#both do anything. sacrifice themselves even. to save their kid

[volfoss]

sorry it literally gets me every time when a guy that's had NO ONE his entire life adopts a kid (because of necessity to protect them) and he just fully does EVERYTHING in his power to keep them safe even if it would cause him immense harm

[tropetember]

[Image description. Image reads “Tropetember Prompt List (Hard Mode)”, in the background, a picture of a mug placed on an open book in front of a blanket invokes a cozy feel. End id. Thanks to @supericelight​ for the image description!]

Strangers To Lovers - Character A and Character B meet for the first time when Character A is at their lowest point. B, a stranger, is the kindest person A has ever met, and from that point on, B has A’s eternal loyalty. 

Case Fic - Character A and Character B are working on the same case from different perspectives. There is absolutely no flirting going on under the antagonistic banter about the case (or is there?)

Sickfic - Character A has a deadline / big commitment coming up and they’ve been running themselves ragged to make it in time. They can totally power through this little bout of allergies. Stop laughing, Character B!

Customer Service AU - Where Character A works Customer Service at a restaurant/business and Character B and their child are customers. Character A first notices a really cute kid only to notice that, hey, the parent is actually very beautiful too. What the hell?

Reality TV AU - Cooking contest where the participants are randomly paired up with someone who can’t cook at all - both of them have to collaborate on every dish. Character A thought this would be an easy win but Character B’s inability to even boil water is going to make this a challenge.

80’s Teen Movie AU - Two very different teens come to understand each other better during a very long after-school detention. (Breakfast Club style)

Futuristic AU - In a futuristic steampunk setting, a mysterious stranger collapses on the doorstep of a lonely scientist.

Time Travel - Character A meets their future self and they’re surprised by one very glaring difference between them.

Five Times + One Time - Five times Character A cooks for Character B when they’re at a low point in their life, and one time Character B returns the favour.

Accidental Confession - Character A thinks they are dying, and writes/records a message confessing their feelings for Character B, to be received by them posthumously. It turns out that A survives, but B has already read/seen the message.

Coworkers to Friends to Lovers - Character A and Character B work under Character C. C is friends with both of them, but A and B can’t stand each other. Despite, that they have to support each other through the disasters C keeps getting all of them into.

Touch Starvation - Original Hanahaki interpretation where Character A is touch starved (but can’t bring themselves to ask for comfort) and that’s what’s making flowers grow in their lungs.

Found Family - Character A’s biological family is better not spoken about. So how will A’s found family react when they show up out of the blue, disturbing any peace A has made for themselves?

Human/Monster Romance - Character A is a pirate in a shipwreck during a storm. Character B is a daydreamer mermaid who thinks A is actually royalty and saves them because of it.

Arranged Marriage - Character A’s family wants/needs an alliance with Character B’s tribe/kingdom, and the easiest way to do this is to form a marriage between their families, with A & B being the chosen sacrifices.

Friendship Centric - A character study of the friendships with the most important people in the main character’s life, and how each friendship manifests differently (ships can be included, but not the main focus).

Love Confessions - Character A is in love with Character B but has never summoned up the courage to say anything about it. Sadly, B is moving at the end of the week, but A has the perfect, most dramatic plan to make their feelings known. 

Soulmates - Character A and Character B have known each other since childhood. When B dies, A inherits their soulmate, together with B’s dream/life goal, and promises to treat them the way B would have.

Apocalypse - In a horrifying apocalypse, a wanderer stumbles across an oasis - and the person who created it.

Fantasy - Magic is corrupted, the world is ending, and small resistance groups are the only ones fighting against the dark. Characters A and B are part of the resistance, and they start to realise their relationship might be the key to saving everything they know and love.

Genderswap AU - Canon Divergence where everything is the same but A & B have always been the opposite gender. Some things change, but some things stay the same.

Canon Rewrite - The setting is canon, with one key difference: everything happens fifty years earlier (interpret as you wish).

Fairytale - Base a work around the theme of Little Red Riding Hood, where the main character is the metaphorical Big Bad Wolf.

Babysitting - Character A and Character B are old friends that haven’t spoken in a long time. A calls B out of the blue, asking for a favour - they really need someone to babysit their kid for the day. Character B is REALLY bad with children.

Misunderstandings - Character A wants to ask Character B to take their relationship to the next level, but B keeps avoiding the conversation. Character B has been broken up with multiple times before and is trying to delay the inevitable heartbreak.

Fake Relationship - Character A kind of (but not really) hates Character B, but both of them are dealing with unwanted suitors and the easiest solution is to help each other out by fabricating a relationship between the two of them to make them both appear off limits.

Repression - Character A knows that Character B loves them - probably. So why does it seem so hard for B to show it?

Proposal - Character A proposes to Character B but cultural/upbringing differences make B not understand what A means (Examples: Japanese Traditional Proposals Other Traditional Proposals From Around The World)

Pacific Rim AU - Character A and Character B discover that they are Drift Compatible.

Optional:

Songfic - “I know we will live again / like the greatest lovers of all time / I know we will laugh again / as we did flying kites into the sky” Estels al Vent - Els Catarres

“The Borrowers” AU - Some or all of the characters are Borrowers, tiny people who live in the walls and floors of human houses and ‘borrow’ items from the humans who live there in order to survive.

Wild Card! - Look around at the items in arm’s reach from where you are sitting. Now write at least one of them into a story with your favourite characters!

Link to Tropetember Welcome Post

Link to Original Prompt List

Link to Rules & FAQ

[thedelicatearcher]

Could you do a katniss x hyper fem!reader where both katniss and reader are kids and katniss is trying impressive the reader by climbing a tree or something?

Take your time ^^

thank you for the request!! this is soooo sweet. i really loved writing this, i love katniss so much

young!katniss everdeen x hyper fem!reader

katniss everdeen spends most of her time with her dad in the woods, learning to hunt, climbing some trees, and setting some traps here and there. from little birds and squirrels to the extremely rare deer, the father and daughter duo pride themselves on never returning home empty-handed.

you could say the woods are little katniss' happy place, a spot where she feels she isn't being observed, free from judgment, able to unashamedly be herself alongside someone she really loves. she doesn't mind that they have to be really quiet and sneaky to go down the unelectrified fence, being alert and walking many miles. these small sacrifices are worth it for the chance to swim her worries away in the hidden lake, savoring the cool embrace of water on her skin

but when she's not there, you can find her daydreaming about her beautiful best friend. the way you look at katniss, as if there's no one else in the world when she's recounting yesterday's adventure. the way your pink dresses make your lips stand out even more, leaving poor katniss speechless and unable to form a thought. the way you cherish your bows, yet don't hesitate to adorn katniss’ braid with your favorite one, because it makes her look “more beautiful than a garden full of roses,'' - your words, not hers.

katniss would love to take you to the woods with her and her dad, but she is afraid you're going to say no. “she's too pretty and i can't have her getting her little bows and dresses dirty like my clothes,” was the excuse katniss gave herself when deep down she knew the real reason was that she's afraid of your rejection. with an angst-clouded mind, she told herself she couldn't bear it if you ever got a hold of her feelings and decided you wouldn't want anything to do with her anymore.

