#joking aside i think this is good. like really good

[narrators-journal]

NSFW alphabet: Vash the stampede

A bit more in-depth exploration of my take on Vash. I’m not TOO happy with it, but it’ll at least flesh him out for the time being, and I can always return to this if I want to clarify some shit later. Hope you enjoy regardless!

A= Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Vash is a very good partner for aftercare. He’s always sure to dote and love on his partner after sex, and it doesn’t even have to be rough sex, he’s just always sure to check on his lovers.

B= Body part (favorite on themselves and their partners)

Vash doesn’t really like his own body. He views himself as either a monster or a failure depending on the day, so he hates himself too much for a favorite anatomical part.

Weirdly enough, Vash strikes me as someone who likes his partners eyes more than anything. They’re just so expressive and bright! Full of life!

Other than that, he’s a bit of an ass lover.

C= Cum (Anything to do with cum)

Vash doesn’t strike me as someone who likes the taste of cum, but he’d swallow if you told him to.

D= Dirty secret (Their dirty secret)

Vash seems like he’d be a top, and he can be a top if his lover demands it, but in his soul. In his core, that bitch is, and wants to be, a bottom.

He has a praise kink, even if he can’t take a compliment to save his life.

E= Experience (How experienced are they?)

Despite his flirtatious attitude, Vash is not very experienced at all. Between his distaste for his own body, fear of hurting others, and reputation, he doesn’t get a lot of action despite being pretty.

F= Favorite position (self explanatory)

Sad to say, but I do think Vash is a bit vanilla when given his way. He’d prefer probably missionary, maybe fuckin’ his lover against a wall if he’s feeling spicy lmao. That being said though, he’d try any position his partner wanted so long as it wouldn’t hurt you too bad.

G= Goofy (Are they more goofy or more serious in the moment?)

Vash is a very goofy, light-hearted lover. He’d crack jokes, he wouldn’t take it too seriously, and he’d just do whatever he could to curb the anxiety that comes with his reputation.

H= Hair (How well groomed are they? Do the carpets match the drapes?)

He is a bit in the middle of grooming levels. He doesn’t bother too much with shaving (or really washing tbh) but he keeps it in check at least. Same with his hygiene

It’s not like he’s a garbage pile, but he’s definitely bushy.

I= Intimacy (how are they in the moment? Romantically)

Vash is a veryromantic man. He’d take his time, he’d lavish you in attention, and he’d be an utter gooball if you let him during sex. Or in general, honestly

J= Jack off (masturbation habits)

Vash barely, if ever, masturbates, honestly. He’s pretty low on the sexual need scale, so the urge doesn’t hit too often.

K= Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Praise kink is probably the easiest one to pinpoint, but he also has a bit of a degredation kink, maybe a lil masochism

He might also have a breeding kink. Just a lil.

Maybe a tiny, itty bitty part of him also might get off on how feared he is. He’s the big bad humanoid typhoon, oooo fear him lol.

L= Location (favorite place to do it)

Vash is not picky at all. The desert, a car, an alley, the inns and hotels he can find, it does not matter to him.

M= Motivation (what gets them going and in the mood?)

Compotency. Compotency is probably his biggest turn on. With guns, with their job, it doesn’t matter what his partner does, so long as they’re compotent he’s into it.

Aside from that, honestly if his lover’s just. Into him, it gets him going a good number of times. Vash is not a picky man, he just has a low sex drive.

N= No (What are their turn offs)

As I’ve stated on the headcanons, Vash is pretty okay with being called a slut, but when you dip into using ‘pathetic’, ‘worthless’, and other harsh, non-sexual insults to describe him, he’s not much of a fan. Tis the horrible self image.

While Vash is a very accomodating for his lovers with a lot of fantasies, one thing he won’t play into is anything like step-brother, daddy, mommy, anything family-related.

God help you if you’re at all aware of Knives in any recognizable way, because Vash sure as fuck won’t feed into that lmao.

O= Oral (preferences on giving/getting, skill, etc)

Vash doesn’t mind either way on whether he gets or gives oral. It feels good to get, and it makes him feel good to give, so either way works for him.

