#i think that maybe we need to think critically

[cybrasigilism]

Could you write a threesome with Nam-gyu and Thanos but Reader and Nam-gyu are topping Thanos?

Thanks!

-👽

You On Me, Me On You, You On Her (Thanos + Nam-gyu X F!Reader ONESHOT)

warning: smut | 🌽 no plot | not proofread | lowercase intended | ménage à trois | possibly OOC | f!reader | face-sitting | handjob | oral (f! receiving) | degradation | these are my interpretations of these characters, please be respectful even if my opinions of the characters differ from your own

characters: thanos (player 230), nam-gyu (player 124)

A/N: this is my first time writing for dom reader in a non headcanon format, wish me luck! also i 1000% got the title from Bounce by timbaland, of course 😈🙏

MDNI! 18+ content beneath the cut, reader’s discretion is advised

the air hung heavy with lust; sounds of sex and sweet ecstasy filling up the room as you, thanos and nam-gyu were partaking in your favourite activity.

poor thanos, he decided to get cocky and tease the two of you earlier; look where that landed him. moments ago, he was certain he had you both wrapped around his finger, and now he was truly at your mercy. with your pussy smothering his face, and nam-gyu fisting his dick, surely he would think twice before testing you guys again.

you had to admit, you could really get used to using thanos’s mouth like this. all that smooth talking he did clearly served him well; he was utterly phenomenal with his tongue. maybe the desperation came into play for the particular occasion, but you didn’t care. you preferred that, as a matter of fact. his rhythm was totally thrown, but you chalked that up to the fact that nam-gyu was for sure edging him at this point. his pained moans muffled by your sitting on his face, nam-gyu seemed to be enjoying this as much as you were.

“aww, ‘s it too much?” he taunted, lightly squeezing thanos’s cock, causing him to whimper into you. “can’t take it?” you weren’t surprised nam-gyu was being a jerk, but it was all in good fun. the sheer level of nam-gyu’s bullying made thanos dig his nails into your thighs, earning a slap from you.

“getting bold are we?” you breathed, rising from his face as he whined. “do i need you to show me why you deserve my pussy again, if you want to be a brat like that?” thanos was so overwhelmed with pleasure at this point; god, look at him he was practically crying. nam-gyu followed your lead, continuing on with the ceaseless teasing. “yeah, i think someone needs to be told how to act right— seeing as he wants to be a little bitch.”

“you’re right.” you agree, cocking your head as you look down at thanos, who even while half lidded still had a face riddled with desperation. “beg for it.” “p-pl-please… i wanna taste ya..s’ bad.” fuck, he could hardly speak he was so blissed out. you decided that you’ve been mean and, what the hell, he was fantastic at eating you.. so back on his face you sat. now that the routine was back in motion, you took no mercy in riding his face. but it was fine, both you and nam-gyu knew that thanos loved being your little bitch.

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gotta love some submissive thanos content! thank you so much for this request anon, it was fun to write dom!reader in a oneshot format! apologies if i made the reader too mean, i kind of just let loose with this one.

as per usual, if you have any advice/constructive criticism on how i can improve my writing it is greatly appreciated and requested! have a fantastic day/night lovelies 💋

tags: @gongyoosgf @kouzih @strangelife122 @kvstjwonnie @pink-apples001 @fiicalapsiholoaga @gabbystinks

[fear-is-truth]

Hi! I really enjoy reading you writing, thank you for taking the time to write so much🩵 I was wondering if you could write namgyu fiancé/wife headcannons(I got inspired to ask after reading your Patrick Bateman hc’s lol.) Anyways sorry if this was worded weird in any way it’s my first time sending a request😭 love you writing🩵!

I NEED A GANGSTA TO LOVE ME BETTER THAN ALL THE OTHERS DO . . . husband! + fiancé! NAMGYU

warnings — toxic behaviour but we still love him jackie’s note — thx for the req ! i did my best trying to keep him in character

makes sure to charm your parents, but it’s not over-the-top. he’s not the type to be overly polite or sickeningly sweet—that would seem fake. instead, he plays it smart. respectful, well-mannered, but with that natural confidence that makes people believe in him. calls your father abeonim (아버님) and your mother eomeonim (어머님), bowing properly when he greets them.

tl;dr — maybe because his actor (roh jae-won) wears glasses irl, i imagine nam-gyu wearing glasses to look “well-read” and “sophisticated”. also he’ll cover up his tattoos with long sleeves.

if your parents are traditional, he knows exactly how to navigate that. he’s sharp—he understands the nuances of korean etiquette and leans into them when necessary. he makes sure to pour drinks properly, holds his glass with both hands when your father pours for him, eats with careful manners. if your parents are strict, he presents himself as someone stable, capable, a good match. if they’re more laid-back, he relaxes slightly, adjusting his tone to match the atmosphere.

subtly reminds you that he’s on his best behavior for you. if you tease him about how polite he’s being, he just smiles, leaning in to murmur, what, you think i’d go through all this trouble if i didn’t love you? a little smirk, a slight squeeze of your thigh under the table. a reminder that you are the reason he’s being a good boy—because normally, he wouldn’t even bother.

if your mother fusses over him, he plays along. when she offers him more food, he doesn’t refuse, thanking her with a polite smile. if she comments on how skinny he is, how he should eat more, he chuckles, glancing at you. your daughter already takes good care of me, eomeonim.

if your father is hard to impress, he takes it as a challenge. he’s patient, methodical—never too eager. he doesn’t try to prove himself all at once. instead, he subtly weaves his way into your father’s good graces. agreeing at the right moments, asking the right questions, offering carefully-worded insights that make him seem thoughtful, intelligent. and if he finally earns even a hint of approval? he glances at you, his smirk barely concealed. told you i’d win him over.

carefully watches how your parents treat you. if they’re critical, make offhand comments about you, if they push certain expectations—he picks up on it fast. and later, he uses it. you always do what they want, don’t you? a soft, almost mocking chuckle, his fingers tracing lazy circles on your wrist. no wonder you’re always so easy to push around.

he’s prepared for any potential criticism. if your parents are skeptical of him, nam-gyu doesn’t get defensive. instead, he meets them with calm responses—turning doubts into opportunities to prove himself. i understand why you’d be concerned, abeonim. i’d feel the same if i were in your position. but i love your daughter. i wouldn’t be here otherwise.

if your family likes him too much, he gets really smug about it.

if your parents don’t approve of him, he doesn’t panic—he improvises/adapts/overcomes. he knows that pushing too hard will backfire, so he plays the long game. lets them see the good parts of him, lets them warm up to him over time. and in the meantime? he makes sure you’re still firmly in his grasp. it doesn’t matter what they think, he tells you. as long as you want me, that’s all that matters.

he’s the kind of fiancé who treats the engagement ring like a collar. it’s not just a symbol—it’s proof that you’re his. he likes seeing it on your finger, will get noticeably irritated if you take it off, even for something as innocent as washing dishes.

nam-gyu loves calling you his fiancée / wife. he says it all the time, almost tauntingly, because he knows it flusters you. where’s my wife? when he walks into a room. c’mere, dear fiancée when he wants something. it’s possessive in a way that makes it clear—you’re his. and when he really wants to make a point? my wife wouldn’t do that to me, right? an almost-smirk, a tilt of his head, watching you.

marrying him doesn’t make him any easier to deal with. if anything, it makes him worse, because now you’re his in a legal sense. you signed the papers, you made the vows—he sees it as something unbreakable and permanent. and the idea of you leaving? no. that’s not happening

has a hard time differentiating between love and control. nam-gyu doesn’t always realise when he’s being unreasonable, because to him, at least, getting engaged isn’t about keeping you under his thumb—it’s about making sure you don’t leave. you agreed to this. you’re his now. and that means something.

gets unreasonably affectionate when he knows you’re mad at him. you try to ignore him, but he keeps pressing into your space—an arm looping around your waist, his face buried in your neck, lips brushing your skin as he mumbles, you’re really gonna stay mad at your husband? it’s unfair how easily he wears you down.

