the how and why Allen deaged, especially with the unseen variable in the mix that is Innocence; who knows if that might make the Helix energy behave differently.

I was on the "deaging theory" train because Nea was able to recognize Past!A all right when he looks in the mirror (The 214th Night: Searching for A.W. - Awakening) and also questioned the presence of Innocence on his body as well as how he hadn't aged but instead had gotten younger (The 215th Night: Searching for A.W. - By Your Side).

There are many mistranslations in the official English version of these two chapters (214 and 215) that have fueled countless misconceptions within the fandom but I won't be pointing those out in this post since I'm not here this time specifically to talk about it.

Note: Mangadex seems to have nicely translated versions of these chapters if you want to check them out for a recalling - I can't confirm fully but what I read of them looked consistent and faithful to the original.

Anyways, back on track; now that we've seen what took place 35 years ago in Chapter 252, Nea's bewilderment at the current situation of Allen back in Chapter 214/215 makes a lot more sense.

And even more interesting is that as soon as he noticed the Innocence lodged into Allen's left hand, we see the image of Apocryphos, as if Nea could feel its presence. Turned out that meant more than just Apocryphos being able to resonate with all Innocence, but rather, that the very reason why that Innocence had found home in Allen's body was by its intervention.

Just what the hell, dude. That was, once again, extremely well-played on Hoshino's part. I'm really looking forward to the next chapter!

[oldtvandcomics]

Compound Fracture is a Book About History and Legacy

Finally finished Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White. There is A LOT that this book has got going for it, but what sticks out the most to me is just how heavy it is with history.

It's something that you see a lot in Black fiction, this emphasis on ancestry and family heritage. Black Panther (2018), to name the example that everyone knows, or if we are at queer horror novels, Virginia Black's Consecrated Ground. Both a very much about family, about the land the family has ties to, and about the new generation's responsibilities to carry on this legacy. I haven't really seen it in white fiction before, at least not US American white fiction.

I especially have not seen it in queer fiction before.

Queer fiction deals a lot with alienation from the family. Characters either get kicked out, leave on their own free will, or have this strong feeling of alienation hanging over their heads. There is no connection to the past. Even the ones who are on good terms with their families, like the movie Runs In The Family (2023), which is genuinely one of the best father-son relationships I have ever seen ANYWHERE, are very much stuck in the present. You can be on good terms with a parent, or sibling, or grandparent, even your extended family, but the previous generations remain silent. The ones who manage to find queer role models within their family do so within someone who is still alive.

And, well, that's all of us, isn't it, doing whatever research into queer history we can however we can (word of mouth on the Internet, mostly), looking for people who might have been like us, but it's still so uncertain, and also, given the nature of the Internet, the names we find are from some random corner of the world that is pretty much never ours. It's Silas in The Spirit Bares Its Teeth latching on to James Barry, because who else is there?

Compound Fracture is all about legacy, and that legacy goes back four generations. It is no wonder that Miles' main Special Interest is history, it's the major theme of the book: How systems of power and oppression get passed down from one generation to the other, how everyone is basically a child caught in the sins of their parents, doomed to repeat it, over and over again. How the ones in power have the possibility to rewrite history, and use it to erase people they don't like, or simply don't care about, and how it takes conscious work and effort to preserve their memory.

And in the middle of it all, a revolutionary, a true role model, not from some random other place, but from Miles' own family. A figure he can look up to, a figure he can admire, a figure whose life and deeds still influence his everyday reality a hundred years later.

A figure he has pretty solid proof to have been a gay trans man.

Silas in The Spirit Bares Its Teeth already had this connection over time with Barry, but that was still quite distant, in that it was completely parasocial. Silas may have seen himself in many ways as Barry's spiritual successor, and he may have even been right, but there was no direct connection between them. If James Barry's consciousness still exists in that world, as a ghost or whatever, then he is pretty guaranteed not to know of Silas' existence. Like, why would he. But with Miles and Compound Fracture, Andrew Joseph White goes this one step further. There IS a direct link between him and Saint Abernathy. Saint Abernathy DOES exist in this book in the form of a ghost, and he DOES care about Miles, and he DOES make it abundantly clear that he is proud of him. Looking further, at the symbolism, it becomes clear that Miles is Saint's heir, and that he is worthy of that role.

I'm pretty sure that every queer person has dreamt of a similar situation regarding members of their own family before. Just knowing that there was someone would be amazing. But to have the founder of your family share your exact identity? To have a sign that they would be proud of you??

Yeah.

As I said, Compound Fracture is a very good book with many strong themes and consequently many reasons why it will appeal to a reader. But this weight of history and legacy are definitely going to be one of the major reasons. I think that we are all secretly STARVED for this kind of queer story.

[through-the-rabbit-hole]

I love Griffin and Robin's relationship. The way Robin searches for himself in his brother's face as he did in his father's, starved for a connection to his biological family. The way Griffin does not actually see him, much like Lovell never truly saw any of his children. The way Robin must have known, from the books he had read, what a brother should look and act like, but never had the opportunity to have a brother who felt like a brother. The way Griffin wants to coax him to his side for the same reasons Lovell wants him; for his own plans, for his own ends, for the future he envisions. The way Robin has nightmares when even thinking of killing someone, and Griffin is too eager to commit violence. The way Robin hates himself when he makes his brother proud, just as he did when he made his father proud. The way he treasures his friends, his found family, far more than his real family, and yet still foolishly chases the fantasy of a caring older brother. The way Griffin could have convinced him to stay at Hermes if only he wasn't so distant, cold and calculated against Robin's sensitive heart, if only he had the sense to, even manipulatively, pluck at Robin's heartstrings by actually behaving like an older brother. The way Robin, fool that he is, tried to tell him this, was willing to pretend that Griffin was being genuine if only Griffin showed an ounce of care, real or fabricated.

But Griffin does not care. Griffin is fuelled by anger, spite, vengeance. Griffin knows what has been done to him, what is being done to others, and he believes that, because Robin lived under the same roof with the same man as he had, he would understand. Eventually, the fire of revolution would light up in his heart, and he would finally see where Griffin was coming from. He would be just like Griffin.

Except, Robin doesn't know who he is. He's been struggling with his identity for years, having spent his whole life being molded by his father, stuck between two identities — Englishman and Chinaman, respected scholar and uncivilized foreigner, coward and revolutionary. He doesn't know who he is, but he does know that he's easily influenced, and he's afraid of what Griffin could do to him. He's afraid that Griffin, too, will mold him into a perfect successor, into himself.

And then, the straw that broke the camel's back: losing everything. Losing Griffin. Becoming Griffin. Believing that Griffin was a better version of himself, that Griffin should have been the one to survive, should be the one leading the revolution, thus letting his spirit and his ideals live on in him. In the end, Robin never did make the choice for himself. Robin believed, ever since the trip to Canton, that he shouldn't be alive. And the only thing that kept him going was finishing what his brother started, because, though he doesn't want to live, he doesn't deserve to die; dying is the easy way out. He has more work to do. He has a revolution to lead. The revolution that his brother would have led, if only he didn't have to save Robin.

It's not that Griffin was heartless. There must have been a part of him that wanted to be a good brother, that wanted to open up and be comforted. He had little choice; he'd already lost so much, he was likely to lose Robin one way or another, anyway. He couldn't afford to care. All he had left was the revolution. After losing everything, all that was left of him wasn't a man, but a revolutionary. And that was all he could offer Robin, with so little time and so many enemies on their heels: he could only leave him his ideals, his theories, his philosophies, his work. He sacrificed himself, and he sacrificed Robin, because that was the only way he could leave a mark on the world.

( It felt good, didn't it, Griffin says, hoping that he can trick himself into believing he wasn't as devastated about Evie's death as he really was. And Robin looks him in the eyes, and he says what they're both thinking: If I could, I'd take it all back.

But Griffin knows the necessity of violence, and he cannot let his brother and himself dwell on the sacrifices they must make to win. Neither of them can ever sit with this grief, because they don't deserve it. They have a fight to win. That's all that matters. )

[zwy01]

Noble OCs - Agvain

Making five OCs for every clan!

Typhon Agvain: Pureblood. Entered eternal sleep, belonged to Lagus’ generation.