If he had to pick a preference though, he’d definitely go with giving rather than getting.

P= Pace (are they fast, rough, slow etc)

Vash’s pace very much depends on his lover’s preference. When left up to him, he’s pretty medium though.

Q= Quickie (Their opinions on them, how often)

Honestly, Vash kind of prefers quickies. They give him an excuse to not strip entirely and it gives him a thrill to be so desired that you don’t care about getting caught.

R= Risk (Are they game to experiment? Take risks?)

Vash is a bit middle-of-the-road on risks, admittedly. He’s not that easy to kill or really hurt, so he’s fine with being the guinnea pig if you want to try cutting him or menacing him with a gun.

He’s a little less eager to be risky when you ask him to choke you until passing out or something.

When it comes down to the risk of being caught, he’s actually shockingly into it, so long as it’s a risk exclusive to when he’s mostly dressed.

S= Stamina (How many rounds can they go?)

Thanks to being a plant and not at all human, Vash has a wonderful stamina! He can run through the desert for an entire day, and he can go multiple, multiple rounds in bed.

T= Toys (Do they have them? Do they use toys on themselves or partners?)

Vash loves to use toys on his partner. Especially if it saves him having to expose his scars and whatever he deems ‘ugly’ about himself.

if you let him, he'd use an array of toys on you, in some pretty creative ways.

yes, he would use a remote controlled one on you throughout the day.

U= Unfair (Do they like to tease?)

While Vash is a very playful man, and he’ll edge you if asked, he tends to not tease too much.

That being said, he’s still a bit of a tease. Whether it’s with simple flirting, or quick touches or the like.

V= Volume (How loud are they? What noises do they make? Etc)

Vash can get a bit noisy if he gets too into it, but for the most part he strikes me as p good at keeping his voice down lol.

W= Wild card (Just a random headcanon about the character)

I aint got nothing sexual, so I’ll just say. I headcanon he and Knives each have odd proficiencies, and Vash’s is his skill for accuracy with projectiles.

Like, even before he honed it to the level its at now, he’s always been weirdly good at hitting targets with thrown shit.

X= X-Ray (What’s going on underneath those clothes?)

He is at least a healthy 6-6.5 inches down there

Y= Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

Sad to say to all the vash girlies, but I don’t imagine he has a high sex drive.

I lean towards he’s likely demisexual, so I don’t entirely see him being a hoe regardless. In situations where he is one, I imagine he can go years upon years between hook ups.

He’s like a crocodile in that way lmao.

Z= Zzz (How quickly do they fall asleep after?)

Vash technically doesn’t even really need to sleep regardless of activity beforehand, so I imagine it’s a bit hit or miss with him.

Some nights he takes a few hours to sleep, others he’s out like a light, basically on command.

[echoingbirdsofprey]

Delicate (Jake's Version)

20 - Jake's Honor

Pairing: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x OFC Samantha Kazansky

Rating: Explicit (MDNI!)

Warnings: nothing spectacular really just mentions of Jake's injuries and his mental state

A/N: Merry Christmas! More coming soon! As always, likes, comments, reblogs are very appreciated! Thanks for reading! It means a ton! The doggos steal the show a bit here! 'Platz' is the german command for 'place' also

Tags: @mrsevans90 @djs8891 @gpsmississippihippie @barnesboo1967

Jake decided it was best to put a shirt on before Mav and Cyclone arrived. He was only joking with Sam about not doing so. She helped him take his sling off and carefully pulled the shirt over his arm and over his head. He winced a few times in the process, trying hard not to move his arm around too much. 

Sam helped him settle on the couch afterwards, along with the dogs. Ballast snuggled up right next to him. Rocco hung out by his feet and Muster tentatively hopped on the couch and sat as far away as she could from Jake. It wasn't that the girl pup didn't like him, she did, she was just timid. She definitely gravitated toward Sam more. 

