#cant wait for the anime onlys to get to the arc this is from in one million years

[mochasucculent]

Fave Kabru panel redraw woohoo

[hauntingblue]

Skypiea time

Robin saying that because I know she only got on a ship to then leave it...

Nami sees Conis and gets sanji out of there so SHE can talk to her akdhksajka not a single second lost

Hello my favourite panel of nami maybe ever

Sillies...

CHOPPER YOU ARE THE CUTEST

Robin throws this guy off a cliff and to make just to make sure she breaks his neck too akdjsksk who is doing it like her???

OMG ACE!!!! IT IS TIME!!!!

[hoippu]

ZoLu Fanfic Masterlist

(Guide for people who want to avoid anime spoilers)

it's in chronological order of the anime arcs but the first several ones are the AU fics

EDIT: check out the google doc for more updates on the list

Ephemerality by greatduwangs

http://archiveofourown.org/works/37446706

Alternate Universe – Demon AU

Don’t need to be caught up to One Piece tbh but still have a good amount of knowledge on some early introduced characters. If you’ve at least gotten to Baratie I think that’s good enough.

Read Roses Mean Friendship by Aki133

http://archiveofourown.org/works/44277967

Alternate Universe – Flower Shop AU

You don’t have to be caught up to One Piece either.

There’s a few characters here tho that get introduced in the anime in Thriller Bark and in Dressrossa.

Tomatoes, Spanish class and roommates by bunnylover101

http://archiveofourown.org/works/38490631

Alternate Universe – Modern College AU

Unrelated to the main story of One Piece but it contains characters from Dressrossa, post-marineford and I think Water 7.

Eternity would be a Curse (Without You By My Side) by Puppypaws54672

http://archiveofourown.org/works/47262166  

Alternate Universe – Gods & Goddesses

No actual spoilers but theres a lot of characters from like the whole series lol

Splendid fanfic

Part 1 of a series

Eternity Had Cursed Me (To Be Without You By My Side) by Puppypaws54672

Part 2 of Eternity would be a Curse (Without You By My Side)

Alternate Universe – Gods & Goddesses, Reincarnation, Modern

No actual spoilers but theres characters from the whole series

The Story of Us by Mugiwat

http://archiveofourown.org/works/48543286

Alternate Universe – Modern AU

No actual spoilers but theres lots of characters again.

Warning: youre gonna hate Law In this fic lmao

catching butterflies by aquietdin

http://archiveofourown.org/works/48133825

(pre-timeskip) Takes place sometime between Skypiea arc but before Long Island arc.

You should also watch the G-8 filler arc because I think it’s referenced, but it’s okay cuz it is honestly the best and only filler arc worth watching.

Ode to an ocean by novks (thychesters)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/46906945

(pre-timeskip) Takes place right before water 7.

Chimes by drcalvin

http://archiveofourown.org/works/451483

(pre-timeskip) Contains spoilers from Water 7/ Post-Enies Lobby.

Takes place after shortly after marineford I think. Maybe wait until the timeskip begins before reading this one just in case.

Unable Are the Loved to Die by BasicallyACat

http://archiveofourown.org/works/24785554

(pre-timeskip) post Enies Lobby

Is a series

You are all I see by Anonymous

http://archiveofourown.org/works/47441071

Alternate Universe – Modern AU

Do not read until you’ve finished Marineford arc

One of my favorites

The Dawn that Rises Bloody by BasicallyACat

http://archiveofourown.org/works/27556822

a sequel to Unable Are the Loved to Die

(post-timeskip) I don’t recall reading this one yet so I cant really say up until where you should watch the anime. But definitely post timeskip

Feelings, what a mess! by drcalvin

http://archiveofourown.org/works/371473.

(post-timeskip) Very early into the timeskip. I’d say you can read when they’re on the way to fishman island.

Heliotrope by LostInClouds

http://archiveofourown.org/works/44929768

(post-timeskip) As long as you reach the timeskip and have made it more or less to when theyre sailing to Fishman Island, you should be fine.

The Things we do for Love by LostInClouds

http://archiveofourown.org/works/46912906

(post-timeskip) It’s recommended that you reach the timeskip for this one too and probably before fishman island is also good enough.

Of First Mates and Duty by Whatev3rs

http://archiveofourown.org/works/40266276

(post-timeskip) takes place in an indefinite point in the timeskip after return to sabaody arc.

Probably my favorite zolu oneshot fr

His Captain, Captivating by jirachi

http://archiveofourown.org/works/48769138             

(post-timeskip) Try to read after Wholecake arc or at least Punk Hazard. There aren’t any major spoilers for Wholecake but there’s a new crewmate there that doesn’t join until then.

Kizuna by YokoHogawa

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4452800

(post-timeskip) after fishman island

The Five Times Luffy Kissed Zoro, and the One Time Zoro Kissed Luffy by EclecticIsMyMiddleName

http://archiveofourown.org/works/18994144

This one takes place throughout the story up until the end of Wano arc.

It’s preferable that you’re fully caught up because it’s so good you might wanna binge it.

However if you absolutely must here’s the time period for each chapter:

Chapter 1 (pre-timeskip) right after Arlong Park

Chapter 2 (pre-timeskip) takes place in episode 223 (I think that’s a filler arc but its short and not too bad to watch)

Chapter 3 (pre-timeskip) between Enies Lobby arc and post-Enies Lobby arc episodes 312 and 313 (don’t read the chapter summary cuz it has spoilers)

Chapter 4 (pre-timeskip) At the end of thriller bark episodes 377 and 378

Chapter 5 (post-timeskip) from the beginning of timeskip until Wano

Chapter 6 (post-timeskip) end of wano

[liquidstar]

SEASON 3 TRAILER DROPPED HERES MY THOUGHTS (LN spoilers)

BROTHER AND SISTER OF ALL TIME THEYRE SO CUTE <3 love seeing how their relationship has progressed from beako literally throwing him out a window for stuff like this to her happily playing along its so so so so so cute. genuinely just one of the cutest and sweetest dynamics in the series

hi ram roswaal and fred :) this is probably all we're going to really see of you guys this arc lol

JOSHUA REAL!!!!! but not for long (also otto in the bg foreshadowing all the drinking hes about to do this arc. hes so stressed. poor emilia is trying her best)

julius looks so babyfaced here? they really emphasized his long eyelashes just like subaru has been on about every time he mentions him. they better include the scene where he checks him out, like, if they dont animate subaru looking dead at this mans ass im going to riot

i LOVE this shot of ana. you can really tell shes up to some corrupt capitalist bullshit as we speak. love her for that. wish i had this pic when i made that one money game anastasia video

the red dress actually does look really good on crusch like it compliments the green hair really well but also the crusch we know would not walk around in such a thing so its like. damn looks like the "memories are an important part of identity" story thinks memories are an important part of identity. who knew.

ALSO LOVE FELTS NEW LOOK SO MUCH! the only complaint is i felt (felt lol) like the red brought out her eyes more but the blue also looks cool. three primary colors all being used looks nice too

whatever who cares about all that THE CUNT!!!!!!! THE CUNT IS HERE!!! I CANNOT WAIT FOR ALL THE DRAMA SHE CAUSES TO BE ANIMATED FOR REAL

no fucking way... did they actually...