thrives on the ‘newlywed’ effect. the first few months after your wedding, he plays into it hard. always using it as an excuse. i have to get home—i’m a married man now. or can you blame me? i just got married, of course i want to spend all my time with my wife. but even after the honeymoon phase passes, he still pulls that card when it suits him. especially when you try to push back against something he wants. so much for that ‘for better or worse’ vow, huh?

manipulates arguments into ‘tests of loyalty.’ you bring up a real issue? suddenly, it’s why are you turning against me? you’re upset with something he did? so much for ‘in sickness and in health.’ he doesn’t really believe in marriage vows, but he sure as hell knows how to use them.

finds ways to make sure you need him. maybe it’s handling the finances, maybe it’s subtly discouraging you from relying on anyone else. but little by little, he makes sure you don’t feel comfortable making decisions without him. why are you asking them? your husband’s right here. always with that slight edge to his voice, like it bothers him that you’d go to someone else first.

he likes things done his way but knows when to pick his battles. he lets you win the small ones—the paint colour of the walls, what takeout place you order from—but when it comes to bigger things, things that matter, he has a way of steering things back in his favour.

gets into the habit of taking things that belong to you. nothing major, just little things. a hair tie, a chapstick etc.

gets unreasonably possessive in public. his arm around your shoulders, his hand on your thigh, fingers laced with yours even when it’s inconvenient. he doesn’t like when people look at you too long, and if he catches someone staring, he won’t hesitate to make it known that you’re taken. a glare, a hand tightening around your waist. and later, when you’re alone? do you like it? when people look at you like that? a smirk, a tilt of his head, his fingers trailing up your spine. do you like making me jealous?

doesn’t really want kids, but if you do, he’ll act like he’s doing you a favour. if it’ll make you happy, fine. but he never fully steps into the role of a father. he sees them as extensions of you, not his. he’ll help when he feels like it, but the responsibility? that’s on your. and if they ever come before him? he makes sure you know it.

nam-gyu never lets you forget that you chose him. you said yes, remember? whenever you question things, whenever you feel trapped, he always reminds you—you agreed to this. you wanted this. and sometimes, when he’s kissing down your neck, when he’s got you needy and pliant under him, his voice drops to a soft murmur—no one else will love you like i do, baby. and the terrifying part is, you know he’s right.

[thelovesystem]

People criticize the brutality of violence in ASOIAF a lot (even though sexual violence and torture is rarely described gratuitously as it is in the show). But I think part of the purpose of it is to force empathy out of an audience desensitized to violence and oppression. The depravity of the violence is the point, it’s meant to shock us not to be edgy or provocative for the sake of it but because ASOIAF is a reflection of the world we haven’t left behind as much as we’d like to think. We still have gross socioeconomic inequality that causes mass, unnecessary suffering. We still have forms of slavery and torture within the prison system, which is applied as a near universal “solution” to all social problems and you can end up in easier than you think. Meanwhile, dangerous criminals with money are completely unaccountable, and there’s very little real justice (rehabilitative justice that holds people fully accountable but isn’t a thin excuse for dehumanization and cruelty) in-between. And maybe it needs to be laid out in extremes for us to see, “Hey, this paradigm of hierarchy, war, and punishment as the end all be all is really fucked up and exhausting actually”. Even looking at characters like Ramsay who commit these acts, yes, he’s a sadist but he’s not an anomaly, he’s desperately trying to fit in and cement his power in society that rewards cruelty and Might Makes Right. Ramsay is the paradigm run amuck and unmasked.

Thinking a lot lately about how theon's arc in asoiaf post winterfell takeover is unironically so fucking good because by having grisly torture happen to someone who is low key a terrible person grrm manages to avoid the trap of a lot of other stories about prison or prison adjacent situations which have an "innocent" person as the main character and therefore accidentally end up with their message being "that stuff was terrible because sometimes it happened to people who 'didn't deserve it' because they didn't do anything wrong by the standards of the institution in question" and gets at the actual meat of "torture is unilaterally bad and doesn't work." in this essay I will

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

While I'm on a kick of being really open about my sexuality, lets just start throwing shit out there and seeing how people interact with it

People who have followed me from the beginning will know that most of my partners get some quippy little nickname assigned to them in place of a name for the internet, and I want to name that this actually DOESN'T come from where might think (or rather it's still infosec, but it goes beyond "don't post the actual names of people you fuck online"

In the scene I have most cultural context for, people often came to group play sessions with an alias (I have one too lol, and it's the only name I ever introduce myself to partners as, mine has been static for going on a decade now). You would introduce yourselves to playmates under your alias, and often you would continue to use it as a marker of in-scene vs out-scene topics of conversation (e.g. sometimes people will talk about their aliases in third person as a whole entity with their own motivation, life, and power, my mom used to talk about "her friend [redacted 1]" if she ever needed to be able to reference a thing without naming explicitly that she and [redacted 1] were the same person, and there are friends of hers who still call her exclusively by that name in private because they have loved each other for going on 50 years now and [redacted 1] is still their partner and love even if mom isn't and vice versa).

So for example, on here, I will refer to any metamours by the plural-inclusive term The Metamour with very little discussion of which one or how many there are or whatever. But in person, I call one metamour [redacted 2] and another metamour [redacted 3] because they were introduced to me by their aliases first, and I genuinely DID NOT KNOW THEY'RE ACTUAL NAMES until after we had become real friends lol.

Anyway, Youtube Boy doesn't know that his nickname here is Youtube Boy, and that's not his alias in scene, nor his actual name, but critically these terms allow me to side step early uncertainties around terms like "boyfriend/girlfriend/datemate/etc" which may imply a degree of romantic entanglement I'm genuinely uncomfortable with. On occasion during this round of posting, I have gone "well it's CLEARER tho" and tried to type out "my boyfriend" about one of my current partners (partner does not carry this same issue for me, as I have always carried dual connotations of Romantic Oartner and Play Partner, so I feel no discomfort/cognitive dissonance with it's implications) and every time I do it I physically cringe away from the screen and delete it. Maybe he wouldn't feel the same way, and hell maybe I won't forever either! But I have almost never been willing to use a word like boyfriend without fairly explicit conversations about commitment, meaning to each other, and boundaries that just don't come up all the time in play partnerships for me you know?

Anyway, what I'm saying here is that sometimes the point of being a slut is to get to be every iteration of yourself that you love being independently from each other in a space that adequately facilitates that iteration of you. I like the people I play with to each get absolutely all of me that is available to them, and I **LIKE** that this often means I get to spend time as different important aspects of self, wholly and without self-doubt or minimization.

And hell, sometimes I even name the iteratioms and let them become something bigger than just a "version of me" and that can be fun too.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

Who do you think Epic met first between Color and Delta?

If it was Delta, do you think Color would get paranoid, jealous or upset about Delta having other friends (he doesn't really, just acquaintances)? Would he feel that at first Epic is a threat to his stability?

How would they (mostly Delta/Beta) handle this?

I usually tend to think that Epic met Delta first, and introduced him to Color later on (probably worried about causing Color to feel overwhelmed or trapped with too many people in one spot too early), but I was talking with @toffeebrews on Discord awhile back—when I was making this headcanon—and had the thought that, Color doesn’t know Epic, but Epic saw Color around in Sugar’s (Lust’s) bar a few times.

They never talked to eachother, and Color never saw or remembered Epic being there, but it was an awkward first meeting you can imagine.

As for if Color would be paranoid, jealous or upset, I think so, yeah. I’d imagine that the security he felt with Delta, that likely took awhile to build, would start to waver; and now suddenly everything Delta does and says, or doesn’t do or say, feels—to Color—like he’s going to leave, or that Color is starting to “fade” from existence again, being forgotten again.

Which might be particularly devastating, if Color thought that Delta would never do that to him. Couldn’t.

Considering how we all know Color feels his emotions intensely and—according to himself—can’t control them, is known for his intense anger, explosive emotional outbursts might be likely. However, this is Delta. Someone very, very important to him.

