#but after that incident they start seeing a different more emotional and vulnerable and weak side of him...
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jkgnggj · 1 year ago
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I LITERALLY HAD THE SAME HC TBH! till I remembered he was born in a temple or whatever but I still like to have he just says that to avoid any questions Abt his bio parents. I like to give him angst so I always imagined his parents thought he was fucking psycho crazy bc nobody believed him about seeing ghosts. Like what a freaking creepy child he would be on accident bc imagine his mom or dad is cooking and then in the next room over they hear their son talking to someone and they're like oh hey bug who you talking to? And he's just staring at a wall and talking to himself and they get chills on sight. And worse if they ask him Abt it later like hey we're u talking to yourself? And he's like no I was talking to the little girl in a red dress, she likes to talk to me :) and they go crazy insane paranoid and can't deal with him anymore they've taken him to all kinds of doctors and stuff but nothing seems wrong but they suggest getting him mental help but that doesn't help him either so the mom leaves bc she can't take it anymore she can't believe she gave birth to a monster. And the dad sticks for not much longer after and abandons him at a temple telling them to take care of him and so they take him in but also are a bit put off over the seeing ghosts thing. I don't think the monks would take it well either so who knows how they'd punish him or straighten him out everytime he "lies" about seeing ghosts and being possessed. So yeah no love from his parents the only people who were supposed to love him unconditionally and no love from the monks who took him in and have been raising him for years. And no love from other kids his age or strangers bc they think he's weird for talking to himself or a pervert for always being so touchy and hugging them when they've just met. He goes to the Internet for help and of course he discovers things he shouldn't at such a young age and starts throwing himself on any girl in sight. He's so desperate for love he'll take anything, he just needs to prove to himself he's able to be loved. That he isn't unlovable.
And oh my gosh the thing Abt the psychickers teasing and insulting him and going too far bc they think he's just a punching bag with no feelings. But they cross the line when they make fun of him being fatherless and he breaks down and they panic like oh no what do we do? How do we fix it? They're so bad at being nice to him cue the awkward hugs and pats on the back and trying to get him to open up and stuff. And he does easily bc even tho they just hurt him he still thinks they're the closest he's ever had to real friends, which is why he's put up with all their insults up until now. And then they almost bawl their eyes out and are like damn now I want to protect this pervert :( so they become the Tori protection squad. They still insult him but make sure he knows it's in good fun and try not to go too far anymore. And if ANYONE ELSE DARES TO INSULT HIM THEY'LL FEEL THEIR WRATH.
The theory that Toritsukas mother is dead is I think most possible of all since it may be connected to his powers, but maybe she isn’t. She just abandoned him right after giving birth and left him with his father, who wasn't a good parent either or just couldn’t care less about his child (or worse, he didn't want a "schizo" for a child) and dropped him off at the temple not so long after. So it gave Toritsuka a sense that he's so unlovable that even the only people who were supposed to love him unconditionaly, didn't. And he supresses it so so hard, and tries to find love so so bad but the only type of love he knows is sexual becouse he saw that on the internet but it just doesn’t ever work and it just confirms his believe that he'll never experience love of any kind.
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superhero--imagines · 4 years ago
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A/N: Sorry, but this has been living in my brain rent free too, my commission info is here
* Honey if you’re tall with a big butt-
* You’ve got his heart the second he lays eyes on you
* Like everything he is and everything he will be -
* Baby you can have it all if you’ll agree to be his
* If you’re not tall with a big butt, well don’t worry Yuuji’s still going to adore you it just takes a little time
* It’s not so much because he doesn’t think your smoking hot or anything-
* It’s just, well, Yuji’s kinda dumb
* So anyone outside of his immediate go-to type, it just doesn’t register in his brain
* You can bet your ass he’ll say dumb crap like-
* “Friends can hold hands right?”
* Or
* “Friends kiss sometimes, no big deal!”
* But don’t worry babe, it might take a little while, but eventually he’ll notice all these feelings he’s been categorizing as “friendly” feelings and “positive” feelings are actually Romantic feelings
* Once he finally figures it out, you won’t have to wait long-
* “Oi, (Y/N/N), want to be my lover?”
* Like seriously, not even a second after he has this ‘monumental’ realization
* After that things are pretty easy between you two
* It’s not like much has changed, he’s still your friend, and he doesn’t act any different-
* You guys were holding hands and, apparently, kissing before you were officially dating
* It’s not even that he’s greedy with the way he touches you or anything-
* I think the only thing that does change is that Yuji makes an effort to spend more time with you
* “Oi, wanna go to Shibuya this weekend? There’s a Taiyaki store I’m dying to go too”
* He makes an effort to spend time with you even when he’s not around, like sending you texts and voicemails when he’s away
* Part of the reason he’s so insistent on spending as much time with you as possible is probably because he’s not sure how much time he has left
* I think, Yuji is a really simple guy who sees the good in everyone, so he’s also kind of attracted to anyone given the right circumstances
* But I think, he especially wants someone compassionate
* Someone who will hold him during depressive episodes where he’ll wonder- what if I hadn’t joined the occult club? What if he had played track like everyone wanted? What if he had just minded his own business
* What if Megumi hadn’t followed him to the hospital that day, how different would his life be right now
* And it’s the same regret and remorse that fuels his cursed energy, but for some reason it feels like it’s magnified right now
* It feels like he might drown in this despair
* During those days you just hold him, whispering good things about the world.
* Soft things that’ll help him right now-
* Something to give him hope
* “Hot tea on a cold day” you whisper
* “The feeling of basking in sunlight after a cloudy day”
* There’s a moment of silence as you think of something else to say
* “The smell of rain, and fresh cut grass” he’ll mumble back, and you grin
* “Getting Taiyaki in Shibuya with someone you love” you reply with a grin
* “With ice cream filling and boba?”
* You laugh, what a weird combination
* “Anything you want”
* Yuji’s not the one that’s hard to get along with tbh, the one you have trouble with is Sukuna
* “You know you’ll never save him, I don’t know why you’re trying so hard”
* You would hit Sukuna if it didn’t mean slapping Yuji’s cheek too
* “Shut up what do you know”
* Honestly Yuuji’s a little surprised at the hatred Sukuna shows you
* “Shouldn’t you be happy they’re around?”
* For one because you’re around there’s been more *clears throat* romantic incidents, which of course always leave Yuji in a pretty vulnerable state
* He’s only an orgasm away from having Sukuna take over tbh
* And besides-
* You’re his weakness
* They say the sun is 92 million miles away, but he swears his sun is walking in front of him on the in Shibuya, his hand held firmly in yours
* If anything ever happened to you-
* He wouldn’t be able to live with himself, he wouldn’t be able to go on anymore.
* And that’s when the curse that lives inside him wins
* So he really doesn’t get why Sukuna’s acting like this is the worst thing to ever happen to him
* Sukuna opens an eye on Yuji’s cheek
* “I hate their kind most of all, even more than Jujutsu Sorcerers” he grumbles
* He really does hate you-
* He hates that you’re kind
* He saw your type all the time at his harem, some lowly thing relatives had sold off for money and honor-
* Or a prize from a nation he conquered
* Some dumb creature that thought you would get a reward for sacrificing yourself
* Truly idiotic
* The worst part is he’s starting to like those little fantasy’s you spin for Yuji
* He can feel the sunlight warning his skin after a cold day
* He can taste the heavy condensation of the steam that wafts off of his cup of tea, brushing against his face. The heat in direct contrast to the cold winter air
* And it hurts him to know he probably won’t feel like that again, not for a long time
* Not with you helping Yuji work through his negative feelings like you do
* So he hates you
* He hides his contempt in general, it only leaks out through an occasional insult
* “Where’s your kindness now?” He’ll jeer when you’re having a bad day
* Only for Yuuji to smack his cheek to get him to shut up
* “Ah, don’t pay any attention to him. He’s just grumpy”
* For the most part it’s nothing you can’t handle
* Really you kind of forget he’s there most of the time, until one day you see Sukuna pop out and take a bite of your Taiyaki as you hold it out to Yuji who said he wanted to taste the flavor
* “Oi that was mine!” Yuji screeches, slapping his own face while Sukuna smiles from his hand
* “You just like torturing me don’t you?” He weeps, and you offer him sympathetic pats on the back, giving him another bit of your Taiyaki
* He continues on about how Sukuna just loves to torment him, and honestly why can’t they get along when they share a body
* But your mind is elsewhere
* The next time Sikuna see’s you is when Yuji’s sleeping, the damn brat snores so loud he’s considering throttling him just to get some peace and quiet
* That’s when he hears the door creak, seeing you curling inside around it, a plastic bag in hand
* Great, the perfect end to the perfect day
* “The brats sleeping” Sukuna grumbles from Yuji’s hand-
* He would have spoken from his face but the only thing more annoying than having to deal with Yuji’s snores is having to hear the lovey-dovey crap tumble from his lips when he talks to you
* He figures you’ll leave, or maybe curl up against Yuji on the bed but instead you kneel down, your hand dipping into the plastic bag
* “I’m not here for him,” you start pulling out a Taiyaki.
* “You wanted one right?” That’s why he took a bite, because he wanted to try it too
* Though, annoying Yuji was probably an added bonus
* You hold up the Taiyaki to Sukuna’s ‘mouth’
* And he’s overcome with emotion
* It’s not like he hasn’t had concubines from his harem feed him a great number of things before -
* Like he hasn’t ever felt the tender act from one of his many lovers -
* So he hates that you’re the one that’s bringing out all these emotions in him
* And as he takes a bite from the Taiyaki he finally admits it-
* If you were in his harem, a moronic kind fool like you were one of his lovers
* You would be his favorite
* And that’s why he hates you so much
* Because just like Yuji, you’re his weakness
* “It’s not the same flavor” he mumbles
* “Sorry I couldn’t get the ice cream, it would have melted on the way here-“
* Sukuna wouldn’t have minded one bit licking the cream from your fingers, maybe he would even catch that embarrassed face you always make with the damn brat
* “So I got you a custard one, and a chocolate one, and on the off chance you weren’t in the mood for something sweet I got you a curry filled one too”
* You stumble, hand flying into the bag to pull out the other two, holding them up to him
* And despite himself, Sukuna finds the sight quite...cute
* “Well, I suppose these offerings will do for now wench” And his words are harsh, but you smile like the kindhearted fool you are.
* And that’s how Yuji starts getting pestered for “just five minutes alone with their baby”
* “Scared I’ll show them a better time than you can?” Sukuna grins
* Of course he is! Sukuna had a literal harem of lovers. Who knows what kinds of techniques he knows
* But Yuji’s pride won’t let him admit it
* Yuji scoffs
* “I’d rather die again then let you come anywhere near them”
* It’s kind like you’ve got two boyfriends
* One pink haired one that’s the literal personification of sunshine
* And another, more dark and sadistic one
* And it’s sort of a funky little relationship
* But it’s yours
* “I wouldn’t trade you for anything in the world” you whisper.
* Your lips brushing against his
* Yuji wouldn’t trade you for anything either
* He loves you ❤️
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todoscript · 4 years ago
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SYNOPSIS: Years of memories pouring out, Katsuki and Shouto confront their feelings for you in your very hospital room.
pairing(s): bakugou katsuki x fem!reader, todoroki shouto x fem!reader
genre: angst.
word count: 4.5k+
warnings: really self-indulgent fic, characters are aged-up, implied sexual content, mentions of drinking alcohol, jealousy, reader identifies as female with she/her pronouns, 
author’s note: so i found this pretty old wip i wrote before i made my blog, and after reading it over, i decided hey why not publish it? so i finished it up, did some cleaning, and heres what we got. sorry if it seems kind of shaky, i did my best with what i initially had!
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“Bakugou… what are you doing here?”
Shouto enters the room with freshly bought peonies in his hands—one of the many dozen he had brought to this hospital already—his steps coming to a halt at the sight of the Explosion Hero near your hospital bed. Katsuki looks up and narrows his eyes, aggravated by the offender’s question.
“What? You got a fucking problem with me being here?” He keeps his voice low, not wanting to disturb the entire hospital wing, knowingly admitting to how loud he could be. But that doesn’t suppress the bite in his tone.
“Just because you’re her fucking boyfriend doesn’t mean you’re the only one that’s allowed to worry about her,” he nearly spits, and Shouto’s face mirrors Katsuki’s own irked expression.
You have been unconscious for a week now. The cause of this incident was due to your encounter with a dangerous villain who had been wanted by the police for quite some time. Months of evading capture down the drain, the villain had unfortunately ran into you as you patrolled the streets during your nightly shift.
In the end, you won the fight, but at the cost of damage done to your body and overuse of your quirk. As a result, you entered an unconscious state, recovering in this hospital bed to be monitored by medical staff throughout each day. The doctors assured them that you would eventually wake up but will need time to heal on your own through rest.
Ever since the day you’ve been admitted here, Shouto has been visiting your bedside. However, this is the first time Katsuki’s shown up.
Shouto only points a glare to the blond, ignoring him while he sets his bouquet down next to your bed. He notices the already present vase of hydrangeas, surmising that Katsuki must have brought them. He places his bundle of peonies beside them.
The dual-haired man sits on the opposite side of the bed from Katsuki, whose attention is brought back to the girl’s sleeping face, patched with wraps and bandages as a result of your tribulations with the villains.
If I had finished my jobs quicker, I would’ve been able to see you the moment you had to stay in this damn hospital. The thoughts ring in Katsuki’s head, hands clenched into fists out of frustration.
Knowing you had to deal with that whack job of a villain on your own—that your overprotective and valiant nature wouldn’t allow you to let this criminal walk away when you encountered him, and that they weren’t there to prevent you from getting like this—killed both him and Shouto on the inside. They especially hated not knowing when you would wake up or if what the doctors said about you eventually regaining consciousness would even be true.
Shouto takes your hand in his, intertwining your fingers together. Katsuki catches him pressing delicate kisses against your lightly bruised knuckles from the corner of his eye, the young man not caring that he was performing these intimate acts in the presence of another man. Shouto especially did this in order to make a solid point:
She’s mine.
Katsuki knew very well how possessive Shouto could be while he was in their presence. And honestly, he couldn’t blame him. If he got to call you his and keep you all to himself, he’d make sure everyone knew they couldn’t have you—that your smile and attention were all his and his alone. But in this case, they weren’t, and all he could settle for were envious emotions and fantasies of what could’ve been.
Bakugou Katsuki’s feelings for you date back to as early as your high school years at U.A.
At first, he wasn’t entirely sure what made these feelings arise. Having his goal of becoming the Number One hero plastered at the forefront of his head made romance and love trivial concepts down his path. Katsuki had no time to be chasing after girls, going on dates, and devoting a chunk of his time to a partner.
However, at one point, things started to change. He felt ripples affect the still waters that were his life, and he noticed that only you could calm this torrent. You were the one person he sought comfort in, the one person that understood who he was and why he acted the way he did. And the one person who mended him physically and mentally without belittling his character or crushing his pride.
Through all of that, Katsuki had begun to appreciate and admire all the little things about you. Like your beaming smile and the twinkle in the lovely hues of your eyes that you’d give him as you two interacted. It was such a welcomed contrast to the fearful looks the other students would have etched on their faces whenever he so much as called out their name.
He always took note of how you adjusted his food to his preferences during times you were assigned to cook that night at the dorms. And how you’d go and try to tend to him after training, when his muscles ached and his bruises were settling into his skin.
At first, Katsuki thought of it as a sign of weakness—to accept help from someone else when at his most vulnerable state. Yet you were persistent.
He recalls a particular memory after a battle during his internship where he was reduced to resting in bed to recover. Not many of his classmates came up to check on him during that time. Mainly because they figured he wouldn’t bother to open his door for them anyway. Though one night, he heard a knock sounding from his door. He glanced up from his bed, already thinking about ignoring the visitor in favor of staying in bed to rest, but a voice spoke beyond the threshold.
“Katsuki? I hope you’re not asleep yet. It’s not much, but I made you a little something to help you get better.” He didn’t reply upon recognizing your voice, hesitating to see what you’d do if he didn’t respond.
There was a pause of silence until you eventually continued. “Well, I’ll leave this in front of your door for you to have… If not, I’ll come back and retrieve it, okay?” That was the last you said before Katsuki picked up a light clank near the bottom of the entrance. Afterward, feet padded lightly down the hallway till they returned to the elevator to descend to the bottom floors, and the blond was by himself once again.
He weighed the option of leaving whatever you left for him untouched, but knowing you made an effort to arrive at his door to check on him caused him to waver. Before he knew it, his feet treaded to the spot to discover a hot plate of curry at his doorstep, followed by a note and painkillers. The plate perched on one of his hands, he opened the letter with the other.
Get better soon! We’ll be waiting for you!
Closing the note, he tossed it on his desk before plopping down on the edge of his bed with the plate of curry in his lap. It steamed and dispersed heat on his sore thighs, piping hot and ready to eat.
He gripped his spoon between his fingers, an irregular grin surfacing his lips. He scooped up the spicy bits of curry, gobbling the dish down to its very last grain of rice until the plate was clean. And in that time, every bite he brought to his mouth made him think of you.
“Dumbass, there’s no way I’m falling behind.” Feeling thoroughly full, he transferred the finished plate to his desk, where he had left the note. Before he had even realized it, he reached out for the paper, glancing over the words one last time. He fished a pen from his drawer and scribed a reply of his own for when you would return for the dirty plate.
Thanks, dumbass. It was good.
The Icy-Hot Hero, Todoroki Shouto, loved you too much to let you go.
You were the girl that shaped him to become the person he is today—who taught him to embrace himself for who he was and not let his past define him and what he stood for. You were the person that brought him out from the dark hole he trapped himself in and cast him into warm light. You’ve stuck together through thick and thin throughout your journey to becoming Pro Heroes, protecting one another and watching each other’s backs. It wasn’t long before he noticed his feelings for you had developed into more complicated emotions. Emotions that made butterflies flutter in his stomach and his face unusually hot whenever he even glanced in your direction. As he began to actively seek you out for comfort and support, he thought of you differently in comparison to all of his other classmates.
Initially, these foreign feelings troubled him. Yet, he could never quite piece together why you could garner such flustered reactions.
Then after consoling these newfound sensations with his close friends and family, he realized that you meant so much more to him than just a classmate, an ally, a colleague. Todoroki Shouto was—is—in love with you.
And the feeling was mutual.
Whether it was the intense looks you two sent as your gazes naturally drifted to each other or how your hands would always brush across soft and calloused knuckles in a silent plea to lace your fingers together, it wasn’t long before he discovered that his feelings for you were reciprocated.
Interestingly, you and Shouto never had to confess anything to each other. Your feelings came almost naturally for you both like you were telepathically linked and on the same wavelength. You came to one another like magnets attracted to their opposite poles, and in just a blink, your lips had met one day, and you took each other’s first kiss.
From then on was the start of many more “firsts.”
Shouto remembers the first time he let you hang out in his dorm room, talking about simple things like school, studying, and internships.
He remembers your first date to a cafe his older sister recommended—the one with flavorful milk teas he knew you’d take a liking to, with bountiful flowers decorating the interior of the tea house.
He remembers inviting you into his home to meet his older siblings, have dinner with them, and letting his family get to know you as his significant other.
He remembers taking you to see his mother at the psychiatric ward his wretched father had admitted her to, finally letting the two most significant women in his life meet and watching as his mother took a relieved liking to the girl he loves.
He remembers the tension that hovered in the air over an argument you two had one day, which was eventually mended through communication and reaffirmations of love.
He remembers embracing you in his bed, devoid of nothing but yourselves in your purest forms, eliciting sweet sounds from your lips that intoxicated him with lust and drove him to desire more and more until he monopolized every crevice of your body—every ounce of your soul—and intended to burn your beautiful, sinful image into his memory.
He remembers so much of the little things and the significant things about your love that he could never, ever hand you over to anyone else. Less of all to Bakugou Katsuki.
Katsuki was one of the first people to notice that they were in a relationship.
At first, it wasn’t obvious. The two made a point to keep their romantic bond a secret among their classmates and teachers not to complicate things and be the subject of teasing. They also considered the fact they needed to focus on their studies and hero training. Kisses and other affectionate touches were done behind closed doors or whenever they knew no eyes could discover them. These sneaky tactics proved to be effective and not many questioned them about relationships, aside from the occasional girls/boys talk they’d do. They’d ask each other things like “who would you date” and “don’t you think ‘so-and-so’ is cute” and many other curious asks. Their answers to these inquiries were inconspicuous enough that most of their friends didn’t suspect much of anything. Except for Katsuki.
Katsuki was never one to pick apart details, not as much as his childhood rival, Deku, anyway. But the more he looked at them, the more he was aware of the particular hints and their subtleties of tenderness. Such as the way the red-and-white-haired boy would perk up at the sound of your name or the chime of your voice from across the dormitory’s common area. Or the way you two would hover around each other more often than you would your classmates as if maximizing the most of your time together in public. Or how you’d go on small study dates together and hold each other’s hand underneath the table in the library, thinking no one would notice.
Perhaps, the most significant indication, however, was the expressions on each of their faces.
Maybe Katsuki had started becoming very hyper-aware, unraveling your mannerisms and making out even the smallest of singularities, but he felt your faces alone were an obvious giveaway.
The looks you gave each other were ones harboring nothing but pure love and adoration. He could discern the glow you exuded simply basking one another’s presence. Those looks weren’t ones you would give to a close friend; they were something more. He would know. That look Shouto gives is the same one Katsuki has for you, after all.
Except, his is never reciprocated.
That pretty smile, the flustered expression across your cheeks, the sparkling hues of your eyes—all those little details were reserved for Shouto, not Katsuki.
It hurt to know that the gaze you give Katsuki wouldn’t ever be the same one you give to Shouto. Katsuki knows this, and yet he still can’t seem to get past you.
The moment he was aware of his feelings—reluctantly fathoming the fact that you were with Shouto—Katsuki did everything in his power to stop these feelings.
No, not just stop. He had to get rid of them. Cut any connection with them. Dealing with an aching heart was too much work and pain for a boy with heavy aspirations to bear. So he ignored you—erased you. He didn’t so much as spare you even a glance as if you were just another extra. Whenever you appeared, he made a move to leave, spouting excuses such as “I’m going to sleep,” or “I don’t have time to be around you losers,” the usual Bakugou Katsuki response to any form of unnecessary socializing. He had to act like you didn’t exist, put his mind on something else—anything else.
But darn that girl and her need to check on and care for other people.
Noticing something was wrong with the boy, you sought Katsuki out, cornering him. You asked him what was wrong, to which Katsuki gritted his teeth, unable to look at you in the eyes, knowing that those feelings would bubble up inside him again as they conjured troublesome butterflies in the pits of his stomach. Yet it was no use.
He couldn’t deny that he missed those times together—when you would patch up his wounds and bruises after training or when you’d let him try out your spicy ailments before half-and-half because you always knew he had a preference for spicy foods. He still had it bad for you.
And he continued to harbor those feelings even after you all graduated after your third year at U.A.
The heroes-in-training were ready to take on the real world as Pro Heroes and sidekicks. By then, you and Shouto had admitted to the class about your relationship. Some were surprised, while others, specifically the girls, expressed their rounds of “I knew it!” likely noticing the chemistry between the two long before. Katsuki had decided to play dumb and acted like this announcement meant completely nothing to him. Just useless news. That was what he told himself, anyway.
