#he wants to stop it and she's too disillusioned to help him do that

[lewis-winters]

Pls talk abt 'an angel went to sleep in georgia' bc I'm intrigued - Nathan

Ok, this fic has absolutely nothing to do with HBO War HAHAHA it's basically Amabeal (originally a Supernatural OC that I made when I was 15 and who has taken on a life of her own) + the ConjuringVerse!Warrens (bc the real life Warrens are terrible, horrible people-- actually their being horrible irl is a huge part of the reason why this fic is solely guilty pleasure fic). The gist of it is Lorraine and Ed go to Georgia because some spooky shit's been going down there, only to accidentally wake up a sleeping Amabeal, who has been trying to avoid responsibility and is also very weary of loving people only to lose them to war, genocide, and plague. Basically this fic is just that one time Lorraine and Ed were forced to parent the last of God's divine creations while she was throwing a prolonged tantrum that would put any sleepy toddler to absolute shame.

Excerpt:

Lorraine is ten years old when she first sees it.

It is nothing like the stories she grew up hearing or the glass-stained windows she grew up seeing-- in fact, mere days from now, Lorraine won't clearly remember what It truly looks like, anymore. Only what It is, and that she saw It at all, bent over the bed across the room, cooing at a boy with plastic tubes going in and out of his little body. Everything else; the light and power pulsing beneath Its eeriely human looking skin, the wings dark as cosmos, speckled with galaxies, protruding big and vast on Its back, the divine buzz of otherotherother that lurks behind Its vast eyes-- all of It will be lost to the finite weaknesses of Lorraine's human mind, unable to comprehend the whole of Its divinity.

But, in this moment, Lorraine is looking at It. Lorraine is seeing all of It, and It is beginning to look at Lorraine, Its whole, vast Being freezing for a split second, sensing her eyes, before a gaze of unfathomable starlight whips around and pins her in place.

"Hello," the Angel says, in a tongue that is a thousand voices and absolute silence, all at once. Then, It frowns. "Goodbye."

In a second, It is gone, and Lorraine's vision goes dark as she pitches forward unto the floor.

[xoxotria]

starcrossed | hjs

pairing: professor!hong joshua x student!reader

themes: professorxstudent relationship, flirting in public, smut

warnings: none

tick. tock. tick. tock.

time was moving painfully slow today. normally you’d find dr. hong's class interesting but today you just couldn't seem to focus for some reason.

well—you couldve been focusing on the lesson if it weren’t for your stupidly hot professor teaching, his attire slightly different from his usual because the first few buttons of his shirt was unbuttoned whilst his tie hung looser than it normally would around his neck.

it was as if the world was plotting against you to actually do well this semester because of the temptation speaking to the entire class infront of you.

you shouldn’t be having these kinds of thoughts for your professor (he wasn’t that much older, just your senior of 2 years as he had graduated early) but goddamn was he fine. you just couldn’t help but think of him that way—his perfect head of hair that is perfectly messy and perfectly wavy on days he doesn’t gel in place. he's tall and buff. some people describe him as somewhat on the thinner side but i can tell he has more than some hidden muscles under his suit. his big brown eyes are hypnotizing; and his pink plump lips—fucking perfect.

don't even get me started on his hands. hands that i've imagined on my body in the most inappropriate ways—gripping, spanking, rubbing, choking.

he's a profiler so he's probably picked up on the fact that you were attracted to him. and you no profiler but you think he's attracted to you some way too. he looks at you when he thinks you don't notice (but you do). and they're not just any kind of looks; they're long looks, looks that start at your legs and end at your eyes. like that one time you just so happened to wear a short skirt and thigh high socks. walking in late and stopped him mid sentence as he watched you take a seat on the front row. he quite literally choked on his words. and in that moment you felt such a boost of confidence to be able to get that sort of reaction out of him. seeing what you did to him turned you on enough to be miserable for the rest class.

today you were not wearing a short skirt and you were bored. you wanted to get his attention somehow. it's wrong—so wrong.

but this couldn't hurt right?

you remembered you were wearing a tight fitting tank top under your sweater. you decided to discreetly pull down your top and take off your sweater then lean forward and pretend to be engulfed in the subject he's discussing, showing quite a bit of cleavage just enough to get his attention.

he usually paces from one side to the other when he discusses to check if the class was still listening. and you happen to be sitting towards the right side of the room and he's walking towards the left so you wait patiently for him to turn around.

he's walking. walking. walking. and turn.

"what i find interesting is the part where jane says that a lady's imagination jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment. what do you think she—" he stopped dead in his tracks; he spotted you.

you smile innocently as you feign to be listening intently to the discussion.

"uhh, ahem" he clears this throat nervously.

"miss, what do you think she meant by this?" he improvised, catching you off guard.

people started to turn their heads in you direction so you instinctively leaned back and slightly pulled up your tank.

shit, he got me there.

you could see a small smirk form on his face as he waited for your answer.

"well..." you start hesitantly, "that women are used to being disillusioned."

"that's your take?" he cocks his head and raises an eyebrow.

"yes. that's how i interpret it. how would you sir?" you both start to engage in a back and forth. your gazes locked on each other.

"i believe she refers to women's ability to develop deep feelings for someone when they respect them," he walks a few steps forward with both hands in his pockets. you nod your head slowly in agreement.

"i suppose you're not wrong. but the two don't necessarily contradict each other." you add, feeling more confident now with your answer.

"mmm you're right miss. I can always count on you to give me good answers."

you had laid low for the rest of the class, periodically answering some questions for recitation. he had avoided lingering too much on your side of the room probably to remove suspicion on his side from his flustered outburst.

"that's all for today, class. have a good weekend."

slightly embarrassed from what happened earlier in class you try to leave swiftly, passing by the professor's desk avoiding eye contact.

"miss, may i speak to you for a second?" he called out behind me as you curse under your breath for not getting out faster.

you turned around hesitantly and saw him sitting at his desk, looking at papers; almost as if he hadn't called you over. you walk back to his desk as the last few students leave the classroom, leaving us alone.

you start to get nervous as your brain imagines all the things he could say to me.

could he be mad about what you had said in class? is he gonna call you out for your flirting? is he gonna kick me out of his class? fuck—that can’t happen. this was a prerequisite for another class you have next semester.

"the last paper i assigned was due yesterday, you haven't turned it in" he looks up at you as he props his arms up in front of him and interlocks his fingers, resting his chin on his hands.

you had let go of a breath you hadn't realized you were holding—a late paper you could handle but him calling me out or worse dropping you from his class? another story.

"i'm sorry professor, i haven't finished it yet" you make slight puppy dog eyes in the hopes he'll be the tinest bit forgiving. normally he hates it when students turn in their work late and you did not want be one of them that he mentally puts a label on for being tardy.

"can you have it done by tomorrow? i'll be in my office at around 9pm, you can drop it off then. normally i wouldn't open office hours on weekends but i can make the exception; just this once."

"i can do that. i'll have it done by then sir."

"good. you're a bright student, i wouldn't wanna see your grades suffer due to tardiness." he leaned back on his chain and places his hands on his lap.

your eyes had drifted towards his lap—it almost looked like an invitation but you knew better than that.

"thank you dr. hong i greatly appreciate it." you say with all sincerity as you watch a small smirk form on his lips.

does he like it when i call him that?

"i'll see you tomorrow at 9pm sharp, miss."

well, fuck. no escaping him now.

⋆˚🐾˖°

you've finished your paper as soon as you got home and now your mind is being filled with tempting ideas you should not be entertaining.

what if i wore a short skirt again? no. it'll be too obvious what you trying to do.

but wouldn't that be the point though? what point was i making anyways? am i really considering trying to get my professor to sleep with me? you groaned as you jumped into your bed.

the thought kept looming over my head the next morning, during the day, in the afternoon—the entire time i was awake and before i knew it it was time for me to get ready. it's settled—you want him and you wanted him bad.

⋆˚🐾˖°

you walked into the campus surprised that the main buildings are even open at 9pm on a saturday. the halls were so dimly lit, you almost couldn't find his office if you didn’t know the way to the room like the back of your hand.

you were late but that was on purpose. you were hoping it'll get a rise out of him. you decided to put on the same skirt and knee high socks as the last time, except your skirt is slightly more hiked up and you were wearing a very form fitting cropped sweater.

once you reached the door with his name on it you stop for a moment to muster up courage. you loved his name, it really did suit him.

you knock on the door and hear a faint, "come in."

you open the door to reveal a room that looks like any typical college professor’s office; but in a good way. it's lit up by a few lamps and candles, there's books on shelves and on the floor all opened as if dr. hong rummaged through it for research, there's a small couch with throw pillows and a blanket and his desk is facing the door—it was homey. you liked it.

it's not until the click of the door closing that he looks up from whatever he's doing. he does a quick double take and gulps and from where you were you could see him shift in his chair slightly.

"you're ten minutes late," he leans back on his chair and intertwines his hands together on top of his lap.

"there was traffic leaving my house i'm sorry." you lied.

"do you have the paper i asked for?"

"yes," you reached into you bag and dug out a folder with your essay neatly tucked inside and walked over to his desk and handed him the folder.

"i wanna read it over and give you your grade before you leave. please, make yourself comfortable."

you obliged, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of his desk and dropping your bag in the other.

he began reading my essay while you observed him. it was evident he was trying extra hard to focus. as he read and turned the pages you were entranced by the way his fingers moved and caressed the paper softly as if it was fragile.

at this point you were starting to imagine his hands on you again, creating a wetness between your thighs in probably the sluttiest panties you owned and if you had been a bit more entranced you wouldn't have noticed all the times he snuck glances at you while he read the paper he seemed to be approving, which was another relief.

finished he dropped the folder and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.

"it's a great essay, A+." he finally spoke.

you let out a breath you didn't notice you were holding.

"thank you dr. hong.”

"you're a great writer," he complimented, "but you really need to work on the tardiness."

"yes, you're totally right. i will work on that sir."

silence filled the room and all that raced through your mind was that you had to make your move.

now or never.

you stood up slowly and walked around the desk, your finger tracing the smooth wooden surface. you don't say a word and can tell he's trying to decipher what the hell you doing. once you were all the way around you sit on the desk, right in between his legs.

"what are you—"

"do you like having me as your student, dr. hong?"

he gulps and shifts in his seat, "yes."

you hooked your foot under his chair and pull him closer watching as his eyes drift towards your lips then up to your eyes again.

“what’s your favorite thing about me being your student?”

"uh, well, you're very smart and—"

"are you sure it's not staring at my ass and legs when i wear skirts like this?" you cut him off, leaning forward slightly.

he exhaled through his nose, looking deep into your eyes and you see he's giving in. concern flashes in his eyes for keeping things professional as it fades into lust and desire.

"i do like it when you wear skirts like that," his voice was no longer hesitant. he knew you wanted him just as much as he wanted you—and that was all he needed not to be nervous.

