#i forget Aim doesn't have any powers

[ari-cuno]

They went to go visit Axel after the incident, but someone's still bothered by the past.

Aim belongs @zu-is-here

[celaenaeiln]

Am I interested in Dick Grayson's innovativeness and how that makes him a terrifying opponent?

Nah, not really, no, it's no- EXCEPT THAT I AM!

I love your analysis and honestly, I always surf through the dick Grayson tag once a day to see if u have posted. Pls drop the innovatiness wala analysis. I would absolutely eat it up

ADSAJHFGAJLHADJLHA YOU CAN'T SEDUCE ME LIKE THAT-MY HEART CAN'T TAKE IT!

But I am here to deliver *bows*

Let's start this off with a bang

Dick is completely naked except for a towel and with one (well defined) leg he hooks the handle of the beer bucket and sends it smashing into Midnighter to stop him from using the knife on another person.

Pure. Fucking. Platinum.

That move was so delicious, there's an ease-fluidity-grace-to that split second movement. Also notice how accurate his aim is despite swinging it with the arc of his toes. The bucket slammed right into the medulla oblongata, or more specifically the pyramidal tracts which are crucial for controlling voluntary muscular movements. Nerves from the brain cross over at that area as they go down and then synapse onto other nerves that are responsible for controlling muscles when they leave the spinal cord. The precision at which he aimed the bucket is glorious. And with what? His feet.

The only reason Midnighter wasn't injured is because he is a meta which is the point. Otherwise Dick wouldn't have aimed there unless he was fighting an enemy.

Oh that brings me to my next point.

Dick has extraordinary control of his actions

He's so right though. Nightwing doesn't need to kill because fighting is too easy for him. I swear he has some kind of messed up idea (aside from his need to be absolutely good) that killing someone with a gun would take the joy out of fighting. He loves to live life on the hardest mode only.

The rapid fire throw of the gun, calculating the distance, time, velocity of return, and angle? I mean I studied physics and calculating even half of that on paper is a headache. The fact that he did it in one second? It's extraordinary. Things that are pure, dumb luck to literally everyone else is carefully calculated at a speed faster than light, making it look like luck. Damn.

Yeah.

Forget Slade. Midnighter is my new favorite nemesister.

DO YOU SEE WHAT HE FOUGHT WITH?! WHILE DEATHSTROKE AND BLACK ADAM WERE FIGHTING WITH META POWERS AND A CURSED SWORD, HE FUCKING WRAPPED CHAINS AROUND HIMSELF LIKE A BOSS AND WHIPPED THE SHIT OUT OF THAT MAN.

Please take a moment of silence to relish in this sight.

Dick's innovativeness is a formidable skill when fighting allies.

Dick and Ras are evenly matched in sword fighting.

Wait, wait. I don't need any doubts about Dick's strength in sword fighting so I'm going to include a couple panels here:

Dick fights Azrael to a standstill which is absolutely incredible because Azrael solos. He's gone through many upgrades and skills and is one of the best fighters ever. He's even defeated Bruce.

He also defeated Jason and Tim together in Batman and Robin Eternal.

This is just another point towards the fact that Dick actually won in his fight against Bruce before going into Spyral. They weren't holding back.

Oh yeah. Ra's vs Dick panel, Dick and Ra's aren't going anywhere because Dick is a swordsman equivalent to one of the best in the world. So how do you win a draw? By one upping the opponent. He swings his foot up in midair and completely defeats him. "But that isn't a defeat...Ra's just stopped fighting!" It was complete defeat because Ra's is intelligent and knows when he can't win. Also they have been fighting for a while until they reached the breaking point in the battle. This move is a show of how Dick has that just one inch more that will lead him to be a victor.

Ra's honors Dick so much he tried to give the sword he used to fight with Batman because he thinks Dick is worthy of it. Can anyone receive a higher honor than this from that man?

He'll also use the broken glass of a car window to take down his opponent. If that's not innovation, then what is?

But one last thing since a car door cannot be considered innovative these days.

sticks. He literally took two twigs off the ground to use as weapons against his highly skilled, one of the best assassins, great-grandfather who is fighting with daggers in his hands and all over his body.

But you know the best part?

He draws his opponent to a tie. A tie? Not a win? No it was win after, considering he used his relative's falling body as a launching pad in the middle of the air when they were falling off the bridge to grab onto the bridge with the help of his friend. So it was his win but it's insane how incredible Dick's skills are.

It's really innovative because who thinks of using twigs and winning? Let me also clarify another point. Dick could've used the knives he'd gotten from his talon suit and thoroughly won because when he was brain washed he almost killed Red Condor from how skilled he was but he conscientiously chose to use twigs. In a sword fight. This man.

His improvisation is an asset that many have come to know him for and classify him as dangerous because he can fight with anything, anywhere, and win.

Something I want to end with. Dick only fights people who are stronger than him. I know he's fought mob characters and stuff but his enemies? They are all metas, assassins, skilled fighters, Russian Black Ops, and more. Essentially, people who are the top of the class in their categories and him defeating them equally and fairly is the reason why he has the respect of his enemies. He's just that good.

[lycandrophile]

sorry about the out of nowhere ask but i thought id note something minor ive seen around: a lot of the time (especially on reddit) theres a lot of positivity for specifically trans women, and very little for trans men. and if a trans man/transmasc person tries to comment on that they get ridiculed for it. but then if someone posts transmasc positivity at all, people in the comments of that post will talk about how there "isnt enough positivity for trans women" despite the fact that most of the positivity posted is for trans women. i dont know, just something weird (it could also just be because reddit is kinda really different, environment-wise, but considering theres been similar things pretty much. everywhere else. yeah)

i do think a lot of this has to do with demographics – from what i've seen, reddit tends to have more trans women than trans men, so it doesn't surprise me to see more posts that are geared toward trans women there.

tl;dr because this got super long: people are right to say that there isn't enough positivity for trans women, but there also isn't enough for trans men. the fact that so many of us are ridiculed for trying to put more out there is the real problem.

at the end of the day, there really isn't enough positivity for any trans people because most of the world either hates us or wants to forget we exist. we have our little pockets of community where we support each other and lift each other up, but until the rest of society gets on board, it'll never be enough. so even in spaces where there's more positivity for trans women than for trans men, they're absolutely right to say there isn't enough positivity for trans women! and that's why i don't inherently have a problem with spaces like that – trans joy and positivity is always a good thing and always needed, and spreading that for part of the community doesn't take away from the rest of the community, it just means there's some of us are bit closer to getting the kind of love and support they deserve than they were before, and that's a good thing! you can't make everything for everyone, but if we all work at lifting each other up, eventually it'll all balance out and we'll all be better off for it. so if you happen to find a space that's for all trans people but tends to be more geared toward trans women when it comes to positivity, instead of getting caught up in how much positivity for trans women is already there, i think the best thing to do is to add positivity for trans men! we're the ones who lift each other up, so if we see a gap in the support, we're the ones with the power to step in and fill that gap.

and i can honestly understand why trans women in those spaces might get defensive or upset if someone points out the amount of positivity for trans women as if it's a bad thing, even if what that person is actually trying to say is just that they wish there was more for trans men too. i can't really blame anyone for that defensiveness because i feel the exact same way when people point out the amount of positivity for trans men&mascs here as if it's a bad thing, even though i know a lot of them are really just expressing in an imperfect way that they wish there was more for other trans people as well. wanting to defend those sources of joy in a world that offers us so few of them is only natural.

now, all of that being said, what i absolutely DO have a problem with is when that defensiveness gets to the point of attacking trans men's efforts to add positivity for ourselves as well. it perpetuates these false ideas that 1) there's only a finite amount of trans joy that can be expressed and we have to fight over it, and 2) trans men are currently hoarding that finite resource and are obligated to give it up entirely so that other trans people have a chance at getting it. obviously, both of those statements are deeply untrue – one part of the community getting support doesn't take anything away from other trans people because we should all be aiming for more support and positivity, not just redistributing the inadequate amount we currently have to more "worthy" subjects, and it's impossible to quantify how much support each part of the community gets because that's so dependent on the individual spaces you're looking at as well as what you're counting as support. and as much as i can understand feeling protective of our spaces, when that protectiveness leads us to turn on each other and push each other out of spaces that were supposed to be for all of us, that's taking it way too far.

and i also do think there's an attitude in a lot of trans spaces (and in more general queer/feminist/leftist/activist spaces) that trans men are a more acceptable target for that kind of ridicule because we're men and people in those spaces tend to already be very settled into this idea that there's never a bad time to tell men to sit down and shut up, even when the men in question are marginalized and trying to fight against their own oppression. if someone says "ugh there's too much positivity for trans women here," that's going to be met with a lot of people (rightfully) saying "hey, what the hell, man, that's super transmisogynistic." but if the same is said about trans men, those same people have no problem saying "i know, right? men love taking everything for themselves, it's the worst."

and that kind of attitude even extends to trans men simply creating positivity in spaces that don't have as much of it, even if they don't comment at all on the other kinds of positivity that might exist in that space. especially if we dare to add specific mentions of trans men onto an existing positivity post (which isn't actually a bad thing at all! adding more good to a good post doesn't take anything away from the original good!), we're met with a chorus of "wow, why do men always have to make everything about themselves, can't women have anything?" it's a perspective that groups us in with cis men as this privileged horde that talks over everyone else and seeks to dominate every space it enters, completely ignoring the fact that the image of loud domineering men they're invoking is based on cis(het white abled) men who've spent their whole lives being told they're the most important people in every room, which is very different from trans men who were brought up being taught to make ourselves small and be of service to more important people. they forget (or simply choose to ignore) that when we're loud about our needs and experiences and even our joy, it's not because taking up space was a practice passed down to us by our manhood, it's because we had to learn to be loud when we realized that staying quiet meant making it easier for the people who hate us to dispose of us without the rest of the world even noticing our absence.

all of that to say, i absolutely do think you've hit on a real issue here, i just don't think that issue actually has to do with the prevalence of positivity for trans women. it's a lot less about who gets more or less support in any given space, and a lot more about how those spaces react when the less represented groups start making their presence known. and yeah, a lot of trans spaces have some pretty damn awful reactions to trans men who literally just want to lift each other up and feel supported by our community in return.

