#boy do i love stories about how much a person will sacrifice in order to protect the ones they love

[chiliontherocks]

MAJOR ARCANA XII: THE HANGED MAN

[aashi-heartfilia]

Why do we need a Ochako and Hawks conversation before the manga ends

I've been waiting for their conversation for centuries! Like these two definitely need to talk.

Ochako managed to do something that Hawks couldn't do. Toga and Twice both were really nice people and it's just their quirks led them to despair and they both realised this.

Hawks didn't wanna kill Jin Bubaigawara but he did because in his way, he was trying to be a hero, so he brutally killed his own friend but then what kind of hero does that? In MHA, there's a very thin line between heroes and villains and that has been pointed out several times.

Even with Ochako and Toga. Remember when Toga told Ochako how she used Ochako's quirk to kill a bunch of people during their 2nd battle? Ochako was horrified. The same quirk that Ochako uses to make everyone's problems weightless quite literally was used to kill people.

Ochako and Toga are very similar. They're both very cute and shy, they love to tie their hair up in buns, and even love the same boy which is why when Ochako wasn't able to empathize with Toga, she was hurt because she thought at least chako would understand...

Horikoshi loves to draw parallels between certain characters and their storylines and one such beautiful parallel is this...when later on Ochako notices Toga's tears in the final battle.

"She loved seeing people happy. So of course she zeroed in on her tears"

Beautiful narration, amazing storytelling

It is a way for us as readers to tell that Ochako has now grown, as she is now seeing Toga as a person, not as a villain, just as a person who was sad and crying.

Like it's outright stated for us in the manga, so I don't understand people who think Ochako never got any character development because this is exactly where she differs from Hawks ideology.

Hawks was able to sacrifice Twice for the greater good, even if he himself regretted it later. The Public Safety Hero commission must have made him do other terrible things as well and he might have killed some more villains in secret just like Nagant.

We can cut him some slack though cause he was just following the orders, but then so did Ochako. Tsu even points it out, that killing Toga would have been much easier just like Hawks suggested, but her friend Ochako took a harder route and is trying to confront her.

Plus, Hawks had a chance to correct his mistake and yet when Twice (actually Toga) appeared in the battlefield again, his first instinct was to kill him.

MHA is not a story about killing people for greater good. We've seen in the latest chapter how both Dabi and Endeavour survived the war and while Dabi would live for only some time, he would have some moments of peace with his father. They can at least try to heal what was broken.

Killing twice was definitely not a good idea cause his will continued within Toga. She took her revenge and killed so many heroes on the same battlefield. As long as their despair and sadness is not confronted, the problem is not yet solved. We've seen it with Toga and Shigaraki.

Which is why I said that Ochako passed where Hawks failed.

Both Toga and Twice died, but at least Toga died smiling, happily to save someone she loved. Twice died to save his comrades while Toga sacrificed herself to save Ochako, an act of true love by the so-called villains.

And this needs to be addressed.

Plus there has been too much of a teaser about it...

Hawks witnessed the impact of Ochako's speech in ch 325. And she was the last thing that came to his mind before passing out...

Plus even their covers are a big parallel!

So with all that being said, if Ochako and Hawks didn't have a conversation before this manga ends, it would really be such a missed opportunity and quite a shame.

~Sunshine

[chaos-spectre]

I love the "ARK siblings" concept and I love cute lighthearted fanart of them being siblings but I feel like a lot of people forget that they literally canonically share a soul and that her death is, in my opinion, I think supposed to represent a part of one's self dying and that they're supposed to be, symbolically, a lot more than siblings.

I always saw Shadow's story as a symbolic way to express the way your inner child and innocence is sacrificed in order to survive complex childhood trauma. Maria's color scheme and the way she's written is, I think, clear to all of us how she's meant to represent innocence and youth. I mean, she doesn't really function very well as a stand-alone character or realistic depiction of a child, shes always been more of an.. idea.

I'm not sure if it was purposeful, but the moon's "Maria" are craters that formed from the moon repeatedly taking the hits of asteroids at it's points of gravity. These points of gravity attract asteroids and draws then away from the Earth. The craters are mostly on the side of the moon we see, so the dark side of the moon, or "shadowed" side is better protected because of that. I feel like this is an extension of Shadow and Maria's symbolism. She took the bullet for him, protecting him, the same way Maria takes the comets, and the same way your brain will sacrifice your inner child (or freeze/rush your mental development) in order to survive intense childhood abuse. I know it all sounds extreme lmao but at the end of the day characters and storytelling are used to explore and express hard emotions and I don't think this randomly tragic character sprung out of nowhere for the Sonic games, which, before that point, always had very lighthearted positive characters (except for the echidna extinction in the game right before Shadow's). Having a character that was easy to approach, yet could represent scarier concepts as a child-friendly stand-in, felt like a very important tool to me growing up. I just hope that that writing can be appreciated in his character, with an understanding of how messy production can be and how a character can get pulled between many different people and ideas. I do think this symbolism was intentional to some degree, especially when it gets to the blatant soul-sharing and how characters insist that Shadow can't be a weapon because Maria's soul (his inner child and true morals despite the damage done to him) makes him "good hearted."

There's other things that uphold this symbolism of Maria dying as representing his inner child being killed, like the rushed/suspended mental development in the face of trauma being illustrated by the fact that Shadow was forced into a dormant cyro slumber right after Maria's death, symbolizing the way he had to basically skip childhood or hit pause on development until he could escape the people controlling him. Much like how victims will have to pause everything and go on autopilot with only a goal of survival until they can escape their situation; only after they feel safe can they begin growing as a person and find their identity. In the Japanese language, there are different types of pronouns people can refer to themselves with instead of just "I" or "myself." In the Japanese dub of SA2, Shadow's creator said in an interview that he had been very insistent on Shadow using the pronouns reserved for young boys, despite Shadow's menacing villain role in the game, because he felt it was important to show Shadow's purity and his lack of experience in life so far. That "live and learn" theme.

And then in his self titled game, Shadow is searching for a way to reconnect with his past and to find the truth about this Maria person he keeps seeing in flashbacks, but in the end he throws away her picture and accepts himself as he is now, forever changed and stained by his past, but more than just a product of his situation. He is "all of him," including the negative impact he never asked for, and including the parts of himself he lost, but also the parts of himself he chose to become. Your environment and childhood shapes you even if you didn't want it to, but that doesnt mean you cant have control in your identity and recover your inherent nature once you've escaped the negative influence (nature vs nurture theme). He will never be the person he used to be, or could have been, (represented by Maria as a pure and untouched youth), but he still has a say in what that grows into.

I just feel like a lot of Shadow's identity issues and inner conflict stem from this whole soul sharing situation with Maria and that his character ends up inevitably being misunderstood if you water them down to just siblings. Especially considering that it was never answered if Shadow actually even ever met Maria or if they're just memories planted by Gerald or caused by the shared soul. In Sonic Battle, it's also said in Gerald's diary that not only do Maria and Shadow share identical souls, but that Gerald literally modeled Shadow after Maria out of his love for her. I'm not sure to what degree or in what ways, but Shadow is supposed to share purposeful similarities with Maria, likely through the content of her character and her morals. That's what makes them so much deeper than just psuedo siblings, he's not only made for her, but designed after her too. It can't really be compared to, for example, Sonic and Tails.

I also think its what makes Shadow's character so substantial and meaningful. His self titled game's entire theme was purity, morals, what is good and bad. This question of purity and morality spreads into his appearances in other stories too- This question that, if you were badly hurt in your youth and shaped by evil- does that leave you impure? Stained? Destined to continue that cycle of harm and cruelty? I think these insecurities feel very real and relatable, and that it's even more realistic that despite these insecurities, that hurt and damage is actually what fuels him to protect others. Just as he said in Sonic Battle, "There's no need to repeat past tragedies! Nobody else ever needs to go through the things that I have!"

Statistically (despite media portrayal) abuse victims RARELY become abusers, because they understand the pain on a deeper level and can't bring themselves to force someone else into experiencing that same pain, knowing the permanent damage it causes. However, childhood abuse leaves people socially stunted and conditioned to harshness, which causes them to accidentally hurt others without meaning to. Or they end up hurting people out of desperation if they feel endangered (like Shadow's "means to an end" approach where he'll prioritize violence if it means reducing the end-impact). Also, they are more susceptible to being abused again after escaping the first abuser, because they are so susceptible to manipulation- Just like how whenever Shadow does switch sides, its usually because someone manipulated him into it or literally brainwashed him. I think Shadow conveys all of this so well, and that Maria's true role is an integral part of it all that can't be ignored or misunderstood, or else Shadow ends up reading as unnecessarily violent or overly obsessed with her when you interpret her as just a sister-figure that he knew for... who knows how few years.