THEY DID! THEY CENSORED THAT HORRIBLE FUCKING DESIGN OH MY GOD. SHES WEARING SHORTS AND JUST A CROPPED SHIRT. AND CHAPS I GUESS? BUT ALSO A LITTLE SKIRT CAPE SO NO ASS SHOTS... THIS WILL MAKE WATCHING THE SEASON SO MUCH MORE TOLERABLE. i mean not perfect but STILL.

photos taken seconds before disaster lmfao. i still love how chin thinks subaru is a freak and weirdo for being so buddy buddy with him after he and his buddies mugged him. twice. (even more times from subarus perspective. hell he stabbed subaru once) genuinely cant wait to see more of this dynamic its so stupid.

THE FUCKING CUNT!!!!!! also the apples lol

oh you poor thing. you have no idea what next level family drama bullshit awaits. good luck. get ready to kill grandma AGIAN lol

:'( emilia still misses her terrible cat dad and its kinda sad when you know were not getting a resolution on that here either. they both look so sad :(

i cannot wait for garf mommy issues round fucking 2.

THIS CRAZY BITCH!!! I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THIS CRAZY BITCH ANIMATED. I CANT WAIT TO SEE HOW THEYRE PORTRAY HER MANNERISMS. ESP W HOW WILD PETELGEUSE WAS ANIMATED IN S1. REAL LOONY TOONS BULLSHIT. AND HER POWERS ARE ALSO SOOOOOO MUCH COOLER I CANT WAIT

NO MORE DRESSES FOR CRUSCH YAY

he fucking bit it. yeah i guess thats what dogs do tho.

YOU. DIVORCE MAN. KILL YOURSELF. SLASH SERIOUS.

the empathy powers will have a glowing eye effect. very cool but i hope they dont show it too much in the first scene bc like in the LN i think its cooler if you dont know why everything is so... Wrong.

i dont rly have anything to say i just think ferris looks cool covered in blood. imagine being healed here like doctor catgirl will see you now

emilia be nice. that crazy bitch might be your mom. just like how the previous crazy bitch was in fact your dad.

THEY CHANGED UP CAPELLA'S DESIGN TOO honestly tho her being sexualized makes sense w a lot of the themes (the way its intentionally meant to be perverse and gross in a way explicitly stated) so i didnt mind as much and she still IS here but. this is still an improvement imo just a better outfit looks cooler. bug.

NAUR I DONT WANNA WAIT... OCTOBER.... AUGH

[themoonstarwarrior]

Well, I haven't seen the episode yet, but since it sounds like BloodMoon is refusing to be saved, imma go ahead and share the idea I mentioned to @twinanimatronics about how Sun could've possibly reached them.

Obviously BloodMoon wont sit still and listen so this scenario has Sun use star power to trap BM just like old moon did to him with Moon on standby to come in once the 5 minutes are up.

Basically, Sun asks them WHY they kill and hurt people and BM brings up the main three reasons: they enjoy it, they dont want to be a tool, and they hunger. Since literally none of the protags have actually asked, Sun would be surprised that theres more than the first reason and interrogate to get to the bottom of it. Cuz what Sun realizes is that BloodMoon doesnt have any deeper motives or desires because of their eternal hunger. Their ENTIRE existence has circled around violence to satisfy their hunger. They get used to satisfy their hunger. They enjoy the rip and tear because it stops the hunger.

They have always been a tool to the hunger.

So Sun offers the one thing that no one has: what if they get rid of the hunger?

BM is confused cuz all they've ever known is the hunger, and Sun has to dig the point home by explaining how they can keep killing but it'll come back, and probably stronger. They could kill everyone and everything but then the hunger will come back. And the only thing thatll be left to kill is each other.

And THAT freaks them out, because that is the only thing BloodMoon stands to lose is the brotherhood. (And while BM1 would probably race about lies and trickery, BM2 cant deny the logic)

So with BM actually realizing how their hunger endangers them, and Moon at this point just WAITING to finish them off, Sun lays down the ultimatum. Since no change of heart can happen if all they've ever known is hunger, Sun/Moon/Solar can try and remove it to and see if the twins can be rehabilitated, otherwise Moon ends them then and there.

And I love this idea so much!!! It addresses the REAL block that BM has that hasnt been brought up since that one episode where they kill the anime girl. We get to keep BloodMoon, since the creators went to the trouble of bringing them back and giving them a new model so it'd be a lil annoying if they just ended up killed again. It acknowledges how much BM has been used and brushed aside while admitting that there hasnt been much else to them. And you could have a whole rehabilitation arc, with everyone healing and BM given a real change and actual honesty, since god knows no one is gonna be mincing words. And I imagine their blood-hunger being removed ends up like the Ruin Virus a bit, where getting rid of it cuts down a LOT of the more sadistic urges. So the boys get a mostly-tamed but still-pretty-fucking-insane BloodMoon Twins that basically is just the feral crazy guy that hangs around Animal from Muppets lol and idk stays with Monty cuz hes more easygoing on the violent habits and they need to NOT be anywhere near the daycare.

And maybe I'll watch the episode and be alright with it, but it just sucks cuz this would work SO GOOD and I know the showrunners wouldn't do it. So now I've had to make this fucking long ass post and y'all hafta deal with it.

And maybe someday I'll write a drabble this and the other SAMS scenes I've imagined...

So yeah, sorry about the rambling and shit. I hate how emotionally involved I get with this show that I love. And I'll go ahead and tag @garbagechocolate out of obligation X)

[risingscorchingsuns]

OHHH MY GOD YOU CANT MAKE ME WAIT A FUCKING WEEK FOR THIS. YOU CANT MAKE ME WAIT A WEEK FOR THE MUZAN KAGAYA CONFRONTATION YOU CANT DO THIS TO ME. FUCKING HELL OH MY GODDDD

hiiiii im feeling so normal right now!!!!!!!!!!!! *barely contained frenzy of biting and screaming*

anyway thoughts on this weeks ep!!! <3

- tanjiro. please. please i love you baby but i will never understand why you decided it was a good idea to go “🥺 are you fighting about ohagi? ill make lots!!” tanjiro honey they are TRAINING

-/pos btw. I love him he’s iconic for this

-shoutout to giyuu for immediately finding out about Sanemi’s favorite food and being like “:) if I bring some to him we’ll be best friends :)” giyuu sweetheart i love you. ive been waiting so long to see this scene animated god I love them. im not even much of a sanegiyuu shipper i just think this whole scene is iconic

- the ECHOES of muzan’s FOOTSTEPS right after Sanemi realizes they’ve been infiltrated????? holy fuck it is CHILLING. ohhhhhh mygoooodddd. oh my god im going INSANE

- holy shit, I feel like it’s massively under-discussed how dark Gyomei’s backstory is. Like… the whole scene really pounds it in how brutal his experiences were. His disgust at having to fight, much beyond what a normal human would tolerate. He likely had to keep caving the demon’s head in over and over because it kept regenerating. Holy shit. The color choice of everything being monochrome except for the blood is particularly chilling. I love when media uses that palette and KNY does it so good

- AUGHHHH his smile when he pats tanjiro 🥺🥺🥺 he thinks about Sayo…. GOD I love the Hashira

- I’d love to read more character analysis on Gyomei. I feel like we didn’t get as much context for his character as we deserved- why he continued to fight, despite how disgusted he is by his own strength, why he trained Genya despite his general distrust, especially towards children? Ultimately, I believe it comes down to Gyomei being a genuinely gentle human, and I’d love to read more analysis on how he maintains that. Maybe his own repetitive action helps him. I wrote a big paragraph about questions about his character, but wound up deleting it because I found myself answering them as I wrote. Regardless, if Gyomei is anybody’s blorbo to the extent that Kyojuro is mine I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on him- I think he’s a massively underrated character and I’d love to understand him deeper!