“This morning is nice. Slow...easy.” Jake murmured as Sam sat down next to him with a cup of hot tea. She tried her best to not lean into him too much as his sling arm was closest to her. 

“Yeah. We don't have to go anywhere until late afternoon.” Sam said, as Muster crawled across the couch to sit next to her. Sam had learned to ignore the puppy and let her come over in her own time. As she practiced that more, it was less and less time each day that Muster took to come over to Sam. She would shy away from Jake unless Sam was near him. Muster nudged her way onto Sam's lap and Jake reached his hand over to touch her little nose to it. She did so and whined, but then climbed in between Sam and Jake and sat there.

“She's so funny. Don't think she likes men.” Jake said softly, reaching over again to scratch Muster with one finger. She was much smaller than Ballast and Jake had noticed that making large gestures or holding his entire hand out bothered her. The door bell rang then. Rocco, being the nosy little fur missile he was, went bolting toward the door and barking, followed by Ballast, who bounded behind him. Muster glanced at Jake and climbed up to see over the back of the couch. She growled softly and Jake scratched her back. 

“She likes you and Javy. Guess we’ll find out if she likes Mav and Beau.” Sam said, placing her cup on the small coffee table and going to open the door. “Rocco and Ballast, back. Sit.” Sam said sternly and both dogs backed up and sat while she opened the door. Beau entered first, hugging Sam and then stepping aside so that Maverick could enter and do the same. The two dogs waited patiently with their tails wagging. Rocco knew both men well from them always visiting her father and Ballast just followed what he did. 

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” Beau asked, his brows furrowed with concern. 

“I'm good. Really good actually. Really happy that Jake is home.” She said and she guided them over to the living room, offering them a spot on the other couch perpendicular to where Jake was sitting. Jake went to stand but Beau motioned for him to stay seated and held his hand out for him to shake. Maverick did the same. 

“No need to get up, Lieutenant. You need your rest.” Beau said as he and Maverick sat on the other couch. Sam had released the other two dogs from their sit and they followed her. Muster growled and shrank back against Jake. They paid no mind to the puppy per Jake's request. 

“Something to drink, Beau? Mav?” She asked and Beau asked for a coffee while Maverick said he was all set. Sam put on a fresh pot of coffee, surmising he may ask for a second cup depending on how long they stayed. 

“How's everything going. Jake?” Sam heard Beau ask. 

“Really good. As long as I keep it up I should be air worthy in about three months. That's what the doctor said, at least.”

“Good, good. And you've been seeing Ryker? He's an old friend of ours. Great pilot.”

“Yeah, he's helping us with the dogs. It's good for me to have something I can do without too much physical strain. We have a session this afternoon, actually.”

Sam handed Beau his coffee and she picked up her tea and Jake patted the seat beside him. She wasn't going to stay but she glanced over at Beau and Mav and they nodded an okay so she did. Muster crawled onto her lap as she sat and then began to sniff the air toward Mav and Beau.

“Don't mind her, she's...” Jake began and then Muster hopped down from the couch and snuck over to Beau and Maverick. She rolled onto her belly at their feet and Maverick reached down to rub her belly.

“She's just shy around guys. She's funny with Ryker too even though they raised her. I think her mom was like that, if I remember correctly.” Sam explained.

“She loves you though.” Jake said, leaning closer to Sam, letting his lips turn up into a gentle smile. His green eyes lit up as she glanced from the puppy to him and he forgot for a second that Mav and Beau were sitting there.

“Jake.” Maverick's voice cut through his thoughts and he sighed heavily as his attention went back to him and Beau. Muster had enough of Maverick and she'd run back to Sam, hopping up in between her and Jake. 

“We wanted to discuss what's next for you.” Beau said and Jake nodded, uncertainty in his expression. Beau continued, after taking a long sip of his coffee and a deep breath. “You've shown an immense amount of growth, not only on the job, but outside of it, as noted by your colleagues and superior officers. It's been discussed between several of us and we believe that in addition to awarding you a Navy Cross for your outstanding display of valor and sacrifice to save Rooster...you are also being fast tracked for a promotion in rank.” 