“i'm not in love with her, i just really love spending time with her but that's what friends do,” katniss would say to madge, one of her only friends, denying her feelings as she felt herself getting shy and flustered, hoping her close friend wouldn't notice the enormous crush she had been harboring on you. “do you like spending as much time with me as with her?” madge would tease her playfully as katniss felt her whole face burn in embarrassment. 

every morning after waking up, as she is eating breakfast, nonstop thoughts about you would fill her mind. “will she smile at me today? will she grab my hand? is there something i can do to impress her?” were questions katniss hoped her tiny piece of bread could answer, saving her roasted squirrel to eat in school later and share it with you. 

katniss got very giddy and excited as her mom put her hair in her signature braid, praying to the gods that maybe today will be the day where you see her in another light. and maybe they finally listened to her.

as soon as you saw her in school, you ran to her excitedly, leaving your backpack behind and grinning like a mad man. you hugged her like a koala bear, letting katniss spin you around for a few seconds and holding you tighter as this was the first time you saw each other in years. this was your daily ritual: hugging like a married couple when katniss arrived at school, sitting together in every class possible, talking in hushes as your teacher explained another chemistry topic that you won't apply anywhere if you don’t go on and work in the mine, sharing food at lunchtime, hanging out during recess usually sitting closely together on a free bench or having katniss running around and tiring her little full-of-energy self as you watched her attentively, and finally walking home together to your respective houses. you were inseparable.

but today was different, you were holding eye contact longer, occasionally batting your eyelashes at her and twirling a strand of your hair with a finger. and of course, katniss noticed this, clouding her mind with the thought of you reciprocating her feelings, feeling excited and anxious at the same time. she has always considered herself bad with words, unable to express her feelings, so how can she tell you that she likes you? 

and that's how katniss ended up climbing a random tree in the school’s backyard trying to impress you. it happened all of a sudden; her mind didn't even take a second to ask herself if it was a good idea. as you were touching her arm for the fifth time in three minutes, katniss simply said “look at this,” ran to the closest tree and started climbing it. pressured by the expectations of impressing you, she climbed unfocused, looking at you every few seconds, not placing her feet firmly on the branches as her dad had taught her. “what do you think?, “ was the last thing katniss asked her best friend before falling from the tree and losing consciousness.

as soon as her eyes opened, she was met with familiar surroundings; she wasn't at school anymore, she was in her house, more specifically on the kitchen table where her mom took care of patients. before she could start to ask herself any more questions, she was met with a pair of worried eyes and a tight hug. “you scared me to death, i thought you had died,” her best friend cried in her arms-well her arm, considering she broke one in the fall and now it was held by an arm cast. “i’m sorry, i was just trying to impress you but i failed,” little katniss confessed, embarrassed, as her eyes filled with tears. 

“why? i'm amazed by you every second we spend together, katniss.” shock came to her and she started to become flustered. “what do you mean?” she asked shyly. “i mean that i like you. i really, really like you, katniss. i was just waiting for the right moment to tell you,” you confessed as your face felt as if it was burning and your heart felt like bursting at any time soon. katniss was left dumbfounded, no words left her mouth even after she had spent many days practicing how she would confess her feelings to you. 

“let me show you,” was the last thing you said before inexpertly pressing your lips softly to hers, one hand caressing her cheek and the other one playing with her hair. katniss felt as if she was in heaven, your soft and gentle lips made her feel as if electricity ran through her veins, becoming addicted to the slight strawberry flavor of them. a sigh escaped her lips when you finally separated, leaving her pleased but still wanting you in her embrace. not a word was said for what felt like an eternity, the room filled with a comfortable silence where your stares communicated everything you wanted to say,

“can i sign your cast?,” you asked giggling, finally breaking the silence. maybe now katniss had a new happy place, a safe place found in her best friend’s embrace.

[lavenderstobins]

What would Robin's relationship with Wayne and Eddie be exactly in the "Wayne adopts Robin AU"?

ty for the ask!

With Wayne:

Specifically in this AU, Robin's father died a few years ago, and she was closer to him than her mom, so she kinda imprints on Wayne like a baby duckling from the moment he was kind to her (but does her hardest not to show it).

In the early days of living with the Munsons, she tries to mask a lot and doesn't want to be a nuisance or overstep for fear that Wayne'll ask her to leave. It takes her some time to relax and let her guard down, but she bonds with Wayne over things like sport and TV (she's on the girls' soccer team, after all!). I think for sure she gets really into watching sports because of Wayne, much to Eddie's annoyance as he's shushed during games. Wayne tried to take her fishing, but she hated it, much like Eddie had.

Wayne teaches Robin how to drive, but they haven't been able to afford to get her license. Wayne's a quiet person and Robin is very much not, so Wayne often spends his evenings sitting on the couch listening to Eddie and Robin's conversations with him/each other, and there's nothing he'd rather do.

Wayne loves Robin fiercely. He seems to have a thing for collecting waifs in need (coined by @pukner). I personally headcanon that Wayne had a younger sister who died when she was still a kid, so having Robin around somewhat fills a little of that aching gap in his chest, y'know?

Overall, Wayne sees Robin as a daughter of sorts, or at least a daughter figure. If Eddie's his boy, Robin's his girl. Robin doesn't think of Wayne as a father exactly, but he's definitely the closest thing she has to one. He's Just Wayne™.

With Eddie:

Robin's definitely intimidated by Eddie to begin with. She knows him from school (and he used to be in band) and so she knows him as loud, rowdy and brash. She's almost jealous as well, because he's so comfortable in himself in a way she thinks she can never be. She tries to be invisible, to hide everything about herself, while Eddie seems to rise above it all.

Eddie, much to her surprise, is far gentler than she'd expected. She'd been nervous that he'd think she's trying to take over his home or steal his uncle or something, but Eddie takes it in stride and does his best to help Robin feel at ease. As far as he's concerned, she belongs with them now, too. He knows what it's like to lose a parent and to get stuck with a shitty one.

Eddie helps her out of her shell a lot and between him and Wayne she becomes a lot more comfortable dressing masculine and not hiding. As time goes on, she and Eddie get comfortable enough that they're almost equally loud at home, and they definitely have a sibling dynamic. Wayne's watched them tussling over the TV remote too many times to count. They both think of each other as a brother / a sister and outsiders perceive them as siblings.

When it comes down to it, though, they have each other's backs. After Starcourt, Eddie hates that he's out of the loop and doesn't know how to deal with it. He knows she's hiding something from him, but not what. Robin, in contrast, feels horribly guilty lying to them, because it's been so long since she's felt the need to hide anything from Eddie or Wayne.

When Eddie gets brought into things, Robin is devastated, because she'd always wanted Eddie and Wayne to be safe. She finds Chrissy in the trailer before Wayne does and she takes off cycling to find Eddie immediately. She finds him in the boathouse by herself, and they stick together.

(Also, a fun little tidbit is that they're both so afraid for the other. Robin's terrified of Hawkins being on a manhunt for her brother, while Eddie's scared shitless because Robin's been marked by Vecna in this AU and he saw what happened to Chrissy)

(Bonus fun tidbit: they both try to sacrifice themselves to save everyone else, and Wayne has to see both of his kids in comas. Eddie wakes up first only to learn that he can't see Robin because not only did Vecna get her, but he's the lead suspect for her 'attempted murder'.)

[that-spider-fan-over-there]

Something about Izuku I keep thinking about is how much he's a downright hypocrite and the only reason he isn't called out on it is because he's one for himself and not for others and at the core of it all it boils down to his pending childhood issues and the *vaguely gestures* "relationship" he and Katsuki have- I mean, just out of the top of my head:

Wants to be a strong and dependable hero but is at his weakest when he's alone.

