#does he have the power to control everyone

[viiennie]

mdni 18+

Frontman! Gojo Satoru whose eyes stay stuck on you the moment you enter the facilities with that gorgeous face and those pretty doe eyes.

Frontman! Gojo Satoru who thinks literally everything you do is adorable, each bounce to your step, each flutter of your eyelashes, and each tiny smile you send everyone you make eye contact with sends butterflies to his stomach, his heart pulsing with adornment.

Frontman! Gojo Satoru who can't help himself, not having the power to just watch you through a screen. He needs to be closer to you. He needs to be the one you're smiling at, the one you depend on no matter what. He just has to have you.

Frontman! Gojo Satoru who approaches you first, a friendly smile on his face as he introduces himself. He swears he melts on the spot when he finally gets to hear your voice in person. He almost feels bad when you finally enter the first game, the sparkle in your eyes telling him you definitely weren't prepared for what's to come.

Frontman! Gojo Satoru feels guilt gnaw his heart at the sight of your terrified expression when the first person for the season meets their end, bullet in their skull with the blood splattering on your cheek. He makes sure you stay behind his towering frame after realizing you couldn't control your trembling after that.

Frontman! Gojo Satoru who comforts you after the red light green light game, arms wrapped around your trembling body as he whispers words of assurance into your ears.

Frontman! Gojo Satoru, who if he said he didn't take pleasure in the way you looked so small and helpless, then he'd be lying.

“W-what do I do Gojo? I-I’m pregnant too! My baby..” Your hands rest on your belly, the bump not being obvious because of the fact that you were only 3 months along. You were scared. So scared for both you and your baby’s safety. Had you known this game included losing lives, then you would’ve gladly burnt that card the recruiter gave you and endured poverty if it meant being alive with your child. 

Frontman! Gojo Satoru who feels his dick straining in his pants for some reason at the news of you being with child. He knows it’s the worst time to be popping a boner, but how can he control himself when you look so pretty with tears running down your face? How can he help himself when he imagines fucking you raw and deep with your pretty baby bump showing underneath that annoyingly thick jacket? He groans, biting his lip to stop himself from daydreaming, “Don’t worry pretty, I’ll protect you and your baby, yeah?”

Frontman! Gojo Satoru who thinks it’s the cutest thing ever when you tell him you wanna try befriending the other pregnant woman, hoping a bond would form between the two of you. He encourages you, giving you advice on how to start a conversation before gently pushing you toward player number 222.

Frontman! Gojo Satoru who takes the chance to slip away while you and everyone else is distracted during break time, instructing all his pink soldiers to be gentle with you, and to make sure to specifically give you food that was good for pregnant women. 

Frontman! Gojo Satoru who is surprised when you wake him up in the middle of the night, asking him to come with you to the bathroom because you really, really needed to go but you were also too scared to go alone. He chuckles at your cuteness, easily agreeing to your demands before accompanying you to the said bathrooms.

Frontman! Gojo Satoru who’s even more surprised when you pull him into one of the stalls in the women’s bathroom, your lips crashing against him in a messy attempt to makeout. He thinks it’s so endearing who you whisper to him about your raging hormones and how you just can’t take it anymore. 

Frontman! Gojo Satoru who doesn’t waste time to plunge his fingers deep inside you, the squelching noises further keeping him motivated to give you your sweet release. The way your knees quiver and your arms cling onto him for balance sends blood rushing straight to his dick, moans and whines leaving his lips, only to be muffled by your own.

Frontman! Gojo Satoru who's got shivers going up his spine when he finally buries his cock deep inside your sore pussy, hips stuttering in movement as he tries to be gentle with you, reminding himself that you're pregnant and he couldn't be as rough as he wanted.

Frontman! Gojo Satoru, who resolve breaks down when you whine into his ears for more, for him to go harder and not to hold back because it felt so good. He's now got you in a full nelson, burying his cock balls deep into your pretty cunt without an ounce of hesitation.

Frontman! Gojo Satoru who makes sure to take care of you well after several rounds, cleaning you up with his tongue and brushing out your messy hair with his fingers. He finds himself smiling at the way you blink sleepily in his arms. He's definitely going to whisk you away after these games are finished.

[siryouarebeingmocked]

I already explained why statistically, much more MAGA cultists are likelier to have a concealed carry permission.

So?

The Democrats do not want to disarm people, that’s still a Right-wing underdog fantasy.

Plenty of Democrats explicitly want laws against "assault weapons" and other gun control. Including Biden.

They just want the minimal amount of gun control required to stop the weekly massacres which, surprise, are not prevented by other gun owners.

Turns out mass shooters often target places where random people are unlikely to be carrying guns. And sometimes that still doesn't work.

Also, America has more guns than people. An estimated third of the country owns guns. 100+ million people.

52 shootings a year is not actually very bad by comparison.