-OUGHHH THE MUSIC!!!!!!! god I am LOVING the theme they did with the sanegiyuu fight that shit went CRAZYYYY. and the ANIMATION. look im biased because i love the way water breathing looks but godddd its so pretty. also drop ripple thrust mentioned!!!! we haven’t seen that form since Susamaru!!!

-is the next episode gonna be the last in this season?????????? where are they cutting this off?????? god i wish i could reread the manga but i lent the set to a friend so he could read it pain agony MY CROSS REFERENCES

- [MANGA SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT]

-I’m presuming Zenitsu’s letter was about his Master’s suicide, and Kaigaku’s transformation. I think it was really clever of ufotable to put this scene in Gyomei’s episode, and put spotlights on Kaigaku being the kid that first betrayed Gyomei- I think that fact was only actually mentioned in a Taisho Era Secret. That’s gonna blow a lot of minds in the finale arc lol

-I wish we got more development on Zenitsu in this arc. His processing of the letter, his departure from Tanjiro and the others. I think Zenitsu is also a really misunderstood character, and this arc doesn’t exactly do him many favors in that regard. I wish we’d gotten a bit of filler vis-a-vis his development, but I’m hoping we still get that in his fight with Kaigaku.

[lolotheparagon]

Helluva Boss is Hella Sexist to Both Men and Women - Part 1

Just saw a video about Helluva Boss and whether its sexist or not with portraying its female characters and that got me thinking:

Are Helluva Boss' writers misogynists?

No. No one INTENTIONALLY writes misogynistic material unless you're Bruce Timm or Blizzard but what they're writing DEFINITELY COMES ACROSS AS SEXIST because the writers are so busy juggling every plot thread and character arc at once, they forget to write the main fucking characters apart from Blitzo. ESPECIALLY its female characters like Millie, Loona, Stella and Octavia.

You can use good faith arguments until you're blue in the face, but the truth of the matter is treating ALL of their main female characters as vehicles for the male characters' development with little characterisation beyond that IS misogynistic.

Lets start with Millie.

Millie is the most egregious case since she's one of the main employees at IMP yet we barely see Millie do anything other than be Moxxie's wife or a killing machine. And the fact her only s1 episode "where we see her family " plot getting sidelined for a Moxxie plot is unbelievable. Millie is by far the show's most promising character you can write mountains of stories about. But instead the show makes her a crazy lovable girlboss TM without any goals or aspirations and only exists as Moxxie's support system. Shes fine if shes meant to be a side character but shes in a main ensemble cast and you CANT have one of your main 4 characters be just the cool badass wife who can benchpress a tractor. That's fine for a tumblr art post, not for a character in a professional episodic animated tv show

Loona is supposed to be 21 or something yet she acts like every surly teenager who abuses her adoptive father Blitz, who's done nothing but love and cherish her. Yet she always beats him up whenever Blitz is merely in her vicinity. And so far we havent got an episode or even A SCENE where Loona and Blitz just sit down and unpack everything. That one flashback of Loona being from a hellhound orphanage/pound wouldve been so interesting to explore as a full episode, but it was only set up so Blitz can have a panic attack. So, much like Millie, Loona's character arcs and plotlines get shifted aside for more dumb scenes and Brandon Rogers references. Loona doesn't even change her attitude towards others throughout the series so far and remains as sardonic and bitchy as ever, cos heaven forbid we have our characters develop. Fans wont buy our overpriced merch of our furry waifu otherwise.

Octavia only exists in the story to make Stolas look like the most wholesome dada so the fans will completely forget hes in an unhealthy power-imbalanced relationship with Blitz, a lower class imp, purely for sex but then grows romantically attached to which Blitz adamantly refuses to see it that way. (Stolas also has imps as servants which he treats with apathy or contempt so already sets a bad precedent) but circling back to Octavia, Stolas claims to love his daughter very much but we've never shown that often BUT STOLAS DOESNT EVEN CARE ABOUT OCTAVIA UNLESS SHES IN ACTUAL DANGER COS HE GETS DISTRACTED BY HORNY BLITZY OR IS TOO IMCOMPETENT TO DO ANYTHING PROACTIVE

In Loo Loo Land, he learns to be more considerate of her feelings and comforts her after ignoring her throughout the whole episode. What happens in the next Stolas and Octavia episode? Octavia gets dismissed by Stolas AGAIN, this time by his ex-wife, when she asks about a star event THEY PLANNED TO GO TO, so she runs away to the human world to see it for herself. And yet who consoles her at the observatory scene? FUCKING LOONA OF ALL PEOPLE! WHY CANT STOLAS GO UP THERE, FINALLY FINDING HER AT LAST AND TALK TO HER? YKNOW THE WHOLE FUCKING POINT WHY STOLAS IS IN THE HUMAN REALM TO BEGIN WITH??! HE'S WAITING AROUND IN A SITCOM AUDIENCE WHILE BLITZO DOES HIS FAILING ATTEMPTS AT COMEDY

Octavia's own feelings about her relationship with her dad, how her parents divorce has affected her, her relationship with her mother Stella, ITS ALL SIDELINED for more self-indulgent Stolitz shipping. I feel so sorry for Octavia, she deserves better. She should be adopted by Blitz, he's more an actual father figure than Stolas.

And finally, Stella. Stella is an interesting case cos I have no qualms with having a bitchy abusive wife villain for Stolas to fight back against. Im totally fine with Stolas standing up to Stella and finally divorcing that bitch. But I really wish Stella had more presence throughout the first season, constantly bringing up tension and stress to piss off Stolas, since she likes tormenting him so much. Cos piling all of her insults and cartoonishly over the top bitchiness in one episode (The Circus) was too much and with how that episode woobified Stolas already, it only added to the problem. Nothing inherently wrong character-wise with Stella, shes established as a unrepentant bitch and stays that way. She is ultimately a vehicle for Stolas' character development but shes not a main character so its fine. The story is not about her.

But I find it pretty rich that the show treats being Loona being abusive to her father figure for no good reason like a joke, whereas Stella's abuse of Stolas about to slap him is portrayed as a serious, shocking moment.

