#it is simply a fact of the series that you have to develop the power to superimpose a normal human woman over every nami scene

[alea-jottun]

On dissonance : saying you story did something vs making your story say something

A problem I have noticed with people defending s2 is that they take at face value what the dialogues say (or what the writers have said in interviews), as if it were a complete justification of what happens in s2. But a story cannot simply say it is something, it has to be this thing. Dialogue that is not backed up by the actual content of a story is worthless.

A few examples for instance :

S2 wants to pretend that it has something to say about forgiveness. But what does it do ? Have alternate Silco say that "the greatest thing we can do in life is find the power to forgive" (one of the worst lines of s2 considering the context. I'm not even going to delve into why he was the worst possible character you could choose to prone forgiveness, but let's put aside his character assassination for now) yet never follow through.

That's just a line, said by a character. For it to have value, it has to be backed by the story. But s2 doesn't do that.

The problem is not that s2 wants to prone forgiveness (that was going to come up anyway, because you have to discuss forgiveness in order to put an end to a cycle of violence). The problem is that there is no well-written arc demonstrating the value of forgiveness in s2 : simply characters who suddenly feel bad for what they have done, and other characters who forgive them just like that. The justifications given for their changes of heart are either incredibly superficial (considering the gravity of the Arcane themes. We're talking about forgiving murder, attacks, etc), or absolute crap. The reason being of course that the writers did not bother writing organic, developped character arcs.

No, Caitlyn saying "I know" or fighting Noxus is not her taking responsibility or atoning for her crimes. No, her seeing Vi or being called Cupcake should not be enough to cause a change of heart this radical (and don't say that Caitlyn was feeling bad and was waiting for an opportunity to betray Ambessa, because that's simply not true. She absolutely supported Ambessa through s2. She just suddenly changed her opinion on Ambessa because the writers decided it).

Same goes for instance for the Timebomb subplot (which I have unfortunately seen heralded as another example of how s2 preaches forgiveness) : Ekko goes to an alternate reality and falls in love with an alternate version of a girl who murdered his friends and cursed Zaun, but in his reality Jinx is suddenly sad about what she did to the Council, so boom ! Forgiven with no proper redemption arc, and now Ekko tries to convince her that she can better herself. Even though throughout Arcane Jinx didn't give a damn about Ekko or the Firelights she killed. And no, fighting for Piltover and a fake sacrifice at the end do not count as redemption.

At this point, the writers really feel like a character being sad is equivalent to an entire redemption arc. But forgiveness has to be earned, and it never is in s2.

Another example of constant dissonance which I have evoked in another post, but also fits here :

Caitlyn saying to Jinx "no amount of good deeds can undo our crimes...." .... while the entirety of s2 does just that for several characters, including her and Jinx, ironically.

Again, that's just one line, said by a character at the end of a 9 episodes series. But that's not what s2 says in practice. The reality of s2 is that it keeps trying to downplay Jinx's past actions, it keeps trying to undo her crimes : she does whatever she wants and is seen as a symbol in Zaun, even though she literally prevented the Council from declaring Zaun independant. There is no problem to her presence in Viktor's commune, despite that fact that she killed him, and his dream, and again, cursed Zaun when it was about to be freed. She can literally talk to Viktor without the topic ever being properly adressed.  And then the writers remember that she is a bit more than a troublemaker, so in the last episodes you get half-baked excuses and a tentative to end herself to cause drama (which is incredibly insensitive, but that's not the point of this post).

Same for Caitlyn : despite being the one saying "no amount of good deeds can undo our crimes....", she has one of the happiest ending of s2, without ever taking responsibility for her actions, or going through redemption. She ends up with an even better social position, a girlfriend she mistreated, a victory for Piltover, and never any real punishment or coherent negative consequences of her actions. So yes, her crimes are pretty much undo-ed... and she didn't even do any real good deed.

The dialogue says something, but the whole series contradicts it.

And finally, you have lines that are absolute crap (in the context of s2) and that pretend that s2 was a completely different show : see the "trying to get rid of your imperfections" line (Viktor's so-called quest for perfection doesn't exist apart from a few lines of dialogues, it is never a proper plot point in the show itself). See the "If he had found the letter it would all have been different" line (not even going to go into details with this one because there is so much wrong with it, it's impressive at this point). Or Jayce's "All I want is my partner back" when Jayce is not shown caring about Viktor after he goes back to Zaun (and no, hallucinating him once in the fire does not count. Also it does not help that neither Jayce nor Viktor have much screen time) and then tries to kill him. So what does s2 do ? Have a cheap thirty second explanation in the last episode, introduce the worst "plot twist" of the series, and pretend it did the job.

Add that to the terrible interview of the writer who said that they made the story as "economical" as possible (they genuinely thought that if they implied something once, then they never had to mention it again) when a good story is supposed to be the complete opposite : efficient (say as much as you possibly can).

S2 is all filler no substance. I know we're joking about the people defending it with the "micro-expressions" argument, but that's understandable : that's all there is in s2 : micro-potentials of what could have been a great series, drowned in an ocean of incompetence. 

[cosmicrhetoric]

you will never catch me defending the way one piece women are designed post timeskip but i will say what made me make peace w/ it in my brain was fem law. i knew that happened bc the internet blew the fuck up when that ep dropped but when i finally got there and saw it i was like. ah. okay. i understand now. the honkers simply come before all else. it's like a prereq now so if nami or robin or (sorry for saying it. but the wano close up) zoro aren't in the episode someone has to pick up the slack. there was so little chance to sexualize someone in an episode detailing the fight scene of thee ultimate fan fave side character vs thee big bad of the series that oda was like uhhhh and also law has huge tits now. you're welcome.

[flicklikesstuff]

Idk if anyone else has noticed this but no one brought it up so…..

Remember how Viv said that Husk refuses to embrace his demon form and thus, doesn’t use his wings often for flight?

And yeah, we never see Husk fly at all prior to Ep 8. In Ep 3, we see him sneak away from the battle exercise, despite the fact that if Vaggie really did throw him, he could’ve easily just flown and skipped it. But he didn’t. And at least we know why.

(Hence, I just have this headcanon that Husk just secretly never knew how to properly fly ever since he first arrived.

Because he felt like he didn’t need to. He had his powers and can handle himself. He used to be a powerful Overlord. And even now, he’s currently under Alastor’s ‘protection.’ Basically, just never really found a reason to learn it, couldn’t be bothered, and simply just because….He doesn’t wanna.)

But then the threat of the extermination came and everything he grew to care about was at risk. And what does he do?

He flies.

For the hotel. For his friends.

He even went to see if his bf Angel’s alright. What a sweetie :))

Since Husk presumably doesn’t do flying a lot usually, it makes sense his back would hurt so much from the excessive strain his wings had to do all of a sudden. He’s not used to this much of flying. Heck, even his poor wings completely drooped to the floor!

He literally gave his back out for his friends- :((

This is going to delve a little bit into headcanon territory from this point onwards. You don’t have to read down if you’re not interested. ⬇️

……..

So Personal Headcanon:

I like to think that in Ep 7, while Vaggie is away with Carmilla and Charlie with Alastor, the other 4 were up to their own shenanigans off screen.

I honestly thought their friendship didn’t get to develop as much as I wanted it to. Especially the interactions with Sir Pentious and Niffty weren’t a lot. The series just established them as close friends and expects us to just take it as word but didn’t really show it much. Maybe Pentious’ death would hit harder if we actually saw him get closer to the others rather than being made fun of all the time.

Anyways, back to the HC, these 4 bonded some more while boarding the place. (Awww, all without being told by Charlie).

And since they knew they’re going to be up against FLYING angels, Angel commented that Husk’s wings can be put to good use for once, rather than just being displayed.

Husk was insecure and got defensive at first, eventually sheepishly admitting he doesn’t know how to use them. Slightly opening up how he hates his current form. While Angel and Pentious were confused at first, they both didn’t make fun of it any further. (Because yay! Development! Charlie would be proud.)

Husk warms up a little and claims that “Fine, he’ll try for the hotel’s sake but this is a one time thing…blah blah blah.”

Cue Pentious using and teaching his ‘expertise’ on flight from his machines. Angel smirking every time a clueless Pentious discusses the forces of “Lift, Drag, Weight and…ahem. Thrust.” Meanwhile, Husk attempts to ignore Angel but fails to resist smirking back at times. (Because I know Huskerdust fans love collecting crumbs) And later on, Niffty insisting she wants to be the one to push Husk off the balcony for practice.

Which, she does. On Angel’s count of 3. But she pushes him before Angel could even begin counting. Pentious debating and suggesting whether it’s better for the trial to do it ON 3, BEFORE 3, or start from 1. Regardless, Niffty messes each trial up. And Husk is just regretting everything in this nightmare his 3 friends call “training.” This is just one of their many shenanigans btw.

Eventually though, Husk did get the hang of it….somewhat. He could glide, take off and hover. But couldn’t really stay up long or fly high because his muscles and stamina for flight are terrible since he doesn’t do it often. Thus, why Husk stays very close to the ground during the final battle and only flies short distances. But the 4 considered it good enough.

(Angel made a joke on the “lack of stamina,” and got thrown in the face by a bottle. But yeah, all of them had some fun to a degree and became more emotionally bonded. All before Charlie and Vaggie came back with backup. Woohoo!

Hopefully they won’t see a particular snake die in front of their eyes-)

If any of y’all want to make a fic of this concept, be my guest. The only condition is that you share me the link :))

[g0thnico]

Things that if I were Rick Riordan I would make more dramatic:

Percy and Gabe's relationship. I understand that it's a children's series so it's normal not to be explored as much, but if PJO was written by me, I would be turning this into one of the main points of Percy's traumas

Percy's mortal life. The only times this is introduced in PJO is to show something divine next, usually monsters or new problems. I would have shown more of what Percy was like at school and his relationship with mortals (or lack thereof)

Percy's powers. Okay, Percy is super powerful and doesn't have any conditions for this?? Nico has nothing more fair. For me, Percy's healing should 2hurt, a burning sensation for cuts and the feeling of bones going back into place when he needs to fix them. In addition, his ability to control water will cause hunger that varies according to how much he used his powers

Ares. Okay Ares is the god of war, but also the protector of women, don't you think he would have at least conflicted feelings about Percy because he was abused along with his mother? I think he would have at least a little empathy for him because of Sally

Percy's romantic life. Okay Rick, we already understand that you definitely don't know how to write romance novels, so leave it to me. Your development of Percabeth was crap and Perachel manages to make it worse, don't even talk to me about Percalypso, he accidentally ended up making Percy's romantic development with two of Hades' sons better than the canon couples. Yes, I'm talking about Bianca di Angelo because it seems like no one noticed the way he talked about Bianca (she was different from the other girls and easy to talk to), Nico (he felt a great sense of protection towards him and couldn't stop thinking about the boy who ran away) and HADES (he was amazed by Hades' dark form and would like to sleep at his feet????)

Grover and Percy soul connection. The fact that Grover and Percy are bonded and feel each other's feelings and the fact that if one dies, the other dies with them, has only been explored 2 or 3 times and that is absurd!!!! I would do at least 5 dramatic scenes where Percy feels an indescribable sadness and can't show anything but Grover cries and breaks down in helplessness just by feeling his friend's emotions. Maybe another one where Grover almost dies and Percy spits blood and faints and everyone has to find a way to save both of them or simply undo the bond before one dies, or even take care of one through the other's body (if that's possible) ok I have a lot of ideas

finally, the older brother complex coming from Sally (feeling like the experiment that went wrong and watching what went right grow). Long title, I know, but it's necessary and self-explanatory. Sally had Percy and went through a lot of hardships because he was a demigod and she was practically a single mother (having Gabe as a husband is the same as nothing) so Percy grew up with a lot of trauma and somewhat neglected by his parents and society (don't be fooled, Sally is an excellent mother, but they were a poor family and she had to work, leaving the boy to fend for himself and become somewhat independent too soon). He did everything possible to avoid causing trouble and in Sally's eyes, he really didn't! She sees all the problems they went through as the fault of the gods or monsters, not her son (the victim). So Sally gets rid of Gabe, moves out, marries a good man who understands her and accepts her "we have to deal with half-blood stuff" lifestyle, and has a normal, mortal daughter who has a perfect family. Percy never had that, and when he does, he feels like he's second best in this butter-business family. So he wants his sister to have the best life possible but realizes it's too late for him to live that

and the younger brother complex from Poseidon (feels like he must exceed his expectations, become the hero everyone expects, become as good as all the other sons of Poseidon). Percy is a demigod, accidentally a son of Poseidon and that shouldn't be a big deal. But suddenly there is a prophecy and he is the chosen one, so he is Poseidon's favorite son, strongest demigod, hero of Olympus and he needs to be strong, more than ever Percy needs to be not only good, but the best. Never in his life was he expected to do anything, not even get past the 6th grade so dad God Almighty puts all this weight on his back and he almost dies more times than he can count

[aeithalian]

Apollo and the demonization of power

I graduated and I'm back on my shit, y'all.