Also, most criminal shooters don't own guns legally anyway.

Also, Hitler passed plenty legislation to gain the favor of everyone who owned arms.

Nice argument, Senator, how about you back it up with a source?

Don’t try to educate a German on Nazi history.

Turns out your nationality doesn't actually keep you from being wrong on Nazis.

Such as forgetting, missing, or ignoring how the Jackboot Jerries loosened gun control, especially for Nazi Party members, but they also screwed over Jews who wanted to own guns.

You know, the people the Nazis wanted to violently oppress and murder.

Stop projecting and read one of the few history books that haven’t been banned by Republicans, dumbass.

Again, you are claiming there's evidence that backs you up, and offering no actual support or sources or even the name of a specific book you're referencing.

It's nobody else's job to support your argument.

I mean, there’s other countries where people can own firearms pretty easily, and they don’t have weekly massacres. The Dems don’t want to take all the guns away, that’s what the Reps are putting in their mouths.

I like how you said "don't want to disarm people", and now it's "take away all the guns". This is a standard motte-and-bailey.

"Disarm people", logically, includes any disarmament, of more than two people.

But when you slide "all" in there, then wanting any amount of disarmament that leaves a single person with a legally owned gun (or other weapon) qualifies.

It's a common strawman. The right is, broadly, opposed to any disarmament.

Speaking of, here's failed Presidental candidate Kamala Harris;

“I feel very strongly that it’s consistent with the second amendment to say we need an assault weapons ban. They’re literally tools of war they were literally designed to kill a lot of people quickly.”

Harris is wrong in several ways.

There are more US civilians with "assault weapons" than there are US soldiers, period. The current 5.56 NATO calibre was chosen for suppressive fire, which is mostly not supposed to kill people.

And even that's currently being phased out in favor of more powerful rounds.

And then we come to actual use. If you combined every rifle homicide in America, they'd be less popular murder weapons than handguns. Or knives.

Or bare hands.

Rifles are rarely used to shoot actual people, even in self-defense.

Also, the term "assault weapon" was made up to make certain guns sound scarier. There is no consistent social or legal definition, and most people who use it, I suspect, have no idea what supposedly makes the guns deadlier, on a factual level.

Also, she supported Red Flag Laws. Which are literally about disarming people.

Come to think, I don't think there's any point in this debate that you describe what actual specific gun control measures you support.

A lot of gun control supporters have that issue, actually.

BTW, last time I checked the numbers for in Germany, y'all had an estimated 20% of the population owning guns, compared to America's 33%. Even if I changed the criteria to just the amount of guns, the gap was even larger.

And Germany's homicide rate and mass shooting rate are still much lower than America's. Even proportionately.

Which actually indicates gun laws and ownership are, at best, not the only issue in play.

Also, I'm from one of many, many countries with a higher gun homicide rate than America, despite less legal ownership and more gun control.

I personally knew at least three people who were murdered with guns in my home country.

One of them was murdered down the block from the school my cousins happened to be attending at the time.

The school I went to.

The school my aunt used to work at.

Here's an Example as to why Donald Trump is fascist

Donald Trump wants Concealed Carry Reciprocity.

What is that?

In the United States, it is not automatically legal to carry a firearm in a concealed manner just because one has a firearms license. One needs to obtain a special additional permission to do so. Like most things in the United States, Concealed Carry is decided on a state-by-state basis, meaning a person's permission for Concealed Carry only applies in the state it in which it was issued.

Concealed Carry Reciprocity is the legal concept that a permission for Concealed Carry, issued in any state, applies in all states. So, if a gun owner was permitted to Concealed Carry in Oklahoma, he can currently only do so in Oklahoma. Doing it in any other state is a crime. Under Concealed Carry Reciprocity, it would not be.

What does Donald Trump intend with this?

Donald Trump knows that his most loyal followers live in deep red states, which also have the highest concentrations of gun owners. Due to the high concentrations and due to Republicans being generally against gun control, it is likelier that more gun owners in red states have Concealed Carry permission. Donald Trump wants to allow people to Concealed Carry in any state if they've received permission in one, because he knows that most people who will take advantage of this will be his most loyal followers.

Donald Trump plans to lay the groundwork for his version of Mussolini's Blackshirts and Hitler's Brownshirts, his own paramilitary force of loyal followers who are ready to attack and murder fellow citizens in open daylight for their political positions that oppose their idol. Concealed Carry Reciprocity makes it easier for them to do this.

This is fascism.

[the-crooked-library]

Okay I wanted to tell you that I'm literally drinking your posts about Nosferatu, thank you so much for sharing all your thoughts! You're helping me better shaping my own opinions.

And I have another thing that can't leave my mind so I thought to share: Ellen is in perfect control of Orlok, and it's never the other way round.

