#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

[m4rz1t0ne]

FINALLY uploading my bunny ship chart over here! this was super fun for me, i love these things and i take them way too seriously

and thank you to @mantequillamcwhoremick because your takes and our conversations helped me perfect this !! YOU'RE THE GOAT.

and, yes, each of them get three songs, because i am too indecisive to pick JUST one <3

AND, below is some bonus stuff! because i saw a few things from other ship charts i wanted to fill out for these two, but i didn't wanna fill out another chart, so i'm just adding them below!

Who's the Madoka and who's the Homura?

Kenny is the Madoka, Butters is the Homura. Kenny is the Madoka, because both of them sacrifice themselves to save the world. Butters is the Homura because I think his optimism and determination to try again and again despite setbacks could probably lead him to take a similar path to her, that being, using time reversal powers to desperately try and save Kenny from death, no matter how many times he fails, because surely he'll save him this time.

Who's the armrest? Who's the headrest?

Kenny is the armrest because Butters is too tall for Kenny to rest his arms on him, but you bet your ass Butters is constantly resting his arms on Kenny. Butters always has his arm around Kenny's shoulder, waist, or just has his arms around him in general. He's crazy. And a little possessive. <3 (I like to think that sometimes he doesn't even recognize that he's doing it, it just happens naturally.) They are both each others headrests, however.

Who fell first? Who fell harder?

Butters fell first, and Kenny fell so hard every bone in his face shattered on impact. I think Butters always had a little hallway crush on Kenny, that he only processed as a crush when Princess Kenny happened. It wasn't anything too serious, until the two got closer in high school. Meanwhile, Kenny never thought much of Butters at all when they were kids. Sure, he didn't hate him the way all the other kids did, but he wasn't his biggest fan either and he was often a bystander/observer to his bullying. However, once he actually got to know him, he realized he was severely missing out (thanks @mantequillamcwhoremick you put it so perfectly in your fic HAHSAJD).

Who's the bigger yearner?

Kenny. He yearns so deeply his chest hurts. He's the one less likely to do anything about his feelings, but god does he want to.

꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜ AND THAT IS ALL. IF U READ EVERYTHING THANK YOU!! :3 I LOVE SHIPPING !!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOOOO!!!!!!!!! GOD BLESS BUNNY NATION PEACE AND LOVE GOODBYE

[superbat-lmao]

Something that Bruce never meant to teach his kids was his methodology for a “final” contingency plan.

Over half of the time, operations that involve Batman’s plans are completed within the first ten acceptable contingencies. Sometimes people are injured, sometimes people unaccounted for are injured, and more often their estimates on property damage were low.

The other half of the time, when pushed beyond the ten most acceptable contingencies, more severe consequences are incurred. People are in comas, teammates lose a limb, anything shy of a permanent solution.

But Bruce, he has a final contingency for every scenario. His one true failsafe.

Self sacrifice.

At the absolute bottom of the barrel, after scraping clean the dregs themselves, in the space between the atoms of the wooden cask, is the final solution. Bruce sacrificing himself to save an enemy, a teammate, his city, the world, his galaxy, the universe. He is willing to take that hit. Only if he has to exhaust all other plans to reach that point.

His children don’t have the same compunction. It scares the hell out of him when one of them goes for the “final play” as though it’s one of the first ten contingencies. His kids think he’s a hypocrite, holding them to different standards than himself.

The one who takes after this particular mindset of his the most, is Jason.

Jason makes plans with brutal efficiency, but that rely on brutal methods. He discounts non-lethal plans in ways Bruce can’t fathom. Not always, but without a logic Bruce can follow.

He’s the only one of Bruce’s children that has successfully carried out a final plan. To the point that he always sees it as an option. He walks into a lion’s den guns blazing with little thought about extraction if it doesn’t go well. It terrifies Bruce.

Over the course of two separate movie nights, Bruce pieces together the issue.

The first movie night is a marathon of the Lord of the Rings extended editions. When Samwise is telling Frodo they will have to stretch their food for the journey home. The fact that Frodo hadn’t considered rationing supplies because he didn’t expect to return home sits uneasily with Bruce long after the credits have rolled.

