#nothing against people who do . shes implied to have a redemption arc at the end

[malwarechips]

we havent been into bug fables for probably like a year now but we still go euuyhh . whenever we see people shipping zasp and mothiva

[cosmicmagicgirl]

A NEW DAWN.

Summary: After the traumatic events of Marineford, the world is facing a new generation of pirates and the quest for One Piece continues. The Straw Hat Pirates finally enter the mysterious New World, only to be met with an urgent call to the island of Punk Hazard. A desperate plea for help reveals an imminent attack by a samurai, plunging them into a race against time to face the impending danger. Amidst the chaos, an unexpected alliance arises with the Surgeon of Death, Law. United in a common purpose, Luffy and his crew face unimaginable challenges, including a confrontation with the cruel scientist Caesar Clown and Joker's henchmen. With bravery and determination, they manage to save the children and inhabitants of the island, preparing to move forward with new friends aboard the Thousand Sunny. However, as they prepare to depart, an emotional reunion awaits them on the shores of Punk Hazard, unearthing memories. Pain and loss will be brought to the surface, and it will be painful to have to talk about guilt and mourning. Our journey is one of self-discovery and redemption, facing not only physical battles, but also the complexities of the heart. This is a story permeated by bittersweet loves and bonds that transcend blood.

Contents: Fluff and Angst / Eventual Romance / Blood and Violence / One Piece Spoilers / My First One Piece Fic / Drama & Romance / Childhood Memories / References to Depression / Psychological Torture /  Implied/Referenced Torture / Lost Love / Roronoa Zoro is Bad At Feelings / Roronoa Zoro in Love / Monkey D. Luffy is a Ray of Sunshine / Doctor Trafalgar D. Water Law / Protective Portgas D. Ace  / Brother-Sister Relationships / Wano Arc (One Piece) / Dressrosa Arc / Punk Hazard Arc / Whole Cake Island Arc Spoilers / Roronoa Zoro Being an Idiot / Nami & Vinsmoke Sanji Friendship / Marine Corps / Espionage / Female Friendship / Strong Original Female Character / NSFW.

Chapter 01 

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.”

A Few Days Before.

The voice came through the Den Den Mushi, cutting through the air with the precision of a rusty blade. It was inquisitive, almost a whisper, but there was something about it — something that made the blood freeze in one's veins.

— Bepo — she said, each word heavy like wet stone. — Tell me where he is.

On the other side of the line, there was a muffled sob. Bepo swallowed hard, his labored breathing echoing through the snail. It wasn’t just simple fear; it was the kind of anxiety that coiled around the throat like an invisible snake. Bepo hesitated. He was a bear, big and furry, but at that moment he seemed small, shrinking before that voice. His paws trembled, and he looked around, as if hoping Shachi or Penguin would appear to save him. They were there, yes, but they kept their distance, their pale faces reflecting the same fear Bepo felt.

She paused for a moment, as if trying to contain a storm within herself. Her fingers gripped the receiver of the Den Den Mushi tightly enough to leave marks, though she didn’t even notice.

— Are you really going to make me say it? Seriously?

She let out a long, slow sigh, the sound echoing through the confined space of the cabin like a door creaking on rusty hinges. Her patience, already worn thin like an old rope under too much tension, was about to snap. But it wasn’t just impatience; there was something else there, something she could barely admit to herself — fear, perhaps, or frustration. Or maybe it was just the overwhelming feeling that the choices made by those around her were slowly dragging them all into an inevitable abyss.

The bear’s reluctance on the other end of the line was almost palpable, like an acrid smell hanging in the air. She could feel it, dense and oppressive, pressing against her already frayed nerves. It was like watching a child hesitate before a scolding.

But she needed to know. She needed to hear the words, even if it meant tearing them out by force.

— Look, miss... I want to tell you — Bepo began, stumbling over the words as if they were loose stones in a muddy river. — But…

A silence hung in the air — thick like fog. She could hear the distant echo of Shachi and Penguin’s voices in the background, but it wasn’t with them that she was speaking now. It was with Bepo, and he knew it.

— But…? — she pressed, her voice low, like the growl of a cornered animal.

Bepo swallowed hard, the sound audible even through the receiver. He was struggling against himself, the words stuck in his throat like thorns.

— But our captain would be really angry… — he admitted finally, the sentence escaping like a groan.

A soft laugh escaped her lips, tinged with tenderness and concern. It was the kind of laugh that comes when trying to ease the tension, even while knowing difficult decisions lie ahead — the warm, gentle sound of someone who cares deeply but also knows they can’t protect everyone forever.

— He’s always angry — she said, her voice heavy with exhaustion. — That wouldn’t be a surprise. Bepo, you’re worried. All of you are; I can feel it. I know how to handle your captain. Now, tell me: where is Law?

There was a pause far too long, as if time itself had stopped to watch them. Then, finally, Bepo responded.

At the Moment

— Punk Hazard. How convenient. — She murmured, her eyes fixed on the horizon beyond the ship's window. The sunlight reflected off the calm waters, but it couldn’t dispel the darkness that seemed to hang over her.

Dante stood beside her, an imposing mink goat with curved horns and yellow eyes that glowed like beacons in the dim light of the cabin. He wore a pristine black coat, and his massive hands held a steaming cup of tea. The sweet, comforting aroma of the tea contrasted sharply with the tension in the air.

She frowned, her fingers tapping absently on the edge of the table.

— What is he planning, Dante? — she asked, without taking her eyes off the window.

— He probably thought he could handle Caesar Clown on his own — Dante replied, his voice deep and smooth, like the distant rumble of thunder. — However, I doubt he expected to run into Vergo as well.

She rose slowly, walking toward the window. Outside, the sea seemed endless, black waves lapping at the ship’s hull like hungry tongues. The sky was tinged with gray, promising storms yet to come.

She turned to him, her eyes narrowing.

— And the children? What have we found out?

— They were brought to Punk Hazard — Dante answered, pouring a steaming cup of tea. The steam rose in delicate spirals. — Nanao hasn’t reported anything yet, but there are more complications.

She accepted the cup, feeling the warmth radiate through her cold hands as she sat back down in the armchair.

— I have a strange feeling, Dante — she said finally. — What was Law thinking, staying here for months? I told him we’d deal with Kaidou together. Is he trying to get himself killed?

Dante didn’t respond immediately. He simply watched her, as if reading something she herself hadn’t yet understood.

— If his goal really is Kaidou… — he began, pausing deliberately, as if carefully choosing his words. — He has a deep hatred for Joker, doesn’t he?

She nodded, her eyes fixed on the cup in her hands. The tea was still hot, but the warmth wasn’t enough to dispel the chill growing inside her.

— That idiot… — she muttered, abruptly rising from the armchair and walking over to the panel of maps and photographs covering the wall. — I’m going to kick his ass when we find him.

Dante smiled but remained silent. He knew the truth behind those words — knew they were just a facade. When they found him, she’d probably hug him with all her strength, overwhelmed with relief at seeing him safe and sound.

— It’s certainly a relief to know they managed to escape Caesar Clown — he commented finally. — That was quite a scare, wasn’t it?

She didn’t respond immediately. Her mind wandered back to the recent past, to the transmission that had left her paralyzed. Luffy and his crew, captured by Caesar Clown. The news had hit her like a punch to the gut, but relief soon followed when she learned they had escaped. As they always did.

Fear coursed through her veins like an uncontainable electric current, pulsing through every nerve ending as the moment of her reunion with Luffy drew inexorably closer. It was as if time had gained weight, pressing down on her from all sides, yet still slipping through her fingers, too fast to control. Though she knew the meeting was inevitable — that it was coming as surely as night follows day — there was a part of her that desperately wanted more time. More hours, more minutes, more seconds to breathe, to think, to prepare. To face the whirlwind of emotions threatening to swallow her whole.

But there was no pause to be had. The weight of guilt was already there, pressing down on her shoulders like an unbearable, cold rock. Each breath felt like a conscious effort, as if the air had grown thicker, heavier, slowly trying to suffocate her. She wanted to scream, to run, but she knew there was nowhere to go. The truth hung over her like a storm cloud, ready to collapse at the worst possible moment.

She tried to convince herself that there was time. Time to adjust the rusty gears of her mind, time to calm the chaos roaring in her chest. But no matter how many times she repeated it to herself, the words sounded hollow, empty. There was no way to delay the inevitable. In just a few hours, she would be face to face with Luffy. And then? What would she see in his eyes? Disgust? Hurt? Or something worse? Something she couldn’t bear?

— You’re worried about how he’ll react when he learns the truth, aren’t you? — Dante spoke, his voice low and steady, cutting through the silence. It was a rhetorical question; he knew exactly what she was going through. There was a comforting calm in his tone, as if he understood that sometimes simply naming the fear was a form of relief.

She didn’t respond immediately. She didn’t need to. Dante knew that silence, that hesitation, all too well. He placed a hand on her shoulder, the touch light but full of meaning. A simple gesture, almost imperceptible, but one that carried silent strength. As if to say: You’re not alone in this.

— I’m sure he’ll understand — Dante continued, his voice filled with a confidence she herself couldn’t muster. — And if he doesn’t understand right away, you’ll have the chance to talk and work things out together.

Punk Hazard.

The toxic smoke that had choked Punk Hazard finally began to dissipate — revealing that the sky, once heavy and oppressive, now bled shades of orange and pink as the sun hesitantly emerged on the horizon, as if afraid to illuminate too much of this cursed place. But even with the soft light of dawn caressing the devastated landscape, the cold still cut through the skin like a razor, a cruel reminder of the horrors that had taken place there. It wasn’t just the chill of the weather; it was the cold that came from within, the kind that settled deep in the bones and soul, echoing the silent screams of those who hadn’t survived.

And yet, despite the scars — both visible and invisible — left by the battle against Caesar Clown, a strange sense of relief hovered over the makeshift camp. It was something tenuous, almost fragile, but it was there: a momentary pause in the storm, a collective sigh among the living. The Straw Hat crew moved with renewed energy — they were tired, yes, but also determined. There was something to celebrate, after all.

Something to share.

In the center of the camp, a wood-burning stove had been hastily assembled, its flames crackling in defiance of the ice that surrounded everything. Sanji, as always, stirred the stew with a concentration that seemed almost sacred — cooking was an art for him, and indeed it was. The rich, comforting aroma rose in spirals, spreading through the air, and hungry stomachs growled in response.

The rescued children — those small survivors of nightmares no human should ever face — played and laughed. Some of them nestled into the arms of the crew members, seeking safety where there had once been only fear. Their smiles illuminated the weight of the victory that had been won. Each childish laugh was a powerful reminder of what had been saved, of what had been protected.

Meanwhile, preparations for the feast continued, and the atmosphere was imbued with camaraderie and gratitude. The pirates of the Straw Hat crew and the Marines swapped stories of their exploits during the battle, their voices blending into an unlikely chorus of laughter and painful memories. Glasses were raised in honor of the fallen, and even those who had never gotten along found a way to share this moment. It was as if, for a few hours, the differences between them had been frozen along with the ground beneath their feet.

In the distance, Smoker and Law observed the scene in silence, seated side by side on an improvised bench. Between them, a steaming bowl of stew rested, the steam rising slowly into the icy air — the aroma of the stew was almost surreal in its simplicity. Law, his gaze lost on the frozen horizon, seemed to be somewhere else — perhaps in another time. His thoughts were a labyrinth, and he walked through them with careful steps, avoiding traps only he could see.

Smoker, on the other hand, observed the surgeon with an inscrutable expression, his dark eyes reflecting the distant flames of the bonfire. He rolled the cigar between his fingers, the ember casting a somber red glow in his weary eyes. He removed it from his mouth with a slow gesture before speaking.

— I know you think I won’t keep a promise made to a pirate — Smoker finally said, his deep voice breaking the silence. There was something in the way he spoke, a weight carried in the words, as if he were trying to convince himself as much as Law. — But if you really wanted to get rid of me, you’ve had countless opportunities to kill me. — He paused, letting the words hang in the air for a moment before continuing. — What do you want with Straw Hat?

Law raised an eyebrow, his ironic smile curving his lips almost imperceptibly. He tilted his head slightly, as if considering Smoker’s observation, but there was something more in his eyes — something sharp, challenging, perhaps even amused.

— I’m taking advantage of him? — Law repeated the question, but there was no doubt in his voice, only a soft provocation. He rested a hand on his knee and leaned forward, as if about to share a secret. — Maybe it’s the other way around.

The words echoed between them, suspended in the air like frozen smoke. Smoker frowned but didn’t respond immediately. He knew Law was playing some kind of game, but he couldn’t discern the rules. It was like trying to see through frosted glass: you know something is there, but the details remain just out of reach.

Then, as if summoned by the thought itself, a fragment of memory flashed through Law’s mind. He saw Luffy again, that idiot boy with the straw hat, talking about his absurd plans with the same naive determination that always defined him. “I’m going to defeat the Four Emperors,” he’d said, as if it were as simple as boarding a ship and sailing to the next port. Law felt a muscle in his jaw tighten. That pirate was a walking storm, a force of nature impossible to ignore.

— I don’t have any special reason not to have killed you, White Hunter — Law said at last, rising with a movement that seemed almost casual. He had already finished his stew, and now the empty bowl rested beside him, forgotten. — By the way, I’m considering heading to Green Bit. — He paused, turning to face Smoker with a look that was half curiosity, half challenge. — I’m curious to see if I can handle the Straw Hats.

Meanwhile, just a few meters away, Tashigi and Nami worked in silence, though the weight of the task before them was almost palpable. They guided the children onto the Marine tanker, each movement careful, deliberate. The children climbed aboard with hesitant steps but carried with them something that felt almost like lightness.

It was as if, after so long under the crushing shadow of fear, the weight had begun to dissipate, replaced by a faint spark of hope. It wasn’t a loud or exuberant hope — not yet. But it was there, hanging in the cold air like breath vapor on a cruel winter’s day. They had faced horrors no child should ever know, and yet, in that moment, there was something beyond pain in their eyes. A new beginning — that idea vibrated between them like an invisible thread, connecting each heart with a silent promise: that maybe, just maybe, they could find peace again.

Tashigi murmured soothing words as she guided a brown-haired girl onto the vessel. Her eyes were gentle, but there was tension in her shoulders, as if she were fighting the urge to look back and check if the danger was still there. Nami, on the other hand, maintained a calm but firm expression. She knew what those children had been through — the fear, the pain, the feeling of being completely at the mercy of something far greater than themselves. And yet, there she was, helping them find a path to safety, even if only temporary.

Smoker crossed the frozen field with firm steps, his imposing figure cutting through the icy wind. The freezing gusts whipped at his coat, stirring small clouds of snow around him, but he seemed oblivious to the cold. His eyes were fixed on Luffy, that absurd pirate with the straw hat, whose presence always radiated an energy impossible to ignore. Smoker’s expression was grave, almost somber, but there was something else there too — something he probably wouldn’t even admit to himself: respect.

When he got close enough for their voices to be heard above the constant whisper of the wind, Smoker stopped. He stared at Luffy for a moment, as if trying to decipher some hidden code in the other man’s relaxed posture. The breeze stirred their coats, creating a strange contrast between Smoker’s seriousness and the carefree smile that danced on Luffy’s lips.

— I thought you were going to take the tanker — Smoker finally said, his deep voice echoing across the open space.

— No, Chopper and Nami said we’re only leaving once the kids are gone — Luffy replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. And then, with an almost casual tone, he added: — Besides, it’d be a pain to wait for the rest of the Navy.

For a moment, Smoker just stared at him. There was something unsettling about how Luffy managed to turn difficult decisions into simple truths, as if the weight of the world didn’t press down on his shoulders the way it did for everyone else. But at the same time, there was a wisdom in that — an instinctive understanding that some things were more important than convenience or efficiency. Smoker noticed it, of course. Perhaps that was why he didn’t push further, simply nodding slowly, as if acknowledging something that couldn’t be put into words.

Not far from There.

Nanao emerged from the depths of the ocean, slicing through the water with a precision that seemed almost supernatural. There was something about her presence that commanded respect — not just because of the evident power in every movement, but because of the unshakable aura of someone who knew her place in the world and occupied it without hesitation. Her teeth gleamed under the faint sunlight, shining like blades ready to strike. Her blue hair floated around her, dancing to the rhythm of the current as if it were part of the sea itself.

Her yellow eyes were like beacons, illuminating everything around her with an intensity that could intimidate even the bravest. But there was something more there, something only those who truly knew her could see: a peculiar, almost cruel humor hidden behind the ferocity. Nanao was like that — a creature of extremes. She loved a good fight as much as she enjoyed the warmth of a bottle of rum at the end of the day. It was this contrast that made her so fascinating — and so dangerous.

When she obtained the crucial information about Punk Hazard, Nanao didn’t waste any time. There was no room for hesitation or uncertainty here — every second was precious, and she knew it better than anyone. With strong, precise strokes, she cut through the icy waters, advancing toward the meeting point with an urgency that seemed to make the very sea grow still in respect. It wasn’t blind loyalty; it was something deeper, something that came from within, like a visceral conviction that what she was doing needed to be done — and quickly.

Meanwhile, atop the icy mountain, the young woman walked slowly, each step echoing against the oppressive silence of the frozen landscape. The wind blew gently but steadily, brushing her face like a cold, distant hand. The sensation was strangely soothing, as if the air itself were trying to calm her before what lay ahead. She moved forward carefully, her eyes fixed on the horizon, where the camp began to take shape—distant, but visible. There was something hypnotic about the way the colors of the sky blended with the icy glow of the snow, creating a scene that seemed torn from a dream—or a nightmare.

She felt the weight of the moment pressing down on her shoulders, yet there was an odd lightness in her chest, as if the wind were carrying away some of her anxiety. Each step brought her closer to the truth, and though that truth might be painful, she knew there was no escaping it.

— Miss — Nanao said, her voice cutting through the air with a tone that left no room for hesitation. — There are no more signs of imminent danger on any side of the island. The chemical weapon is under control for now, and all those affected can still be saved. — She paused briefly, her yellow eyes fixed on the figure before her, gauging the reaction. She knew her words carried weight, that every syllable would be absorbed and scrutinized carefully. — However, they will need to be monitored. All of them.

— Thank you, Nanao — she replied, her voice calm but firm, like the sound of a door being locked against a storm. — Smoker must have already alerted the nearest base. They’ll ensure everyone receives the necessary care… — She paused for a moment, the corners of her mouth curling into a bitter smile. — I’d just love to see the faces of those five old men if news like this leaked to the masses. — Her lips curved into a tense, almost imperceptible smile, but there was something in it—a hint of disgust, or perhaps just exhaustion.

