#but this post isn't really about that. well it kinda is. but it can be understood without shipping goggles. i hope

[hopeaterart]

Okay, longer post on how I think 600 Strikes should've gone.

Okay, so full disclaimer before I start: I ADORE Epic: The Musical. I found out about it thanks to my sister showing me Monster, and I've been hyped for the release of every following Saga. It's what got me to start writing my own Greek Myth fic! The Vengeance Saga is no exception: all of it was a banger. My least favorite song of the lot wasn't even the one this post is about: it was 'Not Sorry for Loving You' (I don't. ljke Calypso). 600 Strikes, especially with the second half, is actually one of my favorite songs of the concept album.

HOWEVER, I've stated in my last post that the second half should've gone like THIS ↓

And I stand by this.

Now, before I really start, I don't actually imagine Poseidon taunting Odysseus with words. More like, laughing madly at him while he has a breakdown about what he's become. Full on Joker from Batman cackle. Poseidon is a violent misanthrope at best, and an insane maniac at worst.

Now, onto my first point: Poseidon is a god. And until Six Hundred Strikes, gods in Epic were portrayed as being insurmountable. I really liked that. I know that other people liked that. And having Poseidon remain unmoved even as Odysseus tortures him is would've really driven that in.

Just... imagine it: Odysseus has done what very few have done and bested a god. Still, the Lord of Tides refuses to lift up the storm, spitting him to the last moment. He's got no choice but to resort to drastic measures, and everything- the pain, the frustration, the hatred, both toward himself and the god- come spilling out as he stabs him with his own weapon over and over and over again.

He's throwing his words back in his face, making sure that Poseidon knows: every ounce of pain that Odysseus inflicts on him can be traced back to his own damn actions. But Poseidon isn't begging for mercy, or trying to retain a shred of dignity by gritting his teeth and enduring. He's goading him on. He's taunting him, he's laughing at him. He's laughing.

And why wouldn't he? He's done it, after all. He got what he wanted. Odysseus of Ithaca, the arrogant mortal who refused to finish the job, is no more. Only a ruthless, broken monster remains. One who's earned the right to get back to his kingdom.

("With everything you've done, how will you sleep at night?" becomes less of an attempt at getting the last word in, and more of a genuine curiosity.)

Now, my second point: it would muddy who, exactly, between Odysseus and Poseidon, who ends up getting their revenge. Now, in the actual musical, it's obviously Odysseus, and he deserves the win. The man has done nothing but take Ls since the Cyclops Saga, he deserves a W before making it back to Ithaca.

In canon, Poseidon is very much not pleased with how things end up turning out. But if Poseidon had been pleased with Odysseus

Physically- well, it's still Odysseus. He brought Poseidon to his knees with a windbag, his own storm, and the ghosts of his entire fleet. And then, he picks up his own trident and goes to absolute town on him. Even if Poseidon is happy about getting his shit rocked , he's still getting his shit rocked.

But philosophically? I'd argue that Poseidon is the winner here.

For the entirety of Act 1, Odysseus believes in Open Arms (RIP Polites) and to his credit, it does work. First with the Lotus Eaters to find more food (even if it led him right to Polyphemus, they are high as balls), and then Circe to save his men. He also doesn't get to see it, but it's also more or less what happens between Telemachus and Athena, which eventually leads to his freedom from Calypso. Shit, the one time he decides to use it in Act 2, it nearly works on Poseidon himself in Get in the Water! The problem is that the world isn't always kind, and sometimes, it'll react to open arms by stabbing you in the chest. Just look at what happened with the cyclops.

Meanwhile, Poseidon believes in Ruthlessness. And being ruthless has served Odysseus very well: the Trojan Horse, killing the infant to save his family, also Circe to save his men (before she pulled out the Other Ways lmao), neutralizing the Sirens, the sacrifice for Scylla, even sacrificing his own crew to stay alive. The problem is that both of these characters confuse being ruthless with being cruel, and that's what fucks Odysseus over.

Oh well. Being ruthless and cruel was just what Odysseus needed to deal with Poseidon. And it's what will get him through the suitors, so he can finally reunite with his son and wife.

Lesson learned.

(Also, Athena is Odysseus' mentor, and a well-documented thing in actual Greek Myth (and sadly untouched in the musical even if I understand why) is that Poseidon and Athena do not like each other. Documented rivals. What happens is that he successfully sank his claws in her abandoned pupil, and twisted Odysseus into a monster that would horrify his past self even before Open Arms. In the face of spitting his least favorite niece like that, getting repeatedly stabbed was absolutely worth it)

[twopoppies]

I don't really have any active fandom friends anymore so I don't have anyone to share this thought with, but you're always so fair and lovely to Harry that it feels kinda. safe and appropriate to message you about it?

Maybe I'm spoiled because I mainly follow og larries here as far as I'm aware, and I feel like larries or at least the ones I've surrounded myself with have like... an extra layer of protection and respect towards Lou and Harry? So I was a bit shocked when I just stumbled upon a Harrie (update?) blog that posts all kinds of pictures and videos of him looking terribly unhappy, and since they don't post anything but these pics others have taken of him, like, there's no personality to the blog, no throwbacks even, it kinda allows you to just see this... disturbing timeline of Harry throughout the years just looking unhappy as all hell.

It's such a contrast because I mainly watch tour things or old clips and pics or the occasional new content where he doesn't look absolutely miserable. Anyway, seeing picture after picture of him looking tired, just exhausted, is so sad. I don't know. The world really isn't fair to him, he gets so much shit when really he's the sweetest little pea, he's radient, he's caring, he's the epitome of sunshine when he's surrounded by people with good intentions, his best at heart.

