#he LOVES being the hero being special and proving his worth

[bumblingbabooshka]

He truly can't let anyone have anything

[bonebrokebuddy]

honestly? I love that. As someone who has multiple siblings, I respect that take heavily

What if I lived in a reality where Wally and Bart were close

[valentine-cafe]

˖⁺. ﹙ the hybrid hero. ﹚: rishen herrera 781 .𖹭 ݁

. . . he's a cheri cheri lady !! 🍒 : “ you feel this heart? it beats for you. I promise you that I will always return. I'll always be there to feel those lips against mine and kiss away any tears ”

꒰ verse ꒱ 781

꒰ species ꒱ spider-moth-mantis hybrid

꒰ ethnicity ꒱ mexican-indian

꒰ age ꒱ 25

꒰ gender ꒱ genderfluid, amab

꒰ mbti ꒱ esfj

꒰ alias ꒱ scarlet solstice, scarlet lights, scarlet ( hero alias ), pretty boy/girl/baby, bug boy / bug girlie / buggie ( villains ), spiderling ( villains, some civilians ), webs ( the reaper ), pequeño héroe ( auntie ), scarly ( by viper ), moth-boy / moth-girl / mothie ( villains, some civilians ).

꒰ story ꒱ 

born to a family of superheroes, rishen has always been a special case. mysteriously born with the animal powers of an aetheer, emanating that the frightful combination of spider, moth and mantis attributes, the young boy was severely different from those around him and thus lead to a life quite different from his peers. that of which did not hinder his development in mind nor his curiosity, let alone his ambition to be just like the heroes around him.

with his selfless yet stubborn attitude, rishen sets on a journey of herohood despite his father’s ( and the rest of his fellow aetheer’s ) wishes. determined to prove them wrong about the supposed ‘curse’.

along with his boyfriends, alessio and talisen, he sets out to make the city elritea a better place. extending kindness where he should not at times, and putting his life on the line, in an effort to protect those around him. though, he forgets himself in his recklessness in sacrifice of protecting those he loves —

in the end, it should all be worth it, should it not? that’s what his mentor says,

it’s what his heart says.

 

꒰ appearance ꒱

maroon eyes, his pupils constrict into slits when he is experiencing intense emotions. they can also go completely red. wears eyeliner, either soft red or blacks. when he is having moth moments his eyes get bigger and become a solid, static deep red

medium-length, fluffy and curly dark brown hair that extend halfway down his neck

bronze skin, has a bunch of beauty spots on the left side of his face and along his forearms

a very androgynous face that leans more towards feminine features

stands at a height of 5'8” with an fit body

a two pairs of upper fangs on his canines that he can retract ( the inners being a bit larger and the outers being a bit smaller )

silk slits all over his arms and hands, around his waist, all over his back and on his ankles. he also has one at the back of his throat. they are invisible for the most part but they can reveal themselves in agitated or touches excessively. they are quite sensitive

elongated tongue that can thin out quite a bit ( he can hide this, however )

claw-like extension that extends from his outer wrists and outer ankles. they are retracted

a set of moth wings on his back that can disappear and reappear as according to a moth life cycle. between these wings are thin wings of a mantis

moth antenna that can sprout at times

if his powers are having hectic days he may develop mandibles

switches a lot with gendered clothing, can wear lots of sweaters and turtlenecks, a soft boy aesthetic — but can quickly switch to a preppy girly aesthetic. very much red and blacks, sometimes whites

typically uses red lip glosses or balms, has a beauty spot at the left corner of his lips

sometimes paints his long nails red

sometimes wears glasses

wears black and red beaded bracelets

standard lobe and upper helix piercings

midline tongue piercing and a gold septum piercing

nipple and frenum piercing

 

꒰ personality ꒱

very kind -hearted and compassionate, always appears quite serene and happy. sunshine boy

polite and seemingly quite patient. exudes a certain effortless charm and glow that draws people to him at times. he can appear quite approachable especially with the smile he typically carries

hopeful and always trying to look at the positive side of things

can look a little lost at times and even quite oblivious

however, he is very intelligent, having had a knack for it from a young age, often excels in academics

sometimes deals with levels of anxiety, both internal and social. he might not always know how to interact because of his lack of exposure in his learning years

has a deep yearning to escape his former life and the expectations held onto him. wishes to escape the narrative that he feels his fellow heroes put up against him. to prove those, especially his parents, wrong about his ‘incapabilities’

don’t underestimate his soft personality, he can quickly go into a leadership roll and take control of a situation when needed

is incredibly dutiful and selfless, can be very self sacrificing which may lead into him being quite reckless

heroic, feels like he needs to protect as many people as he possibly can when he is out on the field. tries to save everyone which can be incredibly damaging both physically and mentally to him

prides himself on the betterment of others and himself, can often overwork as a result of this

can be quite stubborn, especially towards those that tell him he can’t do certain things

don’t let his soft aura fool you. he can suffer from dark thoughts that stem from a biological temper as a result of his animal powers of an aetheer that he was born with. rather than earning them in his later years like his fellow atheers

he is actually easily irked — although, he tends to mask this well. his method of dealing with this storm of emotions is by bottling up any negative feelings, which of course does not work out in his favour. this makes the young medic prone to snapping should these emotions pile up to drastic degrees.

 

꒰ with a lover ꒱

even bigger softie and adores showering his significant other in bouts of affection — it does not matter whether it is through physical affection or verbal.

another of his love languages is gift giving as he enjoys spoiling his lover — something that he may unintentionally go overboard with at times. he can’t help it! he has this forever burning desire to take care of you.

he watches over you quite a lot in regards to your physical and emotional well-being. as a medic, he is always prepared for when times such as sickness strike and he can even at times fuss at you to take better care of yourself.

as you probably would have guessed by now, rishen is a very empathetic, kindhearted and affectionate lover, who truly wants the best for you. when he sees you struggle, he will run to you as fast as possible and help you back up on top as best as he can. one call from you and he is right by your side.

calls you an array of endearments in his mother-tongues, such as ‘sundari’, ‘querida/querido’ and ‘amor.’ as he feels it gives much more depth and value to the endearments.

say goodbye to struggles with studying, with rishen’s love for academics, he is always eager to help you figure out what is in your homework — anything to help take the weight off of your shoulders !! as long as it isn’t literature. . . he might sit you down with talisen instead.

his favourite dates include watching the city lights from buildings he can swing the two of you up to, going on small coffee dates or reading in silence.

be prepared for some teasing here and there. rishen is the kind to act innocent yet catch you off guard when you least expect it and make you a flustered mess.

and when you confront him on the teasing? what do you mean? him — tease you? noooo, never. is what he will say while pressing a quick kiss to your cheek and smiling happily at you.

hugs from behind as greetings, throat kisses when he leaves and hand holding whenever has the chance are an absolute must!!