The second was a movie chosen by Tim as part of a rotation. It was some science fiction film called Gattaca, about genetic engineering. In it, a man wants to go to space but lives in a world where everyone is genetically engineered at birth. It’s a scene with two brothers swimming in the ocean. The movie is trying to set up that people can’t exceed their own limits. The brother who was not engineered can swim farther than the brother who was, it is the real thesis of the movie. It comes to a point when the one asks how the other does it. How does he keep going, keep succeeding, doing better than others who were literally made to be better than him. It’s the scene in the ocean, each trying to swim further than the other. When the main character answers, it’s that he never saved any energy for the swim back to shore. Every single thing he accomplished in life was because he devoted himself singularly to the goal, didn’t plan for failure. If he had drowned in the ocean it would have been because he didn’t conserve enough energy to get back to shore. His mentality is that he never even considered it.

Jason is the only one who has been past the point of no return and still returned. He is both Frodo and Vincent, not planning for the return trip. It is something Bruce wishes he never taught his son.

[shedpuns]

I hope where we're going with the lightner adults is that they can help if they just. stop wallowing in their own pain and do it.

ch3 could be undyne taking that first step--she was young, ambitious, optimistic, trusting, desperate, lonely, whatever it was that made her willing to do what she did and (at the very least) shut down repeated warnings about the dangers of the dark world until it was almost too late and be complicit in whatever's going on that the bunker. it doesn't really matter why, she had some sob story that gave her a reason to act how she did whether she was working with carol or just woefully misguided. she did the wrong thing.

and crucially, she chooses to abandon all that, go screaming into the dark world, and attack the roaring knight. it doesn't make up for the things she's done wrong. it doesn't even save kris, and these kids are never going to be saved from being the heroes of the story because that would be an awful story. but it does help. it gives the fun gang just that extra moment they needed. and it matters.

now undyne's sob story is probably pretty simple. at its heart it's probably just that she's some combination of scared, dumb, and broke. that's not hard to throw off when it's obvious that you're doing the wrong thing.

but what about alphys, who is doing the wrong thing because she doesn't know what the right thing is? what about toriel, who is doing the wrong thing because she needs a chance for things to change? what about asgore, who is doing the wrong thing because he grieves the life he believes was unfairly taken from him?

I think they will all be given a moment where they can break from the path they've set themselves, make a different decision, and start doing good--without their past misdeeds being forgiven or forgotten. they will have to make the choice to abandon the selfish pain that guided their actions and act purely on what's right.

and I think they'll do it, in the end, however stupidly or bullheadedly or ultimately ineffectually they do it.

again, they won't save kris from being a hero. I'm not expecting a great big scene where asgore 1v1s a titan and saves hometown. but it will matter, and it will put them in a place where they can begin to make reparations for their misdeeds and move on.

and I think carol, ultimately, will fail that test.

her defining character trait is that she can't let go of anything, good or bad. she won't be able to give up on her plans no matter who else does. even when undyne and asgore and kris and dess desert her, she'll keep trying to end the world for one last chance to keep it all just as it was.

(I wonder, then, if we'll be given the chance to let our baggage go. give up our designs for the future of this world and sacrifice our window into it in order to let kris rest with their friends. maybe even give up our hopes that we brought from undertale--we won't see papyrus, we won't get that alphyne kiss, we'll never know what happens when asriel comes home from college, whether he'll be able to spend time with asgore or toriel or both. we'll never figure out gaster. but maybe that's worth it, in the end.)

[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

[softthyla]

i promise, i'll do better

spirk | 12k | domesticity

Spock comes back into the room with David cradled to his chest. “He would like to sleep with us, please.”

Jim smiles at them, unable to help himself. He flips back the covers and scoots over to make room, saying, “By all means.”

Spock’s telepathy makes him a very good parent to a nonverbal child. Where Jim has to guess based on what he assumes David needs, Spock actually knows, especially now that he has established a parent-child bond between them.

Now, David snuggles into the space between them, cooing happily when Spock scoots closer so he’s pressed between both their chests. Jim reaches out and wraps his arm around both of them, and he feels Spock’s pleasure in that through their bond.

“That’s right,” Jim says. “My boys.”

“Hello,” Spock says. “It’s very early in the morning.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to go back to sleep,” Jim says. “The court martial is today.”