She is the one that summons him first, and after their first encounters (I got the feeling that they met more than once before her father discovered her and the encounters got unpleasant, but I might be wrong), when she rejects him out of fear and disgust, *he leaves her be*. Okay, he visits her in her dreams, but dreams are manageable, right? In fact Ellen moves on, she tries to build a reasonable life, she falls in love, and Orlok just leaves her be. It's only when she marries that he acts: because the vows of marriage can break the oath they took years ago.

And even if moved by jealousy and rage, even if he is so powerful that he can control animals, weather and human minds, even if he can bring the plague to a whole city, even if he kills and tortures everyone, he can't touch her unless she gives her permission, her consent. He barely even look at her without her permission.

And in the end he knows the dawn is approaching, he knows he's gonna die, he is more than satisfied, more than fulfilled, but she says "more" and so he stays. And he dies. Because she wanted for him to die.

I don't think Ellen is fully aware of her power and control over him since the beginning, because to admit to herself this much is too much for her. A part of her still wants and impossible normal life. But surely she knows. She places her hair in the lock...

And in the end she fully embraces this power, to the extent of her own death too.

I think this is what hit me the most in this movie. How big a role the girl plays in the action of the vampire.

hi - and thank you so so much! I am delighted to hear that you've been enjoying my posts about this film, because, quite frankly, I haven't been able to shut up about it at any point since I saw it.

Regarding Ellen's control of Orlok: this might be just my opinion, but I think it is strongly reminiscent of the dynamic between Sarah and Jareth in Labyrinth (1986)! Sarah's situation is, naturally, less traumatic than Ellen's - but she is the heroine of a coming-of-age fantasy film, rather than a gothic horror, so that comes with the territory. The point is, their stories share the same essential plot beats and deal with a similar subject matter, and Sarah's story is punctuated by her interactions with the Goblin King. Like Orlok, he is ancient and in some ways immortal; he is obsessive, dangerous, and magical in a way that does not fit in with the Normal World - which provides a point of endless fascination for Sarah, who also feels like an outsider in it. As such, the Goblin King both excites and terrifies her, he adores her and menaces her at the same time - and, crucially, he has no power over her. Here's how the story develops:

the loneliness, the frustration with her life

the summons, however accidental

friends/family in danger

at the same time - thrill, excitement, seduction, obsession

fairy tale time limit - 13 hours or 3 nights

confrontation/declaration of love, offer of eternity

the evil is defeated because he isn't actually in control.

The Goblin King begs Sarah to just fear him, love him, and vows to be her slave if she does; Orlok does much the same, insisting time and time again that Ellen isn't meant for the human world - that he would give her the companionship she wanted for all eternity; and the same pattern repeats in a plethora of other media as well, vampire, fairytale, and various derivations thereof.

Just to throw a few examples into the mix - Ellen Hutter, Christine Daaé, Sarah Williams, Will Graham, and Louis de Pointe du Lac all follow that specific dance. Each one of their respective monsters seduces, threatens, adores, coerces, rages - and eventually submits. Orlok is reverent as he stays with Ellen past the sunrise; Erik releases Christine in the finale; the Goblin Kingdom crumbles, Hannibal kneels in the snow and falls from the cliff, and Lestat allows Louis to slit his throat. For the pursued, this is, first and foremost, a story of self-actualization; and a fantasy of being loved so deeply that it supersedes all other possible concerns. None of these characters have ever felt loved by another human being - and so it's not surprising that the thing that wants them so much isn't human. It's really more of a reasonable assumption than a leap.

I absolutely agree that Ellen's actions are often very subtly questionable, in a way that almost feels like reaching; and I think that this is likely the intention - though that could be debated until the cows come home, given a contrary enough group of people. Still, in the film itself, she is indeed torn between Morality and Desire. Lines are inevitably blurred. The locket miniature for Thomas, the perfumed lock of hair for Orlok; a sacrifice for the city, a night of passion for her.

One proper, sane; the other invariably personal, close to the skin - clinging, like the scent of lilacs; and it could be said that this dilemma is best encapsulated by her description of a dream she had in the very beginning of the movie. In it, she is wedded to Death. None of the witnesses survive it. She is horrified, she has never been happier in her life, and it's rooted in the very core of her anguish. Because what sort of thing is she, if the only person that loves her wholly is a monster?..

[octopodeez]

Arcane x One Piece AU

Shoving everyone into an au where they get 1100+ episodes :’)

EKKO

DEVIL FRUIT: Time-Time Fruit allows 4 second time rifts. Awakened Fruit allows 30 second time rifts but takes A LOT out of him.

HISTORY: Joined the Revolutionary Army shortly after Sabo. Since he, Koala, and Sabo are the three kids at the time, they become fast friends and cause an insane amount of chaos. Ekko still has a hoverboard bc I said so. Competes with Sabo and Koala to see who can punch the most World Government officials. He’s in the lead because one time he managed to punch a Celestial Dragon TWICE thanks to his Devil Fruit and get away with it.

