#but if you can feel something for both halves of a person...if you can overcome that division

[pige0ns]

i love how much the current season of severance is characterized by interpenetration. the first season was cold and isolated. severed. the innies and the outies were separate, and the leaks between them mostly only ominous hints. a tissue in mark's pocket. a dream of black goo. a blue band aid. an orange book. a recording from the break room. of course a reintegrated petey could not survive in season 1. in a severed world, it is the person trying to become whole who is the doomed, ill-suited freak. willing lobotomy should be grotesque, but when it is sanitized by corporate and scientific aesthetics, it can seem like the civilized thing, and anti-lobotomy that is grotesque. anti-lobotomy that is homeless, unshaven, and dripping blood.

this is why the we we are is so successful as a conclusion to season 1. it is a shocking violation of the boundary that existed all season. it is not just an ominous hint, but a total, almost violent obtrusion. as transgressive as the act of cutting, but in the opposite direction. and it makes the violence of the original cutting more salient in retrospect. (it's in the name, too--"we" instead of "you"; a coming together instead of a separation)

and now, in season 2, in the aftermath of that boundary violation, the boundaries start breaking down even further. helena on the severed floor. mark's reintegration visions. gemma being herself, even deep inside lumon's bowels. milchick visiting their houses. gretchen visiting dylan. mark in the birthing cabin. the innies outside at the ortbo. burt and irving being influenced by their innie connection. mark and helena meeting in the restaurant. the literal sex and romance and infidelity, involving not just innies or outies, but innies and outies. representatives of the inside and outside physically, bodily, commingling.

and it's against this backdrop that the characters in season 2 have begun to confront the boundaries within themselves. they've begun to ask how different and how separate they really are. do innies and outies have different souls? is infidelity with yourself really infidelity? it's almost cliche at this point, but really: does love transcend severance? clear narrative roles of hero and villain are decaying. former antagonists like milchick and cobel are now something murkier. meanwhile helly and helena, once seemingly so distinct, have increasingly revealed their commonalities. both trapped, both drawn to mark, repeating lines like "she's not your wife." the emphasis on helena this season is key. helly and helena embody self-division, given their initially divergent characters, goals, and narrative roles--one a hero, the other a villain. so for their differences to erode, for helena to get closer to the screentime that helly got last season, signals that this is a story in which self-division itself is growing suspect, unstable, untenable.

and then there's mark's reintegration. if of course petey couldn't survive reintegration in season 1, then of course mark can't complete his reintegration in season 2. season 2 is not a story of completion, it is a story of transition. it is messy, ambiguous, ambivalent adolescence. mark might want his innie's memories, but he has given no indication that he wants or identifies with his innie's self. as protagonist and deuteragonist, mark and helly are natural foils, and mark's forced and unsuccessful reintegration process is in contrast with helena's unexpected inching towards "natural reintegration", to use britt lower's phrase. in "attila" we see helena with her hair and manners loose, however awkwardly, playing at aspects of helly in a way that mark scout, as of "the after hours" (when this is written), would not consider doing with mark s. metaphorically, mark cannot yet reintegrate because his halves are not aligned. but they're not separate any more either. they're overlapping. they're at odds. but what will make them align? i assume that is what the finale and next season are for.

[mxssful]

the flesh in the fruit and the blood in the wine

Or, as it sits in my wips: "normal people being normal about eating fruit"

Belongs to the upcoming chapter five of gets stuck in your head (won't come out of your mouth) that i am still fighting with.

Thank you as usual to @wishforhome and @inquisimer for reading my nonsense, even when it's several paragraphs of meandering about eating fruit, when there is, in fact, a distinct lack of fruit due to seasonal constraints in the scene.

He knows her to have manners— Rosa had possessed some kind of knowledge before he brought her home like a stray puppy; she had known how to emulate something, if not delicate, then careful. How to be quiet and stay out of the way, how to lower her eyes and bow her head and become something lovely and soft and nonthreatening. Viago isn’t sure who hates this skill more, Rosa herself, or him.

Upon this foundation, manners weren’t that difficult to teach her— how to eat in polite company became a much easier endeavor once Viago framed remembering the right kind of fork as a challenge for her to overcome. She likes being challenged, and she likes winning, and he likes how clever he feels when he finally finds the path of least resistance after she makes him fight for every single thing. When they can push past the pain and the conflict and find something that works.

So he knows her to have manners, because Viago taught Rosa manners. But when she’s alone, or alone enough— ‘would you not have to be polite to be considered polite company, Viago?’— Rosa allows herself to exist in all her unrefined nature— never not graceful, but with an edge of something animalistic. 

This is how she eats fruit:

Rosa prefers things she needs to fight to get to sweetness. She likes things either with some kind of skin taut enough to feel the resistance of it on her teeth, or with a peel she needs to destroy with her restless fingers in order to pacify her. And these are the tools she prefers to use, the ones to be found in her own body, even if Viago knows for a fact that Rosa is rarely without at least three blades on her person— one, of course, is ink on her skin.

She gets strangely focused on this act— the peeling, the biting, the chewing, the tasting, the swallowing. A violence of no consequence, a commitment to enjoying the very last notes of the flavor. She peels back her lips so they do not get in the way of her teeth tearing at tender flesh, she wraps her tongue around seeds and pit, sucks until no more sweetness can be drawn out, then spits them out carelessly. 

With oranges, she is careful in her brutality, methodical, always following the same patterns. She sinks the entire length of her thumb right through the middle, opening a wound from where she can begin to tear the peel apart. She keeps the pieces in her pockets— to be dried and put into little fragrant bags, along with rosemary and clove, or perhaps for some other, equally obscure use.

Once she is done with the peeling, Rosa spears the fruit again, this time with both her thumbs. She closes her eyes as she splits the fruit apart, enjoying the sound of the thin membrane breaking, separating. The unsealing of something made to be kept hidden, pried apart by her curious fingers.

She splits a single wedge from both halves, it matters not which one. This one she pops into her mouth, entirely aligned over the row of her back teeth, so she can get the most damage out of the act of biting. If it’s sweet, she hums. If it’s bitter, she doesn’t. Regardless, she keeps eating in this slow, drawn out fashion, until there is nothing else for her tongue to be entertained by other than the sticky remains of the mess she leaves behind.

The aftermath of oranges is the same as with any other fruit: lips to be licked and fingers to be sucked, all traces of juice falling victim to spit and tongue. Sugar-sweet drops that fall down the inside of her forearms get caught by pink, wet muscle, its paths untraced back all the way to the spaces at the base of her fingers. Only when she is finished she allows distractions to permeate this bubble of concentration, this strange charm the act of eating fruit casts on her.

And others, of course, get caught as well— because she has a way of getting the world caught in her ripples— between fascination and revolt. 

Lately, Viago has found a certain allure to the act.

This is not a comforting thought.

The worst of it comes after she is finished, when Rosa looks up to find his eyes already looking, and she looks back in guileless confusion. ‘You eat like an animal,’ he says to her in those times, and Rosa simply shrugs, unapologetic of her nature, and neither of them address the ink dripping from Viago's quill, staining important documents.

It usually takes him a moment longer to go back to what he was doing— the images dance over his eyes, superimposed in strange ways. A fox with a dead rabbit, blood dripping from its mouth, looking like it's laughing at him. A hunting dog picking bones clean. Rosa, with blood all over her mouth and chin, sitting astride a dead target. Tongue on warm skin, licking saccharine paths that transform, turn red, but taste perhaps no less sweet to her. 

Viago thumbs at the scar on his hand, over his glove. She eats like a wild thing, bloody and violent and lovely.

[breathlessmorro]

I was just wondering how do you feel about Misako and Wu? Especially whatever they have going on in cannon

Do you guys get the joke?

Alright so it's no secret that I'm actually a fan of Misako and view her as a complex character that suffers from terrible writing and misogyny both in the fandom and in the team that works on NinjaGo. The love triangle between her, Wu, and Garmadon is a whole MESS -

That being said, I don't mind either Wusako or Garmasako as a ship. I think both have interesting aspects and can be done really well if they're handled correctly. The drama of being torn between two brothers, who are the physical embodiments of Creation and Destruction??? I'd pay to watch that spin off, not gonna lie.

On the one hand, you have Garmadon. Cursed since childhood to turn evil. Alienated by his father because of his curse, Garmadon makes an effort to overcome the evil in his veins whilst embracing the heritage of his element. He fights for NinjaGo's peace and safety, even if he knows that in due time, he may come to threaten it himself. All of this, and he falls for this beautiful, intelligent woman. Who chooses to keep him in her life regardless of his doomed fate. He loves her, and he would do anything for her.

Then there's Wu. The second son. Not the heir, but responsible for his downfall regardless. He's forced to watch as his beloved older brother gets shunned by their father for something he truly cannot help. Has to deal with favoritism, and how it affects the person he's closest to. He tries to branch out, to do good for his realm, to teach and take in those that need him. He brings up a son, a reckless little boy with power over the wind, and thinks he can give him a better future, only to ruin that too. Then his brother introduces him to a beautiful girl, whose intelligence rivals his own. She can outmatch his Spinjitzu, and she got a mind of her own.

Neither brother knows that they both admire her. She's torn between them both.

I think Misako's mindset is genuine in the sense that she loves and cares for both brothers. She's torn between two halves of the balance, loyal to the path of good, but drawn regardless to destruction and darkness. I think she chose Garmadon because he made the first move (not really, that was Wu but Garmadon stole his thunder), and it took the pressure off of her shoulders to choose for herself.

That being said - when Garmadon is banished, and she has to give up her son to keep her family safe from the prophecy of the Green Ninja, I think she loses hope. Not her feelings, but the hope that one day Garmadon will come home, and they can have their family again. That's why she starts to lean towards Wu when they're reunited. Old feelings rise up so fast, and she's helpless to her heart's desires.

Then Garmadon comes back, and she doesn't have to choose again. She can have her family, and that doesn't erase her torn feelings, but it settles them. For now.

Until she learns that the very reason she chose Garmadon, despite his evil and his inevitable fate, was a lie. That if Garmadon hadn't been who he was, she would have chosen his brother.

Misako realizes she has to make the choice for herself now. Because waiting for someone to step forward hurt her - hurt the elements she came to love - hurt her son. It tore her family apart, and drove a stake between the brothers. She never wanted them to fight over her, so she finally makes her choice - to refuse to choose.

TL;Dr: ... I feel a lot of things lol

[trojanteapot]

Obligatory Infinity Train Fanfic Plug I Guess

I have some new followers since I posted about my Infinity Train cosplay process so I guess now's a good time to plug my boring overly-long fanfics that are mostly sad and stuff.

SHIPPING FICS

RYMIN:

Ain't No Cure For Love: Ryan and Min-Gi perform their first gig in Montreal. Min-Gi wants to confess his feelings. (First fic I ever wrote probably a bit rough now and the only fic without any sort of theme besides "love wins" i guess) It Can't Be Helped: Takes place in the mid-2000s when Ryan and Min-Gi's band have become quite successful and are touring East Asia. Ryan has some cultural identity issues to overcome at the age of like, 40-something. (This one is much much better than the first Rymin fic, and is about more than just shipping. I did a ton of research into Japanese-Canadians and Korean-Canadians for it as well! Shout-out to my partner for his huge role in shaping this fic as he is Japanese-Canadian himself.)

GRIMON:

Raison d'Etre (PART 1) (PART 2): Post-Canon AU where Simon survives the Train. Grace and Simon spend about 4 years apart from each other living their own lives on Earth, but one day Grace shows up randomly in Quebec to pay Simon a visit. Traumatic wounds get reopened, things get emotional, philosophical, maybe even a little... sociopolitical? Also interspersed between Grace and Simon's little dates are flashbacks to the Train that explain exactly how Simon managed to leave the Train in this AU.

I separated it into two halves because the second half contains smut. However, the second half kind of needs to be read for there to be a complete story. The smut is entirely skippable and doesn't contribute to the overarching plot so I do encourage you to read both halves.

(Also of note is that this takes place not in the "present" but in the past (2018), because I am An Old Person(TM) and so I made Grace and Simon millennials. And I also didn't want to write about the pandemic. It's not that noticeable and you can ignore that timeline fuckery if you want.)

True Love Waits: (VERY VERY CURSED) Sort of not a shipping fic? But Grace gets pregnant here and we all know who the father is! So Grace needs to leave the Train before the baby is born. Canon complacent so Simon is dead. (TW: other than pregnancy there's also thoughts of self-harm and mentions of abortion)

Leave It In My Dreams: Grace's sad nightmare in Alma Mater but from Simon's perspective.

Shame On You, Blue-Eyed Fox: Grace lets her guard down and harassed by a rookie cop. Simon finally makes himself useful for once in his entire life. (TW: real world racism obviously.)

GENERAL FICS

Alma Mater: Post-Canon. Tulip starts college, is very typically Tulip about it, but she befriends an older student named Grace Monroe who helps her through it. However, Tulip comes to learn that she and Grace have more in common than they realized at first. Also Jesse and Lake get thrown into the mix and drama ensues. (Mostly canon complacent except for 1. time period, and 2. Grace is from California, not DC, but her parents work in DC.)