"mmm, why?" both of you were inching closer to each other. you could smell the perfume he wears to class that always seemed to get your attention in more ways than one.

god, did he smell divine.

"because i can imagine lifting it up to fuck you bent over my desk." his hand began sliding up your leg feeling you up as he did.

your breath got caught your throat when you heard him say it.

"that's what you're gonna do to me?"

"mhm, maybe that'll teach you a lesson on being tardy all the time." he stood up slowly, towering over you with both his hands are now caressing your thighs—his thumbs getting dangerously close to your soaking core.

"then teach me, doctor."

a smirk grew on his face as it did on your own as you challenged him. he tilted your chin up with his finger and leaned down slowly—painfully slowly. your lips graze each others as he avoided kissing you fully.

"can i kiss you?" he asked, your lips nearly touching.

"you can fuck me." you said impatiently breathing getting heavier.

"but can i kiss you?"

it confused you that he wanted to be a gentleman now after explicitly telling you he wanted to fuck you bent over his desk but then you realized he was just teasing you some more.

"yes." you breathed out before pulling him in by the back of his neck and practically going in tongue first.

he immediately pressed his body against yours, and you pulled him even closer by his cardigan. once you was clutching it you thought: why does he still have this on?

you quickly started to unbutton his cardigan as if your life depended on it whilst he slid his hand in your hair pulling on it by the roots.

"you're greedy huh? i bet you're already soaking wet."

"why don't you see for yourself?"

how you even got to utter that sentence was past you. you just needed him and you needed him now.

he grinned before attaching his lips to yours again and slithering his hand under your skirt and into your panties. you moaned softly into his mouth at the feeling of his fingers sliding in your folds and brushing against your bundle of nerves with the fingers you fantasized so much about.

"i hadn't even touched you and you were already this wet for me? all this for me?" he slid his hand out and put his fingers in his mouth and sucked—your mouth hung open in both shock and desire.

that was fucking hot.

"i wanna taste more of you, babygirl." he said looking at you through half hooded eyes.

he got down on his knees and scooted you forward to align himself with your entrance as he then began peppering kisses up ypur thighs as he hiked the skirt up more and more.

once you were exposed he kissed your clit through your underwear—at this point you couldn't help but groan as you grew heavy with anticipation. he hooked a finger on your underwear and tugged them off before he kissed your clit again. this time his lips made direct contact with your skin and a louder moan escaped your lips—you swore you could see your juices coating his soft pink lips.

he started licking softly and slowly. your hips beggining to rocking against his face almost as if they had a mind of their own. he picked up the speed just a little bit and then he stayed in that pace.

fuck this man is driving me insane. i want him like this—all day and everyday, always.

like waves your pleasure kept rolling in as he fucked you with his tongue. you could feel the familiar knot building up in you as began panting and moaning like crazy as his tongue danced slowly on your clit in circles. that's when he inserted a single finger and hooked it upwards hitting that one spot that makes you cry out in pleasure.

"oh fuck!" you cried out pulling his face deeper with your thighs as you crossed them behind his head as you heard him moan in response. your hand was tangled in his beautiful head of hair and you tugged on it slightly.

you couldn't believe it. he's moving ever so softly but you can feel so much pressure building up and then it crashed down on you—hard. body began shaking uncontrollably as your thighs clenched together locking him in but he didn't stop what he was doing.

it wasn't until you had come down from your high that he detached himself from you. this man really had you seeing stars for a moment.

he got up and kissed me again tasting yourself on him—his lips felt so nice on mine that i could kiss him forever.

"get up." he commanded softly as you followed.

he pushed his chair to the side and turned you around kissing your neck as he ran his hands all over your body with you becoming a moaning mess again.

"say my name." his hands grabbed my breasts as you felt your eyes roll to the back of your head from the way he played with your nipples with his fingers.

"joshua." you moaned out.

he groaned into your ear and quickly bent you over pressing his hard dick against your ass.

"you see what you do to me? every time i see you in class you're teasing me. coming into my class late in a short skirt like a slut."

he lifted your skirt and gave your ass a slap, making you jolt and moan at the same time from the sting it left.

"are you gonna keep being a bad girl? or are you gonna take my dick like the good girl you know you are?" he whispered into your ear as he spanked you.

"why can't I be both?"

"i knew you were greedy from the start." he chuckled lightly before pulling back to unbuckle his pants and get rid of his underwear.

he lined himself behind you grabbing unto your hips for support.

“do i need to use a condom?” he asked.

i shook my head no.

“i’m on the pill.”

you heard him say a quick fuck under his breath when he realized that he could cum inside you without worries.

"fuck!" he cursed as he inserted his dick in you.

"you're so big," you breathed out as you felt as if your voice had left your throat for a moment.

"you can take it."

once he was fully in he thrusted in slowly so you could adjust to the pleasurable pain.

you gave him the signal and he started to thrust faster. small moans and whimpers can be heard from both of you along with the rattling of his desk.

he took a handful of your hair and pulled, making you moan louder and even though the building was pretty empty both of us could still be heard by guards so he grabbed your panties and stuffed them in your mouth to muffle your loud moans.

"that's my good girl." he said in between pants as he lifted your leg and placed it on top of the desk to get a better angle.

"touch yourself." he whispered into your ear as your fingers found your clit feeling him thrust in and out of you.

you were getting over stimulated feeling both your fingers and his dick sliding in and out of you at a fast pace.

you could tell he was trying to holding back moans as he panted out.

“you look so pretty taking my dick like that. it looks so much better than i even imagined in my head.”

all you could do was moan and cry into your panties. you couldn't really tell him you were so close, but he could tell by the way your walls clenched around his dick.

"cum for me my sweet girl."

you felt the knot in your stomach dissolve as your orgasm crashed over you. you swore you came so hard you squirted and blacked out for a moment.

“fuck joshua!” you cursed as he still thrusted in and out of you, chasing his own high.

he quickly turned you around feeling his high and pushed you on your knees to cum in your mouth. his mouth hung open in an O shape as his hips buckled into your mouth. you swallowed every last drop and stared at each other for a moment—both out of breath.

"quite the mess i made." you said looking up at him, slightly embarrassed after catching your breath.

"was that the first time you squirted?" he asked as you nodded.

he took your hands and helped your stand. your legs we shaking like a baby deer's as he helped you to your feet and pushed your hair out of my face.

"don't be embarrassed. it was very sexy. and i'll take care of the mess."

he chuckled as you nodded and smiled back at him.

"did you learn your lesson about being late?" he placed his hands on your waist and you rested yours on his shoulders.

"if this is what i get for being late then i'm gonna be late everyday for the rest of the semester."

and the sound of his laugh filled the room as you smiled at him.

"fine," he replied, "as long as you wear outfits like this more often."

you had placed a soft kiss on his lips before pulling away.

“deal.”

so tell me, how can something so wrong feel so good?

[twoidiotwriters1]

Soulmates (Rorona Zoro x Fem!reader)

A/N: Hi :) -Val

Words: 2, 197

“I don't believe in that bullshit,” Zoro grunts and takes a sip of his sake bottle. 

Nami and Usopp nod in agreement. 

“Wait, I don’t get it,” Luffy says with a frown. “How does it work?” 

“The story says that we all have one person who completes us in every way,” they all look at Robin. “It’s like you’ve found the perfect piece of meat, Luffy,” she smiles at him knowing his language. 

Luffy’s eyes grow in awe understanding the meaning of soulmates. 

The kitchen stays silent as the rain outside drops hard. 

“But, do you eat that person?” Luffy asks again, making Chopper and Usopp laugh. 

“No, Captain,” Robin giggles. “This person helps, protects, loves, and takes care of you. The connection is mutual. They say you feel attracted to that person even if you don’t know who they are. It’s beyond being a nakama, friend, lover, or protector.” 

“And how can you find them?” Chopper asks. 

“Everyone has a birthmark and your soulmate has the same as you,” Robin continues. “The legend says that destiny would reunite you two at some point in life.” 

Chopper and Luffy gasp. 

“Yeah, that sounds lovely and magical, too bad it’s just a legend and it isn’t real!” Nami exclaims.  

“What?” Chopper, Luffy, and now Sanji squeak in shock. 

“Nami-swan!? You don’t believe in soulmates?” The blond looks at her half-offended half-disillusioned. 

Nami shrugs. “I’ve seen so many people get disappointed when they can't find their ‘soulmate’.” 

“Hang on! I don’t think I have the mark,” says Luffy looking at every part of his rubber body. 

“Oh! It’s on the back of your left ankle,” Chopper points. “I thought it was just a spot, but...” he hums “It looks like a banana, actually,” he giggles. 

“What!? Really?” Luffy raises his leg and stretches it to find his birthmark. He laughs excitedly. 

“What about you, Usopp?” Chopper looks at him. “Do you believe in soulmates?” 

“Uuuh!” Luffy exclaims. “Is that girl from your home island your soulmate?” 

“Usopp’s face flushed in embarrassment as he crossed his arms. “Who? Kaya? I-I don’tI mean–” he stutters.  

“She doesn’t have to be his soulmate to be with him,” Zoro adds, rolling his eyes. 

“She’s not my–” Usopp squeaks. “I mean, we aren’t–It was just a kiss, it doesn’t–” he keeps trying to explain nervously. 

“See? Usopp found his soulmate!” Robin points with a smile. 

“What!? You’re not listening. I’m telling you that she’s not!” 

“I personally and fiercely believe in soulmates,” Sanji interrupts while he rolls up the sleeves of his shirt on his left arm. He shows them his mark in the form of a knife. “I know they exist somewhere and,” he smirks, “they’re giving me another reason to keep living and keep looking for them,” he says proudly. 

Zoro scoffs and chuckles shaking his head. “Still bullshit, no matter how hard you try to decorate it, cook.” 

Sanji frowns and looks at him. “These are facts, no matter how you make it sound, Moosehead. Even you have one. I don’t know how it could be possible, though...” he murmurs the last thing. 

Zoro groans. “Nothing’s fucking written or is out there. Nobody tells me what to do or who I have to be with. You can be with whomever you want, whenever you want, it’s stupid to waste time searching for a silly birthmark that could be just a fucking spot or scar on your skin,” Everyone looks at the swordsman when his tone increases and his body tenses as he talks. His lousy posture on the chair changes to a straightened one, and the veins around his muscles pop. 

“Wow, I think we’ve stroked a nerve there, uh Zoro?” Nami says unsure. 

Her voice makes him clear his head. Zoro sighs and returns to his sake. “I just think it’s a stupid thing to believe...” he shrugs. 

Nami hums and nods. She then looks at you. “What about you, Y/N?” But she stops and frowns as you give a start. “You’ve been oddly quiet about this,” The redhead looks down to your right arm, which is strongly grabbed by your other hand. 

“Well,” you clear your throat as you leave alone your upper arm, realizing Nami’s worried sight. “I’m not sure if it’s real or not,” you try to sound chill but fail. 