I saw this post by @apollosgiftofprophecy (hi Alder) about whether or not Apollo should have stayed mortal instead of regaining his godhood, and may I just say I 1000000% agree.

To summarize the post: if Apollo had chosen to stay mortal, his promise to Jason (to remember what it means to be mortal/human) wouldn't have meant nearly the same as if he'd gone back to Olympus. Regaining his godhood allowed him to chose to help people with his full ability and remember his humanity for however long it takes for him to fade.

And if I may add on: Apollo even talks about maybe choosing to stay mortal at some point in the latter half of the series, but eventually comes to the conclusion that to chose to stay mortal would be akin to running away from his problems. And he's right: if he chose to stay mortal, he wouldn't have to face Zeus again and he could shirk his responsibilities as an Olympian. So he decides against it (not that he really ever has the chance to chose). And I just love to take this as a great moment of character development and an insane amount of self-awareness for somebody who started their arc where he did.

But it also got me thinking. And, in short, I came to the conclusion that Apollo must be an idealist simply by the way he views power.

In this case, fiction reflects reality: villains want power. They want control. They want to squash rebellion. And that, typically, is an occurrence we typically only see with villains. Never with the heroes, who rarely want power outside of defeating their enemy. But here we have Apollo, who spends the entire series literally seeking power in his attempt to regain his godhood.

And that has morphed into something really interesting when it comes to representation of power in classical media. More often than not, power is demonized. It's seen as something inherently evil. If a character wants power for themselves, they're likewise seen as evil. Any one of your classical antagonists are going to, at some point in their stories, want power in any which way it presents itself. Voldemort of Harry Potter wanted to live forever. Sauron of Lord of the Rings wanted the Ring of Power. Palpatine of Star Wars wanted control of the galaxy. Zeus wants to rule the Olympians. The list goes on.

On the other hand, in stories where a protagonist seeks power to destroy their opponent, they eventually end up discarding their items of power because they don't want to be 'corrupted'. Harry Potter refused to use the Elder Wand. Frodo destroyed the Ring of Power. Luke Skywalker turned down the Dark Side. Even Percy Jackson declined godhood.

But Rick, in writing Apollo's character, takes an interesting approach and a fun subversion of this trope that I, for one, absolutely love. Previously, he'd written Percy to turn down godhood because he primarily wanted to maintain his humanity. To Percy, being a god and being human are two mutually exclusive concepts. They don't coexist. For Apollo, on the other hand, he accepts power out of a sense of duty, and vows to use it well in the spirit of his promise to Jason. There is no demonization of power. And to Apollo, humanity and godhood are not exclusive concepts. So what does that mean post-trials?

There are two perspectives at battle here. First is demonization: 'power is inherently evil'. But the idea that power corrupts is not necessarily a fact: in my opinion, power in and of itself isn't evil. Yes, it's dangerous, but it's more or less a blank slate. What you do with power, who you are when you have it, is what defines it. And that's a pretty nuanced take, and it comes with its ups and downs, requiring those powerful protagonists to be your most responsible, most dutiful, most kind characters who take up the mantle of power with the full understanding of what it means. Who's to say that you can't achieve power and use it well? So there's the other perspective: 'power is a blank slate'.

Let's look at power from a Zeus vs. Apollo perspective:

Zeus wants power (or at the very least, to maintain his power) as a way of controlling people, squashing rebellion, and maintaining order in the way he sees fit, without any sense of legitimate justice or care for others. It is Zeus' actions that make him evil, not his power.

Apollo, on the other hand, seeks power as a way of solving problems, creating solutions that benefit the greatest amount of people possible, and creating a lasting difference on others to change for the better, just as he did. More often than not, when he reminisces about having power in the series, it's more out of a place of 'this terrible thing wouldn't have happened if I were a god', or 'I could help better if I were a god'. Never once does he view power as a way of controlling or manipulating others. Power, to Apollo, is just the ability to love to the greatest extent possible (re: my meta on Apollo's fatal flaw).

But the interesting thing here is how Apollo views power in general, outside of his own. The idea of demonizing power doesn't even occur to him, despite the fact that he's been the subject of abuse for millennia. What's fascinating to me is the fact that Apollo, having been hurt so often by Zeus' power, doesn't ascribe that same generalization to his own person.

I find that very interesting: abuse does wacky shit to people's brains. By all means, that should have irrevocably changed Apollo's perspective on power as a whole, right? Not if you've learned to view power as something that is part of you, no.

I don't know how other gods besides Apollo view their own power, I actually think it's accurate to say that gods view power as something inherent to their nature. And, honestly, maybe it is. But that's besides the point.

Regardless of whether or not power is inherent to gods, Apollo, throughout his journey, realizes that it must go hand in hand with responsibility and humanity. Power is a privilege. That 'blank slate' perspective is one he learned in his trials, the knowledge that the power he has is something he shapes, and something he has no excuse for. If power is inherent, all of Apollo's wrongdoings are his own failings.

And that's even more interesting when you relate it to his relationship with Zeus. Apollo must likewise know that Zeus' wrongdoings are solely his fault, not a result of his power. It's a fascinating perspective of power coming from somebody who has none, who's been hurt by somebody who has so much. To maintain that optimistic view of power as non-corrosive when faced with your abuser is, I think, the glaring mark of an idealist.

So, what does this mean post-trials?

I think, along the same vein, there is a point where the idealist breaks. They have a glimpse of reality: all is not well. For Apollo, that's at the end of the series where he decides that Zeus is beyond all hope. Take this quote from the Tower of Nero:

Some fathers don't deserve [reconciliation]. Some aren't capable of it. I suppose I could have raged at him and called him bad names. We were alone. He probably expected it. Given his awkward self-consciousness at the moment, he might have even let me get away with it unpunished. But it would not have changed him. It would not have made anything different between us. You cannot change a tyrant by trying to out-ugly him.

More often than not, my favorite stories are the ones where the main character gains power, keeps it, and uses it for good. Aragorn accepted the crown of Gondor. Luke Skywalker chose to train a new order of Jedi. Apollo regained his godhood. And readers of any of my multichap fics know that I love to write this trope as well.

But, much like my mutuals and I have been yelling from the rooftops for LITERAL YEARS, Apollo's story is not over. And once the idealist has 'broken', like we see in the scene above, there's only one way it could go.

To see somebody mishandling their power in a way an idealist knows is corrupt is quite literally a recipe for revolution. Look me in the eye and tell me that the way ToA finished wasn't setting up a revolution. Do it, I dare you.

Regardless, it's safe to say that, at some point, somebody's going to take a look at Zeus and say "you know what? Anybody could do better." Just saying.

Anyways, vive la révolution.

[a masterlist of my other metas]

[valentine-cafe]

˖⁺. “ r/am I the asshole? ” : 

﹙ various monster characters x gn reader ﹚.𖹭 ݁

. . . various m. characters x gn reader !! 🍓 : ﹙ mercenary  ˖  immortal ˖ bad boy character ˖ mad doctor ˖ snake monster ˖ yandere character ˖ angel character ˖ grim reaper ˖ mortician character ﹚

your partner takes to the internet to question whether they or not they were a bit of an ass during their last encounter with you or alternatively : our characters' biggest red flags

﹙ cws ﹚: yandere behaviour ( on jingyi ) ˖ death mention | wc : 0.5k 

﹙ receipts ﹚: i had this idea and i just need to make this into a series because omg. do note that this is hǎitāo's new and improved character !

꒰  other treats : guidelines ˖ m.list ˖ characters ˖ our lore  ꒱

﹙alessio 781. ﹚. . . not understanding their tears when I die !? 🍒 : “ Yeah you read the title right. I ( 31M ) have what you call a regenerative. Trait. M a fucking enigma. ( Don't try track my IP you asshole ).

I admit I don't have the most charming job in the world but - someone's gotta do it. My powers make me come back from the dead. Frankenstein shit n all. ( I am not about to make a religious joke so fuck with Frankenstein. )

Anyway. It's common fact that I come back. My partner knows this. But every time I die - they cry. Of course like a good boyfriend I comfort them. But recently they been scolding me. Getting more emotional. And I just don't get it. I tried to explain to them that they've seen this waayyyy too many times to think I'm not gonna come back. I asked why do they have to be so dramatic you know?

Long story short, they're not talkin to me for a week now.

Yeah. Last week I took thirteen bullets to the gut. But I came back like I always did. I don't see the fucking issue. ”

꒰ mercenary ˖ immortal ˖ bad boy character ꒱

 

﹙jìngyí 209. ﹚. . . killing their coworker !? 🍓 : “ Please do hear my plight before jumping to conclusions at the title.

I, ( 46 M ), have always considered myself to be quite the possessive man. My beloved knows this well, as I have expressed it to them time and time again. I do not like sharing. Nor the thought of it. It makes my skin crawl.

Now, I understand that my darling is the height of beauty. I have garnered more patience for those that stare. My impulsions have eased for the past few months. However, I have noticed their coworker growing increasingly more. . . friendly.

He has been helping them with their work. Gives them compliments and shares stories as they both relate to interests. I have noticed him a few times when coming to pick up my partner. He always smiles and waves - as though expecting them to run back to him.

Last week was my dear’s birthday. And the bastard gifted them a box full of their favourite treats. So I simply did what any concerned boyfriend would do and. . . took care of it.

My partner is a bit distraught but is not aware that I did it, of course. I cannot help but grow more upset over the fact that they grieve him. Someone please relate to this. ”

꒰ mad doctor ˖ snake monster ˖ yandere character ꒱

 

﹙rishen 9948e. ﹚. . . not having time for them !? 🍒 : “ I would like to start this by saying that I am quite glad for this development in the nadir. It has certainly piqued a lot of interest along the divine realms.

Alas, I digress. I am a guardian angel who is on my way to the next rank. I am also a being granted trust from the divine themselves. Venturing from the abyss, to the abhorration, to across the multiverse. As such, you can decipher that I am quite the busy individual.

I adore my light, my sunshine and mi amanecer with all of my heart. It shatters the very being of my soul to see them weep for me after days of being apart. There are times I cannot attend important events to them. No matter how hard I try.

I am a very lonely angel, you see. I fear that they will leave me behind in search of a lover that will hold them in the night. I yearn to do so, but my duty is too great. My tasks are too plentiful.

Am I the one in the wrong? Should I punish myself for this? ”

꒰ angel character ꒱

 

﹙hǎitāo 9948e. ﹚. . . joking about their coffin !? 🍓 : “ Okay listen. I would like to clarify. I was joking about their coffin. Not their death. Yes those two go hand-in-hand like flowers to a gravestone but! I stand by my statement.

We were just talking about their favourite colour and jewellery. I'd asked for their upcoming graduation. Yknow, celebrate and all? Anyway, they gave me the answer and -

Oh yes. I would like to clarify. I am a mortician. And a grim reaper. Death is my whole shtick, you get me? It's literally in the name! Grim reaper. Not glee reaper.

I am going off topic. In any case. I made a joke - saying that their coffin will be quite easy to make. They gave me a face and I added on that it would be beautiful. A beautiful box for a beautiful corpse.

Apparently, this was not to their fancy. I was greeted with mild disgust and even more disturbia. They have not spoken since yesterday. I don't understand. I was just stating the obvious! ”

꒰ grim reaper ˖ mortician character ꒱

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[lovemyromance]

No bc if ALL SJM was doing with Elriel was setting them up to be the charred ruined ashes from which the Elucien & Gwynriel ships set sail....

Why even include Elriel at ALL?

Sorry - correction - why ONLY include Elriel moments from ACOWAR - ACOSF? And no moments with Elucien? No mention even of Gwyn or Gwynriel?

Feysand had setup and chemistry with each other in ACOTAR. Nessian had setup and chemistry as early as ACOMAF, 3 whole books before we got their story.

But you're telling me, on the eve of an Elucien or Gwynriel book, we have had ZERO displays of their chemistry and setup together?

This is not a standalone series. It's a continuation - a spinoff from Feyre's story. There is no reason why there should be ZERO build up between these alleged couples in a spinoff. That's the exact OPPOSITE of what authors do for spinoffs and sequels.

