#he’s the one who resolves conflicts

[local-redhead-bookworm]

One of my favorite things to do for fun is watch videos breaking down certain media tropes. And I was watching one about the heart of a group. A poorly written “heart” character can be written with the intention to be lovable but are actually annoying sometimes. A character that is written solely with the purpose of being lovable can be really frustrating, especially if every other character adores the heart when the audience realizes that there’s no real justification for that.

Now let’s see if y’all can guess which characters I’m thinking about that fall into this poor writing category.

[lvgrdn]

dreamscape • zoro

note: hello! thanks for stopping by for a read ☁️ i took a spin on sleepy mosshead's napping habits and what came to be of it was this piece. it was an interesting "inner monologue"-esque study of how the man with near perfect resolve when it matters most, is actually quite the vulnerable person in his dreams 🥺

warnings: dream depictions of assumed death (strawhats), inner turmoil of inadequacy

everyone always assumed they knew why zoro slept so much. answers usually ranged between obvious rest and tlc, to snarky remarks of obliviousness to the sun and how high it hangs in the sky. despite the rapid responses and reactions to his snoozing form, it was a wonder why no one bothered to actually ask the swordsman himself.

yet he was thankful that the question has never come up, zoro admitted quietly to his own person as he jolted awake again for the subtle fourth time that bright afternoon on the deck of the sunny. it was a grace period of calm waters after visiting a small touristy island a day ago for restocking purposes, activities on deck simplified to those of solitude or seclusion as everyone took advantage of the chance to recharge. with the ability to control his composure by the minute millisecond upon settling back down to reality, not even the ever so observant eye of somebody like robin has caught the utter wave of disappointment that crashed through zoro every single time he came back to earth from his dreams.

he doesn't recall when it started or how it came to be like this — but he has been treating going to sleep the last while like a game; a puzzle that his mind created that felt like there were infinite possibilities upon starting but zero valid solutions after attempting.

why? why did it matter to him?

why did it fuel him so much to enter these mental landscapes, over and over and over? why does he have to remind himself on the cusp of falling into his subconscious that he could easily clear his head of all that roamed around up there, only to let himself tumble through the same sceneries constantly?

why was he here again—?

and why were you in front of him once more, just like the last thousand times?

zoro took in a breath, air staggering in his lungs. his eye adjusted to the fog surrounding the two of you, the looming mist bellowing over the rocky terrain environment in his peripheral vision.

he knew this was familiar, all of it, yet he relished in the way the edges of the dream twisted inward as it usually does. three more heartbeats resonating in his ears and then the smell will hit him with the force of several obliterating suns. the fog swirling around your hair and gliding over your skin wasn't fog at all, he noted almost nonchalantly. he watched as blooms of grey and black dusted across your features, his own growing ashen as he brought the corner of his arm up to shield his nose.

it was smoke.

"what the goddamn hell?!" he muttered the line as if rehearsed, sounding phony even to his own ears. zoro tried to orient himself though he doesn't have to, his eye darting around and taking in the flames that fluttered beyond the haze. like clockwork, he registered the ground he was standing on wasn't stable; in fact, it has been rumbling in tandem with an otherworldly uproar located behind him.

despair lodged itself in his gut when he turned around. he knew what sight would welcome him every time he got to this point. zoro felt them before he could see them — his crew and their fear, unadulterated and raw, icing his blood over despite the fires zeroing in and licking at his ankles.

someone was screaming for him but his name got muffled behind the horrific growl of the hidden beast amidst the shadows. the concentration of dust and ash stung at his eyes, his feet wobbling as the ground beneath him shook with the strength that would knock anyone else backwards without a moment's notice. one would think by repeating this dream sequence time and time again, he would know how to properly calculate the distance and strength needed to save everyone — but somehow, no matter what, it was never enough.

this was it — this was the part where he found out how nightmares were formed.

everything happened in slow motion. his gaze befalling on each of his friends, arms and hands outstretched to only him; the saviour that they were counting their lives on, the one that would choose to capture his crewmates' souls in safety and release his own into hell unbounded.

the earsplitting crack of the earth beneath them all, fissures dividing up the land and revealing blood red magma below. zoro finally toppled backwards, losing the grip on the hilt of his swords as he went, body numb upon impact. he couldn't move, he couldn't understand why he couldn't move— but it was futile, he was helpless, and his throat closed up with the guttural wail kept intact as he watched his friends disappear over the cliff's edge.

silence enveloped him instantly. sound and space vacuumed out from his vicinity before he could fathom the loss of the people he called family in such quick succession. the echoes of their horror still rattled within the forefront of his head before his mind took over. disorientation grappled him by the heartstrings when a hand landed on his shoulder, jolting him from his stance as he jerked his head upward.

there you were again, ethereal and pristine. nothing tainted had touched you and you didn't look like you were harmed in any way. a wisp of pure relief brushed his gut at the sight of your face, always a beckon of serenity for him in times past, but the feeling was quickly snuffed out and replaced by wrenching guilt by the words that you spoke next.

