#being self destructive and putting himself in danger? the ending?

[ikamigami]

Finally!

Exactly, that's true!

Nexus was worried about Sun because he saw what he was capable of with putting himself in danger..

And it got worse when he met Dark Sun..

And when Solar died and later he talked to Moon in his head..

He realized that he can't actually save Sun if he did end up doing something dangerous..

Like yes Nexus wanted Solar back..

But if you think that he never cared about Sun you watched a different show..

It was all because he cared about Sun so so much..

He had that vivid dream/hallucinations where Solar was alive and Sun died after Earth dismissed his concerns about Sun being self-destructive..

So Nexus wasn't lying that it's all because of Sun..

But he just didn't or maybe even couldn't say the truth..

Or maybe he just wanted to blame it all on Sun because it was easier to deal with all of this, all these emotions he felt to Sun, this way..

It was easier to hate and blame Sun.. than admit that you cared so much that it literally tore your mind apart..

"the beginning of new moon's problem started here"

No

It started here

[silverwhittlingknife]

good coping mechanisms [not pictured]

nightwing 116 & red robin 12

[paintedkinzy-88]

Let's take a step back (or rather, forward) and indulge my wandering mind. Behold! Bad Future Dragos!

I want it to be clear that these are at the... latest point in their lives (AKA, before they die) rather than all at the same time. The design choices are very deliberate in that case.

As always, off I ramble---

Raphael was often called the "Umbrella" of the Resistance, due to his habit of shielding those around him with his wings. He's always done this, ever since he was a dragonet, but the danger is much more real now, and he has a lot more people to protect. As it is, his wings are torn beyond repair. Unless he uses his Ninpo, flying is no longer an option. It's also because of this tendency to constantly throw himself into the front lines that he lost one of his legs. Lucky, Donnie was able to craft multiple prosthetics for him, as his size grew bigger and bigger each day, at a much faster rate than his brothers. Unfortunately, this also made him a bigger target, as he was the first Hamato casualty.

Speaking of Donnie, that serpent held the Resistance together, no doubt about it. He wasn't often put on the battlefield, as his skills were much more needed within their bases building defenses, weapons, armor, indoor gardens, and so much more. He was essential to their survival, working the hardest out of the group of engineers and construction workers they were able to recruit. However, after loosing his tail, back leg, and, temporarily, his voice to Krang hounds, he was kept strictly on base only, much to his dismay. With his focus so narrowed down to just build build build, Donnie created more and more pieces of tech to help him do so, like multiple Shelldon bodies and a constant supply of robot arms (that could of course be used as weapons in a pinch). In the end, keeping him so guarded didn't matter. When one of their hideouts was ransacked before they could escape, Donnie stayed behind to initiate a self destruct. He took out the sister Krang in the blast, as well as a sizable chunk of their army.

Leo was the seemingly fearless leader of the survivors, his way of words convincing countless people of all kinds to join their forces. He actually only took charge after Draxum's death, since the yokai had previous experiences in mass wars and lead them as well as he could prior to Leo. His fins have certainly seen better days, but swimming wasn't much of an option after a few years anyways, as the Krang eventually made the oceans far to toxic to be in. Eventually, with his fins so torn up, Donnie did make him prosthetic wings, as attacking from the air was such an incredible advantage. He also ended up taking one of Raph's old arms after a wound left them having to amputate, and resources to build a brand new one were slim pickings. Sadly, after Donnie's passing, there wasn't anyone with the same knowledge to fix and manage the wings, leading to them eventually just breaking off. Leo mostly uses them to stab aliens now.

Mikey gained a growing group of worshippers rather quickly. He hates it immensely, but his family finds it hilarious. With his mystic powers only gaining strength, and getting increasingly flashy as well, it wasn't too much of a surprise that people would see him as an angel, godlike figure, or deity. He was the heaviest hitter of the Resistance, even before Raph's passing, and spent any free time he had either speaking to their ancestors or helping people nurture the little remaining hope in their base. Despite being almost constantly on the frontlines of the worst battles, Mikey has the fewest scars.

AND, FINALLY: Heights. With a quickly added April to help out. Again, these are at the latest stage of their lives, because Raph would definitely have been Much Bigger Than That had he lived to be Leo's old man age.

(And Donnie has always been the taller twin. It's not his fault Leo had more time to gain a few inches on him.)

[tachiguin]

Is Tanizaki really more evil than Dazai?

I don’t think I’ve ever written a longer meta about “Tanizaki is the person who comes the closest to “evil” among all the Detective Agency employees”, which is something Asagiri mentions at a BSD Exposition, but I do have a lot of thoughts about it. I think the most popular reaction to this statement is ‘more than Dazai?!’ which is fair. Because Dazai is a former Port Mafia executive and has a rap sheet longer than Tetchou’s saber. But I think there’s multiple angles at which you can tackle this: The qualifier being “among all the [ADA] employees”, what makes someone more evil than another, how you define ‘evil’. 

The easiest way to justify this if you firmly believe that Dazai is more evil than Tanizaki is to separate PM!Dazai from ADA!Dazai. Say that PM!Dazai is more evil than ADA!Tanizaki, who is more evil than ADA!Dazai, who after Oda’s death promised to be on the side that saves people. Current Dazai is making an active effort to be less evil than he may have the potential to be, and that counts for something. Whereas Tanizaki knowingly throws all pretenses of being a good guy out the window as soon as someone he cares for is put in danger. 

Though, I raise a further question: if PM!Dazai is more evil than ADA!Tanizaki, who is more evil than ADA!Dazai, would PM!Tanizaki be more or less evil than PM!Dazai? Perhaps we will get our answer if Tanizaki does end up transferring to the Port Mafia.

However, I also don’t necessarily want to shut down this discussion by just saying “Well Dazai is in the ADA now, he was definitely more evil when he was a PM executive”. It feels like a cop-out. Rather, I think that depending on how you define ‘evil’, you can definitely argue that Tanizaki is far worse than Dazai. Is it evil to be indifferent to committing evil acts, or is it evil to situationally want to commit evil acts? Is it evil to be aware of one’s moral faults, or is it evil to think oneself innocent—normal, even—as one is willing to do any atrocity under the right circumstances. Honestly, we can argue morality and try to assign quantitative values to “evil” back and forth, all day until we die. There’s really no “correct” answer here. But for the point I’m making that’s good enough. Depending on how you view “evil”, you could easily see how Tanizaki is closer to evil than Dazai, who never really saw a real difference between evil and good.

I think one of the most ‘evil’ things about Tanizaki is that he thinks he’s normal, with his whole chest. He’s the first person to suggest murder as a solution to a problem, and he just doesn’t understand why everyone else shows reluctance.

He seems to have some vague awareness that his morality is somewhat less than that of his coworkers, as in the Light Novel he thinks that he “[has] a mediocre sense of justice]”, but he mostly equates this to just being cowardly and timid, rather than the full blown self-awareness than we see in Dazai, who is able to articulate to Oda that he feels there is no real difference between the side of “good” and the side of “evil”, and embraces this knowingly.

I also think that to a degree its Asagiri's nihilism at play. Because BSD is a world full of characters with shifty morals, and characters like Kunikida who cling to their principles like a lifeline are a minority. So in a way? Tanizaki is the most ordinary guy.