I don't know, I guess I've build this bubble around him and Louis and I so easily forget that there's the, well, public. The fame. The fans that care more for a picture than his comfort. The public at large with this perception of him as some sex symbol rockstar they can fancy and fantasize about. Like. It's sobering and horrible? The difference between Harry Styles™ and Harry feels so stark and. Yeah. Guess I'm just saying I wish he had it easier, had it fair. Not that his life is just a horrible tragedy, course not, but just. Wish it wasn't this harsh is all

Hi, darling. I can only comment generally without knowing the blog or what they post. But I think it's pretty easy to pick and choose photos where someone only looks happy or only looks tired and miserable, you know? I know there's a group of people who are convinced Jeff/Irving are torturing him and overworking him, so every time Harry looks less than ecstatic, they're handwringing. And context matters, too. What is he doing in the photos? Where is he going? Who is he with? What's happening behind the scenes? etc etc. Besides that, I agree with you that his life isn't always sunshine and roses. You can have all the money and fame in the world and still not always be happy. I'm sure his job can be very stressful; he's juggling a lot of things, tons of people's livelihoods rely on him, he's in the public eye constantly, and fans demand engagement from him constantly...it's probably tiring at times. And, yeah, thinking about the idea that tens of thousands of people are fantasizing about you and judging you and gossiping about you is bizarre and uncomfortable. I couldn't be famous for any amount of money. But my impression of him is that he is, overall, a happy person. And I think he knows how incredibly privileged and lucky he is to have the life he has. And I think he's learned how to protect himself from the weird/upsetting/dangerous parts of his career. At least as much as one can.

I don't know if that helps at all. I worry about him at times, too. But I think he has a good group around him who love him for real and not just for what he can do for them.

[justafterjericho]

PEACKEEPING OCCUPATION?!!!ZAUN'S PERVERSE ABOMINATIONS???!!!! FUCK YOU CAITLYN!!!!!!! (I'm at the start of the 5th episode and had to take a pause and write this rant to calm myself xD)

But also on serious note I really like how they've been writting Caitlyn this seasons. I've been kinda annoyed at the forth episode and Caitlyn being all peaceful on Ambessa (while we see what's actually happening in Zaun), but in retrospect I really like it. Because it really shows that Catelyn is still Caitlyn.

I've seen posts here about how the Caitlyn we know is still in there and it kinda felt like what Vi did with Jinx the whole time in the 1st season - the "She's till there, I can reach her". Like 10 years old Powder (or however old was she in s1a1) was somewhere hidden (inprisoned) inside the whole nightmare that is Jinx (from Vi perspective) and the moment Vi reached her sister and "free her" Jinx would become the (idealised version of) little Powder. It was the kind of cliché that you can see in lots of media, but I'm pretty sure people actually don't work like that. Jinx is different from Powder because of shit ton of trauma but also because she's quite older. Her exsperiences shaped her and because they were so extreme, they shaped her extremely, but Jinx and Powder are the same person just at the different point of time. Jinx herself my visualise the change as POwder being death but that doesn't make it actually true. Vi, after her own trauma from the end of s1e3 and the years in prison views change as something inherently scary and when she realised both that her sister won't turn back to little Powder and that her sister is pretty unstable and quite terrible person who did terrible things, decided to continue her divorcing od Powder and Jinx but instead of trying to save Powder decided that Powder (her sister) is death and was killed by Jinx (not her sister) who's pretending to be Powder and thus defyling her memory. Which is quite interesting from the perspective of what it shows us about Vi and her phsyche but doesn't change that it isn't true. Vi my disown Jinx as her sister, that's her right and I wouldn't even really blame her (even though I symphatised with Jinx a lot in the first season and I actually really like her thgis one), but that doesn't change the fact that Powder survived and changed and became Jinx, Powder didn't die, she changed but she's still alive only now she's using a name Jinx.

Unlike Jinx, Caitlyn didn't actually changed during years of growing up from child to adult (or almost adult) after big traumatic event, for her there wasn't really that big of a time between the traumatic event and present time in act 2. I still kinda thought that she would like became this merciless dictator doing war crimes unrecognizable from Caityn in season one, but she didn't, not really. Well she's dictator doing and allowing terrible things to happen (including war crimes) but at the same time she's still quite recognizable as Caitlyn in what she's saying, in how she's thinking. She's not some nightmerish version of Caitlyn under which the "real Caitlyn" from season 1 can be found. She's Caitlyn who was traumatised and before that spent her whole life in very privileged positions raised with lots of biases, that now reared their ugly heads when they become justified to her. But she's not a wholy different person. And she doesn't see herself as a bad person - so she's justifiyng all her actions while being quite self-righteous (her conversation with Ambessa - it's easy to see the "Old Cait" here with the whole peaceful speaking, but you have to ignore the fact that she's actually in charge, Ambessa is manipulating her, yes, but Caitlyn is the one making decisions, Caitlyn is the one who made the decisions to "peacefully occupy" Zaun, who's letting all the police brutaloity happen and at the same time she's moralizing to Ambessa and I don't think she's seeing the irony).

[nyc3]

My reason for calling Overhaul the best Villain in the main series is because he's way more competent, driven and has a real threatening presence to him, compared to the other Villain Leaders.

AFO (Post Kamino) & Shigaraki aren't in his League.

They don't give off that feeling of dread. Shigaraki got AFO quirk to try and make him seem more imposing, but it wasn't enough since having a strong power isn't the only thing Overhaul had going for him.

AFO was decent until after his interrogation with All Might, where he became too comically evil for the sake of it (imo)

Re-Destro wasn't there for long but he did a ok job. The MLA did sell me as a competent group, considering the amount of money and connections they had. As well as their goal of free quirk use.

The only thing that was off was there belief of quirk supremacy, since the organisation's strength came from wealth and connections.

But other than that they were ok, it's too bad they were shoved to the side during the War.

Sorry for rambling

But yeah, that's my reason for Overhaul being the best Villain in MHA

Your reasoning for think that is almost the same as mine.

But also Overhaul ideals and objectives felt different and way more grounded in the sense it doesn't feel like he blames society for everything and his only answer is mindless destruction.

He actually persue change but in way that almost makes sense, and his mindset offers a very interesting perspective about quirks that this series always avoid to exploit. Like is funny how Horikoshi puts constant references to the doomsday theory being something very real, yet no one in verse tries to do something about it and any character who doesn't like quiks is treated as a crazy monster to invalidate their opinions.

Chisaki is also different to other villains in the sense that despite his life is pretty tragic he never gets victimized by the author, something I can appreciate because honestly the most annoying part about the LOV for example is how the story constantly pats them in the back and tries to pretend their are just victims when they passed that point long ago.