Elriel is not "build up for Elucien". It can't be - if there's no Elucien in sight. Now, if SJM had written Elriel - but ALSO had Elain & Lucien interact and be in each others orbit over the past 3 books - then I would be more open to considering this argument.

But alas / every plot point Elucien should've had to set them up (rescue scene, power discovery scene, giving Elain an almighty weapon scene, potatoes scene, bonus chapter scene) -> all that has been given to Elain & Azriel.

If SJM planned on EL/GA - all Elain & Azriel would've hypothetically shared is an off page hookup. But that's not what we got. We got scenes where they start to understand and care about each other. We get scenes where they show their subtle attraction (and eventually - right in your face attraction) to each other.

If SJM wanted to make Elain & Azriel a bump in each others roads to HEA -> she would've written them the same way Nesta fucked some nameless fae in the first chapter of ACOSF.

Vaguely. Barely a paragraph. ONE mention.

You don't painstakingly set up quiet moments with them in the background of Feyre or Nesta's book. In fact - you don't even bother with setting up any interactions between them until this supposed Elucien/Gwynriel book.

There is simply no reason to waste words like that. SJM has already said the spinoff is dual POV, one couple.

This is not throne of glass where Aelin went through 2 men in 3 books just to end up with someone new. This is not CC, where Ruhn went through Hypaxia to end up with Lydia. Those were multi-POV, and relationships were developed across multiple books.

And all this is just based on the logic of how Elriel has so many interactions together - let alone the actual quality and significance of the actual scenes. Their stories have been woven together since ACOWAR.

SJM compared Elain's potato steam to Azriel's shadows for fucks sake. Think about how y'all would react if Elain baked a caramel tart that was described as "the same golden hue as Lucien's eyes". Think about how y'all would react if Gwyn gave Azriel a book on how to sing better idk - a gift that made him laugh so hard his eyes brightened / a gift that he stared at for a YEAR

Y'all would go nuts, don't even act otherwise.

The mating bond between Elain & Lucien is the obstacle here. Not Elain & Azriel's blooming relationship.

[iamnmbr3]

How the fuck can you shit on the marauders and not Draco? He was worse than them but “oh no, he was just a child” SO WERE THE MARAUDERS YOU IDIOT! You excuse Snape being a fucken bully to kids too. You’re a blood hypocrite that doesn’t understand anything from the books.

Harry wouldn’t touch Draco’s ugly ass even if he was the last person on the planet. He would choose Ron over Draco ANY DAY, IF Ginny wasn’t around. Hinny is canon and their love story is the hottest. You know what’s not canon and never will be? Drarry 💀

lmao anon i know this wasn't your intent but this ask was so funny. pls. i am begging you. go to clown school. your talents are wasted in my ask box.

omg drarry isn't canon?! what? *begins to faint* please. i beg you. say it isn't so. I can feel the world slipping away as I swoon in shock. surely not. How could it be? Nothing in the 7 book series where it wasn't canon could have prepared me for this moment. but at least there's hope. I am sure it will become canon someday. but wait. what's this? in your ask you also say drarry will NEVER be canon?! You mean JK Rowling, who is homophobic and absolutely loathes drarry and Draco won't make it canon?! Wow. I am in shock. *keels over*

Woe is me. All my hope is gone. Time to delete my blog. The power of your words was simply too much for my frail constitution.

Ah well. What world. What a world..... *fades away*

...

jk im back. *crawls out of my premature grave with an even worse case of drarry shipper brain than before* This ask is dumb. But I do feel obligated to point out that:

1) I don't believe the phrase "oh no, he was just a child” has ever appeared on this blog (until now)

2) Draco has many flaws (which I personally think make him interesting) and which I've discussed many times but at least he did grow and change and regret his actions and unlike the Marauders he never stripped someone naked for sport and in fact lacks a true sadistic streak (which is a huge problem for him). The Marauders never seem to change or regret their behavior and also get a huge pass from the narrative unlike Draco whose bigoted attitudes and bullying behaviors are portrayed as wrong.

3) I have never in my life excused Snape for bullying children. That's just a strawman argument you are invoking to make yourself sound better.

4) hinny is canon...regrettably. I personally don't find unconvincing and poorly developed romance between characters who never have a meaningful conversation after they get together to be hot. But to each their own.

5) While I do read Harry as being attracted to men I don't see him as attracted to Ron. They are super good friends but nothing in the books to me indicates Harry would see Ron in a romantic light or would be likely to choose him as a romantic partner. If ginny and draco were out as options I think he'd go for Cedric.

6) "You’re a blood hypocrite that doesn’t understand anything from the books" is the most hilarious insult I've ever heard. I have no idea what it means but I love it. So right back at you anon. YOU are a blood hypocrite that doesn’t understand anything from the books! So there! Check and mate!

[777gojosgf]

THE POWER OF PROPHECY

777GOJOSGF IS TYPING…

777gojosgf: morally grey!f!reader x satoru gojo

IN WHERE :: you reminisce the night you met him for the first time.

trigger warning: violence, graphic mentions, blood, assault.

a/n: part of the nightcrawler series!

THE FINAL VESTIGES OF THE clan you were exiled from marked you as the blood down your face. there were repercussions to being called a bastard, particularly after losing both of your parents. you were not just an orphan; you got the impression that the world had given up on you as well, leaving you to fend for yourself while avoiding certain death.

you have killed numerous times. sometimes it was a commission because, as a young girl, you had no other means of earning money and surviving in the world. however, that was also how you developed and the outside world got to know you. your identity became anonymous, and it was exciting for commissioners and other establishments to discover who you were.

hell, there was even a bounty on your head.

you had encountered a lot of people in this jujutsu society because of the notorious lifestyle. despite one of them being a member of the zenin clan, he refused to identify as zenin. you simply loved his courage to defy his strength and forge his own path, despite the fact that he was someone to be dreaded. maybe you two weren't as different as you believed.

however the kill this time made you shiver, the fury and vengeance surging through your body made you feel as if you were on fire.

even though you kept promising yourself that you would cease performing other people's dirty work, you had accepted a commission much against your own feelings. however, it was difficult to make money without a job, a degree, or anything else that could even somewhat assist you in that area. at the orphanage, you were undoubtedly taught the fundamental school courses—in which you excelled flawlessly— but at the age of sixteen, you left without saying anything. wishing to leave the place as soon as possible.

and your trainer, the owner of the orphanage, understood.

maybe that’s why he never reached out to you again. because he knew that you would do that yourself.

you settled into a seat in the shinjuku city casino's bar. when the barman asked whether you wanted anything to drink, you graciously declined, not wanting alcohol to tarnish your nightly commission. instead, your left-handed fingers were tapping on your thigh as you calmly anticipated your attack, while your eyes were scanning everyone in the casino like a hawk.

the assignment was to assassinate a businessman who frequently spent company money at the casino. thus individual had, regrettably, meddled with the wrong empire and tried to sue them. he apparently didn't realise how dangerous the business in tokyo is.

their money was paid in blood.

an eye for an eye.

and it was something you respected.

you had swiftly located him seated at the poker table at the rear of the casino. he had his other colleagues and an escort with him. however, your desire to murder him vanished the moment you noticed who else was seated at the poker table. you laughed out loud and attracted unusual glances from the patrons at the bar.

the reassigned heir from the clan you were banished from.

the universe really had its fun with you, didn’t it?

but that wasn’t all, so you got up from your chair right away to take a closer look at the issue. he had an unsettling grin on his face that you didn't like, and it was clear that he was intoxicated. you thought he had finished gambling with all of his money.

your fortune.

however, what enraged you was the way he got up and grabbed the female servers. the heir was discreetly followed by the dreaded clicking of your heels. he caught hold of a waitress, who yelled in shock and attempted to free herself, but she was unable to escape and no one dared to assist her.

He he led her outdoors, but he had been foolish to ignore the person he was following. ultimately, he is the heir to one of the most influential clans, and people would constantly want him dead.

as did you.

you waited two seconds before kicking the back door open through which he fled, still holding her. startled, he turned around and lost his grasp on the waitress, making her yell for help and starting to run for it. you empathized with her and it was time to make sure he wouldn’t dare to lay his hand on another woman ever again.

"who are you?" he screamed, reaching into one pocket for the pocketknife he knew was there. you could only chuckle and put out your foot as he grabbed it and attempted to reach for you, causing him to stumble and fall face-first into the floor in front of you. you gave him a stomach kick that caused him to roll over and lie on his back. the scent of intoxication, which you dismissed, drifted through the air along with the late-night breeze. "i would tell you not to touch a woman ever again, but you would still do it. would you not?”

he shook his head rapidly and tried to form up empty promises but a kick to his lower area made him scream out in pain.

"on my terms, i’ll make sure it doesn't happen again.” you continued, "i hope you know that that was my money you fucked with," and he opened his eyes, trying to figure out if he recognised you. though your mask did a good job of hiding your identity, sadly, the moonlight shone down on the two of you, allowing the violet undertones of your eyes to be seen through the black contacts that were placed over them.

“bastard?”

the hearing of what he called made you go into tunnel vision and you reached for the melee knife that was strapped to your thigh in a holster. without thinking twice, you plunged and the blood splattered across your face.

you felt the blood trailing down your face as you went to grab your knife and wipe it clean with the blazer that he was wearing before putting it back into your holster. “fucking asshole.” you muttered before walking away from the scene, leaving his body alone at the casino.

that would mean that your clan would need a new heir, once more.

how ironic.

sometimes you felt guilty at the lives that you have taken from others even though they were always someone that had done unjustifiable things in their life.

however, this time, every single portion of your body was devoid of any regret. and this served just to fuel the retaliation plans you had been considering ever since you were put in the orphanage. a plan to exact revenge on them all, hold them accountable, and demonstrate to them what a so-called bastard like you was capable of.

killing the heir was only the start of it all.

“you confuse me,” a voice said that was right in front of you and you snapped out of your trance. the cursed energy in front of you was unlike any other you felt, but besides that the man in front of you had a presence of his own unrelated to the energy he possessed.

you stopped in your tracks and your eyes trailed him up to down, and you were quick to recognize him.

that white hair was recognizable anywhere.

“pardon?”

“well, you know— you have so much energy residing inside of you that i could feel it from miles away. i don’t like to say it but, it’s impressive. although i can’t say that i recognize you.” he explained before walking over to lean with his back against the casino. “some would have thought you would kill others with the use of techniques, no?”

your eyebrows knitted in confusion and you debated to perhaps walk away from this conversation. not wanting to get interrogated by a stranger.

well, you were unsure if you could call the satoru gojo a stranger.

he noted that you weren’t going to explain anything to him so he decided to lead the conversation once more. “you’re not a curse user, or perhaps you are and i haven’t been across many to figure out you are one or not. nor are you a former student from jujutsu high but i’m not sure if you have attended any sorcerer establishments at all.”

“what is it to you?” you asked clearly annoyed.

“curiosity is all,” he said with a grin on his face that only added to your confusion that was mixed with your annoyance.

perhaps you should have walked away after all.

“besides, if we look past your little killing scheme,” he paused and gave you a slight side eye which only irritated you even more, “i’d like to invite you to come with me to jujutsu high. you don’t have to become anything, but maybe getting to know the energy that resides inside of you is a good thing.” he proposed while raising his eyebrow, his tone convincing and he truly thought he had you.

but the evil smile that plastered on your face was enough for him to frown.

now you would truly uphold to your promise of no more commissions.

“curiosity killed the cat, gojo. do you plan to use me as a pawn, because you’re foolish if you think you could convince me with such a poor offer.” you started to slowly walk towards him, “you jujutsu idiots have no shame, do you?” you pointed out before walking away from him to go back to haunt the streets of tokyo.

“the offer still stands.” he called out from behind you but you didn’t turn around.