Says to Himiko he would never hurt someone he loves but was the reason Katsuki was forced to dance with death until his own sacrifice. Hell, I'm expecting him to actually accidentally hurt Katsuki (Physically? Emotionally? You decide) next time they talk.

Wants to save people with a smile but barely cracked genuine ones during his battle with Tenko- I can think of two(?), and even then those felt more like a resignation (379 and 412 iirc) than actual smiles.

Being aware Kacchan's a jackass, fine, but the entire "Imitate the people you love/admire" themes, having an attitude when heated or absolutely Done with anyone's BS (makes sense for someone who grew up besides a kid in the Inferiority-Superiority Complex but still) and "This is a battle between All For One and One For All, you can't keep up" is still very much pot calling the kettle black (it's because his "arrogance" is rooted in selflessness and desire to be useful but that's for another day)

Deadass called All For One out for being a lonely man pretending to be a "Demon Lord" yet will not admit he himself thinks a he's just a lonely kid pretending to be a hero; and by the time he seemed to be growing out of it: Paranormal Liberation Front.

"IT'S YOUR POWER, ISN'T IT?!" Cool, nice of him to comfort Shoto and try the same with Touya, now if only he could do the same in regards to himself and OFA-

Wasn't able to connect with Tenko at all and that's why he failed but it's wild to me he'd still the one who even at surface level could relate to):

Spinner, because they're nerds who were ostracized based on Quirks/lack thereof looking for a purpose and were unable to help him because of AFO's interference;

Himiko, because they want to be like others (because they hate themselves at least a little bit) but also show love in a way others wouldn't accept and;

Touya, because they wanted to prove they could be useful to others and be heroes to the point of actively harmed themselves while using their own Quirk.

Hell, when you think about it he related to the crying child but he could've used Literally Anything from his relationship with Katsuki to try and reach Tenko, but of course he didn't, that means he'd have to think about his own issues and yet he saw Tenko's issues no wonder he didn't get the job done-

Also can we talk about him saying he relates to Ochako confronting Himiko but she actually succeeded- Or even Shoto wanting to forgive Endeavor; I keep recalling both Ch. 322 him saying he won't forgive Tenko for anything he did (understandable but still) and Tenko going "And I won't forgive anyone". Connecting these three instances are huge stretches, I know, but really, he hasn't addressed the apology he got- combined narrative punishments for empty platitudes.

Kept saying he needed to improve in his control with OFA: had to get beaten up during his internship and in the Summer Camp for that lesson to stick... Then he heard the words "Control Your Heart" and decided to Not Address It At All.

Supposed to surpass but he's really All Might's successor in every way that counts: Smile so nobody will worry, keep fighting even though you are destroying yourself, be so selfless you'll make your friends desperate enough to make you stop for your own good, hide every single thing you can about yourself, the only difference is in the bed they made: Toshinori lies in omission most of the time, and Izuku thinks he lies in white when almost every other character's in the dark, but as long as there's a dream of bright smiles in the future, who cares they're now forcefully entangled in this nightmare, right?

And these are just the examples I can think of the top of my head, there might be more, but. No wonder we've been "panicking" (let's be real his therapist already scheduled him for Ground Beta atp-) Shoto and Ochako brushed him off by accident in Chapter 425, it's the consequences of his hypocritical ass coming back to bite him-

(I am not hating on him, by the way, it's just something about him I wanted to point out. I like that aspect of his. Makes him more human. But jeez can someone call him out and make him practice what he preaches? XD)

[puredoesnotmeankind]

These two excellent ILITW metas by @spacetravels really got me thinking about the 'Everyone Plays Together' scene in regards to Noah and MC. Regardless whether everyone else survives or dies, it is between them to take the place of the monster, in Jane's stead. Because, while everyone else was traumatized from what happened when they were kids, they were more-so stuck in their grief for Jane, the person they both loved so much, and their failure to have protected her. And by the end, they're the only ones who aren't to push past their respective traumas and insecurities. In the 'Everyone survives' ending, while everyone else is able to defend themselves and confront Jane when she taunts them about their insecurities, MC instead breaks down apologizing and never actually stands up for themselves.

(sorry for the shitty quality of the last one, I forgot to take my own screenshot and had to use a different one)

And Noah continues to blame himself for everything that had happened, instead of accepting that he was just an innocent kid who had no way of knowing what Redfield was capable and of stopping him from killing Jane. That he was not at fault for what had happened.

Noah and Devon's trauma and insecurities overlap (having been unable to save Jane when they felt they were the ones responsible for her protection) but manifest in different ways. MC feels like they need to save everyone, even at their own expense (like during the scene where they confronted Redfield, knowing that they could've died).

While Noah blames himself and falls into self-hatred and depression, being unable and not allowing himself to move on.

In the end, only one of them is able to be saved. Like everyone else, they're both tested by Jane, to see if they are able to overcome their trauma or if they succumb to it.

Noah is put under Jane's control, which symbolizes how his entire life, Jane's death has had a hold over him. His lack of a support system and his mother constantly blaming him has led him to centre his entire self over what happened back then. If his nerve is high enough, he's able to break her hold over him. If not, he succumbs to her influence over him and kills MC.

If Noah is able to break through, their fates are in MC's hands, which is MC's test. It's established that MC has a saviour complex, stemming from their past inability to have protected Jane. That's why it's MC's choice, not Noah's, of who sacrifices themselves.

Should MC choose to let Noah take Jane's place, it shows they're putting themselves first for once, and breaking their cycle of trying to save everyone. But if they choose to save Jane themselves/give Noah another chance on their own expense, while it was a selfless move, stemming from their love for Jane and want to save Noah, it was one that showed they had yet to overcome their guilt (and now would no longer be able to) and still felt like saving others were their responsibility.

That's what makes this final choice so interesting because neither choices are wrong or right. Would it be better for MC to let Noah make up for his last mistake and die content after a life of loneliness and self-hatred, being stuck in his grief about Jane to never have amounted into anything else? Or if they sacrifice themselves, letting Noah a chance of redemption and recovery while also robbing him the one thing that would've allowed him to finally feel at peace? And what about themselves? Is it better to be selfless and putting others in front of themselves like they've always done? Is it selflessness when Noah didn't even want MC to sacrifice themselves? And would it be fair to themselves?

There's no better or worse choice. It's just whatever choice MC chooses and the both of them have to live with it.

(another thing worth noting is how whoever out of MC and Noah do survive are shown in ILB/ILW to still be stuck on their past, but now in regards to each other and their past choices (MC letting Noah sacrifice himself/not saving him that day or Noah's actions leading to MC being put in a position where they choose to sacrifice themselves) with MC obsessing over trying to save Noah or Noah trying to bring MC back and undo his mistake but that's a post for another day)

[weenwrites]

About the Scarlet Witch!Reader, imagine she heard the discussions from the Autobots about her chaos magic powers could lead to destructions and Reader will turn mad with power (which is completely the opposite, she's stable as she can be and kind and generous) and they should "keep an eye of her" in case she'll go crazy and in need to keep on lock her up, which made her feel more outcast from them as much she's outcast from society which depressed her more. One day, in a terrible battle between them and the Decepticons, she "sacrifice" to save them and everyone believe she died with it (but secretly gets away from them in complete isolation from everyone, both humans and Autbots, living in a farm or something), How Team Prime (Op, Ratchet, Ultra Magnus, Bee...your choice) will react of her death and their guilt ?