JINX

DEVIL FRUIT: Butterfly SMILE Fruit. Has wings that provide boosts when jumping and increase her speed. She’s also granted the ability to create cocoon shields/traps.

HISTORY: Recruited by Doflamingo when she was young and has remained a loyal member of the Don Quixote Family ever since. Her relationship with the other executives is very strained because Doffy definitely lets her get away with more tomfoolery than them. Absolutely despises Law because not only is he a traitor, but she knows part of why she’s never given the Heart seat is because of him. She volunteered to test the first SMILE Fruit grown by the Tontotta despite knowing the risks. Likes to participate in Colosseum matches but ends up defecting when she runs into Vi during the tournament for Ace’s Fruit. Afterwards, she somehow ends up on Buggy’s crew making him miserable for funsies.

(More under the cut ⬇️)

SEVIKA

DEVIL FRUIT: No

HISTORY: A proud member of the Kid Pirates. Kid when he saw her single-handedly beat up some randos in a bar. Literally. Offers to build her an arm if she joins his crew. Ever since, she’s been one of his most loyal crew mates. He loves that she’s always down to let him tinker around with some wild enhancement for her arm, and when he loses his, she plays a big role in helping him adjust/making design suggestions. Sevika sees Killer as a rival because she thinks she should be second in command. Almost every night ends in her drunken arm wrestling the entire crew.

CAITLIN

DEVIL FRUIT: No

HISTORY: Observation Haki is INSANE! She is a Marine who serves in the same unit as Smoker and Tashigi (and personally escorts Crocodile to Impel Down post-Alabasta). A lot of little things have made her question her loyalty to the Marines over time, but what finally does her in is seeing Shanks rescue Koby from getting pummeled by an Admiral. Someone who is supposed to be a leader. She attends Whitebeard and Ace’s funeral where Shanks makes a little joke that she should consider changing teams. Post-Timeskip she joins the Revolutionary Army.

VI

DEVIL FRUIT: No

HISTORY: Famous for using armament Haki on her fists except she punched an admiral once which landed her in Impel Down where she bonds with Ace. Breaks out with Luffy & fights beside him at Marineford. Is absolutely devastated by Ace’s death and furious with herself for not being powerful enough to save him. Becomes a fighter in the Dressrosa colosseum, and is merciless when trying to win Ace’s fruit, only to lose it to Sabo. On the bright side, she reunites with Jinx & causes havoc for Doffy. Ekko manages to persuade her to join the Revolutionary Army. She accepts but remains salty af towards Sabo for beating her out.

VIKTOR

DEVIL FRUIT: Worm-Worm Fruit. Allows him to mind control anyone whose forehead he touches.

BACKGROUND: As a child, he was a slave to the Celestial Dragons before escaping alongside Fisher Tiger, however, their mistreatment permanently damaged his leg. He somehow ends up becoming a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, however, after they disband Viktor is offered a Warlord position, which he accepts strictly so he can do his own thing without the government poking around. Together with Jayce, he has managed to decode several Poneglyphs in hopes that perhaps there is a way to use the ancient weapons to create a more just world.

JAYCE

DEVIL FRUIT: No

BACKGROUND: Worked under Vegapunk until he begins taking interest in The Void Century/starts speaking out against the Celestial Dragons, leading to his exile from The World Government. Luckily, Viktor has caught wind of the brilliant scientist-turned-criminal and seeks him out to form an alliance. Together they study Poneglyphs, becoming second only to Robin in their understanding of them. When the World Government catches wind, Jayce and Viktor’s bounties fucking skyrocket.

MEL

DEVIL FRUIT: No

BACKGROUND: Possesses some of the most powerful Conqueror’s Haki in the world, though she’s still working on refining her skills. She arrived at Amazon Lily to get away from her mother and soon becomes one of Hancock’s most trusted advisors. She ends up becoming Amazon Lily’s liaison to the outside world which includes giving the one and only warning to any men who happen to stumble upon the island and attending Warlord meetings on Hancock’s behalf.

AMBESSA

DEVIL FRUIT: None

BACKGROUND: A Warlord of the Sea tryna get Yonko Status. Teams up with Kaido for a short time with the intent to overthrow him, but loses her warlord status because of it. Beefs EXTRA hard with Shanks (they probably fucked lbr). Tries to use Mel to ally with Hancock but Mel has already given Hancock the lore so she’s Not Having It.

Masterlist.

[bokettochild]

I saw your post about "should I give legend a mental breakdown with magical consequences" and my answer is ofc yes I am always delighted by anything that makes your king look stupid bc like he's such a greedy manipulative politician but beyond that he's so unbelievably BAD at it and he needs reality to slap him in the face.