I think this symbolism runs deep with his writing. Just like Maria's meant to be that inherent purity and inner child, I think the black arms DNA is that stain that abuse or trauma can leave on you, that causes you to act out or feel like you're always holding back and trying to keep control over some darker part of yourself that was left behind in the damage done. Especially since they literally have a mind link with Shadow. In the Sonic Universe comic, they succeed in brainwashing Shadow and turn him against his friends. These mind-links, soul-sharing, and brain-washing from both Gerald and the black arms... To disregard the fact that he's deeply connected to these people on a metaphysical, identity altering level is to water down his character and leave it feeling as though his motives are too weak to justify his harsh actions. I've seen people poke fun at his amnesia or insecurity in his identity, as though his confusion isn't justified, and I think it's because people don't realize he has these... literal fragments of other people inside of him, that that's pretty much what he's made of, kind of franken-steined together between a little girl's hopes and morals, an alien race's hivemind greed, a weapon-hungry government and a revenge maddened scientist's painful grief, and even the chaos emeralds which we all know are spiritually whacky and potentially connected to another alien race's memories and energies (the ancients from sonic frontiers). With all of that going on, plus some amnesia mixed in and his memories having been altered by Gerald- I mean.. you'd be searching for the "truth" of your identity too, who you really are. And of course, prone to frustration and aggression, or even a "wish-washy inconsistency." I think there's always a constant tug of war inside of him and that his whole development was a game of tug of war between Gerald, G.U.N and the black arms too. "Am I a cure, am I a death-bringer, am I earth's protector, am I it's destroyer," etc etc

Idk I just think a lot of problems people have with Shadow's writing stems from not realizing how deep things go and what they symbolize. Not to say that something like his boom characterization is of good quality or anything, but I think it's unfair to call him inconsistent when a confusion in his own identity and purpose/goals is kind of the point. And I think people not realizing Maria's deeper, physiological connection to him and influence might be part of the problem.

[gavillain]

Agatha All Along season finale discussion because AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Spoilers on the road ahead!

So a LOT happened in this two parter, so I'm just gonna hit the major points in order...

So despite my thinking that two of the Salem Seven survived because of the number of sword fall sounds last episode, they are apparently all dead. Which, y'know what, I don't mind. They weren't really meant to be actual characters, mostly just Nazgul-esque opponents to add some extra stakes, and having Lilia successful destroy them all with her sacrifice is the most earned ending for them.

When we get to the final trial, it's more or less the three remaining witches stuck in a room having to resolve their purposes on the Road. For Jen, we had her unbinding herself and the reveal that Agatha was the one who bound her. Admittedly, I kinda feel like that reveal was underdone, and it mostly just seemed like a quick asspull to resolve Jen's storyline at the eleventh hour. However, I really felt for Jen and the catharsis of unbinding herself, so I can't complain too terribly much.

Secondly, we resolve Billy's ambitions to restore Tommy, and this one, I was generally more favorable about than Jen's. Billy basically helped put Tommy into the body of another boy who died prematurely, one who was being drowned in an apparently very toxic environment. In the comics, Tommy was in and out of juvie all his life, and the Young Avengers find him in a supermax prison because of his powers. So, I'm assuming Thomas Shepherd, the boy whose body Billy hijacks, is in juvie or some correctional facility, and that's where we're gonna pick up with him in Vision Quest. Also, Agatha's line about "sometimes boys just die" was a fucking ARROW TO THE HEART, especially with the backstory in the following episode.

Then for Agatha, she completes the road's test by growing a sapling that she finds in her locket holding Nicholas's hair and emerges from the road back in Westview, where Rio is waiting for her. And DAMN was the final battle against Rio one of the coolest in Marvel. With Billy going FULL Wiccan mode and Agatha siphoning off his power but not enough to kill him. It was your standard Marvel final battle, but I really enjoyed the spectacle of it and how insurmountable of a foe Rio felt like. Agatha almost betraying Billy so that she can live but then changing her mind and sacrificing her life for his was such a powerful moment of full circle for her. After everything she's done to other witches and to Billy's own mother, for her to finally embrace death (and LITERALLY embrace the kiss of Death) was super powerful and showed how the road genuinely did change her. Personally, I usually hate redemption arcs, but this one, I actually really liked and supported because it wasn't about Agatha giving up her sense of self to be someone else, it was about making a choice out of love in the moment. I thought it was a beautiful way to resolve the story, and I was wondering what the heck else they were going to do with the last episode.

And then we got the reveal that I saw a few people guessing that Billy created the Witches' Road and that Agatha had never been on it, and I think that was a really well deserved reveal that hit for me exactly as it was intended. I loved that Billy created it because he has "the same tell" as Wanda with WandaVision. He made this grand fantasy adventureland, and that's SO cool! He, too, apparently is capable of spontaneous creation like Wanda, and I'm curious how they're going to tie this in with the MCU lore about the Scarlet Witch. In the comics, Billy is the Demiurge, and I'm interested in finding out if Marvel is going to bring in that concept or if they're going to do something new with the prophecy of Scarlet Witch. Maybe a secret hidden verse to the prophecy? We saw Billy's statue in Mount Wundagore in Multiverse of Madness, so maybe old Chthon knew a lil' somethin' else. I also liked the reveal that the Witches Road was a con that Agatha used to lure unsuspecting witches into giving her their powers. That was clever, as was the way that it tied in with her backstory.

SPEAKING OF, that backstory with Nicholas Scratch was the most heartbreaking thing, and I loved every minute of it. Her bond with Nicholas and the way that she showed genuine humanity to him was a side to Agatha we only saw the periphery of in her relationship with Billy, so seeing it fully realized was SO powerful and so well done. Rio giving her a good seven(ish?) extra years with Nicholas also speaks volumes because in Rio's mind, she was doing Agatha a HUGE favor that violated the cosmic order and to some extent, she DID because it showed Agatha a purpose beyond just power. However, it also probably hurt her worse than just taking Nicholas upon birth. She gave Agatha years to love and get attached to her son, and that, I'm sure, made the wound of losing him that much deeper (and Kathryn Hahn's acting with those screams of anguish upon finding Nicky dead were SOUL CRUSHING - she KILLED it). So, yeah, interesting that it was such a double edged sword. I also thought the twist that Nicholas and Agatha wrote the Ballade together as their little song and it eventually spread because of him singing it to other witches was REALLY clever and REALLY powerful.

And, finally, Agatha is back as a ghost, and she's sticking around Billy as his spirit guide/mentor, which I really like. I'm sure some people are going to take umbrage at Marvel cheating death again, but this is a show that racked up bodies of major characters left and right, and Agatha being dead and a spirit I'm sure is going to have big changes for her and her power and characterization going forward. Plus from Evanora Harkness, it's an established part of the lore. So, for me, it works, and I like it. I also like the touch of her looking more like her comics counterpart with gray hair in ghost form, and I'm honestly REALLY excited to see Billy and Agatha as a dynamic duo continue on in future Marvel properties.

Overall, I LOVED Agatha All Along. It was an incredible journey, and it was the most I've enjoyed a Marvel property in awhile. I feel optimistic about the future of this particular corner of the MCU, and I'm so glad I got to go with everyone down the Witches Road :)

[sleepyhead-poll]

ROUND 3A, MATCH 4 OUT OF 4!

Propaganda Under the Cut:

G'raha Tia:

He learns a lot in his time from hibernating and when he wakes up from hibernating. He's a sweet boy and has great leadership skills. He's also an idiot (affectionate)

(Spoilers ahead) He is a catboy who is your (as in the player character's) biggest fan. He's a nerd and a geek. He tried to pretend to be evil but failed miserably because he's a terrible liar and also such a good boy. Most of his plans involve self-sacrifice. He decided to put himself to sleep as the guardian of a magical tower, to be woken up from stasis one day in the far future. Anyways then he ended up traveling back from that future in order to stop a calamity, became the leader of a society in a land teetering on the edge of an apocalypse, accidentally kidnapped the souls of some of the player character's allies, and eventually ends up merging with his original self, waking him up from stasis in the process. Also he's technically royalty. So vote for him!

Byleth:

swag

Bro went to sleep for five years and before that big eepy they made a promise with their students to all meet up five years from then and sure enough. They wake up the day of the reunion and are informed of what day it is and immediately rush to the appointed place. And for some reason although there's a war and shit all of their students come to the reunion anyway (despite it being extremely difficult for some of them with them having to literally sneak out of their territories in some routes) because they were just that cool and good of a teacher. Their sleeping also is the catalyst for the timeskip and I absolutely love timeskips. The FE3H timeskip in particular is very moving to me because of the tertiary theme of the game being growing up/the unstoppable march of time. I played the game right before entering high school and then another time before graduating high school (and I plan to play it again, as I graduate college) and let me just say it hit extremely hard. We view the change in the world through Byleth's eyes and then later come to see it through the eyes of the students in their monastery quotes and in the story. Their sleeping is the perfect way to do a timeskip and it makes the reunion with the students hit so much harder because it conveys how both so much and so little time has passed. So little time for Byleth, but enough time for the students for them to grow and mature and change in many ways (it got me thinking about how different I am as a person now than on my first playthrough) Also play FE3H during a transitional period in your life it WILL hit hard.

