#like how about we judge someone based on their character and not on a black and white issue that isn't black and white

[starlitvases]

"Hey Starlit! What's your opinion on origin syscourse?"

...

"...?"

...

"Starlit..?"

...

Oh sorry, I was reading an article on how black and brown felons were scored more harshly on their predicted re-offense rate compared to their white counterparts with similar crimes by an AI tool, thus them receiving harsher sentences by human judges upon seeing the scores. What were we talking about again?

[38riku]

Good morning / afternoon

If you are willing, would you be able to write a drabble / headcannons for any Twisted Wonderland characters (any dorm is fine) for a reader who’s based off Black Pearl Cookie from CRK?

You don’t have to do this request !

Love your work - swan anon 🦢

thank you sweets ! i chose octavinelle and malleus – if you want any other dorms just let me know <3 hope you enjoy

𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓

Black Pearl Cookie!Reader x Octavinelle / Black Pearl Cookie!Reader x Malleus (reader is not the prefect.) not proofread.

𝐚. 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨

azul watches you, to your knowledge, and although it's a bit creepy you have no intention of confronting him about him as long as he keeps his distance.

however, the reason he is watching you is to do just that.

he's familiar with the tales of where you're from. nothing good comes in or out of the duskgloom sea, yet, here you were, and you had him completely enthralled.

then he overblots and you see him.

days later and be still wonders just what you thought of him. is he worse than the terrors of the sea you call home? judging by your looks, he'd be the only terror that would reside there.

azul lets his nerves get the better of him and approaches you when the lounge is nearly empty.

"i would like to apologize for ... the vulgar display of my overblot and octopus-like ... form." clearing his throat, he turned to leave, only to stop when you spoke. "you think you look vulgar?"

your melancholic tone caused his head to whirl in your direction. "the overblot was a bit much but there is nothing wrong with the way you look azul."

he blinks in shock, for the sincerity you held was that of someone who understood – someone who had insecurities of their own – and even though he couldn't fathom what you lacking, he didn't question it.

"yes, i suppose there isn't."

somehow, the small moments of conversation happened scarcely, despite this, he pieced together the small pieces of information you shared.

you had sisters that you adore. he could see the faint twinkle in your eyes as you spoke about them. you tone, on the other hand, was strained.

'you feel inferior to your sisters' he thought.

your view on love was sour, eluding to a past heartbreak that you haven't recovered from, and contributed to your current state of mind.

why?

why is every thought consumed by you?

why did he feel the aching need to dig deeper, knowing he may never reach the bottom and may not resurface?

you knew he can take the pain away. no matter how large the scar, the deepness of the cut, the memories that you held close — you don't deserve to hurt.

he sighed, tucking the golden scroll away.

"i hope you come to realize that the fate you've been given isn't one you must live."

𝐣. 𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡

jade is rather good at reading social cues. yours to be specific. he's unintentionally devoted his time catering to you when you're in his vicinity.

you don't like to be bothered. a quick greeting or farewell is all you're willing to muster, and he respects that. unfortunately not everyone does.

at least when you're at the lounge he can help you. whether its sending his brother their way or redirecting them on his own terms it doesn't matter.

he can't tell if you've noticed his meddling but he is quite sure you've realized that no one approaches you in the lounge, which causes you to frequent more often.

"good evening. shall we start with drinks?"

it's jarring the way his mind can be filled with you but he acts just like any other member of the staff.

he watches as you scan over the new seasonal items, honing in on the desert items — leading him to believe you had a sweet tooth — "the pearl decorated cookie spread please ... and my usual drink."

you handed him back the laminated sheet, thanking him promptly and returning to your work.

although service is typically quick, the speed at which you received everything was noticeably faster.

"i hope you enjoy. in fact, i came up with the spread design myself." his comment didn't come off as boastful or arrogant, in all honesty you couldn't quite tell what was hidden in his tone.

"as the first person to order it i would like to hear your thoughts."

as you obliged, he took a seat on the other side of the booth, gauging your reaction.

when jade saw your face light up briefly he felt a sense of satisfaction that made him warm. "they use imported sugars and spices from the duskgloom sea. your presence inspired me to add such delicacy to the menu. i'm delighted that it suits your taste."

your eyes. he didn't mean to let it slip it was his idea — you as his muse — and that your delight was his ultimate goal, but, he couldn't help it when you stared at him with such intensity.

"i'm not quite sure what you're getting at."

"please don't think too much about it. as a frequent visitor, i simply wanted to ensure your comfortability." he excused, placing a hand across his chest before bowing slightly. "my apologies if—"

"no need. it seems i misunderstood." finishing the last of the platter, you slid out of the booth, "thank you for the menu feature. i'll be sure to enjoy it as long as it's on the menu."

making your way to the bar to pay, he couldn't help but chuckle once you were out of ear shot.

you didn't misunderstand. he did it to make you feel ... better.

if you wouldn't allow anyone close enough to fix it, he'll continue to try and alleviate your suffering from a distance.

𝐟. 𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡

your relationship with the eel is grating. you aren't quite sure why he constantly insists on pushing your buttons or how he winds up in your bubble daily.

the reason is irrelevant. for all you know, he does it for his amusement which, irritates you even further that someone could be so ignorant. especially since you've lashed out on him a few times – earning you detention and a reminder of the rules regarding magic use.

"heya oyster."

you flinched back, whirling around and glaring at said eel. "awe, did I scare you? i didn't mean it." there wasn't any remorse in his tone but you don't think he meant to startle you.

"i'm not doing this with you right now." you huffed, not wanting the conversation to escalate.

"ha? do what?" walking off isn't that effective when he's lanky and athletic and used to chasing people down. "i just wanna talk to ya."

"i don't want to talk. not to you, not to anyone." any person with sense would leave it at that. your harsh tone sent chills down the spines of passersby's, ducking their heads and rushing past to give the two of you the walkway.

it seems that a majority got the hint except him.

"i know that oyster. i'm just wondering why you go through all this trouble being mean when it's not you." yawning, he missed the way you stopped walking, having to double back a second later.

floyd isn't easily intimidated. he's usually the intimidating one. but, he can admit you made him shrink just a bit. especially when you used magic. he didn't know the duskgloom sea was habitable; let alone to mages.

he may've approached you differently if he knew. then maybe he wouldn't have returned to his dorm soaking wet and partially electrocuted.

"you don't know me."

"don't have to." shrugging, he continued. "you're scared. trust me, i see fear everyday. yours just isn't 'ah gonna get beat up' y'know?"

he wasn't helping his case.

"just sayin!" raising his hands in surrender, he watched you stomp away to your dorm and didn't follow you this time.

floyd groaned aloud. that went terribly and now he's in no mood to go to class.

instead he goes to his room, flopping on the bed and rethinking his plans. you didn't want to be like that, yet asking you to drop the act up front doesn't seem to be the best idea.

he knows you're a pearl — pretty and shiny — and he knows you were like that from the beginning.

what made you put up such a hard shell?

when he finds out, he'll make sure to squeeze it until you're satisfied.

𝐦. 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚

malleus desires inclusion. he longs to be invited to events, participate in conversation with his peers, and not be feared for existing.

that is why you became the object of his silent rage.

people want to befriend you. they approach you with the intention of companionship and you respond with clipped words, not returning their kind regards.

"you don't truly believe they were always that way, do you?" lilia questioned him when he explained his personal grudge.

in hindsight, his assumption was silly. instead of viewing it from another's perspective he watched you and realized that it wasn't only silly but ridiculous.

something weighed heavily on your heart. he noticed it when your mind wanders during lectures, in the lunch hall, and even walking to and from the school.

you've experienced the compassion of another as well as the betrayal one can cause when they're wedged in your heart. how did he not notice it prior to lilia's input?

the expression you wore is similar to his grandmother's.

"there are fates worse than death." he recalls her words. right here — watching you from afar read alone on a bench — is where he understood what she meant.

"never being able to love again." malleus whispered. he had you all wrong, blinded by jealousy he foolishly harbored towards you.

as swiftly as he could without frightening you, he approached your figure.

"child of the sea." he greeted, "i felt inclined to inform you that there is an abandoned shrine in the eastern part of the woods around the school."

"it is quiet and no one ventures that far on a whim. there's a small lake as well, if that interests you."

bowing, he bid you farewell and left without hearing what you'd say. uncharacteristically his nerves got the better of him as he vanished.

that night, he wondered if you would visit the area in your free time. perhaps he should've stayed and awaited your reply, yet, his face warmed in embarrassment the longer he thought.

he is a fool. an utter fool. the aching feeling he felt must be guilt, mustn't it? or is it the same ache you felt when you let someone in your heart ...?

© 2024 — 38riku. Do not copy or repost or plagiarize my work. All Rights Reserved.

[linkspooky]

So I was genuinely surprised last week when we were finally shown Megumi's mental state inside Sukuna and he was predictably at his lowest point ever, and instead of sympathy from the fans most of the responses on twitter I saw were people mocking him.

Which I am going to assume comes from a misunderstanding as his character. You see Megumi doesn't fit into the role of the black haired supporting protagonist / rival well. He's not Sasuke, he's not Uryu Ishida, he's not Yuno but he's not meant to be a rival or even a typical shonen character who's progress is only measured by a series of power ups. Megumi is perhaps one of the most subtly written characters in the manga, and perhaps he's hard to sympathize with because he doesn't fit into easy to udnerstand shonen tropes. Which is why I will try to explain his arc below and why Jujutsu Kaisen does it like no other manga currently running.

1. Meet Potential Man

Let me introduce you to the worst meme on twitter.

Megumi's inability to live up to his potential to reach his full power as a sorcerer is probably his biggest flaw, one that is rightfully called out by the narrative again and again, but apparently an intentionally written character flaw is bad writing.

It's covered in Gojo's "Swing for the fences" speech.

Gojo notices Megumi bunt in the baseball game and decides to confront him about it later. He highlights that while bunting is alright in baseball, and it's good to sacrifice yourself so your teammates can advance in a team sport that being a sorcerer is a solo sport. No matter what Megumi is going to reach a point where he's forced to fight alone, and instead of trying to push himself to be as strong as he can be he intentionally limits himself to cooperate with the sorcerers around him.

Basically, the opposite of Gojo who literally cannot fight with other sorcerers because he won't be able to fight at full strength as they just get in the way.

It's not just that Megumi can't use the ten shadows to its full potential, something pointed out by Sukuna, and then later again by Gojo, it's also that he always prioritizes either the group or someone else above himself when trying to decide how to act. Megumi is a semi-decent strategist so this is not necessarily a bad thing, but because of Megumi's tendency to care more about trying to live up to other people's expectations towards him, and what other people need of him rather than his own needs he doesn't have the attitude necessary for sorcery, especially since the strongest sorcerers don't take others into account at all and act like living calamities.

Megumi doesn't look at himself, he looks at the people around him. He judges himself based on what the people around him want from him, not what he wants. This is going to be a continual theme in his arc.

Sukuna is a living calamity, the definition of the attitude a strong sorcerer has, Gojo Satoru wields sorcerery only for himself, and is a sorcerer because he finds exorcising curses and using his god given talents to be fun for him.

Megumi's reason for fighting, his self worth, are all much, much less than the strongest characters in this series which is why he continually fails to live up to his potential. It's not because Gege is not good at writing or Megumi is a disappointing character, but rather he's been written as someone with tremendous potential under the pressure to live up to that potential but who continually fails to do so. Megumi's low self-esteem, low self-worth, and lack of self-identity explains both his failure to progress as a sorcerer something that requires selfishness and self-identity to reach greater heights in, but also his tendency to pick the suicide option with Mahoraga because Megumi genuinely believes compared to the others even just his classmates his life is simply worth less.

So potential man, is an intentionally written character flaw already called out in canon. The more interesting question is why does Megumi fail to live up to his potential.

2. Meet The Original Potential Man

So, I said that Megumi is not like a lot of characters in Shonen Jump but that doesn't mean he's entirely unique. To help explain Megumi's inability to live up to his potential I thought it would be helpful to compare him to a character he's clearly inspired by.