Nami is the only one who reads you, although she doesn’t know why you’re acting like that, she helps you by changing the subject to distract the others. 

Your friend’s voices fade away as your mind clouds in many thoughts. Instinctively, you grab your right arm again. On your inner bicep, there is tinted skin since birth, your soulmate’s mark, which you found not so long since you joined the straw hats crew, it’s the same form of three bamboo sticks that Zoro has tattooed on his left pectoral. 

 ** 

It has always been hard for Zoro to connect with other people. He calls himself a loner, but situations in life make him change that. First was his friend Kuina; although she passed away, he learned a lot thanks to her. Like Loyalty, keeping promises and love.  

Then, Luffy jumped into his life and, in Luffy’s style, he shook Zoro’s mind with new lessons. As his crew got bigger, Zoro learned the real meaning of being a nakama. His trust grew with the straw hats (within his limits, of course). 

Finally, you came along the way, a person Zoro never thought he needed until he had you. It all happened so naturally for him, to follow every movement you made, to look for you, to search your voice and laughter, and to hold your smaller hand. 

If the others knew deep into his thoughts, they’d understand why he snapped at the idea of soulmates. He’s confident that his life is based on his strengths, decisions, and his guts. Magic or anything else didn’t do it. Him and only him. And maybe, that’s why he got distracted when Nami changed the subject so quickly and he hasn’t thought about it ever since. For now, he has more important things to care about… like you acting weird, avoiding and hiding from him and he doesn’t know why. 

He has learned to give you time sometimes, but he senses something different, and it has been five days since you two had a real conversation. “You’ve been avoiding me.” 

“You should be at the market,” you answer without looking at him. You don’t stop in your tracks either. “Lost again?” 

He scoffs rolling his eyes (yes, he got lost). “I’m worried,” he says in a serious tone. 

“You shouldn’t, I’ll help you.” 

“Hey,” he grabs your wrist and makes you turn to him. Your eyes fidget everywhere else but him. “What’s wrong?” 

“What?” 

“Don’t bullshit me,” he warns then, he sighs relaxing his features, then grabs your chin and makes you look at him. “Why don’t you want to talk?” 

You sigh stepping away from his hand. “It’s nothing,” you whisper. 

Zoro doesn’t think twice about grabbing your waist and pulling you to him in a big hug. You gasp at the sudden movement, but your body recognizes his warmth and strength, so you melt against him. You hide your face on his broad chest as you feel his lips on your hair. He hugs you for a while, humming and caressing your hips. 

“I thought, I was the one with the communication issues, don’t take my place now,” You can feel his stupid smirk as you scoff rolling your eyes. 

As always, his touch and voice relax your mind and body and the anxiety fades a little. You step back and raise your head to look at him. 

“There you are,” he smiles. He caresses your cheek as you prepare yourself to confess. 

You aren’t sure exactly why you are so afraid. It's not like Zoro’s gonna change, right? But the unknown terrifies you, that’s why you haven’t told him in all this time since you found out. And after that soulmate’s talk the other day, the anxiety kicks in instantly. 

“Th-the other night…uh- Y-you said that. I mean…ugh!” You grunt. “Is- is that what you… of soulmates?” You make a face. 

Zoro takes a moment to remember and then, he gets it. “Is that what’s all about? That legend? You believe in it, don’t you?” He frowns. 

Your heart sinks. “I- I know...” you want to talk about your birthmark, but he interrupts you with another big hug.  

“It’s okay, Doll,” he shrugs “I don’t care if you do.” 

You frown. “But Zoro I–” you try to talk against his chest. 

“I knew what I was getting into when we started dating.” 

“What?” You lean back.  

“Yeah,” he smirks looking down at you “I knew you were crazy since you joined the crew anyway,” he shrugs.  

“What!? Hey!” You punch his chest as he bursts into laughter. “You fucking idiot,” you said incapable to hide your smile. 

The goofy moment is gone when you both hear an explosion not so far from the Sunny. 

** 

When you open your eyes, you see Chopper’s office. You try to move, but there’s a sharp pain on your left shoulder that makes you whine. 

“Hey, stop. You’ll open the wound!” Zoro helps you to get more comfortable on the med bed and he gives you some water. 

“W-what happened?” You ask with a groan. 

“You did a stupid, reckless thing. That’s what happened,” he groans. 

“What?” 

“The Marines almost caught you,” he clenches his jaw. “If it weren’t for me, you’d be dead.” 

The memory flashes in your mind, you helped Nami and Robin fight against the Marines, but you got distracted for a second and then nothing. Zoro sits on a chair next to you, but then Chopper enters and climbs on your bed. 

“How are you feeling?” he asks, voice and face in serious doctor mode. 

“It hurt,” you smile at the adorable doctor. 

“I’ll give you stronger pain killers,” he moves naturally around his office and back to you, checking your wounds. “All right, you have to rest in bed, no excuses!” he warns you. “And I’ll help you clean your wounds, after that Zoro can do it.” 

Zoro nods. “Anything else, Doctor?” He smirks at him. 

“Hmmm…” Chopper thinks. “Ah! Yes! Why you didn’t tell us that you two are soulmates?” He asks innocently. 

“Uh?” Zoro frowns. You try to warn him with your eyes, but Chopper only frowns at you.  

“She has the same mark as you!” He exclaims happy, but then, he senses something odd and stutters looking between you and Zoro as he gets nervous. “Uh… maybe I’m wrong?” He laughs awkwardly. 

“It can happen to anybody, Chopper,” you continue with a tense smile. 

Both of you laugh, then somebody calls to Chopper and he runs away. 

“Well, I think I’m kinda hungry, Zoro,” you try to sound like nothing happened but you look at the swordsman. His body stays tense on the chair and his eyes are glued to somewhere in the room. “Zoro?” You wait for a while, getting worried. You grab his hand. “Zoro?” 

“Where?” He asks. 

“Uh?” 

His eyes return to you. “Where is it? Is it–Is it true?” 

You sigh as you carefully move the sheet that covers your body. Your upper body’s wrapped in just bandages and a thin top covering your breasts, but you turn a little and hiss when you raise your right arm enough to show him the three bamboo sticks. Zoro stands up and leans to softly grab your arm as his other hand traces the mark on his chest.  

He lets go and sits again. “That’s why you avoided me,” he says to himself. “The things I said… but you are… the mark...”  

“Are you broken?” You ask him, and he looks at you. Zoro notices your teary eyes and worried expression. 

It’s a lot to process for him. A minute ago, he was angry because he couldn’t protect you enough to prevent your wounds, now he has discovered that the bullshit he always listened to it’s real and in front of him… all this time. Out of nowhere, Zoro chuckles and shakes his head. 

“Oh, no...” you whine. “I did break you!” 

“I-fuck, now everyone’s gonna mock me,” he grunts looking at you. His cheeks flush as he raises a hand to clean a tear dropping out. “I’m sorry.” 

“Wh-why?” 

“For saying those things, now I understand I...” he sighs. “Well, now I get why I always wanted to be at your side,” he makes a face and you couldn’t help but chuckle. You’re still confused but relieved at the same time, you never expected that reaction, but it's better. 

“It wasn’t ‘cause I’m the most beautiful girl?” You tease. He laughs. 

“Yeah, that too,” he takes your hand and kisses it. 

“I’m sorry for not telling you sooner… I thought...” 

“No, it’s okay,” he nods. “It’s better this way, at least in my head I fell for ya’ ‘cause I wanted to.”  

You smile. “Me too. The tattoo was something extra.” 

He chuckles and leans to kiss you. 

Taglist.

@sosactrl @irethepotato

[felikatze]

I think Happily Ever After and The Cage both explore some similar topics in inverse ways and once again the Prisoner and the Damsel are twisted mirrors of one another

Pristine Cut spoilers and discussion of abusive relationships below. One suicide mention but it's STP what do you expect tbh

Compilation of rant I went on on discord 👍

prisoner and damsel are very much always parallels since u take the same path to get to them so they're both versions of the princess that you the player Trust, right. and the Greys are a betrayal of that trust if you kill them, and all that. obvs w the prisoner being reluctant trust and the damsel being unconditional because Knife.

but HEA and Cage are both about being Trapped. In Cage, the Princess has seen the same thing happen twice now, she's disillusioned, she's never going to escape. It will be The Same Thing, Forever.

WHICH IS. THE EXACT SAME AS HEA. The Princess believes she is never going to escape. That it will be Just This, Forever. And both of them believe that it *has* to be Just This Forever even if they don't *want* it to be.

Both of this is shown through an Externalized Force. in Cage, that is the Princess' body, which she has conceived as separate from herself. The body simply acts as it must, which she has no input over. Ignoring, of course, that she can *make it stop.*

And that's the same way HEA can't imagine she'll ever escape the Smitten! She's afraid and scared of change, of the torches going out!! But she wants it more than anything!!

Yet these two routes are foils for each other, too. Bcuz in Cage, it's the Princess who enforces the pattern, and in HEA it's the Hero. (part of him, anyways.) What's interesting here too that both of the routes result from a breakdown of communications.

I said in my big long rambly Cage post, but Cage route doesn't happen bcuz Fate, it's bcuz the Princess wants the Hero to carry her head out and he just *doesn't get it.* He just didn't understand what she wanted.

And the leadup to HEA, everyone in Hero's head is upset because they can't communicate to the Princess what is freaking him out, and Smitten tries to... well... show her, I guess.

(Post-rant addition: Hey, both the Prisoned and the Smitten kill themselves to get their points across. Add that to the parallels tally!)

also like abusive relationship metaphors on both ends tbh. Smitten doesn't respect Princess' autonomy at all. I think part of that is the end of Damsel means he doesn't think she *has* any interiority when it's Hero + Paranoid/Opportunist who want the Princess to be a person instead of a doll, which causes her to be a Person Again in HEA. But Smitten is, again, just so stuck on the vision of Damsel who no longer exists.

+ you could also read Damsel chapter in the context of HEA as just seeing that this is the first person who could conceivably save her so she is leaning in HARD to the romance angle because she sees it as the best way to finally get out. Got herself into the romance out of desparation and now she's stuck and regretting it.

So TLDR Smitten doesn't actually respect Princess as a person and just wants her to be this perfect image he has of her, and we see also in HEA how he literally restrains Princess + Hero and deliberately scares Princess when she even dares voice her own opinion. Smitten sucks so bad in this one and it's shit of him but also thematically interesting and again a good escalation of his character.