[aequarea]

i have a thought about sanji that has been wandering in my head for a while and i need to vocalize in order to take control of my brain for once this year so, here it is. (even if i never made a post about op personally and i have like, 3 followers. yeah)

some time ago i was eating/spending time with my best friend (who does not watch one piece and everything she knows about it is for my ranting) and we were talking about nothings and at some point i started explaining sanji's story with zeff and she just interrupted me and said- "hey, so thats what you mean when you say cannibalism is a metaphor of love?" when i was in the whole "zeff eated his leg" part

and girl. why. why do you do that to me. WHY

CAUSE I NEVER ACTUALLY THINK ABOUT IT LIKE THAT. of course i expended some time thinking and analizing zeff sacrifice and sanji way of thinking because of that but i never, not once, remember the cannibalism metaphor thing. because i always used it to explain romantic love but wait, love can be a lot of other things too. included platonic, father figure/traumatized adopted son love.

and its always "devouring the other one" "make the other one part of you/becoming one" or "being inside of each other forever changing our insides to be remaints of the other" and things like that that makes you think of a couple thing. of something that includes two people in the act. you understand the point right?

i personally never see people wondering about the other way you can use it; as a sacrifice. consume your own flesh to avoid eating others. use yourself as a piece of meat so the other person can eat the real thing. basically using yourself to death to make others survive well. (as a side point, i think banica conchita is an excelent example for this, if you want to read/listen/watch a story about it)

and isnt that what zeff did? he was trapped in a rock without exit with a kid and enough food for one of them to survive. and they are in the middle of the sea, and everyone else died but them, so he had nowhere to find help. no one to go to. he dont even know how long they are gonna be trapped there.

and he barely know the kid. the only think they know about each other is that they are trapped together. the only thing zeff know about him is that they share the same dream. but he knows the kid is hungry, he knows there is food for only one of them, and he knows he want the kid to live.

he loves the kid already, because you need to love someone to make that kind of sacrifice for them.

and he gives the kid the food. he told him that he distribute it for them, when in reality he gave him all of it. and he is going to starve himself, but its ok, cause the kid is fine. the little bratty boy has food to survive. he can do whatever to substain himself for a while, it doesnt matter cause hes a chef and he knows what he can and cant do.

and what he can do is cut his own leg and eat it. he can eat himself, the flavour is not that bad, he can stand it for whatever time is neccesary. he can stand the pain, the agonizing suffering, the puke inducing feeling of the injury and the raw meat. only for the kid.

and im not going to expand it more cause i think the point is understandable enough now. zeff loved sanji so much even without knowing him to eat himself for him to survive in that rock. he used his own flesh as the food, to give sanji the most chances to live fine. to not traumatize him more. to not make him suffer the same pain he had. to protect him. isnt that what love is about? isnt that what cannibalism as a metaphor of love can explain?

[saintsenara]

12, 14, 16, and 22 for Snape asks please

I am most interested in your view of Lily as a character. To me, she never really seemed to live up to the hype I see? Like, I get the point that she's supposed to be Harry's mother and is supposed to be seen as the one who can't do any harm because of the sacrifice and all that. But I don't know whether JK purposely or intentionally put, like, the worst flashbacks to portray her as angelic(?). If I remember correctly, she wasn't even talked about as much as James by Remus or Sirius, they had to add things about her in the movies.

I can't ever see Lily as a good friend to Severus. To others, maybe, but I feel like it was different with Severus. More like a complicated one that was give-and-take, including Severus. Severus, an abused poor boy from Cokeworth, who knew about the wizarding world and Lily, a girl brought up in a happy family, who knew nothing about the wizarding world. Severus was able to get a friend while Lily gained knowledge of the wizarding world. But the one thing that cements this view of mine is the line where it says that Lily looks as if she was about to smile when Severus was being flipped over. Plus, I don't care if anyone says that she tried to defend him, but girl couldn't even use her wand or take points off as Prefect?? Girl was literally making a show, or whatever you want to call it.

Sorry about the rant, but I'm all for a good friend Lily in fics but when people say she was like that in canon? Maybe at times, but not when it mattered. I'd love to hear your opinion though.

thank you for the ask, @be-at-peace05!

[snape ask game here]

12. if you had to choose a golden trio era student to be snape's friend, who would it be and why?

while i don’t subscribe to the idea that he’s his godson, snape’s affection for draco malfoy does seem to be completely sincere. malfoy is also possessed of the sort of intellectual curiosity which snape obviously values (for example, how he figures out how to repair the vanishing cabinet - it’s genuinely impressive, and the fact that this is what he might be doing is certainly something which doesn’t occur to anyone in the order) and, while there’s no doubt that snape probably has as little interest in hearing him whine about everything as lucius does, i can see them having some genuinely fulfilling chats about potions. after all, malfoy gets an outstanding at owl, he must be good at the subject and he does seem to be interested in it.

14. what do you think is snape's favourite potion to prepare?

veritaserum. you just know he was chuckling to himself the whole time he was whipping that fake batch up for umbridge.

16. were you ever a snater? how and when did you become a snover?

i’m also extremely theatrical and fond of chemistry, so snape was always my boy.

i’m also capable of understanding the genre conventions which govern children’s literature and which require him to act as he does, so even when he was being a cock to various children we were chill.

22. do you think that lily was a good friend to snape?

well… this is the big one.

and the answer is no - but.

i always think it’s worth, before discussing lily, doing some quick acknowledgement of her narrative role in the story, which is a major contributing factor to why she feels a bit of a flop in person compared to the way she’s built up by other characters.

lily’s characterisation in canon is primarily hamstrung by two things. the first, as you note, is that her sacrificial role within the story requires a certain degree of perfection - not least because the harry potter series borrows heavily from the genre conventions of christian literature. lily is the analogy for the virgin mary - as we see when her purity of spirit succeeds in inflicting the first defeat on the satan-coded voldemort which will then be fulfilled by harry-as-the-resurrected-christ in the final stages of deathly hallows. obviously, a marian symbol is denied the complexity of other women - and that’s without even getting into the fact that the series has an extremely limited view of what ‘good’ motherhood is.

the second issue is that the text needs to keep lily’s centrality to the mystery hidden for as long as possible, not least because it needs to obscure snape’s true loyalties - and the role lily played in triggering them - until the very end of the seven-book series. this is the reason why sirius and lupin only speak about her once (after harry sees snape’s worst memory - and, even then, they’re mostly talking about james) and why harry’s self-conception is rooted entirely in his father - or in characters like sirius who are stand-ins for james - until half-blood prince, when the narrative begins to suggest that his mother is much more important than harry has previously given her credit for.

[the best way to illustrate this is to note that harry doesn’t give a shit in order of the phoenix that snape calls his mother a mudblood. his primary concern is that his father was a bully and that sirius aided and abetted him - when he thinks about lily, his concern is only that she doesn’t seem to like james, and his worry that his father forced her into a relationship. he doesn’t raise the fact that snape called lily a mudblood with sirius and lupin, and he doesn’t mention it to anyone else. but he cares - viscerally - about the slur at the end of half-blood prince, once the narrative is explicitly trying to convince the reader that snape is an unambiguous villain.]

these narrative necessities are a heavy burden for the canonical lily - and so i think she deserves some grace when it comes to how we analyse her behaviour in the snapshots of her as a real person we get in canon.

because of course she’s not perfect. why should she be? teenage girls are allowed to be less than flawless people - even towards their best friends.

[as an aside here, i think we have to be very careful - in our reading and our writing - not to replicate the contempt that jkr has for women who don’t fit her narrow view of ideal female behaviour. jkr loathes bitchy, girly, flighty, butch, rude, vapid, ugly women - just look at anything she’s ever said about pansy parkinson - and she tends to write her heroines - ginny and hermione chief among them - as that perfect not-like-other-girls storm of exactly pretty and clever and popular and brave enough to be worthy, but not so pretty as to be vain or clever as to be haughty or popular as to be slutty or brave as to be villainous. lily gets this treatment - and i think this drives the tendency of readers who dislike the way she behaves in canon to be hyper-critical of her characterisation. but the issue with this is that it’s also confining ‘good’ women to narrow boxes - while, all too often, allowing male characters a complexity their female counterparts are not permitted.]

which is to say: no, lily isn’t a good friend to snape. but he’s not a good friend to her either.

the issue that the two of them have is that they each relate to the other as though the other is the version of them that they’ve constructed in their head. they never take each other as they actually are.

it’s clear in canon that lily never moves beyond seeing snape as the child - devoted only to her - whose role was to teach her about the wonderful world of magic, and who acted primarily as a tool of her own self-actualisation. this is the reason why she can’t understand why snape is so concerned about fitting in at hogwarts - above all, why he wants to be friends with mulciber and avery - or why she never realises that he wants to be reassured of her affection for him versus the marauders, or why she doesn’t take what happens to him at the marauders’ hands seriously until she is made a part of it by james, or why she doesn’t understand snape’s relationship to his own social class and its role within slytherin. she simply doesn’t conceive of him as someone who exists for himself or who has a life of his own - he exists for her.