Color has also said he likes the Patience soul in particular because it makes him calm. Not tells him to be, not helps him to be, makes him calm.

We also see in some of the Othertale comics that Color is the type to “go for a walk” and “need space” when his emotions start becoming too much—so he’s at least self aware enough on that front.

In this case however, in his and the souls’ eye, maybe they think Color can’t handle being alone again, being left behind again. They all can’t handle it—they’d rather die. Again.

So I’d imagine that if Color’s emotions—especially his anger—ever start to become “too much” or “bad and wrong,” Patience will make Color unnaturally calm. Eerily so, and in sharp contrast to his behavior earlier. It doesn’t actually stop whatever emotions Color was feeling; it’s just something stopping the dam from breaking and flooding, either at that moment or at that place.

Because it doesn’t want Color to “make” Delta leave them with his emotions, and possibly, doesn’t want Color to hurt himself—hurt them all—as a result of his emotions.

I’d imagine there’d be a lot of internal criticism, guilt, shame and disgust about feeling “wrong” and “bad” emotions on Color’s end. Other souls could make this worse, such as Justice having its own black-and-white sense of justice, Patience disapproving of anger and impatience, and Kindness wanting people to not be “mean.”

Integrity likely could become critical and judgmental as well, if Color ever does or says anything that goes against their morals, values, and rules (assuming they have those in place at this point in time); but only if Color does that. I doubt Integrity is type to place ideas of “good” or “bad” on emotions, feelings, or thoughts—or at least, not to the extent that Color and Justice do.

I feel like Integrity is much more likely to advise Color into just being honest—both with himself, and with Delta. To encourage Color to ask for what he needs, or to ask for something to stop.

It could all lead to Color neglecting himself and his emotions, seeing himself as something evil and tainted for even having them at all, but it still doesn’t stop the growing fear, hurt, and anger—which Color is likely to try to deeply suppress or take out on himself internally, while outwardly either overcompensating or withdrawing and shutting himself off if that fails.

If whatever Delta is doing or saying, or fails to do or say that makes Color feel forgotten, belittled, abandoned, or rejected, continues to persist, it’s possible that’s when Color will have an intense, explosive outburst.

Especially if Color feels like Delta is doing it knowingly and purposefully—because then it shifts from blaming himself, to making it harder to do so and potentially starting to blame Delta or even Epic—only able to see the absolute worse in Delta and/or Epic.

Potentially a lesson for Color to learn to be more communicative about what’s going on inside his head and what he’s feeling.

Ebbebw I hope that made any sense my brains been all over the place lately I’ll probably try to talk more about delta & beta later (or delta and beta fans can add on themselves)

[rayastasy]

Plot holes in the Elriel endgame narrative that make me believe in Gwynriel

3 books are left (2 full length and 1 novella) - 2 main characters left to resolve (Elaine and Azriel) and 4 side characters who have been highlighted with the main characters (Gwyn, Emerie, Mor, Lucian) - If couples are Lucian/Elaine , Gwyn/Azriel for the main books and then Mor/Emerie in the novella, that perfectly wraps up all the characters.

If Elaine and Azriel are together end of the next book then whomst the hell is the last book about? Lucian and Vassa? Why would some side characters randomly get their own full length book… and where does that leave Gwyn?

There have been obvious micro flirtations written in with Gwyn and Azriel (“you’re the new ribbon Az”) (The whole thing with the necklace??) Why on EARTH would SJM do that if Gwyn was not intended to be associated with Azriel specifically. Why would she make you question the obvious set up of Elriel if it was intended to be Elriel all along. (Maybe for a love triangle trope?)

OKAY so you think that SJM is doing 2 love triangles on both sides in ONE relationship? You think that it’s Elain choosing between Azriel and Lucian and also Azriel is choosing between Elaine and Gwyn? Thats just not how that works at all and I don’t think I need to explain that one further.

The main argument I hear from Elriels is how it’s stupid to even think it would be Gwyn because SJM has made it so obvious that there is something with Azriel and Elain which is CORRECT. But you know who else was obviously end game at the end of a book in a series? Feyre and Tamlin, Aelin and Chaol. It’s SJMs signature move so I don’t understand that argument at all. If anything I would ask if she was really going to pull that move again??

Elaine’s flowers - Feyre (Moon and Stars), Nesta (flames), Elaine (Flowers) …. Can’t you see Elaine and Lucian ending up at the spring court together after Lucian and Tamlin resolve things which is obviously going to happen. Elaine is spring, not shadows and night. We all know that.

After all that’s been said about Mates…I do not see SJM disregarding Lucian and Elaine’s mating bond. An argument can be made that this will be the other side of it where she follows true love instead of the bond but I just don’t buy it. We haven’t seen love with Elriel…only lust. I think more likely it will be a different story in that it is hard for Elaine to accept the bond but eventually she will and that is what her book with involve. I think Elaine’s book is next and will include her even hooking up with Azriel but ultimately she will end up with Lucian and then we will have Azriels book next as he sorts through all of his unrequited lusts and ends up finding love over lust.

I am not trying to argue or hear you say this is stupid in the comments. If you think it’s stupid I better see a logical counter argument on each bullet point. I’ve been reading so many Elriel theories and acknowledging that some have my Gwynriel heart shaking in my boots. But ultimately this is why I can’t fully accept it and I just want to hear the thoughts of Elriels that are capable of seeing multiple thought processes and critically thinking about it, am curious if any of these things give you pause in Elriel confidence or if you, like me, think it could go either way.

Thanks for reading my thesis

[putschki1969]

Hello Sarah,

First of all, thank you for the insight on the matter. I know you are super busy and not in the perfect mood (trust me I'm not doing any better) considering what happened, so I leave it up to you if you want to post this or not as it may be abit too dark of a message.

I know these past couple of days have been disheartening and disappointing, especially when you feel powerless to do something right now other than support the girls.

Part of me was thinking, "Why we the fans don't do something about it?", like signing a petition with a respectful message towards Yuki to reconsider, and for the future FJ/YKL events (since this year has already been decided) to include Keiko (and Hikaru, Wakana if possible) again.

However, I'm also thinking that this may add fuel to the fire and maybe it's something that the girls and Keiko foremost would not want us to do, considering how subtle and professional she was in her statement.

I'm not gonna lie that with all this s...show, makes me worry about Keiko's wellbeing.

Seeing 20 years worth of work thrown out of the window from someone who you have utmost respect and getting the silent treatment from people you have long friendships it's a tough pill to swallow.

Considering what we have seen with other Japanese celebrities over the years, it's a thought that gives me shudders.

Now, we never know what is going on behind the scenes, and I pray that the connections are still there.

Apologies if my message got a bit dark there, but some tend to forget that we're dealing with human beings.

Hopefully, we will have some good news in the near future to turn things around. We really need a breather after all this. For every low, there's a high as they say! 🙏

Hi there!

Thank you for being so considerate. I am in fact having a very hard time right now. Questions are piling up in my inbox and every post inspires a new wave of replies. It's a uphill battle for sure. But don't worry, it's mostly my fault for feeling too overwhelmed and not knowing when to stop🙃. I want to try my best to clarify the situation as best as possible and to answer any open question. I also feel the need to explain myself if things didn't come across properly. Oh well, in short, I am happy to reply to your ask even if it's a tricky topic.

Hmm, yeah, I don't think petitions directed at creators or artists are ever a good idea. I'm actually strictly against them. Even if we hate the current developments, we have ultimately no choice but to respect those decisions or move on to another fandom that brings us more joy. Of course we can be critical and question all the things that are happening but we should always do it in a contained space, in our own little fandom corner, far away from any of the involved parties. With a delicate matter such as this, it would probably cause more harm than good to publicly express our dissatisfaction and make demands. Everything in this feud boils down to keeping your head low, avoiding confrontation, being quiet and not disclosing any valuable information.

And yes, as you say, based on Keiko's comment, she would definitely not want us to do anything drastic that would draw attention to us. and could potentially make Yuki look bad. She has taken this decision in stride so as her fans, we should probably be able to do so as well. It's gonna take a little while longer but that's basically what I'm working towards. Just have to get rid of some of my bitterness.