(P.S, you can add IF Team Prime's reactions IF they EVER heard that she's alive somewhere FAR away from them. would they want to reach her again or....?)

Optimus

Optimus treats them as he would any of the other humans, but he does keep a mental note of Ratchet's (and possibly the government's) concerns about them in mind. But so long as they don't do anything that goes against his morals—or just anything harmful in general, he won't see them as any threat.

When he witnesses them die, he goes beserk. He burns though vehicons faster than they can be deployed, and the Decepticons are forced to withdraw before they lose too many soldiers. Their death affects him like the rest of his team, but it's a bit less noticeable than the others. But when he learns they faked their death, he's... Confused, perplexed, upset—he feels a lot of things. He doesn't understand why they would fake their death, and of course he's upset that they did that in the first place. But that doesn't mean that he's not relieved to hear that they're alright.

While Optimus would like to talk to them, it's difficult for him to find the time to. But depending on whether or not they were someone who concerned the government, he may let agent Fowler know they're alive.

Ratchet

Ratchet's the one who primarily feels as if they're a threat here. He's seen just how twisted and corrupt one can become as a result of power—just look at Megatron for example. However, he doubts that someone as powerful as they are can be contained by any high-tech prison. They can only be contained by something that can rival their own power, which is something that neither the autobots or decepticons. However... They do seem mentally stable and in control of their own powers, so with time his concerns diminish.

But when it comes to their "death"... Even knowing that they're gone—permanently gone—he still feels as if something's off. He knows they're powerful, so surely something like that "sacrifice" wouldn't be enough to kill them. So when he discovers that they're actually alive, a whole surge of emotions rush through him. Anger, relief, confusion, betrayal, and sadness (to which he feels even more upset after learning the reason why they did this.)

Ratchet wouldn't seek them out, he's got mixed feelings about it, and he thinks that leaving them alone would be for the best, given the current situation (ahem, the war).

Bumblebee

Although they're really dangerous, Bumblebee doesn't treat them like they're a ticking time bomb. But of course he does understand that they could potentially become a threat to the team, the kids, and everyone else, and he keeps that in mind, but that doesn't affect how he treats them. He treats them like a normal person, albeit someone who's strong and can take care of themselves just fine—but still a normal person. And he'll continue to do this so long as they're both friends.

When he witnesses them die, he feels worse than distraught. It's clear that their death really got to him with the way his doorwings droop. He genuinely believes they're permanently gone, but the instant he learns they're actually alive he's... Got mixed feelings. On one hand he's really happy and relieved they're alive, and he wants to hug them, but on the other... They faked their death and they never said anything about it. They continued living their life even though they left so many people hurt by their death! He has no idea what he feels specifically, but one thing's for sure, he doesn't think he can forgive them for this. They'll still be friends—that is, if they'd want to be—but he can't forgive them for faking their death.

Bee wouldn't be sure on whether or not he should reach out. On one hand, they faked their death for a reason, perhaps he should just leave them alone? On the other hand he wants to talk about what they did. So, if he can find them, and if he has the time, he'd come by. But if they don't want to talk, he'll leave.

[save-the-villainous-cat]

Ayo pls do write this if you can, I've yet to see this happen in literally any fic:

MAKE ME CRY MY EYES OUT CATANA

“You stay right behind us, kid,” the villain had said, smirking at their sidekick with full confidence. The end of the world wasn’t supposed to be a personal issue that depended on the villain’s relationships. But apparently it did.

The protection of their sidekick was their priority. For someone so young, they were witty and funny. They were clever and annoying. The villain loved them like their own sibling. Someone who was just as fucked up as them, just as traumatised and hurt. And somewhere there, they could heal each other with jokes and the dream of another future.

It wasn’t like the kid had changed them but…somehow, they had made them a better person.

They’d been so sure. So incredibly sure they were invincible with the hero beside them. Finally fighting together, having each other’s backs — the villain’s and hero’s powers being perfected to a point that let them fight in sync with grace and a simplicity that made them feel oh so secure. It was heaven.

The hero was a reliable ally, a strong one that made the villain wonder how on earth they were enemies. When they fought like this, the villain felt somewhat complete. In combat, they were made for each other and the villain had enjoyed every second of it.

Both protected the villain’s sidekick whenever the situation got out of hand and both shielded each other when it started to look rough.

They’d never felt anything like this before. A connection that made them think they were soulmates. They felt so…strong. Letting them hope they could actually beat this ancient threat.

No wonder the villain had been cocky once the supervillain was their last standing enemy. A snarky comment was all they’d managed as they’d looked around the destruction of the city, ready to kick some ass.

But as it turned out, the supervillain was obsessed with the villain and apparently, they were ready to sacrifice the world to prove it.

In a last sick attempt at controlling the villain, they’d laugh-screamed their demands into the night. They’d destroy themselves and with that, this planet if the villain didn’t kill one of them. Their sidekick or their hero.

Which led them to this. An impossible decision.

“What?” the villain asked. Their voice died somewhere along the word, breaking when they least expected it. A moment ago, everything had been fine. Everything had gone according to their plan.

The supervillain’s expression wasn’t mad. It was calm. Cold. Like a salesman talking about a deal.

“I need you to kill one of them.” The villain’s head whipped around, their gaze boring into their sidekick and then their beloved hero. Both terrified beyond measure, both not sure on what the villain would decide.

Hell, not even the villain knew if they were actually going to decide.

“You’re insane.”

“Your precious hero is your only chance to save this world. And your sidekick? Like a sibling to you. So, what are you choosing? The world that always resented you? Or the family you found?”

“I will kill you,” the villain said, promised it but there was little weight to it. The supervillain could kill all of them easily. But they toyed with the villain, made them decide something like this just to see them suffer.

“Destroys the whole planet,” the supervillain said. “I’ll turn myself in after one of them is dead. Choose.”

“No.”

“I have killed thousands here, millions on other planets. I can kill these two for you, if you want to.”

“No.” The villain looked back at the hero and they realised how much they were panting, how much they were sweating.

“It’s okay,” the hero said. Fucking liar. “You can kill me, it’s alright.”

They took a step forward and the villain took one back, afraid that if they touched them, the hero would wilt. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t happening.

“I know you can find a way to beat them. You don’t need me for this,” the hero said. “It’s alright.”

“No,” the villain repeated for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Their heart was beating in their throat as panic got a grip on them and squeezed until all their adrenaline was gone.

“Choose,” the supervillain urged them. “You have one minute.”

The villain’s eyes widened and they wanted to sob. No, this couldn’t be real. This was a dream, some nightmare they couldn’t get under control.

The tears came without a command. With a blurred vision, they stared at their sidekick, a 17-year-old.

“I can’t,” the villain said, nearly wheezed the words. “I can’t do this.”

“Come on, show me what you are,” the supervillain said. They leaned back on the throne they had built out of ash and destroyed concrete. “30 seconds.”

“I don’t have a family,” the sidekick said suddenly. “You’ve been the only one in my life that has been kind to me. But so many others do have one. You have to save these people.”

It hurt. It fucking hurt to hear this. To look into the kid’s eyes and see the pain and the fear and yet, they decided to be brave and do a heroic thing.

“Please,” the villain said. They looked back at the supervillain. “Please, I am begging you. Don’t make me do this. I can’t do this. This is…this is madness.”

“Ten seconds.”

Suddenly, the sidekick grabbed their wrist and pulled them towards them.

“Do it. I want it.” The villain shook their head frantically.