"you better have a greater proposal the next time we see each other, because I'm guessing this won't be the last time." you drawled and swore that you heard a small laugh.

a/n: woah long chapter alert and i didn’t even write this fully like i wanted to…. perhaps an actual fanfic is needed. because i have many ideas for this 🤗🤗

©777gojosgf

[necrotic-nephilim]

I’m gonna be honest I didn’t realize the new 52 messed with Kon that much till I read your post and now I can’t get over the potential. I’m a Tim/Kon girly at heart so I would devour anything you write exploring the 52 vs typical Kon. Also Time being in a clone sandwich is 👌.

the new-52 messed Kon up SO bad it's ridiculous. like, to the point i would personally argue he's a completely unrelated character to pre-Flashpoint/Rebirth Kon. his personality, his suit, his origin, all different. the only real similarities are the name and powerset. and even New-52!Kon's powers are slightly different from pre-Flashpoint!Kon. New-52!Kon is a clone of a future version of Jon Lane Kent, cloned by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. to provide genetic material to Jon Lane Kent, whose body was not handling being half human/half Kryptonian well, it was a whole thing. New-52!Kon is also where we get the infamous "Kon-El means 'abomination of the house of El' and Kara basically named him a slur in Kryptonian culture" tidbit, because that is the only time that's canon. (originally Kon-El was a name gifted by Clark to accept Kon as his family way back in the 90s) he also never went by Conner Kent. New-52!Kon just straight up didn't have any real human identity or connections, outside of being very close to Tim and some Titans.

the very TLDR of Kon's history is: during post-Crisis/pre-Flashpoint, a clone called Superboy is created by CADMUS. at first, he's considered to be a clone of a dude named Paul Westfield and is not Kryptonian whatsoever, he was simply made to look like Superman and only has Tactile Telekinesis as a power. then, it was made canon that actually he was a clone of Lex Luthor and Clark Kent, but Lex hid this fact and slowly, Kon developed more Kryptonian powers. he's given the name Kon-El by Clark, and is taken in by the Kents, getting the name Conner Kent. then Flashpoint happens, we get the New-52, and we're given the above version of Kon-El, who is a clone of Jon Lane Kent, created by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. who has mostly very strong telekinesis powers and some Kryptonian powers. he's with the Titans for a bit, then at the end of the New-52, he kills some aliens and feels bad about it so he decides to fuck off and is never seen again, it's presumed he's dead but never confirmed. then Rebirth happens and DC makes Jon Kent the current Superboy, we get Supersons and all that, and it's assumed that no version of Kon-El exists. just at all. he's not around whatsoever, Jon is our only Superboy. *but* in 2019, we get a new Young Justice run and the pre-Flashpoint Kon-El is back, and we're given the explanation of: Kon got accidentally teleported to this alternate realm called Gemworld and then Flashpoint happened, and since that was a Crisis Event that changed the timeline, the poor lad got *erased* from the timeline, causing most people to *not fucking remember him* and for him to remember a timeline that no longer exists. some of the Young Justice team vaguely remember him, Ma and Pa Kent remember him, but notably, Clark *does not remember him*. it's not an issue of "Clark ignored Kon in favor of Jon" it's an issue of "Kon was erased from the timeline and didn't exist for years bc he was stuck in Gemworld and Clark just doesn't remember Kon or Kon's timeline" which to me, is far more tragic but i digress. since then, Kon has been back and is present in most significant Superfamily runs, with his own recent mini-series, Superboy: Man of Tomorrow. (which was very good btw)

so basically: the New-52 fucked Kon up so bad they wrote him out of comics for years and then brought back the pre-Flashpoint version, but never *explicitly* killed the New-52 version off. so hypothetically, it's possible that there are currently two characters existing in the DC universe named Kon-El who have been Superboy. and like i said above, one of New-52!Kon's only real significant relationships was with Tim, it was the only thing the New-52 managed to get right about Superboy, his closeness to Tim. they have a *lot* of moments that read incredibly queer. and ofc, it's just outright confirmed in Dark Crisis: Young Justice that Tim had a crush on pre-Flashpoint!Kon at some point. so while comics are intent on pretending New-52!Kon doesn't exist, i am intent on putting Tim in a clone sandwich.

because i do think it's fun to play with Tim having genuine feelings and potentially a relationship with both of them. and the fucked up nature of him not fully *remembering* his relationship with pre-Flashpoint!Kon (which is a canon thing, in YJ(2019) Tim has vague memories of Kon he's struggling to piece together and understand why he cares about this guy he doesn't recognize so much) and how frustrating that is for Tim. he knows he loves Kon, but it's all foggy besides that. and so it's even *more* fucked up if Tim dated New-52!Kon before he got emo and ran off into the unknown. obviously in canon no one has told current Kon about New-52!Kon bc comics are doing the good ol' tried and true of "sweep that shit under the rug" but for fanfic, i think it's fun to ask the question of: would anyone *tell* Kon? especially Tim? who now remembers dating both versions of them? would he admit to Kon that briefly, he had another Kon? how would Tim cope with that and move on? personality wise, they could not be more different. they dress and act and look different. they're not the same person, but there's certainly a questionable factor of Tim's dating history including two Kon-Els.

the idea i've had for a while is Tim slowly starting to date pre-Flashpoint!Kon again. it feels familiar and like home. and Tim has grieved and accepted that wherever New-52!Kon is, he doesn't want to come home, he didn't love TIm enough to stay and try. so Tim takes the Kon he has, and genuinely has a happy relationship. like for once, life is good and things almost make sense for Tim. but then, of course, New-52!Kon comes back. he decides he wants to try again and he finds Tim. only to find well. he's been replaced. and technically, he's been replaced with the *original* that he didn't even know *existed*. and if being a clone is bad enough, that just makes it a hundred times worse. because imagine knowing you're actually the second Kon-El your boyfriend who you never *technically* broke up with fell in love with. that's gotta give you some kind of complex.

so i think it's fun if both Kons try to step back and let the other Kon date Tim. both of them have reasons to feel like the "replacement" or "fake" Kon, and it makes them incredibly awkward with each other. do they count as the same person? bc they definitely don't *feel* like the same person to each other, but with weird timeline stuff, who can really say. them settling on an awkward throuple that's really meant to be Tim just dating them both but somehow they end up dating each other too is so fun for me. they both feel like imposters to the Superboy name but are so deeply in love with Tim Drake, it's the one thing truly connecting them. and then of course, Tim feels bad in that somehow, he's betraying both of them for having feelings for the other. but they make it work, with a lot of awkward angst and miscommunication. i just think it'd be fun. very difficult to write to get all the weird timeline nuances down in a way that's understandable in a fanfic (bc you can't just. infodump like i did on this post) but doable. also difficult to tag, because even though i argue these are two different characters, i'm pretty sure Ao3 groups them under the same character tag. so it'd be difficult to convey it's not *really* as selfcest-y as it would imply. comics, man. DC will never acknowledge New-52!Kon again, and he's admittedly a terrible adaptation of Kon-El, but. i think he was sort of neat in his own right and i'd *love* for DC to just inexplicably bring him back and make the current Kon deal with the consequences of all that. and them make Tim kiss them both. obviously.

[npdzane]

Hiiiii, could you explain you npd Zane hc to me? As someone who lives with a narcissist, I’m very interested.

IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT!!!!!! FOR SO LONG!!!!!!

Tw I think bc ik i will be mentioning sh. But only for a sentence or two.

Mostly just "he's just like me fr". I get how it can sound confusing, especially as a lot of people tend to see Zane as the opposite of what a (stereotypical) narcissist would act like, so I'll try to explain in a way that makes sense.

I'm going to list off traits I see in him, and then what caused it and how it developed over time. Starting with the traits.

- Pixal is 100% his fp. I don't think there's anything to say about it that hasn't been said already. You don't just give a girl half your heart because you "like her a little" without having some issues.

- "Be envious of others/believe others are envious of them". He stated himself that he envied Kai. He also has moments where he does things that make him look better than others ("I personally find old video games to be unchallenging", something about his tone when he was saying "being a nindroid, I wont be able to be digested.", he also just does a lot of random flips and shit when its not needed?? That part may be a stretch though.).

- "Withdrawal from situations where they may fail." In Quest for the Lost Powers, he almost quits out of fear that he won't be able to face the Ice Emperor without breaking down. He also tends to tell someone they shouldn't do something because the chance of failing is too high.

- "Feeling depressed or moody over not reaching perfection/secretly feeling insecure, shameful, and humiliation and fearing being exposed as a failure" In s4, he panics over feeling like he'll always be just a replica of the original Zane. He's desperately begging Pixal to save him from said panic too (which fits into the last trait). He still has similar fears to this day, feeling like being seen as just a robot takes away from his original design. Meaning he failed at fitting in, which was always his goal.

- "Have trouble interacting with others and easily feel sighted" in the entirety of S1-3, he struggles HEAVILY to talk to the others. Granted this does get better throughout the series, but it's getting bad again it seems. He often goes on solo missions or stays in the monastery/Destiny's Bounty. I personally think it's because he feels the others don't see him as vital to the team as they should, or he believes he doesn't need help with anything from anyone (but Pixal). The point is there is some sense of "they don't appreciate me enough".

- "React with rage or contempt to try to belittle others to make them appear superior". Again, bringing back the "I find older video games to be non challenging" quote. As well as the fact that every time Pixal is obviously very annoyed by him, he ignores her and carries on with what he thinks is the right idea (Detective/Pirate Zane obviously was a bad idea, but noooo Zane can't be wrong ever). He doesn't react with rage as much (at least not openly), however he does ignore people when he's doubted.

Ok! That's not as much as I thought! A few other things I wanted to point out, although these are also headcanons:

- His self esteem is TERRIBLE.

- What he believes he doesn't make up for in battle, training, etc, he tries to make up for in smarts and hobbies to impress people.

- He bases his opinions on people based on assumptions. For example, he'll assume everything about a person's personality and hobbies (sometimes even their skill level at those hobbies) based on first impressions. So, say he meets someone like Jay who seems very excited about something he doesn't like, his first assumption will be "this person is most likely annoying and a waste of time because they're trying to be as good as me, that's not egotistical that's just an observation. Everyone complimenting them is simply lying to them.".

- He refuses to believe any of his flaws are his fault, sure he can say he has flaws but they're all someone else's fault. It's never just how he is, it's always because "someone caused me to act like this".

- He switches between "I'm literally amazing I'm so smart I'm funny I'm good at everything" to "Everyone hates me for no reason I dont deserve any of this they're all terrible awful people" and then again to "I'm not good enough yet I need to push myself more so they'll see I'm better than they think". All because of a small bit of criticism. He absolutely cannot handle criticism. ("Why are you doubting me!? I'm a nindroid!" <- when Kai tried helping him, "Not now Pixal!" <- when Pixal told him trying to out-smart Nadakhan was a bad idea)

- I think him and Pixal argue a LOT. It's why I don't openly ship pixane. I believe ever since he found out she was Samurai X his trust issues got way worse (While he is easily trusting, once he does trust someone it's hard to not break it). He constantly uses their "no more secrets" promise agaisnt her, and he thinks that no matter what she or anyone else tells him, the probability of her keeping something from him is high, and he has to stop it (even if it means being extra clingy, possessive, and controling). But the other ninja somehow haven't noticed this from them, they just believe it's normal couple banter.

Sorry, like I said, this headcanon is coming out of my ass. Now I can talk about what caused it.

I see Dr. Julien as a good father to Zane, just not the best one. Like he's at the lower end of average. Not abusive so to speak, just overly critical and slightly neglectful. Zane's a robot, so why can't he do the things Dr. Julien tells him to do well enough! Julien accidentally made him too similar to the (daughter..ftm moment.) son he wanted, so similar that it turns out Zane needed the same amount of attention and support an actual child would've needed, which Julien didn't account for. Zane was used to only receiving the bare minimum of those two by s1. Unfortunately the bare minimum is far from enough. Not to mention the isolation he had to live through living in Birchwood, far from the village.

I think what we see as OG Zane is basically his child/early teen stage. Anything past s4 is late teen/adult, which is when his symptoms started showing up more. The other ninja, especially Wu, noticed he was starting to cling to Pixal much more (especially since she was in his mind). He'd also start spending more time on hobbies and things to impress people. Thinking if they thought his new self was better than his old self, he wouldn't be seen as a failed replica of the original Zane. He thought he could hide the fact it was all just to look better than everyone else, but either Kai or Cole picked up on it (Kai because he acts similarly in that way, and Cole because he's usually the first to notice things wrong with Zane.). When they showed their concern, Zane only saw it as motivation to try harder and them trying to take Pixal from him.

After the Never Realm, his self esteem and worth went to absolute shit. Not only was he abused and manipulated, he was at fault for the deaths of thousands.

But worst of all, he let himself be abused. Or at least that's what he believes (the Quest for the Lost Powers also confirms this!). He blames himself massively. How could he let himself fall for that? Why didn't he fully cover up the cave to stop threats from coming in? Why didn't he kill Vex when he got his memories back? Why did he let Vex control him? Isn't he supposed to be perfect? How could someone who claims to be perfect let himself slip up like that?