and snape thinks the same - he sees himself as the person who gave lily the wizarding world and, therefore, as the person who gets to dictate how she understands it. this is the reason why he can’t understand why she pushes back on his defence of mulciber’s use of dark magic (since he - in a very voldemort-ish move - clearly thinks that applying boundaries to what magic can and should be studied is gatekeeping), or why she doesn’t agree with him that the death eaters will help him, or why she’s upset when he’s rude to petunia, or why she leans into the performance of class expected from muggleborns (sucking up to slughorn, taking her pureblood husband’s name) in a time of increasing sectarian tension. she exists for him.

this assessment obviously makes them both sound incredibly cruel, but actually this is the way that childhood friendships often go. it’s very easy to see how the fact of being the only two magical children in cokeworth was validating for both snape and lily, and how this formed a tie between them which was very fierce but very brittle - which was never going to do anything other than shatter as they grew older, especially as they became aware of things like social structure, political affiliation, and sexual desire. it’s cruel of lily to laugh at snape’s poverty - absolutely - but it’s also the way that lots of teenagers who haven’t entirely grappled with their own relationship to society behave, and it’s also true that acting up in front of a boy you fancy is a time-honoured tradition which can also cause you to be quite cruel. lily isn’t nice by any means when snape is being attacked by james and sirius, but she doesn’t have to be. she just has to be human.

there are two final points which i think it’s worth being aware of:

the first is that snape evidently stands out as one of the few visibly working-class students in the castle [so much so that i have a meta in my drafts about whether or not hogwarts is a selective school] and the fact that he is obviously targeted for his poverty is cruel, and i understand why it makes many fans want to defend him - particularly given the fandom’s fondness for glorifying aristocracy and wealth.

but lily is also an other in wizarding society. i think it’s often not taken as seriously as it should be by snape fans just how terrified she must have been for her own safety, particularly from the later 1970s onwards, when all the evidence of canon is that voldemort is about to win. the wizarding world is set up to exclude her just as much as it is snape, and while we can and should be critical how her response to his poverty is unfair, we have to do the same for his outright refusal to acknowledge that she is subjected to discrimination on the basis of her blood status.

the second is that we don’t actually know if lily was a prefect - she was head girl, but james managed to become head boy without having been one. the person we do know was a prefect was remus lupin. if we’re criticising anyone for failing to intervene, it should be him.

[whinlatter]

Hello, I was hoping you could provide some of your brilliant insight to this ask: How many people knew about the horcruxes in the end? Dumbledore told Harry not to tell anyone, but Harry kind of announced it during his battle with Voldemort, and everyone knew he sacrificed himself. Hagrid witnessed it, and so did the DE. I’m sure this started rumours about how the Potter boy cannot be killed by the AK curse. Hagrid must have wanted answers too, because watching Harry sacrifice himself and then come back alive after he watched the AK curse kill him would have been detrimental. So besides Ron and Hermione, who else knew about the Horcruxes and the reason Harry sacrificed himself? Did the Order know? Did he tell the DA? Did he tell Ginny?

Damn, I wish I had brilliant insight - alas, all I have is a pathological inability to stop running my mouth and a crippling hyperfixation. To that end... loved this question, so thoughts about whether or not Harry ran his mouth about the Horcruxes after the war (and to whom) below the cut!

This is such an interesting question and one I think about alllll the time and am desperate to have a stab at writing about at some point (like everyone, lol). On Horcruxes - I think Harry (and the trio, to a lesser extent) would feel less beholden to Dumbledore's instruction not to tell anyone after Voldemort has gone. I think it would be more a case of the trio trying to decide how much is safe for the public at large to know, in case they embolden lesser, weaker copycats. (There's that great conversation between Harry and Hermione in chapter one of Castles by @pebblysand about the Harry/Voldemort showdown honestly makes me laugh every time - Hermione basically being like, why did you have to publicly confirm the existence of an Elder Wand? Just how dumb are you? Harry like sorry it was obviously improv???)

I imagine Harry will tell the public a small amount (a much simpler story that does broad outline, light on detail, the focus of which is exonerating Snape and rehabilitating Dumbledore). I think he tells the Order and the DA - so all of those loyal to him who both deserve information and who witnessed the Harry/Voldemort conversation - a much fuller but still incomplete story in a private address at the Burrow where the trio share it between them and their comrades can ask questions. I think this version would cover Dumbledore's plan, the Horcruxes, details about the Horcrux hunt, the context of the Elder Wand, the Snape story, the Regulus arc, etc. I like to think Ron would choose to tell his family what really happened that last Christmas during this session (though Harry and Hermione would insist he doesn't need to), and talks about how and why he messed up in a way that shows how far he's come (and also lets Bill off the hook for snubbing his mother's Christmas in the middle of a war lmao). I think this conversation wouldn't cover the Hallows and that Harry would decline to talk in to much detail about what happened in the Forest, which I think all three of the trio would agree was both too personal and too dangerous (given the Stone) to share, especially to a room of grief-stricken friends and family who may well be drawn to an object that allows them to reach out to the dead.

I do think, though, that he tells Ginny everything. I don't think he'd ask permission from Ron and Hermione, per se, but he'd give them the heads up that he intends to let one more person in on this secret between them and Dumbledore. I think Ginny gets the whole truth: Horcruxes, Hallows, what happened in the Forest - and I think he tells her over the course of that summer. Canonically, that's his intent and priority at the end of the series: she deserves to know, and he needs her to know. The would he tell her question for me is less tricky to think about than the how. These would be very difficult conversations: I actually think they'd be unbearable for Ginny to hear, in many many different ways: what happened in the Forest, of course, but also just how horrific it would be for her to discover a part of Riddle's soul, the same thing that was in the Diary, was living inside the person she loves the whole time. (I think a lot about that OotP 'lucky you' scene. What's crazy about that scene in retrospect is that Harry comes out of it reassured by Ginny that he isn't being possessed - but of course, the truth is neither of them should be reassured. Harry feels better thinking this is different to what happened to Ginny, but actually their experiences have more in common than they realise (though are still ofc distinct): Harry's got a bit of Voldemort's soul in him, the same thing that controlled and terrorised little Gin. It's a classic example of the series' many ironies: characters coming so close to the truth but getting it (understandably but terribly) wrong. Even the thought of living alongside the locket at Grimmauld in the OotP summer - I think Ginny would find the thought of that, in retrospect, absolutely sickening).

All this is to say: I think the trio deliberately cultivate public silence over certain very volatile aspects of the Horcrux/Hallows story (in ways that probably does incur a certain degree of public speculation and resentment). But I think Gin gets the whole picture. I can't imagine Harry ever wanting to keep it from her (or even managing to - the man let slip their plan at the dinner table in DH. He's not keeping secrets from that girl. Man canonically sees those big brown eyes and starts running his damn mouth)

PS. Obsessed with the idea of rumours that AK can't kill Harry. I'm sure it would be in his professional interest when hunting the last of the Death Eaters to keep that particular myth going lol. Avada Kedavra? Can't kill me, mate. Good luck to ya

[punsaulanvecy]

So it's been a long while since I've touched the Death Note Fandom. Not for any reason in particular, just kinda have been away. However, the thing i wanna share is a small scene that won't leave my head.

So we all know the story of how Light tries to throw L off his trail in the beginning when they monitor him through cameras. He buys like a swimsuit mag in order to justify why he has precautions to know when someone has been in his room. Which, by the way, I still find that interesting, surly Light would have known that that is just typical teenage boy behavior and that it's nothing to be ashamed of. It doesn't warrant the amount of caution he's displaying.

So I present an alternative. Light has that same train of thought and realized that it just makes it seem like a red herring that much more. So he begins to wonder how to throw L off his trail without coming off as suspicious. Then, he sees it. A gay magazine for men. So he ignored the looks when he picked it up and headed home with it. He had goals beyond their understanding anyway.

What he learned was that people who saw him pick it up treated him differently. Not very drastically, but subtle enough to show their discomfort. The cashier actually made a distasteful comment to him after scanning said magazine.

It's all that makes Light realize that this would work much better than the original plan. He would pretend to be in the closet. That would justify the caution. He could just say that some parents loved their kids until they came out. Which is an unfortunate truth.

It would cause Lights' father upon seeing the gay magazine go through a small wave of shock, then guilt upon invading his sons privacy. He's a loving and supportive father. Of course, if Light turned out to be gay he would be supportive.

L still thinks there's something up. But Mr.Yagami is beyond upset. He's mad at L at himself. Upon learning that his son is in the closet, he tries not to let it show whenever he sees Light. Subtly trying to be supportive while trying to get Light to come out. Because he wants to hear it from his son's mouth and let him know first hand that he still loves him. This slowly starts ruining things between Mr.Yagami and L over time. It's an invasion of privacy that they have no right to reveal.

While that is a nice scenario all on its own, I present more that popped into my head at a later date.