And he’s not evil on purpose, or performative about it (like other characters, to a certain degree, like Fyodor) it’s completely ingrained into him. It's just that he isn’t a good person, but he’s not necessarily invested in being a bad person either. He simply cares about himself and the people within his circle, to the point that he doesn’t care what he has to do for their sake. I think this is also something that appears subtly in his irl counterpart’s works: the idea of love/affection as evil. Tanizaki-sensei used this kind of oxymoron a lot: ugliness and beauty, hurt and pleasure, destruction and love.

"[his] self-immolation, [...] with which he changed his whole life in an instant, turning the ugly into the beautiful, [...] it was very nearly the act of a saint." — Tanizaki Jun'ichirou, A Portrait of Shunkin

"Little by little, the loathsomeness changed into an unfathomable beauty." — Tanizaki Jun'ichirou, A Fool's Love (Naomi)

"It was evil incarnate, without any question, and at the same time it was all the beauty of her body and spirit elevated to its highest level." — Tanizaki Jun'ichirou, A Fool's Love (Naomi)

Maybe that’s why Tanizaki is closer to evil than Dazai. Because ‘evil’ is second nature to Tanizaki, in part because it goes hand and hand with love and care.

I don’t think Tanizaki’s “evil” could be reasoned with, in the same way you might be able to convince Dazai or Mori not to do something awful. Because Dazai’s evil is ruled by indifference, and Mori’s evil is ruled by logic, they’re both less personally invested in their evil acts than Tanizaki, whose evil is ruled by emotion. You might be able to give Mori a reason why the more logical approach would be to not commit a homicide, but the same reasoning would never work on Tanizaki, because his evil is coming from a more fundamental desire to commit the morally corrupt action, rather than seeing it as a means to an end. In this regard, you could easily see how Tanizaki is closer to evil.

Still, returning to my point about how nebulous the definition of “evil” is—you could also argue that it’s more evil to coldly commit evil acts as a means to an end, as opposed to doing evil acts out of love or affection for another person. However, I think it’s clear why Asagiri made a statement that implied Tanizaki to be more morally corrupt than Dazai, regardless of whether you agree or not.

[burst-of-iridescent]

Hey does everyone remember when Aang physically hurt Katara via burning her due to his own negligence with fire because he didn't listen at all to her concerns? But all of Katara's concerns were her being worried for him getting hurt and not herself, and then he hurts her badly, this never gets addressed again in the show, but I remember this vividly.

i actually like this scene on its own.

aang burning katara is a good character building moment because it's a brutal reminder of his own capacity for destruction. he needs to understand that his reckless actions can have horrific repercussions in order to fully realize the weight of his responsibility as both a firebender and the avatar, and it makes the moment where he uses zhao's recklessness against him more impactful. it also sets up the "water = life, fire = death" dichotomy that's part of katara's arc on viewing the world in binaries, which will later be broken down in book 3.

but ultimately the incident is still of greater significance to aang, and he's the one to bring it up in the guru and western air temple episodes, telling both guru pathik and zuko about his guilt over burning katara and his refusal to firebend ever again. this experience is also what leads him to accept zuko as his firebending teacher, and then finally forgive himself when he learns the true meaning of firebending. for the most part, it's a well-sustained arc and one of the few narratives aang has that is actually brought to completion.

do i wish that katara and aang had actually talked about his actions beyond this episode? yes. do i wish the aftermath had been focused a little more on katara instead of showcasing the impact of her physical injuries mostly through aang's continued self-flagellation? yes. but as a one-off incident contained to a single episode, i don't mind it.

what i do mind, however, is that this is not the last time the show is going to use katara as a lynchpin for aang's character development.

in the book 2 premiere, katara is turned into a pawn to propel aang into the avatar state. in the guru, her imprisonment is the reason that aang chooses to go back to ba sing se instead of unlocking his chakras. that is three separate times now that katara has been damselled in order to facilitate key turning points in aang's narrative, but not once does the same apply in reverse. there is never a moment where aang is the only one put in danger solely to drive katara's arc, the way she is in his. the closest we get is katara bringing aang back to life, but even then his death is still the result of his own choices and more integral to his storyline than hers.

now, compare this to the final agni kai.

at first glance, katara being put in danger just to complete zuko's redemption looks like the same tired trope, and had the scene ended at his sacrifice, it would be. but crucially, it's katara who continues the fight. katara who defeats the scion of fire nation destruction at the height of her power. katara who saves zuko just as he saved her.

in proving herself a master waterbender powerful enough to defeat azula and save someone she loves - someone who sacrificed themselves for her - from fire nation aggression, katara brings her own arc full circle. it is in triumphing over azula by saving each other that zuko and katara become the people they were always meant to be, and so their individual arcs are brought to their narrative culmination through bookending the other. the final agni kai works where the kat.aang moments fall short because it is of equal significance to both zuko and katara's narratives.

obviously, this is not to say that it's bad for certain characters to exist just to drive another character's arc. it's inevitable that some will be written solely to fulfill that purpose because a story only has so much narrative space, and it usually can't - and shouldn't - be divided equally amongst every single character.

but if we're talking about two main characters who end up in a lifelong romantic relationship, and it's the female character being repeatedly damselled to drive the male character's storyline within an already imbalanced dynamic... perhaps it's time to rethink a few things.

[thatweirdguyinthebushes]

breaking bad and it’s themes of toxic masculinity is one of those things that ill never get over. upon first glance jesse is very traditionally masculine, more so than walter, but as the show goes on it becomes clear that walt strives much more for the toxic and self-destructive standards of masculinity, where he must not only be the sole breadwinner for his family but must be acknowledged and praised for being such, where he must be the most intelligent most respected most deferred to of all the other men in his life. his son must respect him the most, his wife must acknowledge and be grateful for the money he brings no matter how he treats her or how he gets that money, his family must be grateful that it was him who provided for them, not strangers on the internet or charity or any of their friends, him. he needs to be acknowledged and respected, needs constantly to have his ego stroked. its one of the reasons he attaches himself so quickly to jesse, because jesse is in desperate need of both parental acknowledgement and a sense of academic achievement. walt takes on a kind of fatherly role, yes, but he's also jesses former teacher, and so his praise comes with a kind of undercurrent of that academic acknowledgement. and also, his relative ignorance at least at first of the technicalities of cooking meth makes it easy for walt to compare himself to jesse and therefore boost his ego. he does genuinely like jesse, but the amount of respect the kid has for him (extending even to the way he addresses him, "mr white", as if theyre still teacher and student) makes him feel superior, which is what he wants. and, as the story later reveals, jesse also has more traits that are stereotypically regarded as soft, feminine, non-masculine. he's highly emotional, much more so than the rest of the cast, and he cries more than every other male character combined. he's very gentle, and enjoys taking care of people, which is evident in the way he treats his romantic partners but also in the way he treats walt, specifically in the episode fly. he likes kids, gets along well with them, and goes above and beyond what every other character does in order to protect them. his emotional nature, especially when children and them being in danger come in to play, is one of the things he is most criticized for by other characters in the show. he's called impulsive and irrational and stupid and rabid, and he's repeatedly punished by the world for how much he cares about things. it seems, for a while, that the world of breaking bad is not only reprimanding him, but reprimanding these traits in and of themselves, saying "Look at what happened to the guy who really cared. Look at all the other male characters. They were all put together and angry and prideful and they cared about no one more than themselves, and they're on top of the world while Jesse is crying in a corner somewhere, because he wasn't a enough of a man." but then, as the story winds further into a close, you see everything play out more clearly. because the characters who are more explicitly masculine than jesse, who keep their emotions together and feed their own egos constantly and comply to the standards of toxic masculinity, all end up dead. gus has to brag in the face of the man who killed his partner, needs the revenge and the gloating and the satisfaction of having ground another man into the dust. mike has to get in the last word against the stupid son of a bitch that fucked it all up. hank has to arrest walt on his own, has to keep his job and his dignity. walt has only ruined his life this much because of his ego, and specifically dies at the hand of his own invention, designed for vengeance against all who wronged him. he offers the gun to jesse and jesse does not take it. he lays it down and instructs walt to do it himself if he wants it that bad. and then he drives away, and he is not stoic or cool or anything like his many foils, he is loud and emotional and he screams and cries and smiles. and at the end of the day, despite the world punishing his open emotion and his love and his gentleness, he is alive, and every other character who disregarded and talked down to him is not.