 

꒰ strengths ꒱

intelligence: highly intelligent from a young age, resulting in advanced, prodigal level of skill in science and technological fields.

increased bodily function: advanced strength, speed, durability.

heightened senses: advanced sight, smell, hearing, taste and awareness of surroundings.

healing factor: a dull healing factor that heals his injuries far quicker than an average human

magical silk: red magic silk that shoot from from his all over his arms, hands, back, waist, ankles and even even from his mouth

wall-crawling: the ability to stick to surfaces at will.

fangs: retractable fangs that secrete venoms at will ( the venoms are chosen by a magic apparition with pincers that creates a different kind of bites when he is about to bite )

magic spider eyes: has spider-eyes that appear at times — predicting future events that may or may not happen, but in vague ways that only leave rishen on his guard but never truly prepared.

seismic sense: able to feel vibrations in a seismic way whenever his limbs touch surfaces. he can feel these from quite awhile ago

wall-crawling: the ability to crawl walls.

pheromone generation: the ability to physically produce pheromones.

enhanced stealth: due to rishen’s spider, mantis and moth traits, he operates quietly and moves silently, moving along shadows and crowds extremely quietly and fitting in when he needs to.

enhanced agility: an attribute he has from his mantis traits — rishen is extremely agile and flexible, able to bend and twist in many different ways to avoid attacks from the enemy. as such his combative technique is swift and like that of a mantis

moth wings: at times, rishen may grow moth wings and have them for a while, before they eventually fade off and take a while to come back.

mantis wings: these wings are extremely vulnerable and he does not wish for anyone to touch them, not even the people he trusts the most, as it could easily damage the wings.

raptorial limbs: retractable claw-like extensions from his outer wrists and outer ankles that he can use in combat

enhanced leap: able to leap quite lengthy distances

꒰ weaknesses ꒱

senses: heightened senses can result in migraines and overstimulation, has to regularly take injectable stabilisers.

increased metabolism: has to keep himself fed constantly or he will grow weak, faint or go into a hibernative state

mania: biological temper that comes with being born with his aetheer powers rather than being bestowed them later on. can result in him having severe snapping episodes if he does not take stabilisers

heart: has a rare heart condition that he was born with, subjecting him to heart attacks throughout his life. it is vital to keep him calm to avoid cardiac arrests.

abandonment issues: has severe abandonment issues that can result in spurts of panic should they come about and he is not comforted

temperature regulation: can’t handle extreme colds and extreme heats, especially if he does not take his stabilisers. will grow quite overwhelmed if not

insecticides: while they might not kill him, they will make him feel extremely nauseous

light: if his moth traits are more prominent, he can be attracted and distracted by light

mantis wings: like mentioned previously, due to the vulnerability of these wings, one cut, shot or blunt force damage dealt to them, will cause him immense pain that can leave him almost immobilized at him.

mandibles: when his mantis traits are more prominent and his mandible extend from his mouth, they can be quite painful for him and result in constant headaches

cocoon: at times, during extreme periods of overwhelm, he might cocoon himself and stay in previously mentioned hibernative states for a long time — which is not healthy for him at all.

acidic saliva: if his spider traits are more prominent, his glands release acidic saliva which certain parts of his mouth are not entirely immune to — thus putting him through a lot of pain

moth antenna: while they can aid him in some instances, they can clash with his other senses and create disorientation. due to some of his moth abilities working in a cycle, they can pop up at inconvenient times ( effects are still applicable even when he is keeping them concealed )

 

꒰ relationships ꒱

javier hererra: father

rishima singhania (herrera): mother

lucia hererra: younger sister

gael herrera: uncle, different universe ( verse 9948e )

neva ramona: auntie, different universe ( verse 9785n )

lisse herrera: auntie, different universe ( verse 1311 )

zhào talisen: best friend, boyfriend

alessio arias: boyfriend

shalika vaiysha: close friend

shimada takara: close friend

yuè yizé: close friend

the artisan: enemy

zhào hàoyú: bully, friend, different universe ( verse 9948e )

zhào yizé: close friend, different universe ( verse 9948e )

zhào haitāo: friend, different universe ( verse 9948e )

yuè mèng yáo: motherly figure, different universe ( verse 9948e )

 

꒰ extra ꒱

he is a biochemistry and health sciences university student who takes literature as a minor ( he struggles with the latter )

he is a medic at the order of aetheers

speaks spanish ( latin american ), hindi and tamil

if he grows too overwhelmed or anxious, his powers can weaken or disappear altogether

he has a heart condition so it is vital to keep him calm

has a huge sweet tooth

he drives a motorbike and has said to be quite the show off once he’s on

his fashion often flips around between red sweaters and turtlenecks to a more feminine fashion, he is unafraid to cross-dress

[trishacollins]

Merry Christmas Trisha! ❤️🎄

You know me, I am a Senticousins hurt/comfort girlie at heart, but I have a special craving for Felix being the one to comfort Adrien… It’s such an underused dynamic.

Maybe… Maybe with some platonic bed sharing if you feel like it… In any case I love them being physically affectionate with all the trust that implies on both sides. Especially given one was physically abused and the other could literally destroy him through a single touch. I am getting emotional OK BYE

Merry Christmas Nina My Love! I hope you enjoy!

The room is dark – he can vaguely see the rise and fall of Adrien’s chest in the darkness, but his cousin is otherwise completely still and silent.

The blinds are all closed, and Adrien hasn’t turned on any light sources.

It looks like a depression nest if he’s ever seen one.

“Are you just going to stay in bed all day?” He asks, keeping his tone conversational.

He didn’t need the six hundred text messages from Marinette to know that things had gone horribly, terribly wrong. That Adrien had found out one of the dozen secrets she had been keeping, and reacted badly enough that she was afraid for his safety.

He didn’t need them, but he had them.

It was an accident. She didn’t know it was Adrien she was talking to.

The new Butterfly Holder had been involved.

“Go away, Felix.” Adrien rasped in the darkness.

Felix ignores the faint command, slipping off his shoes and padding to the bed.

“Go *away*.” Adrien snarls, and he isn’t foolish enough to not hear the wetness in his voice. “leave me alone. That’s all everyone ever does!”

“No.” Felix answers simply, taking off his jacket and crawling under the duvet with Adrien, scooting until they’re side by side.

He sort of expects Adrien to swat at him, but his cousin is limp under the blankets.

“You’re sort of proving her point.” He muses. “She felt like you would react badly.”

“Shut up, Felix.” Adrien whispers, and turns his head away.

Felix fumbles around under the blanket, interlocking their fingers and squeezing gently. “I’m sorry, for what it’s worth.”

“You’re not.” Adrien mutters.

“I am, actually. I never wanted to lie about your father’s true nature. I think you already knew who and what he was capable of being. Having him venerated as a hero when you knew all of that...it was hard.”

Adrien’s fingers squeeze back weakly, twisting and interlocking. “Everyone lied to me.”

“I know.”

“They built a statue of him. People-people worship him.” Adrien’s crying, messy, choked sobs that shake the bed.

Felix holds his hand. “We could destroy it.”

That derails Adrien enough to pause. “What?”

“Spray paint a his face, cover him in graffiti about how terrible his clothing was – tell people he got upstaged by his assistant?” He squeezes Adrien’s hand.

“He would hate that.” It’s a laugh, watery and miserable, Adrien’s head thunks against his shoulder with a wet sniffle.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I wouldn’t.” Adrien agrees. “Why couldn’t I know anything?”

“Well, Akuma were a concern. I think your girlfriend is traumatized and putting herself in a bubble.” He says. “Other than that – she wanted to protect you.”

“I’m tired of being protected. I want to be-to be able to remember him and hate him without feeling guilty about how he died.”

“Noted.”

Adrien twists their hands, rolling onto his side. “Why did you tell her?”

“Kagami’s suggestion.” He admits. “Kagami trusted her, we didn’t know about you – and...well. Your Amok.”

Adrien’s face impacts his shoulder with a wet moan.

“I can make you decoys.” He offers softly.

“I don’t know where I could put them that they’d be safe.” Adrien’s miserable tone is familiar. “I’ve been just wearing them around, not knowing- what do I even do with them?”

“Well, it’s...it’s inconvenient.” Felix admits, twisting his own Amok on his finger with his thumb. “The paranoia never goes away. But you do get used to it.”

“You would know.” Adrien’s face is pressed tight against his shoulder.

“I do. Kagami as well. She has a decoy ring she wears.” He squeezes his hand. “You are not alone in this.”

“You were.”

Felix smiles faintly. “I was never alone – even if you didn’t know, we were always the same. We were lucky in that respect.”

“Lucky.” Adrien sighs. “I’m the most unlucky person in the world.”

“I feel fortunate to have you.” He tells him gently.

“Thanks.” Adrien mumbles, and is quiet for a moment before he says. “I’m still mad at you, but – it’s the same. For me.”

“You can be mad at me.” He offers, generous. “Are you mad at Marinette?”

“Furious.” A sniffle. “But I love her, too. It’s- why did she…”

A miserable sound, more animal than human, escapes his cousin.

“We’re supposed to be a team.” He whispers.