Kai on the other hand gets a treatment so harsh that makes me wonder if Horikoshi actually hates him with passion, because holy hell since his defeat Horikoshi really doesn't hold back on try to put him as miserable as possible and with no chance of improve his situation even a bit. It felt like a massive double standard when you see how much the LOV gets glazed.

Well... this kinda became a rant on my part, but I need to express it as Overhaul really deserved a way better treatment because in terms of villains he was the peak and MHA never had something similar again.

[pastorfutureletthembe]

Nah don't worry, it didn't come off as a disagreement, I always enjoy your inputs! I merely used it to explain why this analysis, while interesting, doesn't reflect my opinion but is still a valid interpretation.

Shiguang is really is a peculiar case, both because they indeed work well as friends/partners/queerplatonics/lovers and because the cultural context makes the storytelling different from what we're used to as an occidental audience.

Fans of american shows have been cursing over queerbaiting for decades while I personally was fed nicely with subtil japanese bromance since middle school. Imagine my surprise when I discovered chinese male friendships through 19DAYS and later Link Click. The no-gays-allowed policy really made me giggle because of course people would get ingenious in their writing to go around it.

The fact they thought that if Link Click was about two dudes it would be enough to make this story 100% aromantic is ludicrous, though. While the genre of Link Click is far from romance, it still started as a family show, character centric, and then turned into something of a thriller.

The story was always about two guys uncovering mysteries and helping people.

I personally would break space and time for friends and family, no questions asked, but isn't it natural to think only true love deserves the honor after all? I personally think the idea of time travel has been romanticized too many times to be free of the concept of the Ultimate Form of Love™. I mean, in the name of saving a dead wife AND a man's ego of course lmao.

So yeah, even chinese censorship or homophobic chads can't do much against, like, a century's worth of literature and cinema about going back in time for love. People can believe what they want, shiguang being gay or not is absolutely not the point: if the genders were different, they would also ship it, because that's just how the story goes and went in all previous media in the history of Time Travel. Regret might be the reason but you usually only want to go back so you can have happiness with someone again.

That's my take as far as canon goes: let it be, the story writes itself 😂

Now, about Lu Guang and his role in Cheng Xiaoshi's death, I have many, M A N Y theories actually.

The possession route is very plausible. Actually there are several threads about it on twitter supporting it. I cannot find the one where OP removes the red filter and Lu Guang still has red eyes but it's out there. Hard to say if dream sequence or memory, if original timeline or repeat.

A part of me is convinced that Lu Guang wasn't even part of Cheng Xiaoshi's life in the original timeline. Maybe there actually is a Time Agency and Lu Guang was part of it and he kinda grew fond of CXS while investigating his missing parents. Or maybe he was Vein's pupil until he realized how much of a psychopath he was and tried to bail, meeting CXS on a turn of fate.

Liu Xiao himself is a shady character who seems to have an interesting and tragic backstory. I wouldn't rule out the theory of him being an alternative version of Cheng Xiaoshi. Betrayed and left in a failed repeat.

There is still a tiny possibility that they pull a Kaishin on us and Lu Guang reveals himself as CXS's father. And if Lu Guang is actually Cheng Xiaoshi's friend since the beginning, could he be the one who gave CXS his powers one way or another? If so, wouldn't it save him to just... Keep them both from using their powers? Or did they gain their powers while on this post graduation trip after Cheng Xiaoshi's death? Are these powers only acquired after nearing death?

The darkest theory I have is that Cheng Xiaoshi has to die first for Lu Guang to reset the timeline... And there might have been times when Lu Guang killed him with his own hands in order to get a new chance at a better outcome.

Many secrets in Lu Guang's head and I'm pretty sure Yingdu Chapter won't give us the answers we seek. My take on all this is that if Lu Guang really wanted to save Cheng Xiaoshi's life, he wouldn't be in his life. But, you know: Man's ego, as I said. One of my theories is that he actually tried that one but failed (and the flash backs we saw of their meeting is actually Lu Guang failing at staying away).

But mostly: people tend to forget Qiao Ling's involvement too often. Her being in danger would be enough to make Cheng Xiaoshi risk it all, losing her would be enough to strip him from hope, sacrificing everything to save her is way too in character not to consider.

Why I think Shiguang can be canonically read as romantic

(I will only be using the donghua for reference, so no Studio Lan retweeting those fanarts (lmao) nor those especially gay manhwa panels (lmao x2) nor even the songs ("chase you to the end of the world, just to say your name once more" my beloved).

It's important to start off by saying that I'm aware Director Li said they ended up not making Lu Guang a girl because they didn't want romance to be seen as a must in Shiguang's relationship by the audience (and because he feels that "bros can have a good heart-to-heart connection with each other"). In my opinion that was a great move since it allows more freedom with how they write them than they'd have otherwise. I also think viewing Shiguang as queerplatonic is a great read too and it doesn't diminish their love for each other nor the importance of their relationship at all.

With that said, despite Director Li's words, there's been things that had me going 🤨 as someone who likes to adhere to canon relationships and read into the writer's intentions, so I wanted to share why I personally see them as romantic.

EPISODE 2

We've all seen this coming, right? Most obvious parallel ever, and in the second episode no less. We all know the similarities between both relationships, so I will just touch on those I consider the most important ones.

Lin Zhen and Yu Xia have gone to college together, and since then decided to start a business of their own - named after a mix of their names. They've been shown as being really close and having no romantic relationships. Lin Zhen also says that Yu Xia's happiness is her own, and then it's shown to us that she's gone through years of unhappiness just for Yu Xia. I believe you can replace their names with Lu Guang's and Cheng Xiaoshi's in your head without me writing all this again. And I'm not even going to get into the most obvious parallels like the special noodle recipe for each pair.

I think it's safe to say that Lin Zhen and Yu Xia are implied to be romantic. From that "one noodle" scene, to the close shot of Lin Zhen grabbing her hand, etc.

Now, I want to get into a writer's point of view and pose two questions:

1. What's the purpose of this episode, when even those which seem episodic connect to the overarching plot of season 1 (even the missing kid's case, as it leads to the involvement with the police)?

2. If we answer the previous question with the conclusion that it's meant to show us the nature/development of Cheng Xiaoshi's and Lu Guang's relationship, what does that say about it?

"Partner" in Link Click

Continuing with episode 2, what really got me thinking about the romantic intentions in their writing was the constant mention of marriage and anything in relation to it.