Initial State: A side story to Raison d'Etre. After Simon realizes he's wrong he works with the Cat to bring his number down and leave the Train. But this isn't as easy as he thought especially when he meets a denizen he's recently met before, but never expected to meet again (becausehekilledherlol).

Semi-Automatic Lonely Boy: Prequel to Raison d'Etre. Just a series of vignettes of Simon's life after returning to Earth. (TW: depictions of self-harm) Other than It Can't Be Helped, this is the other fanfic that I am the most proud of so far. Literally went and relearned French to write some of the dialogue in this.

I'll Get It Right Sometime (ongoing): Four years after Book 3, Hazel and Amelia have a pretty decent life on the Train. But this peace is interrupted when Hazel meets a passenger and decides to help him through the Train. How can Amelia keep Hazel safe? Who is this passenger anyway? Why is the Cat so interested in interfering? Why is Simon somehow involved?! Why is JESSE somehow involved?!?!??! (Note: I think Hazel ages normally, so she's 10 years old in this one.) This is also my most ambitious fanfic yet. I have an Entire Homestuck Reference chapter, a Reddit chapter, and I plan to have several Discord chapters.

[dragonseattofu]

NekuShiki question time! #2 :)

Who said "I love you" first? When?

Do they ever go dancing? How does it go?

Who is more affectionate with the other?

First I love you

The person who I envision to say the first “I love you” in the post-NEO world would be Neku. Pre-NEO I would hands down have thought it would be Shiki, because out of the two I feel like Neku’s more of an awkward sort and wouldn’t know how to put romantic feelings into words. But after NEO I feel like Neku became a little better at conveying his feelings and here’s why:

He watched her exit the elevator. She was talking to someone holding a camera bag, possibly the photographer she had just hired a couple of days ago. He remembered their evening meal yesterday, one he had to pry her away from her work to partake in, relating to her upcoming photoshoot. He learned their usual photographer had double booked and she had to scramble to find a replacement. The replacement looked young, around their age, and seemed to be bowing a goodbye to her before walking towards the exit behind him.

Neku continued to watch her, as she pulled out her phone from her Mr. Mew purse. Shiki tapped furiously at the screen, with speed rivaling Nagi, and seconds later he felt a buzz in his pocket.

After tucking her phone back away, Shiki moved toward the turnstiles situated near the door and finally saw him. It took her a second to overcome the surprise, he didn’t tell her that he was coming to pick her up, but she immediately brightened as she walked toward him at a steadfast pace.

How many days, months, years had he waited and hoped for to see a sight like this? To feel like this? Like his chest tightening in anticipation of her being in his arms, his cheeks warming at her smiling at him for simply … existing? How long had he spent thinking about the life he could have had with his friends, with her?

When Neku was dropped into the Shinjuku UG, he went into shock. Why? Why was he back when he was banned from ever playing the game again? He had just gotten his life back. He finally didn’t feel so alone in the vast seas of Shibuya.

But then he got shot … again.

His cynical side thought, maybe this was his retribution. He didn’t deserve friends, not after what he did to him…

But then he remembered them, and what they had all said to him.

“Let me in! Tell me what you're thinking!”

“Give up on yourself, and you give up on the world.”

“You're not my partner anymore man, you're... my friend. So trus' that yo!”

Come on, work with us. A problem shared is a problem halved!

And then he could have sworn he heard her…

“You finally came back to us … I knew you would.”

“I’m so happy you're back, Neku.”

He didn’t remember her saying that to him, but it wasn’t the first time he felt like he saw things that haven’t happened yet, things that could happen if he played his cards right. Visions of a future that gave him some … hope.

Every battle he fought, every new area he stumbled into, every floating thought he passed, all led to this hope that he would get back to his friends.

When he wasn’t fighting to survive, or when Coco was standing watch so he could rest, he thought about them. Was Beat skipping classes still? Was Rhyme learning how to do those ollies Beat was trying to teach her. Was Shiki … was Shiki hanging out with Eri right now? Was she fixing a stitch on Mr. Mew? Did she miss him, the same way he missed her?

His time in the RG after playing three weeks in the reapers game was short, but nothing less than wonderful. Shiki and Neku went on a couple outings together, just the two of them when the Bito siblings had family errands. It started out a little awkward, especially when familiar restaurant and store keepers thought they were an item already. A specific ramen owner was the worst of them all even though his teasing came from a place of fondness for the pair.

Without him realizing, being with Shiki was almost as natural as breathing, and every moment he spent with her was fun, interesting, precious to him.

Neku didn’t get the time he needed to work out how important Shiki was to him before being plunged into the Shinjuku UG, but three years of company to only the disembodied thoughts of lost souls and an occasional “fairy” reaper gave him the opportunity to delve into it. The conclusion he reached gave him the motivation to keep fighting, to keep surviving. For once, he had someone worth living for.

“Earth to Neku?” Shiki waved her hands in front of his face.

He blinked, bringing himself back to the present. Shiki stood on her toes, trying to look at his face underneath his overgrown bangs. He felt her touch his cheek, concern marring her adorable face.

He hates that he brought so much strain to her life. Maybe she could have been happier with someone else, someone who wouldn’t break their promise to go shopping the next day and abruptly disappear.

But then she smiled at him, having noticed that he simply zoned out. And all of a sudden his negativity stopped spiralling and he felt grounded again. He may not feel like he deserved her, but she chose him nonetheless.

She chose to never give up on him, that he would survive the ordeal he was thrust into. She chose to be the best version of herself that she could be while she waited for him.

And then even after all that time had passed, she still chose to be with him.

Neku didn’t know if there was a word that encompassed the overwhelming emotion he felt whenever he thought of Shiki. One certainly felt close enough though.

“Hey Shiki?” He asked, putting his larger hand over her smaller one that lingered on his cheek.

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

He couldn’t remember the last time he said that to anyone, if he did at all. Even though Neku had told Shiki almost immediately after his arrival in the RG that he wanted to be more than friends, he hadn’t used that word before. Love was still such a foreign concept that he wasn’t sure he understood it completely, but if there was anyone in the whole world he could associate love with, it would be Shiki.

Shiki’s hand on his face stiffened at the sudden confession. For a hot second, maybe it wasn’t the time or place she expected him to say it. He felt a slight panic from the doubt of her not reciprocating his feelings.

But those thoughts were quickly thrown out when she leaned in and kissed him.

It was a kiss longer than they had ever shared before. She was physically telling him something, but he was a little preoccupied to fully process anything. Shiki pulled away, far quicker than Neku would have liked, carrying the sweetest grin he ever saw on her.

“I love you too, Neku.”

Dancing

Shiki would have this fancy company dinner that she’d have to go to for networking. As friendly as Shiki is, she’s still introverted and the whole event just sounds utterly exhausting. Neku would be her plus one, because even if that’s the last place he would rather be, he’s her partner, and that’s that. She gets well enough along with everyone, but she has to make the rounds and greet everybody, leaving Neku alone at times. Thankfully Eri’s also there, and the girls take turns between networking and keeping Neku company. He surprises both of them when the head designer for Jupes notices Neku’s deep purple button down shirt from Jupes under a Gatto Nero’s half grey plaid - half black solid blazer (it’s visually better in my head than what I just described), and wants to talk to the designer of the jacket. Neku goes full endorsing mode for his girlfriend, and smiles smug when the girls realize they didn’t need to worry about him, much less securing a major deal with a major brand for a collaboration. He’s pretty happy with himself when he hears a version of Someday play on the surround sound. The dance floor opens up, and a couple of people start a waltz.

Neku thinks to himself, it’s an odd thing to have a dance in the middle of a company dinner, but dinners in the fashion industry are often hosted by the most eccentric of people, and he supposes it’s not so peculiar after all.

The melody plays soft and slow, and if he’s honest with himself, it’s a pretty good rendition of one of his favorite songs. He sees Shiki from the corner of his eye, silently asking her to dance as he extends his hand out. She’s surprised at the gesture. Neku’s many things, but dancer’s not one of them. The exaggerated kicks he’s so fond of are sort of hard to move elegantly in. A simple slow dance, he thinks, is enough for him to handle. Her thin finger slipped effortlessly into his hand.

More affectionate

Post-NEO, I feel that both are pretty affectionate toward one another, but in different ways. Shiki’s more physically affectionate, she’s more of a hugger and is always holding his hand, or his clothes, just so she can feel that he’s there. He doesn’t initiate physical touch as often as she does, but he never let’s go, or moves away from it. This happens more naturally as they start dating, snuggles and such.

Neku’s more affectionate verbally. He’s gotten comfortable saying what’s on his mind more often. He’s not shy about complimenting her, she doesn’t need his reassurances but his opinion is important to her nonetheless. He’s a natural flirt; says things that would be considered suave without intention. He would say pick up lines without realizing that they were pick up lines.

Okay, so I’m like not really sure how best to put my thoughts together but here goes:

The Shibuya and Twister kiddos would all be at some fashion function, and the Fret and Beat would comment on how attractive some of the models are. Neku would just be like, “yeah, they are attractive, but they aren’t as beautiful as Shiki.” Him referring to how much he loves her appearance as well as her personality, whereas he knows nothing about these girls so all he is going on is their looks.

And of course Shiki, who has pins in her mouth and is trying to get her models ready, hears this. Her jaw loosens and the pins fall on the floor. She’s essentially flushed and flabbergasted, by what he said and how nonchalant he said it. He looks at her like he said nothing wrong. Then he just smiles at her, and she just stutters out curse words. She doesn’t have time for this.

Notes: I’m so sorry for the late reply. I’m such a slow thinker and writer! But thanks again for the ask! The first prompt sort of snowballed. Hope you like it! @doesitringabell, I added a collection on Ao3 dedicated to you for any/all other prompts that end up longer than I had anticipated. Check out the source content.

Also sorry for any typos and such, let me know if you spot any. If anyone is still interested in my rambling mess of Neshiki fanfics/ficlets, don’t hesitate to send me more asks! It might take a while, but just know that my moments of silence are just me tinkering with ideas (writing something, hating it, revising it, writing again, rinse, repeat, then screw this, just take it.)

[babbushka]

In The Becoming

Mob!Kylo Ren x Reader

1.5k ; cw: Mild angst (metaphoric discussion of depression and past trauma), introspection/existentialism, Jewish theology, Kylo just loves his wife so much

Available on AO3

                                                     -------------------

If it be your will, that I speak no more

And my voice be still, as it was before

I will speak no more, I shall abide until

I am spoken for, if it be your will...

 Kylo has never been a religious man. Yes, he goes to synagogue, and yes he celebrates the holidays. Yes he keeps Kosher and he knows the mother tongue, yes he wears his chai proudly around his neck. But he’s not so sure he believes, really believes. Too much of a skeptic, he always has been, even his mother says so. He doesn’t know if anything is out there, condemning or judging him. He’s never been concerned with condemnation, Kylo thinks.

Well, perhaps that’s not entirely true, he muses as your palm smooths up against his, and your fingers twine together. He steals a glance at you, just a peek at you from the corner of his eye. He hopes to see you stealing one at him too, but you are staring straight ahead listening to his uncle, Rabbi Luke, give the shabbat service on this Friday night. It is the second night of Hanukkah, and Luke always gets excited about adding in the special verses and prayers.

Kylo speaks them when he’s meant to, but he finds that when he does, it is not an all-knowing all-powerful God to whom he prays.

It’s to you.

If it be your will, that a voice be true

From this broken hill, I will sing to you

From this broken hill

All your praises they shall ring

If it be your will, to let me sing...

 For as long as Kylo can remember, you have occupied the holy space in his mind. If he has a soul, you are the one whose fingers are clutched around it. And how kind are you, that with this power you hold all you want to do is love him? He has loved you for as long as he has known you.

Kylo would do anything – anything to protect you, to keep you happy, keep you safe. He knows no other person who deserves the magnitude of his strength; and if he did, he would strike them down so you can remain on the pedestal that you have rightfully carved for yourself out of his ribs.

Beshert, Uncle Luke had called it. Two halves of a whole, cut from unique unseen scissors, fitting only with their missing partner. Kylo had never been more divinely inspired, than by learning of this ideology during one of Luke’s school sessions. They had tried to encourage him to become a Rabbi in his own right, follow in his uncle’s footsteps and keep him out of the crime which his family was infamous for. Poor Luke had to deal with him for an entire summer, taking Kylo under his wing and teaching him all he knew.

It hadn’t gone well.

Sitting there in synagogue with your hand in his, Kylo remembers the hours of studying and of discussion, asking all the right questions but not being satisfied with any of the answers:

“Maybe that is the point,” Luke had offered one summer afternoon, when Kylo wished he were enjoying lunch with you instead of being lectured by his uncle, “Maybe we’re never supposed to be satisfied. Maybe we’re supposed to spend our time questioning, learning, and working towards answers that may or may not come.”

“How long have we spent questioning, Uncle Luke?” Kylo had grumbled, thirteen and angry, so filled with rage that he has no outlet for expressing. “How many thousands of years? You’d think we could agree on an answer for something.”