[luvbugs-blog]

getting saved by...

pairings: tanjiro x reader, inosuke x reader, zenitsu x reader

a/n: there will be a part two... but switched! you saving them!

warnings: POSSIBLE SPOILERS! also mentions of death in inosuke's (reader has to do what tanjiro did to wake up on the mugen train)

part two!

-----------------------------------------------

tanjiro kamado

you try to brace yourself as you're thrown against a tree. it hurts, but you have to keep going. you think of the bright smile that always inspires you when you need it. the smile of your best friend. you take in a deep breath in, trying to control your total concentration, as you reflect on where you are at, and how you would rather be back at the butterfly mansion with your friends, who haven't finished healing yet.

you lift yourself up just in time to deflect the blood demon art of the spider sister, who almost captured you in her web ball. you fling yourself to the side, and when you jump up, prepared for the next attack, she's gone.

strange. you look around you at all of your surroundings, hoping that she won't pop out from behind the trees. your power, besides your breathing, is in your strength, so unfortunately, you lack any power of being able to sense where your opponent is by smell, audio, or some weird beasty sense thing that inosuke possesses.

you still and close your eyes, trying to focus on listening, when you hear something above you. something isn't right about this.

you are able to jump to the side just as the monster leaps where you were. this thing is massive, with a godawful spider face. not only is it creepy, but it scares you enough that you hide behind a tree, trying to think of a plan. that's when you remember tanjiro again.

last week, the two of you were eating breakfast at the butterfly mansion. you were sitting next to each other, chatting and occasionally laughing at inosuke devouring his onigiri. you turn to focus back on your conversation about tanjrio's "hinokami kagura", and how impressive it is.

"you truly are amazing, tanjiro! not even the hashira can perform two breathing techniques!" you gush, trying to imagine yourself doing the same. "you must feel so powerful!"

tanjiro scratches at his neck, trying to push down the raging blush that had formed on his face. "it's really not that impressive! I'm sure you could do the same if you really tried."

"oh, don't be ridiculous. i'm not near close enough to your level. and don't be modest either! just don't forget about me when you become a hashira," you say, with a little joke at the end.

tanjiro grabs your hands and stares at you a little too intensely. you feel a little startled. "don't say that about yourself! you are an incredible swordsman and i constantly want to be like you."

you blink, unsure what to make of the fervent compliments. you open your mouth, but before you can respond, he continues.

"you inspire me with your strength. you never give up and that is what's truly amazing!" you swear you can see little puffs of steam coming out of his ears.

"uh..."

"so don't underestimate yourself!"

you blink for a moment, trying to find your composure. and you don't know what else to do but laugh.

"well, alright then!" you give him a huge smile and hug him tight. "thank you, tanjiro," you whisper into his ear. he just hugged you tighter to his body. what you missed seeing was the very pointed look given to him by zenitsu.

you brace yourself and make a move from behind the tree, rushing at the creature who was looking for you in the opposite direction. activating your first breathing form, you aim at the giant's arm, hoping to buy some time while he is regenerating. but your sword doesn't cut through. instead, he flings you a couple meters back. you land harshly on the ground, and you wince when you feel your ribs crack. you take a deep breath in, desperately hoping for an idea to get you out of this mess.

the monster roars, destroying trees in his path as he searches for you. "LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE."

some hell of a family, you think, as you roll out of the way to escape a tree from crushing you. you rush at the monster again, this time aiming for his neck with your sixth breathing form, but to no avail. your sword still doesn't go through.

you can see the monster's hand coming towards you. you're going to die. there's no way you can move out of the way without breaking your sword, and you won't be able to survive without it. think! you desperately rack your brain for ideas, but it's too late.

you close your eyes as the hand comes to you, but you never feel the impact. you quickly open your eyes to see a checkered haori blocking the monster's head.

"tanjiro!"

"y/n! i was so worried when we arrived and saw all of the bodies!" the hand shakes the two of you off, and tanjiro holds you close as you both fall to the ground. he's quick to jump to his feet, but you're still a little sore from your earlier exchanges with the tree. he gives you a charming smile as he helps you off the ground. "i'm so glad you are alright."

you jump up to give him a tight hug, trying to fight off the nerves of your near-death experience.

"gonpachiro! are you going to help me out or keep flirting?" you cough as he glances over at inosuke trying to saw his way through the monster's arm.

before you can react, he presses a quick kiss to your forehead before running to help. "stay alive, ok!" he yells, "i have to confess something after the battle!"

you allow yourself one bashful smile before lunging into the fight, helping your future bf and one weird boar.

inosuke hashibira

you gasp for air as you're being held down by the neck by the train's appendage. you try to break free, but your sword is just out of reach and the tentacle thing is just too slimy to really grab hold of it. with one hand, you try to free your neck, and with the other hand, you strain for your sword. the appendage lifts you a bit and slams you back down, making something in your arm snap. you try to scream, but nothing comes out. your vision starts getting a little blurry, and black starts creeping around the edges.

what should you do? before you can do anything, a big eye pops out and blinks at you.

when you open your eyes, you have to adjust, because it suddenly got very bright. you sit up off the ground, looking around for the train, but you don't see anything. you do recognize this dirt path you are on though.

you lift yourself up and start along the path until you come across... the butterfly mansion? something wasn't right. you were supposed to be helping tanjiro and inosuke with the train demon.

just then you heard a cackle coming from inside the building. how is inosuke here? you also heard a scream coming from the inside. you sprint to the sound, and throw the doors open to see your little sibling cowering behind your parents, who were in a protective stance and looking up at the ceiling. on the ceiling was inosuke, crawling around like a weirdo.

"mom? dad?" how were they here? their deaths were the reason you became a demon slayer in the first place. tears start pouring down your cheeks as you run towards your beloved family. you stay there, hugging them for what seems like hours. your parents were very confused, but accepted the affection nontheless. your sibling was giggling at how stupid you looked, but you could care less, because at least they were alive.

maybe this whole slayer thing was just a bad dream. BAM. you jerk your head to see inosuke had come down from the ceiling. how did you forget? so the slayer thing was not just a dream. so what the hell is happening?

inosuke walks up to you and grabs your hand. "come on, y/n! let's go train." he walks you outside and into the woods.

"inosuke, i think something is wrong. we were fighting a demon and then we ended up back here. do you know anything?" he steps back and lifts his mask up, letting it fall to the ground.

"what the hell are you talking about?" he starts towards you, backing you into a tree. you put your hands to his chest, looking into his eyes.

"this is not the time to fight right now! i'm being serious-" you are silenced when he puts his finger to your lips, cocks his head and looks at you.

"the fuck are you yappin' about? you know the training thing is just a ruse." he puts his hands on your side and squeezes, making you gasp. he lays his head into the crook of your neck and gives you a small little bite, in which you grab onto his shoulders in shock. "we do this all the time."

Y/N!

you push inosuke back and look around. you grab onto his shoulder and gently shake it.

"didn't you hear that?" he just snorts. "hear what?"

Y/N!

"there it is again! someone is calling my name!" inosuke shakes his head and pushes against you once more, arms circling your waist. he starts to leave kisses up your neck, which causes you to let out a little whine. this was a little dream of yours that you kept a secret so no one would find out about your little crush.

pause.

A DREAM! of course!

"i've got to get out of here." inosuke lifts his head up.

"what?"

"you don't understand. this is a dream! the real you needs me right now." you run around the woods, searching for the demon that put you to sleep. if you kill it, you might be able to get out. how else would you wake up?

you slow to a stop, realizing the demon isn't in the dream with you. dream inosuke pokes your back. "what are you doing?"

you turn to him, unsure of what you're about to do. you reach to his waist and grab one of his swords.

"i'm sorry." you whisper, terrified. you bring the sword up to your neck. what if you're wrong? what if there are repercussions from the dream in reality. what if you actually died?

you push your hand up again the blade, ready, when a hand grabs your wrist. you look up into his beautiful face, which looked miserable.