“Please—” Everything was blurry.

“For once in your life, be a goddamn hero. I’ll stay with you until it’s over,” the sidekick promised but there were tears in their eyes. A yearning for a long and good life, for a family and a future that was worth something. The villain squeezed their eyes shut but the sidekick wasn’t planning on giving up that easily.

They looked at the shocked hero who was definitely going to sacrifice themselves at any given moment. However, the sidekick was faster.

“Take care of them, will you?” they asked the hero.

And with that, they gave the villain their own dagger, hands closed around the villain’s as the metal broke clothes and skin, opened flesh and gnawed on bone in a cruel, horrible way that woke up the villain from nightmares decades later.

[yuseirra]

This manga makes me feel like Cassandra. I keep talking about it, about this same thing over and over, PLEASE, I REALLY THINK THIS HAS TO BE IT GUYS.

I think I know what this manga is trying to say.

When "Fatal" (the song) came out, I got the gist of it and kept reading. But the story keeps spinning in circles, and people are confused. That does include me too, but I think I still know what this is supposed to be.

Early July? July 1st or maybe the 4th? So, it's been a whole three months now. I've been repeating this same idea over and over ever since Fatal was out-

If Kamiki has a motive, it must be for Ai, right? That’s obvious, isn't it? People had guessed that even before the song came out. But they thought it was twisted into something like “Anyone surpassing Ai must die.” But that’s not it. I never thought that was the case. Not only would that be meaningless, but Kamiki never admired or loved Ai as an idol in the first place. There hasn’t been a single scene where he’s shown to enjoy watching Ai perform. He's one of the two characters who directly presents the idea, along with Ruby, that Ai was just an ordinary girl, with her own cruel sides.

So, what would he do? What would he do if the person he loved died? What’s his motive, then? What’s driving him? In the songs, there’s this character who longs for someone far away, or someone who’s already dead, and who desperately desires to bring them back to life. They’re willing to die if that would help. And if you look at what Kamiki says, it’s like he doesn’t care much about his own life, but he’s still doing something, right? In Chapter 155, he says he’ll do something for Ai.

He’s probably been living like that all along.

Shouldn’t we be paying more attention to this? Why isn’t anyone seeing it?(sorry this is a stretch..I'm being strong with my words here.. You see my point.) I've been screaming about it this whole time…goodness. What other motive would this character have? Why would he hurt Ai? Sure, maybe we could stretch the idea and say he might sacrifice Ruby to save Ai, but judging by his reactions, I don’t think so. He seems proud of his daughter and genuinely loves his kids. I think that's true. He cares about Aqua, too, which is why he’s pretty keen of what Aqua’s thinking right now. From what I’ve seen, he’s surprisingly gentle and passive. I doubt he did much at all. Ai worried about him until the very end. He would be the type to get attacked, unable to fight back and fend for himself, which is why she decided to take everything on herself to protect him. Ai, who was just a small middle schooler herself, didn’t want to burden him with anything, so she took on everything to save the guy from suffering, THAT'S how she feels about the guy. If anything, that implies that this guy must have a really tender and soft heart, I'd even go as far as saying timid....idk, he might be someone who couldn't even hurt a fly in the past. But Ai was everything to him you know?? So that's why he's been pushing himself to become cruel and suffer in the process. That's why he relates to his son and tells him we are the same. I think he pities Aqua. They've been forcing themselves "for Ai" and that's what they share in common, thus explaining how Fatal has two singers. It reflects both him and Aqua's circumstances, although I feel the song leans more towards Kamiki's feelings overall because of the type of love the song displays.

Continuing on, it seems like Ai felt really protective about Kamiki, I guess he was the sort of person that makes you feel that way. He was sweet and frail. The things they say seem to drive people mad in some weird way, making everything go wrong, but they don't seem to gain much from it. If anything, they've only become more miserable. Isn't there a lyric in *Fatal* like that? Something about happiness draining away even when it's filled? That's exactly what this character's life's been like! Even when something good happens, it quickly disappears, leaving them feeling empty and unhappy again. There's no way they wished for that kind of life themselves. They need some sort of exorcism.

If you could remove that kind of bad luck, I think there’s a really good chance that Kamiki is surprisingly gentle and kind. I don’t think they’re someone capable of strong, forceful actions. They seem like the type to just talk and wouldn’t be able to handle a physical fight. They might have a sharp tongue, but when you dig deeper, you could interpret them as actually being quite kind. Honestly, I think they’ve been very consistent. Watching them now, it doesn’t seem like they’ve changed that much from their young self. People get fooled because of how ominous he looks now, but if they had kept the same round eyes as when they were a kid... He might not have seemed this intimidating. They’ve just become more hollow after losing Ai, so they give off this dark aura but I don't feel like they actually are capable of being so evil;

This story... it’s impossible for the boyfriend to be the culprit. More than that, if he *was* the culprit, it would completely undermine the entire theme of the manga. I mentioned this in a different post, so I won’t elaborate here. Anyhow, that’s not the direction this is going.

Ai and her boyfriend truly loved each other. If anything, I feel this guy may have been trying to save Ai in his own way, you know? In a world where reincarnation exists, something like that is theoretically possible, right? Honestly, for those who wish for Ai’s reincarnation, I feel like you should be supporting Kamiki. Because out of all the characters, I think this one is the only one who might seriously try to bring Ai back. Aqua is devoted to Ai in his own way, and Ruby as well, but they aren't trying to meet her or make her live again; Someone in the songs have made attempts to do it though??? Then it must be him!! I feel like he's tried, but it didn’t work out, and that’s what the speaker in *Mephisto* is lamenting about. *Fatal* is about how he still wants to reach Ai, to see her somehow even after such failed attempts. That’s why and how the idea that Ai wants this guy to be saved ties to the plot. This guy needs saving.

I’m not lacking in insight. This hit me all at once, and I really think this is where the story is heading. There’s no guarantee yet that this isn’t the case, so I believe this is what’s happening till it gets proven otherwise because!! I really do not see how the story can tie things unless it isn't this!! It all works so beautifully if this is how it is!!

[writing-and-rebloging]

Macbeth, Jellal and parallels.

Quick preface, I'm taking the Anime add ons in the Oracion Seis arc and the Starry Sky filler as canon, because they give a lot more substance and treat the Seis nicely enough (and much better than the manga), respectively.

Acknowledgement

In a way. It's what all of this hinges upon. In a turn of events, Macbeth recognizes the darkness and cruelty simmering in Jellal's head, compares them to his own, and says that due to that, Jellal would fit perfectly in Oracion Seis. Morally corrupt, cruel and powerful... Jellal is just like them, isn't he? In the anime, the vibes of condescendingly saying "can't you see you're just like me? No matter how much you deny it. No matter how much you say you're disgusted by my actions, you're just as bad." are simply immaculate.

Past

While they share this with other characters, they were both enslaved children in the tower of Heaven. A past neither of them like to talk about. They were weak, helpless, and it fucked them up (Jellal was tortured to insanity, Macbeth has night terrors and several dealer's choice sleep issues thanks to the tower) majorly. Jellal barely talks about the tower in general unless it's to make a point of his atonement, and Macbeth only mentions it three time, two while throwing what he did to Jellal's face and one while lashing out at Erza for not going back to save anyone from her boyfriend's cruelty.

The fact that they couldn't do anything to defend themselves while other people kicked them around eats at them, and while we know they were kids, it's not something they consider in the equation at all. They're ashamed of it, unlike Erza or Milliana, and it leads to the second and third points.