“I have not forgotten,” Spock replies. “But I think it would behoove you to rest as much as you can, even if you do not sleep. You must be emotionally prepared for whatever outcome you face.”

“I’m just worried about David,” Jim admits. “Not that—obviously you’ll do a great job of raising him. But I don’t want to make you.”

“It is my intention to stand with the crew,” Spock says.

“Spock, we talked about this—”

“It is my right,” Spock says. “And my privilege. My parents will gladly care for David if we are briefly detained, which I very much doubt will come to pass.”

“Your mother says she’s too old to raise another child.”

“My father is not,” Spock counters. “I have spoken to him about this. He agrees with the logic of my position.”

“Well, maybe David will learn how to pronounce his family name after all,” Jim says, bested. “I just don’t have your optimism about the results.”

“You saved the planet,” Spock says. “They may argue with your methods, but they cannot argue with the results.”

“Seems like they might.”

Spock cups his cheek, pulling him in so their foreheads touch. “They will not.”

Jim sighs, tipping his face up to kiss him. It’s hard to get too worked up over anything when they’re lying here in bed together with their baby between them, living the life he’d always been too scared to even dream of. If he could go back twenty years and tell himself that it all works out, that Spock decides it’s worth it to love him back and have kids with him, he’d have laughed in his own face. But they’re here. Jim doesn’t think he’ll ever stop marveling over it.

Even death couldn’t keep them apart.

Kirk has made it home with his undead husband and son, and they've saved the world. But the ramifications of taking on a disabled toddler are only beginning to make themselves known, as are the sacrifices Jim will have to make to take care of his second chance at a family. How many times will he give up the Enterprise to be with Spock?

[undertalerainbow]

Can you get the... | Animatic Meme | Asriel and Chara Dynamic Concept

When hearing this audio, it helped me a lot to figure out the dynamic I wanted with these two characters. With how long Undertale has been around most of what'd been done with these characters has already been done, so what I'm doing may not be new but it isn't something seen a lot so I hope y'all will like the concept. Asriel and Chara have a lot of care for one another, but that doesn't mean there aren't flaws. Chara in Undertale Rainbow didn't fall down in the best state of mind which still affected them even when they were fully integrated with the Dreemur family. As a result, Asriel made it his mission to make Chara the happiest kid in the Underground. Thus they fell into the role of Asriel being an indulgent caretaker of Chara, saying yes to every request. Whilst Chara, never had that support and is still a child at the end of the day, took advantage of it. This dynamic might've been fine if they lived long enough to grow out of it, but this was a toxic combination once the Buttercup idea filled Chara's head. I want to be very clear: BOTH are responsible for their fates. Chara knew what they were doing and shouldn't have asked that of Asriel. And Asriel knew this was too far and should've stopped. The buttercups didn't instantly kill Chara after one dose, and they needed more and more over the course of DAYS to kill them, but Asriel never stopped this once, and Chara of course egged it on too. But that's not the only thing. It's one thing to aid in this, after all, it's for a good cause freeing everyone from the underground, but that didn't happen. Asriel couldn't kill those humans out of fear and his kind heart. This just wasted Chara's sacrifice and became the catalyst of so much heartbreak and other sufferings in the Underground. As the EPIC: Musical song Ruthlessness would put it: "You are the worst kind of good 'cause you're not even great. A Greek who reeks of false righteousness, that's what I hate. 'Cause you fight to save lives but won't kill and don't get the job done.". There was no room for half-measures here, he had to either be all in or stop it in its tracks. He did neither, now they're both in limbo. Neither blames the other for what happened, rather they blame themselves. Asriel wished he wasn't such a coward and had just done what Chara said, or even better yet said no to Chara so they could be a family still. Meanwhile, Chara wished they hadn't asked this of Asriel, they knew what he was like and still did this anyway. It was cruel to put him in this position, thus they see themselves as a corruptor or better yet a demon. This is what the final frame means, not what others think of them nor what is true, but rather what they think of themselves. They both wanted to play hero till reality slapped them in the face. Now no one's happy. I thought making Asriel more of a caretaker personality instead of "owo crybaby who can't do anything wrong" that I've seen growing up would be refreshing to write. Plus it also translates well to flowey, as flowey was a guardian/caretaker of a sorts for all the kids, whether they liked it or not. Like he was watching over Frisk from the distance like a damn mother hen- Cowardice is going to be a huge theme for Asriel and Flowey in the story, which is a flaw gained by his father and something he needs to overcome. I hope you like the Animatic and the concept, sorry for the long read, if you made it to the end you earned a yippee Clover

This yippee clover was made by tbh-daily, this is not mine

[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.