“She’s very clever.” Felix says quietly. “But- her parents seem nice.”

Adrien snorts. “She doesn’t know how to tell the truth because she has good parents?”

“Your parents are terrible.” Felix points out. “Selfish creatures. Self obsessed. She didn’t know how to handle that – and your father, is very good at manipulating people.”

“She knew he was Hawkmoth.” Adrien grumbles.

“And you didn’t. And he was dead.” Felix is playing the devil’s advocate with gusto – he can feel Adrien knows it. “So she told a lie, which promptly – because she’s Ladybug and the world bends to her whim – twisted out of her control into something far larger than one might hope. And Kagami’s mother – certainly looking to save her own skin – reinforced it with that horrid statute.”

“I hate it when you do that. Let me just be upset about this.” Adrien complains.

“You cry like a toddler.”

Adrien hits him with a pillow, and Felix returns the favor swiftly.

It’s not comforting, exactly, the wrestling they’re doing in Adrien’s bed. It’s a twist of limbs and bodies, both of them fit enough to know how to pin someone and too fit to allow someone else to pin them easily.

They end up tangled around each other, Adrien’s face pressed into his chest, breathing ragged and still a bit wet.

“Better?” Felix asks, cautiously stroking his hair.

“Yeah.” Adrien sniffles a bit, rubbing his cheek against his shirt.

“If you get snot on me, cousin, you will buy me a new shirt.” Felix commands, but he really doesn’t mind.

“I’m sure I can handle the expense.” Adrien yawns, and then makes a deep rumbling noise in his chest that takes Felix several long moments to recognize as a purr.

“That is extraordinary. How long have you been able to do that?” He asks, running his fingers through his cousin’s hair.

“Dunno. Just could.” Adrien’s rumbling purr remains, and he doesn’t move from his spot.

“Once you have finished your emotional episode, I have a million questions.” Felix offers softly.

Adrien doesn’t respond, breathing evening out as he falls asleep.

Which is alright, Felix doesn’t mind this sort of entrapment.

[tobiasdrake]

The 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai is a master class in setup and payoff.

We all know how tournament arcs go. The final round is going to be the arc's hero versus the arc's villain. Everything before that point exists to provide character work and spectacle moments, but there's rarely any ambiguity about where the tournament is going.

Poorly done, the lead-in matches can end up feeling like filler. Like the story's just spinning its wheels. Decently done, they give characters a chance to stand in a spotlight they wouldn't normally receive by the rest of the story, and let them shine in individual moments even if they aren't going the distance.

But a well-written tournament uses those lead-in matches to lay groundwork, planting seeds that will eventually sprout into the finale.

The final match of the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai comes in hot. This tournament had previously been a sports movie arc about the rival schools of Kame-senryu or Turtle Style and Tsuru-senryu or Crane Style.

Ten thought he'd vanquished the star athlete of Kame-senryu, Yamcha, in the opening round. In fact, he rigged the ballots to ensure that he could face Yamcha right off the bat. But things took a turn when he found out that one of Yamcha's juniors, holy shit, killed his master's brother, a legendary assassin and a top-tier master of Tsuru-senryu.

It's at this point that the story stops being about the school rivalry. Instead, it becomes a mission of avenging Tsuru-senryu's lost honor by vanquishing Taopaipai's killer. Ten isn't playing by tournament rules anymore; He wants to kill Goku in the ring.

Only. He doesn't, really. Locked in the fight of his life with Goku, Ten falls in love with the competitive atmosphere itself. He loses interest in avenging Taopaipai and becomes more enthralled by the prospect of simply proving his worth in the tournament itself.

It's at this point that the fight stops being about either of those things it was before. It's no longer a contest between Kame-senryu and Tsuru-senryu. Neither is it about revenge.

It's just about these two martial artists standing on the world stage, ambitions blazing as they reach for the lofty title of Strongest Under the Heavens. The only thing that matters anymore is the pure sport of it.

And what a sport it is. This fight is an incredible summation of everything that led into it. Throughout the arc, we get to watch Goku and Ten take each others' measure. We see the special care and attention they're paying to each others' matches, and we watch them grow from their own.

In Goku's semifinal match with Krillin, we see him break out an incredible vanishing technique.

Special attention is drawn to Ten's ability to follow Goku's movements, as he explains to the reader exactly what Goku is doing.

Setup.

By introducing this move here, we're ready for its faster-paced return in the final round - and we're already primed for Ten to counter it.

Payoff.

But Ten wasn't the only one paying attention during the semifinals. When Ten fought the Muten-Roshi in his guise of Jackie Chun, Goku got to see Ten's signature move: The Taiyoken or Solar Flare.

Incidentally, he refers to this as a Shin Tsuru-senryu or "New Crane School" technique, implying this isn't part of the standard Tsuru-senryu playbook; He created it on his own.

As with Goku's semifinal, getting to see Ten's semifinal gives Goku a leg up on the competition, as this advance preview of Ten's signature move gives him a chance to glean both how it works and how to counter it. We get to see Goku and Krillin discuss the limitations of Ten's technique.

Setup.

This gives Goku the forewarning he needs to be ready for this technique when Ten breaks it out in their match.

Turning Ten's attempt to capitalize on Goku's blindness and vulnerability, into an opening for a counterattack - through a little bit of sneaky-handed filching.

Payoff.

Neither of these guys is winning this tournament with the same tricks that carried them through the semifinal, that's for damn sure. But it's not only their matches that play into this finale. Krillin's fight in the quarterfinals with Chiaotzu - the only real fight Chiaotzu's ever had in this entire series - serves to establish Chiaotzu's psychic abilities.

Setup.

Chiaotzu can telekinetically bind a person, leaving them helpless to attack. It doesn't win him the match, but it briefly allows Tsuru-sennin to rig the finals in Ten's favor.

Payoff.

This ability, set up in the quarterfinals, is what gives Ten the opportunity to realize he doesn't feel right winning like this, and to choose fair competition and sportsmanship instead.

It's easy to keep focus on how Goku and Ten are feeling about this move, because we've already been introduced to the ability itself. What is happening here doesn't need to be freshly explained, allowing the pace of the fight to be maintained.

Speaking of strange abilities we don't need explained, the preliminary rounds of the tournament, typically an easy wash, have one character introduced with surprising gravitas.

In the preliminaries, Goku faces King Chapa. One P, Viz. It's Chapa-O, named for the Italian dish chapati 'cause Toriyama likes his name puns.

Despite not happening on the world stage, this match is nonetheless treated as a serious tournament fight. Goku still wins the fight handily, but not before Chapa has a chance to show off his signature technique: The Hasshuken or 8-Armed Fist.

Hasshuken is a speed technique, built around moving your arms so quickly that it blurs visibility and creates the illusion that you have eight. Chapa hits Goku with this technique, but we see that Goku's fast enough to see through his moves and counter them anyway.

Setup.

In the finals, once he gets serious about competition, Tenshinhan unveils another esoteric ability: Shiyoken, the Four-Armed Fist.

No optical illusion this time. Tenshinhan's devised an ability to physically sprout two extra arms to enhance his fighting.

But four arms are for suckers. Hasshuken can give you eight.

Payoff.

We've already seen Goku face down and defeat Hasshuken and we know he's a quick learner. So it's no surprise when he whips out the technique on his own, much later in the tournament, to counter Ten's Shiyoken.

Nearly every move of this final match stands on the shoulders of the material that came before it - Right down to the final blow. By this point, it's been long established that Ten and Chiaotzu can fly.

It may seem odd these days when everyone who is anyone has mastered it, but the levitation technique Bukujutsu was originally a signature technique for Tsuru-senryu. Everyone else cribbed it off of Ten.

They stole his Bukujutsu/Levitation. They stole his Taiyoken/Solar Flare. Fucking thieves, the lot of Kame-senryu. Turtles be stealin', yo.

In his desperation to win the finals, this becomes Ten's final ace in the hole. By destroying the tournament stage itself so there's nowhere to stand that isn't out-of-bounds, Ten can remain suspended in levitation and force Goku into a ringout.

