#it IS that weakness combined with his strengths that make him so interesting

[tinycurlyfry]

What's the role of suo character? He is considered as main character with nirei or as deuteragonist but I see he has no importance outside protecting nirei!. I don't understand the hype around his mysterious aura

I think probably what you're looking for is a more flashy fight/action centric series then! You'd probably enjoy all this time you're putting into sending anonymous asks about a show you don't see the appeal of more if you spent it instead on media you can enjoy! However, I will absolutely take this opportunity to gush about Suo you are giving me on a silver plate happily! So let's talk about why Suo is so fascinating narratively!

Labeling him as a deuteragonist is actually pretty spot on, to be honest. He is a character that sticks by the protagonist's side pretty consistently throughout the story. Suo as a character gives advice to Sakura about what will help him grow and achieve what he wants as class captain as well as provides an interesting combination of parallels as well as differences in perspectives compared to Sakura. Additionally, Sakura's presence draws forth the aspects of Suo's character that are likely to be developed within the story. Let's start with how Suo provides a difference in perspective for Sakura!

There is more strength in drive and ideals than in physical strength

Suo says it pretty clearly to Sakura before his match in the Shishitoren arc-

When he first met Sakura, it is very likely his first impression was 'ah, here's yet another brute who thinks he can beat others up and claim himself to be the strongest'. The same kind of person Sakura calls weak or lame himself. However, even Sakura's goal that he says to everyone in the beginning... kind of reflects this idea that physical strength gives you value. He judges Nirei because he can immediately tell Nirei isn't a fighter yet is a student at Furin, he thinks the only thing that is important is winning fights and making sure everyone knows they can't bend him under their will. Sakura thinks the only thing valuable about himself is his fighting ability/strength. But what is shown through his actions? That he protects those who can't defend themselves. That he is pissed off when someone enjoys causing others pain or suffering. Outside of the manga, when asked about what Suo's dream is, he says 'emancipation of slaves'. Right from the get-go he is challenging Sakura to start to think about what his purpose is when he fights. Because it's not really about just proving he's the strongest guy around. Why does this bleed so much into what Suo says to Sakura? Well, for Suo-

2. Empathy is the most important thing to possess

Suo is extremely good at understanding where other people are at emotionally/mentally. A LOT of his dialogue is trying to explain how a person might be feeling or encouraging others (rather forcefully at times haha) to try to demonstrate empathy themselves.

Suo is the calm to Sakura's storm. Except. Suo isn't actually the calm. Not in truth. This is part of why he is so intriguing as a character. It is also where Suo starts to actually parallel Sakura. Because Suo is-

Very Emotional

Incredibly so. The difference is, Sakura wears his heart on his sleeve. He doesn't hide how he feels or his inner thoughts at all because Sakura wants to be true to himself no matter what. It's hard for him, it is agonizing for him at times because of his bad prior experiences, but it is still something he tries to do at all times. Suo, however? Keeps those emotions hidden behind a "friendly" smile most of the time (to talk towards him being appealing- a lot of people like characters who put up fronts. I am included in this 'lot of people' lmaoo. I am such a sucker for a character who puts up a front to guard themselves or keep others at an arm's length).

But Suo gets angry. Incredibly so. He also judges others all the time. He's VERY opinionated, but he doesn't often state any of these opinions so directly. It's important to Suo that he upholds appearances and comes across as disciplined, calm, and collected. Sometimes though, he is anything but. Which is what we're shown in the Keel arc. Keel takes advantage of kind people who are just strong enough to be useful, but weak enough that they can be beaten into submission and manipulated. And that? Already pisses off Suo I'm sure. But then, on top of everything else, Suo is kept from running to the aid of someone he cares about. Someone who has such good drive, who also has a strong core but has some ways to go in being able to act on that drive. Suo is kept back from saving his friend and Nirei is beaten into unconsciousness. So what happens? Attempted murder. Suo's anger and frustration boils over. He hates these people. He hates seeing those he cares about and seeing those who can't defend themselves, broken. So he's going to put an end to it. To them. "Nice Guy" façade be damned. "The level headed one" be damned. And we get this look at Suo in a chapter literally titled "Extreme Emotions"

Which like, if you wanna talk about why his character garners a lot of hype, I think a large part of it is because of his aura when he's genuinely mad. It's the duality of it all.

I don't have as smooth of a transition for this one but what else does Suo do that Sakura absolutely does as well?

2. He keeps people at an arm's length; he doesn't like letting people in

This is also where Suo has a lot of duality, but here it makes him something of a hypocrite. He tells Sakura it's important to delegate and rely on others alongside Nirei. He pokes and prods Sakura to try to get him to open up to them. To not assume how others feel. But Suo doesn't show that himself. The ONLY thing Suo has honestly given about himself is that he has a mentor who taught him the 'hodge-podge' martial arts he uses as his fighting style. Everything else? Jokes, lies, dismissive words. Suo is hardly ever injured or dirtied in a fight because it isn't a conversation to him. He's the one doing the talking. He's the one teaching a lesson to the other person. The other person doesn't need to say anything to Suo. He's already pretty damn sure what kind of person they are. He doesn't eat with the others because he claims he is on a diet. It keeps him from participating in what is probably the BIGGEST symbolism/metaphor for personal connections in the story. Because Suo doesn't try to connect with others. He actively avoids it.

So uh, yeah! That's why I think people find Suo interesting and get hyped about when he's on screen/in chapter panels! I am sure there are other things that could be said, but I hope I could offer some insight!

[lavenderjewels]

me ranting to myself in my head about how yuuji is a good character

[chlorinecake]

SO PRETTY IT HURTS | rough and handsy sex scenarios with switch!enha legal line ft. nsfw links

⟡ synopsis ⨾ basically just how each enhypen member would feel about you being rough with them in the bedroom

⟡ contains ⨾ NSFW LINKS, hair pulling, biting, slapping/spanking, marking, scratching, and unprotected sex

— HEESEUNG gives off the vibe that he'd be really into having a bit of pain mixed with his pleasure, whether that was you slightly grazing your teeth against his shoulder as he fucked into you, or you desperately clawing at his chest while riding him… Just imagine how cute Heeseung's scrunched up face would look in moments like that, his needy hands clinging unto your ass as his hips thrusted upwards at a rapid pace, both of you chasing your highs...

— JAY wouldn’t be too against the idea of having you rough him up a bit during sex, especially if it meant he was doing a good job of pleasing you... Just the feeling of your fingers tugging at his messy locks while he ate you out would be more than enough to keep him excited until he finally had you bent over on the mattress, holding your ass in place right before filling you up with his warm cum.

— JAKE is the playful type, so I can totally see him enjoying some switchy behavior in the bedroom, round one beginning with him domming you as usual, up until your nails dug into his shoulders for more leverage, bouncing in his lap like a touch deprived fuck bunny... It’d definitely be a tantalizing combination for him, but he always liked feeling crazy with you anyways, biting down on his lip at the sight of you finishing him off.

— SUNGHOON often treated sex with you like some sort of competition, especially whenever you behaved like a brat in need of taming before you two even reached the bedroom... a catty smirk would stain his features at the frustrated look on your face at his teasingly slow thrusts, provoking you to gently tap slap at his chin for a little sexual encouragement... oh when I tell you he’d get so into it after you hit him, fucking into your tightness with all his strength as you squirt all over the sheets, making him go weak in the knees…

— SUNOO doesn’t really strike me as the type to enjoy pain by any means, but it’d always be a treat for him to see you going so crazy underneath him as he fucks into you that his tiny groans could hardly keep you from marking him even more. The guy legitimately never came harder than when you’d tug at his hair while in missionary, or bite into the plush flesh of his neck to contain your moans from how well he was pleasing you …

— JUNGWON seems like such a sucker for rough stuff to me, whether that be on the giving or receiving end... Just imagine it: Jungwon fucking into you with all his might while you let your hazy vision wander, looking at the marks you left along his neck, and how pretty his hands looked wrapped around your waist matching your whimpers with his own as you both chased your highs together…

⚠︎ author’s note: Just another fic I had marinating in the depths of my private posts because it didn't do too well at first... hopefully y'all like what I've done with this time tho !!