Jake's eyes widened. His lips thinned and his breath quickened. His gaze fell upon Sam who clearly knew something he didn't as her smile was soft and her eyes reflected appreciation for him. All that talk of him getting promoted, becoming an Admiral, moving up the ranks...did she know he was getting a promotion? There was a smugness in her expression that said she did. 

“A Navy Cross, sir?” Jake asked, disbelief evident as Beau smiled warmly at him.

“We'd like to present it to you at the upcoming Navy Birthday Ball, figuring you'd be out of your sling by then?” Beau said and Jake shook his head. Beau spoke again, not waiting for Jake to reply. “As far as your promotion goes to Lieutenant Commander, until you're air worthy, you'll be given an office on base from which to work from and you can begin to learn more of the administrative and operational parts that you need to know as being a higher ranking officer. It's not all flying and combat maneuvers. There's some paperwork too.”

“Sir...I am...” Jake was actually speechless. Beau smiled and let a small chuckle slip. Maverick smiled too.

“No need to say anything, Jake. You deserve it. Your team wouldn't be here without you. Rooster wouldn't be here without you. You've really grown as a leader. And if I may...from a personal perspective...and as someone who had...and still has...great respect for Iceman...I'd never heard him say that he felt that anyone deserved his daughter as much as you did.” Beau said, and there was a moment of heavy silence that fell over the room. Sam swallowed hard and glanced at Jake, remembering the night before her father passed vividly. 

“Daddy, don’t speak.” Sam said, placing her hand over Ice’s.

“No...I...have to...Samantha...need you...to know...” Ice’s voice was gravelly and he took shallow breaths between each word. He coughed hard, and squeezed her hand.

“Dad...” Sam’s voice broke, on the verge of tears.

“Jake...will...take care...of you...I know...he’s...a good man...good pilot.” He rasped and then he dissolved into a coughing fit and tears fell down Sam’s cheeks as she sat down on the edge of the bed. She laid her head on Ice’s chest, listening to his heart beat rapidly and the crackling in his lungs. 

She stayed there for a while until he fell asleep and her mother came in. Sam rose, kissed her father on the forehead, feeling his skin was cooler than usual. Sam’s heart sank. Sarah pulled her into a hug and told her to go to bed. Sam nodded and went to her room, Rocco padding along silently. She checked her phone, a smile returning to her face as she read the only text.

Jake: goodnight pretty girl, see you tomorrow

Sam was all too aware of the tears running down her cheeks, as Jake wiped them with his free hand. Beau and Maverick had bowed their heads, the loss of her father still too raw a feeling for them all. Beau was the first to speak after the pause.

“With all of that being said, Jake...if you're feeling up to it in a week or so, no rush, you can come by the base and Warlock and I will show you where your office would be. I would also like to discuss opportunities for teaching as well. Even if it's something you're not up to now, maybe you would be down the line. We like to give our best pilots a go at instructing. I believe you would be a good candidate for it.” Beau explained and he finished what was left of his coffee. Sam stood and took his cup, motioning for more but he dismissed it. “We should be getting back to base. Thank you for giving us your time. Rest up and we'll see you soon.” Beau said and he shook Jake's hand and then Maverick did as well. As Beau headed toward the door, Jake stopped Mav for a moment.

“Sir, when you get the chance, could we have a chat about Rooster? I'd like your thoughts on him. He's having a hard time accepting some things and I just don't know how to approach him with it all. I figured you might have the best insight on that.” Jake asked and Maverick nodded.

“Yeah. He's stubborn. It's why he and Sam never really got along. We’ll talk soon.” Mav said, placing a hand on Jake’s shoulder and patting him. He hugged Sam as he left and once they were out the door, Jake sighed and collapsed on the couch again. Sam went over, dogs all behind her and settled beside him once more.

“You okay?” She asked and he nodded.

“You knew.” Jake said, with a smile but a slightly accusatory tone. Sam laughed.

“Nat told me she overheard them talking about it. I didn't know you’d be getting an office though. Damn.” She said and he reached for her, pulling her against him. He winced, but he didn’t care at the moment. 