May I also suggest: In this magical incident, he perhaps approaches Legend trying to make him knock it off and gets gravely injured mayhaps killing him.

I think Legend can have a little regicide. As a treat

Legend will not be killing the king, I'm afraid 😮‍💨

I still need the king around for stuff, and also, while Legend might joke, I think he'd actually cry if he ended up killing the king. Not because he cares for the man, but he knows Fable does (the guy did raise her after all) and also he has enough anxiety about still being seen as his sister's kidnapper, so being wanted for regicide would not help him at all.

No, I think if anyone will kill the king, it's gonna have to be either Fable herself or one of Legend's allies, who won't feel bad for it in the least, and won't end up freaking traumatized by it.

That said, I think I will let Legend talk back to the king at least a small bit during the breakdown. Maybe yell at him a bit, magic absolutely going bonkers and getting worse with every word, especially if the king tries telling him to "calm down and get yourself under control" or some shit. Like, I like the idea of Legend not just losing control of his abilities enough to scare everyone, but also himself just the slightest bit, and then turn on the king like a demon fresh outta hell and tell him to shut up already, because he DOES deserve that, and the king can't exactly stop him if he doesn't want to get torched 😈

So, no to the regicide, but yes to the king pissing himself in fear that his "weak, powerless, useless and expendable grandson" might accidentally end up killing him with the powers even Legend didn't realize he had.

(May or may not connect this with that little present Hilda gave the vet earlier in the story too 😏)

[hakugreenfinch]

i replayed this conversation again today and im finding it very interesting and telling of how curly and jimmy think of responsibility.

i will not go very deep into dissecting how faulty curly is, there are plenty of posts out there about that and i dont want this to just be another.

what i noticed is that curly uses singular first and second person in this scene when talking about what to do next. "you will get through this" "i can fix this", "you" and "i" separately. he knows he should have been keeping his men in check but he doesnt group himself together with jimmy. "you did this, i can try and run damage control as much as possible." to curly, being responsible for his crew means making sure everyone is doing as fine as they can be and helping them out if his help is needed, which is why he offers to do jimmy's evaluation and gets daisuke out of the foam. this is also why realizing that he hasnt been properly looking out for anya gets him so worked up when he finds her in the cockpit and why it, well, breaks him that its too late to keep things together. half of his crew is caught up in something he cant resolve and its his fault that he didnt notice sooner that something is up.

jimmy on the other hand (initially) uses plural first person. its "we failed", its "us". to him curly is not really a separate person who has his own thing going on and it shows even more when he shifts to second person - he slowly pushes the blame onto curly. its what "we" did, its what "you" will be remembered for. theyre like a team where he does whatever and can pull curly out of his pocket and have him take the fall for it. curly's responsibility to jimmy means anything can be blamed on him. i mean its pretty wild to look someone in the eye and say "actually, me raping someone is your fault only" isnt it? but thats what he believes. we see him associating the captains responsibility with another opportunity to play the victim during the third pill feeding too. to him its not about a mutual exchange with those under him where he has to do things for the team to really work as a team, its about everyone doing what he wants and having to do nothing for it.

i dont really have a pretty ending for this. im just very intrigued by the subtle pseudo power play between these two, curly desperately trying to fix something he should have noticed is breaking long ago and jimmy only caring about bringing him down as well if he has to go down, not as in "we are in this together", more like so that he has someone to fall on when hes pushed.

[silentmagi]

Rising Star

Main Page

Hello and welcome back to the story dear readers. A new year is upon us, and I’m hoping that we will all continue to enjoy this story. I apologize again for the delay on the previous chapter, and will work to keep from having a repeat in the future.

Last time, in true college student fashion, Star imbibed some questionable liquids, and started hearing voices. What do you mean that’s not a universal college experience?

Anyways, the votes came back, and the voice said:

“Welcome my child, it’s good to see you again,” a deep, kindly voice spoke, causing her to turn around and come face to face with a man she hadn’t thought she’d ever see smiling at her again. “Though, I suppose this is not what either of us had in mind.”

“No, it’s not,” Luna answered backing away from him slightly. “Where are we father?”

The man let out a dry chuckle as he walked around her, shaking his head. “Ever the practical one, you get that from your mother… as well as your brilliant mind. We are in a place where magic comes from, the void of creation, destruction, healing, harm, life, and death… we are a part of the ley lines, and they are a part of us,” he explained spreading his arms out wide as the endless white expanse tremored and echoed with his voice. “I only hope you are stronger than I was.”

“What… What do you mean?” Star asked, as her eyes scanned the expanse, watching as her father began walking up an invisible wall.

The slightly unhinged laugh he gave a reply was not comforting, as he leaned against a ledge that was not there. “We are one with magic. I, in my hubris, craved to control and have all the magic. You, I believe may not be corrupted by your intentions.”