"don't you want to be with me?" you almost drop the sword from your neck. you raise your hand to dream inosuke's face.

"it's all i've ever wanted, since we met. that's why i have to do this. to be with the real you." you pull your wrist free and scream, and with a twist of the blade, everything goes dark.

you wake up and take a deep breath. you can feel the wind from the roof of the train, and you realize it worked. you look over to see the appendage that was holding you wither into dust on the ground.

"you done taking your little nap? we got a demon to kill!" you smile at the taunting voice coming from behind you. you turn and jump into his arms.

"h-hey!" you lift his mask to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"thank you for waking me up," you say, before running off to where tanjiro was calling your name. inosuke follows behind you, very glad the mask is covering the redness of his face.

zenitsu agatsuma

there is no way you are making it out of this one alive, unless you hear the drum again. there are two demons making their way to you in this moving house. you aren't skilled enough to taken on two demons by yourself. so you are holding out that the drum will beat again soon, so that the rooms will shift. the first demon crawls closer and lashes it's tongue at you. you swipe at it, and the tip falls off, spraying blood over your uniform. while the first demon sprawls backwards in pain, the second lunges at you, and just as you swing your sword at it's neck, the drum shifts the rooms around.

you fall through the air in this new room, but land on something solid. you look down to see zenitsu under you.

"oh my goodness!" you hug him tight, thankful to see his face instead of another demon. while you're too busy with your relief, he's focused on your legs on either side of his waist. pervert.

his euphoria ends quickly, however, when you hoist yourself up and introduce yourself to the kid he is with. shoichi, the little boy, is so relieved that another slayer joined them, so he didn't have to put up with zenitsu's tantrums by himself.

while he is introducing himself, zenitsu sits up and screams. you turn, shielding the boy behind you, when you spot the tongue demon making it's way toward the three of you.

you all run to the nearest room and while you hope for another drum, you know you won't be so lucky this time, so you focus your attention on the door, hoping to be able to ambush the demon when he enters the room.

"no, no, no, no, no. please wake up." you turn to see zenitsu passed out on the floor.

"shoichi, i need you to get him to the wall if you can." then you turn your attention to the approaching demon, whose tongue had already regenerated. the tongue lashes out at you once more, but faster this time. you knew you wouldn't have time to cut it off, so you settle for deflecting it.

but the force of his tongue was too strong, and you were thrown backwards, hitting the wall and roughly falling to the ground. you crawl back over to zenitsu and shoichi, praying the drum sounds again.

you go to stand up to face the demon again when a soft hand pushes you back. you look up to see zenitsu and are surprised. wasn't he just passed out?

you see him get into position and hear a faint, "thunder breathing, first form". you blink and the demon is dead.

zenitsu sways for a second before falling back to the ground. you rush over to make sure he's ok to discover he's... STILL ASLEEP?

he jerks awake and squeals when he see's the demon's body disintegrating. he latches onto your torso and shamelessly hides his face into your skin.

"y/n-chaaaaan, you saved me! thank you thank you thank you!"

you look over at shoichi who just shrugs. with a small laugh, you lean over and press a kiss to zenitsu's head.

"let's try to get out of here, yeah?"

"AHHH y/n-chaaaaaan! let's get married!"

a/n: SORRRRRY i am so tired and so i rushed zenitsu's, but i hope it's still good! i'll try to finish the part two tomorrow (with a special surprise drabble!)

[tobiasdrake]

I'm curious what Tenshinhan's fighting style is beyond general weirdness lol. I always interpreted it as a "showing off" sort of style back in the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, with most of his moves being visually impressive and/or intended to instill despair in his opponent, but then you have his kikōhō, a move that damages the self for greater strength...

Tenshinhan is fucking weird is what he is.

I mean that sincerely. Fitting for a man who walks in with three eyes like that's totally normal and no one ever speaks of it, Tenshinhan's style comes straight from the realm of the bizarre and esoteric. He's an outside-the-box challenger to test the limits of Goku's counter-fighting.

He is the drunken boxer. The fighting game character that plays utterly differently from all other characters, making them hard to learn but unpredictable when mastered. Ten forges his own way through martial arts with off-the-wall tricks and game-changing shenanigans.

It's just. Easy to forget how weird he is because the rest of the cast have thoroughly cannibalized his style. Kame-senryu are a bunch of fucking thieves.

This eye-searing image is the most normal thing Ten has in his repertoire.

Ten and Chiaotzu lay out that they're going to be... unlike anything we've seen before right from the get-go, when they use psychic powers to rig the matches.

Already, it's clear that we're about to see some weird shit. Both of these characters are built on the martial arts philosophy of "Okay what the hell even is that, how did you even bring laser eyes to a knife fight?"

Ten in particular is a formidable martial artist.

But as early as his first match, the oddball nature of his abilities start to settle in.

Okay, so Ten can just Nope any Kamehameha thrown at him. Sure. Guess that's a thing now. New rule, guys: No more Kamehamehas.

But you also kinda get it. Like. Tsuru-senryu is the rival school to Kame-senryu, and the Kamehameha is the signature technique of Kame-senryu. So it makes sense that they'd develop countermeasures for the Kamehameha.

Also, they can levitate.

Well, that's going to make scoring a ringout fucking hard, isn't it? One of the two ways you win in this tournament is by making your opponent fall in the grass outside the ring, and these fuckers can fly.

That's unfair, is what that is. They don't even need to use helicopter tail shenanigans or a well-aimed Kamehameha for propulsion to do it. They can just decide that they don't feel like being rung out today.

This is the first technique that doesn't seem so special today because everybody cannibalized their Bukujutsu. But at the time, it was unique. Even Taopaipai, their idol, couldn't fly. He got around by the delightfully comical method of throwing something really hard and then jumping on it and being taken for a ride.

Taopaipai was doing Breath of the Wild rock transit decades before it was cool.

As the tournament picks up, Chiaotzu foreshadows the bizarre nature of the fights ahead when he reveals his ultimate technique: Binding his opponent in place with psychic powers so they can't defend themselves.

That's. Not. Really. A martial art? Even by the incredibly loose definitions already on display in this manga. It's closer to General Blue's paralyzing glare. And there's a lot more of that to come.

Further included in Ten's repertoire of Weird Shit (TM) is his third eye, which serves a vital function in combat until everyone starts ki sensing and it ceases to be relevant.

Ten has enhanced perception, allowing him to see things that others can't. This is notably distinct from being able to sense people by following their ki signatures. A distinction the Muten-Roshi helpfully lays out by stating he can't see Goku but can sense him just before Ten confirms he can still see him.

When Goku meets Popo, we'll have entered the realm where the limitations of human eyesight can no longer keep up with the speeds of the characters, and learning to perceive through ki sensing becomes necessary.

But right now, Ten's enhanced perception lends him a number of edges over other martial artists that have to rely on eyesight to track their foes. Advantages such as thwarting this particular invisibility technique of Goku's.

Or piercing the illusion of the Zanzoken/Afterimage speed technique.

As an aside, I love the way both of those moments draw attention to Ten's two normal eyes looking one direction while his third looks the other. It's such an eerie but effective way of conveying the idea that he can see more than a normal man.

Ten and Chiaotzu play by different rules than everyone else.

Sometimes he has four arms. That's life, man. Again, they make a point of showing us what this looks like as a speed technique:

Both to set up Goku's counter for this and also so that we understand how meaningful it is that Ten is not doing that. Chapa and later Goku perform Hasshuken, moving their arms so fast it creates the illusion of eight. Ten physically sprouted two extra arms. He can just. Like. Shapeshift, I guess. He's a flying shapeshifter who sees faster than everyone because of his three eyes and he hangs out with a telekinetic doll.

Also he can flashbang his opponents as a clincher.

This is another move that seems mundane now because everyone stole it from him. They took his Bukujutsu/Levitation and they took his Taiyoken/Solar Flare. But it's another data point on the list of ways Ten's such a weird and complicated opponent to try and fight.

Even by the standards of Tsuru-senryu, he's weird. Taopaipai didn't do half of this shit. Ten specifically refers to the Taiyoken/Solar Flare as a New Tsuru-senryu technique, which implies that he created it himself.

Which makes me wonder just how much of his moveset is actually part of the Tsuru-senryu curriculum and how much is Ten. Just. Being weird.

Notably, at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, Ten shows up with something even more absolutely freakish than the Shiyoken/Four-Armed Fist.

Shishin no Ken also known in English as the Multiform Technique is another departure from your illusory speed techniques, in that Ten splits his body into four bodies. How does he do that? Fuck you, that's how. This is the evolution of both his enhanced perception and his ability to sprout extra arms - And, in being so, a demonstration of how Goku has left him behind.

It's an admittedly creative solution to the problem that Goku, following his training with Popo, can move too fast for even his three eyes to follow. But now he has twelve eyes.

TWELVE. That's as many as four Tens! And that's terrible.

The Shishin no Ken was another weird-ass technique from a weird-ass martial artist, serving a practical function in enhancing Ten's unique characteristics to compensate for Goku's now godly abilities.