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Hey there, Mousey! (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡

I saw your ask box is open, and I just couldn't resist the urge to send you a request. The way you write stories related to SDV and its mods is so captivating and reading them always brings me a sense of joy. Keep up the incredible work, and don't forget to take care of yourself.

Anywho, here is my request. Do you remember the assassin fanfic I requested before? The one about how the mages and adventurers react to the Farmer's past as a runaway assassin. Well, I thought it would be interesting to see how the RSV Bachelors & Bachelorettes would react if they discovered their spouse is a former assassin who now wants to lead a peaceful life with their younger sibling. I can just picture a funny idea that Farmer wanted to get away from anything related to assassin stuffs and they just suddenly married someone who is an assassin from The Cult, how ironic. Also, I'm thinking of maybe make the farmer as a female.

One more headcanon about Farmer as former assassin for you :3 Glad to see you again, and thanks for your kind words and for the ask! 💖

_________________________________________

Daia and Jio felt sorry for Farmer. Not only was her childhood taken away to teach her how to do dirty jobs, fight and kill (Daia knows better than anyone what it's like), but the bad guys did it too. Both cult members kill corrupt politics and monsters, and Farmer had to work for those worse than the monsters. This also explains to the grumpy elf how the simple farmer was able to masterfully deal with Gabriella's henchmen. Nevertheless, both admire Farmer's endurance and sacrifice for the sake of her siblings. Daia promises to help Farmer if the mafia members show up, and Jio promises himself that he'll stab the bastards in the neck with his katana.

Tears would start streaming down Ysabelle, Alissa, Flor and Irene's cheeks, and the girls would whimper quietly. How can people be so cruel and disgusting - intimidating a literal child, making them do nasty jobs, threatening her younger siblings if she start to protest. The girls' hearts are broken into a thousand shards, and they don't know what to do. Flor and Irene will silently hug Farmer as they continue to cry, and Ysabelle can calm herself down. All of yours will comfort Farmer and tell her that she's the best older sister for her younger siblings, for not abandoning them and fighting for their freedom and her own.

Blair, Faye and Maddie will also start crying, but loudly, kicking grass, empty soda cans - anything that gets under their feet, cursing bandits and mobs as hard as they can. Roaring and cursing (not at Farmer, of course), and when they run out of strength after the rage, the lab assistant and the fisherwoman throw themselves on Farmer's neck, sobbing. If the Farmer needs help, she can rely on her friends.

Fuck... Bryle knows Farmer! He was familiar with the case, as members of the mob had once tried to organize an assassination attempt on the Governor before. He wasn't working as a bodyguard at the time, but he had studied the gang and their past so there wouldn't be another assassination attempt. And he remembers there was a kid. It... was HER? Oh, Yoba, that's fucked up... He's sorry. No, he's not giving them up. Bryle realizes she was forced to do this. He's given fair warning tho, that if Farmer's past is revealed, his hands will be tied. But he promises to protect Farmer's siblings and help her through the situation as much he can.

Sean, Philip, Ian, and Jeric first thought Farmer was talking about her role as an 'assassin' in some TV show, and immediately got excited. Philip even started asking if it was from his favorite TV show, which was an adaptation of the comic book. But when Farmer explained that she was hiding from the real mafia, the smiles on all the men's faces fell instantly. How.. is this possible. Yoba, that's horrible... They're glad that Farmer was able to free herself from those bastards and save the siblings, but... What if the mafia members come here for revenge? They want to help Farmer, but none of these candidates know exactly how.

Paula, Kenneth, Shiro, and Corine listened intently to Farmer, from beginning to end, when it all started, how her parents were killed by mobs, and how she did the dirty jobs of criminals until her escape. After the story was over, each of them would hug them silently, comforting Farmer. Paulo and Corine are very combative personalities, and are ready to help in any way they can if one of the tourist who's visited the Valley, turns out to be their former "coworker", Kenneth as well. Shiro isn't too confident in his abilities due to his injury, but vows that he will protect her siblings just as he would protect his family.