Light, on the other hand, is starting to get uncomfortable. All this red herring is making him actually question his identity. He thought he was fully straight. But he's learning that he might actually be gay. Or at the very least, Bi. This is where it gets interesting. He decided to experiment for the audience he knows is watching. He figures that a real expirance would be hard to deny. It would leave him vulnerable, yes, but that was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

He invited someone over, and they probably made out, while Light would be actually exploring. Seeing if he was gay, bi, or something or other. No ruse, no planning, just him in the moment with this guy.

L ,who is watching, begins to wonder if they have the right person. He doesn't doubt himself. However, it's hard to deny that what's happening is genuine. What he sees is a teenager who is exploring more about himself, not a serial killer. However, the rational part of his brain is saying he could be both.

That's all I got for now, but if this already exists, I haven't seen it. Again, I haven't been in the Fandom for ages. Do with this what you will.

[hirokiyuu]

oh i forgot to post abt it but i recently finished ffxv + dlc with gf, thoughts and impressions under the cut (CONTAINS ALL SPOILERS)

NOCTISSSSSSSSSSSSS NOCTISSSSSSSSSSSSS MY LITTLE SACRIFICIAL LAMB OUGHHHHHHHHHHHH NOCTISSSSSSSSSH E LOVES HIS GUYS NOCTIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOCTIS....................

overall i enjoyed it. some part of it were so terrible but i enjoyed it. why did they kill luna abt five minutes after she finally became interesting and hten try to retroactively make her interesting but in Bad Ways

She Likes Pretty Flowers But Also Cool Stickers............... Wow........... She's A Person With Depth...........

ukn o how to make that actually a compelling fact AND make me believe noct+luna actually care abt each other? u have noct have a sticker collection he keeps and then he puts a sticker in each letter they write each other and hes careful to always do it. then id be compelled. instead shes most interesting healing ardyn (LMAO GOD I AM ROTATING THAT MOMENT ETERNALLY IN MY MIND) and fighting leviathan adn fighting for her life and i dont care abt her and noct except as Comrades Who Trust Each Other With Their Lives you did not sell me on this romance at all

promptis good. promnis endgame but wow imagine being prompto in lvoe w/the crown prince and hes your star and guiding light nad then he dies. lmao. god

NOCTISSSSSSSSSSSSS AUGHHHHHHHHHHH RAISED WITH LOVE AND CARE AND SPOILED AND INDULGED BC HE WAS ALWAYS GOING TO DIE SO YOUNG, HE WAS ALWAYS GOING TO CLIMB UP ON THE ALTAR AND LET THE KNIFE GO IN HIS THROAT, AUGHHHHHHHHH

fsr the original bulletpoint got deleted so im rewriting. naywaysy fave ship dynamic among boys is ignis being in Love with noctis forever by default and prom thinking ig is kind of hot that over time shifts to prom being madly in love w/his bestie and ignis finally wanting something Outside of noctis except prompto is noctis' so it doesnt matter. noctis/prom eventually that probably shifts promnis endgame. also gladio is there off to the side watching all this like Wow, Damn, I Am Not Touching Any Of this With A Ten Foot Pole,

i cant believe the dlc wasnt included in the base game. ignis goes blind and you have no context. insane to me. gf played the dlc in the order as they happened in the story thank god but oh my god if she hadnt. i wouldve been like ????????????

knowing noct was going to die since altissia and he didnt kno made my heart hurt so bad. AUGHGHGHGHGH MY LITTLE LAMBBBBBBB MY BELOVED SACRIFICE HE WENT WITH A SMILE AND A PHOTO OF HIS FRIENDS WHO HE LOVES AUGHHHHHHHHH AUGHHHHHHHHHHH NOCTISSSSSSSSSS

i like that ep ig had an alternate ending where he lives and i like that it wasnt the canon one. i wouldnt care abt noct as much if his death wasnt canon but i do like that ignis loves him So Much it changes the narrative. what if some guy in glasses was enough to un-doom you

we played w/jp voices on adn wow like..................... there were. Many Changes. man. its funny bc i tend to prefer en goro to jp goro but i definitely prefer jp prom to en. robbie daymond you keep changing these guys around

ardyn did nothing wrong. when he killed all those people in his prologue episode that was fine and valid. he wore funny hats about it even it was ok

side note how were he and aera moer compelling as a ship when they were on screen together for five minutes when lunoct could not sell me at All. i do kno why tho its bc they do a bit together and they clearly like each other and are comfy. They're Friends. meanwhile lunoct.................... man........................ sorry for being a hater but i cant see the romance of it at all

i do think a lunoct i could be sold on is them reuniting and married and very very ery slowly falling in love but thats not what we got. canon lunoct is nothingburger to me. sorry. he should kiss prompto on the lips

trying to think if i had any other major thoughts. the ending part was so horrifyingly rushed and bad but everyone's talked abt that already and the final few scenes from going to the throne room were good and that's what matters (NOCTISSSSSSSSSS NOCTISSSSSSSSSSSSSS NOCCCCCCCCCTTTTTTTTTT)

i cannot think abt the v final shot of him + luna w/o thinking abt the one final asw (the sun is shining / and hte birds are singing / and because today is the very last day / they will sing forever) and then i start weeping NOCTISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUU

truly i think noct is my fave character of this game. my selfish spoiled sacrificial lamb. being told that regis did know abt it made me ill. binding of isaac except god does not stop. tie your son to the altar and bring the knife down, and do what must be done. augh augh augh augh NOCTTTTTTT

[corvidcall]

my top 5 favorite commanders of 2024

I know a top 10 is more traditional, but... I mean, I didn't want to pick any commanders I didn't actually build!!

Before getting into the list, I do want to give an honorable mention to Bonny Pall, Clearcutter, which is a deck I built but never got the chance to really play. But as a Minnesotan, I gotta show some love to my girl Paul Bunyan.

Now, onto the actual list!

5. Kellan, the Kid

The difficult thing about this list is that, as a Vorthos, I really just wanna put down all my favorite characters. And I LOVE Kellan. My sweet boy. People love to tell me that "Thunder Junction had no story," and I genuinely still don't understand what they mean by that, because I read the story!! It very much existed and was good! Kellan tries to sacrifice his own morals to win his deadbeat dad's affection, and it just doesn't work, because his dad is fundamentally incapable of caring about him.

Anyway, uh, the card is cool too I guess. Kellan looks very handsome in it and I'm so proud of him.

4. Yuma, Proud Protector

Would.

...I was just gonna leave it there because its funny, but unfortunately I have "can't shut up" disease. Yuma is the first trans man in MtG! (At least, the first canonical one. We all know Jace is trans but he's stealth and used his mind magic to erase the knowledge from WotC's memories). The sidestory about him was one of my favorite bits of mtg writing this year. Also, he's from fantasy Chicago and moved to Thunder Junction, and as a trans person who moved from the midwest to a desert, I find him very #relatable.

...ok technically I live in a semi-arid region and not a true desert. BUT STILL.

Also, this deck is fun because everyone always gets concerned that I might run mass land destruction in it. And if the guys at my LGS keep pissing me off, one of these days, I will.

3. Flubs the Fool

Its kind of funny that this is on the list, because, by all accounts, it should not be a deck I enjoy. It doesn't have either of my favorite colors (white and black). It's from a set I hated (i did NAWT enjoy Bloomburrow lol). Its a cEDH deck (I think cEDH is an abomination). Its a storm/combo deck (I dont like having to keep track of that much, AND i don't like taking that long of a turn).

... but tbh its a hoot! So far, it's had a 100% win rate against the cEDH players at my LGS, and it just makes me laugh. You want to be Hellbent (have no cards in hand) as soon as possible, which is usually the OPPOSITE of what you want, and you just draw a card, cast it no matter what it is, draw another card, until you manage to draw into your wincons (infinite storm combo + Brain Freeze to make everyone mill, or infinite mana combo + Walking Ballista to ping everyone for infinite damage). It runs exactly 0 interaction. What other opponents' decks are doing is not your problem. What YOUR deck is doing is not your problem. We're on empty brain mode babey!!!!

2. Alquist Proft, Master Sleuth

Must a commander be powerful in order to be on the list? Must a card be "good"? Is it not enough to see a beautiful face, small?

I had two goals with this deck: First, I wanted a lower-power deck that I could play with my sister, who is just learning how to play, and second, I had such a blast playing Azorius Detectives at the MKM pre-release that I wanted to build a deck that had all the fun cards from that.

Alquist is certainly not... the best commander ever. His activated ability is REALLY overcosted, considering how low impact it is. By my math, it's not even worth using unless you're able to make x=3 (for anything less, you'd be better off just using your clue tokens normally). But he helms a deck thats honestly one of the most fun in my collection! There's a lot of fun cards in there, like the one that makes detectives unblockable, or turns all your clue tokens into equipment, or gives your clues Exalted, and it's really fun to sit down at a table with this guy and see people have no idea what the hell kinda deck its gonna be. My partner plays this deck more than I do, but I cant stop thinking about the time I was sitting at the pod next to them, and I overheard one of their opponents go "Azorius aggro???????" like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. And he was right!!