Typhon was the father and predecessor of Calytrix, the mother and predecessor of Urokai. He was also the father of Rubino Elenor, the father and predecessor of Rozaria. Typhon pretty much raised Calytrix with free-range parenting. He was happy to let her run around and play to her heart’s content, which defined her childhood as one filled with pure joy. His fellow Clan Leaders raised their eyebrows at him once they learned that he never really pushed his daughter with her education either. He ignored the standard successor training procedure which was an extremely unusual decision at that time. It still is mostly unheard of in the present day. Typhon’s philosophy of life emphasized how children should be able to enjoy their childhood while it lasts and the work can happen later. No one needs to be shackled to a suffocating life of grinding just because “ancient tradition” said so or whatever, he thought. His predecessor raised him with a fairly relaxed attitude, and he turned out fine. Typhon had full faith in little Calytrix. If she took after him, then she’d naturally fall in love with studying just like how he himself suddenly went from neutral to passionate during his teenage years, so he had no worries. Even if she didn’t, he would��ve fully supported her as her father anyway. If Calytrix wanted a carefree life of leisure and freedom even after succeeding Typhon, he’d gladly do Clan Leader work in her stead for as long as she wanted him there. He wouldn’t mind. After all, he chose to bring her into this world and of course he’d want the best for her. In Calytrix’s case, she did find clan duties to be somewhat entertaining so naturally she integrated the studying and training into her routine without any influence from external pressure. Her beloved father asked her if she did it because she truly wanted to and not because of the adults’ whispers, to which she giggled and responded of course, why would she ever lie to her amazing Pa. Typhon was extremely grateful towards his predecessor for letting him decide his own pace of life and thus parented his daughter the same way. Calytrix’s peers watched her with admiration and envy as she laughed and rolled around in the grass while they drowned in piles of books. Luckily for them, Calytrix was very smart and helped them sneak out to play with her and snuck them back in before their tutors noticed. Typhon’s so proud of his little girl, aww. Isn’t she so generous. Father and daughter treasured each other very much. When Trixie’s younger half-brother Rubino was born much later, Typhon suggested raising him free-range like his older sister but the Elenor Clan Leader rejected the idea and insisted on following tradition. Welp, guess that couldn’t be helped, Ruby wasn’t Typhon’s heir so he had no say in his upbringing. Still, with a wink and a playful smirk, he let little Ruby know he was welcome to come visit Pa’s home anytime. Typhon’s love for his family meant he stuck around for a long while. He was present for the entire duration of Calytrix being Clan Leader and only entered eternal sleep after her retirement. Typhon’s partner was an unnamed Blerster, the mother of Calytrix.

Lerna Agvain: Non-pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to Gejutel’s generation.

Lerna was the mentor of Urokai. Her placement in such an important position wasn’t a mere coincidence. Everything she had ever worked for was an effort on her part to approach the Agvain heir. She didn’t do it because she cared about him, though. As a matter of fact, her concern for any of the Agvains was minimal. Lerna simply wanted to see chaos unfold and she’d be the one to make it happen. That’s right. She approached Urokai to sabotage his life. And she started early to achieve the ideal results. It would be wrong to say Lerna is just another amongst the crowd, because she isn’t a nobody; she was actually Calytrix’s childhood companion, by pure luck. Typhon was a kind-hearted man and one day, he passed by a young clan member who seemed unhappy and after he knelt down and talked to her, he found out it was due to her less-than-ideal family. He wanted to offer her a chance to escape from that environment, so he asked if she was interested in becoming her future Clan Leader’s playmate, and she accepted because she desperately needed the opportunity. Little did Typhon know that his single act of kindness would result in disaster in the far future thanks to the snake he invited in his den. But of course he wouldn’t have known, because she was just a child. Perhaps Typhon underestimated what children were capable of. In Lerna’s case, it was the amount of hatred she could manifest inside her. Turns out Lerna wasn’t exactly grateful for the opportunity she was given. She made sure to look like she did, though. She’s an excellent actress and even fooled Calytrix into thinking they were best friends. In reality, Lerna despised Calytrix. Her position as companion just allowed her to witness Calytrix’s wonderful life up-close which fueled her discontent and jealousy. Typhon spoiling his beloved Trixie, the servants adoring her, their clan members promising to serve her well, etc… instead of being happy for her future Clan Leader, Lerna grew bitter and hateful. It didn’t matter if Typhon was super nice to her and treated her as if she were Calytrix’s sister and part of their family. She simply wanted to destroy them just because, and she had to do it discreetly. So she waited. All those years of pretending to love Trixie paid off. When Urokai was born, naturally Calytrix asked Lerna first whether she’d like to be his mentor. She pretended to cry happy tears and hugged Calytrix as she exclaimed yes nonstop. Great, now she could finally get her schemes going. Urokai was a difficult child. That’s just in his nature. He could’ve turned out a bit more normal with proper guidance but any efforts to improve him would be countered by Lerna in the shadows. Long story short, she slowly poisoned his mind. She never turned away from opportunities to smite any budding hope in his character and constantly fed him with hatred to keep him angry. She whispered into his ears “You’re the best in the world and everything you do is right”, “Those who disagree with you are wrong and deserve punishment”, “When you’re denied of what you desire, cry and scream and fight for it until you get it” and “If someone doesn’t love you back, get rid of them”. Again, Lerna pretended to love Urokai. As expected, Urokai genuinely loved her back. He soaked up her “teachings” and heavily relied on them for guidance and comfort. It’d be a lie to say Lerna didn’t care for Urokai at all because she kind of did have affection for him though her feelings were too complicated and twisted thus difficult to convey through words. Lerna was successful at molding Urokai into an angry, explosive, agitated, and violent person. She even got him to turn against his other parent, Isolde. After learning of Urokai’s execution, Lerna is silent then laments the loss of her prized source of entertainment. Unbeknownst to her, someone may or may not have unintentionally eavesdropped on her confession monologue. In the present day, Lerna works as a babysitter for Agvain children. Unbelievable, right? Lerna’s partner is an unnamed Ru.

Hammurabi Agvain: Non-pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to Gejutel’s generation.

Hammurabi works in the judicial branch of the noble government. He is a just legislator who places a strong emphasis in balance. The law should be neither too relaxed nor too strict, and they must find a suitable middle ground between the two extremes. Hammurabi’s greatest rival is his colleague and fellow legislator Phachoen Mergas, an advocate for extreme justice and unreasonably harsh punishments as a full-on authoritarian who refuses to see things any other way. Unfortunately, Phachoen has many strong networks in Lukedonia at his fingertips. His group of loyal followers support him in whatever he does. His excessively harsh laws get passed one after another while the more reasonable and humane ones by other legislators don’t, to Hammurabi’s dismay. The two of them argue constantly which mostly results in Phachoen winning because the court at the time leaned towards authoritarianism thus favored the extreme over the reasonable. Hammurabi tries to alert everyone of the dangers of total blindness towards nuance and perspective but his voice gets buried and almost no one votes for him. Centuries pass and nothing has changed as Phachoen still dominates the court and Hammurabi starts to give up. Feeling utterly defeated and frustrated, he quits his job as legislator and goes back to his home in the Agvain territory to make intricate voodoo dolls instead. He also maps out backup plans for his family and himself to move out of Lukedonia in case things become a total wreck with the ever-increasing terrible laws. Hammurabi manages to convince all but one of his family members, his own son Samsu-iluna Agvain. Under the effects of Phachoen’s laws, more torturers are being hired and the job is in high demand. Samsu-iluna is one of the torturers and frankly he quite enjoys the work and thinks his father is being over-sensitive and delusional. How bad can it get, he scoffs at his father. Hammurabi once again admits defeat to his stubborn son and makes plans with the rest of his family instead. He then decides to scout the human world by himself for potential new homes to move to. During his travels, he may or may not have bestowed upon a group a humans some legal texts on a stele to give them a starting point in civilization. He could have lent his name to them too. Hammurabi neither confirms nor denies these claims. Phachoen, at one point, makes a remark on how his “dear old colleague” is aimlessly loitering in the outside world because he’s unable to live with his own inferiority and mingling with the humans is his only way to feel validation. Phachoen’s basically pitying Hammurabi for bringing himself down to the humans’ level. Meanwhile Hammurabi thinks humans have much more potential than nobles, and those who can’t see past that are too sheltered and deeply buried in the nobles’ closed ecosystem. Hammurabi eventually returns to work as a legislator after Phachoen gets assassinated. He doesn’t exactly want the job anymore but sees it as necessary to help fix Lukedonia back in the right direction after a certain someone screwed it up. Hammurabi’s hobby is making voodoo dolls, and he’ll never stop making them. His favorite voodoo doll with pins all over the torso area has short grey hair and an ugly frown on its face. That sounds familiar, doesn’t it.

Sangria Agvain: Pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to Raskreia’s generation.

Sangria is the study buddy, playmate, and sparring partner of Raskreia. She’s also Raskreia’s not-so-distant relative from her mother Desdemona’s side. The two children didn’t get along too well because little Raskreia suspected that her mother chose Sangria to be her companion in order to monitor her even though that wasn’t the case at all. In reality, Desdemona picked Sangria for her competence and potential as Lord’s heir’s companion and the Previous Lord approved the decision. They promptly made arrangements for the children to meet each other. Upon Sangria’s arrival, Raskreia scowled at her for two seconds but was polite enough to acknowledge her with a proper greeting and introduced herself as the Princess, saying the standard filler of how she looks forward to spending time together blah blah blah. Sangria wasn’t dumb either and immediately realized that Raskreia was hesitant if not reluctant to accept her as her companion. She knew even if she tried her hardest to bond with the future Lord, her efforts wouldn’t be reciprocated easily. Still, Sangria wanted to give it an honest shot. After all, she admired the mysterious Lady Desdemona and was willing do it for her even if it meant spending the next couple hundred years dealing with her difficult daughter. Sangria truly cared for Raskreia’s wellbeing despite the latter always keeping a distance between them; she was polite, but not nice. Raskreia needed Sangria but wouldn’t admit it, and pushed her away when she got too close. Raskreia didn’t realize what she was doing, but she basically used her companion as a crutch: one she didn’t fully accept but couldn’t let go of either. Sangria felt hurt at times. Nevertheless, she never stopped trying to form a bond with Raskreia in hopes that she’d let down her guard one day but her efforts only made things worse. They were just “proof” of Desdemona picking Sangria to conveniently spy on her daughter for whatever reasons. Raskreia was too proud to ask questions and consequently her only option was to internally reinforce her misunderstandings of Sangria, to the eventual detriment of the latter’s mental health. The Previous Lord and high-ranking nobles in Lukedonia all praised the heir-companion duo for their excellence, friendship, and how they set up a great example of “model peer relationships” for noble youth. That’d be a superficial observation, of course, because somehow the two of them have an unspoken agreement where they’d pretend to be best friends when the older adults were watching.