He has nothing but his books, and they are so very vague.

“Ah, but the beauty of it all is in the becoming.” Uncle Luke had said, and that’s something that has stuck with Kylo for his entire life.

In the present, Kylo frowns at the memory. You give him a squeeze of your hand, before pulling it away to gently pet through the baby’s soft hair as she fusses in your arms. He leans over and taps her on her little shoulder, and she gives you the exact same look that you always give him when you think he’s about to do something very silly.

The similarity stuns him for a moment, and he just presses the smallest little kiss to the top of her head, and she lets out a happy sound, before snuggling back against your neck.

He doesn’t blame her, that’s where he would spend all his time too, if he could.

 From this broken hill

All your praises they shall ring

If it be your will, to let me sing...

 For too much of Kylo’s life, he has felt like he was drowning, a raging storm out in the open oceans. Leia and Han giving up on him at such a young age had done it, he’s sure. Allowing Snoke to come into his life and ensnare him with promises of power and control – control he desperately sought – had been a nail in a coffin. The gash in his face at the hands of his dearly departed sister reminds him that it didn’t have to be that way – but it had, hadn’t it?

He was drowning, gasping and spluttering on life, limbs sore and aching in his bones. He killed and maimed and brutally beat those who Snoke had commanded, and he had done so without any thought, hoping hoping hoping that perhaps now he would feel something, perhaps now he would be free.

Kylo should have known you were the one who would free him, he should have known from the minute he had asked you to dance at your bat mitzvah, two pre-teens awkwardly stepping on one another’s toes and shyly laughing about it all the while. He should have known then, when you didn’t even tease him for the way his ears stuck out from under his yarmulke.

When you killed Snoke, the night of Han’s murder, the night Kylo thought his life was over, he knew then. He had been drowning in the ocean of humanity, but when you rescued him from the gutter and kissed him for the very first time, he happily swallowed the salted water of your adoration until his lungs were full of it – and for the first time in his life, instead of fighting the tides, he became them.

 If it be your will, if there is a choice

Let the rivers fill, let the hills rejoice

Let your mercy spill

On all these burning hearts in Hell

If it be your will, to make us well...

 When he sees the little bundle of joy in her pretty white dress, her eyes big and wide and eager to take it all in – the lights and the glass windows of the temple, the music and sounds and prayers and the candles on the menorah that burns proudly. A million possibilities for life in this one small infant, so many opportunities.

And you, his wife whom he would do anything for – what a miracle that you are his, and he is yours, here together in this temple alive and well, after the lives you have lived. How far you both have come from those first meetings, those shy attempts at conversation. How far you have both come from the anger and pain and violence and rage – to be sitting here, in synagogue, on Hanukkah together.

He is overcome with emotion then, blinks back tears as his jaw clenches to try and keep composure. Luke is looking at him, speaking words that Kylo doesn’t pay attention to, because all he can think about, all he can pay attention to in this moment is you. Kylo would have walked into the flames of hell for you, had you asked. Even as a teenager, he sought ways to force the universe’s hand to grant your wishes.

Sometimes you look at Kylo and wonder what goes on inside his head, when he is so quiet the way that he sometimes is. He doesn’t have the words to voice the depth and ferocity of his love for you, and he doesn’t know if he ever will. He is overwhelmed sometimes, with the truth of it all – you love him too. You voice it in different ways, but you are vocal just the same. It reminds him of the Torah, of how the text is there but the interpretation is ever-changing.

The service is over, and you move to stand. Like the current to the moon, he stands with you, moves with you, a hand on the small of your back. Kylo’s heart pounds as the little face peeks over your shoulder at him, and when he smiles, she smiles too.

She has your smile.

He knows what Luke meant, now.

The beauty is in the becoming.

 And draw us near and bind us tight

All your children here, in their rags of light

In our rags of light, all dressed to kill

And end this night, if it be your will

If it be your will.

[kae-karo]

Kae kae! I wanna hear about your thoughts: what is your headcanon for what happened during that night between Kaeya and Diluc? So many people have different thoughts About what happened and I want to hear yours!

hi hi hello dear!!! oof okay okay well for me i do a lot of speculating based on fic and like. i'll write different things depending on what i want to do with a story, BUT here are my thoughts on what may have happened in canon:

first, the basics/what we know based on character stories - kaeya's vision story (x) is long as hell but worth a refresher read, cause it talks about kaeya's internal struggle between his duty to khaenri'ah and his loyalty to diluc and crepus, and how crepus' death upset the balance. while it doesn't explicitly state a resolution to his struggle, it does go on to talk about how guilt consumed him over the fact that he didn't share in crepus' final moments nor in diluc's grieving - he'd instead stayed back, reminded of 'that ancient plot' (which i think we can safely assume to mean his supposed purpose in mondstadt, in service of khaenri'ah)

the vision story goes into the bare bones version of what happened that night - kaeya admitted the truth of who he was, he expected diluc's anger, diluc and kaeya crossed blades only for a rush of elemental power to overcome kaeya as he received his vision

what i find particularly interesting here is this line about kaeya receiving his vision: "But now, for the first time ever, he was facing his brother as his true self."

vision lore speculation incoming, because i think that it helps us better understand kaeya's situation

we've since learned (thanks inazuma) that a vision responds to (and is inextricably tied to) a person's ambition - i know i've talked before about theories with regards to why certain people receive certain elements, since i believe (someone correct me if i'm wrong) we know now for certain that visions are handed out by the archon of that element

i've speculated in the past that the motivator for a cryo vision was the fear of losing someone or something dear to them (this works well for a few chars: kaeya - diluc, diona - her father, qiqi - her life) but starts to get a little forced if it's applied to other cryo chars

but with a bigger pool of chars and a canon explanation for why one might receive a cryo vision, i think my revised assessment works better: the ambition that a cryo vision responds to is a relinquishing of a past self in pursuit of one's true self. or, perhaps a less optimistic take, the relinquishing of a fantasy life for a more complex but truer one

ganyu, setting aside her life as solely qilin and accepting both halves of herself when she took up her position among the liyue qixing. rosaria, choosing to fight for her life against those who would use and control her. eula, setting down her learned grievances in pursuit of a life and a 'vengeance' that felt right to her. chongyun's persistent desire to become a true exorcist. ayaka's acceptance of her leadership role and diligence in her study of skills (that did not come naturally to her) in order to represent her clan. diona's eschewing of her childish desire for her father to be the man she wanted him to be in favor of attempting to accept her father for who he is (she offers to mix him a drink once she knows that he's safe). for qiqi i think it could easily be taken in a literal sense - her past life ended, a new, more complicated one began

for kaeya, his vision story says it all: he gave up his idyllic life of a pretty lie in favor of being honest with diluc in who he truly is, even though that only makes his life more complicated. as was stated in his story, he feels "he must live the rest of his life under the heavy burden of lies"

[unrelated kaeya aside: in his story 2, it says "On the contrary, he actually enjoys putting people into the difficult position of making tough decisions." perhaps you're projecting a bit there, hm kaeya?]

ANYWAY all of this was basically to say that i think kaeya admitted the truth of who he was and why he was in mond, and 'expected diluc's anger' because he'd kept it secret this the whole time. had lived a whole life growing up with diluc and chose to stay silent. and diluc just lost his father for fuck's sake lmao so he's definitely emotionally overwhelmed

bc in kaeya's character story 5, he and diluc are described as "knowing each other's thoughts and intentions without a word", which says to me that they...basically told each other everything? knew each other too well, but kaeya had still chosen to hide this from diluc. of course diluc would feel betrayed, and of course kaeya would expect him to - he knows him well, after all

but he saw this fight as his punishment, or perhaps losing diluc as his punishment, or (if you want to be especially grim about it) maybe even losing his own life as a punishment for his secrecy - ultimately, though, i can't quite bring myself to believe that diluc cares necessarily about kaeya's actual ancestry (or like...even his supposed duty to khaenri'ah), more just...that he hid this from diluc

and i think that kaeya receiving his cryo vision, the perfect combatant to diluc's fire (well, sort of lmao) wasn't necessarily what stopped their fight - i think it gave diluc the chance to step back and breathe and see kaeya for a moment, outside of his own anger and hurt, and recognize that he didn't want to fight. he just didn't want to like. process his emotions either lmao (diluc bb u have some issues)

and so kaeya left, burdened with this vision (he describes it as the 'stern reminder' that he must live a life of lies), and he and diluc never really...figured their shit out. diluc ran away, kaeya learned to live without him

and kaeya, to me, seems to have developed that mindset of like...'diluc is exactly as he was that night and has not changed'. ie he seems to act as though diluc is still secretly angry with him, in spite of the evidence that shows that...well, he's probably still not processing those emotions BUT it does show that he cares still, somewhere in there (in his vision story, it says "He did not discuss the past. But he did not deny his past, either." and i wonder if he has his ways of showing that he did care, and probably still does - like the vase, like his continued choice to remain in kaeya's presence when there seems to be no need in the 'a child's secret' quest)

askldfjklsdfj i hope this wasn't too excruciating to get through, i know i rambled quite a lot on some tangentially related theories but ty for the ask dear!!!

[spenciegoob]

Cassiopeia and Cepheus

A/N: hey guys, sorry this is really sad... it’s short but it’s sad I promise (maybe this is a blurb)

Pairing: Spencer Reid x GN!Reader

Category: ANGST

Content Warning: death of a major character, mentions of drug addiction (but nothing explicit), slight language

Word Count: 1K

Masterlist

____

From the day I learned what love was when I watched my parents giggle at each from across the room when I was 8, I always believed there was one person meant for you. That when Zeus feared humans would be too powerful in their four-legged, two-faced form so much so that he split them, love was worth searching far and wide for your other half.

Humans are condemned to a life in need of satisfaction in temporary fixes; money, fame, a facade of life success to use as a measurement in their heads of where others were placed on a personalized scale. The silent brags and judgement that would be sensual and endearing if everybody on the planet wasn’t so goddamn selfish.

And I would like to believe that the more permanent endeavors life had to offer were more than that. There had to be something out there in the world worth more than any damnation the creators of the world deemed necessarily humbling to humans. 

But then I grew up, and I found my half and I lying on dewy grass that I hated the feeling of until I was given a moment I would remember every time it rained during the night.

The stars spread across the sky, and in my head I wondered how many of them were former halves finding themselves together once again. How many of them lost half their soul in the cruel definite living beings had to face as their time on Earth extended. 

That feeling, it had to be unbearable, right? Losing the person who knew you snored in your sleep, and still felt nothing but euphoria when they held you close during the night.

“Do you ever think about how everything came to be?” He asked, startling my brain as it ran rapid with thoughts of soulmates and Greek Gods who were too cruel in the name of love.

“What do you mean?” It wasn’t that I hadn’t understood, I myself was having very similar thoughts, ones that I wondered if he heard without me having to speak them aloud. I just really wanted to hear him talk.

“Do you see that constellation right there?” He pointed towards Cassiopeia, and I hummed a yes in response for him to continue. “When Cassiopeia was banished to the sky by Hera, her husband Cepheus begged Zeus to allow him to join her in the stars. Zeus almost refused, Hera scaring him rightfully so if I may add, but then Cepheus cried on his knees.”

I saw one of his slender arms enter my point of view where I was stuck staring at a very boring sideways M with a story worth a thousand tears, and I followed the path down his finger to another clump of stars.

“That’s Cepheus. Zeus finally caved and sent him hurtling into the sky to lay by his wife for eternity.”

When he finished, I let out a breath I held along the tears in my eyes. I knew there was more, but like the thoughts that started this quick lesson in Greek mythology and constellations, they remained unsaid.

And I would like to believe that as we laid there, watching the black sky full of thousand year old legends that felt close enough to reach out and selfishly grab, our thoughts melted into one. Somewhere along the creation of man, our story was carved on cave walls, the story of two halves settling into an equilibrium of mutual selflessness towards each other.

What the Gods of Olympus failed to teach humans through the stars however, was the line selflessness tiptoed into being dangerous. How much of your soul can you blindly gift your half until there was nothing left of the two of you, but a shell? Because a life devoted to chasing selfless fulfillment should not be empty, not in the name of love.

But when I found my half sitting on a cool tile floor that contrasted against the hot tears falling down his cheeks, begging for something that a part of me could not replace, I didn’t feel anything but empty. Not because I couldn’t help, but because I couldn’t by giving away another part of me that was ready to painfully tear itself from my body only to latch onto his. 

And when he sobbed loudly into my neck, the force in which the tears fell so strong that it shook the both of us, he mumbled a quiet string of I’m sorry’s into existence, but I wouldn’t dare call him selfish for it. Not when we with equal force clung to each other in search for that feeling of being under the stars again.

We almost reached it, the foundation and walls around us breaking piece by piece to reveal a universe ready to hold an immortal love that our cursed mortality cowered away from. On that bathroom floor, I learned why Zeus feared unseparated halves, because when tears dried until my eyes unclouded, and I faced white walls instead of stars, I saw reality for what it was.

That there was no level I wasn’t willing to go for the man in my arms.