Killua Zoldyck, is the deuteragonist of a manga called hunter x hunter. You may have heard of it, Gege certainly has. Killua is born into a family of assassins who all have supernatural powers. The assassins inflict incredibly harsh training on their children from birth in order to raise them into assassins because their potential as assassins is all that matters. They also start with a "Z".

Killua is apparently the most talented Zen'in... I mean Zoldyck of this generation, though he's still young so he's weaker than his father and brother he's expected to easily surpass them one. Which is why Killua's family has already decided for him that he's going to be the next one to take over the family, Killua's opinion doesn't matter. Illumi and Silva are both setting him up for success by forcing their "help" upon him. Several other members of the family even point out that Killua probably doesn't have the attitude to be the head of the family, but what does it matter when he's got such great talent?

Killua is a complicated victim. He's a victim of many things, familial abuse is the most obvious one because the Zoldyck have a nasty habit of torturing their children, but the less obvious one is grooming. Not in a sexual sense, but rather the adults in Killua's life have decided to use their authority over him to manipulate him into becoming what they want him to be - the next head of the family.

What's insidious about this is the Zoldyck's don't just torture or beat Killua into submission, they will use any tool in their arsenal, familial love, emotional blackmail, threats, all to undermine Killua's agency and choices in order to make him not only do what they want to do but make him think he has to grow into the person they want him to.

Grooming not in a sexual sense, but definitely in a psychological sense, an adult using their authority as an adult over a child and their maturity to manipulate that child into becoming what they want them to be instead of letting that child grow naturally. When it's used in a sexual sense it's when an adult establishes a connection with a minor, and then uses that connection in the long-term to manipulate them into having a relationship and lower the child's inhibition. Think of that, but without the sexual part - an adult using their relationship with a child often in a long-term manipulation to lower the child's inhibitions and make them more malleable and raise them to do what you want them to do.

Killua has not been sexually groomed, but he has been groomed by both his parents and his brother to make him more suggestible to becoming the family head which is something he explicitly does not want to do. Not only did Killua's family only raise him for the purpose of becoming an assassin and taking over the family one day (raising him as a child into an adult, his emotional maturity, his health and well being are all secondary priorities to what Killua can do for his family) they also manipulate him into thinking he has no choice other than being an assassin.

Killua is a kid put through extremely harsh training from a young age, to do a horrible job that is being an assassin that doesn't let him make normal friends or have a normal life. On top of the physical abuse he's already endured, whenever he expresses a desire to do something else in his life, his parents send Illumi to emotionally manipulate him into thinking that not only is he a natural born killer, and therefore a bad person who deserves all the abuse he's been put through, to further convince him that his only path forward is to be an assassin.

Killua is a character who has a lot of power, but little agency. Agency, in fiction is the ability a character has to take action and make decisions for themselves. Despite Killua starting as a more powerful and more savvy character than Gon, he has little agency and is often very passive. He doesn't act, he reacts. Even running away from his family is a reaction. We don't really see what he wants in life, we just know that he looked at his family and went "NOT THAT". However, his entire identity is still formed in response to his family's abuse. Even when he gets farther away from them, Killua doesn't really do what he wants, he does what Gon wants, and follows around Gon.

However, it's very understandable why Killua doesn't act with a lot of agency, when Killua does try to make decisions his family always shows up to undermine him and make another attempt to emotionally manipulate him into doing what they want. It's not always Illumi showing up to spook him. Silva pretends to be a loving dad for five minutes and has a heart to heart conversation with his son, and lets his son go adventuring with his friends but that too is a manipulation. He only did so to make sure Killua would eventually come back, by giving Killua more positive memories that would make it harder to make the decision to leave the family.

With the extent that Killua's family goes to sabotage any decision he makes, it's no wonder Killua is so passive and afraid to make his own decisions. It's almost like a character flaw he's gotta work on.

Now here's where I'm going to blow your minds. Megumi is an incredibly similar character to Killua, they are both the victims of longterm grooming however people don't like to acknowledge Megumi's victimhood. That's because in Killua's case, his abuser looks and acts like this.

Killua's abuser Illumi is a creepy guy who looks like the girl from the grudge, telling him he's not allowed to make friends and giving off such rancid vibes that he's obviously a bad guy. Whereas, Megumi's groomer this this guy.

Gojo Satoru who is one of the most popular characters in the series, and who also gives speeches about how he wants to let children be able to live out their youths, which is why it's hard for the fandom to see that he has taken advantage of Megumi and stolen his youth away from him pretty much the same way that Silva / Illumi has for Killua.

Megumi, like Killua has no choice in who he wants to be when he grows up, or what kind of person he wants to grow into. Megumi, like Killua has been groomed for a young age and forced into an incredibly dangerous and life threatening job that he does not want to do, that denies him the chance of a normal life, and that does not really allow him to make many friends. Megumi is railroaded onto this path, not by his choice, but by Toji's choice, and later Gojo's choice... because he has potential. Megumi like Killua cannot leave his family and stop being a sorcerer, otherwise his little sister who is the only family member he cares about will be hurt.

Gojo doesn't show up with an evil aura looking like the grudge girl and telling Megumi that he doesn't have the right to make friends, and that he's inherently evil and a puppet that only exists to kill people though so it's harder to tell that Megumi is a victim of the same kind of grooming that has hurt Killua so thoroughly.

This is what I mean when I say a lot of Megumi's characterization flies over your head because his victimization is written really subtly. Gojo does the same thing that Illumi / Silva does to Killua, he may seem like a stand up guy compared to those two but Megumi has about as much choice about what he can do with his life that Killua has.

Not all grooming is Illumi showing up with his spooky eyes to intimidate and coerce Killua into submission. Silva shows up to give Killua the first fatherly talk he had in his life, and lets him go from the mansion.... not because he realized he was wrong for restricting Killua's life choices and giving him no choice but to become heir.

No, it was a ploy to guilt trip him into coming back because he knew if he held Killua there by force he'd just run away the next chance he got. Fear and intimidation wasn't working at keeping Killua in line, so they switched to love instead.

Gojo can encourage Megumi to make friends, let him hang out and spend time with Itadori, even honor his wish to save Itadori and in the end still be manipulating him into becoming a sorcerer and not letting Megumi choose what he wants to do with his life. Gojo just prefers the carrot to the stick.

This is something the databooks confirm, that Gojo hunts prospects like Yuta, Yuji and Megumi not out of the goodness of his heart, but because they are talented students he can recruit to his cause with the added bonus that by appearing as their savior, they "owe" him.

Megumi is also a character lacking in agency, he is someone who's had no agency his entire life and what little agency he did have was stolen away from him by the adults in his life.

Let's analyze Megumi's situation for a second. As soon as Megumama dies, Toji gives up on the idea of fatherhood entirely, and decides to sell his son, literally, like in the sense of human trafficking to be raised by the highly abusive Zen'in Clan.

However, before the deal could be completed his father died in the middle of a mission. Megumi apparently saw his father so little that he didn't recognize him on coming face to face with him years alter, which says a lot about what kind of role Toji played in Megumi's life before he was outright abandoned.

Not only does Megumi believe his father just left him to run away with his new wife (Megumi's stepmother and the mother of Tsumiki) but now he and Tsumiki had to live together in a household without supervision for an indeterminate amount of time and watch their money slowly run out.

When it looks like they're about to start starving, Gojo Satoru shows up to save the day.... or not.

Gojo seems like he's offering Megumi a choice, but it's a loaded one. There's no choice in this scenario where Megumi gets to be a normal kid. The option of calling social services so this orphaned child does not starve doesn't occur to him.

Megumi's options are a) go to the Zen'in Clan and be a sorcerer where Tsumiki will be abused, or b) be a sorcerer under me where Tsumiki will be safe. The unspoken part is that if Megumi rejects his offer not only will he just let the Zen'in Take him, he'll also probably just let Megumi starve. Megumi the uh six or so year old child at this point has to sign away the rest of his life as a sorcerer, and work in order to earn money to eat.

No adult is taking care of Megumi, no one is raising him, even the food and shelter Megumi is given comes with a price tag that he has to pay back by being a Jujutsu Sorcerer and attending Jujutsu High as a teenager. Gojo even kind of subtly uses Tsumiki as a hostage to get Megumi to join with his agenda, because his offer isn't really much better than the Zen'ins but he needs Megumi on his side because he needs to raise kids to be future allies to his political agenda.

At the tender age of six Megumi signed his life away to be a sorcerer and he hasn't looked back since. Considering his severe behavioral problems getting into fights constantly at school, I think it's safe to say Megumi is about as reluctant to be a sorcerer as Killua is an assassin.

Honestly, if Megumi had phrased it like this:

"I'm so tired of being a sorcerer, I just want to be a kid."

Megumi would have a lot more fans, and Gojo would have a lot of explaining to do, but I think the brilliance of Megumi's grooming is that it's not really as blatant as Killua's. Megumi doesn't talk out loud about how he wants to be a normal kid, he's just angry at the whole world, and prone to fits of violence because he's mentall unwell.

Another way in which he parallels Killua, by the way.

Megumi does not talk about his lost childhood out loud. Instead of knowing his thoughts on the matter, instead we are shown his behavior, the effects of having his childhood taken away from him and how unstable it makes him and left to ponder as the audience what Megumi himself thinks of this.

The same way that Illumi steals all of Killua's agency away, robbing him of the chance to be anything other than what the Zoldycks want him to be, so to does Gojo. It's just instead of Gojo using the stick, he uses the carrot. He is Megumi's benefactor, he's the savior, for whose help Megumi owes him, sort of like repaying a loan with interest.

Gojo tries to shape Megumi into Gojo Satoru 2.0. Or maybe a second Geto. That's more likely as it's Geto defection which inspires Gojo to go looking for him after neglecting to do anything about Megumi until a year after finding out about his existence. Gojo says that Megumi is going to have to work hard or else he'll be left behind, just days after Geto had left him behind. Megumi is helped by Gojo, he is protected from the clans by Gojo, he has been taken on missions alongside Gojo his entire life, Maki even refers to Megumi as a treasure that was raised carefully by him.

Gojo invests a lot of time and effort into Megumi and because of that Megumi is expected to "perform." However, he doesn't.

That's the thing, Megumi is supposed to be either Gojo or Geto 2.0 but he just can't be. THe reason why again is Agency. If Killua is limited because of his inability to decide for himself, then so to is Megumi b/c Nen and Cursed Technique Development both depend on things like imagination, ego and self-image to raise them up to their full potential.

However, Gojo has shot himself in the foot with regards to Megumi. Becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer requires a strong identity, but Gojo by sabotaging Megumi's agency and ability to decide for himself every step of the way has robbed Megumi of the chance to form that strong identity.

Megumi, just like Killua has no sense of self and instead both judges himself according to others, how he meets their expectations, how he measures up to them - he also glorifies others while constantly putting himself down.

Megumi doesn't give speeches about how Yuji is like pure light, but he also refuses to let Yuji out of his sight post Shibuya, and even says it'd be better to be killed by Sukuna alongside Yuji if Sukuna does take over.

In the Chimera Ant Arc Killua defines all of his self-worth around being useful to Gon, and beats himself up for not being able to measure up to him - because Killua has no sense of self his selfhood has always been undermined by his family who wanted to make him more suggestible to what they wanted.

Megumi is flippant with his own life and very willing to lay down his life for another's sake, because Megumi has very little agency in his life and has been taught by both Gojo and his circumstances that he himself and what he wants does not matter. Megumi doesn't fight fate, and fight for what he wants because he's already been shot in the kneecaps by both Toji's abandonment, and Gojo Satoru, and he's having a difficult time just trying to stand with bullets in his knees.

Maybe, the reason Megumi is so willing to risk his life to summon Mahoraga and sacrifice himself if he thinks it will help his allies is because Megumi has been forced into a job where he's gonig to be expected to sacrifice his life for the greater good since the tender age of six years old and therefore everything in life has conspired to tell him his life is worth less than others.