After that, Katsuki didn’t see much of the couple around. All of them were busy with work and trying to get their names out in the public to compete on the Billboard Hero Chart.
Which was good news for him. With his goal of becoming the Number One Hero still lodged into his head, the blond threw himself into his heroic duties. Often, he didn’t stop, persisting on job after job until the agency he was under forced him to take breaks whenever they deemed necessary for his health. In those times, Katsuki found himself slowly forgetting about you. But occasionally, he’d see glimpses of you again.
As expected of one of the graduates under Class A of U.A., you were definitely making a name for yourself and propelling in popularity. Whether he wanted to or not, Katsuki would see articles and advertisements glowing with your resplendent features plastered on headlines, covered by your hero name.
God, did you look as beautiful as always. Katsuki would think before jolting his mind back to reality, remembering that you weren’t his to ogle.
The last part was hard to bear, especially when his former class announced a reunion party at a restaurant Momo had reserved for them when everyone had hit the legal drinking age. Katsuki was definitely not keen on going. However, his friend Kirishima had convinced him to come along through relentless persistence.
Ultimately, he attended the reunion. He and Eijirou arrived together and appeared relatively earlier. Well, earlier than at least half the class anyway. Eventually, more of their former classmates trickled into the food establishment and greeted one another with boisterous cheers all around. Which, unfortunately for him, included the people Katsuki dreaded to see the most—you and Shouto.
Your hand was already laced with half-and-half’s when you two entered, resulting in some of their classmates teasing you about your public display of affection. Both didn’t mind though. Over the years, you’ve grown quite comfortable with hand-holding and even hugging in the open.
You know who did mind? A certain explosion hero, of course.
Save that shit for when I don’t have to fucking see it. He almost hissed out loud but bit his tongue at the last second.
To his luck, you had ended up sitting next to him, with Shouto at your left. Though you were sandwiched between two guys from your former class who were infatuated with you, Katsuki felt like he was more suffocated than you were.
The reunion that night went by relatively smoothly. You would chime in some small talk with Katsuki during certain intervals of time while everyone was holding their own conversations in the background. He did his best to keep his cool and not let himself act like a high schooler in love. To some degree, he thought his facade had worked as he played off his usual “Bakugou responses,” albeit with a lot less yelling and venom in comparison to how he spoke to everyone back in high school. Dare he say, he might have even softened up a bit. What he didn’t notice was Shouto glancing at him from the corner of his eye while in the middle of a conversation with Midoriya.
The night continued with rounds of alcohol poured across the table of twenty-one heroes. They made their cheers before helping themselves to their spirits. Conveniently, Shouto and Katsuki were very adept at holding their drinks. You? You weren’t as great. By the end of the night, you passed out from how drunk you were and had ended up laying your head on the table, head floaty and light.
By then, everyone else had left aside from maybe five or so people. Momo graciously helped the couple secure a cab home safely for the night, and Shouto had gotten up to help confirm some information. Katsuki was left to his own devices with you next to him.
His eyes couldn’t help but wander toward your form. You were so vulnerable in front of him, with your soft lips, splayed hair, and long eyelashes turned in his direction for him to see. Though a bit of that smell of alcohol lingered, he could still make out the flowery aroma you always gave off. You smelled of lavenders, daisies, roses—every fucking flower under the sun—with a hint of honey. Your scent intoxicated him. He started to wonder if this is how you smelled like at home, or if your scent became even more potent whenever you appeared fresh out of the shower and—
Katsuki hadn’t realized his hand had subconsciously gone up to brush a stray hair from your face until he managed to pull himself away from his thoughts. Thankfully, he retracted his hand back before committing himself to the act. But the gesture did not go unnoticed by the heterochromatic-eyed man who had appeared again to gather you in his arms.
Shouto had taken his coat and wrapped it around you before hooking his arms beneath you to cradle your body.
“Mm, Shouto…” you hummed against him, arms instinctively wrapping around his neck as you nuzzled further into him while on the verge of sleep. Katsuki’s heart throbbed hearing those half-dazed murmurs that left your lips, which hovered so close to that bastard’s neck. He wanted the privilege of holding you close and taking care of you at your most vulnerable.
“Come on, love, we’re going home,” he said fondly at your resting state. Katsuki didn’t catch the cold glare Shouto sent his way as he looked elsewhere to avoid the couple’s intimacy right in front of him. All he could hear after that was the engine of their cab rumbling in the distance, trailing back to their humble abode.
“...I know.” Shouto finally breaks the silence within the hospital room, eyes still trained on his beloved as he rubs his thumb across your knuckles to the base of your hand.
Katsuki looks up at his words incredulously. “The fuck is that suppose to mean.” He narrows his brows into a pressed glare.
“I know that you’re in love with her.”
Katsuki deadpanned, his eyes wavering at the man’s declaration. Should he deny it? Make it seem as if the icy-hot head was delusional? No. He knows that the signs must have been obvious coming from the one man in his way of vying for your attention, the man that would go to so many lengths for you that he’d travel to the moon and back in a heartbeat if it were in your name. Katsuki can’t pry himself out of this one.
He takes a glance at you. Was this really the place to be confronting him about this? In the presence of your unconscious state resting in this hospital bed between them?
“And what about it?” Katsuki counters his claims.
“I don’t plan on letting her go no matter what.” As if to make a point on his words, Shouto’s hold on your limp hand is firm, unmoving. He slowly shifts his gaze to the ash blond, crossing his look of anger. “So stop playing this game.”
When the words travel across the hollow hospital room and to Katsuki’s ears, his fists tighten in response. “Game? Game?!” He raises his voice, body shaking. “You think my feelings are some sort of joke to you?! That I’m only looking at her like this for fun?!” His eyes find Shouto’s blue and gray, red with ire. The young man in front of him is unfazed in the wake of his indignation.
“Let me tell you something fucking straight…” Katsuki starts, stepping forward, finger pointing fiercely in Shouto’s direction. “I won’t deny anything I feel for her at this point. I’m in love with her, alright?” he admits without hesitance and notices the subtle quirk of Icy-Hot’s brow. “And I’ll tell you that if she were mine, she wouldn’t have gotten in this position in the first place.”
Those words are what finally make Shouto’s unnatural composure crumble. He releases your hand to stand from his place and face the blond at eye level. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Crossing his arms, Katsuki scoffs at the question.
“You’d think I’d even let that villain get near her if this was gonna happen?” He gestures in the direction of your patched-up form, asleep and littered with bruises. “If she were looking at me, I would’ve already been on the scene to back her up. And just what were you doing, huh? Helping old ladies cross the street?” Katsuki is unfiltered as he hurls his insults, but three years of dealing with him as a classmate has made Shouto immune to his temperament.
“Let me get this through your head then. She was never looking at you. She was looking at me.”
Ouch. The blond would be lying if those words didn’t stir a pot of hurt inside him.
“And as both her partner and a fellow Pro Hero, I more than trusted her enough to finish the job on her own. Even if this isn’t a game to you, you’re already losing a battle you can’t hope to win.”
“Not sure why you’re the one calling the shots for her,” Katsuki quips. How ironic the girl they’re both fighting over lays comatose in this very bed between them.
The atmosphere is layered in dreadful silence afterward. The monitor next to you beeps in eery succession. It is the only thing heard in the hospital room that is wrapped in tension so taut it is bound to snap at any moment.
The knot of strife is undone by the door sliding open to reveal a nurse entering the uneasy state of the room.
“Mister Bakugou and Mister Todoroki, I’m sorry, but visiting hours at the hospital are closed for the evening,” she informs them as the two had yet to realize the sky veiled darkening orange with the setting of the sun. Eyeing the clipboard hugged to her chest, they knew it was about time for the hospital to assess your condition again.
The two make their leave, taking the time to thank the nurse before doing so, but the suffocating tension follows them even outside the hospital. They don’t speak a word afterwards, only sharing bristled looks and heavy steps until they’re forced to head off in their respective paths, not sparing any more kindness.
To Shouto, Katsuki would never understand the lengths he’d go for you because Katsuki could also never experience what the two of you went through together in the same way. All those years together, forging unforgettable memories of love and tenderness, could never be replicated.
But the blond isn’t bothered by those facts. It doesn’t unnerve him that he was unable to encounter all those firsts with you because in his mind, he’ll just create new memories—ones that you’ve never experienced and ones that will make him the last and only person you’ll ever want by your side. He’ll blow fucking Icy-Hot out of the atmosphere.
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ending note: heyyy congrats if you’ve made it to the end. i think at the time i was writing this, i had an idea on how to progress the fic, but i decided to leave it on this. not particularly sure if i’m going to continue this, i may just leave it up to your interpretation. does katsuki steal the readers heart? does shouto protect his love from being severed in front of him? will the reader even wake up? find out on the next episode of dragon ball z
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astaroth1357 · 4 years ago
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Oh! How about the brothers with a very emotionally open MC? Like, they ain't ashamed to cry or express their emotions because they think that it's healthy to speak about your emotions to others! And they're also really good at telling what people are really feeling. Please and thank you very much! And congrats on 1,500 followers! You deserve it!
The Demon Brothers Reaction to a Very Emotionally Intelligent MC
Let’s be honest, in a game centered around resolving interpersonal family drama, this is kind of what the MC has to be canonically. Also um… I made the decision, for whatever reason, to listen to the Grand Escape by Radwimps while writing this, and uh, it got… deeper than intended. Whoopsie. 😅 I guess that's the hazard when you're so dependent on what you hear to set the tone for what you write… Sometimes you make a questionable decision and you mess up at the foundations 😕 My bad. 
BIG, BIG Spoilers for Part One (Lessons 1-20)
Lucifer
To be honest, he took it as a sign of weakness for some time.
Lucifer closes his emotions off to others because he views them as a vulnerability... This is why he wasn't completely surprised that the powerless human they brought to the Devildom was, in his eyes, overly emotional.
They were never afraid to say what they felt, show sadness to others, or even admit their fears… Though he appreciated the honesty, he wrote it off as a sign of human fragility and assumed they wouldn't last long. Not unless they toughened up and started to shut themselves off like him...
But that never happened. And one by one, he watched his brothers get won over by that feeble, emotional mess… He didn't understand it nor did he like it. At one point he even swore to himself that he wouldn't let whatever spell they casted on the others affect him too.
At least, until the attic incident came to light and he finally realized that the human wasn't a mess at all. 
When Belphegor escaped and the bombshell that he had been holding finally came to light, he honestly felt lost for the first time in centuries… He didn’t know how to approach the topic, he just wanted to hide away and let it all sort itself out… but they wouldn't let him.
 It amazed him how easy it was for the MC to empathize with his brothers and even himself through the whole mess. It was like they knew how everyone felt before they even had to voice it… He loathed to admit it, but for that moment they looked even more composed and capable than he did…
It was their handling of Belphie that really sealed it for him, though. A weak, pathetic, powerless little human talking down a being far beyond their capacity to fight? Then still offering him some comfort in the aftermath? He couldn’t have pulled that off... He’s long since forgotten how.
The MC managed to open his eyes to what emotional strength looked like and, from that point on, he never doubted them again.
Mammon
Mammon's go-to approach to feelings is unconvincing denial and his brothers generally aren't much better... So actually being open and straightforward with one’s feelings is almost a foreign concept to him.
So when the MC got dropped into his life it threw him through a loop. They were willing to just… say what they felt whenever? They’d cry when they needed to, laugh whenever they wanted, and generally tell people how they felt about things openly and honestly? What?
Weren’t they scared of being teased or made fun of? You can’t be that open down in Hell! Demons would take advantage of you!
And yet, the longer he spent with them the more he started to kind of get it… And then he started to genuinely love it.
They didn’t mind when he’d bawl at movies or talked about when his brothers were bothering him… Sometimes he didn’t even need to say anything to them. They’d just see something was off in how he was acting and offer a hug... No questions asked. No shame involved.
It was refreshing. Eye-opening. Hell, even comforting to just be himself for them. Sure, he still had to keep up appearances in front of his brothers to keep from being mocked, but when they were alone? He truly could act however he felt like for the first time in a very, very long time... And he treasured that.
Leviathan
Emotions are… a thing for Levi and not a thing he's that well equipped to deal with either…
So of course, he initially felt envious of the MC when they came down to the Devildom. They had no problem with navigating their feelings. They didn’t mind talking about them or crying or admitting when they were nervous and even worse? They could actually handle it all.
Levi doesn’t tend to make his emotions very secretive either, but when he got into a mood he usually couldn’t dig himself out of it... It doesn’t help that his brothers were so used to his complaining that they’d ignore his self-deprecation rather waste their time contradicting him... 
When he first saw them in action, though, he had walked in on them crying, but they didn’t tell him to leave or try to hide their face. They just let him say what he needed to while they let the tears run their course... then explained to him what the problem was later. They weren’t ashamed… Hell, they even looked like they felt better to have it off their chest…
How come he never felt any better after he had his episodes...? Why did he still feel like a worthless piece of shit all the time?? What kind of cheat code did they use for that?! It’s not fair!
Little did he know, talking feelings out to yourself (or your goldfish) is one thing. But talking to someone who actually wants to help is another thing entirely.
The first time he went on one of his rants, the MC just watched him quietly. It was like he was tearing down a house meant for demolition...and then they started picking through the pieces. They didn’t try to shame him hating himself, they just started pulling out things he should love instead. Stuff he never even considered before…
After that point, they became very good at noticing when he was going to a dark place and intervening before he could beat himself down again... After a while, he started leaving his room when he felt that way so he could go find them and talk. 
If his mind was an ocean then, for the first time ever, he finally felt like he had a way to weather the storms...
Satan
Didn't trust it, didn't trust them, and thought it was all an act for the longest time...
Satan knows a thing or two about putting up a front, so he's the most skeptical of other people's intentions…
When he first met them and saw open they were with their emotions, he thought it was all some kind of act. Like they were just trying to gain sympathy or lure everyone in so they could manipulate them later… But he wasn't buying it.
While he watched the rest of his brothers fall to their charms, he counted himself lucky as the smart one. He thought he could see the game they were playing and he wouldn't let himself be tricked into it...
… But then the whole book fiasco happened and he found himself around the human more often. Not only did their openness really seem genuine, they actually listened patiently to his complaints about Lucifer, his birth, his rank, his rage... everything. Just nodding along and watching him intently…
After a while, he started to question if they were even listening anymore so he questioned them. Point blank. He wanted to know what they thought and… their answer surprised him.
“I think you want to be your own person.”
To him, that answer came right out of left field. What about any of what he was just saying had to do with his identity??
But the more he thought about it, the more he realized it had everything to do with it. And they deduced it so quickly from just a few conversations… He was impressed (and somewhat terrified) to have been read so easily...
For a while, he just had to study them. He wanted to know more about what kind of skills they used to understand him so effortlessly...
Though he never quite got a clear answer out of them, he found that he could respect their talent regardless and, just this once, let himself trust someone else wholeheartedly...
Asmodeus
If you're looking for a demon in touch with the emotions, then you don't have to look much further than Asmo. But even he can have blinders on sometimes…
When he met the MC, he actually liked how open they were about their feelings. He even shared their sentiments so he wasn’t bothered at all.
But when he bunked with them and Simeon in the Demon Lord's Castle, he got to see a different side of them…
After Simeon dressed him down about his narcissism, Asmo did his best to just gaslight the whole thing and put it behind him. … But the MC was watching.
Something must have tipped them off. Maybe a glance at the floor or look in his eye... Maybe just how utterly incapable he was to acknowledge Simeon's words… but they noticed that it bothered him.
"Don't let it get to you... I think you're doing great down here."
"Well of course I am, sweetie. Why wouldn't I be?"
Their reassuring words puzzled him at first... How was he supposed to take them? Were they pitying him? If he were Lucifer, he'd have half a mind to obliterate them for that alone...
But they didn't seem like the type… Asmo could read people just as well as they could, he knew sincerity when he saw it. Were they just trying to help…?
He kept that thought to himself throughout their time together in the Castle. Good heart or not, he didn't want to make getting a pact easy for them. He’d never bow to just anyone.
But after they proved their worth, it all started to click for him. This human was trying to reach out to him when they thought he was hurting… They didn't just write him off as shallow and self-absorbed. They were concerned for his feelings even when he wouldn't acknowledge them…
Asmo hung extra close to the human after that. He found someone willing to look beyond the image he worked so hard to keep up... Even if he didn't need their help quite like his brothers, he could see their effort and loved them even more for it.
Beelzebub
Beel is a straightforward guy who can appreciate straightforward people so he and the MC got along pretty well from the start.
He liked that he didn’t have to read between the lines with them. If they were upset, they’d tell him. If they needed to vent, they’d warn him. If they were happy and having a good time, they didn’t feel the need to hide it. It made life so much easier for him…
Of course, he couldn’t actually tell how good they were with emotions until he started opening up about Belphie, Lilith, and everything that went down before they all became demons…
He was kind of amazed how easy it was to speak to them, even during the painful parts... They never pushed him too much or pried for answers he wasn’t comfortable giving, nor did they make him feel bad for what happened to Lilith or missing his brother...
Honestly, they always seemed to know just how he felt about every new detail he told them. When he finally came clean about his guilt over the whole thing, they didn’t look shocked or surprised… If anything they looked just as pained as he did to have received the confirmation…
He found it oddly comforting to speak to them about pretty much anything after that. He knew that they’d listen and understand no matter what he put in front of them, and after they helped Belphie…? He’d happily love and trust them for the rest of his days...
Belphegor
"It wasn't your fault."
Those four words still ring in Belphie's ears from time to time… An echoing reminder of sorts…
He spent so long wrapped up in his own guilt, unable to talk about it to his brothers, that it turned him bitter and angry… He felt like he was the reason they were all in this mess to start with and that everybody else knew it too…
But hey, he'd say, at least down here there wouldn't be any humans around to ruin things. No humans there to steal away his family like before...
Which is why he snapped when Diavolo said they were introducing humans to the Devildom. How else was he supposed to react? They were just tempting fate for another disaster! Hadn't they learned anything at all??
While he was locked in the attic and the human came to his aid, he honestly took joy in deceiving them...
...At least at first. But on repeat visits, he started to feel his resolve slip.
They listened to him. They seemed genuinely interested in helping him and invested in his family's struggles... They looked like they cared for his brothers and even made efforts to reach out to him too... They told him about their worries and troubles in complete sincerity… with total trust...
He'd spend hours reminding himself that humans weren't meant to be trusted and all reasons he had to hate them... Repeating it all like a mantra until he felt convinced again. On the day he escaped, he finally had the pleasure of killing them himself...
But then, like a roach that just won't die, they came back and told him about Lilith… all before they said, "It wasn't your fault."
No one prompted them to say it. He'd never voiced it before... It was like they just knew... Like they could read the pain in his eyes this entire time…
He still doesn't quite share their stance on, "It's always okay to cry" so he doesn't like to dwell on the complete breakdown he had after that… He wished his brothers weren't there to see the Human-Hating Belphegor accepting a hug from them while he trembled and cried into their shoulder…
But he couldn't deny that he needed it. And from that day on, he’s accepted that he needed them as well...
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sardix · 2 months ago
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OMG, I ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT THAT IDEA ON MY BLOG A FEW MOTHS AGO(or a similar one, at least). I AM SOOOOOOO GLAD TO NOT BE THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS ABOUT IT :)
I theorized that the flesh monster and the goop are separate entities and that since the flesh monster was killed/defeated. Smg4 still has the goo, maybe inactive, but in a way, affecting how he acts or how he feels, sometimes raging out. And while being angry after the incident, that man could suddenly throw Smg3 so high while hanging off a cliff with ONE hand and throw a NUKE away with cardboard. And they joke how he is "weak" all the time? Something does not add up; I theorize that any strong emotions can be reached more easily than before the accident when Smg4 locked all his negative emotions away, which could also explain how he acts more "mean," as others called it. In which state, his physical/agility skills get boosted a lot.
In My eyes, it would be cool if he were to control that ability to his advantage if he were ever to figure out that he could do it.
I also did talk about my second theory, "Traitor theory," which is much darker, but it is basically, what if Smg4 was behind all of it?. I mean, when it goes to arc in serious situations, only Smg4 (lawsuit arc) and Mr. Puzzle can break the fourth wall, as the rest of the cast is confused, thinking, what are they doing?. Smg4 also is often seen capable of teleporting characters into scenarios, but that happens not in the arcs, so I can't really use it as lore proof. But Think about it. What if the reason Mr. Puzzle was constantly mentioning Smg4 in the television arc and HIS channel seemed so important was because Smg4 is the storyteller. He decides how the story goes, and maybe the reason he says sorry to Meggy after Desti dies is because he feels guilty over what he did. He feels less guilty when he does it the second time with Axol. Smg4 gets really afraid from the moment he loses control OR when a competitor tries to steal his role shows up. Smg4 knows it, and that's why he pretends that Mr. Puzzle is no threat but yet does everything to stop him from achieving any sort of power that would have crossed Smg4's territory of control. After all, the person with 5 starts to control the world, and we know too well who has 5.5 stars... But I feel like Smg4 feels guilty all the time because he DOES care for his friends, but with time, he just learned that he needs good character development to get good views, and we have seen in IGBP that he cares about that a lot. And you get good character development with good angst, pain, and even character death.
Sorry for any grammatical errors and ranting a lot. You made me really excited 😅
And I will be sure to check out your theories :)
Either way, Smg4 is definitely now more vulnerable to being manipulated, and seeing through how many changes Smg3 has gone... maybe... just maybe... Smg4 will go through them as well, but- in a more... different direction, you could say.
It would be really intresting if Mr.puzzle would have maniulated or started the process of that in this arc but seing how the focus will probably more on meggy/leggy and her relationship with Mr.puzzle i don't think there is a high chance of it hapening in this arc but you never know, I could be very wrong. '\_(-_-)_/'
So, that WOTFI 2024 trailer...
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TRAILER REACTION/ANALYSIS (+BINGO)
[Spoilers below cut]
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I did not expect the trailer to be released this soon, color me surprised! Kinda scared to click it tbh. (If you're gonna watch it on YT, just a heads up: tw for flashing images)
Okay... 3... 2... 1... LET'S-A GO!
REACTION & ANALYSIS
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[To simplify things, my reaction input will be in blue & bold and my analysis will be in orange & italics. Cool? Coolio 👍]
It starts off showing the carnival grounds.
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Presumably, it takes place in the same time frame as the last episode, because of the sun setting. And in the background, you can hear a creepy, carnival-themed rendition of "Silent Night"(???). Oh, nevermind, it's a music box cover for "Rock-a-bye Baby" (link here). Oooh, very scary....
I know it's not much but at least this scene (and surely more later on) gives us some insight into what mini-games were chosen for WOTFI.
Here we have the Ferris Wheel (please be my challenge OMG), The House of Crazy, and the Arcade. And also that strange office building on the third scene I pointed out in last week's episode review. Seriously, what is that building?
We then get this shot of the carnival entrance as the song cover gets interrupted by the next scene.
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This looks very much like the background picture used for the WOTFI website. Oh hey look, the cutout of Mr Puzzles wearing Meggy's Western Spaghetti hat is still there.