Manipulation.

After being tortured for hours, "Zeref" (who was just Ultear. Who interestingly enough also gets tortured within an inch of her life by Brain, but that's for another post) reaches out to Jellal and gives him the power to take over the Tower of Heaven, while weeks or months later Brain "adopts" Macbeth and the other four members of Oracion Seis, and teaches them how to use a wide variety of magic.

They both end up on positions of power. Jellal as the ruler of the Tower of Heaven. Macbeth as the favorite son, with all that implies. And while they gain something (safety, for starters) out of it, they're also at someone else's mercy. Jellal is being manipulated by "Zeref" into completing the Tower to bring him back, while Macbeth is in turn groomed by Brain into being the perfect soldier to maintain the magic link keeping Zero at bay, and carry out his plans so that he can hide away.

Drunk on power.

They embody this more than any of the other Tower kids that became villains. They're given power, both raw in the form of incredible magical abilities and over other people (albeit in different ways). And they get drunk on it.

Jellal runs the tower like a tyrant, ordering and bullying people around. He threatens his friends, murders one of them, and even almost sacrifices Erza, who he held dear above anyone else.

Macbeth on the other hand, we can assume is encouraged to hurt people as much as he pleases, as long as he gets the job done. We see that when he tortures Eve, and when he says he wants to see Erza and Jellal in pain. 

Both of them use that power to inflict pain, and that pain to soothe the wound of having been taken advantage of when they were vulnerable. It makes them feel safe, being above other people.

Magic

While this is anime only, as we never see him use it again, Macbeth ends up using the same dark magic as Brain, and, if we look at some spells that Jellal uses back in the tower... The resemblance is enough to assume it's the same kind of magic. And while not immensely relevant, it sure is fun that they would use the same magic, all things considered.

Extending a hand to each other in the worst way possible (while mocking Jellal's worst insecurity vs after beating the crap out of Macbeth) should also be listed, tbh. But this is long enough.

These similarities, however, would make them want to throw up if pointed out rather than bring them closer.

Anyways. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[fllagellant]

14 + 19 for antioch & theris 15 + 21 for estel + hivaris :3

:33 THANK UUU … my boys ..

ask game here !!

14. who are they closest to from their family?

HmmmMM . Theris is probably his Keeper first .. then mother second #mamasboy . He was an only child since his mother couldn’ t have another child after him . So she doted Heavily on him and the Keeper was like . The third parental figure . His relationship with his dad is fine but he isn’ t the man Theris would go to if he needs serious advice yknow …. His dad also isn’ t a fan of how Theris is setting up his life pre inquisition . The whole Herald’ s Bodyguard thing almost makes him have a heart attack

Antioch is his younger siblings … two very young kids who he is both the cool older brother too and also the overbearing parent to . Yes you can ride the halla . Yes you can come watch me hunt . Dont you DARE pick up those skinning tools you WILL hurt yourself are you kidding me . Stand in the corner I am not arguing with you . He has that ‘ motherly instinct ‘ that also doesn’t work 9/10 but when it does …. He just loves his baby siblings so much and wants to be the person they’ ll feel comfortable talking to as they age

19. are they afraid of death?

Yes . But not their own … kinda . Both Theris and Antioch have sorta signed themselves onto this idea of duty and both of them understand that sacrifice may be required blah blah blah but that also doesn’ t mean the idea of the Other having to die for this cause doesn’ t make them feel Awful Things . + Antioch’ s whole thing is being the overreaching protector of His people . And His people right now are the inner circle + the inquisition at large . Therefore he Has to kill to keep them from dying . It’ s chill if he does tho !!! But it isn’ t bc Theris is one funeral away from learning necromancy,

It’ s a cycle of no They can’ t die . I can tho . But not them

15. preferred weapon of choice?

Estel loooove evil nightmare and blood magic but idk if that counts as a weapon . But big and intricate staves ? Yes please !!! Even better if it has a stabbing end !!!

Hivaris has homoerotic tension with every 2 handed maul he comes across . Every problem is a nail , and well ,

21. what is their biggest regret?

This one is so difficult I dont know Why . Earlier on it might have been Becoming a Grey Warden for both of them . But that does not last .. even with the sheer amount of drawbacks …

Estel regrets how the Circle formed them … if that makes sense .. made him bitter and ingrained both that instinct to follow orders and also the instinct to rebel against any sort of rule so it’ s just like . Well . I also think a part of them regrets not dying with the Archdemon but not really … unless ? Haha what if I prove everyone wrong and go down in a blaze of blood and glory and mark the word as an apostate and an elf that saved this shitty , shitty place . But then Estel looks in a mirror like nvm people need to Suffer me more

Hivaris . Okay I think his biggest regret he is conscious of is not being able to help his sister sooner . Like he does , sure , but he hates that it took so long for him to be able to do Anything for her , in his eyes . Also visiting her when he was a grey warden too like damn … maybe I should have avoided going home now she’ s just gonna worry about me . But subconsciously ? I think he regrets doing the ritual with Morrigan . After the fact it is that tug of guilt that she’ s going off Alone to birth and raise a kid that Is His . Like wow #absentfather … this sucks . He doesn’ t try to think about it because it was a ritual to trap the soul of the arch demon but its still a baby boy and everything that is His son at the end of the day

[hantheheart]

thinkin about Chaos cult AU

GwenLanceTris are the heads of the whole operation, the ones protecting the kidnapped kids and trying to shepherd the the people who stole them away into making mistakes that will get them caught. and they all three agreed early on that they would do whatever it took to get the bastards who kidnapped them caught and the innocent people caught up in this mess to safety, even if it costs them their lives. 3 teenagers, more than prepared to take lives to protect and sacrifice themselves to save. Scared of it, still, but ready to make the call when it comes.

Lancelot and Nasiens using their fairy ability to read hearts to communicate escape plans to each other and to the kidnapped fairies within the Chaos Cult camp, setting off small escape plans here and there and making it look like the cultists slipped up. Setting free as many kidnapped people as they can every few months to avoid suspicion but still saving as many as they can

Gwen with her head held high, ordering Lancelot and Tristan to lead attacks on villages so she knows they will minimize damage and casualties as much as they can but crumpling into tears and begging forgiveness from his best friends when they return, bloody and bruised and scarred, not caring about the finery she's made to wear being smeared in blood as she squeezes them both close. Tristan promising they don't hold it against her, they agreed to do this, this is what has to be done. Lancelot simply squeezing them both back and burying his face against Gwen's shoulder, too exhausted from being on guard 24/7 to bother with anything but still wanting to comfort his closest friends.

Percy always trying his best to keep everyone's spirits high, but occasionally crumbling into tears and frustration, knowing that there's so little he or any of them can do to get back to their families and homes, wishing everyday to luck into another entrance to the Demon Realm so he can beg Zeldris and Gelda to save them, beg the family that chose him to save his friends and all the poor unfortunate souls who got mixed up in this hell.

Donny, bitter and rude and cruel when parading around as one of Gwen's entourage, but sobbing about how he misses his Uncle when they're all hiding together in the palace the Followers of Chaos made for Gwen. Donny, heartbroken and afraid and angry all at once and having no way to get it out so he and Lancelot and Gawain go beat the shit out of each other in the training fields in some vain hope of easing the tension in their bodies but it never leaves, they ache for days and days after and wind up bruised to shit.