Yuji isn't the first person in story to think of himself as a cog, that's Megumi. He doesn't even need Shibuya to beat him down to accept the cog mindset, Megumi is already there at the beginning of the story.

I think a lot of misunderstanding of Megumi's character comes from the fact that his grooming is more subtle and insidious, and not as blatant as Killua's, and also that it's done by a character well-liked by the fandom. However, if Megumi has all the same symptoms of Killua then it's logical to deduce that they share the same trauma

Even Megumi's summoning of Mahoraga has a tie to Killua.

There's a pattern of KIllua running away from stronger opponent that's established in HXH that's eventually revealed to be because of a needle that Illumi inserted directly into Killua's brain to mind control him to run if he faced someone that was too much of a threat.

Obviously, that's just continuing the metaphor of the fact that Killua isn't able to believe in himself to face people who are stronger, because Illumi has been constantly putting him down his entire life.

Isn't this essentially what Megumi does as well?

When Megumi is faced with an opponent that's too strong or a hopeless situation, instead of running like Killua he summons Mahoraga. He does this because he doesn't believe in his ability to surpass his limits and fight, because he doesn't believe in himself or his own potential.

When is actually able to think more freely and picture a version of himself who can surpass his limits and who can do these things - these are the moments he is shown to grow.

Megumi however, for the most part isn't free. He can't think of himself as free and he can't free himself, because not only does he still have no choice about what he wants to do with his life (even if he becomes the msot powerful sorcerer in the world Gojo won't let him quit, he's gotta pay off those student loans), but he's also internalized the idea that he's not free. Not only has Gojo raised him to be a cog, Megumi has also accepted the fact that he is a cog and what he wants does not matter - the most he can do is hope that his actions will protect the people he loves and give them a little bit of happiness.

Megumi doesn't need a needle in his brain to control him and make him run away from fights and more obedient, because Megumi has already done all of that to himself with the toxic and self-harming ideas he's internalized.

Megumi and Killua having given up on themselves, try to make others happy, the same people they put on pedestals in order to make themselves feel even worse in comparison.

However, from this point Megumi and Killuas arcs go in opposite directions. You see after the Chimera Ant Arc when Killua hits his lowest point and his codependent friendship with Gon is exposed for what it is, Killua returns home in order to try and rescue his sister Alluka who is probably the reason he ran away in the first place.

Alluka and Tsumiki are both at the start of the story taken away from Killua and Megumi respectively, and with them the only genuine familial affection they ever enjoyed in their lives is taken too.

However, Alluka and Tsumiki are inversions. Alluka finds her freedom and agency, and Killua is able to reform his connection with his sister by accepting both pats of her, Alluka and Nanika. Afterwards the two of them finally leave their family home together and go off on a journey together.

If Alluka finds her personhood, Tsumiki remains a plot device. She never awakens from her coma, she's possessed instead and then murdered.

Now, here is where I point out how unfair the audience is being to Megumi. If you're a hunter x hunter fan remember all the character development that Killua gained by reforging his relationship with Alluka, how much confidence it gave him to connect to the one person who's even unconditionally loved him as a family member.

Now imagine that Alluka is brutally butchered right in front of him, and Killua has a first person point of view, because somehow in this scenario Illumi used a needle to mind control him into killing Alluka.

Do you really think Killua would be able to stand after that?

Sukuna is really just the last in line of a long line of people who've stolen Megumi's agency away from him, in order to benefit themselves. Sukuna even saw the same "potential" in Megumi that Gojo did.

Sukuna physically posessing Megumi's body, is just what both the Zen'in Clan, and Gojo Satoru have been trying to do to him in the most literal way possible. Gojo wants to remake Megumi into Gojo Satoru 2.0 with no regards to who Megumi is as a person, what Megumi's wants and needs are. No he just wants to raise someone as strong as him and pass the burden of protecting society onto Megumi, this starving orphan Gojo decided to exploit.

People have always used Megumi as a puppet for their own agenda, Naobito wanted to make him the head of the Zen'in Clan because he had the technique, Gojo wanted him to become the next strongest sorcerer / Gojo Satoru and also to replace the elders with Gojo's political agenda. They all want Megumi's "potential" for themselves to use to their own ends. Sukuna just takes what Gojo did one step further by literally stealing Megumi's body away from him and using him as a literal puppet instead of a metaphorical one. Gojo took Megumi's childhood by making him work as a sorcerer, Sukuna kills the physical embodiment of Megumi's childhood innocence by murdering Tsumiki, the only thing Megumi had in his life besides being a sorcerer, his only family, the only person he grew up with in his childhood years, the only person who loved him for who he was.

Megumi coped with what Gojo did to him the same way Killua did, by building himself around his use to others, and by building his identity around protecting others but now that's all gone. Tsumiki is gone, Megumi is trying to kill his friends, and he's already butchered Gojo Satoru.

Yet the fans are surprised that Megumi doesn't immediately get back on his feet.

However, and this my slightly optimistic ending to the post. Perhaps, Megumi is going the complete opposite of Killua, because what Megumi needed to learn was not to grow strong and confident enough to protect his sister but to learn to fight for himself.

At this point Megumi has nothing else left. It's sink of swim. He either develops a strong enough identity to regain control of his body and push Sukuna out, or he loses and the anti-Sukuna team will just have to resort to killing Megumi along with Sukuna.

Even in that case.

Megumi not being saved by Yuji is a good thing.

Because a victim who gets rescued by a hero still has no agency.

Megumi told Yuji that he needs to start by "saving me."

However, it might just be the opposite. Before Megumi can save anyone else, before he can become a protector, he has to find his own power and save himself. He has to both accept thathe's someone worthy of salvation, and at the same time he can't just passively accept the hand that Yuji's offered to him he has to actively be the one to break free of Sukuna and save himself.

Megumi can't become the strongest sorcerer by becoming the next Gojo Satoru or being what Gojo or Sukuna wants him to be. THe only way Megumi can become the strongest, is by being himself.

[misfitgirlwrites]

Doe Deputy (A Self-Hired Secretary!) | Alastor x Imp!Reader

I wanted to get this out around this time, I'm proud of myself! Here's the deal, guys:

You’re a mischievous bean and why would you not take the perks of working for a scary Overlord?

These are headcanons based off of some stories I have already written with my own character :) I hope you guys enjoy them! I'll most likely have more with this whole secretary thing I have going on

Be sure to join my giveaway while you still can! Want a personalized self-insert with a Hazbin or Helluva Boss character? Come enter! It ends July 4th!

I give you the goods now, lads, please enjoy!

CW: Mentions of violence, mentions of cannibalism (?)

a/n: I couldn't make it a bulleted list? I love it here y'all

🖤 I'll take a step into actual author territory, guys. This is pre-season one. I'm talking Alastor's full infamy in Hell

❤️ And there you were after getting fired from quitting your most recent job, taking the walk of shame home to your...decent-ish apartment that you suspect you wouldn't have for much longer

🖤 You needed a solution. You're willing to work for it, of course, but you still had a time limit

❤️ Rumors were going around that a bit of charity work and a promise of good behavior could get you a stay with the Princess of Hell, but charity work was more of a last resort for you

🖤 Finding a nice Overlord that could hand out some work, however...

❤️ It was the best idea you've had since you've been in Pentagram City

🖤 You didn't need a pushover, and you wanted to like who you were working with so that cut out a lot of candidates

❤️ Before you gave up on the idea completely, you heard the static of a radio faintly from someone's house and it reminded you of one candidate

🖤 It would require work and patience, but you weren't taking no for an answer!

❤️ Well, you didn't necessarily ask the Radio Demon, honestly

🖤 You began tailing him when you could and when it was safe to do so

❤️ Large crowds and far as ALL RINGS away

🖤 You didn't want any stumbles or mistakes that led to your little Hellish life going bye-bye

❤️ You had to know at least a little about him before you could really get things started

🖤 Was he a tea or coffee person? Did he like alcohol? Drugs? Just straight murder? (It's looking like just straight murder. You should search up torture methods)

❤️ It was easy for you to blend into crowds and walk right past the demon; he catches on that you're tailing him a lot but you've been evading powerful hell-born demons your whole life

🖤 We all love a liiiittttlllleeee one-up

❤️ You learn of his diet...how much can you judge, you guess?

🖤 Alastor is particular too, he picks his meat up from the same place at least two to three times a week

❤️ The first part of your plan begins

🖤 Dress nicely, a black below-the-knee pencil skirt or black dress pants, either a black or red (any shade) button-up with black or red (or both) dress shoes or heels

❤️ It's time to pick up Alastor's meals for the week! Much better than making multiple trips, right? He's a very busy Overlord ❤️

🖤 You'd waltz in as confident as possible "Hiya! Uh, name's _____. I'm here to pick up Alastor's venison for this week. Figured it'd be better to store in bulk."

❤️ Rosie would tilt her head and stare down at you, "...who are you, dear?"

🖤 "Right! I'm kinda doing a trial run as his secretary! I'm implementing some of my own ideas that I hope will be improvements on how he already moves."

❤️ Now you're nervous. You have no idea how Rosie could respond but you do know you're in fucking Cannibal Town so the only thing you can do is shoot Satan a quick prayer and show off your sharp smile

🖤 You're relieved when Rosie literally lights up, a large smile grows on her face as she clasps her hands together, "he finally took my advice, did he? And here I thought the bugger would never do it!"

❤️ You nodded, "I think this will be a good fit for me! I hope you can agree since you'll be seeing me weekly instead. I moved your hangouts to the end of the week in case the boss likes a drink here and there."

🖤 "A wise decision. You're doing great already if I have any say. Here, I'll grab what you need!"

❤️ Mission fucking SUCCESSFUL

🖤 Now was Alastor happy finding stacked containers of venison outside of his plate with a note?

❤️ The safe answer was no by how he was searching like a beast on the hunt. Luckily you didn't stay where he could see you

🖤 Next is the fun part and if you did this right, you'd be talking to the Radio Demon about this job position very soon

❤️ You knew of The Vee's. Alastor and Vox were never quiet with their quarrels. Why not take this as an opportunity?

🖤 An opportunity to weigh your options a bit if you want to be real. You could simply apply and most likely get the position

❤️ It took one bump in with a very cute spider demon to fill you in on Valentino and your weighing ceases lmao

🖤 Back to the original plan or as you like to call it:

💙 Mission: Blow Vox's Fuse for Money 💙

❤️ It was simple enough, really. The only part to worry about was security

🖤 But you're one of the best at slipping past guards and cameras

❤️ You really got a kick out of your handiwork

🖤 You even dropped off a picture to Alastor as a little warning 💅🏼

❤️ It was funny when you first thought about it and from the early morning power outage, you think you got your point across very well

🖤 Feeling proud of yourself, you decide tonight to go to your cozy roof hiding spot to see if you can get any new information

❤️ You were really getting into this job

🖤 You were so focused on writing down a schedule, that you didn't notice Alastor wasn't where you left him

❤️ "You're a very slippery thing, I must say."

🖤 Your pen stopped moving immediately

❤️ Because FUCK he was in too close proximity for this part of the plan

🖤 A cute way to say you were sure you were well hidden and he wasn't supposed to find you

❤️ So what could you do now? Speed up the plan and jump straight to your proposal? Or jump off the building and run for it?

🖤 And there you were, scrambling to climb over the ledge

❤️ Of course, you didn't make it very far. Your notebook and pen hit the ground as a black tendril wrapped around your torso and tightly might you add

🖤 "Because you've been so busy running around in my business, I'll give you one chance to explain yourself."

❤️ Truthfully because you've thoroughly entertained him now

🖤 Vox threw a complete tantrum and if he wasn't in front of you, he'd start chuckling at the thought of it again

❤️ "...So I figure all the sweet talk I had planned is out the window?" You'd ask.

🖤 "Absolutely."