The best Goku can do is take a huge jump, but that will only carry him so far. He needs to know Ten down to the ground before the ticking clock of gravity ends this match. He only has one option to reach with.

But it's useless.

During Ten's quarterfinal fight with Yamcha, it's established that Ten has the ability to cancel and reflect the Kamehameha.

Setup

This was the first official fight of the tournament. It's a piece of context that has sat on the characters' shoulders for everything up to this point, and we even see Goku attempt a Kamehameha earlier in the final round before thinking better of it.

Payoff (Kinda)

He remembers that Ten can cancel his Kamehameha. It would be a waste of his energy to try for it. Instead, he saves his strength for the longer fight ahead.

This, in turn, is what makes it so suspenseful when Goku is forced to resort to it in this very last exchange. Having no other option, Goku is forced to fall back on a move that cannot work. The outcome of the tournament now depends on an attack proven to fail at the very start.

And then it hits.

Payoff (For Real). Deflect that, asshole.

Though Ten still wins the tournament by sheer dumb luck of Goku hitting the ground a second before he did, this is nonetheless a thrilling solution to a problem created by the opening match of the arc.

This is what the entire final round of the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai is: A series of payoffs fired off in rapid succession to plot points and abilities and ideas that had been sprinkled throughout the entire arc to that point. A fast-paced frenzy of a fight that rarely needs to stop to explain itself because everything was already layered out in advance.

This is top-tier tournament writing, and anyone seeking to write a tournament arc would do well to study what it has to teach.

[tokiro07]

Ichi the Witch ch.14 thoughts

[Oh Man, He's a Magik Man!]

(Topics: speculation - Human-Shaped Magik/arc progression)

While I could go on about how I was right about Togeice's methods being ill-suited to acquiring Kindake or discuss how Ichi's hunting skills demonstrate a much higher degree of intelligence than Togeice gives him credit for, there's only one topic that I think is really worth getting into: the human-shaped Magik

Magik Man

It was made clear pretty quickly that Magiks could take basically any shape, such as sentient water, mushrooms with limbs, sharks with lacey fins, and a bird-man with a throne sticking out of his torso. However, it never occurred to me that a Magik could pass for human, and even now I only have a vague impression of how this character could be identified as a Magik in the first place

Under his hat is some kind of...furred or feathered mass that at first I thought was either just his hair or, weirdly, another hat, but it's definitely a different texture than his actual hair and the latter is just a silly idea. The shape looks very specific, like it's meant to immediately evoke a feeling of inhumanity, though to what extent we'll have to see

The question is, is this actually what this Magik looks like, or is it a disguise? Are there Magiks with the ability to masquerade as humans? Or perhaps can all Magiks do this but most either don't know how or choose not to out of distaste? Or is this specific Magik's spell to shapeshift, and he's some kind of tanuki Magik?

If this is the Humagik's actual appearance, is his spell somehow related to the fact that he's human-shaped the same way that Hisame's spell summons ice sharks? Or is his spell more or less unrelated the same way that Inazuri just happened to be fox-shaped?

Regardless of why he's shaped this way, I think it's a fair bet that the Humagik is, ironically, a Human-Hater

Bloodlust

I've seen at least one person suggest that the Humagik was targeting Ichi the same way that Ichi kills things that threaten human-life, because Ichi was threatening Kindake's life

I love that idea, but unfortunately, that read doesn't seem to hold up with the text, as it doesn't seem like he was actually targeting Ichi at all. Case in point, when Ichi detects the Humagik's bloodlust and rushes off to find him, he's facing away from Ichi

He has to turn around to block Ichi's attack, because while he does have strong enough senses to notice Ichi coming, he wasn't already focused on Ichi. But if he wasn't planning to attack Ichi and interrupt the hunt, then...who was all of that bloodlust directed towards?

I think it's pretty obvious: it was directed at the village. Whether there's some special meaning to his presence during this specific hunt or he's here by coincidence, it seems likely that the Humagik knew the village isn't currently being protected, as all of the Witches in the area are preoccupied with a personal squabble, and took advantage of the opportunity...or planned to, at least

He obviously couldn't account for Ichi's Spidey Sense, and it's thanks to that unique ability of his that we probably don't need to worry too much about Ichi potentially throwing away the contest with Togeice

Proving Your Worth

As it stands, it's looking like the narrative will be that Ichi abandoned the hunt for Kindake for the sake of defending the village. Even if that's not Ichi's intent and instead he just wants to hunt something more interesting than Kindake, his actions here will almost certainly save countless lives, making him look like a hero no matter what the outcome of the challenge itself is

Togeice's inability to notice the threat, how far overboard she went with her spells in this contest, how close Ichi came to winning before abandoning the fight for something more pressing, and likely some other factor we'll see in the next chapter or two, will prove to Togeice that Ichi's role is better served out and about rather than confined to a classroom. He can, has, and will accomplish things that Togeice could only dream of thanks to his unique perspective and skills, and the Humagik provides the perfect scenario to prove that to her in a way that should satisfy all of her complaints

I still think he will have to attend Mantinel's curriculum, though, since there will definitely be concepts he needs to learn more about, but I'm realizing now that it wouldn't be satisfying for Togeice to acknowledge him and still force him to go to school just because she won the base agreement. No, I think it's the other way around

Despite the fact that she'll certainly win the contest, Togeice will see all of her ideals within Ichi during his fight with the Humagik and rescind her insistence that he be schooled. However, Ichi will likely see firsthand everything that he's lacking as a Witch, and realize that he has an opportunity to become a better one. These are the circumstances that I picture Ichi going to school under, a complete reversal of the expectations set out at the beginning of this arc. This is how a balance can be achieved on both sides

As always, I expect I'm wrong about most if not all of the details here, but as it stands I don't see a better way to transition into the next story arc given the information we have now. At the very least, though, I'm really looking forward to seeing Ichi vs. the Humagik, and I'm especially looking forward to learning his name so I can stop calling him the Humagik

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

[sserpente]

LOKI SEASON 2 FINALE ... LET'S DO THIS

One last time. Let's do this. *hands out tissues*

HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE UNDER THE CUT!

Okay. Let's face it. I was sobbing, you were sobbing, we were all sobbing, right?!

This episode was so damn good. An absolute cinematic masterpiece and a finale worth a beloved character like Loki.

If you've seen my Instagram story today you'll know that I was ugly crying and struggling to breathe.

Honestly. I was a mess. I still am a mess. I'm tearing up again as I'm writing this. I'm still processing. And I have so many questions!

First of all... Loki learned everything O.B. knew about the Temporal Loom and the mechanics of the TVA, spent fucking centuries doing this? Can we please talk about the commitment? I realise there was a comical aspect to this but UM?! The commitment!

The winks throughout killed me. Betcha. His calm professor-like voice had me feral, thank you very much.

When he realised that there is nothing that could fix the Temporal Loom... I immediately thought he's gonna have to stop He Who Remains from dying. When he went back there... my heart almost stopped.

For a moment, I honestly believed that he would kill Sylvie. I thought that's where the conversation he had with Mobius (which was so damn heartbreaking and epic and such an amazing verbal conclusion to Loki's way of thinking and realisation... you could practically see him struggling with the right decision and the fact that he went to ask Mobius for help is just so damn heartbreaking and sweet!) was leading. That he'd sacrifice the one person who was truly like him, who he was on one wavelength with, an outsider like him.

(That conversation with He Who Remains... him saying he paved the way for him to be able to manipulate time... and Loki outsmarting him and finding a way to keep everyone alive?! PLEASE CAN WE JUST?!)

But instead... damn, talk about a sacrifice. Loki is a fucking hero. Even writing this is so damn satisfying. Loki is a hero. And you know why that is so damn special? It's not because we wanted to prove that he's not a villain, it's not because we desperately wanted to see something in him that we obviously knew was there but it's because we didn't need him to be. He's our Loki, our cheeky God of Mischief. We loved him regardless. And now he is a hero.