“I told you I’m gonna take care of you...just maybe not in the way I had originally thought or planned. But it’ll work out.” Jake said. Sam kissed him and then she placed her head on his lap.

“I know you will.” She affirmed softly. 

🛩️🛩️🛩️

Jake was struggling. 

“Take a breath, Jake. Go sit on the steps for a moment.” Ryker said, motioning for him to walk away. They had been going through a sequence of commands with Maddox and Jake understood it immediately, and of course Maddox knew exactly what to do, but when it came to Ballast, the puppy seemed like he wasn't getting it. 

Jake sat on the steps of the deck and he watched as Ryker brought the puppy through the small obstacle course, with ease. The goal was to build Ballast's confidence jumping onto and off of some small tables, across a narrow beam, and over a teeter totter. 

“I don't understand what I'm doing wrong.” Jake said, his tone annoyed as he rubbed his hand over his face. 

“He's just not trusting you. He can do it. He just doesn't think you think he can. It's hard to lure and offer to catch him with one hand.” Ryker explained and Jake sighed.

“I hate this sling. I can't do anything.” Jake scoffed. Ryker took a second and asked Ballast to place on one of the tables and walked over to Jake. Jake looked up at the man and shook his head. “I'm not going to be able to do some of this stuff until I have two arms again.” 

“That's your doubt talking. Happens to people who lose their limbs too. You haven't lost a limb, Jake. You just need to think of a different way to use it.” Ryker explained, holding his hand out to help Jake up. Jake took it and stood, sighing as he headed back over to his puppy, who looked expectantly at him from his place on the table. Ryker took Jake's seat and folded his arms across his chest then spoke. “Get creative, use that head of yours and find a solution. Same thing you'd do up in a jet.”

Jake stood for a moment, Ballast’s eyes trained on him. He placed the food in his immobile hand. He got close to Ballast and let him see that the treat was in that hand. He then placed his other hand on the puppy’s back and asked Ballast to go through the obstacles again. Ballast went over both tables easily, and then came to the teeter totter. He stepped on it and felt it unsteady and went to jump down but Jake grabbed him and asked him to lie down for a moment.

“Platz.” Jake said sternly, and ran his hand over the puppy’s back. He then said ‘yes’ enthusiastically and Ballast began to follow him across the teeter totter. Jake asked him to place once again at the center and he held it still. He said ‘yes’ again and then asked him to complete the obstacle. Jake was ecstatic and he sat down next to Ballast, who jumped into his arms and nibbled at his chin in excitement. “You did it, buddy!”

“No Jake, you did it. You both did. But you figured out a way to build that dog's confidence and I like the way you did it. You could be real good at this if you keep it up.” Ryker praised Jake and clapped a hand on his shoulder. 

Jake was starting to feel a bit better about himself.

[charmikarma]

i dunno i think getting into homestuck again has made me ACTUALLY lose it. like. i have never felt the urge to write so many strange and unhinged things before in my life

[vaguely-concerned]

having seen at least the rough outlines of all the romances now I have to say that I think emmrich's is probably objectively the best in terms of coherence and completeness of story arc (with the understanding that ultimately the 'best' romance is whichever one makes YOUR heart sing anyway so objectivity is a silly thing to claim that way, it just felt like it's the arc with the most well-paced focused content and the least dangling threads)... but lucanis' is my favourite haha. just. the whole kneeling before your beloved full of reverence but without any of the distance that usually implies??? his complete undramatic certainty and calm in every scene with rook after this, having spent the whole game caught between fear and longing???? mr. lives in a pantry but it says nothing about my psyche don't worry about it it's purely for tactical reasons that I keep myself contained in a small dark room not entirely unlike a cell, love among the parsnips -- finally coming to rook in their room and it's so comfortable and comforting???? after all the times rook supports and comforts him through the game he's finally able to return the same to them when they need it while being so calm and steady and it's so fucking sweet and feels so effortless and with no price attached?????? he basically assigns himself the role of your bodyguard and he WILL stab a god over it??????????????? the turn to protector (which was in his heart all along longing to get out and find a place) of it all????? he sounds like he's found himself unexpectedly stumbling into such a soul-lightening state of revelatory existential relief, full on 'you only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves' mary oliver style, and he goes and he shares that with rook and protectively envelops them in it when they're hurting??????????????????????????? hello for the maker's sake hello can anyone hear me?????