⚠︎ tag list: @squoxle @nikisvanillaccola @wonbinisbabygurl @addictedtohobi @ashgonedash @yourmomscuntis2tighy @watamotee33 @ot7sevenlvr

⚠︎ path to my enhypen bookshelf if you’re interested !!

[dorkofclanlavellan]

Sweet Doesn't Mean Naive (Fallout Characters)

Fandom: Fallout 4 Scenario: The characters meeting and falling for a reader who is very sweet and helpful and accepting. Initially they may think the reader is naive because of their nature but soon learn differently. Pairings: Cait x Reader, Danse x Reader, Hancock x Reader, MacCready x Reader, Nick x Reader + Copper Howard x Reader.

Notes: Zero uses of Y/N or Sole. I may do a part 2 for the other characters later, these are just the ones that I'm super inspired for rn. [Also this is based on me never being able to select rude options in video games unless I genuinely hate the character lol]

Trigger Warning: These may be slightly OOC as I'm still familiarizing myself with the characters (more so the FO4 characters than Coop)

Cait:

Cait initially underestimates you, thinking you're too sweet and accepting to survive in the Wasteland. However, she's surprised when she discovers your savvy side, handling dangerous situations with intelligence and composure.

Your kindness and willingness to help others win her heart, and she admires your ability to adapt and thrive in challenging circumstances.

Cait falls for you deeply, realizing that your sweetness is not a weakness but a strength.

Danse:

Danse is initially cautious around you, expecting you to be naive due to your sweet and accepting demeanor. However, he's pleasantly surprised when he witnesses your quick thinking and resourcefulness during a perilous situation.

Your kindness and helpfulness earn his respect, and he admires your ability to handle yourself in tough situations.

Danse develops feelings for you, impressed by your combination of kindness and savvy decision-making skills.

Hancock:

Hancock is amused by your sweetness and helpfulness, initially thinking you might be a bit naive about the dangers of the Commonwealth. However, he's pleasantly surprised when you prove to be street smart and savvy in various situations.

Your accepting nature and open-mindedness capture his interest, and he admires your ability to see the good in people while still being aware of the harsh realities of the world.

Hancock develops strong feelings for you, fascinated by your unique blend of kindness and savvy insight.

MacCready:

MacCready is cautious around you at first, assuming you're naive because of your sweet and accepting personality. However, he quickly realizes that you're more savvy than you appear when you show exceptional skill in handling dangerous situations.

Your helpfulness and compassion make a lasting impression on him, and he admires your ability to adapt and survive in tough circumstances.

MacCready falls for you, drawn to your kindness and impressed by your hidden savvy nature.

Nick Valentine:

Nick initially sees you as naive, given your sweet and accepting demeanor. However, he's amazed when you display a keen understanding of complex situations and handle them with grace and intelligence.

He finds your kindness and empathy touching, and he admires your ability to see through people's facades while still maintaining your positive outlook.

Nick develops strong feelings for you, intrigued by your combination of sweetness and savvy awareness of the world around you.

Cooper:

When you first met, Coop was fairly dismissive of you. He thought you were just going to get yourself killed fairly soon. Your generous nature was a sign of naïveté in his eyes. So he wanted as little to do with you as possible.

Then you gave him a months supply of vials for free. And he decided to stick with you. Deciding the best repayment was to protect you from the dangers of the Wasteland and yourself.

That's when he learned just how much he'd underestimated you. You were kind and always willing to help absolutely anyone but you were not one that could taken advantage of.

And that's what really impressed him. The more of your acumen that Cooper saw, the more he grew to care about you. Including your altruistic nature.

[flawseer]

Mail Call #3

Answering comments from @void-the-bear @railway-lands @keabirb @ilikebookssomuch @chezgorman @cartoons-everywhere @dragonra305

Please don't hurt me. I have glasses.

Thank you, to all of you. It makes me genuinely happy to know that I'm able to put something into this world that other people can enjoy. I think this is a great setting that is fun to add to.

Doing a Wings of Fire-themed run of this Smaugust challenge has been very interesting and it's good that the result appears to be well-received. It's not always been easy, I'm actually getting quite exhausted having to post content on a strict schedule like this. But it is worth doing if it makes people happy.

Relating to my comment on this post. I probably will do it eventually, along with some other ideas I had that didn't fit in. But it won't happen while Smaugust is still going, as I am already skirting the limits of what I am physically capable of right now.

Ahh... hm... This is the question that has toppled mountains and started wars. You're going to get hit squads sent after me.

Well, there is the big one, of course. Qibli/Winter. They have such wonderful chemistry whenever they are in a scene together (with one pretty upsetting exception). And Qibli is always teasing him about being his destiny and the two of them getting married, so I think there is some attraction there.

Then uh... I used to feel completely ambivalent about this one, but Starflight/Fatespeaker has really grown on me over time. There's a lot of interesting potential there that doesn't really make it into the story. I need to make a long-winded post about Fatespeaker one day.

Blaze/Glacier is another one that could be cute. I think putting a repressed Icewing together with a highly eccentric and rambunctious Sandwing is going to be a winning combination most of the time. Or well, I guess I should say "could have been cute", since Glacier had to die for the plot, in a very wretched and infuriating way too.

There are a couple more that I think have their moments or could be interesting in one way or another. Some of them even contradicting or overlapping each other. Listing all of them would probably be a bit excessive.

Oh yeah, and I think Sunny is ace.

Ah, a question that'll make me put someone else's favorite character at the bottom of a preference list... After the shipping question I'm starting to fear for my life now.

Let me preface this by clarifying that I generally like all of the DoD. There are some characters in this setting that I loathe and wish they would exit the story, and the arc 1 protagonists are nowhere near that. So being ranked low here translates to me saying "Yeah, they're okay, room for improvement", not "wow, they're the WORST!"

Okay whatever, let's get down to it.

#1 - Sunny

That one's easy, I mean, just look at the pinned post on this blog.

Sunny is so wonderful and charming and perfect in every conceivable way, she is one of my six all-time favorite characters. She is the flower that blooms in the bitter desert. A lot of people may perceive her as this demure and innocent character who is always happy and friendly, and oblivious to the suffering around her. Nah, Sunny knows exactly what is going on. She is keenly aware of all the bloodshed, suffering, and toxicity that unfolds in the world around her. When she remains optimistic and forgiving in the face of darkness, that is not her being meek or passive, it's her steadfastly refusing to let that darkness into herself. She is actively embodying the change she wants to see in the world, even when it hurts her or gets her taken advantage of, because that is what she believes in and the future she will create.

That's pretty inspiring. I wish I had that kind of inner strength.

Also, she is not weak. While she's not a powerhouse scrapper like Tsunami or an invincible stack of bricks like Clay, Sunny strikes quickly and without hesitation when her friends are in danger, and can be deviously clever. This is often overlooked, but she is--to my knowledge--the only character to land an attack on Morrowseer that comes close to actually hurting him.

Well... you got me rambling about Sunny. Let's go through the others more briskly.

#2 - Starflight

I like Starflight a lot. Unfortunately the story really doesn't. He is like, the unluckiest character by far. I don't know what he did to deserve the never-ending cavalcade of misfortune that gets shoveled in his direction throughout all three arcs. Like, it never ends. A couple of friends and I came together and we jokingly called our group the "Starflight Protection Foundation", because someone needs to stage an intervention. Like, wrap him in a cozy sweater and buy him hot chocolate or something. Heaven help this poor man.

He's another one of my favorites.

#3 - Glory

Glory is really cool; I vibe with the "unchosen hero spurned by destiny" theme. She goes through her life and is constantly told "No, you don't have a special destiny. You're the fifth wheel. You are worthless and unimportant". Though she struggles with the constant abuse and devaluation, she eventually finds a way to turn it into strength and declare that the only value that matters is the one she gives to herself.

I really wish the story had NOT made her turn out to be a secret princess. "I was born without destiny, so I'm making my own" is a so much more satisfying character trajectory than "Oh, don't worry. You were born special after all, you just didn't know about it".

So yeah, I kind of tend to put that "secret princess" plot twist on the shelf when I think about Glory, and prefer to think that she managed to sway Grandeur with her skill and determination, rather than a random blood link.

#4 - Clay

Clay is very lovable. He is like the emotional bedrock of the group and acts as a stabilizing force that pairs well with all of the other arc 1 protagonists. He pretty much resolves all of his baggage in the first book and becomes content and steady. That is very good for him, but unfortunately this also kind of turns him into just some dude for the following four books.