Keiko is strong, I think we don't have to worry about her. She has stayed true to her word in her last Yodel message and gone back to her regular routine as if nothing happened. Like always, she has been wishing us a good morning with a funny emoji, she has given us glimpses into her work day and made sure to emphasise how much fun she's been having (probably to give us some peace of mind). Yesterday, she apparently had a super fun photo shoot. Many of the photos will be useless because of her cracking up and laughing like crazy [She didn't specify but I think this might have been for a new calendar? I wouldn't know what other things she would do a photo shoot for. Maybe the Undokai festival will have a pamphlet or something? I don't know.] Today was filled with lots of meetings [Once again, no idea what for but I'm kinda hopeful it was Kalafina related since Hikaru's tweet about starting "another task" for the day - implying that she had been doing something else before - came around the same time as Keiko's message on Yodel, saying that she was done with interviews for the day] . She got home pretty late but apparently she had a blast and time went by super quickly. She treated herself to some chocolate and sent an adorable picture. I cannot possibly gatekeep this precious photo so here you go!

For my part, I am confident that none of their connections are severed. It's a rough patch for sure and what is being conveyed to he public seems very harsh. But there's so much more going on behind the scenes. I wish there wouldn't be so many missing puzzle pieces but that's just something we have to live with. Do you remember when everyone believed that the connection with Wakana was lost? None of that was true. And I never believed it to be true. I always had faith and I shall continue to have faith.

Yes, let's stay positive!! Hikaru herself just recently said that life balances itself out, good things will follow for sure.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

I don't get why people hate on different fire emblem games. I've had a lovely time with every game I've played, even fates, which people for some reason insist sucks? It's so good. Here's my favorite things about each game I've played just cause. I am very sick so no one can criticize me btw.

Binding: obviously goes for all gba games but the battle animations are so!!!!! Lovely and charming. Roy's just a silly guy, Lilina :], the cast is excellent, everyone from the most insignificant playable characters to the nastiest of villains like Narcian and Jahn is just so fun and nicely written.

Blazing: I LOVE THE ELIBEAN LORDS SO MUCH THEY HAVE MY ENTIRE HEART AND SOUL. I think fe7 has my favorite cast. Everyone is awesome like in fe6 but cranked up a notch. And I quite like how this game isn't about war!!! Lyn's just trying to save her grandpa and Eliwood is searching for his dad. There's some hints of civil war here and there but ultimately less war than usual which is quite fun and interesting.

Sacred stones: I adore how the game is like. almost horror. In my ideal fe8 remake they would lean into the horror aspect a more and maybe have a higher age rating. I really love how it starts out like any other fe game then you start to see monsters and then there's the necromancy and characters like Riev who worship this vile demonic thing. And the art director for this game was Wada Sachiko! She was such an excellent choice for the art director because her style leans into the darker feel than fe6 and 7. Also I'm a Christian so I do really enjoy L'Arachel's character where she's obviously inspired by Christianity but not in an offensive way. She's a nice god(s) (?) honoring teenage girl full of whimsy and optimism!!! Also I love Eirika. Did a cosplay of her once and gotta say, I felt drop dead gorgeous in it lol.

Path of radiance: I have yet to finish this one but oh MAN do I love the artstyle and combat and character design. Not a single bad character, they're all nicely written. Except Devdan but he's not real if we ignore him. I love how believable Ike and Mist are as siblings and I got say I actually find the bad voice acting to be charming, especially in that opening cutscene where Mist says something like "you're finally awake! 'bout time!" like she's so silly and cute I would die for her. I also really love how Ike is not royalty, he's just some guy!!! With autism!!! Like for a while my view of Ike was kinda skewed by looking at super smash bros content of him so then playing the game and discovering he's such a kind, reasonable and autistic dude was a very pleasant surprise. Seriously though this dude NEEDS to get assessed. Anyway I quite like the laguz too. Reyson, Tibarn and Caineghis are my favorites and I'm excited to see more of Kurthnaga because he's got such a pleasant design. Also just. Caineghis is probably one of my top favorite character designs ever, like top 20. It goes so unbelievably hard.

Awakening: THE TRAGEDY. THE TRAGEDY OF EMMERYN'S DEATH. UWAAAGHHHHH. I love LOVE how Emmeryn is written, how you can't save her despite Lucina being able to time travel, how you're given the options "save Emmeryn? Yes or no?" and it doesn't matter if you pick yes cause she dies anyway. The cast is not quite on the same tier as fe7 or 8 and there's certainly some characters I do not like but my favorites really are just so wonderful and lovely. I'd kill and die for Henry, Maribelle, Libra, Gregor and like 5 other people. The child unit mechanic is also very fun! It's such a clever idea for a time travel game and it gives you so much control over how your units end up. The self sacrifice ending also makes me feel sick. /pos "there's better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know. Here, give me your hand" and then Robin reaches out to Chrom and the symbol of Grima is gone and when he pulls them in closer, he says "it's finally over." just. Ahdhdjsjsjsj!!!!!!!

Fates: now, I've only played birthright but it was a very nice experience. I went in expecting nothing and had my socks blown off. Combat is fun, characters are so silly billy and it's got such a nicely done representation of a broken families. It's nice. The characters and supports are nice, even if I do feel like we could've had a few less support chains. And idc if I doesn't make sense story wise, bringing back child units was fun!! Again with the unit customization but also it's so fun to give your favorite character a teenage/preteen kid that they have to deal with. Azama and Mitama's supports are peak silly. I think people would enjoy birthright more if they took it a little less seriously. It's full of whimsy and people ignore that in favor of comparing it to more serious games which I think is kinda unfair.

Shadows of Valentia: oh MAN. I LOVE THE TWO ARMIES MECHANIC!!!! And bangin' cast! Absolutely adore almost every single one of those gay bitches!!! The artstyle is so gorgeous and I hated the combat at first but grew a soft spot for it, it's so strange and I like it!!! Also the game is less hefty so my computer had an easier time running it than POR, awakening and fates which is quite nice too. I love Berkut's character (I won't defend him, he's a son of a bitch) and MAN Ian Sinclair really went HAM on that voice acting!!! Also Zeke and Tatiana feel handcrafted for me specifically. Angsty married couple? Where one has amnesia?? And the other is worried he'll leave her if he remembers another woman he was dating??? And they're voiced by Patrick Seitz and Cristina Vee, two of my favorite voice actors ever??????? SIGN ME UP!!!! I'm excited to eventually play the Marth games and see what else is up with Zeke :] also adore Celica, Silque, Jesse and Boey! Very nice, solid characters.

Three houses: different routes! DIFFERENT ROUTES!!!! You get to see all sides of a war and it's so fun piecing together the history of Fodlan and nature of Rhea's character as you play each route. And again, excellent voice acting!! And it was fun being in the 3h fandom when it first came out and seeing all the silly things the VAs did together. I've got like 400 hours on this game and it holds a special place in my heart cause it was the very first game I finished without help from siblings and it was my first fe game. Also banging soundtrack, fun and unique combat (LOVE battalions) and amazing characters.

Enage: now I'm only 8 chapters in, I think? Haven't been able to play it recently. But it's so fun! Before getting it, I hated the bright artstyle and character designs but they've grown on me and I have been enlightened so I now know that f!Alear is a cutie patootie and I love her. I love the mechanic of adopting animals. Like I am quite happy recent fe games have, in some aspects, become more a little more lighthearted and silly. I love variation in game series' and when the devs aren't way too formulaic!!! That being said I also love the archetypes!!! I just really love fire emblem :]

I'm excited to finish engage and POR and play more of the games :]

Sorry about the long ass ask, I'm full of love and I want people to know it because I wish other people could learn to be a little more positive and focus on the aspects of fe games that they like instead of being hardcore haters. Okay now everyone say thank you Senri Kita (fe9 art director) and Wada Sachiko

.