Cage on the flipside is the typical "I can't help myself" excuse. See, *she's* not at fault here. It's her *body* doing this! Really, nothing could change this. And u see the rebuttal of that angle from the Hero's dialogue options ("You're making a choice. You're choosing violence *right now.*)

No matter how often she says she's just a head, she's still the one who physically restrained the Hero (wow, just like the Smitten!), it's her who refuses to listen to anything the Hero has to say (wonder who that reminds me of), and it's her who is hurting him, on purpose, to feel better about herself.

the "good" endings to these chapters (as much as there are no wrong endings) meaning leaving with the cage's head / dancing with hea under the stars, both of these only occur once Hero/HEA are finally heard and acknowledged. Cage is so rattled that the Hero didn't bring the knife that she finally actually listens to a single word he's got to say and the two can break out, and the final torch in HEA only goes out once Princess says "I'm so tired of this." and has the courage to say what *she* wants and is *listened to.*

in conclusion (x2): STP good 👍 i love you missus the cage

[holmsister]

Why I think Kabru was the first child Milsiril took in:

1) it coincided with the Utaya catastrophe and her leaving the Canaries. If she was already in the habit of taking kids in, Idk if she would have been able to still be in the Canaries.

2) it also makes more sense to me in terms of character motivation if leaving the Canaries and taking Kabru in is all one decision. Like. Young Milsiril doesn't seen particularly motherly. Think of how she treats Mithrun - she gives him motivation to live, yes, but she does so by inciting him towards revenge. (This happens BEFORE she takes Kabru in btw im pretty sure its explicitly stated somewhere. I say this because i saw some confusion on the matter). An older, less angry, more disillusioned Milsiril saw what the elves did in Utaya and decided to both stop being an accomplice and try to repair things how she could by helping a victim.

3) ...which also explains why she was so unprepared. Like there's no way around it - it's clear that she is incredibly unprepared to deal with a tallman child, let alone one who is as incredibly traumatised as Kabru was. She also seems to not have a clear idea about tallman growth and maturity rates etc. (She tries to spoonfeed an elementary age kid and thinks Kabru is going thru puberty at 22!) If she had previous experience with short-lived races she would have a clearer idea of such things, if nothing else, thru mere experience. Her lack of knowledge makes a lot more sense if taking Kabru in was an impulsive decision maturated in the context of Utaya, and only after she spent some years with him she was like. Oh actually I like taking care of children. I might want to keep doing it.

4) I know there's the Rin comic in which the other elves seem to imply Milsiril is the go-to for dealing with short-lived races children and also she says she doesn't have space to take anyone else in, but it's possible she started taking in more kids in after she felt like she got her footing with kabru (iirc kabru had already been living with her for a couple years at that point) or, what I'm tending towards, she meant that she couldn't take anyone else *besides Kabru*. Considering the other elves treat Rin as some sort of little wild animal l don't think it would take much for them to consider someone an expert in handling children.

5) there's never any mention of other kids besides Rin in Kabru's memory. It seems weird to me if he spent so much time in the house with those other kids he does not talk/remember them, especially considering how curious and sociable baby kabru was. It might be a facet of elven childcare we don't know, but we see elven families being reasonable sociable in canon at times, i don't see why Kabru wouldnt be allowed to befriend the other kids if they were there.

6) milsiril seemingly dedicates a lot of time to him and only him. This can be explained simply by noting that this is Kabru's memory tho. But still. She keeps track of him in adulthood, has him fully adopted into his family, dedicates personal time to his education and training, and even teaches him some coping mechanisms for his panic and anxiety attacks, like the whole "recite capitals of the world" thing.

I think that Kabru was the first kid she took in, he lived alone with her for a very long time, and only after he was with one foot out of the door (14-16) she started taking in other children, which would be at that point too young to be interesting as friends to a teenager Kabru looking forward to either becoming a Canary or moving out.

[dr-spectre]

If Callie wasn’t brainwashed then what happened? Wasn’t it like she just grew disillusioned with inkling society and decided to go underground?

Alright so, I've said this in other blog posts and i have gone into it multiple times, BUT! I'll try and sum it all up on what happened to Callie in Splatoon 2. It is very vague and i don't entirely blame people for coming to certain conclusions because the game didn't do a good enough job in my opinion, and the English translation has issues too which doesn't help at all...

So during Splatoon 1 and when it was getting content updates, we got to learn about Callie and Marie. If you look at the dialogue present in Naughty Vs. Nice, Early Bird Vs. Night Owl and Callie Vs. Marie Splatfests, their dialogue is rather harsh and personal towards each other, showing that Callie has these dark traits about her.

These mean and harsh qualities of Callie were built up since Splatoon 1 and they come into the forefront in Splatoon 2 and I'll go over that shortly.

After the final Splatfest and Marie's victory, the Squid Sisters became a lot more famous and stepped down from their news presenting duties and gave it to Pearl and Marina. During this period, Callie and Marie became more estranged with each other as Callie became more and more popular, meaning she got a LOT more busy and had to work day in and day out every single day at an acting gig. In the Squid Sister Stories web series, Callie is stated to be "lost at sea herself" meaning that her acting career and fame are taking a tole on her, and it's pretty easy to see that with the Sunken Scrolls in Splatoon 2.

At some point Callie and Marie managed to hang out and they decided that they would go to Calamari County to visit family. However.... As we know, it didn't pan out that way. Callie at some point in chapter 7 became flustered at work and basically ran off, which her manager thought she wanted to go home.

But... She didn't... She stumbled across DJ Octavio after he broke out from his snow globe (don't ask how, we don't know and plus, octopuses are very clever and can easily get out of trapped spaces).

Now, Octavio is a man who knows how to use manipulation and propaganda to his advantage. He is the leader of an entire race of people that are on the brink of collapse, it's either they all die, or he pulls the right strings to motivate his people to fight and take the Great Zapfish so that they don't die. And now we have an emotional and mentally unwell Callie who is suffering from so much attention and overwork, of course Octavio, the main antagonist, wanted to take advantage of that. Callie is a very powerful woman with the ability to influence and inspire others with her voice, of course Octavio wanted that kind of power to help his race and get them motivated again after their loss in Splatoon 1.

So what did he do? Did he grab her and kidnap her and put on some "evil brain warping shades" and brainwash her while she was kicking and screaming trying to stop him? WRONG!!!!!!!!!! As stated by the OFFCIAL Splatoon 2 relationship chart that i love to bring up all the time, there seemed to be an on going conversation about Callie joining the Octarians, Octavio possibly appealed to her sense of isolation, hidden resentment for Marie and her being so overworked. And she says "Ok, fine. I'll hear you out." Does that scream kidnapping to you? I don't think so.

She's even called "the lovable rebel" implying she felt some distain for Inkling society from the way they treated her and wanted to rebel. Would the developers and writers of a character who was forcibly brainwashed and kidnapped display as her a rebel and pose her like this? I don't think so.

Like you would not see Marina Agitando for example in these sort of poses in artwork because the circumstances and conditions are so vastly different.

So now let's get into those god damn mother fucking bitch ass hypnoshades. As their name suggests, they are shades with an element of hypnosis of some kind, if they weren't hypnotic shades and just turned people evil and forced Octarian ideals into their brains then they wouldn't be given that name. "Hypno" is a very specific word choice and it's done on purpose. Callie was hypnotized, not brainwashed, that word is only used in English translations of the game and outside media and if you ask any hardcore fan of a series made in Japan then you would know that English scripts kinda fuck up the Japanese ones most of the time. Take me for example, I'm a Sonic the Hedgehog fan, the Japanese versions of Sonic stories are vastly different from the Western versions in tone, dialogue, call backs, personalities, etc. Same thing with Splatoon unfortunately. Take the English translation of the Splatoon scripts with a MASSIVE grain of salt. Like a meteor sized grain of salt lmao.

Now, what is being hypnotized like? is it like being a mindless puppet that follows the orders of the person doing the hypnosis? Well... Nope. Not true actually. The way it' s portrayed in media is completely wrong and untrue. Hypnosis is similar to being in a flow state, or being incredibly relaxed while also having heighten attention and suggestibility. Imagine being in a daydream while still having hyper awareness of the stuff around you. Now that part about suggestibility is important because this is where people mess up. If a hypnotized person is given a suggestion that goes against their morals and ideologies, they will NOT!!!!!!!! follow through with that suggestion. If a hypnotized person is told to murder their family, they will not do so UNLESS they secretly want to murder them and it's in line with their psychotic and fucked up wishes.

If Octavio told Callie to murder Marie instead of Agent 4, she wouldn't follow through with the suggestion. Callie doesn't wanna murder Marie but instead she wants her to leave because their relationship is ruined. Callie doesn't mind trying to kill Agent 4 because firstly, she's mentally unwell and isn't thinking clearly from having a mental illness, and two, she doesn't have any personal attachments to Agent 4 so she can just listen to the suggestions from Octavio and follow through with them. Even in the rematches, Callie doesn't know Agent 4 all that well compared to Marie and it's clear Callie is still not doing so well after Splatoon 2.

Callie while under the hypnoshades is more like herself than not. Like this line for example is just typical Callie but she's more aggressive and mean.

If she was truly brainwashed then her personality would be A LOT more different. She would be a lot more subservient to Octavio and the Octarian race and her dialogue would show this too, but it does NOT! In fact Callie berates and talks back to Octavio during the final boss.

The only real differences between Callie and Hypno Callie is that she's more harsh and angry compared to regular Callie. However this anger... this rage... this hate was always there. It was always under the surface, and due to Callie's mental state from being overworked and now under hypnotic shades, that pain and anger is at the surface and is clouding her mind and making her not think rationally. She's more chaotic, she's aggressive and doesn't care for Marie anymore.

Now i do wanna discuss this line as it has been brought up multiple times to me and other discussions on Hypno Callie i see online.

First off, like i mentioned previously, the English translations of Splatoon stories and media sometimes gets it wrong. If you want examples then look at Commander Tartar and Marina's dialogue in Octo Expansion. You can look up retranslations of Octo Expansion to see the differences of the English and retranslated version. The only other mention of remixing a brain is in the Dutch translation. The other translations mention hypnosis and nothing about warping Callie's brain directly.

Second of all, DJ Octavio is... you guessed it... A DJ! He says musical terms to make puns and he's a loud personality.

In fact that "remix" line is actually a call back to the Splatoon 1 final boss and you know what, I'll give prompts for the English translation team for doing that... Still hate them for everything else tho lol.

DJ Octavio didn't literally remix her brain with evil brain warping shades. He is just saying that because it's to show that he got Callie on his side. So the "remixing" is just Callie becoming "evil" and hearing out Octavio.

Brainwashing implies that there is a forcible aspect to it, however from the evidence i just laid out, that cannot be the case as Octavio didn't force Callie into anything she didn't want to do. He didn't torture her, he didn't abuse her. He didn't put the shades on her by force as if he tried to do that he would get destroyed by the more energetic, younger and stronger squid woman that isn't a disabled 130 year old Octoling stuck in his octopus form.

He let her decorate bases and added glittery ink which motivated and inspired his people. Hell his approval ratings went up because the Octarians were happy and inspired by Callie's presence.

Now you may say "but didn't she lose her memories while under the shades and therefore she got brainwashed?"