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Cut to the next scene of the camera getting closer to Didney's Engine Room doors with the next scene of SMG4 and Mario running. Huh, correct me if I'm wrong, but the corridor where they're at doesn't seem like the same one that leads to the Engine Room....
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And of course, a shot of Leggy with a creepy smile, staring at the camera. It honestly reminds me of Four from the Meme Factory mini-Arc. WE'LL SAVE YOU MEGGY DON'T WORRY!
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Then, we got... KAREN HI!
Yup, Karen's here, jumping through a hoop on fire. She would be great in this, considering that she's a former assassin. And she seems to be in this indoor kiddie playground so maybe House of Crazy??? Or just another attraction we haven't seen yet.
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More of the camera gets closer to the engine room before we see Bob on one of those bumper cars (likely the one he was strapped in) from the last episode, driving away from a monster.
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I'm literally going through this frame by frame and it looks like Bob is in the scary cart ride attraction as spotted in the last episode (left, top-ish corner on the image I put here). I feel bad for Bob omg look how scared he looks.
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[Welcome to Puzzle Park // time stamp 2:55]
Closer to the engine room...
Then there's... SAIKO MY GIRL! She's on a tightrope with a pole in her hands, balancing over a floor of lava.
Hold up, where the hell is this? Somehow we're inside of a cave, with pink crystals mind you, and for there to be lava. I don't know if it's just me but it's giving the pit from the 'Let's Go Visit Peach' episode vibes, idk I might've gone insane...
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More of Four and Mario running with determination (LOOK AT MY BOYS)
closer to the Engine Room...
And SMG3!!! SOMEONE RESCUE MY BOY ;^;
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This reminds me so much of the Puzzlevision waiting stream where Three, Four, and Tari were stuck on the Wheel of Fortune. Also, these scenes are a nice callback to the 'SMG4: The Very Safe & Legal SMG4 Show' episode.
FOUR, GO SAVE YOUR BOYFRIEND
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Then... TARI NOOOOO!!!!
OMG IS THAT HER SCREAMING? That is exactly how it went down last episode where she got pulled into the duck pond game.
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Now, we should really start to get scared because I predicted that someone would be killed off during WOTFI, and while Mr Puzzles is a likely choice, it might be Tari. Listen, I DON'T WANT HER TO DIE BUT THEY PULLED SHIT LIKE THIS BEFORE, I'M TERRIFIED DUDE.
Closer to the Engine Room...
Oh, Leggy... hi....
Then there's... MELONY!! WE HAVE TO SAVE THEM [*rattles the gates*] LET ME INNNNNN
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It looks exactly like the scene from the last episode, the one of the carnival attractions coming to life and chasing Four and Mario around the grounds.
Curious to see Puzzles' head also one of the things that they are chasing her. Not exactly sure where that is but based on the lit screens in the background, she may be on the carnival grounds. Or just inside an attraction we don't know about.
Closer to the Engine Room...
Next is LUIGI!!! This is giving Luigi's Mansion vibes...
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And those clown(???) dolls are the same ones that are chasing Melony. It could be that they are in the same place or they used the same assets. Speaking of Luigi's Mansion, this could be the House of Crazy. My poor boy Luigi :'(
Worried about Boopkins, though. He hasn't shown up in the trailer...
Ok, can we finally talk about what's the deal with these two scenes?
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Throughout the whole trailer so far, we've seen Four and Mario running, either away from something or in determination to save their friends, but you can't say these happened in the corridor for the Engine Room. If you look in the background, there are bricked columns, carnival-striped poles, and stars.
Meanwhile, the Engine Room corridor has concrete walls with graffiti plastered all over it, and far dirtier compared to the first running scene. Plus, the lighting is completely different.
Seems like the first running scene takes place on the carnival grounds, could be a refresher from the chase scene from the last episode. THEN, they ran again through the Engine Room corridor. Just a repeat of the last episode.
It makes sense honestly because if you think about it, people who aren't catching up on the episodes one by one would look for the WOTFI 2024 arc videos and possibly skip the trailer entirely. Without watching the trailer, they don't miss anything. The cinematic trailer works more as a recap of the last episode while giving teases for WOTFI. So, it works for both passive and active viewers of the show.
Anyway, our Classic OG duo made it to the Engine Room, a play-by-play of what happened at the end of the last episode. And find Mr Puzzles holy shit....
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Just like I mentioned last time, Puzzles is very much giving Zero vibes. And also Wren, let's not forget that. Death flags, anyone?
His legs are completely gone, being replaced by wires. He took off his button-down shirt and gloves, revealing his synthetic arms that are connected to even more wires. They are literally plugged into his arms oh my spaghetti gods.
Puzzles manically laugh as some wires wrap around Four's and Mario's legs before being dragged out of the room.
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Well, seeing that Mr Puzzles merged himself with the power source, Didney's only rating star, he has control of everything. So it isn't surprising to know that he did that. Would he put them under his control? Or force them to participate in this year's WOTFI? We don't know. But regardless, they don't have a choice. They're the 'missing pieces' of Puzzle Park after all.
No no, actually, WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS? I CAN'T BE THE ONLY ONE, RIGHT?!?!?! (if you have no idea what I mean, here's the link)
Oh, and the "Rock-a-bye Baby" tune just came back.
Mr Puzzles: "Oh, leaving so soon? The ride's just starting..."
Why exactly did he refer to this as a "ride"? I've analyzed trailers before and I know from experience that this could be a line said during WOTFI. Puzzles could be telling this to someone (not necessarily to Four and Mario) while this person (or people) are attempting to get off a ride.
It could also be a reference to the phrase "rollercoaster ride of emotions" which we the audience have yet to see. Basically, the channel telling us, "Oh you thought you got enough trauma from Meggy forced to turn back into Leggy, and Puzzles merging himself with the power source? You're about to get something way worse". Chat, we aren't ready I swear...
WOTFI LOGO OFFICIAL REVEAL! I KNEW THEY WERE GONNA DO THAT!!
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For the past week or so, it was only on the show's account banner, a tiny little version of it. And the one you can download from the website isn't fully in color. Glad to see it fully in color with dramatic lighting :)
AND THE OFFICIAL DATE!
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I knew some people were lucky enough to screenshot the banner with the release date on it before the channel quickly replaced it with "COMING SOON". It was speculated that it was gonna be around the 19th but we now have confirmation that it's true. WOTFI's NEXT WEEK, let's gooooooo!
We, of course, have to dress up for the occasion! If you have something carnival theme, put it on! SMG4 Cosplay? Put it on! SMG4 merch? Put it on! Some comfy pajamas with a pair of fun socks? Put it on!
Anyway, for the moment you've all been waiting for...
WOTFI 2024 BINGO
Well, in the 'SMG4 and SMG3 come up with an episode' video (y'know the same one they "hinted" at the carnival coming into the showgrounds), Three proposed the idea of Bingo Night happening in the episode narrative he and Four were making.
Since I've made bingo cards before for my favorite shows...
(Mario, do the thing!)
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OUR VERY OWN BINGO CARD FOR THIS YEAR'S WOTFI
AND YOU GUYS WILL HELP ME FILL IT UP!
Comment on this post or drop a suggestion in my ask box, and I will put it on our card! It could be predictions, theories, or people that we will potentially see in WOTFI.
If you want to, you can explain your reasoning as to why you think your suggestion should be on the card. Also, let me know if you want to be tagged for your submission when I post the final product of the card!
OTHER STUFF/UPDATES
As of right now, writing this post, the website is still allowing mini-game submissions, so hurry if you plan to put one in.
Meanwhile, on Twitter...
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I FUCKIN KNEW IT I SWEAR-
Then, there's Shadow...
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Transcript for audio:
Shadow: "Really quick, I just wanted to drop this before anything else get out of hand. I noticed that everybody saw the trailer for this year's War of the Fat Italians... and well, obviously I can't say much on it but, uh, y'know, I think you guys will love what me and the team got going on right now. The only thing I will say, really though, given with everything's going into it..." [*chuckle*] "I do hold (or hope?) that you guys will enjoy the ride." [*starts singing*] "Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination..." [*sinister laughter*]
...Shadow, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!?!?!? YOU GUYS CAN JUST DO THAT
AND Y'ALL WITH THE ;) AGAIN, I'M GOING INSANE
For the account banners, they finally changed from "Coming Soon" to "October 19th" and of course, each account posted the trailer.
Brace yourselves, my dear fellows, 'cause it's going to be one hell of a ride...
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marvelfansince08love · 4 years ago
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Wanda requests you say 👀 How about R comforting Wanda after the Lagos incident
Now I know who this is - Cherru I am sorry my friend x
Sweet Affirmations to you, My dear Wanda  
Wanda Maximoff x Reader 
Gif credit @go-fandom-imagines
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“Eleven Wakandan’s were among those killed during a confrontation between the Avengers and a group of mercenaries in Lagos, Nigeria last month. The traditional Wakandan’s were on an outreach mission in Lagos when the attack occurred-” 
The news anchor continues on as you watch with a worried frown, since returning back from the mission in Lagos Wanda had locked herself away in her room only coming out to grab her dinner plate after being coaxed out by Natasha. Her avoidance had hurt you more than you would like to admit but you knew as soon as you limped out of that building and saw Wanda’s expression at seeing your injured self due to her powers, she was utterly devastated. You decide you’ve heard enough as you switch the news off and make your way out of the room and into the hallway, the faint sound of muttered voices echoes from Wanda’s bedroom down the hall as you make a beeline towards the sound.
 Leaning against the doorframe you watch her small screen knowing that she had already sensed your presence the moment you left your room down the corridor.  
“What legal authority does an enhanced individual like Wanda Maximoff have to operate in Nigeria-” 
“Mute,” you command, the screen goes quiet as the events that unfolded continue to play silently. Wanda’s gaze never wavers from the TV. 
“This wasn’t your fault Wanda, you shouldn’t blame yourself.” you start, knowing that your words are barely reaching her tormented mind as she continues to spiral in her own self hatred. 
“Turn the TV back on, their being very specific,“ she mutters, her voice laced with hurt and sadness. Finally her gaze drops from the TV and into her lap as she twists her rings arounds her fingers, a nervous habit that you’ve noticed she does whenever she is struggling to cope with her emotions. Stepping closer you sit next to her on her bed and allow silence to fall upon you both as you wait for Wanda to speak again. Since knowing the witch you’ve come to learn her way of communicating especially when it comes to communicating with you about her troubles, the best way is to allow her to talk first. 
“I’m a monster,” she whispers, tears gather in her eyes as she grits her teeth in an attempt to stop herself from sobbing. Leaning your head against her shoulder, you lace your fingers through hers and squeeze in comfort. 
“No you aren’t, you were trying to save them. Steve said it himself, he got distracted which caused you to step in and save him. We are only human Wanda,” you explain, keeping your voice soft. She scoffs, shaking her head as she disagrees with your statement. 
“But it wasn’t Steve’s powers that caused half the building to crumble, killing people,” her voice weak, her vulnerable green orbs find your comforting gaze. Cupping her cheek you force her to keep her gaze on you. 
“What happened was an accident, you are not the only one to blame here.” you reassure, brushing a few stray tears from her cheek. Her eyes close as she leans into your touch seeking the only comfort she needs; from you. 
“You were in that building Y/N, I could have lost you,” Finally, you realise where some of her hurt is coming from. Moving from your spot you crouch in front of her, gripping her hands within your own watching her watery gaze fall onto the hands in her lap before you pull her palm up towards your cheek allowing her hands to touch your skin to feel your physical presence. 
“I’m still here, Wanda.” your words are like a breaking point for her as she finally sobs openly. You stand and allow her to collapse forward leaning into your stomach as she cries, brushing your fingers through her long hair you shush her gently feeling the witches hands grip your shirt tightly. 
“Look at me, Milacik (darling).” you softly instruct, her teary eyes flick up to your face waiting for you to continue. “Come with me,” you grab hold of her hand from behind that still grips your shirt and pull her to her feet. 
Gently guiding her to the full length mirror, you place her in front of you watching her gaze at you through the mirror with curiosity. Without a word you move away from her frame to grab a marker pen holding it out in front of her before taking the lid off. Her eyes follow the black ink as you trace letter by letter watching the words form in permanent ink, her head tilts as her chin wobbles fighting another wave of tears. You continue to write upon the mirror making the words frame the outside of her body like a protective barrier, you both remain silent as you continue with your work. Finally, you place the lid back onto the pen and watch her take in the messages on the board, her eyes fall upon three words that are written in line with her heart. 
“A Good Person,” she mutters under her breath, her finger tracing the lines of the words. Leaning your chin against her shoulder you smile at her reflection placing your hand against her chest. 
“Always a good person,” you whisper. Wanda turns around to face you, her brows furrowed as her expression changes a look of confusion evident. 
“I don’t deserve you,” her words saddens your heart but you smile through your heartbreak at her lack of love towards herself. 
“We deserve each other, it’s just you and me okay? We’ll get through this together,” you promise, as her forehead leans against your own nodding at your words as she finally allows some of that hatred towards herself and powers to release into the world. 
“Are you guys done with the sloppy shit, we wanna come in.” Clint’s voice startles you both from your private moment behind the closed door making you both laugh. With the flick of her wrist Wanda opens her door, revealing the team who all seem to be fighting for a place at the front of the door. Clint walks in first and pulls Wanda close to him followed by Natasha and the rest, you all groan in protest as Thor squeezes just a little bit too tight. 
“Alright Buddy, let us go.” you groan, patting the God of thunder on the arm as he sheepishly apologises. The group turn to the mirror to see your work and smile softly at the handy work, except for Tony who jokingly grumbles about washable pens being available instead of ruining his mirrors. Natasha grabs the marker and moves towards the mirror adding in her own kind words about Wanda as the others follow her lead. Pulling Wanda close to your side you kiss her temple and watch them fill her mirror with sweet words. 
“Y.N I love-” you cut her words off by kissing her lips gently. 
“I know,” you say, the words not needing to be said as your eyes tell her everything she needs to know. 
Watching her smile and joke with the team as she points out the different words on the mirror, brings a sense of warmth across your chest. The love you have for her is unmatched to anything you’ve ever experienced before, watching her is like watching a flower blossom in the summer. Her dark past may linger and make her feel wrong and unworthy but with the right love and care shown she can finally see brighter days and just how special she is because of it. Because Wanda Maximoff is no monster, no killer; she’s just a woman trying to fight for her right to live a happy purposeful life. 
Permanent tags: @waitingfortheendtocome @natasha-danvers @natasharomanoffswife
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burndownyourparade · 3 years ago
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Dabi x Reader - Crossed My Heart
This literally had zero direction. It’s my first reader insert piece and it has nothing to do with the Olivia Rodrigo song, the lyric was mainly used as a loose prompt inspiration. It’s also been a long as heck time since I’ve sat down and really written anything so oof. But, I do plan on writing some more drabbles here and there. I’ve got Dabi/Touya brain rot bad. So expect a lot of him.
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You used me as an alibi. I crossed my heart as you crossed the line.
pairing: dabi x reader (gender not specified)
length: 2k words
genre: angst, fluff if you squint real hard
warnings: mentions of death, the burning at sekoto peak. nothing detailed.
You’d been there. You had watched him go up in flames. The beautiful bright blue dancing across your eyes and you knew you’d never see him again. He’d be lost to you forever, but you promised.
And you were willing to do anything for him. Even if it meant breaking your own heart. 
So when you’d sit up at Sekoto Peak every year after his disappearancedeath you’d curse his name. Curse him for leaving you behind, for not coming back to you. Not even a single sign of if he was okay.. If he was still out there. 
When you’d seen this new villain on the news, just a few years ago, you had an inkling. A thought that maybe it had been him. He talked big about getting back at his father. Dishing back out everything he’d had to endure as a child. And at age 15 when you encouraged him, you never thought it would come to this. 
So today, when you sat up at Sekoto Peak, ten years after the incident, the spiteful, “Fuck you, Touya.” That left your lips didn’t go unheard. 
In all honesty he’d planned on coming clean. He had planned on coming back to you. After all, you were the only person who really meant anything to him. But then he got way too involved with Stain’s cause and the league, there was no way he was going to risk putting you in any danger. If that meant having to write you off, then so be it. 
Eventually you’d find out that Dabi was Touya, eventually you’d know that he was still alive after all these years. No more doubt would cloud your mind, but he had a feeling you’d come to hate him for waiting so goddamn long. 
It was when he’d heard his name, the anger dripping from your sweet voice that had him moving his feet towards you. He wasn’t planning to reveal himself, but he needed to at least try redeeming himself before even thinking of continuing his plan to bring down Endeavor. None of it would have meant anything if he couldn’t come back to you. If he wasn’t going to be able to run away with you like the two of you had planned.
“You have to promise you won’t tell anyone about this.” Touya held your hands in his, begging you. He was tired and run down. Bandages wrapped around his arms from his most recent burns. He didn’t know how he was going to do it. But he was going to fake his death. He was going to run away. 
You stared at him, wide eyed and reluctantly nodded your head to his plea. “Will I see you again?” The fear was evident in your voice and if that quiver didn’t give you away, then the way that your hands shook in his would. The tears in your eyes blurred your vision, but you could still see him. You could see his messy white hair fall into his bright blue eyes. You could see the bruise that was forming under the left eye, no doubt a result of training. And you wondered if this was his only solution. If this was really the only way that he’d be able to outrun this.
He could practically feel the pain reverberating off of you, it bounced off of him too. He didn’t want to leave you. But he had no other choice. He was trapped and all he wanted was to make something of himself. To prove to his father and everyone around him that he wasn’t worthless, he wasn’t a lost cause. He could do it, too. He was powerful just like Shoto. 
Touya was torn, he knew that this hurt you… Leaving you hurt him too, even if you couldn’t see it. Even if he was acting selfishly. “Of course.” He nodded, snow white hair moving wildly with the frantic nodding of his head. “I’ll come back for you and we’ll run away.” He promised, you could see the makings of a plan in his head. The way that his eyes moved when he was deep in thought, “We can start a life together. Build a house and adopt all the cats and dogs you want!” His hands moved to your shoulders, shaking you lightly with excitement before pulling you into him. His arms wrapping around you tightly.
He never cried in front of you, but today was different. He didn’t know when he’d see you after today, but he did know he refused to break his promise to you. A single tear slipped down his cheek.
“I love you, Touya.” You murmured into his shirt, breathing him in. If this was the last time in a while, then you were going to make the most of it. You tilted your head, looking up at him. Sadness washing over you and feeling your own tears begin to slip. You leaned up on your toes, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth and felt the way his lips turned upwards in a soft smile. An almost dreamy looking flashing across his face. 
“I love you too, (y/n)... I’ll come back for you, I swear.” His hands shifted again, this time to cup your cheeks and bring your lips to his. This kiss was soft and sweet, not unlike ones you’ve shared before but there was a sense of urgency to this one. Almost like he had been trying to convey every single thing he felt for you in this brief moment. He didn’t want to pull away, but when he did he felt your hands tighten around the fabric of his shirt. Just barely hearing your whisper begging him not to go, but he shook his head, gently moving your hands to take a step back from you.
“Please don’t watch…” Touya asked, giving you a gentle shove away from him. “Once you see my flames run… Run and tell someone about the fire and then go home. I’ll see you again soon, I promise.”
You bit your lip and nodded your head, running a safe distance away into the trees. Waiting to watch his flames burn around him. You stuck around a little longer than he’d asked you to, only to make sure that he was safe… That he was still okay. But you couldn’t make out anything other than the heat and Touya’s screams. 
At fifteen your heart shouldn’t have shattered that hard.
He didn’t know how you’d react to this. Hell, he didn’t even know what he was doing. Dabi had never planned on this. He was merely moving on pure emotion now. On things he thought he had forgotten, but when it came to you he was always weak. The only reason his resolve had even broken in the first place was because of how angry you sounded. The villain hated the thought of him becoming nothing to you. Ironic, when he was practically nothing to everyone else.
You stood in the same place where you both had parted ten years ago and he was quietly standing just a few feet behind you. He was uncertain of if he should reach out to you or just turn and run, was this even a good idea? But his feet wouldn’t stop and then his mouth started moving and before he knew it, he was speaking. 
“This Touya guy must have really fucked up, huh?” He cringed, ten years and this was the first thing he was saying to you? Ideally, in his head, whatever he’d dreamt up in his spare time was grandiose plans of sweeping you off your feet. He’d be done with the league, ready to pack up and start brand new. He’d have taken down Endeavor’s credibility and shattered Enji’s entire world. Yeah, that son of his who wasn’t going to amount to anything? He was something now. He was his greatest nightmare and deepest failure. And the consequences of his actions were coming back to bite him in the ass. Then, he’d be there for you. In the night he’d have found you, confessed his deepest feelings and that nothing had changed. Then you’d run away like he promised.
Your fists clenched at your sides, you recognized that voice, of course you did. How wouldn’t you when his promise haunted your dreams every night? His voice was a little deeper, raspier, richer. And for a moment, you hesitated in turning to face him, but when you did you couldn’t stop the way that your heart picked up pace. It was him, in the flesh, Touya was here. But he wasn’t Touya anymore… Not on the outside.
“Yeah, he’s a fucking asshole.” You played along with him. Both of you knew this was just a game, testing the waters to see if anything had really changed. “Promised he’d come back for me, but never showed up.” There was a smile on your face now, a sad one and Dabi felt his heart clench in his chest when he saw it. “Waited ten years for him.” You pressed, watching his reactions.
He deflated, he didn’t have an excuse. He could have come to you sooner and he knew that his whole keeping you safe excuse was bullshit. Dabi was just afraid. He was afraid of what you’d think when you saw him again. Dabi wasn’t Touya. He didn���t look like the boy you’d fallen in love with before. Smooth, pale skin was now rough and charred, the white hair with tufts of red now dyed black and coarse from the years of mistreatment. “I’m sorry.” Was all he could say.
“You could have come to me.” Your voice was soft and he knew that you were hurt. “Why didn’t you come back for me?” The way that your voice cracked made his heart break. He prided himself on being hard, on not allowing himself to feel petty emotions anymore, but unbeknownst to his comrades; you’d always be the only exception.
He was honest with you, “I was afraid.” And it was the first time in ten years that he’d been vulnerable, he was almost ready to run off with you. Dabi was ready to give up on his revenge plot against Endeavor, he just wanted to run away with you. To be just (y/n) and Touya.
“Of what?” You asked, nearly breathless and unbelieving. There was nothing he had to worry about. It didn’t matter who he was now or what he was doing. He would always be Touya to you. A boy who suffered more than he should have. The boy that you were ready to drop everything and run off with. The only boy you had ever loved and would ever love.
“I’m not the same.” He looked at you, uncertain. He still hadn’t gotten any closer to you and his hands twitched with anticipation. It had been so long since he’s held you. Dabi wanted to close the distance, to pull you into him and feel whole again.
“You’re still you.” You countered, shaking your head. You weren’t about to give the villain any room for excuses. He was still him and that’s all he’d ever be to you. You knew that he knew that. 
“I’m sorry.” He repeated, this time Dabi took a step closer to you. Carefully watching your movements, gauging on if he could move any closer. When there wasn’t any move on your part to shift away from him he took another step. And another.. Another, another, until he was wrapping his arms around your waist, pulling you into him. His lips gently touch the crown of your head, inhaling your scent. “Run away with me.”