Dante, attuned to the subtext, leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with a mix of caution and curiosity.

— The people have a right to know the truth — he said, his deep voice echoing softly in the silence that hung between them. — Perhaps we should expose what happened here. But… — He paused, choosing his words carefully. — Exposing the truth could mean the end, if done hastily.

The young woman fell silent for a moment, her gaze lost in the distant horizon. The cold wind tousled her hair, but she seemed oblivious to the discomfort. Finally, she shook her head, as if brushing away unwanted thoughts.

— No — she said, her voice taking on a definitive tone, like the strike of a hammer against an anvil. — It’s too soon. Revealing this now would only cause panic. We need to proceed with the information we have and act with caution. The right moment will come, but it’s not now.

Her eyes scanned the horizon, absorbing every detail of the movements below. It was then that a faint smile formed on her lips, almost involuntarily, as she witnessed a scene that touched her in an unexpected way. The Marines were gathered, some with silent tears streaming down their faces, as they bid farewell to the Straw Hat crew. There was no need for words to understand what this moment meant—it was clear how much they appreciated and were grateful for everything the pirates had done.

She observed it all from atop the mountain, wrapped in the icy silence of the environment, but her chest was warmed by something deeper. There was something almost magical about that human connection, something that seemed to dissolve the rigid barriers between differences that once seemed insurmountable. The expressions on the soldiers’ faces were sincere, brimming with raw emotion, and it made her feel a pang of warmth in her chest, as if the air around her had grown lighter.

It didn’t surprise her to see those reactions. Deep down, she had always known that the Straw Hats had something special. Their kindness, even amidst evil, and the spirit of camaraderie they radiated had the power to reach even the hardest of hearts.

Her gaze eventually settled on a specific figure—the one who mattered most to her. She watched him interacting with his crew, his wide, genuine smile illuminating everything around him, as if he could dispel any dark cloud. His relaxed demeanor, combined with an unshakable confidence, exuded a natural leadership that didn’t need to be forced. He simply existed, and the people around him followed without question, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He had always been like that. From the very beginning. A free spirit, impossible to contain, and a vibrant energy that seemed to pulse through every situation, no matter how dark. She remembered those eyes clearly—eyes that still held traces of innocence and curiosity, as if the entire world was a place full of possibilities and wonders, even when circumstances suggested otherwise.

With a nearly imperceptible sigh, she tore her gaze away from him, forcing herself to focus beyond the horizon. She knew there was much more ahead—uncertain paths and difficult decisions. But for a brief moment, she allowed herself to stay there, caught in that image, before letting the weight of the future settle back onto her shoulders.

Punk Hazard.

The Straw Hat crew was gathered in a relaxed manner, but there was a certain gravity in the air — that heavy silence that precedes farewells. The children had already been taken aboard the tanker, their laughter echoing faintly as they drifted away, and now it was their turn to leave.

Luffy chewed on a piece of meat with his characteristic energy, not seeming particularly bothered by the weight of the moment. He swallowed the last bite, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and said, with that simplicity only he could bring:

— Alright, it’s time for us to go too.

Brook, ever the lively one, adjusted his hat and smiled, his bones gleaming under the dim light of dusk.

— We’re heading to the New World, and the weather is beautiful! Yohohoho! — His shrill laugh cut through the air like an odd echo, but no less comforting. It was impossible not to feel a bit of lightness when hearing him.

Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke from his cigarette, his eyes shielded by his blonde bangs as he gazed at the horizon.

— Well, the sea might be a little rough — he murmured, almost as if talking to himself.

Zoro walked a few steps behind the group, arms crossed and a thoughtful expression on his face. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes were fixed on Law, who was leading the group with firm, calculated steps. When Zoro realized that Law was coming along with them — and even worse, at the front — he stopped abruptly and turned to Usopp, discreetly pointing at the surgeon with his thumb.

— Hey, hold on… Is he coming with us too? — his voice low, but laced with suspicion.

Usopp, who until then had been busy adjusting his ammunition belt, looked at Zoro with a nervous smile.

— Oh, right. We didn’t tell you about the alliance. Yeah, Luffy got us into trouble again.

Zoro let out a short sigh, as if he had been expecting this. He didn’t say anything more, but his posture stiffened, as if he were ready to draw his swords if necessary.

The Marines gathered in small groups, their uniforms marked by combat and the dust of Punk Hazard. The air was charged with something that felt like lightness — not exactly joy, but a silent relief, as if the weight of recent battles was slowly beginning to dissipate. A young Marine, with features too soft to suggest much experience but eyes that seemed already hardened by difficult decisions, stepped forward. He scratched the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable, but soon broke into a wide smile.

— Next time we meet, pirates, I’m going to arrest all of you! — he said, his voice firm but with a lightheartedness that suggested more jest than threat. Some of the other Marines chuckled softly, while others simply nodded in silent approval.

Luffy, who until then had been busy chewing on the last piece of meat, turned to the Marine with that characteristic wide, carefree smile, as if the entire world were a private joke only he understood.

— See ya! — he replied, waving casually, as if they were parting ways after a quiet afternoon.

The comment drew scattered laughter from the Straw Hats, but there was something genuine in the exchange. It wasn’t exactly friendship, but something close to it — a kind of mutual respect that transcended the lines drawn between pirates and soldiers. It was as if, for a brief moment, everyone there shared something greater: the recognition that, despite their differences, they had faced something terrible together and survived.

Law, who until then had remained silent, allowed a faint, almost imperceptible smile to cross his face. It was quick, like a shadow passing over his features, but enough to catch the attention of anyone observing him closely.

And then it happened.

A sudden weight seemed to fall over the area, an invisible but oppressive presence that made the air vibrate with palpable tension. Every member of the crew felt it simultaneously — a sense of imminent danger that sent shivers down their spines. Zoro was the first to react, placing his hand on the hilt of one of his swords, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings for any suspicious movement. Sanji took the cigarette from his mouth, assuming a defensive stance. Even Luffy, usually so carefree, tensed up, his fists clenched and his body leaning forward, like an animal ready to pounce.

Smoker felt it too. His face contorted into a grimace of alert, and he quickly glanced at his men. One by one, they began to collapse, fainting where they stood, like discarded rag dolls. The sound of a body hitting the ground echoed across the field, leaving only the Straw Hats, Law, and Smoker still conscious.

The silence that followed was deafening, a palpable presence that hung in the air like thick smoke after a fire. It was the kind of quiet that not only filled the space but also seemed to seep into the minds of those present. Law, however, remained motionless, like a statue carved from ice, his breathing controlled and rhythmic while those around him seemed to struggle against the weight of the tension.

He let out a soft sigh, as if he already knew what was coming. His dark, almost unfathomable eyes were fixed on some point beyond the horizon — perhaps on something no one else could see, or perhaps on nothing at all. Still, there was a calculated serenity in his posture, a calm that wasn’t simply natural but deliberately constructed, as if he had foreseen every detail.

But that didn’t mean he was at ease. No, Law carried with him the same shadow that always accompanied him, that oppressive feeling that the entire world was about to collapse onto his shoulders. He knew better than anyone that the future was a fragile structure, upheld by choices made in fractions of seconds. And yet, he chose to face it with a coldness that bordered on detachment. As if everything was inevitable, as if he had already accepted the fate that awaited him.

The snow swirled furiously now, further obscuring the horizon. The silence was almost unbearable, broken only by the distant crackling of ice under the invisible weight of the oppressive atmosphere. Then came the sound — a light step, almost imperceptible, but amplified by the deadly stillness.

All eyes turned toward the source of the noise. Through the gusts of snow, a silhouette began to take shape. She walked slowly, each step deliberate, as if challenging the very air to bow before her. The wind seemed to dance around her body — her black dress rippled with the movement of the air, creating a striking contrast against the frozen white landscape.

When she finally stopped, the deep hood still concealed her face, casting shadows that obscured any human features beneath the smooth white mask covering her visage. Only her eyes remained hidden behind empty, black orbits, giving her an almost ethereal appearance.

Robin furrowed her brow slightly, analyzing every detail of the woman from a distance. There was something familiar about her, something she couldn’t immediately identify but that stirred distant, buried memories in her mind.

Sanji quickly realized that the figure could only belong to a woman. He hesitated for a moment, unsure of what he should do.

But it was Zoro who reacted first. His hand was already on the hilt of one of his swords when he felt the weight of the atmosphere shift. Something in the woman’s posture — or perhaps in her aura — made him pause briefly. However, his suspicion took over. He began to slowly draw his sword from its sheath, ready to strike if necessary.

It was then that three figures emerged from the shadows, as if the very air around them had solidified into human forms. The first to catch attention was a young man whose light blue hair caught the faint light of the environment, giving him an almost ethereal aura. He wore a simple white button-up shirt, but there was something deliberate in the way he wore it — unbuttoned at the collar, the sleeves slightly rolled up. His face exuded an unsettling calmness, as if he were used to being observed but never intimidated by it. It wasn’t arrogance; it was control. He was the kind of person you wouldn’t notice until it was too late.

Beside him stood a girl with lilac-colored hair braided into two long lateral strands, adorned with small floral ornaments that seemed too delicate for the scene. She wore large round glasses that magnified her already expressive eyes, giving her a curious, almost childlike appearance. But there was something about her that contradicted this first impression: perhaps it was the way she held her fan, as if it were an extension of her own hand, or perhaps it was the way her eyes scanned the surroundings, absorbing everything. Her fair skin was speckled with freckles on her cheeks, a human touch amidst the heavy atmosphere. The colorful fur coat she wore over a light pink kimono seemed out of place there, but somehow, it suited her.

The third figure, however, was different. There was nothing soft about him. Tall and slender, with straight black hair that fell over his shoulders like curtains of obsidian, he radiated a presence that made the air feel heavier. His eyes were narrow and calculating, as if assessing every detail of the scene before him, cataloging weaknesses and opportunities. A black mask covered the lower half of his face, hiding any trace of emotion, but leaving exposed eyes that seemed capable of piercing through souls. He was dressed entirely in black, with minimalist clothing that avoided any unnecessary ostentation, save for a few discreetly gleaming silver earrings in his ears.

The three of them remained there, standing still, like living statues. They didn’t say a word, didn’t make a single threatening move. They simply stayed there, vigilant, as if time itself had slowed down just for them.

On Smoker’s side, two figures emerged. The first was a fishwoman, whose imposing presence seemed to disturb even the stillness of the snow around her. Her features resembled those of a great white shark — sharp yellow eyes like blades and teeth that gleamed with predatory perfection under the faint light.

Beside her stood a mink, a tall and robust black goat whose posture radiated a kind of silent authority. He wore an impeccable black tailcoat, cut in the front with silk lapels. The thin fabric of the rear tails swayed gently against the icy wind, while his fitted black pants and polished boots completed the image of someone who not only knew their place in the world but also how to occupy it with dignity. His face was marked by penetrating yellow eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through the souls around him, and long horns that curved backward like symbols of his powerful lineage. He didn’t need to speak to command respect; it was enough for him to stand there, still, observing everything with a reserved expression that suggested he had seen far more than anyone present could imagine.

Both nodded at Smoker with familiarity, like old acquaintances. The gesture was brief, almost casual, but enough to make Smoker relax momentarily — though he still kept his guard up, like a man who had learned the hard way that trust was too valuable a currency to be spent without caution.

The air felt denser, as if the cold itself had solidified around them. When Zoro drew his sword and assumed his battle stance, something in the movement drew tense glances from everyone around. It was like watching the calm before a storm that no one was sure they wanted to face. Law, however, didn’t hesitate. He walked with steady steps toward the central figure of the scene — the masked woman. His gait was calm, almost casual, but there was a weight in each step, as if he carried with him a certainty that the others were still struggling to comprehend.

— Don’t waste time with this — Law said, his voice low and neutral, but sharp enough to make Zoro pause for a moment. The swordsman frowned, torn between suspicion and curiosity.

As Law advanced, the tension grew like a cornered animal about to strike. Usopp was the first to break the silence, his trembling voice escaping in a nervous murmur:

— Wait… wait a minute! This doesn’t feel right…

Chopper, clinging to Usopp’s back, mumbled something unintelligible, his huge eyes fixed on the scene as he tried to process what was happening. Nami, on the other hand, crossed her arms, her sharp gaze analyzing every detail. She didn’t like it. Something about that woman, in that calm and calculating posture, made her instincts scream that there was more to her than met the eye.

Then, it happened.

Law got close enough to be enveloped by the woman’s aura. Before anyone could react, she pulled him into a sudden embrace, surprising everyone. For a brief moment, there was only silence — a silence so heavy it seemed to echo across the frozen field. But the calm didn’t last long. With impressive speed, she delivered a punch to his stomach, strong enough to make him buckle at the knees and collapse, gasping for air. The scene was so abrupt that it left even Sanji dumbfounded, his cigarette dropping from his mouth.

— Trafalgar D. Water Law — She leaned down slightly, approaching the fallen surgeon as he struggled to catch his breath, her words tinged with an almost familiar frustration. — Did you really think I’d let you walk away unscathed after this stupidity? I should punch you again. What were you thinking?

Law, still gasping, looked up at her, his face twisted in a mixture of pain and irritation. He opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps coming from behind. Luffy didn’t pay attention to her words. His body was already in motion before any thought could catch up with him.

He charged like thunder, stretching toward the woman with the overwhelming force that always characterized his attacks. She, however, was fast — too fast. With an almost supernatural agility, she dodged Luffy’s blows, each movement calculated and precise, as if she had predicted every attack before it even began.

Meanwhile, Chopper shouted from the other side of the field.

— LAW!!! Are you okay? — The little reindeer ran toward the fallen surgeon, his eyes wide with concern.

Law, still catching his breath, waved a hand as he tried to steady himself.  

— I’m fine — he muttered, though the raspy tone of his voice suggested otherwise. He rose slowly, leaning on one leg as he observed the scene before him.  

And then, suddenly, seeing that Luffy had charged at the stranger, Zoro turned with his sword toward the person standing behind him — the figure with straight black hair and a black mask. But all they did was defend — in a movement so fast it almost escaped perception, the stranger raised an enormous sword to parry the blow.  

The sound of the impact echoed through the icy air, the clash of blades blending with the howl of the wind. Zoro stepped back, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the weapon. That sword was unlike anything he had ever seen. The blade was wide, almost absurdly so in size, but the stranger wielded it effortlessly, as if it were a natural extension of their body. It gleamed dully, reflecting the faint light with a cold, almost menacing hue. The guard was simple and practical, designed to protect the hands without drawing attention.  

It wasn’t a katana, nor was it a saber. It lacked the brutal grandeur of a claymore, but it also didn’t have the lightness or balance he expected from something functional.  

The stranger’s posture was strangely controlled; there was no aggression in their movements, only precision. Zoro furrowed his brow, noticing something unusual. He was well acquainted with the weight of killing intent, and the person before him… simply didn’t seem to want to attack. Or, at the very least, they were holding back significantly from doing so.  

Sanji, on the other hand, shifted his attention to the blue-haired boy, who remained standing at a respectful distance, watching everything with a calm expression. There was something unsettling about that calm, as if he didn’t care. The cook adjusted his tie as he approached, his voice smooth but laced with curiosity.  

— Hey, kid, who are you people?  

The young man didn’t respond, but the lavender-haired girl intervened before Sanji could press further. She stepped forward, her fan open in an elegant pose, and spoke firmly.

— There’s no point in fighting here. — Then, turning to the black-haired man, she added: — Aidan, you heard what the young lady said. Put that sword away, or she’ll be upset.  

Aidan hesitated for a moment but eventually lowered the katana. He stepped back and gave a brief bow to Zoro, as if offering silent apologies.  

Zoro’s brow furrowed even more, his sharp eyes darting between Aidan and the lavender-haired girl. Suspicion was evident in every line of his face, but he wasn’t the type to leave questions unanswered for long. With a low grunt, his hand remained firmly on the hilt of his sword as he spoke.  

— None of this makes any sense — Zoro said, his voice as rough as ever. He slightly pointed the katana in Aidan’s direction, not overtly hostile but still far from lowering his guard completely. — If you don’t want to fight, then why did you draw your sword? And now this apology? — He snorted again, though he maintained a stance ready to act at any moment. — I don’t understand anything.  

The girl smiled faintly, as if Zoro’s confusion was almost endearing. Her gaze slid over to Sanji, and she spoke with a calmness that seemed deliberately calculated.

— My name is Kazan'in Ena — she said, her voice soft but firm enough to cut through the icy air around them. — And yes, I know you’re all confused. You’ll all understand soon enough.  

She paused, raising a distracted hand to examine her own nails with a care that seemed out of place. A sigh escaped her lips, laced with genuine frustration but also something subtler — perhaps resignation.  

— Honestly, Haruto — she continued, turning to the blue-haired boy — I would’ve preferred to stay on the ship having tea with Mrs. Mayumi. This kind of thing… — She let the sentence trail off, as if it wasn’t even worth finishing.  

Robin, who had been silently observing everything until then, finally spoke. Her voice was low, almost casual, but there was a sharp curiosity behind her words.

— You seem to know Law — Robin said, tilting her head slightly, as if trying to fit a piece into an incomplete puzzle. — Who are you, exactly?  

Nami, arms crossed and her piercing gaze fixed on Ena, didn’t waste time pressing further. Her voice was direct, without pretense, but there was a trace of caution there too, as if she were testing the ground before taking a step forward.  

— And what do you want with us?  

Ena slowly raised her eyes, as if weighing each of the questions before answering. Her smile was still there, but now it seemed more restrained, almost reflective. She opened her mouth to say something but hesitated for a moment, as if carefully choosing what to share and what to keep to herself.  

— You’ll know soon enough. For now, I suggest we enjoy the scene.  

Nami frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the evasive response. She wasn’t the type to accept vague answers without questioning, especially when it came to the safety of her crew. The navigator took a step forward, approaching Ena with a challenging posture.  

— "Soon enough"? — Nami repeated, her voice sharp. — That’s not an answer. If you know something about what’s going on here, you’d better speak up now. We’re not playing around.  

— There’s no need to be hostile, Nami — Ena said, her voice soft, almost melodic. — I already told you, you’ll know soon.  

Before Nami could say another word, Luffy’s voice cut through the air like thunder, loud and defiant. He was standing, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles seemed ready to burst through his skin, while his eyes blazed with intensity. Frustration radiated from him in waves, visible even in the way his entire body trembled slightly, as if he were holding back something wild within him — something that threatened to explode at any moment.  