[sol-consort]

omgg i just read your Earthborn Shep and Thane post and ykkkk who else can have that past criminal angst? Earthborn Shep and Jack. Like they both had to do whatever it takes to survive at the end of the day. Like Shel gets why she likes to stay under the engine room alone and needs the noise and the solitude to feel safer and all the trust issues they both have. My friend you opened up a can of worms in my brain sjjdjdkck. Your mind…so powerful 💥

YES EXACTLY! fuck I wish I could've brought it up to Jack ingame when she says we wouldn't understand her. I wish earthborn Shepard had to chance to say actually they're very familiar with the world she's currently living in.

Shepard used to be in gangs since the earliest memory they could recall! With no parents who ever claimed them and no support system, they had to go out there and put food at the table themselves before they knew what algebra was!

Earth, the human's homeworld and cradle, has treated Shepard so badly. he same planet you sacrifice everything to save in ME3 is the same one that let freeze without a home in some alley.

The only option was to pick up a gun and fight for survival, run with scummy people, and befriend the lowest of the low in order to avoid getting stabbed in the back. The government hid those suffering kids in the shadows of glamourise buildings and pristine gardens for alien tourists to gawk at.

And Shepard's saving grace was the fact the army was willing to give you food and shelter in exchange for being willing to die for them. It just makes being labelled a war hero all the more bittersweet. People didn't care about humanity's saviour when they were a kid rotting in the street.

Shepard would completely understand Jack and defend her against Cerberus. Have her back when it comes to confrontations with the crew. Old habits die hard, and even Shepard still sleeps with a gun hidden under the pillow, so who are you to judge Jack sleeping in the engine room.

Maybe Shepard goes there too when stress becomes too much, and they revert back to their teen self looking for any shelter from the rain. They go to the engine room and sit in the corner, reminding themselves they're stronger than anything thrown their way.

Maybe it was Anderson who first noticed Shepard doing that in the first Normandy and kept it their secret. Knowing their history and never putting them on the spot, which is why Shepard is so chill with Jack's requests and behaviour.

In the shadowbroker info, it shows that Jack activity searched online about Shepard's history, watched the spectre ceremony halfway through before closing it, and even looked into your achievements. She was clearly frustrated with you being another decorated ship captain who had every opportunity handed to them on a silverplate.

If only she would've dug more and found the articles about Shepard's hidden past, the interviews with the gang memebers who used to be in your close circle, the paparazzi shots where your clothes slipped to reveal a part of a tattoo, speculations about its meaning and if it's related to a gang symbol.

All those things the alliance pays triple the market price just to keep hidden from the first page results of search engines. Keeping the stained glass imagine of The Commander Shepard as clean as ever, polishing your history until nothing is left but a symbol of humanity's greatest achievements, not the stain that is your attempt at survival after your own kin abandoned you.

Earthborn Shepard is just so interesting! That sort of scandal would follow you for life. Old habits and bad reputations. Especially with a paragon, Shep, who's all kind and proper, that used to be an actual monster in the streets.

Even more sweet when you see Jack again in ME3 and know she followed in your steps and left that life behind. Finding a reason to live besides pure survival. I always let her punch me because nothing would phase earthborn Shepard, who knows how this is normal, friendly things in the criminal world. Who used to have their own friends to wrestle with for fun. Who did a lot of stupid things like play russian rullet in their youth.

[charlie-and-brown]

There are reasons that Naruto puts Iruka and Sasuke above everyone. Like all the other fans have said, they sacrifice themselves for Naruto’s life when he was a nobody, an outcast no one wanted to get in touch with.

While reading the manga, I found the similarities between these two people’s sacrifices.

Naruto, the kid, was not someone who would expect people to treat him well. He was used to people neglecting him and him earning the attentions from them. There were not just some moments of underdogs getting someone attentions but also a little child’s deep earning was answered.

He had learnt not to expect in order not to get hurt by others.

There must have been some time that he got neglected or bullied and hoped people would have come and saved him, but there were no one.

Therefore, when Iruka and Sasuke came forward, to save him from difficulties and pain without him requesting, to value him more than their own lives, that’s his dream coming true. Someone did value him.

He mattered.

On the other hand, I would never watch the Last. How could anyone think Naruto would value people giving him attentions secretly and not doing things to improve his situation at all? That’s exactly why Kakashi and Sakura never rise to Iruka and Sasuke level in his heart. (Kakashi is closer to his heart of course.) Both of their attentions are earned, in his eyes. Even though Kakashi would protect him all the time, care about his well-being and education, and bring him vegetable, and Sakura would care for him in her own ways, they would never be closer to Iruka and Sasuke. (Sorry, Kakashi Sensei. I do love you very much. It’s just fact.)

Even bringing Naruto some cookies would be better than nothing. How could you claim to love someone and not do anything? Naruto literally do something for Gaara when he tried to kill for him for several times just because he understood his pain.

And Naruto was moved? Hn…

If you experienced someone’s love, you wouldn’t want anything less than it, especially after he knew how much Iruka, Sasuke, his own parents, and even Jilaiya loved him and sacrificed for him. He might be selfless but not stupid.

Haku incident was the reason of Naruto’s nindo. He didn’t want to use people as tools. He wanted to protect his previous people. He would do anything for people he loved and he understood the idea of sacrificing everything for loved ones.

Going to the same place with his loved one after death. Don’t know where our boy, Naruto, got this idea but maybe there was something…

And this was the panel when they visited their graves before leaving.

After knowing that shinobis were viewed as tools, he absolutely didn’t agree and decided to go on his own ways.

Does it sound like someone who would be moved by some little girl who liked him but said nothing or did nothing for him?

Well…

So many details when I read Japanese version. Maybe it’s because I literally need to read panels by panels. I am still not really fluent in Japanese.

[cantsomeoneelsedoit]

Ch 50: It's Up to You Now

Failure Is Not An Option: A Shoujo Story About Love and Monsters

UMA Autumn has gotten both bigger and stronger from eating people while Fuuko and Andy were in the book. Andy suggests that it's starting to enter its second phase and busts out a new move:

Autumn can regenerate! That's perfect for Rip, except...

he can't even injure it in the first place because he's still just a kid!

We get to see Latla's ride, and it's a motorized broom of some kind. I hadn't really thought of her as a witch before this, but I guess it makes sense since she can predict the future. Her side-saddle riding is so cute. Is Latla a magical girl now?

She's got her back turned to Autumn both because it's gross and so she can make a quick getaway if she needs to. I don't blame her tbh.

Anno Un says they'll draw an Artifact that can capture Autumn while the group distracts it. Rip asks Latla to fact check Anno Un and we FINALLY get an explanation for her ability.

Also, I kinda can't believe Viz hasn't fixed Andy's typo in the first panel. I wonder if they fixed it in the print edition. UU is usually pretty clean, so it caught my eye.

Anno Un reflects on their strange life as they draw the Artifact with the G Liner in their mouth. The first object Akira manifested from a drawing was a little car, and that discovery led to the creation of Anno Un.

Once they had a human avatar, they tried to visit Akira's mom, but she had already passed.

Akira couldn't bear to even look, and so Anno Un did the grieving for him. Anno Un did all the things that Akira couldn't, including drawing those characters that little Akira had been so eager to show her:

Each character is described by their relationships and loyalties to other characters. It's their relationships and interplay that make up the core of the story, no matter what the plot is.