So in conclusion, Helluva Boss DOES push several negative stereotypes of women. The one-note girlboss wife who's plotlines always get shafted in support of the male characters (Millie), the teenager who's desperate for paternal love from her father, leaving her bored and neglectful but the father in question does some bare minimum effort and that's suddenly okay in her eyes (Octavia) and the double standard that abuse is funny when a woman is hitting a man (Loona and Blitzo). Except when it isnt (Stella and Stolas)

This show is a fucking mess: part 1

(I will elaborate on the male characters treatment in another post. If I forgot anything or made a mistake, let me know, im always open for feedback!

And yes, I'm aware I omitted Verosika Mayday from this list because she's ultimately harmless as a character and only exists as a rival to Blitz. Also she only appeared in two episodes so I dont have much to say about her.)

[stackslip]

augh yeah as much as i do love the parts of COS that are very obviously trying to do something competent and genuine, the amestris parts are just so ????

ill be honest, im pretty sure i blocked those scenes out, so remembering that what happened on the amestris side is. yikes

definitely wish the movie was more focused and didnt try to add as much as it did. especially roy -- i dont mind the beginning, hell i think him exiling himself to the north is a good concept, but the fact that he takes back his position (iirc) is just. so are we throwing away the character development and him realizing that he CANT change the military from the inside or what.

in general i honestly wanted to see less of the military cast. they frankly dont have much reason to be there other than the fact people wanted to see them (esp armstrong... just. WHY). im sure there are still ways to work in roy if the creators really wanted him to be there but like. idk! they sure didnt have to do it like that! we couldve spent more time on exploring noah as a character. or let izumi die on screen. sigh

been a while since i rewatched COS but thanks for pointing out all the weird stuff, i'd almost forgotten it and i honestly shouldn't.

(and of course i have to say i love your posts on the series proper. i will never be normal about scar. ever)

the second i saw roy in there i was like why is roy still in the military at all. wasn't his whole arc about realizing that he can't do shit within the military because it is an institution built on atrocities and exploitation? why is he still in it then. why is he talking about serving his country. why's he talking about waiting for ED that makes no fucking SENSE. (why is he alive. someone said they thought roy was supposed to die by the end of 03 but they kept him alive bc he's a fan fave and i wholly believe this frankly). why is the country's military still seemingly intact with a whole surveillance network, when 03 ended on the military being severely crippled and amestris's neighbours getting ready to invade it and bring it to its knees? why are we literally seeing *the fucking weimar republic* in cos only for amestris to not parallel it in any way and instead be the brotherhood-type funland where once you've taken out the mean führer, everything is fine and there's nothing to fix?

and like. this is a short movie right! i know that they were denied a season, maybe even a season and a half to finish off the show and that some elements of cos were meant to be in the og show's ending. and it shows! bc again munich is fucking reasonably competent considering how much is crammed in on hour thirty. and i know that cos's production was also rushed as hell and that as an Anime Movie they were contractually obligated to 1) put as many recurring fan faves in as possible 2) have at least a third of the movie be a big action scene. so like. i can understand the limits. you have no time, you're told you have to put all this shit in, you want to finish off the brothers' story at the very least. but my gd! you're telling me you had an izumi death scene and it doesn't happen??? you could cut roy out ENTIRELY from this. you could not put ARMSTRONG IN LIORE. you could..... i know they had no time at all, i know once again it was 03 being shafted by production committees and time and budget but it's legit insane how the very stupid and seemingly innocuous choice of having armstrong "rebuild" liore comedically completely slapped me out of whatever headspace cos had managed to slip me in before. i was enjoying it a lot until we got to amestris. and this armstrong thing, followed by rose's line here:

it's just. it's almost comedic. i'm almost wondering if the writer is fucking with me here and acknowledging just how stupid it is to put armstrong doing alchemy in liore is. probably not but gd this is bad. this is brotherhood levels of obliviousness to the themes.

anyhow i'm not finishing cos tonight bc i'm too pissed about it lol. it's funny bc for years i was told it was bad but for the opposite reasons that it's actually bad. like folks kept saying the munich parts were bad/stupid/wrong and made no sense when to me they're by far the most thematically coherent and interesting/emotional bits of it. i LOVE the relationship between noah and ed. and like, i know the bar is is in hell when it comes to depicting roma on screen, but i can't help but appreciate the little and big ways both noah and her people get humanized, how they feel like the most real and concrete part of this world ed insists is a dream or hell. but really, genuinely noah is so good, alfons's weird crush on ed is hysterical, the general atmosphere and research around 1923 munich seems genuinely thoughtful (and it also tells me that the writers had been thinking about this long, long before even 03 ended). i genuinely believe that making munich! hugues a nazi sympathizer and a racist is a really inspired and brave choice that makes the audience reflects THEIR hugues and how the amestrian military behaved. so anyhow these parts are good, genuinely. it's sad that that's the first third and then you get thrown into this mess, and there's still a whole stupid nazi battle to come. it's stupid. it's stupid especially bc there's a genuine part of the movie that IS smart and thoughtful. it'd be so much easier if all of it were bad, or if the difference between the writing in each part weren't so obvious. anyhow. i wanna finish cos bc i wanna see wrath's arc end and envy eating hoheinheim and ed/al reunion and more of noah. but also i think i'm gonna be writing off large chunks of it lol.

(also thank you very much, i'm trying to preach 03 to whoever i can whenever i can. appreciate the love)

[auuwmk]

connecting orv to some songs from Belle's (animated musical movie) soundtrack -> this got WAY too long, i underestimated my ability to bullshit

You don't need to watch the movie but I'll probably parallel it sometimes but only vaguely, I'm not the most media literate person on this app so feel free to add anything you want!!

Song: U (the opening theme iirc)

^ kinda obvious, scene in the 1865th round where kimcom tries to get kdj back from the subway

"Though i feel left behind sometimes when you close the door" kdj not letting kimcom break through his "wall", he shut them out and never lets them in even until the very end (literally and metaphorically)

"i wanna know who you are, i wanna know it all" what if this was hsy and kimcom writing on the wall to reach him... *jhy flashbacks*

^ "The moment that life hits you, you can't avoid the issue," context in the movie: suzu (mc) was forced to come out as her true self instead hiding behind her avatar -> kdj revealing who he actually is to yjh by the end of the divorce arc instead of hiding behind the facade of a prophet (this could also be kdj telling kimcom that the world is a novel)

"you're disconnected from the world you thought you were part of" tbh not sure about this one but kdj not seeing himself as a "character" that belongs in twsa therefore disconnected (i don't think he thought he was part of it anyways) -> WAIT could be kdj thinking he knew everything about twsa until he realized he doesn't

^ kdj living his dream of meeting the characters of his favorite novel and being immersed in the world

"When you pass through the veil of fantasy, there's a world with a rhythm for you and me" basically him immersing himself in fiction in general (there's a world with a rhythm for you and me -> twsa being doksoo's world that they built tgt...a story only for them)

^ self explanatory, yoohan and kimcom about kdj (mostly hsy, specifically cuz of the "though we cant waste our time here, it's now or never")

^ also self explanatory, "you're all i need to leap into a perfect sky!" kimcom believing they can be happy again after they get kdj back

^ do i even need to say it

^ "dance away a world you never loved from the start" kdj (oldest dream too) trying to forget his lonely reality using fiction also ride to the future, ready to depart? haha subway reference

^ haha kim dokja

----

Song: Gales of Song

^ "A life without you i cannot accept, i can't tell that lie, i cant let go" this basically applies to everyone in kimcom but i was specifically thinking about post epilogue hsy trying to move on for two years but when she was finally about to move on....

continuation...later in reblogs probably

[dextixer]

Volume 9 was (Mostly) filler that did not need the Ever After to exist

When details about Volume 9 being set in a different world entirely emerged, a good amount of people started predicting that Volume 9 would end up being a filler volume. After all, if the characters are all in another world entirely, that means that the main plot of the show is going to be put on hold. While it was a fair assumption to make, it also received push-back in the form of people claiming that the volume could be used for character development, which would not be filler regardless of its interactions with the main plot. Volume 9 came and went, and so, the question remains. Was Volume 9 filler?