[dykedvonte]

Danse and Hancock work only after blind betrayal because it’s the equivalent of the one closeted person you kinda pity getting kicked out after being outted and you and your like 7 other faggot friends take them in and help them do a 180 on their outlook on life and personal style and get them to weed (possibly grape mentats in this case).

[celtrist]

Why does Vassago already have merch, we haven't even met him yet

[wallylinda]

the popular alternate for barry working as a forensic scientist is to make him into a k-12 teacher but i really do think he has too delicate of a constitution for it. like can you even imagine he'd catch two teens making out behind the stairwell and turn so bright of a red that he starts wheezing in secondhand oxygen deficiency. he's way too hyperfixated on corpses just let him loose in a cemetary and all of his problems would magically fix themselves.

[skyburger]

whos your favorite of the crusaders from part 3... i think i love baofu the most tbh

[jichanxo]

sooooo... *twirls her hair* how many asks should i send until kuwagami art. jk as well. the real question will be: does it happen often that someone else’s art inspires you? in fandom spaces specifically

well you see it’s like a loyalty card program, every 10 asks or so you get a complimentary kuwagami

just kidding you can just breathe in my direction and I’ll be tempted to draw them. kuwagami blast! (you've caught me on a... just okay art day lol)

(people still like kabedons, right?)

anyway for my actual answer: in terms of direct inspiration, it doesn't really happen much? the last two times i did art directly based on someone else's work is probably this one from this fic, and also that time i drew art of someone else's judgment au. oh! and there's that moriohpsycho art based on this comic! (filthyguts' work is so very. hgngngghh. very good.) nothing else really comes to mind, and when i think of the other things i've been into recently there hasn't been as much opportunity for that to happen...

flex and herds = strong fixation but lmao. almost nobody else made stuff about them. nobody is surprised umineko = surprisingly i don't read much umineko fanfiction? and in terms of illustration, i certainly picked up imagery and indirect inspiration but nothing concrete enough for me to give an example... now that i think about it, i did once draw andromalius from redaction/sunny, but that was years ago, and also mostly because i was acquainted with the writer. ...i don't have that artwork on hand right now death note = didn't really get involved with the fandom + i enjoyed my own ideas well enough! ...i can't recall if i drew long-hair-L art before or after seeing other artists do it. and as for everything else the same kind of reasoning applies. didn't really get involved with the fandom or wasn't really compelled to make art in response to stuff i saw, or i just don't remember anymore.

buuuuuuut if we're opening this up to just... pulling ideas from other people? then yeah, all the time, though that kind of goes without saying when you have a creative hobby. ...it's probably going to be hard to come up with examples of this since it's more ambiguous.

there's uhhhhhh... kuwana listens to nickelback which was a @/four-white-trees invention, wasn't it? (EDIT: and @/overdevelopedglasses!) (not tagging in this post so he doesn't feel obligated to read my big ass ask responses 💀) as of writing this, it's not posted but i did end up making kuwagami art based on a nickelback song so. yknow. there's that LMAO

for sawashiro and arakawa, i do sometimes go reference @/todayisafridaynight 's art to help me with my own. ("how did he draw this part of the suit? oh, like that huh? hmm" <- this kind of thing)

and um. i'm not trying to pander to you (at least not this time), but genuinely it's one of the few examples that come to mind at this moment. but when i was writing my first kuwagami fic, i could feel the influence of the ever-changing on my brain... was turning over some of your ideas there...

you remember this? (you even pointed it out in your comment on my fic, and i should've said something then, but whatever i'm saying it now)

that was absolutely because of this

(obligatory poke at anybody else reading this post that you can read passthroughtime's fic here.)

so, um. yeah. not really sure what else to add to that. pretty self evident i think. (i'm always talking about the ever-changing but i don't think i can overstate the impression it left on me at the time)

anyhow there aren't really any other examples off the top of my head! these are all recent examples so they're not so difficult to recall, but there are probably others i've forgotten...