— Hey, you! — he shouted, his voice echoing across the area with unusual roughness. — Stop running away and fight properly!  

His jaw was clenched, teeth grinding against each other as he tried to control the torrent of emotions bubbling beneath the surface. It was rare to see Luffy so visibly irritated; usually, his anger was straightforward, quick, and impulsive, but here there was something different. It was as if every passing second added more weight to the fire already burning inside him, fueling his impatience.

There was a hint of disbelief mixed with his fury, as if he couldn’t comprehend why the masked figure kept avoiding him, refusing to face him directly.  

For Luffy, this wasn’t just irritating; it was almost an insult.  

There was no warning, no word or sound to signal his intention — just the crack of the air being sliced by the black blur that was his outstretched arm, lashing out like a live whip toward the masked figure. The world seemed to shrink in that instant, as if all the sounds and movements around them had been sucked into that single moment.  

She slid to the side as if the ground didn’t touch her, her movements so subtle they seemed to defy the logic of the physical world — while Luffy’s strike passed mere inches from her face. The white mask seemed to capture the faint light of dusk, reflecting it back at the world like a cold, distant moon, impassive and detached.  

Her eyes, however, told a different story. Even hidden in the deep shadows of empty, black orbits, they seemed to emanate something that went beyond the visible. There was no fear, no surprise — only a mixture of profound understanding and melancholy that would leave you uneasy if you stared too long.  

Luffy didn’t stop. He never stopped. His body spun like an enraged top, using the momentum from the first attack to launch another blow, this time with a clenched fist, straight at her chest. But again, she simply… wasn’t there. Her body leaned backward as if made of water, bending at an angle that seemed impossible. The punch passed so close that the wind generated by the force of the impact swept a few loose strands of hair from her hood. She didn’t retreat, didn’t try to create distance. Instead, she remained there, like a shadow dancing around a furious flame, always just out of reach.  

The scene was surreal. Luffy, whose energy normally overflowed like a river bursting its banks, seemed to be fighting against empty space itself. Every strike he threw found only air where there should have been flesh and bone. His frustration grew visibly, each guttural roar echoing across the frozen field. He leapt backward, gaining some distance for a brief moment, before launching himself forward again, this time with a spinning kick that seemed powerful enough to knock down a tree.

She ducked down, quick and precise, as if the movement had already been etched into her memory before it even happened. Luffy’s foot passed above her head, so close that the fabric of her hood rippled with the displacement of air. She didn’t raise her hands to block him, didn’t attempt to retaliate. It was as though everything she did was inevitable, as if she already knew every step of the choreography that Luffy improvised with his blind fury.  

The others watched, motionless. Zoro had his hand firmly resting on the hilt of one of his swords, but something kept him frozen. Perhaps it was the woman’s strange calmness, or perhaps it was the fact that, no matter how violent Luffy’s attacks were, she showed no intention of harming him. It was like watching two opposite sides of the same coin: the storm and the stillness.  

Smoker, the cigar still clenched between his teeth, furrowed his brow as he observed the scene from a distance. He took a step forward, his deep voice cutting through the icy air with a direct question.  

— Was it the base that sent you?  

Nanao let out a short laugh, almost muffled, that sounded more like veiled irony than genuine amusement. Her eyes gleamed under the faint light, and she crossed her arms, leaning back slightly, as if the question had touched on something that deeply amused her.  

Dante, however, maintained his respectful demeanor. He adjusted the lapel of his black tailcoat before responding, his voice soft but firm.  

— No, Vice-Admiral. Our arrival at Punk Hazard was initially motivated by the investigation into the disappearances of the children, but… — he paused briefly, his eyes fixed on Smoker with a neutral expression — we eventually discovered that the young lady had personal matters to attend to here. I believe even she didn’t expect the circumstances to converge in this way.  

Dante’s tone was polite, but there was something in it that suggested this explanation was all Smoker would get for now. There was no arrogance in his words, just a calm clarity that made it clear they weren’t there to ask for permission.  

Smoker raised an eyebrow, clearly dissatisfied with the evasive response. He removed the cigar from his mouth and held it between two fingers, studying Dante for a moment before speaking again.  

— Personal matters? — he repeated, his voice laced with skepticism. — That doesn’t sound very convincing. You show up in the middle of a Marine operation, and something tells me the World Government didn’t request this interference. Do you really expect me to believe this is going to end here?

Nanao let out another low laugh, this time not bothering to hide the sarcastic tone. She shook her head slightly, as if finding it amusing that Smoker was still trying to piece together a puzzle he would never have full access to. Dante, on the other hand, remained impassive, simply giving a slight nod of acknowledgment to Smoker’s suspicion without showing any sign of agitation.  

— What do you expect us to say, Vice-Admiral? — Dante responded, his voice still calm but now carrying a firmer edge that left no room for further questions. — We’re here for the same reasons you are: to protect the innocent and uncover the truth. Anything else… — he paused deliberately, his gaze briefly meeting Nanao’s — is secondary.  

The scene was interrupted by another thunderous blow from Luffy, which echoed through the air, reminding everyone that the situation was far from resolved.  

— Luffy! — Nami shouted, her voice cutting through the air like lightning. — Wait!  

But Luffy didn’t wait. He never waited. With a roar that seemed to rise from the depths of his soul, he charged again, this time using both hands in a desperate attempt to grab her. It was a move almost childishly simple in its execution, but it carried the raw brute force of someone who didn’t understand limits. He stretched his arms as far as they could go, enveloping the space around her like a web.  

She spun with a fluid motion, as if the air itself guided her, narrowly escaping his grasp. When she stopped, she was just a few steps away, as calm as before, as if nothing could disturb her composure. The black dress clung to her body like a second skin, the leather corset molded to her waist accentuating every movement with almost surgical precision. The long skirt flared out in an evasé cut that resembled the wings of a resting crow. The tight sleeves, ending in impeccable leather gloves, seemed to absorb the faint light, while the shoulder plates — delicately carved with intricate, tangled patterns — reflected a subtle gleam, suggesting a certain elegance.  

For a moment, Luffy hesitated. It wasn’t fear; he never felt fear. But something about that gesture made him freeze, as if he were facing something familiar, though he couldn’t quite identify what. He furrowed his brow, confused, trying to understand what that movement had stirred within him.  

Then, finally, she spoke, her voice low but heavy with meaning.

— You haven’t changed at all. Your face is still as round and squishy as a meatball.  

The words hit him like a stone thrown into still water, sending ripples of emotion he didn’t know how to contain. Only one person had called him that during his childhood — and only one person had dared compare his face to a meatball. His entire body tensed, and for the first time since the battle began, he hesitated not out of strategy or instinct, but sheer disbelief.  

The woman slowly raised her hand and removed the mask covering her face.  

And Luffy’s mind froze in place.  

His entire world seemed to collapse and rebuild itself all at once. There, before him, stood someone he thought he had lost forever. The white hair, almost invisible against the snow, the smooth brown skin, and those honey-colored eyes, so vibrant he knew them better than his own — it all struck him like a physical blow. He felt as if he were looking at a mirage, something too impossible to be real. His mind screamed that this couldn’t be happening, but his eyes insisted it was.  

Without saying a word, he began walking calmly toward her, as if afraid any sudden movement might make her vanish into thin air. His steps were slow, almost hesitant — something rare for someone like Luffy, whose energy usually overflowed uncontrollably. Each step felt like it weighed tons, yet it carried with it a lightness he hadn’t felt in years. He reached out his hand slowly, as if about to touch a mirage — something too fragile to be true.  

She simply watched him, not moving a muscle except for the growing smile on her lips. Then, when he was close enough to feel the warmth radiating from her, she raised her arms and opened them wide, revealing that familiar gesture buried deep within Luffy’s memories. It was the same welcoming smile he remembered from his childhood, the one that always believed in him and promised comfort no matter what he did.  

In that instant, something inside him broke. All caution, all disbelief melted away like ice under the sun. With a strangled cry that mixed laughter and tears, he ran toward her, forgetting completely where he was or who else might be watching. There were no more barriers between them; only the visceral urge to reach her, to ensure she was real.  

With an impulsive leap, he flew toward her, colliding forcefully against her body as he hugged her with every ounce of strength he possessed. They both tumbled into the snow, the impact soft but emotionally devastating. Her hood slipped off, fully revealing her face. Tears began streaming from Luffy’s eyes, thick and fast, as he held her tightly, unable to believe she was truly there. He muttered something incoherent, words only he could understand, while his body trembled with the intensity of his emotions.  

— You’re real! — Luffy exclaimed, his voice choked with emotion. He tightened the embrace even further, as if trying to merge with her, making sure this wasn’t another cruel dream. — I thought... I thought you were…  

She laughed, a soft, melodic sound that echoed, blending with the wind. Her gloved hands found his shoulders, gently pushing him back just enough to look into his eyes. Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes, but her smile remained firm, radiating a tenderness only he knew.  

The snow began to dissipate slowly, carried away by the wind, and finally the figures of Luffy and the woman became visible to everyone. He lay sprawled over her, crying as if the world were collapsing onto his shoulders. She, on the other hand, embraced him with equal intensity, as if holding onto something precious she feared losing again.  

No one said a word for a long moment. The sound of Luffy’s sobs filled the silence with a feeling no one there could ignore.  

Robin observed everything with a thoughtful expression, as if trying to piece something together. Franky sniffled, attempting to hide the emotions threatening to spill over. Brook, meanwhile, murmured something about “tears of joy,” though no one was sure if he was being sincere or just trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.  

As for Luffy, he barely noticed the world around him. All that existed for him in that moment was this woman — the person he had sworn to protect but who had disappeared from his life without warning. He held her as if fearing she might vanish again, his tears melting the snow beneath them. In his mind, flashes of the past collided with the present: shared laughter and promises made. He felt anger, relief, guilt, and happiness — all at once, an emotional storm threatening to consume him entirely.  

But above all, he felt hope.

[animentality]

For what it's worth, I adore your Durgetash thoughts. Please never stop posting 'em. As for Gort redemption arc... if Laezel, Minthara, and Astarion can have a positive character growth, then anyone's fair game.

I know I'm nuts on this, but I really, really think Gortash's entire motivation should've been that he's afraid of being forced to go back to the House of Hope.

Because listen.

Lae'zel, brainwashed by an evil, selfish god, but she's killed a lot of innocent people. Minthara, literally brainwashed and forced by Orin/ the Netherbrain to do evil things, but also not a good person, and still killed a lot of innocent people. Astarion, a victim of sexual abuse, but also a perpetrator of it, but also technically forced to do it.

Even Orin and the Dark Urge you could argue, evil, BUT.

Bhaal literally forces Orin to turn into the Slayer against her will, and he implies that the person known as Orin has been totally erased and obliterated. And the Dark Urge can be literally dissolved into nothing if they disobey their father.

So it would've been thematically appropriate, if Gortash was ALSO forced, in a way, to serve Bane, because he's a selfish little bastard and he would sacrifice the entire world to save his own sorry skin!!!

That's a complex villain, my dude (gn).

That's still a villain, but he makes more goddamn sense.

Him just being a dickbag who's just taking his resentment out on the world - yeah ok, fine, that can be fun.

But a dickbag who both resents the world AND has an interest in sacrificing it all so he can win his own freedom - like come on.

That's a way more compelling motivation for his character!!!

It also has parallels with Astarion seeking Ascension so he can be free, but ultimately dooming himself to another kind of enslavement, and the fact that all the bad endings end with the characters being trapped in service to evil forces.

But they just went with the whole "he kills children" approach.

Again, because, I suspect, they didn't have the time to finish the upper city, and they also didn't have the time to give Gortash a full arc, so they limited themselves to just making him a mini boss to kill in the end.

Disappointing.

[almdragonrend]

I have somthing I really need to say, I don't get how FL could be popular, I mean if you think for a moment about it even OG Katarina is morally superior to the Heroine in Maria and all The Capture Targets in the story, I mean nothing against an Evil protagonist or a good antagonist, but than don't portray Katarina as a Villain and Maria as a hero ! That's wrong! Katarina leaves Maria completely alone in both the Nicole and Alan route, meaning she only opposed Maria when she's trying to seduce HER fiancée or mess with her family or do both in the Harem route!

Than the fact that she's accused of bullying those bellow her station is bulls* she only bullied Maria who I just said why she did it and Keith whose arrival at HER HOME turned HER PARENTS against eachother when she was a Child! That doesn't make it right but she couldn't know that this wasn't his fault, and his own original family wanted to kill him! Luigi saved his life and that's how he thanked him ?

than Geordo she gave almost half her life up to that point in complete support and devotion to that mother fu* and he swore an Oath to marry her! I don't think many people get how bad a possible future king breaking an Oath is especially considering Geordo's Grandpa's actions,

further more Katarina actually don't mistreated dose below her status, first her Maid Anne who despite being related to Nobility is herself a Commoner just like Maria and Katarina even in FL verse treats her like a Sister more than a servant!

Next there's Sianna, she's the bottom of the barrel of Nobility and still Katarina cherished her more than anyone else! This makes the claim of her bullying people for their status down right nonsensicaly!

Especially when she's the only one who never partake in bullying everyone's favorite Target Sophia Ascart, since we see in VOD is never once mentioned that she did so when Sophia joined her book club, that would have had to be brought up than ! Meaning is the only Noble Girl who didn't bully Sophia! (Except Marry) and it's even implied she discouraged others from bullying Sophia!

When Bakarina in verge of doom just assumed OG Katarina bullied more people and wanted to apologize during VoD judgment event no one spoke up! And that Is most likely because she never bullied anyone other than the Girl who tried to steal her fiancée and/or shame her family!

Also, it's said that Katarina's bullying was only on the very edge of Criminal, meaning she never really committed a crime, the one attacking Maria with fire was Noelia, who acted on her own accord!

Keith and/or Geordo basically rigged the Trial to get Katarina stripped of her status and exiled which is a way to hard punishment anyway! When she comes back with dark magic she didn't even kill someone for it! She just had it !

And that idiots in the development team must have believe that this made her appear more evil since she's just born with the "bad magic" but instead it just means she didn't kill anybody for it ! Right OG Katarina is not a murderer and the idiots of the FL development believed Katarina being NOT a murderer makes her more evil than people who literally commit murder to get the same magic! what does that say about their Character ?

I heard a lot about people saying something for a Original Katarina redemption arc and I really hope she gets an happy ending, she deserves it but what people need to understand is Original Katarina dosen't need an redemption arc because she has not done anything so bad that she deserved getting to that point anyway, instead she deserved a pretty enormous apology from Geordo, Keith and Maria

To give her a redemption arc basically means recognizing Maria, Geordo and Keith, Cheating, betraying,Oath breaking and manipulate a Chords to commit prejudice as a good thing, Original Katarina shouldn't have to apologize to them! They should have to apologize to her! Even when something like that calls for ways more than an apology! And first of all her entire sentence should be revoked !!!! + there has to be compensation for everything she had to go trough!!!

[nikethestatue]

I kinda need to vent a little and you seem like the person everyone vents to so:

I can’t have kids. Like I am physically unable to (thankfully my husband and I don’t want them anyway, but that’s beside the point).

There are days when I’m in my head..when I feel like I should want them, and since I’m already depressed about the fact that I “should” but don’t, I start feeling bad that I CAN’T. Like I’m less of a woman because my body decided that for me.

The whole reason I’m saying this is because no matter how long it’s been since ACOSF came out, there has been and will be discourse regarding Elain’s ability to procreate and whether or not that means she’s Azriel’s mate/LI/whatever. That ideology hurts real women.

It fuckin sucks that we lose ourselves in this fantastical world only to be ripped out again by people saying a FICTIONAL CHARACTER is not worthy of love because they can’t bear their FICTIONAL love interest’s child. I-? And that’s not even starting on the way the whole pregnancy was handled..we’re sticking with Elain here.

I know there’s nothing you personally can do about any of this. It’s not like you can find SJM and shake some sense into her (not that any of us would complain about that lol). Like I said you seem like the person people send stuff like this in to, so thanks for that.

So this is an interesting one, because I bitch and moan about SJM plenty, however, in this case -- the stupid pregnancy plot aside in general -- I really have a hard time with blaming her.

Yes, her fake feminism died the moment Nesta began augmenting everyone's pelvises and making them nice and stretchy for Illyrian babies. However, I think that the place where SJM wrote this from was ...positive? I think she really wanted to make sure that none of the sisters are left with the same choices and no answers as Feyre did. And I think in SJM's mind, it was another step in Nesta's 'redemption arc' that she thought of Feyre, herself AND Elain when she was playing god with her sisters' hips. Now, the whole thing is ridiculous of course. But SJM did the best she could with the wording of that conversation between Nesta and Feyre. So not to give away her precious endgame couple, SJM still had Nesta say 'so NONE of us have to go through this again'. She could've said 'so you and I never have to go through that...' ir 'the two of us...' But she said 'none' which implies Elain is included. Now, the ethical ramifications of whether someone's body should be changed against their will, or at least without their consent, I think are lost on SJM. But I think that she left all of it open ended, and a choice.

Fertility and childbearing are complex issues. Personal and societal. Whether you want, you can't, you don't want, you planned, you didn't plan, etc. it's an issue wrought with both sorrow and pain.

The problem is that SJM decided to switch the direction of her writing mid-series --went from YA, geared towards younger audience, where sword fighting is a lot more important than baby making (hence no one except Yrene had children there on page), to NA, which should be geared towards a more mature audience. Or at least an audience which wouldn't take the issue of fertility so lightly and flippantly. Yet unfortunately, the switch wasn't done well. So now, we are stuck with 13 year old TikTok pontificators who think that they know something about something. And they amplify their own noise, talking about something which I don't think SJM ever meant to be talked about. I certainly would never think that she'd write a storyline where a woman is rejected by her potential lover over her inability to have potential children.

a. I don't think that's what she was hinting at at all

b. And while she is definitely very much an author where HEA means happy coupling with offspring, she did create quite a number of couples where children were not their HEA at all.

it's frustrating that so much animosity and sometimes real pain has been generated over a stupid ship that doesn't even exist.