[justjudethoughts]

Lockwood's Lack of Self-Preservation Instincts

In the show, the writers make a big deal out of Lockwood's recklessness stemming from borderline suicidal intentions, but in the books this doesn't really get brought up until The Empty Grave. Even then, by the end of The Empty Grave, there doesn't seem to be a completely clear answer to what Lockwood has been thinking, and what he is thinking now. While the show has the scene that Lockwood admits he used to think the bottom of the Thames was a nice place to be, but that he doesn't think that anymore with Lucy present, the books simply don't have an equivalent conversation. Which got me thinking about the exact nature of Lockwood's recklessness, lack of self-preservation, and arc.

I think that his recklessness started with a super broken view of self-preservation, since he didn't have anyone to live for and missed his family and thought it was all for nothing. He literally says all you can do in life is try to help as many people as you can before you die. He chooses to be so reckless over and over thinking that going out in a blaze of glory is the best he can do for himself. It's not that he ACTIVELY wants to die, it's that he doesn't particularly care if he does, and in his mind it's better to die on a dangerous, reckless mission ridding London of ghosts than live having never risked anything to help people. Which is good, until he takes it too far and is chasing the thrill and willing putting himself at huge risk for no good reason. And I think Lucy and George help him rein that in, because he subconsciously has something to live for again. But Lucy leaving sets him back to self-destructive tendencies. Blaming himself for Lucy's departure, he once again loses any sense of self-worth beyond his capability to efficiently get rid of ghosts.

And then, after Lucy is back and he starts to realize that his families' deaths weren't meaningless, and Jessica's death glow was there to help them, and maybe there is a wider, more organized story they are taking part in, his recklessness doesn't go away but it becomes a testament to what being alive means: being so full of life you do not fear death, not out of a desire to die but out of knowledge that death isn't the ultimate victor.

I think the difference between Lockwood in books 1-4 and Lockwood at the end of book 5, is that originally his recklessness was a product of believing death is the ultimate inescapable end and thus nothing really matters, and it changes to the realization that everything DOES matter, and while death is inescapable, it doesn't have the final say.

He becomes the embodiment of the ND Wilson quote, "Run faithfully to the end, and like all good men, you will die of having lived."

[miyamoratsumuu]

ok round TEW!!! i am now commencing self destruct by sending in cardigan by taylor swift, with tdrk sho the pookie wookie dookie loml beloved. (behind the screen i am gnawing at the bars of my enclosure, clawing at the walls, sliding down the door and jumping out the window while wailing sobbing and crying)(break time before requesting b4 prolly 1 more tmr!! sorey if its a lot 😞😞 dont write too much ok make sure u eat drink sleep nd everything)

CARDIGAN

cardigan by Taylor Swift, acapella ver., ft. Shoto Todoroki

⋆ you knew him. and after every moment you shared, you realize you don't know him anymore.

⋆ todoroki shoto x reader ⋆ written in 2nd pov, wc: 1.6k ⋆ this request is from the 400 followers event!! mha masterlist ⋆ other notes: I finished writing this only to realize there's no dialogue at all I'm so sorry 😭 and and!! unlike my other shoto work, y/n gets a happy ending<3 (atleast i think it's a happy ending)

⋆ cw: implied cheating

the warmth that enveloped you when you put on your newly ironed uniform didn’t feel so bad on your walk toward UA high. cellphone in hand, the hustle and bustle of what you assumed was your assigned class for this year, welcomed you as soon as you stepped through the classroom door. first days always become such a blur as the school year passed by. yours wasn’t going to be any different, until you locked eyes with the boy that kept to himself at the back of the room. 

everyone else was introducing themselves to one another, in hopes of making themselves known even before formal introductions of the class began. except for two. the one up front of the class seemed off limits right from first glance. now that you look back at the memory, the second guy that was seated at the back looked off limits too. if he wasn’t, he would’ve been mingling with your other classmates already. thinking of it now, maybe you shouldn’t have approached todoroki shoto. but you did. the excitement of the new highschool life filled your senses, and your first year self was blinded by it. 

you assumed your first interaction with the man would’ve been one of those cute meet cutes in any rom-com. the upbeat girl introduces herself to the stoic straight faced guy, they become acquaintances, he slowly lets down his guard for her, and they fall in love! the moment you finished telling him your name though, you began to think otherwise. he was looking at you, sure. but it didn’t seem like he was going to let loose anytime soon. your idea of a cute rom-com moment slowly faded away. just slowly though, good thing you had patience. 

you knew who shoto was. you knew how he refused to use the other half of his quirk in refusal to represent his father. you knew how he didn’t come to ua to “make friends”. you knew what he aimed to be as a hero in training, but it’s been months since you made yourself acquainted with that version of him. and huge changes could happen in the span of a few months. the joy of your time together at ua overcame shoto without him realizing it. you could thank midoriya for being a huge part of that. 

you didn’t know when it started, but the glances shoto sent your way that lingered more than they should, the subtle touches whenever you were in the common room together, and the gentle smiles he wore only for you to see became more and more evident. you didn’t mind, why would you? highschool wouldn’t be the most fulfilling experience without the rush of a new love. and the suggestion of shoto reciprocating that feeling was something you wouldn’t trade for the world. it’s dangerous to assume, but it wouldn’t be completely unlawful.

your assumptions were only proven true when after pouring your heart out to shoto, he didn’t make a move to turn you down. instead, you felt a hand on yours as it was carefully brought up to meet his lips. the kiss he placed on each of your knuckles was gentle, and he cradled your hand as if it was glass. and as if he was scared to break you. that would be his worst nightmare, to be the one that broke you. it was an unspoken promise, but he swore to be the one to love you as best he could, to leave a mark on you emotionally, proof of his undying care for you. 