Eventually the stress takes a toll on Sangria’s mind in her teenage years and she resorts to self harm. At some point she discovers that her blood, in certain conditions, develops a fruity, almost alcoholic aroma. Out of curiosity, she tastes a drop and to her surprise, it’s sweet and delightful. Soon enough Sangria starts self-harming to relieve stress and to drink her own blood. Her routine is serve Raskreia, go home, self-harm, drink, then heal up before returning work the next day. Curiously, Sangria stays with Raskreia even after the latter reaches 200 years old and no longer needs a companion by noble traditions. Perhaps she still feels like she has a responsibility to take care of the princess. Meanwhile Raskreia never tells Sangria to pack her bags and go away permanently either. Her feelings regarding her companion are complicated, specifically how she “knows too much”. Sangria has a good understanding of Raskreia’s habits, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses etc. Even though Raskreia feels uneasy about someone knowing so much about the details of her life, it’s oddly comforting and thus a possible explanation of why she allows Sangria to stay. Raskreia suspects her, but is attached to her. In the present day, Sangria works as one of Raskreia’s secretaries. She knows her Lord still suspects her of being Desdemona’s spy, which hurts more or less. She keeps it to herself and copes with the stress by self-harming as usual. Sangria’s hobby is plucking seeds off strawberries and collecting them in a small treasure chest. As for the strawberries, she doesn’t eat them and instead hangs them from the ceiling with clips and throws them out once they dry up. Sangria’s partner is an unnamed Mergas.

Rojas Saffron Agvain: Non-pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to the Previous Lord’s generation.

Rojas has a weird hobby which she calls her job. It might as well be one, but that depends on who witnesses her do it. An Agvain would call it a job while others would frown and walk away in disgust, confusion, or both. Rojas likes to decapitate herself. Burning or freezing it off, cleaving it off in a single quick blow, sawing it off inch by inch, or twisting it around so her spine cracks and the muscle fibers snap until it’s easily pulled off… she gets real creative. She has tons of ways to experiment with her body. There’s several reasons behind her rather violent “fun”. Firstly, Agvains are the only nobles who are impossible to kill through decapitation. Or, near impossible, to be considerate of the slightest possibilities. There are no records of any Agvain being killed from getting their head blown off, though it’s worth noting the rest of their body parts are more fragile as a balance. It’s one of the many strange abilities of the clan and some are quite proud of it. So Rojas here is simply testing how true this statement is by challenging the odds. So far it’s true according to her “data”. As soon as her head gets detached from her body, her neck muscles bunch up to halt blood loss. If her head is still lying somewhere, she can place it onto where it’s been cut off and it’ll seamlessly reattach itself to her body. If her head is destroyed, she’ll just grow a new one though it’d take a few decades. If she were a pureblood, it’d only take a few months. With special potions, the head regrowing process can be expedited though it partially depends on the individual too. Rojas thinks it’s fascinating. No Agvain would constantly chop off their heads just for the sake of studying themselves yet clearly dear Rojas here is crazy enough for it. Agvains feel pain like normal people after all, leading to the second point of how Rojas enjoys the sensation of losing her head. It’s kind of addicting and therapeutic, in a way. It’s also pretty to look at and she thinks the blood is a really neat tool for artistic projects. She insists it’s romantic though those who run away screaming when she asks them out by using her head as a paintbrush to write “Will you go out with me?” on the walls say otherwise. Curiously, one of them doesn’t reject Rojas and agrees to the proposal, and that is Rojas’ current partner named Poppy Tradio. They are head over heels for each other and the Poppy is completely smitten with Rojas’ dedication to her “research” and even helps her with it. Maybe that’s also because both of them are pretty unhinged. They think they’re the normal ones and everyone else is weird. Poppy uses her noble superpowers to invent new kinds of flowers and gives one of her creations her lovely Agvain girlfriend’s middle name; lo and behold a beautiful purple and red flower just like the two of them when they’re together. How romantic! Rojas is super flattered. Currently, Rojas has a gig in the human world as a model for the fashion industry and people always praise her for how realistic her “special effects” are. They don’t need to know that she really is walking without a head there.

Thank you for reading! Kravei is next!

[mha-shiz]

Some random light hearted Yakuza Deku shit that has taken place

- Izuku got adopted (Illegally) by Chrono and kinda Chisaki?

- Izuku and Shoto do everything they can to go on weekly dates, the day itself is moved around, but they still manage to do it

- when Izuku takes over he dosent let anyone who helped in the torture of Eri live (besides Chrono- he also has adopted her)

- Bakugo and Kirishima have a big wedding that was recorded live and it was as big as a royal wedding

- yeah the big bad villains host video game tournaments- you also get prizes if you win (ie. Money, food, appearal for the game) Shiggy, Spinner, Eri, Izuku, and some others, are absolutely TERRIFYING when it comes to this

- OFA fizzles out with All Might, he just, had a feeling he missed out on his successor. He does still train the other classes equally and was a serviceable teacher for them, slowly getting better overtime and uses himself as an example of overworking too much, especially when you're sick, injured, or just need time to rest and have your body heal

- Rei Todoroki managed to be discharged from her care facility and lives with Fuyumi, Natsuo checks in every bit and sees how she is doing and does what he can to help. Shoto and Dabi do also discreetly visit until the anarchy starts, then they just do so openly and get to be with the rest of their family, whole, better, and happier(mostly)

- when anarchy starts, Izuku finally visits his mother, Eri, Shoto, and Chono tag along for support. Their reunion is tearful, melancholic, and just bitter sweet. Inko adores Eri and is proud of Izuku for takeing care of her. She sees Shoto as a respectable young man who has helped care for her Izuku when she couldn't. She dosent fully trust Chrono but is glad he was someone who could also actually help Izuku.

- AFO is very much upset at the loss of the last remnants of his brother. But, is is still going to burn the world, because All Might lost. But he sees bits of his brother in Midoriya and Eri. Luckily, this version is on his side, but Chrono keeps him away because- no the role of Dad is taken

- Nighteye is very much alive and has taken in Mirio as a Sidekick until he can open up his own agency

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Shin Maniac [Epilogue]

ー The scene starts in the dungeon

*Drip drip*

Shin: Nn...

Where am I...?

*Rustle rustle* 

Shin: ( A prison cell...!? )

ー Kino approaches his cell

Kino: Hey there... Finally awake?

Shin: Kino...Did you put me in here!?

Fuck...

Kino: Okay, stop right there! No point in trying to use your magic.

This prison cell is a bit special, you see. It seals all magic. 

Shin: Wah...!? 

Kino: Or rather, you must be pretty stupid to sleep out there in the open while you are being pursued. 

Shin: Che...You put something into the spring’s water, didn’t you...!? 

*CLATTER*

Shin: ...And what are you hoping to achieve by capturing me? 

Kino: The options are endless? For example, I could force Carla to bow his head to me...For example. 

Back then Carla was just standing in for his Father...But right now, he is the one and only official Founder King.

Shin: You piece of trash...!

Kino: Also...The Founders’ powers are a force to be reckoned with in the eyes of the Vibora Clan, no? 

So I figured it’d be a big win for me if I could keep them away from me by capturing you.

Shin: ...I thought you were looking for a place to settle in the human world? 

So you were lying to us after all!?

Kino: That wasn’t a lie. Back then, that was the plan, but I just changed my mind.

Shin: ...Sounds like something I’ve heard before.

Kino: Oh come on, don’t be like that.

ー Somebody approaches the cell

Kino: ...Oh. Seems like your next visitor is here.

Zweig: ーー It has been a while, Founder.

Shin: ...The Vibora King.

Kino: See. I’ll step away then. See you later!

ー Kino leaves

Shin: ...! Hold up, Kino!

Zweig: Hahaha. Seems like the two of us are bound by fate, huh...?

Shin: Shut up. Who do you think you’re talking to!? Stay away from me, you drunkard. 

Zweig: Haha...I’m surprised you can tell I’ve had a couple of drinks. I suppose it’s true that Founders have an excellent sense of smell. 

Shin: ...

Zweig: No need to get so mad. The Vibora Clan and the Founders have a past together which cannot be erased...

Shin: ( This way...What is he saying all of a sudden...? )

Zweig: I doubt you are aware but...There was once a time where your Mother would visit our Castle quite frequently. 

Shin: Mother did...? What do you mean?

Zweig: This happened even before your Mother got married to Giesbach...

Krone was actually supposed to wed my successor, the Demon Lord Burai.

That is why she came here.

Shin: Haha...Don’t lie. A Founder woman wasn’t allowed to formally leave the Castle. 

It’d be impossible for Mother to have come here before her engagement. 

Zweig: Yes. It would have probably been impossible for her to achieve that on her own.

Shin: ...Don’t tell me.