You returned his touch almost immediately, arms wrapping around his thin middle. Melting into him and letting out a sob of relief, you were home again. “I thought you’d never ask.”
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imasimpforshanks · 4 years ago
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hi! i love your stuff so very much!!
can i request the angst alphabet with zoro?
thank uuuuu ❤️
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Angst Alphabet - Roronoa Zoro
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a/n: hiya!!! thank y’all so much!!<3 hope you enjoy this 😌
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A-Accident (would they blame themselves if you died in an accident?)
He may not blame himself entirely if you were to die in an accident. But Zoro would think himself weak. How could he possibly become the words greatest swordsman if he can’t even protect his s/o.
B-Break up (How would they break up with you?)
Before breaking up with you Zoro would start to distance himself a little to try and make it easier on the both of you for when he does break up with you. Other than that, he is likely to just come right out and say exactly what he wants to say. He’s brutally honest and straightforward so he won’t try to sugar coat anything or beat around the bush.
C-Crying (how would they make you cry?)
Zoro does this horrible thing where he likes to overwork himself to the point of exhaustion. No matter how many times you tell him to stop and express your concerns for his health, he just doesn’t listen. It hurts seeing the man you love more than anything exhausting himself.
D-Death (how would they react to your death?)
Speaking of overworking, after your death he works himself harder than he ever has before. Day in, day out he’s training. He trains every possible minute to distract himself from your death and make himself stronger to ensure he never loses a loved one ever again.
E-Emotion (what is one emotion they would try to hide the most and how would they do it?)
Being openly vulnerable is something Zoro doesn’t like to do. He really only shows his vulnerable side with his s/o and even then, it took him a really long time to do it.
F-Fight (do you two ever fight? How big are the fights? What do you fight about? Etc.)
Very rarely do your fights get serious. Your fights are often just light-hearted teases and jokes towards one another. Where its always followed by laughter or eye rolls.
If your fight was to get serious, it would result in a lot of yelling at one another and with Zoros blunt personality, a lot of hurtful words (which he ALWAYS apologizes for in the end).
G-Guilt (what is the biggest thing they feel guilty about?)
The events of Sabaody weigh heavily on Zoro’s mind. He was the first one to get sent away by Kuma, so feels as though he failed not only his captain, but the whole crew as well. He wasn’t there to protect them, to help them. Instead, he was a complete failure. And, because of his weakness his captain had to fight and suffer alone.
H-Heartbreak (what would cause them pain in the relationship? How would they deal during a break-up?)
During a break-up Zoro does what he would in any other situation: workout. He keeps himself occupied by working out, and actually he drinks a little bit more than usual too. It could even get to the point where the rest of the crew feels as though they need to step in.
I-Injured (how would they react if you are badly injured?).
He turns dark. Basically, a demon in human form. Moves you from wherever you are so that you’re out of the way of more danger AND THEN HE TIES HIS BANDANA ROUND HIS HEAD BECAUSE THIS SHIT IS SERIOUS.
J-Jealousy (what do they do if they are jealous?)
Its ridiculously obvious when this swordsman is jealous. He gets super grumpy and tries to intimidate the other person. He’ll stand right behind you and honestly, that’s intimidating enough on its own. But, if the other person doesn’t get the hint he’ll place his hand, ever so casually, on his swords.
K-Kill (would they kill for revenge?)
Ever since joining the Straw Hats, Zoro doesn’t kill others (its not something Luffy wants his nakama to do, so Zoro doesn’t do it). However, that mindset goes straight out the window depending on who he’s taking revenge for (i.e if it’s for his s/o).
Most of the time Zoro just leaves them wishing they were dead. (this seems to be a common thing amongst One Piece characters).
L-Loss (what is their greatest loss?)
I would actually say losing some of his pride. Zoro is a poud man, who refuses to lower his head to anyone. However, after receiving the message from Luffy to train and meet up again in two years, Zoro knew he had to lower his and beg Mihawk for his guidance. It was definitely a hit on his pride, but, honestly… He doesn’t regret that one bit – anything for his captain.
M-Mistake (what is the worst mistake they ever made with you?).
During one of the few big fights you guys have had things got really heated and the fight ended up getting so off topic. Insults and mean words were being thrown out left and right. Zoro got so caught up in it all that he said something that targeted one of your deepest insecurities. He knew he had screwed up so badly when you walked away without even saying anything.
N-Nightmares (how often do they have them? What are they about? How do they deal with it?).
He doesn’t often get nightmares, but when he does they tend to be about Sabaody and when the crew got separated from one another (or really any other incident where he was unable to help properly). After he wakes up, he gets straight out of bed and starts working out – determined to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.
O-Outrage (how and why would they get mad at you?)
Zoro doesn’t get mad at you for much, mainly if you pay any attention to that shitty cook, like seriously, he doesn’t understand why you have to give Sanji any attention when Zoro is literally your boyfriend….
P-Past (what has happened in your relationship that changed the way you saw each other?)
Even though you never found out exactly what happened on Thriller Bark (its something Zoro refuses to tell even you), it made you realize that you need to step up and not rely on Zoro so much because although he may act like it, he’s not actually indestructible.
Q-Quality (what is their most dangerous/toxic quality?).
(SORRY I FEEL LIKE I’M BEING VERY REPETITIVE HERE AH BUT YEAH…) He never allows himself to heal from an injury properly. He always starts training immediately despite Chopper’s best attempts to stop him.
R-Rejection (how would they react to you rejecting their confession (or the other way around)).
If you were to reject his confession, he’d probably try to justify it to himself by saying “yeah actually it’s probably better this way. I don’t need anymore distractions in life.” But, he would definitely be a little down in the dumps about it. He made himself vulnerable for this and it didn’t work the way he wanted.
S-Scars (battle or self-inflicted)
Zoro has many scars. The scar over his left eye was a result of his two years of training with Mihawk, though no one knows the exact cause of it – only that it appeared during those two years. Zoro also has a scar on his chest from his very first encounter with Mihawk. He may also have scars on his ankles from the time he tried to chop of his own legs on Little Garden (I can’t recall if these are actually scars or if they healed completely).
T-Trust (have they ever broken your trust?).
This answer is short and sweet: No. Never. Not even in his wildest of dreams. Loyalty is basically Zoro’s entire character. He would never violate your trust. If he did… well Zoro, wouldn’t be Zoro anymore. (only thing he’s done that comes close is keep you from finding out what really happened to him on Thriller Bark).
U-Urge (how badly do they want to see you after you guys separated?)
Honestly, he is probably one of the few who are able to cope with missing you the longest. He still wants to see you of course – your presence is reassuring, so he definitely prefers when you are around – but he can handle not seeing you for a while by focusing on the task at hand and just remembering that this separation isn’t permanent.
V-Vicious (what do they do when they lash out on you?).
Similar to what I’ve said before, he says some really harsh things. He has always been blunt and straightforward, but when he’s lashing out at you he tends to make things a little more personal.
W-Weak (what makes them feel weak how do they try to avoid it?).
Zoro hates losing. Not because he’s competitive or anything but because losing makes him feel weak. Whenever he loses he feels so far away from his goal. To make up for this he works out. He trains and trains and trains until he can no longer move. He will keep going until he never loses another fight.
X-X-ray (what do they hate and show it most obviously?)
Obviously, he shows his hate of Sanji very frequently. The two pirates are constantly arguing and at one anothers throat.
But another thing he hates is people getting in the way of his dream. He agreed to join Luffy so long as he didn’t get in the way of his dream – and if luffy were to get in the way Zoro made him promise to commit seppuku (although whether or not I think Zoro would actually make him do that anymore is a different thing that I could go on about for a while so imma stop there…).
Y-Yearn (what is one thing that they want but can’t have?)
Zoro wants to be the world’s greatest/strongest swordsman. It’s not currently a title he can have, however, day-by-day he is getting just that much closer.
Z-Zero (what do they do/say in your dying moments?)
I don’t think a lot is said or done by Zoro in your final moments. He probably whispers a few thank you’s and I’m sorry’s. He won’t mourn properly until he’s completely alone.
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psychotakublabs · 3 years ago
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“Through the Looking Glass Ruins” definitely gave us more Lumity than we all expected and the B-plot of Amity and Luz’s story in this episode was written very well. Their awkward interactions and new found feelings for each other pave a way for LGBTQ young love in animation. It also gives us Luz and Amity character development, small hints at insecurities and conflicting emotions, and normalizing queer teen romances. I have seen multiple interpretations and analyses of their plot and I wanna analyze Luz and Amity from the three important scenes: Inside the Library, Outside the Library, and Blight Manor.
Inside the Library
First we have Luz knocking on Gus’s door to use Gus’s library card. It seems this is not the first time as she admits she isn’t hiding her crush very well and Gus agrees. Although she is going to the library to find Philip’s journal on the portal, she does get sidetracked with her crush on Amity. Even the twins notice both have a crush on each other but instead of teasing them about it, they just leave them alone. It seems everyone knows Luz and Amity have feelings for each other except those two and not because they are oblivious about it. It’s because Amity is still trying to figure out her own feelings and Luz isn’t sure if Amity likes her back or is afraid of losing her friendship because of these feelings.
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Amity and Luz’s interactions are awkward and anxious because they have a crush on each other. That is completely normal in young love and it’s done very well here. They become flustered and weird when seeing each other and once in close contact with each other immediately separate. This is very well written and boarded becaused it normalizes queer crushes. Usually it's either the two characters fall in love immediately with no development or it's one sided. Not with Amity and Luz as they are confused lovestruck teenagers who are navigating these new found feelings for each other. Like a lot of teens, having a crush is confusing and awkward and having two queer characters (Luz is bisexual and Amity is lesbian) having developing feelings and normlazing those interactions shows queer teens and kids it's normal and okay to have these feelings.
Most interesting in their adventures in the library is the Amity and Luz character development.
First off Luz becomes less impulsive of her actions because she worries about Amity losing her job. While at the doorway to the Forbidden Stacks, Luz reassures herself and says she will find another way. After her conversation with Amity in the Forbidden Stacks, she says they should head back and doesn't want to push Amity. Usually Luz is impulsive in her actions. In the Human Realm, she does things without thinking first and that's caused a lot of trouble for others. Because she knows Amity could lose her job if caught, Luz thinks before diving into danger so she doesn't hurt Amity. This is development for Luz because it shows her thinking about her actions before doing so and how it might affect others. This isn't the first time either she has shown this development but it's very prominent in this episode and shows how much she cares about Amity.
Amity has become more impulsive in her actions lately. Despite knowing she could lose her job in the library, she still helps Luz in getting into the Forbidden Stacks. This irrational behavior is because of Amity's feelings towards Luz. When Luz mentions a possible date with Amity to the Human Realm, she ignores Luz's hesitation to go further and rushes to get the diary, dragging Luz with her. Amity is worried about losing her job but pushes through because she knows how important this diary is to Luz and her feelings for her cloud her rational judgment (not ignoring her development throughout the series that has also impacted her but just focusing on the episode).
Outside the Library
After Amity is fired, Luz immediately apologizes but Amity stops her. Both have become upset from the incident but for different reasons. (This analysis/interpretation mostly comes from halcyonhyacinth on Twitter and Tumblr. I highly recommend following her. Awesome writer!) (https://psychotakublabs.tumblr.com/post/656478634193928192/all-of-this-this-scene-was-so-powerful-and-well)
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Amity is upset because she did lose her job but also because of her conflicting emotions and actions. "Being around you makes me do stupid things and I wish it didn't." Amity was raised in a family environment that emphasised high standards and perfection. Before Luz showed up, she had to be perfect to live up to her parent's expectations and had to think about her actions as well as control her emotions. However, Luz has changed her perspectives on life and Amity's new found feelings for Luz makes her become more impulsive to help Luz. Because Luz is her first crush, she is still navigating these feelings that make her do the opposite of what she normally does. Amity has every right to be upset because she lost her job and somewhat blames Luz for it because of her new found feelings. It's not till she sees Luz cry and hears her say she does the same does she realize her feelings may not be strange and one sided. Now lots have interpreted this interaction as a confession which is a part of it. But it is more of a confession of vulnerability and confusion than love, but that doesn’t mean it could have come out as having feelings for one another as well. Another part of Amity’s reactions is how Amity has affected Luz to the point she is upset as well (maybe even thinking her words hurt Luz) and that her feelings and actions are similar. Instead of taking her frustration out on Luz, she decides to go home to calm down and think more about her feelings. Amity is still dealing with her budding feelings towards Luz and it's understandable why she is so upset both from being fired and her conflicting emotions.
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Luz is afraid she will lose Amity because she got her fired. After Amity says she does stupid things when around Luz and wish she didn’t do them, Luz is so upset she cries. This is probably related to her experiences in the Human Realm. In the Human Realm, Luz’s impulsive actions have freaked out others and is used to others pushing her away. Luz is starting to develop feelings for Amity and she is scared she has pushed her away because of her reckless behavior. This is different from the Human Realm because Luz truly cares for Amity and doesn’t want to lose her as a friend. Luz tries to reassure Amity she is not the only one who acts rash. When Amity leaves, Luz pushes her insecurities and sadness aside to get Amity’s job back. We are seeing more of Luz’s insecurities from the Human Realm throughout Season 2. For example, Luz feels guilty about Eda losing her powers and goes on a life threatening journey to make it up to her in “Separate Tides”. This probably stemmed from her experiences with her mom in the Human Realm whenever she got in trouble and burdened her mother. In “Through the Looking Glass Ruins”, fear of losing Amity comes from her experience of others pushing her away and is afraid it will happen with Amity. Luz has a lot of self-blame because of her prolonged experiences in the Human Realm. However, Luz pushes those feelings down to make it up to Amity by getting her job back. Although Luz did mess up and cost Amity her job, she is willing to amend her mistakes not only to make Amity happy but because she truly cares for her even if she loses her as a friend.
Blight Manor
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Amity and Emira have a heart to heart conversation about Amity’s feelings towards Luz. She confesses that these new feelings towards Luz are confusing and scare her because she has never had these thoughts and emotions before. Emira reassures her it’s okay to have these feelings since it makes her happier. After brushing her hair, Emira notices Amity is still conflicted and brings up her roots showing and offering to re-dye her hair. Amity decides to cut and dye her hair purple. This is important in Amity’s development because she wants to be independent from her mother’s control and become the person she wants to be by doing something she wants. Even if she will get in trouble or others don’t like it, she is willing to have a fresh start as the person she wants to be. In fiction and real life, changing hair styles can be symbolic of changing one’s self and a powerful message of being who you want to be. What may seem like a small step is actually a huge achievement for Amity because changing her hair, that was once being forced to dye green for color coordination by her mother, to a shorter cut and purple color is her way of acting on her own and being the person she wants to be.
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Luz was ready to face rejection from Amity but was willing to at least give her job back. Luz has shown time and time again how far she will go to help her friends. She even understood why Amity would want to push her away and was prepared for it. What she was not prepared for was seeing Amity’s new look. After explaining how she got Amity’s job back, Amity notices the echo mouse and Luz catches the little pest. After seeing the echo mouse shows Philip’s first diary entry, Luz thanks the mouse and hopes they can be friends. It’s great to see how far Luz will go to help her friends, even if she is the one who caused the mistake.
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After Amity notices Luz’s kindness (looking at her library card), she decides to be bold and give Luz a kiss on the cheek. Both are shocked at what just happened. Amity becomes flustered, bids Luz farewell “forever”, and wonders why she kissed Luz on the cheek. Again, Amity is still confused with her crush on Luz and needs time to sort those feelings out. Luz becomes more smitten with Amity and falls to the ground. She probably never thought Amity would reciprocate her feelings or think Amity may have the same feelings. In the Human Realm, Luz is used to being pushed away and Amity kissing her on the cheek is so shocking, she goes weak and falls on her knees. This is a first for Luz as well as she is navigating her feelings towards Amity. Both may know they have feelings towards each other. However, neither one is going to admit it for a while because these feelings are new to them. For Amity, her crush is entirely new to her and she has to figure out what they are and how she wants to move forward with them. With Luz, her feelings towards Amity are mostly about accepting the fact it’s not one-sided and to figure out how she wants to act on these feelings. Both need to navigate their own feelings first before moving further in their relationship. I am curious as to how they will interact after that scene, because both have to realize that kiss was beyond platonic and it may get more awkward for them later in the series. We will have to wait a while before getting more Lumity progress in “The Owl House”
The Lumity in this episode was written and animated very well and is important for viewers and future animated series. First off, is the fact a Disney animated series shows a main cast progressing as an LGBTQ couple in the middle of a series. LGTBQ couples/soon-to-be couples/characters in children’s animation are usually confirmed at the end of the series, never confirmed at all but hinted (queerbaiting), background characters with little screen time, villains, or killed off. It’s both unbelievable yet wonderful to see an LGBTQ couple, especially with two teen characters, become canon. Not imaginative from fanfiction or made canon in comics but in the series at the beginning of Season 2. This is huge because not many networks, let alone one as big as Disney, have confirmed an LGBTQ character and couple early on in a show. I have hope that it will give inspiration to other major studios to follow suit with more stories with representation like “The Owl House”. One of my favorite aspects of Lumity in the series is it normalizes queer young love. This includes the complexities of newfound feelings of young love and navigation of first love. There is little to no animated series, at least in children’s animation, that have characters like Amity and Luz having feelings for each other and navigating those feelings in the middle of the series. It shows queer children and teens it’s okay to feel this way because it’s normal! Just like how it is normal for heterosexual teens to have the same feelings and actions to young love. To some it may not be a big deal, but as someone who came out as a lesbian at age 13 (2006-2007) and lives off of cartoons, anime, manga, comics, and books, there was basically nothing that felt close to how my high school experiences of young romance were. It is very refreshing and hopeful to see young LGTBQ youth see a Disney show have canon queer characters and the main cast a canon queer couple with normalized and realistic experiences. How it’s confusing but wonderful to have these feelings like everyone else. “The Owl House” continues to push the boundaries of children’s animation and the queer representation is continuing to be phenominal and wonderful!
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nanowrimo · 4 years ago
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5 Tips for Finishing Your Novel
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April’s session of Camp NaNoWriMo is drawing to a close, and you might find yourself nearing the end of your novel. If you need some tips on writing and polishing the ending of your story, author Derek Murphy is here to share a few! Plus, you can check out the rest of our novel-finishing resources on our #NaNoFinMo page. 
You won NaNoWriMo and have a 50k collection of scenes and sentences, but how do you clean it up and get it done? How do you make sure it’s finished, satisfying and enjoyable? Here are 5 powerful strategies for finishing your novel and some helpful writing tips that will push you past the finish line.
1. Give it a satisfying resolution.
In order to have a powerful story, your book should probably focus on a main character’s change or transformation. There’s an inner war, a.k.a. the character’s emotional healing, and an outer war: the conflict that forced the reckoning. If it’s a purely symbolic internal realization, you can mirror that with actual conflict in the real scene: the breaking of a dish, a fit of rage, a sudden ray of sunlight (or a storm… this should not be pleasant; It’s a breaking point and spiritual death/rebirth).
You can clarify the moment of change by setting up an illustrative contrast, a before and after, that shows how those internal changes have resulted in real-world consequences or benefits. Each character’s unique challenge will match their personal weakness or fear. The price for victory is the one thing they have so far refused to do, or something they cannot give up or bear to lose.
Make sure your protagonist has gone through a transformative struggle to arrive at deep insights, knowledge or awareness. Find a way to deepen the incidental scenes so that they become instrumental to a deeper purpose, leading towards an identity-shifting event.
The plot is what happens, and it’s important. But you can make it more dramatic and meaningful by making sure you demonstrate how hard it was and what it cost. It matters, it is remarkable, because it forced your protagonist to change.
Your conclusion might include:
Physical tension as allies perform a tug-of-war battle against resistance, that shows how difficult this struggle is, and how much force is required.
The consideration phase, as characters are tempted last minute or the price for victory is revealed: the sweet memories that give them awareness that this fight is worth the cost or risk (you need to show them making the choice, knowing what they will lose).
The final flashback, as the full backstory is revealed so we can see exactly why this conflict is so difficult or meaningful for the main character.
2. Add (unresolved) conflict.
Your story is made up of the events and scenes, where something happens. Each new event will push the characters further into the plot. Slow scenes where nothing is really happening can be red flags, so the first thing to focus on is increasing conflict, drama, suspense and intrigue. This is what creates urgency. The full reveal, demonstrating why THIS challenge is so difficult and powerful, should happen just before the final battle or resolution.
You want to make sure every scene, especially in your conclusion, has enough conflict. I recommend these three:
Outer Conflict (threats): Challenges or obstacles that prevent the character from achieving goals.
Inner Conflict (doubts): Moral struggles, decisions, guilt or shame, anger.
Friendly Fire (betrayal): Strong disagreements between allies or supporting characters. 
You want to extend and deepen the potential conflict, without resolving it too easily. The biggest destroyer of conflict is conversation: when your characters just sit around and talk to each other. Most conflict involves a lack of information, and a desire for clarity. A lot of conflict is perceived or imagined.
The most important information needs to come last, and come at a great price. The information that has an emotional impact, and influences their actions and decisions, should be big reveals at dramatic peaks. A surprise or twist should be treated as an event: each scene is leading towards a change or new piece of information that provokes the protagonist to respond.
3. Fill plot holes with character motivation.
After you’ve made sure that “what actually happens” is intriguing (opening questions and raising tensions without resolving them) you can focus on making sure the plot holes are filled, and characters are properly motivated – these two things are usually adjacent.
You can find and fill plot holes by asking:
Why are the characters doing this?
Why does any of it matter?
Basically, readers need to respect the main characters enough to care what happens to them, so their choices and actions need to make sense within the given information. If there’s a simpler, easier solution, readers will get stuck up on “why didn’t they just…”? To fix plot holes and gaps in logic or continuity, or make the story go where you need it to, you can add urgency, fix the mood of the scene (bigger stakes require bigger justifications), show characters in a weakened mental state, or raise concerns but have them dismissed, with an excuse or justification.
You need rational characters to make plausible choices that lead to dire consequences. You need show why they don’t do something easier, or nothing at all, or why they face clear challenges, despite potential obstacles.
They’ll also require a deeper motivation, for why they’re willing to put themselves in identity-destroying conflict, rather than just giving up or running away. Why do they stay in THIS fight, when they’ve run from similar ones? If they weren’t ready at the beginning, why are the ready now – what changed in them, as a result of your story’s journey?
Your protagonist needs to have a strong, consistent internal compass, and it needs to be revealed through incidents that establish their character. This is who they are. Without this reliable core identity, we won’t be able to tell a story that forces them to change. 
4. Let readers picture your story with detailed description.
In the final stages of revision, you can begin improving the description with specific details.
It’s smart to start – or end – a chapter with a vivid, immediate scene. You want to leave readers with an image they can see in their minds, hopefully connected to the feeling you aim to evoke. You can close a chapter with a reference back to a motif or image, with a deeper or more reflective context; applying meaning to the metaphor. This will help readers feel engaged, be moved, and leave a lasting impact.