“to be seen and understood is to be loved” was what your relationship with shoto felt like. with a handful, if not all your classmates being so powerful, smart, and charismatic, it didn’t take a genius to see that the ones that didn’t aim to be on top would be pushed aside. you were one of the latter. though the longer you were acquainted with shoto, the quicker the shadows that covered you faded away. to you, it felt like a miracle. a blessing, to be seen by the son of the most powerful in japan. but to shoto, it felt like the easiest thing he’s ever done in his life. to him, loving you felt like losing a piece of clothing only to find it and treasure it more than he ever did. it was like he found his favorite cardigan that’s been missing for months right under his bed.

it would be a lie if you said shoto wasn’t the best love you’ve ever had and could ever have. most would grow sceptical of you, seeing as you were only in your second year of highschool and you were already proclaiming things about being with the one love of your life. you were too young to be that in love, as they would say. your relationship wasn’t completely out there, but those who would ask about what the two of you were, would get an honest answer. you were proud of telling them that shoto todoroki was your lover, and you were his. he claimed to feel the same, and you knew he was genuine. 

and you were right. you only knew, but you sure as hell didn’t know who shoto was now. the sound of laughter and excitement resounded around the common room of class 3-A’s dorms in anticipation of welcoming the new year. the same year that would be your last with the group of people you grew with as a person, and the people you grew to love more than anything. well, maybe not anything. or anyone. you turned down mina’s offer to join them outside to watch the fireworks the school would set off, instead choosing to search for the one person you haven’t seen yet all night. quickly understanding, the pink haired girl gave you a “goodluck!” before turning around and catching up to kirishima. 

not being able to spot shoto in the whole first floor only meant he was in his own dorm. the elevator trip seemed to take ages as you made your way to the fifth floor. as soon as the doors opened, you immediately stepped outside and made a beeline to your boyfriend’s dorm. you raised a fist to knock on the door when you noticed it was already opened. worry and curiosity both overcame you at the same time. it wasn’t like him to leave his door unlocked and even slightly opened like this, after all. you gently pushed it open just enough to poke your head inside. and like they all say, curiosity killed the cat. 

the room was dark, except for the moonlight that shined through the open balcony doors. the curtains were cast aside, giving you just the perfect view of the two figures that stood on the balcony. you were so focused on not seeing shoto in the common room, that you didn’t realize yaoyorozu was nowhere to be found too. nevermind that, you found her now. both of them, actually. yaoyorozu had her back leaning against the balcony’s railings, her eyes downcasted. shoto was the complete opposite. he was standing right beside her, and if you didn’t know any better, it looked like his eyes were glued onto her. 

‘it’s dangerous to assume, but it wouldn’t be completely unlawful.’ before you could even make assumptions, any thought that wanted to deny that whatever was happening between them wasn’t what you think it could be was cast away. you could feel your chest being held in a vice grip when shoto placed a gentle hand under her chin and had her meet his eyes. not realizing it, you held your breath when shoto slowly inched his face closer to yaoyorozu’s, all the while she didn’t show a sign of resisting what she knew was about to happen. the final blow struck when their lips finally met right when the fireworks were set off in the night sky. 

what could’ve gone wrong? just a few months ago, you couldn't be more thankful for the clouds that covered the moon’s light, simultaneously hiding the way you couldn’t take your eyes off of the man in front of you. you were seated beside shoto on the bed in his dorm, the quiet atmosphere of the night surrounding the two of you. his mindless doodling on your scarred arm using his finger didn’t seem so mindless when you could feel that what he was drawing were stars. stars that highlighted your hard work, the years of training you went through together, and the lives you saved, leading you to earn those scars. 

as shoto continued to draw stars around your scars, you promised to kiss his in turn. the only difference now was that the feeling of gentle kisses lingered on his scars, while yours held stars that felt like they were etched on with a knife. kisses healed shoto's scars while yours were left to bleed for as long as they did. as much as either of you tried to change your ending, only one of you could receive the happily ever after. 

now, he was kneeling in front of you, the only source of light that proved it was shoto in front of you, was your front porch light. he looked exhausted, and the look he gave you was a silent plea for you to let him in like you always did before. you always claimed that letting him in was the best decision you have ever made. nevermind that. your best decision was to let the only pro hero that stood above him in the charts, your husband, shut the door right in shoto’s face. but not before making sure that he saw the way katsuki held your hand, the same way he used to hold yours. only this time, the promise of not being the one to hurt you was held strong and never to be broken. the boy seated in front of the class that looked “off limits” wasn't so bad after all.

a/n: I feel like pacing is literally non-existent in this and that the storyline is so messy but ANYWAY we don't mind that :D ALSO IK YOU HAD A KITA REQUEST BEFORE THIS SAKU I'LL GET TO IT SOON PROMISE!! I'm ashamed of myself bc I literally sort of maybe forgot how kita's character was like exactly so I wanna rewatch season 4 before I do the suna, kita, and atsumu requests 🙏🏻🙏🏻 TYSM FOR REQUESTING MY POOKIE I HOPE THIS IS ALRIGHT!!

[hurtspideyparker]

when Tony Stark stumbles back on Earth after being stranded in space in End Game, the first few things he says to Steve are the summation of what he had been thinking about those 3 weeks where he thought he was going to die.

1. "I couldn't stop him"

The most pressing thought is guilt. He feels that truly, he is responsible for the trillions of deaths throughout the universe. A hero fell and with him half of all life. His first instinct is to admit to Steve the blood on his hands, a guilt that has been swallowing him for weeks. Steve says "I couldn't either". They are not alone in this, and even the weight of the universe can be lightened when shared.

2. "I lost the kid"

Peter Parker. Of course he was thinking about Peter. Out of everyone, he deserved that fate the least. The kid who puts himself in mortal danger to protect complete strangers, who's too smart for his own good but stupid when it comes to self-preservation. Maybe a part of him always thought that he would be the cause of Peter's end; he was the one who encouraged him, gave him the suits and the tech and promised him a future on the elite team of Avengers. But so young? He was a child. A child he brought into a war, who faced his demise with the fear and confusion of someone who'd never even considered death would be ready for them so soon. Tony felt someone so purely good (something that was long beaten out of his peers) turn to dust in his fingers. He thought about Peter Parker a lot, and maybe cursed whatever forgotten fate chose to take Peter's life over his.

3. "Is um- (Pepper alive)"

And then there's Pepper Potts. The only thing he really cared about returning to Earth for. If there was no her to come back to, he didn't really see the point in him returning at all. Tony has self-destructive tendencies, and a lot of self-loathing. He didn't dare entertain the thought that she wouldn't be there when he got back, because she was the only thing keeping him going. Once he's arrived though, he can't help but ask for what he needs most (he's met with her arms around him before he can even finish the sentence- that solace is the only thing keeping his heart beating).

[chaifootsteps]

The funny thing about stolas is that he really is the most real depiction of NPD I’ve seen in a while. Unintentionally very well written. This show like few others ever do, explores the fact that people with NPD can be so socially inept and incapable of change they can ruin their own life and never fully understand why it happened. A stereotype is that NPD patients are always evil abusers but sometimes like with covert narcissism, it’s complicated. Stolas ticks every last box in the covert category.

He’s not outright a villain but is infuriatingly self centred, and destructive. One example is all of his “I” “me” “my” statements in every situation. Fizz is in danger ‘this will be fun (for me!) I love words!” While it was a good gesture to help Asmodeus, he makes things about himself again. And this made Ozzie mad. And in the latest argument he clearly forced himself to try and empathise with someone but gave up right away when it wasn’t going well and went back to the same I/me/my statements. “I have my answer so you needn’t say any more” “I didn’t know you thought so low of me” and to Stella “I want you out..out of my life” “via you have been the one good thing in my life” Even in a desperate situation where someone he undoubtedly loves, but who he hurt with his lies, is leaving him, he physically can’t stop making it about himself because of this disordered way of thinking. And in a way, that is sad.

It really is a disorder and not just villainy because the person with NPD has grandiosity and callousness, that combination prevents them from seeing a problem in their own behaviour until really pushed. (Who does that sound like) So without help, they end up alone and confused/bewildered by why that is. That reaction of blatant frustration from every single character who speaks with him - via, blitz, Asmodeus, (I don’t feel right including stella but that dinner table scene implies she’s angry he ignores her) is so accurate too.