He definitely started to push himself more after coming back. In training, in battle, with maintaining the monastery, with cooking for the others, hobbies, you get the point. He'd completely forgotten to be patient with himself while trying to gain control over his powers and his life again. Meaning the next time he tried to use them in training, they were out of control and he ended up failing and hurting himself. But how? How could he not be perfect if he was trying as hard as he could? If he was programmed to be the best, why isn't he?

Pixal was also starting to get annoyed with Zane, he was way too attached and she knew that. It made her fall out of love, if there was any in the first place. Zane refused to let her separate from him though, especially since there was still the idea that she was keeping things from him. He believed Pixal didn't think he was worth caring about, causing him to purposely make himself worse in hopes her pity will keep her with him. He'd already been struggling with self harm, but now it was as a punishment for failing as well as a way to get Pixal not to leave (See why I don't ship them now?). I would love to talk about how I think he s/h but it'd take another post.

Now that Pixal is gone, he's getting way worse mentally. Which is why he seems like he's not working as well as usual (in the tournament). It's not like he's not trying anymore, it's that he hasn't let himself rest enough for his efforts to work.

That was way less than i expected to say (⁠･⁠o⁠･⁠;⁠). Anyway! Yeah!!! It is just mainly headcanons, but if Zane were confirmed to have some kind of personality disorder in a different world where ninjago isn't for tiny kids I wouldn't be surprised!!!

TY TY TY TY FOR ASKING IVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG TO YAP ABOUT THIS. 😭😭😭😭

[cannedpickledpeaches]

Insert Your Name (11)

Mafia!Jade Leech x Mafia!Reader

Link to series masterlist!

Notes and TW: Congratulations! You have successfully made it all about you (positive). This series will have mentions of blood, violence, crime (kidnapping, attempted assassination, extortion), and harassment, as one might expect from a mafia AU. Please enjoy!

Sorry that the tags haven't been working for the past couple of posts! I had to go in and edit the html for each individual one T-T please forgive me

Tags: @guava-enjoyer @itszzmoon @twstsandturns @myteacupisempty @rou-luxe @chikitasmol @night-shadowblood-writes2 @haveneulalie @owodi

A strange sense of satisfaction fills you as surprise fills the man’s face, but you don’t show it. You need to see this through. If you’re powerless in the face of his ability, you simply need to borrow his power. So what if he’s akin to a god? All you need to do is bring him to your side. Whoever that author is, whoever took over (Y/N)’s body—maybe they aren’t capable of using such an asset effectively. However, you’re confident you won’t let that advantage go to waste.

The man hums in thought. “I suppose it could be done without much fanfare. I would simply need to shift my attention to your experiences and abandon the current story. However, you would need to have your story recorded somewhere, in whatever form you may wish for it to take.”

You understand what he’s getting at. A story needs a medium, just like that manuscript. There are many options: on film, as a novel, as a collage of pictures. No strict rules exist for expression of self.

“I’ll keep a journal. Every day, I’ll write an entry, and I’ll also use it as a planner. This way, my ‘story’ will have the events that occurred in my life, how they affected my ‘character development,’ and also outline how I expect the story to ‘progress.’ Is that good enough?”

You still don’t think of yourself as a fictional character. You’re real, in every aspect, to yourself. But that doesn’t matter right now. Functionally, you’re a character to this man. You’ll use that assumption to put yourself in the most advantageous position.

“Yes, that would be a rather interesting way to tell your story. There are indeed many stories that were written in the form of diary entries, so this is not an issue at all. This would, in fact, make things easier for me. I would not have to go through the paperwork and expend energy to bring someone from another world since you already exist in Twisted Wonderland as an established character. There is just one thing you should know before you make this decision.”

“Tell me.” Of course there are strings attached. There always are. You prepare yourself. Self-sacrifice in small amounts is necessary, of course, but if there’s anything you can negotiate with . . . .

“I will have to take the previous author’s soul out of (Y/N)’s body. (Y/N)’s soul will regain control of her own body, since it was never removed, only dormant. Since the author’s original body cannot function without a soul, she cannot return to her world. It will disappear, never to be recovered, lost to the fabric of what forms this space. Are you still willing to proceed?”

“Is that it?” You expected something else. This has nothing to do with you giving up anything. In fact, it could even be considered a bonus. This woman whose story made your life and relationships exceedingly difficult will disappear down to the traces of her soul. It’s an easy decision. “Of course.”

“How cold-hearted you are.” He chuckles down at his teacup. It never seems to drain empty no matter how he sips it. “That is not an undesirable quality in protagonists, although they often do not have a happy ending in fairytales.”

“Is that supposed to deter me or something?” You stay resolute. “My future was always uncertain no matter if it’s a story or not. I’m in the mafia. I’ve come to terms that horrible things could happen at any moment because of the nature of my job a long, long time ago. It’s my responsibility to plan so that I reduce those chances as much as possible. And you’re going to help me.”

“Yes, I am.” He glances at the fireplace, which has burned down to glowing red embers. “Perhaps you should count yourself lucky that you are under my jurisdiction. I am partial to tragic endings, but I also do not mind if an amoral character triumphs in the end. Some of my peers would adamantly ensure it does not happen.”

You furrow your brows. This is not the first time he brought up something being under his “jurisdiction.” However, this is the first time he’s mentioned “peers” instead of “characters.”

“There are others like you?”

“Yes, of course. Twisted Wonderland is filled with too many stories for me to manage on my own. Since you are mainly involved with the Leech Mafia and stories of the Coral Sea, you fall under my jurisdiction.”

It makes sense. This man compared himself to a god, but he isn’t one. He isn’t omnipotent or omniscient.

“Who are they?”

He tilts his head. “You would not know us even if I told you.”

“I’m curious. Tell me anyway.”

“Such a curious character.” He glances at the embers again. “Alright, I see no harm in it. My peers overseeing Twisted Wonderland include Walt Disney, the Brothers Grimm, Hanna Diyab, Victor Hugo, and Lewis Carroll, among others.”

None of these names ring a bell. It is just a list of names, but having more information is never a bad thing.

“And your name? I should know how to address you.”

“Oh, I have not yet introduced myself to you? My apologies, I must be turning forgetful in my old age.” He laughs at himself in a good-natured manner. “My name is Hans Christian Anderson. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

You introduce yourself as well. He extends a hand to you. When your hands connect in a firm handshake, the new deal you’ve made feels solidified.

Anderson looks at the fireplace one more time. The light has died completely, the little room lit only by the moonlight pouring in the window. With a gentle but decisive clap of his hands, he stands from his armchair.

“That was a fruitful discussion, and I thank you for your patience and understanding. I fear time has run out, however, and so I will be sending you back shortly. I’ll place you right back where you came from: at the moment when I brought you here.”

“Hold on!” Too soon, too sudden. You still have so much to say. He holds up a hand, stopping your protests.

“If you’d like to communicate with me, simply write a request for it in your new journal. I wish you best of luck.”

And with that, the world goes white again.

This is the story of a girl whose name is no longer hers. A girl so common that she may as well be a faceless background character in another person’s story. A girl who wishes, more than anything, to be the protagonist of a love story that will sweep her off her feet and solve all her problems.

Her family is normal. Her friends, too. And so is she. It isn’t enough for her. The world inside that game she plays is so magical, so whimsical, so perfect. The characters are handsome, powerful, clever, funny, or rich, or some combination of those qualities. If she enters this world, surely all those wonderful characters would treat her as someone special. They’d love and revere her unconditionally. She pines for a man who would love her and her shortcomings in their entirety, no matter what she does.

The beauty about fictional characters is that because they are fictional, they can be whatever she wants them to be. She can wholeheartedly believe they’ll love her, and there is nothing wrong with that. But she isn’t satisfied with that alone. It needs to be real.

Desperately, she writes a story revolving around a faceless, flawless main character who she desperately wishes she could be. Everyday, the writing consumes her, dragging her into a fantasy of bliss. She begins to resent her reality. Nobody in real life will love her the correct way. Nobody can be as good as the characters she pours her love and headcanons on. She doesn’t consider how love can be gradual, nor does realize someone might have to get to know her before loving her. After all, in her fanfiction, the perfect mafioso loves her main character upon the first meeting and devotes himself with no questions asked. Isn’t that the ideal love?

One day, a miracle occurs. She meets a man who offers to make her story into her reality. Jumping on the chance to live her perfectly crafted life of happiness, she agrees. Finally. Finally, she will be loved the way she wants.

At first, everything went perfectly. Real life follows her fanfiction to the letter. Jade is charming, Floyd is endearing, and a string of coincidences leads her to meet Vil, another handsome bachelor. Love surrounds her at every turn. All she needs in this life are the handsome men who give her special treatment. After all, this body, this life—(Y/N)—was created by her, for her use. All of the previous relationships this body entertained no longer matter. They aren’t hers, anyway.

The polaroids that occupied her nightstand are probably in a landfill somewhere. The aesthetic was cute, befitting the tastes of a character she modelled after herself, but the person in them is irrelevant. Some side character she’s never going to see again. No matter; she’ll eventually replace those polaroids with cute photos of herself and her new love. (Y/N)—no, the placeholder—has served its purpose. It will not miss those useless decorations since it will never again have its own consciousness.

So where did it all go wrong? Perhaps it was wrong from the start. She should have cursed that old man for scamming her. Her happy ending was never a guarantee. How dare a throwaway side character upend her perfect, fairy tale ending? Is that even allowed? They’re all just characters anyway. How can they steal from a real person?

Until the very end, she couldn’t see anyone around her as anything other than characters in a story. Maybe if she did, she might have gotten the love she wanted. Now, she disappears, having never achieved the goal she so desperately grasped at. Like seafoam, her hopes and yearning for love bubbles and disappears.

Hans Christian Anderson places a book into an empty spot on one of his many shelves. He has always been fond of tragedies. As for this new story that’s unfolding . . . who’s to say how it will end? He’s a patient man. With a smile, he settles into an armchair and sips from a cup of tea. He’s looking forward to it. When it eventually ends, like all stories inevitably do, he’ll shelve it and find another story to bring to life.

The world suddenly flashes into focus. The sun’s dying embers flicker on the sea. Sand shifts between your toes. Fingers graze your neck. Before you can activate your Signature Spell, (Y/N) crashes into you and you both topple over into a bed of sand. Bloodlust raises the hairs on the back of your neck. But it isn’t coming from (Y/N). Instead, you instinctively wrap one arm around her and hold the other one out in front of you, shielding her from Jade.

“Wait, wait! Jade, it’s fine. I’m okay.”

He freezes. One of his hands stops a centimeter away from (Y/N)’s hair. She doesn’t react. Slowly, you lay back down, heaving a sigh. You shift her face to the side so that she doesn’t suffocate in your shoulder. Her eyelashes flutter against her cheekbones, complementing the slow rise and fall of her ribs.

“See? She’s asleep.”

Jade furrows his brows. “I fail to understand. Most importantly, are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah.” You chuckle, staring up at the stars that unveil themselves in the darkening sky. “I’m just a little tired.”

You explain everything to him. He seems skeptical, but eventually, he accepts it. He sits in the sand next to you, his hand covering yours. You pretend not to notice, but it offers a soothing calm to your exhausted mind.

“I’m sorry,” you say, glancing at his side profile. “Even if I write that Vil Schoenheit will cure your parents, it might not happen because of continuity issues. Maybe (Y/N) will still be able to convince him.”

“That’s alright.” He catches your gaze. “It would make the story progress more smoothly if we continue with our talks with Walrus.”

He accepted it so quickly. For that matter, so did you. You wonder briefly if there is something at play that makes you accept the reality of your situation as fact—if it’s because you’re a character after all—but that’s all speculation. Not worth your time and energy to figure out.

“Bottom line is, this is my story now. So I’ll make sure the curse on your parents is dispelled.”

“How reliable.” Jade gives you a gentle smile, one that causes an unfamiliar stirring in your chest. “Thank you. What would you like in recompense?”

You weren’t expecting him to offer anything at all. But since he offered, you aren’t one to refuse.

“Money.”

His quiet laughter blends in with the sound of rushing waves.

“No hesitation at all, I see. Of course, I will pay you adequately for your invaluable help.”

“I also want something else.” You fiddle with the strands of (Y/N)’s hair. “I’d like a vacation. Just a week or two after everything settles down so I can go back to my hometown with my mom.”

“Is that what the money is for?”

“Yeah.” Your heart feels a little lighter. “You should visit the Coral Sea after your parents wake up as well. I’m sure you’ll want to spend time with them.”