❤️ Now or never was an understatement but you felt like this was better than being homeless in Hell

🖤 "I wanted to offer my services as a secretary. I think it'll do us both some good."

❤️ "What makes you think I need your assistance?"

🖤 "Need is a strong word, boss. I'm here if you want to focus on all the fun stuff while I arrange all the shows and bring the coffee for the Overlord meetings--I feel like they would appreciate the nice gesture from you, don't think so? While you're out being scary, I can promote your public image at the same time!"

❤️ "I don't need a secretary."

🖤 "Your good friend Ms. Rosie seems to have been telling you otherwise--"

❤️ The tendril holding you in the air tightened

🖤 You give Alastor a big smile and quickly apologize, "What I mean is this is Hell! Order me around and I'll do literally whatever you ask as long as you pay me."

❤️ "So what do you call this then?"

🖤 "A free trial. Wasn't this week just a little bit more relaxing?"

❤️ Alastor hated to admit it, but you weren't wrong. Rising to infamy was a very busy job and it would be easier to have someone else handle the background things

🖤 And you

❤️ You managed to tail him and learn base information to do all this without him knowing. Realistically he was standing in front of a good candidate

🖤 Rosie already met you (did you plan that??) plus nothing you did wasn't...not helpful

❤️ Alastor couldn't believe he was actually considering this

🖤 You hit the ground and let out a small "oof" before staring up at Alastor who was now pinching the bridge of his nose

❤️ "The actual trial starts Monday. We have a morning meeting to go to."

🖤 ...Yes.

❤️ YES!

🖤 Holy fuck! Hail Satan, you did it! Major pat on the back, you!

❤️ "Don't go getting all excited. I could change my mind at any time."

🖤 "Understood, boss!"

❤️ Alastor could get used to that

Taglist: @alastorssimp @saints-wrapped-in-plastic @dasimp777

Requests are open! If you'd like to be tagged in future Alastor or Hazbin Hotel content, please let me know! My asks and DMs are open to all!

[mashkdemss]

Parallels between Byler and the canon couple from "Anne with an E"

Warning, there are a lot of spoilers here! And I apologize in advance if you find mistakes in the text, I'm still learning English O_o

Hi everyone!! Last month, I watched the series "Anne with an E" for the second time, and during my second viewing I decided to approach the romantic line of the main characters from a different angle. After many analyses of Byler, I learned to analyze relationships in cinema, and this case really surprised me on the good side! Let's talk with you about the parallels between Mike and Will with Ann and Gilbert, which help to make sure that Byler will soon become a canon :)

"Anne with an E" is a Canadian TV series, the first season of which was released in 2017 (8 months before the release of season 2 of Stranger Things). The main role in it was played by actress Amibeth McNulty, who also played the role of Vickie in season 4 of Stranger Things. And this is not the only important connection of this series with ST! At the end of the first season, Hopper was reading a book to Sara in the hospital, and that book was "Anne of Green Gables" (the Netflix series was based on this book)

Then in episode 3 of season 2, he reads the same book for Eleven.

The main romantic line in "Anne ..." develops between Anne and Gilbert over the course of 3 years (13-16) and it is narrated through such tropes as: from friends to lovers, slowburn, a love triangle, and a trope in which both characters think that their feelings for each other are unrequited, although in fact this is not the case. All of these relationship constructions are also applicable in the case of the Byler.

Direct parallels can be drawn between the characters:

Will = Anne

— Creative and sensitive teenagers from medium-income families who were bullied by their peers. They both talk a lot next to people they feel comfortable with, both have a self-built little castle in the forest where they retire during a difficult period and can feel safe without fear that someone will judge them (and later these castles were destroyed at both). There is a scene where Anne runs into her wooden house and cries there, very similar to Will's scene after a fight in the rain.

Ann and Will both told their mothers (in Anne's case, the foster mother) that they are "not going to fall in love" although the line of their romantic attachment to Gilbert and Mike is already developing according to the idea of the plot. Another interesting correspondence between these two characters is that they both helped people dear to them with their romantic relationships, while they themselves did not want it. Anne read the letters that her foster father's old friend had sent him, and without telling him about it, she decided to send her answers on his behalf because she thought they were deeply in love, and her father "just didn't know what to say". As a result, her father found out about it and talked to her about how he hadn't read his friend's letters because he didn't want a relationship with her, he just wasn't in love with her anymore and wasn't ready to change his life. Does it remind you of anything? Will also used Anne's "tactics", revealing his feelings to Mike on behalf of El, only he used a painting and not letters.

And one more take.... Anne's so-called mentor was aunt Josephine. They were in a good relationship and she gave her advice about her life and love. Josephine was also a lesbian. I want to say that this is also a possible parallel, because in the fifth season we are definitely waiting for the interaction of Will and Robin.

Mike = Gilbert

— curly black-haired guy from a more affluent family, who often acts as a leader and has some authority as a smart student. He liked Anne as soon as she joined their school and he tried to win her attention, but Anne knew that her friend liked him, so she carefully avoided Gilbert (although she also liked him). This gives us another coincidence: Anne, like Will, believes that she does not deserve love and avoids her feelings in order for other people to be happy. The main similarity between Mike and Gilbert is that they both stand at the center of a "love triangle."

Due to misunderstandings that have occurred between him and Ann, Gilbert begins to think that his love for her is not mutual and decides to marry Winifred (represents El in our case). Winifred is a girl from a rich family whom he met quite recently, and if Gilbert marries her, then her father will give him the opportunity to study at a prestigious medical college, which he has long dreamed of. Everyone around him approved of the idea of him and Winnie getting married, everyone expected it from Gilbert. Their wedding, unlike a relationship with a village red-haired orphan girl, could have brought him social approval, just as Mike and Eleven's relationship could have brought Mike social approval and entrenched his image of a "normal heterosexual".

But Gilbert doesn't love Winifred the way she loves him. Therefore, shortly before their wedding, he confesses to her that in fact his heart will always belong to Anne and that for this he is ready to give up his dream. And although their breakup was sad for Winnie, Gilbert explained the reasons to her as tactfully as possible, saying that she deserved someone much better than him. All of this also goes well with Willelmike.

To declare his love to Anne again, Gilbert writes her a letter and leaves it in her room while no one is at home. He writes that he and Winnie are not getting married, that he has always loved only Anne, and at the end he signs "Love, Gilbert." LOVE, GILBERT. Where have we heard this before? That's right, Mike's letters... If anything, I absolutely believe in the Lettergate theory, and that's also one of the reasons I'm confident in it.

Then there is confusion, Ann thinks Gilbert is mocking her feelings, and tears up the letter, and Gilbert goes to a less prestigious medical college. Now they are both sure that their feelings are not mutual, and even resigned to their failure, BUT! Anne meets Winnie, who tells her that she and Gilbert broke up and that he confessed his love for Anne to her.

Meanwhile, Gilbert meets Anne's best friend on the train, who loudly told Gilbert everything she thinks about him and "opened his eyes." She also mentions a love letter that Anne left some time ago, in the same way Gilbert left in her room later. Anne's letter was also unread, and the phrase "What letter, Diana, what letter?" appears. Don't you think it's very similar to a possible scene from s5 of ST with "What painting?"

In general, they ended up running to each other and touchingly reunited, after which there was a sensual kiss that the audience had been waiting for for so long. Unfortunately, the series ended there, but according to the canons of the book, they lived happily ever after, married and had many children, as befits such old love stories.

The main plot is not about Anne's love story, but about her growing up, other problems and events in their village (as in the case of Stranger things), so this line between the characters unfolds slowly and throughout the series, and Anne with Gilbert open up about their feelings and kiss only in the last minutes of the last episode.

It seems to me that there are too many coincidences to be coincidences. All of this inevitably leads to Byler endgame, if you look at everything from a cinematic point of view. Absolutely the same techniques were used: framing, phrases, lighting, musical accompaniment. When watching "Anne..." viewers have never denied the fact that there are feelings between Anne and Gilbert, although they were not revealed directly until last season. And all because Anne and Gilbert are a heterosexual couple, and such couples unfortunately turn out to be more pleasant and understandable to the average viewer. But they turned out to be a really good ship, and I'm even glad that the Duffer brothers were inspired by this setting.

So if the Shirbert is canon, then Byler will soon become canon!

[qvigleys]

yet again i find myself crying over misty quigley!

(rant incoming because her character means so so very much to me)

i actually cannot tolerate misty slander sorry not sorry. i can recognize some of her moral flaws, of course. but no character in this show is perfect, just like how no human in general is perfect. my love for her is mostly based in how much of myself i see in her, so a lot of this is definitely very biased, and is all just opinions.

the very first scene we see her in is her loudly cheering for a team she’s barely apart of. she is quite literally on the sidelines, yet she shows no jealously or resentment towards those that are fully involved. she’s just genuinely happy to be there, and have some resemblance of closeness to girls her age. don’t even get me started on the phone call scene??? (i will get myself started actually) she is so outwardly bullied, and it is so incredibly sad. bullying is unfortunately just the reality for so many people - myself included, which just makes it all the more real and raw. something that really stood out to me especially was the line about misty wishing someone would do anal to her, and then proceeding to call her “too ugly to find a victim”. SO HEARTBREAKING AND SO REAL. the pure look of defeat on her face actually makes my soul shatter into a billion pieces, because i know that feeling all too well. and the fact that she latches onto crystal so quickly is likely a direct product of not having very many - if any - friends. or at least that’s how i’ve found myself functioning. someone shows her the smallest bit of affection, care, and attention, and she grasps onto it so incredibly hard. to the point where she finds herself sharing her most personal and serious secrets, that she very clearly did not plan on sharing. it was almost automatic for her. she spilled her guts to the first person who would genuinely listen.

her canon backstory so far is very minimal, so a lot of this is just speculation and my own personal thoughts, but i do truly believe misty has very deep familial trauma. shauna’s line in one of the recent episodes about someone or something having warped her (misty) really stuck out to me. specifically the way she starts it with “your parents”, and proceeds to say that someone must have done something really bad to her. this could very well explain so many of her character traits and actions throughout the show.

whenever anyone brings up the rat scene, or her destroying the black box, all i can think about is the fact that we have no context behind either of those!!! the rat scene, while off-putting, could have a much deeper meaning and history behind it that we just don’t know yet. which is why i find it so unfair that people see that one scene and form a negative opinion about her. they’ll see that and call misty a horrible psycho, but then watch taissa be directly responsible for allie breaking her leg and showing next to no remorse, and draw no conclusions from that. (this is not taissa hate - i love tai dearly) as for misty destroying the black box, do you realize the things she must have gone through/must have been feeling in order to even feel the need to do that?? and it’s not like she would have known everything that would proceed to happen over the next nineteen months. it’s not like she wanted people to die, and get eaten, and for them all to descend into madness. i believe she finally thought she could be useful in the wilderness. she would finally have a role to fill, and have something to be good at. something people would praise her for. an environment where people would finally appreciate her, and what she had to offer.

i don’t think it’s fair to judge misty so harshly, while praising other characters (and ignoring/defending their obvious flaws) who have literally done equally as heinous things. after all, this is a show that is literally rooted in cannibalism and forest cults!!!! pick your favourite character that has most definitely done atrocious things, and move on. let’s all hold hands and be nice to each other please and thank you!!!

okay rant over!!! (if you actually read this whole thing you seriously deserve a medal. this is all gibberish, and incoherent nonsense that has been brought on by my insane hyperfixation on misty quigley. there was probably nothing of substance in that whole rant. anyways thank you :-))

[medievalandfantasymelee]

COME ONE, COME ALL to the MOSTE ILLUSTRIOUS TOURNAMENT of the FINEST, the MOSTE PUISSANT and HOTTEST MEN MEDIEVAL MEDIA HAS TO ITS CREDIT.

Be it known that we shall accept submissions of the hottest men OF THE PEOPLES’ CHOOSING from any live-action* TV or movie media property set between the years AD 500 – 1550 (Tudors WELCOME!!), and any fantasy properties which emulate said period!