(may I remind everyone that the driver's comment was said when Cheng Xiaoshi was complaining about Lu Guang lmao)

They're telling us through "show don't tell" (for example, when Lin Zhen kept on eating the noodle despite knowing they'd kiss) and, also, connotations. They are presented to us as business partners, but then the entire episode goes on to tell us that there's more to them by tying their relationship to things percived as romantic. So what they want to really tell us is that beyond simple business partners, they're life-long partners.

And then, after establishing this kind of connotation to the word partner, Cheng Xiaoshi says this to Lu Guang in the next episode:

This doesn't stop at them. While it's the most obvious example, I think partnership in Link Click is intended to be seen as romantic, or at the very least dancing somewhere close to it. Let's go even further and take a look at our fully canon, heterosexual relationships and see briefly how their story is written:

1. Dong Yi and Xu Shanshan: both of them chose the comfort of each other's presence over moving on with their respective futures. Dong Yi had so much faith in their relationship and their love that he couldn't choose a life/future that didn't have Xu Shanshan - choosing to not go back to his family home nor go to that interview, and instead waiting for Xu Shanshan to define their relationship.

2. Liu Siwen and Ouyang: Siwen spent his entire life training with the purpose of getting his father-in-law's respect and marry Ouyang, going every year over and over to fight him. His perseverance and his undying love for her allowed Siwen to do the (seemingly) impossible.

3. Chen Bin and his wife: they're a tragedy. His wife understood Chen Bin the best, enduring feeling lonely because she loved him and wanted a future with him. But their relationship was cut short, so they promised each other to be together in a future life to make up for the time they wouldn't be in this one.

With this + the pictures I attached, it seems like Link Click has set this theme of "love is a life with you" for its romantic relationships, a partner that will fight to stay because they can't see a future that doesn't have their beloved. Going back to episode two, this applies even to the noodle ladies. When Yu Xia remembered what actually matters to her, she went back home - to the start, to her hometown. And, most importantly, to Lin Zhen.

So why is Shiguang romantic? Why aren't they queerplatonic, or just best friends, or bros or whatever else? Because besides what I said at the start of the previous paragraph, Shiguang's relationship mirrors a lot of the romantic ones. Each story and author writes romance and other kinds of relationships differently, portraying them in the way they perceive "this is what this kind of love is like". And beyond life-long partners, I think that the key elements of romantic relationships in Link Click are the ones I highlighted in bold above in the 3 canon relationships part - which Shiguang shares, too.

(I didn't mention this before with the het couples, but I find it a little amusing that season 2 happened because a man wanted to go to the past and get his wife back (still fuck you Qian Jin) and then we find out Lu Guang did go back to the past and got his boyfriend partner back lmao).

"Friend" vs "Partner"

So where is the boundary between platonic and romantic? What marks the difference between a (best) friend and a partner?

There is, for example, Liu Xiao and Li Tianchen's relationship. They aren't shown to have any kind of romantic undertones and there's even the very real possibility of manipulation on Liu Xiao's side. They're also never labeled as nor call each other partners, but instead Li Tianchen says he "met a new friend" and Liu Xiao says he's "going to meet an old friend" years later. So we could say for now that they have a somewhat close relationship (we see Li Tianchen go against Qian Jin to give the phone to Liu Xiao), but never cross that "friend" label.

We can even bring Qiao Ling and the boys' relationship. She's never labeled as a partner despite taking part in the side job and, more importantly, being super close to both of them. She is very important and a cherished friend to Shiguang, so why not call her partner too? I think it's intentional. Since she's been given a familial role already (calling Cheng Xiaoshi her brother when talking to Li Tianxi), she can't fill a partner role. I wonder why? because it's supposed to be a synonym for a romantic relationship. who said that.

So even best friends (Qiao Ling, arguably what Liu Xiao is to Li Tianchen) don't enter this close space that is being a partner. It's different, it's beyond platonic. Or at least that's what they've been showing us for the past two seasons.

I could go soo much more into this honestly, because I do think the little hints thrown here (the music videos) and there (tiny seemingly inconsequential details) are worth to be looked at too, but I wanted to get into the core reason that makes me go "woah so they're In Love fr". I hope I expressed myself well ^^

tldr; the series shows us a divide between having a (best) friend and a partner, giving "partners" romantic connotations.

[royalarchivist]

[A sad violin song plays over an image of a sad hamster]

Pac: This doesn't have anything to do with me – I wear a blue sweatshirt, you're crazy, this mouse doesn't even have a sweatshirt, this hamster! [Reading chat] Am I a depressed hamster?

[ Transcript continued ↓ ]*

–

Pac: Actually– that's fine! I embrace that idea – of course I'm going to be depressed, are you crazy? [He hits his desk, then starts counting off people on his fingers] Fit is gone, Richarlyson is gone, Ramon is gone, Bagi and Empanada who were always there when we were there are also gone, I haven't seen them! It's just me and Tubbo, and sometimes Philza shows up.

Pac: I lost Chume Labs, I lost the Favela, I lost Murder Mystery, I lost Ilha Chume Labs, it's crazy! Look at how much I've lost, and I've gained nothing! Of course I'm going to be depressed, are you crazy?! How am I supposed to be happy?!

Pac: [Reading chat] "You have us Pac," that's true, thank you. No, that's true, sorry.

* NOTE: Please note that this is an incomplete transcript, as I was primarily relying on Aypierre's translation mod at the time and if I am not confident of the translation, I do not include it. As always, please feel free to add on translations or message me corrections.

[t4tadrienette]

Goku definitely wanted to train Gohan for fun, just like Grandpa Gohan did with him, but then he wanted to respect Chichi's desire of him not becoming a fighter. He also spent 4 years of Gohan's life together and living peacefully.

But then he died, and when he came back, he found that Gohan was turned into a fighter by Piccolo, fair, I guess. He didn't see him fight, tho, he doesn't know the story behind him becoming a fighter, just that he was trained by Piccolo.

Then Gohan wants to go to Namek to find the dragon balls because he has to make sure their dead friends come back, and Goku goes wow that sounds like me, he also can't stand to stay on the side when it comes to these things.