Which is fine, it is good for the other characters to have someone behind them who loves them and helps them up when they stumble. It just makes it difficult for Clay to shine on his own.

#5 - Tsunami

Okay, so, Tsunami. I actually like her a lot in arc 1. She's bringing an interesting kind of energy to the group that is like, half-supportive and half-detrimental. Very chaotic. She also has to contend with some heavy stuff; everything to do with her father and the complications in her family life. It's very interesting. Lots of places to go with that.

Arc 2 Tsunami though, really grinds my gears. She regresses into this kind of juvenile, immature personality that is just pointlessly abrasive and confrontational. She acts really condescendingly towards Peril-- despite the latter having saved Clay's life AND it being really important to Clay that her staying at JMA works out well. Her borderline sabotaging this effort by making Peril feel unwelcome seems very dismissive towards Clay's feelings. It also doesn't help that she is the most outspoken about her loathing of Nightwing mindreading and prophecies, which drives Moonwatcher further into her emotional shell and makes things more complicated.

Okay, I have to reiterate: I don't dislike Tsunami. I just think her character arc is incomplete. It feels like she is stuck in arrested development while at JMA. She's mostly running around yelling at people, when she really should be thinking about what to do about Queen Coral, and how to get custody of her siblings. Her sister Anemone is carrying emotional scars from how the Queen has kept her leashed like a dog for her entire life, a process that is now happening to Auklet, even to this day. And then there's the 30 something children who have never known parental love for a day in their life and their mother can't remember the names of.

Someone's gotta step in and save these kids. Or like, at least start vaguely thinking about it.

Turtle???

Hmm....

...

Moose!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

This just come to me when i play the en tapis rouge event.

In one of the scene when we meet eric in the event, Vil said he never get bullied when his main memory after his ob is him getting bullied.

Is it just him, didn't see it as a bullying issues cause he can fight back/because he thought it childish, in denial or he just doesn't want to be seen as someone weak in front of his junior? Cause i have heard that in some country/school, if they found out you were bullied it means you're weak and knowing NRC students prone to violence and bullying each other, being bullied may also be seen as label of weak students(may also associate with Ighnihyde since not many can fight back the bully like savanaclaw).

Or maybe this is so his father didn't worry? He did mention he and eric aren't always being together that much and when they did they do health and beauty related. So maybe Vil himself lied to Eric about his school life's and if he ever asked to bring friend maybe he said that his genuine friend(the other is just school friends or acquaintance) is only jack which make the lie more believable. So Eric may or may not know about it and Vil never tell him about it cause he didn't want to make him worried(this actually also make me think because of Eric being genuine happy seeing Vil's "school friends")

So far in the story and vignettes, we never heard bad memories of Vil and Jack together regarding the bullying pass the line of "they think you're a genuine bad person and want to beat you up". Like we never heard if it only physical bullying or also done another kind of bullying we see in drama and anime.

So i was wonder if it only just because Vil can fight back & he genuine didn't see it, he is in denial, he doesn't want to be as weak or he doesn't want to make Eric worry.

I wouldn’t say that the scene of Vil being bullied is the “main” memory after his OB 🤔 It’s more like… something that contributes to the overall pressure to perform/to be a certain way and feeds Vil’s need for public validation. After all, we also see film staff commenting on Vil’s professionalism (which isn’t necessarily bullying), as well as positive comments and encouragement from Eric. (I have an analysis on Vil’s motivations in book 5 if you’re interested in the topic!) We don’t know how truly common this bullying from Vil’s peers was outside of this one instance. Maybe it actually wasn’t common at all, since I don’t recall any other examples being mentioned.

I don’t see a reason why it can’t be a combination of all of those things instead of just one of them? The only one I would perhaps exclude is Vil being in denial. He doesn’t seem to be rejecting any of the bullying or critique he receives. Rather, even as a child, Vil is fixating on them far too much and equating his self-worth to the opinion of others. If he denied that he was bullied at all, then he wouldn’t place as much value as he does on what they say, he wouldn’t be pushing himself to work as hard has he does to “prove them wrong”.

As I mentioned in the analysis linked above, Vil had to mature extremely fast due to being a child star and seeking to make a name for himself without the publicity boost from his already famous father. You have to be tough to deal with the barrage of criticism coming at you from both the entertainment industry and the public, as well as know how to properly conduct yourself in work settings + with fans. He cannot show weakness, and doesn’t become comfortable being more childish and vulnerable (via giggling or laughing naturally) until late book 6.

Vil is capable of fighting if things escalate. Maybe he feels more secure in stating he isn’t bullied because (as Grim points out), Vil is perfectly capable of defending himself or exacting revenge on those who challenge or offend him. Again, this is a means of showing his own strength and independence—a continued and learned pattern.

The mindset of “I have to be strong” is further enabled by Night Raven College. The (unofficial) tradition/rule at the school is “the weak obey the strong […] losers don’t get to have a say.” Vil projects an air of superiority not only because he is in a position of power, but because he could easily take students in combat, and the social culture of NRC promotes this way of thinking and resolving disputes. Only the victors get what they want—as well as the respect and the obedience of the losers. We’ve seen Vil successfully pull this off in many other instances: book 5 with Ace/Deuce/Epel, Beans Day with Savanaclaw mob students, book 6 with Idia, and more. He was already steadfast before enrolling, but at NRC, the behavior is perpetuated and this serves Vil well.

Side note (since the ask seems to have implied Ignihyde is often the victim of bullying whereas Savanaclaw, who are physically strong, dominate)!! I think you’re thinking of physical acts of bullying and strength—which, don’t get me wrong, are valid—but I think shows of power and bully aren’t limited to just that. Octavinelle and Scarabia, for example, can be extremely catty and snide. Furthermore, there’s magical strength and skills to account for, as well as other forms of bullying: financial, verbal, emotional/psychological, cyber (which I’m sure Ignihyde mobs excel at, if Idia’s Dorm Uniform vignettes are of any indication).

Vil had always been strong, but that strength has essentially become diamond armor after years and years in entertainment and studying at NRC, a place which enables his attitude. The fact that Vil denies being bullied in front of his father may just be a consequence of all that previous experience with his armor on. He’s so used to it, it’s insignificant to him now.

I also get the sense that Vil wants to be seem as mature and grown-up to his dad. For example, Vil speaks somewhat formally to Eric, referring to him as “Producer” and gently scolding him for taking the time off of work to eat with him. (Him wanting to find success in entertainment without his father’s name getting involved also plays into this.) Vil also agrees to take a picture with his classmates if it is a part of work, but his peers remark that Eric is only using work as a pretense to get a picture of Vil being happy with his school friends. The other half of it seems to be that Eric himself expresses worry about his son’s social life. He mentions that he often had to pull Vil out of school for various gigs, meaning that Vil was not able to be around kids his age too much. This is why he’s so happy to finally have the chance to meet some of Vil’s NRC chums. If Vil intends to reassure him show that he is capable of standing on his own, then naturally that would come with reassuring his father that no one is being nasty to him. (Besides, even if they are, he is perfectly equipped to handle them.)

Last thing I want to comment on is Vil’s friendship with Jack. I have to wonder how significant this actually is…? Because Jack was mentioned in Vil’s post-OB flashback—but this friendship is rarely ever mentioned outside of like a few throwaway voice lines where the two mention working out together??? Like, Vil and Jack don’t seem very close. I believe part of this is because Vil was usually away for work obligations + to travel with Eric and one of them (honestly forgot which one) moved away at some point. Did they reconnect at NRC, or were they just always in touch anyway…?

It doesn’t seem like Vil even talks to his dad about Jack; Jack was not brought up in their conversations. This is strange because this clearly was not the case for other hometown events; Marja seemed to have heard of us before we arrived in Harveston, and Dylla was VERY familiar with Yuu, Ace, and Deuce via phone calls with her son. Yet Eric shows ho similar familiarity with Jack…? Weird, maybe he and Vil aren’t that close after all?

But yeah!! 😅 Overall, I definitely think it’s a combination of factors that just continue to feed into one another. This has convinced Vil that he has to perpetually have this image of being strong, mature, and cool—even to his own family.