KNOW ALSO that we, by the grace of this fine hellsite and with the counsel of the moste honorable and illustrious @hotvintagepoll (many thanks), have made

THESE GUIDELINES here given:

ANY HOT GUY who appears in any movie or TV show released in ANY YEAR, from ANY COUNTRY, shall be deemed eligible for entry. Below are listed examples of eligible properties. If YE BE NOT CERTAIN whether your hot guy is eligible, submit him anyway!

Examples of Eligible Properties: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-03), Game of Thrones (2011-19) House of the Dragon (2022), Wolf Hall (2015-2024), The Tudors (2007-2010), Ladyhawke (1985), The Princess Bride (1987), The White Queen (2013), Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020-2022), Vikings (2013-2020), The Last Kingdom (2015-2022), Diriliş: Ertuğrul (2014), A Knight’s Tale (2001), BBC’s Robin Hood (2006-3009), The Last Duel (2021), The Story of Minglan (2018), The Borgias (2013), Robin Hood (1939), Outlaw King (2018), Pilgrimage (2017), Legend (1985), Braveheart (1995), The Green Knight (2021), Excalibur (1981), Beowulf & Grendel (2005), The Lion in Winter (1968), Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), The Black Adder (Blackadder Series 1, 1982), Rashomon (1950)

Remember: This is just a list of examples—WOW ME!

These following titles are examples of properties that do not fall within or emulate the stated time period and therefore DO NOT QUALIFY: The Three Musketeers (Any Version), Pirates of the Caribbean (2004), Barbarians (2020), Gladiator (2000), Ben Hur (1959), Shogun (2024), Elizabeth (1999), 300 (2006), Troy (2004), Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001), Disney's Robin Hood (1973)**, Yojimbo (1961), Shakespeare in Love (1998), King Arthur (2004)***

For the purposes of this tournament, "Man" and "Guy" are defined as any bi-pedal humanoid male character played by a man. As such, characters belonging to non-human races such as Hobbits, Orcs, Elves, Demons, Fauns, Werewolves etc. ARE admissible, and, indeed, encouraged.

If you have propaganda you forgot to include in your submission, just hold onto it and send it in an ask after the Tournament begins.

You may submit as many hot men as you like but please submit only ONE ENTRANT per submission.

Do not hesitate to submit ANY hot guy you think may qualify, no matter how popular he is. There is no such thing as a shoo-in with these tournaments. If you think "Someone MUST have submitted him already!" Everyone else is probably thinking that too and then he may well NEVER get submitted and we don't want that.

Do not worry about how many submissions your hot guy might have had already--I need to get a sense of who the strongest contenders are in order to fairly seed the draws, and the best way to do that is volume of submissions.

We are voting on the hotness of the characters. While the actors who portray them are of course a major factor in this, we are not voting on the actors themselves, therefore propaganda pertaining to the actors real lives (aside from anecdotes relating to their portrayal of the character) is not admissible.

By that same token, in the case of historical figures (e.g. Henry VIII) we are judging hotness based on the fictionalized portrayals of them in these properties, not on historical fact.

Regarding immortal/time-travelling/dimension-hopping/extremely long-lived characters, regardless of when the character was born, the main action**** of the story must take place within the Medieval Period (see dates listed at the top of this post) or Medieval-esque fantasy fantasy realm in order for them to be eligible for submission. As such, characters like the Pevensie brothers (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Ash Williams (Army of Darkness) are admissible, but Asgardians (the MCU Thor films) are not.

I, as the Administrator and Master of Revels of this tournament, am exercising discretion in the admittance of characters from works by Shakespeare, since many of them have no set date.

Re: characters adapted from books/written works - Book quotes by/ about your character are not admissible as Propaganda for their tv/ movie counterparts unless said quotes were also written into the show/movie.

Book illustrations and fanart are not admissible Propaganda

SUBMISSIONS SHALL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL MIDNIGHT, JULY 1st

The Tourney shall begin at a date yet to be determined with the Melee (Qualifying Rounds), wherein the entrants with the fewest submissions and least propaganda will duke it out in a free for all brawl to determine who will enter the Lists.

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRANTS HERE TODAY!!!

-- Master of Revels

*The "live-action" qualification does have a caveat: exception may be made for those CGI films which were all the rage in the mid-00's that used the motion-capture and likeness of the actors; for example characters from, Robert Zemeckis's Beowulf (2007) are admissible.

** this one doesn't qualify, not because it isn't the right time period, but because it falls solidly under the "Animated" category.

***Yes, sadly we are deprived of the beautiful countenances of Clive Owen, Mads Mikkelsen, Ioan Gruffudd et al because the producers of this film in their infinite wisdom and in an attempt to seem "more historically accurate" chose to set it during the Roman withdrawal from Britain, which occurred in the 5th Century (About a CENTURY earlier than Authurian tradition) and is generally agreed to have ended by AD 410. It therefore does not fall under the Medieval umbrella and is not eligible for submission.

**** "Main Action" here defined as "More than half an hour of a movie and more than two episodes of a series"

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

Hi! thoughts on Alicole? I won’t lie not a fan + it’s character assassination to make Alicent a hypocrite in regards to Rhaenyra. I will still be an Alicent fan after but c’mon we know why that scene was added and it was not to benefit the Green faction.

To be honest anon, it doesn't bother me that much? At least I'm willing to see how it plays out. I can see a lot of reasons why Alicent, who was a child bride at 14 and who has never experienced consensual or enjoyable sex, might turn to Cole now that she is a widow. As someone who was primarily a book reader first, show enjoyer second, I was not as attached to Rhaenicent as a ship as some people were, so that probably influences my view. That's a relationship I always viewed as something that would always remain subtextual, and Alicole happening doesn't influence my feelings about that. Alicent has not really explored her sexuality at all, she sort of shut it down at age 14, and it makes sense to me that she might have this period of awakening now that she is free from Viserys. I'm certain that she and Cole are going to have a lot of guilt about it, and that it will probably drive conflict within the green faction going forward, and that Olivia Cooke will act her heart out. It's sure to be messy and for that reason I'll give it a chance.

As for hypocrisy, just keep in mind, being a hypocrite doesn't make a person wrong! Hypocrites are annoying, but arguing that someone is a hypocrite is an attack on the person making the argument, not the argument itself. If I am cheating on my spouse and tell you cheating on your spouse is bad and you shouldn't do it, I'm a hypocrite, but I'm not wrong about cheating on your spouse. And besides, team black fans have been saying since season 1 ended that Rhaenyra should be able to sleep with whoever she wants even while married to Laenor, so what is the problem with Alicent sleeping with someone consensually in her widowhood? If it should be a problem for anyone it should be a problem for Cole, who is breaking his vows. Alicent also isn't putting illegitimate children in the line of succession, which is the actual problem with Rhaenyra's affair with Harwin, not the sex itself. And honestly, hypocrisy is really the least of anyone's problems in the Dance. We're getting to the part of the Dance where small children get murdered, cities get razed, and hundreds of women are carted off by reavers, among other atrocities. Hypocrisy is the least of anyone's problems.

I'll also say this. One of the few early criticisms of S2 is that it seems like team green has most of the juicy storylines and more complex characters, and team black's storyline is kind of bland by comparison. Now, fans of the greens have been saying this for two years now, and mostly agreeing that it's a good thing. I don't know about anyone else, but if I'm watching a show, above all I want to watch quality television. Of course, I want team green to be presented fairly, but I don't think watching with mind to how many discourse points you'll have to cede to team black or vice versa is really going to be a satisfying or enjoyable way of approaching the show. So watch the episodes and decide if the decisions are in-character, serve the narrative, make sense, and improve upon the source material, rather than judging based on whether or not you'll have to fight with clowns online who will call Alicent a hypocrite.

[creative-kny-fics]

Ler!gyomei and lee!tomioka?

Yes, because Gyomei deserves the spotlight (I feel like he is an underrated character because he is not attractive, but for me he is 🛐)

Ler: Gyomei Himejima

Lee: Giyuu Tomioka

Is it necessary to see people to know what they really are? For Gyomei it wasn't, people gained his trust based on their "aura".

Since he lost his sight, Gyomei didn't see people with his real eyes, he saw them with the eyes of his heart and lately there was someone who had caught his attention.

'Tomioka? It's you?' 'How did you know it was me?'

'I figured, would you like to sit?', Giyuu mumbled but he agreed and yes, he was that person.

He hadn't attracted his attention romantically, so in what way? When Giyuu joined the corps, he stood next to the elder and being close, Gyomei couldn't help crying, but it wasn't happiness, he felt Giyuu's sadness, a sadness that he disguised under a cold and distant countenance.

'How was your day?' 'Fine, I guess. By the way, I don't know if your crow warned you, but later we will have a mission together'

Gyomei put his hands together and nodded, he had no problem, he got along quite well with them.

But when Giyuu left his side, ready to leave, he stopped him, telling him to sit down again since he wanted to talk to him. 'Tomioka, why do you always try to escape from us?'

'What do you mean by "escape from you"?'

'Every time we try to get close to you, you act strange. I don't say it because you don't speak, but because you try to avoid us at all costs from getting close to you, why?', Giyuu didn't know what to say.

The "I'm not like you" came up again, if he had been talking to Sanemi, he would probably have a black eye or a bruise on his cheek a few seconds ago.

But with Gyomei everything was different, he didn't seem to judge him for anything and maybe that was why he talked to him a little more than with anyone else.

'You usually repeat that phrase, is there any meaning?' 'I think the sentence speaks for itself...'

'Not much, if you maybe specified a little about how you're not like us it might help. But judging by the feeling you give off, it's not because you wanted to be tall or maybe because you wanted to have some muscle mass, it's another reason... What is it?'

Giyuu didn't answer, he wasn't planning on doing so anyway, he knew that if he decided to answer or not answer, Gyomei would respect his decision and apologize for making him uncomfortable.

Although part of the barrier he had made crumbled when he felt a hug from the older man, that feeling was so comforting that he didn't even know how or when, but he began to cry silently. 'Sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?'

'N-no... It's just... I didn't expect it, that's all...' 'I'm sorry, you seemed to need it and that's why I did it, forgive me if I scared you or something', there was nothing to apologize, how could he get angry with someone like him?

Giyuu calmed down and the tears that rolled down his cheeks dried up, and what appeared in their place was a slight desire to share with Gyomei how he felt.

As soon as he realized his thoughts, he shook his head, trying to convince himself that if he did, he would make Gyomei cry and he didn't want to bear any more guilt, but it wasn't enough, again silent tears rolled down his cheeks, god, but what was happening to him?

'Are you sure there isn't something you want to talk to me about? If there is a problem, I can offer you a solution or advice. And if you want a second opinion, you could go to Oyakata-Sama, he will surely help you'

'... No need... I'll be fine...'

This was something that internally made Gyomei a little angry, he knew he couldn't force the people to tell their problems, but it made him angry to know that the person was hurting themselves by keeping what they felt.

He tried to convince him, not being so demanding, he tried to guess what could be what ailed him, some fight? Any failed missions? Any unrequited love?

'Himejima-San...' 'I understand, I'm sorry for...-'

'There is someone better than me who deserves to be here, he was at your level, I am not worthy nor do I deserve to be here with you', was all he said, it's probably been what he's heard Giyuu speak the most.

But who would that person be? He deduced that since that person was not there, he would have unfortunately died; it was common for people with potential to lose their lives at the hands of demons.

Still, if Giyuu was not "enough" or "does not have that person's level", he was now the one who had a high rank, he was a hashira and it is not something that easy, being there does not require money or status; requires effort, talent, skill, among others.

'If you didn't, how did you get this far? You also have the same talent as that person, you just don't accept it, you shouldn't compare yourself to other people, you won't amount to anything. Ignore those negative comments, both from people AND yours, you will see that you will feel better...'

'I have tried and I have failed. But still, there is some reason, he would be better than me. He wouldn't be acting this way, he would have been braver and would have said things head on, without crying, not like me'

'You see? Stop comparing yourself, each person has a different way of reacting to a situation. He may not have acted like that outwardly, but what about on the inside?'