There was never any question, any doubt in my mind that one day instead of searching for ourselves in the vast expanse of space, we’d find each other willingly hung in the cosmos, overcoming the fear of overpowering togetherness.

Spencer Reid and I would be unseparated in the name of love.

But when I gazed into the sky from dewy grass alone, half of myself so close, yet so out of reach by lightyears, I didn't feel unseparated. I felt an emptiness worth begging to the Gods about.

And I would like to believe that is why Spencer shared the story of Cassiopeia and Cepheus with me that night, because now I understand.

I understand why Cepheus cried so hard that an almighty god like Zeus would cave so easily, because yes, that feeling is unbearable in every possible way.

___

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[geraltofriviasleftbuttcheek]

hmmm how about 24 and/or 41? :3c

24. you’re my ex but i think i still have feelings for you / 41. overhearing they have feelings for you

post-s1, geraskier, past yenralt, implied yenskier if u squint, break up & make up situation, angst with a hopeful ending

cliche prompts~!

—

there’s a tight feeling in his chest, a pressing weight on him as a rush of feeling overcomes him when he sees jaskier standing at the entrance of kaer morhen.

their eyes meet for the first time since the mountain, and geralt thinks they’re even bluer than he remembers. perhaps it’s the light of the afternoon sun dappling in beams over the keep, or just that old adage of absence making the heart grow fonder, but his breath is stolen as he looks at his bard once again.

not your bard, he reminds himself harshly, dropping his gaze but unable to look away for long, not after so much time apart. not anymore.

he watches those blue eyes go dim with a fresh wave of pain and heartache as they land on him, and then go wide when he sees geralt’s companion.

“jaskier!”

ciri rushes forward from his side, and jaskier drops to his knees, arms open to catch her in a hug. he presses his face in her hair the same way geralt had back in the forest where they found each other, holding something so indescribably precious in his arms.

the aching of his own heart intensifies.

“oh, sweet girl,” jaskier is murmuring to her, holding her tight while she buries her face in his neck. “i’m so glad you found him. it’s alright, it’s alright. you’re safe now.”

he’d forgotten jaskier spent many winters after that disastrous engagement banquet back in cintra’s court, watching their little lion cub grow up. one of us should be there for her, he’d told geralt once, a look in his blue eyes geralt hadn’t been able to place.

he thinks now it might have been something like understanding, something like resignation. always picking up the slack abandoned by geralt in matters of destiny.

he’s always done more than geralt deserves of him.

those blue eyes that always make him feel simultaneously like he’s drowning and finding air after being underwater for too long find his again as jaskier stands up, hands still on ciri’s shoulders, and then jaskier turns away without a word and leads her into the keep.

the clenching in his chest cinches tighter and geralt feels another piece of his heart crack and splinter, chipped away by his own doing.

yen’s gaze, from where she stands beside him, burns into the side of his head. “you’re a real piece of work, geralt of rivia.”

with that, she moves away and heads into kaer morhen, and he watches yet again as the two halves of his heart leave him behind, one slightly mended by necessity, the other still raw and bleeding.

.

he avoids jaskier for the first several weeks as winter sets in in earnest. it’s—more difficult than he expects. kaer morhen is large, but not large enough to keep geralt from being in the same space as jaskier, and he finds himself leaving rooms right after entering them when he sees his—not his—bard sitting at a table or curled in a chair, lute in hand, his voice warm and soft and gods, he’s missed it. missed jaskier.

but he messed it up on that mountain. he fucked up the one good thing life had seen fit to bless him with—how could he have ever called jaskier a curse—and he’s not sure it’s something he can fix.

so he avoids jaskier to avoid having to face the consequences of his mistakes. of this mistake in particular.

it doesn’t last.

he’s been trying to ignore the burn of jealousy in his veins when he catches yen with jaskier, both of them with their heads together and smiling and laughing together like old friends. yen had said she and jaskier had worked through their differences and come to an understanding sometime in the time between the mountain and now, but she’d never offered the details of their relationship.

the urge to put himself between them and pull jaskier away, to crowd him against a wall and hide him from her gaze and focus all of that blue-eyed attention on himself is strong, and it takes a great amount of his carefully learned and honed control to keep it in check. he hates the envy spreading in him like toxins in his blood.

he finds himself lingering outside the door to the room jaskier was given, hand poised in the air as if to knock or push his way in, wanting to, wanting to be let back in, but never going through with it. he listens instead, from the hallway, to jaskier singing softly or muttering nonsense to himself as he goes about his nightly routines. it’s familiar, calming, something he did on the road with geralt, and geralt feels something in him settle knowing jaskier hasn’t changed much at all.

occasionally, he’ll be talking to someone—ciri, usually, or yen, or eskel or lambert—and geralt burns with the desire to be the one he talks to, to be given the honor of keeping him company, even if he’s proven he’s not worthy of jaskier time and time again. he wants jaskier back, but he’s not sure jaskier wants him anymore.

it’s a night like this, geralt lingering beyond the door and listening in, that something in this self-imposed stalemate between them finally shifts.

jaskier is with yen tonight, and geralt thinks, later, wryly, that it was probably some kind of omen from destiny. their voices are low murmurs, occasionally interspersed with laughter, but it turns quiet and somber at some point over something he didn’t catch. at first.

“i used to think i knew him,” jaskier says, confesses it like a dark secret. he sounds so terribly sad it makes geralt want to run himself onto his own sword, because it’s his fault. “that i knew, no matter what words he did or didn’t say, that i knew what he was trying to say, what he was actually saying. now...now, i’m not sure i ever did.”

you did, geralt thinks, jaw clenching. you knew me better than anyone. no one else had ever bothered to know me like you did.

“for someone so smart,” yen muses, “he’s very stupid.”

it makes jaskier laugh. “he is. it’s part of his charm.”

“if you think stupidity is charming.”

“well obviously i did.”

did. but not anymore.

“obviously.”

it’s quiet between them for a moment, and geralt strains to hear anything from beyond the thick door separating him from the one who had become his everything without him even realizing it until it was too late.

“sometimes i wonder if there’s something wrong with me,” jaskier murmurs, and geralt’s heart twists. no, there’s not. you’re perfect. you were always too good for me. “something not quite right inside me. i mean,” he laughs again, but it sounds pained this time, worn out and tired, “why else, even after everything, would i still love him this deeply?”

geralt’s breath leaves him in a rush, like he’s been punch, or tossed into a wall by a beast.

“love makes fools of us all,” yen says. “it’s a curse—but also a blessing. if you’re into it. personally, i prefer a good bondage kink, but to each his own. martyrdom does it for some people, i hear.”

geralt pictures the way jaskier might try to hide a smile in her hair at the attempt at a joke. he always tried to hide his smiles when he didn’t want to admit geralt had said something funny, dry as it was.

he wants that back, wants that easy friendship, that easy love jaskier gave to him so freely.

“i want him back,” jaskier says then, as if he can hear geralt’s thoughts from the hall. “he was never mine, but i want him back anyway.”

i was always yours, geralt thinks. i just hadn’t realized how completely you had me until i forced you to let go.

he can’t listen to any more—he’s scraped raw at the confession, at the depth of jaskier’s love for him even after how he’d treated him, at his own realization. as quietly as he can, he walks away from jaskier’s room, though not without feeling a pull back to the door, back to his bard.

not your bard, he tells himself again. then amends, but maybe he would be again, if given the chance.

geralt returns to his own room, checking in on ciri as he goes, feeling some of the tension in his chest ease knowing his child surprise is sleeping safely close by. his resolve is set:

he’s got an apology to give that’s long past due.

[katzkinder]

this is very rambly and probably won’t make much sense so apologies for that in advance, but I’ve been thinking about this for a LONG while

Mahiru has been pretty pivotal to Every Character arc in Servamp, either through being an active participant who moves the hearts of the people involved, or being the starting point for change in an individual by giving them a gentle nudge down their path. There are only two arcs he actually has very little to do with, and coincidentally, both of these arcs involve character who instead have larger impacts on HIM

Greed pair, and Wrath pair

Greed pair is interesting because you can actually make an argument that he did play a pivotal role by being the starting position for Lawless and Kuro's repaired relationship because he was very insistent upon meeting with Lawless, or through his interactions with Lilac. However, he did not actually have anything to do with Lawless overcoming his feelings of grief, and instead was moved to action by Licht and Lawless, considering things he never did before because of things they said to him.

Lawless forces Mahiru to consider the important questions, the way he’s going to go about doing and achieving and moving forward with whatever nebulous plan he has, because at the time of the theatre fight, Mahiru really didn’t have anything in mind beyond a blanket “I need to stop Tsubaki” and the plucky boldness to attempt to go through with that.

Meanwhile, Licht is a perfect example of someone who has ideals, the gumption to go through with them, and the skill to back up his claims. His capture at the hands of Higan while protecting Mahiru also forces Mahiru to consider the consequences of rushing into things without a proper plan, as well as face the reality of what it means to protect someone.

Even through these changes, I feel like Mahiru planted some seeds within the hearts of both halves of Greed pair and his interference was the starting line for their bettered relationship down the line.

But Wrath pair? Mahiru had literally nothing to do with Iduna or Shamrock's growth, and only a barely passing interaction with Shuuhei that was actually set up for Iduna to come forward and say something powerful to Mahiru instead "A world of hate... Is a sad, sad place." (Chapter 15) And I love that the characters that move Mahiru at his core and spur him onward in his growth as a person are the humans, the ones who put their heart and soul into creating, these ephemeral creatures with so little experience under their belts in comparison to the immortals in the series but still hold so much wisdom.

And it is very rare for there to be a series where the protagonist isn’t the catalyst for every bit of development a character or set of characters goes through, even rare for there to be a female character who controls her own narrative and is the one pushing it forward instead of being the motivation for a male character. For Iduna, it’s quite the opposite!

I love that the first time she cut her hair, it was an act of solidarity with her friend mourning the death of his father. A promise to herself to support and aid him however she could. The second time... Was a promise to save him from the cliff she had unwittingly pushed him off of, yet again resolving to change and grow in order to become better than she was before.

Speaking of which! She also has the strength of heart and mind to look at what she’s done and say “I’m going to do better. I’ve hurt people. This time, I’m going to be different. I’m going to help them.” That takes heart. That takes courage. That takes humility and understanding and so much love for the world. Because there’s absolutely no guarantee that anyone will forgive her for what she’s done. But it’s not about receiving forgiveness. It never has been.

Like, Iduna is literally SHOT IN THE BACK by Shuuhei, and merely admonishes him for it before continuing to HELP HIM. (And maybe she views that as her punishment for letting things get as bad as they did. For letting thing go as far as they did.) And then she chooses to spare the man trying to murder them, because she can see... He’s let go of his anger, and left in its place the sad, pathetic man struggling for a reason, a justification, something

Some people might see this as her being too perfect, too sweet, too naive and kind and mary-sue-ish.

But

Depending on how you look at it, her actions are rather cruel. Shamrock is going to carry that guilt and grief for the rest of his existence. The same way she will carry hers. She is so much more than bubbly sweet cupcakes and girlish antics.

She is strong, and brave, amazingly intelligent, hell, even Touma praises her! She's not stupid by any means. She's a remarkably well crafted character

God though, what gets me about her sparing Shamrock is that... She knows that punishing him is not her choice to make. It's the choice of the person he's hurt

And she believes in Shuuhei and his ability to claw his way back up and take the hands of the people who love him, before he does something he can never take back.

Revenge is not rational

Shuuhei only plays at rationality when he's actually a very emotional person who makes impulsive decisions and clings on to anger because it's the only thing keeping him going, and he's scared of what will happen when he doesn't have that anymore. Iduna, in contrast, despite appearances, is actually a very logically minded person.

But logic doesn't make you cruel any more than emotions make you kind, now does it?

[makeste]

obstacles do not block the path

they are the path.

or something. it’s a zen proverb. anyway, so this is yet another post about Bakugou potentially losing his quirk. I’m gonna try to articulate it a little better this time. rather than just explaining why I think it’s likely to happen, I tried to explain why I think this specific and as-yet-still-hypothetical character decision is a very deliberate and purposeful one. in other words, this isn’t my argument for why it will happen; this is a post about why it should happen.

to start, there are two Horikoshi interviews which I want to quote here, and the reason I’m quoting them is because they do a good job of summing up the dual nature of the hero model that BnHA is built on. I’ll start with the longer quote, which is Horikoshi’s answer to the question, “so Sensei, what heroes do you like?”

[It would] probably have to be Goku and Spider-Man. To me, when mentioning heroes, these two are the ones that I think of. In Goku’s case, it’s the reassurance that everything is going to be fine which he brings when arriving. Such as, on Namek, Goku was getting healed, and his friends were all beaten badly. When Goku finally recovered and walked out of the healing machine, that reassurance right there is what I’m talking about. Something like “Ah, everything is going to be fine”. When I first read it and saw it was really Goku who had arrived, I continued reading thinking the thought “gonna win”. (laughs) That reassurance is something that all of the other characters don’t have. I thought about it afterwards, and even though there are a variety of heroes, the hero model that is built up in my mind is built around the concept that the hero is somebody that brings reassurance. That’s why I think a hero to me is somebody that helps and brings reassurance to others.