[laststandx3]

this episode of daryl dixon i decided i would leave common sense at the door and take a double dose of suspension of disbelief, and let me tell you, it helped a lot. now i don't have to ask questions like: where the food comes from? how comes the bad guys have clean and ironed clothes, electricity, running water but the good guys don't have beans for soup? why every french person knows the exact convert rate from kilometers to miles? why there's no useful electronic like a a working radio? how comes they still have bullets? if the zombies are so easy to kill, why nobody cleaned up the street? why norman reeds looks like he never touched a fish in his life and doesn't want to start now? why french people start singing the anthem in the middle of a speech? or when they see a man about to fight a zombie? why do the bad guys have a zombie/gladiator arena instead of idk being generic evil in any other way? why do they imply that the people lining up to enter the show were there against their will if they are all cheering now?

anyway, now we can go back to focus only on the plot and the characters. good news: in the series titled daryl dixon, the 5th episode out of 6 is finally about daryl dixon. we find out how he get to france (sort of), it didn't had much relevance on the plot so i don't see why they kept if for dramatic value. but on daryl side at least something happened. on Isabelle side, writers weren't sure what to do with her, so we see her plotting how to kill Quinn, (she calls it off bc he quotes some catholic text about redemption, but this isn't brought up again, so it's more likely that it was just for that scene) she then thinks about killing herself but ish..also it's breakfast time, we don't to those things in front of a fresh salad. So at last she decides she will manipulate Quinn: it wasn't an hard task bc he's been simping for the past decade. Imo Isabelle lost her agency around ep 3 when the writers put her in idle. i hope the next episode she'll do something active. so far she's just been brought places. Laurant (little jesus) is the worst. but he's a kid- No. he deserved a face slap from paris to cannes. he cut the rope to the boat they were using to get to safety, bc he has abandonment issues? daryl calls him little shit and forgives him right away. you'll have to walk at least 100km in a place full of zombies, without food, without shelter, your other friend that was helping you just died in the worst way ever written and you cut our chance at safety? i'm leaving your ass! they in fact get captured by the bad guys like a minute after loosing the boat. anyway via plot convenience they all find themselves at the bad guys lair and daryl is to fight a boosted up zombie. will he survive? stay tuned! (episode ends here)

Now about the Quinn subplot, his new girlfriend is jealous of a woman that is there against her will (kinda) and she sells him out to Genet (boss of the bad guys). How does this work exactly? 1) if quinn wasn't useful, genet would've put someone else in his place already. 2)technically it was Anna who let laurent go, so she's the traitor 3)genet and quinn aren't part of the same organization, there can't be betrayal. they are 2 separate parties that at times cooperate. i'm not saying genet can't accuse him of treason but? don't give me bullshit reasons for locking up quinn. she (as french) could've just wanted to get rid of the birtish/american tourist. voilà, tout le monde deteste les touristes, est normal. but hey, my bad i got lost in logic again. my god this show gives us just the vibes of a story. there's no story here. the characters don't have an arc, they're the same people from ep 1, no change, no learning, nothing. things happen to them and they don't have reactions. And you know they're badly written bc the dialogue is obvious and empty and flat. and so absent. there's so much silence in this story that isn't highlighting actions, it's just silence bc nobody could find a way to fill it. I don't come from the walking dead, i have no idea what's up with daryl dixon and after 5 episodes (around 4hours and half) of a story about him I still don't know. What is this story about? faith? tyranny? how easy it is to fall for idols in a difficult moment? even the choice of setting the story in France, was it for aesthetic? were the writers trying to make parallels with french history and dictators? The annoying part is that even the few elements they throw around in could've been used: there's a military party, there's this kid that everyone is claiming is the new messiah, there's a nightclub in paris surrounded by death. those elements can fit in a bigger narrative. about looking for comfort for example. when the world ends where do you find the will to live? do you follow the path of order in hope to fix the chaos around you? do you look for a meaning, hoping it will all make sense and there's some god above looking down at you? do you see the zombie apocalypse as a punishment from above and now you follow only the righteous path? or you say fuck all of this! life has no meaning i'll go to the only nightclub left in the world? is this about avoiding pain or is it about living life to the fullest as much as you can with the limited resources you have?

there are endless possibility for a zombie story. a story about survival is never just a story about survival but about the things we do to survive. those are the stories people get attached to, bc they touch a part of us that we all have and can't explore. (bc hopefuly we won't find ourselves in extremely tragic situations)

they just needed to give genet a real need for order. not just army guys going around in their jeep killing pigeon lovers. give quinn a less aesthetic nightclub, make him sell drugs. this way he has a lot of people needing him and he has power and he's not just some generic bad dude with a night and a silly hat. give Isabelle a real sense of faith. living with nuns doesn't automatically convert you. give laurant actual lines or superpowers, everybody believes he's jesus bc he's off-putting?? he's just a weird kid. he did nothing. nobody knows how or why he's special. he didn't do any miracles. let him cure people. give us audience a reason to believe he's special, not the "he comforted a widow who lost he husband yesterday and was too heartbroken until laurent gave her a hug" bitch her husband died, what you want her to do? how was she supposed to feel? it wasn't even a week.

and into all of this give daryl dixon a journey, not just finding a working radio to go back to america. what meaning did he find in 11 series of the walking dead? does he believe in god? what does he do in front of a miracle? does he think religion sucks and it's all a lie, then he must agree with the new militia, everything illogical must be destroyed bc people will do terrible things for false idols. but then what if it's a child? and what if this whole problem doesn't touch him? can he keep going on the way of the lone wolf or does he intervene? there's no trouble in being alone but what does he do in face of injustice? what if you get killed for stepping up? how do you fight?

there's a lot of plot points that could've given daryl dixon and the other characters depth but unfortunately this series isn't about it :(

[linkspooky]

Who is it who really needs saving? 

is the question Dabi asked when Tokoyami came to rescue Hawks in the middle of the raid war arc. Dabi asks this question just after Hawks stabbed twice in the back with the justification that it would save people, despite the fact that Twice was also a victim too, and also someone in need of saving. Dabi’s question is especially poignant because it asks who is hero society invested in saving, a question that is repeated by Twice who believes Hero Society only saves the good victims, and Himiko as well who asks if Heroes save people, then was Twice not a person. 

I bring this up because chapter 299/300 end on another parallel between Dabi and Hawks. Both of them have their backs being shown, however, Hawks is already healing due to the nature of his quirk, whereas the permanent burns on Dabi’s skin has already gotten worse. Hawks and Dabi also have opposite goals at this point, Hawks to support Endeavor, and Dabi’s ultimate goal is to bring him down. However, Rei’s words over Endeavor’s panel add another layer of complication to this. “Those regrets and guilt, the rest of those have borne that burden much more than you have.” Endeavor is suffering, but he’s not the one most in need of saving. I believe next chapter rightly, Rei is going to point out that the ones most in need of saving are the ones who suffered the most because of Endeavor’s actions. Endeavor was never the one in need of saving, and in need of redemption in the first place, rather it was Dabi. 

1. Started From the Bottom Now We’re Even Lower

Hawks and Dabi are seeming opposites even from their origin points. Hawks was born in a poor household the son to a minor villain, Touya a rich household the son of the number two hero. Hawks family name basically means nothing to the point where the hero commission easily erased it, whereas Dabi’s family name has dominated his entire life. Touya from a young age was given everything he needed to become a hero and his father even encouraged him, while Hawks was on the run from the law and couldn’t even leave his small house without getting yelled at. 

At first, Hawks was born with a quirk that both of his parents disapproved of as they constantly asked him what his wings were even for, and seemed disgusted by his mutation. While at the same time, Touya was born with a quirk that his father was happy with, a fire quirk even stronger than his own which Enji thought gave him enough of a potential that he didn’t need to worry about finding an ideal hybrid quirk. He could pass all his techniques onto his firstborn son who seemed eager to learn. 

The only real similarity between both of them was that for both children, Endeavor was clearly their favorite hero. Touya was eager to please his father and train with him in order to inherit his hero techniques, and when Endeavor captured Hawks father, it convinced Hawks that heroes were real. 

However, both of them experienced a sudden reversal of fate. This is where circumstances for both of them flipped. Touya’s quirk was in fact revealed to be a very harmful hybridization of his parents two quirks, he inherited his father’s flames but even hotter, while at the same time inheriting Rei’s sensitivity to fire which made th overheating flaw even worse on him causing his quirk to deliberately harm his body. Hawks however, is an ideali hybridization of both of his parents quirks. His mother Tomie has a quirk that creates eyeballs and seems ideal for searching, watching and locating things, while his father’s feather quirks on his arms that could sharpen into blades turned into wings on his back that were both capable of searching and detection like his mother’s eyeballs and sharpening into blades like his father’s. 

At first it seems destined that Touya was ging to become a hero, while Hawks had no hope for him, but because of the nature of their quirks the opposite happened. When Hawks was young he was able to save a busload of people from crashing which got him recruited by the hero commission. While it’s implied that Touya kept trying to train on his own even after Endeavor stopped the training and abandoned him in favor of Shoto, and because of that Touya had his training accident at Sekoto peek and burned to death. 

Dabi and Hawks are seeming opposites, but they’re actually quite similar if you think about it. Both of them grew up in abusive households that are intentionally paralleled, they have controlling and physically violent fathers, and mothers who are coded as mentally ill, Tomie was unfit to take care of a child, and Rei was eventually pushed to a breaking point where she was unable to anymore and then forcibly separated and institutionalized by her husband. Both, also experienced a separation from their mother, Rei was hospitalized around the time Toya finally died, and the Hero Commission promised Tomie support if she cut all ties from him. Both of them also dreamed of becoming heroes, and tried their best to, even Touya after his father rejected him kept training on their own. 

The only difference between them is circumstances, Hawks was saved because he was born with a useful quirk, Touya despite his father being the number two hero was never saved. 

2. We’re the Heroes, Who Don’t Do Anything

In fact it’s implied that Enji intentionally looked away and forced himself to forget Touya’s suffering. For instance, the first time Touya trains with Enji he’s shown wearing a sleeveless shirt. Every time after that, Touya has long jacket sleeves on. When he’s crying to Natsuo, when he’s pulling out his hair, and the last memory from before his death, every time Touya is shown hiding his arms. We also know that Dabi, has burns that go all the way up his arms which is exactly where his flames emerge from. It’s also the place where Touya burns himself when Enji remembers training with him for the first time. 

It’s likely that Touya was walking around with burns up his arms from the training he was inflicting on himself, and Enji simply didn’t notice because his unreliable narrator status, he forgets everything he has done to other members of his family, or intentionally downplays the severity of it in order to avoid the guilt and consequences of his actions. Hence why he can say things like “I never meant to neglect you” to Natsuo, when we saw him call Natsuo and the others failures from Shoto’s perspective, because in Enji’s perspective he’s just a good father who went wrong somewhere along the line, whereas from Natsuo’s perspective he never really acted like a father towards him at all.

Enji only ever sees his own intentions, and not the impact his actions had on others. He only saw his heroic ambitions, and not the way he taught Touya that his only value was his quirk, and then completely tossed him aside as a failure and ignored all his suffering when Touya kept trying to get his attention. That he intentionally neglected Touya until either an accident or a suicide claimed his life. 

Either way it’s a running theme that Endeavor hesitates when it comes to saving his own sons. Despite seeing himself as both a hero and a father, he completely fails in both roles to them. 

He froze when it came time to save Natsuo from Ending, and the second time when Shoto was begging Endeavor for help against Dabi, Endeavor chose not to do a single thing. In fact the only thing that moved him was Deku’s pep talk that exclusively stoked his ego and called him a good mentor, which caused Endeavor to finally move into action. 

Endeavor is a hero in name who has no interest in directly saving others, because his number one priority has always been to stand at the number one spot and feel like he’s accomplished something. He didn’t notice Touya was most likely continuing the training on his own, and was spiraling that badly until after Touya had died, and even after that happened he still continued the training with Shoto like nothing happened, even mentioning that Touya was a small mistake. 

When the wounds from Touya’s death were still fresh, it seemed like barely anything more than an afterthought to him. There are some people who even theorize that Enji only believed Touya was always alive because he had never truly faced the guilt of Touya’s death and his role in it, that it was a comfort to him to believe his son was still secretly alive out there. 

The signs were obvious that Touya was spiraling, but he was neglected so much that Endeavor the number two hero who prides himself on most cases resolved didn’t notice what was going wrong with his son until he literally burned himself alive, and even then that wasn’t enough to stop him from mistreating his other son and forcing him into painful training. 

Touya’s neglect is as much abuse as Shoto’s favoritism and training, that’s the point of the golden child / scapegoat dynamic, they are both being abused. Enji was the only parent in the household, and if his kid was burning himself, and injuring himself all the time and it got to the point where the child literally died because of a lack of adult supervision, Enji could be prosecuted for manslaughter in a court of law. There are cases where adults just, do absolutely nothing for their kids, and those kids sometimes die of neglect, starvation, because of their parents completely failing to take care of them. It’s just as sinister a form of abuse as physical abuse. In both cases a child’s needs aren’t being provided for by their parents. 

Dabi is someone who could have been easily saved by his father paying attention to him, and should have been saved by the man who prides himself as the number two hero, but he was left to rot. This is a running theme with Endeavor, he’s a hero who continually fails to save his family. 

Dabi’s situation is also a metaphor for hero society at large. Who are the types of people that Hero Society prefers to save? Those who are useful to it like Hawks. It intentionally turns a blind eye to cases like Touya, Tenko  or Twice. If Touya did have burns on his arms from training but was able to cover them up just by wearing long sleeves, and Natsuo was the only one who knew then that goes even further to explain Dabi’s specific obsession with discrediting Endeavor.

If Dabi’s father had just acted like a hero, or acted like a father then he would have been saved. If Dabi’s father had noticed the person most in need of saving was right next to him, the incident where he burned to death never would have happened. Which is why Dabi’s grudge is specifically against heroes who do not act like heroes. Heroes who, cannot save anyone because they are too self involved to perform the duty of saving. He shares Stain’s obsession with ideologically pure heroes, that only heroes who put saving others selflessly over everything else should be allowed to exist and the rest are pretenders to the title.

Notice how Dabi pulls on the scars on his face when begging the people to think about this, about who should really be allowed to call themselves heroes. 

Dabi’s entire arc revolves around this question. Who are the real victims? Who are the ones that really need to be saved? Dabi is a character of mystery and subversion who is constantly hiding his real feelings. 

Dabi is commented on being heartless about Twice’s death, but his actions contradict his words. Dabi goes out of his way trying to avenge Twice even after it’s already too late to save him, even burning up his own body to do so. He tried so hard we see literally there are new scars growing on his back the next time we see him Post-War Arc. 

I’d also like to bring up that while Hawks accuses Dabi of feeling nothing about Twice’s death, Hawks is the one who killed him, and who after the fact shows no regret in his actions because he’s completely justified it to himself. He even remembers Twice like he’s some kind of old friend he took inspiration from, and not a person he manipulated into trusting him then killed. My point is it’s a reversal, Hawks is set up as the one who cares about Twice as a friend, but really was only using him. Dabi claims he was only using him, but he’s the one who showed an actual emotional reaction to Twice’s death and made an effort to save him. 

If I were to say this is one more point of foiling between Dabi and Hawks. They both don’t see themselves as victims and because of that they deny the victimhood of the other. 

Dabi accuses Hawks of becoming a murderer because his father was a murderer. Hawks when he learns the truth about Enji, takes Enji’s side over Dabi’s, believing Endeavor being the true victim in need of help in that situation. This is because Dabi and Hawks both deny their own victimhood, and they project that on each other. Dabi denies his victimhood and pretends to be the villain instead, he’s the villain who is going to take down Endeavor and therefore he’s not suffering. Hawks denies his own victimhood and his abusive past and pretends to be a hero, he’s helping Endeavor become a better hero, so therefore all the abuse Endeavor committed is in the past so therefore he doesn’t have to think about it. Both deny themselves and therefore deny any similarity in one another. 

They’re also two people fatally wrapped up in their own circumstances they turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. Dabi assumes that Shoto is “good” and therefore, must have been raised with love and had it better than him and was raised with love. Whereas Hawks assumes that Twice is “good”, and therefore worthy of saving because he helps other people. In both cases, neither Dabi nor Hawks really understand Shoto or Twice, they’re just judging them by their own projected standards. Dabi only understands his childhood as Touya desperately trying to work for Enji’s attention, so Shoto who had Enji’s attention must have had it good. Hawks was saved because of the bus accident where he saved people as a hero, so obviously it makes sense he reach out to try to save another good person who just had bad luck. 

Despite the fact that both of them are pretty much emotionally dead and in deep denial of their true feelings. 

Dabi has also made a show of how little he cares about Natsuo, while at the same time his most famous line from the pro hero arc is “overthought things and snapped...” 

Dabi is also the only one who notices it’s dangerous to bring Tokoyami onto a battlefield. This is when he asks the question, who is it who needs saving. 

We learn at around the same time, the hope from the Pro Hero arc was intentionally a set up by Dabi to bring Endeavor down, and show everyone eventually that Endeavor hadn’t truly changed. 

These are all small details yes, but keep in mind we’ve really only gotten crumbs of Dabi’s characterization so far because his perspective is one that has deliberately been kept from us. We see his past through almost everyone else’s eyes but his own - because so far the focus has been on Endeavor.

Just like Dabi set up Endeavor’s earlier success only to bring him down, this might also lead to a reversal in the narratives. In 299, Hawks believed Endeavor to be the one in need of help. We are also as an audience set up to believe that the narrative arc will focus around Endeavor’s redemption. This is before the series revealed the circumstances of his son. 

However, Endeavor and Dabi are literal opposites. They’re inversions of each other. Dabi pretends he doesn’t care any more for his family and will go out of his way to hurt them, that all he cares about is revenge, but at the same his ideals are heroic. In his actions and ideals he’s the one calling for a better society. Dabi is the most independent and distant from the league it’s true, and so far he’s denied their friendship, but at the same time it’s Dabi who is the most idealistic of the league. Shigaraki wants to destroy the current society, Himiko wants a society that’s easier on her, but it’s Dabi who has the ideals for a society he wants, one where heroes are held to standards and act like Heroes. It’s dabi better than anyone else who makes the standards for mass appeal. Because, deep down Dabi still has heroic aspirations and drive even if it comes from Stain of all people he’s inspired by. He has some sort of ideals, a world he’s trying to create.

Whereas, Endeavor doesn’t have any heroic ideals at all. His idea of being a hero has always centered around fame, status and the ranking of number one. He’s a hero unconcerned with saving people, only defeating villains to prove his strength. Endeavor presents himself outwardly as someone who is trying to do what’s best for his family, and working towards being the best hero he can be but his intentions are revealed to be selfish, at the same time as Enji’s narration is revealed as unreliable. It may have been set up for an inversion all along, with the setup being that Enji is the one who needed to redeem himself, when Dabi was pushed to the background. Around this time Rei also tried to reassure others, that he was trying to carry his regrets with him. 