“You’re the creature in the water,” she stated, putting the pieces together, as she watch the man stand and bow before her.

“I knew you were your mother’s brilliant daughter. I was twisted and corrupted by my desire for more power, never being satisfied. But I have a feeling that you are not the same as I am, I feel that you are better than I could dream of being.”

She turned away from him, walking towards the distance. “Magic is not just for one person, it’s meant to be spread across this world, to help everyone.”

“I never thought that, and I believe that is what will keep you from becoming like I am.”

She paused, looking back at the man that she still saw holding her up to the sky, and teaching her about the night’s constellations during the summer. “There is hope for you father, I can feel it.”

He seemed to pause at that, giving her a cheeky smile, as a faintly familiar voice tickled at the edges of their hearing, calling her name. Leaning against the invisible wall with his arms folded over his chest, he jerked his chin towards the direction she’d been heading. “Don’t worry about me kiddo, you have something much larger to worry about.”

“But I can’t ju-”

“You can, and you will. The star does not care, the power does not choose its master. You must, because if you do not, magic will die,” he stated with a grim seriousness as the white void trembled around them again. “You will, because you are so much better than I ever was.”

She looked at the man once again, seeing the sternness to his countenance, before taking a deep breath, and turning away. “Magic do as you will,” she stated coldly before the void shattered around them and she was flung into blackness, a warm enveloping blackness that drew her deeper, and deeper. She could feel hands in hers, being pulled along to this final confrontation, and knew without looking that her companions were along for the ride.

Deep in her heart, she knew that she was going to have to push herself far beyond anything that she had ever done before, and the magic coursing through her body sang out begging to be used, to be free, and to be unleashed.

The blackness broke apart, revealing thousands upon millions of eyes around them, staring, watching, and waiting. The discordant swirl of colors were focused and hungry for the battle for magic to commence.

Feeling a weight on her shoulder, she found Balgarath Jr. seated there, like he owned it, and there was her friends as well, ready to face the challenges before them. Turning back to the creature that loomed over them, she could see a core of light deep in its chest, drawing in all the light around it, and sealing it within, and beyond it, a star that gave the majority of the light, and was slowly fading before her eyes.

This was it, the end of her journey for good or ill, and she had to make a choice.

[majimaisms]

on majima's relationship to power, dignity and freedom

a friend of mine was recently talking about a character from a movie, and whether or not an emotional response (specifically, anxiety and obligation over a loved one needing help) was something that character could "effectively discipline and draw from" or "something that will always threaten to overflow rational boundaries" and posed the question as: "does he make use of it, or does it make use of him?"

this, i believe, is how majima approaches quite literally everything in his life, up to and including, if not especially, his own emotions.

i think it's an anxiety over their agency and freedom that compels a person to ask this question about everything. because they're terrified of being used against their will, without their knowledge, of waking up one day and realizing they've been a slave to something because they refused to examine their relationship to it. and i think it takes 1. someone who is naturally very emotional, as in, inclined to make decisions based on emotions rather than rationalizations, and can't afford to be this way for whatever reason and 2. someone who has been robbed of their agency and freedom in the past, to develop this anxiety. majima more than fits the bill on both counts.

it's born out of a need to maintain power over this fear. it's literally pathological. his need to make tools out of everything. it's a disease. either hes wielding it, or being wielded as a tool by it, whatever "it" may be. its a binary, black and white choice, and it's not really a choice at all, because he absolutely refuses to risk the latter happening against his will. he needs to have control over himself, his life, his decisions, all the time or he feels like hes stuck, cornered, he panics and cant keep a cool head (all of y0, '85 flashbacks from y4). he freaks out. and he cant risk that, he cant stand it either.

but it's not even about that. it's about dignity. majima tries to navigate the entirety of those situations, where he's robbed of freedom, where he's cornered, with dignity. because it's all he has. and when even that is stripped from him (the hole, y0), he seeks out the most dignified way to deal with losing your dignity -- willingly letting go of it (the lord of the night).

we see him put to impossible choices in other games (y5 comes to mind) and he handles that just fine without freaking out even when he's cornered. the difference is that in y5 he had a dignified way of resolving that situation. what actually makes him "freak out" and lose his cool is being robbed of a dignified solution. the dignity in following his principles, not betraying himself, is something he goes ballistic at the thought of losing.

it's not just that he can't "risk" not being able to keep a cool head, or that he can't "stand" freaking out, its that he can't stand the humiliation of it. of not being perfectly composed and in control of himself all the time. he's too proud. and this is why mad dog is so therapeutic for him, because its a character who doesn't give a single fuck about how hes perceived, wielded by a guy who cares excessively about how hes perceived. he learns so much from mad dog over the course of the series, i genuinely think mad dog saved his life. because i was thinking about all of this going, my god. youre in the YAKUZA???? and youre living like THAT?? no fucking wonder he had to invent a persona to larp as just to not shoot himself.