Vivid scenes are mostly a matter of detailed description, so add the specifics about the story environment. Be precise, not vague. Instead of “she put a plate of tea and snacks on the table” you can write “she gently placed an antique porcelain teapot on the table. I could smell it was Earl Grey from the scent of bergamot. The half-sleeve of Oreos and can of onion-flavored Pringles seemed incongruous with the fancy dishes, but I knew she was making an effort to welcome me.”
Focus on the sensations and feelings; but also zero-in on any potential sources of conflict or internal emotions or states of mind. In my example above, the host might be nervous or ashamed of her spread; or perhaps she has a degenerative brain disease and doesn’t notice the incongruity. Tensions are unspoken, potential sources of negative feelings. They hover in the background of your description.
Readers will remember the pictures you put in their heads, not the words on the page.
Description should serve and be bound to the story, not distract from it.
It should be squeezed into and around the scene action, when the protagonist is using or exploring.
Show what’s different, not what’s the same.
Leave space for readers to fill in the gaps, but get them started in the right direction so they aren’t surprised later.
Sidenote: be careful about your metaphors, analogies and similes. Each one will put a picture into readers’ minds, and it can quickly get overcrowded with imagery. You’re asking them to ignore your real scene and think of something else. Use them to confirm and amplify the scene you have, and limit distractions.
5. Prepare to publish.
Typos are bad, but perfectionism will ruin you. This section is about editing and proofreading, but I don’t have time for all that, and you don’t either. The real problem with a story is rarely the number of typos. A very clean book isn’t better if people stop reading.
You can solve a lot of common writing problems, with my big list of 25 common writing mistakes, and self-edit your manuscript to make it as good as possible. After that, a copyeditor or proofreader isn’t always the best investment (and it can also be the biggest publishing cost).
Instead, use an editing software (I like Grammarly) to root out obvious mistakes, but don’t dwell on the small stuff like perfecting every word or rearranging the commas. Spending a very long time wrestling a poorly-written manuscript in shape is less effective than getting something (actually) done to the point where you’re comfortable sharing it.
This may be difficult at first, but you can’t learn and improve without genuine reader feedback (from people who aren’t your mom or best friend; nor the short-sighted opinions of a self-proclaimed literature enthusiast). You need to find readers who enjoy your particular genre, and the sooner you find them, the more valuable feedback you can get.
Shorten the feedback loop: Get over the fear and focus on learning by getting feedback early and often. However, this doesn’t just mean joining a writer’s club: writers are brutal and might focus on trivial things. The safest bet is to make it public, on Wattpad at least. Or get a cheap cover and throw it up on Kindle, Draft2Digital or even your own blog.
Making it public is scary and vulnerable, but it’s better than letting the fear of messing up keep you from the brutal, necessary experience of allowing readers to tell you what they liked and disliked about your writing. Will some people be critical? Yes! But guess what, you’ll get negative reviews even if you’re a brilliant, famous writer. Those are inevitable. And the first negative reviews may teach you more about writing than 10 years attempting to self-edit, afraid of putting your book out into the world.
PS. You can use resources, like my 24-chapter plot outline, as a way to spot story gaps in your manuscript and improve the structure (especially if your book suffers from a “soggy middle.)
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Derek Murphy has a PhD in Literature, writes urban fantasy and is the founder of the alliance of young adult authors. More recently, he’s started sharing writing tips on http://www.writethemagic.com
Top photo by Adegbenro Emmanuel Dipo on Unsplash.
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captnjacksparrow · 4 years ago
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Okay so I know I’m far off my rocker with what I’m about to say but I have to say it otherwise I’ll forget or keep thinking about it like crazy.
It’s probably just me but I can’t help but feel like SNS aren’t straight. I can’t help but feel like Naruto could possibly be bi with women preference or don’t realize it. I can’t help but feel like Sasuke might be gay or bi. I don’t want to state it as a fact because we don’t know their sexualities canon wise plus I want to respect the author’s creation however I can’t see those two as straight, especially Sasuke. I understand that Sasuke puts his goals before romance and that may be the case for this. I know he wants to defeat his brother and restore his clan, thats his top priority in life. People say he doesn’t know how to express his emotions, yet I see it fine with Naruto. He seems to trust Naruto more than anything and wants to be with Naruto. He turns down girls, mainly Sakura when it comes to affection or flirtatiousness. Now it could be just that those girls see him as a trophy and Sakura doesn’t understand him or respect him, however even after Boruto when he “marries” Sakura, it seems he’s depressed and regrets the relationship. He visits Naruto’s family more than his own and I find it depressing and interesting because it shows he chooses Naruto over his own “wife”. Even with Karin, he cares about her as a comrade or friend yet I don’t feel romantic attraction on his side. Yet I feel a bit of that with him and Naruto. There was a rumor that the author or creator of Naruto that between Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura isn’t a love triangle but rather a circle like a fish biting its own tail. So Naruto —> Sakura —> Sasuke and Sasuke —> Naruto. Anyways, i know this show isn’t about their sexuality and I shouldn’t focus on that but I couldn’t help but notice something or rather feel it. Also, your post on SNS Sasukes pov, I remember you mentioning Sasuke being comfortable enough to show his vulnerability with Naruto and that had me thinking... is this Sasuke accepting his love for Naruto? Is this Sasuke allowing Naruto to open him and save him. It seems Naruto was the first and only person that made his way to his heart, even expanding it just a little.
That’s just me but I would love to hear what you have to say and correct me if I’m wrong. What do you think?
Nice ask @larrycherry04 😍😍
There was a rumor that the author or creator of Naruto that between Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura isn’t a love triangle but rather a circle like a fish biting its own tail. So Naruto —> Sakura —> Sasuke and Sasuke —> Naruto.
Again larry, there is no official proof for this interview. And if it is so, I don’t really believe any of his interviews, tbh. 
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These are the two different official interviews from Shounen Jump at different point of time with Kishimoto and two contradicting answers. 
So, when it comes to drawing Manga, Kishi was very truthful. But when it comes to interviews, he started to contradict his own answers. Which makes him a liar, in my opinion and I don’t blame him.
So, In short, Read the manga or Watch the Anime and see how you feel about it and come to a conclusion rather that believing his interviews.
But to answer whether it’s a love circle??? Nope. 
Sakura, like I said before, she is a pairing fodder for Sasuke, most of the time and for Naruto, a little bit. 
If it is a love circle, like, if Naruto truly loved Sakura, he never should’ve let Sasuke off the hook, for all the tantrums/outbursts he has shown towards Sakura not once or twice but multiple times.
Imagine you are Naruto, you love Sakura so much and values her a lot above everyone.
What would you do in the following scene?
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I seriously can’t stop laughing here. Here, a boy, your supposed rival, is mildly insulting your most valued person’s tears. What will you do?
You will speak on her behalf, Of course. Just like Naruto did.
But the moment your rival says something to you, you forget everything about Sakura and starts to think about your rival. Wellllll ... So weird!!!!! Which begs the question ‘Do you really love her in the first place???’.
In this scene, the moment he heard those words from Sasuke, Sakura was out of the picture. Important point to note, Naruto still had a crush on Sakura until this point. 
Moment 1
Sakura: I am going to stab Sasuke-Kun
Sasuke : Am gonna kill you too
**Naruto heroically saves her**
Naruto: Sasuke, Sakura was a member of Team 7.
Sasuke: I don’t give a fuck
Naruto: Anyways, I heard the truth about Itachi and what you’ve been doing so far, is understandable, (including trying to kill Sakura)
Sakura: **surprised pikachu face**
Moment 2
Sakura: I love you, Sasuke-Kun
Sasuke: Annoying!! I am gonna put her in a murdering Genjutsu
Naruto: Sasuke, you shouldn’t have put her in such a strong Genjutsu
Sasuke: If I didn’t , she will come in our way
Naruto: Ummm, that’s true. Let’s go fight!!!
This is the pattern of Team 7 dynamics even until the very end. And I don’t see a love circle at all. 
To put it bluntly,
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These words from Naruto is an admonition to Sakura, that is, ‘Whatever happens between us, do not meddle!!’
Sakura is just a third wheel to elevate the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto likes her but not more than Sasuke. Naruto will die for Sasuke but not for Sakura. Sasuke will put his life on the line for Naruto but not for Sakura. 
He turns down girls, mainly Sakura when it comes to affection or flirtatiousness. Now it could be just that those girls see him as a trophy and Sakura doesn’t understand him or respect him, however even after Boruto when he “marries” Sakura, it seems he’s depressed and regrets the relationship. He visits Naruto’s family more than his own and I find it depressing and interesting because it shows he chooses Naruto over his own “wife”. Even with Karin, he cares about her as a comrade or friend yet I don’t feel romantic attraction on his side.
Sasuke closed all his walls in his heart to let anyone in, after the massacre. And even before that incident, it was never shown that he had any friends or rather he was frustrated with those boys revering him because of the ‘Uchiha’ name he bears. Uchiha is the powerful clan of Konoha and so everyone has high level of expectations. So, there is that. 
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Sasuke was thoroughly frustrated at this comment because nobody is seeing him as a boy named ‘Sasuke’ in his Academy. Even his homeroom teacher saw him as 'Itachi's little brother'. He was clearly facing an identity problem during this time, even in his home. Because Fugaku, Sasuke’s father completely ignored Sasuke and was showing his full attention towards his brother Itachi. When it comes to girls, I don’t have to say anything. They treated him like a trophy. Meaning, Everybody was expecting something from him but nobody was trying to befriend him unconditionally or approach him for who he was. 
This was explained nicely by Itachi in Itachi Shinden novel.
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I wish this scene were in the Anime series. Such a warm one.
He was turning down all those girls, because like you said, they just see him as a cool boy who can do anything. And Sakura was one among them. 
If Sasuke looked like Rock Lee, would Sakura have flirted with him??? Absolutely not. 
And to play romance, there should be certain effort from Sasuke’s side, like going for dates or whatever shit, which he was never ready for. Most of all, there should be a reason when you start a relationship. Sakura never tried to reach him in a deeper level and tried to understand his sufferings and hence there were no reason. This is the case even after their marriage. Does she know about Uchiha Clan massacre's reason? Or Itachi? If she had known, she should've educated her daughter and stopped wearing that fucking clan crest on their back. And most of all, what could Sasuke talk with her if she doesn't know a single thing about him?? Their relationship was built on Editorial pressure, regrets and shallowness. Of course, If I were Sasuke, I would avoid my family by staying in my office more.
With Karin, their relationship was purely business 'I use you, you use me' kind. He was very clear about that when he formed 'Team Hebi'.
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He helped Suigetsu to get Zabuza's sword and in turn Sasuke wants him to help with his goal. Same with Karin & Jugo. But it seems Sasuke respected her a lot in terms of her strength. Karin was similar to Sakura when it comes to flirting but when it comes to work she means business and can offer Sasuke a lot in terms of Chakra replenishment or sensing enemies plan while battling. That's why he treated her better than Sakura but that's all there is to it. It never went anywhere because Karin knows nothing about him. And Sasuke was not interested in forming a bond with any of Team Taka members either.
In other words, to evolve from a friendship to romance, it takes a massive effort from both sides in terms of understanding. Like I said before, Sasuke built a strong wall around his heart and he never let anyone in it as he saw it as a weakness. Sakura barely made a scratch on that wall. Just for becoming a friend takes a big effort to break that wall. How much effort do you think it takes for romance?? Instead of becoming his friend first, Sakura jumped straight into romance, which makes Sasuke uncomfortable most of the times. Hence the depressed reaction you see in Boruto.
Even with Karin, he cares about her as a comrade or friend yet I don’t feel romantic attraction on his side. Yet I feel a bit of that with him and Naruto.
Hmmm, I don't see Sasuke having a romantic attraction with Naruto. Romantic attraction leans towards sexual desire. But, Sasuke has more of a childlike attraction which leans towards purity and innocence, like more of a desire to be near Naruto, will never be bored even if it was for eternity and would like to look after his safety without expecting anything back.
I've seen this quite a few times.
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Sasuke is not competing here, otherwise he would have walked ahead Naruto. He just wants to walk along side him.
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This is that dream sequence after their fight. Sasuke, just like before, approaches Naruto by himself and listens to him intently. I am pretty sure he could do this for a whole day and still would not leave him.
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LOL. Sasuke, at this moment, doesn’t gives two shit about the world. Meaning he is not missing anyone from there. The person he really wants to be with is right next to him. He even convinces Naruto that Kakashi and Sakura will do something and he doesn’t have to worry. However the moment Naruto leaves, he worries and looks around for him. 
This is what I called, an innocent attraction and the desire to be around the person you feel warm and comfortable. 
But every possibility of changing this into romance is already there. Because Naruto broke his wall long back and has a high place in his heart. A strong friendship with an innocent attraction is all there. If someday Kishi comes out and said 'Sasuke loved Naruto', I won't be surprised at all.
Sasuke being comfortable enough to show his vulnerability with Naruto and that had me thinking... is this Sasuke accepting his love for Naruto? Is this Sasuke allowing Naruto to open him and save him. It seems Naruto was the first and only person that made his way to his heart, even expanding it just a little.
I think Sasuke started to like Naruto unknowingly ever since he started to watch him secretly. Because it always makes him feel warm and fuzzy. 
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But, the scars left by Itachi made Sasuke feel that having people around will always makes him weak. Meaning, The more people you love and when you lose them, you will feel weak. Hence, he was very hesitant to reach Naruto. Slowly but surely, Naruto was already making his way into Sasuke’s heart. And once they were put in the same team, he just loved Naruto unconditionally. That’s why he almost gave his life for him.
But Once Sasuke decided to leave the village, he severed all the ties with Konoha, including Kakashi and Sakura. The level of bond Sasuke had with them can be cut off by saying ‘Thank you’. But with Naruto, it takes more than that. Because for Sasuke, Naruto’s existence itself is making him weak by bringing back all the feelings he once had for him. Like Orochimaru said, Naruto has certain power to influence Sasuke’s heart. So Sasuke decided to kill him but in the end he simply couldn’t. 
Everytime Sasuke strays off the path, Naruto will always appear and remind him that he is his friend
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Every time Naruto appears and talks to him, Sasuke’s heart was changing but he simply doesn’t want that and he hates that feeling. Which was why he wants to destroy Naruto and whatever he represents. What Naruto represents is a powerful bond between Sasuke and Naruto.
In the final fight, he simply couldn’t cut that bond even though he had a chance to kill. These bipolar battles are what he was fighting all along internally. And finally accepts that he lost and was happy for it. Those words, ‘I lost’ meant he lost the fight physically and mentally he had with Naruto and was ready to totally embrace the feelings he already had.  
It’s not Naruto who was expanding Sasuke’s heart a little, Sasuke already gave a wide berth for Naruto and one day decided to close it. In the end, he couldn’t. 
I can’t help but feel like Naruto could possibly be bi with women preference or don’t realize it. I can’t help but feel like Sasuke might be gay or bi. I don’t want to state it as a fact because we don’t know their sexualities canon wise plus I want to respect the author’s creation however I can’t see those two as straight, especially Sasuke.
As for their sexualities, I seriously could not conclude anything. But from the way Naruto behaves, he certainly looks like a closeted bisexual just like Kishimoto. And Kishi was not hold his guns in this aspect at all, he went all out in the Manga chapter 347. 
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I mean it was evident from the way he casted Multiple Reverse Harem no jutsu before Kaguya without any reaction but when Konohamaru did the same Jutsu with Sai and Sasuke, he looked visibly disgusted.
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Why to react extremely when Konohamaru is doing the same as you? Probably he doesnt like Sasuke in this jutsu I guess. LOL.
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When asked about that ‘accidental’ kiss again, he reacts visibly disgusted but at the same time with a Nosebleed. This screams ‘Closet bisexual’ to me.
As for Sasuke, I simply see him as close to Asexual and possibly demisexual for Naruto.
Why Asexual?
Because Kishi purposefully made Sasuke to be in certain awkward scenes and on top of it, he painted an over sexualized aura all over him, in part II of the manga. It was evident from his bare chested costumes and the way characters like Karin behaves around him. In the same chapter 347, Kishi went all out for Sasuke too.
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I don’t even know why Kishi made this scene. But it certainly shows Sasuke wasn’t bothered by a naked man at all unlike Naruto who acted disgusted.
I simply cannot see Sasuke will be romantically attracted to someone if they cannot form a strong bond with him. And to form that kind of bond is not an easy task. But even for a demisexual, there will be a preference. and his preference were not any of those girls especially Sakura. So, I can safely say, if he ever wants to be romantic, all the possibilities points towards Naruto. Because of certain obsession he has towards Naruto throughout the War arc.  
Believe me, Obsession comes from two ways. You will be obsessed on someone whom you hate to your bone because of what they did to you. Most possibly, a hard betrayal. Or, You will be obsessed on someone who you love above yourself. 
Itachi falls under the first category (that’s why when Sasuke was told Itachi was good all along, he couldn’t accept the fact that he hated him for wrong reasons and he snapped and went onto a killing spree because of that obsession. Even though he was sane after losing his parents) and Naruto falls in the later.
Like he was basically saying ‘Naruto is my person. Only I can kill him, he is not yours’ to Obito when he was trying to kill Naruto. And where did these obsession comes from provided Naruto never betrayed him in any which ways? Because of all the past he had with him and he was already in love but was trying to deny it.
Anyways at the end of the day, I don’t mind their sexualities at all. What matters is how they prioritizes each other at any given situations without an ounce of regrets. Because, like I always say, their bond transcends way beyond Marriage, Children and Sex. 
Hope my answer helps :-)
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lordabovehelpme · 4 years ago
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ONE MORE! How about after an attack or something happens, the reader made a mistake and ends up getting hurt. Din gets super upset and says a lot of things that are hurtful towards the reader and instead of fighting back they kinda just nod and accept it. after a few days Din notices how the reader starts to act different and apologizes once he realized that the whole thing was because of him. Just some angst ya know? THIS IS SO MANY IM SORRY
Dead- Din Djarin x Reader
Summary: You’re sure you died, but maybe not. 
Warnings: Drowning! 
A/n: No, it’s totally fine. I love all your asks! :) I hope you like this one! 
Masterlist
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It’s surreal and calm under the icy water. It feels like you’re being held still in time and space. Nowhere to go, nowhere to be. The water should feel freezing and yet, you can’t feel anything. Your chest should be screaming for air but you feel tranquil, not needing anything and nothing needing anything from you. Existing and nonexistent all at the same time.
The world surrounding you is tinted blue and it stays invariably silent. Your hair floats around, framing your face as you look about. Light casts down from above, highlighting the vast water. You’re starting to get tired, eyelids slowly opening and closing. Bubbles work themself from your mouth until no more are left.
Everything fades away, you can’t feel anything. Death is comforting, you conclude. It’s like the moment just before you drift off into a deep sleep. It’s not lonely or spine-chilling like people say, it’s like a blanket of security has been placed over you.
Is this it? Is this the final page in your story? 
You feel warm and cozy, accepting your fate. Opening your eyes to take one more final look at the world, you’re met with a dark blob swimming towards you. You smile as you realize it’s your mandalorian. Reaching out, you cup his cheek before closing your eyes for good.
***
His heart stops as you sink under the water. Body moving on autopilot as he shoots the rest of the group. Running over to the hole in the ice where you were discarded so ruthlessly by the quarry. Bodies surround the area and yet he pays no mind to them. Not thinking twice before diving into the dark icebound abyss after you.
Swimming as fast as the beskar will allow him, he nearly gasps when you reach out to him. Heart dropping to the pit of his stomach when you smile and close your eyes.
No! No, no, no! This can’t be right! You’re not dead! You can’t be! Thoughts fly through his head as he pulls you both up to the surface.
Running to the Crest with you in his arms he checks your neck for a pulse. His blood runs cold when he finds nothing. Yanking off his helmet he presses his head to your chest, no breath.
The water from the lake mixes with the salty tears trailing down his face. He starts pumping over your heart, willing it to start.
“Come on, cyar’ika! Don’t leave me like this!” He’s begging now, wishing he could have only been a tad faster. If only he would have kept you in the ship. You’d be safe and sound then.
He takes a deep breath before smashing his lips to your own. Tilting your head back slightly, he forces the air into your lungs. He starts pumping again, tears blurring his vision.
“Please, please.” If only he had shot the quarry sooner. Then it wouldn't have been able to grab hold of you. The memory of the quarry holding you over the frozen lake, its hands wrapped around your neck, playing over and over again in his head. “Cyar’ika.” He murmurs. The sound of your scream is endless, repeating like a broken record.
It’s been at least six minutes of his desperate cycle before his muscles ache for a break. You’re not coming back, you’re gone. He rests his head on your chest above your heart. He’s wailing now, loud sobs filling the Crest.
The child runs over to your body. “She’s gone. Buir’s gone.” He is broken, like his entire soul shattered into billions of pieces. The child lifts a hand before closing his eyes. But not long after, it collapses into a slumber. He picks up his son and sets him in his hammock.
“Good try, but nothing we can do can help her.” He says more to himself than his son.
***
Lights flash behind your eyelids. Your stomach protests and sends waves of bile and water up your throat. Yanked out of your peaceful sleep you are brought back to the world. Failing your arms you cough and hack up at least a gallon of water. Clutching your newly started heart, you finally get all of the water out of your lungs.
“Cyar’ika?” It’s the whisper of your nickname that greets you first. You open your eyes into the pitch black of the hull.
“Tin can?”
Arms wrap around your body pulling you close. What happens next surprises you more though.
“Cyar’ika! How dare you leave the ship without telling me!” He’s growling and yelling at you. “Are you so weak that even an unarmed quarry captured you? And what was going through your head when he strangled you?”
“I’m sorry.” It comes out meek and timid.
“Saying sorry doesn’t change the fact that you got in the way of my entire plan!” He doesn’t understand why he is yelling at you. All of his anger for the quarry is being thrown onto you but he can’t stop it.
You nod your head while looking at the ground, tears welling up.
“Don’t ever, EVER, do that again. Just stay put when I tell you to!” He gives you one final glance in the dark before pushing his helmet back on and opening the hatch, walking out into the world.
You’re absolutely flummoxed.
***
It’s been three days since the incident, neither of you talk about it. You’ve been trying hard to please the mandalorian, trying to make up for your mistake.
He realizes something is wrong when you’re two hours into hyperspace and you’ve not uttered one word. “Cyar’ika, what’s wrong?”
You look up to him with the most innocent eyes. “Oh, nothing.”
“Come on, I know something is up. What is it?”
“Nothing, Mando.”
“See that's the thing, you never call me Mando, it’s always tin can. What is wrong?” He is starting to get agitated and you can tell.
“Nothing, I swear.”
His fist pounds on the arm rest. “Tell me!” He is yelling now. “What is wrong with you?!”
“Fine! You want to know what's wrong, then I’ll tell you.” You’re yelling back at him. “It’s the fact that I literally died and you have not said one thing except that it was my fault!” You take a shaky breath before continuing. “If I am such a nuisance and I always get in your way, then why didn’t you just leave me to die?”
You can’t tell if anything you’re saying is affecting him, because he just sits there. “Did you even care?” Your voice cracks with vulnerability. Biting your lip you look away from him as the tears slip from your eyes.