In my opinion? Yes. Mostly. While i cannot claim that the entirety of the volume was meaningless fluff, for the most part, the most important aspects of the Volume were centered in only 3 episodes. And i would like to cover why i think so.

What is filler?

Let us first begin with a simple question. What is filler? Its a term that first started when talking about anime adaptations, it described anime episodes/arcs that were made while waiting for the adapted manga to go forward. That however has not remained the ONLY conception of filler. Outside anime the term has been widely used to refer to parts of long-form art such as books, movies and the like, that carry no meaning to the main story line or character progress. That is the same definition of filler that most people, including in this very fandom use. The fact that so many parts of the FNDM decided to do bad faith nonsense and pretend that the Anime definition is the only valid one caught me by surprise, but regardless of their attempts to derail the conversations, the concept of filler has not changed.

Plot progression

So, with the definition of filler out of the way, we have to ask ourselves if Volume 9 fulfills the requirements to not be seen as filler. The first requirement of course, is the interaction with the main plot of the show. Since the very start of the show, defeating Salem has been the main goal, the main plot of the show, even if characters and the audience did not know about Salem in Volumes 1-2. Volume 3 revealed the main overarching plot line of the entire series.

Going to the ever after, as predicted, put a complete stop on the development of the main plot. After all, our main characters are no longer on Remnant. They cant work to unify the people, they cant fight against Salem, they are on a different plane of existence entirely. The only antagonist that came to the Ever After with them was not a representative of Salem, but rather, an antagonist with their own personal goals and desires that were completely detached from Salem.

The only thing that gave us ANY relation to the main plot was the revelation at the END of the Volume, that both the GoD and GoL were from the ever after. Besides that and the revelation of Summers last mission. Nothing more concerning the main plot of the series occurred.

So, as far as plotline progression goes, Volume 9 is.... Mostly a dud. Besides a single episode, there is nothing of substance there.

Okay, but thats not enough to say that the volume was filler, after all, character progression is still something that could exist! Right?

Character progression

Except it didnt.

Weiss - Did not progress as a character. Her entire role in Volume 9 was to serve as the "straight man" in the comedy act that was the Ever After. She was meant to be the serious funless person so that when slapstick situations happened to her, it would be funny.

And thats ALL she was the ENTIRE VOLUME.

Yes, the person whose kingdom and home is now destroyed. Father dead, father surogate (Klein) and the rest of her family fates are also unkown. And she gets NOTHING from it. I think there are 2 scenes in the entire volume of her feeling slightly sad over this, and then NOTHING. There is no progression. Weiss in Volume 9 is there just to serve as a CLOWN.

Marriage - Well, how about Blake and Yang? They did progress forward as characters, after all, Volume 9 is where they finally officially get together. Except that... Its very little actual character progress. Let us be honest with ourselves, Yang and Blake were already "together" by the start of V7. Them killing Adam together cemented them as a couple. They dont talk about their relationship at all and instead in Volumes 7-8 all we get from them is romantic fluff. So, when now in V9 they are forced by the universe to get together. Well....

Was there any character progression involved here? They were already together. Everyone already knew they were together. Making it official does not really matter in this case as much as in any other romance because in other romances, the official confirmation happens while the people in the relationship are still unsure about themselves. But Yang and Blake have been acting as a couple for at least 2 volumes now.

To call this progress is like calling a bar filling from 98% to 99% progress. Is it technically progress? Yeah, but... In the grand scheme of things its so minimal it barely bears mentioning.

Ruby - From the very start of the Volume, it was very clear that Ruby was going to be given a lot of focus as a character, she is now presented as a primary protagonist in the Ever After. The rest of the team are mainly there to be the supportive cast to Rubys experiences.

And for a time, her story was interesting, we could see how with each encounter she was getting more tired and tired. How she was slowly being broken down from her experiences and how she very much did not want to seek help.

The set-up was really good but then.... She drinks the Kool Aid. She commits suicide as the emotional crescendo of the Volume. And what follows after is.... Her returning back to how she was before. All of that build up? The emotional high? Wasted.

Ruby comes back the same as she was. Now, some people have told me that its fine for characters to have these kinds of "flat" arcs, where they go down and then up. And i agree, or i should say. I would agree if this wasnt the THIRD TIME that Ruby has experienced this SAME CHARACTER ARC.

She had this same arc in Volumes 4 AND 6. Something bad happens - Ruby becomes down - Ruby gets worse over the volume - by the end of the volume something encourages her and shes back to normal.

If this was the FIRST time that Ruby experienced this arc, i would be more lenient to it. But this is the THIRD time she has. And instead of it being a subplot as it was in V4-6. It is now the MAIN plot of the volume. What was GAINED in terms of her character from this? Can anyone answer? If her character didnt change, if this was a repeated subplot. WHAT WAS THE POINT!?

Jaune - Jaune is in the SAME boat. Unlike Ruby, he received a lot less time for development, but he also got a recycled subplot. Jaunes arc was a repeat of what happened with Pyrrha and her death. Everything i said about the recycling of Rubys character "development" applies here.

And he ALSO gets reset at the end of the Volume.

The characters that actually received character development

The only characters in V9 that received development were Little, Neo and arguably Alyx.

Little - Has a very coherent and understandable character progression in V9. They start out as a clueless yet also adventurous helper to the main cast. Of course, Little knows little about the world around them, at least not the specifics, so over time their role becomes that of a confidant to Ruby.

Little learns from the humans they are with while journeying forth. After Ruby runs away due to the fight with Jaune, it is Little who attempts to help Ruby. When Ruby is beaten down, it is Little that tries to help Ruby move.

Little is the little mouse that could. They grow from basically nothing to a dependable ally. Not really a storybook hero that saves the day by themselves, but someone who can simply help others. The Smith finishes this arc of Little by reviving the critter, this time in a more heroic form.

Littles entire journey was that of finding purpose, after all, when the protagonists meet them, they dont even have a name. And the arc ends with Little finding that purpose, even if unintentionally.