However, as soon as Touya’s identity is revealed, Rei’s stance reverses. Now she properly calls out that, Enji hasn’t been carrying his regrets at al.. Instead, he’s been forcing his family to carry the burden of it while he gets to go play hero in front of the public. 

As soon as Touya is revealed to be alive, it’s not Enji who is the center and focus of conversation but rather Touya. In 299, Hawks believes that it’s Endeavor whose in need of saving, but we’re shown that Endeavor only really seems to pity himself in this situation. 

It’s Rei who shows up to remind us, who really is in need of saving in this situation. Not Endeavor but rather those who have been burned the most by Endeavor’s actions. 

Which may be the ultimate parallel between Hawks and Dabi as well, Hawks can’t see himself as a victim so he can’t realize who the victims who need his help the most is. Whereas, Dabi in the future may receive the change of heart he needs to reopen his heart again and accept others, and therefore learn to accept himself. Dabi is set up for a reconciliation between his two selves, Touya the victim and Dabi the villain. While ultimately, Hawks will intentionally turn his back on Keigo the victim, because he can only ever see himself as a hero.

 I’m not suggesting that Dabi is good or Hawks is bad, or the other way around, not something as simple as that but that Dabi is open to change, and this will lead to him eventually opening up to others. Whereas, Hawks who is given practically every opportunity to change, and even escapes killing Twice with no permanent consequences, (his wings are growing back, and he even is freed from the hero commission) chooses to support Endeavor once again. It’s Dabi who calls others to think and reevaluate, and is actively trying to create a change in the world, whereas Hawks only interest is protecting other heroes and not the victims that heroes themselves create. Because in his mind heroes are good and that fact will never change. 

Because Dabi is the one trying to create change, while Hawks continues to cling to Endeavor I believe we’ll eventually receive a reversal for both of them. Just as the narrative around Dabi has changed from irredeemable villain to person in need of saving, we may see exactly what was foreshadowed in this panel happening. Dabi walking towards the light, while Hawks falls further and further into the shadows - because it’s Dabi who is looking for that light, while Hawks chooses to remain in the dark. Hawks was saved once, and now he believes that everyone who is good gets saved, unless they are unlucky like Twice. It’s Dabi who knows the truth, that there are heroes who don’t save people, and it’s Dabi who is at least trying to confront that truth head on and change it rather than just ignoring it. 

In a way Hawks is someone who has gone blind from looking too closely at Endeavor’s light, whereas because Dabi was failed by Endeavor and fell into the shadows he at least knows the truth about what it’s like for those who don’t get saved, and unlike Hawks can’t keep deluding himself that this is a world where everyone who deserves it gets saved. 

[that-fluttershy-blog]

~Disclaimer, s9 MLP spoilers~

So I get that there’s a general debate with Discord being Grogar in s9, so strap in folks: this is gonna explain exactly why s9 portrayed everything flawlessly, and a look into the communication styles that MLP has to offer.

Discord being Grogar was not OOC. I don’t see this as a form of betrayal, this was an act of confusion. An act of someone who’s used a communication/personality style for so long, that they can’t quite yet discern when something goes too far. He wasn’t doing this to betray his friends, or to cause chaos (even for him being, y’know, a being of chaos). He did this because in his mind, what better way to help Twilight come to terms with ruling?

Discord reunites the four main villains of the franchise (excluding himself, as he’s the mastermind behind it, and excluding Starlight: a redeemed antagonist has no business in his plans anyway). He even, perhaps absentmindedly, starts teaching them the friendship lessons that he’s gathered over his time as a “reformed” lord of chaos.

See how he tries to get them to work together? Yeah, his subtext was “you can’t achieve destroying/conquering Equestia unless you work together”, but he was asking villains to work together. Again, this may have been absentmindedly, but it’s still a sign that he was learning something after all.

Some people might argue that this is stupid, and it ruins Discord’s character: I beg to differ. Discord never wanted them to rule Equestia. He never expected them to turn against Grogar either. He thought, if it all went his way, that the Mane 6 would destroy/imprison their enemies once again, and it would prove to Twilight that she could handle things. Anyone who thinks that he intended for anyone to get hurt, should turn their attention to the second episode of s9.

When King Sombra is in the castle, and the mane 6 think they can’t stop him without Discord, there’s the well known scene where he takes the blast to protect Fluttershy. Yes, that blast didn’t actually injure him all that badly, but he still took it. He never had any intention of actually letting them get hurt. That’s where he made mistakes in the end of s9, because clearly while well intentioned, he was sorely mistaken with how far the main three villains would go against his friends. (And for those who say he only did this for Fluttershy: 50/50 on that. Yes, they’re closer/implied to be romantic partners, but I think it’s safe to gather that at this point, he would’ve saved any of the ponies. Fluttershy was just a prime choice for the audience, as they have a deeper connection.)

Discords betrayal arc already happened at the end of s4. S9 isn’t an act of betrayal, as much as it is a misguided morally-gray type character, who’s intentions were in the right place, but who couldn’t quite realize he wasn’t going about this the right way.

How does this fit in with communication/personality types? I’m so glad you asked.

When you have a character, who’s intentions were perhaps not the best, when they actually try to do good, they’re in a bit of a learning curve. They’re genuinely trying, but they haven’t quite grasped it. Discord knows, especially from Fluttershy, that helping your friends is a super important element of friendship, and harmony. However, he also still maintains that chaotic part of himself, that can’t quite yet discern between which is a good helpful friendship tactic, and which is just.. too much.

Dare I also say, I find it interesting that almost all the main villains come from after Discord’s introduction? Chrysalis shows up in the S2 finale, Sombra (although defeated early in s9) shows up in s3, and Tirek is in s4. This is a fantastic foreshadowing of Discord being the “leader” of this band, as Grogar. Even though he didn’t want them to win, it’s a fantastic way of tying everything together, from a film stand point.

In conclusion, S9 is probably one of the richest, lore-centric seasons of any show, ever, and Discord only grows as a character. He does not become OOC or anything less by his actions, it’s just a whole, big, communications metaphor. This also isn’t saying that he wasn’t in the wrong: he absolutely was! But being wrong, doesn’t erase character development: sometimes, it just strengthens it.

EDIT: I came here to say, I think the fatal flaw in Discord’s plan was that he thought since he was a villain, he could still understand villains enough to have his plan go down without a hitch. If anything, his flaw was that he’s been separated enough from his villain-mindset, that he didn’t realize the lengths they would go to. I also want to say that his chaotic shenanigans don’t equal him being a villain. From his redemption onwards, nothing was outwardly harmful, further proving my point. It was only mischievous.

[kingofkingdom-archive]

Your Wish Is My Command

Pairing: Maxwell Lord (WW84) X Fem!Reader

A/N: Thank you all so much for the love on my last story! I’m grateful for all the feedback and can’t wait to get back to anyone who’s replied or reblogged it or whateva. This one’s pretty different - Recovery was mainly plot with a bit of porn, this is... well, the opposite of that. ;) As always, heed the tags/warnings, and again there is no use of Y/N here.

Rating: Explicit (18+ only!)

Summary: You have a gift - a powerful, unique, dangerous gift, and King Maxwell wants to take full advantage.

You’ll let him.

Warnings: mostly smut, Maxwell being an absolute jackass (no redemption arc here folks), you encouraging and very much liking the jackassery, brief mention of abuse/trauma, greedy authoritarian behavior, kinda spoilers for ww84

Tags: semi-public sex, exhibitionism, royalty kink (?), unprotected sex, implied and/or inferred consent (i.e. not explicit but there), Maxwell’s POV (until very end), fingering, p-in-v sex, come marking

Word Count: 3.4k

"The messenger you requested, reporting back from the northern provinces, sire."

King Maxwell of the house Lord, sitting in the throne gifted to him by birthright, dismisses the servant with a wave of his hand. He's become quite irritated with the futility of his efforts concerning this matter, and therefore has little patience for further delay. The future of his lands, his wealth, his power, rests on the shoulders of these menial workers and the news they provide. It bears no repeating that should they continue to come up empty-handed, someone is going to lose their head.

He needs the girl, and then it will be sealed. He will crush all opposition and assert his dominance over the entire region, coast to coast.

The messenger, a boy no more than 15, scurries into the room. His hair is tousled under his cap, which he hastily removes in the presence of the king. He bows, deeply and with a flourish, before standing upright.

Max watches with disinterest, legs spread over the velvet seat and head resting on his fist. His rings dig into his temple.

"We believe we've found her, sire."

That grabs his attention. He sits forward, both hands gripping the arms of his throne.

"You believe you have? Have you or have you not?"

The boy swallows, growing pale. "We-we have, your majesty. It's just, uh, we-we can't p-p-prove it's her until she demonstrates the gift."

The king groans, rolling his eyes and rubbing a hand over his face. These people are impossible.

"Where is she, then? Have you at least brought her along?"

The boy nods frantically. "Yes, your majesty. She's been quartered in the guest wing, with two guards to watch her."

Immediately, Maxwell stands. Everyone in the room looks up at him, and he adjusts his sleeves. The boy is nearly trembling.

"Well, then take me to her," he orders, and the boy hesitates.

"Now!"

The messenger boy practically trips over his own feet in haste to correct his error. He sets a quick pace to the guest wing in order to account for the king's long strides, head bowed and arms stiff as he does so.

The room is located to the east of that which houses his throne, on the third floor, overlooking the orchards. Maxwell follows the boy, wooden-soled shoes echoing on the gleaming marble floors of his palace. Mirrors line each hallway, along with fine art ranging from rare vases to family portraits. 

Maxwell sees the door as soon as they turn a corner, identifiable by the armored men who stand at either side of it. The boy stops and gestures to the door with a shaking hand.

"Just in here, y-"

"I can see that," the king barks, ignoring the boy completely. "You are dismissed."

He hears footsteps retreat quickly down the hall as he checks his appearance in a mirror. Not a hair out of place, not a wrinkled seam in sight. The king sighs, smiling as he admires himself. He takes a moment before turning to the door, the door that hides behind it wealth and prosperity like nothing he's ever known.

The guards simply bow as he approaches them. Maxwell knocks twice on the door and pushes it open.

Inside there is a single room, with a bed and chest of drawers and a vanity. There is a balcony, with glass French doors, through which he can see the shape of a woman standing and looking out over the scenery. 

She leans one hip against the stone railing, and as Maxwell walks forward he can see that she holds a goblet of wine in one hand. Her dress flows in the light summer breeze, and her hair is decorated in intricate braids, ribbon laced throughout.

The girl does not see him, yet. He stands in the doorway, hands clasped behind his back, watching her.

"Is it true?" he asks, after he's looked his fill. 

The young woman starts, a gasp escaping her lips. She turns to look towards the voice she has heard and startles again, seeing the king himself staring quite intently at her.

"Your majesty," she breathes, a smile ghosting across her lips. She bows deeply and then looks up at him, eyes bright and playful.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear. I've heard many... extraordinary things about you."

Maxwell is immediately taken with her. Not only is she quite beautiful, despite her pauper's clothing, but she is one of few who have not reacted to him with fear or malice. Most begin shaking when they see his face; she, however, seems quite happy to see him.

"Oh, sire, the pleasure is entirely mine," she responds, voice soft, like music to Max's ears. "What things could you have heard about someone as lowly as I?" Her words are humble, but he senses a hint of teasing in them - as though she knows exactly what he's heard, but just wants him to say it.

"You are rumored to possess a very unique skill, one that I am most interested in learning about." He plays along, because her elusiveness frustrates him much less when she's right in front of him.

The king is a very visual man. 

He steps forward, fully onto the balcony now. She backs up until her back hits the railing, smile never leaving her face, even as the king crowds into her.

"I possess many skills which I would be happy to demonstrate to you," she says, and Max does not miss the meaning she intends to convey in those words. His eyes darken, his blood running hot at the thought of the many things she could give him. The things he could take from her willingly, without the hassle of a fight.

"It is said that you grant wishes," he murmurs, looking down at her. Max finds he quite likes this view, her looking up to her king. "One must only touch you and state their wish, and it will be so."

The girl chuckles, and daringly takes a sip of her wine. Maxwell grins, before reaching a hand up and grabbing the wine from her grasp. He tosses the liquid out over the ground below and carelessly throws the goblet over the edge to follow its contents.

The girl does not bat an eye.

"What you have heard," she mutters, eyes slipping down to his lips and back up again, "is true."

The king runs his hand up her side, settling at her ribs just beside her breast, savoring the way she shivers at his touch. His fingers splay out over the bare skin of her back, warm and soft and hinting at more.

 He dips his head down so that his nose brushes against hers, mouths nearly touching.

"Is there a limit," he breathes, because he knows he must ask this, "to your generosity, my dear?"

The girl smiles, placing a hand on his bicep. Her small fingers feel divine against him, even there.

"No," she whispers back. 

Maxwell hums, stroking his thumb idly along her warm, soft skin. He needs to confirm that she's telling the truth, as tempting as it is to believe her outright. The way she's looking at him... she'd let him do anything to her. The thought is as enticing as it is dangerous. 

"I wish to find a raven's feather in my shirt pocket," he says, and then feels a slight breeze on the back of his neck.

The king reaches into his pocket, and his fingers brush against exactly the object he wished for. He pulls it out to show the girl. She smiles and runs a hand up to his shoulder, resting her wrist there. His loose linen shirt, which flutters lightly in the wind against his tanned skin, is perfect for a summer's day like this - and when he feels the warmth of her hand through it he thanks his past self for selecting it this morning.

"What a remarkable gift you have," he comments, and tucks the feather behind her ear.

An endearing blush rises to her cheeks, and though she ignores it, the king takes notice. "Thank you, your majesty."

At that moment, an idea forms in his mind. It's devious, downright lecherous and more the act of some tavern drunkard than a king, but she is sure to react well, if he's gauged her correctly. 

"You said there's no limit on the wishes you can grant a single person?"

"Yes, sire. I did."

A smirk forms on the king's face. "Then I wish, my dear, for you to be naked."

The wind around them picks up again and the girl gasps. In the blink of an eye, her plain, beige dress has disappeared, leaving nothing behind. She is a vision, bare and beautiful in the midday light like this.

Maxwell is immediately hard. Not only is there a gorgeous, naked woman before him, but his absolute, unlimited power has just been confirmed and lies at his fingertips. He is unstoppable now, now that he has her.

The girl's hands fly up to grasp at his shoulders as his own trace over her curves. Her hips, her waist, her thighs - one of which he brings up to hook around his own hip - all of it is open and shimmering before him. 

"They said - in my village, they said you are a monster," she says, though her words trail off into a moan as one of the king's hands finds her breast. He tugs at her nipple, squeezing and pulling at the supple flesh, drawing sweet sounds from her pink mouth.

"Is that so?"

She nods. "I would look at your portraits and - and think... I'd think, no... no man so handsome could be so evil."

The king laughs, dipping his head to lick at her neck. She tosses her head back, giving him full access to the elegant column of her throat. 

"And even... even if you are what they said... I don't - I don't care."

Maxwell groans just as she says it, biting a bruise into the junction between her shoulder and neck. He trails bites and kisses down her collarbones, leaving his marks across her unblemished skin.

"I am," he murmurs into her ear, smoothing a hand over her stomach so that his middle finger comes to glide over the thick hair that covers her mound. He dips it into her folds, rubbing softly at the wet, slippery flesh there until she moans, high-pitched and needy. He grins, licking his tongue into the shell of her ear.

"I am a monster, my dear," he whispers.  "Every vile thing they said about me is true. And... I wish to fill my personal vaults with triple the gold. I wish to increase my fleets tenfold, with loyal soldiers to match. I wish to never see you leave these palace grounds so long as I live."

The wind picks up considerably around them. The king presses a finger against her opening, hot and dripping for him, and slides it in. Her moans are heavenly, loud and unashamed as he violates her in the open, where anyone could look up and see them. Her cunt opens for his finger, the gold and precious jewels of his rings swallowed by her sweet embrace. Her hands grip at his neck while her leg draws him closer. He adds a second, and it enters just as easily.

The king begins to fuck her with his fingers, watching as the muscles in her stomach tense and her eyes go glassy with the feeling.

"I wish to never be challenged by anyone for the throne," he grunts out. The girl moans at his words, and he realizes that she likes it. Not just the way he's touching her, but that he's making his wishes as he does it. He grins at her, predatory, and cups her ass with the hand not currently knuckle-deep in her pussy. His fingers dig in, sharp and strong and unyielding, surely leaving bruises in their wake.

"You like granting my wishes, darling? You enjoy giving me power, worshipping your king?"

She nods, mouth half-open. "Yes, your majesty." Her voice is breathy, the sound of it nearly knocking him out with the way it draws blood from his brain to his cock.

Speaking of which.

Maxwell thrusts a third finger into her cunt, the stretch made easy by the slick leaking out of her profusely. She wails, hands scrabbling at his neck and shoulders and back and the collar of his shirt. 

"Take me out," he orders, and she pauses to look at him, confused. "Take me out of my trousers, my dear. Feel how hard I am for you."

She gasps and her hands fly down to the button at the crotch of his pants. Quickly she fumbles it open, and his hard member pushes up into her palms. The girl gives the king's dick a squeeze, and he grits his teeth, moaning.

"I wish to claim all of the lands in the south as my own. I wish to have loyal subjects in every village and town, that no one may ever defy me again. I wish to have any traitors killed without question."

The girl's moans have increased again as she rubs and caresses his cock. Her hands disappear for a moment as she leans back, licking a long stripe from her wrist to fingertips, and returns to her task. 

Maxwell groans, dropping his head forward to press his nose against her skin, breathing in. She smells faintly of lavender, a crop that grows abundantly in the north, sweet and fresh. His tongue darts out to lick away a drop of sweat that rolls down her collarbone. Her hands squeeze and pull at his cock, thumbing at the head and slit and dipping down to fondle his balls on every other stroke.

It feels positively exquisite, but he wants to put his dick to use elsewhere. Somewhere tighter, warmer, wetter. 

The king removes his fingers, drawing a whine from the girl. The noise of it is obscene in itself, squelching and sticky as her cunt tries to cling to his fingers and the jewels that adorn them. He chuckles, lifts his head to meet her gaze, and brings his fingers up to his mouth and licks away her essence. She watches, rapt, as he makes sure to get every inch of the three digits that were inside her. The sight of it makes her keen, high pitched noises spilling out of her lips and eyes watering with desperation and need for him.

The king laughs, the taste of her on his tongue. Someday, he swears, he'll taste this sweet nectar straight from the source.

Now is not the time.