1. Shilgengar, Sire of Famine

I built this because the art of a demon sitting on a throne of angel wings was the sickest thing I'd ever seen in my life. And it still is.

This is my #1 because this deck is just so... me, back on my bullshit to be honest. Orzhov is far and away my favorite color pair, but thus far most of the typal decks you see in Orzhov are vampires, and tbh I... don't really like vampires. I like vampire-type EFFECTS (draining enemies while healing yourself is the ideal tbh!!) but as a creature type? snore. Sick of seeing vampires in everything, sick of hearing about vampires, and I don't think vampires are sexy because vampires are one of the most culturally thin movie monsters, second only, perhaps, to the Slender Man himself. show me a fat vampire and we'll talk.

Anyway, this is an angels deck, which is way way cooler because I love angels. Big huge lady with a sword who can FLY??? HELLO???? very sick. And its all about sacrificing my own angels to make Blood tokens, and then sacrificing the Blood tokens to get all my angels back from the graveyard. I love an Aristocrats strategy (a deck built around sacrificing your own creatures) because I think its really funny. I show up to a wizard battle with my army of cool angels. I shoot them all myself before you get the chance to. When the dust clears, I have won somehow.

Its funny that, considering that I mostly build decks based on characters I like first and for gameplay reasons second, my most favorite deck of the year is of a character I couldn't care less about lol. Sorry man, I don't care that you invented vampires in Innistrad! I'm busy admiring all the big beautiful sword ladies I put in here. And then pinging everyone to death with Mirkwood Bats. And that's gonna take up pretty much all of my time!!

Overall, I'd say it was a pretty good year for Magic for me!!! I had a lot of fun building these, and I actually started going to my LGS weekly to play. It's been a blast! Can't wait to report back next year to talk about all the fun I've had in 2025!!!!!

[avemstella]

so that archon quest, huh. Would be absolutely thrilled to hear what u have to say about fontaine act V :] i love all your takes on furina & neuvillette & fontaine as a whole, and of course childe [pretty much an honorary fontanian with how he unintentionally got wrapped up in everything whoops]

Oh boy, I have so many thoughts. To start with some non-spoilerly stuff: I loved it so much. I'm not sure if I'll say it's my favorite Archon Quest yet (I think I would have to go through some of the older ones), but I think it's safe to say Fontaine overall as an arc is my favorite. Even its weakest part (the prison stuff, tbh it was a pacing issue) was still really solid and the ending, while not perfect, really landed. Genshin continued the trend from Sumeru of having the playable characters really take the stage and god there were some great standouts (Navia/Neuvi/Furina to name my favs, but I also loved my fatui and there really isn't anyone I've disliked). And well, the quest (and Furina's chara quest) made me cry like a baby, so that's a win.

Tbh, I think my biggest issue, wasn't even really an issue with the story but just a case of I had a very clear idea of what I wanted out of it (the woes of writing speculative fic pfft) and when it wasn't that I'm like "awww darn". Thats on me, and I genuinely really loved what we got, but it do be like that sometimes haha.

Spoilers below, oh boy (also my Furina fic spoilers too lol).

Eldritch abomination Furina I'll mourn u forever. I can't complain because Furina splitting herself in two to go fuck u to the heavens is such a boss ass move I can't haha. Okay, but I will say, even if I'm probably the only one, I do wish they brought some Remuria stuff up in the main quest. They had the perfect set up with Ajax being there with his Greek myth references and just ahhhh, one can hope they do something with it later. But yes, just know it's my silly headcanon that Focalors just lied about being an Oceanid to Neuvi and is one of King Remus's fucked up Primordial Sea experiments that maybe caused the Abyss rift at the fall of Remuria.

But yes, Furina, Furina, I'm crying. She really destroyed the girl failure accusations in the most glorious way possible. She literally didn't fail once (either of her), she plotted out a plan to trick the heavens, give back what was stolen, and save her people and she did it perfectly. As you're probably well aware, I'm a big fuck u Celestia gal, so it was just so satisfying to see her just obliterate the throne (even when I was crying haha). And honestly, super relevant to the state of the real world, but her giving back sovereignty to Neuvi in my mind is a very clear decolonization metaphor. Ages past descenders came to Teyvat, killed the dragons and created their own order, and now Focalors is returning that power back to said dragon (or well, the dragon's heir, it's a bit vague if Neuvi's literally the old dragon's soul reincarnated or just the body).

The entire scene between Neuvi and Focalors was great, though I will admit I have one issue with it (and even then I go back and forth on it haha). Neuvi in that scene doesn't have a big attachment to Focalors. What I mean is that ultimately Neuvi only ever knew Furina (which side note I'll get into this next, but I do view them as the same person, but still), and with Focalors' 'death' he's not technically losing anything, the person he's sad over will still be there. Like don't get me wrong, he's very empathetic and can be sad over this person who is dying for them, but I feel like it could have been even more heartbreaking if he had met Furina/Focalors before the split, or he had interacted with Focalors somehow in the past, and so in this moment he wasn't just watching Furina's sacrifice, but the sacrifice of someone he shares memories with. But that's me being picky haha and not really a critique on the writing.

But yes, Furina! Focalors! As I previewed before, I'm going to come out swinging with a possibly hot take. They are, and always were the same person. Yes, Focalors is the divinity, but as we see after Furina is allowed to rest her persona, Furina is also super mature and knowledgeable. In Neuvi's flashback quotes of Furina, it's her softly giving important advice about living with humanity, which is what Focalors was all about. And much like Furina, Focalors loves preforming, she loves humans, she gets all excited about Furina and her future, and is sad she won't get to experience it.

Not to remotely downplay Furina's suffering (because holy shit my poor girl), but Focalors too played her role. Unlike Furina who had Neuvillette and all her friends post this, Focalors was all alone in the Oratrice, waiting for the day she had to kill herself. Furina, has the promise of a future, despite all the suffering she endured to get there. She gets the reward of a happy life as a human surrounded by people who love her, and while it was touch a go for a bit, she was told one day her play would end. In contrast, while Focalors didn't have the same anxiety that Furina had, Focalors knew from the beginning she would never get to see her people saved. Technically she, like Furina, didn't even know if it would even happen. She put her faith in Neuvillette to follow through, and while she had the utmost faith in him, she could never know for certain. But much like her mirror Furina, Focalors weighed her suffering over the people of Fontaine's, and never once faltered. Furina was willing to possibly kill herself via primordial seawater in order to keep up her ruse, whose to say Focalors wasn't the same. Smiling at Neuvillette until the last moment because she couldn't risk him interfering, hiding away her anxieties and sorrow, so he wouldn't look so sad. Furina's performance ended, Focalors' never will.

Focalors was so certain she couldn't be human, but as we see from the Oceanids it was totally possible. And even more vitally, we see from the other Archons it's possible. They might fumble around a bit (some more than others, looking at u Ei), but they are learning and immersing themselves with their people. While not an Archon, it's the same with Neuvillette. Focalors should have had the same opportunities as Furina and the rest (mostly because she is Furina), but the world isn't kind, and that's why her sacrifice hurts.

If u can't tell I have a lot of feelings about Focalors/Furina and while I can appreciate a joke about Focalors giving Furina anxiety, I'm also like, they are literally the same person working together, she deserves the world (all of her).

But yes, I can go on and on about Furina, but for now I'll move onto our boy Childe. To get it out of the way, a little disappointed that we really got no answers about him. Poor guy didn't really have any lines. Also, not big on Skirk's design, mostly the outfit. Putting her next to Dain and uh, yeah (like don't get me wrong don't mind the color scheme and all, but could she not have gotten some kind of armor. Or look more like Foul Legacy or something idk).

But onto more happier notes, I'm so happy to see Childe finally getting to do well in a fight. I know it's a meme for him to get beaten up, but my dude is the Vanguard, let him win sometimes (he doesn't technically win here, but he was fighting an eldritch whale monster for ages and helped save Fontaine, I'm giving it to him). And Skirk, while her design is mostly less to be desired, I'm winning on guessing her hair and eye color haha. Also, while I'll always love my version, I'm liking her personality so far. Her yeeting Childe, while I admit took me out a bit (I thought she threw him farther into the Abyss and was like, "uh guys, yall worried about my poor boy here???" and then was a bit baffled at them saying he was fine) was so fucking funny. It's cool to learn "Foul Legacy" refers to a literal person, and I found the fact that Skirk's relationship with Foul is basically the same as her relationship with Childe very amusing. And it seems she's Khaenri'ahn, maybe? Also, I thought she was listing off her master's other names at first, so when she said Gold I got super hyped that I guessed correctly about the narwhal being Rhine's in my fic, but then they were like nope pfft. I'll take it as a win.

Sidenote, Alice and Rhine where are yoooouuuuuu.