Loki, the God of Stories. Loki, the God of Time.

The very moment he went down there I started sobbing. I knew at that moment that there was going to be a sacrifice of some sort. As he walked out there... and the cape appeared and those HORNS. THOSE HORNS that looked just like the cracked marble of the Citadel and He Who Remains' TemPad... I was screaming, sobbing, ugly crying... is it silly when I say that I was actually struggling to breathe?!

Can we please talk about how powerful Loki is? The fucking most powerful being in the entire multiverse? He practically became the Temporal Loom. He controls everything now, sees everything, protects everything... I still can't wrap my head around this!

It is epic. It is so fucking epic and such an amazing conclusion to his arc. Is it the end? I'm not sure. I don't want to think so. There's gonna be a multiversal war, there's gonna be Kang Variants...

We saw purple light when Renslayer woke up in the Void and I'm sure as hell that was a Kang Variant who came to pick her up. So she's gonna make another appearance for sure. So I am 100% sure this is not the last we've seen of Loki or Sylvie or Mobius. There's gonna be more, I'm sure of it.

But it was epic. Epic, epic, epic. I loved it so much. When that throne turned golden and he sat down on it, I lost it. That last scene where he smirked? THE MUSIC? The fact that his cape turned into fucking time branches?!

I have so many damn questions still. Will he be there forever? Will he be alone? Loki said that he's afraid of being alone... and now he is and that is so fucking tragic and heartbreaking. Is that the true sacrifice? The true act of heroism here, the Loki lesson to be learned? Is that how it has to be for the rest of his existence? He doesn't deserve to be alone even if this was the most selfless thing of him to do. Selfless. Loki. Beyond him saving his family I never thought I'd write something like this. Gods, damn it. And what will happen once the multiversal war breaks out which, inevitably, it will?!

Guys... let's do a group hug. I think we all need it after this epic finale.

EDIT: I forgot to mention how epic I thought the Yggdrasil reference was. I immediately cried out Yggdrasil when I saw it!

[yannaryartside]

The importance of SydLuca for Sydcarmy

"This is what you wanted"

This may be a controversial one, I originally shipped MarcusxLuca more, but that may still be my OTP alongside Sydcarmy (both ships will happen at the show's end). This may be shipper delusions, but I have a narrative-based argument.

Let me explain why I think Luca and Sydney's dating, cooking, and working together, as well as their falling in love, are essential to the show's themes.

Character development for Carmy

Guys, the reason it would be so significant for Carmy’s character development (reality check) that Sydney develops feelings for Luca is because Luca has admitted Carmy is better than him in the kitchen.

Carmy made the menu, the restaurant, all about himself. He wants to be the hero to compensate his emotional absence and issues. It gives him validation, the toxic narrative that all abuse is worth if you become the best.

The meaning of “this is what you wanted”

He kept telling Syd: “this is what you wanted,” because that’s what he learned from his toxic chef. He may not be intentionally abusing Sydney as his boss abused him, but he is still prolonging the toxic dynamics he learned to survive in the Empire, thinking that if he can get a star, it will all be worth it in the end. The pain, the guilt, feeling lost. It would prove there is nothing wrong with him.

But it would also let him keep Sydney’s admiration (and her affection) he does what to be the best also because she came to his life saying “you are the best cdc in the best restaurant in the world” he thinks he needs to be the best in order for Sydney to ever want him in any way (friend/partner/romantic interest)

Which is obviously not true because Syd has stayed with Carmy while he has been anything but emotionally absent, a bad friend and ultimately a bad boss and even a bad chef, if we believe that last review calling him “uninspiring and chaotic”

Enters Luca

But then Luca will come in and steal his girl. A man with less awards, less known. Inferior in the culinary world. But Luca is (as far as we can see, specially in Forever) emotionally intelligent, present and kind. All the things Carmy could be if he deployed himself from his toxic narratives.

To be honest, the fact that Luca is physically everything that Carmy is insecure about himself (his height, face, being funny and intelligent) is kind of the cherry on top.

You can almost see his Pikachu face. "So you are telling me that I could have Syd if I was willing to be emotionally vulnerable and do the work?" (Carmy represents the whole male species right there.)

SYDNEY SIDE OF THE STREET.

The line "is scary to rely on someone" she told Marcus could be telling us two things:

1.Syd doesn't know how to be truly emotionally vulnerable, maybe because of previous (recent) heartbreak (the 3 swords tattoo).

2. Syd is scared to rely on Carmy

And next season, this man will probably be even less reliable; he spent this whole season fantasizing and thinking Claire was the solution to all his problems. And I don't have any reason to believe that pursuing her will not be his goal next season, either. Some people even speculate that the next season will end in a fake ending, with Claire and Carmy leaving for Copenhagen and all that. Then we could have a surprise 5th season to entail all the lies. (this show has bo be put on trial)

So, if Sydney is scared of being emotionally vulnerable, sadly, she cannot learn that with Carmy. Not with the present one.

She should go on her own and stop relying emotionally and financially on Carmy for a while to get to know herself and what she wants, build a career that doesn't depend on him, trust in her own strength, grow and be confident, learn to love and be loved, and live a love that is not based 50% on struggle and 50% on hope.

So, when they decide to be together, both can start from a healthy place. The connection is there, and they still have a date with destiny.

[mikuni14]

I know I keep talking about Tharn and how wonderful he is, but I also have to say something about Phaya. Who is, on reflection, a perfect example of a "manly man"✨, the main character of an action movies, who works for me for once. He's also one of the few action/adventure/crime MLs that I find really hot and attractive, something other productions almost never achieve. Why? Because - I say this only from my perspective - what the producers THINK will be attractive to me is completely different from what I actually FIND attractive.

Phaya is a classic male hero, but he takes classic patterns of masculinity and reworks them in his own way.

Phaya looks very masculine, but in a way that I like. He's muscular, but not too much. His muscles were developed through martial arts training, sparring, something that is related to his hobby and work, not worked out just for being muscular. We see him determined and focused when he goes through training, but he also has fun sparring with his friends, instructors, WITH THARN (that's a completely different story 🔥). We see that he likes healthy competition, that he has ambitions, but he is focused on improving himself, not on proving to others that he is better than them. Phaya has a healthy approach to his body, to competition and to sports.

I like that Phaya takes care of himself, that he tries to look good (especially for his crush), BUT AT THE SAME TIME he has no qualms about finding the most embarrassing matching shirts and persuading said crush to put them on and casually stroll around the tourist area town, looking like a funny, old married couple. Phaya has a healthy attitude towards his appearance and how people perceive him (he doesn't give a fuck). The most important thing is that Tharn is by his side. In a matching shirt.

I like how active and task-oriented Phaya is, that he recognizes his own or any other problems and just does something about them. Suspicious murder? Phaya starts ivestigating. Strange dreams? Phaya has been researching it all his life, now he's going to the place where he can find answers. Tharn is not answering his calls? Phaya doesn't get offended, he doesn't create scenarios in his head, he just goes to Tharn, confronts him and comes up with a creative way to relax the stressed Tharn. Phaya acts, does research, has no qualms about asking for help and accepting help. Phaya is a pack animal, not this lone wolf bullshit.

I absolutely love how open Phaya is with his feelings, with himself. Friends? Grandmother? The Abbot? THARN? Phaya doesn't hide anything. When Tharn asks if he's feeling ok at the festival, Phaya tells him about his troubling feelings, he doesn't hide behind a straight face and "I'm fine." Phaya is not afraid or ashamed of his feelings or talking about them. Or admitting weakness, feeling bad or even fear.

what deserves a special mention is how open Phaya is about his interest in Tharn - towards Tharn and the rest of the world. Phaya is like "Tharn, I'm so interested in you and I want you to know it". And if anyone else sees this, it's not his and Tharn's problem, it's the world's problem, because Phaya is too busy with Tharn, who is all delicious right there, to worry about the rest of the world. Phaya is a grown man who knows what he wants and currently wants Tharn and to be a good cop and solve the mystery of his dreams and he will not waste his energy and time on proving his worth or anything else to the world.