Weeks pass, and now he's finally able to reach them on Namek. They have to fight, of course. Things happen. He's the only chance they have to defeat Freezer. Things fall apart now, Goku becomes Super Saiyan and tells Gohan to take Piccolo and get away. Goku is stuck alone on Namek. He saves himself by pure luck. He decides to stay where he is, to learn something new, to be able to also control his Super Saiyan state.

A year passes, and he comes back to earth. News from the future, saying that in 3 years, there's gonna be a new threat. They have to train, Gohan wants to train with him and Piccolo to fight this new threat. The three years have passed, and now there's another threat outside of the androids. Goku finally healed, he gets Gohan and tells him they're gonna train to defeat Cell. Gohan accepts to train with him. Gohan puts his all into that training, and Goku finds out Gohan has so many capabilities than what he shows. That's good! They have a chance at defeating Cell, maybe.

They finish their training, Goku wants Gohan to spend as much time with Chichi, and he wants to spend the remaining days before the Cell games as a family, you never know. The Cell games start, and Goku goes first to study him, to see how strong he is and if Gohan might have a chance. Oh, Gohan definitely has a chance. Come on, Gohan, now is your turn, I can tell you know you're stronger. Gohan is having difficulties, tho, Goku says it's just a matter of time before his fighting instict and anger sets in. But Gohan doesn't like fighting. That knowledge comes to Goku as a shock. He always assumed Gohan was fighting for the safety of the earth and for the love of fighting as well. At the end of the day, how could he think different, he never truly saw Gohan fighting, and at the end of the day, he was just picking up what Piccolo started in the first place. He never truly showed a disliking for fighting, or at least he never told him. He didn't know how in his first fighting against the Saiyans, he was petrified by fear. He wasn't there for the love of fighting, but because he had to, since he had this power.

Goku realises he miscalculated this. He immediately tells Krillin to pass him a bean so that he can get back into shape to go help him. Of course, Cell stops him before that. After Cell started to attack the others, finally Gohan snapped and unleashed his power, Goku was right after all. Gohan was definitely more powerful than him. He was the right warrior to defeat him. Gohan needs to defeat him once and for all, tho, but he doesn't. He says he has to have a slow and painful death. Those are some shocking words coming from Gohan. It doesn't sound like him. Well, now that has brought some problem, Cell is now about to explode and take all the earth with him. Now Goku has to make a decision. He will sacrifice himself. At the end of the day, he was the one to put Gohan in that position in the first place. It's only fair for him to do that. But, his sacrifice is useless, Cell comes back. Gohan tries his hardest, but his arm is broken. How can he defeat him now. But Goku is there to help him find the strenght and the others too. In the end, Gohan finds the strength to finally beat him.

It's time to revive people. There's still the problem of Goku not being able to be resurrected a second time. They think hey maybe we can use the dragon balls from Namek. But Goku stops them. He thinks that Bulma was right. He only attracts threats that put the earth in jeopardy, Piccolo, the Saiyans, the androids, and Cell. Maybe if he stays dead, they will stop coming. Like that, he will not put Gohan in danger anymore, Gohan will not have to fight anymore. So at the end of the day, it's better for him to stay away, rather than him staying with them, after all he was the one to put Gohan in that situation in the first place. In the end, he makes the selfless choice for Gohan. Maybe it's better for him not to have a father, but being safe, than having a father and being put into danger. At least, that's what he thinks is the right thing to do

[bansheeoftheforest]

some more general thoughts! This time with the focus on the TKC gang and Anubis!

(potential other additions to be found in the reblogs!)

once more. imagine traversing through the literal underworld to get the Most Important ArtifactTM of your entire pantheon only to meet the god of death and/or funerals. and he is just. italian.

Anubis really wants to bully Bast for being a babysitter but he also realizes he has been a babysitter for the last 2000 years so he really can't say anything.

I cant tell if Bast would like this Anubis better because he is in general more mellow or if she would be freaked out. Like who are you and why are you wearing the dog's skin.

Anubis does, reasonably, tell himself that he doesn't believe in the christian god and/or a being higher than. well. them. but when meeting the Kanes he does ask a Higher BeingTM or the fates or whatever to PLEASE let him not get attached to them too. He has his hands full with the Di Angelos. Said Higher BeingTM or the fates completely ignores him and he gets really attached. As I've said before; absolute mother hen.

Sadie still has a crush on him. He tells her that he is way too busy to even consider himself as an actual person (and he also has already mentally put Kanes in the same category as the Di Angelos) so kinda a bad idea to develop feelings for him.

(assuming he isn't just straight up gay. which is my main hc for him honestly).

Can i do a plot-twist and just say he likes Carter more at least at first? Like of course Sadie can take care of herself even if she is like. 12 when they first meet. But I also feel like this Anubis sees Carter as the Older SiblingTM and relates a little too much.

Unrelated but I also love the thought of the egyptian gods meeting Anubis, thinking he is still an angry/bitter/angsty emo teen (or the ancient egyptian equivalent) and now he is culturally catholic and probably has Divine Anxiety or something.

I honestly just feel like whatever parts of Isis is AvailableTM when the Kanes are in the Duat just sees Anubis and, just like the godfather, goes "look how the massacred my boy".

Anubis does his best to help the Kanes deal with Set but he still has his deal with Hades and have to 1) make sure that Bianca and Nico are safe and 2) make sure no one at camp half-blood suspect that he is. a god. At one point he tells the Kanes "unfortunately greek gods do not grant paid leave so you are on your own with this."

Nico stuck at camp wondering why tf his older brother keeps randomly disappearing (especially in the middle of the night (he only finds out because he struggles to sleep. because he is 10 and everything is new and kinda anxiety inducing. so it is nice to crawl into Anubis' bed bc that feels safer)).

When Nico does actually catch Anubis in bed it is like when a cat sits on your lap. Like by instinct Anubis knows he needs to go and help the Kanes or talk to Hades but Nico is sleeping in his arms so he is legally not allowed to move.

(He also probably starts getting worried for how long he will be able to actually hold Nico since Bianca is gone and maybe even dead already)

I am not sure if I should include this in a post-titan's curse/the red pyramid version of this post but like. When (or if) Bianca dies and Nico runs away, Anubis 100% would go after him. So, yall think he would just take him to the House of Life? Yall think he would have actually told the Kanes about his job beforehand? Or would it just be him popping in with an absolutely FURIOUS/distraught emo child like "hi, hello, yes, this is technically but also not really my brother, our- or his- sister just died and I kinda want to make sure he doesn't get himself killed because I am already in bad water with my boss. Can yall take him in for a bit?"