Ultimately, while I enjoyed the Childe and Skirk stuff, it really just feels like a set-up for later stuff. Which isn't really a problem, but I was hoping we'd get something a bit more concrete. Like, I thought we were going to get answers about the "it" that Skirk saw in him, and it would have to do with the Narwhal, but now it seems those were mostly unrelated??? While I did find baby Ajax accidentally waking up a big world eating monster up kind of hilarious, it did feel a little incidental, if that makes any sense. Like, Fontaine's doom was an accident and not the result of anyone's choices. But that might just be a me thing. (and the quest needed more Arle, where was she??? my not really based on anything theory is that whenever we get Furina (or maybe Nevui's) 2nd character quest, Arle will be the boss fight. A reverse of the normal final Harb boss fight during the Archon quest)

Okay, because I really don't want to end on a downer (as I said uptop, I genuinely adored this quest haha), here are some minor spoilers from the Narzissenkreuz Ordo quest that have me by a chokehold.

I wasn't ready for a sudden Ajax. What does this mean??????

And this one just makes me laugh. Whichever Ordo member wrote this, I vehemently disagree with u and am on Khaenri'ah's side with this one. I'd much rather have bread then some higher power nonsense. In my fic I tend to write Khaenri'ah more akin to a modern nation than a fantasy one, and its nice to see me vindicated pfft.

Other random notes, enjoyed that the Fatui weren't just cartoonishly evil in both the main and world quests. I like some nuance. I saw that Sandrone hint, that was fun. Though it makes me wonder when we'll get Columbina lore (especially because if the theory about Harbinger boss fight order based on the Constellation circle is true, she should be showing up soon. Though also I half think that order will break because if it doesn't, it means Sandrone will probably be the final Harb boss which is an odd choice.) As revealed on Furina's weapon, Egeria being around during Remuria raises so many questions around the timeline of events. Genshin pls tell me when the Archon war takes place in all this pls (if they tell us in some lore I haven't read yet, whoops). (also on egeria, I mourn my version but hey, she exists in my heart and in my fics pfft. I can't wait to write her in smfwtwd and venti fic, though she's getting a new name for confusion and better symbolsism)

the contrast between Neuvi and Furina after the quest is so funny and sad. Neuvi "Furina is the best, I want her to be happy". Furina, "Everyone hates me, Neuvillette most of all, I can never face him again." And the other Archons, they are all like Furina, wow u are so cool (which just highlights Neuvi's utter disdain for them other than Nahida haha).

And most vitally, Furina and Venti should be best friends. Musically inclined performers who definitely aren't plotting to overthrow the heavens. I think they are neat (they also both have Latin names!).

[a-very-fond-farewell]

hello!!! i hope i'm not too late to ask about your original fiction wips!!! would love to hear more about them if you're comfortable with sharing 6: their titles are so suave!

ah! you do know how to prod where it hurts most xD (affectionate)! thank you for asking dear, you’re not too late at all! and also thank you for all the kind comments/tags/etc. that you sprinkled throughout my notifications today :D they really made my Saturday more bearable and I hope you are doing well yourself!

(more under the cut)

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so. it’s not my first rodeo. I have written original fiction in the past but I was always unsatisfied with it and these 2 bad bois are no exception even if they are in their planning/draft phase.

mária of the moon (the ‘seas’ of the moon) is too personal for me to delineate in detail, bc it should be set in a city where I used to live in for a while so I can’t be too specific about that. but it’s basically the story of an unnamed and lonely narrator who steals someone else’s identity in order to be welcomed inside someone else’s home, where their weird little found family comes in. it’s inspired by a curious incident my mother told me about once or twice and, even if it will not be based on it specifically, it got me thinking for a long while.

the title is a play on words with the name Maria, but in the ‘maria’ of the title the accent is placed on the first syllable rather than the second one, as if to imply that sometimes a shift in perspective is needed in order to move on with the plot. it’s also a reference to a literary trope in my country’s history that traces back to the renaissance, where it’s believed that lost things happen to land on the moon somehow. since the majority of the lunar seas are gathered on the visible side of the moon, it may be appropriate to wonder if someone named Maria has gone missing and if they have, have they landed on the moon? or maybe their name has?

it’s a story about gender identity and grief, about lies and new families too. but also, somehow, about lobsters. and sculptures. angels and taxidermy. hallucinations and burnout. there’s magical realism and insanity. it’s a lot. I’ve mapped the plot in its entirety but I feel like I’m never alone and this kind of work requires a lot of self-isolation, I think, something I can’t afford right now and possibly wouldn’t handle too well if I really think about it. also, idk in which language I should write it: my native language or English. which is a problem bc I’m tempted to write both versions myself, but that requires even more time and I simply don’t have that right now.

Secular Games is far more difficult to approach. it’s something I came up with a couple of years ago while studying for an Ancient Roman History exam, in order to remember some dates, but now it’s mapped out and sometimes I still think about it xD

it’s set in 17BC and it’s the story of a legitimate (fictional) child of emperor Augustus with his first wife Claudia. in reality, the marriage has probably never been consummated and Claudia was very young at the time of their union. but in this scenario the marriage did result in an offspring even if Claudia was sent back to her family in the end, so that Augustus (then known as Octavian) could marry someone else. there are other circumstances surrounding Claudia’s family that explain the situation a bit better, but in the context of this project her child would grow not knowing of their true lieneage until something very dramatic happens to them and they swear revenge towards the man who caused so much suffering to them and their young mother by sending her back home long ago.

the main plot would then proceed to be framed by the Secular Games, a religious celebration that (through 3 days of sacrifices and games) allowed the entire population of Rome to celebrate the coming of a new era every 110 years or so. one of such celebrations was held in 17BC. our protagonist would find themselves traveling to Rome in order to get their revenge, but in order to do so they have to disguise themselves and join a group of misfits to reach their destination. each person has their agenda and reason to be there at that particular time, all coming from different social levels and whatnot, and even if the main focus of their adventure will see its climax in those fated 3 days.. I want their bond to be established in their journey to the capital somehow.

problem for this project being: I need a ton of research. like. a TON. it would not be 100% historically accurate, but I still want to do a somewhat decent job. language is also an issue here, bc i don’t think writing in English is the right way to approach this ambitious project. the main issue is.. this is a very immersive work. I need to eat and breath nothing but ancient Roman history for, possibly, 2 years for this to come to light. which is not ideal. maybe I’ll come back to it, maybe I’ll drop it, but for now I call dibs on this xD

.

thank you so much for your ask :D I hope you have a lovely weekend! see u soon :)

[please do not reblog or share]

[dazzasarchives]

The Incredible Hulk Volume 1 Issue 1

In this issue we get to witness a new hero take ship within the Marvel Comics Universe. Starting off in the form of the genius Dr Bruce Banner, but after exposure to gamma radiation he is then transformed into the Incredible Hulk.

Our story starts off in the lab of Bruce Banner as he and several others prepare to test their new gamma bomb. Some notable members here are Betty Ross, the daughter of the also present General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross. We are also quickly shown that Betty harbors feelings towards Dr Banner.

As the tests for the gamma bomb are underway Bruce then realizes a boy is within the blast zone, in his vehicle. This boy being Rick Jones, he states that he wasn't going to lose a bet to his friends about staying at this testing grounds.

Dr Banner with his quick thinking as the missile is launched towards the boy, pushing him into a bunker as Bruce absorbs very intense gamma radiation. This then causes Dr Banner to pass out due to the radiation.

That night Dr Banner awakes next to Rick Jones, as an incredible transformation begins to take place with the rising of the moon. Dr Banner is then turned into, the Hulk. Also quick note the Hulk in his first issue is actually Grey, a lot of comic fans know this, I just really like this other coloration of the character.

The Hulk then escapes the hospital wing and we find out that he has super strength as he smashes through a wall and destroys a military jeep. The Military then pursues the Hulk, as they see him as a monster. Hulk makes his way into the lab of Dr Banners associate Igor ( who is a spy for the Russians ). The Hulk then smashed up the lab, but is shown an image of Bruce Banner by Rick Jones and he turns back into the Dr.

Betty Ross, and the military show up to the scene. Betty is quite concerned for Bruce as it seems like the Hulk attacked him. The military then starts a manhunt for the Hulk, while imprisoning Igor as they discover that he is a Russian Spy. While Igor is imprisoned he sends a message to Russia to someone known as the Gargoyle ( Yuri Topolov ). The Gargoyle decides he is going to capture the Hulk and sets out for America to do so.

Bruce Banner and Rick Jones are in a car when Bruce turns into the Hulk again, but this time the Gargoyle is nearby and ready to capture him. The Gargoyle does so rather easily actually, it's very interesting to see the growth of the Hulk's strength through the years. The Gargoyle then takes Rick Jones and the Hulk back to Russia but as they do so the Hulk reverts back to Bruce Banner.

The Gargoyle tells Bruce that his secret identity is no longer secret, then the Gargoyle breaks down telling Bruce that he would give anything to be able to appear normal. Bruce tells him that, even though Bruce can't be cured, the Gargoyle can, with radiation. Bruce cures Yuri, and in doing so Yuri let's Bruce and Rick escape. Yuri sacrifices himself by destroying the Russian base as Bruce and Rick jet back to the States.