but thinking more about it, it's like. of COURSE he is. of COURSE hes yakuza. because!! as a civilian, you're just slave to the same system everyone else is a slave to. you have to bow to it, and you don't even get a choice. so... what does he do. he makes his own choice. if hes going to be a slave in a system, it's going to be a system of his own choosing that he can respect, however flawed. yes, he's not "free" in the yakuza, and that is something he struggles with, but it's more about freedom of choice for him.

like. what a fucking thing to say. you cant attach a price to my life. you cant make USE of my life. you cannot USE my death as a TOOL to further your own ends. because that's what ibuchi is saying, that he'll kill majima and his death will start a war which he will benefit from. and he refuses to BE that for anyone.

...other than, of course, shimano and the men he respects, of which there are SO few in the tojo. (hello kiryu. hello saejima. this guy is in desperate need of people he respects and he will follow them around like a dog because he really wants to surrender power and "bow his head" because he's so exhausted from having to maintain it against himself and the world 24/7.)

look at his face in this scene. he's completely distraught. over having been used in some scheme without his knowledge. robbed of his autonomy. i have never seen him look like this at any other point in the series.

true resignation. utter defeat. this is partly what birthed mad dog, nihilism incarnate. sure, it takes being faced with the possibility that makoto will never wake up to finally "awaken" mad dog, but this is where majima is drawing his strength from -- this ability to tap into a state of complete indifference. this void. death.

even sera is surprised. but this is the moment he understands exactly what kind of person majima is. because yes, of course he would. majima, and people like majima, will jump at any chance to make their deaths count, because they're constantly living with the guilt of all the terrible shit they've done up to that point. having the opportunity to die for a good cause, knowing it won't redeem them but get them at least a little closer to it, is a blessing. they don't have to think twice about it. this is the death drive he's tapping into.

above all, majima wants to be useful. i think this need characterizes his relationship with kiryu, who is someone he respects. he's basically begging to let kiryu help him throughout y3. he agrees to go back to the clan because kiryu asks, twice. he's willing to die so haruka can live, because his death can accomplish something good. it's no choice at all.

but i'm far more interested in how this manifests in his relationship with shimano. this excerpt from an rggo story comes to mind.

i think shimano was, in a lot of ways, a tether for majima. the "leash" imagery is very accurate, but it suggests an entirely negative reading of their dynamic. the truth is majima likes being leashed. not only that, he needs it. he's just very discerning about who he will let leash him. he needs purpose in his life, needs to know hes useful, and for that he needs to devote himself to someone. and it needs to be a person, because he's too cynical to believe in a cause.

what that excerpt tells me is that he lost his respect for shimano. and when he died, majima became untethered. from the world. in the absence of saejima, or anyone else who could be that for him, he's adrift and aimless. lost.

it's not a coincidence he leaves the clan immediately after shimano dies. it's because of this, because of terada (he won't bow to someone he doesn't respect), and because he has, on some level, completed a large part of his duty to saejima by establishing his own family. he is without purpose. and i think it's maintaining this state of existence for years that turns him into the depressed, defeated man we see in y5.

he got burnt out, because it's exhausting being in this kind of active conflict with yourself all the time in the name of maintaining a sense of personal power and agency. over even your own emotions. he's truly relentless. but sooner or later, it was going to catch up to him.

[cheedonanddragonhorse]

Black Star sits there for a bit. Quietly asking "What?" Jack muttering heartily that it seems like everyone has a couple deaths on their belt. Black star finally figuring out some of it and a shouting that he's not a cat. He had to be powered on afterwards every single time. Jack mentioning that he isn't sure there's any sort of replicating nanites that even exist. At least not ones that require the conversion of metal. Black star muttering that it's impossible to just come back from nothing.

Jack quietly chuckles at Bones reaction to the shadow. Placing his small pumpkin that he made on the ground. Which sprouts little vine leaf legs, and it walks over to Bone. Sitting down and just seemingly sitting to watch him.

Black Star says almost sternly that is up to his parents if he even gets to stay. Jack more softly agreeing. Saying that currently bone is classified as a lost person. Plus his brother is probably just as concerned as he is. He's sure there's other fun things to do at home. Black Star muttering that if it's that big they better have some fun things. It sounds like his home could fit Fall Fest in it.

Jack and Black Stars seem to take a bit to sort of absorb how the family works. Before Blackstar mudders that, that sounds confusing. Jack confusingly saying that it sounds like a whole bunch of spoken family mingling in a confusing web of built for family. Blackstar muttering that that is why built for family isn't followed anymore. Although Jack does chuckle at the serial adopters comment.

Jack just tells him that's okay. It sounds like an impressive knowledge of magic even if it might not work here. Although now he's pretty sure his family will make sure to add a more magical way of contacting people through dimensions.