[haine-kleine]

Fulfilling my quota of Touyadoomposting by going back to this theory and expanding it. This is mostly a crack theory except instead being funny everything is just horrible lololol

Ok so as silly as the Tenko's entire life being orchestrated by AFO pretty much since he was born reveal was, it also gave us the fact AFO used to have drinking dates with his father specifically for the purpose of making him as abusive to Tenko as possible.

Combine this with the weirdly OOC fact that Enji gave up on achieving the number one place at the ripened age of 20. Sure, Allmight's shining beacon of hope and strength may have been a source of great jealousy for a young and upcoming number two pro hero but come on now. 20 is still a teenager, why are you giving up without even trying.

Enji's admirable hero quality is determination.

No matter how insecure he secretly was, giving up at 20, with a perfectly healthy body, and putting all of his determination into making a kid with a quirk stronger than his own and making that kid achieve his dream in his place, is not even backwards logic, it makes absolutely no sense. Enji is not even one of the quirks obsessed characters, he has never been interested in anyone's quirk besides his own and his sons'. Despite his weakness (overheating), he is all about pushing through and overcoming it. To put this shortly, Enji is dumb as a shoe a very single-minded person. This is simply not someone who would entertain such concepts as perfect quirks or eugenics.

You know who does though? Yeah, this guy.

Enji is ruled by his emotions and has tragically low emotional intelligence. This makes him very susceptible to manipulations. And AFO is one hell of a manipulator. A villain obsessed with destroying Allmight and the number two hero who dreams of throwing Allmight off his pedestal. Why wouldn't AFO seek him out? If he saw that seed of self-doubt and carefully nurtured it, Enji giving up despite being so young would start making sense. Enji seeking out a quirk marriage would also make sense (I refuse to believe this man is the only one who came up with this idea in the entire manga). He clearly didn't know what he was doing.

Even choosing a Himura as a candidate for his little eugenics experiment would start making sense if it was actually AFO's suggestion. The Himuras are famous for their strong ice quirks, and Enji's goal was creating a heir whose heat tolerance would be higher than his. This is basic logic. Having babies with a woman who has an ice quirk and is vulnerable to heat won't land you any kids with a fire tolerance higher than your own. He set himself up for failure, they all came out like Touya

Granting Enji's logical thinking abilities the benefit of doubt, we look the other way and spot Garaki being involved in this case. AFO wanting to see what would come out of genetically combining strong ice and fire quirks just for the sake or his curiousity makes so much more sense than Enji being unable to comprehend his choice for the quirk marriage wasn't even fit for his goal. Touya did eventually end up in AFO and Garaki's child laboratory, which was the purpose of Garaki fronting as a quirks doctor for kids. And Enji was in contact with Garaki since Touya was 4 years old.

Also makes for such an evil irony that Touya's trauma stems from him seeking a reason for his existence and not finding one. And the entire reason for his very birth is just AFO being a cold-blooded quirkist manipulator

[raisedbythetv89]

I've been thinking about the invisible string of it all as it relates to spuffy for the last 48 hours and I'm still going INSANE about it 😹😭

So Liam/Angel/Angelus who uses young girls at best or abuses, psychologically torments and kills them at worst does the worst of the worst to Drusilla and once she's completely broken and hopelessly devoted to him and and only him he immediately loses interest which of course leads to the creation of Spike

Spike who is obsessed with slayers because instead of running from what is designed to destroy him he seeks it out and sees it as a fun and exciting challenge he learns from. Spike who killed two slayers, one who lost her weapon and the other who wished for death. Who's deaths are obviously instrumental in what brings about Buffy the Vampire Slayer being called (Spike also later both preventing the fulfillment of Buffy's death wish and helping her secure THE slayer weapon by giving her the strength she needs??? THE POETRY!!!!)

So Buffy is called when she's called because of all the slayer deaths that came before her and Angel's predatory selfishness and obsession with breaking young innocent girls leads to him eventually losing his soul. Which in combination with his need to constantly belittle Spike for genuinely loving for and caring for Dru aka being feminine and sensitive by taking Drusilla from him and constantly rubbing it in his face and making fun of him for being stuck in a wheelchair aka being weak and helpless (which only happened because he was trying to save Dru and heal her! Demonstrating how rooted in misogyny all of angel's behavior is soul or no soul) is what prompts the origins of Spuffy! Misogyny and cruelty at the hands of Angel combined with Spike and Buffy's determination to never give up no matter how hopeless the circumstances and never back down even if that means teaming up with your enemy is the birth of their relationship!!! They both would literally do anything for love!!! Be it an evil vampire saving the world or the Slayer teaming up with the Slayer of Slayers!!!! Which of course the truce is what causes Spike and Dru to break up which leads to Spike confronting Buffy with the reality about her relationship to angel and the true nature of it. Which of course angel is a manipulative monster who doesn't accept her breaking up with him and moving on so he threatens suicide and then they're back together and THEN once she's comfortable and secure around him, supported by joyce who both institutionalized and kicked buffy out for being the slayer - is like oop it's time to GO girl and breaks up with her in the dumbest most traumatic unresolved way possible and is what leads to her giving "normal" aka Riley a chance because Angel calls their relationship a freak-show and that she, the slayer.... should be normal.....

Which then in s4 Riley and the initiative try and tame and control both Spike and Buffy and when they can't they want them destroyed (the chip, the attempt on Buffy's life and her constantly feeling guilty for being stronger than him and being the slayer, Riley fake staking Spike for outing his betrayal to Buffy and literally blowing up their safe haven in s6) again pushing them together onto the same side, united against a common enemy in s4/5 or propelling them into growth in s6 when the goal was just destruction of Spike/Buffy's comfort in his presence and instead it starts the chain of events that leads to him getting his soul which allows Buffy to love him and let him back into her life and this time her own home without guilt or shame!!!

Then in season 7 both the chip (everything Riley represents) angel and even faith (with the most uncomfortable try hard flirting attempt I've ever seen the second hand embarrassment I get watching her try and hit on Spike is SO strong 🤢😭) try to come between them and pull them apart, create doubt or put them at odds, all fail as now they are an unshakable team that cannot be divided

Where before they were forced onto the same sides by outside forces they're now choosing each other again and again even in the face of outward hostility, disapproval and outright sabatoge from everyone in her life.

Spike and Buffy's relationship is the story of a young girl and a sensitive more feminine man turned vampire who were taught to hate their softness, their femininity, their big hearts, their otherness and were literally designed to destroy each other. Who when the universe kept forcing them together instead of destruction they alchemized the misogyny, abuse and homophobia (as the supernatural is used many times as a metaphor for queerness) they endured both individually and together into liberation for young girls (in the show but for the audience it's representative of liberation for all victims of abuse or oppression no matter your gender identity) everywhere while breaking all the ties that sought to control them and it was all started with Angel's destruction and subsequent abandonment of Drusilla! An abusive predatory man's actions unwittingly lead to the empowerment of THOUSANDS of super-powered young girls who are now able to fight back against monsters like him. Showcasing how abusers and tyrants always create their own downfall because of people like Spike and Buffy who in the face of adversity and pain grow better and stronger out of sheer determination.

There is also a fan theory that Dru was a potential who was about to be called and that's why she was plagued with visions so if all of this is like the ULTIMATE slayer's line revenge on both the council and the original cowardly men who used a young girl to fight their battles for them and on men like angel who lost his control over Buffy and had to watch her chose Spike over him both in s7 when she sends him away and in the comics that makes all of this even more iconic like the ultimate long game revenge but even if it's not and Dru wasn't a potential - an abusive monster who loves to target the weak and helpless tormenting and killing a young innocent girl starting the chain reaction of events that leads to the largest liberation of young girls who would have been exploited and controlled by the council and doomed to short lives full of nothing but fighting and isolation is just fucking incredible 😭 and that is what spuffy represents and what that relationship means to me and why no matter what shit joss tried to throw at us through the narrative or what the anti's say to this day - none of it ever sticks because spuffy is literally about dealing with abusive people just like him and overcoming the pain they cause and turning it into personal growth and healing.

[almmoon006]

Omega Voldemort

• Tom grew up without knowing love, so any kind of love is alien to him, he did not look at himself through the prism of alpha or omega. He was interested to learn about such a feature of the magical world, but he was not thrilled. The possibility of obeying or subjugating, but at the same time being dependent on his mate, did not suit him.