I normally like to HC Anubis and Nico as physically looking very different but I also find it funny to imagine the Kanes seeing them side by side and going "are you sure you are not biological brothers?"

Bianca's death was/is tragic but the thought of Anubis learning to wrangle Nico as if he was nothing more but an angry/feral kitten is very lovely.

Still refusing to reread PJO/TKC but it is still infesting my brain so woe crossover au be upon yall

Au where Anubis casually gets assigned to be Bianca's and Nico's older brother, anyone?

(messy points below, mostly from Anubis' pov coz he is my pookie)

Like, once the other Egyptian gods start dropping like flies because the magicians are imprisoning them, assuming they may also go after Anubis, he turns to Hades as a very very very last resort because, well, he would like to not be imprisoned for all eternity, thank you very much. Hades agrees on the condition that Anubis looks after his demigods, since he otherwise really isn't to any use of him, which Anubis accepts. So, Anubis is basically the Hades/Pluto demigods' divine babysitter in exchange for some protection from the magicians who may or may not also want to imprison him.

I shall say that this either works bc A) Hades kids radiate enough death so that he can be around them without a host or B) it is all just bureaucracy so when the rest of the Egyptian gods are gone those rules simply do not really apply.

Anyways, once the Big Three ProphecyTM rolls around and Maria Di Angelo kicks the bucket, Anubis is left in charge of making sure the Di Angelo siblings survive, taking them to and staying with them at the Lotus Casino and the different schools that Hades moves them around to, either as their "older brother"/guardian or as their pet dog that the authorities simply don't bat an eye at.

The siblings, with their memories absolutely fucked up, simply accepts that they either have a brother, a dog, an older brother who is occasionally a dog, or a dog that only conveniently shows up when their brother isn't there and vice versa.

And since I haven't read any RR books since I was 12 and I never read the HOO series, I can't really talk much about the logistics from here on out but. I have some thoughts in general.

Anubis makes sure that he takes the majority of the responsibilities, so that Bianca can be a little more happy and a little less stressed than she would have been if she was alone looking after her little brother.

He also happily distracts Nico when Bianca needs a break, he can genuinely listen to Nico ramble about whatever for hours, remembers it quite well and can return the conversation, which Bianca rarely has energy for.

(He was the exact same when he was young and wants to make sure Nico has someone that listens to him)

Genuinely cannot rest until he makes sure the siblings are fine and safe, which becomes a bit of a problem when Bianca goes on her first and last quest, and even more of a problem when he is more stuck in the Brooklyn House and he has to keep contacting Nico before he allows himself or Walt to rest as a result of that.

He is so so so so SO protective of the siblings. He is absolutely ready to die or kill for them. He is not a fighter, more often than not a pacifist, but when it comes to them he is the first to throw hands.

Also him absolutely being ready to kill the demigods that find the siblings at the military school coz he is so used to the "any demigod or magician is here to kill one of us and I have to protect them at all costs" mode that he has been kinda stuck in for the last 70 or so years, minimum.

He is merely an older sibling running on the equivalent of 3 hours of sleep and 2 strong coffees, which really doesn't help the situation once shit starts going down in Brooklyn/the Egyptian pantheon.

Speaking of the Brooklyn House. After being a Divine BabysitterTM for like 2000 years he genuinely cannot get rid of those base instincts, which ends up with him fussing over the Kanes/Walt/Zia and the rest of the initiates because those are CHILDREN and they need to REST and be SAFE and EAT PROPERLY and TAKE YOUR DAMN VITAMINES, WALT.

Because of those 2000 years of babysitting, Anubis is genuinely amazing with kids. You'd think they'd be scared by him, but no. He is the first one they run to when they scraped their knee and need a band aid and a hug.

He also 100% stares right into Percy's and Will's souls the moment he finds out Nico has/had crushes on them. Despite being raised in an entirely different time he definitely is a "no dating until you are at least 25 otherwise I might have a heart attack" sibling and he is not letting some random demigod break his lil brother's heart. He accepts Will well enough though coz he makes Nico laugh which in the end is the most important thing.

Will might actually be more intimidated by Anubis than Hades but that doesn't stop him. Nico is his babygirl and he knows Anubis is (probably) more bark than bite (most of the time).

No matter if Hades allows him to like. stop being a babysitter once the gods are restored and Ma'at is balanced and all, Anubis still sticks around and checks in on Nico (and eventually Hazel). He gets antsy if he hasn't heard from them at least once a day.

He probably has a good base relationship with Jason and Reyna (bc both are protective older siblings when it comes to Nico) but he keeps Percy at a distance ever since Bianca's death (not that he blames him). But he isn't particularly close to any of them, as his priorities lay with Nico, Hazel, and the Brooklyn House.

Assuming Anubis doesn't like. Introduce himself to the greeks as "Anubis" and instead says he is someone else, I have absolutely no idea when or if he would ever tell any of the greek demigods what he truly is. But I suppose Nico would eventually find out that his older brother actually isn't related to him at all, or even from the greek pantheon, and instead only happened to become his older brother as a favour to Hades. Depending on how he finds out he definitely could get upset but I like to believe he sorta figures eventually, and is just happy Anubis genuinely cares for him.

I also like to think that the greek gods they meet when the demigods take the siblings from the school to camp half-blood, just gives Anubis A LookTM. Either they are fully aware he is protecting the Hades kids or they think an Egyptian god is just casually hanging out with some random demigods. Which must certainly be a sight to behold.

Can yall for a moment imagine being the Kane siblings, trying to get the feather of truth from the god of death to avoid the impending apocalypse, who then says "sorry I am mostly on babysitting duty so I can't really help yall more than this, good luck tho."

Walt who meets Nico and is so conflicted because in one way he is slightly weirded out by this tiny depressed gremlin, but in another way the Anubis PartTM of him is just going "protect protect protect protect", which is a weird first impression.

One of the Kane siblings would be interested in Mythomagic, I just know it. Either Sadie coz it is funky or Carter bc it is nerdy. Either way, Nico has at least one Kane to bond with bc of it.