[bloopitynoot]

Reading TGCF: Chapter Twenty-Six

For those who don't know, I am reading TGCF for the first time and sharing my thoughts!

If you have not read it, there will be spoilers! Consider this a warning.

Also- if you want to follow along, I am aiming to post updates daily. You can find all the posts in the tag Bloopitynoot reads TGCF. You can also check out the intro post for context on my read BUT if you followed along with my SVSSS read, the rules and vibe are the same.

Today is a day for comfort and soft things. I've declared it, so it is LOL. If you are reading this you are legally obligated to do something nice for yourself.

This latte is brought to you by my partner <3

Let's go chapter 26!!!!!

Okay, so Mu Qing DID reach out and pass on the message. (he did sort of a shit job, but he DID do it). The guys who were supposed to pay attention were just busy doing illicit temple things. p311

Not related to this story at all, but the significance of the ritual in this story really made me think about how different cultures approach auspicious ceremonies. The one that came to mind for me (my family is from Sicily, and some- married in- from Sardinia) is Mamuthones of Mamoiada a Sardinian practice. Definitely not as beautiful as the parade here, but the vibe is essentially the same; using ceremony to chase negativity in preparation for a good year. I just think it's so cool that different places in the world all have their own way of handling luck. p315

This guy (Xie Lian) is a mess. 1. only 3 passes so already starting rough. 2. the divine outfit is filthy. 3. bro lost his earing too. p319

The tension between Mu Qing and Feng Xin is far too much! If these two don't become lovers, I swear. p320

What a wild translation, "No, no. You promise me right now that this stops here. Otherwise, I'll break up my relationship with you, and you'll be cursed to never find a wife!" p326

:( Everyone bullying Mu Qing. No wonder this man is moody as hell. p230

Qi Rong; an absolute menace behind the wheel. Someone needs to get this man in a mafia au. p335

oof. MXTX just casually tossing this trauma out there. The fact that Xie Lian went from being a picky eater to literally eating trash just hits me in the heart. p337

I feel like half the characters in this series need mental health support. Poor Qi Rong honestly, this kid was struggling from day 1. p339

My heart! If this is the same bandaged boy in the present, this kid has been through too much! p345

Hong's little "ugly" broke my soul. p349

This is so wild to me that they want to punish Feng Xin for doing his literal job. p353

adds "daddy issues" to Xie Lian's chart. p355

Jeeze. Qi Rong's parents story to. No wonder this kid is unwell. p358

oooo! Hong LYING about his home. Mu Qing dropping the truth and calling this kid out. Why the last sentence of the chapter though!

Once again we are left at a critical point.

I need to know this little man's story. Why is he so small, how is it that he basically cannot die, what are they plotting????

Can yall believe there is 1 more chapter (I think 1 maybe 2) left of book two!?!?!?

[erinknow]

His Wraith

Rating: mature?? but not really, there’s just some kissing— warnings: mentions of blood and injuries, brief mention of murder, prostitution and human trafficking; gangs, criminals etc. apologies if I forgot something!!

Pairing: Kim Seungmin x fem!reader

Word count: 2k approximately

Synopsis: “It’s dangerous to meet a woman who fully understands you. It usually ends with marriage” — Oscar Wilde

Note from author: this is my first ever fanfic on here, not proof read + English is not even my second language, but I hope you like it and please leave any comments or point out anything you think needs correction or could have been done better(I accept criticism in a respectful form)!!!

The clouds loomed heavily over Seoul like harbingers of misfortune. The streets lay empty, illuminated only by the dim glow of streetlights and the occasional hum of passing cars.

Seungmin’s trainers splashed lightly in a puddle left behind by the evening rain, sending ripples across its surface and distorting the reflection of a neon sign that read “ODDINARY”. The soft chime of a bell announced his entrance, and Seungmin shivered, rolling his shoulders as if to shrug off the damp chill of the brooding weather outside.

“We’re closed—oh, it’s you,” muttered Chan, barely glancing up as his narrowed eyes remained fixed on his laptop screen.

Seungmin scoffed, pulling out a stool on the opposite side of the bar and placing a stack of papers in front of Chan.

“Done already?” Chan raised an eyebrow, scanning the contents with mild interest.

Seungmin merely nodded, tugging at the cuff of his leather jacket as his gaze swept the room, lingering momentarily on an unfinished cup of coffee.

“He cracked pretty quickly when I brought up his new sweetheart,” Seungmin said, his face twisting in disgust. Chan let out a satisfied chuckle.

“Good work. He will not be causing any trouble now that we have got that ace up our sleeve—and he has signed the deal.”

Having completed his task, Seungmin quickly lost interest in the conversation. Chan was the leader of their gang, while Seungmin acted as his right-hand man, handling negotiations and finances. The “ODDINARY” club was a front, masquerading as a modest café while running as a covert organisation. Those who knew where to look and whom to ask would find themselves descending a staircase into an entirely different world—one where any demand could be fulfilled, except for murder, prostitution, and human trafficking.

At the helm of this rising powerhouse in Seoul’s underground scene, alongside Chan and Seungmin, were six other members. They were rarely seen by outsiders, but their reputations preceded them, spreading like wildfire.

“Where’s Han?” Seungmin asked, his face a bit too indifferent.

“Worried?”

“Not at all.”

Chan laughed.

“She’ll be fine.”

“I wasn’t asking about her,” Seungmin retorted, his expression tightening. But they both knew the truth.

You and Han had been sent on a mission. Han was usually tasked with blackmail and resolving disputes, often ending in a fight he preferred to avoid. You, on the other hand, were the gang’s secret thief, the best spy they had. Dubbed “the Wraith” in underground circles, you were a master of slipping in and out unnoticed, leaving no trace except the secrets you had stolen.

Seungmin was often accompanied by you on assignments, growing accustomed to your silent presence in the shadows. Over time, he had become so used to you being by his side that your absence left him uneasy—though he’d never admit it aloud.

You rarely found yourself in trouble, but the fact that you were out with Han today unsettled him. Perhaps it was a colleague’s concern, or maybe it was Han’s knack for diving headfirst into chaos. Or, perhaps, a hint of jealousy he would not dare acknowledge.

The thought flitted through his mind, and Seungmin shook it off with a scowl as he raised from the stool.

“I’m off. You’ve got the report,” he said, heading towards the door.

“Say hi to the Wraith for me!” Chan called after him, his laughter following Seungmin out of the café.

Seungmin’s jaw tightened. Chan’s perceptiveness was both his greatest asset and his most infuriating trait. It was unsettling how easily Chan could read him, especially when it came to matters Seungmin wasn’t ready to confront, even within himself.

The autumn wind bit through his jacket as Seungmin climbed the stairs and strode down the hallway, glancing out at the city below. The club gave its members places to live, and although he could have afforded a luxurious flat elsewhere, he preferred the cosy apartment he kept on the top floor of the building. By chance—or not—your flat was only a few doors away. Barely anyone else lived on the top floor — it was only him, you, Felix and Jeongin, who were considered the hackers of their organisation and only showed when they wanted to be found, or during the monthly meetings to discuss things. You were absent most of the time as well, sent by Chan on the missions, and as a spy, honestly speaking, it could take days or even weeks to get information he needed. Seungmin himself went home only to gather his thoughts or to simply sleep, in other times preferring to deal with work until exhaustion caught up to him.

He found his hand instinctively reaching for his keys, but his gaze drifted to your door. He swallowed, the keys jangling between his fingers as he debated with himself. Finally, with a sigh, he gave in and stepped closer. His fingers hovered over the doorbell, hesitation freezing him mid-motion. What was he doing? What would he even say? If you weren’t home, and he could pretend this never happened, so eventually he pressed the doorbell and waited, his hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers as he found himself growing more nervous by each passing second.

The faint click of the lock made his stomach drop, and the door creaked open slightly. Your eyes met his—guarded at first, but softening the moment you recognised him. Seungmin opened his mouth, searching for words, but they died on his lips as the door swung wider. His eyes swept over you, instantly noticing the scratch on your face, the bloodstains on the sleeves of your dark purple blouse, and the small cut on your collarbone. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his gaze hardened.