Neo - Neo also has progress as a character, except hers is a downward spiral rather than her becoming better. She starts the volume angry, suicidal, trying to kill Ruby no matter what. Once she lands in the ever after, she becomes stronger and gains more power to hunt down Ruby. Despite not looking like it, this is the start of the downward spiral, she might seem more "happy", but besides gaining power, all she is doing is descending further onto the path of vengeance, it consumes her.

Literally. Once she believes that she killed Ruby, she just... Shuts down. There is nothing for her to live for. Her revenge is done. What now? Nothing. Well, at least until the cat reverse vored itself into Neo.

After the cat is defeated, Neo is back. But now, with the same realization. She has nothing. And unlike before, she no longer wants or has the strength to pretend that Roman is still with her, he isnt. And so she... Commits suicide. Both literally and metaphorically.

Even if she comes out of her cocoon, it is doubtful she will be the same person.

Alyx - Alyx might seem like a strange inclusion, but despite her not really being an active character in the story we are watching, over time we learn of what she did/experienced in the past. She is portrayed as a person who went through the ever after through trickery and force, not a likeable character at all, especially considering what she does to Jaune. And yet, we also learn that at the end of the line, when it was time to leave the Ever After, she chose to stay, because she changed, she understood that the actions she did were bad.

Of course, its not exactly a detailed journey. Its very basic for what it is. Yet there is an actual result for the character that is presented.

So its mostly filler...

Therein lies the problem. The characters that received character progression were all side-characters. 1 of whom is dead, another in limbo and the third one is an afteran who most likely cant leave unless RWBY pulls an Avengers Endgame on us.

And thats the issue. Thats why i cant do anything else but call V9 mostly filler. As far as the most important information is concerned, only 3 episodes in this entire volume truly matter. The BB episode and the last 2. To get the world-building and the BB confession.

But besides that, what exactly does this Volume set-up? Weiss had nothing going for her. BB was confirmed but that relationship was already developed beforehand. Ruby and Jaune got reset. Neo was a side-character that never really mattered.

So.... What was the point of the Ever After?

Because as far as i can see the only thing it achieved is a time-skip so that CRWBY could skip the whole refugee crisis situation that team RWBY caused in Vacuo.

Let us remember that RWBY is not in good financial straits now. And yet in Volume 9 they decided to make it all happen on a DIFFERENT WORLD where they would need to create massive ammounts of new assets that they most likely wont be able to reuse. Why does this Volume exist? Why wasnt Volume 9 set in Vacuo and all of its "main" developments happening there?

Its just.... The entire volume is a genuine waste of time.

[crulixto]

SATAN’S S/O WHO’S ALLERGIC TO CATS

note: im allergic to cats too (and dogs aswell, a luci chapt on this w dog shall be awaited) and im a big satan(and lucifer) stan sooo i thought it’d be fun to write this :•

edit: this was kinda lame ngl HAHHAHA hope u enjoy

this man, at first he’d be so shocked offended when he found out (before u guys were dating)

he would have probably tried to avoid you at some point

But when during his character arc (lesson 10-11 ish?) he started to empathize with your situation and that it isn’t your fault

Hanging out could get difficult

“i see… then we’ll have to change plans..”

“W-wait no it’s fine really!”

“ I insist”

you’re sneezing all over the place. Every goddamn time he came from a cat cafe.

Walking home from RAD together, he comes across a BOX OF KITTENS.

“Are those kittens? In a box? Who’d leave such precious creatures behind? And in such a small and worn out box too.”

He goes up to the box and literally scoops them all up to carry them all

While he was playing with all those kitties u were just standing there like ‘bitch i cant play with the cats with you are fkin fr rn’

Satan notices this and apologizes then tries to come close to hug you

The key word was tried, your eyes started watering and you started to sneeze and try to sneeze (that struggle to sneeze but you cant do it last minute, ugh my eyes start to bring out a pool worth of tears

He always. ALWAYS. Bring tissues and some medicine with him at all times.

There was one time too Satan made his trained cats scratch Lucifer and his study, you were surprised when you enter Lucifer’s study to pass your tasks to be welcomed by that fuzzy, itchy feeling in your nose and your eyes felt like swelling

Lucifer was deep cleaning his study because he knew you had tasks due that day😭

“My apologies MC, it seems that Satan had brought cats in here earlier today to scratch me. Just leave the papers there.”

Poor guy and you

one of the hardest parts of dating him, he’d come home after playing or tending cats in the streets. And you? Pass the tissues you dont even feel safe from sneezing in his room.

He genuinely tries to hold back from even coming close to a cat now, since he would be probably taking u out on a date, want to cuddle, or anything when it came to bonding with you really. But cats. Cats!

Its the only thing keeping you both apartt~

Honestly at some point he’d get upset and conflicted then just gets a book and tries to find a spell for u allergies to go bye bye

Wrong move, it got kinda worse

So now you’re both sad and miserable

Once your allergies got so bad ur face swelled after he came from a animal shelter

You guys stayed in your rooms but texted/called

“Satan, what are you doing right now?”

“Im reading a book of spells about allergies, dont worry MC once i can put out your allergy we wont have this problem anymore—“

“Hey! Remember the last time you did that?!”

In weekdays, you guys hang out as muuuuch as possible and you secretly hope from within that you both dont pass by a cat so he does not get you sneezin all over the place again

He once passed u a sticky note in class, you opened it and saw cute doodles of cats, just to play with him you draw yourself in a chibi version, sneezing and suffering from allergies

Once you gave the sticky note back to him, he smiled abit at your drawing and realized what it meant

He glares at you, and pulls you by your chair and side hugs you

“Would you look at that MC, no sneezing or such?”

He is smug and proud

“Haha then after recess you go tend to that box of kittens you found at the west tower of the office”

“…” “…okay..” “wait mc—“

[reineyday]

TW: Long Ask Okay, so basically, this au has a long title but I dubbed it Child of the Sword. It started off with Zoro being able to see the spirits of the swords since in One Piece, swords are sentient and are possessed in a way. Only Zoro can see these spirits and talks to them all the time. At first, he didn't realize others couldn't see them. My friend and I played around with this a lot, and now's it's developed into a whole thing.