He brings his spit-soaked hand down to his red, throbbing cock, giving it a few strokes. His other hand slips up to grasp her waist. The girl lifts her leg further, resting her heel against his ass, helping him to guide his length into her.

"What else do you wish for, my king?" she asks, just as the head of his cock notches at her opening. With a grunt, Max pushes in.

Her words, combined with the feeling of her pussy stretched around his dick, causes his vision to blur and images to flash in his mind of what's now possible with her gift at his disposal. He pushes in further, drawing another moan from deep within her throat.

"I wish... I wish..."

"Your wildest fantasies, my king..." she urges, grip tightening on his neck and shoulder. "Anything is possible. What do you -- oh!"

As her words soak into his skin, he pushes in further and further, until his balls are nestled squarely at her ass. She's pushing him to take, rather than to give, unlike so many who surround him. It breathes fire into his veins, this woman who's encouraging him to do all the selfish, power-hungry things he'd do anyway, all while he fucks into her like this.

The king draws out and pushes back in in one smooth motion, stealing the breath from her lungs. He presses his lips against hers as he speaks, as he sets a rough pace, fucking her into the stone railing.

"I wish to never fall ill or suffer injury in battle. I wish to have the unwavering allegiance of every foreign leader, and that they will defer to me in all international affairs. I wish for my reign to be the longest this nation has ever seen. I wish to live longer than any other man, and I wish to have you here at my disposal for the entirety of my long life. I wish to never succumb to old age."

By now, the wind is tossing her hair and whistling around them, but Maxwell does not care. He's thrusting into her roughly, recklessly now, and all he can hear are her sweet, delicious moans. Her pussy clenches his cock just so, and he sees nearly sees stars at the feeling. Her tits bounce as he fucks into her, her nudity on full display but only to be taken advantage of by him.

Maxwell adjusts his grip on her waist and thigh, maneuvering her around so that now he's taking her from behind. She leans forward on the railing, looking out over the palace grounds.

"Isn't it beautiful, darling?" he breathes, gripping her ass cheeks now, pumping in and out with increased fervor. "Looking out onto your lands, as far as the eye can see..."

She merely responds with moans, punched out of her with each thrust, and Maxwell feels her cunt throb in a way that tells him her orgasm is imminent. He reaches a hand around and searches for her clit, knowing he finds it when she shouts out. He rubs a finger against the sensitive, pulsing nub until she comes apart, writing and screaming on his cock.

Max feels his own climax approaching, and just before he tips over the edge, he withdraws his cock. Taking himself in hand, he strokes a few times and cums directly onto her ass and lower back, marking her up with his potent, royal seed.

Chest heaving, the king runs his hands through his own semen as it cools on the girl's backside. He rubs it into her skin like a masseuse might a fragrant oil.

Maxwell steps back, admiring his conquest. The girl is still leaning against the railing, head bowed and naked as the day she was born.

"I wish for you to be my queen."

The words are a surprise even to him, though he's not shocked at his own impulsivity; that is a trait of his that has followed him from childhood onward.

The girl turns to look at him.

"You have to be touching me for it to work, sire." She doesn't sound angry with him, which is a relief, though he'd never show it.

"I know, my dearest. I wish it, but I won't compel you."

At that she turns to face him fully. She's got that fucked-out look on her face, to be sure, but now there's something else in her eyes.

"Are you asking me to marry you, King Maxwell?" Her smile is sly, something befitting a woman of much higher status than herself. It makes his cock twitch in a valiant effort to get hard again.

"I suppose so."

"In that case, my answer is yes," she says, and pulls him in by his shirt collar for a searing kiss.

-

The next morning, you wake up sore in an unfamiliar bed.

You look around for a moment, taking in the luxurious decor and faint smell of roses, until you remember where you are. Who you are, now.

Your head rests not on a pillow - something much warmer than that. It rises and falls softly, and then you realize there's a weight around your waist that feels distinctly like an arm. Lifting your head just slightly, you see the king himself asleep above you, face soft and youthful in rest.

As you lay your head down on his chest to fall back asleep, you can't help but think of the people back in your village. The horrors you endured at their hands once they learned of your gift. The nightmares you still have because of what they did.

You think of how much they suffer under the rule of the king - of your husband - and you fall asleep with a smile on your face.

[theprinceandthewitch]

Honestly, the more I think back on season 3 the more I am inclined to believe it's purposefully designed to piss people off

Dont get me wrong, TOH's writing style has always been "let's just throw in a bunch of ideas without caring about how these ideas contradict other information presented in the story and if they even are appropriate for the story we're telling" but there's something about this season that just begs the viewer to hate it.

The lack of Huntlow in TTT makes no sense. Again, they could have made them canon in the montage or in Willow's scrapbook but they dont. On top of that, all of Hunter's scenes in TTT go to Luz and not Willow. Even in the graveyard fight it's LUZ that's struggling to fight against Hunter because she's afraid of hurting him. Everybody else is wailing on him without caring about Hunters safety. They establish Luz as the "Evelyn" to Hunter's "Caleb" during the hayride and in the graveyard by having Belos name-drop Evelyn and Caleb while hes talking to Luz and Hunter. Flapjack doesn't even fly to Willow while he's on his death bed - he flies to Luz.

Then FTF comes around and says, yeah, you know what would be a good idea? Lets dedicate this episode to Huntlow. And even then it's fucking weird because Willow and Hunter aren't actually given any alone time to bond - Gus is nearby. And Hunter's dialogue doesn't target Willow specifically as someone important to him - Gus is included in his dialogue. There is nothing going on in this scene that screams "romantic". And again, there is no confession between them at the end of FTF so...

And they dont even have Willow kiss him in WAD. No pictures of them kissing and theres no scenes that include a huntlow kiss. Hunter is fucking awkward around her despite supposedly dating her for years. AND THEN - they give Willow Luz's season 1 haircut. Willow basically becomes a stand-in for Luz and she also has this hairstyle to make her look more like Evelyn. Even though it makes no sense to even push this parallel because Evelyn's and Willow's haircolor isnt the same. So its like??? What the HELL is going on here. It's like you want to piss people off.

Moving on...

The Collector's everything in this season is so fucked lol. First of all, he doesn't need a redemption arc. If they gave them a redemption arc specifically so they had a way of writing them out of the story, they didnt need to do this because TC is shown to be a character who will actually keep their end of the deal - even if they get a bit sidetracked. It could have been written in a way where TC will fuck-off if Luz wins a game with them. That's it, it's that simple. The redemption arc is unnecessary and only eats up screentime that should be dedicated to the characters that actually matter.

The Collectors lore is all over the place. In KKKOHD The Collector is shown catching The Owl Beast while theres a dead titan in the background. This dead titan looks to be the same titan The Titan trappers are settled on. But then King's Tide implies hes been in the mirror since King's Father was killed by titan trappers. The Collector is the titan-trappers god, but Im not sure why they target TC to be their god specifically. Since FTF and WAD tell us that there are other collectors running about and that these other collectors were the ones who employed titan trappers to wipe out the titans. The titan trapper and Collector lore and how it relates to the disappearance of the titans is very confusing honestly. Like you'd drive yourself crazy trying to make sense of it.

The staves Belos and Hunter use are interesting because it's implied The Collector taught Belos how to make them:

The Collector: [Furiously.] I gave you the draining spell. I taught you magic stronger than anybody's!

Belos: [Unfazed.] And that's why I won't release you. Can't have you giving that to anyone else. Goodbye.

But yeah... this show has no consistency to it and im not sure why it's this bad lol.

@lunterfans Continuing this conversation here because the other post was getting kind of long.

I seriously cant get over how they thought it was a good idea for the kids to waste their time asking for help against a literal god-being that moved THE FUCKING MOON out of the way just by pointing at it and moving their finger to the right... and splatted Belos against the wall with little effort. Like??? It is legitimately crazy to me. Who thought this was a good idea.

The school shit exists specifically for Huntlow... its absolutely insane. By the way I have no fucking idea why they would even bother forcing these two together. Both of them could have remained single. Their romance makes no sense because in every "Huntlow" episode it's just Hunter showing interest in Willow and never the other way around. Its literally not until FTF that she shows interest in him and even then she doesnt confess to him. Which begs the question of why they didnt just make them a couple at the beginning of TTT during the montage. And dedicate all of Luz's scenes in TTT to Willow. I DO NOT fucking get what was going on in their heads while writing season 3.

But yeah... homewrecker Hunter is so real... not even taking away Hunter's blush in Hunting Palismen can deter his homewrecking ways.

Like one joke me and a friend have is that he doesn't ask Willow out in TTT or FTF is because he can't get over Luz.

But yeah, this little man has no chill in Eclipse Lake. The moment he hears Amity is dating Luz he tries to ruin Amity's whole career. It'll never NOT get a laugh out of me everytime i watch this episode.

[picodart]

Digiweek 2021 - Day 4: Dark / Light

So if I had to pick a favorite Digimon villain, it would probably be Pinocchimon, however I already posted a pretty in depth analysis of his character during Odaiba week 2016 (here’s a link, if people are interested: https://picodart.tumblr.com/post/148422213160/todays-theme-is-unsung-heroes-and-villains )

One of the prompts for this week however, was heroes turning bad or villains turning good. Now there are several villains that have switched sides in the Digimon anime: Ogremon, Ken, BlackwarGreymon, Oikawa, Beelzemon, Yamaki, Zhuquiaomon, Koichi, Cherubimon etc.

But if had to pick villains who I think genuinely had the POTENTIAL to become good, had things gone differently, but sadly never got the chance, it would be these two goofballs:

I cant realistically see Devimon, Vamdemon, the Dark Masters or even Etemon becoming good guys, but I could totally see it happening with Arachnemon & Mummymon, when you take several things into consideration.

1. Mummymon really doesn’t seem all that evil. In fact one gets the impression that if Arachnemon (who he is in love with) and Oikawa (who created him and is his boss) weren’t around, the guy really wouldn’t have much of a reason to fight against the Chosen Children in the first place. Pleasing them is literally his whole motivation.

3. As crueland sadistic as Arachnemon can be, she’s still more humorously portrayed than a lot of other villains. And heroes with sadistic personality traits aren’t completely unheard of in anime (Dr. Stein from Soul Eater, Midnight from My Hero Academia, Akeno Himejima from High school DxD, Karma Akabane from Assassination Classroom etc.) so her becoming a good guy doesn’t seem completely out of the question.

2. Oikawa, their boss and creator, repents not long after their deaths. Which brings into question how things would have gone for them had they survived to the end of the series.

3. Though in the dub of Digimon Adventure their is a line about Arachnemon and Mummymon being born from the darkness and twisted desires of Oikawaor something (its been awhile since I’ve seen the dub) implying they are inherently evil, this line is more ambiguous in the original, Oikawa hallucinating them mocking him saying they are ugly because that reflects his true form. Its obvious this is just Oikawa losing going through a mental breakdown.

In reality, despite being perfect level Digimon, you could make the argument that they essentially children, having been created by Oikawa not long before the series takes place. When BlackwarGreymon confronts them and Oikawa in episode 46, Oikawa reveals he created them using his DNA, and its implied they they themselves don’t even remember this, nor were they aware of it, meaning they simply remember obeying Oikawa all their lives. Later on Mummymon questions whether that makes them Digimon, Human, or neither, and Arachnemon simply responds “Don’t think too hard about it. even if you do, you won’t get anywhere.

Basically these two have been following orders all their lives, not really thinking much about their own ambitions or what they want out of life.

4. Their deaths. The scene is clearly meant to paint them in a sympathetic light, and is easily the saddest death of a villain that never technically switched sides. Arachnemon is horribly tortured, and Mummymon is forced to watch. then Mummymon becomes so enraged over the woman he loved being killed. He attacks BelialVamdemon, knowing full well that he has no chance of winning. He doesn’t care, he has nothing left to live without her. Even the chosen kids, whom Arachnemon and Mummymon have tried killing several times, are horrified by this, but are too terrified to do anything.

If any Digimon Villains deserved a redemption arc, it was them. I personally am not a fanfic writer, an AU where the Chosen Children save them from BelialVamdemon and then fight alongside them would be a fascinating read. Also, considering how Oikawa dies shortly after, imagine how tragic that would be. How would they react. They mostly saw Oikawa as their “master” rather than their father, but his did create them, and they’ve known him all there lives. Would Oikawa apologize for treating them so dismissively over the years before passing? Would they join Iori in mourning his death? Would they be friends afterwards?

A big part of Iori’s character arc WAS about learning forgiveness and not looking at things in a black and white manner, starting with being the last person to forgive Ken, then the first person to emphasize with BlackWarGreymon, and ended with his connection to Oikawa (He even becomes a defense attorney in the epilogue, one of the few future careers that had some thematic sense) Having him be friends with Arachnemon and Mummymon would be another interesting way to continue that theme. (Also imagine them meeting Iori’s grandfather, and asking about what their former “master” was like as a kid.) I think that idea has a lot of potential

[serpenteve]

The argument I see most often by Malinas/Darkling antis is “but he killed people!” Honey, do you understand how war works? They don’t exactly talk it through. Or “he committed mass genocide!” Like, did we read the same books? Because I think you are confusing the Darkling with Voldemort. Yes, he thinks otkazats’ya are beneath Grisha, but his war is not against them. He wanted to rule Ravka. All of it. He doesn’t persecute them they way they clearly have Grisha. If Alina actually got a hold of her ish and accepted her responsibilities, accepted she was Grisha and their problems were her problems, too, instead of being stuck into this self-denial and Mal obsession, maybe she could come up with solutions. Then, I’d condemn the Darkling. But since none of these ever happened and Alina chose to ignore her country’s need for her(and Leigh made her lose her powers because apparently women in power are bad, it’s better if you’re weak, because your insecure crush finds you beautiful when you can barely walk, and what else was she supposed to do without any powers anyway?) I’ll maybe not support, but totally understand his motives, however monstrous his ways ended up being. Because, in the end, he was the only hope the Grisha had left. Give me a good alternative and I’ll take it immediately.

And another thing I don’t get. Leigh created the Grisha as a concept. They weren’t pre existing lore such as, let’s say, vampires, which already have established rules and even they get sob stories in literature and somehow given redemption. However, from the first books, she treats Grisha as if they are indeed dangerous and hard to understand and kind of barbaric, not because they misuse their powers, but because they have powers in the first place. Alina was punished for reaching the peak of her abilities. Are we not (in real life) encouraged to fight to fulfil our potential? Is being lost in oblivion and abandoning a great future, because we want the comfortable choice, good? And I have to wonder; the Grisha are Leigh’s people. She created them, came up with the rules of their existence, put hard labour into making their world an interesting story to tell. Had everyone pitched against them until they have to hide for survival, even in neutral areas like Kerch. Then, why the hell, does she hate their whole concept so? Why does she condemn their efforts to be good soldiers, good at what they do, good Grisha, while otkazats’ya soldiers are praised for the same(Ivan was evil for being a good Heartrender and a loyal soldier to an Army that basically kept him alive, but Mal was an excellent tracker and was trusted by his friends and superiors and we have to love him for that). Why does she punish them for fulfilling their destiny, a destiny she laid out? Even JKR (who I don’t like for obvious reasons) created the wizarding world and it was obvious she was on the side of her gifted creations all throughout her books. At this point, I just think that Leigh basing the Darkling off of her toxic ex blinds her and distorts the narrative in her mind and you don’t get to have a personal vendetta against a character you created (which is totally understandable, but a character is not a real person). So it just makes it look like Leigh’s personal resentment toward a fictional character makes her cling to a childish character she views as the saviour, offering a simple and comfortable choice she wished she had(basically treating Alina as a self-insert). Maybe I’m overstepping, but that was honestly the vibe I got. I like Leigh, don’t get me wrong, but stop making the same mistakes Frankenstein did and love your goddamn creatures.

There's a number of problems with the moral landscape of the Gregverse:

She made the Grisha a persecuted group but then treated the Darkling like Voldemort when he was more Magneto

She set up all this lore about how the Grisha have no safe place (the Fjerdans burn them as witches, the Shu Han experiment on them, the Kerch used them as slaves) but the plot doesn't focus on Grisha liberation, it focuses on Alina killing the Darkling as if that would solve the problem

Her heroes are not compelling. She set up a noble-intentioned but unhinged antagonist, but her heroes don't match his energy nor do they even have the same noble intentions. They just want to kill him and get the plot over with so they can go back to chilling in their dachas

Alina is framed as being "evil" and "power hungry" when she literally does nothing to prove it

Alina's status as a Grisha is never fully integrated into her identity or her arc. She was Grisha for like 3 weeks, killed the Darkling, and then she was back to being a muggle. There was literally no character payoff to her discovering her powers.

The Grisha get called "unnatural" and their powers implied to be an abomination by superstitious Ravkans...............but that's exactly how the narrative treats them as well

Overall, I just feel like the implications are gross. The leader of a persecuted minority group gets demonized for using violent methods when peaceful ones haven't worked out. And of course, the people crying for more peaceful methods are themselves not part of this minority (or worse, part of the monarchy) but feel they need to dictate how the minority should demand better treatment. Alina is paired with a partner who spends the majority of the trilogy resenting her status as part of this minority and demanding that she go back to the way she was and in the end, that's exactly what happens.

[ashdumpsterpile]

Ohmygod YES Susan Pevensie is awesome please talk to me about Susan i want to know everything you have to say

Literally THANK YOU for asking me this bc Susan Pevensie is a character I never get asked about and I have So Many Opinions.

I'm going to start by saying that Susan used to be my least favorite character in the series. This goes for the books and the movies. Some of it was for personal reasons--she reminds me of a couple of annoying ppl I know irl--but it was also bc I watched Prince Caspian which shoehorned her into a relationship with Caspian which I hated.

HOWEVER. I ended up rethinking this position after interacting with Susan fans and realizing that there are so many wonderful things to love about her!

(putting under the cut bc this got long)

Things Ash Loves About Susan Pevensie

Aight I'm not going to do a formal analysis yet on her, but instead rant about some of the unrelated things I adore about Susan Pevensie.

Susan the Archer

Look we all love archery here. I don't have anything more to say.

Okay, I actually do have more to say. I love the fact that Susan is a complete badass with the bow. You get the general impression that she's one of the royals in charge of public relations, traditions, foreign policy, etc. and yet she's the most competent archer in the series. One of the few things I liked about the movies is how they didn't downplay this. They actually let her be a badass and show off her skills.

Also the part where she kicks Trumpkin's ass was awesome.

Susan the Gentle

Susan being the most passive Pevensie was something I definitely underappreciated as a teenager. I think my non-ability to see past "I'm not like other girls" narrative and the combination of Susan being described as the most traditionally feminine woman in the Narnia series is what initially turned me off from her.