In Spider-Man’s case, the first experience I had with this character was the movie, in which there were a lot of scenes with him rescuing people, which I felt that was really cool. The moment he “saves somebody” is really awesome. Well, in Goku’s case, it’s because he likes fighting that he fights, so that’s a bit different. (laughs) You can say that Spider-Man and Goku are two different aspects of being a hero.

I’m sure you all can figure out just who Goku and Spider-Man each represent in respect to our beloved series.

as for the second Horikoshi quote, this one is much shorter. just a single line, actually, in regards to the development of Bakugou’s character:

I also thought to have [Bakugou] and Deku improve on two separate vectors as they entered U.A.

that’s it. just a single sentence lol. except that this one sentence can basically be used to sum up the entirety of Bakugou’s character development throughout the series, and it also serves as a roadmap as to what I think might happen next.

let’s start with the very first line in the series.

this sets the stage for everything that happens next. it establishes who these characters are right from the get-go. we see the hierarchy of quirk society, and we see two children born on polar opposites of the spectrum. Izuku, who was born quirkless, who exists at the bottom of the food chain. and Katsuki, born with a powerful quirk and the natural talent to back it up, who sits comfortably at the very top of the pyramid. two children who, from a very young age, are set up to walk completely different paths in life.

and yet the curious thing is, their goals are the same.

they both want to be like All Might. interestingly, though, they look up to him for different reasons. each boy admires All Might for what they see of themselves in him. Izuku sees a hero who protects others and works to save them no matter what. and Katsuki sees a champion who never gives up and who always emerges victorious.

and what the story eventually goes on to explain is that these are two halves of the same hero. Spider-Man, who rescues people and brings them hope. and Goku, who always wins no matter what, and by doing so brings reassurance to others. these two aspects together make up the perfect, consummate hero which both Izuku and Katsuki aspire to be. and the story is about how they get there.

but it’s that how that’s really where things begin to get interesting. because as previously mentioned, Katsuki and Izuku each start out their respective journeys in very different places. their origins, their “starting lines” as the series sometimes puts it, are polar opposites of one another, and yet they both are heading for the same goal. they want the same thing, but to get there, they each have to journey from a different place.

and what that means is that right from the start, it was impossible for Izuku and Katsuki’s journeys to be the same. more than that, they’re not just different journeys, they’re the opposite journeys. if you start from two opposing ends of a path facing towards the same goal, the only way for you to reach that goal is by traveling in the exact opposite direction as the other person. as an illustration of this, please accept this visual aid which I drew with love:

eh. eh.

so let’s continue to retrace each of their paths as the story progresses. we’ll start with Izuku first. his story begins when he receives One for All, a quirk that allows him to compete with other would-be heroes on equal ground for the first time. by this point he has already learned inner strength and compassion and selflessness. he already cares deeply about others. and so his trajectory now veers towards him learning what it means to be a champion. learning the things that Katsuki already knows.

and Izuku makes a lot of mistakes when he first starts out. he is too selfless. he rushes in to save others without sparing any thought for himself, resulting in repeated instances of him getting in over his head and getting injured and taking himself out of the fight. he almost gets himself expelled for this on the very first day of hero school, and Aizawa’s very first order of business is to chew him out over how irresponsible he is.

we see Izuku struggle to learn how to inspire others and be a leader, traits which happen to come to Katsuki naturally. Katsuki instinctively smiles when he’s up against a wall. he inspires others without even trying -- inspires them even in spite of his abrasive personality. but these are things which don’t come naturally to Izuku. Izuku is more inclined to follow than lead, because he doesn’t feel compelled to put himself in the spotlight, and because he is cooperative and will defer to others who are more aggressive about putting themselves in the leader role. Izuku doesn’t do the whole hero grin thing naturally, either; this is something he has to be coached on and consciously think about, and his early efforts are a bit hit-or-miss.

Izuku is more focused on saving people, and sometimes misses the fact that in order to do so, sometimes the best course of action is to just straight up beat the shit out of the bad guy(s). he learns this over the course of the series, and we see him doing the never-give-up thing against Muscular, and Overhaul, and Gentle. and Izuku’s selfless nature almost causes him to give up OFA to Mirio because he sees him as being more worthy; Mirio has to talk him out of it in order to stop him. in short, Izuku’s arc is all about him gradually learning confidence and becoming a badass.

now contrast this against Katsuki’s arc, which has the opposite trajectory. Katsuki starts out as someone who is already strong and confident. he is hard-working and driven and dedicated to his own self-improvement. he’s a prodigy when it comes to battle, and his determination to succeed inspires others to challenge and push themselves in order to keep up with him. 

he is a natural leader, and a terrible follower. and he completely overlooks the “saving people” aspect of being a hero in favor of the “kicking ass” part.

so now here’s the interesting thing. Izuku’s growth comes from achieving new things and gaining new abilities and skills. his growth comes from experiencing victory and success. but Katsuki’s growth takes the exact opposite path. as someone who has experienced success his entire life, Katsuki’s first steps toward progress only come once he starts experiencing failure for the very first time. it might seem counterintuitive, but his breakthroughs only come after he experiences setbacks. because just like Izuku needed to experience victory in order to grow, Katsuki needed to experience loss. just as Izuku needed to grow stronger, Katsuki needed to learn what it was like to experience weakness. without that understanding, his growth would have stagnated.

so from a certain perspective, the story’s treatment of Katsuki vs Izuku might not seem fair. Izuku constantly receives help while Katsuki only faces hindrances. Izuku’s strength only ever seems to increase, while Katsuki is repeatedly confronted by his own limitations. he’s attacked by villains. he’s kidnapped. he blames himself for his hero’s downfall. etc. etc. etc.

but the reason why Horikoshi keeps putting him through all these situations is because in order to have someone grow as a character, you need to have them slowly overcome their flaws. and it just so happens that Izuku and Katsuki’s flaws are the exact opposites of each other’s. and so when you think about it, it only makes sense that in order for them to develop, they’re going to need to take opposite routes. “what they lack” is completely different. and thus “what they need to gain” will also be completely different. this is something which has been very plainly laid out from the earliest chapters of the series...

...and which has been hammered into our heads over and over again ever since.

anyway! enough of my long-winded rambling. you get the point! Katsuki and Izuku have the same goal but are approaching it from opposite sides. just as they are mirrors of each other, so are their arcs mirrors of each other’s arcs. they balance each other out.

but now I’m going to add on a bit more to that, though, so just hear me out. yes, it’s very good and wonderful that they can do this. their strengths complement each other’s flaws; their weaknesses offset. the two of them can and will one day be unstoppable together, and all of that is cool and great and epic.

but it’s also limiting to think of the two of them solely in these kinds of terms; as half-formed individuals who can only be complete and whole when they’re by each other’s side. they are each still their own person as well! and in order for them to achieve this same kind of balance within themselves, they can’t just simply meet in the middle and be done with it. both of them need to continue to walk down their respective paths and experience each other’s side, not just their own. here, let me just break it down:

Deku: starts out quirkless -> learns humility and compassion and how to put others before himself -> gets a quirk -> learns how to be strong and win and inspire courage in others -> becomes a hero that both wins and saves.

Kacchan: starts out with a good quirk -> learns how to be strong and win and inspire courage in others -> ??? -> learns humility and compassion and how to put others before himself -> becomes a hero that both saves and wins.

ah. and now we finally get to our actual fucking point lol.

do you see?? they are perfect mirrors of each other, except for one critical juncture. Izuku grew up on Rescue Road, but the entrance to Beating Villains Boulevard was always barricaded off. until one day he finally got a quirk, and so was permitted entry. meanwhile, Katsuki has lived on BV Blvd his entire life, and until very recently he never even knew there was a Rescue Rd. and now that he finally does know, he’s been working very hard to get there, and has made many detours all over Plot Parkway, and has finally reached the point where he’s at least able to see the road that leads where he needs to go. but he still hasn’t gotten there yet. for him it’s still barricaded off in the same way that his road was once barricaded off to Izuku.

and there are other ways for him to gain access to this road. ways which involve far less pain and suffering, tbh! but the problem is, he’s never been the type of boy who has the patience for any of those other roads. he can’t be bothered to take the scenic route there. he’s in a rush. and so he keeps on trying to force his way past the barricade using brute strength and whatever other means he can think of, perhaps even trying to use the toll pass he got back on his own street (stay with me, metaphor; we’re in this till the bitter end now), thinking that if it worked over there, it should work for him here too. but it doesn’t. and the longer he keeps pressing up against this barricade, the more frustrated he becomes.

and meanwhile Izuku has already made himself at home over on Katsuki’s own street. and so that sure is annoying! except it turns out that by watching Izuku very closely, Katsuki can sort of get an idea of how they do things over on Izuku’s old street, just like Izuku once observed Katsuki and admired him as the closest he could get to being on BV Blvd himself. so at least that’s something. and the more Katsuki does observe and imitate him, the more he’s actually able to do a passing impression of a true Rescue Rd native. and maybe eventually he even starts thinking to himself, I don’t really need to go down this stupid road anyway, even though deep down he knows that the only route through to All Might Avenue is through that road. and also though, the other thing is that seeing as he’s only ever lived on his own street, he still thinks, even now, that his street is objectively the better of the two and the more important.

but that’s not how it works. the plain fact of the matter is that in order to get to All Might Ave you need to pass through both roads. if it was just Hero Highway that they were trying to reach? well then sure! that one’s easy. exit’s right over there. but they don’t want plain old Hero Highway. they want All Might Ave. they want to be the best heroes. they want to complete their respective character journeys. and to do that, Kacchan needs to find what he lacks. and to do that, he needs to gain access to this road.

so what I’m trying to say here is that because of who Katsuki is, and because of what his goal is, the surest and most logical way to complete his character arc is by bringing it around full circle as a mirror to Izuku’s. in order to fulfill his goal of becoming the best hero, Katsuki has to lose his quirk. it’s symmetry. it’s yin and yang. it’s equilibrium. in order to move forward he must first go back. in order to win, he has to lose. for him, this is the missing piece.

and just to clarify, because I feel like this needs to be said: this is not about “redemption through suffering”, though. it’s not “oh he deserves it for how he treated Izuku all those years ago.” and it’s not “let’s make the audience feel sorry for poor little Kacchan so that they feel more sympathetic towards him”, either. that’s not it at all! because the thing is, this isn’t about punishment; this is about fulfillment. this isn’t angst for the sake of angst. this is about placing a very deliberately and meticulously crafted obstacle in front of him for the purpose of forcing him to learn how to overcome it.

because he will overcome it. this is Bakugou fucking Katsuki. he is not fragile. he is not delicate or frail. and so for anyone who’s worried this might be a crushing mental blow? I think you just might be underestimating him.

that’s not to say it won’t be grueling for him, mind. losing his quirk would mean coming face to face with the very real possibility of losing his dream too. because society doesn’t believe that people without quirks can be heroes. Katsuki himself never believed that someone without a quirk could be a hero.

but you know who did believe that? because he had to believe it, growing up, because no one else believed in him?

yeah. that’s right.

you see, for Izuku, his own intrinsic worth isn’t inherently tied to his quirk, because growing up he never had a quirk. now contrast that with Katsuki, whose own sense of self-worth is completely wrapped up in his quirk, his strength, his natural talent. Katsuki, who grew up being told how amazing his quirk was, and believing that the hierarchy of the world around him meant that having a good quirk placed him above other who didn’t. and who consequently also grew up with a correspondingly huge fear of failure, because his sense of security and fulfillment is contingent on his being strong. and if that were ever to change, to him that would mean a total loss of everything he is, everything he’s ever known, and everything he is striving to be.

“lol I thought you just said this wouldn’t be the crushing blow for him”, and yeah, lol, fair enough. but this is also exactly why it’s so important for him to finally face this fear head on. because even though it frightens him, even though it would devastate him, I don’t think it would defeat him. rather, I think that once he came to terms with what had happened and accepted it, he would do what he always does. he would rise back up.

because in spite of what he has always feared, he isn’t weak. and so even though losing his quirk would be harrowing, I think that, if done right, it could also be liberating and even empowering. because it’s him facing his fears. it’s an obstacle to overcome for the sake of him realizing that he can overcome it. because him being quirkless is not, in fact, the end of the world.

because his strength isn’t in his quirk -- it’s in his spirit. exactly like the boy he once secretly feared. exactly the same as Izuku.

so yeah. that’s basically it. tl;dr Deku and Kacchan are on opposite vectors and Katsuki’s is becoming particularly hazardous to navigate at the moment, but what at first glance seems to be a potential death blow could in fact be the thing that finally propels him forward towards where he wants to go and who he truly wants to be. and I am here for it. I want my boy to find himself some enlightenment. and then to rise back up again like the badass he is.

[anxiouslyfred]

His Grace’s Baker

Summary: When the light and dark sides were split originally, before Deceit or Anxiety even appeared there was a full barricade blocking Remus from going to the Light sides or even Roman’s half of the imagination, but his creations and characters still could. He sent a Baker he could share the memories of over to Roman’s kingdom and over the years relies on that connection to his brother, small as it might seem.