Zweig: ーー But if somebody arranged it...Then it’s a whole other story, no?

Shin: ...!

I’ve never...heard about something like that.

Zweig: It is quite famous amongst the Vibora Clan.

Because this took place before the Founders were locked up inside Banmadenーー

Even before the current King, Carla, was born. So I honestly cannot blame you for not knowing.

Besides...I can only assume it would be a taboo topic amongst Founders.

Shin: ...Why?

Zweig: After all...It is rumored that Krone shared mutuals feelings with a Wolf Prince who worked as a servant under Burai. 

Shin: ーー !

Zweig: Apparently it was a Founder by the name of Ferzen who mediated their relationship. 

Shin: ( Ferzen...Our Uncle!? )

Zweig: ...Good grief. I suppose I’ve said too much.

I’ve fallen into a bad habit of drinking too much as of late...

ー Zweig leaves

Shin: Kuh...

( What if Mother continued to have connections with the Wolf Clan...Even after getting married to Father? )

( If Father was completely unaware of this, and she managed to keep the whole thing hidden as well...It would explain everything. )

( Why they were so kind to me, and why they treasured me... )

It can’t be...No, no, no!

*CLATTER*

Shin: I’m a Founder...I’m...

( A tall and proud Founder...Those whose bloodline is more sacred than anyone else’s in the whole wide world... )

( But...Then, why? How come I won’t get infected with Endzeit? )

( I’m still alive and well even after Nii-san’s blood entered my body? )

It has to be a lie...There’s no way...I’m a Founder, a Founder...!

*CLATTER*

Shin: ( If I’m not, then what has my life been up till now!? )

Uu...Ah...Uwaaaaaah!!!!!

ー The scene shifts to the guest room at Eden

*Flap flap flap* 

Yui: Ah...He’s back!

ー Yui runs up to the Familiar

Yui: Thank you for delivering my leーー ...Wait, huh...?

( This letter...It’s not a response from Shin-kun. It’s my letter... )

Eh...? Shin-kun hasn’t returned to Banmaden...?

( What does that mean...? He should have made it there by now... )

( I suppose I’ll try consulting with Ruki-kun... )

*TIMESKIP*

Yui: ...And that’s what happened.

Ruki: I see...I understand the situation. 

ーー Kou, Yuma, Azusa.

ー The others approach

Kou: What’s wrong?

Yuma: Yes? 

Azusa: Did something...happen...?

Ruki: Go check up on those two. ...Okay?

Yuma: Ah? Why? 

Kou: I mean, if that’s what you want, sure...

Azusa: Yeah...

ー They leave

Ruki: I’ll go have a look as well. ...You stay here.

Yui: But...

Ruki: ーー Understood?

Yui: Okay...

ー Ruki leaves as well

Monologue

All I could do was watch over them,

as the others left Eden. 

I became painfully aware of my own powerlessness. 

ーー Deep down.

I want nothing more than to find Shin-kun myself,

and to save him with my very own hands. 

I’m just so unreliable for being unable to do that,

as I simply found myself to be so utterly pathetic.

May he please be safe. 

While clutching my Cross in my hands,

I continued to pray for a while. 

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

[aeoki]

SS Finals - Epilogue 8

Location: SS Finals Live Stage Characters: Touri, Eichi, Hiyori & Nagisa

Touri: …Thank you, Hiyori-sama.

Hiyori: Heheh. I haven’t done anything warranting a thank-you, though.

Touri: No matter what the reason was, it doesn’t change the fact that you still saved me when I collapsed. You protected me and gave me strength to stand up on my own two feet once more.

No. You inspired me and gave me a dream. Did you know? I wanted to be an idol after I saw your performance as part of “fine”.

Hiyori: So I’ve heard. Well, it’s an honour.

…I didn’t really want to be an idol in the beginning.

But Nagisa-kun kept saying how he wanted to be one, so maybe he influenced me…

I didn’t enrol into Yumenosaki because I wanted to be an idol – I did so because I wanted to walk beside Nagisa-kun. It’s not a very nice motive, huh.

Afterwards, a lot of awful things happened and I actually started hating it all. 

The practices are always hard, and there are times where you can never be rewarded no matter how hard you try…

But I feel alive when I’m on stage.

Ahh, I’m right here! I’m alive! I love this job because it makes me feel that way! I’m really glad I chose this path!

It doesn’t matter what started it! Doesn’t matter if it was for money or fame!

But even so, if we’re able to stand on stage as fellow idols, then we should share these feelings of happiness and euphoria, right?

Let’s make it shine even more! We’ll do it all together!

Let’s smile and shower everyone with a joy that’s strong enough to blow away all of their sorrows and darkness!

Touri: Yeah…☆

(That’s fine for now – for when we’re on stage.)

(Right now, I’ll just be a part of this radiance.)

(I did collapse from the weight of the hardships and worries of it all.)

(But I wanted to look better! I wanted to be someone exceptional without having to feel ashamed!)

(But I still have so far to go in order to be the ideal me…)

(That’s really frustrating.)

(But tomorrow, I’ll be an even better version of myself. I’ll believe in that and I’ll fight against the cruel reality once I’m off stage.)

(I’ll resolve my issues one at a time and grow into someone strong and amazing.)

(I’ll be someone I’m proud of and I’ll shine even brighter on stage!)

(Just like Hiyori-sama, Eichi-sama and the other idols I respect! If I fall down, I’ll get up over and over again, and I’ll soar through the sky!)

(I’ll brighten up the world! Just like the sun!)

“♪~♪~♪”

Hiyori: “~......”

Nagisa: …What a happy ending.

Eichi: Do you really think so?

Nagisa: …Of course not. The pressing matter has been taken care of – that’s all there is to it.

…I committed a crime. I eliminated a human being due to my negative emotions.

…That sin cannot disappear. It won’t be allowed to.

…I think I’ve understood your feelings a bit, Eichi-kun.

Eichi: Really, now? I still have no clue what you could possibly be feeling, though.

It seems you’re able to deceive others with those pretty words you utter like a holy saint. But you can’t fool me, Nagisa-kun.

Nagisa: …………

Eichi: You should have obtained a great power this time.

You must have gotten a reward for teaming up with “Gatekeeper” to subjugate his arch-enemy, “Priest”.

That’s the sort of man “Gatekeeper” is. He’s rather upright – his nature and position won’t allow him to move unless he has calculated all of his losses and gains.

That’s a truth I confirmed when I negotiated with him during “SANCTUARY”.

“Gatekeeper” left satisfied.

“Priest” may have been his arch-enemy, but was defeating him after leaving him alone all that time really meaningful for him?

No. He also obtained something else he wanted.

He obtained the legitimate successor of the God he loved.

Nagisa: …………

Eichi: Subaru-kun’s father didn’t want that. “Priest” was just a substitute and was lacking in ability and everything else.

But you’d be the perfect person to inherit that position and status.

That was proven with how you twisted everything around your finger and led all these events to unfold in the way they did – You have the skills for it.

You’ll become the next god. A new god. “Gatekeeper” must have interrogated “Priest” and gotten information about all the vested interests that exist in this industry.

But “Gatekeeper” doesn’t have an interest in idols. He already learnt that he'd only burn his hand if he touched this industry carelessly.

So he can’t use the thing he went through so much trouble to obtain.

That’s why he’ll leave all those things to the legitimate successor of the god he loved. There was someone else that god loved apart from Subaru-kun’s father.

That’s you. You’ll rule over the industry as the new king of darkness who will inherit everything from “Priest’s” assets to his personal connections and influential power.

You’ll control it all from this idol industry – from the world we all love.

Nagisa: …………

Eichi: Money is still money no matter how dirty it is.

The clean power that was purified in a ceremony called “SS” as well as everything “Priest” had in his possession will be yours.

You act like the sore loser when in fact you’re the real winner in all of this. You pretend to be a pious martyr but in reality, you became the new god.

An entity so great that it could even become an object of belief.

The next, latest god.

What do you intend on doing with that power?

Nagisa: …Nothing currently.

…I won’t say it’s not as though I wished to become god. But everything I gained this time was a reward I did not expect.

…I’ll take my time to think about how I’ll use it all once the new year is here.

…But I’ll say just one thing, Eichi-kun.

…You bear a human vessel but you’ll continue to distort the world like a god.

…You’ll continue to warp this reality according to your dream.

…If you end up going mad or become filled with malice and turn into a calamity that will destroy everything…

…Then, this time, I will stop you before everything comes to an end.

…I won’t pretend I never saw anything ever again.

…Surely, ”divine punishment” awaits the foolish humans who trespass God's dominion.

Eichi: I’ll bear that in mind.

Oh, but, hehe ♪ I shouldn’t be delighted but I can’t help but stifle a laugh. It seems an interesting story will continue to unfold in the future.

My relationship with Touri, you – a new threat, the idol industry that continues to decay despite the source of its corruption being eradicated… There is a huge pile of issues and the causes for my headaches are never-ending.

But it seems that’s precisely why I cannot kick the bucket just yet.

No. It would be a waste for it to come to a fine (end) right here ♪

Nagisa: …I feel the same way, old friend.

…I cannot stop here because of the weight of my sins.

Nagisa: …There is a vast world in front of us.

…Let’s turn it into an Eden where the people I love can live there happily with a smile.