It's silent for a couple minutes before his own shaky voice says, “Oh cyare, if only you knew how much I care.” He reaches for your hand but you flinch away. “I’m sorry for yelling at you. I was mad at the quarry and it all was projected onto you.”
You face his visor, locking eyes with the space where you know his eyes are.
“Cyar’ika, my world stopped when I saw you in danger. I just want you to be safe.” He reaches for you again, except this time you take his hand and plant yourself in his lap. “I love you so much and it hurt so bad when you were gone. I am not used to holding these emotions so I just distanced myself from you. I’m sorry.”
“You love me?” It's a hushed question that makes its way past your lips before you even realize it.
He chuckles and brings his helmet to press against your forehead. “I do, cyar’ika.” He takes a breath, “I do so much.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well that was an emotional rollar coaster. Thanks everyone for reading and I hope y’all liked it!
Love, Lordy. 
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jess-the-vampire · 3 years ago
Text
Sky And The Forces Of The Multiverse, Chapter 51
Previous / Next
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Sky had to admit, she was impressed with her own magic skill by this point, even if the progress she was making seemed minimal. She never really tried to dip down much, it's not something anyone can just...do after all, it takes time and work. There was probably no way she could do it by the time the plan would come to action but training couldn't hurt either.
Especially if it was to protect a friend.
Even trying to shoot magic from her hands drove sky crazy, how did judas do this so naturally? Guess when you grow up doing magic like this you don't have to go through so much training to get it to work. Sky was half human too, who knows how that might affect her powers even if she did go through mewberty. She kinda felt silly trying to do magic like this, throwing out her hands and shout spells...but it was better then nothing.
Angel could do magic normally, no wand required.
Lucky.
He was getting better, he'd probably been practicing a lot in his spare time, probably to show off to his mom. His aim was far improved and he seemed far stronger at his spellcasting, from what magic he knew . Sky felt she spent more time watching him then making any progress, if even if it was just to get an idea of how to make her magic work a little.
It was probably pointless anyway.
Unlocking that kinda magic required a lot more to trigger it, otherwise sky wouldn't get very far no matter hoe hard she was trying. Strong emotional reactions were surefire, like...how she nearly attacked her mom...and the masked person, and...other happenings. Those were close but not really the results she was looking for either, she was looking for something like angel had.
Where he went berserk...over her getting hurt.
Wow they both had a bad habit of going evil when they ever did unlock this magic huh? That was both scary and...kinda neat in a weird way, though last thing sky needed was to make herself look worse then she did. Angel could tell she was having trouble, though he wasn't judging, he knew it wasn't going to be easy. "Maybe like...try and clear your mind and stuff? I think that's supposed to help, so you can focus?", that might've been more harsh then it needed to be,
But sky didn't seem to care.
"I can try".
She wasn't good at clearing her head, there was always too much going on in her mind for something like that to even happen. Even now, her mind was going back to judas and the plan. It was like a bug that refused to just leave the room, no matter what she wanted. She grumbled as she sat down on the grass, "Ugh, i can't focus, i'm too worried and everything".
She kicked at the dirt underneath her, "It was different last time, i wasn't trying to do anything intentionally, i just got really upset and for a moment...blam...magic. Now...it's not the same, i only had those outbursts because you got in danger or i felt upset...and i can't channel things all the time like that...like...why can't me being happy channel that same power?".
"Well, maybe you're just not feeling that kinda emotional nearly as strongly right now?", he shot out another web, hitting the wall with perfect accuracy now, "I guess maybe training and stuff happening in real time just...don't feel the same way...even i haven't been able to master my own form...so i think it just means...we have a lot channeling to do".
"You've been learning from eclipsa huh?".
"I did at times stay late with her...she...likes my presence and helping me...not that i ever got too far with it. Clearing your head is supposed to help but also...you can focus on a memory with a strong reaction, that can help your magic too sometimes...so...maybe we should do that? Channel strong memories...i mean i don't know if happy ones really will do much for me to control a raging monster but...".
"Angel, that's a good idea, maybe if i do clear my head properly i can like...channel something, maybe, Mom never really explained the process to me, but it's worth a shot".
He smiled, his ears perking up, "Oh, well, glad i can be of some kind of help then! Maybe it'll work a lot better for you then me, i'm still pretty far behind on my own magic" He shot another spell and sky went back to focusing, seeing if she could recover any strong memories to trigger something. She went back to the chandelier incident, reminded of the party and her performance.
It was hard to channel the anger she had when he mother spoke to her the way she did. in fact it was a hard memory to fully recover at all. Maybe she had to go and try and new one to see if she had better results, she had to have other moments. Right, the time angel was nearly killed and that set her off like crazy, that was also a rather insane moment of magic for her.
She hadn't been so full of rage in a long time.
Though she was worried how she'd react to that memory again.
She had to take a moment to chill and breath, holding her hand out before the memory came back to her. She didn't want to accidentally blow up the entire garden if she wasn't careful about her own actions up to this point. Granted, blowing up a wall wasn't exactly a better option but well, she was going to have to take some risks somewhere it seemed.
She felt her cheeks puff up, remembering the pure anger of angel nearly being killed down by some freak.
Angel stepped back, a slight bit of glow in the princess's cheeks, but it quickly faded, the memory was strong but because nothing was happening it didn't appear the have nearly the same strength. Sky sighing, her hand touching her marks, "Well, it's a start...i guess i should be happy we got a reaction at all...i guess that whole thing...really had me upset".
Angel sent a sad smile her way.
"Hey, i'm just glad you cared at all...i'm...i wasn't sure anyone would if things went wrong...i kinda went into the thing knowing there was a good chance i might not make it out alive all things considered...it...was probably a dumb idea when i think more about it".
She snorted in his direction, "Dude, of course we'd care if something happened to you...but...it doesn't seem to be enough to get me to really unlock my abilities...for now...but...i'll take it. At least it's better then nothing.". She sighed before going back to tryin to do more spells with no success, "I'll figure this out...hopefully...if i could just...get a better grip on my emotions...and with enough practice...". She watched angel go back to doing spells, thoughtful, "Hey...thanks for doing this with me...it's really nice".
"Yeah of course...it's not fully for you though, i...wanna be able to protect myself as well, i wasn't very good before...and i don't want to feel vulnerable again, i felt so...powerless when i almost got killed...and i need to keep my strength up". He shot spells at the wall even harder, "I'm glad you're protecting me but i also don't want to feel so weak either...i want to be able to defend myself if anything happens again...want to know i can...take care of myself when i'm a leader".
"I can't blame you on that one, i would do the same if i was in your shoes", her feet scratched the dirt, making a neat little imprint with it," i just hope it doesn't end up feeling like you're protecting me when i should be looking out for you". Angel stopped casting his spells, quick to notice her change in tone, "It shouldn't have to be a one vs another thing...we should be...looking out for each other...all of us".
"But if i don't get better soon, i'll be worthless for the plan".
"Sky, look, maybe this is something better said by jude and everything but...you're more then your magic, you spent a lot of time beating me without knowing much magic at all, you don't need it to do good...even if you don't learn to dip down...i trust you'll do great out there". The princess took a moment before gently pushing him, laughing, "You're right...i did kick your ass pretty good without it".
"Ok but you don't have to remind me of that...", sky snickering as she got back into focusing, "Says the person who kept a whole journal of all the times we fought, you're far more guilty of this then i am". He blushed as she got back in focus, "Maybe if things get bad, i can really taze the guy, that outta pack a punch and they might not even see it coming either".
"Well, i didn't think they'd avoid my bite either but...you know how that went, but i have faith in you princess."
Sky snickered, "Well, i can say this for sure, next time, your teeth won't miss, i'm sure of it". The laughs ringing in the air as sky enjoyed the moment, she really needed this, and angel made sure she got the break and night to make amends she deserved. And for once, sky felt confident maybe she could actually get the hang of this magic thing properly.
She had the support to help at least.
-
"You ok landon?".
Landon peeked through the window of the carriage at bernard's house, seeing rhombulus parked outside and feeling his whole body shake. "Do i look ready mom? I'm a mess, i should've fixed myself up a lot more, how am i supposed to go in there and be cool with him when i'm sweaty and freaked out?". He raised an arm to display and marco quickly made him move it back down.
"Landon, it's going to be just fine, do like you practiced".
"This is different, he's going to be looking at me and watching me talk, i'm not even sure about how he's going to react, he might just want to be friends and friends only. All that time i spent and thing might get worse between us and we never talk again". Once again marco found themsleves trying to comfort the boy, handing him some water, "you'll be ok, just take it easy".
'I'm sorry mom, it's just...what if i can't do it? i'm worried i can't".
"Landon, it's going to be just fine, i'll be waiting out here if you need me to make a quick getaway ok? But you have to finally face him down, i know you're scared but this time you're going to have to put that to the side and be brave for both you and bernard on this one. He needs this as much as you do, closure, and he won't be able to rest until you both have it".
Landon slumped back, "Guess i just don't want to know what his final answer will be".
"But you know you have to...".
"Yeah...".
"Landon, it's going to be ok, i promise...i know you're nervous, but it's going to be ok, just go in there and do your best. I have plenty of faith that things will work out between you two, you both seemed to care about each other a lot, and i doubt you won't be friends still after this". The demon nodded, his mother comforting him to the best of their ability, his hands gripping each other tight.
His mother kissed his cheek, "Hey, if you need to bail out at any point, i'm here, but i believe in you...ok?". Landon gulped before finally getting out of the carriage, lucky he was even allowed to on on this trip at all. This was not an emergency and everyone was very uncomfortable even going to other dimensions at this point, but marco insisted this was important.
And it was, for landon.
Rhombulus seemed to disapprove of this choice, sneering as the kid got closer, but letting him in anyway.
He was expected after all.
The rest of the commission were inside and the parents of this lovely home seemed more then used to them now. As used as one to get to having three interdimensional gods living in their home. They were eating their snacks, sitting on heir couches, and chilling as if nothing was happening. Guess they had to be a little bored by now, but still, it was a serious job.
Imagine they came back and hey were following asleep like this? And they thought things were bad before.
Landon spotted bernard's mom quickly who ushered him away from the commission members and upstairs without hesitation, "Ok, he's waiting for you up there, let me know if you need anything and please, don't break anything". She didn't seem the happiest to see him but she wasn't mad at him or anything, so that was a little better then what he thought in his head.
But that didn't help his nerves, he could spot bernard's room and took a few steps forward.
He had to be just as nervous as he was...right? He didn't greet him at the door so he was left with a similar impression that was the case. Then the door opened to let him in, a sleep and messy teenage boy waiting for him. Landon feeling his heartbeat rise even faster and want to flee the scene extremely fast, his body forcing itself to stay put so he didn't chicken out.
"Hey landon".
"H-hey...bernard", god why did he have to make himself sound so awkward the moment he saw him again? He swore his voice cracked too, because of course it did.
Bernard didn't look fully dressed, not did he seem to be entirely...himself, which was a warning sign, but they had to get this over with. Landon had to just go over and finish up before he made another bad choice, though bernard looked very cute. He had never seen him like this outside of the sleepover the one time, most of the time he was more...well kept.
Bernard yawned, "Sorry i'm not looking that great, but...i'm happy you came, means a lot to me if you want to come in and well...y'know, do this whole thing". Landon nodded quickly as he entered the messy teenage boy's room, the door shutting behind them. He took a set on the bed as bernard started going into his closet, nervous about who should speak first.
It was uncomfortably silent after all.
Bernard and landon both wanted the other to make the first move instead, as if they were waiting each other out. The silence however, was killing landon and it wouldn't get them anywhere if neither of them even said a word to each other. Landon really felt his stomach churn, just how bad did he screw up that bernard could hardly even look at him right now?
He wasn't used to this from him, the tension was intensely uncomfortable compared to the usual laughing and giggling between the two. He twiddled his fingers together and tried to choke up a word or two, needing to be brave and come out with it. "Hey look, i'm sorry fi i made things uncomfortable between us...i wasn't supposed to even send you that video...it was an accident", was that good? He hoped so.
The human paused, meaning he had heard landon alright.
"Mason pushed the wrong button, it wasn't supposed to head to you like this, i just want us to be friends again ok? I never meant to hurt you or bother you or make things awkward. But i also get it if you don't want to be friends anymore either with me, i know this would make you feel weird and i don't want you to feel weird around me either...it's just...you mean a lot to me".
"How long?".
His voice caught him off guard.
"How long have you liked me?".
Landon froze, stammering, "Since we met actually...i dunno you came up to me and i thought you were...cool, i know that sounds really corny but it's true. You were so cool and i wanted to get to know you and you wanted to get to know me...and i found it...attractive. I mean i didn't notice it at first bit over time it made sense why i was acting this way about you".
Was that good?, it was hard to tell when he wasn't looking at him right now.
"Look, if you want me to leave i will, i know you're upset with me and i don't wanna be some burden on you. You're just...a great person and i'm glad i got to have you as my friend, even if it was just for a little while". He meant that sincerely, he liked having this guy as his friend, and he was going to miss them if they never spoke every again, "You deserve better friends who don't make you go through this kinda stuff anyway".
"Landon...".
"I'm right, you got kidnapped and you could've died because of it, and it was because of me, if you and me weren't friends you would have never had to deal with that happening to you". God, he sounded so pathetic, was this really how he wanted to even handle this in the slightest? He felt himself curl up a little, clenching teeth, "I wanted to tell you how i felt sooner but i was worried what you'd think. I've never confessed to anyone in my life before and i got scared to screw up or say anything"'.
It was hard to tell what bernard was thinking with his back turned, but he was just going to have to keep pushing through this no matter how embarrassing it was. "I just think you're really cool, i like your magic stuff and your attitude, and your confidence...and how you laugh at my jokes and support me...and i'm dead serious about all of it...i never meant to make you feel uncomfortable.".
Bernard finally turned around, a look of surprise on his face.
"Landon...i...you don't make me feel uncomfortable", he suddenly seemed to feel ashamed of his silence this whole time, his shoulders sagging and his expression more sad. "I...i admit, it was overwhelming finding out...i think it's because i well...i've been on dates before...and a lot of them were...mixed". The human took a seat next to landon, his feet dangling off the bed.
"I...y'know, constantly changed myself everywhere we went and i would get confessed to a lot, but it never felt right because i wasn't being myself...i was just trying to fit in. I guess when you confessed i had so many thoughts, like if this was another occurrence of me not being myself and you not liking the real me, or that you did like the real me, to all the times we hung out and i had no idea...i...had a lot going on".
The human eyed his worried friend, before smiling a little, "But...i'm not mad at you for any of this, none of this was your fault. You had no idea anything like this would happen and it's ok, i'm not mad at you at all. My parents might have some issues, but i don't...because it wasn't your fault that happened. Landon, i'm still processing everything but i'm not mad at you".
"You aren't?".
"Of course not, i just...have a lot to think about with all of this, i'm a little overwhelmed but i'm not mad at you landon. I just need a lot of time to really think on things, if that's ok...". Landon seemed relieved, his face suddenly becoming far happier then he meant for it to, "Yeah, yeah of course! You can take all the time you need if you want, no pressure or anything, you can uh...get back to me when you're ready".
He laughed and landon felt himself turn deep red.
"Yeah of course, when i'm ready, i don't want to leave you hanging or anything...", the human noticed landons face an poked at it charmingly. "I have to admit...it's...a little flattering that you...feel this way about me. I've just never been complimented this much before , or had anyone write a song for me before for that matter, it's actually sweet".
"You find it sweet?".
"Yeah well...it's really good and i can tell you put a lot of hard work into it, it's...nice that i...inspire you like that". I never saw myself having a song about me, always thought the only way something like that would happen was if i won some dumb contest or something. I...i'm sorry you didn't get me to see it under different conditions, i know this was not how you wanted me to...experience it".
"Well...i'm sorry i was acting so weird for awhile towards you...it was a lot more obvious then i thought originally. You...you were worried about me and you had every right to worry about me...everything just got so complicated and i had a hard time trying to figure out what was the best way to handle it. I guess i should've tried to handle it sooner, to avoid this from happening."
"Hey, i'm not great at this stuff either, i might never have caught on without the video. Heh, it took me a few minutes to click as the music started playing that you were going for...y'know, You...play really well landon". He blushed, trying to hide his face as much as possible as he turned away from the cute boy, "Yeah well, i do play it almost all the time".
"It pays off, at least you might get to make it into a career, my parents still are on the fence about magic".
The way he said it seemed to make landon's heart crack just a little
"I'm sorry to hear that...i well, i was really hoping they'd change their minds about it and stuff...you should be allowed to do the hobbies you like, like you're really good at them too, you were able to escape your handcuffs because of magic! It's...amazing...how you were able to actually do that, they don't appreciate enough of your skills, you're...amazing".
He felt himself blushing again and quickly coughed, "Oh right, sorry, this might be making your more uncomfortable".
But bernard laughed, "It's ok, i'm just glad someone cares, i feel sometimes like...no one really does, i've just...wanted someone around who likes what i like and doesn't make fun of it". He sighed, rubbing his hair, "I escaped my cell through magic, that's...impressive, i never knew i'd need to and magic helped me do it, i was just hoping for better i guess from my parents".
The prince watching him sadly, letting out another deep sigh.
"I wanted to confess to you that day...the day you were kidnapped...i know it doesn't matter now but i did, and then when things went wrong i changed my mind because you had enough going on to worry about me. After you got kidnapped and hurt and everything, there was no way we could talk about it, i knew it was a bad idea. I'm sorry things got so bad that you were worried about me like that".
"Landon, it's ok".
"No, it's not".
"No, it is...i'm sure, it was complicated. I...i got kidnapped, and you just wanted me to take the time to recover before unloading this on me, it's not a bad thing. Truth be told, i was terrified down there, i didn't know if I'd make it out alive or not, for a few moments i really thought i might not. But...you helped find me, and...that's important, your confession could wait...".
"But...then i started acting weird...and your texts".
"Landon, of course i was worried about you, we're friends...if you needed space it's ok, you can also just well...text me if you need a break for a bit. I only got worried cause i care about you...but if you need space...it's ok. I didn't really know you were going through so much emotional turmoil because of me and everything, i should have suspected though. I guess i've been so distracted i never even considered you were acting this way because you might of liked me a little more then being just friends, but...i'm glad it's out in the open now".
"You really still wanna be friends?".
"Dude, yeah, of course i do...i'll need some time to process the whole...crush thing, but...it doesn't make me wanna not be your friend. It'll take some getting used to but i like being your friend. I like us hanging out, and i like having someone around who respects my hobbies and interests and shows me all kinda of things i'd never see in a million years. You're a really cool person landon, i like being with you...i don't want us to stop being friends because of this".
Landon felt himself blush and heart beat a bit faster, it was worse that he knew what he was doing to him.
"W-well, i like having you around to like my hobbies and stuff too...yeah".
The human laughed, "I'm sorry for being such a drag and everything this morning, i got to admit, i just have a lot of bad experiences dating...and dealing with crushes. I guess for me it brought back some memories...but i won't bother you with them in detail or anything. Because i think you're different landon, i really think you care about me and everything".
Landon clutched his head in his hands and grumbled, still blushing, "And i was thinking you'd hate me and everything after what happened for a little while...cause...i just didn't...i didn't want to make you uncomfortable". He shifted in his seat before pinching his nose in frustration, "I should have at least told you i needed some time tho...i didn't meant to worry you-".
"No no like i said i-".
Landon turned around, only to realize he might of gotten just a LITTLE too close to bernard's face, making him jolt back quickly. Even bernard cut off his sentence at the action, "Well, uh anyways...glad we talked about this. So well, i guess if you need anything or want to stay for a while...i'll convince my parents to do it, hopefully. They're getting used to your friends down there".
"They aren't exactly our friends, but thank you...we haven't really gotten to hang out properly since...it happened. I was worried about even asking since...well, your parents...they must hate me for what happened with you. Even if you forgive me, i am still the reason they lost you to begin with, and they were terrified...your house got bugged and-".
"Landon, please, don't worry about them, they're always like that. They panic about everything, it's why they're like this about my magic, they're desperate to be good parents and well...make me some perfect kid. I mean i'm obviously not one but they want me to be one. Point being it's ok, don't worry and freak out, they're always like this anyway and i think they'll live with it".
He was doing it again.
"I'm sorry".
"Hey look, let's go down and take a break...your mom's outside right? How about you let them know and we can just...have some time together for a little bit? Some not awkward time together, we can hang in my room for today if you want and we could...properly catch up, if that's ok?". That sounded great, landon finally getting himself to relax as he pulled out his compact.
"Thanks".
-
"So this is it huh?".
She was looking at the broken wand with extreme curiosity, star watching her very closely as she examined it. She was giving luna the chance to make things up and be trusted but that didn't meant she was just cool handing sky's want over to just anyone. Luna was still on the fence these days to everyone and the wand was in bad enough condition.
"Yeah that's it alright".
"It's in better condition then i was expecting it to be in when i heard it broke, i'll give it this...but yeah, it needs a good repair. I must admit though, wands are hard to crack, this thing must've been hit with a powerful spell. But at least it's fixable, you might just need an expert on this one, though you're not going to like who i suggest to help you with it...".
Star grumbled, knowing where this was going.
"Mom, right?".
"She'd know if anyone.".
"Of course she would, i had a bad feeling you were going to mention i'd need her help, "But fine, whatever, is there anything else you want to let me know about? You and eclipsa were going off about a gem or something?". She was starting to get a little pouty and the less she focused on her mom the better, "Well, me and eclipsa weren't idiots, sky has a rare opal on her wand...you can see the multiverse in it if you look close enough".'
"Rare?".
"Yeah, omni owns these things, never been on a wand before...i think".
That even seemed so surprise star, guess there were things the commission still weren't fully being honest about with her. Luna didn't seem as phased by it though, looking through it curiously, "I'll be honest, i don't really think sky is responsible for taking us here...she...has no reason to and she's not knowledgeable enough to do it even on accident, but...knowing this is on her wand...it's...probably not a coincidence".
"What exactly do you mean by that?".
"C'mon now mom, a magic wand that combusted before we came here? And it just so happens to have a gemstone like this? Even if it wasn't sky it certaintly makes the most sense to be her, the problem is she doesn't know a spell that could do this...so i have to imagine what might of actually happened was we got dragged out of our own dimensions, and got pulled through her crystal into yours".
"Actually...that...kinda makes sense", the queen mumbled, folding her arms together, "But like, you all unwillingly were pulled...right? So someone had to have done this to you, unless this is omni's doing". The person in question had to have knowledge and access to the multiverse in order to even do this and pull it off, and there wasn't a high suspect list.
"No, i don't think it's omni, if the commission were behind it they would've acted upon whatever they wanted us for...not...be as useless as they are now. Before were suspected them but after this much time, well, we don't trust them but we don't think it is them either. It's only so baffling because we're out of many other options, and i've never seen this happen before".
"Well there has to be SOMEONE who can do it".
"I know but, no one here matches well...", then she seemed to think of something, before shutting it down, "No no, that could work but that's far more absurd, we need something more within the lines of reason". Star blinked at luna as she held her hand up to keep star from asking further on the matter, ".We'll start with a list of the main suspects and work from there".
"Luna, we went through the main suspects, there is no one else".