Well.... Not really. I want you to put yourself in the shoes of Callie, you're in a very focused and hypnotic state, like being in a very concentrated flow state and you have a lot of anger and aggression in you. Your head is so cloudy and you're under a lot of mental distress. So imagine an ink bullet flying at your eyeball, flinging you out of that hypnotic state in a very fast fashion. It's like someone snapping their fingers in front of your face while you're concentrated on a task, or someone smacking you at the back of your head while you're working on something in a deeply concentrated manner. You are left confused and dazed and need a second to gather your composure back. Callie when the shades are removed from her, acts dazed and holds her head like she has a bad headache, only left to sing and dance cause she's an idol and that stuff is natural to her.

Some of the side effects that may occur when under hypnosis include headaches and nausea, and look at Callie when she's flung out of that hypnotic state, it looks like she has a headache and is in pain.

Now when Marie plays the Calamari Inkantation, what is actually happening here is that the song is energizing and motivating Callie. It is not freeing her from "brainwashing." That is a very common misconception about the song, implying that all Octarians are brainwashed and are just mindless drones when that is NOT TRUE AT ALL and is yet another case of bad translation. The song is just extremely catchy and it gives Octarians the motivation to wanna leave to the surface. It also makes Cuttlefish get the strength to break out of his restraints in Splatoon 1 and makes Smallfry transform into Hugefry. The song is so damn powerful and catchy, that's all it is, it is not a mind control cure, that is fucking false.

So what is happening with Callie is that the song is motivating her and flooding her head with good memories of her time with Marie. When the shades are flung off of her, she's still mad at Marie and still fights Agent 4, it takes a while but eventually she starts thinking more rationally, realizing that Marie has come to get her and what Callie has been doing was wrong. Songs are VERY powerful tools for memory and hearing a song you loved back when you were younger can bring out certain feelings and memories. Those happy memories flood Callie's mind and she goes "wait... what am i doing!? This isn't me, I REMEMBER! YEAH!" And she jumps into the air and transforms back into her iconic outfit sailor moon style.

With all of the information and context i presented, it really elevates everything that comes after. It makes Spicy Calamari Inkantation more powerful as a song as Callie has truly reunited with Marie. Fresh Start makes sense and fits perfectly with the narrative the writers wanted to tell. If you take the common and untrue narrative that people keep saying about Callie, Fresh Start literally makes zero sense in that untrue context.

It makes her eventual healing in Splatoon 3 and return to the public WAY MORE SATISFYING!

Callie has matured, she has grown up, she's more comfortable being in the spotlight again and can handle it as she has worked out her relationship with Marie. She used to suffer from being overworked and having an addiction to the shades as it gave her an escape from her life. She would rather be in a hypnotic state then go through her current life. It was only when Callie and Marie came together and truly changed things is when Callie was able to finally heal and get better.

That's why I'm so passionate about this, Callie truly went through a character arc, even it was rushed and poorly presented. I care about Callie and want people to get her story straight. Splatoon 2 was always about the Squid Sisters breaking up and eventually coming back together and becoming stronger. Callie is my comfort character and i want people to treat her better. She wasn't a powerless kidnap and brainwash victim. She was a woman with deep flaws, anger, sadness, aggression, that pain is gone now from her. She's finally... Happy. And that... makes me happy too.

[fokrons-art-hell]

The full local group for my iterator ocs, smiles and grins :]. Every single one of these losers has issues and problems.

From left to right: Reason for Faith (she/her gen2), Unyielding Iron Gates (he/she gen2), Endless Celebrations (they/them gen4), Nine Promises (they/them gen3), Chasing Light (he/him gen3), and Reflections on Rippling Water (he/they gen1)

More detail tidbits below the cut...

RFF: self proclaimed only 'normal one' of the group. introverted, snippy, sarcastic, but unfortunately does actually give a damn about the rest of her group. has a complex for not causing problems and being self-sufficient, which bites her in the ass later once the ancients are gone.

UIG: rule-stickler and responsibility-driven. Serious yet easily flustered. Volunteered to be acting group senior despite being the second oldest after RORW had a mental break. Gates often feels in over her head with tasks/responsbilities, but enjoys being helpful. Secondary purpose of his structure is his city was designed to house/train the ancient's military and manufacture/store munitions.

EC: youngest of the group. Structure was created for a similar secondary purpose to Nine Promises (as an entertainment/tourism hub) so Nine Promises serves as a mentor role to them. 9P and EC also were made by the same ancient. (EC was actually made to replace 9P for reasons but... neither of them know this initially </3). Excitable, fun-loving, and maybe a bit too forgiving, EC is a people-pleasing and easily pushed around

NP: my favorite freak who the whole plotline is central towards frankly. Cheery jokester of their local group, who has more of a cynical, grim side they tend to hide… drives the rule stickler, responsibility-driven acting senior of their group (Unyielding Iron Gates) crazy. as mentioned previously, NP's structure was designed to be a entertainment/tourism hub! they love parties + playing pranks + socializing with others, and get lonely quickly when nothing is going on... especially since ancients have been visiting their structure less and less of late... Tho NP's fickle and unhinged behavior tends to either charm or anger most other iterators, their stubborn cheer has held the local group through many hardships.

CL: was created as an emotional and structural support for RORW after RORW attempted self-sabotage and self-shut down of their own structure. Very perceptive of others emotions and generally anxiety-ridden himself. Quiet, compassionate, but with a sarcastic side that only occasionally leaps out. With the right topic, CL is very talkative.

RORW: ex-acting senior of the local group, and the eldest of the group. Was always rather disillusioned by the great problem, and as their bitterness towards their place and resentment for the ancients grew... had a mental break where they attempted self-shut-down. This was stopped by the ancients, who had invested waaaayyyy too many resources and individuals into RORW's structure+city to let him do that. post this event, pretty much demands whatever they want of the ancients to give them under threat of 'well I'm gonna KMS if u don't lol'. CL was built very close to RORW as a failsafe/secondary storage and as motivation for RORW not to self-sabotage, as doing so would also affect CL. RORW has a love for plants and fashion, and is a jokester to a lesser degree than NP, but definitely enjoys some drama/creating problems. Demeanor is sarcastic and grim with a great amount of morbid humour. RORW is generally extroverted, at least when it comes to other iterators, and is the type of guy who enjoys arguing for the sake of arguing.

[sapphire-weapon]

So. The tram scene.

Let's do it.

The tram scene in RE2make is a test that Ada fails spectacularly, and it's the scene that destroys the possibility of a romance ever forming between Leon and Ada in the Remake-verse.

The entire game leading up to this moment, Leon has not stopped questioning her. Sometimes he pushes back on her answers as being this side of unbelievable, but since she always does seem to have an answer ready, there's not much more he can do other than to take her at her word.

He follows her through Raccoon City for the sole reason that he gets the sense that she's going to lead him to the answers that he's looking for, one way or another. Either she really is FBI and he's helping out in a serious investigation, or she's not and she's part of the problem. Either way, his goal is to find out what happened to the city, so either way, he wins.

But he wants her to be FBI so badly. He wants it so fucking badly. But it feels wrong. Something about Ada is off, and he knows it.

The entire game is spent in a very careful dance between Leon and Ada. He's trying to probe her for information without being too obvious about his mistrust, and she's trying to give as little as possible without being too suspicious.

They both tip their hands at the very start of the tram scene.

Leon: "You know what I was thinking? I can't wait for the FBI to raid Umbrella headquarters and take those bastards to justice."

Leon says this because he knows how the FBI works. It's never stated explicitly in canon, but it stands to reason that Leon has a Bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He's spent a lot of money to study this, and he's still fresh out of school, with all of that knowledge still readily available in his head.

He knows that Ada's "investigation" makes no sense at this stage of the game; there's no reason for the FBI to still be gathering information. The city is fucked. It's time to clean up. He wants to see what Ada's reaction to this is -- if she'll promise that a raid is coming once she finds a way in, or if maybe she'll have some other response that shows that she also knows how the FBI works.

She doesn't.

Her response is:

"I agree... but to be clear, you're not working in official capacity. This is a federal case. Once we get the G-Virus, I'm back on my own."

It's a response that doesn't make sense and doesn't address what Leon actually said to her in the first place. He never mentioned being part of that raid; he never expressed a desire to aid the FBI in any way other than what he's already been doing. He just wants to know that a raid will happen.

But that's not what Ada says. She brings it back to the G-Virus, specifically, for no good reason.

Leon's body language is very telling in this moment. He basically gives up -- he all but rolls his eyes at her as he makes a dismissive half-shrug with one arm meant to convey "whatever" and turns his back on her.

He knows that she just gave him the wrong answer. And she senses immediately that she did, too -- which is why she's quick to follow up with: "Hey, Leon... Trust me?"

He doesn't answer. He turns back around, approaches her directly, and says: "You trust me?"

This is another subtle tactic to try to get her to tell him the truth. He's very discreetly saying that no, he doesn't trust her -- and that he knows that she's lying. He's asking her why she doesn't trust him enough to tell him the truth.

It flies right over her head. She answers: "Honestly... If I didn't, you'd probably be dead."

Again, she fails to address what it was that he actually said. Again, he's disillusioned by her. Again, it's written all over his face and his body language. He gives a bitter little "Right." and nods and turns away from her again.

And once again, Ada can sense that she's failing this test. She tries to pull him back in with: "Look, I thought I might need your help... and I was right. If you can secure the G-Virus, I can make sure what happened in Raccoon City never happens again." Admitting to needing help makes her seem vulnerable, which makes her seem honest. And she's able to strike directly at the heart of what Leon's been after all along: helping people, protecting people, and uncovering the city's secrets.

And because Leon wants to believe that she's FBI so damn badly, he takes this as the affirmation he was looking for. All of a sudden, he's quick to rush to her side, to sit down next to her, and start talking to her again like she really is a Special Agent.

Leon: "Ada... You said it yourself -- it's a federal case. I don't have the authority--" Ada: "Leon, look at me. I'm a liability now. If I'm gonna finish this case, you're the last hope I've got." Leon: "I'm not just gonna leave you here. What if you're attacked, what if you need help--"

That's when she kisses him.

And if you look at his face, he's not thrilled.

Ada kissed him because she smelled the virginity on him and thought that a move like that would addle his dumb man brain (side note: Ada and Lady D would get along so fucking well; no wonder why Ada was axed from RE8) and cement her hold on him. But his expression when she pulls away is one of profound disappointment; you can almost see the realization dawn on him in real-time that she actually, really, truly isn't an FBI Special Agent -- because an FBI Special Agent would have never done that.

If Ada had just let him ramble and then followed up with her next speech, she would've gotten away with it. But she didn't. She took that next step to kiss him, and that undoes all of her effort in winning him back over.

But at this point, what is he supposed to do? Say, "Just kidding"? Throw a fit and accuse her on the spot? With what evidence? He has none. "I just know" isn't evidence.