“What happened?” he asked grimly, his voice low and steady, but with an edge sharp enough to cut through steel.

You hesitated, lowering your head as you stepped aside, silently inviting him in. He blinked, then stepped into the flat, closing the door behind him. His eyes never left you as you led him into the living room, your footsteps soft against the floor. Sometimes he reminded you of a puppy — with his furrowed eyebrows or pouty lips when he didn’t like something. But right now he was more of a rattlesnake following its prey, gliding smoothly, almost inaudibly, waiting for the right moment to pounce.

You stopped in front of the table with your back turned to him. You could tell he was waiting for an explanation.

“Who?” he asked quietly, and your heart stuttered in your chest before racing faster.

His tone was calm, almost gentle—the same tone he used when he was about to end someone. He wasn’t just angry; he was furious.

“Give me a name.”

“Seungmin…”

“Where’s Jisung?”

“It’s not his fault.”

You turned to face him, years of training and extreme self-control the only things keeping your legs steady beneath his piercing gaze.

“They knew I was coming and hired a killer to wait on the roof,” you explained, noting the slight twitch of his fingers.

“You don’t need to kill anyone—I’ve already taken care of it,” you added firmly. “Chan will know soon enough; Han’s gone to report back.”

Seungmin said nothing, but the tension in his stance was palpable. You sighed, turning away to unbutton your blouse and shrug it off your shoulders. Beneath it, you wore a tank top, but you still heard the faint shuffle behind you as he respectfully averted his gaze.

“I’m fine, really,” you murmured, wetting a cloth to clean the cut on your shoulder. “You don’t think I’m weak, do you? I handled it.”

You knew he didn’t see you as fragile, but the question was more for distraction than reassurance. Just as you raised the cloth to your wound, you felt his warm fingers wrap gently around your wrist. You turned slightly with a bewildered expression on your face as he took the cloth away from you.

“I can do it myself,” you whispered, biting your lip.

“I know,” he said softly. “But let me, please.”

A shiver ran down your spine, and you nodded. “Alright.”

His eyes met yours briefly before returning to your injury. The cool cloth pressed against your skin, soothing the sting. His frown deepened as he concentrated on cleaning the wound with surprising tenderness.

“Are you angry?” you asked quietly, breaking the silence.

“Not at you,” he replied, moving to the cut on your collarbone and stepping closer.

You could feel his breath against your cheek, and where his hands touched your skin, you felt it ignite underneath.

“I’m angry at the person who hurt you, a bit at Jisung for letting it happen, and at Chan for sending you on that mission.”

You raised an eyebrow, sensing he wasn’t finished.

“And?”

“And I’m angry at myself,” he admitted, his hands pausing as he met your gaze. For a moment, his usual guarded expression faltered, revealing a raw vulnerability. “For not being there with you.”

“Seungmin, it’s not your fault,” you said, as his fingers gently touched the skin just above the cut on your collarbone. “They underestimated the Wraith, and I made sure they paid their price…”

You barely finished speaking before his voice cut through yours.

“I don’t care what they think about our gang,” he replied through gritted teeth, his frustration evident. “Underestimating us is their mistake, but what makes my blood boil is that they dared to touch my Wraith.”

Your breath caught in your throat, your eyes widening at his words. His hand tightened slightly on your shoulder as he leaned in and allowed his forehead to fall at the crook of your neck.

“I’m furious because they dared to touch my woman.”

Your cheeks flushed, and your heart pounded so loudly you were sure he could hear it. When he pulled back slightly, his face was mere inches from yours, his thumb brushing the scratch on your cheek with startling tenderness.

His words, his actions, the intensity of his gaze—it was overwhelming. Before you could stop yourself, you leaned in, pressing your lips to his in a fleeting, hesitant kiss. You pulled back quickly, unsure of his reaction.

But then his hand cupped the back of your head, pulling you in for another kiss—deeper, more desperate, as though he had been starved of this moment for far too long. His lips moved against yours with a fervour that left you breathless, his other arm wrapping around your waist to draw you closer.

Between kisses, he murmured words that sent shivers down your spine: “Mine. All mine.”

His words set your heart racing, his scent filling up all the space in your lungs. When you finally broke apart for air, his dark eyes bore into yours, his hand resting low on your waist, threatening to slip lower.

“My greatest weakness is you,” he whispered, and you kissed him again.

No words of love were needed. They were spoken through glances across the room during monthly meetings, through caring gestures and quiet concern. In every lifetime, you would find each other again, bound by a love that neither of you could deny—even if you were both too afraid to admit it.

[theangryman]

eating disorders pre-date a lot of the discussion around them. it’s very easy for us to have read The Beauty Myth (and maybe we should reread it with a more critical eye, because Woolf went fucking nuts) and stop at a facile understanding - they are starving themselves because they want to look skinny

but medieval teenage girls starved themselves. not for “body image” reasons, not because they were looking at a painted model

it’s grasping for some element of control

for sure, body image is going to tie into it for most. but I don’t think it’s even that they truly desire the emaciated body, but the ability to have agency over the body. the “hunger strike” as protest is done when one has no other options (think about the suffragettes who were force fed, or quickly evicted from jail once their conditions deteriorated to the point of potential death and public embarrassment)

when you are denied agency over the larger elements of your life, you seek control of the basics. food is one of those most basic things. (this also ties to hyper-sexuality and BDSM as “coping mechanisms” for having experienced the disempowerment of sexual assault)

ultimately, no one was ever cured of an eating disorder by being told “you are pretty the way you are, you don’t need to look like the magazines.” because that’s not what it’s *about*

I think radfems don't take conditions like anorexia or bullemia seriously enough at all and it really pisses me off. Just because you're suddenly enlightened by radical feminism and understand that the beauty industry is a joke doesnt mean you can switch off your eating disorder. I know it's okay to be fat. I wish I could stop being anorexic, I wish I could feel happy with myself without being skinny because I know my value isn't based on it and those standards are bs and unhealthy and pedophilic. But I can't. And radfems often make me feel like crap about it as if it's not a mental illness that's solved by me becoming a radfem

🌋

[snappysprinkledog]

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[bookwyrminspiration]

this isn't a fully formed thought, but some of the ways people "critique" kotlc is starting to bother me a little. there's genuine critique and criticism, but some of them feel like...condescending almost? talking down on the series to show they're better/more mature than to like it. or that they're better than Shannon--I feel I see a lot of condescending to Shannon (WHAT is she doing, why would she do that, we can tell you don't plan, does she even know her own series?)

and i've definitely been guilty of it before and have my share of criticisms, but it does make me want to go like. okay but you do also like the series though, right? that's why we're all here--we're here by choice, much as I joke about being held hostage. there is an appreciation for the good parts and the community and everything else under all that, right? right??

[doctorcanon]

It's still important to remember that Metaphor isnt ALL about Western politics. And that it's more about what happens when there's a complete and utter lack of mindfulness and critical thinking in social discourse as a whole. Because literally every candidate falls apart when the least bit of nuance is introduced to their ideals.

[bibibbon]

Characters with wasted potential: Mina Ashido

This ask inspired me to make a longer post on mina and the wasted potential of her arc.

Mina was first introduced as a light hearted and fun character that added an extra pop to the series whenever she appeared. Mina is loud, funny and relatable. All of mina's moments before the war arc are to add a light hearted tone to the story and she is usually seen through the lenses of others who also view her as this confident and outgoing student.

we never see her deeply upset (not to the point that it effects her character on a long term effect) and from other characters prespectives like ejiro we see that he views her as an incredibly heroic person who can somehow solve situations with a breeze (horikoshi makes mina the idealised image that kirishima wants to be) and the other parts of 1A and the teachers view her in a similar fashion thinking that she is outgoing and a confident character who has potential to be a great hero.

Mina's relationship with kirishma and the way hori uses their characters is really interesting (I would of definitely loved a lot more of it) and I want to focus a bit more on how kirishima viewed ashido and how that is the image that we also naturally establish for Mina's character which all shatters during and after the war arc.