I mean, I’m by no means a Stella fan but after that confrontation in LooLoo land and him screaming his divorce declaration in the circus, he seemed to think they could just ignore everything despite the ongoing affair, and eat dinner together as a family like nothing is wrong in harvest moon. So at that point I understood her being pissed.

They try force everyone into their version of reality, but it’s exhausting and someone incapable of empathy or change without help (seriously why are all these deeply mentally suffering characters not have a therapy arc - Bojack had several. Many failed. But he had several, because he was messy and had to keep trying.) Viv thinks Stolas is Herb, an innocent victim of homophobia, but he’s actually Joseph Sugarman, dangerously callous and terrifying but soft spoken, mixed with Bojack. Sugarman is a brilliant villain imo.

This is an extremely good point. It's a damn shame it's unintentional, because if it weren't, Stolas would at the very least be in the running for one of the best depictions of NPD ever put to fiction.

NPD isn't Magical Evil Abuser disease -- like you said, it's a legitimate disorder, and it's horribly damaging to the person who has it. People with NPD can both feel and crave love the way Stolas loves Via, but healthy relationships require give and take, and giving doesn't come easily to them. Even when Via's leaving him, the highest praise he can give her is that she's been the only good thing in his life.

It's extremely sad, tragic even. If only Viv understood why.

[crybabysunflower]

Similarities between Mikey-Takemichi (Tokyo Revengers) and Achilles-Patroclus (The song of Achilles)

I think before I start with the post I should specify that this is solely based on Madeline Miller's book The Song of Achilles which while staying close to the original source (The Illiad) has made a lot of divergence from it most particularly in an aspect of the portrayal of Patroclus. So this post is not for those who dislike this particular aspect of the book

Mikey and Achilles

"He is a weapon, a killer. Do not forget it. You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature"

Mikey and Achilles being this glorious fighters who are undefeatable (The Invincible Mikey and Aristos Achaeon). Both are also charismatic leaders who are able to easily change the opinions of their respective teams and motivate them, like Mikey in Tenjiku arc when Toman was losing hope and Achilles did something similar in the fourth year of the Trojan war when the soldiers were losing interest and went against Agammenon. They both are also fated to be doomed by the narrative. Because of Shinchiro timeleaping to save Mikey he was cursed with Dark Impulse which in every timeline destroyed his own and the lives of others around him. Not quite different from Achilles' rage which claimed the lives of others and eventually himself.

Despite their glory both takemichi and patroclus is everything to them. everytime they both are separated these two glorious fighters loses his humanity and becomes a monster, once again as we see Achilles' rage and Mikey killing his own gang members after Black Dragon arc for keeping him away from Takemichi.

The Song of Achilles portrays its titular hero as an easily gulliable man which also stands true for Mikey, something which is evident from how easily he had been manipulated by Kisaki in multiple timelines.

Takemichi and Patroclus

"You do not give things up so easily now as you once did,”

While Mikey and Achilles were destined to destroy ane kill, Takemichi and Patroclus being pacifists were destined to save lives.

Takemichi and Patroclus are not famed as fighters (as Chiron says he is not destined to gain glory from his fighting) but they both are still glorious in their own ways. Their glory lies in their kindness and their selfless desire to protect and save their loved ones even if it leads to their own demise or them getting hurt in some way. They both are actually more stronger than the glorious warriors because of their emotional resilience kindness and will power. They both grow from ones who easily quit to someone who do not give up quite as easily Both Michi and Patroclus also have low self esteem because of their traumatic upbringing and see themselves as "lower" beings. Even then, when they both die, everybody mourns their deaths such impactful were they in people's lives.

Both Takemichi and Patroclus followed Mikey and Achilles respectively everywhere despite how dangerous it had been (Takemichi following Mikey to Manilla, to the Bowling alley where he nearly died and back in time after being stabbed. Similarly how Patroclus followed Achilles to Mount Pelion, to Skyros and finally to the Trojan War where he meets his fate).

While Takemichi is younger than Mikey (in contrast to Patroclus being older than Achilles) they both played a role as a guiding force in the lives of their other halves putting them in the right track. Without their existence both Mikey and Achilles end up in the path of destruction.

In the last arc Takemichi dies similarly as patroclus did (being stabbed in the stomach) i dont remember if Michi was wearing mikey's Toman uniform in the last arc if so then that adds another parallel (Patroclus dying in Achilles' armour). The reason they die is also because of their other half (directly from mikey indirectly from achilles).

[devilfic]

Prob, wayyyy too damn specific but I saw posts of Matt and I just rewatched The Batman (2022) and like I had this prompt of:

Reader is pushed away by Matt and decides to not fall with more vigilantes but runs in with Bruce and marries him? Maybe and it becomes some love triangle plot or idk

Idk what you could do with this, pls feel free to ignore it or modify. It’s just a weird ass crossovers of my two husbands.

at first I meant to humor you a bit with my thoughts on bruce and matt as very similar lovers but then it just turned into a throuple. walk with me:

it’s funny because matt and bruce have very similar self-destructive behaviors when it comes to relationships, but I think bruce is a bit more indulgent (whether he’d admit to that or not is another story entirely).

where matt is clearly insecure about if he can protect you—certainly he will fight until his last dying breath to do so but would rather you never be in danger to begin with—bruce is (and I'm especially thinking of an older, more experienced bruce), I think, unwilling to let you know that he’s just as insecure. mainly because failure cannot be an option. bruce also has much more at his disposal to protect you (cough cough money cough) and has backup plans for days. at this point in time, bruce would be more willing to let others in and have a healthier (?) way of maintaining relationships.

matt is, to the best of his ability, an ordinary man who strikes suddenly, sometimes recklessly, and thinks better within the throes of action. matt strikes me as someone who carries too many burdens to ever think a relationship with a civillian would work. he is a martyr like bruce, but I think where matt is in daredevil and where bruce is in my mind (years later, a little less cynical) are different enough to make them stand out.

that being said, I think matt would be hella suspicious of bruce because let’s be honest…. everything about him is a red flag LMAO. I can imagine matt playing mind games with bruce if they ever met, perhaps matt is representing a client who is suing wayne enterprises and oh, look, there’s you and bruce all cuddled up in the courtroom. matt listens for bruce’s heartbeat whenever he asks a particularly pointed question about his life but bruce has trained his heartbeat to be steady, his reactions natural. he gets one past matt.

and you think this man has some NERVE interrogating your new boyfriend when he’s the one who put you out. you almost let him have a piece of your mind but think better of it.

matt wonders if you like being bruce wayne’s. are you even able to still be you? the you that he truly knows?

needless to say, if they cross each other in cowls, matt will know it’s him instantly. I think it would sting matt to know that not only had you moved on to a man of much higher class, you’d also moved onto another nocturnal vigilante. one who, apparently, had no hangups about having you.

bruce also isn’t stupid. he’d done his research into the masked vigilante running around the neighboring borough of hell’s kitchen. it wasn’t apparent to him when he’d first met matt, but a little stalking research down the line and he’d put it together. they don’t reveal this to each other at first.

but later that night, bruce is holding you and wondering… is that your type? if it was by the simple hilarity of the universe that you ended up falling for him, right after leaving a man not too different from himself.