/\/\

The split hadn't been this bad. Honestly, Remus had hated it, being torn apart but both him and Roman remembering being one entire person, but they'd learnt to be individuals, to be brothers that would work together to create. It had been okay because they could support each other through it.

Now they weren't being allowed to do that any more. Whether Patton was in control or it was a change in Thomas mind growing up, Remus wasn't sure, but he was well aware that whatever he'd done to try and keep the connection in the mind-space running nothing had worked. Roman had been fighting just as much at first but now Remus had no clue if that was happening still or not; The barrier had become too thick.

Retreating to the imagination where at least Remus could pretend there were other sides with him it was odd to see a barrier now splitting him off from Roman's kingdom. Once upon a time they'd have loved this, created warring factions to challenge each other until deciding on some treaty or one of them letting the other win to see how the imagination would change for it. Today, all Remus wanted was to walk through the barrier and be with his brother again.

He tried doing so anyway, enough times that a guard patrol on Roman's side came over to investigate, the captain walking straight through the barrier to ask, “Are you alright, your Grace? Is there some force preventing your visit?”

“The barrier? Big glowy wall right in front of us?” Remus waved, pushing against it to check it was still there. The knight had just walked right through it as if there was nothing to separate them, but it was as solid as steel when Remus touched it.

The Guard squinted at the air, reaching out just beside Remus's hands to try feeling what it was clear he couldn't see. His hand once again went easily through. “No barrier appears to be there, you Grace. Perhaps if I were to accompany you to the palace for your visit you can overcome whatever enchantment is preventing your movement.”

With a shrug Remus took the offered hand and prepared to follow but wasn't surprised when only his arm could follow before the barrier was forcing him back again.

“Can you pass my regards onto the Prince, and let him know I won't be able to visit again?” He growled, more frustrated at the situation than the patrol. Nobody mentioned his tone, but nodded to carry on with their route.

Remus hadn't put much effort into creating characters with personalities before but if the only ones able to move between the 2 halves of the imagination were characters then today he would make a masterpiece, and include enough influence that he could share its memories occasionally. It wouldn't be a strong connection with his brother, especially one sides as circumstance dictated it must be, but it was something. Remus would have to make that enough.

When Deceit appeared, confused over why his role was such a bad thing when there was so much Thomas kept hidden from himself, Remus retreated to the memories his baker could share. He'd listen to Roman wondering if something had changed beyond the barrier because there seemed to be something new impacting Thomas. He sent a note with the baker mentioning another Side having formed and wondered if the Prince realised they could have that small connection still. No note was returned but Remus got a massive hug from the baker the next time they visited his side of the imagination.

In Thomas's teenage years, Anxiety became a big enough influence over him to form into a Side and Remus was shocked because he grew from one of the characters in the imagination. It was one of the older ones, often pulled into Roman's stories or playing along with Remus's chaos and if asked neither Creativity could recall who had made that character, or if it was both of them before the split.

That was why Remus suggested trying to go between the parts of the imagination. Deceit hadn't been able to the few times he'd joined Remus there, but Anxiety? Anxiety just walked straight over and apparently began arguing with the Prince. He hadn't been able to leave the imagination to the known side of Thomas's mind at that point, but that was still far more than Remus could do and he burned with jealousy.

Due to how he was created the Baker was also burning things for a while, until Remus calmed down and Roman spent an afternoon, trying help resolve whatever was plaguing his kingdom's baker. Perhaps it felt like stealing memories of his brother from someone else, but having those scraps of attention given to his character helped more than anything.

Remus even had the baker ask if Roman would want to see the Duke if they could share the imagination again somehow. He hadn't expected to see the grief and doubt that it could happen get revealed from his brother and was sure that around any actual sides, or even just some of Roman's other character's that wouldn't be admitted to. Perhaps they were both still suffering from being unable to create together and coping in different ways.

For the first time since the barriers first came up, Remus went to batter the barrier and do all he could to break it down. Virgil had been accepted, and it felt a million times worse than realising Anxiety could visit the other half and see Roman in person.

He just wanted to be back with his brother, able to create together again, even if he could see Roman's inspiration had grown in an utterly different direction than his own.

Falling back from a blow coming on the opposite side of the barrier was a surprise though. Roman had said that the others including himself were worse than Virgil, but now, through the shimmering barrier between their sides the Prince was taking his sword to attack it.

Remus just stood raising a hand to where the next blow was aimed, wondering if this would be the time someone directly held by them came through, just to cut his hand off. It wouldn't be the worst thing to happen since there was still feelings for him there.

He could see Roman's lips moving when after the blow rebounded the sword was flung away and a hand mirrored his own. It was with a sad smile that Remus pulled away, but even then the brothers remained at the boundary, both attacking the block from being together, working together, that had been their for decades now.

In the following days from the barrier barrage, Remus kept checking in on his baker to see Roman there, helping, talking or occasionally just watching the baker work, questioning how some of the shapes the bread was moulded into could change so much. It had always been clear that the baker shaped them from Remus's influence but Roman's side of the imagination shifted them into more typical bread forms once out of sight of any character's. He wished there was someone like the Prince on his side of the imagination to talk to when missing Roman.

Deceit said the barrier was weakening and Remus wondered if everyone else would be accepted before he could even visit the other half of it. He didn't fight the barrier this time though. He'd been watching the news more and decided to try blowing it up. All that created was craters shared half on each side, and still no way for Remus to go through, or Roman to come over.

He tried digging then, tunnelling down as if this was some old prison film where an escape tunnel would work. Having a maze of escape tunnels connecting all the buildings on this side of the imagination was a fun addition really, but not what Remus had intended to make.

It took Janus appearing in 2 videos before on Remus's next trip to try and get through the barrier he tripped through where it had been. Roman was already waiting there, building steps or a wall or something.

“You trip the Duke? You trick me with freedom to send me flying?” the Duke moaned out, going with the fall to roll on the ground. The last time Virgil had visited they'd joked about the miette meme and it seemed fitting now.

“Just wondered if you would like a staircase to nowhere since Maleficent has a wall and path around purely to destroy it.” Roman countered, placing a couple more steps before grinning over at him. “Come on, I want to get some creating done and find out how your skills have progressed!”

Remus bounced up at that, grabbing his brother's arm. “I've got a more exciting swamp than Shrek ever had. Come see it!”

That afternoon and honestly the next few days were taken over for each Creativity by exploring the parts of the imagination they'd never been able to visit before. Remus showed off the creatures and monsters he'd designed, and all the towns wrecked by apocalypse scenarios over the years and then got pulled over anytime Roman needed a break to see the Kingdom and it's treasures.

They even mused over what could happen if Remus was going to be introduced. In fact he'd been shocked when Roman said he shouldn't be there, or at least not active in a video like that so Remus's skill could stand out. After waiting for so long to be able to create together again Remus had wanted to argue before realising the real reason. If his Prince was awake then Thomas would assume they'd be fighting and that could break the imagination apart again perhaps in a different way than the block had been. They possibly could avoid that if Roman wasn't present or at least wasn't awake for his introduction.

Hearing the Baker have the days recounted to him a few days after the barrier came down made Remus wonder what to do about his character in Roman's kingdom. It could wait though. The kingdom needed a baker and they weren't sure how things were changing currently.

Janus got accepted. Remus retreated to and lived in the imagination for that month. Of course there were other unknown sides, and the dark space of the mind still had people in it, but none that he got along with half so well as the 2 now accepted.

Roman was there a lot too so between them there were monsters constantly being created and slayed, quests with traps dreamt up, set off, escaped. If Thomas had daydreamed much at all in that time there'd have always been something interesting to imagine because the pair were creating stories faster than ever, be they horror or romance, murder mysteries or smutty little scenes.

Both Creativity's used escapism to deal with their issues and even when Remus felt exhausted and just wanted to replicate some horror movie or game he wasn't focused on the real world. Just like when Roman just wanted some cheesy romance without creating the entire plot himself there were plenty to bring to life in the imagination.

That was when the Baker got revealed. They were both taking a break, relaxing in a field after separate adventures when Roman mentioned him. “You know I don't think we visited the bakery when I showed you my kingdom. I think you'd really get along well with the baker.”

“Course I do.” Remus replied without thinking. “Put a lot of work into making him years ago so I better still get along with him when he comes over here.”

Roman sat up, looking over at him curiously. “I don't remember you making him before the barrier went up and he's definitely been my Kingdom's baker since then.”

“I tried destroying that barrier everywhere I could find it when it appeared. The Captain of one of the patrols found me and just walked straight through it, couldn't even see it was there. This was before Deceit formed, and well before Virgil became a fully formed side, so I had no clue if Sides would ever be able to walk through but this random knight couldn't tell it was there.” Remus recounted, “So I made a self-insert to send over to your kingdom.”

Roman let out a laugh of surprise. “No wonder he shaped the breads so phallically if you created him.”

“Still get some of his memories and experiences if I focus cause I just wanted some connection with you.” Remus admitted, nudging Roman's shoulder with his foot.

“Wish I'd have known we could do that really.” Roman sighed wistfully. “Looks like Thomas is on track to accept the darker parts of him now though.”

Remus snorted, “He'll always have something he denies about himself. People are like that. Would you have sent me a self-insert if you'd known?”

“We could have sent messages to each other in the character's we created, tried to create stories together like those writer collaborations where it's all done by email.” The prince suggested, not really focused on how it would've work. Neither of them felt like thinking of 'could have been's just then.

The imagination was theirs to share once more, and if there was still a baker connected to Remus but working in Roman's kingdom, well nobody was going to mention it, even when Patton visited and got a bit upset seeing how the breads were shaped.

[damnusillygoose]

Jerza fanfiction(Fluff)

Title: Some insecurities to overcome

summary: Erza has some insecurities. Can Jellal help her overcome them?

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Hiro sensei

'Mira, listen. I think I am overdoing it but I can't stop.'

'I know right? A woman cannot stop her raging heart inside a shop selling skincare products after all.'

'This is very addictive', Erza grimaced, looking down at the products in her hands, ranging from body lotions to SPF to cleansers to moisturizers. All sorts of products a woman can buy to pamper herself.

'You are finally paying attention to your skincare routine. I wonder who is that lucky man who triggered such a change in you, huh?', Mira smiled in a suggestive manner.

'wh-what makes you think I am doing this for a man?! I am doing it for myself you know-

'Yes, yes feminist, I know. In fact, we all know when you exactly started paying attention towards this department. Especially your hair. Stop trying to divert the topic, will you?

'….'

'Does he make you happy?'

Her eyebrows de-tangled themselves from her frown as her face softened at the mention of the man who held her heart within his. 'He does, Mira. He makes me really happy', she gushed in a barely audible whisper.

'I am going be the "best aunt" to your kids. Mhm, though Meredy could be a potential rival for this title', she rambled.

'M-Mira?! That's- You are going too fast! Slow down! It's been just six months to us, give us a break. I would…love to have a family with him in future but right now, it's too soon and I…. I would like to marry him before that', she stammered and covered her face with her hands, turning red at her confession.

Mira eyed her friend smugly, studying her reaction. Erza truly acted different when Jellal was involved. She would turn into the sweetest cinnamon roll around him. Not that she purposefully acted different in front of him.

Erza felt free when she talked to Jellal. She could act spoiled, flirty, bossy, whatever she wanted. She could act vulnerable in front of him because Jellal was her place of comfort. She could be herself within his arms, he was her childhood sweetheart after all.

'Yes, yes grow as a couple, bloom as a couple. Take your time. You guys don't have to rush anyways. Make up for the time you lost', Mira remarked.

Erza lowered her hands slowly, producing a shy smile. 'Yes, we are making up for the time we lost.'

*****************************************************************************************

Seriously though, skincare was such a hassle. It needs dedication and consistency. You have to be patient. You don't get results overnight. Jellal's face was super soft and absolutely blemish free, no dark spots whatsoever. He didn't even use any special product.

'Greens Erza, greens. Eat your greens. Plus, I don't go snacking on sweets in the middle of the night, you know.'

Erza pressed her lips together in defiance. Cutting out sugar redeemed results when someone is trying to achieve clear skin but that's something she couldn't accomplish, if she were to be honest. Leave it, I will try to compensate in other departments like quality sleep and exercise, she tried to convince herself.

She finished applying her hair mask and tied her hair into a secure bun. She reached for her tea tree scrub, took some of it in her hands and started rubbing it in circular motions on her face.

She rinsed it thoroughly after 2 minutes of exfoliating and entered the bathroom to prepare her bath.

****************************************************************************************

Jellal entered the front gate of their little cottage which they bought just at the outskirts of Magnolia. The location had advantages of its own. They both enjoyed and appreciated scenic beauty away from the clanging energy of the city. They could wake up peacefully, hear the serene chirping of birds, as the soft morning rays would kiss their faces gently. After spending an entire decade fighting battles, they thoroughly appreciated the tranquillity provided amidst nature.