The image that kirishima sets for mina is an image of a perfect girl, with a perfect quirk for heroics and a perfect teenager that does well socially and school wise. Mina fits exactly what UA looks for and she is exactly what kirishima wants to be. I think what's even more interesting is that kirishima focuses and chooses to highlight the part of mina that is courageous, passionate and the one that stands for others without even thinking. Kirishima doesn't focus at all on the aftermath of the situation, he doesn't acknowledge the scared mina who completely collapses and starts sobbing after such an encounter. No, kirishima is too focused on himself and his own self hating to recognise the true mina, the other half of her and the more real not perfect image of her.

Mina is in a way kirishima's catalyst. The perfect image that he has of her is what influences him to change and in the end even as he becomes "more like her" (outgoing, loud, energetic,optimistic) he still doesn't end up becoming her because he doesn't acknowledge the other sides of her (well he will in this rewrite/post and it can be argued that he does in canon)

However, during and after the war arc that definitely changes and I would like to argue that we see mina lose a bit of her spark that she once had before. (Or she will in this post)

Mina during the war arc starts to show her insecurities and we start to see her own fear. This is the first arc where we see mina from Mina's prespective. This is the first arc where we see just how effected mina was by her encounter with gigomachia and we see how it haunts her.

During the war arc we see mina cling to her optimistim and positivity. This is specifically seen when it comes to the midnight situation and we see her denying the mere possibility thay midnight is dead. Midnight can't possibly be dead because she is a hero, their teacher who still has tons to teach them so she can't be dead. Midnight can't be dead, they have went through things like this before and everyone was alright so midnight will make it right? These were the thoughts that went through mina's head, a mental battle one where she pitifully clawed and held her innocence and naivety for as long as she could until she saw midnight's dead and mutilated body thats when it was forcefully taken from her. That's when mina had to come to terms with reality at full force.

Seeing midnight's dead body was Mina's last straw in mha. Mina had to come face to face with the mangled corpse of her favourite teacher infront of her after all of that denial, wishing and praying however,reality of her situation hit her hard. We see Mina hold midnight's hand maybe in an effort to check if midnight is alive just for her skin to meet the cold dead skin of her teachers or maybe in a sombrely failed attempt to comfort both herself and midnight whose already dead.

Even though midnight's death was the last straw for mina in the mva arc, gigomachia and his reappearance also played a huge role to Mina's character. As I have mentioned before the mva arc is the first arc that we see mina through mina's own respective perspective and lense meaning that her first encounter with gigomachia was through kirishima's lense. Kirishima (as mentioned before) only saw the courage and strength that mina had and that he lacked. While mina broke down crying in fear kirishima doesn't truly register that and is too busy internalising his own self hatred for being incompetent and unable to help his school mates.

So what happens when mina meets gigomachia again for a second time? And how is this significant to her character? Mina doesn't recognise gigomachia the 2nd time she meets him not at first that is. However, even when she doesn't recognise him she is still cautious and afraid yet tries her best to push through it and get the job done as so many people are depending on her. We see Mina try and fail to cling to her optimisitc, happy go personality. We see the slow and dark reality catch up to her as she questions if midnight is alive or if she can even do what she needs to do. Ultimately, these dark thoughts catch up to Mina and when she hears Gigomachia up close she instinctively freezes her body going back to that moment in middle school where she was overcome with so much fear that all she could do was cry.

We then see the transition between high school hero costumes Mina and middle school Mina. It's a beautifully drawn page by horikoshi that cements the point and shows us including kirishima that Mina isn't just optimistic against all odds but she is a scared teenager trying to survive a war that the HPSC sent her to fight, a war that she should of never been apart of. Mina just like the rest of her classmates is scared, young, naive and a vulnerable student that is treated as a solider within a broken system.

The page also shows us just how much the past haunts mina, it completely destroys all of our previous thoughts of mina and the impressions she has given us as we get to see the truth that Mina was trying to hide from everyone and herself : Mina is scared and she never moved on.

All of that pressure and hope that everyone put on Mina so she could put Gigomachia to sleep failed. Mina couldn't do it and instead of berating her there's a moment of tension and sympathy that we collectively share for mina as readers and even the heroes within the story have that feeling. It's exactly that moment that kirishima also comes to a full circle understanding of Mina and how she like him was also scared, that she moved because she put the fear behind her and she feuled herself with that fear.

Mina and kirishima's positions in this arc switch its mina's turn to come face to face and tackle her fears, deconstruct the happy go personality and show us the duality of her character while it's kirishima's turn to step up and fully understand Mina helping him become a better hero and a character.

Kirishima takes the brute force of that hit while delivering the sleeping substance into gigomachia's mouth. All of this while helping save mina. This moment shows kirishima as a character reaching his supposed peak while Mina reaches her one of her lowest points. Overwhelming anxiety and fear can be seen throughout the page as mina expresses verbal distress over what happend to kirishima. She is scared for her friend and she blames herself for it. She blames not being fast enough, strong enough, brave enough to do what she was tasked to do. She blames herself for crumbling under the pressure and memories of the past. In a rush of pure adrenaline and determination she shouts and tries to reach for kirishima praying that he is okay. Her list of worries growing, this isn't just about survival but also about the life she had the life that might be changed so drastically today. Another person Mina has to think and beg that they can't be dead, it simply isn't their time it can't be their time not yet right?

The war arc passes and Mina is incredibly effected by the tragedy. Her life is no longer the same and she still blames herself. Mina is tired, she is angry and she is scared.

The next time we see Mina there is no smile on her face, a strange image that is. We see that she is angry, she is also scared and she is planning something. A mixture of emotions all that lead to the brewing ideas of revenge. Revenge or a sliver of it was in Mina's mind the moment she woke up in the hospital and remembered her loss, desire for revenge grew as she hears of her teacher and classmates condition, it then grows after attending funereals. Little by little the desire for revenge grows bigger and bigger. Upon this mess Mina is spiralling and well who can see it if the whole of Japan is plunged into a post apocalyptic doom? It takes a while but iida sees it then kirishima sees it.

For iida and kirishima they start of as little hints things that can go unnoticed like mina asking iida and shoto for their training routine to get stronger, or mina writing something in a notebook, then whenever Mina would just be outside of the dorms at night training and with that same book. All of these little things add to the suspicion little by little until the vigilante arc. For iida it finally clicks when he sees mina pouring her heart our saying that she doesn't want to lose anyone else and then his theory is further cemented when he sees her reaction to yuuga being the ua traitor.

The revelation of yuuga being the ua traitor sends mina eveb furher into her spiral a mixture of emotions is she is feelings with a stronger desire for revenge now more than ever. Iida confronts her about it and she tries to feign ignorance but knows that it's pointless and tells him everything. Iida disapproves and shares his own experience and while mina does contemplate and think about it she still wants revenge she still wants justice and her decision doesn't change.

In the end, when it came to the fight mina grows both mentally and physically realising that she is afraid and accepting that. She learns and understands the other party to an extent they're all humans at the end of the day all of them with emotions and connections. Yes mina wants revenge, yes she wants justice but when given the chance she is more willing to sacrifice those actions and ideals to protect her classmates and friends because at the end her desires of revenge all stemmed from loss, fear and the failure to protect what was once so close to her.

In the second war arc, mina expresses her thoughts of revenge she expresses her anger and her understanding to both midnight's killer, gigomachia and redestro. Kirishima also hears her and a further layer of understanding deepens their bond with both of them sharing what they think about the other. Kirishima views mina as his hero, she is his catalyst and she is who he wants to be where for mina she is glad to have a friend as courageous as kirishima, someone who can laugh with her, someone who can cry with her, who can understand her.

All of these emotions and interactions are what make mina who she is. Her grief, her power, her love, her laughter, her friends all of these little intracies that were once attachments and burdens are what feul mina to be better, do better and ultimately turn all of that into hard raw determination and power so she can fight to protect instead of harm.