[cuteniaarts]

@katkastrofa, circa 40-ish hours ago: Hey, what if our newest bunch of OCs adopted a baby from one of the other brothel girls who knew she couldn’t afford to raise one? That would make for some fun shenanigans :D

Me, with a notoriously non existent sleep schedule, instinct of self preservation or concern for my poor wrist: Alright, bet. Watch how fast I can make you fall in love with this hypothetical baby >:)

Daneli as a gentle and loving caretaker-turned-adoptive-mother is something that can be So Personal, actually, and originally I was going to leave it at this quick sketch, but then I got carried away thinking about what this child will grow up to be like raised by this little gang of misfits, so…

Here she is!! A little older and so, so beautiful, I need more of her in my life immediately, she’s way too precious

And, because I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t also add a sapphic element to this absolute cinnamon roll, a small crack ship that I’m only half serious about for when she’s a little older still:

All in all, we may be getting impossibly far from canon, but I for one already cannot get enough of sweet darling Kumisai <3

(I fully drew three pieces from scratch in 9 hours I cannot feel my brain or my hands anymore send help)

[hilacopter]

guys sonic 3 was kinda bad

[funkytoesart]

you can always tell the people who give social media advice who are naturally or conventionally attractive even without even having to look at a photo of them cause they're always the ones that recommend showing your face in reels or videos to promote your art and it's like,,, talk about pretty/skinny privilege lol

[chaossery]

Some thoughts regarding chapter 419

I needed some time to stomach the revelations of chapter 419, but now that that’s done I think the story’s been building up to that moment for a very long time. It’s an extremely painful chapter to read, but, in my opinion, it had to happen. I’ll try to explain why I think so.

Tomura’s lack of/struggle with agency had always been a core theme of his character, perhaps even the central theme. However, I feel like this aspect of his character often got overlooked in favor of other aspects like his bond with the other members of the League of Villains, his development into a more competent and threatening villain, his issues with the shortcomings of BNHA’s society in general and heroes in particular, etc. Well and then, chapter 419 happened and brought this core theme to the forefront with a vengeance, pretty much overshadowing everything else. (It was really kind of a… challenging read.)

Personally, I think this chapter’s purpose is neither to make Tomura more redeemable nor to let Nana and Kotarou off the hook for the decisions they made. I doubt that people who were against Tomura’s redemption before chapter 419 dropped, are on board with it now. And I can’t really imagine Horikoshi expecting them to change their minds with this reveal. (He would have to be beyond naive to believe that.)

The decisions, Nana made, were entirely her own – chapter 419 changed nothing about that. And regarding Kotarou: Just because a cherished friend gives you parenting advice, you’re not obliged to follow it. Especially, since All For One didn’t even tell Kotarou to be strict with Tenko, he merely encouraged his strict ways. He encouraged what was already there. He used what was already there to his advantage. This chapter may bring Tomura’s agency into question, but it certainly doesn’t do so with Kotarou’s.

(Furthermore, I don’t see anything in the story that indicates All For One as the cause of all of society’s flaws. He merely knows how to use these flaws to his advantage. He threw quite some bombshells at Tomura and us in this chapter, but he never mentioned having anything to do with all those civilians ignoring little Tenko in his hour of need. If he were also behind that, why wasn’t he bragging about that as well? Now would be the perfect time.)

So, what is the purpose of this chapter, of All For One’s revelations? I think it’s to finally shatter Tomura’s illusion of agency. It’s to pull the rug out from under his feet and push him into the deepest depths of despair. At its core, Tomura’s story is a tragedy in its purest form (or at least it has been up to now) and chapter 419 marks the lowest point.