anon, I have a feeling that when you said love triangle, you really meant a love v as in bruce likes reader, matt likes reader, and reader likes both. but if I may talk my shit, I think these two might have a lot to like about each other. two vigilantes who operate by night and shadow, who have similar dedications to justice (matt’s being the idea of righteous and fair law, bruce’s being protecting the weak and innocent and rehabilitating or stopping the corrupt), two men leading double lives, two men as equally charming, and two men in love with you. bruce and matt find it hard not to see what you like in the other.

bruce befriends him. it’s kind of an accident the way he finds a kindred spirit in him, and at first it’s purely to keep an eye on this guy, perhaps to put together a contingency plan just in case. he starts sending nelson, murdock, and page cases in gotham that could use their legal advice, sending business partners and citizens alike to their door for referrals. matt isn’t sure what to do when they start getting a wave of new clients, all suspiciously right up their alley, but foggy and karen don’t mind the extra cash flow and matt struggles to find a way to not be okay with helping those in need.

matt returns the favor and starts training bruce on how to hone his other senses in combat. the two of them will spar for hours, only stopping if alfred were to come yank them apart or, god forbid, you come home early to find your boyfriend pinning your ex to the mat.

and you’re both horrified and fascinated to find that they get along really well. but you can’t just let matt back into your life after he’d all but slammed the door in your face. he’d given up on you. now he was weaseling his way back into your life with bruce—a happy life, might I add, although no less stressful—hanging around you like a dark shadow.

bruce isn’t sure how to feel about it either. he knows how much you loved matt, how much you still love matt, and he can tell matt is not over you no matter how much he waxes poetic about the greater good and why you two couldn’t really work out. bruce gets it, worries that maybe he should get it more and cut you loose too before something happens to you. it had always been their worry: that while they were off protecting the city, there’d be no one there to watch over you. and there was no one there to watch over you. once upon a time.

there is no organized discussion about it. bruce is less hung up about it than matt. it does feel odd, imagining him around you and it being… normal. inviting matt over for dinner with your permission, and sharing wine and heavy goodbyes as bruce pays a taxi to see him home safe. he considers the way you squirm at the table, trying to keep it friendly between you and matt but there is that ache in your chest that remembers this man differently. it feels disrespectful and rude to be friends with him now, having him around gotham. eventually bruce asks you as you wind down for the night, his rings clattering onto the dresser tray as you pull back the sheets, “you love him still.” well, he doesn’t ask.

you freeze, halfway into the sheets, unsure if you’d even heard him right, “I’m sorry?”

“matthew,” he casts a glance over his shoulder, “it didn’t really end between you. not on your end.”

“if you’re trying to accuse me of something-“

“I’m not. I can see it on you.” but bruce’s voice isn’t angry or mocking or blaming. it’s… oddly resolute. thoughtful, even. “I like him.”

“I… what are you saying, bruce?”

he crawls under the sheets, nonchalant, but he finds himself just a little (just a little) unsure. “I’m saying that… maybe the reason why he pushed you away isn’t a problem anymore,” he stares ahead, focused on the fireplace that burns low, “if you wanted him still. I wouldn’t mind it. I wouldn’t mind him.”

you almost can’t believe your ears. “and you like him.”

bruce takes a minute to shrug, as if he needed to roll it around in his mind one more time.

“do you… want us to be together? all of us?” you watch the reflection of the fire in his eyes, waiting with bated breath.

he turns his head to you, “if we can get the usher boy to agree.”

you have to have a long, long talk with matt. there’s tears and a little anger and a whole lot of uncertainty as you talk out your tumultuous parting but then, as matt’s guilt starts slipping in and he says he’ll stay out of gotham so that he doesn’t cause you more pain, you blurt it out. matt isn’t sure he’s heard you right. you have to repeat yourself, a bit more eloquently, “I said… do you want to be with me and bruce?”

he doesn’t immediately say yes. in fact, he takes a day or two to himself to think about it. he’s staunchly sure in the beginning that he will turn you down but the words do not form, the hesitance keeps him from calling. when he gets advice from foggy (who is twice as bewildered but all too excited by the prospect) about how to say he’s not interested, he writes it down and it just. doesn’t feel right. he finds himself rearranging the words in his mind to be softer, more… flexible. less “hard and fast no” and more “I just don’t know”. the more he thinks about it the less inclined he is to even SAY the word no. is it because it’d really, finally cut you out of his life? would he only be saying yes to have you again?

bruce would be there too, that’s the key thing. maybe it could start out as just him being with you and bruce being with you at the same time, but maybe that was too weird for him to think about. sharing you with someone else. he wouldn’t want to. but what would the alternative be?

he calls bruce to meet in hell’s kitchen where he feels safer. bruce is calm, not imposing in the least. he lets matt rant it all out and get his feelings in check. when he’s blown off all the steam, bruce just says, “if it comes down to it, there’ll be no hard feelings if it ends.”

“this is crazy.”

“you can say no.”

“yeah. I know.”

some time passes. bruce comes to stand beside matt sitting on the ledge of the rooftop, keeping his heavy gaze fixed on him. “they still love you.”

“I know.”

the two of them say nothing for a while. matt tries to focus on the city, as loud as it always is, but keeps zeroing in on the steady earnest thumping of the man’s heart right next to him. he is being honest with what remains unsaid, what you’d told matt days ago that he still struggled to believe. he tilts his head so, and bruce has known him long enough now to know that he’s thinking hard about what to say next, “I suppose you’ll have to take me on a date first. just so we’re all even.”

“is pinning you to the mat not courting enough for you?”

[thegirlwiththeninjaturtletattoos]

SPN Quotes and TMNT character comparisons

because I fucking love supernatural, and I fucking love the turtles

lets go

======================================

Rise Leo

"The whistle makes me their god."

"I'm an Aquarius. I enjoy long walks on the beach, sunsets, and frisky women."

"Why do I have to be some kind of hero?"

"I think I'm adorable."

Dean Winchester is a well-known anti-hero, and I think Rise Leo shares a lot of those similar traits. They're both snarky, impulsive, and prone to do anything to protect the ones they love, even if it hurts others in the process.

Not to mention...they are the kings of self-sacrifice.

Dean and Leo are reluctant leaders; both thrust into the role by their fathers and making things up as they go. They were both trained by their fathers as skilled warriors and fighters, honed to be weapons of destruction and death. Of revenge. They both feel the burden of leadership; the weight of being responsible for others and the constant emotional drain, but they both embrace it- if begrudgingly at times. They both struggle with self-worth and doubt.

Their siblings are their emotional anchors, motivating their actions to the detriment of their own health. Dean takes so many beatings for Sam, emotionally and physically; and well, Leo...we don't need to talk about it.

Both guys use sarcasm and humor as coping mechanisms for the insane, terrible things that they've gone through; to deflect the seriousness of their lives and keep the mood light in tense moments- to mask their deeper pain. Good luck trying to get either of these guys to be serious in the face of danger or emotional hardship.

Dean and Leo are incredibly loyal to a fault; often charging into danger without a real plan to rescue the ones they love, protecting those they care about with single-minded determination and facing the threat head-on.

They are both riddled with trauma and guilt, especially after the rise movie. Losing loved ones, enduring constant battles, and suffering physical injuries have had a significant impact on them—they are weary, tired soldiers but keep pushing on with a cocky smile and quip, so no one notices the tears.

In their fighting styles, both guys are known to improvise in the moment to get the job done. They've been trained well, and it shows, often using their environments and unconventional weapons.