Phaya has his own life BEYOND the romanse. He has a job, ambitions, a family, a home, his art, interests, and his own personal problems to face. Tharn is a part of his life, a new part, because Phaya existed as a person before Tharn.

I also like how Phaya treats his sexuality, namely he is completely ordinary and normal about it 😀 No issues, no trauma, no internal conflicts, no "finding himself", no crisis. I like the fact that he is pushy with Tharn, and although I'm normally not a big fan of kisses "without warning", it doesn't bother me in this case because Phaya is completely aware that Tharn likes him "that way". Tharn is flirting heavily with Phaya and they already had their almost kiss, so Phaya didn't cross the line with him. Besides, Tharn is also a grown man who can read Phaya's intentions, and he kissed him first - twice 😂 Phaya's sexuality is not a problem in this story, he is very simple about it.

Phaya is the kind of action hero that simply suits me. He seems to fit the type: he's aggressive, cocky, talented, smart, inventive, handsome and athletic. But he is also - in a quite ordinary way- nice, caring, friendly, supportive and helpful. He doesn't put himself in the center, he doesn't make everything about himself. He's also very funny, doesn't take himself seriously, can be a classic dudebro, goes to parties where he plays stupid games 🍾 and he is open with his feelings. He is naturally, effortlessly cool, but sometimes he is a bit pathetic and doesn't get everything right.

For me, Phaya is Phaya from the scene in the tub of icy water, hugging and supporting Tharn (because he wants BOTH of them to pass this test), it is Phaya from the scene in the bathroom, super sensitive to Tharn's mood, it is Phaya visiting tourist attractions with his crush and tucking him in to sleep. This is Phaya knowing when he can allow himself more with Tharn and knowing when to stop. This is Phaya who doesn't lie to Tharn, who seduces him, gives him time, gives him space, but at the same time leaves no doubt about how he feels about him and makes sure that Tharn is aware of it. It's Phaya intoxicated by Tharn's closeness and also coming up with cute nicknames for him.

Phaya is a classic model of masculinity without all the toxic, violent, stupid alpha bullshit, but with self-awareness, true personal freedom, the ability to function in a relationship, a family, a team, society, readiness for self-development and emotional maturity. He is a natural leader who can apologize to his teammates. Phaya redefined the male action hero type and I love him for it 💖

[blindmagdalena]

I’ve been thinking a lot about the underwhelming reveal of homelander’s surrogate mother. I just kind of assume that she was a human.

But I’ve been wondering how that reunion would go had she not died. Homelander wanted to make a father-son connection with soldier boy because soldier boy was his hero growing up and he was powerful. A plain human woman cannot exactly measure up to that.

Ryan also has powers and Homelander can see himself in Ryan which is something he can’t really do with an older human woman.

Do you have any thoughts on if homelander would seek out his mom if Barbra had mentioned she was still alive? Homelander does have a strong sense of blood related family but I do think his mom would have to prove herself to him somehow.

i’m not entirely sure i buy the story about Homelander’s mother/surrogate. it’s so close to the lie that Vogelbaum told Homelander about Ryan, so it’s either also a cover story, or Vogelbaum tried to lie with the truth by attempting to pass off Homelander’s birth story as Ryan’s. to me it just felt like another manipulation tactic to throw him off the trail and make him feel even more alone, though. he’s easy to manipulate when he’s lonely.

either way, it wouldn’t matter to Homelander if his mother was exceptional or not. like Madelyn, his mother’s role is much less about what she is and what she’s capable of, and more about who she is and how she can make him feel. he would want her to validate him, see HIM as exceptional, and make HIM feel special. it doesn’t matter that she’s technically beneath him because he craves her approval and her love. he sought Vogelbaum’s approval just as much as Soldier Boy’s. it’s so much more about who they are in relation to him, and what roles he believes they should play in his own self image.

while he does regard supes as higher beings than humans, they’re all ultimately still below him. he’ll crush a supe without mercy just as swiftly as he will a human. the whole “supe supremacy” schtick doesn’t actually come from a place of respecting supes. it comes from a place of continuing to elevate himself above all others, and rejecting humanity for how it has hurt him. hurting them back.

she would be better than other humans based solely on her connection to him. she birthed a miracle and survived: that alone makes her worth more than comp v alone. she’s inherently elevated by her proximity to him. of course he would have lots of questions for her: did she know about him? does she care about him? why didn’t she seek him out? and those questions would matter.

imo the only thing she’d have to prove is that she—unlike so many before her—can actually love him.

[teiasviago]

what annoys me about people saying that benedict's threesome with tilley and paul took too much time/too many scenes is that it didn't. each scene was conveying important things about the relationship, about benedict. and people go, "no, i love that benedict is canonically queer!" but it's like, do you? because really what it sounds like is a lot of people liked the idea of benedict being queer in theory but now that he is queer are realizing but not accepting that in order to get that, he needs the time to have a fulfilling arc. i'm sorry to be the one saying this but no, benedict's threesome did not take away from colin and penelope. short happy endings with cute epilogues is how this show works. if that was not satisfying, it's certainly not because there were too many subplots.

and while i'm here: no, colin was not shafted. over and over again, penelope tells colin that he doesn't have to do anything special to have worth as a person, and when it finally sinks in for him after francesca's wedding, he takes a step back to literally bask in pen's light. and for the first time in his life, he's truly happy! he and penelope are in love and he isn't worried about ensuring that he is worthy of her love or jealous of her success or feeling purposeless. the whole point of colin's character arc is that he's been compensating for his lack of direction by adopting a hero complex and at the end of season 3 he's able to move away from that hero complex and be happy with who he is: someone who is loved just for being himself, not someone who is loved for who he thinks he must be.

and to end the post: the mondriches selling will's bar and cressida being sent off to live with her aunt joanna underscore the power of the bridgerton love stories. the bridgertons are the exception to the rule: they get to marry for love and happiness and don't have to really worry about their safety or well-being or money or whatever. meanwhile, we see very clearly in season 3 with cressida and the mondriches (but also elsewhere with simon's daddy issues, lady danbury's trauma at the hands of lord danbury, lady danbury's trauma because of her and marcus's father, charlotte being married off at seventeen to the fucking king of england and the fallout of all of that, the sharma's precarious monetary situation, violet's strained home life as a child, and everything ever with the featheringtons) that the bridgertons get and give happy endings, while everyone else doesn't. the mondriches sell their bar because not everyone gets perfect happy ending. cressida has to live with her aunt joanna because not everyone gets a happy ending. this emphasizes just how precious the love the bridgertons have is - both of the romantic and of the platonic kind. i mean, for god's sake, one moment of colin telling portia off for berating pen and proving his love for pen in the process causes the featheringtons to have a fairy tale happy ending! (and talking about this now also sets up the show to explore what it's like to be from the outskirts of the ton when it comes to benedict and eloise's stories.)

[kerorowhump]

i watched ep 226 and i have some thoughts about it...

keroro being suspected for something he didn't do is often par for the course, and granted it's both because of his status as an invader and for his tendency to actually cause trouble

[pictured: some examples off the top of my head of - mostly natsumi - assuming the worst from him]

but this episode to me is fascinating because of what else it brings up in relation to it. remember red oni blue oni? keroro's conflict about... on one side, keron, on the other, pekopon... about being seen as both the villain and the hero, so his position isn't threatened, while trying not to lose his friends on both sides. he doesn't actually want to be an invader, but it's tied to a lot of shit like his self esteem and... well, stuff I talked about in the past.

I think at least subconsciously he is afraid that his precarious position may blow up in his face eventually, and that is why he's jealous of everything that threatens it by being similar enough to him/receiving enough praise that he feels he might get replaced by it. he needs his position to be exclusive, because if it isn't, he doesn't have any merits for it ("leaders don't really do anything..." "I coasted along" "what makes me great?"). it feels like this is not just a random insecurity from lack of self esteem or fear from his unstable situation on its own (as an invader/"freeloader", feeling guilty for living in their house and causing them trouble) either, but ALSO projection from the fact that canonically yeah, he IS replaceable - that is a real constant threat for him. the clones? what makes him special?