Beyond the fact that his mom likes handsome (adult) characters, I think she would like Rip because Rip also lost someone. I don't believe there's ever an explanation for what happened to Akira's father, but it must've been a loss at some point, whether through death, divorce, or abandonment.

Akira's mom took a different path than Rip by devoting herself to those who remained instead of pining for the one who left. After all, she had a kid to care for, and there wasn't anything supernatural she could do to bring Akira's father back, unlike Rip using the Ark. But she probably understands his feelings very well. After losing Akira, I'm sure she'd do anything to find him again.

Anno Un uses the Life Is Strange Artifact on Rip and turns him back into an adult. Latla's expression is hilarious:

With his prosthetics getting taller and his shorts shrinking, Rip's kinda got an Absolute Area/zettai ryouiki thing going on! (Which reminds me to add that Tatiana's ability is named after the A.T. Fields in Eva, which are protective barriers like Tatiana's that expand around the users. Which of course, got turned into a stocking fetish by otaku...)

ANYWAY, Rip already knows how the Artifact works because it's the same thing that Feng used on him when Andy almost killed him. It causes the user to age 10x whatever they aged the target.

Rip has a moment of pure kindness and offers to use the Artifact on Anno Un to try to even out the damage, but they won't allow him. The look on Rip's face in this bottom panel is a turning point.

It's like he realized how much they knew already and how much they really did care about him. Rip has a hard time understanding selflessness and altruism, like when Fuuko saved Chikara. And here's someone he barely knows--someone he was recently trying to kill--and they're willing to sacrifice themselves for his sake. Rip's expression is childlike, which is funny since he just got aged up.

Rip is still stunned as Anno Un fades away, leaving only the tracksuit, Soul Caliber, and the broken G Liner. The unlikely team of five will have to fight the rest of the battle without their advice. Will we ever see Akira again?!

Masterpost

[iwanttofuckereh69]

now reading 2ha vol 2

ch 55 - 71

… but the careless thought would fly through his mind and soon be lost, like the drizzle of rain falling into a deep pond.

Mo Ran’s entire existence put into words perfectly

1. now im sad 😭

Ahhh the way Shi Mei’s death is described is gut wrenching. I was so sad reading that. But yeah, at least there are more details to what happened. It seems like Chu Wanning couldn’t do anything to save him that day. Or rather, he had to choose. I feel like if he tried saving Shi Mei, he wouldn’t hold the barrier. So he chose, faithful to his principles. It ties to Chu Xun’s sacrifice that seems to be supposed to show how hard of a decision it must have been both on Chu Xun and Chu Wanning. My guess is Mo Ran either didn’t realize at the time that CWN had to choose one over the other or he couldn’t understand why he would sacrifice his disciple to protect all those people he himself doesn’t care about. 

But damn that description hurt. Mo Ran’s heart was truly aching. And that comparison to a snowflake, equally beautiful and equally unimportant. Ehh

@thegreymoon if this is "moderate and usual amount of suffering" then i dont know if i want to continue!!!!

(jk, i like when it hurts 🙂)

2. Chu Wanning is even more awkward than i was in high school which should be considered an achievement

Tbh I like moments of Mo Ran’s longing for Chu Wanning. And how he reacts when he sees Chu Wanning finally after all this time CWN spend “in seclusion”. Its lovely, but also hes so dumb for not realizing. This whole whatever was going on between them during New Years Eve celebration was just lovely but also so awkward. Chu Wanning deliberately giving him a copper coin dumpling? Absolutely cute. But also so awkward and just 😬 Instead of finding thousands of weird ways to flirt maybe just tell him? Idk its an outrageous idea, but idk give it a try maybe?? And omg that awkward moment when he wanted to invite mo ran to watch fireworks but… yeah. I felt it in my bones. 

3. Breaking news, Mo Ran, despite being 32 yo in 16 yo body mentally somehow ended up being 5

Sometimes it feels to me as if mo ran desired CWN not as a person but as an object. And he is even comparing him to an ugly box that nobody wanted with perfectly fine food inside. An ugly box only he himself dared to open to discover the treasure inside. And he is so childishly jealous when now that box is on display for everyone to look at. Its almost silly. But also yeah, its another time he treats CWN more like a thing he owns. And nobody else should see any worth in that thing, because its only his to consume. There is a fine expression in my native language for a person like that, and funny enough, its also dog related. But I couldn't find any translation that would convey all the nuisance. It’s for a person that won’t let anyone else enjoy a thing even if they themselves have no intention of enjoying that thing either. It reminded me of this quote:

Eventually, like a beast, he had known only one thing: that Chu Wanning was his. Even if he didn’t care for Chu Wanning, he was still his to sunder and to ruin. 

And like… Right now, Mo Ran seems to me like an annoying jealous kid that wants CWN for himself out of pure spite. Because CWN never gave MR attention he thought he was owed or that he deserved. I want to punch him just a bit.

4. Shi Mei is totally Chu Wanning’s wingman

Like he always tries to show Mo Ran that CWN isnt all that bad XD And I won’t believe he didn’t realize after all those completely awkward confessions and random hand holdings that Mo Ran has feelings for him. Like I won’t believe he wouldn’t see right through him especially on that boat. And I think he is smarter than MR and saw that CWN isn’t indifferent to Mo Ran after all. I want to say he would be happy if they’d get together but BASED ON COMMUNITY’S REACTIONS i feel like i will look like a clown lol. But oh well thats my very biased impression of Shi Mei. 

@rosemary-screams

Never back down never what? NEVER GIVE UP!

Also it dawned on me while reading that you’re totally right @02cm, Mo Ran totally is wasting his chances with Shi Mei. I mean it happened before but that boat scene striked me as so annoyingly obvious. Like, he knows Shi Mei dies after he gets back from that “summer camp” in peach blossom springs. Its not gonna be long till that day and he can’t be sure it won’t happen again. And he is waiting around, unable to express his feelings that he was supposed to be so sure of. Is it… perhaps… a live showcase of Mo Ran’s only two brain cells almost connecting? Almost! Not quite there yet, but we’re on the right path. 

5. This book makes me feel disdain towards the characters and then feel bad for them in the matter of chapters njnjgviuvnjuigi im not well

I'm so heartbroken with the story of how Mo Ran was punished when he tried to steal the haitang flower for Chu Wanning because he had a crush on him. And CWN never let him speak and explain himself and punished him instead. I mean it’s kinda understandable but it makes me sad knowing that MR had such pure intentions... Also, that bedtime story about ox… Mo Ran sees himself in that boy? Because it seems like he always took the beatings no matter if he deserved it and nobody was kind enough to actually listen? And it seems like it will happen again now that he's being framed for murder.

6. Me when MR gave Xia Sini butterfly hair clip and made his hair:

THIS HAS NO REASON TO BE SO CUTE. Also i'm actually enjoying that smol Chu Wanning arc despite being weirded out at first. It gave CWN opportunity to be more relaxed around MR and the rest. And just like he can enjoy sweets as much as he wants without having to worry about losing his face, he can also just chill a bit because oh boy, my guy needed it so much

7. Someone really dislikes Mo Ran and is actively plotting his demise (which im not even surprised with). It’s either someone he already managed to wrong after reincarnating or someone of those many, many people he offended in his past life that somehow also got reincarnated into the past. What are the odds?!

Also, if Chu Wanning and Chu Xun are related (rather closely given how they look alike) and Chu Xun died and Chu Lan died and it seemed like there wasn’t anyone left out of their bloodline… how. Also what’s the self sacrifice gene because it clearly runs in this family.