But it was ultimately undone by a catastrophic vulnerability, which is the reason nobody ever tried this shit again.

Splitting into multiple copies of yourself turns you into a team of useless scrubs who can't throw a punch to save your life. It's a bad technique and was written off immediately after this fight, never to be seen again.

...except in anime filler, where everyone stole that from Tenshinhan too.

You guys were both at the tournament when Goku pointed out that this technique makes you throw punches like slow, limp noodles! Come on, guys! These characters would not even try this shit.

But I digress.

Not to be outdone, Chiaotzu invented a technique where he blows himself up and dies ineffectually.

Tenshinhan never let him fight another person again for the rest of his life. This cost him fighting privileges. Straight up left him with the non-combatants during the Android arc. You are done, Chiaotzu.

Look, just because their shit is weird doesn't mean it's all good.

Of course, we can't talk about Ten without talking about the Big Gun. His ultimate technique. The thing he's known for better than anything else, especially by people who never watched or read the material prior to Raditz.

The Kikoho/Tri-Beam is not a Tsuru-senryu technique or a Kame-senryu technique. It's not even a Tenshinhan original. It's a forbidden technique known to both schools but, at least in the Muten-Roshi's opinion, inappropriate to ever pass on. Tenshinhan's going to use it to win at recreational sports.

And people complain about Korra entering the Avatar State to win a race. If Goku broke out the Genki-Dama/Spirit Bomb to punch Krillin out of the ring, Kaio would have his ass for that....

The Kikoho is, so far as we know, the most powerful individual technique in Dragon Ball in terms of the gulf between the wielder's power and the destructive force output by their technique. It punches far above Ten's weight class. Whether that means:

Managing to fuck up Nappa pretty bad.

Holding back Semi-Perfect Cell.

Or even dissipating a shot from Super Buutenks, the Kikoho is in a league of power far beyond anything Tenshinhan would be capable of himself. This technique lends Ten the ability to show up and be occasionally useful even after the power scales leave him far behind.

At least, for a short time.

Sorry, man. You cannot fight at this level. But at least you got that killer shot in.

Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu are wild cards. Not as characters, mind you, but as martial artists. Their greatest strength is their unpredictability. You never know what they're going to pull out of their pocket next, which for a time made Ten in particular into a fun and engaging rival for the ever-analytical Son Goku.

[semisentient-entity]

TMA Shitpost/Late Night Thoughts

What if TMA was a tragedy because the characters didn't have the Power of Friendship™?

The Eyepocalypse involves at least one Eye in the sky. What if Simon managed to launch himself up there and pepper spray the Eye, would that do anything? Would that (briefly) interrupt the Eyepocalypse, or would it make things worse because the Eye is pissed?

What if Simon just launched HIMSELF into the Eye? Would he just be like a speck of dust to it? Would it blink? Would it react at all? Would Jon or Elias/Jonah (and any other avatars of the Eye) feel it too? Would they all just have irritated eyes that won't go away because The Eye doesn't have hands to rub at it's eye with??

Would Simon even WANT to irritate the Eye? If he did it'd probably be just for funsies, just to see what would happen. Idk maybe he was launching himself elsewhere and then someone aimed him to the Eye instead?

If we were able to hear the characters' inner monologues, Gertrude would likely always interrupt Elias' Evil Inner Monologue. As for Jon, maybe his and Elias' would overlap and annoy the fuck out of each of them?

Maybe avatars of the Eye break the fourth wall often.

Martin: Jon, PLEASE stop breaking the fourth wall! It's barely standing as is!

The Fourth Wall [covered in bandages]: :(

Everyone has probably lost count on how many times Peter and Elias have gotten divorced. Maybe sometimes they forget whether or not they're married at the moment

Elias: I want another divorce. >:(

Peter: We haven't even remarried since the last divorce!

Elias: And we won't be for a long while!

[They remarry that weekend.]

[They have another divorce a few days later.]

[codename-adler]

i neeeeeeeeed to know more abt your trojan ocs anytime you wanna share

heehee i got a special pookie for ya jo 🫶 (trojans ocs roster here)

06: Mateo Solano (22) USC Trojans Goalkeeper

here comes theeeeee... Bitch™

don't got a gif for him sorry

i also now realize i accidently gave him Seth's number... wow. but believe me, Mateo's sm worse. i love mi princesita Seth. i don't even like Mateo. (jk. but like, he sucks a whole lot before he gets his redemption arc. interpret that however you want.)

he's one of the seniors of the team, he's 5'9 and fucking bitter about it, he studies Spanish because he is a lazy mf who has no plan but to go Pro (fortunately he will)

106% fuckboi energy fr he's insufferable

at the start of the new season (when Jean joins) he is still crabby about Laila having rejected him when he asked her out after their loss to the Foxes (in my universe/wip, Lailalvarez are not together yet bc i want to explore their relationship from the beginnings :) )

Mateo isn't really interested in Laila anyway, though, and he doesn't know why 1) it still stings and 2) he even asked in the first place (perhaps because they are the golden goalie duo of USC, perhaps because she is better than him and has broken records, perhaps because of something else...)

he's also such a bitchy asshole to Jean, because Jean is a beast on the court and Mateo is jealous

he's single and a v because he is waiting for marriage and the right girl (siiiiiiiiike!) (still fuckboi aura tho he's that extra)

comes from a very religious household and he is a practicing believer

he doesn't really have any friends on the team (sad) because he is so prickly and bitchy, but everyone is still kind and open to him because he is very reliable on the court, in the goal, and he does not second-guess or question authority, he's very good at following orders and instructions, always aiming for the best

and though it's good for everyone that he stays in goal because of his problematic attitude that would get the Trojans carded if their opponents heard him talk, the power of bitch he possesses is also a great asset, as he easily makes any enemy player lose their temper with his saccharine remarks paired with a Colgate smile

now! the plot twist!

Mateo is what you would get if internalized homophobia + comphet had two legs and an attitude problem

he is as homophobic as Seth and Aaron were, and even more if I dare say, and though he's never outwardly a hater and never uses slurs (at least he holds back on that for Jesus), he's such a bitch about homosexuality... it makes him so angry and queasy, he'll be rude af to you, he'll leave the room fuming, not participate in conversations, that kind of thing. he tries very hard to forget about Jeremy, to overlook it, and he's not like Lucas, questioning Jeremy's decision because of his sexuality, but it's so much better when Jeremy is single... (ik how this sounds, but believe me when i say he does not have a repressed crush on Jeremy, or Jean. that's just his Exy inferiority complex.)

thing is, it becomes incredibly difficult for him to ignore all of that gayness when Laila and Alvarez get together (oh), when Levi suddenly drops Angie to get closer with their assistant coach, when Jeremy clearly has a huge thing for Jean, the Drivers come out with their own gay thang, when Coach Rhemann himself gets his shit together with his long-lost broody ex... Mateo is literally surrounded by homos.

and sure, the wlw stuff never really bothered him, didn't get the appeal (and why do you think Mateo!!!), but with almost all of his authority figures dabbling in the gay, Mateo is kind of a caged animal, and he's bound to lose control and do some very stupid things, like start fights, get benched, punch a wall or 2...

oh, and there's Yanko too.

infuriating ginger man that won't leave him the fuck alone. mountain man of steal who is somehow always right, and chill. the designated Mateo-handler, apparently, because Jeremy had to delegate that hot potato to someone with less... undesirable traits to Mateo (i'm not sure yet how the rest of the team handles his outbursts bc he's not open about why he has them, not very vocal, but there's definitely a specific thing wrong at play here whenever they happen, and maybe Jeremy has an inkling, idk, tbd)

so it really comes out of NOWHERE. nobody, NOBODY has a fucking clue. least of all Mateo. then suddenly Yanko has had enough and pushes Mateo into a wall, and kisses him, very publicly, and Mateo kisses back.

there's a whole lot that goes on behind the scenes before that first fiery PDA, and after that it all goes downhill for a while before balance is found again. anyhoo. enemies-to-lovers ftw ✊

Mateo's family is very loving and supporting of him btw <3

and that's all for now for the resident pendejo of the Trojans, Mateo Solano 👿

[alnst-hyunaluka]

I have to admit I'm a little weirded out to see people put Luka's cruelty in the same level as the aliens, even saying things like he's just as guilty as the aliens are.

And I just have to remind myself that lots of people are very emotional right now after Till's loss, and I understand that, I also understand that right now it's easier to direct all the vitriol to him because he's the one we're seeing being awful, instead of the aliens, who despite everything, are at best, a looming backgroung figure so far.

Now, I also understand that he's a little bastard, we have word of Vivinos that he didn’t even need to provoke Mizi because he would have won anyway, he did it for the power trip, he provokes his opponent to have a sense of power over them because that's the only place where he can have any sort of power, he is the "prince" after all.

And I think people forget too easily that Luka is also a human pet, that he is at his handler mercy and that since he's a full lab baby, he's is absolutely replaceable, sure he is a past winner of the Alien Stage, and maybe than afforded him better care and circunstances that the others, but at the end of the day, who is the one holding the leash? It not Luka, that much is certain.

I do believe this is part of the reason why they made him cover the "sweet dream" song.