[funny how many meetings keroro does where he's actually just venting lmao, he's got his priorities all out of whack ... or rather his feelings don't matter if they can't somehow be integrated into a mission?]

[pictured: the aformentioned projection dearimasu]

[keroro processing his feelings alone like he always does. loneliness and being misunderstood r such key parts of his character.]

But I think a similar emotion is true from Fuyuki's side, who's always been a bit lonely and overshadowed, so he'd be afraid of his trust being betrayed... but nevermind that, I like seeing keroro's situation specifically explored, because...

he knows he didn't do anything wrong, but his relationship with fuyuki means more than ego. he's willing to set it aside, and besides... it's easier with the guilt he already feels due to his situation, to apologize, because fuyuki means more to him than being right... his friends mean a lot to keroro, that's why relationship trouble with them so easily throws his emotions off balance. why he has to resort to everything else (denial, acting out, projection of guilt, people-pleasing, hiding how he feels, selfishness, etc), but with fuyuki in particular, I think it feels like the one relationship he hasn't messed up yet. honestly that person who said he's a dororo parallel was SO onto something...

they both love each other, but they're not infallible, so they'll let each other down, they'll misunderstand, they'll let their own feelings and fears and past experiences get in the way. they're not technically on the same side, after all

[the field trip misunderstanding... or you could say, keroro assumed earth is like keron? that they're two sides at war?]

but at the end of the day they still love each other, they are healing for each other and for what it's worth, they saved each other...

but that's the thing to me is that, by merely existing in his life, I think keroro feels like he's being a weight to him. that he's doing something wrong, that it's selfish of him to want to stay. that he has to earn it and yes, that he's not needed (AKA REPLACEABLE...).

trust is something that has to be built in a friendship but... due to keroro's situation... he can never fully prove himself one way or another (it would mean treason...) and in this ep I see the tragedy of that. fuyuki loves him, and generally trusts him, but it's not like keroro hasn't broken his trust in the past or gone too far, it's not like his planet and plans aren't still a danger for them, no matter how he feels about it...

[olasketches]

Hello....Can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from JJK? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks....

Hi there! and sure I never actually got to talk about why I love my favs so thank you for giving me an opportunity!

Sukuna

so fun fact! I actually started watching jjk because of gojo to see what's the hype all about but then sukuna showed up aaaaannd... I knew right then and there that this is MY guy. there was just something about him that drew me in. he intrigues me, makes my head spin. sukuna is evil (a devil incarnate some may say) but he's also more than that. he's not your typical villain. there's actually lots of contradictories and nuances to his character. he’s bloodthirsty but not hotheaded. he's apathetic but reads others like a book. he actually pays attention to his opponents, observers them, calculates their every move, spots their weaknesses while also encourages them and at times even praises them. also sukuna's unyielding sense of self is truly a thing of beauty. he does as he pleases and doesn't proclaim his strength to define himself. he doesn't need to prove anything nor does he seek to be understood. he's chosen to prioritise the self at the expanse of all connections, which allowed him to transcend humanity and became what we know as the king of curses. he's basically the epitome of all that is inherently wrong with humanity and jujutsu society as whole, to the point you can't even think of him as human, but rather, inhuman. or as yuuji would call him a curse "these guys are and will always be curses"... but here’s the thing, unlike mahito, sukuna was born human. and as much as he appears to be this self-serving, cunning and evil god-like being (well he is... definitely.. cunning, self-serving and evil those are all correct!! but god-like? I talked about it here) he still has "humanity". it's corrupted and twisted but well.. it's still THERE and that's actually what makes him so sinister in the end (but also so sooo appealing to me).

Yuuji

he's just THE BEST. I love this dude. one would think he's all sunshine and rainbows, but he's waayyy more than that. for one yuuji is a mess. a boy with a warped sense of self-worth and terrible identity issues who on top of that has a big disdain for his existence as a whole and yet still clings to life. he still manages to keep on going, regardless of what awaits him on the path he has paved... his determination is really something else. another thing I love about yuuji's character is that he’s not at all like your typical good natured, hero most protagonists are framed as. he doesn’t mind resorting to violence when the situation “calls” for it. he is actually someone who also relies on power and strength above everything else. yuuji doesn't really question his actions or the things jujutsu society tells him to do but that's because yuuji is a teenager. a confused teenager who just doesn't want to think too hard about the world he lives in so long as he has something to do. but then again... he's a teenager, which means he's still learning, he's still growing and despite his self hatred and the dwindling feeling of his self worth coupled with the burden he has to carry, yuuji keeps on living. and I think that's one of the most interesting and admirable things about his character. yuuji is completely selfless in his desires which has only made him suffer more as the story progressed, but the most selfish he has ever been is when he chose to live... and he still does btw. he is still choosing to keep living despite all the suffering and deaths it cost him. that's what makes this boy so special to me.

Megumi

now I'll admit, I thought megumi... was kindA bOring at first (little did I know he's been growing on me since day one). but then I GOT it. I had my 'oh' moment. I FINALLY understood!! megumi is kinda... a freak. boy goes unhinged when pushed too far. and I absolutely love those moments when he stops second guessing himself and goes completely off the rails. also there's just something about his character that makes me want to sit down and see what fucked up situation he is going to get himself into next and then watch him figure his way out of it lol anyway. megumi, just like yuuji, has a really low self esteem. he can be self sacrificial, but not because he has some 'hero complex'. megumi just doesn't value his own life the same way he values his loved ones' (tsumiki and yuuji). his major goal in life was to make sure he's sister is safe and well... we all know how that turned out. megumi is an implicitly suicidal character that also happened to have… quite a shitty life, which is why I want him him live. I want him to survive this and more importantly I want him to finally fight for HIMSELF and chose his own life in the end (honestly this person summed it up so much better than I could have <- this is essentially everything what I love about megumi's character).

as for my top 5 fav moments… damn it’s all gonna be sukuna isn't it ToT

1. sukuna’s possession of megumi (best plot twist EVER even tho we really should've seen coming)

2. sukuna and yuuji’s confrotation (their dynamic is actually one of my favourite things about jjk)

3. sukuna rampage in shibuya and then his conversation with jogo

4. yuuji confrontation with jumpei where yuuji ended up reaching out to him (I think that’s the moment that really made me fall in love with his character)

5. megumi during culling game (basically just unhinged and stressed baby)

[valentine-cafe]

. ˚◞♡ 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒓𝒂 781  𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕◞ ₊˚

⊹ ۪ ࣪ ᥫ᭡ the scarlet solstice: born to a family of superheroes, rishen has always been a special case. mysteriously born with the animal powers of an aetheer, emanating that the frightful combination of spider, moth and mantis attributes, the young boy was severely different from those around him and thus lead to a life quite different from his peers. that of which did not hinder his development in mind nor his curiosity, let alone his ambition to be just like the heroes around him.

with his selfless yet stubborn attitude, rishen sets on a journey of herohood despite his father’s ( and the rest of his fellow aetheer’s ) wishes. determined to prove them wrong about the supposed ‘curse’.

along with his boyfriends, alessio and talisen, he sets out to make the city elritea a better place. extending kindness where he should not at times, and putting his life on the line, in an effort to protect those around him. though, he forgets himself in his recklessness in sacrifice of protecting those he loves —

in the end, it should all be worth it, should it not? that’s what his mentor says,

it’s what his heart says. ꒱

. ˚◞꒰ 🍰 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒄 ꒱ 

𖹭. so many ways to say I love you ◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ you're too shy to express your feelings so you write letters ꒷꒦ reactions ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧ 

𖹭. drunk confessions ◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ confessing your feelings to them when intoxicated ꒷꒦ drabble ꒷꒦ ft. talisen ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧ 

𖹭. stumbling◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ you stumble into the dorm drunk ꒷꒦ interaction ꒷꒦ ft. talisen꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧ 