In chapter 379, Tomura is able to one-up All For One and regain control over his body for a while. He manages to do so by clinging to his origin as Tenko Shimura. At this point, he is already aware (at least to some degree) that All For One has groomed him since picking him up after the Shimura tragedy. He knew that “Tomura Shigaraki” was All For One’s creation. But at least he still has “Tenko Shimura”. “Tomura Shigaraki’s” decisions may belong to All For One, but “Tenko Shimura’s” decisions are his own. Or so he thought.

“Tenko Shimura” was his final weapon against All For One, the shield protecting him from getting completely overtaken by his abuser. And also the life ring he was clinging to to keep himself from sinking into despair. But now, All For One has destroyed that, too, and Tomura has nothing left to hold onto.

“Tenko Shimura” is All For One’s creation as well. “Tenko Shimura’s” decisions belong to All For One as well. All that is “Tenko Shimura/Tomura Shigaraki”, all that ever was, all that ever will be, belongs to All For One. “Tenko Shimura/Tomura Shigaraki” is not his own person. He is nothing more than a tragic figure in the story All For One is writing. Or so All For One wants him to think.

What I believe All For One has done in this chapter is to destroy Tomura’s illusion of “I have control over my life and the decisions I make” by setting up a new illusion for Tomura: “I have and never had any control over my life and my decisions whatsoever”. He pushed Tomura out of one extreme narrative straight into the next one. Both of which are at odds with the truth, however.

When dealing with All For One, we mustn’t forget that he is a liar and a manipulator, a groomer and an abuser. (In fact, he is so good, that he can even manipulate the fourth wall and make the BNHA fandom believe every little thing he says.) Naturally, he’ll always tell his victims what makes it easiest for him to manipulate them, be it lies, the truth, or a little bit of both.

Thus we should be careful to take his words at face value. He is definitely exaggerating when he claims that all of Tomura Shigaraki’s/Tenko Shimura’s decisions actually belong to him, his abuser. One example: Does anyone really think it was All For One’s decision that Tomura cares for the other members of the League? That he grew to genuinely trust Himiko, Twice, and even notorious anti-team-player #1 Dabi? Befriended Spinner? Fed Mr. Compress all the sushi he wanted? Decisions like these go completely against All For One’s modus operandi.

For me, the key to growing to appreciate this chapter and its revelations was to bring together all these extremes regarding Tomura’s struggle with agency, Tomura’s flawed perception of himself, other character’s flawed perceptions of Tomura, All For One’s exaggerated claims about Tomura and well… I guess to kinda conciliate them with each other. Tomura was groomed by All For One and thus has struggled with agency. He made many decisions All For One groomed him to make. But he also made decisions of his own.

Tomura is not a transcendent being. He is not a god. He is not destruction incarnated. He is not the angel of death. He is not an innocent little baby boy (not with a kill count like that). He is not a character in All For One’s story.

He is a victim but not just that. He is a villain but not just that. He is a hero to some but not just that.

In fact, I think the story (namely chapter 411, courtesy of Izuku Midoriya) already gave us the perfect term for what Tomura Shigaraki/Tenko Shimura truly is: a human being, nothing more, nothing less.

And I guess the key to giving this story a happy ending is to convince Tomura of that as well; that he is a human being whose first 21 years were shaped by All For One’s toxic influence, yes, but there is also a future for him without All For One. Where he can truly be free, make his own decisions, and grow into his own.

[ner0w0w0]

The popularity and "who would you like as a husband" poll back in like... 2008, where Hibari won over other character as well as other series main characters got me really thinking.

And like, some kinda confused as to why ppl would choose him over s/o, for example, Tsuna.

But like, you know the type of babygirl male characters nowadays that got you go "oouuu my little homicidal man did you just eat that man alive, how adorable. Let me just clean you up." Yeah that's Hibari.

The Japanese female demographics back then didn't have a few screw loose in their head. They're simply visionary ppl.

[deadwerewolfgirlfriend]

Supernatural 10.11 There's No Place Like Home

[dennisboobs]

do you guys ever sit and remember that dennis takes a mental health day is an episode that exists