And, wether Luka did what he did or not, someone was going to die, Luka is not an actual prince or leader of the aliens, he's just their current favorite toy, he doesn't have any actual power to change the outcome of the rounds, hell, him aiming to become a twice-winner is not his ambition is Heperu's, I really doubt Luka has any say in whatever that guy decides over his life.

In fact, when you think about it, in a super twisted backwards way, during round 5, Luka indirectly made enough time for Hyuna to storm the stage and save Mizi, we don’t have round 4 song because Vivinos said that it ended too quickly, probably because all of the craze of Luka's fans, Mizi would have faced the same fate if Luka didn’t decide he wanted to have his power trip.

Does this justify him? Nope, obviously not, in fact as many have pointed out, it's likely he'll die or watch Hyuna die in the next installment, maybe finally facing some karma, who knows?

I believe that so far, him being portrayed as the bad guy is very much on purpose, that once the story focuses on the humans and rebellion, we will finally get to see the awfulness of the aliens.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Forget-Me-Not 5

Warnings: non/dubcon, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Characters: Loki

Summary: You return to your childhood home to put the past to rest.

Part of the Backwoods AU

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

You walk out of the bank, tempted to have your lunch at The Horn. You're certain they'd serve it up nice and foamy in a pint. Never the matter, you were never a drinker. Sins of the mother and all that.

You get into the front seat and sit for a minute, contemplating what to do. If you leave the land as it is, burn that shitheap down, drive off into the sunset, well, who will care about what some dead crone owed the bank? That's not how it works. You might think little of shared blood but a name is a name to the powers that be.

You shove your key in the ignition and turn. Your engine cranks and sputters but doesn't roll over. You frown. You just had it serviced before you drove out here. Oils filled, everything was tiptop, so the mechanic said. No lights, no dinging. You try again, twisting harder, but it doesn't catch. You let go as the car quiets.

A slap on the roof makes you jump and you look out the window at the figure right outside. Thor Odinson bends, grinning at you through the glass as he gives a wink. You don't believe in coincidences, especially not in Hammer Ford. You ignore him and give it another go; third time is the charm.

Nothing. Just a puff of exhaust and rattle. Fuck!

"Ah, don't worry, sweetheart," Thor raises his voice so you can hear him through the glass, "I'll take you 'round Vol's--"

"Fuck off," you hit the switch, ensuring the locks are down.

He laughs, "you know, I don't think I ever heard you speak before."

You shake your head and scowl, peering around. Several people watch but quickly put their heads down and continue on their way. Just like it always was. Fucking cowards.

"I see why he likes you--"

"Piss off!" You flip two fingers up in his direction, "now!"

"What? I'm tryna help you out. Sounds like your transmission," he taunts, "or maybe... you got some gravel in the gas tank. Shit, you know, that'll ruin your lines--"

"God! Would you just leave me alone?" You roar as you hit the steering wheel, "you and your fucking family."

"My mother gave me this cheque..." he reaches in his pocket and unfolds a slip, "has your name on it... and would you look at that? She left the amount blank."

You ignore him and grit your teeth. They think you're that girl who could be sold for a sixer and a couple bills. They don't know anything. They don't know you.

You reach over to the glove box and pop it open. You reach inside and take out the bottle of glass cleaner you keep there. You flip the lock up and he steps back, a victorious hum as you open the door just a hair. You aim the nozzle up and spritz him in the eyes.

"Is that clear enough for you!?" You snap the door shut again and thump the lock down with your fist.

He cries out and wipes his eyes furiously. You sneer as you watch him growl and his. He pulls his shirt up to mop at his face and finally stands, blinking furiously. He sends his fist into the glass, shattering it as you yipe. You shield yourself, reading for the next one, but he merely stumbles away.

"You've done it now," he snarls, "just you fucking wait."

"I will be," you holler, "just you come around and see."

He staggers away, groaning as he continues to fuss with his eyes. You watch him in the rearview before you lean back and stare at the lifeless meters in the dashboard. Rest in peace, mom, you left me a whole lot of shit, didn't you?

🏚

You grab the tire iron and leave your car behind. You have no other choice but to make the long trek back to your mother's shack. You get a few looks from passerbys on the main strip, their eyes lingering on the heavy tool in your hand. You're not stupid or weak like them. You're ready to fight back.

You keep your eyes set ahead of you as you crest the first hill. You always hated how this village only ever seemed to be up. You weave around the country roads and turn off into the trees as the sun dips below the treelines. You're tired and sore but not done. You still have a ways to go.

As you come through the canopy that opens to your mother's house, you feel the coolness in the air tingling in your fingers. The chill in your spine is from more than the late cast of a spring afternoon. You grip the iron tight as you stare up at the open door.

You swing around at the kick of a pebble. The iron meets only air as you twirl all the way around. No one's there. You back up, searching the trees. No, someone is there.

A snicker rolls up through the forest. It's him. He's watching you. You won't back down, not this time. You squint into the shadows. Where is that snake?

"Oh my, are we scared?" Loki's hiss crawls up your spine.

You spin again to find another void.

"Don't you remember our game..." he taunts. "Perhaps this time, you might win..."

"Go away!"

"Ten..." He calls out, "nine..."

Your heart races as your eyes tinge. You remember that girl, lost in the trees, listening to him count down, to his pursuit rustling through the leaves behind her. You feel the crash of the ground against your chest and the river water flooding into your mouth. You can't breath as you're trapped beneath another, rutting and ramming, snarling as he snickers in your ear.

"three..." you come back to the present, "two..." you whip around, "one!" You spin the iron and jab it backwards around your side.

He grunts and staggers back as you stumble forward away from his grasp. Loki falters as he grasps his stomach, a clot of red blooming on the inside.

"Shit..." he spreads the fabric, showing the gash. Not deep enough. You hold the iron tighter and raise it again. He chuckles and shakes his head as he looks up at you, "oh darling, you should know by now..." he smirks, "I don't play fair."

Suddenly, you're taken off your feet from behind, a thick arm around your neck and another around your middle. You thrash with tire iron only to be thrown away from the body behind you, hitting a tree so hard you're left breathless. You drop the iron as Loki moves to sweep your feet from under you and Thor brings his foot down onto your chest. You cough as you stare up at the brothers.

Everything stays the same in Hammer Ford.

[that-one-kiddo-in-the-back]

The Forgotten Gays of Western Animation... apparently.

Tw Lily says the F-slur despite her having a problem with Q-slur and talks about incest... again.

Now I'm not from Canada, nor was I old enough to have seen these shows that she's talking about, meaning I have no choice but to assume she's telling the truth about these shows.

To get this out of the way. Lily, throughout the whole video, was also making jabs at people who like lore based shows how they're the ones who are ruining shows because she thinks people on Twitter have any power over what a creator does on the show I mean if that was the case then JK Rowling would actually shut up about her transphobic thoughts. To put it simply, people on Twitter with their egos don't have much or any power over a show their not a part of, not even the people who are in charge of drawing the frames. now a creator can see multiple people asking about the lore of the world they worked so hard on. Lore might not be important to Lily, but anyone who's worked on making a completely new world wants to talk about and show the lore of the world. To get a bit personal, one of my siblings is writing a book, and there are days they will talk about the lore for hours because they're proud of it.

Now. Lily is very much wrong about moving the goal post for LGBTQ rep. Moving the goal post for LGBTQ characters means we are highering our expectations for what's good rep and what's not. To keep that post in the same place would be doing more damage than good.

Personally, I think (if we have to) the goal post should stick where the owl house is as that's one of the few shows that doesn't really have straight ships, hunter x willow and amity's parents are the only straight cannon relationships (and that's straight in quotes BTW) and I only think that because I haven't seen any of the nickelodeon shows with LGBTQ rep.

Something lily really needs to understand is that CEOs and the men in suits have a huge say in what goes into shows, so most shows aimed at children that want LGBTQ rep have to fight to have it Steven universe and the owl house all had to fight to get the rep they wanted. The reason you didn't see much of ruby and sapphire is because they are always fused together in perfect harmony. Every permafustion in SU were in a healthy relationship and only unfused was when they need to play the part their made for or fighting she also needs to remember that SU had the FIRST same-sex wedding in a kid show. The owl house was already set to be canceled, so who cares if they have a main gay couple it's not like they were gonna see them for long anyway. To me, it seems that if the character isn't kissing, holding hands, or cuddling, then that's not good enough that the LGBTQ rep has to be the most perfect relationship and never show what a real relationship can be like i.e. sometimes unhealthy, one-sided, and unrequited.

Lily then goes through a really long rant about how we shouldn’t hold She-ra to such a high platform because of the incest and how abusive the relationship was... completely forgetting that catra was the scapegoat while adora was the golden child. Both were in an abusive relationship with their perennial figures, with catra getting the brunt of it. Catra and adora are friends to enemies to lovers. Just because you wrote your incest story (scars, pokemadhouse) as some sort of coffee shop, AU, you think that you have any footing about complaining about catradora? Lily can't talk smack about adora and catra being technical sister when all of her fanfiction and even the books she reads aren't technical incest. It is incest. For all the mud slinging Lily does to She-ra, TLOK, and SU, you'd think the creators killed her family.