She keeps talking through the next few seconds, and Leon never cuts her off or joins in on the conversation. He just stares at her hand on his thigh with that same expression on his face until the tram arrives at NEST. Ada shoves the ID bracelet in his hand, and that's when he finally speaks.

And all he says is: "Okay."

He's decided to buy into her lie, despite knowing at this point that it's a lie, because he feels he has no other choice. And that's why the scene ends with:

Ada: "Leon. I'm counting on you." Leon: "... I know."

And not with Leon saying something more akin to, "I won't let you down."

And as he leaves, Ada drops her chin to her chest and stares at the floor. She already knows how badly she fucked that up. That's ultimately why she comes looking for him at the end of the game. As Leon walks out of the tram, Ada knows that she can't fully rely on him to do what she asked, because his unconvincing exit said so many more words than he did.

That's why she's so quick to draw a gun on him at the end of the game. She goes into the final confrontation with him already knowing that he already, on some level, knows. And all Annette Birkin did was give him the confirmation he needed.

When Leon says to Ada during that final confrontation: "As much as I wanted to trust you... I didn't." he means it.

There was never a romance between them in this version of events. He never fell for her, and she never fell for him. But that doesn't mean that there was no bond that built between them. Leon also meant it when he said: "We make a good team." In Remake, he truly wanted to be her partner -- her equal. Just... not her lover.

And as for Ada, I've said in the past that she's a selfish character in Remake, and I stand by that. But she's not a psychopath. Just because she's selfish doesn't mean that she's incapable of attachment or affection -- in fact, Ada's shown to be sentimental in a few different ways. She feels endeared to Leon the same way that someone would feel endeared to a stray cat that followed them around and rubbed against their leg for pets. And that's why she ultimately can't pull the trigger on him. (side note: this is also probably the reason why she refuses to call Ashley by name at any point in RE4make; it prevents Ada from getting attached to her in any sort of capacity, but that's for a different post.)

But there's just simply no evidence of a romance existing between Leon and Ada at any point in the Remake-verse. I've gone looking for it, and I can't find it. Aeon is something that only canonically exists in OG. Remake has no interest in it.

Anyone who says differently is applying OG dialogue and events to Remake, and that's just poor and invalid story analysis.

[unclewaynemunson]

Made a post about Eddie's mother and now this is happening apparently | now also on ao3 as a multi chapter fic

Two years after Eddie discovered the identity of his mother, Nancy Wheeler arrives at Hawkins High. She's still tiny – comparable to Eddie when he was fourteen and had yet to hit his growth spurt – and she's practically glued to this tall ginger girl with thick glasses at all times.

Eddie can't help but look at her whenever they cross paths, and it doesn't take long before he has to draw the disillusioned conclusion that the two of them couldn't possibly be more different from each other. She's nothing like Eddie, with his perpetually loud and boisterous presence, but rather the kind of girl who's always quietly giggling with her friend in a corner of the cafeteria or in the library doing homework. She's very pretty and Eddie strongly suspects she could easily be hanging out with the popular crowd, if she wanted to – he sees how certain guys look at her. But she doesn't seem too interested in any of that, rather sticking with her nerdy friend and dedicating her time to the kind of extracurriculars that ambitious girls are supposed to do.

'Eddie! Hey, Eddie! Munson!'

Jeff has to snap his fingers in front of Eddie's face before he finally gets his attention.

'What?' Eddie startles.

'I've been talking to you for like, the past ten minutes. What the hell can be more important to you than the plot of The death of Captain Marvel?'

Eddie has to muster all his self-restraint to not look over Jeff's shoulder across the cafeteria to where Nancy Wheeler and her friend are sitting two tables over. But alas, he is not exactly known for his vast amounts of self-restraint.

Jeff follows his gaze and gasps.

'Nancy Wheeler?' he hisses emphatically under his breath, leaning closer towards Eddie. 'Dude, are you kidding me?'

'Jeff,' Eddie says, flatly, to stop him.

But Jeff marches on. 'The jocks won't stop talking about her, man! Don't you dare become like that, you –'

'Ew,' is all Eddie has to say to that. 'Dude, you are so wrong, it's not even funny.'

Jeff risks another glance over his shoulder.

'Her friend is cute,' he says.

'Wasn't looking at her friend either,' Eddie answers, accompanying his words with an eye-roll.

A smile crosses over Jeff's face. 'Good,' he establishes.

Luckily, if there's anything Eddie is good at, it's to take an opportunity when he sees one: he latches onto this fascinating piece of information and spends the rest of their lunch break teasing Jeff relentlessly about his little crush on a certain freckled freshman.

He's pretty sure that Jeff is way too shy to ever ask any girl out – and even though Eddie might be pretty damn stupid, he's not exactly stupid enough to meddle in this one. That'd be a recipe for a disaster of boundless extent.

He can't help but wonder what it'd be like, though. He knows it's an utterly useless daydream in multiple aspects, the most important one being the way he sees Barbara Holland looking at Nancy. It easily betrays to him that the chances are very slim that Jeff would be her type in any way. But he still can't stop imagining what his life could be like if Jeff and Barbara were dating. He imagines the four of them hanging out together. He imagines getting to know Nancy, really getting to know her. He imagines the two of them seeking out each other's company whenever their two best friends would be doing stupid date stuff. They'd become fast friends, even though they'd seem like an unlikely pair; they'd simply have this instant familiarity around each other, connect like they were always meant to be bound to each other in some kind of way, despite all their differences. He'd come to her house all the time, get to know her - his - family, learn all about her secrets, her hopes and dreams... She'd joke about Eddie having become like an older brother to her and he'd get just as close to Mike and baby Holly... Maybe he'd even grow closer to Karen. She'd take him under her wing, make him homemade cookies like she's done for all her other kids, and give him a look, every now and then, that told him that she knew who he was, and that she was sorry...

He knows it's not good for him to lose himself in those kind of daydreams. He's always been a big daydreamer, but this one is becoming an obsession that borders on being unhealthy. More often than not, he'll zone out in class losing himself in scenarios where he's somehow a part of the family in the big house in Maple Street. Not only does it feel ungrateful towards Uncle Wayne and is it ruining his already questionable grades, it's also a special kind of torture for himself, to be dedicating so much of his time inserting himself into a family that will never actually be his.

'You're Eddie Munson, aren't you?'

He almost drops his lunchbox one day when he's at his locker and Nancy suddenly appears out of nowhere behind him.

'Jesus, you scared me, can you not sneak up on me like that?!' he blurts out to conceal how his heart is suddenly beating in his throat. Fuck, he never really wanted to talk to her, that was never part of the plan. He didn't even know she knew who he was in the first place!

Looking into her eyes is the most difficult thing of all. No matter how different the two of them are, those eyes are proof of what they have in common: almost too big for their faces and so expressive that every emotion they have is easily betrayed in their gazes. Looking at her, really looking at her, shows him the phantom life that could've never been his anyway more clearly than anything else.

He sees himself, two years old, holding a newborn in his arms. He sees the two of them giggling and playing with a baby through the bars of a playpen four years later. He sees them on a playground, swinging side by side and getting mud on their hands in a sandbox. He sees the two of them grow older: him making her laugh by making up silly stories about her barbies, her practicing with make-up on his face, him sharing his newfound love for good music with her; the two of them dramatically complaining about their parents together, him teaching her to play guitar, her on his bed talking about boys; all taking place in that big house that Eddie will never even set foot in, because he belongs there just as much as the raccoons that sometimes plague their trashcans.

'Are you stalking me?'

Eddie blinks. The way she looks at him knocks the breath right out of his lungs: her chin is tilted upwards and there's something almost defiant in the way her eyebrows are curved. Suddenly, she seems to have much more in common with Eddie than he thought, this freshman girl with neatly braided hair challenging the local trailer trash drug dealer without an ounce of timidity.

'Uhhhh,' he dumbly says.

'Do you want something from me?'

'N-no,' he stutters.

'Then stop staring at me all the time, creep,' she says sharply.

Before he can say anything else, she turns her back to him and walks away.

He knows pretty damn well he shouldn't stare, but he finds himself glued to the floor, unable to look anywhere else while Nancy's tiny frame disappears among the crowds of students filling the school halls.

This one hurts more than anything else; even more than that time just after he found out, when he was soaking wet and staring into the Wheelers' warmly lit kitchen from behind the bushes in their garden.

She has no clue who he is; no clue how closely their lives are intertwined. She didn't see in his eyes what he saw in hers. Of course she didn't. How could she? He's just Eddie Munson, the school freak, after all. Completely and utterly incomparable to little miss perfect Nancy Wheeler. He's the weirdo whose creepy gaze she had intercepted one too many times in the cafeteria, making her so uncomfortable that she felt the need to stand up for herself and say something about it.

God, he needs to let this go.

Update: pt3 is now here

[fillingthescrapbook]

Let's Talk About: A Meeting of Misfits

It's the season premiere of Misfits and Magic Season 2--and I'm recapping and reacting and being petty against those people who are hating on the show because of the franchise that must not be named!

Yeah, I'm not above being petty. Especially in service of something that's made to bring joy. So let's crack in!

Right off the bat, the new mechanics is throwing me for a loop. I think it's something we need to see in action to understand better. Which is pretty par for course in terms of tabletop role-playing games in general. I trust Aabria completely though because A Court of Fey and Flowers remains one of my favorite Dimension 20 seasons. And it's pretty unconventional when it comes to mechanics.

Starting with Lou/Whitney Jammer and having him roll consistent 1s… is making me miss the Intrepid Heroes who would've definitely grabbed his dice to throw them away. That said, I do love the Magical Misfits even though the original season didn't grab me as much as other seasons of Dimension 20. Probably because I watched it when I was already disillusioned with "the franchise."

But having said that--this episode was amazing at getting us up to speed with what's happened with the cast of characters we got to know…and, unsurprisingly, it's done a better job at establishing a sequel that fits the mythology (and characterization) of the original. Which I add because I read the accursed sequel of "the franchise" and wish I could turn time back for that to stop myself. Because it truly lived up to its title being cursed.

Moving on though, to something that's actually good:

Aabria sets up the stakes beautifully in this episode. Although some bits do go one a little longer than I would have liked, I do feel like the players were allowed to play more since there's only four of them. I get the feeling, based on Aabria's other work, that she's more cognizant of giving everyone time opportunities when the player group's bigger. Like in her other D20 episodes, or non-D20 projects.

I'm very curious as to where Erika plans to take K's storyline with, what I assume, is a devolution for her character? There's complexities in the beginning of her journey that I fully don't grasp yet…but I am excited to see where it goes.

Lou and Danielle choosing to keep their characters very familiar--while also having subtle hints at things having changed--is easier to digest for me. It may have been three years for the players, but it's only been a few months for me. (I watched the original season after Junior Year and before Never Stop Blowing Up.) And Lou and Danielle's decision to make their characters seem static is playing better with my brain. (This could also be the lack of sleep and headache talking.)