A pause. You scrutinize Jade’s expression in the low light, but his expression is wholly unfamiliar to you. He almost looks . . . nervous.

“Would you come with us?”

You blink. “Don’t you want to spend time with just your family?”

“Yes, but my parents would be delighted to have you over again. You have not been to our home under the sea in a long time, and I would be more than happy to show you around again.”

“It won’t be a bother?”

“Far from it.” His thumb rubs softly against the back of your hand. “I . . . We are very fond of you.”

You can’t help but think there’s an ulterior motive, but you accept. This wouldn’t be the first time you’ve travelled to their home under the sea, and this most likely won’t be the last.

Suddenly, (Y/N) shifts on your chest. A soft noise escapes her lips as though she’s finally awakened from a long nap. Her bleary eyes find yours. Kind, lovely, and gentle eyes. The eyes of the (Y/N) you know and love, the eyes of your friend.

“Huh? Are we on the beach? What happened?”

A relieved laugh bubbles out of your throat and you hug her tightly. Confused but sweet, she reciprocates with reassuring pats to your arm.

“Yeah, we’re on the beach. Let’s get you home.” You sit up and smile as she fusses over the sand in your hair. Normalcy is slowly but surely returning. “I’ll tell you everything on the way there.”

[buckingham-ashtray]

SHERLOCK DID CHOOSE THE RIGHT PILL. STEVEN SAID SO

After rewatching ASIP again today, I think I might have finally discovered the truth about if Sherlock has chosen the correct pill.

The answer is YES.

I will save you time and tell you right here right now that the truth lies simply in how certain shots were particularly framed. However, if you do wish to discover the Why, then here is the other end of the handcuffs, be my most welcomed guest.

Let me start with a notice that I am as well aware as I can be that A LOT of people have already analyzed this mystery countless times from every possible angle. And while I remain confident in “The Princess Bride Theory” and am sure it's still the most possible solution (given the impossible odds), it might not be the case in Sherlock's situation. Here are two possibilities:

According to Mr Cabbie (Jefferson Hope), Sherlock's "fan" / his sponsor (later revealed to be Moriarty) has warned him about Sherlock in advance:

SHERLOCK: How did you find me?

JEFF: Oh, I recognised yer, soon as I saw you chasing my cab. Sherlock ’olmes! I was warned about you. I’ve been on your website, too. Brilliant stuff! Loved it!

SHERLOCK: Who warned you about me?

JEFF: Just someone out there who’s noticed you.

Now, Mr Cabbie’s kids get money every time their dad murders someone, yes, but since Moriarty has particularly warned Hope about Sherlock instead of warning him OFF Sherlock, it could be possible that the pay would be higher if Hope succeeds in murdering Sherlock. (But also given that Moriarty was much more interested in making Sherlock dance rather than killing him, this assumption is very likely wrong)

The second possibility is that could it be for both types of pills to be harmless to Hope (with his aneurysm), and only one of them deadly to the victims? (This hypothesis is also very unlikely, due to the fact that Hope did not have a real gun and was unlikely capable of strangling full-grown adults to death with his hands if they’ve actually chosen the harmless pill)

Thus, in this meta we are temporarily abandoning The Princess Bride Theory, assuming that there actually were a good pill and a bad pill for Hope as well, and focus entirely on the framing.

[I watched Ben’s new TV series ERIC a month ago and was astonished to realize that I was able to pick up on hidden messages so rapidly during the show. (Really recommend it! And if you’re into interpreting intricate movies as well, definitely watch The Power of the Dog too! I like it so much I am currently reading the novel.) A huge thanks to all you clever clever TJLCers, for that if it wasn’t for you and TJLC I would never have developed this ability at all to write this short meta.]

The key idea is to constantly ask yourself “Why?”. Why is this shot framed that way? Why did that light go out first? Why is this seemingly unimportant detail included here? Why did this dialogue happen?

Why did Steven Moffat write in the script that Hope chose the building on the right?

If there’s one thing I know for certain, it is that NOTHING in BBC Sherlock is there without a reason. So, why was the right building the “right” one, instead of the left? Does it parallel how the two bottles of pills were placed on the table? If we make the assumption that Right is correct and Left is wrong, is there any other evidence to support it?

YES.

1. The pills

WHY is it that EVERY TIME the two pill bottles were given close up shots side by side, it was ALWAYS the one on Hope’s right in focus?

2. The doors

WHY is it that Sherlock and Hope entered through the right side of the door in the right building, and John ran through the left side of the door in the left/wrong building?

WHY is it that John burst through the right side of the door AFTER Sherlock has chosen the pill on the right?

3. The positions

WHY is it that Sherlock was ALWAYS on the left side of the frame and Hope the right without ANY exceptions?

WHY is it that they switched positions AT ONCE, the moment Sherlock chose the pill on the right? (Also note that Sherlock held his pill in his right hand and Hope his left)

Why Why Why?

If it’s just once or twice, we could still dismiss them as “coincidences”. (What did we say about coincidence?) But this many? Implicated in such platent ways? I was an absolute idiot for not seeing this sooner.

If every single shot implies that right is Right and left is Wrong, Hope slid the pill on the left to Sherlock, and Sherlock chose the one originally on the right, is there any possibility that he chose the wrong one?

NOT. A. CHANCE.

All screencaps taken from here.

(I really wanted to tag someone but sadly I don’t know any of you wonderful people and it feels terribly intrusive and impolite to tag someone you don’t know :( Please definitely let me know if you wish to be tagged and thank you so much for coming to my ted talk.)

[aeithalian]

On Apollo and fatal flaws

Vague question for my fellow apollogists out there: what do we think Apollo's fatal flaw is? I write this realizing that, in all five books of the series, all told from Apollo's point of view, we never actually have it explicitly stated, either from Apollo's knowledge and refusal to share (which, strangely, seems to me like something he would tell us), or from him not actually knowing, either.

Simply stated, a fatal flaw is any kind of weakness of a hero, god or mortal, that can be exploited and can cause the downfall of that character. That being said, we already know some that generally scope out the larger range of what they can be:

Percy: excessive personal loyalty

Annabeth: hubris/pride

Nico: holding grudges

Thalia: ambition

Leo: feeling inferior

Piper: low self-esteem

Luke: wrath

Jason: hesitation and excessive deliberation

And we are certain that immortals have flaws like these, too. Although it isn't explicitly stated in canon what Zeus' fatal flaw is, it's exceedingly obvious that it's paranoia and hunger for power, as well as his sexual infidelity.

I feel like we can easily knock some flaws off the list already:

Holding grudges is off the list for the main reason that, if there's one thing Apollo oozes, it's forgiveness, and the fact that he is always ready to give second chances to people who have wronged him and the world (Lityerses, Luguselwa, Meg, etc.)

For the same reason, I'm going to knock off wrath. Yes, he has moments of rage, but so does everybody else! It's human nature, and, as stated before, it's usually overshadowed by Apollo's choice to let go of that anger and choose forgiveness instead.

Ambition is an interesting one, but it's not at all something that really comes up in the series to the point where it ends up being powerful enough to be his fatal flaw. He rarely seeks power he didn't already have before, especially when you consider he is Zeus' most powerful son, and one of the most powerful gods period. Why would he need more power? Unless, of course, you choose to point out that one time he tried to overthrow Zeus, but I'd argue he was acting more out of a place of 'hey please be better at your job' than 'I want your title and position', which actually falls more under Poseidon's motivations in that myth.

Interestingly, there's a certain aspect of Apollo's character in the myths that totally screws the pooch in terms of this discussion, and that's the fact that Apollo, throughout the stories of Ancient Greece, is a typical example of perfection. Literally, he's written to be virtually flawless, the paragon of young men, and (in the context of Ancient Greek culture) doesn't have many moments of rage, selfishness, or paranoia, or at least, not as many as other gods (looking at you, Artemis).

HOWEVER, as much as the myths seemingly act like he doesn't have a glaringly obvious flaw, we as a part of Apollo's inner circle/audience know he's got one - I mean, look at him! It's in there somewhere, nobody's perfect, and I don't think anybody's pretending as such for Apollo. What irks me is that we know Apollo is not lacking in general character flaws, but there is one, beyond a doubt, that shapes his inner core irreversibly. And we don't know it.

Thankfully, though, we've got five books of content that might help us come to a conclusion.

The Hidden Oracle, being the beginning of the story and the beginning of Apollo's character development, is where we would get an inkling of what Apollo wants us to think his fatal flaw is. To us, Apollo appears vain, self-centered, and, frankly annoying. And he does these things on purpose. Or at least, he tells us these things.

That's the thing: if you look past all the fluff Apollo spits out to the audience throughout the first majority of the book, before his children are taken into the forest, you'd find that his dialogue, aka how the other characters of the story hear and see him, doesn't really reflect that. Most of the annoying, self-centered brattiness is only on the page, and not as obvious in his personal interactions (not saying they're not there, but it's so much worse in his internal monologue). So, what does this tell us?

That those aren't his fatal flaws. He's very good at pretending that they are, probably because, as I've read several other metas very cleverly explain, that this is what gods are supposed to be, and, Apollo, in his desperation be his father's golden child again (or, also to avoid his wrath, take that how you will) has built up a very elaborate mask for thousands of years, because that is what he is not. He's trying to be glossed over in the vast sea that is the gods, and it's not really working because, well, he got turned into a mortal. Again.

As we pass through books 2 and 3, we're still not quite past the whole "pretending to be petty and self-serving because this is what I am supposed to be as dictated by the laws of my immortal people and my father". That, almost certainly, doesn't come until the latter half of The Burning Maze. So it's further safe to assume that our best guess as to his fatal flaw probably coincides with his more honest moments with the audience, eg. books 4 and 5.

Now, I know a popular common answer to this whole question is that it's his ego and his pride. But here's the thing: as we move on to the second half of the series, we get an interesting revealing of Apollo's perception of himself. To put it plainly: Apollo is not a narcissist, as much as he pretends to be (see the above points). Honestly, he might actually hate himself and what he's become as he learns to take a more critical view of himself as the series goes on. Drawn in direct antithesis to his moments in the first two books, when he tells us that he assumes that anybody he meets is willing to help him, after the peak of his development (marked by his promise and Jason's subsequent death), this isn't the case. That's why I'm pretty okay with putting pride and ego towards the bottom of my list of possible fatal flaws for him.

Honestly, if I didn't know any better as we reach the end of the series, I'd say Apollo's fatal flaw might fall somewhere closer to poor self-esteem, insecurity and self-doubt, but for some reason, that doesn't quite fit. I'd argue that a lot of those feelings probably stem from being stuck in the inadequate body of a mortal with a tiny fraction of his usual power - of course he's going to feel like that. That, and it's almost the direct opposite of what his flaw is perceived to be by other sources, so it feels like too large a leap to me.

I'm deliberating from my point, which is this: I still have no clue what his fatal flaw is.

It's not:

narcissism

pride

OR on the other side of the spectrum:

low-self esteem

self-doubt

OR the list of things we knocked off earlier:

holding grudges

wrath

ambition

And when you compare to other characters he might also be like, I would argue he's a totally different animal. The only character I could see a similarity with is Percy. But, again, it's just not the same. Percy's flaw, excessive personal loyalty, still doesn't really fit because, while I'd argue that Apollo's never really put in a situation where he's had to choose to save the life a mortal friend over his task of restoring the Oracles, I do believe he has a strong sense of duty. No, I don't think he would sacrifice Meg's life to do that job, but it's not something we see him forced to pick between (that I can think of, at least). I like to think that, on one hand, Percy would flat-out refuse to do his duty to save the life of a friend out of principle, whereas Apollo might find a clever loophole to save the friend, do the duty, and end up doing harm to himself. If anything, while Percy would be ready to burn the world to save a friend, Apollo would be ready to burn himself first.

That, I think, is our biggest indicator. Apollo loves his friends and the world. He wears his heart on his sleeve, this is something the Triumvirate exploits to no end.

Athena tells Percy something in the PJO series (the Titan's Curse, I think?) and says that the most dangerous fatal flaws are the ones that are good in moderation. And, of course, Apollo is a main character, so naturally his fatal flaw will fall under this category.

I think Apollo's fatal flaw is of the same breed as Percy's, but isn't really the same creature. I'm sure there's a more eloquent way to put this, but it seems to me that his fatal flaw has something to do with his tendency to be self-sacrificing, easily forgiving, and empathetic. He's been stabbed in the back several times and every time chooses instead to show trust and camaraderie, to see the best in people, and give them another chance to prove themselves: with Meg, Crest, Lityerses, Luguselwa, Meg's adoptive siblings, and many, many more. That seems very dangerous in the wrong situation, yes? Especially someone in Apollo's position - there are plenty of bad people who would be ready to take advantage of this.