Also, I haven't heard of anyone saying that those slice of life relaxing shows that have the same rep as "not counting." In fact, people who like those types of shows have praised and really liked it, there's no one saying that shows with rep aren't valid just because there slow pace I've seen that's not valid because it's not good enough rep as in the LGBTQ character dies, doesn't get into a relationship, never get screen time, or how in Steven universe pearls love with rose is one sided and therefore pearl is an incel and "doesn’t count" funny enough all the complaints about rep not being good enough is from Lily herself. Steven universe doesn't count because you don't see enough, TLOK doesn't count because korra and asami didn't kiss as they walked into the spirit world, she-ra doesn't count because catradora is "fetishist towards abuse" and the list goes on.

Despite how much Lily praises Brace face for having a good gay character that wasn't the butt of the joke, he's still a stereotype, 6teen had one episode with a gay character and is never seen again, Lloyd in space had one Non binary character that in the end chose their gender and the main characters forcing gender norms on them. All of those in Lily's own words and past videos those shows aren't good enough.

No one has forgotten about the Canadian shows with LGBTQ characters their just not talked about, which is a shame. If I had seen these shows when I was struggling with my identity, it might have helped me deal with it better. As time goes on and millennials who grew up with the shows that said "its okay to be different and that just because you have no one now doesn't mean you will be alone forever." Begin to make their art. What was good then just isn't good now. Sure, those shows were ahead of their time, but now we are getting shows with better rep that don't need to use slurs or stereotypes.

[rose-morose]

guys I am loving the new season 2 Ambessa (season 2 Arcane spoilers obviously)

season 1 she's just a passive observer who is just kinda hangin' around causing drama, and then Jinx literally blows a hole in the aristocracy and Ambessa is like, "my time has come"

Jinx finally gave Ambessa what she needed to put her plan into action, and she waited for it very patiently and boy did it pan out, she popped off

and as a side note, I wonder if Mel was aware that she possessed her alleged secret magic power armour, maybe she wasn't lying to Jayce when she said some things make no sense, although it kind of sounded like she was lying, but like what if Ambessa gave Mel that armour without her knowing, while also knowing what would happen to the council, and then just waited to spring into action knowing her daughter would be safe? sorry that kind of ruined the flow of this but whatever

anyways, back to Ambessa, in my opinion she is the first character I think that has had any interesting political intrigue, like in 3 episode she has made alliances, betrayed allies, masterminded terrorist plots, started wars, and installed a semi-puppet dictator to just replace the actual government

meanwhile season 1 Jayce and Mel were just fucking around with some high school drama bullshit and the basics of morality around corruption, I'm sorry but I just found them both so boring in season 1

but Ambessa could not have made a better choice for a dictator, she just found a rich girl with a powerful name that was angry and grieving and just completely inconsolable who took charge of the council even though she had no real authority or reason for being there and was like, "here's an army, good luck have fun"

whatever Ambessa's true aims, there is no doubt Caitlyn is going to help her get there, and people are ragging on Caitlyn for being a fascist which I guess is more or less fair depending on the specific criticism, but don't forget who put her there

Ambessa threw a coup against the government of a sovereign city state in the span of like 5 seconds with minimal bloodshed and installed a ruthless and inexperienced dictator in its place all to accomplish her own personal goals

she doesn't care about the city, it's people, or it's wellbeing, she is here for her family and no other reason and I love her for it, I feel like she's portrayed as somewhat of a villain and will probably lose regardless, but I actually really want her to win so bad

[majycka]

Gojo Satoru, a sad case of “pookie peaked in high school” and what it tells us about the dangers of nostalgia

(chap 236 and 261 major manga spoilers ahead please be warned!!)

What exactly do I mean by “pookie peaked in high school”? In general definition, it’s someone who often recalls their glory days and achievements back in high school. Well, Gojo Satoru isn’t exactly the type to brag about his achievements in high school because he just generally brags about being  “the strongest” all the time. Instead, I’ll be focusing more on the “recalling glory days” or the nostalgia aspect of this phrase because this is so apparent to how the few times we got to hear Gojo’s thoughts from the past chaps, and it is always longing Geto presence and Geto represents a lot of the youthful days Gojo had. Heck, even in his death, Gojo reverts back to his highschool self, preferring he’d stay in there because that goes to show he’s very much stuck up to his past and heavily longs for it.

Geto is one of Gojo’s biggest symbols of his youth because in that era of high school with him, Gojo gets to be much of a kid when ever since day one of his birth he was built up this perfected weapon of jujutsu. Gojo has someone even in his messed up thinking that only “strong people” will be able to understand him and luckily, he had a “strong person” he could connect with to “understand” the burdens of shouldering such responsibility. Gojo obviously feels nostalgic for his youth because it was that time in his life where he kinda remotely let it someone (aka a friend).  I mean, sure, nostalgia is fine and dandy because Gojo was able to be a teacher with the aim for a better generation. However, there’s a crucial amount of nostalgia that makes someone at least in the healthy realm of thinking and use it to move forward with life. As for Gojo’s case, he is trapped by it.

He’s so stuck by it that it bleeds into his present goals as teacher and that’s his whole schtick with “raising a “stronger” generation that's gonna change the system.” It’s not entirely bad right? He seems like he’s using his past experience to try to change the future. He’s moving forward? He’s seen how badly the system messed up his best friend, so now he doesn't have any of that happening to the kids? But then his intentions are further put into test when he becomes Megumi’s mentor.

We can’t deny that Gojo is a pretty inattentive teacher except for the times he actually wants to be an attentive one (aka with Yuuji’s case). Megumi literally asked Gojo’s time if he wants to spar but it’s kinda understandable because Gojo the Strongest has a tight schedule being always on demand with his job. 

He chooses kids with potential already and kinda leaves them on their own to figure out stuff. If we put him with a student like normal girl Miwa, there’s no doubt he’d say no to teaching her. Now, we’ll be focusing more on Megumi because this guy gets more time under Gojo’s mentorship. This sparring says a lot about their dynamic. To recap, Megumi asks Gojo how he can improve → baseball scene flashback → Gojo points out that he isn't selfish enough and it’s ok to be selfish. However, there’s one thing Gojo forgets about why Megumi, who despite having the gifts, isn’t really pulling his own weight to fulfil potential.  

Gojo forgets Megumi’s not like him who delights in power. Megumi’s just some guy who got stuck working as a sorcerer cuz Gojo says that’s the only way he’ll be able to protect his sister. Gojo ain’t too wrong about the selfish part to be fair though, and he has a point. Megumi needs to think about himself too! Gojo kinda acknowledges the problem but doesn’t really dig into the root of it. It makes sense Megumi depends on his will to live with his sister especially when he grows up where the supposed “nurturing” adults in his life kinda just toss them aside and leaving Megumi to be unequipped with the perils of growing with just his sister around there for any semblance of being “nurtured.” Thus, overall, this trauma being unaddressed leaves Megumi walking around with repressed issues, and yes, that ridiculous meme of Megumi always pulling out Mahagora due to some inconvenience actually says alot about  his self sacrificial issues and suicidal tendencies.

This issue with Gojo also kinda reflects his falling out with Geto. Gojo sees how the system messed up Geto with what happened to someone innocent like Amanai. Gojo, post star vessel plasma, continues to be himself and getting stronger while of course, Geto spirals down. Gojo was able to pick up signs of Spiralling Geto. However, at the same time, Gojo fails to understand why Geto  spiralled so much because this guy is frustrated with the system he thinks is supposed to protect the weak(“non-sorcerers”) and yet those non sorcerers can also still kill someone innocent like Amanai. On top of that, fellow sorcerers also just keep on dying in the process to protect such people. Is there an ending to this madness? Again, Gojo acknowledges the cruelty of an innocent death due to spending time with Amanai, but he doesn’t dig deep into it especially how it affected Geto's psyche because Geto is someone who deeply feels/ connects with people the same way he was able to be friends with a big brat like high school Gojo. 

Wait, so how does this entire thing again connect to nostalgia? Gojo’s whole past with Geto is filled with nostalgia that in some sense he kinda doesn’t stop to think and reflect about the bad parts about it like how Geto spiralled and how their friendship is tested. That’s the whole thing about nostalgia, how it gives us an idealized and romanticized version of the past. That nostalgia is Gojo being filled with a sense of comradery with Geto, someone as strong as him, he rarely experienced in his “it’s lonely to be the top” life. In some sense, it looks like Gojo just tryna recapture that nostalgic feeling/romanticized past with his whole “I will raise people stronger than me so they can change the system.” As if he’s whole solution to that fallout with Geto is that if maybe Geto’s only “stronger” maybe he could have power through his trauma and that whole spiralling thing never gets to happen.