…In order to make that happen, we’ll move forwards while shouldering our sins – one step at a time.

Eichi: Together, we will, Nagisa-kun.

Nagisa: …Right, Eichi-kun.

…I won’t let anything go this time.

“♪~♪~♪”

Eichi: “♪~♪~♪”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter

[krizaland]

Found Once Again Chapter 2

LMK Wukong x Bao Li

First

“Ungh…Where…Where am I?” Bao Li groaned as she stared up at the ceiling.

She looked over and let out a gasp.

“Wait…W-Wukong? Is that you?”

In that moment, Wukong burst into tears of joy.

“Peaches!! You’re finally awake!”

“Eh? Of course I am I was just asl-Eep!”

Bao Li let out a startled yelp as Wukong threw his arms around her.

She froze for a moment as he held her tightly.

“I thought I’d never see you again..”

“What on Earth are talking about- Wait a minute! Now I remember-” -Bao Li pushed Wukong off of her- “-You’re planning to overthrow The Jade Emperor!”

“What?! No! I already tried that and trust me, it did not work out well!” Wukong chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head.

“YOU ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH WITH YOUR PLAN-”

“I know! I was acting crazy and really stupid, like really stupid.” Wukong interjected.

Bao Li simply shot him a glare and folded her arms.

“Look, I can explain everything ok? Just give me a chance.” Wukong’s voice was laced with a slight plea.

Bao Li tried to keep glaring at Wukong but the distressed look on his face tugged on her heartstrings.

“Fine. Very well. Explain yourself.” Bao Li huffed.

“Thanks peaches.”

And with that, Wukong explained everything.

From getting imprisoned within The Mountain of Five Elements for five hundred years, to his fifteen year long journey with The Tang Monk, Bao Li was more than amazed to say the least.

It was almost as if Wukong had been living in a novel for all these years!

Bao Li had to admit, she was proud of how much Wukong had grown throughout all of his adventures.

He truly had changed so much from the foolish coward she ran from all those years ago.

“Wow Wukong! That’s-”

“Wait! Hold that thought! I’ve gotta tell you the best part! I’ve got a successor now!” Wukong chirped excitedly.

Bao Li stared at Wukong incredulously.

“What?! But how?!”

“Ok so get this: I met this kid, named MK, and I knew right away he was something special. I kinda watched him for a bit and guess what? He actually managed to lift my staff! Can you believe that?!” Wukong explained excitedly.

“Eh?! But I thought you were the only one who could wield the staff?”

“I know! So did I! I’m telling you, the kid really is amazing! I can’t wait for you to meet him!” Wukong gushed.

“Wukong I-”

“Don’t worry! I know you’re not too keen on meeting new people. Especially since you just woke up from a long slumber. So I won’t introduce you just yet. I wanna give you some time to adjust and-” -Wukong plopped down next to Bao Li- “-And some time for us to catch up.”

“That wasn’t what I was concerned about but I appreciate the consideration.” Bao Li sighed as she scooted away from him.

“Oh? Then what’s up?”

“It’s just…My feelings for you are rather mixed. I guess I’ve just got a lot to process but…” Bao Li paused for a moment.

“But what?”

“Well, I guess I’m just a little sad you didn’t try to look for me after The Tang Monk freed you from The Mountain of Five Elements-” -Bao Li let out a thoughtful hum- “-Though I suppose it’s understandable considering that you thought I was…dead.”

Wukong scooted closer and cupped her face.

“Bao Li, if I knew you were still alive then finding you would’ve been my top priority. I do anything for you!”

“Really? Anything?”

“Of course! Look, I know plotting against The Jade Emperor was crazy and all but I did it because I wanted to protect you.” Wukong confessed as he released her face.

Bao Li’s face burned pink as her heart fluttered a bit.

“What? You really went through all of that trouble for me? But why? You know very well that I didn’t want you to go through with such a crazy plan and-”

“I know but I didn’t know what else to do! I couldn’t let him kill you or something! I didn’t want you to be punished for my mistakes.” Wukong explained dramatically as he looked down at his lap.

“You were just trying to protect me this whole time weren’t you?” Bao Li whispered softly, her words more directed at herself rather than Wukong.

Wukong nodded slowly, his eyes still glued to his lap.

“Oh, Wukong I…I’m so sorry I-”

“No, you don’t have to apologize for anything-” -Wukong turned to look back at her- “-The only one who should be apologizing is me. I was the one that messed up. Hell, I was the one who got you into that mess on the first place! So guess what I’m trying to say is…I’m sorry, Bao Li. For everything…”

“Well I still owe you an apology for yelling at you-”

“No you don’t. I one hundred percent deserved that. I was about to make the second biggest mistake of my life.” Wukong sighed.

“The second?”

“Yeah, my first biggest mistake was losing you.” Wukong took her hand in his.

“Well it wasn’t entirely your fault-”

“Yes it was! If it wasn’t for me The Jade Emperor wouldn’t have sent out his army to try to kill you!” Wukong cried out.

Bao Li tilted her head in confusion.

“What? I wasn’t attacked by The Jade Emperor’s army.”

“Wait…You weren’t?” Wukong stated at her incredulously. “Then how did you end up trapped in that crystal?”

“Well you see, while I wasn’t attacked by The Jade Emperor, I was attacked by-”

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Bao Li nearly jumped out of her hanfu as she heard a knock at the door.

“Monkey King? You in there?” MK’s voice called out from behind the door.

“Don’t worry! It’s just MK! You know, the kid I was telling you about!” Wukong reassured.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to introduce us yet!” Bao Li grumbled.

“Look I wasn’t planning on him coming over just yet-”

KNOCK! KNOCK!

“Hellooo? Monkey King?” Asked MK.

“Just a minute, bud!” Wukong called out as he turned to face Bao Li, “I take it you’re not comfortable with meeting him now right?”

Bao Li let out a thoughtful hum.

“You know what? I actually wouldn’t mind meeting him now.”

Next

——————————————————————-

Like what you’ve read? Buy me a Ko-fi!

[heireign]

@wornkindness : what is your muse's most arrogant behavior ? ( ZODIAC HEADCANONS )

see, i don't necessarily think she really has that inflated sense of her own importance that's like. genuine. i think she acts the way she would view that someone in her position should, in the political field and a bit more to compensate for the fact she is always going to be viewed with that slightly demeaning lense by her contemperaries. she's always gonna be viewed as if she's not really supposed to be there in that space in her own right, no matter what. it's very reactionary, the overt displays of pride that she exhibits. she wears her pride the way she wears her clothing, it's carefully selected and carefully tacked on so she has the presence that she desires so that she's not ? vulnerable. she needs to have a sense of her own importance, and needs to put on the air of professionalism of being the future queen. but, i don't think she's genuinely arrogant because i think she has a keen sense of just the way people see her and that it isn't entirely good. i think she's fully aware she's not special, even though she's the exception thus far. i think she knows that her position hinges entirely on viserys' favour and she needs to stay in his favour or else he can take it from her as easily as he gave it to her. she can't be too overtly prideful, too arrogant, or else that represents a problem in and of itself. she is a proud woman, but never to the point of outright arrogance where any of her general behaviors are concerned.

one action that she took that could definitely be taken as one of arrogance is petitioning to her former father in law to name her second son as his successor, given that her firstborn is inheriting the iron throne — second born children traditionally don't have an inheritance when their older brothers are still alive and well and, i'm sure the discussion was had at some point that lucerys would be the successor to his father as lord of the tides, but laenor died when luke was four years old, and for the past seven years nothing was discussed, rhaenyra had remarried and slighted the velaryons in the process due to how soon it was... i'm inclined to believe that she and corlys did at least meet and talk more then once in that gap in time, but, there is nothing confirmed in fire and blood to the point, so we don't know if they did. i feel like it seems very arrogant given that her children are illegitimate, which, all i can say to that is given the fact they legally are not, and that their illegitimacy wasn't something that was by and large believed, it would not have seemed so in universe to the majority of people apart from the greens, to people who believe that they are true born. and given vaemond's petition to serve as corlys’ successor, the only way he could have came before any children of laenor’s is if he successfully proved them illegitimate — was it arrogant ? perhaps, but genuinely how else was she meant to have reacted in that moment - what way would she have been expected to react if those boys were true born ?

[nephytale]

Meet the pirates

Suzuki, Ryoko (Captain / Princess of the Kazangan Kingdom)

Personal information (Soon)

Her parents died at the hands of a marine corrupted by Germa when they rejected an arranged marriage for her to one of their princes. She grew up with a very poor woman, sometimes having to resort to stealing food to calm her stomach a little. When she became a teenager, and thanks to kunoichi training, she infiltrated Marineford and murdered the marine who left her an orphan. Shortly after she began her life as a pirate. Much time passed when she discovered her lineage and that she had a brother apparently alive. Following the clues like a treasure map, she could finally find him and he told her the entire story. The marine discovered that the twins were reunited and that their kingdom was being rebuilt, so they ordered a Buster Call to get rid of them. Ryoko had to leave her people to protect them while she decided to confront the Admiral. After a long recovery and the almost complete rebuilding of the kingdom, the twins began their search for a crew. They would both rule the kingdom when they are in there. Meanwhile, they appointed a trusted person as messenger and communicator of the things of the kingdom in the absence of the twins. After all, it was a kingdom made by and for pirates.