"you could have saved them."

"i..." his breath failed him momentarily. i'm sorry. "i... i know."

you blinked, once then twice, before nervousness twinged against your features. hesitantly, you took your hand off his shoulder and raised it in mock innocence. "w-wait, you actually sound distraught. luffy and chopper are okay! they were just play-fighting a little too rough on the upper deck, is all..."

a gentle breeze wafted across the sunny, picking up the scent of the familiar salty sea below that made zoro's skin prickle with awareness. he was awake. and you had no idea what he was referring to earlier based on that wary look in your eyes. they continued to scan his face as your words tumbled out of your mouth, awkwardness taking over and you tried desperately to fill the void of his silently tormented demeanour in front of you.

"when they fell over the railing and screamed, i just thought you heard them but decided to ignore them... like the rest of the crew..." your voice dropped several octaves when zoro casted his gaze away from you finally, noticing how his shoulders sagged a tad as he sighed gruffly. "... sorry for the dramatics— i genuinely thought you were awake. i didn't mean to wake you."

"no," zoro said quickly in retort, the sharp rigidness of his back straightening itself out. when he looked up at you again, it was his turn to notice how you pressed your lips together in a grim line, albeit finding yourself backed up in a corner with how he was handling this chance encounter.

this was all simple in retrospect and you couldn't have known what he was going through mere moments ago — for the last several moons, really — so he sighed again; gentler this time. "don't apologize. the dream wasn't so great anyway."

before you could process what he said, zoro got himself up in one fluid motion, throwing his arms up above him to stretch. the sound of ruckus and chaos still echoed from the other side of the deck, and you watched the swordsman make his way over. with his hand confidently on the hilt of one of his swords now, he turned his head around just enough to let it be known he was addressing you. zoro's other hand flicked up slightly, gesturing you to follow him.

"let's see what the commotion is about."

questions aren't zoro's forte. answers are expected to be concrete, purposeful, and solid. as much as he has molded himself to embodying that type of persona, any chance of doubt — even the theoretical or subconscious — lodges a thorn in the deepest corners of his soul that he would rather not visit to find. he knew curiosity was pulling you to him but zoro was yet again grateful the questions you had never landed as you fell in step with him to join the others.

maybe one day, he will know why.

[astralleywright]

there's nothing orym would ask of the other hells that he wouldn't do himself, which is sort of the problem, really

[haunted-xander]

I shall protect you

[butwhatifidothis]

Still baffled that Hopes so blatantly wrote Claude as the typical Evil Vaguely Middle Eastern Man set on destroying the Good White Nation for his Evil Vaguely Middle Eastern Nation that is often seen in fantasy settings - complete with him being seen as worse than a white woman who does many of the same evil deeds he does in-verse, even by his friends (should it be the bad ending route of SB) - and so many in the fandom were so eager to gobble that shit up. INSIST that "Clearly A Racist Stereotype" is LEAGUES better than "Subversion Of A Racist Stereotype" even. Like I don't think I'll ever get over how supremely fucked that is

[sidyashchiy-na-plakhe]

I found a discord server for a WoF game that hasn't come out yet and that almost no one knows about (it's not The Journey, Talons of Destiny, Seven Thrones and beta). My God. This server is just incredibly toxic and filled with cancel culture. Everything would be fine, but it has a lot of misinformation. And the admin throws accusations at all the WoF artists, whether they are justified or not. For example, that the Talons of Peace discord is a transphobic. Or that many famous artists are proshippers because of the art where two characters just sit next to each other. I just wanted to talk about it. So please don't take the accusations at their word without checking the information.

[silusvesuius]

g*lmar rly has to be the best skajrim character on the real like even if you don't like him he just is . literally The best one i think......... on dat note i also imagine that he and ulfr*c despite being fairydust BFFs for lyfe genuinely have the worst communication skills ever seen

[confessedlyfannish]

me completely bypassing a dramione phase and instead jumping immediately and with both feet into harry/hermione/ron

[saph-yells-into-the-void]

so uhh.. does kids on the slope get better after episode 5

[yakool-foolio]

Hey, so I’m curious to ask does Yuma do anything else in the Death Knight Yakou AU besides using his Coalescence on Yakou and assisting Yakou and the detectives in the chapter cases?