SOURCE (for the sake of more accurate translation)

It’s like if his kids are raised strong, stronger than him, then they will push through ANYTHING and kick out the old grumpy higher ups with no problem. The highlight here is strength alone. However, as we see in Megumi (and even Yuta), he isn’t that case, and it ended up him being in a vulnerable position. Megumi was able to get back to his sister after some killing spree but still ends up getting his body snatched away from him due to failure to communicate with his sister, stemming from his unaddressed issues. Yuuji can only think of himself as a cog of the system, another child soldier they can use. Yuta, also one of the students that Gojo is seen to also mentor, ends up being HEAVILY affected, but I will dedicate another meta post about him because he’s the star of jjk 261 afterall.

Gojo’s type of thinking probably come from being raised in a system where they refused to see these kids as individual humans with feelings and emotions but just weapons. Also, his whole trauma with the Toji fight made him build literally and figuratively walls towards people, and he pigeonholed himself deeper into that “The Strongest” position. Gojo then says a lot of “no one can take away their youth..” but then forgets that these kids are already put into the ringer because they are CHILD soldiers. It’s the same way he doesn’t understand about Geto, who despite being the strongest with him, can still lash out from his trauma. Like sure yes, Gojo probably meant despite living with this shitty system, he wants that there’s still a “speck” of youth in his kids. It’s like back when he was in high school again when being the strongest duo leaves them untouchable for a moment that they can throw around their weight and be still the kids they are, but then life has to happen and they have their falling out.  It goes to show how nostalgia lenses are pretty heavy on Gojo’s eyes that especially now where we are seeing Geto panels when we get to hear his thoughts. He never gets to move on, and it’s dangerous because it self-destructs him.

It comes to the point that his students were literally offering to help him, asking him to open up that Gojo just immediately shuts them down because again, he’s stuck with the thinking that only Geto alone can be the Strongest with him, the only one who can bare the burden of being the strongest with him. Isn’t Gojo’s whole point to raise a whole generation who can become pillars of support with him? Then why, why are you still thinking of “catching up” to Geto? 

All in all, It’s constantly one step forward and backward with Gojo’s case like yes okay you acknowledge the problem and you’re trying to learn from it, but his actions doesn’t echo in actively changing it, and you know what? It makes him such a real and compelling character! He uses his past experience as a learning experience but his nostalgia surrounding it kinda bars him from fully learning from it. He himself fails to think that he’s also raised a child soldier, and there’s trauma comes with being wielded as The strongest ever since a child, thus emotionally stunting him. This mindset now gets unintentionally passed to his student who just ends up repeating the cycle.

[stromuprisahat]

I love your takes on the grishaverse so I was wondering what you thoughts was on the theory/headcanon that Alina didn’t really lose her powers but unknowingly locked them as she did before the books’ beginning? Maybe there was a period where she couldn’t summon light bcs she was too exhausted and stressed out by the whole ‘final battle’ thing – banishing thee Fold, Mal’s ‘death’, Darkling’s death – so she assumed she had lost it. And then it was easier to unknowingly continue like that bcs it allowed her to remove herself from ruling and making any decisions and just have her simple co-depended life with Mal as she always wanted.

Personally, I don’t think that’s what happened in canon (certainly not what Bardugo meant) but I find it feasible as fanon interpretation, considering how depressed and deluded Alina appears post-RAR.

I'm more leaning into the explanation, that she intentionally, yet subconsciously rid herself of them (and maybe revived Malyen, when we're at it, since the second life bullshit is just that- bullshit that doesn't make sense, since no other amplifier's running around the same way. But then again- I'm very skeptical, when it comes to Malyen actually being one- he has no properties others do.).

Alina recognizes that as long as she's Grisha, she won't be able to be only with Malyen, and she already admitted she's trying to mould herself into whatever he seems to want from her.

Merzost doesn't seem to be random- it's driven by intention. Ilya "upgraded" mythical animals to have certain properties, Aleksander fucked up first, but then managed to find a way to actively protect his people, when in situation his powers weren't enough. Alina lost what made her special, but since her goal wasn't finished yet, other Sun Summoners sprang into existence and fucked up destruction of the Fold, because it's merzost-made, therefore logic tells us ordinary Small Science shouldn't be enough to vanquish it.

It's true the previous time Alina worked with merzost, her powers "disappeared" for a while, but the "magic" also isn't working from nothing. No matter what we're told, there is a cost, some input. It's not "pure creation". We can see it, when Sasha makes nichevo'ya- he's using his own essence, his life force or whatever want you to call it, to draw them into existence, so Alina would need ~something~ to distribute her powers among others, and the amplifiers are just that- they amplify, wider one's range, not give a new ability.

Besides- there's the question of what grandpa Ilya wanted. If he aimed at Grisha being accepted, instead of othered, why would he take away from one the give to more. It might look pragmatic, but the range is too limited and even if he created such "tools" over and over- he'd only make a new caste of "once-Grisha", instead of levelling the playing field.

One of my fellow fans also pointed out that if merzost is magic, perhaps Alina used it to become an ordinary otkazat'sya. I don't believe so. She might've made herself to appear as one, but after all those books spent reading how is being Grisha integral part of their being, something that makes them themselves... looking at post R&R Chapter 17 Alina isn't looking at slightly more traumatized Alina that can't summon the Light because it's not a part of her. It's looking at a husk of the girl, just like the ends of previous books, when she was suffering due to missing her powers on physical level.

And her lack of skill, when using merzost previous time would support it. She locked away her powers and her hair went white the first time. She got rid of her Light, but her body "remembers" it's missing something.

edit: Also- thank you for (positive) feedback, I'm not being rude, I'm just an social idiot with totally not ADHD, so I get focused on "the point", and forget the social stuff like greeting and replying to nice words, which ARE very motivating for me, but HERE'S THE STUFF I'm thinking about and my brain's coming up with coherent answers- LOOK!

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

At first I thought the reason that I didn't like Bakugou was his deeply grating and aggressive attitude problem. The fact that he suicide bated someone in his introduction and we are all supposed to forget that didn't help.

But then I started and finished all of dragon ball z. Vegeta is so much worse that Bakugou objectively. Bakugou is just a middle school bully with delusions of grandeur. Vegeta is a planet destroying war criminal. Even in terms of attitude problems Vegeta has Bakugou beat. Vegeta's pride puts Bakugou's inferiority/superiority issues to shame.

And yet despite all of this I really really like Vegeta as a character. He was great every time he was on screen and I enjoyed his slow redemption arc.

Why is that?

I think the issue is in the goals of the respective series. Dragon ball is about being stronger and improving yourself. Bnha is about becoming heros.

It really grates at me that Bakugou's goal is going to be a hero. Which is essentially, and idol that has the power to arrest people. That's a lot of authority to give bully. It's especially grating that Bakugou never seems to realize just how far out of reach his goal is, not because of his lack of power, but because he sucks as a person. He has yet to become a decent person let alone be revered as a hero.

Vegeta meanwhile wants to get stronger and beat Goku. A clear objective that he is constantly working towards and always comes just short of achieving. I honestly can't help but root for that bastard.

There is also a stark difference between how they are treated by the other characters and narrative.

Vegeta is tolerated by most of the cast because they have far bigger problems and need all the fighters they can get. Also over half of the Z fighters have tried to kill Goku at one point or another and few of them have a strict sense of justice. So it doesn't feel weird that they are friends/allies. Vegeta simply put doesn't warp the characters around him.

Bakugou meanwhile is surrounded by heroes and hero students. And all on them are cool with him despite him nearly murdering Izuku in the battle trials. His shitty attitude doesn't prevent him from making friends when it realistically would. Bakugou warps the narrative around him.

Their redemption arcs are handled differently too.

Bakugou's main (and only) victim is the protagonist and that's the only thing that keeps him relevant to the plot. It's not crazy for me to expect an apology and a proper reflection on what he has done a lot sooner than chapter 322. Even after this he keeps being a jerk. The manga is going to be finished soon. This is taking far to long.

Vegeta's redemption takes far longer than Bakugou's. Yet it doesn't feel like it takes forever. Maybe this is because Vegeta actually contributes to the plot in other ways. Such as, his constant quest to get stronger, everything related to Freiza, and his relationships to his new family on earth. His sacrifice remains iconic too. I really really doubt Bakugou's will be.

Characters have a habit of saying that Bakugou has changed while he hasn't. Vegeta meanwhile says that he achieved super sainin because his heart is pure, pure evil! Which is a neat difference.

Vegeta is a better character for me because, he doesn't warp the characters around him, the narrative doesn't say he's changed until he actually changed, and he has interesting stuff going on outside his relationship with the protagonist.

So yeah. I guess all character archetypes can be enjoyable and it really does all depend on the writer.

All of this. There are characters who’ve done far worse than Katsuki. Vegeta and Zuko are perhaps the two most popular characters that come to mind. The difference is that their egos are constantly knocked down, they face actual trials, experience loss due to their actions, and ultimately denounce their old ways and aim to correct their wrongs. Katsuki’s ego is never knocked in any logical way, he never has his faults thrown at his face, never had to face conflict, and is treated as being some amazing person by the narrative.

[ceescedasticity]

Unforsaken, 12c

(All sections on tumblr)

(AO3, lagging behind but more polished)

After they stop for the night Glorfindel asks if Alphsîr and Alphlîn want to take the night off from training. They do not. They want to hit things.