-

Comet is going to run off with a squeal. Absolutely terrified of chaos. Diving into the maze that is the arcade. Although I doubt it does much given how tall chaos is. Planet shouts back an hourglass that they should learn to control that anxiousness. Tall people like her and eclipse understand that their size does not help get assistance easily. Eclipse grumbling why this chaos knows Black Star. Or is it because of that dimensional shenanigans where their names are similar to others in other universes? Planet shrugs. Saying that black star is honestly the one that's most versed on this dimensional bullshit. Calling Black Star might be a good move.

I had a dream where Bone met Jack and refused to believe he was Jack. He kept referring to Jack as Fack, fake Jack.

... So. Like bone the Blood Moon? Meeting up with arcade Jack. But like he only knows the other type of Jack. So he's.. hehehehehahahahaha!

Jack of course has a bit more understanding of all this dimensional stuff. And he's slowly starting to learn that one name is not the same in another universe. So he probably just chastised them for comparing him to their Jack. A while also trying to get a good scare as vengeance.

[lesbianyosano]

Wait so is this like. The manga version also? Or is this like a full metal alchemist oh shit we ran out of things to animate let’s make up our own story now???? Very confused

i have. no fucking clue to be honest but if i were to guess the manga will be similar?? bc im assuming asagiri and harukawa had the chapters done for months now, early enough to give them to the anime team to animate and 111 is just one of them

i really didnt like this episode i think the pacing was bad and rushed so im hoping theres some more info in the manga?? but also. it would suck so bad if we were now behind the fucking anime and unless we get like 3 fucking chapters next month thats whats going to happen

and with the 2 hours later thing, i dont think its an anime thing bc of how it resembles the fit fukuchi is wearing in that last doa official art, but 2 hours????? girl what on earth is going on. this arc has been so pong and exhausting and the writing has been decreasing in quality and were all tired so the idea of sth huge happening soon is just really not that exciting to me. i want to see the political repercussions and the page not another fight, at least not now

but yeah tldr i dont think this is an anime only resolution, at least not entirely. a lot of the things make sense ig (like bram regarding his body and dropping the vampires, i feel like thats the only thing that could have happened) but maybe the pacing will be better and maybe therell be some useful info

[xxplastic-cubexx]

WAIT WAIT WAIT CHERIK MPREG IS CANON

i cannot stress enough how canon cherik mpreg is, yes my friend

[dykedvonte]

I think the most baffling thing about the Tulpar as a vessel to me is the fact that the ship really did only have a one way communication system.

I know it was cheap but even the most basic of vessels regarding major transport would have some way, shape or form for outside communication. Not only that but there was absolutely no form of innate emergency signal to show they may have been offline or in trouble despite clearly having a system to dock credits if they went off course. It's another factor that really shows that bad situations are made to get worse by design. One person who is required to relay all information to the crew and make all the choices without feedback. No way to update or call for help in case of a dire situation. No way to inform of inner personal conflicts and acquire procedures accordingly.

It really is like they are all in some sort of fucked up solitary confinement. They have their own world with strict roles that are meaningless in the end, as long as the cargo makes it, it doesn't matter what happens on that ship to the company. They don't want to hear anything and will come to conclusions on what happened based on how much pay they can withhold from the workers. Even what they do send is short, sterile and corporate to the extent it was likely written and sent out with a command by some random unmanned computer in an office.

There's something to be said about how unfair it is to force absolute power and control onto one person when you as an entity could do so much more to offload it but I've said it many times before so I won't again.

[thelien-art]

Day 2: Maglor of @feanorianweek

Kingship

Poppy = Sloth | Manipulation

I do think Maglor mourned when Maedhros got himself captured, I just also read Maglor as a manipulative power hungry character.

He probably convinced himself that Maedhros had died and ignored everything that proved otherwise, both as a poor coping mechanism and, subconsciously, seizing the power of being a king, although he never named himself one as that would give him trouble. He differently enjoyed the power and mourned, when Maedhros came back, for the power loss. He was happy to have his brother back of course. I don´t think he spoke against Maedhros choice to give the kingship to Fingolfin, even if he wanted it himself, as he did except Fingolfin to do something stupid and get himself killed eventually, and by agreeing he seemed more "civil" and the friendliest of his brothers, which would end up giving him political power, giving people the illusion that he´s the innocent and harmless of his family.

Maedhros | Celegorm | Caranthir | Curufin | Ambarussa | Nerdanel and Feanor

[zellk]

Not quite done with this lil doodle but I gotta share bg3 Lana's girlfriends...

[autumnoakes]

hyperfixations really will have you imagining a 2 hour video essay on some white guy video game character huh 😪

[dennisboobs]

god hole is a fundamental dennis scene but not because of the way everyone else uses it