• Still, Tom considered himself an alpha, or at least a beta, which is preferable. Up to the age of 15, all students look approximately the same, but after joining the "legacy of wizards" they change depending on the secondary gender.

• What was Tom's surprise when he turned out to be an omega.

• Tom hated omegas. They were weak, pathetic, and whiny, constantly demanding their partner's presence and wanting to be looked after and cared for. Tom wasn't like that. He wanted power, might, and strength. He just couldn't be an omega.

• Gradually, his body began to change. He began to look more frail, although he was still almost the tallest in his class. The muscles became less noticeable (not that Tom took the time to train, he was more of a smart man), and there was more distinct fat on his stomach and thighs. Although in general it did not spoil his figure, rather, on the contrary, it complemented him in a sense. Now his angelic face was accompanied by an equally beautiful body.

• The only one who knew about his secondary gender was the headmaster. Teachers and other students considered the boy a beta, or even a late blooming alpha.

• The scent helped too. Tom's pheromones were rather unremarkable, the scent of rain with a slight hint of some wildflowers and mint. It has a rather calm and neutral smell. In addition, Tom actively used suppressants and scent blockers, so this was not a particular problem.

• He later found out about horcruxes. These things could not only preserve the soul, which amounted to almost immortality, but could also change the secondary gender, as far as Tom understood. It was a great prospect. He didn't get carried away searching for the true mate, as other omegas did, he didn't build nests, he didn't dream of pups. He wanted power, revenge on his parents, and a change in his "fragile nature."

• The name Tom was changed to Voldemort. It sounded much more beautiful, scarier, and more majestic. Or it just helped to forget about his fragile real soul.

• After the first two horcruxes, Tom really felt better, stronger. Or so it seemed to him. His smell has almost completely disappeared, and his estrus has become less regular and less painful. He stopped instinctively feeling desire towards alphas. His inner omega seemed to be weakening. After the third and fourth horcruxes, Tom grew noticeably and gained some muscles, which beautifully combined with his sharp aristocratic features. After the fifth horcrux, the heat stopped completely, as did any sexual desire. On the sixth cross, the inner omega finally fell silent.

• The prophecy haunted Voldemort. The boy. Many of his supporters, the Death Eaters, thought it was a waste of time. But Voldemort didn't think so. The boy could become a big hindrance to his powerful future, so it was definitely worth removing him. Why didn't he send one of his subordinates? Voldemort doesn't know. Lately, he was increasingly surprised by his own decisions. It was as if his mind was shutting down and someone else was here instead. He had bouts of "madness", and his own thoughts and magic did not obey. It was as if he had lost his mind. But that's okay, it's just temporary. He don't care if it scares his subordinates, to hell with it. The main thing is to make sure that everything goes according to plan.

• On that fateful night, he took one of his subordinates, an alpha, with him so that he could control the situation outside and, if necessary, prevent the members of the Order of the Phoenix from interfering with the man's plans. But everything went completely wrong. In a fit of hatred or this very madness, Voldemort behaved too recklessly, allowing himself to be defeated.

• He's spent too much time in this shallow body. He had to rely on his damn servants, who followed his every whim without question. He was a fucking baby! He screamed, needed attention, and cried all the time! It is good that he has retained at least the remnants of his mind and former power. And this alpha. They were always there. It was as if they were sorry that they hadn't protected their master that fateful night. Wormtail tried his best to humour Voldemort, but Voldemort was much more comfortable with the alpha. The devil knows why. Perhaps this child's body simply recognized the "parent" or someone else. The alpha's scent was too soothing. Fire, citrus and light tobacco smoke that settled on clothes after another cigarette. It was strangely comforting.

• In the cemetery, alpha had already presented his flesh to the dark Lord, which Wormtail was displeased with. Merlin, how omega already wanted to kill that bastard. When the rebirth was finally completed, the alpha extended his hand, rough and greasy, to the pale man, helping him out of the cauldron. Voldemort was now even further removed from his original self. The alpha threw a tunic and cloak over his body, protecting his pale skin from the cool grave wind. The clothes smelled like alpha. It was a strangely pleasant feeling.

• Getting back up to speed turned out to be some hard labor. Omega had to read countless newspapers, listen to many reports and fill out a lot of documents. And oh, Merlin, it was so exhausting.

• The new strange thirst didn't help either. Voldemort wanted to spend more and more time with the alpha. Their scent seemed more attractive, more affectionate and gentle. Strange notes of carnation and bergamot appeared, pleasantly caressing the sensitive snake-like nose.

• Strange thoughts began to appear more and more often inside, and his own reflection was now absolutely not happy. For some reason, he rarely began to miss his old appearance. And the awakened inner omega began to whimper that the alpha would definitely not love them in this form. Alpha. At the thought of this,the thin pale hand reached for his own neck. Where the mating glands once were, there is now only a small bump, barely noticeable with the fingers. Soul separation and resurrection had damaged his glands. This caused the inner omega to despair. Voldemort couldn't help but cry, curled up on the big bed in his own bedroom at the Manor. Damn, he'd never cried since his days at the orphanage. So why now..?

• Had to postpone attempts to gain power in Magical Britain and start returning horcruxes to satisfy the desire of the inner self. Voldemort spent about two months on this, and those months were a living hell.

• Now the man stood in front of the mirror and caressed his own face with his hands, admiring the beauty and freshness of a young body. He looked to be in his late twenties now, compact and handsome. The inner omega purred with happiness, because now their true mate will see them from the other side and love them, perhaps even give them pups!

• ...

• WHAT? PUPS? Tom, without realizing it, slapped himself on the cheek. A bright red mark instantly appeared on the pale skin. What kind of vile thoughts appeared in his head? Nagini hissed softly, sliding off the bed and wrapping herself around her master's legs, feeling anxious. He needed to pull himself together. This is definitely some kind of nonsense.

• That evening, Voldemort, or Tom, summoned the ill-fated alpha. They entered the office with obvious concern, looking at their master. And, oh God, that look made the puzzle inside Tom come together.

[ilynpilled]

another thing with denying jaime agency is that a lot of his character is initially constructed around what his physical power means when it comes to choices that he makes. physical strength and combat prowess, violence, is a specific form of power that he has over others and can choose to extend to other parties. it is an integral aspect of every power dynamic, be it with his king, his sister, the rest of society etc. the knight is also an examination of power and responsibility. that is why their oaths are constructed around protecting the weak. it is what’s so interesting with the kingsguard too, especially aerys’s. they are the most skilled in combat and physically powerful people in the room. they had a form of power to act and prevent what aerys kept doing. and they are on a leash through oaths, law, order, obeying authority, and a status quo, a different kind of power that functions to give the man with a crown, in this case a tyrant, absolute power. you are sworn to obey, not to judge. you have to abide by your role. that is also what makes him eventually killing aerys and breaking these oaths so transgressive and threatening to the westerosi paradigm. his motivations and the circumstances aside, jaime in specific killing his king as a member of his elite guard undermined westerosi order and framed power as something that resided with the man with the sword and not with the man with the crown or even the lords with bannermen and armies who won the war that they started. it breaks these constructs apart with the precedent it sets. and on top of that, he gets away with it because of his status and relationship to tywin. the act itself is still something when it comes to westerosi order and class stratification, but it is also threatening in general because, yes, it does make him a loose cannon in the eyes of other people. and yeah he stagnates and falls into cynicism and begins to reject ethics and law in dangerous ways and ends up abusing that physical power and causes real harm to people who do not deserve it. he does embody a dangerous kind of anarchy that is the product of the flawed and dysfunctional social order that he experienced with a front row seat with the absurdly cruel tyrant that was systematically enabled. everything was reframed in his head. if there is no justice and order you can have faith in, who cares? he doesn’t fear death, and that is combined with the belief he can cut through anything now, he has the power to do so. be it a king, a lord, or virtually any power over him when it comes down to it. how much can a crown be worth…? he even argues to brienne that robert tearing the realm apart with his war is worse in a pragmatic sense. he rejects the existing laws, ethics, and moral constructs of his society that have a monopoly on violence because he is disillusioned with them, and he operates solely by his twisted reconstruction of morality (also obviously affected by his trauma) that atp primarily revolves around love for his family, especially cersei. he chooses to become the sword of his loved one, having lost faith in the purity of everything other than this delusional idealized relationship that is the only thing that is sacred that remains to him. and ofc all of this is another layer that makes george stripping him of this particular power through his maiming so functional in causing crisis

[twstjam]

Black Fire

Quick drabble because I was thinking about the importance of love to dragons in twst but also in Barbie's version of the Swan Lake, where Odette is weakened because her lover professed his love to someone else. So, I decided to combine the two :) Pairing: Malleyuu/Malleus x Reader Setting: Ambiguous. Non-canon Warnings: Hurt no comfort. Not proofread.