As for Brennan and Evan Kelmp… What do I say about his character choices that won't rile up the group of people who think Brennan is hogging the spotlight?

Now, I wasn't a fan of Evan Kelmp in the original season. But it wasn't so much because of Brennan's portrayal or the focus that was unavoidably given to him. Brennan made a big swing when he created a character that would help move the series along. But Misfits and Magic, the original season, only had four episodes. Of course it would feel like Evan got too much of the spotlight. There wasn't a lot to go around with. That being the case, his character was important then…

And it's important now.

Brennan's choices that made Evan who he is allows the other players to play the characters they want to explore without having to think of the plot. They can focus on the character growth they wish to get into. And… Honestly? Without the Evan-K romance? I think I'm coming around to Evan.

So overall? I think the season premiere of Misfits and Magic 2 is pretty solid. The episode had everything: we had catch ups, we had an after-school program, we didn't wave away any problems that arose from the original season…and are actually tackling them head on now, we have Britain's Got Magic while magic is actively becoming chaotic, we had Tony Danza, and we have a talking rock. With eyes and a mouth.

Because of course Aabria is going to bring in a new kind of magic to the dome. It's tradition.

So to the people who are writing the show off because they think it is celebrating "the franchise?" Joke's on you because you're the one missing out on a show that has a better plot and a better grasp on its world. And it's being improv'd on the fly.

And just to make it clear--I no longer support "the franchise" too. Because FUCK TERFS.

[shin-meddlesome-hero]

Some notes on Char’s Counterattack while it’s still fresh in my brain and right before I watch video-essays about how I didn’t understand the movie. (With spoilers)

For starters, it was as gay as promised. I’ve seen the Charmuro scuffle scene like a million times and it turned out to actually be gayer in context. For me, this is the aftermath of a very bitter and harsh divorce. The thing is already unsalvageable. They still try to talk it out every time they’re near each other, but Amuro is about to give up on Char completely (if he hasn’t, already). He even tells Lalah that he doesn’t want to be with that guy for all eternity as newtype ghosts, that’s how done he’s with Char.

As with Char, it feels that we needed another anime season or at least a couple of OVA’s to explain how he got there. I know that it had something to do with how disillusioned he was by the events at the end of Zeta, but the movie feels like it needed to give more context about him. It’s very clear that his ideals take a back seat in favor of his real motivations. He just wants to get back at the universe. Would trowing a meteor and freezing Earth actually help Earth’s restoration and humanity’s evolution? Did he stop to think that by doing such thing he’ll get Sayla and Kamille killed? Or was he too far gone to care about anyone that isn’t Lalah and maybe Amuro?

This may be unintentional but it’s amusing that the first part of Quess Paraya’s arc looks like a teen girl’s power fantasy: she meets Amuro, she gets adopted by Char, she happens to be the most special Newtype who becomes an ace pilot in a few days, there’s two boys after her, Char entrusts her to act on special missions and she even gets to kill her lousy dad. Under this framework it makes sense that she acts so selfishly all the time. Of course this later takes a dark turn when she starts feeling all the horrors of war and eventually gets killed by one of the older women she antagonized. Despite her not being a nice person at all, she was only a kid who was affected by her family situation and desperately needed a father figure. Amuro was honest enough to realize that he couldn’t fulfill that need (and he didn’t have to), on the other hand, Char admits that he took advantage of her and used her as a machine. He would’ve never done that to Kamille, that’s how low he’s fallen.

Finally, Char’s last words were about how Lalah Sune could’ve been a mother to him, showing that at the end he was unable to get over both his mother’s and Lalah’s death, which is very tragic from a man that most of the time came out as Larger than Life. However, none of this justifies his actions. Char’s Counterattack was the last piece in the puzzle that is Char Aznable, and after watching it, all I can conclude is that he’s kind of a loser, isn’t he?

(Yes, I’m aware that it’s way more complicated than that, there’s still much to say about how he projected on Amuro and the nature of his relationships with other characters of the franchise among other topics like Amuro’s growth and Hathaway’s arc, but these are just preliminary thoughts. I may do a more thoughtful review once I write more about Zeta and ZZ. Also those video essays about how I Don’t Understand Char are still on my to-watch list, my perspective could change after getting through all that).

[vakarianshepard]

N7 Day 5- Turians

So I was thinking about this post and getting emotional about Garrus in ME2 again, and thought why not turn my thoughts into a meta for day 5 lol

Just. . . he is so young and idealistic in ME1, and when Shepard finds him again in 2, he is so, so tired and beaten. Omega has all but crushed that passion, fire, and belief with his perceived failure as Archangel. In the first conversation in the battery, where he says, “I gave them hope,” you hear the remnants of that idealism, quickly followed by, ". . . and now they're dead. Shows what I know." He sounds devastated and defeated.

Some people like to bring up that he “never questions Shepard” as superficial proof that he’s just a yes man or a bad leader, which is patently untrue. In ME1, he repeatedly asks Shepard about her reasoning, her motives, and her plan for catching Saren. He doesn’t argue or undermine her, because she’s his commanding officer. It’s about respect. He’s extremely intelligent and passionate. He looks up to Shepard and wants to learn from her.

But if you go back to the conversation in the battery—he says, “I can’t exactly doubt your judgment. Not after I got my own squad killed.” At the beginning of ME2, his confidence is shattered. He trusts Shepard, of course; he knows she wouldn't work for Cerberus without a damn good reason, but there's more to it than that. He doesn't feel like he's good enough to question her. What if he's wrong again? He's not blindly supporting her; he's leaning on one of the only people in the galaxy he knows he can trust at a very vulnerable point in his life.

Following Sidonis’ betrayal, losing his entire team; he fully realizes the cost of leadership and trusting the wrong person. In turian culture, after all, it’s not the one who makes the “mistake” who bears the blame—it’s their leader. Garrus sees himself as solely accountable for the deaths of his friends--people who trusted him. In the email Nalah Butler sends Shepard, she tells her that Garrus took every shot fired at his team as a personal failure. She goes on to say that her husband was very proud of the work he did with Garrus, and asks Shepard to help him stop blaming himself.

When he talks about not "being able" to doubt Shepard, he is coming from a place of grief and survivor's guilt. He acknowledges that he didn't know as much as he thought; he's deferring to her for guidance. He was so desperate to do good, however, the brutality of Omega and the larger galaxy thoroughly disillusioned him. Harkin asks him if the Terminus Systems "changed him," to which Garrus replies, "No, but Sidonis opened my eyes." Later in the car, on the way to meet Sidonis, when Shepard tells Garrus he's acting differently; he vehemently denies this stating, "Really? I've always hated injustice. . ." It sounds more like Garrus is trying to convince himself that he can do this. Shepard asks if he's sure, and he doesn't say he wants to; he says he has to. 

Either way she chooses to act, Shepard’s assistance and support in dealing with Sidonis is key to Garrus regaining his confidence and growing into the excellent leader he always had the potential to be. So far, he has been allowing his anger, his grief, and his quest for vengeance consume him--to his detriment. Especially if Shepard encourages him to spare Sidonis--that is, by allowing Garrus to hear him out--she helps him not only get closure for Omega and the loss of his team, but also shows him a new perspective on justice and how it relates to the shades of gray, which we can see that he carries with him into ME3. 

Following his loyalty mission, Garrus’ outlook changes dramatically. He has gotten closure for his team, one way or another. When Sidonis is spared and Garrus gets to hear the whole story: Sidonis’ betrayal haunts him too. It was easier for Garrus to imagine that his friend sold him out for pure selfishness and personal gain; being forced to confront the fact that it was not a simple answer--that Sidonis didn’t want to do it--causes Garrus to reevaluate his worldview entirely. 

He finally admits to Shepard what he had been struggling with the entire time: dealing with shades of gray. The way he explains his motives, i.e. his line about “not seeing the point in staying quiet and polite when the galaxy is at stake,” showcases a more reflective side of Garrus and indicates his clarity. With his previous experience and renewed confidence Garrus is obviously a perfect choice to lead one or both of the fire teams; I personally like to choose him for both, as I feel it demonstrates Shepard’s absolute faith in his abilities from a meta perspective. Shepard’s steadfast support enables him to build on the leadership skills he already had, setting him up well for his role as an integral part of both the Reaper War and Shepard’s personal support system.

[lggy]

I just wanted to tell you, coming from a past total Jason hater who has now accepted that they were wrong on things, that your takes about him and Jess have helped me get out of whatever parasocial disillusioned mess I was in. I just felt like you deserved to know that you weren’t shouting into the void.

THANK YOU

i'm trying to undo some of the damage caused by parasocial rumors n hater stuff.. i feel like i probably come off as a dickrider and it doesnt help that im the wiki guy on top of that and people probably perceive me as not being critical enough, but i think it's way better to approach things (especially accusations against irl people) with all the facts laid out and with critical thinking (bad-faith interpretations are not critical thinking) and also empathy/believing people's first hand experiences.

i'm mostly advocating for stopping the spread of misinformation and rumors.. but i am biased bc i love aphmau.

it's just really hard for me to hate on jess like some people here do after watching that livestream where she breaks down after talking abt the level of harassment/threats/(now as we learned, stalkers) she got during mcd s2. idk i feel bad for her people are so mean to her :(

a lot of people jump on hate trains bc they dont want to be labelled problematic hence all the ppl who tag their aphmau posts as like "jess defenders dni" "jesson supporters dni" "i dont support aphmau" and it becomes one big spiral of rumors and accusations and becomes a toxic cesspool then wonder why jess ghosted all social medias. it takes effort to get all the information and a lot of ppl dont want to do that, so thats why i'm doing it.

idk i just go about the internet as if the creators can see what i say and draw. some ppl straihgt up want to bar the creators from their own fandoms which is fucked up in my opinion. some of you people are proud of bullying the employees which is extremely gross and cringey too. thats just my opinion though

There really are issues with the workplace, a few current/former employees speak up about it. These are issues brought up in just the past few weeks:

( sebastian's og tweet was last year but he retweeted in the beginning of june for some unknown reason but i won't speculate on that though)

last one is just in general that pulls in over the past couple years^ i don't have any sources for the employee who allegedly had ptsd after working at blujay/catface because i haven't looked that deeply into that in particular and dont know where to look for it

i don't really know what to say about the workplace things.. they hired new HR recently so i guess they're working on it.

I can interview a few current employees to learn more but all i know rn is people in the voice and art department

i had more but its 1 am i have work tomorrow oops gn thank you for hearing me out

[bnhaobservation]

Changing society even MORE in BNHA for a real PLUS ULTRA

So in my past post “Changing society in BNHA” I theorized that the change watching Midoriya fight was meant to bring in the society, was making it aware they should help their Heroes instead than just watching them. So far it still seems an idea that holds.