When Kuina died, Zoro's anger and grief erupted and Zoro discovered he was the incarnation of the Ancient Weapon: Ares. Created by the war god Asura. The sensei makes Zoro swear to never use his power in public unless it was life or death. Zoro goes on to see Kuina's spirit tied to Wado Ichimonji. During the shells town arc, Morgan is extra cruel bc he is Morgan, and when Zoro is tied in the courtyard he has the swordsman whipped on the back, marring and littering Zoro's back with scars. Zoro's honor is in shambles when Luffy shows up and helps him. During Baratie, Zoro fights Mihawk and loses, ending up with the scar on his chest. After Zoro promises to never fail, he whipsers "Finally a worthy scar" and Mihawk overhears. Mihawk almost noted how Zoro always seemed to be looking at things that aren't there. So naturally, the warlord decides to kidnap Zoro instead of Luffy (yes I am mashing up OPLA and the anime, fight me). The Straw hats go on the free Nami from Arlong then make plans to get Zoro back from Mihawk. Zoro is less than pleased to be kidnapped by the strongest swordsman. Mihawk brings Zoro with him to meet with Shanks about Luffy's bounty poster and Shanks convinces Mihawk to give Zoro back to the Straw Hats, but before that happens, Mihawk and Zoro end up talking about Zoro's special abilities. Mihawk comes to the realization of what Zoro is and keeps it to himself. During the two year time skip, Zoro reunites with Mihawk (even though he never stopped talking with the warlord after being dropped off ((begrudgingly)) at lougetown). Mihawk trains Zoro in the way of the sword AND helps him to realize his full potential. This is all I have for now, but I have ideas for Dressrosa and Wano. :D

oooooh this is so interesting! you could play a lot with the idea that zoro sees sword spirits! i'd also be so curious to know what zoro sees of yoru, if he sees her at all. im a fan of this theory i saw where being in control of your sword means being control of its spirit, and being in control is shown by your eyes looking like imu's. that perhaps hakuba is cavendish's sword spirit manifesting in a way cavendish cant control; that zoro's scarred eye is hiding proof of a spirit that had to be sealed away lest it overpower him; and that mihawk's eyes have those same rings because he's fully in control of yoru's sword spirit. i could see smth like that working in conjunction with kuina's spirit in wado diring the timeskip, that zoro trains with her (cries) to unlock wado ichimonji's full power, and that it's possible because of his ability to see sword spirits!!!

also obsessed with the idea that mihawk pivots and kidnaps zoro instead, especially because he really doesnt have to. 😂 mihawk meeting a boy that can see sword spirits and deciding "i will train him whether he wants me to or not" and then kidnapping him to give his nearly-bisected ass terrible first aid on his coffin boat... hilarious. 😂😂 shanks seeing the absolutely haggard and scowling teenager limping as he follows mihawk onto that island and being exasperated like,

shanks: you have to give him back, mihawk.

mihawk: no, he can see sword spirits. i need to have a hand in cultivating his power.

shanks: mihawk, you can't just--wait, you can what? omg does gryphon actually look like a gryphon?!?!?! wait, no, no, i'm trying to be the voice of reason here.

red-haired pirates in the background: *burst out laughing at shanks being the voice of reason*

and also probably mihawk will throw in some bratty sort of shot at shanks getting to bet on luffy and why cant he bet on zoro, and shanks will have to be like, "i didn't kidnap luffy, mihawk, just put him back!" hahaha.

i digress! interesting idea tho 👀👀👀

[easy-revenge]

When Aki read in Himeno's letters that she really wanted him to leave Public Safety, what do you think he would've thought at that time?

i think reading the letters was a very important part of aki and himeno's storyline. it was the point where aki had to kind of... face it.

himeno wanting him to leave public safety wasn't a secret. we saw them talk about leaving together. we saw him shut her down, not even bothering with actual arguments.

what i think was special about reading it in the letters was aki finally realizing how deep it all ran for himeno. he had both the info and the tools to KNOW this for a long time. i personally feel like he chose not to.

i've talked about this while answering different asks, but i think aki needed himeno in a lot of ways, too. acknowledging her very obvious feelings for him wasn't something that would help either of them much. so i think aki kind of just... looked the other way. left the memo unread in his inbox.

he has to read it now. both literally and figuratively. he sees the pages and pages of himeno talking about him to her sister. himeno, with her reassuring personality and her sick father, going on and on about not being able to get HIM to quit his job. sounding borderline desperate about it.

there's nowhere to hide from it now. no point in brushing it off as himeno just being protective and not in a hurry to lose another buddy.

we see only stray sentences from the letters and still, there's so much fondness in there. her worrying about her dad, reassuring her sister, talking happily about making aki get piercings.

i think aki is all at once reminded of what he lost. of what kind of person himeno was and how deeply she really cared about the people in her life. how deeply she cared about HIM. that her drunken, playful sing-songy voice hid so much love and care. and there was so much of it that had been directed at him.

i dont think he has the capacity to feel remorse for not taking her up on her offer to go private. i dont think he can really admit to himself that she knew what was best for him, that she knew him too well. the mask must stay on. he even uses his words for the first time to say that he cant look at himself objectively. he cant bear to let himeno be right about him.

im happy that he gets to have at least a bit of closure with the easy revenge cigarette. that himeno left him with something. something that wouldn't mean anything to anyone but him.

and i think it helps him settle into his grief as well. for losing her, for being so close to losing himself too.

"himeno, i'll join you soon" he says as he kills ghost and the last piece of himeno slips from his grasp.

he's more comfortable in the truth of it.

himeno loved him and he loved her in his own way too. himeno died first, like she probably wished she would. aki cried for her. she made sure to take care of him even after her death. aki did his best to honor her wish.

i just love this part of their story so much. easy revenge solidifies their relationship in such a beautiful way. there's sm more to himeno's arc after the moment she dies and i can't wait for the anime watchers to witness it, too.

[sungbeam]

hi beam, hope you and cherry are doing well! i bring cat lores and crusty photos bc they're almost 10 years old (crazy to think a samsung captured these)

meet mano! (that's just a word in my language to refer to cats in an affectionate way, the literal translation being puss which i was today years old when i found out LOL). but when you don't (or even when you do have a name for your cat) you call them mano. it's the most affectionate term for a cat the translation doesn't do it justice

she was idk how old when we first met her. she was a stray cat but lived in our street so she would switch homes sometimes but she bonded really quickly with me (bc i gave her food) and then she went ahead to have kids three times! she was around for as long as i lived there (6 years) and she has the biggest piece of my heart out of all the cats.

she was quite moody (if you can't tell from her annoyed face) but she must have trusted us a lot bc she legit broke into our house and hid her babies there one time. wouldn't stop mewing and clawing at the door and when we let her in (we usually let her roam in the veranda during the day) she went behind the little sofa and we found 5 kittens! we were so so surprised and we let her keep them there bc from her prev birth, not a lot survived ;-;

she was a wild one. she often brought me gifts (dead rats, lizards and roaches which are the only 3 animals in the entire world that i hate with all my heart :') sighs) and i often slipped her food behind my mom's back (my mom liked her but she had beef with her bc one time this cat broke our net window to steal raw chicken that she had prepped to cook later LOL) (but ig she liked them enough bc she took most of the cat photos that we still have hehe)

this was the 1st generation (i have absolutely no idea who her mans was she was always at war with the male cats yet gave birth 3 times e2l ig 💀 i'll come back with 2nd gen and 3rd gen soon!

love, yumi (this sounds like a letter goodbye)

YUMI IM SO SORRY IT TOOK FOREVER TO GET BACK TO YOU BUT THANK U SM FOR THIS LITTLE LETTER(?) ASK!!

im currently away from cherry rn cuz im home-home, but she was doing alright when i left!! mano is so cute and a gorgeous cat 😭😭 her moody face def reminds me of cherry's HAHAHAH but also why does she still look so pretty when she annoyed...? maybe that's why she was able to have that e2l arc 💀

PLS the little gifts 😭😭 i also do not like dead carcasses but i feel like if it's from a cat and it's her love language, we're always willing to make an exception 😅 that's very sweet tho that she trusted u guys enough <3 she must have felt very safe w being able to hide her young and STEAL RAW CHICKEN AJFNEKFNKDNF tbh i would also have beef with her if i was ur mom LOL but a cat mama's gotta do what a cat mama's gotta do 🤧

wait u must have so much experience w outdoor cats then, im sure you've prob said this before tho ksnfkenfkf cherry is an indoor lady through and through, and i think it'd be so interesting to see her in the wild, but she also has zero survival instincts so 💀💀 CANT WAIT TO HEAR ABT 2ND AND 3RD GEN!!! i loved reading through this little history 😌💖

love, beam !! (i'll do the letter signoff too lmao)

[theprinceandthewitch]

So, this is a part two for that other Witches Before Wizards post. For awhile now, I've noticed there was something going on with the way the show portrays Hunter and Amity, but I couldn't put it into words until now.