This idea is reflected in the improvements of minas capabilities in the second war arc where she is successfully is able to form acidman a creature designed to protect and used to protect.

In conclusion, Mina is a character who could of been very complex since the story wanted to put a huge emphasis on her interactions with characters around her and how the changes in society effectively effect her making her feel various emotions. Mina is a teenage girl who is a hero, exposed to things at too young of an age and a character that matures with an intere understanding and tackling of her own views about heroes and villains. She in the end realises that the villains she is fighting are also humans the same as her and that gives her a better understanding of the hero world and society as a whole as she learns the duality of man.

[danwhobrowses]

5 Underrated Things or Tactics That May Aid Bell's Hells to Victory

Spoilers up to Campaign 3 Episode 116 below

Well Critters, it all comes down to this.

Vox Machina dismantled the Malleus Keep, killed Ozo (the Bozo) Kruft, and freed the Champion of Ravens which removed the tidal lock on Ruidus, and now the Mighty Nein have disintegrated the Weave Mind, completing essentially a full dismantling of the Kreviris Imperium, all of which quicker than I anticipated. All that's left is the Hallowed Cage, where Ludinus Da'leth and his inner circle are using his harness to try and fully destroy Liliana Temult. Bell's Hells begin a race against time to save her, but also a race to defeat Ludinus before he unleashes his intentions unto Exandria and its Pantheon with Predathos, and then decide for themselves what they do with the God Eater.

Suffice to say, and I dunno about everyone else but, I am terrified. I believe they can win but Ludinus is not to be underestimated, this second harness means he may be stronger - and he was already the strongest wizard alive - and have access to more powers compared to his simulacra, plus Predathos may come during or after this battle, which can put the Hells in a weakened state. Matt has likely prepared his best and worst for this final battle too, but the Hells aren't Lv. 20 combatants like the other groups; there's no 9th level spells, no Divine Intervention, and the group lost their cleric ~20 episodes back, so even though VM and the Nein were ultimately successful within 1-2 episodes having to use both of their auto-succeed Divine Interventions from their two clerics in the process, this is the battle. And with that is a ridiculous amount of tension for Ludinus and for what comes after. For all we know, the cast may've already recorded ahead enough to have finished the final fight, maybe even finished the campaign (though I hope not, partly because I don't want it to end yet but also I feel like the dawn of the new era should be explored regardless of what choice the Hells make, plus some characters could use a bit more resolution after the big fight and the pressure of stakes and time sensitivity have been alleviated) but for us it's a nervous wait, and a wonder of what can be done to win and what choice will be made to determine the future of Exandria, Ruidus, their faith and their people. So, this is my indulging into that first part, 5 lower-key things or tactics that might not have been initially thought of that could make things easier to defeat Ludinus.

Liliana, the Inner Circle, and the Arcane Battery Provided that the Hells make it in time to stop Liliana from being totally destroyed by the harness (which is very possible since Laudna does have that tracking spell on him since Aeor, it's all about speed and not running into enemies) she will still be without her magic to fight. Ludinus' inner circle holding her down is comprised of Reilorans but also other Ruidusborns, and that's something the Hells can expose. Liliana cannot fight, but Ruidusborns can take spell slots from each other, so Liliana and any KO'd Ruidusborns from the inner circle can be used as spell slot fuel for Imogen and Fearne. Ludinus also gave a 9-slot fully-charged Arcane Battery to the Hells in order to trigger Delilah within Laudna for his escape, the battery can help recharge Laudna's slots too which makes this tactic handy for the witches of the group.

Dunamancy One of Ludinus' most important tools for his plan has been Luxon Beacons, a device able to unravel even divine magic, but much like the Harness it can prove his undoing. Dunamancy hasn't been touched upon as much as early C3 hinted it could have, but for lack of a better phrase, the possibilities are still endless. The Hells have multiple Potions of Possibility at their disposal to aid with rolls, but they also were given a Sphere of Dunamantic Restoration by the Kryn, which will trigger the effects of a Short Rest and a health and spell slot recharge - which can be handy in a pinch and to reuse some once per short rest abilities. Ashton is the key factor though, I've mentioned it a few times already but we don't know if these items will behave differently with them, via their own internal dunamancy abilities. Given the unknown factor, that's why it's not deemed as much of a tactic as it is a Hail Mary, but it is one that could lead to Ludinus' own magic unraveling, and maybe even Predathos' too

The Whirling Dervish & Conditional Advantages In Vassalheim, Dorian received his family sword: Gambolcleft, the Vortex Blade. One of its yet to be used abilities involves a once a day repetitive use of striking an enemy, similar to how Ozo killed Vex, provided that they attack with Disadvantage. Dorian is already looking at a high attack roll given Gambolcleft's +3 to attack and hit rolls, and Master's Flourish means he doesn't have to use a Bardic Inspiration to stack a Blade Flourish (Defensive Flourish is probably best, the damage is also doubled by Gambolcleft), the only quibble is the disadvantage. Fortunately, most of the Hells have skills that can force Ludinus into conditions where attacks would do advantage on him: stunning and rendering him prone being most likely, but paralysis is possible if a Hold Person is successful. It would of course require his Legendary Resistances to be used up first, but if Ludinus gets stunned or knocked prone within Dorian's range, Gambolcleft could easily carve its way through him with continual hits, stacked potentially by Bless and Mark of the Messy End, for perpetual damage and make Dorian himself impossible to hit on his next turn. Stunning or Proning Ludinus also leaves Ludinus at the vicious mercy of the martial players, especially for conditions that auto-crit when hit.

The Hole (or the Bag of Holding) Occam's Razor. An old but gold tactic of the Hells could very easily be used against Ludinus too. The portable hole or the bag of holding are devoid of air, left in one long enough with it sealed would mean suffocation as have been the fate of many of the Hells' past opponents that they didn't have time to deal with. The Hole's downside is that a Strength check can lead to a creature forcing their way out, but the Hells do have plenty of skills that can impose disadvantage on Strength rolls and the aforementioned conditions could help that, Ashton's Hammer may also make it more difficult to unfold the Hole if its Immovable Rod is propped atop of it - but that'd be down to Matt's discretion. The Bag of Holding doesn't have the strength save, but it is smaller so it may not be able to fit him in it. I'm not sure if Ludinus can use Gate to escape either, dunno if that leads to the whole extradimensional rip thing that happens if you open one while in the other, but if he does it's a concentration spell so the Hells could just keep knocking him back from the other side, a bigger group of enemies in either also reduces the time needed before they suffocate.

The Harness and the One-Chance Polymorph Right now Ludinus is using a harness to destroy Liliana, comparing it to the one in Moleasmyr it'll potentially take about an hour to finish the process providing that this factor wasn't improved upon. However, removing magic within a being for a whole day only required a minute of contact in the Hells' one and maybe Ludinus', thus his creation and reason for long life and power can also be the key to his downfall. Holding Ludinus down for a minute is of course not as easy as it sounds but that's where Polymorph can come in. Polymorph lasts at most an hour, so as long as Ludinus is changed into a creature that can easily be restrained they can use the harness on it and remove Ludinus of his entire arsenal in order to finish him off without the risk of his high level spells. The tricky part is getting Polymorph to succeed; Wisdom is after all a Wizard's bread and butter, but there is a single gambit that could make it work. It requires all Legendary Resistances to be gone of course, and for Laudna and Braius to be conscious; Braius has a once per long rest ability to change a Wisdom saving throw to a Charisma one, which he used to allow Dorian to succeed in making the Dominox dance in the live show, Laudna's Void Puppet can force disadvantage on saves to those within 5ft of it, which will negate his magical resistance to just a clean roll. Orym can also use Hex to impose a disadvantage, which may be able to stack, but this would also hinge on Ludinus' charisma not being super high and if the Polymorph fails once it will likely not be able to be tried again.

The fight won't be easy, but there are avenues that can make it less dangerous, a strategy is very much required for such a foe. All the while my strategy remains keeping up the prayer circle. Deep breaths everyone.