Giyuu slapped himself, it was something Sabito would have done, or at least he slapped himself in his mind, Gyomei didn't let him do it.

This for Gyomei was the straw that broke the camel's back, he was no longer going to sit idly by; he was a patient man, but even those people have a limit and the slap that Giyuu wanted to give himself was the one that surpassed him.

'If Oyakata-Sama heard you talk about yourself like that, I'm sure he would do this', Giyuu didn't believe what he heard, Gyomei sounded angry.

"He would do this"? What was he referring to? Kagaya didn't seem like the type to shout or say hurtful words, based on that, what would be the most logical option?

'Gyomei!' 'Mmmm, so you are ticklish, that helps me a lot with this...'

He must have guessed and anticipated it, it was the most logical option after all. Although which option would be the best now?

He couldn't lie to him by saying that he wasn't ticklish but he shouldn't run away either, well, it's not a "should", but a "could", Giyuu couldn't take even 10 steps before Gyomei returns him to his place again.

'Nothing to say? So it's true, I recommend that you don't try to hold back, you'll only make things worse...' 'I-I... Mhmhmhmhm!!', but how stubborn.

Giyuu would never have let out a reaction like that, it wasn't like him, how did Gyomei do it?

Certainly, the older one had some experience taking care of children and that, apparently, was what Giyuu was to him, a child. 'Co-cohome on! T-this is hu-humiliahahating...!'

'It's not, there's no one around, it's just the two of us, so don't be afraid of someone showing up and finding you, even if that happens, I'll stop so you have some time to breathe and pretend like nothing happened' 'Bu-buhut...!'

Giyuu smiled when those hands that were gently tickling his neck began to move down.

Out of instinct, he tightened his arms around his torso, thus trapping Gyomei's fingers, who could have gotten out of that situation quickly, but a little teasing for Giyuu wouldn't be bad, would it?

'It must be a bad spot for you to have done that. When I tickled your neck, you didn't even try to wrinkle your neck or push me away'

'Sh-shuhut uhuhup...!! Ta-tahake your haha-hands out of my mhmhmhm armpits...!!'

'I would, but my fingers are trapped right here and unless you raise your arms, I won't be able to do anything, it's your decision Giyuu'

Giyuu wanted to scream, but he wouldn't, it would mean making things worse for him. If Gyomei kept lowering his fingers, he would have no escape, he didn't know how he had guessed just the right places to make him laugh.

First the sides of his neck, then knowing that making circles with his fingers in the hollows of his armpits would make Giyuu squeal, what was next?. 'I guess I'll try to free my fingers, it should be easy, maybe if I lower my fingers a little...'

'N-NO!' 'Hmmmm? Why not? You wanted me to take my fingers out of your armpits, that's what I'll do', Giyuu tried to plead with his eyes, but, well, you understand.

Those hands began to lower, some fingers found themselves "trapped" in the space between each of his ribs.

As if it were worse, Gyomei repeated the same movement, using his thumbs, he began to move them in circles on Giyuu's lower ribs, feeling how he began to kick. 'Well, it looks like I found a way out, are you happy with that?'

'N-NOHOHO!! STO-STOHOHOP!!' 'I can't stop, we've only just started the lesson. Today you will learn to have some self-love, starting with admitting that you have a very cute and contagious laugh'

It was going to be a long morning for Giyuu, but rest assured that he is in good hands

[nodutra19]

Recommendations Based Off RGU

I already cobbled together Polyphony Garden (I saw someone else do an RGU pastiche based off Othello by Shakespeare, so I hope it's a valid work), but I wanna make a whole post recommending things I think fans of the Revolutionary Girl Utena anime would like based off themes and style. It's mostly books though. And of course, I'll provide trigger warnings.

Absolute Recommendations

The Pike: Gabriele d'Annunzio: Poet, Seducer, and Preacher of War by Lucy Hughes-Hallett

This is a biography on a man named Gabriele d'Annunzio, a progenitor of fascism who codified not just fascist ideals, but also aesthetics, including the Roman salute which would become the Nazi salute. He was one of the first major propagandists, a spearhead in aviation and the decadent literary movement, and much more. He was initially famous as an author and poet obsessed with beauty, but he emerged from the same strains as other Europeans. He directly inspired Mussolini, and Mussolini inspired Hitler. The biography is beautifully written, if somewhat poorly paced, a great examination of masculinity, fascism, the relation between reality and art, the strength of propaganda.

I do give an SA warning for it though.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

I get the feeling most American fans of RGU have read this but I figured I should list it anyhow and for anyone not familiar with American literature, or for people who aren't readers. This is a historical fiction novel about a woman named Sethe who is haunted both by her time as a slave on a plantation and the death of her baby. It's one of the saddest but greatest books I've ever read. I would love to teach this to a class one day.

I do give several warnings for SA, racism, and bestiality.

xxxHolic by CLAMP (as translated and adapted by William Flanagan)

It's not as deconstructive, parodic, dark, or abstract as RGU, but I think most people would like this. It's about 17-year-old Kimihiro Watanuki who possesses the ability to perceive and interact with spirits. Having grown tired of this over his short life, he one day meets Yûko Ichihara, the space-time witch who runs a wish-granting shop. In exchange for the shedding of this ability, she asks for something of equal value: to work for her. And so begins his service at her shop.

I should also mention that the sequel series xxxHolic Rei has been hiatus for nearly a decade. The series also has a sister work called Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle but it's honestly not worth reading if you ask me.

We Shall Now Begin Ethics by Shiori Amase

This is an episodic series about Mr. Takayanagi, a high school ethics teacher. It's a great crash course on philosophy, although I say that as someone whose only experience with philosophy has been Camus (and now Tolstoy).

I do give TWs for SA (especially the first three chapters, and one or two later on), self-harm, and general out-of-pocketness.

Me and the Devil Blues: The Unreal Life of Robert Johnson by Akira Hiramoto

Robert Johnson was a bluesman rumored to have made a deal with the devil. This is a fictionalized biography on him. Sadly, the series has been on hiatus for damn well a decade at this point and official copies are hard to get your hands on. But hey, the art is superb. I'm not Black, but it's refreshing to see manga portray Black characters that don't look like cartoons that Dr. Seuss grew up with.

Although seeing as how I'm not Black, I can't really judge the quality of either the official or fan translation (the image above comes from the fanscans.

I never did finish it so I can't give any TWs beyond "It takes place in the antebellum south."

And yes, it's that Akira Hiramoto.

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro

I want everyone U.S-born or U.S-residing, and everyone who hates car dependency to read this book, especially New Yorkers (especially especially the NY transplants). This is a biography on a man named Robert Moses who was New York's park commissioner for 39 years. Over his near-half-century tenure, he shaped much of New York. Many of the bridges, parks, and highways began with him. But over the years he cemented class and racial lines by prioritizing drivers and gutting public transit. He had "urban renewal" which displaced poor people from the few affordable neighborhoods around into "temporary housing," which he crowded with those people as he rebuilt their previous neighborhoods. By the end of the "renewal," the new housing was far out of the reach of the original tenants, and so they stayed in their new slums. This was a man who knew to maneuver the preexisting power structures and the court of public opinion. This is a book that examines not just a powerful person but the people on whom that person exercised his power. Robert A. Caro is a biographer I think Tolstoy would admire.

The only TWs I can give are for racism and general inhumanity. There's also one mention of SA iirc. Also, this book was published 1974. I guess at the time society hadn't made the complete transition to referring to African-Americans (and by extension other African diasporas and Black Africans) as "Black," so it uses the old word for them.

[seriousfic]

Daredevil again

Insert quibbling about the Born Again title being used for a totally different storyline. I know this is a fight we lost with Age of Ultron.

-I try to judge a story based on what it's trying to do, not what I think it should do, but still... Daredevil Season 3 was about Matt Murdock quitting being Daredevil and then getting his groove back in the face of a resurgent threat from Kingpin. This, Daredevil Season 4, is about Matt Murdock... quitting being Daredevil and then getting his groove back in the face of a resurgent threat from Kingpin.

Obviously, things happen to the same character more than once in comics--just ask Scott Summers how many times Jean has died on him--but the real kicker is that Season 3 ended up on Matt beating Kingpin for good by getting blackmail material on his wife. Since then, Kingpin has shown up in Hawkeye and Echo, back to his old tricks... here, we finally get Matt's take on that, and he seems to just be shrugging his shoulders like "what are ya gonna do?"

Well, no, dude, you had an ultimatum with Fisk that his wife got to skate on killing our guy Nadeem so long as he stayed in jail. Pull the trigger on that, man. Why are you treating Fisk like he's some worthy opponent you have fondue with? He's the one that radicalized Dex, leading to 11+ people being murdered. That seems reason enough for a full-court press instead of "well, I'm sure you learned your lesson in Ryker's Island this time."

It just seems like really lazy writing to go back to Fisk being untouchable and Daredevil laboring to bring him down. I know he's a supervillain, supervillains come back for revenge, but you can't just handwave their development back to square one that if you want us to be invested in the narrative. Imagine if Doc Ock came back after Spider-Man 2 and went right back to trying to build a fusion reactor.

As it is now, this is all a bit like The Force Awakens. Never mind that the bad guy was decisively defeated forever--we don't want to try something new, so Somehow Fisk Returned.

Look, I like Vincent D'onofrio too, I think Kingpin is a great character, but there are lots of other Daredevil villains and I really don't want to see Kingpin overused, especially if he's just going to be the heavy again and again.

Well, okay, this time they're pushing a 'Punished Kingpin' who's reformed and is now trying to legitimately be Mayor (credit where credit's due: so far they've avoided having him say "Make New York Great Again").

Problem with that is that I think Devil's Reign is a dumb idea. It's one thing for Kingpin to 'become mayor' through a puppet candidate; him literally becoming mayor as a convicted multiple murderer is just dumb. They have him being elected on an anti-vigilante platform, but what superheroes are active in MCU New York and what have they done to sway public opinion against themselves? (There's a Broadway show all about how great Captain America is!) Hell, after NWH, do people even remember Spider-Man? (Apparently so! I don't know why!)

We're told that Daredevil is MIA and everyone misses him because crime has gone up, but also that people hate vigilantes enough to elect Kingpin despite him being a Crime Sith Lord. Idk, maybe they're going to make election fraud a plot point later on, but this all feels more like Marvel straining for topicality than having a good story to tell. And like we lost out on Nelson, Murdock, & Page just to give Matt more black friends. It's going to take more to balance that out than a one-take fight scene and some awkward CGI parkour.

Speaking of race, there's a scene reminiscent of the Daniel Penny case--a man tries to protect someone, resulting in the inadvertent death of the attacker--only here it's a Hispanic man trying to save another Hispanic man from being beaten up by two evil white cops. Yes, Marvel, you nailed it; that is absolutely the racial dynamic of your typical subway crime.

In fact, all the villains we've seen so far are white men: Kingpin, Bullseye, Muse, the cops. Guess only the good guys are diverse, not the bad guys.

Foggy being killed is arguably on the same tier as the first season of the show killing off Ben Urich... but it still feels odd that Matt just immediately retires in light of his best friend dying, with no curiosity about why Bullseye would specifically target him or who might have hired him. It's not till a year later that he even rules out Kingpin as a suspect (yeah, Kingpin and Bullseye were on the outs the last time anyone checked, but like that would slow Fisk down overmuch).

It ends up feeling patchy, like this was all meant to be better figured out somewhere down the line in all the production chaos, but no one came up with a second-draft idea. Maybe in season two Matt will remember that he can actually investigate these things instead of brood about them.

[autumnmobile12]

When people say, 'You can't ship that! Those characters have never met!'

Those characters have never met.

...and???

...

I found a tiktok the other day where a bunch of people in the comments were going on about how stupid it was that people were shipping X with Y because those characters never met in canon or only shared one interaction in canon and how '...the fandom is unfortunately like that.'