𖹭. a mess for you◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ you attempt to flirt but he flashes you his big pretty eyes ꒷꒦ reactions ꒷꒦ ft. multi chara ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧ 

𖹭. catting around◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ talisen finds you both with a pair of cat ears ꒷꒦ interaction ꒷꒦ ft. talisen ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧ 

𖹭. in the middle◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ what it is like to be in a poly with him and his boyfriend ꒷꒦ headcanons ꒷꒦ ft. talisen ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧

. ˚◞꒰ ☕ 𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒇𝒇 ꒱ 

𖹭. sneaking snacks ◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ you sneak snacks into their work bag ꒷꒦ reactions ꒷꒦ ft. multi chara ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧ 

𖹭. cuddle time◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ you randomly tell him you wanna cuddle ꒷꒦ reactions ꒷꒦ ft. other characters ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧ 

𖹭. your voice ◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ they find out that you like their voice notes ꒷꒦ reactions ꒷꒦ ft. multi chara ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧ 

 

. ˚◞꒰ 🧁 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒕 ꒱

 

. ˚◞꒰ 🍡 𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒘 ꒱

𖹭. out-do ◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ you have more stamina than them ꒷꒦ headcanons ꒷꒦ overstim, multiple orgasms ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧ 

𖹭. bug-eyed◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ you decide to torment  your moth boyfriend a little and tie his wrists with christmas lights ꒷꒦ interaction ꒷꒦ grinding ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧ 

𖹭. in heat◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ what he's like in heat ꒷꒦ imagine ꒷꒦ heat, breeding ꒷꒦ afab/amab reader ꒱‧ 

𖹭. kink list ◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ a random list of his kinks and prefs ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧

𖹭. sweet silk ◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ you overstimulate ꒷꒦ fic ꒷꒦ overstim . silk slits ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧

𖹭. messy mascara◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ if he's the one who does your makeup thyen surely he can mess it up ꒷꒦ drabble ꒷꒦ whiney sex ꒷꒦ afab reader ꒱‧ 

𖹭. greed◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ you wanna suck his dick but his boyfriend is being so greedy ꒷꒦ imagine ꒷꒦ voyuerism ꒷꒦ ft. talisen ꒷꒦ afab reader ꒱‧ 

𖹭. to tame a hybrid◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ of course you have to brat tame your needy boyfriend when he gives you some attitude ꒷꒦ imagine ꒷꒦ fingering, rough fucking ꒷꒦ male reader ꒱‧ 

𖹭. a hybrid's sweet spot◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰ fter some cuddling with your boyfriend you decide to give him some affectionate kisses to his hands, you soon find out a new, fun way to torment him ꒷꒦ silk slit stimming ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧ 

 

. ˚◞꒰ 🍮 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 ꒱

𖹭. wanted◞ ₍ ๑‧₎

‧꒰  you've and your beloved boyfriend have been kidnapped from your universe, verse 781, by his evil scientist doppelgänger ꒷꒦ imagine ꒷꒦ kidnapping, marking ꒷꒦ ft. 209 rishen ꒷꒦ gn reader ꒱‧ 

[fictionalmedicshowdown]

Recovery Girl (My Hero Academia)

to use her healing powers she has to kiss her patients. shes a tiny old lady though so its like a grandma forehead kiss

vs

Kirisaki Shidou (MILGRAM)

He is a 29 year old man that wears black floral flannel t-shirts unironically and has the type of sadness in his eyes you only see in European BL comics. Also he's the equivalent of a fucked up pretty boy. I've dropped an actual explanation of who he is below (including a TLDR below) but if you don't wanna read any of that please know he has such autistic swagger. Also he has two songs and they go so hard. (Also linked below!!) He also canonically got kicked in the shin one time. He's also canonically trying to make friends with a child that hates his guts for being a doctor. Hes such a boyfail. I love him. [continued under the cut]

[continued] Oh dear, here we go! Shidou Kirisaki is a pathetic man. He had a wife and 2 or 3 kids (its been a while okay -._-.) that he loved dearly. While he was working at the hospital, he got news of his wife and kids getting into a car crash. (I believe, may have been another type of accident? I'm fairly confident it was a car crash, however.) He rushed there as soon as possible, only to find that his kids had died. His wife was the only one who survived, but she was in a braindead state and had some irreparable organ damage from her injuries.

Grief-stricken and desperate, Shidou devised a plan. Shidou tricked and manipulated dozens of families into giving up their braindead (or horribly injured) family member's organs (sometimes without their knowledge!) in order to use for organ transplants in an effort to revive his wife. Despite his best efforts, none of it worked. His schemes were eventually caught, but before he could face any legal consequences, he was kidnapped.

Shidou Kirisaki was brought to this prison called "MILGRAM". It was quickly explained why all the prisoners were there; they were all murders, and the guard had the job of deciding if they could be forgiven or not for their crime. The prison guard knew nothing about them, but would figure it out through interrogations and a special machine that exports the prisoners' thoughts and memories as music videos. Instead of being horrified like any normal person would, Shidou saw this as a great opportunity. When it came time for his interrogation, he begged to be voted guilty. He believed that MILGRAM would "give him the ending he's most suited for". The prison guard basically told him to fuck off, and after watching the music video, he was voted forgiven anyways. (Votes are casted by the fandom btw!! It was the fandom that voted him guilty, the prison guard is the in-series personification of us.)

The prisoners that were voted guilty ended up getting attacked after the votes were released, and 2 ended up horribly injured. Shidou's medical skills proved to be very important, as he managed to treat these 2 and even save one of them from certain death. Although Shidou begged to be voted guilty, the only reason he was able to save these prisoners is because he was voted innocent. Its cruel irony that made Shidou realize that maybe he really was important, that he did actually want to be innocent in order to help those in need. He's still conflicted at this point in the series, but it truly is refreshing to see him with a newfound self-worth.

Also, his songs go really fucking hard. I've linked them both below. They're on Youtube, along with the rest of the MILGRAM series. https://youtu.be/YR4sGpMqQJQ https://youtu.be/BKjpPePYn4Y

TLDR: Shidou used to be a surgeon. After his kids died in a car crash and his wife was horribly injured, Shidou was incredibly desperate to get them back. Knowing only his wife was able to be saved, he started deceiving families into donating their ill family member's organs and trying to use them in an attempt to save his wife. Eventually, he was found out and got brought to a prison where his fate was to be decided by us, the viewers (although this was represented by a guard in-series). He begged to be voted guilty, not being able to forgive himself for the lives he'd destroyed. However, the viewers voted him innocent. It was only because of his innocent verdict that he was able to treat some prisoners who got attacked after the release of their verdicts, and he ended up realizing that his life was important to the survival of the prisoners. His story makes me so happy. The series is still ongoing, but seeing his faith get somewhat restored was so pleasing. I love him so much. Hes such a loser.

[cosmosrebellion]

So, for the longest time now time now I've been trying to think of how a She-Ra and Mega Man X crossover would play out, but then I realized that the Classic series is better suited thematically for that.

Why is that? Well mainly 'cause thevconflict of the classic series is the tragedy of the broken friendship turned bitter rivalry of Dr. Light, a genius pacifist who believes it's up to him to literally built a perfect world where humans and robots can live together in peace, and Dr. Wily, a equally genius with an immense inferiority complex who lashes out at the world because he wants the friend he felt betrayed by to acknowledge his intellectual superiority and worth... I wonder if Adora and Catra would relate to them at all.

But there's plenty to explore with the other characters too. Adora and Mega Man would have plenty to talk about the weight that comes with being a hero, specially with how Rock inherited his father's idea that he has to be the one to create a perfect world. Catra would see a lot of herself in Bass and his destructive desire to prove he is the strongest. Worlds cannot describe the chaos Glimmer and Roll would bring. And I love to see Bow being super-nice to Proto Man who would be super akward the whole time.

Also, just imagine how much fun Entrapta would have in the world of Mega Man. This could make for a damm fun crossover that I will be thinking of for weeks and probably will never write...