Alright so this issue is a decent introduction for one of Marvel's most notable heroes. I love how much this character changes though, over the next few issues Hulk will begin to change, and I love it, I love seeing experimentations with characters like this. I also loved the main villain of this issue it's so interesting that he turned good and then sacrificed himself, I really enjoy that. Alright on to the character analysis.

Alright Bruce Banner, he's a pretty standard character. Genius scientist who gets blasted by gamma rays. I really like him in this issue. I also like that he suggests to help the Gargoyle and cure him. Good guy Bruce.

The Hulk. I really like this first encounter with the Hulk, I know later he will get more of a personality, but for now he's just angry with everything and dislikes humans a lot. Usually calling humans weaklings or puny. Though again I can't wait to see him develop more.

Rick Jones, honestly I'm not a big fan of Rick, especially at first. He's essentially the Johnny Storm of this series, but without the useful powers. He's really just a useless sidekick. Though I know he will get better as time goes on.

Betty Ross, she really is just the love interest for this issue. She doesn't have many identifiable traits besides being in love with Bruce Banner. Which is really why she's here for now, but I know she will also get some development in the future and I can't wait for it.

General Thunderbolt Ross, I know for right now he hasn't had a big role in the series but he's one of Hulk's main antagonists, he often goes against orders just to try and capture, or rid the world of the Hulk. I really like him as an antagonist to both Bruce and the Hulk.

The Gargoyle, this antagonist is such a breath of fresh air. Sort of. Yes at first he is very average, the normal evil scientist trying to go against the hero. Though this time the Gargoyle begs Bruce to help him, and then he switches sides and sacrifices himself so Rick and Bruce can escape. My hero.

Alright well that's our first introduction to the Incredible Hulk, we'll be staying with this character for a little while so I hope you all enjoy, next issue we see the Hulk going to the stars. Until next time.

I do not own the images above they belong to Marvel Comics.

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[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb: A seductively twisted romance about loyalty, fate, the lengths we go to hide the darkest parts of ourselves . . . and the people who love those parts most of all.

Wyatt Westlock has one plan for the farmhouse she's just inherited -- to burn it to the ground. But during her final walkthrough of her childhood home, she makes a shocking discovery in the basement -- Peter, the boy she once considered her best friend, strung up in chains and left for dead.

Unbeknownst to Wyatt, Peter has suffered hundreds of ritualistic deaths on her family's property. Semi-immortal, Peter never remains dead for long, but he can't really live, either. Not while he's bound to the farm, locked in a cycle of grisly deaths and painful rebirths. There's only one way for him to break free. He needs to end the Westlock line.

He needs to kill Wyatt.

With Wyatt's parents gone, the spells protecting the property have begun to unravel, and dark, ancient forces gather in the nearby forest. The only way for Wyatt to repair the wards is to work with Peter -- the one person who knows how to harness her volatile magic. But how can she trust a boy who's sworn an oath to destroy her? When the past turns up to haunt them in the most unexpected way, they are forced to rely on one another to survive, or else tear each other apart.

Review:

Three friends and their twisted relationship in a cursed small town, an immortal boy being sacrificed and killed over and over, a girl with a dark family legacy and deadly powers, and the boy who is not who he seems at all. Wyatt Westlock never thought she'd be back in her family's farmhouse, the one she inherited after her father's death and all she wants to do is burn it down. This farmhouse, this town, was the start of her heartbreak, and where she lost her two dearest childhood friends, Peter and James. Yet when she goes to inspect the house before setting it on fire she finds Peter strung up in chains in the basement left for dead.Wyatt doesn't know that Peter has suffered hundreds of ritualistic deaths on her family's property. Peter is semi-immortal and bound to the form, locked in a cycle of deaths and painful rebirths... and he's been trapped in the basement for five years waiting for Wyatt to come back... because he needs her blood, he needs to sacrifice and end her line in order to be freed. The spells that had protected the property have unravelled since Wyatt's parents are gone and now the ancient forces that lurk in the woods are getting ready to escape and destroy everything... but the only way to repair the words is to work with Peter, the only person who knows how to harness her powers, yet he wants her dead. Then there is James, the third friend, the one who is back as well, yet he doesn't seem normal and Peter is hiding a dark secret about James... The more Peter reveals to Wyatt about what was really happening in their childhood, what was being done to him and what her family was involved in the more she begins to unravel... yet one thing remains, this twisted love they have. Will they make it out alive? This was a tragic, heartbreaking, yet amazing read. The story has horror elements as well as such a touching story on friendship and love. Peter and Wyatt love each other despite everything, despite how they were never fated to be, despite how many secrets and blood stains they have, they love each other so much. The friendship between all three of them was so sweet. That ending was terrible, terribly sad and so heartbreaking but I understand why it had to be done that way yet I wish it wasn't I wish they all got their happy ending together after the horrors and atrocities they all faced. This book is brutal and angsty yet the romance was so well done and the story really grabs you until the end. I would absolutely recommend this for fans of darker romances and stories!

*Thanks Netgalley and Scholastic, Scholastic Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[altblock-tm]

OH WAIT lemme post that infodump from Discord I had about some cool OC ideas I had

So I have had slight story/worldbuilding ideas after the fact, but this was all the base stuff. the below is copied directly from Discord

Okay so I got some OC ideas from a dream

It was a little complex but let me just go over the basic outline

The thing took place in a castle repurposed into an theme park. there were a lot of circus/clown aesthetics, which ties in to one of the characters I dreamt about

The main character wasn't me. The person experiencing everything was this unnamed silver-haired femboy. But not much about their character was shown in the dream

The other characters were ghosts

The first one was named in the dream. His name was Castarian, and I LOVE HIM he's a sweetie. so nice and anxious and sad but still helpful to the protag. He stayed in one room and never showed himself, but did his best to direct and give hints to the protag. I was starting to get hints on why he hid himself when I woke up, but I still knew enough to come up with stuff on my own

The second one wasn't named, but I decided he should be called Drisco. This BITCH. he was trapped in a mirror, but an essential part of the dream was talking and interacting with him. he's one of the classic jester type characters, and he looks kinda like Harlequin (he has a black and white mask, his stupid little clown clothes are black and red, and he has the aesthetic of card suits). his main goal was to be freed from the mirror, but since the protag didn't trust him, he just played games with them in there instead

Despite him being dead and stuck in a mirror, he has incredible access to dark magic. literally the darkest part of the dream was making a goddamn blood sacrifice to him so the protag could revive someone from the dead. option one was the protag's own mother (if I remember correctly, the protag's main goal of the dream was to find someway in the castle to bring her back from the dead?), next was Drisco himself, and the third option was Castarian

the protag didn't trust their mother in Drisco's hands and didn't want to release him, so they chose Castarian. they wanted to see what he looked like and thank him for he help :)

Drisco just laughed and was like "Cassie? Him? Really? Okay, I'll go talk to him!"

and Drisco disappeared for a while to talk to Castarian. Castarian was not happy to talk to Drisco, but when Drisco talked about reviving him and why the protag wanted to do it, Castarian got really anxious about them seeing him.

Drisco got bored and reminded Castarian that in order to complete the ritual, they needed something intangible in exchange for reviving him. Castarian told him that he'll owe a favor, because he wants Drisco to cover up what he looks like with an illusion as well. Drisco started to demand more, but Castarian demanded he do that. Reluctantly, Drisco complied

and then I WOKE UP. So mad about that I wanted to interact with Castarian more :( he's my boy

but I did get a glimpse of what Castarian looked like! he was part human, part boar. kind of looked like how people draw Technoblade, but the burly version where he's big and furry. his fur was a light brown and he was very VERY fluffy and soft

he was so anxious to hide himself because he thought the protag would be scared of him. he was killed by people who thought he was a monster, stabbing him through the heart. so when Drisco did revive him, Drisco hid him in an illusion of a human. Drisco would pettily antagonize Castarian for this

Castarian used to be human, but he gained the favor of a fey who blessed him with the strength of a boar, and welp here he is. they also blessed him in another way- to help with how terrible he was at being assertive, every demand he made to someone magically enforce someone to do what he ordered. Castarian learned to be careful with his wording and instead phrase things as helpful suggestions so he didn't accidentally force someone to obey a command

but Drisco's illusion wasn't even Castarian's true human form? he had long messy hair as a human, but Castarian has become so anxious about his self-image that Drisco covers him up with a neater, clean-cut, "perfect" version of him.

my conclusions from the dream are that Castarian is a lovely boy. he's anxious because he's like 9 feet tall in his boar form and super burly and strong now and horrifying enough for people to kill him for being a monster. but he's so fluffy and so sweet,,, I wanna pet him fr

Drisco's a bitch. funky little gay guy with some nuance to him, but has that chaotic clown bastard energy.

he and Castarian's interactions have a weird divorced vibe. these bitches have so much tension between them and it's so funny. Drisco knows he'll get destroyed in a fight with Castarian (especially while he's in boar form) so he manipulates Castarian's self-hatred to make him feel bad :(