While one of the main conflicts in this AU is Yakou's guilt and Shinigami's encouragement over using Yuma as a tool, Yuma still has some freedom to make his own choices, even if being strung along by Yakou isn't always his first option. Yuma is the first to gather information about Makoto since he was saved by him from the wreckage of the submarine. He's at first hesitant to share the information once he reunites with Yakou and Fubuki at the cafe, but after Makoto steps in to interrupt the confrontation with the detectives and Yomi, he elaborates on what he's learned from the CEO. He even works alongside Vivia to connect the dots between Makoto's involvement in the restricted area. He develops good connections with the other detectives, finally able to make more friends than just the fellow trainee he relied on at the WDO.

Much like the other assistant detectives in their respective chapters, Yuma gets to shine the most in chapter 5. Yakou and Yuma are able to utilize their wits rather than depend on another Master Detective's powers. They work together to find their own pieces of evidence surrounding Kanai Ward's Ultimate Secret. Inside the mystery labyrinth, Yuma awakens Yakou from his overwhelming fear of hurting the detectives he loves and cares for. The rookie takes initiative to defend against Makoto by his own will when Yakou can't fight on his own. By harnessing his Forte, allowing himself to connect to the powers of the labyrinth, he's able to wield the solution blade, even if only for a short time. Yakou doesn't stop Yuma, acknowledging that this is not his battle to fight. Yuma confronts Makoto on his own terms, taking part in saving the city without being held back. When Yuma gives back the solution blade to Yakou, the two work together to expose the truth of Makoto's actions and bring the fight to a close. Yuma is the only one who's able to truly empathize with Makoto in the end. Even though their time together has been short, they know each other best since they're one in the same.

[goldenkid]

my latent rtd haterisms emerging after that season finale

[shorthaltsjester]

imodna to me is c3 widojest (i am not a fan of widojest)

[torgawl]

do you think part of the reason diluc still struggles with his resentment towards kaeya is because kaeya is more like what crepus wished diluc to be? crepus was so proud of diluc for his accomplishments as a knight and lived his dream through him as well and we know how much crepus' approval meant for diluc, more than any title or doing. i sometimes wonder if diluc feels hurt knowing that kaeya gets to live the equivalent to his past life as a knight as if nothing happened when he had to make sacrifices for his own peace of mind and sense of justice. i wonder if that's what pains him the most, not the fact kaeya ommited the truth about his past for so many years but having felt like he was the only one who cared to do something regarding his father's death and who showed any sense of uprightness when confronted with the knights' request to cover their mistake and negligence. i always think about how diluc might have felt like everything was a lie and his sense of betrayal. but maybe that didn't matter as much as having the support of his brother and someone he could share his pain with would have mattered. maybe the worst thing wasn't what kaeya did but what he didn't do; maybe it was never about his actions but the lack thereof.

[larrythefloridaman]

google :)

love u goog <3

[sylviareviar]

hey guys i've been playing through pokemon black and white (i borrowed a copy of white from my local library) and every time i play these games i always do it with a "Pip" and "Fluffy". Since the game would be unplayable if I kept Fluffy as a Swablu, I allow myself to evolve him into an Altaria when the time comes, but the whole point of Pip's character is that he doesn't evolve, because he just can't. Therefore, anytime I play a game that has Piplup in it, I use it without evolving it and treat it as my main Water-type Pokemon, sometimes even replacing my starter.

My question is this: I'm getting to a point in Pokemon White that it's getting a little too difficult for me to keep playing with Pip as he is (if I could only give him custom stats, I'd give him higher bulk and special attack with a small boost to speed so he'd be able to take more hits without being so helpless). Should I evolve him and forget about my little "anime challenge"?

I feel kinda bad, but since White isn't my game anyway, I don't feel as bad as if it were my own game, Pokemon Black or Black 2. I don't intend to evolve him in either of those games. Plus, if I evolve him in White, it would be as though, in another universe, Pip was born with the capability to evolve. I'll be able to teach him moves I couldn't teach him as a Piplup and pass those on to future eggs if I want to do any further breeding. It's just that I keep hesitating anytime he levels up and keep cancelling the evolution.

I've kinda found myself at a crossroads here...

[rooolt]

truly scouring the trailer for the next season of a show for my dear reoccurring character bestie who has never had a relevant plot line not including his childhood best friend and didn’t even get one of those last season. Is it too criminal to hope my king will do something?