And what is a story if not the hero learning to overcome their fatal flaw? And, really what is the Trials of Apollo all about? How do we end? What choices does Apollo make for the future at the conclusion of the Tower of Nero that directly contradict his overwhelming urge to choose forgiveness and let others try again?

The Tower of Nero, Chapter 36

At the end of any good epic story, the hero learns to overcome their weaknesses and flaws and do the right thing regardless. For Apollo, this comes when he refuses to forgive one person: Zeus. Apollo ends his pentalogy with coming to an understanding of himself and his relationship with his father, learning to overcome that tendency see the best in everyone, and realize that not everyone can choose to change for the better like Apollo has.

EDIT: a masterlist of my other metas

[badgalsasuke]

The beauty, the beast and the prince

Quiet as it's kept and despite their rampant homophobia, Sasusaku shippers have a lot in common with a particular brand of fujoshis. The type of fujoshis that like to read bl manhwas that have been trending over the past few years like Jinx, Painter of The Night, Low Tide in the Twilight and Pearl Boy, to name a few.

And I say they're similar because of the way they engage with the text, the type of characters and tropes they expect and the outcome/finale of the series they feel entitled to.

If you've been in the Naruto fandom for a long time then you've probably have realized that SS shippers don't hate/resent Sasuke because he mistreated Sakura, their feelings are a bit more complicated than that. I must clarify I'm talking exclusively of SS shippers, not Sakura stans who may hate Sasuke simply because of the way he treats Sakura and decide to ship her with someone else.

First, SS shippers interpret Sasuke and Sakura's story together to be a dark romance and this is the appeal of the ship because whether the ship is mlm or f/m women love a dark romance, they love a bad boy/good girl type of ship and they love a ship that has its highs and lows as they see the "development" of it. If you're on tiktok, specifically BookTok you already know this.

So, it's not the mistreatment of Sakura at the hands of Sasuke what bothers SS shippers. It's the fact that Sasuke never rewards Sakura for putting up with his behaviour. Let me explain, when you're reading a dark romance the male whether he's straight or a gay top will put the woman or the gay bottom through humilliating or straight up abusive circumstances and behaviours which can be insults, physical assault like slaps or yanking them and dragging them around, and even torture or rape. The woman/bottom will endure all of this because they're pure of heart, they claim to know who the male character really is, they believe love conquers all, etc., etc.

And it is through their unconditional love that they manage to warm the cold heart of their loved one.

Take for example, Painter of the Night. The top Seungho is a rich Korean aristocrat who uses his position of power to put the bottom, Nakyum who is a painter through abuse during the entire series. Seungho rapes Nakyum several times, he physically assaults him i.e. slapping him, he coerces him into doing things Nakyum doesn't feel comfortable like having sex in a tailor's workshop and because Seungho is Nakyum's patron, Nakyum is completely dependant on Seungho for everything which stops Nakyum from escaping when he has the chance. Nakyum is at Seungho's mercy. All of this is ignored by the fans because Seungho slowly but certainly has a change of heart, he's a man who was traumatized as a child, which apparently justifies everything he does, and it is because of Nakyum's gentle and tender love that Seungho realizes he, himself, can love again. So in the end, after everything they go through, Seungho falls deeply in love with Nakyum and they both live happily ever after.

Other example is Low Tide in The Twilight, where the bottom Euihyun has a huge debt he cannot pay so the top Taeju basically uses this to force Euihyun to live in one his properties and constantly rapes him. In the end, after so much shit happens, Taeju falls in love with Euihyun and they also live happily ever after.

So, going back to Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura don't have their happily ever after after all the insults, humilliation and even psychological torture Sasuke subjects Sakura to. Sakura is not rewarded for putting up with this once they become adults and get married. Instead we get a Sasuke that broke his promise about coming back so they could travel together "next time", that's a total deadbeat, that continues to reject her advances, that doesn't worry about her when she's in danger and has no issues in abandoning her and their child for 12 years. And this is what pisses off SS shippers.

SS shippers expected Sakura and Sasuke to have an ending similar to the one of Nakyum and Seungho and I'm sure they thought they were gonna get it after Sasuke apologizes to Sakura.

Dark romances are all about the beauty and the beast archetypes. The beauty is punished by the beast until the beast finds her worthy enough to get the prince. The prince will give her a castle, a family, his total unconditional devotion and a happily ever after. Sasuke doesn't do this for Sakura, he never transforms into the prince, so SS shippers feel wronged. They've been rooting for them for so long expecting Sakura to get what they believe she deserves. To see Sasuke remain the beast is a slap in the face for Sakura and SS shippers. This is why they also love Sasuke Shinden and Retsuden, Sasuke is filled with guilt for what he did to Sakura when they were young which is usually expected in this type of romance stories.

But canon Sasuke written by Kishimoto doesn't care at all about any of that. I'm not surprised why so many SS shippers fantisize about Sakura beating the shit out of Sasuke, how dare he not acknowledge her for what she's been through for him!

[linkspooky]

Souma Sumire post

JUNKO ENOSHIMA VS SUMIRE SOUMA

So unfortunately you gave me too much freedom into what to make my Sumire Souma post about and it turned into another cross media analysis post.

So, Comun knows why I'm comparing these two characters but since we're the only two people who've seen Sagrada Reset I better explain for anyone else who clicked on this post because they saw Junko.

Sagrada Reset is a series where all the characters talk like they care college freshment in their philosophy 101 course. That sounds like a criticism but I'm describing what I like about the series, it's about the two main characters trying to define their existence.

In one small town in a far off corner of japan every single person developed super powers, for practically no explained reason. This town is kept secret because everyone who moves away from the town simply forgets about the fact that they are able to use their powers. There are those who move from the outside world into the town who develop powers, but they have to pay the price of everyone who knew them in the outside world having their memories wiped instead.

In spite of how creepy that sounds on the surface, the town runs rather smoothly in spite of the fact that everyone has super powers ranging from useless, to highly destructive, thanks in part due to a bureau that works behind the scenes managing the powers of basically everyone in town.

The story starts with Kei Asai, someone who has the ability to perfectly recall everything down to the exact detail. Instead of reading every single textbook ever and becoming a super genius like Prodigy from X-Men, Kei Asai instead uses his power in conjunction with another character who rewind time until certain marked points like reloading saves in a video game. As Kei is the only one with memory that is immune to the resets, by working with her he can reset time over and over again in order to help people with a few limitations.

One of those limitations we discover in Kei Asai's backstory, which is the third novel in the series. A novel which shows that Kei was introduced the girl he currently works with by a mutual friend of both of theirs, a girl named Sumire Souma.

Sumire Soumma helps show them how both of them can use their ability together, but then Kei discovers that after resetting once they have to wait a certain window before they can reset again. Kei resets over something relatively minor and finds out that while before the reset Sumire Souma walked home just fine, after the reset she died under mysterious circumstances (which was totally a suicide but we don't find that out until later).

The gist of this entire information dump is that for the first part of the series we do not know really who Sumire Souma is, she is just a friend of Kei's that he wants to find some way to bring back from the dead using the x-men powers in this town. After he succesfully finds a way to bring her back, that's when the plot begins in earnest and we begin learning in earnest who Sumire Souma is.

In the same novel that Sumire is brought back, we learn of a woman called "the witch" who possesses the ability to see into the future. Part of the reason that the Bureau has run so smoothly is that they've been keeping this woman locked in a room and using her visions to write down practically everything that's going to happen in town her entire life. At the end of the novel Kei successfully frees this woman from her prison so she can spend the last week of her life with her first love.

It's no coincidence that this event and Sumire's revival happen almost immediately right after one another, because Sumire is another witch. She possesses the exact same ability to see into the future, but unlike the woman who allowed herself to be locked into a room Sumire herself uses her ability proactively.

This is where you probably finally realize why I'm babbling on about this series. Sumire Souma has the ability to perfectly predict the future down to the last detaeil, and as far as I understand she can also see alternate futures that different decisions can lead under. This gives her a basically supernatural version of Junko Enoshima's Super High School Level Analysis. If she were an X-Men, Junko would probably have Sumire's abilities or something like that.

Either way both characters can predict the future to an uncanny level, and it's something only they are able to see which gives them a perspective different from any other character in their setting, and makes it hard for both of them to relate to the other human beings around them.

I should probably explain the Danganronpa part of this post before I continue even though the only person reading this post is you Comun. Danganronpa is a death game series that takes place in a school for the best of the best, most talented students in Japan. If you are the best in a certain field, you can be scouted as an "ultimate talent" and invited to Hope's Peak Academy where you can work on your talent all day long and not have to learn actual math or useful like skills. It's like X-Men but instead of cool super powers, there's a kid who's a member of the richest family in the world and another kid who writes fanfiction.

You can kind of see the connection already starting to form right, one has a bunch of abnormal teenagers who spontaneously developed super powers, and for Danganronpa, the talents are essentially the super powers for which their entire character revolves around. No one's life however, is more defined by her talent than Junko Enoshima.

Junko is known to the world as the Super High School Level Gyaru, or a worldwide phenomenon fashion model, but her real talent is the ability to analyze situations and process information at such high speeds that she can basically predict how every situation can turn out. The novel Dangan Ronpa Zero is a good example of her skills, because in it Junko basically lobotomizes herself and makes it so her memory constantly resets and the only thing she can remember is her name, and the fact she is in love with her childhood friend Yasuke Matsuda. Yet, despite the fact that she wanders around as an amnesiac mess the whole time, Junko manages to predict the actions of everyone involved so far in advance that basically everything goes according to the plans she made before she had her memories wiped.

Junko was so good at understanding people that she was able to write out scripts and give her twin sister, and co-conspirator Mukuro Ikusaba notecards, containing lines on what to say.

Junko has the ability to meet someone and then instantly see through them, see all of their worst flaws and all the best ways to twist them into the worst version of themselves. Within five minutes of speaking to you, she will know you better than you know yourseolf, and she can predict the actions that you are most likely to take. Junko's greatest talent isn't just her ability to manipulate situations, but also manipulate people and move them around like pieces on a board for some grand game that she can only see. Junko isn't playing chess, because chess requires an opponent who understands the same rules and no one can look at the world the same way Junko Enoshima does so perhaps it's more accurate to say that Junko is playing calvinball. One big game that she is playing essentially against herself because she's the only one who has the grand perspecitve of someone sitting at the board.

Which is where I explain Sumire Souma's powers in more detail, because Sumire possess an uncannily similiar ability. I already established she was a precog, but she doesn't see the entire future at once like I eluded to. Rather, Sumire can see all of the memories and emotions of the person she is talking to. However, her power isn't bound by time, so she can see all of their future memories if she keeps looking. Which is means in essence she has the same ability as Junko, but arguably more powerful, she can know everything about a person simply by talking to them.

For both girls, their predictive ability robs them entirely of the ability to interact with others on a person to person level. After all, if you can predict everything a person is going to do, it's hard to see them as a person with free will, and an internal world and logic that's entirely distinct from your own. If you're having a conversation with someone, and you know everything they're going to say, it's going to start feeling like you're talking to a bioware characters and following a classic bioware dialogue tree.

Sumire Souma talks exclusively in theme, and like she just devoured a philosophy textbook whole and is regurgitating it back out at you, but it makes sense because she does not relate to people around her on an emotional level at all. She basically has access to Rohan Kishibe's Heaven's Door, she can read their entirely life stories if she wants.

Not only does it make the people around them feel less real, less worth engaging with, it also makes Sumire Souma, and Junko Enoshima feel like they themselves are not real people.

The story of Danganronpa and Sagrada Reset are about both characters respectively trying to solve their existential dilemnas. The stories are about other things, but Junko and Sumire are the main plot movers of each story. They are not the main characters, but they are responsible for the inciting incident and they are the reason that the stories are happening. They both essentially play the role of the mastermind moving things behind the scenes in DR1 and Sagrada Reset, and even though they have different desires they are both master manipulators moving their friends forward like game piece son a board.

I'd argue that the existential dilemna is the same for both girls.

Can Enoshima Junko / Sumire Souma be a normal girl?