Zayne is.. speechless. He's heard that the Republic Mafia is known for their cold-blooded methods and bribing important people (they even tried to bribe/intimidate his Grandfather once! With no luck). But this... Words cannot express to the future head of the Amethyne family how sorry he is for what happened to Farmer and her sisters/brothers. If the bandits show up here, then let Farmer feel free to ask Zayne for help. She and her siblings are to him as family, and whoever infringes on his family may regret bitterly... Everything will be legal, of course, or else he'll be no better those bandits.

June was familiar with members of the mafia. No, he didn't do business with them, nor did he intend to, but some of the mobs were fans of the music gang he was a member of. One had even had him play a solo at mob's birthday party, but only because the pianist was afraid of the mob's wrath if he refused. Luckily, he and his gang were able to move far away from them, and he's glad that Farmer was able to escape them too. He's afraid to even imagine what his friend had to go through to keep her siblings alive and save.

Kiarra and Anton nearly choked on air once the meaning of Farmer's words reached them. How? How did this even happen? Kiara would especially resent Farmer's parents for dragging their own family into a criminal organization. Anton, on the other hand, would stare silently into his mug of cider, not knowing how to react or how to comfort Farmer. They in no way blame Farmer and will offer a helping hand if she need help caring for her siblings.

[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)

[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.

[ultraericthered]

Redemption Or Nah? #2

Continued from here.

William James Moriarty - REDEMPTION POSSIBLE. While the anime version didn't get around to this, it's pretty much what the back half of the manga has been all about, after Sherlock saved him from offing himself and told him he didn't have to be the bad guy in the stories of others, that he could write his own story in a way that lets show and even evolves his true self, complete with earning his own happy ending. Liam always wanted to make a better world for others, but always believed himself too damned and wretched a soul to partake in that world himself due to how often he bloodied his hands in a life of crime. So can he ultimately break free of his chronic criminality and do good deeds for good purposes? I believe so!

Roswaal L Mathers - REDEMPTION POSSIBLE. He's an absolute bastard, but when you get down to it, he did all the shit he did out of love for his mentor and a belief that the best possible future for him was set in such a way where he'd need to bring it about via his manipulations of Emilia and Subaru or else his extended life of research, sorcery, and scheming would've had no greater purpose. As a mirror to Subaru's own history of stubborness, selfishness and entitlement in regards to his most loved ones, his care for Ram is sincere and he's done some genuine kindness to others, so while it'll take a good long while for him to grow, he does have the capacity.

Amon & Tarlok - REDEMPTION POSSIBLE. And this is one of the most tragic cases of this verdict, because canonically, neither brother truly believed themselves capable of changing, letting go of their past baggage and turning their lives around to atone for their sins. They feared their inner demons would consume them like they did their father Yakone, and they'd only perpetuate the cycle upon the next generation. So Tarrlok acted upon this cynical self-outlook by killing them both in that escape boat, and Noatak allowed him to do it. In AUs where they live on, redemption is feasible and entirely possible for them to achieve. But in canon, their cowardice doomed them.

Unalaq - NAH! This dude, on the other hand? He was willing, without any trace of internal conflict, to betray his own family and tribe, and sacrifice his humanity so that he alone would have the power to re-shape the world and usher in a new age of spiritual domination of humanity even from within planet-devastating darkness and chaos. When even your own kids don't mourn you, you're irredeemable.

Zaheer - SEMIDEMPTION PLAUSIBLE. He's lost everyone who mattered to him and is serving a life sentence, so he's not going to be able to do anything to redeem himself on the outside. However, we see that he can still traverse the Spirit World through meditations. Maybe in his remaining years, he'll see some spiritual growth and be able to do some charitable acts for others in the Spirit World. It's not guaranteed to happen, but the possibility of it is at least there.

Kuvira - REDEMPTION POSSIBLE. But this comes with a big asterik mark since while she ends up being sincerely repentent for her unjustifiable slide into fascism and the crimes committed, both personally and by proxy, she's taken prisoner, convicted in her trial, and will forevermore live under house arrest in a sector in Zaofu, so most avenues she has for the pursuit of redemption have closed off to her. Despite this, she's still not done growing as a person and not unable to do the most minimal of decent acts where she can, so even if it takes the remainder of her life, she can redeem her soul.