"Have you checked meteora or moon yet?", luna asked skeptically, her suggestion catching the queen off guard, she hadn't really gone into either of them had she? But it was for good reason. "Meteora was doing tasks, she has it on record and my mom...my mom has no reason to even bother doing something like this, where's your proof on that one?".
"You heard me, limited other options".
"Still, my mom would never do something like this...maybe in your word she would but not here...right?".
"You tell me, maybe she would, maybe she wouldn't. I just know she's a suspect and since she's been absent from everything before this point she doesn't have nearly as much of an alibi, even with grandpa...you know how easily distracted he gets". She wasn't wrong, moon could manage it if she were behind it, but there was also no reason for her mother to do this...and she would never attempt to kill a child either.
Even if that child had previous outbrusts about their family.
"i don't believe it but it'll keep it in mind, but frankly...we need a better list, none of these people seem to have anything to do with it", she sent luna a look of worry, "Luna, i think whoever did this is not from mewni, as silly as that is, a disappointment, i know...i think we all thought it had to be family...but it's not". Luna hated to admit it, but she had to agree with the idea, it probably was something else.
"I don't fully agree but i don't fully disagree either, i've heard worse. But learning that kinda magic takes years of proactive. Not to mention accessing the commission tower, it leaves me uneasy, we could pass by this guy on the way to work. Can you imagine how i feel possibly knowing who this is, for them to be a friend of mine only for them to do al of this?".
If luna did she wasn't showing it well.
"You have to know how much that hurts and messes with all of us, we don't just ignore these ideas because we don't buy into them. But if you're right how do we even begin to react? This whole thing has gotten under all of our skin and there's no way we can just forgive and forget if it turns out to be one of us. You don't know who it is, so it's much easier to-".
"Ok, sorry i tried to help, i didn't say it to be rude or anything, it was just an idea"., luna sat back and crossed her arms, putting her feet up nearby. "I do this all the time back home, i catch criminals all the time back home so it's kinda important for me to do stuff like this and try and make a profile of some kind, that way you could spot them even unmasked".
"You scare me with the fact you can spot bad people by just looking at them, i hope me in your world learns to get a grip because you're lucky to not be dead going through all of this", luna snickered, "You're not entirely wrong, i am lucky, but i'm also hard working, so that's another reason i've lived so long, i rarely ever get caught with my talent".
"Is that so? Is that why you're prisoner now?".
Luna's smile was quickly wiped from her face.
"Thought so...but hey, you did say rarely, so this has happened to you before. And you're still here now, so i guess that still says something about you and getting out of stuff like this. I rarely could get myself out of situations without a little help, even if i was a tough fighter. Even now sky usually needs judas to help her out, but thankfully she's never really been kidnapped either".
"I had to learn to do things myself, if...either of you had died the crown would go to me, and if i couldn't take care of myself i was doomed to end up the same way. If you thought i would allow myself to ever be put in that position you were sorely mistaken, I wanted to be a strong queen, stronger then anyone before me...and avoid all the mistakes the others made".
"Like solaria?"
Luna was quiet, "Yeah, especially her, there's...some things about her past i prefer not to repeat, you're honestly lucky in this universe.". The queen jolted her head to luna at that, her face skeptic, "Wait, what do you mean by that? How are we lucky? She still caused massive devastation and we're still recovering from everything she's done, we're not lucky".
The lighter blonde hummed, her fingers twirling the rim of a teacup.
"I...was shocked when i saw angel for the first time, i never really explained why but...it's...well, because his kingdom doesn't exist back home. Or at least not anymore, it's ruins where i live". Star didn't seem to like where this conversation was going but luna continued, "I never got to meet his kind before now, i just knew about what they once were, and well...stories from you".
"From...me?".
"Solaria caused the devastation, but you...you were the one to hit the mark that started everything back home, and it all started with their kingdom. If things hadn't escalated, i might not be the same person anymore. But...it is what it is...it's just worth mentioning that while solaria here might still be quite the queen, you should be lucky you didn't end up with a worse version of her".
"I'll be honest...i'm surprised how much you don't like her, sorry if it sounds rude but i was expecting...you to like...something about her".
Luna shot star back a dirty look, "Outside of her determination to help her people and power there's not much to admire, what she did led to issues we're still solving today, and as far as i'm concerned that does not make you a good queen. You are not a good queen if people remember you for reasons of hatred, i should not be having to fix her messes 800 years later".
Ok so yeah, she really didn't like the old queen herself, even if related to her.
"Sorry for bringing it up then, it was worth asking".
Luna sat back on the bed, spreading out her arms, "It's a lot of stress trying to be a good queen back home, you want to be unique bit you also want to be strong and something to be proud of. It's...a flawed system, always has been a very flawed system. The kind of pressure it puts on everyone is...well it's something alright, not much better in war time".
"I put a lot of high expectation on sky...", the queen laid back, sighing to herself, having to agree with luna. "I know i did, i don't know why it happened, it just did, and i know it really upset her...even though...i just want her to do well. I want her to do well on her own as queen someday and i dunno, i'm never sure what to do, less freedom, too much freedom...i learned from too much freedom.".
"Well based on what i've seen you didn't do much as far as training her by the looks of it, she could barely hold her wand right!".
Luna really has a way of making people feel bad about themselves.
"She really had a hard time preforming magic, i egged her on so bad the ceiling came down", great, she was back to being mad at herself. She could've prevented this so much sooner if she had just...done things so much differently. Maybe sky wouldn't have been accused of crimes, or had even been in danger at all. A little danger was expected out here but not...so often.
Not like this.
"Luna, considering what i know about me from...your world, i'm not coming to you for parental advice. But...i think at the very least i have a better idea of what i need to improve on if i don't want us to end up like me and my mother right now.", she probably could've phrased that far better then she did but luna got the point. "It's been so long...i forget what it was like".
"Well now that moon is stuck here you're probably being reminded of it more then ever, as far as i can tell, nothing has changed about here...i hear enough through everyone else at this point that i'm glad i barely have to talk to her outside of the occasion. Back home grandma and i didn't agree on many things either, it's a lot messier between all three of us in that castle.".
"Luna, your dimension sounds...awful, for the record, not sure if that's what you were going for but, it sounds awful. I'm surprise you even want to go back after everything", she didn't exactly mean for it to sound so rude, it was clear why luna wanted to go back and that going back mattered to her. But it seemed there was little back home that was actually...well, to look forward to besides seeing her family again.
She almost wished luna could stay, not go back to a world like that.
Such an unpleasant world to grow up in.
"Honestly, sometimes i think that too, but i know it's what i want to do...i wouldn't just leave them. And...i won't leave them now especially, it's clear what seems to happen when i make choices to leave people behind, i get myself in more trouble". She motioned to her room, "I can't stay here, you know that and i know that, we have places we need to be and people who need us, we don't belong here".
"Luna, i don't know all of you that well, but i think all of you do belong here, not permanently, i know you all have families to return to...but well...i think being here has...helped you all, to some extent, maybe more then you could ever really get back home". That made luna pause, laying back on her bed, "I guess you really could say that,...i don't think people will even really...recognize me fully when i get back, maybe, it depends how long i've been gone for them...they might not even remember what i was like before i left all of them".
"I'm sorry you've all been gone so long".
"You say that like we didn't lie to your face for months about who we were this entire time, it's not your fault. We insisted on not coming to you for help, and our lack of progress is partially more our fault...and circumstance". She took a deep breath, "I tend not to ask people for help if i can avoid it, and i was aggressive about us staying hidden, and it worked for a while but...it was never going to work forever, there was too many of us, someone was bound to find out".
"Well, you had me fooled, for a good while, though i guess in retrospect the fact you were that good at fighting should've been some kind of red flag, no one who goes into knight training even comes in so perfect. Even on mewni where you could die at any minute, you would've been a good knight if you had been from this dimension though, though heh...oh wow, we assigned you under jackie".
"You can imagine how that went for me".
"Well, i guess it's hard for me to really say, i guess at least in the end you got to spend some good time with us even if we aren't technically your family. I can only hope that talking to us provided you some comfort, maybe. I think...if i was trapped somewhere else, just seeing my mom's face would really help. I...i got really upset when she vanished, after meteora".
Luna paused, letting the thought ponder for a bit.
"You don't hate your mom as much as you want to, she gives you grief and isn't making the situation any better for you...but i can tell that to an extent you're glad she's here. Someone to give you advice...and help you. She's not amazing by any means but i can tell you're glad she's here to help in this crazy situation, even if her help isn't really helping.".
"I've been on my own with the throne for a while...so i dunno, maybe i just miss her", star sunk in her seat, "I nmeed to stop venting, that's not what this meeting was about, it was about the wand, i'm just dealing with a lot of emotions right now. I've never really...confided in someone about this, well, someone who isn't my wife or my best friend at least".
The queen stood up, "I'm trying to handle this stuff on my own without help, but i guess i wouldn't be taking my own advice if i kept doing that, especially when help is coming right to my doorstep to help me on stuff like this. I'll...go talk to mom soon after this, we can come to some kinda agreement on the plan , and maybe work things out properly".
She held out her hand, "The wand, i better head out and i'm not leaving it here with you, no offence." Luna handed it over without any hesitation on her part, star pocketing it, "But...i'll admit, it was nice talking to you, even if i fully don't get why, i can see why eclipsa likes you, she tends to love the kinda people she can soften up from their cold dark hearts".
Luna pouted at that but accepted it anyway, "Well, just update the others and make sure...they're ok, especially judas, i worry about him...a lot. So if you could check up on him and make sure he's alright, i at least would like that". The queen understood, holding the door open playfully. "Cya later prisoner, don't hurt yourself too much in here...ok?".
Like luna could ever get herself that hurt down here? but the thought of it all was rather nice. Better then the other times she was taken hostage, most of those guys were hesitant to even give her food. No one wanted to fight luna when she was at her fully power, no one could even be prepared for it. Luna was the kinda person who could bite your hand off even without any sharp teeth whatsoever.
and no one was gonna test that theory, no one
A few days later, marco found themselves back to work on the plan, landon in a far better mood then he had been, texting his crush in the nearby corner as marco went over their ideas with the rest of the team.
"Alright, we can eliminate that one.", marco said, crossing off yet another idea they considered in their mission. Honestly it was impressive how smart these kids where when it came, ideas like this but it should've been expected. Having some people to bounce ideas off was a brilliant idea and they were all so excited too. Galexia was the most excited actually, she loved talking about her ideas and drawings to with people.
In fact this was the most comfortable anyone had ever seen her at all, period.
Her drawings even made marco laugh at random.
She beamed though, she seemed to like the reaction she was getting out of the queen, in fact she seemed to like the adults in general a lot more then others, I guess considering she grew up with a lot of them that was fair. But every other teen had at least some minor issues with the adults, and yet galeixa was more then happy to spill them everything and talk.
She was so smart it was crazy, her ideas never always made sense but no one really seemed to care that much either. Galexia has been paying attention, that was for sure, she had an ungodly amount of drawings just based on the plan. Some were of the plan itself and others were of them failing the plan, which was no something anyone wanted to see right now. But last there was a plan and it's on it's way guys to getting better.
"Maybe we can hide weapons in my dress", sunny suggested, "I've done it before, just in case anything bad happens and i lose my wand, i wanna be able to protect myself, even without magic". Honestly marco wanted to question why someone as young as her reallly needed so many weapons but maybe it was best just to not provoke it right now for them.
"I think the plan i went with might be out best bet, but these ae some good ideas. Just don't suggest anything too dangerous, i don't wanna put you guys at too much of a risk. I mean i know you guys get into this kinda stuff often but you know what i meant. This is still something we need to be careful with, sorry, safety is always my priority when doing anything with my kids".
"Your kids?".
They never meant for it to come out like that, but i guess upon closest inspection, they seemed to be their parental figure now, it was like marco had adopted a bunch of new kids out of complete nowhere. "Sorry sorry, didn't mean to make it found like...nevermind, i'm just impressed your all of your ideas. But i think in the end our next option is gpnna have to be mind, found good?'
"You even sure it's going to work?", landon asked, huffing at his parent, "Landon, no I'll be honest i'm not, but if we prepare enough for what we may handle when it happens we can prepare for anything with this guy". It was about being flexible and covering any hole, it was all or nothing in this situation and leaving cracks open was the last thing anyone wanted to do.
this entire plan was to be a big trap, a trap is useless if it can be escaped.
With their kids already being in danger enough times throughout this marco had to step up, there was no way they were letting any more kids be put in serious danger, and they were already taking a risk in letting angel even be some form of bait. Marco had to be smart about this, they could run this over several more times to get every nook and cranny.
If they could they'd booby trap the whole castle, they would.
But then that'd risk the safety of everyone else inside, and being trapped in with the crazy person was also a bad idea.
So if they were lucky, the plan would work first go, and they'd not even have to worry about these plan bs or cs. It was just a bit unpredictable where this was going to go, they had been fooled before and if this plan even got out then all of this would be for nothing. For all they knew they'd posses someone else to go in their place and escape them once again.
The mind control aspect really bothered marco.
what if they used it on one of them? That was a thought marco didn't want to consider, especially if it hit him or tom, they'd be powerful and they could really hurt someone if they were made to do so. Marco considered making charms for everyone, perhaps they could attach them to their outfits, not anywhere that they could be seen of course but still.
Then they could be protected at least from that.
Marco made a mental note to tell sky later.
"Ok, so we seem to have somewhat of a good plan going, thanks to judas we have an idea of how the party is going to look, So that outta help immensely when it comes to here to put everyone for this plan. We can keep most of you safe and catch them without anyone at harm, and if this works well then we'll finally be free. You'll all just have to stick to your roles and-".
Landon raised his hand.
"Roles? What?".
"Landon, the party is being used mostly as a front, therefore you have to pretend like nothing is wrong the entire time. If we aren't acting natural they're going to catch on very quick to something happening", landon sunk in his seat, "Right right, but like...won't it be more suspicious if we aren't on edge at least a little the whole night, they're not stupid...i think".
"We can do our best landon".
Landon didn't exactly like this idea, who knew what could happen like this? But marco was right, they were just going to have to be careful, and maybe stay wary of who they talked to. They didn't want to let this person in on any secrets they shouldn't know about, but hopefully they'd be fine. this meeting seemed very effective, marco was going to have star to talk to star about it and-
"Thanks for helping us!", sunny piped up, "And...thanks, we're happy to be considered your kids...", she blushed and marco smiled. "You guys...haven't really had a proper parental figure since you got stuck here, we assumed you were here because your parents let you be here...and we're no substitute for your actual parents but...i hope we can at least help in the meantime."
"You're doing great i promise!", sunny was always so positive, it was surprising how through all of this she still kept a smile on her face. "It's been super nice getting to spend so much time with you, i think we all feel a little at home here. We've lived here so long i guess it's become a second home to us...while also kinda being our home already as well".
Marco bit their lips, thinking of something.
"When we send you home, are we sure you can even come back?'.
They never had to consider it much before this point but now was as good a time as ever to really think about it. Sunny wasn't just a girl from another world, but she was a friend to mason, their youngest son, not to mention friends with everyone else too. They'd well, be sad if they never say any of them again and well, it was an idea that was thought about and could not be helped.
"Sky thought the same thing and she thought, well, we might figure something else out so...we're trying not to think about it too hard y'know? Don't want to get everyone upset right?". Her voice didn't sound like she was too happy about it though, sunny sounding like she almost wanted to hold back from some crying of her own about the matter. At least, it sounded like it.
Losing everyone else must have broken her heart to think about too.
"Sunny i promise we'll all stay together somehow...ok? i don't want to see any of you separated forever either, mason's never been so happy in his life/ He likes having more friends to spend time with, and of course, you all have grown very close. It'd be a burden to separate you, i promise we won't let this all be forever, you'll all see each other again".
Sunny looked over to lexi, who was still drawing by herself, smiling and ignoring most of the world around her.
"I guess i keep worrying about that, even though i try not to...", she admitted, "I'm supposed to be the positive one here, keeping everyone up and happy but...sometimes, i feel sad...thinking about this stuff. i'm going to miss you guys...i really am, i just got used to having sisters and new brothers and saying goodbye, to all of this, it's going to be hard...".
"Well, we'll try and make your last days here the best they can be then, just in case getting back in contact is...hard. You girls at least deserve a few last nights stress free before going home...it's not much, but you all deserve it after everything you've been through. You can even bring some things back home with you if you want to, memories and stuff".
"My parents probably think i've been kidnapped or something".
Yeah, yeah they would, heck knows if this happened to any of their sons marco would feel the same way by now, if they didn't think they died or something. The worry that had to be on their faces must be devastating. Sunny must think about it a lot, especially since she had a little brother back home she loved and had to live without her for so long.
"Don't worry about the now, think about how happy they'll be to see you again", marco said gently, "That's what matters here, getting you home to see them, they'll be thrilled and delighted. I know being away is scary but, it won't be permanent. We will make sure you get home, even if it takes years, don't give up on us ok? We won't let you feel abandoned."
Landon a little way a ways, turned his head away.
"Years, mom you know we can't do that, someone is going to find out eventually".
"I know lardon, but that's no reason to not try. We're going to have to help and not stil and cower even if someone is after them. These girls need to go and everything, the longer they stay here who knows what could happen, it's better they get home as soon as they can before anything worse happens to them. But we need to catch them first, free their names".
"You've been meeting with them right, how badly do people think sky or luna did it?".
Marco tensed up, feeling their shoulders stiffen as they looked for the best works, "Well since that day it's already been a mixed bag, but it hasn't gotten worse if you're looking for good news, i don't think people have gotten stronger on it. Luna must've kicked out a lot of the previous ideas they had which is both good and very bad all things considered".
"Figures as much, we better watch out".
"Oh don't doubt you will, no one feels safe".
"Hey...i hate to ask but, what happens to luna...if this all fails? We're delaying the trail but...there's no way we can defend her if we don't catch the real culprit and...what are they gonna do to her?", the question hit marco like a punch to the gut. They had been avoiding that answer entirely because they knew the answer and didn't want to worry the kids.
Sky was royalty, at worst if she had been convicted she'd lose her right to the throne and her wand.
But luna on the other hand, and with her true identity not known to anyone outside of their ground.
She wasn't nearly as safe.
Around here she was just seem as another citizen, she had no protections outside of perhaps the words of jackie and the royal family to protect her. But even that had a chance of not mattering, because a royal family can trust the wrong people. There was a chance of luna ending up in a BAD situation if they didn't do something soon and the thought was dreadful.
She already had a family back home waiting for her but if they never saw her again due to something like...like being frozen, that'd be even worse.
"We won't let that happen, we'll make sure of it. Even if...things get really bad", Marco was quick to change the subject, going through their papers and papers of plans and ideas. "I'm going to run these by tom and his parents, we need approval for some of these traps within the castle. We're already building up the ballroom for the event and the sooner we have a head start the better".
Landon stood up, ready to head out and join their mother as marco stopped in their tracks and turned again to sunny, "Remember, don't forget the stakeout soon, get some rest and practice your lines...oh...and keep sky updated. She's spending a lot of time with angel and i don't want her to forget about her role, though...it's great seeing her a lot happier...".
"You got it! Uh...thanks for everything", marco smiled at her as landon followed them out, Landon examining the mask and outfit sunny had given him in his arms. It was fitted for him by sky, but he still wasn't sure about it. At least he wasn't doing any of the actual acting or anything, all he has to do was dress up and play music, nothing more, nothing less.
He just needed to be careful.
Not just because of him being a prince, he's just...nearly gotten into fights in there now and if a fight broke out things would not end well, the place was quite on most days but who knows who might head inside on a more ruely day. Demons could be nice people, but they were violent too, and it was always best to keep your watch on them, so landon just hoped this idea was a bust and nothing happened.
It probably would be.
It was that idea alone that was enough to relax him.
Because of his magical abilities he got a little anxious about using his violin at all in case of well, what happened last time, but it would probably be ok as long as he didn't try to do that song again. Besides, he was barely getting results as is, and he wasn't using a wand violin. He needed to chill out, the worst thing to worry about were his nerves at playing in front of people.
Just thinking about it was making his stomach turn, or maybe that was just his guilt at not telling his mother about what he'd been doing.
they knew he knew they did, so why was it so hard to just say something about it?
Marco walked alongside the demon as they made it finally to the nearest bathroom to change and try on the clothes and see how well they worked in case sky needed to fix anything. Marco hadn't said anything yet and he felt their silence was their way of trying to get them to talk. They had done this before when they were really mad after all and landon was feeling the sting of it now.
He went inside to change, not saying anything.
He was so happy everything with bernard was a lot better, not perfect, but better. The entire scare had left him feeing broken for a while and the fact he was still getting texts was a relief in his mind, even if things were still awkward. He felt as if he were walking on eggshells, but he knew this was on him, there was no one else to blame for this then him.
He should say something, marco would go easy on him and he knew it, he just...felt guilty.
How many times was he gonna keep going behind everyone's backs and getting caught? He wasn't sure why he was like this? Maybe he just had a hard time admitting he wanted help? He wasn't a very social person and people knew that, he tended to handle things along when he had the chance and only his mom was ever someone he went to for serious help.
Guess that was bound to kick him in the butt eventually, screw his awkwardness.
He tried on the costume and moved in front of the mirror, sighing to himself, and putting in the mask. It fit well, sky had no business being so good at all of this honestly, she was far more talented then people gave her credit for. Landon just wished he wasn't in some kinda rut right now and could feel a lot better about it. Staring at himself in the mirror before looking to the bathroom door.
He was going to have to suck it up and confront this wasn't he? If he didn't he wouldn't be able to focus and he might get himself into another situation all over again. He did deal with bernard and that went well right? Him trying magic can't be too bad, especially since nothing came of it or anything, why was he panicking over him doing something so minor?
"Landon? You ok in there?".
He took some deep breaths before splashing water on his face, "Yeah mom, i'm coming out in a minute".
He finally pulled himself together, sighing as he opened the door to face his mother, "Mom, i...want to talk to you...about something?". But he was stopped in his tracks, his mom looking at him softly in his outfit, making him blush. "Hijo, you look so grown up...i'm...honestly happy to see you so...open and out there. Look at you opening up and making friends and talking to your crushes.".
"Mom...".
Were they...crying?
They looked like they were crying and landon was hit with a new wave of emotions.
"Sorry, i just...judas is hitting his coronation, mason is hitting puberty and...you're changing a lot too...it's...overwhelming", they wiped at their face, "Didn't mean to start crying or anything, i'm just...so proud...and...you're all so grown up". Landon rubbed at his arms, still blushing hard and having a hard time looking their mom in the eyes, he wasn't expecting this...but...it shouldn't stop him either.
"Mom...you're...right".
Marco looked at them confused at first, right about them making friends and talking to crushes? Landon knowing he needed to clarify more.
"I have been semi-lying...to you, i...when the text incident happened...it was because i was doing magic...not demon magic. I...i realized my violin, i can do spells with it if i really concentrated, it's not the same as a wand but i think i'm the one channeling it, and...i tried to practice it behind your back. I'm really sorry, it just meant so much to me to learn magic and everything and you guys were saying no and-".
"Landon it's ok", they reassured, putting a hand on their shoulder.