HOWEVER, now it's one of my favorite attributes! I love that Susan is a badass and the most beautiful woman in Narnia. She has hair down to her feet, every man and woman in the kingdom want to fuck her, and she's still a fucking badass who will not hesitate to kick your ass.

Susan the Sister

Most of my thoughts of Susan as an older sister mostly stem from my own personal headcanons, but she is an awesome sister to her siblings. She's Peter's voice of reason, Edmund's sass partner, and Lucy's big sister.

Susan the Mom-Friend

She is a literal mother-figure for Corin.

"[...] the most beautiful lady he had ever seen rose from her place and threw her arms round him and kissed him, saying: "Oh Corin, Corin, how could you? And thou and I such close friends ever since thy mother died. [...]"

-The Horse and His Boy, 33-34

Most everything I have to say about this ventures into headcanon territory, but I love the idea of Susan basically adopting Corin after his mom dies. The way she trusts Cor--who she thinks is Corin in this chapter--is really sweet and I wish we could've seen more of that relationship.

Susan the Flawed

Something I notice from the fandom is a lot of people who hate Susan tend to because of her flaws. On the other hand, most Susan stans like to wave away these flaws and blame C.S. Lewis for being misogynistic or Aslan for being a "cruel god" and ignore the fact that she is a deeply flawed person.

Susan gets something of a "reverse redemption arc" in The Chronicles of Narnia. This makes her not only a fascinating foil to Edmund--as both are analytical, logical people--but an interesting character by herself.

She starts out in TWW as very skeptical of Narnia and it's whole deal and also very condescending to Lucy throughout. She ultimately does admit that Lucy was right and does get on board with the whole prophecy at the same time Peter does, and ends the book being crowned "the Gentle Queen."

In The Horse and His Boy, she has a very interesting dynamic with Edmund and in even more interesting relationship with Rabadash. They don't even interact on-page with each other, but it's highly implied that she was interested in him when he was a guest in Narnia. His behavior obviously changed when she visited him in Tashbaan, but you have to wonder what their dynamic was like before for her to travel all the way to his home when relations between the countries were strained at best.

Prince Caspian is where the cracks start showing through. Susan has lived an entire life as an adult in Narnia, gets thrown back to England with her siblings, and is yet again in Narnia as a child. This book is what really emphasizes her one fatal flaw: convenience.

(Put a pin in that thought, I'll get back to it.)

Susan denies once again that Lucy saw something that the rest of them can't seen. She continues this narrative until every other sibling finally acknowledges Lucy in the right and only then does she apologize.

The last mention of Susan is in The Last Battle, where all of her flaws rise up against her in the worst way possible. I have a lot of controversial opinions on this that I'm going to address later, but I just want to say that Susan's reverse-redemption arc is something I actually like about her.

(There is also evidence that Susan does get a full redemption arc, just as Edmund and Eustace did, but C.S. Lewis was pretty much done with The Chronicles of Narnia at the point and instead encouraged fans to write their own version of how that went down.)

Okay, back to convenience being Susan's fatal flaw. So the one thing that comes up time and time again in the series is that Susan is very focused on material comforts. I believe it's implied that she's vain, and it's canonical that her own personal comfort spurs her to make decisions.

"[...] I really believed it was him — he, I mean — yesterday. When he warned us not to go down to the fir wood. And I really believed it was him tonight, when you woke us up. I mean, deep down inside. Or I could have, if I'd let myself. But I just wanted to get out of the woods and — and — oh, I don't know [...]"

Prince Caspian, 81

Prince Caspian has the strongest examples of Susan doing this, but certainly there's evidence elsewhere. There are a lot of fans who are distressed by this, claiming that Aslan and the others are too hard on her and shouldn't judge.

Honestly, I like that she's written with this flaw. Not only is it very relatable--(my own personal comfort and convenience is something I highly prioritize too)--but it humanizes a character who otherwise is ridiculously op and basically the Helen of Troy of the series. It may sound like I'm using this as an excuse to rant, but I really wouldn't have her any other way.

Susan As Portrayed by Anna Popplewell

Movie!Susan is a fucking delight.

She's sarcastic and badass and awesome and I could spend hours heaping praise on Anna's acting and her portrayal of Susan, but I can already tell that this post is going to be long so, I'll just stop here.

(10/10 want to be stabbed by her tho.)

Personal Headcanons

Let's talk about my fanon thoughts. I have many.

Susan is Aro

There's canonical evidence for this! Susan is a character who is heavily pursued by suitors everywhere, and even lets herself be courted by many of them, but chooses not to settle down. Even when she gets back to England and is described as only having interest in parties and material things, boys aren't mentioned.

I like to think that in The Horse in His Boy Susan was interested in Rabadash at first because he was a brilliant conversationalist. Nothing she says about him implies romantic interest, before and after she realizes the truth of his intentions.

Susan and Edmund Were Best Friends

This might be my love for The Horse and His Boy showing itself, but I think Susan and Edmund were thrown into circumstances where they interacted the most with each other.

Edmund is the ruler in charge of politics. Susan is the ruler in charge of Cair Paravel's public image. I imagine they spent time as ambassadors to other countries and planning royal functions.

They're also the most level-headed and logical out of their siblings, so they probably found a lot in common.

Susan Fancast

I literally just said I loved Anna's potrayal of Susan's (and I love what they gave us of older Susan too in LWW!), but I read the books in 2008 and my parents didn't let me see the movies bc I was like...nine years old and they thought it would be too scary.

So I had to headcanon my own interpretations.

Queen Susan the Gentle:

For some reason Merlin wasn't too scary for me to watch and I fell in love with Katie McGrath in like. Two episodes so. (On an unrelated note, I also fancast Bradley James as Peter at the time.)

Anyway, fanon Susan is basically Morgana Pendragon pre-evil arc. Sassy as hell, hot as fuck, and can kick your ass.

Unpopular Opinions

Yeah, feel free to skip this part if having controversial fandom opinions is a deal breaker for you.

The Problem With Susan Isn't Actually A Problem

I'm about to start so much discourse in the Narnia fandom, but C.S. Lewis's choices with her in The Last Battle weren't misogynistic. Bear in mind, I'm not saying that all of his writing choices in the series were A++ or excusing away certain racist/sexiest bits, but it's honestly baffling to me that people are so up in arms over Susan's exclusion in the final book.

So the part that everyone loses their shit over is as follows:

"My sister Susan," answered Peter shortly and gravely, "is no longer a friend of Narnia."

"Yes," said Eustace, "and whenever you've tried to get her to come and talk about Narnia or do anything about Narnia, she says 'What wonderful memories you have! Fancy your still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children.'"

"Oh Susan!" said Jill, "she's interested in nothing now-a-days except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up."

"Grown-up, indeed," said the Lady Polly. "I wish she would grow up. She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she'll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one's life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can."

The Last Battle, 83-84

There's a lot to unpack here and I first want to say that everyone's opinion on this part, no matter how different than mine, is valid. I'm going to be quoting some other ppl's opinions on here and by no means am I bashing them. I just want to address my feelings on the matter and the best way to do that is to cite the thoughts of ppl who have opposing ideas.

Here are some arguments on Tumblr I've heard regarding "The Problem of Susan":

"How about we talk about what might have happened if Narnia hadn't deserted Susan? [...] What if we didn't tell Susan she had to go grow up in her own world and then shame and punish her for doing just that? She was told to walk away and she went. She did not try to stay a child all her life, wishing for something she had been told she couldn't have again."

"Narnia is filled with metaphors (often not very subtle ones) that are supposed to teach us how to be, and the most glaring one for any young girl to absorb is that it's okay to be a girl like Lucy, unthreatening and cheerful and valiant and faithful, but to be a girl like Susan gets you punished - in fact, you aren't just punished, you're destroyed."

"why do we call it ‘the problem’ where’s the problem about a young woman dealing with her trauma and choosing her own path, actively making the choice to keep living and to stay and to carve a life out in England when her siblings couldn’t? what is the problem about susan forgetting to somehow cope with what she’s experienced? why is it ‘the problem of susan’ that she recontextualised her faith?"

And then there's JK Rowling who said this:

There comes a point where Susan, who was the older girl, is lost to Narnia because she becomes interested in lipstick. She's become irreligious basically because she found sex. I have a big problem with that.

It's weird how I'm still finding new ways to hate JKR in the year 2021. Again, there is absolutely zero implication that Susan had sex when she came back to England. ZERO. Did she actually read the books? IDK. If someone shares this opinion pls reply with actual canonical evidence.

Back on topic, I'm a firm believer of death of the author and interpreting art via your own experiences. Which is why I'm also going to share my own interpretation by saying y'all are wrong.

Susan Pevensie was not abandoned by Narnia. She was not barred from Narnia because she is traditionally feminine or because she "owned her sexuality" (another opinion I didn't have time to condense down for this post) or because she recontextualized her faith or even because she deserved to be punished.

I also fail to see how Susan recontexualized her faith, as the entire point of it all is that she has none. Bringing this back to Susan's fatal flaw (personal convenience/material comforts), her prioritizing herself over her own faith is the reason she is "no longer a friend of Narnia." Not...whatever fanon y'all are imposing on her character.

Susan is not being punished for liking lipstick and looking pretty. Susan's not even being punished. Y'all read Neil Gaiman's The Problem of Susan and forgot it wasn't canon.

There are many reasons Susan is not in Aslan's Country (one of them being that she's not actually dead yet), but the main one has to do with this:

"[...] But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”

Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 215-216

Yeah, okay that's why Susan is no longer a friend of Narnia. The implication when the Pevensies are told that they can no longer enter Narnia is that they are to find Aslan in other places. Susan doesn't do this, instead choosing to focus her life on material things. It isn't the lipstick, it's that she only wants the lipstick.

Susan Had Sex In The Books

Oh and not in the context y'all are thinking. (Again, there are no implications that Susan was barred from Narnia for having sex or that she had sex when she came back to England.)

So there's actual canonical evidence that Susan and Rabadash had a sexual relationship. Sort of.

"What think you? We have been in this city fully three weeks. Have you yet settled in your mind whether you will marry this dark-faced lover of yours, this Prince Rabadash, or no?"

-The Horse and His Boy, 35

Edmund calls Rabadash her lover. Not her suitor. I don't know if the word had a different meaning in 1954, but it feels like C.S. Lewis is saying that they're fucking. I'm not really happy with the idea of Susan sleeping with an abuser, but really proud of her for Getting Some as a woman born in a time period where having premarital sex was a big no-no.

This also invalidates the weird opinion going on that Susan was barred from Narnia because she had sex.

Suspian Is The Worst

I haven't really talked about Movie!Susan much, but as long as we're talking unpopular opinions, it's worth noting that I hate Suspian. Some of it is the "Susan is Aro" headcanon screaming inside of me, but it's also the fact that it's written poorly, does nothing interesting for either character and generally comes across as awkward.

I feel like they were trying to make Prince Caspian sexy and relevant to teens. It came across as super heteronormative and unnecessary.

It also gets really really weird bc the next movie then gives Caspian and Edmund mad chemistry and we're all just like........ok.

Final Thoughts

Susan may not be my favorite character in the series, but she's grown on me over the years. I have many issues with fanon interpretations of her--which definately fueled some of my disdain for her initally--and I don't identify as a Susan Apologist.

I do however adore Susan and have many headcanons for her not mentioned here. I love reading fanfic, writing fanfic and meta, and generally having conversations about her and would love to talk more about it.

I welcome criticism (CONSTRUCTIVE) and conversation on all of my opinions and observations. Please drop into my inbox. <3

[aspoonofsugar]

The Maidens: The Cycle of Life and Death

This post is inspired by @hamliet’s alchemy metas... I know nothing about alchemy, but after discussing it with her, this idea came up and I am sharing it on her behalf too.

In short, in alchemical stories (which RWBY apparently is) there are 3/4 phases. Each phase is linked to a specific color:

1) Nigredo (black)

2) Albedo (white)

3) Citrinitas (yellow)

4) Rubedo (red)

That said, often the yellow phase ends up being fused with the red one, so in most alchemical stories there are only three phases. Now, for each phase there is a major death, so there are usually 3/4 key deaths, each one linked to a specific phase.

For example, in Harry Potter there is

a) Sirius BLACK dying

b) ALBUS Dumbledore dying

c) Harry dying and being carried by RUBEUS Hagrid

Let’s highlight that each one of these deaths is especially resonant and important for the story. Sirius dies when Harry discovers about the prophecy. Dumbledore’s death leads to Harry leaving Hogwarts to look for the Horcruxes and finally Harry’s own death leads to Voldemort’s defeat.

What I mean is that the deaths linked to each phase must be resonant and meaningful either in terms of plot or in terms of themes. They must have weight and be felt both by the audience and by the characters.

So far, in RWBY we have had two such deaths:

Pyrrha’s death is linked to Nigredo, while Penny’s to Albedo. Interestingly, both deaths happened to two (supposed to be) Maidens.

This is interesting on multiple levels.

First of all, I have been asked about the Maidens in RWBY here and here. However, Penny’s death helped me gain a new perspective of their overall meaning.

In the first meta I have written this:

In a sense, the story keeps repeating. Salem kills Ozpin, he is reborn and his daughters are victims of the conflict between them.

Because of this, the four Maidens have become one of the many symbols of this endless cycle, which is clealry breaking its protagonists more and more.

This is well conveyed by the Maidens having a season theme. Seasons are in fact linked to the repetition of time aka one of Ozpin’s motifs.

I still think it is a part of the truth, but as for now I think the framing of the series over the cycle is more nuanced. It is a cycle of death and rebirth:

Goodwitch: The Maidens have existed for thousands of years. But much like in nature, the seasons change. No two summers are alike. When a Maiden dies, her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host, ensuring that the seasons are never lost, and that no individual can hold on to that power forever.

Seasons live and die, but new ones are born. It is a death that leads to a new life and that protects life itself since the Seasons are supposed to be Guardians.

This fits with the actual cycle of seasons where “no two summers are alike”, but that also accompanies humans’ lives and makes many human activities possible.

Secondly, both Pyrrha and Penny’s deaths have to do with the theme of choice, which is central to the series:

Ozpin: Maidens choose themselves.

In particular, Pyrrha and Penny’s final choices are two different declination of this idea. At the same time, they are linked to the theme explored by their respective relic as well (in Pyrrha’s case it means that her link to choice is twofold).

1) As the (supposed to be) Maiden of Choice, Pyrrha is given a choice in the Vault of Choice:

Ozpin: You, Miss Nikos... have a choice to make.

(...)

Ozpin: Are you ready? I... I need to hear you say it.

Pyrrha: Yes.

Ozpin: Thank you, Miss Nikos.

She is given some time to think about it and in the end she chooses to accept her new duty. Still, the power is stolen from her and the choice she was given is negated to her:

Pyrrha: But I can help.

Ozpin: You'll only get in the way.

However, this does not stop her:

Red-Haired Woman: She understood that she had a responsibility... to try. I don't think she would regret her choice, because a Huntress would understand that there really wasn't a choice to make. And a Huntress is what she always wanted to be.

Pyrrha’s death is about doing the right thing even if it comes with a high personal cost. She is able to make the choice to keep fighting against an enemy impossible to defeat an arc before our protagonists are strong enough to make it.

This is why... even if she never receives the powers.. Pyrrha is the true Maiden of Choice of the Vale arc. She does not need the powers because deep down being a Maiden is something deeper than that.

Pyrrha embodies the idea that Maidens choose themselves because she chooses to be a Maiden at Heart and dies true to her choice:

Pyrrha: Do you believe in destiny?

2) As the Maiden of Creation, Penny is created anew in the Vault of Creation:

As I have stated in previous metas Creation as a concept is linked to free will. Creations are free to develop and to change independently from their “creators”. This fits Penny’s transformation, who ultimately gives her back the free will that the virus had stolen:

Penny: I...I must...open the Vault. I, I do not want...Ah!

And in the end she uses her free will to make a specific choice:

Penny: Let me choose this one thing.

I have actually a lot more to say about Penny’s death and final choice, but I will write a longer meta about it, so for now let’s just say it has to do with self-actualization.

Penny embodies the idea that Maidens choose themselves because she chooses who she wants to be and how she wants to live.

What is more, her choice has to do with Creation because she saves Winter’s life and also (symbolically) makes her a whole person as well:

Winter: No, Penny, you were always the real Maiden at heart. I was just a machine. Just... following orders.

Penny: You’re my friend.

Winter: Perhaps, but I’m choosing it now. I’ve made it my own. And I take great pride in it.

Winter: You chose nothing. This was a gift.

At the same time, Penny’s sacrifice also saves the people of Atlas and Mantle who are stranded in Vacuo. If Cinder had stolen the power, they would have all died.

As a final note, we are directly told the themes linked to both Pyrrha and Penny’s death back in volume 5:

Ruby: When Beacon fell, I lost two of my friends: Penny Polendina and Pyrrha Nikos. I didn't know them for very long, but that doesn't change the fact that they were two of the most kind-hearted people I have ever met. But that didn't save them. Pyrrha thought that if there was even the smallest chance of helping someone, then it was a chance worth taking. And because of that, she died fighting a battle she knew she couldn't win. And Penny... was killed... just to make a statement.

Pyrrha died to make the right thing.

Penny died the first time as a result of her being objectified, so the second time she herself chose how to end her life in a way she found meaningful.

In short, Pyrrha and Penny’s deaths can be read as the two deaths linked respectively to Nigredo and Albedo. What is sure is that they are meant to be compared and foiled.

All this leads to a question... will we have other two (or one) major death(s) that will be linked to (the yellow and) red phase(s)? Will they be other Maidens?

As for now, I think it is possible, even if not sure obviously.

First of all, I do not know if we are gonna have a death for Citrinitas since from what I understood usually the yellow phase gets conveyed as a part of the Rubedo one. Moreover, if we have it, it might not be linked to a Maiden. After all, another pattern one could find is that both Pyrrha and Penny died at Beacon and so did Ozpin, so maybe he will be the one to die (once and for all?) in the yellow/red phase. However, as for now, I don’t think so and I am gonna theorize that the yellow and red deaths, if they happen, will have to do with the Maidens and will be other declinations of the themes explored above.

As for now, we know nothing of the Maiden of Destruction, so I am not considering her.

Still, there is another Maiden whose arc was left unsolved and who needs to come back in the story:

3) As the Maiden of Knowledge, Raven is told the truth about herself in the Vault of Knowledge:

Yang: Oh, shut up!! You don't know the first thing about strength! You turn your back on people, you run away when things get too hard, you put others in harm's way instead of yourself!! You might be powerful, but that doesn't make you strong.