The Kiras - REDEMPTION POSSIBLE. Light Yagami, Misa Amane, Kiyomi Takada, Teru Mikami. Hell, even Minoru Tanaka, Light Turner, and Mia Sutton! All of them were potentially redeemable as people but exposure to the Death Note and the allure of the power it gave them put them on courses where they self-corrupted into far worse versions of themselves, with many iterations of Light Yagami in particular ending up far, far, far beyond hope of redemption. But different versions and AUs are plentiful, so there's room to explore what these characters would be if they either hadn't gone down those self-destructive paths or pulled away from them by choice. (The only Irredeemable Exception here is Higuchi. Screw that guy.)

Satoko Houjo - REDEMPTION POSSIBLE. Less so the Gou/Sotsu version pictured, as that anime went out of its way to make her seem beyond redemption, and the witch version of her "returning her to her humanity" after more or less getting off completely scot-free for everything was not a satisfying way to end things. Other iterations, especially the Gou/Meguri version, show her as a broken young girl overcome by a past trauma pileup, struggling with her sexuality and growing up, and fearing the future because she and the friends she loves so much will drift away from her, which drives her towards abusing her looper powers and being overcome by the witch within. Like most offenders in Higurashi, she is reachable and redeemable, capable of recognizing her own sins, repenting and doing better for herself and those she cares about in the face of uncertainty.

Gakuho Asano - SEMIDEMPTION PLAUSIBLE. The sendoff he got in canon strongly pointed in this direction. He never really apologized for going down the wrong path even when he was learning to adjust his methods to be less extreme and adapt to new circumstances, he continued to hold an imperialistic Darwinist view of his system, continued to employ unethical mental manipulation and torture tactics, and ultimately has to face the legal consequences of all the shit he'd done, including his school being shut down. But despite his lack of firm repentance and seeming inability to change his ways, he does show the capacity to learn and grow into a significantly less awful version of himself, due largely to getting back in touch with his old educator methods and the human decency he'd lost long ago.

Askeladd Olafson - NAH! Askeladd, for many years, was a self-interested, treacherous, murderous scumbag who knew he was a self-interested, treacherous, murderous scumbag, not always liking the person he is and the viking stuff he did, but not really believing he could turn away from it, thus making no effort to change. I don't think it's in his character to ever seriously enterain making such an effort. It could be a brief fantasy for him, but in the end, he'll always choose to stick to his current course and not reject his vices so long as they keep him well paid and propells him to where he wants to be in life. He knows there's no salvation for him in the end, bu he did care enough about Thorfinn and Canute to ensure it wasn't so for them.

Cyrus - REDEMPTION POSSIBLE. Not all versions of Cyrus would take the path towards redemption, and one in particular (the anime version) went straight for self-destruction without remorse. But as we've seen from him in Diamond and Pearl Adventure and Pokemon Adventures, and even a bit in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon and Pokemon Masters EX, this tragic and misguided soul is still very salvageable. At the end of the day, all of his character defects and heinous actions were born of his desire to free himself of his own internal pain, better himself as an existence, and "fix" reality in the best way he sees fit so that all people can lead better lives and live up to their full potential without as much strife and suffering, so he's far from pure evil.

Lysandre - SEMIDEMPTION PLAUSIBLE. To contrast with Cyrus we have this guy, who also sees too much strife, misfortune, crime, wasting, warring and "filth" in the world that makes it "uglier" rather than the more beautiful world it has the potential to be. But unlike Cyrus, who blames faulty and incomplete living spirit, Lysandre discriminates against particular "fools" and "parasites" he blames for the state of things, and lets his unchecked anxiety and obsession drive him mentally unstable, harsh and cruel, going to extremes to address his problems no matter how many lives he has to take. To date, Lysandre has not been redeemed in any continuity, and US/UM and PokeMas EX show him less capable of it than Cyrus, at most being able to find semidemption: turning his psychotic rage and extreme methods towards stopping other baddies from doing harm, never really chaning even as he comes around to the side of good.