Dean and Leo both put on a tough exterior, just in different ways. Dean's facade is gruff and full of himself, while Leo's is cocky and flirtatious, but both are designed to keep people at a distance. To not let people in, let them see any vulnerabilities. But behind that exterior, there's a deeply emotional and sensitive side to them that is greatly in need of hugs.

At their core, Dean and Leo are leaders who have stepped up to protect their siblings from the dangers of their worlds, and they just need a freakin hug.

*end rant*

bop to the top: @thelaundrybitch @sophiacloud28 @zombiesnips-blog @4evrdreamin5 @gornackeaterofworlds @the-cauldron-witch @pheradream-15 @iridescentflamingo @scholastic-dragon @xnorthstar3x

[nightcolorz]

woahh okay first time i attempted to send this ask my tumblr glitched and deleted it. idk if it sent but ignore it if so i wanted to reword it anyway. (tw for sa discussions and sexual abuse/trauma)

either way ive been thinking a lot about the post you wrote about armand’s (or amadeo’s) hypersexuality in venice and i saw a very similar post on twitter, essentially saying armand was so confused and horny in venice and ended up going to bianca for solice (then feeling incredibly guilty about it) and then later harlech as he weaponised his sexuality as a form of revenge on marius “ignoring” him (eventually tragically leading to his death)

it just puts such a tragic image into my head of amadeo in bianca’s bedchamber, crying and crying after having sex with her because he doesn’t understand why he feels the way he does, why he desires sex so much after all he’s been through, and not realising it is a trauma response, a last ditch effort to keep himself alive by acclimatising to his environment of sexual abuse, and then it later killing him anyway.

Armand is so Sad. im so sad.

any other thoughts from you?

doooonttt worry lol ur previous ask didn’t send haha (I’m sorry stinky tumblr deleted it tho damn) but I LOVE this ask so thank u sm for resending it!!

omgg this makes me so sad holy shit 😭 I never made the connection that Amadeo’s hyper sexuality reaction to sa trauma led to his death but ugh, omg, ur so right that’s so tragic. It’s also specifically Marius abusing him that leads him to his death, bcus Armand feeling the massive loss of agency and control over his life and sexuality cuz of Marius causes him to get with harlech (someone he knows is dangerous) bcus he wants to make Marius angry and to distance himself from his perceived control by self destructing. Marius starts having Armand go to brothels against his will, Marius resents Armand for doing the thing he told him to and starts “ignoring him”, boom harlech boom death

the Bianca thing is so interesting, especially Armand’s guilt and perceived lack of control of his actions. It’s like, he is realizing that for reasons he can’t understand he isn’t able to control his sexual impulses and he is consumed by them in a way that dictates his behavior, which is scary as shit especially for someone who has been taught to be frightened of sexuality for his entire life. Armand seems to perceive himself being hyper sexual as akin to being like his abusers, where he seems to think that since he can’t control his sexual urges and makes poor decisions bcus of horniness hes akin to a rapist which 😰💔 that type of guilt is rlly common for sa victims who experience complicated reactions to trauma unfortunately. But ugh.

slight change of topic, but I always think about how hard and strange it must’ve been for Amadeo to go from 24/7 sex and sexual urges to sexless being thrown into catholic cult where u can’t bathe urself let alone fuck. Like that’s the kind of whiplash between two harmful extremes that makes someone into a person like Armand, lmao

[fantasyinvader]

There's something about Sacred Stones that, really, I feel was ahead of it's time. I feel like there was a definite focus on gender roles, especially when you look at how Ephraim's story diverges from Eirika's.

Ephraim does the typical manly-man thing, where he sets off to fight the invading empire. However, it's pointed out how by doing so he abandoned his people and at the end the people aren't cheering for his return. They're cheering because the war is seemingly over. Trying to solve things through violence and force doesn't make him a good or beloved leader, especially with the reveal that everything Grado has been doing is an attempt to prevent the suffering of it's people through upcoming natural disasters.

And adding onto that, there's both Innes and Lyon's feelings of inadequacy because of Ephraim. In the case of the latter, it leads to him attempting to prove himself through any means such as harnessing the power of the Demon King. This belief that men have to be manly like Ephraim, with an added serving of having to handle their own problems rather than appear weak thanks to Emperor Vigarde nearly lead to the world's destruction.

Then there's a bit about treating women solely as a love interest. Lyon feels he needs to be worthy of Eirika's hand, in part fuelling his downfall, while at the same time being upset that she can kick his ass in a sparring match. Carlyle betrays Jehanna because of his “love” for the queen, blaming her for being “too beautiful” and she calls him out on it. Meanwhile Orson betrays Renais to revive his dead wife, leaving her as a mindless living body. After turning his beloved into an object, he lets Renais rot while he does nothing but spend time with her. And then there's Valter lusting after Eirika... Treating women solely as objects of affection, putting them on a pedastal rather than treating them like living, breathing people with their own minds and personalities, Sacred Stones is subtly calling that out.

In addition, women aren't there to simply support men. Eirika may have been searching for her brother, but she was also helping those in need as she came across them. In addition, her handing over her country's sacred stone under the belief it might be able to save Lyon also contributes to the final boss regaining his strength in her route. But Eirika also, rather than taking a supportive role like a healer, learned how to fight and shows that she's not soft when people mess with those she cares about. And I feel like the whole thing with her wanting to help Lyon serves as a foil to Selena, whose loyalty to Vigarde can't be swayed even when she learns that he's just a reanimated corpse. On the other hand, the game also gives us L'Arachel who takes a proactive role in trying to deal with the monsters and is essential for defeating the Demon King and can go on to be the queen of her own country.

And really, this whole “women are supposed to support men” feels really good when I remember the interview for Echoes commented about Celica.

Kusakihara: They each come to represent masculinity and femininity in their own ways. Alm pursues a path of power while Celica walks a path of love –and aims to save Alm with it, leading to a type of self-sacrifice. The scenario is built upon this.

It really stands out to me that Sacred Stones does have masculinity and femininity represented in their own ways, much like Echoes. But whereas Sacred Stones basically had a message about how dangerous subscribing to such views on gender was, Echoes was more about how the men and women needed to support each other. Celica may have been the first female lord character, but her story is one where it's all to save Alm and in the end he needs to save her after her self-sacrificing nature leads to her being controlled by Duma, who is also supposed to represent masculinity except in a more extreme manner. Meanwhile, Eirika isn't motivated by romantic love, just compassion in general.

Eirika is your starting lord like Lyn, but rather than demoting her from main character after the “tutorial” stages end in favor of her brother, she can remain the lead throughout the entire story. And really, look at the female lords since barring Player characters. Ike is the only one who can kill the final boss at the end of the Tellius games despite it happening in Micaiah's game, Lucina can die in Awakening without a game over, and joining Edelgard is meant to be a path of sin since she's a villain. Meanwhile, Eirika was used to represent Sacred Stones in Engage, and the big final SR card in Cipher for the lord character of Sacred Stones was of her.

No female lord since has been treated like Eirika.

I feel like Sacred Stones should, I dunno, be held more by the fandom for this. Yeah, Eirika makes that mistake but it's meant to be a mistake. She feels bad about what she did and works to fix things. She's also proactive and will kick ass if needed despite her being the diplomatic twin. Really, it's Ephraim that needs to be more like her. But instead, we have a fandom that glorifies Ephraim for the very things the game calls problematic about him while deriding Eirika as “girly”. It feels like one of those cases where people missed the point, like the Josie and the Pussycats movie, Starship Troopers or Martian Successor Nadesico, and ended up believing it was supporting what it was calling out. Sacred Stones feels more like a deconstruction of typical RPG gender roles in retrospect and how harmful they actually are. But, as I said at the start of this, I feel like the game was ahead of it's time because of this stuff.