---

Dragons are known as possibly the most powerful beings in Twisted Wonderland. They are possessive, selfish, with an even more fearsome temper to boot.

So who could've guessed that a dragon's biggest strength and weakness is love?

Not anyone and especially not you. You hadn't even known Tsunotarou was a dragon until almost a year after a meeting him, until after almost three months of having been planted the seeds of affection for him within you.

You should've been able to guess. After all, love and companionship are important things to him, more important than even his beloved gargoyles. It's obvious in the way he keeps his family close; how he recalls memories of Silver's youth fondly, is endeared by Sebek's overzealousness, and hangs onto Lilia's every word. It's obvious in how he wraps himself around you, leaning his chest against your back and looping his arms around your torso and purrs in delight at your acceptance of his affection. Obvious in how he gifts you little trinkets from his expansive collection of memorabilia, how he had put effort into appeasing your friends with gifts that suited their interests when he had unintentionally upset them. He is possessive and selfish just like the stories say, but despite being these things, he still allows your friends to steal your time, has even begun to grow closer to them himself too.

You should've been able to guess just how precious love was to him. How dearly he holds it in his heart. How dearly he holds you in his heart. How, even though he sneaks glances at you and brushes your hand fleetingly in ways that he does with no one else and boldly visits you uninvited, you should not have dismissed his behavior as mere eagerness.

It shouldn't have taken you this long to realise Malleus's feelings. Shouldn't have taken him inviting you into a room overlooking his lush rose garden to realise that your blossoming feelings are reciprocated.

When Malleus confesses to you, looks into your eyes and captivates you with the glow of his green irises, you finally put the pieces together and see it, the intensity of his feelings for you that have itself taken form a gorgeous bloom that rivals the roses of his cherished garden.

You're so amazed, enchanted by him like you always are, that you barely notice the cacophony of squeaking bats outside the window.

You're watching Malleus closely, taking in every inch of his flawless features. His eyes are hesitant, his head tilted slightly away from you and a handkerchief held over his glossy lips in an almost shy manner that makes your heart flutter with endearment.

"Do you accept my feelings?" he murmurs.

Your chest feels so pleasantly warm that it almost feels as if you might be melting from the inside-out. You reach out your hand and the commotion outside is like white noise to you as Malleus accepts your hand and your fingers entertwine. They fit perfectly against each other, and nothing has ever felt more right.

You take a soft, shuddering breath, hold it within you like something holy, and use it to utter the precious words:

"I do. I love you too. I always have."

Malleus smiles, so big and wide, and the delicate breath instead escapes in a startled gasp at the way his bright eyes darken into a deep emerald.

"I had hoped you'd say that."

Your head snaps toward the windows, finally hearing the bats screech in alarm. Your eyes are drawn down to the garden, where the roses wilt and die right as the magic within them drains before your very eyes.

You tug your hand out of his and stumble back in horror. The expression he's making is so wrong on Malleus's face, his lips pulling back to bare his teeth in a triumphant grin, his eyes wide and cruel.

"Who are you?!" you scream at the impostor. "Where's Malleus?!"

"That doesn't matter now!" the man laughs wickedly. Orange fire engulfs his body, the heat making you wince, and a white-haired man, wide-eyed and manic, looks back at you with a mocking smile. "You already confessed your love to me. Thanks to you, darling, that evil master of the abyss can now be vanquished!"

The windows burst open and the bats swarm in, squealing in anguish. Rollo Flamm merely laughs as he's engulfed in flame once again and disappears before they reach him. You're left standing stunned and horrified, listening to the fading sound of his laughter, before the bats begin to claw at you to grab your attention.

You don't question the bats as they lead you. You follow them, so frantic that you trip over yourself, and nearly fall to your knees when you leave into an empty hallway and see Malleus sprawled on the floor, unmoving, his robes scattered around him like spilled ink.

"No!" the agonized scream comes out of you unbidden, and you do fall to your knees once you've reached Malleus's side. You cradle his face in shaking hands, and your heart twists at how cold his skin feels. His eyes are closed and he's breathing but it's slow, as well as his pulse, as if he's merely in a deep sleep. You know he isn't, because the familiar energy of his magic electrifying the air isn't present. Instead, you can feel it draining with each passing second.

A dragon's biggest strength is love, but it is also his weakness.

You should've been able to guess—You should've noticed. It shouldn't have taken you holding Malleus's weakening body in your arms to realise that—

Malleus Draconia is in love with you, but because of that love, when you had professed your love to another, you had also thrown away all his magic just as you had thrown away his heart.

[voxofthevoid]

Ch 248 is once again a mixed bag for me. On the bright side, it has a development I've been looking forward to the most since Sukuna left Yuuji's body—Sukuna acknowledging the effect Yuuji has on him. Until now, he's mocked and belittled Yuuji, deeming him weak and boring, except that the specific brand of vitriol Sukuna reserves for Yuuji has made it very clear that his beef with Yuuji is a lot more personal than his conflict with any other character. There's a pettiness there, a kind of irritation that's borderline childish, that wouldn't be present if Yuuji didn't well and truly get under his skin.

So to see Sukuna take a moment in the middle of battle, complete with arms on his hips and a goddamn pout, to reassess himself, his ideology, and his enemies and their goals, all to figure out why Yuuji irritates him and then to see him conclude that it's because Yuuji has indomitable will that he can't stomp down? It's sweet, sweet vindication. Sukuna's immediate resolution to tear that will down with, again, a kind of personal vendetta we rarely see from him marks the exact kind of fight I want out of Yuuji vs. Sukuna.

And Yuuji himself has been a sight to behold despite his relatively fewer scenes so far, from his final moments with Higuruma to the reveal that he can use RCT. His greatest strengths so far have been how quickly he grasps CE usage and now attuned he is to his body. The two combined is what's made him so lethal despite the lack of a CT or even advanced techniques like simple domain. RCT fits quite neatly with the kind of power progression he's shown so far, and combined with his natural durability and sheer resilience, it'll make him even more of a monster.

These are elements I'm very happy with. However, this chapter confirms Kenjaku's end and sets up Sukuna as the final villain, and that's... underwhelming at best. I'm not complaining that Sukuna isn't a particularly complicated villain; it's refreshing and suits how he's presented himself from the beginning. But part of what compensated for one villain being like that was the other being a mad scientist with a pretty cunning mind who kept plotting and planning with every tool in their arsenal. You could trust Kenjaku to keep things interesting while they sought the chaos they dearly wanted, and even the merger coming from them would've had certain meaningful implications because not only is it a dream they strived to fulfil for centuries, but it's also a way to see them finally "let go" of Tengen after exhibiting some fascinating attachment behaviors with her. That authority passing on to Sukuna is about as impactful as Yuuta killing Kenjaku—that is, not at all.

The Yuuta+Rika vs. Sukuna fight that's currently being teased makes me wary for similar reasons. It lacks the buildup Gojou vs. Sukuna had (battle of the strongest, i.e., clash of two immense fucking egos), and another contest of raw power sounds about as appealing as watching paint dry right now. Maybe it'll surprise me, but I'm not holding my breath.

To compare this to Shibuya, the emotional component that made its climax so compelling is almost entirely missing from this fight. It's there in Yuuji facing off against someone who took Megumi and Gojou from him, like how he fought the curse that took Nanami and Nobara from him, but overall, the deaths feel hollow and the stakes are so impossibly high that they start to feel like nothing at all.

I can't even fully capture what I'm feeling. It's not that I'm not looking forward to the upcoming chapters; I am. It's not even that I think the plot and climax are unsalvageable; they are, to an extent. But by this point, the plot fumblings and wasted potential have added up to a looming shadow I can't ignore even when there are parts I'm genuinely excited about.

[levia-chan]

MAKING PACT

A/N: Well, for some reason Tumblr doesn't have many works with demon!MC, so I decided to try to write my own, I hope you like it :3

- No.