Bill Cipher - NAH! Just...read The Book Of Bill. When you get to the end, does this seem like someone who is capable of finally admitting to his faults, repenting his sins, maturing and doing better? To me, Bill seems like a lost cause, pathologically incapable of doing so.

The Joker - NAH! If any single version of Joker redeemed himself, Batman would be without his arch enemy, so that takes redemption off the table. Plus, at his worst he suffers the same deal as Bill.

Yami Bakura - NAH! He's a human soul that got completely drowned out and supplanted by a piece of a demonic dark god's soul, which went on to rediscover and embrace his true self, and sought to fulfill his desire to revive the dark god so that he could destroy the world! Once you are Zorc, forever are you Zorc. He ain't interested to seek redemption and being a better person. He relishes being a bastard.

Wilson Fisk - NAH! I've seen no incarnation of the Kingpin of Crime who ever showed the capacity or inclination to quit being the Kingpin of Crime. The evilness, greed, selfishness and brutality is ingrained too deep into him for him to ever sincerely turn over a new leaf.

Gabriel Agreste - REDEMPTION POSSIBLE. But with the caveat that it once again depends on the variant we're talking about. We've seen Gabriel become remorseful and turn herself back around out of love for his son in Ladybug & Cat Noir The Movie, and we've seen a variant of him that's a superhero in the Miraculous World Paris special. The route his manga incarnation would go down is anyone's guess right now. It's only the main series version of this guy who ended up completely beyond redemption even when he had the chance offered to him by Marinette. That version deserved worse.

Lila Rossi - REDEMPTION POSSIBLE. But again with a caveat: it applies only to Lila Rossi, the person she appeared to be before she got retconned into being just a put on persona by the mysterious villain who is now Chrysalis. For any version of Lila who's the real deal, growth and self betterment is an easy feasibility, even if she's not likely to totally shed her chaotic, amoral, and deceptive ways.

Chloe Bourgeois - REDEMPTION POSSIBLE. Yes, shockingly enough, teenage girls can mature, learn better, and do better well before they ought to be written off as lost causes, especially if the influences on them and what's at the heart of the vulnerabilities get addressed. Shame no one convinced Thomas Astruc of this, so we'll almost certainly never see any such thing with the main series. Let's hope there's still a fair chance for the movie version, at least!

XANA - SEMIDEMPTION PLAUSIBLE. As he was in the original show, there was nothing that could "fix" XANA and make him change his evil ways: he would stop at absolutely nothing to assert his dominance and destroy all life he felt was unworthy of living. In AU narratives, though, there's always a chance something could befall and overcome this computer program to take the corrupt, virus-like nature out of him and reprogram him so that his insticts, calculations and abilities are geared more towards good causes and protecting others. It'd not be a redemption he'd chose, but it'd be something.

Slappy the Dummy - NAH! Slappy is an Evil Incarnate sealed within a ventriloquist dummy, and I don't think I've seen a version of him that shows the capacity to be anything otherwise. He's too bad a guy.

Professor Pericles - NAH! We saw how this went down in canon: the only "good" Professor Pericles is one who inhabits a new reality where the Evil Entity that influenced his entire prior characteristics and motivations never existed. That's not "redemption", that's straight up being a different person than the person who'd existed before.

Dr. Regal - NAH! Again, we see in canon that he concsiously rejects any and all opportunity to re-evaluate his life choices, abandon his evil ways, and become a better person who does good for others. The only thing to ever turn him good was his father wiping his mind and erasing memories of all the years of his life since he embraced evil so that he begins anew with a clean slate heart and mind, which does not constitute him "redeeming himself" for his evil acts. In the anime and manga continuites he doesn't even get that forced reform, only doing even worse evil that ends up being his own undoing.

Iroha Nijiue & Syobai Hashimoto - SEMIDEMPTION PLAUSIBLE. And really only a "semidemption" entirely due to Iroha, who is already acting against the still evil remnants of Ultimate Despair and seems entirely capable of learning to do better once made to understand that she'd been thinking and acting in all the wrong ways in her ignorance and need for self preservation. On Syobai's end, I can't see him legitimately repenting and changing his greedy, selfish ways. He can be bribed into doing good, but the rightness or wrongness of anything he does doesn't really matter to him. He shows he can care about others like Iroha in his own way without actually caring for them, being able to walk away from anyone with no sense of attachment. He doesn't believe people can ever truly change their innate nature, so he's never going to work on changing his own.