[keis-slut]

harm|link

CW: SELF HARM, BLOOD

you sat quietly behind a tree, keeping watch as link slept soundly.

it was your turn to lookout so link could get some rest, and so you sat alone, watching and waiting.

the night was pretty uneventful, leaving you to your own head.

and a dangerous thing, that can be.

leading to things you later on might regret, especially if link had found out.

maybe providing you with such a sharp weapon was not the best idea, something better like a hammer or a boomerang could’ve been smarter.

but it’s not like anyone else but you really knew, so you kept your mouth shut.

you couldn’t even begin to describe the kind of things that went through your head, deciding it was best to let you deal with it in your own.

not that doing so was a good idea, but it was difficult.

opening up felt even harder then just carrying the burden yourself.

if you did tell him, you were afraid of his reaction, that reaction then possibly making you spiral even more, wanting to avoid that at all costs.

if you didn’t tell him, you’d be stuck at the bottom of this hole forever, alone.

and that confliction fought in your brain every single day.

no matter how vastly large this world seemed, it still felt as if it was closing in on you more and more, leaving you stuck,

claustrophobic,

you felt as if you couldn’t breath, the walls being so close, closing you into that madness, that despair.

crimson spilt from your skin as you were now numb to the sting, only focused on the uneven lines that had either just formed, or scarred your thighs.

how tightly your pants had bunched up against your legs hurt more than your damage.

it felt good, but was it?

no, absolutely not.

“y/n?”

you were startled, attempting to roll your pants back down to hide your destruction quickly.

but your blade had fell at hand, cutting you accidentally in the process.

ironic.

you winced at the gash on your calf, your leg now a bloody mess.

“what are you doing?”

concern and worry lingered in his voice as you couldn’t even look at him, you only stared at the red trickling from your thighs.

dont look.

don’t look at him.

“look at me”

your head immediately shot up, and you met his horrified blue eyes.

he looked tired, and disheveled.

i wonder what woke him up.

“i-i didn’t-it’s just-“

“-no, no, you must be terrified, stop”

he cut you off, leaning to the side to grab his pouch, where you kept bandages and such for when wounded.

he hurriedly rummaged through the bag, not a care in the world for the mess he’d made on the grass, spilling out everything like it was the end of the world.

“why didn’t you tell me?”

pain was heard in his voice, and it hurt you even more, it made you feel guilty.

but you had reason not to tell him.

you think.

you realized he was now putting pressure on the wound with some bandage, staring up at you with deep concern, and a slight glimpse of watery eyes.

all you could do was stare back, vision growing blurry from uninvited tears as well.

everything felt like a thick haze.

“i couldn’t-i didn’t-“

you tried to speak but your words got caught in your throat.

by now, you did feel the sting. you weren’t numb anymore as your leg throbbed, and so did your head.

“i didn’t know how to”

you sobbed, hiding your face in your hands as he sucked his teeth sadly.

you had no more words, you just sobbed, and wailed, and cried into your hands, before feeling his own wrap around you, crying with you.

“y/n, please, please-“

he begs, pulling your shoulders back and removing your hands from your puffy eyed face, cheeks glowing red and stained with tears.

suddenly his face grew more tense, and stern. he was serious.

but still soft.

and that was the thing about link.

he was personified courage, so mature, calm in stressful situations.

still able to push through any obstacle no matter how terrifying, or how much pain he might be in.

you’d think after the absolute horrors he’s been through, he would be terrifying himself, and tough as nails.

maybe even impolite or closed off,

but no.

he was very much so the opposite.

everything about him, aside from actually in battle, was so gentle.

one of the most kind, and gentle hylians you’d ever met.

so amiable and empathetic, he’s always there if anyone needs help, with anything.

loyal to the people he loves and cares for, he would never do anything to purposely hurt anyone.

so sweet, and soft, and so opposite of the horrific things he has gone through, despite it all.

and that you admired so much.

that you loved about him, so much.

“-dont you ever, ever, in the name of hylia, think you can’t tell me anything”

he held your wrists as he kneeled next to you, bandage on your thigh now soaked by a devilish color.

his eyes looked even more beautiful glistening with tears, his flushed face and redness from crying really bringing out his royal colored eyes.

you stared, unsure what to say as another tear fell from your pretty face.

pretty.

he thought you were the most beautiful in the whole world, he hated the fact you even slightly thought to mutilate your body.

for what reason did you deserve this? a heavenly being such as yourself, you deserve all the happiness in the world.

he couldn’t even think to bear a world without you and your charisma.

he wonders, such a charismatic person you are, yet your mind completely contradicts that.

inspiring others to do their best, but struggling yourself, and not saying a word.

he felt as if he should blame himself slightly, for not giving you enough, for not making you happy enough.

for not making you feel that life was worth living.

for not knowing sooner you had felt this way.

for being such an idiot not noticing it.

he didn’t want you to hurt, and only found himself blaming what he couldn’t do for you.

but he had no time to be sorry for himself, he was more worried about you and what to do next.

“i was so scared”

his face softened and and he sighed.

“i know”

he brought a hand back to your leg, removing the messy bandage, so he could get a new one to wrap your leg with.

but he paused, and looked back into your tired red eyes.

“but you never have to be scared, of anything, while i’m here”

“i was scared of you, what you’d do or say if i told you”

your voice was hoarse, but he watched your lips as you spoke.

you felt a droplet on your head, then on your nose, quickly glancing up to see the moon was now gone.

it started to rain, and the sky was sad too.

maybe this will help clean me up.

suddenly you felt hands on your cheeks roughly, pulling your head back down.

before realizing what was happening, you felt soft lips on your own.

not harsh or lewd, just lovingly lips dancing.

at first, at least.

the kiss grew a bit more hungry, and fast, but still not lustful, this was more of need for comfort.

you started to cry again as you kiss him, your hands finding way into his now wet and loose hair.

messy and soaked, you collapsed on each other into cold grass when he pulled away.

you sniffled as you watched him grab the rest of the bandage, watching him finish on your leg.

he held you like you were the most fragile thing in the world, even hands as scarred and calloused as his felt so gentle and kind.

but he knew you weren’t fragile, in fact, he admired just how durable of a person you were.

you are.

maybe that’s why he didn’t realize you were fighting internally, secretly punishing yourself.

you came off so bold and strong, determined and never backing down to anything.

especially when it came to protecting the ones you love and care for, you were so fierce.

it was almost terrifying crossing you in such a way, dare he say he was a little afraid of you.

the hero of hyrule.

he gave your leg one last soft pat, and smiled up at you.

“let’s wait for the rain to let up, then we’ll make our way back to hateno”

you shift closer to his touch, waiting for him to speak again.

“we’ll go home, get you cleaned up and some help. someone to talk to”

he leans closer, and then down to kiss your stinging leg.

“ok?” he choked, waiting for your reply.

you gave him a sheepish smile, and a small nod as he moved closer.

he leaned against your shoulder, and wrapped his arms around you.

“i’m here” he told you,

and you melted into his safety.

-

a/n:

happy mental health awareness month.

you are loved and you are enough.

your favorite loves you very, very much.

and so do i

<3