Plus, they could very well use some privacy from media houses because Erza and Jellal's relationship was a hot topic going around in the city. They could take long walks without being pestered by them, flirt and make out whenever they pleased, without the fear of being stalked by them. No one could invade their privacy. It was their personal heaven.

Their friends obviously knew about their location, they came to visit them often.

Team Natsu would often come by to annoy Erza but Jellal knew she loved when they visited and she loved picnics as well, so he tried to create an aesthetic arrangement by adorning the flower pots in their lawn with golden lit fairy lights, situated within the close vicinity of their seating layout. He would switch them on late in the evenings, as they all would watch the sun set while sipping tea, stargazing and laughing with each other. Sometimes, Gray would bring his music speakers and they all would dance and listen to some traditional songs together as the fairy lights embellished their surroundings. Jellal truly enjoyed their company, they were a fun bunch to hang out with.

Crime sorciere was no less. Jellal would often play cricket with them on Sundays and afterwards, they would laze around in his lawn, basking in the sun, as it was the closest place from their playing field.

Jellal would find Erza trying to engage herself with his team and serving them pastries. It would warm his heart immediately when he would see her making attempts to integrate with his people.

'Well, you try to spend time with my friends, I want to know yours as well.'

Not to forget the fact, Erza had taken upon herself to look after Meredy, just like she did for Wendy. She would also do her best to include her in girl's night out and slumber parties. The two of the most important women in Jellal's life became close pretty quickly.

He was grateful to have such an exceptional woman who tried to indulge herself with his life, entwining them together, just like they both were meant to be. He was lucky, he contemplated.

He had gone out to visit Meredy. She had recently rented a place in magnolia and Jellal went to check on her if she needed any assistance.

He closed the door behind him quietly and proceeded to place the groceries he bought in the kitchen. He treaded upstairs to their bedroom and found her sitting in front of her dressing table-applying some lotion on her face, her hair neatly wrapped in a towel.

'I am back.'

'Hey. Everything okay with Meredy?'

'Yes, she is ecstatic to have her own place'

'I see. That's good. I should visit her soon and inform her of some cheap shopping complexes, which offer quality clothing in Magnolia. I love to frequent those with Mira. A woman should have some tricks up in her sleeves.' She replied as a matter of fact.

'I am sure she would be grateful for that', he almost laughed. 'What are you doing?'

'Applying moisturizer'

He sat at the edge of their bed and observed her closely.

'What?', she asked

'Can I help you in drying your hair?'

The corners of her mouth raised on hearing his request. She closed her eyes relishing his adoration for her hair that he named himself.

'Please do', she said as she finished applying her lotion on her face.

They were always like this around each other - content and serene, just like two important halves of a single soul, reunited after treading a long and strenuous journey of self-actualisation. Erza took note of the fact how loved he made her feel even through his tiniest action. Like how he was helping her dry her hair right now.

Jellal, unaware of her musing, took hold of her towel and carefully unwrapped it. Her hair was damp but not dripping wet. He divided them in two partitions and gently started squeezing the excess water out with immense concentration and meticulosity. He repeated the process with the other section as well until he was satisfied with his job. He kept the damp towel aside and ran his hand through the soft and glossy texture of her locks reverently.

Erza felt the tension residing her shoulder muscles leave when she felt his expert hands massage her the nape of her neck firmly. He moved his fingers, tracing her collarbone, bringing her against his chest gently.

'Erza, please remember that you are beautiful. Blemish free or not.' He reminded her, whispering gently in her ears before kissing her cheek lovingly. He held her face softly in his hand and turned her to face him, as they held each other's gaze.

She recently developed a complex regarding her skin not being flawless. Those cursed vogue magazines she picked at a store depicted ladies with blemish free faces. They continued to attack her newfound insecurity.

Jellal often witnessed her groaning while examining her face more than usual in front of the mirror. He saw her reading some magazines where models were photoshopped to an extreme extent, as if they had no skin texture at all. Some didn't even seem human with their body enhancements. It was abhorrent, he felt, to make women insecure regarding something which was naturally unachievable. He just wanted to let her know that he was going to love her no matter what and that outward appearance would never dwindle his feelings which he held for 14 years.

'Thank you Jellal', she took a deep breathe and smiled at him, being grateful for his support. 'I am not hating myself anymore for not having clear skin. Those vogue magazines depict a very unhealthy beauty standard and some women end up hating themselves for not looking that fabulous.'

'You shouldn't read them anymore. I don't want you to feel sad over something unrealistic. You are beautiful the way you are.' He didn't think she knew how beautiful she was in his eyes along with her flaws, especially her flaws.

'I am not, believe me. People are meant to be imperfect after all. That's where the real beauty lies. right?', she replied, meaning every single word she spoke, finally brimming with some self-confidence.

'Come here love, sit between my legs, come', he urged her and she relented by walking towards him. He shifted further along the mattress to make some space for her. She crawled over and seated herself comfortably between his legs and laid her back against his chest. He brought his legs around, boxing her within his hold. She brought her hands up to hold his and leaned into his cheek, sighing contently.

They spent a few moments in this position, simply observing and cherishing the sunrays falling into their room-for warming them up in this cold morning. Their hearts-already warmed up with the love they held for each other.

'Hey sleepyhead', he nudged her mildly when he noticed her blinking in exhaustion, almost ready to fall asleep owing to the cosy atmosphere they created, 'Aren't you hungry? What about breakfast? No- brunch.', he corrected himself when he turned his neck to look at the clock. It was almost 11.30 A.M.

'mhmp...? Oh brunch, right. I almost fell asleep', she chuckled, still slightly drowsy.

'What about strawberry sprinkled donuts glazed with white chocolate?!', she exclaimed ecstatically with her eyes wide open, now fully awake.

Of course, he should have known she would reply something of this sort.

'Sure, but after I feed you some healthy omelettes along with salad consisting of broccoli and beans.'

Jellal was kind of particular about nutrition.

'But those donuts are baked, not fried!', she argued. Apparently eating sweets for breakfast was perfectly healthy in Erza's dictionary.

'You can eat fried as well but after we have our brunch.', he hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead. Forget brunch he wanted to eat her right now.

She smiled and rolled her eyes in her apparent defeat.

'Salad it is then.

*****************************************************************************************

A/N: This drabble is also a gentle reminder to all the beautiful ladies out there who feel inferior after browsing through Instagram, looking at those models and wondering why aren't we like them. We are not like them because they themselves do not represent a reality. Instagram is not real, nothing depicted there is. Keep loving yourself and stay hydrated. Do check out my others stories and leave a review if you liked this one. Constructive criticism is appreciated!

link to my profile on fanfiction.net

https://www.fanfiction.net/~damnyousillygoose

[ships-n-giggles]

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity; How Nintendo Subverted Expectations and Emphasizes Unity over the Lone Hero Trope

Having played Age of Calamity to death, I was one of the many people who expected the same outcome of a prequel to the much beloved Breath of the Wild; an exciting, battle based game that ultimately confirms the outcome that we see in flashbacks of Link’s service to the princess before his 100 year slumber, a tragedy waiting to happen.

But, spoilers down below, the rug gets pulled from under your feet in the most positive and heartwarming way.

In order to emphasize the message of Age of Calamity, let’s return to Breath of the Wild for a minute. The game shows very clearly that this follows the Hero’s Journey, which we’ve played many times before in Zelda games. This Lone Hero Trope, as I call it, is the dedication of a single person for a greater cause, who shoulders heavy burdens on their own in order to carry out a noble mission. Both Link AND Zelda represent this trope! Not only do we learn of Zelda’s quiet, lone suffering as she struggles and fails to achieve her inner sealing power, but we see it visually when we play as Link, following his quest to defeat Ganon.

Just look at the Memory Images Link follows. When each one opens up, Link and Zelda often stand apart as time begins. Even their fellow Champions stand apart during the first memory where Link is being knighted, expressing doubts and concerns, while Zelda shrinks with reluctance.

But then when we see the opening scene of the first playthrough mission of Age of Calamity, our first shot of Link not only has him teaming up with an entire platoon, but they’re all united. Standing together, roused by a common cause to fight evil, and positioned close together. In many of the cutscenes thereafter, there’s an increasing closeness to all the characters, and a budding sense of familiarity.

What changed? Baby Guardian.

The Baby Guardian is only given a short period of time to be seen by the audience in the opening prequel, awakened by Zelda’s sealing power, and urged to flee back to the past to find her. We see the shift from Lone Hero to Unity right away; Baby Guardian knows they can’t carry out the rescue of Hyrule on their own and instinctively goes to find someone he KNOWS can. In doing so, he finds Link and Impa, who are pulled to Zelda’s side while chasing him. From then on out, this change draws more and more people together.

Now I have my own theory, which you can agree or disagree with. What we see of Baby Guardian in Zelda’s flashbacks of him hark to a childhood when her mother the Queen was still alive. And, to a smaller degree, we can connect this memory to another one not seen, but shown when Zelda gives her father a tool she and her mother found while investigating Sheikah technology.

Though her mother is dead, she is still sending means to protect her family, all of which are only achieved when the characters communicate and listen to each other. King Rhoam would most certainly have perished to the Guardian assault on Hyrule Castle if he had not accepted the tool Zelda gave him, and Zelda would not have developed her power to fight with the Sheikah tools had Baby Guardian not arrived either.

The very fact that there are literal swarms of monsters, more intense challenges, only drives home how hard it is to take someone down when they’re not alone. Any of the playable characters can take down literally hundreds if not THOUSANDS of monsters at a time because in most cases, they’re not doing it on their own. Just look at the characters we can recruit; while Hetsu, the Great Fairies, and Monk Maz Koshia are all aids to Link’s journey in Breath of the Wild, we never receive their aid as staunchly as we do in Age of Calamity. Even Kohga ends up joining the fight, when it becomes clear that Astor is a threat to their existence. And the more that join, the greater the offense.

Why change the future? What turns this prequel into a spinoff with a happy ending? It’s a shift in mindsets; from Rhoam’s to Baby Guardians.

Whether you can appreciate the King of Hyrule as a complex character or hate him for being a terrible father, the fact of the matter is that he is not only a leader, but a manifestation of Hyrule as a kingdom All kings more or less fill this role as a model for what a kingdom could be. Rhoam undoubtedly was raised to follow the Hero’s Journey to the letter, to expect a princess with sealing powers, a Hylian with a sword to seal the darkness and a monster to overcome. But when things don’t happen the way the stories tell him, like when Zelda can’t access her sealing power, he only buckles down on the importance of sole strength.

This ends up being a fatal flaw in Breath of the Wild, as he ends up pushing his daughter away. In his diary, readable in Hyrule Castle if you access his private office, we see his regrets, and decision to accept her no matter what....all far too late by the time he writes them.

But in Age of Calamity, when faced with the huge group Zelda has gathered with Baby Guardian’s help, as well as having been rescued by the very technology he tried to urge Zelda away from, he can’t deny the facts any longer. After Rhoam is recruited as a playable character, we see much less of him as a leader. He’s accepted his daughter’s growth, aided by the help of her friends, and seen the truth for what it is.

That a people united is a people saved.

Now don’t misunderstand me. I love Breath of the Wild. The music, the challenging shrines and boss battles, all of it. However Age of Calamity hit me emotionally and more or less exposed some of the weaknesses of most Zelda games. While there have been mild exceptions, we’re so used to carrying the burden of saving the whole world on our own, we forget just what a crushing responsibility it must be for these young people. We can see it in Zelda’s heartbreaking scene in the Spring of Courage, cursing her fate, pushed to tears, and standing apart. It sends a particularly poignant message to me now, often feeling like the only way something can get done is if I do it on my own.

But Breath of the Wild is evidence to why this doesn’t work. While we can see a true victory over Ganon, a kingdom saved, and a princess rescued, we also see the toll it took before it could be achieved. The Champions, King, and countless other civilians and soldiers are killed. Zelda and Link are left alone again to pick up the pieces of a fractured, weakened kingdom. The Hero’s Journey is set to continue, a long, solitary journey of hardship.

Age of Calamity on the other hand, showed how beneficial and wonderful it is to conquer a daunting world with your friends. Not only does it spirit you to the end of your journey faster, but it reinforces the message that “burdens shared are burdens halved”. And we get to save our friends, by calling upon the ones we made in Breath of the Wild through Riju, Teba, Sidon, and Yunobo. Most of the missions playable in the game, at least for replay, are able to be done by ANYONE. If you play the final battle with Link, you can replay it with Baby Guardian.

Anyone can be a hero if you fight together.

[megashadowdragon]

ironwoods tragic fall from grace

comments on youtube

When a hero becomes the villain, all hell breaks loose. Especially when the fallen hero is general of the Atlesian army.

The only thing that I noticed was that Ironwood has constantly grown a Beard as time passes. He's slowly decending towards from Hero to Villain as a "Fallen Hero" Catagory. James Ironwood WAS a good man, utterly dedicated to protecting his people. It was with the best of intentions that he charged down the path he’s taken... but you know what they say about good intentions.

I didn’t think his semblance was much of a factor into his decisions before Vol 7 but now as he’s become more unhinged every chapter, it’s becoming even more strikingly obvious that he’s become a slave to it. The fact that his semblance increases his resolve to go through with bargaining with Watts, willing to blow up Mantle just to save Atlas.