Yarimoto, Ronin (First Mate / Ryoko & Kosei's Personal Custodian)

Personal information (Soon)

Born into an elite family in monarchical security, Ronin was the next designated custodian of the welfare of his country's monarch, being his father's successor. Ronin's father has trained him since he was a child and he just wanted to become the best guardian and make his family proud. Before officially assuming custody of the Monarch, he did a month of practice with his father. He accompanied them everywhere and did the same work that he would soon begin to do, under the harsh eye of his father. Despite the pressure, he did an excellent job, but day by day his motivation was beginning to leave him. Ronin was a man of principles and when he was finally able to be inside the monarchy, all his illusions died little by little. Corruption, deception, prostitution, slavery. Ronin could not give his life for the well-being of such a person, so on the same day of the ceremony where his father would hand over his position to him, Ronin decided to reject it, bringing dishonor to his lineage. His family, completely embarrassed and wanting to disappear from people's sight, ended up banishing Ronin from his country, leaving him to his good fortune. Ryoko found him shortly after and wanted to recruit him, and although he thought that pirates were some of the worst scum there was, with her, he understood that not all pirates were bad and he ended up accepting her request.

Suzuki, Kosei (Navigator / Prince of the Kazangan Kingdom)

Personal information (Soon)

Unlike his sister, Kosei grew up in a wealthy family. Since he was a child, they have taught him good manners and how to behave according to protocol, but they didn't allow him to approach other children his age because they believed that he would "catch" his bad behavior. Kosei spent his days looking out the window as the other children played and ran around, getting more frustrated every day. One day, playing alone in his house, he found a chest with a book in it. It took him a long time, but he was finally able to read and understand everything that book contained. It was his story, the story of his kingdom and his sister. Kosei one day took all of his things and ran away, determined to find the only blood family he still had alive. He always maintained a relaxed attitude, carrying a guitar on his back and learning to navigate as he could. Luckily, it didn't take him long to grab the hand and finally be able to go out to sea. One day he managed to find the rubble that was supposed to be their kingdom and didn't hesitate to gain enough courage to start rebuilding it with his own hands and a little help from his devil fruit. He finally found his sister one day and told her the whole truth of the story. When the inhabitants of the kingdom saw the princes trying to raise the kingdom again with their own hands, they put their best will into helping. Kosei didn't hesitate for a second when Ryoko proposed forming a crew.

Nozomi (Doctor / Royal Medical Team Leader)

Personal information (Soon)

Nozomi was born with loving parents and received all their attention as an only child. Since she was little, they could see her intentions to follow the branch of medicine, every medical book she picked up, there were hours and hours that she could spend looking at the drawings that were there. One day, due to a domestic accident, Nozomi lost her vision, and her first-time parents panicked and began to be overly protective on her, to the point of not allowing her to do anything and doing everything instead she. Nozomi could handle that, but when she finally told them that she wanted to be a doctor, her parents tried to convince her that she would never be able to do it since she couldn't see. Every time Nozomi touched something related to medicine, her parents destroyed her dreams. One day, crying alone in a forest near her house, she met the old town doctor. After a long talk, he decided to teach her everything he knew. He bought medical books written in braille and taught her how to use her observation haki. She became so good at knowing and reading the human body in her own way that she had become a fully capable doctor, but no one, absolutely no one in town wanted to be treated by a blind doctor, no matter how many times her tutor recommend her. One day Ryoko arrived at that island, completely injured, and found her in that forest. Nozomi offered her help and the redhead accepted. Noticing the woman's great potential, Ryoko invited her to the crew, and with a little push from her tutor, Nozomi ended up accepting, happy that she could finally pursue her dream job.

Kurayami (Archer - Royal Ranged Army Co-Leader)

Personal information (Soon)

The country where Kurayami was born had a special charm. For every being of light, there was an identical one of shadow. Being the youngest of eleven siblings, Kurayami was always the "errand boy." His older sisters were all women with fine and delicate features. His older brothers looked masculine and strong. Unfortunately for Kurayami, he was born androgynous, so he also earned the bad gazes of his family, causing him a great lack of self-esteem. Kurayami had found leisure in archery. He really had become good at it. Where he looked, there he hit the arrow. He was a prodigy. But it wasn't something that really mattered to his family. That didn't stop Kurayami's desire to train and get better every day. He is a shadow being, and although he had a very docile, energetic and fun attitude, when he picked up a bow and arrow his personality seemed to transform, becoming sadistic and dark. One day training in the forest he met his counterpart, Hideki, and since he was also very good at archery, they began training together. When Ryoko went to recruit him, he didn't have to think for a moment. Someone finally appreciated what he was and what he was good at, of course he was going to go with them, after all, his family wouldn't noticing his absence until they needed a favor.

Hideki (Archer - Royal Ranged Army Co-Leader)

Personal information (Soon)

Being Kurayami's counterpart, Hideki was a being of light, but his personality seemed quite the opposite. Nothing caught his interest, and he seemed to really not care about what anyone else felt or wanted. From the outside, at least, he was always a cold and lonely man, although on the inside, he always cared about the people he loved. He was not one to talk about his feelings, but he ended up showing it with his actions, defending them, protecting them, etc., even though his mouth said he didn't care, his actions showed the complete opposite. Hideki read a lot of books on different topics in general, looking for one that would interest him, but nothing really did, until one day he saw some people practicing archery and thought it wouldn't hurt to try. That's when he fell in love with the bow and arrow. He finally found something that gave him excitement and adrenaline and it didn't take long for him to become very good at it. One day training in the forest was when he found Kurayami. When Ryoko went to recruit him, he wasn't really interested in a life of piracy, but Kurayami was really excited about it and insisted for a couple of days that he join in too. He finally ended up accepting thanks to his insistence and because, very (but very) deep down, he appreciated his new friend.

Sadashi (Shipwright - Royal Armorer)

Personal information (Soon)

She had become the black sheep of the family. Everything started well until one day Sadashi curiously entered her father's workshop. There she found all kinds of tools and materials that instantly captivated her interest. However, the island where she was born was very conservative. Women had to do women's things, and men, men's things. Hiding from the eyes of her family, Sadashi began researching on her own, both by trying different tools and learning through books in the library. Walking around the town one day, she found an abandoned factory and didn't hesitate for a second to enter. There she felt at home, she disassembled everything she could, put it back together and made machinery work that was believed to be impossible to save. The townspeople saw her come in every day and they gossiped from the window about everything she did. She handled all the tools with complete naturalness, that is why a rumor began to circulate that her blood was copper. Little by little people began to be afraid of her, she was strange, rare, different. They didn't like that. One day, after a long time, she managed to run the factory completely on her own and people were terrified, making the rumor increasingly bigger and louder. They began to chase her around the island trying to capture her, but one day, hiding on a beach, she ran into Ryoko. The redhead, amazed by her ability, didn't hesitate to ask her to join the crew, and Sadashi immediately accepted.

Natsu (Swordsman - Royal Close Range Army Leader)

Personal information (Soon)

He doesn’t know who his parents are. The only thing he is aware of is that he was abandoned at the door of an orphanage with a book. He learned to read at an early age, motivated by knowing what that book said. However, he could not take its content seriously and believed that it was a fantasy story where he was the protagonist. When he grew up, due to the rumors that ran from time to time and asking the elderly people of the town, he could understand that this book was not a fantasy story, but that it was real. He was the descendant of a family that served the Kazangan Kingdom. And if that kingdom hadn’t been destroyed, he was going to be trained and appointed as the bodyguard of Prince Kosei and Princess Ryoko. Cursing the Marine for not letting him have a normal family like the rest of his friends and motivated by the desire of his parents, who had apparently died under their attack, he began to take the training on his own. He found a mentor who would help him on his way to becoming a swordsman fit for royalty. Meanwhile, with the help of one of the oldest and most intelligent people in the town, he began to investigate the royal family Once he was old enough to take charge of his life with his own hands, and under the approval of his mentor, he went out to sea in order to search for them and fulfill the duty that he was supposed to do. One day, thanks to fate, he was able to meet the princes, and after spending time with them, telling them about his past and showing that he had the necessary skills to defend them, he was accepted into the crew as the swordsman.

--------------------------------------

Face Claim Disclaimer

[dontpetmeibite]

Great, let's hang out! I mean it.

I like to think I'd know it if you were propositioning me, but words on a screen don't come with olfactory and vomeronasal triggers that tell me whether or not someone's into me, even if they hate themselves for it. I'm relieved to be right that you didn't know what that meant.

I'm happy not to compromise the fact that you're alive in your universe as long as I know who not to talk to. I don't think I've ever been there, so now, I worry that I might meet someone from there and not know it.

To be fair, I would also characterise many of our previous conversations as contentious and I frequently feel vaguely insulted when we're talking. If I knew why, I would tell you at once. It feels sometimes like you don't think I'm terribly bright, and it stings. Yet I still want to be friends. Perhaps that's just because I'm cussed like that.

I almost deleted the following paragraphs until I realised what I was trying to do was give you a picture of what my own history with Megatron is (aside the disastrous affair), and I want you to understand that I do not think that you are this Megatron.

It was obvious the minute you said you were a terrible poet, because he wasn't, and he wouldn't have said so even if he had been.