So here's the thing:

My sister and I used to play a game where we would come up with ships based on names pulled from a hat and judging what random pairings came out of it. Didn't matter the fandom, didn't matter the characters. (Except age gaps that were too wide for comfort and underage-adult ships.) The crazier the better, and we came up with some pretty weird but wholesome ones. My sister also has an entire fic of one-shots featuring Soul Eater rare-pairs that are so rare, they are unicorns in that fandom.

Crossover ships (platonic or romantic or otherwise) are my jam.

One of my favorite ships is a crossover ship. Shizuo Heiwajima (Durarara!!) and Adult!Mai Taniyama (Ghost Hunt) sure as hell have never met, I’m pretty certain I’m the only one here, but I didn't let that stop me.

I've shipped Seras (Hellsing) and Lenore (Castlevania Netflix). No particular reason, I just like it.

The cast of D. Gray Man is so diverse and insane that you can put any two characters together and you'll get either an interesting ship, an interesting conversation, or at the very least, a very entertaining argument.

The My Hero Academia fandom likes to write fanfiction where Mirko and Hawks are besties. Those characters never talk in canon. They share maybe one or two scenes together and they don't directly interact. It's just vibes.

And 'just vibes' is pretty much the entire essence behind some ships.

The Castlevania Netflix fandom loves Trephacard so much that I once saw a post here on Tumblr where someone admitted they legitimately forgot it wasn't a canon ship. Alucard and Trevor interact quite a bit, sure, but the point still stands. It's fanon, people love it, deal with it.

The Harry Potter Drapple ship was a thing. (Or maybe it's still a thing, I don't know, I'm not in the Harry Potter fandom.) So don't tell me I can't ship X with Y because they've never met in canon when there is a literal person x inanimate object ship floating around the internet.

I. Don't. Care that X and Y never met. Maybe they have some niche thing in common was worth exploring. Maybe they have similar personalities. Maybe they're total opposites and that was the appeal. Maybe I just woke up and felt like it. The whole point of fanfiction is that does not have to be canon-compliant. Did you expect a word for word document of the source material?

X and Y have certainly never met. But what if they did? Is that not what fanfiction is for?

We're here to have fun, express ourselves, and maybe work through personal issues we got going on in private.

Personally, after coming from some smaller fandoms that primarily work with only one or two ships and nobody mixes it up, I like the variety of a multi-ship fandom. Or no ships at all. It’s nice to also avoid the drama when you don't feel like reading the shipping material.

At the end of the day, don't go shaming/harassing people for shipping what they like, whether it's a mainstream ship or a rare-pair that's so rare it's got an audience of one. If it's a ship you don't like or find problematic, just don't read it. Go find something you do like. (Trust me, there's a part of the Black Butler fandom I stay far away from.)

Let people like what they like, let people be weird, let people build their ships from scratch if they want.

Tag everything properly.

Have fun.

Or Reepicheep will pay you a visit.

And to anyone who says, 'You can't ship that, those characters have never met.'

[darkspellmaster]

As kuroshitsuji gets a hiatus to make way for Yana to prepare for the climax, what are your current thoughts or predictions to how the next events will unfold? How long do you think we still have before the loose end of the story gets tied together?

Also.. do you think Lizzie will still have a chance to return to Our!Ciel, or will it be too late for her/them? I have a horrible thought that she might end getting injured or killed (I really hope she won't though 😭) but I still hope there will still be time for them to explore and acknowledge their feelings for each other, no matter the nature of it.

And what about Soma? I really hope he finds out the truth soon that it wasn't his best friend who killed Agni :< he can't drop out of the series not knowing anything sksksks

I absolutely love these two characters so I hope we get to see them return to the earl's side eventually

Thoughts for Yana going on break. GOOD! Girl needs it, she hasn't had a break ever, and avoided it even when her mother passed in 2011. So yeah I'm all for her going on a trip.

Few things are crossing my mind. First, the stranger, Barnabus, who showed up to greet Sebastian and O!Ciel, I have a feeling he's going to be someone like Blavat. He knows things. Honestly I feel like the young Earl is going to have to come face to face with some aspects of himself, and possibly the fact that Sebastian liked to trick him into the contract.

My guess, at least a few months after the break, and probably a year or more for it to conclude. I'm of the opinion that Lizzie is going to be like Gerda from the Snow Queen and be the one that saves O!Ciel from Sebastian in the end. I think the kids from FOL are going to play a part, (what I'm worried about with Theo is that HE's going to be the one that gets with Lizzie since HE fits Ciel to a T and Finny even implies that he's the most like his young master) in dealing with R!Ciel and Undertaker. I honestly think UT isn't clued in about how R!Ciel may have helped in the deaths of Vincent and Rachel. I honestly think there will be for the two of them. I'm wondering if Yana will end up doing what Kaori Yuki did and split the series into two. In that case we had Godchild and Count Cain. In this case I wonder if we'll have Black Butler and something else. So that would allow more exploration with Ciel and Lizzy. God I'm going all over the place with this because so many theories in my head right now. Soma I think will come back and protect Ciel, he's going to be his Agni going forward and keep Ciel safe from things. I think he knows that O!Ciel and R!Ciel are two different people and realized that it wasn't O!Ciel that killed Agni. If I was a betting person, given what Yana has said in tweets: Druitt is the final big bad and not the Queen as she stated that he is always there when important things happen.

(We've seen it with each arc where something happens. Jack the Ripper (Madam Red dies and we get the Reapers), the curry arc he's a judge, Circus I think he's mentioned only, Ship arc he's trying to take over the world, Public school he connects Redmond to Stoker, He's seen as the Red house leader in the Green witch, He probably will show up in Brighten. Also the guy is based on Alister Crowley, the famed Occultist, so Yeah...I'm banking on him being behind the whole thing.

Already has a connection to Vincent via the past.

Noble and a doctor

Has the goal and desire to be a king

Dude was willing to sell Ciel as a girl to the highest bidder.

There's more there, but maybe I should do it as a theory.

O!Ciel and Lizzie are going to be the Kai and Gerda of this story and in order to stop Sebastian, Lizzy is going to have to cry out the seal in some way and remove it with tears.

Soma is going to be the one that protects Ciel from R!Ciel and helps beat him.

I feel like by the end, Sebastian just isn't going to want to eat Ciel since it would be no longer fun for him. Or he can't because of Ciel's connection to Undertaker.

I hope so too. Soma will be coming into my story though.

[snowblossomreads]

Day 20 - Wrongful Perception

Pairing(s)/Character(s): Judge Turpin x OC (Caroline Bell)

Summary: In where Richard's words are all Caroline need to be assured of herself.

Tag(s)/Warning(s): self doubt, anxiety, beeing seen as less then, gaining confidence

A/N: BWHAHAHHA. Tis is the season of giving and I want to give a big shout out to and a little surprise present to @deepperplexity for hosting this wonderful event for the fifth?? year?? You've written us soooo many wonderful things this year and every year regardless if they are rickmas related or something wonderfully juicy that your mind has made up! So what better way to celebrate and thank you than by giving you fic of ur fic!!!

This is based on A Judge's Bell by the one and only @deepperplexity you can find it on ao3 here. Or you can find the prompt that starts it off here! Keep it mind the rickmas version is a bit different then the full story that you can find from A Judge's Bell (u should read them both though) .ANYWAYS ONWARDS

Never did I think my life would end up in such a way, that not even magic from a child's fairy tale could explain my predicament. From having everything, a loving mother and father, comfort, and privilege many would never know, to losing it all and yet, finding what I truly needed in that loss.

Had my father not gambled away the Bell legacy and fortune, I would have never been sent to live with my aunt. Never have what little belongings I owned stolen during a frigid winter night in the forest. And never have been rescued by the man known to many in London as Death's Judge. The great and honorable Lord Turpin. 

To me though, he was Richard, my angel, the man who had given me everything that I hadn't known I needed, and everything I was afraid to ask for. 

And without the misfortunes I endured, I would never have found myself standing beside him, one arm laced around his while we entered the grand ballroom that the winter gala of one of his associates had invited us to. 

He had been uninterested in the invitation, his loathing for the holidays apparent, yet I found it in me to convince him that it would be a wonderful way for me to get to know the people he did business with. To educate myself on a society which I knew about, yet had rarely taken part in during our already year old marriage. 

While I was familiar with things like this, my parents had tried to shield me from them as a young woman as it usually meant looking for someone to court. And my mother, bless her, was only interested in me finding the right one. A man who loved me and I could love at first sight.

I truly thought her a fool until Richard, and oh how I wished she was still here so I could thank her, but hopefully she could hear my words of gratitude wherever she was.

Now that we were here though, the nerves that I thought I had long pushed aside seemed to come back tenfold as we entered the room. The quietness of the snow that blanketed the world outside, was replaced with warmth, brightness, and chatter, which was courtesy of the people strewn around the room. Everyone was dressed in finery appropriate for the evening. 

And we were no different, as I was adorned with the most beautiful dress made of red velvet that was embroidered with gold lace and details all around it. The layered skirt made it look oh so elegant and the high collar also had a lace lining that offered me just a bit of warmth.

And Richard, with his love of us matching, even if he would never admit it, wore a waistcoat that was just as elegant as my dress. It was made of velvet that was a shade deeper than mine with golden buttons and the same golden patterns on my dress. He had adorned his outfit with a black cravat around his neck, a dress shirt that was hidden from sight, and a dark color suitcoat.

He was an absolute sight to behold, and if he did not hold such an aura that commanded people to avert their gaze, I was sure many would be staring at how regal he looked. That thought made me smile to myself as it made me feel utterly special. Special, because I was the only one who could gaze upon him as much as I wanted and be allowed such a view.

As we ventured into the ballroom, laughter, along with drink and music was being shared, and while it brought some joy to me, it also brought me back to the days of parties and finery as a young girl. My body tensed, and my hold on Richard tightened as the memories of those days took hold and an uncomfortable tightness corded in my stomach. 

'No, no, Caroline, you were the one who asked to come, you must not make a fool of yourself or Richard for that matter!'

I chided myself, hoping to calm the overwhelming sensation that was trying to drown me in sorrow and nostalgia. Yet it was not enough, as we walked further into the room, I could feel the leering of others as we walked past. The hairs on my neck stood up, wondering what they were thinking about.  

Whether it was about me. About how much younger I was compared to them all, yet how far apart in society we were due to who Richard was. Or, was it how my husband was so many years my senior and how I was so many years his junior? Yet, even if they had those questions or thoughts, no one carried the audacity to point this out even though there had been gossip.

The wrongful perceptions that they had about us, about the love we shared, it upset me so. When I heard about the gossip from one of our maids that I was closer in age to, Miss Maple, I could only complain about how unfair it was that they cast judgment so easily. Yet, I carried on, as I did not wish to show my discomfort because my angel did not seem to care. But now faced with those people, some who did see our marriage as strange, I could feel the unease in my body begin to try and take over, the jitters, the anxiety it all tried to drown me and it nearly did until,

"Nervous little one?"  The quiet rumble of his voice, that was akin to thunder on a stormy day did wonders to instantly clear my mind as I looked to see eyes of cold steel looking down at me. 

Yet they were not cold to me, I could see past that into the opening that he always allowed for me, just for me.

"N-no not at all," I answered as I tried to muster up the courage in me to shed any fear of judgment from the others. But with a raise of an eyebrow, I could tell he could see right through me. He always could. 

"Do not lie to me," he spoke, though there was no harshness in his tone. "I can feel you tensing," he continued, pointing out the way my fingers gripped his arms tightly. "Must I remind you of your promise to me. To always speak to me, to use your words if you need something?" He murmured as he calmly looked forward, nodding at someone who had caught his attention yet not approaching them.

I bit my bottom lip, heat rushing to my cheeks, embarrassed that I had been caught, yet unsurprised at how observant he was.  