"I'm...just happy you told me...instead of me having to find out the hard way.", he felt so much more warm inside hearing that, they really weren't that mad at him for not doing what they were supposed to? Well they were probably a little mad, but not as mad as he was expecting after all the other stuff he had done up to this point. The human sighing.
"We'll work something out...later, for now you're grounded, just for a few days tho."
Yeah, that was expected, but he was glad it wasn't for much longer.
"I'm glad you aren't hurt though, it's easy to get hurt doing magic like that...there's a reason the wand exists...", the pondered for a moment, biting their lips, "We have enough on our plate right now...but...when we get this resolved, i'll make sure to help you learn it. We may have to ask to borrow sky's wand...when it's fixed, but...i'll make sure you figure out this scary part of yourself...".
"D-did you have to use the wand to...to also learn all of this?".
They nodded, "Yeah, it didn't matter at the time because sky wasn't around to use it and star didn't need to anymore...so it gave me the chance to learn so i could well...y'know, do what i do now". As an example, marco cast a small red orb in his hand, "It's not the same as her magic...but, i like to think of it as something new that we can do...discovery and everything. I have to admit, i'm...happy i'm not the only one with it, it's nice being able to have someone else who understands and finds it just as weird".
"I'm still sorry, i shouldn't have lied...".
"If it helps, i wasn't dead honest about my powers to star at first either...it...took me a while before i could talk about it, There was a lot going on at the time and i was just trying to be a good friend". Landon felt a hand grip his shoulder, "I need to also be better for you, a better example for you...but, i think we're both making some progress, and...i'm happy for that".
He had to agree, "I guess...a little progress is better then nothing, right?".
They smiled.
"C'mon, let's change out of that and take a break, if it's ok, i'd like to watch you play. Get you less nervous to perform. It's a way to be there for you, and still help with the plans...unless you don't want me to?". But Landon shook their head, "No, i...i think i'd like that actually, please?". He didn't mean to sound so...needy, but marco seemed more then happy with it.
"Then it's settled, c'mon, i think i need a break too".
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ryuichirou · 4 years ago
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Can you make your top 10 aot characters that have a good development? Like Eren and Reiner are considered to be the best characters as 'characters' themselves
Anon… dear Anon, you’ve been waiting for like a month I think, I’m so sorry. I took this ask waaay too seriously lol, but yeah, I can’t postpone it for any longer…
I know you asked for top 10, and this is a numbered list, but I wouldn’t call it a proper ranking, so the place doesn’t really matter all that much. Otherwise this list would’ve taken even longer, I’m very serious about lists, it seems lol
Before I start I want to mention (just in case): I feel like “character development” isn’t always about becoming better at something. Sometimes you can become “worse”; sometimes you can get “better” and then fall back to your old ways. It’s just how the character changes, and the trajectory of that change can be very different for different characters.
1. Eren. I can talk about Eren for hours and hours, and I have talked about him a lot, so I’ll try to be quick this time.
Eren’s journey is very interesting and enjoyable to read. He’s such an unusual main character. So aggressive at first, unlikable to some (not to us lol we adored him since day one), loud and stubborn. But it’s super cool to watch this hurricane of a person, especially as he gets calmer, starts controlling his emotions little by little, learns more stuff and understands the situation around him better.
I think I’ll talk about how perspective and knowing a bigger picture change the way character acts a lot in this post, but Eren is an ultimate example of this. He got every single thing: past, present, future, drilled in his head at one fucking moment. He didn’t get a bigger picture, he got the biggest 5d picture with special effects. And he had no one to share that with: he had to deal with it himself, knowing that he himself is the reason for everything that’s happening. It makes my head hurt to even think about that lol It’s cool and unnerving to watch Eren, who’s used to be such a fireball of a character, to just get… quiet and apathetic. We don’t know what he’s thinking about, we don’t know what’s going on anymore, even though his emotions were always the most obvious thing about him. It’s almost scary.
And the interesting thing about it is that nothing really changed about his feelings, at least I think so. Ultimately, the only thing he wanted is for his friends to be happy and live long lives, and who knows, maybe he saw that the “freedom” he was initially seeking for himself doesn’t really exist. This is up to debate and definitely not for this post though lol
2. Reiner. Ohh Reiner. He was one of the characters who wasn’t all that interesting to me personally at first, but as he got more and more complex and emotional, I fell in love with him more and more. This isn’t a numbered list, but he is definitely one of the best written characters. And what’s cool about him is that we see the reason for him being the way he is throughout the story: why he wanted to become a hero, why his mental state got so bad, why he was conflicted, why he got so depressed and why he was able to take responsibility for his actions. I love it when the story breaks its characters, and Reiner is certainly one of the most broken ones. His lower point (when he almost killed himself + cried and asked Eren to kill him) was very beautiful and painful to read, because we know why he feels that way and we know how smug and brave he was at the very beginning of the show/manga. And we know that it was all a lie, which makes everything even tastier.
And as much as I love broken characters, I’m kind of glad Reiner found strength to continue fighting and to take responsibility for his actions (to some degree, at least). Not only he saw a bigger picture, he actually learned how to live with it. I’m so happy they discussed the Marco incident with Jean, and that after Annie told that it was her who took his gear, Reiner stood up and said that Annie was following his orders. He also apologized to Annie for everything he did to her and Bert.
Basically, Reiner went from wanting to be a hero to acting like a hero, then to being an actual hero to Marley and feeling like shit anyways, then to just being a human being, something like that. And that scene with his mom hugging him and being happy for him being alive is actually a very sweet and satisfying moment. Especially considering how much Reiner wanted to die lol
3. Zeke. I’ve talked about it in one of the replies about ch137, but I love how Zeke went from “I shouldn’t have been born” to “maybe small moments of happiness make everything worth it” at the very end of his life (what a cruel irony to realise that just before you die). Not only the character develops and changes, our view of him changes as well: I think Zeke was universally hated when he first appeared, but then he became more fun (dude’s too charismatic), and then he became sympathetic and vulnerable. All of this was always inside Zeke, but it was hidden since Zeke is a lying snake. See, Zeke is smart, but he’s super sure that his views are the only valid ones and that his idea of freeing Eldians is the only solution. His views are surprisingly black and white: I suffered, Eren suffered and our dad is bad. And no one challenged his beliefs until they walk through Grisha’s memories with Eren in ch120-121, and then he realized that Eren didn’t suffer at all and their dad is actually just a person who really regretted being a horrible father to his first son. I love that he got some closure with Grisha because he held that grudge for his entire life.
4. Grisha. He has a rollercoaster ride of a development lol: at first he was an innocent boy, then he became an angry boy, and then he kind of calmed his anger down for some time? But after learning what actually happened to Faye, his emotional wounds got open and all that rage blinded him again. And then, after being outed by Zeke, he lost everything, but had a harsh realization that by being driven by his anger only, he completely forgot not to be a shitty dad. He basically had a second chance in life, with a much better perspective about what’s going on, but now he has his younger son’s ghost haunting him and telling him to do thing he never thought he’d do. At different points of the story Grisha feels both like a mastermind behind things and like a pawn who doesn’t have a choice even if he just wants to live a peaceful and happy life with his wife and kids. The irony of him killing a bunch innocent kids when this whole story started because he got his little sister killed? Delicious. Oh, and I really love the fact that he realised that he screwed up as dad and apologized to Zeke. He loved his kids a lot: Zeke, Eren and Mikasa too (he called her his daughter after all).
5. Erwin. Way more interesting than people give him credit for. He’s mostly adored for being a badass, but he also has his own flaws that he had to deal with. He’s like a moth that’s drawn to the light, but right after burning himself and dying he kind of did “the right thing” that he had to do as a commander. Now, for me it isn’t really about Erwin ending up doing “the right thing” to be honest: we would probably adored him is he ditched everyone and ran to the basement because his selfish desires ended up being more important to him. But that scene where he confessed to Levi that he really wanted to find that basement and just told him everything about his capricious and selfish childish desires, talked about how he lied to everyone including Levi basically just to prove his dad’s point… it was beautiful, because it was basically “I have to do it, haven’t I? But I really don’t want to”. His character development is interesting in a sense that at first he was getting gradually more and more psychotic about his dream, doing crazy things even when he knows it might not be the best choice possible (like him risking his life instead of staying behind), but at the very end he stopped to think and… well we know the rest lol
6.  Armin. I remember people saying that Armin is just a narrator-like character who is here to explain thing (I probably thought so too at first), but this is so unfair. It’s easy to make someone like Armin into this trope, and to leave him being a very one-dimensional dreamer who’s smart but naive. And Armin is so much more than that. Throughout the story he has a lot of “I should have been the one who died” moments, and I love that this is such a prominent issue for him, but he still got over it somehow. Armin was kind of lost at the beginning, but found his role. And wow, he had to go through it again after he was chosen instead of Erwin, because the burden on his shoulders just got 100 kg heavier lol He also got less naïve and more cunning with time and got much better at emotional manipulation, I think. While preferring a dialogue over violence, Armin still isn’t pure, and he acknowledges that constantly, especially after his first kill, and things got even worse since that point, which definitely changed him. But his violence-loathing (kind of…) core is still there.
Armin ended up playing a much bigger role in the story than I thought he would be, I really love it. He has his moments of weakness, but he still pushes forward and takes responsibility and does his best. Oh and let’s pretend that the Annie thing never happened, it doesn’t contribute anything to his character anyway.
7.  Jean. I think Jean is the first character who starts showing character growth, and I believe his development is the reason he was Isayama’s favourite for some time. Tbh, I don’t find Jean annoying even at the very beginning: yeah he’s selfish, but he’s self-aware about it, he’s a realist. And he’s still a realist, but his conscience wouldn’t let him just have an easy life while everyone else’s suffering. I always feel like Jean is a spoiled mamaboy, so it’s great to see him showing that he can put others before himself. He also had an inner conflict similar to Armin’s: is it right to kill innocent people if you have to? Is it ok to kill not-so-innocent people because they’re against you? I really like this theme in SnK just in general.
8.  Gabi. It’s no secret that I adore Gabi lol, and I think her character development is great. She was in her element when we first met her: she was confident, she was doing her best and succeeding, she knew the world around her so well, and then Eren took everything from her. People like to hate Gabi for killing Sasha and for being aggressive on Paradis, but I think it’s great that she didn’t have an overnight change of heart. It’s great that Isayama showed us her shock and her raw emotions, it’s more than natural for a child with her upbringing, even if it’s messed up. But I love it when stories take characters that are great at what they do, and they take them out of their element, to show them at their worst: lost, angry, broken and confused. I love that she understood everything herself and not because Falco told her “hey they’re people too” that one time. She had to go through this hell to figure everything out, and I think it’s great.
9.  Historia. Historia was one of the least interesting characters for me (and for a lot of people, Yams included) at the beginning, and tbh I think it’s brilliant: we never saw anything in her; she was just a waifu material who’s nice to others. It felt fake and boring, well, because it was indeed fake and boring, and to this day I cannot believe that that was the entire point. I love how Ymir made Historia realise that she needs to think for herself, but what’s interesting about all that is that after Ymir left, she almost came back to her old habits. Which is also a development, and a very interesting one. The end of S2 was a high point for her (when she told Ymir that she isn’t scared of anything when they’re together), and then there was a very low point (when Ymir left), and then a high point again (when she remembered Ymir and Frieda and decided to act upon her own desires). She’s one of my faves now because of all that… It’s sad she didn’t have a bigger role post-timeskip, but I still appreciate her story for what it is.
10.  Oh god this is so hard to pick one and this post is already so long… can I just give you a bunch of quick honorable mentions?
Annie (who was a loner that couldn’t really trust anyone but ended up showing her vulnerable and emotional side), Hange (started out enthusiastic and eager to learn more only to meet more pain and disappointment, crumbling under the pressure, but ultimately remembering her amusement with titans), Levi (granted it’s very subtle, but him going through Kenny’s death, Erwin’s death and his promise to him, realization that he’s been killing people all this time and other stuff fascinating and huge leaving a mark on him), Ymir (who got hurt and decided not to trust anyone anymore and to act selfishly, but ended up sacrificing herself anyway lol)…. God, these short description sucks, they can’t describe them properly. Also there are so much of them that I think have good development, and I’m 100% missing someone… but I think I’m done for now. Katsu I’m sorry for making you read all this.
That you for this ask, Anon <3 and sorry again for being so late
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insfiringyou · 3 years ago
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To the last anon who posted a very long analysis of V (Kim Taehyung), sorry we couldn’t post the answer below due to the format so we will answer here. Really hope you see it!
First of all, thank you so much for sharing. We honestly love it when anyone shares their thoughts and opinions, even if we don’t necessarily agree with them, but in your case you honestly hit the nail on the head on a lot of what we have been trying to do in our V storyline! So much so we don’t really need to respond to a lot of your comments as you nailed it. 
We think you are right in that he’s a really complex person who lacks a lot of emotional maturity, but at the same time thinks and sees himself as a really mature person. This does sometimes come across as him feeling above everyone else, mainly because he not only has this romantic idealisation of his (past) relationship with Cassandra, but also of himself. We actually really liked when he started calling himself ‘good boy’ in interviews, mainly because in our fics, we think that is genuinely how he sees himself. He knows he isn’t perfect, but at the same time he wants to be a good boyfriend and do those spontaneous, romantic, quirky, cute things like you mentioned. He’d love going on the types of dates you see in movies - picnics in the park, really ‘grown up’ trips to the theatre, taking his girlfriend to romantic destinations like Rome and Paris. It would make him feel like he was behaving like a ‘grown up’ and enviable to other people. In a way, this is why he’s so ashamed when he gets Cassandra pregnant and they are no longer together - because he feels that illusion to other people is suddenly shattered and so it is easier for him to shy away from his band mates, family, friends etc. than to admit that he messed up with her. Of course, his bandmates don’t actually hold him and Cassandra on the pedestal he thinks they do, so actually they wouldn’t really overthink the fact they are no longer together or judge him as harshly as he thinks they would. Just the fact remains he wishes things could have been different between them and that they could have had a baby under very different circumstances. He wants nothing more than a nuclear family, even if he is a bit ‘eccentric’ and can make a non-conventional family work to a point. 
He also, as you mention, really appreciates the fact that he could be himself with Cassandra and that she ‘got him’. Yes, they would have argued a lot (and she can definitely give as good as she gets when it comes to arguments!) but she never made him feel shitty about his fetishes, preferences etc. and was not only willing to go along with them for his sake, but was an active participant who ended up enjoying a lot of what he did. Until she didn’t, of course! He felt safe in opening up to her and being beyond vulnerable. He’d have cried a lot when they argued in front of her, not to make her feel bad but because that’s how he genuinely felt. He also never wanted to actually hurt her emotionally and I think if she’d have been more open with him (not victim blaming here as he should have also been more considerate in reading her body language and asking her more about how she felt!) about when he was ‘pushing’ the limits between them (such as when he asked her to have sex with someone else in front of him, as well as the roleplay incident) he might have been more self-aware that sometimes his fantasies are just that - his own, and that she doesn’t always share them. Sex between them was always very vulnerable on equal parts. We have mentioned a few times before that we think his first relationship was a little one sided (with him having emotional feelings and her not) which has made him even more scared about opening up to people, and with Cass she got doses of his vulnerability but not always at the best times. After she had sex with the other guy for instance rather than before.  
I think post-birth he really sees Cassandra in a more human, 3D way where, yes he does still love and idolise her as a mother because she’s gifted him the most beautiful, amazing thing he could ask for and he recognises the sacrifices she has made to do that, but also sees her as a vulnerable person who isn’t perfect all the time, has different opinions to his own and is entitled to have them. While Max doesn’t feel threatened by him, Tae is very much threatened by Max because he recognises he treats Cassandra in a way he wasn’t able to in the past, and I think he’s also worried he might replace his role as father a little. Max is also someone who is emotionally mature, speaks several languages, has experiences of a lot of different cultures and is therefore a more natural match for Cassandra, which makes him feel insecure about himself. Yes he has fame, but Max doesn’t seem phased by that, which (other than being Gabriel’s father) is all he really has when stripped back in that way. I really like how you picked up on Tae’s insecurities in his abilities! 
With Da-eun, he’s trying to take Cassandra’s advice though is a little stubborn/reluctant at first. I think the shift really came when he realised how he can take on that protective boyfriend role he’s been brought up to aspire to. With Cassandra, while he was protective over their relationship, he never really got to experience that as she’s so much emotionally stronger than him, but with Da-eun he doesn’t feel the need to match that. I think in a way he gets to avoid being as vulnerable and therefore protect himself a bit. I think his weakness is the fact he has a child and that he will always come first. 
PS, we loved reading this so much. So if you feel the need to drop any commentary on the other couples - most welcome! :D
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mischief-mage · 5 years ago
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Absolutely love the gifts the bird of paradise awarded to the Xiaolin monks. It follows the concept that your greatest strength is your greatest weakness, and it’s all connected to the yin-yang theory of maintaining balance. 
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When the Xiaolin monks start rejecting their finest qualities, the opposite effects them and those consequences can harm themselves and everyone around them. 
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Kimiko: courage/cowardice. Kimiko will always be the first to charge into battle and although Clay is seen as the brawn of the group he’s rather reserved in comparison, choosing defence over offence. Kimiko on the other hand is quick to strike an enemy in combat and has no problem giving opponents a verbal lashing too. Kimiko’s cowardice doesn’t necessarily mean being afraid and running away from danger, not physically for her anyway. Kimiko’s problem is established at the very beginning as an internal struggle. She stays on the offence in social interactions like she does in combat, covering her fear and insecurity with anger to keep up appearances. Her cowardice is the inability to be emotionally open with others and communicate her vulnerabilities. Kimiko would rather struggle on her own instead of asking for support, she considers emotional honesty as something negative, thus refusing to admit when things go wrong until it’s too late. The moments where Kimiko can’t deny that things have escalated her fears take over. Kimiko is scared of the results of her own actions the most, from hacking and accidentally giving information away to Hannibal and the incident with Sibini. Kimiko hides the evidence of breaking a Shen gong wu in Clay’s room instead of confronting what she had done. This causes Clay to be possessed and she finally manages to communicate with the group, knowing it will put Clay in danger if she doesn’t. Showing that Kimiko is able to overcome her inner fears if she uses her courage for protecting others.
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Omi: loyalty/disloyalty. Loyalty is a quality that Omi admires and aspires to have, viewing it as a noble trait. Being the youngest of the Xiaolin he ends up naive about people’s intentions, and often falls into trickery since he wants to believe everyone is capable of good and loyalty. There’s a limit to this in the moments where he cannot deny deception. Omi will become hostile towards anyone that displays treachery and he finds it hard to forgive with his black and white view on the world. Its Omi’s high standards that cause him to turn on his friends easily and he starts to view people as inferior to him in order to avoid betrayal. He was the last to believe that Raimundo went to the Heylin side and also the last to believe Raimundo is truly Xiaolin again. He still does not forgive Raimundo afterwards, casting doubt that the other Xiaolin monks agree with, Omi convinced everyone to go as far as trusting Jack over Raimundo and falling into a trap in “pandatown.” Omi continues to mock Raimundo for being the last to reach apprentice. He attacks Jermaine out of jealousy, and starts to believe Kimiko is less for being a girl, he lastly feels betrayed by Jack Spicer. Omi tries to rationalise his own disloyalty by believing the other person must not have been worth his loyalty in some way. When Omi returns to Xiaolin side he becomes aware his of actions, less aggressive about perceived betrayals and improves on seeing that everyone has value and for that reason the bird of paradise says his gift is loyalty.
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Clay: strength/weakness. The greatest strength for Clay is being able to face an adversity head on and also by how he can think outside the box to take down an enemy or get out of conflict when necessary. Clay unlike the other monks can see an easier way of rescuing the toy dog in training, figured out le mime’s weakness is replicating the others actions and creating a way out of the canyon trap by Chase Young. Strength for Clay is defined as both physical and mental because the bird of paradise saw his strength by avoiding unnecessary conflict. Clay’s weakness is how he’ll behave around others, he has a weak will and can be manipulated by people if they want something out of him. Clay doesn’t know how to act on his inner strength when it comes down to his family who pushes him around and unintentionally the friends he tries to protect. Out of all the monks he’s the most likely to put himself last and prefers to remain quiet and simply follow orders, he is nervous when he gets any of the spotlight put on him. The element Earth represents the steady rock of the group and the monks will expect more from Clay because of his dependability. Sibini possessed Clay without any issue which is different from every other encounter that happens to the rest of the Xiaolin monks when someone attempts to take control of their lives, showing internally he’s weak to spiritual manipulation. The gift of strength is Clay nurturing the ability to trust himself and his own inner resolve to forge new paths.
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Raimundo: kindness/cruelty. Raimundo has a lot of compassion and is the empathic one of the group, ranging from saving a village from an active volcano, worrying for Omi when he went missing in the city and rescuing the drowning old woman who was the bird of paradise. Raimundo has good reason to avoid his good trait, his compassion for others often gets him into trouble. Raimundo went against Master Fung’s orders and tried to save the Xiaolin temple from Wuya. Instead of staying hidden with the other monks and he accidentally reveals the hidden location of the SGW. The other time is when Raimundo rescued the village and the Shen gong take control of his body as a result. Raimundo likes to do what he perceives to be the right thing without thinking of the consequences of his actions first. Without kindness though, Raimundo is at his worst, acting selfish and serving his own interests. Raimundo at the beginning was eager to bully the other monks, from making fun of Omi, laughing at Kimiko’s struggles, and picking at Clay’s mannerisms. On the Heylin side, the ways he mocked the monks had gained a malicious intent in hopes of pressuring them to join him. It is only after Raimundo rejoins the Xiaolin that he tries to be better behaved by being reserved around the team, and stops himself from lashing out when Omi is demeaning him and learns to take criticism. Raimundo still has rough edges as he continues to attack the Heylin side with too much bravado in order to look good rather than thinking about the longterm outcome that unnecessary violence creates. In spite of this Raimundo definitely makes vast improvements on knowing the limit and understanding the needs of others.
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Jack: honesty/deception.   Given from what happens to the Xiaolin monks when they reject their best attributes and how the opposite of their inner strength will inevitably turn against themselves, it’s possible that Jack’s gift would have been along the lines of reliability and honesty. “The bird of paradise” episode makes it clear that Jack got more things right when he would attempt to be truthful. The mystical leaf gives directions when he admits he needs help, and again the monks rescued him when he told them he was captured. Afterwards he quickly reverted back to trickery in order to mask his own feelings. Jack convinces himself that ‘sneakiness’ is the best way to go about things and will ultimately lose in showdowns by using deception as a go to tactic. He does this because he doesn’t believe in achieving victory the moral way, and to disguise his vulnerabilities. Though he’s certainly not ashamed to pretend to be defenceless to get his own way. The Xiaolin monks typically protect Jack and listen to him if he’s honest with them about a situation from the start. Or at least begrudgingly come to Jack’s aid if he confesses about a situation when it’s convenient to save himself from danger. In comparison Good Jack is overall more accomplished and better at problem solving unlike regular Jack, the only noticeable difference between the two of them is honesty. His counterpart Good Jack is ridiculously honest about what he wants and his own feelings, from being happy that Omi came back and commenting on how he will miss being good. Good Jack can figure out a challenge quickly and not draw out the situation by lying to himself and being upfront to those around him. 
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