That was the first time I felt vaguely insulted, to be fair, because my relationships with everyone in High Command were not so shallow that I can't tell them apart and at no point was I ever trying to say that the two of you were alike.

I was Megatron's confidante until I realised that he cared more for his own guilt than for anyone else's welfare, jumped ship and got Misfire to take me home. We'd been conversing in prose and poetry since he was at Messatine and I was Senator Ratbat's favourite chew toy.

We argued a lot and he usually won, even when he was wrong, because he knew how to manipulate me until the day he didn't any more, but he let me slap him twice and never raised a hand to me.

(Not that I'm proud of that. That's just how we were back then. I think that Soundwave and I were the only people Megatron never hit.)

Soundwave and I have been together since before the war and before my cassettification. We merged sparks for the first time before we were twenty years old, in Rodion, during my brief period of freedom before Ratbat caught up to us.

During the war, when Megatron had taken leave of his senses, I did a whole lot of Soundwave's job so he could do everyone else's.

Megatron's abdication gutted us both and ended our triad, at which point Soundwave was mad at me, too, because I didn't get mad at Megatron as quickly and deeply as he did.

Galvatron goaded him into ordering me to kill Megatron if he were serious. Frankly I probably would have if not for the order, because that was fucked up. Then I saw how serious Megatron was about being an Autobot and understood he really did believe that I should defect, leave my conjunx and my family, in order to quietly sit there and watch him die. And then I was done.

Galvatron and Soundwave fell out. I will never understand why Megatron and OP thought abdicating without naming a successor would make the Decepticons stop fighting. I told Soundwave if he needed to swear allegiance to someone that badly, he should swear allegiance to me, and he did, and so did the Scavengers.

Tarn and I got into a philosophical slapfight on the Big Conversation where everyone knew who we were, even though it's against the terms of service to dox anyone, even yourself, and then other people started swearing allegiance to me. Tarn didn't like my Concordian Ethics or the gloss I wrote on the revision of Towards Peace, because it took a long time to get back to the Sol System, and I spent most of that time writing. Until Starscream decided he'd let me use his spacebridge if I promised to take his malcontents with me. (Tarn eventually died, multiple times, because he tried to fuck over Deathsaurus and forgot about Esmeral.)

Unfortunately for Soundwave that meant he had to let me kill Galvatron in single combat all by myself, but I did it, and after the slag that Galvatron had been pulling, it was a pleasure. After Strika and Deathsaurus swore to me, everyone else either accepted me or fucked off somewhere else. I am Vox Destron.

I actually did end up saving Megatron, which was one of the funny parts. I sentenced him to eight million years of community service for killing all of the people on all of the planets we'd already taken over (which was something I'd always been mad about) on the grounds that he'd killed even more Decepticons than Autobots.

Prowl is going to die mad about it someday, but OP actually signed off on that, especially after he heard about the part where I put Glit in charge of him as head of the Committee for Truth and Reconciliation.

One of the other funny parts was that Rung gave Soundwave a big piece of jewellery to keep where his tape deck used to be. I dearly wish Star Saber could have been there when that happened just so I could see his big stupid face, but overall I'm glad he's dead.

Please understand that I know you are not this person. I am glad you are not this person. Having to deal with one of them is enough. I still care for him, and I also still have days when I'd like to put his spark in a blender, which I say with all the love in my heart.

Now tell me why you faked your own death and who I have got to keep mum around, and let's be friends.

Megatron --

I actually like debating a lot but only if both sides are having fun. So. No worries there. If I asked you to go somewhere with me--like the forest, or a museum--we wouldn't be debating.

But... I was wondering what you thought I would need to discuss with Soundwave before I got to 'poetry and chill'.

Soundwave and I don't have to discuss going out with friends to do friendly things...except for logistics. Jazz isn't always with us, and it's not fair to leave Viridian with the bitlets for very long even though she says she loves to watch them. She has had to grow up much too fast and we are not letting her take on any more adult responsibilities until she is an actual adult. But we do talk about it before we 'chill' with other people, even people we both know very well.

But then...it occurred to me that maybe it's been a while since you've been around young people from Earth. Rumble has a human girlfriend now, and when they say they're going to do a specific activity 'and chill' they mean they're going to do the activity and then engage in various forms of interface with each other.

It is entirely possible that you do not know that and were not hinting that you would maybe be interested in propositioning me.

Just in case, though.

I would be up to go to a cafe or a museum and talk about poetry and I would be up to go hunting but the only chilling we would be doing would be of energon fizzes =^^=

There is history on our side of the multiverse that would make it problematic at best to do otherwise, and I'm just going to leave it at that and not embarrass either of us further--in the hope that you really didn't know what that meant.

Soundwave and Megatron are speaking again in our own world and it is understood that my relationship with Megatron is now strictly amica, no benefica.

[zee-has-commitment-issues]

Okay this might be a little controversial but. I really want to hear your thoughts on this: I don't think erik is perfect. At all. I think if he was alive and knew what wille had done with the speech and confessing it was him in the video, he'd be horrified and angry. I remember in s1 although obviously he cared about and loved wille very much he still pressured him into following the rules and doing what the monarchy wanted of him. He was just gentler about it, but he still did it. And I remember there was a moment where him and August were talking about girls or girlfriends or sth, and August said "we have to get them while they're insecure" or something like that? And Erik laughed. That was icky. I don't think he was as great as he is in fanon. I think he'd be furious at wille's decision - or maybe, he wouldn't be furious, he'd understand, he'd sympathise, he'd be kind, he'd care, but at the end he'd still be against it. You know? Like if Erik is watching down on wille from heaven I don't think he's smiling and proud, I think he's sad and disappointed. I think he's worried about what will happen to the monarchy and to wille and I think he disapproves. You know? What do you think?

Hi anon! Sorry, this got lost in my ask box. I missed it.

To answer your question, I don't think Erik is perfect. I have a lot of problems with the "perfect Erik" fanon. I don't think he'd be furious with Wilhelm for coming out, though. I'll break it down based on your points:

Erik 100% put the monarchy first. He knew his "responsibility" and what it meant. He wanted Wilhelm to conform. He told Wilhelm to suck it up, essentially. He told him to stop being selfish. He cared enough about Wille to put it nicer than their mother had, but he still said it. He still put it out there. He thought Wilhelm cared more about himself than the family or the monarchy.

He laughed at August's crude joke. He either laughed because he was being polite or because he was the one to teach August those kinds of jokes. Both are equally likely. Erik was very much "one of the guys" when he was at Hillerska. The students bring up the fact that he had an Only Fans Girlfriend and we know he partied with the Society.

Now, the thing is, had Erik lived, the video never would have happened. Wille never would have broken it off with Simon, never went to the party with August, never needed Simon to save him, never would have gotten caught, never would have exposed August's money problems, never given August motive. Had Erik not died, there never would have been a video to deny.

If by some miracle the video did happen still, I think Erik would have told him to deny it. I think he would have tried to do what was best for the monarchy. But, at that point, Wilhelm wouldn't be important to the monarchy like he was in canon, so a denial wouldn't have been necessary to ensure the monarchy continued. Erik and Erik's children would have been the successors. I don't know if Wilhelm would have felt strong enough to stand up to Erik, but he certainly would have felt comfortable enough to talk it through with him. Had everything still happened the way it did in the show - the denial, the season 2 pining, the coming out - I think Erik would have been shocked, and maybe a little horrified, but not angry.

Erik was everything he was supposed to be. He was a model Crown Prince. He was a good big brother. He put his responsibilities before himself, but he was not perfect.

So, no, I don't think he's perfect, and I never have. I don't think he would have been furious with Wille for being himself, though. I think Erik would have been in his corner.

[ellienettie]

Found Family - Marinette

Marinette: she didn’t actually run away, she’s just hiding from her ex friends. The only one with a good relationship with her parents. “All I want is a week off from all of everyone’s bullshit but at this point what I deserve is to be retired for the rest of my life”

- Her ex friends vandalized her room and her parents told her she needed to hide

- Has faced god and called it a bugabitch (tikki cried)

- Is the mom to like,,, a dozen gods or something

- "I look back on when I was 13 and I ask myself how the fuck am I alive"

- Once cried over a rock.

- "NO FELIX. LOOK AT IT, I WANT TO BE A ROCK."

- "Caramel, why are you microwaving ice cream" "It's too cold."

- she slapped Felix and told him to fuck off from her heart when he smiled

- "Hey Tim. Do you like me?" "Wh- Uhm. Well... yeah." "cool cool cool so the flirting was working" "you were flirting?" "have been for the past month but thanks for noticing"

- breakdown at 3 am vibes

- "too mUCH FUCKING WORK" at the same time "I NEED MORE WORK"

- *standing on a table* "YOUR FATHERS AND I ARE GETTING DIVORCED" *Tim falling on his knees* "NOOOO"

- "Oh damn there's an akuma, man where's ladybug and her team" "..." "oH FUCK I'M LADYBUG-"

- "oh you're batman? I'm the mom of a dozen or so gods, come back when you're better than me fucking bitch."

- Aquaman refuses to help the batfam get Tim back because 'the only reason I'm alive is because Tikki- the goddess that chose your son's girlfriend, permitted it. I'm not having it." (Claude t-posing with a straight face from his window helped)

- Superman doesn't want to help because Kon said he'll permanently stay in that house if he helps batman take Tim back... and he's terrified of Allegra. 