We see that the common folks as well as the U.A. first grades are all willing to help Heroes and are looking at the future optimistically and pro-active. They don’t want anymore just to be coddled by Heroes but helps them bringing them food, helping them to rebuild things.

But I wonder if this is really how it’s meant to end.

Midoriya wanted to stop the circle of hate, but until outcasts live, the circle of hate will never be broken.

Until people can’t accept everyone isn’t born equal and that’s fine, there will be another Heteromorph that gets abused and will become another Spinner, there will be another kid whose father won’t accept he like Heroes and that’ll be abused until he’ll snap and then someone else will take advantage of him and he’ll become Shigaraki Tomura, there’ll be another kid with parents that rejects and try to suppress his quirk and that will become Toga Himiko, there’ll be another kid ignored and neglected by his parents who’ll come to think they don’t want him who will become Dabi, there will be a nice man who, due to an incident, will become a homeless unable to find work until he’ll resort to use his Quirk to steal who’ll become Twice, there will be someone who’ll think Heroes just gain too much money while ignoring those who’re poor who’ll become Mr. Compress and so on.

And it was made clear that they can’t stop all this because they don’t really have that many Heroes and the refusal to stop and turn sides of Shuuichi, Tomura, Himiko, Touya, Jin and Atsuhiro in the story proves that when people are pushed too far it’s hard to save them, it might as well be too late, they’re just too disillusioned, I mean, even Himiko who regretted hurting Ochako and was touched by her words in the end chose death over living in the world in which Heroes would win because she knew that world wasn’t for her and Touya’s family reached out for him too late when his condition deteriorated too much, as for Hawks’ offer of helping Jin it came too late and at the price of abandoning the people who had been faster to help and welcome Jin.

Heroes were too late, they let things deteriorate too much, beyond the breaking point.

And they’ll continue deteriorating because Heroes more often than not step in solely when the problem is too big, when a person has turned to crime as the answer because they believes all the other ways had been cut from them (we’ll discuss in another post if this is true or not, for the sake of this post just let’s leave it as ‘they believed there was no other way’ and end it here).

Society has no plan to correct its shortcoming, Shuuichi’s book about Shigaraki Tomura is going to work like the old Destro’s book, it’s going to encourage people who’re oppressed by society to destroy it because there’s no way out. They might have kept Shuuichi alive but they didn’t save him. Tomura was his friend, now Shuuichi is alone, angry and desperate, plagued by guilt because he didn’t step in and saved his friend. It’s not just he’ll be jailed, it’s he still thinks this society wouldn’t accept him and for him there’s no way out to live if not destroying it.

So now what?

We’ll wait for the new Re-Shigaraki and Re-Re-Destro?

Well, there’s still a thing that Midoriya and Co. can do.

Chap. 428 brings up how Uraraka wants to suppress her feelings of pain for failing to save Himiko but can’t, mirroring how Himiko just couldn’t suppress her own feelings. The difference will be in how she’ll have her friends (or just Midoriya) supporting her. It also brings up how Midoriya, despite being considered a Hero for murdering Shigaraki actually feels bad for doing it. Fundamentally he hears a boy telling him that he inspired him by murdering the person Midoriya wanted to save, Shuuichi’s friend, by becoming an unwilling murderer. Midoriya feels bad but, same as Uraraka, he’s bottling it up inside himself.

People had been asking for the permission to interview class A. Aizawa refused.

However if it’ll be Midoriya and Uraraka who’ll take part to an interview and won’t just say the usual ‘oh, Villains need to fear Heroes, now we’re here, we’ll crush them’ but will talk about how Tenko and Himiko wouldn’t have turned into Villains if someone had helped them first. Shouji could help explaining how hard Heteromorph life still is outside the city, Shouto could explain the importance he had for him that Midoriya reached out for him to help him change his mindsetting and so on.

If we want to involve the adults, Hawks too could give an extra talk of how Jin was a good person and if they had helped him FIRST he wouldn't have turned into a Villain, Aizawa and Hizashi could talk of who previously was Kurogiri and how a side of him never died even if he was turned into a Nomu and All Might and Gran Torino might join to explain how they regretted they failed to protect Shimura's family.

Because really, it’s easy to criticize Tomura once he turned into a Villain, once he became a terrible person… but originally he was just a little kid who wanted to become a Hero and if people had helped him he wouldn’t have turned into a Villain and the point of understanding the root of this isn’t just to turn Tomura's story into a ‘sob story’ and feel bad for him, for the rest of the league, to give them a pass, it’s to stop the same mistakes from repeating. If society doesn’t learn anything from the tragedy of Shigaraki Tomura, that tragedy will repeat. Again, and again, and again.

So I wonder if this will be the next step in BNHA.

Class A using the League’s tragedies not to save the League’s members, it’s too late for that, Tomura, Himiko and Jin are dead, Touya is going to die too and Shuuichi’s life is likely going to be shortened by how he has more than one Quirk, saving the League can’t be anymore done… but others can be saved… if society learns from the League’s tragedies and help people not to become the next League, they will be saved and society will become the horde of ‘heroes’ the world need.

After all one didn’t need to be a Hero to save the League’s members BEFORE they become Villains, it was enough they were given a little of human warmth and care, the story proves it over and over that this is enough to save people.

But well, again this is just food for thoughts, we still have two chapters to see where BNHA is heading, if mystery guy will need to be saved by a titular Hero or if a common folk will be inspired by Heroes to extend a helping hand and SAVE HIM before he’ll turn into a Villain…. Or better, save him from turning into a Villain. For now we can only wait and see.

[women-of-malevolent]

I love reading your takes, especially as someone who was disillusioned mid-season 2. I've read synopsis and glanced at scripts out curiosity, but didn't really realize just how bad the podcast treated women.

What made me drop it in season 2 was how Faroe's death was revealed. Middle of a fight, Arthur loses his confidence and brings up Faroe. Not bc he misses her, not bc fighting for his life reminds him of her own struggle b4 she died. But because Arthur wants John to pat him on the back, reassure him, tell him he's good, hes reliable. Faroe's initial death reveal doesn't even focus on her. It focuses on Arthur and his self-confidence.

And after Arthur gets what he wants, it's dropped. They don't talk about her again for a while. How can one think it's good storytelling to bring up dead baby for like. 5 secongs. And then move on???? Something so horrific was brought up and dropped so nonchalantly it just blind sided me. And I remember thinking "this is how he's going to handle everything of this emotional magnitude" and stopped listening, for the most part.

Tl;Dr: boy howdy do I appreciate reading your analysis and takes and it's kind of reassuring knowing others feel this way too

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoy and I very much enjoyed reading this too!!

In retrospect, great call seeing it there.... I used to zone out the fights, tbh, because obviously the main characters would be fine (like, there were dozens more episodes, they weren't going to die here lmao). So I was very low-context, let's say, when I zoned in for Arthur's tragic past backstory. I was moved both by the horrifying idea of brain fart-ing your kid dead by accident, and by John and Arthur opening up to each other more… I wasn't thinking about the deeply weird framing!!! But wtf!!!

It's so weird that the Faroe stuff comes out when it does. Mid-fight, right before they kill the gug monster that they've established is intelligent. Faroe has clearly been on Arthur's mind, and John has been poking Arthur about it. But he chooses to share right before dropping the stone?? And then kills it and the story moves on until John weaponizes it against Arthur later.

Faroe seems to be coming back or something, god help us, in Season 5. There's an opportunity for the story to do something interesting and cool with her. I thought, verbatim, the same thing about Hattie. Lmao. I thought the Arthur x Hattie parallel was obvious and was excited to see it explored in season 4. Instead we got a bunch of new dudes, and development for the old dudes, while Hattie got literally NOTHING BECAUSE SHE WAS OLD!!!! WTF!!! So yeah I don't have a whole lot of faith for it being good

[alexalessandro]

Medusa isn’t a monster.

All she wants from the demigods is understanding, she wants them to admit that she was wronged by the gods and that they’re not infallible. She has no malicious intent toward them at all, but she makes a firm boundary, one rule “I hate bullies”.

As long as they don’t antagonize her, as long as they’re willing to hear her out, she’s even willing to help them. All they have to do is stop being disillusioned with their god-parents being infallible.

Annabeth is the first one to break that pact. She’s not willing to hear her out, at all. Every single even slight jab at her mother is met with absolute rejection “My mother is just” and of course, she would do this, she’s twelve, and she spent the last 5 years trying to prove herself to her mother, to be worthy. It’s all she’s ever known.

She can’t renounce that now. Not when she’s so close, not when she’s on a quest, so of course she doesn’t even think about a single word Medusa says, of course she shuts her down immediately and substitutes her reality with her own, it’s illogical but accepting another perspective right now will waver her resolve, her whole reason for being here, she can’t have that.

Percy… Percy is different. Percy is ambivalent about his dad. He wanted his attention, for the simple reason that “He can ignore me but he doesn’t get to ignore you”. He just wanted his dad to acknowledge him for the simple reason that he didn’t want his mom’s sacrifice to go to waste, he had to know, he had to acknowledge what happened to his mom, what led him to camp half-blood in the first place.

Percy is open to hearing other perspectives, he’s open to hearing Medusa out, and he’s willing to not antagonize her, to not be a bully. But when Annabeth made herself a bully, he had to choose in Medusa’s eyes.

If he sided with Annabeth, he would side on the side of the bullies, of the gods. Of the unreasonable people, unfair, who pick on the people with less power than them (Athena cursed her because gods don’t like to fight each other directly, so she took her fury only out on her, that is not just)

In Medusa’s eyes, there’s no way for Percy to be on Annabeth’s side after she made herself a bully without becoming himself a bully, without choosing to be like his parent.

In Medusa’s eyes, this is self-defense, a bully doesn’t leave you alone until you deal with them.

Of course, Percy Annabeth and Grover are defending themselves here too, Medusa is the one initiating violence by trying to turn them to stone, but even as she follows them through the labyrinth, it doesn’t feel like a monster stalking her prey, it feels like medusa is the horror protagonist going through a scary haunted attic, looking in every direction for something that wants to strike (Not unlike Percy in the attic at the beginning of the episode, being framed as a thriller protagonist, that scene ended up silly but it was set up like a horror movie, shaky camera behind our protagonist, closed in shots like we’re the one turning our head in the scene).

From Medusa’s perspective, these demigods probably entered her home wanting to kill her like all the others (even though most of them probably just want to get out of there alive) this is a survival horror on both sides, both parties are acting as each other’s monster, for medusa, monsters are bullies, people that don’t hear her out, that decide what she is without even considering her perspective, to Percy and Annabeth and Grover, monster are things trying to kill them, and this case, they fit each other’s bill 🤷

Her death being underwhelming and a trick I think played into the theme of Medusa not being a monster, she didn't haunt them down, she didn’t stalk them, she just faced them, and the fact that she didn’t fight like a monster but was just killed I think lends itself to her humanity over her monstrosity.