And it is possible that this self-knowledge will eventually lead her to make a choice, which is what she has failed to do up until now.

If she chooses to sacrifice herself, her death will be a redemptive one and it might come to embody that Maidens choose themselves because they can always change and become true Maidens.

Finally, there is the Rubedo phase, which is the last phase. If we are gonna have a red death, it should be a key one for the whole series and one which leads to its resolution. As for now, I think there is only one character who can pull it off:

4) Cinder is a key character for the whole story. Personally, I think this volume was a turning point for her, but she failed to learn the lessons she needed to learn. What she did was to take these lessons and to twist them in a hypocritical way:

Cinder: I suppose I have only you to thank for one last lesson… Sometimes, if you want to win…you simply can’t do it alone.

And this has made her even more similar to Salem:

Salem: Why....do...you...keep...coming...back?!

Yang: Why do you?!

Penny: Why did you come back?! Why couldn’t you just learn your lesson?!

I would also like to highlight that so far Cinder has failed to learn the lesson of each relic.

In the Vale Arc, it is implied her concept of Destiny and Choice is different from Pyrrha’s. She wants to be “worthy” and to be chosen. Moreover, her idea of agency is linked to stealing others’, just like she stole the Maiden’s power and Pyrrha’s destiny.

In the Mistral Arc, she receives a warning about her Shadow Hand:

Raven: Aura can't protect your arm, it's Grimm. You turned yourself into a monster just for power.

But she chooses to ignore it.

Finally, in the Atlas Arc she manages to make herself anew. She recreates herself, but fails to truly change.

I am expecting all these failures to come back at her with the Vacuo Arc, which is about Destruction and will probably lead to everything coming together to crush Cinder (the people she used, the Shadow Hand, Salem’s true plan).

Once this happens, I think Ruby will save her with her eyes and will offer her that pity she was never shown as a child. This will lead to Cinder’s final choice which might be a synthesis of all the choices made by the Maidens she killed.

It will be a selfless choice, like Pyrrha’s, in contrast to the selfishness she displayed throughout the series.

It will be a self-actualizing choice, like Penny’s, which will free her from Salem’s shadow and influence

It will also be a redemptive choice, where Cinder finally lives up to her name and becomes the true Fall Maiden.

I am also expecting this choice to somehow solve the conflict or to be a part of the reason why the conflict is solved.

It would also be interesting if the Maidens’ sacrifices become progressively more effective in solving the conflict.

Pyrrha’s death is the most pyrric (obviously). She did not manage to stop Cinder, but barely gained enough time for Ruby to arrive and wound the villain. Still, it is a choice who clearly inspired her friends and I think that in the end it will inspire Cinder as well:

Cinder: You know, Neo, someone once asked me if I believed in destiny. And I'm happy to say I still do.

Penny’s death is framed as a sad, but powerful conclusion to her arc and saved both Winter and the people of Atlas and Mantel. It still did not prevent Salem from taking the relics and did not save the Kingdom.

So, maybe Cinder’s death, if it happens, will be key in saving the world.

This would also fit with the idea that we are going through a journey where we are getting to know the four gifts the Gods gave humanity.

Pyrrha sacrificed herself even before our protagonists received Knowledge, Penny did so after both Knowledge and Creation, while Cinder perhaps will do so after the characters have aquired all the four gifts.

[a-shakespearean-in-paris]

I'd love to see your take on Cullen's recovery arc as an alternative analysis! I feel like we're only ever presented with the two options of: "he needs to atone!" Or "he was a victim that needs protection!", neither of which I've ever fully agreed with. I think it's a result of the lack of attention given to his arc in DAI, which leaves a ton of room for interpretation, and results in people swaying towards either camp depending on how sympathetic they are towards him and his history.

I totally agree with this. 

The problem with the way Cullen is presented in DAI is that he’s presented in an unambiguously positive light, and as @tokutenshi pointed out in this post (which I do agree with) if your Hawke was hostile to him you don’t get some of his dialogue about questioning Meredith. Additionally if you side with the mages rather than the templars Cullen has some realizations about the Order that you’re not going to hear. It’s too little too late for a lot of people, though I would also argue with what tokutenshi said, he was severely traumatized after the Blight (if you take a female mage Warden in the tower during the Witch Hunt DLC you will get lines that indicate he is suffering from PTSD, notice the lines about him being “twitchy” and “jumpy”) Personally I think we can find a middle ground between Cullen being a victim of manipulation and indoctrination, someone who suffered after experiencing trauma, and someone who works hard in the moment to do some good, whether we can or should call it “atonement” or not. That being said, he does acknowledge in Inquisition that the war against Corypheus is his chance to atone, and he works overtime to the point where it’s commented upon by several characters including the Inquisitor how hard he works.  

By the time we meet Cullen in Inquisition a couple of years have passed since the chantry’s explosion. This is where I will be critical of the writing because I do think the game should have better established what exactly Cullen was doing in the time in between, though we get bits and clues from dialogue if you pay attention: He served as Kirkwall’s knight Commander after Meredith died, and he and presumably Aveline’s guard worked to basically repair the city, as Rylen says in Griffon Wing Keep that there was a lot of rubble, a lot of people without homes. Cassandra noticed Cullen’s work and recruited him to the Inquisition. (Also, keep in mind that the Inquisition was originally going to help quell the worst excess of the mage and templar fighting, restore order because the chantry lost control. Then the conclave happened, it went boom, and suddenly the Inquisition’s purpose became far greater than anyone would have expected. So Cullen as Cassandra’s choice of Commander makes total sense to me, considering he was a former templar and bringing him in basically acted as a symbol to any wayward templar, letting them know that there could be another way. But I digress on that part, haha.) 

I *think* some people are dissatisfied with Cullen’s “redemption” arc in DAI because we don’t really see him fall on the sword or beat himself up for his past. There’s also no moment where he like, faces a mage he maybe knew in Kirkwall or has to deal with the mages not trusting him. Obviously of course there is nuance there as well as Toku and I mentioned--he wasn’t allowed to heal as much as he should have before being shipped to Meredith. However, here’s an interesting bit of dialogue you can get if you pick the right options after Perseverance if you tell him he doesn’t need lyrium:

Quiz: The man you were. You can’t pretend like he never existed.

Cullen: Not even if I wanted to. But I’m here now. I can make that mean something.

Cullen knows he screwed up. What’s more, he doesn’t want to forget he screwed up. But he lives in the moment to make things right. Blackwall’s arc actually shows him falling on the sword and wanting to atone, versus with Cullen it’s implied he has come to terms with his screw ups off screen. He doesn’t continuously beat himself up, he does what he can for the Inquisition to the point where if the Quiz tells him to go back on lyrium for the better of his soldiers, he does, knowing it just may kill him. There is also limited dialogue that challenges his views which turns some people off, but I know for my Inquisitor she’s very much about the now and what they both can do in the now. I won’t blame anyone who wants to be able to challenge him more, but frankly I find the fact he doesn’t continuously fall on the sword or beat himself up interesting. 

All that being said, I do think of his arc as more of one of recovery versus redemption. And to be frank I’m kind of critical of the term “redemption” and what makes good redemption arcs or not. Someone having a “redemption arc” seems to imply that there’s only one road to the top of the mountain when maybe redemption is something you should always strive for? But as for the “recovery” arc: the chantry, IMO, purposely devoids both mages and templars of a personhood or life outside the order and Circle and treats them as objects. Many templar recruits are children and are basically indoctrinated to believe they serve the Maker and they are needed and that they do the Maker’s will. There’s an interesting bit of dialogue you can get if your character is a warrior and talks to Cullen about the templar spec, basically if the Quiz says “templars serve the Maker, I’d do the same.” Cullen basically replies, “uh, yeah, that’s not going to make you righteous, believe me,” implying this was the way he once indoctrinated to think, but he no longer believes it so. Templars are given lyrium for their abilities, but also to placate them, something Alistair says in DAO. 

After Kirkwall Cullen sees where the Order is going, gets an offer from Cassandra and decides that if he removes the “part that kept [him] chained,” he would find his own purpose again. (He says this is your Quiz makes him take lyrium.) In Inquisition we learn he always wanted to protect people. (Our local mind reader Cole says “some templars want to only protect, like Cullen” if you ask him about templars.) And as a kid living in rural nowhere Ferelden, he saw the templars as protectors. Why I interpret his arc as more about recovery than redemption all has to do with Perseverance and the way you as the player can handle it: You can either let him know he can start over, he can endure and one day find a life of his own away from duty and battle, or you can make him take it and thus let him remain indoctrinated to what the chantry taught him, that there is nothing outside of duty and battle. It comes down between a choice of “you are leashed to what the chantry made you till you die” to “you are more and you can recover and make your own life,” which he does do by Tresspasser, romance or not. At the end of the game if you keep him off lyrium he basically thanks the Inquisitor for giving him a chance, letting him know he could be more. Additionally, a lyrium free Cullen in Tresspasser speaks of meeting his siblings again, developing a relationship. If you make him take it forever he refuses to see them. 

I could also see the arc as one of faith, and finding it again. If you keep him off lyrium the prayer in the chantry he speaks is one of quiet reassurance and finding strength through his faith, but if you make him take it the prayer is “blessed are the peacekeepers” and it’s uttered desperately as if he is trying to believe it. He also mourns how far he fell. All this to say that I find it very interesting his writer focused his personal quest around the lyrium and what lyrium represents rather than say, him meeting a mage who lived in Kirkwall or something and him trying to atone to them.  

When I wrote my post about why Cullen gets so much fandom related wank I got a lot of different responses that echoed the same thing about Cullen’s arc not getting a lot of attention. I think there is a lot of good writing there with his personal quest,  but his writing doesn’t fill in every single gap---not to mention people are going to have vastly different experiences on how they played the games till Inquisition. And my examples of dialogue are things you may not get if you don’t pick the right options. And heck, some people only have played Inquisition. 

So, I think me calling his arc in Inquisition a recovery arc has partially been not me trying to justify why I like him, but analyze a differing way a character who has screwed up in the past is written. Blackwall’s arc is a true redemption arc IMO. Cullen’s isn’t so clear cut as a redemption arc, but at the end of the day it is truly about him finding his own purpose again, which leads me to lean more toward calling it a “recovery arc.”

[yeeyee-alumni]

Ellie’s (lack of a) character arc & why the result is an unsatisfying story

Let’s state the obvious: Ellie does not have a character arc in The Last of Us Part 2. A character arc is defined as a gradual transformation or inner journey of a character in response to changing developments in the story. And you may argue that Ellie from the beginning of the game is not the same as the one at the end of the game, and I would agree with you. She went from a woman consumed by revenge (not really but we will stick with that for now) to a woman able to forgive her aggressor and move on. However, there are problems with this supposed inner change on multiple levels. a) the change is not gradual b) the change comes out of nowhere c) the change is not informed by anything I don’t think there’s any need to thoroughly explain the first statement. Ellie has the same goal from the beginning to the very last second before attaining her goal. At no point in the story is she self-reflective, questions her methods, there’s no moral dilemma for her, no inner conflict, no doubt that causes her to put her own actions into a new perspective and possibly change her motivation. From beginning to end she believes to be 100% justified in her goal to kill Abby. Subsequently, if Ellie were actually consumed by revenge, the only logical conclusion to her story would be for her to eventually drown Abby.

Which neatly leads me to the next point: her change comes out of nowhere. The decision to let Abby go, as is implied by the narrative, is triggered by a random, arbitrary flashback of Joel. First of all, the timing here is outright comical. For what reason is she having this specific flashback at this very moment? Sounds like contrived, convenient bs to me to give the appearance that her decision is informed by something (which it isn’t, and we'll get to that in a moment). Second of all, getting a flashback to the most important person in your life that has been brutally murdered in front of you, seeing an image of what could have been and what was unjustly taken from you, is not gonna inspire you to forgive your aggressor. If anything, it would make you more determined and sadistic. And third of all, I hear you all yelling "but it was a flashback to their conversation about forgiveness and that inspired her to forgive Abby." And I have multiple qualms regarding this line of thinking. Number one, forgiving the person you love most in this world for having lied to you cannot be compared to forgiving the person who brutally took said person from you. This actually further accentuates my previous point, this is the person that robbed you of your opportunity for reconciliation. Implying that Ellie's thought process here is „I wanted to forgive Joel, but this person robbed me of any opportunity to, so I have to forgive her” is muddled, nonsensical and quite frankly unrealistic. And number two, is the implication here that this is the first time Ellie has thought back to that conversation? That’s a whole new level of nonsense. She will have reflected on all moments with Joel, including this one, and yet at no point prior to this moment had she considered even the possibility of forgiveness, as I have illustrated earlier. So why now? Very obviously to get a payoff, which was neither set up nor properly developed. And moving on to my last point: it is not informed by anything. I know a lot of players didn’t want Ellie to kill Abby, and even I felt that way at first, albeit presumably for entirely different reasons (I was so drained and removed from the narrative by that point that I only thought to myself "just go home, you psychos"). But upon reflection, I concluded that that would have been an unsatisfying conclusion narratively speaking. Nevertheless, Abby seems to have grown dear to many players. After all, they have spent several hours with her, they have seen her struggle, overcome her obstacles, fight for what she believes to be right. Their feelings towards Abby are informed by the person they have seen her to be and by the experiences they went through with her. Yet Ellie is missing all of that context. She has not been with us throughout our three days in Seattle, she doesn’t know Abby outside of her having horrifically killed Joel and she has not gained any new information that would lead her to change her opinion about her. And so, we have another example of the story making characters do things that are not informed by anything, for the sake of a poor payoff. And since we're talking about characters acting nonsensically, let's talk about the roughly three minutes leading up to Ellie nearly drowning Abby, shall we? Ellie approaches the beach absolutely determined to find and kill Abby (repeatedly murmuring Abby’s name to herself). Yet when she reaches the pillars, she cuts Abby down, letting her free Lev and follows them to the boats, indicating that Ellie has changed her mind, showing pity/empathy upon seeing Abby a mere shadow of her former self. And yet again, we have Ellie acting in a way she never has before. She didn’t have pity for Nora who was coughing her lungs out, or for Jordan who had advocated for letting her live, or for any other innocent WLF or Seraphite that came in between her and killing Abby. But the one person she holds a grudge against to the point of killing hundreds of innocent people without batting an eye, that is the person she is suddenly capable of feeling pity/empathy for? Is it really that surprising that Ellie's actions here feel forced, uncharacteristic, and illogical? But it actually gets worse. In an additional display of Druckmann not knowing how humans work, we have Ellie putting her backpack with all her gear in the boat, looking at her bloody hand and then remembering "Oh yeah, that's the woman who killed Joel. I almost forgot.” And at this point in my playthrough I was laughing out loud. And so, we have Ellie all of sudden determined to kill Abby again, so much so that she is willing to threaten an innocent child’s life (this by the way was the final nail in the coffin for me, they thoroughly obliterated Ellie’s character throughout the entire game, but this goes against the very core of her being). And we know the rest, they fight, Ellie nearly kills Abby but eventually lets her go. To summarize what happened in the three minutes before our big emotional payoff to our 25 hour-long journey of playing this epitome of misery porn: Ellie has 3 - count them 3!!! - changes of heart. Her motivation does a perfect 180 almost every minute. This is not how people work! That’s lazy, contrived beyond believe, and borderline comical levels of writing, because Druckmann prioritized having a final boss battle on a beach over organic, coherent, and logical storytelling (but I guess it was worth it for the goddamn visuals). However, what’s most infuriating is that there are such easy fixes if one only thinks about it for more than two minutes that could erase nearly all for the major issues I just illustrated while maintaining the plot points of the two fighting on a beach and Ellie letting Abby go. If we have Ellie walk to the beach immediately, finding Abby there untying the boat (Lev nearly passed out in the boat, Ellie not seeing him) and she then attacks Abby, immediately we have erased two of Ellie’s changes of heart, she remains consistent in her goals/motivation, not jumping back and forth between two extremes. The two women fight much like we see it in the game, and then as Ellie is about to finish it, we hear Lev calling out to Abby. And there we have our motivation for Ellie to not kill her. Not because she gets a random, convenient flashback, not because she forgives Abby (Abby has done nothing to earn Ellie’s forgiveness), not because Abby has earned her redemption, but because Ellie cannot find it in her to put an innocent child through the pain Abby has put her through. Because at the end of the day, Ellie’s hatred for Abby does not outweigh her capacity for compassion and empathy for those deserving of it (a core characteristic of hers that was established in the first game). Because Ellie would rather let an individual live that is undeserving of it than cause the same pain she was put through to an innocent child that is undeserving of it. Granted, if we were to go with this ending, we would still have to build towards it properly and therefore would have to tweak the rest of the game, mainly by showing Ellie being self-reflective, merciful towards innocents, and even doubtful about her goals at times to make her final decision informed by prior developments in order to have the character arc actually be a gradual transformation leading to a logical conclusion. I have been a writer for nearly 4 years now, which means I am in no way an expert, or the most creatively talented person around and yet I would argue that this ending would be much more satisfying to most players than the alternative we were presented with. Because as it stands, none of our actions or decisions (and yes that is something important to consider when we are working within the medium of video games), or Ellie’s for that matter, lead up to this conclusion. The conclusion to this story, the final moment, the big emotional payoff hinges on a random flashback, not on any other developments that previously occurred in the story. Subsequently rendering all of the 25 hours entirely pointless, none of it had an influence on the finale, none of it mattered narratively speaking. So, is it even a surprise that many found this to be dissatisfying? I noticed a few people who are fond of Abby accusing people feeling differently of having too much of an emotional bias or even going as far as to say they are less emotionally intelligent. This is problematic for two reasons, a) different people have different reasons for disliking Ellie’s final choice. Some still hate Abby as much as in the beginning, others feel drained and indifferent, and others still feel similarly to how I feel in that it’s mainly narratively dissatisfying. And b) the same story can have a different effect on any amount of people (otherwise, we would have settled the discussion about what the greatest movie all of time is long ago). My point being, that no matter how you feel about this particular story you are 100% justified in feeling this way, and yes that includes people that by the end of the game still hate Abby just as much as they did the moment she bashed Joel’s skull in. That does not necessarily have to be personal bias, more often than not it’s the ability to see through the storytelling techniques used, rendering them mostly ineffective for these people (and I include myself in this). I wanted Ellie to kill Abby not because I was unable to empathize with her or couldn’t see past my own personal bias, but because that would have been the logical, narratively satisfying conclusion to this specific story.