We already know "Witches Before Wizards" sets up Luz's character arc as one where she needs to work hard for greatness rather than waiting around for some higher power to bestow a greatness upon her. Also, one thing people tend to forget about this episode is that Luz doesn't JUST want to go on a grand quest - she wants to go on a grand quest with romance in it - specifically with an angsty warrior prince:

Nevareth: Lady Luz, do you think love can bloom on the battle field?

Luz: [Laughs] This quest is questing in all the right ways.

This is what Witches Before Wizards sets up: Luz will get a grand destiny and she will get the romance she desires BUT it's going to come to her in a way she didn't expect it to play out. Once Luz defeats Philip, she will completely step into the destiny she desires - the one where she becomes a powerful witch. She will be granted her destiny because she worked hard for it, rather than having it bestowed upon her by a higher power. Then there's the other part of this quest: the part about a romance with an angsty warrior prince. This is going to come to her in a way she doesn't expect it and its going to come from someone who doesn't fit her ideal type to a tee.

Here's the thing about Amity: she fits Luz's type of girl almost perfectly - and her type of girl is Hecate. Amity is basically a younger version of Hecate in everyway except for hair color. HOWEVER, despite being the girl of Luz's dreams, Luz puts up a wall between her and Amity. Luz absolutely refuses to be open with her girlfriend - even though her girlfriend fits her type of girl almost perfectly. And Amity has repeatedly told Luz she is willing to help her, but she cant help her if she doesn't tell her what's bothering her.

Whereas Hunter doesn't fit her type that perfectly - in terms of physical appearance and personality traits. HOWEVER, he and Luz are paralleled to past lovers - these parallels have been happening before Luz started dating Amity and they are happening WHILE Luz is dating Amity.

Nevareth and Hunter share other character design traits like a trusty animal sidekick and a tragic yet compelling backstory. But they differ in personality and physical appearance. Again, Nevareth is an unrealistic depiction of what Luz wants from an angsty teen warrior prince.

Someone who isn't all that angsty and is gentlemanly to her. Nevareth calls her "Lady Luz" and offers his shirt for her to use as a cape [NOT because she's cold... not sure why I wrote that in the other post lol. I really should slow the fuck down when writing these out.]. She even expects them not to be too beat up despite being warriors. Nevareth is a warrior yet he doesn't have any scars on his body - the only noticeable injury we see is his right eye wound. Whereas Hunter has scars on different parts of his body and part of his left ear is missing.

Nevareth is an unrealistic depiction of what she expects from an angsty teen warrior prince, which is something she needs to let go of. And they're doing this by having Luz interact with Hunter. Through her interactions with Hunter, she has pretty much let go of her expectations of how an angsty teen warrior prince should look and act. Because Hunter is a realistic depiction of how an angsty teen warrior prince is going to look and act.

Even the way these two princes are introduced to Luz is supposed to hammer in the idea of Luz needing to let go of her unrealistic expectations for an angsty teen warrior prince. Seriously... just look at this...

Here's another kicker: Luz was more open and honest about how she feels with Hunter than she's been with anyone else she knows. Whenever someone has asked Luz what's bothering her, she will not actually tell them what's on her mind. Unless she throws herself into a situation that spirals so out of control she is forced to tell someone how she feels.

But she will let Hunter cross this barrier for some reason. I'm specifically talking about what happens at the beginning of Thanks to Them. Hunter asks her how she feels about the events of Hollow Mind and... she just straight up tells her how she feels. This is shocking to me because Luz has never been this honest about how she feels. She could have just given him the old "I'm fine, how are you doing?" She could have easily redirected the focus to Hunter. Luz being this forward with her feelings is really interesting to me, because she doesn't really know him. Yet she trusts him enough to be honest about her feelings. This is because Hunter kept quiet about her helping Philip AND didn't judge her for helping him. In fact, he even emphasized with her in Clouds on The Horizon.

But... here's the thing, if it was just because Hunter didn't judge her for helping Philip find The Collector... then why isn't she this open with Amity? Because Amity also approaches Luz in a non-judgmental manner.

Here's what get's me about Luz keeping this secret from Amity: She honestly believed Amity would hate her if she knew the truth.

...Amity... the girl who has experience with being manipulated and abused by an adult her whole life... A girl who has shown Luz nothing but love and support - even going as far as to help Luz create a ritual for her father in Reaching Out despite Luz lying directly to her face and almost ruining her special day. Luz really thought a girl like this could HATE HER for being manipulated by an adult...

Another thing we need to ask ourselves is: Why was it integral for Hunter to know Luz's secret before everyone else, including Luz's girlfriend? Because Hunter's dialogue before he steps through the portal in TTT wouldn't have changed. He would have said the exact same thing to Luz regardless of whether or not he knew she helped Philip find the Collector before Philip told everyone. I don't see Hunter knowing Luz's secret being brought up to cause conflict between Luz and Amity as something they're going to do anymore. As it looks like Amity finding out Luz was going to break up with her is going to be the final straw for Amity. But again, Why did Hunter need to know Luz helped Philip find The Collector when Hollow Mind could have easily been written in a way where Hunter didn't hear their conversation? He wasn't even in the same "room" as Luz and Philip when they were having this conversation.

TLDR: Not my words, but the person I've been talking to on Discord summarized my thoughts for this post WAY better than I could have ever done LOL:

YES EXACTLY!!! Omg I remember people saying that Amity feels too perfect and the way you explain how Amity seems to be exactly what Luz wants in a girlfriend. But if you think about how the audience are mainly going to see things from the protagonist perspective, it explains that feeling of Amity being perfect. We see that she’s everything Luz wants in a partner because we have spend time with Luz and learn what she likes.

And yet her being a perfect girlfriend for Luz, she doesn’t tell Amity any of her secrets.

Someone can seem like the perfect partner for you, but that doesn’t necessary mean that you will feel comfortable enough to be open and honest with them. Sometimes the people we end up with aren’t what we originally dreamed what our perfect partner will be. Realistically they can be like Hunter, someone who doesn’t quite fit your type but makes you comfortable enough to be honest and open with them.

[rocatex]

i think its the schadenfreude in me but i cant wait until the people who only know izutsumi from flanderized memes get to see her character arc in the anime