Enoshima Junko is smarter than any adult around her, she can navigate the world unhindered, manipulate anyone into doing what she wants, and finds people so predictable they may as well be npcs following preprogrammed code, or fictional characters reading off some script somewhere that Junko can't see. She is essentially the Gojo of her world, except if you put her into Jujutsu Kaisen she would probably find some way to kill Gojo in spite of the limitless. That's how incredibly easy life is for Junko who is playing with the cheats enabled, and because everything is so predictable she finds herself completely under stimulated. She came to associate the thing that everyone else wants, safety, comfort, happiness, and most of all hope with an unchanging status quo that robs her of her ability to feel any emotional investment and connection with the world around her.

Junko Enoshima has all the power of Gojo Satoru crammed into a tiny miniskirt and yet she is still a teenage girl, she has a sister who annoys her but she's fond of, she has a boy she's had a crush on since childhood. However, Junko's all-consuming need for stimulation causes her to mercilessly abuse her sister until said sister becomes slavishly devoted to her and lives and dies off of her approval, and make that childhood friend die by her own hand, feeling miserable, forgotten and unloved, just before she declared her love to his corpse. While it's undeniably abuse, it's also from Junko's perspective, a genuine expression of love and the only one she believes herself capable of because nothing else quite feels real.

There was a hint of sadness laid somewhere in that murmuring voice. "After all...you were the most important person to me of all..." Those were her true feelings. Yasuke Matsuda was an especially important existence for Junko Enoshima. Ever since they were children, he always stood up for her, always continued to unconditionally love her, and above all, just being by his side made her heart feel warm. But, she killed off that existence with her own hands. She stepped on it, forced it past the gates of despair, and brutally murdered it. "This...this is..." But, that's what Enoshima had desired. She loved him so much, that irreplaceable existence, more important than anyone else, almost obsessed with him to the point of insanity, always wanting to be within his embrace, even living in a world with only him would be fine. And by losing that incredible existence, just how much despair would I fall in? She nurtured her love for Matsuda all this time just to get a taste of that feeling. Seeing her loved one be smothered by despair during his last moments, she pretty much lived to experience that spectacle. Finally getting to taste that despair, "...INCREDIBLE!!"

I would argue that Junko's motivation is the same as Souma's which is why I'm comparing the two, that underneath all the screaming and crying about despair Junko's desire is to be a normal girl. It's telling that one of her last ditch attempts before committing to the killing game, is to essentially do the one thing that nerfs her talent, erasing her own memories so that her analysis can't allow her to predict the future because she's constantly forgetting the past and the present. It's doubly telling that Junko herself, goes out of her way to purposefully sabotage her attempted lobotomy so that her memories would come back and she would regain her sense of self and her talent.

When robbed of her talent Junko is still incredibly self absorbed and callous to other people's feelings, but she is in effect a normal teenage girl. To the point where Junko after recovering her memories is disgusted by how little thought she put into her appearance when she was Ryoko.

Back from her long period of absence, the first thing taken care of when returning to her dorm room was applying the makeup. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Junko Enoshima saw despair. Geez, Matsuda-kun sure had horrible taste. Reflecting in the mirror was a simply plain, normal, and uninteresting female high school student. "...To think something like this was of value for despair." I don't know if he picked something up from his mother or something- Going over the sense of a loved one in despair while applying makeup, she next began to tidy up the room, beginning with picking off the numerous post-it notes saying "This is my room".

Junko longs to be a normal girl, or at least experience the world the same way everyone else does without the feeling of ennui making it feel like her synapses are slowly rusting making her incapable of feeling anything. However at the same time too much of her identity is informed by her talent. Junko wants to be normal, but she is a tad full of herself, and doesn't want to give up the things that makes her feel superior to others.

This is the logical paradox that destroys Junko's brain like she's one of those star trek super computers. Junko could be a normal girl if she gave up her talent, but she can't give that up without giving up her identity along with it because it's too fundamental to who she is. Junko thinks her talent makes her inherently different to others and therefore superior, making it impossible for her to emotionally relate to others which means the only thing that she has to build an identity around is her talent.

So you can see a character who can not only peer into your memories but your entire future just from having a short conversation with you like Sumire Souma might suffer from the same crisis of identity.

In fact Sumire Souma spells it out herself, what she and most likely Junko is feeling in one of my favorite pieces of dialogue from the show.

Kei: Say Souma what did you want to become in the future? Sumire: My future self? You sure change the subject fast. Kei: I was curious about it for some reason. SUMIRE: I had all sorts of dreams a long time ago. I believe I wanted to be the director of the zoo when I was in middle school. KEI: The Zoo? Sumire: I went on a field trip there and I wanted to be a director because the penguins were so cute. Kei: I see. Sumire: And there was a time when I wanted to be a picture book author, and another time when I dreamed of being a fashion designer. Kei: What about now? Sumire: Maybe it's to get into a decent university and find a company I can work at? Sumire: It occurred to me that for work anything will do. No matter what the job, I feel like I'll be able to enjoy it if I do my best. Kei: This brings back memories doesn't it? The rooftop was our hangout spot in middle school. Sumire: You're acting weird today. Nothing but uncharacteristic questions from you. Kei: I wanted to get to know you better. Sumire: I lost my future dream because I met you. KEI: Huh? Sumire: In elementary school knitting was all the rage in my class? Kei: Did you knit scarves? Sumire: Yeah, and stuffed toys but I couldn't comprehend what was fun to me. I couldn't help but feel sick of doing the same things forever. That's why I didn't like school either, because you keep doing the same thing day in and day out. Sumire: Yeah. I wear the same uniform every morning, take the same roads, and go to the same school. I feel like I'll crack from that. I wanted to lead a more free life even when I become an adult. But I realized when I met you... That sort of thing doesn't really matter, does it? Sumire: If I go to school, it's okay for every day to be the same as long as you're there. Sumire: I'm sure I can even enjoy knitting a sweater of wool if it was for you.

Sumire is speaking in metaphor here, but basically she is saying her ability to see the future was a curse because she felt like it robbed her of all freedom and all ability to be surprised, until she met Kei Asai and when she looked into his life she thought his selfless good nature was so beautiful that she fell in love.

Then she stopped caring about whether or not she was the doing the same thing day in and day out, because Kei was there with her, and what gave life meaning was not how exciting it was or how unique she felt but her relationship with him.

Their relationship is also center to the Ryoko Gambit that Sumire plays throughout the whoel series. As mentioned above Sumire kills herself, and Kei eventually finds a way to revive her but what he resurrects isn't Sumire herself. Technically, what he does is bring a copy of her from a photograph back to life. The photograph has basically all of the same memories, because her future seeing ability can fill in all of the gaps the moment she talks to Kei.

So the original Sumire sees a disaster unfolding two years into the future, and enacts a plan to prevent it that requires offing herself. Then Kei Asai creates what is essentially a swampman. A swampman is an old philosophical problem, a man walking into a swamp gets struck by lightning and died. Then, an exact copy of the man with the exact same memories randomly appears from the atoms of the swamp and keeps living like the original never died. The second Sumire has the same memories, the same motivations, would essentially be Sumire if the original didn't already exist as a corpse buried somewhere in the ground. Or, she was cremated probably. The copy could also leave Sagrada city and forget that she was a copy, because leaving the city erases all of your memories of supernatural events.

However, the original chooses to stay to enact her longterm plan. A plan that similiarly relies on her middle school friend and crush Kei Asai to act as the protagonist and carry it out.

However, the difference between Junko and Sumire isn't necessarily that Junko has destructive intentions, and Sumire's intentions are mostly helpful and beneficial. Sumire even brings this up herself once, that she isn't actually all that altruistic

“Imagine a god.”, Souma nonchalantly started telling a story. “The god started an experiment. The goal of the experiment was to turn a normal person into a saint. And one young man was chosen as the experiment’s subject.” He was already getting used to the suddenness of her long-winded metaphors. Kei nodded. “Go on.” “As the first step of the experiment, the god created a fake version of the man. The fake had no will of his own. He only acted the same way the real man would. The god thought that if the man had another one of himself, he could watch his own actions from an outsider’s perspective and that knowledge would make him a better person.” “A god should be able to learn the result without having to actually do the experiment”, Kei giggled. “This god was mostly omnipotent but far from omniscient.” “Heh, how so? If you’re omnipotent, you have the power to become omniscient.” “He had obtained all the knowledge in the universe once but quickly did away with all of it. That way he became mostly omnipotent but as close as possible to ignorant. Being a god is not easy.” (I’m curious about the god’s reason to choose ignorance over omniscience, but that’s not what Souma’s story is about.) “Okay. So the god made a copy of a man as part of an experiment to create a saint.”, Kei put the conversation back on track. “Yes. But the man didn’t change his ways. He was definitely not evil, but he certainly couldn’t be called a saint. He was sometimes kind, frequently cowardly, had common desires, and was capable of cruelty. His fake lived the same way, not good nor evil.” “And was the god satisfied with that?” “Nope. That’s why he made a second experiment. The god cursed the man. The curse made the man feel excruciating pain all over his body whenever he saw someone sad.” “Heh, sounds nasty.”, Kei answered with a completely uninterested voice. “That way, the man could no longer ignore other people’s suffering. He reached out to people in pain to relieve his own pain.”, Souma continued. “That’s exactly what the god wanted.” “The fake obviously did all the same things the man did. He wasn’t in pain or anything, but he was built to imitate the man’s actions. So, both the man and the fake lived seemingly saintly lives. The end.” The story didn’t sit right with him. “And what did the god do about what he saw?” “He gave different names for the man and the fake.” “What names?” “One was Virtue and the other was Hypocrisy.”

This is from your translation Comun. You wrote it. Credit to you.

The original Sumire helps people because she feels pain due to her ability to see into the future and experience their emotions, and the copy of Sumire helps people because... well she's a copy of Sumire and that's what the original did. Neither of them are particularly altruistic because they don't really choose to be, they are just good aligned by nature of their ability.

The difference between Sumire and Junko stems from how they treat Kei and Matsuda respectively. Junko treats Matsuda far worse than Sumire would ever treat Kei, but again it's not even a matter of Junko's tendency to inflict misery on those who love her.

Rather for both of these master manipulators, Sumire makes a choice that Junko doesn't, and probably would never. Sumire puts the choice over her future and everyone's future entirely in Kei's hands.

It's not just that Junko is bored by people, but on top of that she has an unfortunate tendency to cut people off at the knees, hampering any ability they could have possibly had to surprise her even if they wanted to try going against her plans. Junko wants Mukuro to betray her, she has for her entire life been trying to push Mukuro away because Junko is more interested in an enemy than an older sister. However, at the same time Junko does literally everything she can to make her sister rebelling against her all but impossible. She frequently physically and verbally abuses Mukuro at the smallest sign of disobedience, or if Mukuro even questions her actions. When Mukuro makes friends for the first time in her life besides Junko, she makes all of those people forget Mukuro existed, and then forces Mukuro to dress up as her and do an impression of her. Junko has so completely and thoroughly destroyed Mukuro's personhood that practically nothing is left, but Mukuro's love and loyalty for her sister. Junko wants Mukuro to betray her, but she also does not allow Mukuro to be a seperate person from her in any real tangible way.

In fact in the one au where Junko actually does release her sister from the death grip she has on her, Mukuro almost immediately betrays her like she's always wanted.

Sumire on the other hand makes a long term plan in order to prevent the big bad's plan to remove supernatural abilities from the world, but she leaves all the choice on how to fulfill that plan in Kei Asai's hands.

Sumire: Please Kei, say my name. Sumire: If you say my name correctly, you win. Kei: You were always Sumire Souma. The voice message reached you. Sumire: How can you believe that? Kei: I can tell if if I think about you. If it didn't reach you, then you wouldnt've said that my choice was correct because you're kind. Sumire: But you know, Kei I couldn't decide anything until I had you decide. I planned everything since I knew my weakness. I let you decide my name, my identity. Sumire: I gave you more baggage to shoulder. Kei: [...] The weight of the baggage was perfect. My ability exists for keeping it.

Kei is able to restore a sense of personhood to Sumire Souma just by accepting her clone, and treating her clone as the same person. When before Sumire Souma had just been a "nameless system", Kei brings her back by treating her like a normal girl.

In that sense Sumire gets a much more satisfying answer to her lifelong existential dilemna than Junko ever did, much more satisfying then Makoto's "Well, we should just hope for the best at least."

Sumire finds her answer to the dilemna in other people. Sumire Souma is Sumire Souma, because Kei knows her, because Sumire Souma has allowed one person into her life that she relates to like a friend.

So my argument on why Junko fails and Sumire succeeds has nothing to do with morality, or even the personality of the two characters, but just that Sumire found at least one person who she could relate to and Junko Enoshima remained an island to the end of her life.