"I-I must admit…I am a bit nervous with all these people," I explained quietly, bowing my head briefly in greeting to those I passed who gazed upon me. It was only polite even if their stares were not. "It has been ages since I've attended something as grand as this. And I only hope to come out of it without embarrassing you."

"Oh is that so?" He asked, his steps slowing as he led me through the crowd that thinned as we walked to the back of the room.

"Yes that is the truth."

"How very amusing."

I looked upon him with a questioning gaze as we stopped at the edge of the crowd.

"My brave little bell, you could never embarrass me," he murmured, voice dark and velvety, as he leaned down just so that his words were mine and mine alone to hear.  I couldn't stop the way I shivered at them, goosebumps pricking my skin even if I was not cold. 

"It is an honor to be able to call you mine, and I can assure you that the gazes that you feel from the others are only them wishing they could match you. To be who you are. To have what you have. "

He had seen them, the gazes. Of course, he did.

"I fear that if they ever try to take what I have from me, I would have to squabble with them in a manner not fit for their society." I had no control over the words that came out of me, and it seemed to amuse Richard, as a rare public smirk crossed his thin lips. It brought a smile to me as well seeing this.

"There my brave little bell is," he praised, a chuckle leaving him and causing the nerves I had to settle at the sound of such a rich sound. "Now. Have you gathered the courage you need to be the bold woman I met in the snow covered forest?" 

A smile of my own appeared on my lips as my grip on his arm tightened, not because I was scared, or nervous, no. It was to show who I belonged to and who belonged to me as well. With a nod of my head, I replied to him, voice no longer shaky, and renewed confidence blooming in me,

"Yes, I think I may have."

With a nod, Richard gave me one last smile before the steel mask that he wore returned, his aura wrapping itself around me as well. Protecting me in a way as we met and spoke to his associates and people who wished to be in his circle.

Most were pleasant, but there was of course always trouble lurking. But I found that with Richard, trouble was not as troublesome if he was with me.  

I felt bold. Brave. Almost too brave really. Especially when I found myself responding to a man of import, who implied that maybe I was not enough for my husband. The words fell from my mouth with an ease that I had not known and the look on the man's face when I said,

"No, I fear you mistake my husband as someone who does not look at all angles of something so important. Such as who he would wed and spend his life with. Mayhap, you are also implying that he does not take into account all things when he serves the public, and judges those who have done wrong?"

The mortified look on the man was more than enough to satisfy me, but it was the hidden smirk and spark in my angel's eyes that me her feel truly at ease and whole.

A/n: I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing this. And again thank you plex for working so hard on this even if it is alot!! You're the best and your effort doesn't go unnoticed! 💖💖💖💖. Alsoove never written in first person and this was so weird bahah!

[alexxncl]

‼️NIGHTBRINGER HDD CH. 4 SPOILERS‼️

masterlist | events | ch. 3

do we really not get to kiss them ??? not even during hdd???

...i'm in here complaining like i'm not a lesbian but MY POINT STILL STANDS ‼️

ofc asmo has something with "aphrodisiac" in the name. like what if it was actually an aphrodisiac ???

ik he wouldn't do anything like that against mc's will but however, in the instance that it was consensual, would your nails even dry fast enough before the shit started to kick in ?? like what if you're too horny to function before the polish dries ??? then what

imagine being such a bad cook that you fuck up sandwiches. LUNCH. MEAT. SANDWICHES. are you not embarrassed?

also how is mc getting from place to place to place so fast ??? teleportation ???? bc in the og timeline it kinda makes sense, though i feel like they'd be more tired than they are rn. in nb though? it makes no sense at all considering the fact that their powers are consistently weakening. which makes me think that this is either the og timeline or some undisclosed au

uncontrollably sobs. curls up into a ball and dies. implodes into a black hole.

i love sappy sentimental satan I LOVE CHARACTER GROWTH. the thing is, this can be said about the satan from either timeline. nb satan was more mentally and emotionally unstable, but that doesn't mean satan from the og timeline(s) didn't feel just as isolated as this satan did, if not even more so

imagine still not feeling like you belong after living with your "brothers" for millenia? having to act like you're ok and fine with constant isolation and ostracization from the people you want to love, the people which want to love you, but being unable to find common ground and pushing each other away even more than before

THEN SAY I LOVE YOU BACK 😐 i hate this man but i also love him but i also hate him but i also. more on this here bc i rambled too much

i couldn't NOT add my man like c'mon

maybe he clings to them so much because he knows they won't judge him offhandedly like his brothers do? bc they won't assume the worst of him at first glance? idk i feel like, other than the obvious reasons, there's more behind why he busts into mc's room unannounced all the time. being alone with self-deprecating thoughts is hard, and having someone else to fill the silence and the negative space with something positive does help

or maybe i'm reading too far into this and being biased bc thats my man

even if the throne wasn't based around bloodline, unless they become immortal, they wouldn't be able to be next in line anyways 😭 mc is nawt passing those trials diavolo went through either. no ma'am

the king's crucible ?? is that what it was called ???

honestly i can't lie, mc being the center of the world bc they're the center of the boys' world is cute. corny, but cute

damn they're that sexy ??? bringing everyone who meets them to their knees

minus luke obv

i wanna meet michael...i'm tryna see sum

and bring god and the demon king down while you're at it too...🫣

[amnesiaskulls]

My silly drv3 experience so far (by someone who has yet to finish the game)(only prologue)

this post details me and my friends drv3 prologue experience. We are currently almost done with chapter 5, keep in mind that THERE MAY BE GAME SPOILERS FOR ANYTHING BEFORE DRV3 CHAPTER 6, last thing i wanna do is spoil a game for someone

before i get into the funny stuff (bear with me please) i just gotta give a little insight as to why my experience is so funny to me, skip to the green if you just wanna hear the stuff leading up to the actual experience, and to the pink just to quick skip to the prologue

my friends who I ran through with: @h3r0b0y and @rexecutioner, go take a look at their stuff, both of them are incredible artists who have content other than drv3 (this is also an excuse to tag them so they can fact check me)

pre-game experience (not required to understand, but recommended if you want backround info)

when i consume a new piece of media, usually its because ive seen things about it that i find cool or funny, or ive been told good things about it. In all honesty damn gone grandpa was never i game i thought i would ever get into or care about, because my only experience with it was some of the immature fans and one kid in middle school who liked it. I had only heard about the negative parts of the fandom from like 2018 (peak people misunderstanding character territory) even until like a year ago (wow so great of me to judge a game based on like 3 negative experiences wooww). during middle school, i also met my best friend (this is important later).

Another thing about our silly friend group is that Hero is great at improv (like really good, hes seriously one of the funniest people on earth) and Rex, my twin, is really good at making silly voices and VAing different characters with unique voices (they both are good at these things, but i wanna give them each individual credit). Im pretty amateur at both, but I can hold onto my voice a bit longer without having to take a break

The actual drv3 prologue experience

what we do with our amazing great and cool talents is dub over various pieces of media that we like or find funny, such as mystreet or mcsm. My best friend, Hero, is someone with impeccable taste in outfits and clothes in general, and owns a checkered bandana and was wearing it when me and Rex were over at his house, and kept talking about how “he would be compared to the twink from daganronpa” if he wore it out. The same day that Hero brought up the checkered bandana thing, we finished dubbing the last interesting piece of mystreet media, and now had nothing left to do. Being in the damn gone grandpa headspace with the whole kokichi thing, Hero suggested that we voice over it. The only things i knew about it was monokuma and kokichi because of the one banger fan song and the bandana kokichi wears. Im not exaggerating, I personally had no clue that there was more then one game, and at the time i still didn't care much about the game and didn’t think that we would get too far into it to care (we’re going through a 43 hour playthrough), i personally thought we would get bored after seeing kokichi and then quit (i was so wrong).

Our plan was that there was no plan except that we would mute the game and do all of the voices ourselves, not much thinking went into it. Also, no assigned characters other than kokichi, who went to Hero because it was his idea in the first place, just take whoever you want before someone else gets them

PROLOGUE

I actually have all of the prologue on video, as i like to look back on things to remember stupid details like jokes and predictions for the rest of the game so I can see how close we got. I will not be posting it anywhere for privacy reasons, so please respect that. Its also the only one i videoed for some reason, so its the only one I remember that well due to large time frames between sittings.

it started with the black nothingness and a voice, whom Rex claimed immediately, and used a slightly deeper voice for them thinking that it was a man. Its was infact not a man (there is a video clip of all three of us exclaiming “ITS A GIRL??” After kaede steps out of the locker) after we see the banging on the other locker, a boy falls out. I immediately decide that i get to be the pathetic emo, and while the voice tends to fluctuate a bit for a while, the voice i settle on is something akin to the snapcube silver the hedgehog voice. We run through the rest of the room stuff and get chased by exisals to the gym. (Another fun fact, due to a reading mistake i made, we have since called the exisals “exsials” like ex-ee-uls and i only noticed during chapter 5. Over 3/4s of the way through.)(im not going to pronounce it correctly ever)

Because we have the game muted, we have no clue whos talking because everyone is labeled ??? until the second half of the prologue, and after rantaro introduces himself i think. We each claim a couple characters, Rex claims noticeably less because they have the main character, kaede. The only other interesting thing in the first half is all of us shitting on ryoma for being short. the second half is when we meet all of the characters and get all roles assigned unequally because that would mean a plan, and plans are lame (this is a joke i love plans) some notable meets were with Maki, where after learning about her ultimate, Hero comments “so thats where your soul went”, and originally had a pick me girl voice, Rantaro, where I called him the ultimate empath and Hero used a stoner-surfer voice combo for him, Ryoma, whos voice at this point in time was the highest pitch british youve ever heard without a voice changer (it eventually changed to something a lot more like the official english voice), and finally poor Shuichi. During the entire beginning after they get their first memory we make fun of Shuichi a lot, call him the ultimate dork, ultimate wuss, and other funny things like that. The most notable however is when he stated something incredibly obvious, so Hero said “wow how did you figure that out, what are you, the ultimate detective?” And we laugh it off and skip around a bit because we were honestly not that enthusiastic about doing the exact same thing again. We skip to when kaede meets tsumugi and learn her talent. We realized we skipped over shuichis talent but didnt want to go back, so Rex looked it up bravely facing spoilers for us. Something something ultimate detective and we were FLABBERGASTED.

there were more funny things but im not going to rewatch it to find them

The current character distributions were:

REX: Kaede, Keebo, Maki, Monokuma, Monokid and Monosuke

HERO: Rantaro, Ryoma, Tenko, Angie, Kiyo, Kokichi, Tsumugi, and Monotaro

AMNESIA: Shuichi, Kirumi, Gonta, Miu, Kaito, Himiko, Monophanie and Monodam

some notable silly bits were also: comparing kaito to the vocaloid, predicting kirumis murder, cheering the moment gonta mentioned entomology, Hero leaving during Mius intro and coming back to her saying shes going to drug herself to get high, Hero predicting them all being in space, the Tenko Tussle where Hero had her originally, i tried to take her but Hero took her back for some reason despite not wanting to voice her, tsumugi being immediately hated by all of us and being dubbed the ultimate nerd, both me and Hero constantly telling Rex that rantaro was giving off death flags, rantaros many names- ultimate idk, ultimate beats me, ultimate bogus, ultimate empath, ultimate weed, and ultimate boyfriend eventually, us screaming at ryoma being in the game room, us saying “i dont think we should have gotten a friendship fragment for that” after talking to kiyo, Hero calling kirumi super nanny, us cheering when angie said she was an artist, calling gonta the alpha because he was raised by wolves, the cage wall getting a “what is this, mcsm?” Someone said rehab amami??? When Rex checked for Shuichis ultimate, I wanted to avoid spoilers so i said “oh yea and he killed 8 people”reffering to us knowing nothing about the game, with Hero saying “also he killed 17 people in 1905”

its not letting me write more without glitching so ill probably make a separate post about the other chapters eventually lmao, might link it when im done, or if you have a specific one you wanna hear about PRE CHAPTER 6, send me an ask!