- "Bruce you have to understand- she- she was stabbing a pillow with my symbol. With a kryptonite pen. I don't even know how she got it" (Mari got it for her)

- Diana is proud because yes,, my mom was ladybug and has a great successor

- the only reason Bruce actually left was because Mari was slowly stealing Damian too. (not to mention Allan kept making stabbing jokes)

- "Father, I wish to come over to Drake's manor." Kon: I'll take you :DD (Mari had a strange urge to coo over her 2 part-time custody kids)

- "Hello Damian, when you get home later tell your dad I called him an overgrown furry" "sure, mother" "oh my god why did you adopt my brother??" "I didn't! Felix did!! And it's a part-time custody thing okay!!"

- "Hey Kon, tell your dad I gave Felix a kryptonite dagger and he's just dying to see if it works ^^" "...sure, mom." "YOU ADOPTED MY BEST FRIEND- BEAN HE'S OLDER THAN ME" "But he's technically a baby!" "YOU'RE NOT HELPING FELIX"

- The fam still thinks she ran away but tbh she was hiding and now she's just determined to stay by her new family's side because goddammit why are they traumatized

[doshi-sukiru]

I have a feeling that even as a human Erlang is still a proud asshole.

Mm, depends on how long he's been humanized.

In the beginning, sure he'd still act prideful. Kinda like Monkey king, but Erlang chooses to just ignore the gods entirely. He's still immortal, he can still get what he wants without dying. Money, fame, power, anything he wants Erlangs sure with enough time he'll get it. With or without the gods' help.

Overtime? That pride gets crushed by realizing just how hard it is to keep things alive, or things safe. Having to see things he might have loved or cared about fade away with time? And he can't do anything but watch? Now he sees why Macaque was fighting so hard for his daughter. Now he sees why Wukong hated how the gods were so cold to his subjects.

Because you can't save anything in the mortal realm.

By the time we've made it to the present where Mk's Wukong's successor? Erlang's practically those old grandpa's you see on the farm, sitting on the rocking chair with a hat over his face and little wheat piece in his mouth, listening to the sounds of nature around him. Maybe he's got a family. Maybe he doesn't. Maybe he's started doing something good for once in his life. Maybe he's waiting for a death that will never come for his immortal soul. Point is, he's tired and he's far too relaxed to care about the world around him.

He's become retired like Wukong, except the god in him has finally died.

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: Fishman Island

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

i know i’ve said it before but i really, really love the entirety of reunion arc. it might be short, but there’s just so much fun and joy packed into it after the extremely fraught and upsetting paramount war. there’s something exhilarating about seeing characters who could barely compete on the world stage two years ago not just come back from nigh-obliteration, but come back so much stronger. this is true about fishman island as a whole as well, really, which is the main reason i enjoy it so much. 

every time we get to see luffy flex his conqueror’s haki absolutely fills me with delight.

brook’s return to the crew is, i think, the most meaningful of all of them. he knew them for, what, a week or two in-universe prior to the separation at sabaody? and in the two-year interim, he becomes basically an extremely successful rock star known worldwide and selling out stadiums. and yet he doesn’t hesitate a moment to drop all of that, to declare before the world that luffy is alive and will be king, because he might have only known the strawhats for a little while but they saved him, and he’s going to see his dream through to the end with them. 

this is possibly my favorite panel in all of one piece. it just makes me so fucking happy to finally see him again! 

i’m a big fan of oda’s choice in not revealing his full design until this moment, so that we get to see him finally appear in all his glory the same moment the rest of the world does, just in time for him to explode back into the public consciousness and fuck up sentoumaru’s whole day. 

i feel like i might be repeating myself a little with regards to reunion arc, but i don’t really care- it just makes me happy. this spread where luffy finally arrives back at the sunny- look how delighted they all are to see him! look how much they missed him! the strawhats are such a family, even though at this point they’ve just spent far more time apart than they’ve ever spent together, and i just adore them so much. 

roger is one of my favorite flashback characters and definitely one of the characters i wonder about the most, and a lot of the thoughts i have about him circle back around to this panel right here. where did he get the hat? why did he give it to shanks? why did he choose to set out to sea who is he- 

i think about kuma a lot. for such a minor character his tragedy is immense, and i would really like to know more about him, why he chose to do the things he did, what his relationship with dragon and the other revolutionaries was like- whether there’s any chance he can still be saved. 

fishman island is absolutely gorgeously drawn. i’d call it absolutely the prettiest setting in the series until wano, and i think that, like wano, it’s clear oda was waiting to draw it for a very long time. the amount of detail and care put into all of the big establishing shots is really breathtaking.

one of the reason i think fishman island is so fun is because the comparatively lower stakes, combined with how much stronger the strawhats are, means they get to be at their most fully chaotic best. they take ryuuguu palace hostage almost completely unintentionally, off-screen, and then immediately start bickering and making ransom demands. i love them so much. 

i love luffy and shirahoshi’s relationship so much- i love how much she trusts him to keep her safe, and i love how easily he does it. i love how he’s brutally honest with her but never really mean and how he encourages her to open up her world and do new things even when it’s scary and dangerous, and lets her take things at her own pace. 

i think the sun pirates’ symbol is probably my favorite jolly roger in the series, both because it’s so well-established in the story, all the way back to arlong park, and because it has so much meaning. the shadow of fisher tiger’s life and death is cast over the entire story long before we even know he existed. 

the symbolic destruction and replacement of the slave brand with the rising sun is so, so cool, and the knowledge of the reasoning behind the symbol also makes it clear long before its confirmed in-story just how empty hody and his crew are. their versions of the symbol are open, with the silhouette of a decapitated human, because they have no brand to cover. 

i care so much about koala and fisher tiger, and the relationship between them as two former slaves and two deeply injured people, and how fisher tiger still manages to muster the strength to be good and gentle to her even after how much humans have hurt him. 

i think it’s really a shame that he never got to see who and what she grew up to be as a direct result of his kindness. i think he would’ve been really proud of her.

i’ve always really liked that otohime isn’t perfect. she’s not as flawless as she first appears to be- gets angry and frustrated and even drunk and shouty when her own people won’t listen to her trying to help them, and it makes her feel so much more real. her patience and pacifism feel much more admirable when we’re also shown how hard she fights to keep them up. she works to be good.

one thing i like in one piece is how much value is placed on just the value of knowledge, of writing, of reading and understanding. it’s visible in how one of the rarest powers in the world is the ability to hear the voice of all things, and in the poneglyphs, too. 

one of my favorite things about luffy is how he becomes a hero by trying not to be one. he doesn’t care about how people view him, and he never has; he really only cares about his friends and loved ones. it’s just that he’s also an incredibly easy person to befriend, and if those friends need help, then he’ll help them, regardless of the cost. most of the island-saving he does is just positive collateral to luffy’s driving desire for the people he cares about to be safe and happy. 

i have always loved strawhat group shots ever since back in east blue when the crew was just three people, and they’ve only gotten more exhilarating as the crew has expanded and full-crew shots have become less common in the new world. it’s always just awesome, seeing them all together and united for a common purpose, whether it’s saving robin in enies lobby or kicking hody’s ass here.

my friend zeph grainjew calls moments like these, where other members of the strawhats deal with a problem so luffy doesn’t have to, ‘honor guard moments’, and i really like them. they’re a display of both the loyalty luffy’s crew has for him and the trust luffy has for them right back.

the thing about shirahoshi is that she’s not a coward. she’s a crybaby and overemotional and extremely skittish (which, for the record, is fully understandable for someone who’s been the subject of constant assassination attempts since she was six), but when it comes down to it, she’s fully ready and willing to let herself get killed by the noah in order to protect her people and her country. she’s so brave.

i sometimes see people complain that the villains of fishman island are flat and boring, as though that’s not the whole point, as though the entire arc isn’t a treatise on the importance of not passing hatred down to children. of course hody and his crew are hollow, they’re the equivalent of malcontented shitty white men who become neo-nazis because it’s easier to blame minorities for their problems. 

luffy’s victory over hody itself is nothing. it’s easy, it’s only barely a challenge because they fight in the open water and luffy is a devil fruit user, and in the larger scheme of the one piece world, hody is nobody to even take notice of, no matter how grand his ambitions might be. what’s important isn’t hody’s defeat itself, it’s that the children of fishman island see luffy come when shirahoshi calls, and that at the end of the arc, they all want straw hats of their very own.  

this might genuinely be a coincidence, but i’ve always liked that fishman island, an arc all about inheritance and what we pass down to our successors, is when luffy first pulls out red hawk, an attack clearly inspired by ace. inheritance can positive or negative- the negative examples in this arc are obvious, but there are positive ones, too. we can also see it with koala and fisher tiger, or with jinbe and both of the legacies he’s shouldered. it’s up to us what we leave behind. 

for all that fishman island isn’t the strongest arc on its own, i do think it has by far one of the strongest endings. it’s an arc all about hurt and loss and how it gets passed down and renewed over generations, and it ends with a return to zero. everything’s not better, but the wound’s been cleaned and bandaged, and now it can finally, finally start to heal. 

and into the new world we go! with skies full of fire and oceans full of lightning, looking just like the entrance to hell- and all our crew can’t wait to get there.