Since none of them know how strong a blow from the swan-twins' power would be, Glorfindel isn't comfortable having them aim at anyone, and it's hard to strike so abstractly at nothing. He rigs up a target of a polearm stuck into the ground with a bucket on top; goal is to knock the bucket off the polearm.

(Inert objects with no real spirit of their own are not ideal targets for this kind of attack, but Glorfindel is guessing with their level of strength they should be able to manage it.)

There are a few false starts, but when Alphsîr manages to loose an actual strike the polearm gets ripped out of the ground and knocked flat in one blow, dirt flying. The polearm is also now slightly bent.

That's supposed to be a dragon-grade polearm.

Glorfindel sets up the same target again, but says they can't get another polearm for a target if this one gets too badly damaged.

(They still haven't seen any sign of dragons but wrecking all their dragon-grade polearms would surely summon some.)

(Celeborn does not, in fact, drink the rest of Legolas's Mirkwood moonshine. Celeborn stares blankly up at the stars missing Galadriel until Elladan and Elrohir bring the palantír over and make him talk to Arwen.)

*****

Turgon's reprieve is over the next day.

There is no reprieve for Celeborn, as he still insists on riding beside the wagon listening to all of it, even though Turgon tells him again he doesn't need to.

Did she talk about them?

"Not if she could avoid it I'm sure. She would have wanted to protect you."

But did she talk about them in the past, about back before she died?

"Not to me. We only ever discussed the kin we had in common, and very seldom the past. Mostly we avoided talking about our pasts at all. All orcs-who-know, not just me and L—Nimloth."

She didn't forget them, did she?

"No, no, everyone avoided— She alluded to you, sometimes — to what Celegorm's servants did to you."

What did she think about working with sons of Fëanor?

"She hated it but there weren't enough of us that we could afford to do anything about our grudges. —Except she did kick Reckless in the crotch hard enough to actually rupture something once, the first time they met when she remembered all the way."

Why do some orcs remember? How?

"There are a lot of different ways it happens. Any orc can get reminded, it's also — not falling apart, after you get reminded. I don't know why some people can handle it and some can't, and I don't know what things pushed Nimloth into remembering. It wasn't every lifetime. —That's not a bad thing. It's still awful, if you don't remember, but it's not — you don't fully understand how awful it is. Or feel as bad about how awful you are."

But if you remember can't you… be less awful?

"Well, when the Shadow was light we could just go to ground, but other orcs could do that too… You need to understand that when the Shadow is — was strong then an orc is an orc, and all of us did bad things. If we were lucky we could avoid doing bad things directly to people important to us, but all of us hurt innocents and served the Shadow's purpose. And if you were unlucky— If there was any doubt the Dark Lord could bend any of us to his will if he took the trouble, then after— There wasn't any doubt. We were weapons or we were dead. And it's hard to stay dead."

What's it like in the Crucible of Souls?

"…Hot. Close. Confusing. Bad. I'm not sure how to explain it better, just… it's very bad. It hurts. Everything always hurts, but the Crucible hurts worse."

Did she want us to come help her?

"Absolutely not, no. There's— Glorfindel recognized me once some centuries ago. He was a great warrior when I was alive and I could tell he'd gotten better, but I never once wanted him to come after me. He couldn't have done anything to help me, not truly. It would only have put both of us in danger. It might have put him in danger from me, if the Dark Lord noticed. He made an orc-who-knows torture his own son to death once, out of spite. None of us wanted our living family coming near us. She wanted you to stay away."

What happened to her, why isn't she alive now?

"I don't know what exactly happened to her, or to most of the other orcs-who-know. There were some very great battles, and landslides and other disasters — it's more surprising that we're alive than that they're dead."

…

Turgon sighs, and looks over at Celeborn for the first time in a while. "This is the thing I was hoping you wouldn't have to know. And I really don't know very much."

"Yes…?" Alphsîr prompts.

"She believed Saruman and went to Isengard. She's probably the same Leafblight that Zuste mentioned."

Celeborn goes gray.

Alphlîn asks, "What's Isengard?"

Oh, hell.

Alphlîn asks, "Are you all right, Uncle Celeborn?"

Celeborn's eyes are open, but he is starting to list sideways.

*****

Glorfindel and Elladan come take charge of Celeborn.

Elrohir herds the swan-twins up to Zena's wagon and asks her to give them a brief introduction to what was going on in Isengard. He figures they have a complete lack of relevant context that might make Zena's version appropriate.

After overhearing enough to understand what's happened, Legolas goes back and volunteers the rest of the Mirkwood moonshine. Glorfindel says to hold it in reserve but he's starting with miruvor.

[arkanis-englishupdates]

SUMMARY OF ALL ARKANIS POVS

DAY 76 — 18/11/2024

The day in Valigma begins happily, despite what has happened and what will happen.

Guhzera applies to be a police officer in the city.

Beatriz tells Moonkase about Nicklink being very sad about JVNQ stealing the sword that Araldo gave to him.

Choke tells Moonkase and Beatriz about what she discovered about herself.

Gris is suddenly attacked by Araldo's robot while she was with Quel. She manages to survive and hide. Shortly after that, Quel is teleported to a completely unknown location, but she is quickly teleported back.

Quel meets with Bagi to talk and discuss about everything was happening. The conversation soon turns to other topics as more people arrive to talk.

In the middle of the conversation, Bagi and Moonkase make their romantic relationship official.

Suddenly, Bagi is taken away by FEAR. The two talk for a while (About Matt being fine but something was happening to him and about what would happen in Bagi's destiny, with FEAR responding that only chaos and destruction awaited her, but when the time came, he himself would watch it all burn) before Bagi is teleported back to City Hall.

As soon as she returns to the city, Bagi meets with Moonkase to talk about what happened, when an unexpected vision appears to everyone:

In the vision, Maethe is kidnapped by Araldo. Everyone is desperate and worried about the friendly alien.

As soon as this happens, Araldo explodes around his factory in the city and robots begin to appear.

Bia Raux appears to talk to Choke and Quel after what happened. She doesn't say much of anything important and seems to purposefully deflect questions about Jota's whereabouts and/or what to do to save Maethe (Bia tells Quel and Choke about Araldo being much stronger and there are many chances of Maethe being diluted by him. She also says she has problems with Arkanya and won't be able to help, saying Araldo has probably already gotten what he wanted from Maethe). She returns to her normal state and Nicklink appears, Bia even changes her tone of voice to talk to him.

Meanwhile, Beatriz, Bagi, Moonkase and Guhzera meet at Bira's Bar to discuss what was going on. Guhzera again talks about being contacted by Leonardo, who said that Milo and Tucupi were fine. Moonkase makes him swear on Choke's name that just this happened and Guhzera promises.

Suddenly, while talking to Bagi, JVNQ gets a book with coordinates:

"Don't forget the periodic table. The studies are well kept.

X 8249

Y 84

Z 3572"

They go to the location and there the group go to a room that has a periodic table (As said in the book). They find a hidden elevator and use it to reach a room with strange writing and symbols on the walls. Strange sounds and masks similar to Jota's decorated the place.

There they also find a book and a large poster about masks and what they are used for.

Book found in the enigma:

"Advanced Protection System Activated

Removing any artifact from this room will cause the immediate permanent death of any individual.

Resource Code

030924"

Unfortunately the information on the poster is huge and we were unable to get the image. Luckily I managed to get a summary of it which I will pass on to you all:

The mask worn by the citizens and Jota is basically made with the aim of protecting them from the drainage the Éssys ore causes in their souls.

Araldo's mask is more technologically advanced and in addition to protection, the mask gives him powers. The item also completely blocks the drainage of essys and amplifies the wearer's physical, cognitive and conceptual abilities.

He also gains the ability to decode Lankyas, whether they are derived from Arkanya or the Éssys ore.

Bia's mask is the same as Araldo's but has no physical value attached. It is also entirely made of wood.

As they talked, lava began to fall across the room, followed by loud sirens. The group then leaves the place and decides to meet at City Hall. They argue about having to rip off Araldo's mask if they want to defeat him.

While they were talking, Moonkase became even more suspicious of Guhzera because he changed a point in his story about the meeting with Leonardo.

Suddenly, while everyone was exploring or talking, the city suffers from a massive tremor. Everyone gathers at Choke's house to talk about it.

Meanwhile, Samir appears to JVNQ in the Entertainment District. JVNQ sends a message to everyone about it and the group goes to the location.

As soon as the group arrives, Samir says that they (all the specialists) should be united but instead, all he sees is distrust and enmity, something that feeds everything negative around the group. He basically says they should trust themselves more.

Hours later, while JVNQ, Moonkase and Denix were talking, they all see some kind of strange clone of JVNQ wearing the same mask as Araldo, disappearing and reappearing. A while later, JVNQ is teleported by Araldo, who has a totally different look while holding a large and powerful sword. The place they were in seemed to be a completely black-and-blue dome.

Araldo threatens/intimidates JVNQ before laughing and attacking him, causing him to instantly faint (being kicked off from the server).

After that, JVNQ's clone starts attacking several specialists around the city.