- MC, please think again. I assure you, this pact will benefit both of us! - that annoying sorcerer won't leave you alone.

He's been trying to get you to make a pact with him for quite some time. You don't want that. Which, in fact, led to your current situation. You're desperately trying to get away from the sorcerer somewhere far away, and he's still following you.

- I said no. Look for some other demon to make a pact with them.

It seems suspicious to you that such a powerful sorcerer is persistently trying to make a pact with you. You don't have such a high rank and you barely match the level of the fallen brothers, so why would he do that?

Solomon already has 72 demons under his control, so what would change if you joined this list? If he wants a pact with you just because you're closely related to the seven brothers, then he won't get it.

- MC, listen, I don't just want to make a pact with you. I see great potential in you! If we combine our knowledge and abilities, we can achieve a lot! Besides, we will certainly be able to learn something new from each other! - he was hoping to convince you with that sweet talk and friendly smile.

Oh, Diavolo, this man is really testing your patience.

That's it, you've had enough.

You stop abruptly and turn to face him. "Listen, I'm flattered by your desire to make a pact with me, but I doubt we'll be able to learn anything from each other. Besides, you overestimate me. I'm not that strong, and I don't want to be overshadowed by a human."

Now that he finally had your attention, he took your hand in his and gently ran his thumb over your knuckles.

- You're being too hard on yourself. You have your strengths, and I have my weaknesses. If you're still not sure, then how about showing off our skills to each other?

You wanted to object, but first you decided to weigh the pros and cons. In the end, you decided that a show of force wouldn't hurt and would perfectly show who you'd be connected to if you did decide to make a pact.

- Okay, I'm interested. But after this show, my decision will be final. Either we make a pact or not, it's up to me. Is that clear? - you took your hands out of his hands.

Solomon nods his head. He understands your conditions perfectly and will be ready to fulfill them, even if everything turns out not in his favor.

- Great! Now it remains to decide exactly where we would like to do this.

Both of you turned your heads at the same time towards the old dark forest not far from you. There is almost no one there, except for some rarely passing animals, plus it is far from the busy city.

Just perfect.

- Huh, I think great minds think the same way, - you laugh and start moving towards the forest first.

Solomon didn't mind that you were leading him. It didn't take you long to get to the middle of the forest, where you are surrounded only by earth, rocks and some sticks. You are accompanied by a light cool wind that makes the hairs on your skin stand on end, because you were not wearing enough warm clothes.

He noticed that you were shaking a little, so he immediately took his coat and draped it over your shoulders.

- Are you cold? - he was smiling as he put his coat on your shoulders. "I wouldn't want you to freeze. You still need to demonstrate your abilities, MC."

You fell into a stupor for a while. You didn't expect such gentlemanly behavior, especially from him.

- What about you? You people are more fragile. A little breeze won't kill me. Take care of yourself, wizard - you tried to give him back his coat.

The last thing you need is for him to poke you in the face what a sissy you are for the rest of the day.

The sorcerer, also stubborn, forced you to keep his coat with you. "I want you to know that I'm not like other people. Besides, the turtleneck suits me fine," he fiddled with the fabric around his neck.

Well, if he insists, then who are you to refuse?

Now that you have reached the perfect location, you have a large empty space at your disposal.

You turned your head towards him and tilted it slightly. "So, are you starting or am I?" you're flexing your fingers in preparation for the demonstration.

Solomon laughed and rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. "Come on, please, demons go ahead."

- Wow, look at the gentleman, - you smirked.

At first, you stretched your hand out and felt the breeze passing through your fingers. You put your middle finger and thumb together and started concentrating. Magic began to crackle in the air. When a ball of magical energy formed in your hand, you turned all your attention to one object.

You looked at a large boulder and sharply reduced the sphere, after which you sent this small ball to the boulder. In just a second, a rather powerful explosion occurred. Strong air currents formed, as well as debris of different sizes, which began to fly in different directions. Some even flew in your direction.

- MC! - Solomon grabbed your arm and tried to pull you away, but you didn't even move.

You looked at the wreckage and clenched your hand into a fist. The stones stopped abruptly in the air and began to fall to the ground under the influence of gravity, forming small craters.

Since the danger has passed, the sorcerer has released your hand. He breathed out a sigh of relief and looked at you worriedly. "You could have been hurt, you know? It's good that you have a great reaction."

- I know my abilities and I wouldn't do this if I wasn't sure of my own safety. But it's nice that you're worried about me when you should be thinking about yourself.

He chuckled as it was his turn to show his strength. He will prove that he is worthy to make a pact with you.

- Let's see if you'll keep thinking I'm weak. Oh, and by the way, you're not getting seasick in the air, are you? - he asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

- No. Why-

You didn't have time to finish and understand what was going on, because you suddenly flew into the sky. The only thing that could soften your fall is the edges of the trees.

Solomon was next to you in a second, but he was much better at floating in the air than you were. Watching you awkwardly hanging in the air, he covered his mouth, trying to hide a chuckle. - Well? Are you having fun?

You stared at him, kicking your legs in the air. "What do you think? You just shot me like a projectile from a catapult! And without any warning!"

- You'll get used to it soon, but for now let me help you, - he flew up to you and took your hands. He began to guide you, and now your flight has stopped being so erratic.

It took your breath away to realize that you were so high above the ground. "You don't send everyone you meet flying, do you? Because it's a great way to make enemies."

- Don't worry, I'm not that reckless, - he smiled and gently lowered you both down. "I only do this with those who are really interesting to me and with whom I want to become closer."

You fell silent, feeling his gaze on you. "Solomon, - you haven't called him that for quite a while, - if you want to make a pact with me just because I know my brothers well, then you don't have to continue. I don't like being used."

He seemed to be taken aback by this response. "Is that why you've been rejecting the pact all this time?"

-... Well.. Why else would you sign a contract with me?..

Solomon gently took your hand. "MC.. Pacts are not something you will make with someone for no reason. What I want from you means more to me than strength or power."

Your feet finally touched the ground, and you were speechless after such a subtle confession. You can't even look at him.

- It looks like I'm making things too complicated, - he noticed your stunned state. "According to our agreement, I will accept any decision you make. Pact or not," he lowered his head and looked away, preparing to face rejection.

Before he left, you grabbed his arm and stopped him.

- The pact. I want to make a pact with you.

[triple-barred]

dylan’s astrological chart

these observations are my own, take them with a grain of salt from someone with no astrological qualifications other than a casual interest. i’ll be talking in detail about his sun, moon, and rising signs.

virgo sun: virgo men are massive headaches, total weirdos, and overly critical. most of the time, though, they are so lovable. their strengths and weaknesses are the same— what makes them downers makes them humble, what makes them picky makes them hardworking perfectionists, what makes them stoic makes them peacekeepers. many find virgo men to be attractive because of their emotional expression. especially in dylan’s case, virgo men have a tendency to be shy and sensitive, but they express that internally or through their interests. dylan rarely talked about his feelings, but revealed himself fully and very eloquently to his journals. he liked sad music and romantic movies, but with some sort of unconventionality. his virgo-weirdness was in his offbeat interests and abstract ways of perceiving the world. virgos are cynical, critical, virgo men are notoriously shit on by those knowledgeable about astrology, but this sign in combination with dylan’s aquarius moon and many libra placements makes him dreamy, shadowy.

aquarius moon: the moon placement is a little tricky sometimes, but i think dylan had a lot of aquarius traits. aquarius is the sign of independence, and that can manifest in the moon placement as being introverted. moon aquarians can be prone to depression, and especially in men. men with aquarius placements are also incredibly emotional, and usually unregulated in that aspect. they tend to hold it in until it comes out as bursts of anger/sadness; this is shown a lot in dylan’s personality, and i think this is the part of him that hid his depression and anger until he felt he had no other choice than to do something extreme. aquarius moons with healthier senses of selves take comfort in long, deep conversations—dylan, given that he was very well-spoken and in touch with himself, would’ve benefitted immensely from someone to relate to.