He's like the antithesis of Leonardo Lionheart

You know, this is a really good counter for all those people saying Ironwood is suffering character assassination. He's not. He's giving in to fear and letting his worst aspects take command.

I’m personally asking again why would the writers talk about something like Ironwood’s semblance outside the show when for the most part the majority of people only watches the show, that’s like how the Russo brothers (the writers and directors of Avengers Infinity War and Endgame) choose to answer the hows and why on Twitter when the majority of people are only watching the movies I personally love those movies but it also would’ve been nice to see those things get explained or talked about in the movies just like how it would be nice to at least mention Ironwood’s semblance in the show

Honestly, I love what they're doing with Ironwood. His slow, inexorable descent into extremism is a wonderful exploration of how an idealistic person who believes themself to be the hero can tumble into villainy without trusting others to keep them grounded. It's the very real problem of the philosophy of "The ends justify these particular means;" if you can justify one morally gray decision to achieve a good goal, it gets easier to justify the next, darker gray decision. Without someone outside to call you on your bullshit, you're eventually justifying genocide because it will be for the "greater good."

Ironwood is literally the Darth Vader of RWBY. He starts of as a respectable character, commanding his own army for the good of all. But he gives in to all of his fears, looses a limb or 2, and slowly turns misguidedly evil, willing to kill ANYONE who stands in his way.

I've said before that Team Rwby is a foil to the Headmasters. Ruby keeping secrets like Oz, Leo/Blake, the faunus who ran away when things got hard, and Ironwood's parallel is Yang.

Not just obvious stuff, like both having metal arms. But both of their semblances are double edged sword. Yang get stronger taking damage, but if she leans on it too much, an enemy that takes one hit just destroys her since she can't fight back. Volume 4 has her training with Taiyang to correct this flaw in her thinking, leading to her overcoming Adam in her rematch in V6.

Ironwood's semblance can be incredibly powerful. Just off the top of my head, he basically no sells the Apathy, which is an incredibly dangerous Grimm in a group with other, stronger Grimm. But it has downsides, and we're seeing it. The correct way to use it is after you've made a choice, to focus on the task at hand. But making large choices while under the semblance is not smart. He's too focused on one action to see others that have opened. Atlas has to be raised, because that's what he's already decided to do. The idea that they've made contact with the world and reinforcements might be coming never entered his mind. Similarly, he's so focused on forcing Penny to heel that he's not seeing he has a chance to have her come willingly by aiding in Mantle's rescue.

He's so focused on winning this one battle (Having Penny raise the city to escape Salem immediately) that's he's making choices to doom the larger war (defending the kingdom's people, defeating Salem, reuniting the world).

He clearly knows that it isn't smart to rely on it this way, since he's shown the ability to take criticism and adjust his thinking in Volume 7 (Nora would've been Slate'd if he couldn't). But the combination of Yang/Blake going behind his back to tell Robyn, Ruby/Oscar not telling him the truth, Qrow seemingly killing Clover, and, right when he thought that he'd saved everyone, the idea that every single thing he's done might've been exactly what Salem wanted has fairly understandably shaken his faith in the others around him. He can't rely on them to rein him in, he has to do that... which is exactly the problem with his semblance. If the only person who can stop you is yourself, and you're convinced you're always right, you've doomed yourself.

I'm assuming that he could probably be talked down by Glynda or potentially Oz or Qrow (fat chance of that one) if they can break his aura, but as it stands, unless someone beats him down, he's not going to be able to stop himself.

With Ironwood I am reminded of a very profound quote from CS Lewis, that I feel summarizes him very well: "Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be “cured” against one’s will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals."Show less

Dude Ironwood didn't have a problem with trusting people and didn't have a mentality of not being able to trust people. He trusted to much and trusted people who both betrayed his trust (Yang/Blake) and didn't reciprocate the trust he gave them (Ruby and the rest of the main cast). Honestly, he would have been perfectly right to have immediately put the relic of knowledge into the vault at the start of v7 and then send the students on their way and have nothing more to do with them.

Ironwood saw Atlas and his fleet as a way to inspire hope. It's ironic that his plan was one of lifting them up so high that nobody would ever be able to see them anymore.

My only criticism with Ironwood is that I really really wish his semblance was brought up in the show. Are they ever going to bring it up? I absolutely LOVE how he has been written and watching his tragic descent into becoming a villain but having his semblance mentioned in show would be great. Is someone going to have to break his aura or something before he or someone else mentions it?

In a way he is. His semblance is a double edge sword, as someone in Ironwood's position is all about making calls. Ironwood was able to climb through the ranks because his semblance allowed him to follow through with his actions to save people (I also still wonder what happend to halve of his body as he already had a metal leg and arm in volume 2, we can asume the paladin project, but some confirmation would be wonderfull). Now he's following through on his words agains Salem, that Ironwood isn't going to let Salem take the relic of creation. Ironwood essentially only has this thought he is focused on and is disregarding everything else. Right now Salem is piecing herself together again and Penny is going to the vault, if Ironwood semblance of Mettle wasn't interfering he would be able to see the bigger picture of let Penny open the vault, take out the staff of cration and chuck whatever goop Salem is right now with the bit of land she is piecing herself on right now and throw that into the vault and close it for good by blocking off the entrance with concrete. Voila. Ironwood doesn't notice at this point his actions as he even thought councilman Slate, who was asking Ironwood to explain his action got put down by Ironwood himself. Same for Marrow later on, but Winter was able to step in. Ironwood needs to be saved from this mindset and I think the team up of Qrow and Robyn (also who ever was on the elevator, I think it was Winter and Marrow as Winter was taking him away to be put in jail) could save Ironwood to the point of breaking his aura that way the influence of Mettle will loosen.

Gonna be honest, I dislike the whole concept of his semblance and it being what's driving him to this is just dumb to me. I loved him as a character and this entire volume feels like every bit that made him an interesting character has been ripped away. It's likely just me, but prior to Oscar using the built-up magic to beat Salem it felt like they had painted themselves into a corner. Either Ironwood was proven right that some sacrifices had to be made for the good of the people, or Salem was going to be beaten and even if she can come back, she no longer feels like a huge threat to me. I loved Ironwood in volume seven and many of team RWBY's choices have infuriated me for how contrived and stupid they manage to be while also contradicting themselves so easily. To be frank, I feel like his semblance was just an excuse for this utterly stupid character assassination they're trying to justify.Show less

I kind of feel like the writers 'forced' Ironwood to become a villain. Some of his decisions just don't make sense.

[intergalactic-zoo]

I'll give one thing to DC Comics Skeletor: he's a quicker study than the animated version.

Turns out that searching for the Power Sword and trying to take Grayskull hasn't been working, so Skeletor decides to kidnap the Sorceress Goddess and make He-Man find the Power Sword instead.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Masters of the Universe #1 came out in August, 1982, the month after the Preview insert. Paul Kupperberg returns as writer, with George Tuska on pencilling duties. Mini-storybooks artist Alfredo Alcala is back to ink the first two issues, with Rodin Rodriguez taking over in #3. Adam Kubert and Ben Oda are our letterers, and Adrienne Roy and Anthony Tollin are the colorists. Getting Alcala back, even just for inks, really does make a difference; he brings a Prince Valiant quality to Tuska’s pencils in the first issues, which is lost a bit in Rodriguez’s cleaner style. Tuska definitely feels more suited to this setting than Curt Swan did; much as I love Swan, this era of Masters of the Universe really lives in a more brutal, Conan-inspired place than what would come later, and that’s just not what Swan’s classic superheroic style is best at.

Our story begins at another party, where Prince Adam is continuing with that playboy lifestyle, though we get explicit confirmation that this is at least in part an act.

I think this is a really interesting hook for the character, even if it clearly wasn’t very sustainable for a children’s property, particularly one as beset by watchdog groups as Masters of the Universe. The alter ego with a different personality from the hero is nothing new in superhero comics, and we’ve even seen characters like Batman playing the carefree Casanova, but Adam feels a little distinct here, characterized closer to Johnny Storm than Bruce Wayne. Usually the immature, impulsive character who’s always thinking about the opposite sex is played straight, as character flaws that the hero genuinely needs to overcome; it's less common to make those the hallmarks of his secret identity.

Adam gets attacked by demons in his bedroom, and finds Cringer when he hides under the bed, which is a solid gag. We never do find out what the demons were doing there. They rush off to the Goddess's magic cavern, where they are transformed—but find Skeletor instead of the Goddess (who is occasionally also called the Sorceress in the story). Skeletor has imprisoned her, and will only release her if He-Man retrieves the Power Sword for him, which the Goddess has hidden away. In order to find the sword He-Man will need to find three talismans (talismen?) representing the sea, the sky, and the cosmos. 

It's a fetch quest to start the fetch quest. Not the most auspicious start to a series. Or end to one.

He-Man returns to the palace, where we get confirmation of something that fans have always speculated about: do He-Man and Prince Adam really look that similar? In the DC Universe, the answer appears to be yes:

It also plays into a longtime fan theory that Queen Marlena knows Adam's secret. Now that he's back to the palace, He-Man seeks help from the palace wizard, Tarrak, who is being attacked by demons himself! 

He-Man, Teela—wearing for this issue only a sword-and-sorcery standard metal bikini—Battle Cat, and Man-at-Arms manage to defeat the demons, but not before they take the cosmos talisman. Meanwhile, the Bird-People of Avion are attacked by a squad of Beastmen, who are after the sky talisman, which Stratos wears. Stratos seeks help from He-Man, and with Tarrak's assistance, the heroes set off to find the other two talismans. 

This specific outfit and pose feels so familiar.

He-Man and Battle Cat head into the jungle, where they meet a clan of barbarians that He-Man has encountered before, in what feels like a nod to his classic origins. He-Man once helped them battle a sexy evil wizard named Damon.

The barbarians know where the cosmos talisman is, but before they can retrieve it, the group is attacked by demons again. He-Man takes the talisman, and is transported away. 

Out in the Sea of Blackness, Man-at-Arms, Teela, and Stratos are looking for the sea talisman, which is being held by the Mer-People. Fortunately, Tarrak gave them potions so they could breathe underwater. Mer-Man leads a fight against them, because this version also has ambitions of his own, until Skeletor pulls a Darth Vader from a distance. Teela is less than grateful, so Skeletor leaves them to the mercies of the Mer-People.

Just going to admire how great Skeletor looks in that first panel for awhile.

But Stratos claims the sea talisman just in time, and the whole crew is transported into a Steve Ditko drawing. 

They get attacked by demons again, but are saved by Zodac, who refuses to give them any information about the person sending the demons, but a page later we learn that it's the wizard Damon, who wants the Power Swords so he can control Eternia, not that dimensional-carpetbagging wizard-come-lately Skeletor. He's gotten considerably less sexy and more...problematic since that brief appearance in the previous issue. 

Seriously, he looks like the antisemitic caricature from that Carman video. He also happens to be right next to where the Goddess stored the two halves of the Power Sword, but they're in an impenetrable force field, which is not mentioned again. 

Zodac uses the talismans to open a portal to the Sword's location (sort of?) and then gives them to Zoar the poorly-drawn falcon before sending the heroes on their way. 

Feels like the reference got away from you a bit.

Meanwhile, Damon decides to tip his hand by attacking Skeletor, who lashes out with magic that is strong enough to teleport them both into Castle Grayskull, just as Damon had planned. But in a pretty great moment of both villains trying to two-steps-ahead each other, that was all part of Skeletor's plan, and he apparently kills Damon. 

These comics go pretty hard for stuff that was based on toys for babies.

Also, this happened earlier in the issue.

The heroes also end up in Castle Grayskull, which is apparently where the Power Sword is, even though we already saw Damon with the Power Sword before he was able to access Castle Grayskull.

You and me both, He-Man. The heroes split up to search the castle. Stratos gets caught in a giant spiderweb, Man-at-Arms gets blown up by a tripwire, and Teela ends up in a hedge maze until she stumbles on Skeletor, who pulls the Power Sword out of a magic warp. 

He-Man shows up shortly after, but Skeletor sends Beast-Man (singular) and a monsterized Man-E-Faces (who was briefly introduced earlier in this third issue) against the hero. Eventually He-Man, Teela, and Zoar get the sword away from Skeletor, and then the Goddess appears to say "actually I wasn't in any danger, but your friends are all caught in booby traps." The End. 

What an absolutely bizarre miniseries. It feels like it was initially intended to be four issues and cut down to three, but that change had to be made before the first issue—with its "Mini-Series 1 of 3" banner—went to the printers. The promotional push makes it seem like DC was intending to do a lot more than three comics and a handful of mini-comics. Editor Dave Manak speculated that there might have been an issue with contract negotiations, but I'd be really interested if there's a clearer answer. Every aspect of the DC Masters of the Universe license feels abnormally cut off, right down to the end of this story. 

Whatever the reasons were, this would be the last full-sized Masters of the Universe comic from DC for almost 30 years. Next time we'll pick up with the Marvel/Star Comics.