Nico just has the ultimate diplomatic immunity because he can go between Camp Half-blood, Camp Jupiter, and the Brooklyn House basically as he pleases.

On a completely different topic, the majority of Nico's wardrobe is just shit he has stolen from Anubis, he just lets it happen, in part because it is not like he as a god has a limited wardrobe, and in part bc Nico is absolutely adorable when he drowns in Anubis' jackets bc they are too big for him.

Also, Anubis helping Nico train his death magic, and teaching him the easiest ways to build endurance while using it.

Frankly the thought of the rest of the gods being banished, imprisoned, in exile or attempting to free themselves while Anubis is playing babysitter is very funny to me in general. Imagine being Isis or Osiris and attempting to ask your nephew/son what he did during the 2000 years yall were imprisoned and he goes "I took a side job as a babysitter to pay the bills".

Honestly I might reblog this with more thoughts eventually. They are all just so pookie.

[autisticcassandracain]

I dunno man I feel like most statements along the lines of ‘Batman isn’t REALLY x, he’s y’ don’t hold much water because usually, there’s a pretty good chance a number of writers over the years have written him as x, you just didn’t like it or think it doesn’t count for some reason.

For example ‘Batman isn’t REALLY a good parent, he’s actually a bad parent’, when Batman has been written as a good parent by a number of writers, and has, in addition, been written as realizing that he’s screwed up with his children and resolved to fix it by even more. At the same time, stating ‘Batman isn’t REALLY a bad parent, he’s actually a good parent’ is also incorrect, because Batman has been written as a bad parent by a number of writers, either intentionally or not; in addition, the pattern presented by the tug-of-war between writers who believe he should be a good parent and writers who don’t has, over the years, created an unintentional pattern that strongly resembles that of an abusive relationship. So, stating he is a good parent is inaccurate and dismisses a bunch of his canon writing, but stating he is a bad parent also dismisses a bunch of his canon writing and the intentions of the authors that wrote him.

The secret here is realizing that Batman has had so many writers over the years that it’s practically impossible to find a universal truth about him beyond the basic premise and maybe very, very basic characterization keystones. Writers with different beliefs about both the character and the world at large have written him in accordance to their worldview, and sometimes that worldview will align with yours, and sometimes it won’t.

Like, at this point, Batman is more an idea than he is a character. He is the bare-knuckled fight against injustice, but what ‘injustice’ is depends heavily on your worldview, as does what ‘bare-knuckled’ and ‘fight’ mean. Batman has been interpreted in dozens of different ways over the years, and singling out a few of those as the True Batman is largely arbitrary and dependent on your personal taste and belief in what the character should be. The only ‘objective’ measurement you could apply here are the old Golden Age comics, and I think most fans can agree that measuring modern Batman comics by how faithful they are to the Golden Age comics is, more often than not, a little ridiculous.

For the record, I do think that arguing about what Batman should be matters; if right-wing assholes use the character as a mouthpiece for their worldview we can and should critique that, but not because it’s ‘OOC’, but because the worldview espoused by those right-wing assholes is harmful and shitty. Batman should be a good parent, not because it’s ‘OOC’ for him to be a bad parent, but because having your paragon of justice be a child abuser is pretty shitty. Etc.

I don’t really have anywhere specific to go with this, I just think it’s a little strange when people try to view Batman as a character with a clear-cut characterization, rather than a concept that many people have approached in different ways over the years. Can that concept be mishandled? Sure. But it’s usually mishandled for reasons a bit more substantial than ‘a previous writer wrote it differently’.

[liquidstar]

a friend who'd wait :)

[artsycloudysleepy]

Drawing Dump!

oh and meet another OC: lily/iliad (fae/faer, has two names)! fae's the God/Guardian of the Arts in Fabrication (so art, music, writing, dance, and drama). faer design is my fav so far if i'm being honest haha, really like how it came out :D

(nye this is one of the two OCs who i've written with MDD so far! cody also has it - am going to make some human ones too methinks. thanks so much again for the tips!!!)

pppppllllluuuuusssss chara and asriel art i already posted in january but still like enough to promote again now that i uh. actually have followers :3

(also this is TOTALLY targeting a mutual who should really play undertale....................... hint hint hint /silly)

@mylackofgrammaristerrifying @mrrotten @nyenylon hiiiiiiiii hope you guys are having a fun timezone!! what're you guys up to? :)

[hellsideangel]

Yes more on aoi. Mainly cuz this character resonated with me. Rn I'm labelling myself as biaro (bisexual aromantic) and so I saw alot of myself in this character (thou I know it's mainly projecting cuz I don't believe she fits into any specific category).

SHIT FORGOT TO SAY WARNING SPOILERS. WOOPS. MAYBE DONT READ MY POST BEFORE THIS ONE?

At the beginning shes presented as a weirdo which gets makatos interest which I love. Cuz I tend to make friends weirdly out of no where due to curiosity and weirdness. And she took noticed that makato was special compared to everyone else which peaked her interest leading to be her falling in "love" without knowing it wasn't love. I understand being confused and unsure about feelings what one should feel and what one does. An it is really complicated because there is love, lust, admiration, interest, curiosity, fun, obsession, uniqueness and well it's hard to know what if what your feeling someone sets within the boundaries of society. Would this be considered friends? Closer than friends? Family? Lovers? Because I tend to get close people easily and it took growing to realise and be aware of boundaries not to cross the romantic line and mislead people including myself.

Anyways, something about Makato drew her in and she accepted Makato as Makato no matter how Makato appeared. In fact she liked being able to see the 2 versions and kinda came of as pervert. But with her it seems she doesn't really think the way most do. Even with the question of do I join basketball or do I reject them. She very clearly went you don't wanna commit so just join when U feel like, why choose do both. And I feel like I look at creatures the same way. They just are what they are. And this pressure to pick a category to just live the way you want resonates with me.

Anyways, the way she hits on Makato felt sexually bi so when the turning point hit and it was revealed that she actually didn't love Makato I felt quite happy to see some form of biaro even if that isn't who aoi is. And they way they presented it with her grandmother blindly wishing for aoi to find her special someone or something to love and how she masks to reassure her grandmother since she knows the grandmother means no ill will. But she wished for it.