libra rising: dylan has a lot of libra in his chart. you can see that in the chart above, but if you don’t want to pick through the wheel: libra was in his ascendant (rising), mercury, venus, jupiter, saturn, and pluto, giving him a libra stellium (that’s when three or more planets are in the same sign or house). his mercury, jupiter, and saturn are also all in the 12th house, giving him a 12th house stellium in congruity with his libra stellium. this is rare to an almost shocking degree, and it means that his libra traits are intensely amplified. libra is the sign of partnership, meaning libras fall deeply in love and value commitment & loyalty in relationships. they are also seen as charming and charismatic; his charisma wasn’t picked up on or appreciated by many of his peers, but he still had more friends and social standing than the general public seems to believe. the amount of libra in his chart has much to do with this, given that his other placements indicate being off-putting and shy; but, dylan was a libra rising rather than sun, and his libra traits had less to do with his outward personality and more within himself. his peers that liked and spoke highly of him still described him as strange in one way or another—they felt drawn in regardless of their ability, or rather lack thereof, to relate to him. his libra rising is shown in his internal struggle for balance and harmony. he wasn’t a peacemaker in regards to his own emotions, his anger overshadowed that, but he constantly sought to make sense of and appreciate the world’s contrasts. his three-barred cross, the darkness versus the lightness he felt lived inside him, his need for love versus his desperate hatred. i find this placement and the fact that libra is in so many other placements to be the most interesting and complex part of his chart.

i would love to talk more about this if anyone is interested, or if anyone has a different opinion

[pianokantzart]

Reading your most recent post on Movie!Bowser… it does make me quite curious as to how they’ll handle Bowser and Mario’s fighting dynamic in the hypothetical second Mario movie. In terms of physical strength, I mean. Game!Mario is quite capable of taking down Bowser in his original form(as in, can physically take Bowser down without power-ups) but Mario more or less needed the aid of the star power-up to do so. The movie versions of M&L are definitely closer to normal humans in terms of fighting prowess, so it makes me wonder if they’ll try having Mario, and Luigi by proxy, fight in hand-to-hand combat with no power-ups with Bowser at some point?

Maybe that could be a plot point in the second movie? Bowser worms his way out and starts whichever villainous plot his evil little heart desires, and Mario and Luigi start off a journey of sorts to find another star power-up, believing it crucial in obtaining victory? But, unable to find it, they’re more or less thrown into the fray with their wits and only limited power-ups in tow? And thus sustain a significant amount more of injuries without their invincibility from the star? (And perhaps the fabled green mushroom makes its debut that way…) The movies could have an interesting juxtaposition with the first movie bros being inexperienced + power-upped vs. second movie bros being more experienced + ….not-so-power-upped lol. They sort’ve have to earn their hero titles more(though moreso in the eyes of themselves only. Mostly everyone around them is already like ‘Duh. Your heroes with or without them.’ But, alas, character arcs! Potentially!) Sorry, I’m kinda word vomiting, but day by day I grow ever more curious how the second movie could play out….

One thing I like about The Super Mario Bros. Movie is that it's pretty much just an origin story. There is so much room to expand between where the movie left off and the full Mario lore as we know it today, and I for one am interested in the process of Mario and Luigi going from "Haha! We're heroes!" to "Oh f*ck, we're heroes," to "Okay... we're heroes... we can do this."

Like, how would they react to the idea of facing off against Bowser again without a power star to help them? How will their dynamic shake out when they're bouncing from one life-or-death situation to another? How will they balance their protectiveness toward each other with their moral obligations? Where will the new stakes take them? What new powerup/ally/enemy will they encounter? But back to what you're saying. If Mario and Luigi don't use powerups– even small ones– in the fight against Bowser, I predict a combination of the following tactics will be employed:

Reliance on dexterity. Bowser has them beat in terms of speed, strength, and resilience, but being a giant turtle monster he isn't nearly as agile as Mario and Luigi.

Using Bowser's emotions against him. It's his most glaring weakness, so while prodding at his ego is risky it could also make his movements more predictable.

Using their surroundings to their advantage instead of relying strictly on their own physical ability, which is a pretty common thing to do in Mario games (and video games in general.)

Leaning heavily on teamwork, not just with each other but with Peach, Toad, and probably Yoshi given the post-credits teaser.

And maybe a certain green and white mushroom will need to come into play at some point? We'll see. My biggest fear is that the writers will nerf Bowser a little so that he's easier to take on without the aid of the super star, but I really hope that doesn't happen. Speedy, strong, ruthless, unwavering, tactical, durable Bowser with a fire breath powerful enough to destroy civilizations is my favorite Bowser.

[quirkwizard]

So what AFO quirks would fit well with pro heroes similar to the LoV, Class A and B, Yakuza, and MLA? Obviously, there are a lot of heroes so you could either disregard the teachers and save them for another post, or cover anyone you want. Feel free to include retired/dead heroes if you wish.

So I won't include the teachers, if only because there are enough of them to cover their own post, and just stick to the more prominent pros.

Fourth Kind-Transforming Arms: "Transforming Arms" lets the user change their arms. Fourth Kind has an extra set of arms. Ergo, the Quirk will be twice as effective with him.

Gang Orca-Air Cannon: This is mostly here to play off of Gang Orca's sonic attacks. With "Air Cannon", it be neat to see him augment and alter how those attacks are made.

Fat Gum-Shock Absorption: This may seem redundant on Fat Gum, but I prefer to think of it as something that emphasizes his strengths, removing a lot of the downsides that came from him wasting fat.

Endeavor-Super Regeneration: Considering Enji's greatest weakness is how often he keeps burning himself out and how power his defeneses are, this would slot in nicely to keep him from dying.

Gran Torino-Rivet: Not only will this help protect Gran Torino and offset his poor defense, but enhance his offense. The man basically becomes a human cannon ball with how he smashes into people.

Ryukyu-Hardfan Flame: So there weren't a lot of Quirks that paired as well with Ryukyu. So I just decided to go with the one that fixes a grievous flaw with her power. Now she can be a dragon that breathes fire.

Tora-Spearlike Bones: I really like the idea of him combining the two Quirks with his combat abilities to become this whirling dervish of bones. Plus it could combine in some fun ways with his stretchy body.

Captain Celebrity-Impact Recoil: It'd be interesting to see this combine with the natural defenses of "Flight", working to increase the barrier's resilience and having him be able to apply that resistance to other people.

Hawks-Shoulder Mounted Jets: Yes, Hawks can fly and he's fast. However, not only can this let him fly when his feathers are around, it could be used with the feathers to improve their speed and attack potency with jets of air.

Mandalay-Radio Waves: So this could lead to an interesting expansion when used with "Telepath". I can imagine working like some electronic telepathy by picking up and putting out signals, which would be super useful.

Miruko-Air Walk: I know this seems redundant with how far she can jump, but it's more to augment her combat abilities. She can turn any spot in the air into a landing point to launch herself at people or bounce out to get out of the way of attacks.

Kamui Woods-Muscle Augmentation: Kaumi Woods is already a pretty skilled Quirk user, but he's lacking a lot in direct power. I can just imagine him using these together to turn his branches into entire trees worth of wood like he was Hashirama.

Pixie Bob-Rivet Stab: Honestly, Pixie Bob is power enough that she doesn't really need any new tricks. I just went with "Rivet Stab" as I thought it'd be some neat interactions with her earth power, like stitching it into her Earth Beasts to make them tougher.

Ragdoll-Warping: Not only could this help out with Ragdoll's amazing support abilities by letting her teleport people around, but it's be interesting to see it combine with "Search", like teleporting people to anyone else she has marked with her power.

Best Jeanist-Tool Arms: So while this can be useful in giving him more direct damage, I picked this for another reason. You know those giant cables that Best Jeanist uses in bigger fights? Shame he can't carry those around with him every where. Until now that is.

Edgeshot-Storage: Now Edge shot can apply his flattening affect to whomever he wants be carrying them with him. Quite literally bringing them into the fold. Which just makes the Quirk extra terrfiying with his stealth as people just suddenly vanish as they're snatch up by him.

Mount Lady-Absorb and Release: Obviously, Mount Lady is a big target, so it's be easy to apply this Quirk and help expand on her abilities to block damage. What's better is that the downsides is meaningless. Taking damage to use the affect is going to be pretty meaningless with how big she is.

Sir Nighteye-Overclock: This may be the best one. Not only is this on theme with his whole time schtick, but it gives Sir Nighteye some much needed combat ability and would work well with his combat prowess. And who know how something like this would combine with his future sight.