Akito Sohma - SEMIDEMPTION PLAUSIBLE. This one's cheating since it's a canonical conclusion. Sort of like Kuvira, Akito ended up boxing herself into a situation where most avenues for pursuing redemption got permanently closed off for her. She can change her ways from the person she'd been, recognize how wrong those ways had been and how badly she hurt so many people, how inexcusable it all was and how she should be forever apologetic for it, and it won't ever be enough to undo or repair the damage she did as the abusive Sohma Family Head, let alone win over the forgiveness of most of her victims. So Akito knows that her priority is just being a better person, making better choices, forming relationships with others who she'd not harm, and living in atonement towards the Sohma family for her sins against them, doing right by them even if from a distance. Maybe it'll all amount to a redemption of her soul when it's her time to go, but it's a semidemption at most for the remainder of her life.

Enji Todoroki - SEMIDEMPTION PLAUSIBLE. Yeah, this is pretty much a rinse/repeat of what I just said about Akito. Enji realizes the person he'd been and things he did to his family were absolutely vile, monstrous and unjustifiable, and he hates himself for it. But for the sins he committed he's had to pay some very heavy tolls of penance and will continue to do so as he makes his efforts to atone for them, for the rest of his life. Redemption is his end goal, not his present.

Dewey Novak - NAH! Dewey curses the blood of his family line that he inherited, the very blood he spilt when he committed patricide while attempting the King’s Ritual, because the ritual’s failure and his family’s resulting fall into poverty led him to viewing the “sacrificial king” role of his family to be but a sham, and he came to resent the Scub Coral and the very planet itself for how it seemed to condemn him as unworthy, also being envious of his younger brother Holland for having been the preferred heir. So Dewey hoped to “purge” the inferior blood from his veins and take vengeance upon the Coral-controlled planet by erradicating all natural life on it and remaking the entire planet, and all of human civilization, into an everlasting extension of his legacy as the “true king” he’d become. He'd do that even if it meant the Scub Coral reaching the Limit Of Questions and the resulting erradication of natural life decimating the entire planet and mass poisoning humanity. It’s neither hatred nor a warped sense altruism that drives him the most, it’s all-consuming pride. He was very much not right, and is very much not redeemable.

Toffee the Lizard - NAH! The only way you get "good Toffee" is if circumstances diverged and he never got radicalized by Seth and his hateful crusade against Mewmans and the Butterfly royal family. Once he's on that path, his heart becomes hardened and his sense of purpose and ego eclipses his capacity to care for others or take ethics into consideration. His one redeeming feature was how he correctly recognized the danger posed by magic in the hands of the Butterfly regime and how unfair it was to monsters, but he threw that out the window when his actual plan to corrupt and end the magic for Mewni was constructed and enacted entirely around his bruised ego and desire for both personal revenge on Moon and the self benefit of his finger and full strength being restored to him, with him callously using, abusing, and risking life and limb of other monsters along the way and even intending on keeping the corrupted magic for himself while enabling the total destruction of Mewni. So Toffee ultimately goes down as what the fortune cookie said: "a great evil."

Rosemary Applefield - REDEMPTION POSSIBLE. She's only 13 years old in the series, all of her schemes come to naught in the end, none of her actions were too terrible to take back, and she voluntarily stepped down from the family and position she stole from Nadja when she came to the conclusion that unfairly usurping a princess life from someone else and in a family that's bogged down in boring, senseless ideas about blood-related birthright and heritage was not the key to happiness. Like I said with Chloe, teenage girls can mature, learn better, and do better well before they ought to be written off as lost causes, and like with Lila, this would happen with Rosemary not likely to totally shed her chaotic, amoral, and deceptive ways (in fact, we know she doesn't in the follow-up novel!)

Reiji Miyabi - SEMIDEMPTION PLAUSIBLE. I laid it out here. The dude's far too much of a self-absorbed, narcissitic and immature psychopath to ever change who he is as a person, but he's got just enough capacity to contemplate and see reason that he could very well re-adapt to circumstances and make life choices that don't rely upon losing himself in his past and fearing what the future may hold.

[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.

[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.

[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!!