Later they introduce this idea of loving something so much something to die for. Since her father is a whale fanatic whales are what was special to him. Introducing this idea that if it can't be someone it could be something and how she jealous that she doesn't have either. In a way I feel the same as a kid I wasn't hyper about rock or pasta. I just didn't find it as boring as everything else. It started with a misunderstanding that pasta was my "favourite" and I kinda went with it. Soon enough I kinda discovered a range of different pasta dishes what I liked and didn't like and somehow made it special to me. With rock it was slight interest. But once I deep dived I found meaning and reasons to stay obsessed. Now I can safely say I love these things. I wouldn't necessarily die for them but I couldn't imagine living without them either.

So for aoi. I feel like she's in love with the idea of being in love. Having someone. And frankly her home life sucks and she's very lonely. She also masks her real wants for the people around her as if she's scared of she doesn't be easy going they won't come back again. This need to be liked. I wouldn't say I had that but as a kid I tended to bounce from one person to the next trying to make friends with people who clearly didn't want to. Didn't really understand fake friends boundaries rejection. I just saw it as this looks fun you guys look happy can I join? It used to be a distraction. Idk if it's the same for aoi but it seemed like a distraction from the fact she's lonely and has no one close to her.

When ryuji comes over to her place after a scare (aoi knows ryuji loves Makato) she says in roundabout words the only reason I'm relying on u rn is because I know U don't like me. I wouldn't be stuck masking it's ok since it wouldn't be an issue dragging u here. It would be if U liked me. (Since she wants to be liked not disliked) And I kinda of get the logic. It's alot more difficult when Ur like this to deal with people that like. The feeling you owe the people that like you to not disappoint them.

Anyways, she then says the begining thing I reposted that if his love falls throu and she doesn't love anyone either in the future can they live together. Which I just love because alot of aro feel this way. Wanting to connect and be close platonically. For me I guess I want the same but it's more complex so not getting into that but it goes to show she wants permission to be close to someone without the heartbreak of breaking someone's heart because Ur unable to fulfil their desires. The idea of suppressed Ur own desires for the sake of others. Then ryuji responds that'll never happen. Ull be fine. She cried and he goes you're actually pretty dark Hu? Which I love can't explain.

And then later Makato has a moment with aoi and might love her proving he doesn't love ryuji despite dating him. In this moment he says the words she'd been dying to hear I'd be there for U always. Mainly cuz she's been lonely her whole life even her family isn't a constant so a friend whose seemingly safe cuz they meant to be dating Ur other friend hugging U in Ur darkest moment saying I'll be there fills U with hope that being aro (whether or not aoi is) doesn't necessarily mean being alone.

She also has a momentary panic is this ok? Because she knows she's the third wheel. And the way she tries to get them together l, stay away and distance herself is something I love being portrayed because it's a sad truth. At least for me, once a relationship has been established U can't be as close, U have to distance and I've lost alot of friendships that way. In this one thou they return to her or that it's ok and stay close even thou she basically does break up their relationship. However that's good because Makato wasn't gonna fall for ryuji even without aoi. Which is nice to see that it shouldn't have so much pressure to not be the tag along not get in the way not mess it up.

The: is this ok? might also stem from is it ok to lean on someone knowing you can't love them back? Which is one most struggle with.

Anyways the depth of the relationships and characters is astonishing. I only picked aoi mainly cuz I was surprised how much I related and personally I love her depiction especially when she let the mask fall and it all got too real.

But I also love makatos story and depiction as well and ryujis.

#u never asked for this

#overshare

#need to share after watching and feeling

#this is my opinion don't come for me

#yes I know it's long sos 😜

#senpai wa otokoto? Okonotoko? Okotokonoko? Have I spelt that wrong? Oh well.

#my appol

I am so hooked on this anime!! Ugh. I swear she's giving the aroace vibes! With the previous episodes, it feels like she's trying to convince herself that she loves her senpai. But I think she's just in love with the concept of falling in love because she thinks that's what's normal. I'd be bummed out if that wouldn't be the case because tbh this is a good representation of being an aroace. Like I can totally relate to Aoi. I've been through this phase before. And even now I am also considering living with someone who's also aroace (if the chance presents itself, of course living alone would be fine too).

I do hope the series will have a proper ending. Taiga is already aware that he's gay but we can't say the same for Makoto. I think we are yet to figure out whether Makoto will actually fall in love with Taiga or not. He crossdresses and he likes girly stuff but that doesn't mean he's gay based on that. I just hope they get to fix their relationship. Whether Makoto would remain friends or pursue a relationship with either of the two. If Makoto prolongs his relationship with Taiga without developing feelings for him, that would be really unfair for Taiga. I feel bad for Taiga accepting to go out with Makoto simply because Makoto doesn't want his friendship with Taiga to turn bad. That would just be too unfair. :(

[cigarettes-and-black-eyeliner]

Has a person that has done nothing wrong to you in your life annoy you so much sometimes?? This is happening to me. [Person] has done nothing wrong. Well okay they have annoying(and wrong, might I add) opinions & ideas about stuff I'm passionate about. Honestly I get where they're coming from but I just don't get the conclusion they came to.

[23meteorstreet]

charlie literally saying he doesn't feel safe using the second room... i mean yeah at first it seems silly that charlie insists on sleeping in the same bed as frank & hiding the bathroom for 10+ years but really it's his way of making sure he always has someone to protect him at night

[paleangels13]

Helloo, I still exist did anyone even notice I was mostly gone lol

Anyone interested in ehhh...slightly unhinged work-related talk?

No?

Well. Too bad

Anyone that knows me irl please ignore the tags – I'm embarrassed ✨🥰

[sheyshen]

Something I want to build on with vincent at some point is how much the years of being an adventurer has taken a toll on him. he spent so long just being angry at the world but as he gets closer and closer to carteneau he does start recognizing how reckless he's been and the mistakes he's made over the years. friendships (especially with layla and nhea) helping him get a little closer to how he used to be before finally stopping and trying to do better for himself when he loses his leg. and the fact that guilt has really solidified in him to still make him push himself in his healing rather than combat (though sometimes still pushing himself too far) and how the years of treating himself like a weapon have taken a toll on his mind (he has terrible nightmares that only a select few have been able to help him through it)