#of course she knows it won't save everyone. but as many as possible. that's what she has to do now

[thechaoticfanartist]

Grim being determined to change fate in TCWGANV to the point that she refuses to accept that she can't save everyone even when she fails vs Grim not trying to change the ending in ALATL but that doesn't mean she's not going to stop saving who she can, even if it isn't everyone

[starcurtain]

Potential Phaidei Crumbs

Some more possible Phaidei crumbs that I've been thinking about and haven't seen people discussing yet:

First, in the very first scene with Mydei, there's this one odd line. It's a tiny thing, but nothing in a character's first appearance is accidental, so...

Mydei starts griping, telling Phainon that the people of Castrum Kremnos as a whole will not accept him. Presumably he actually means this in a general sense, aka "The Kremnoans won't accept any other hero; Kremnos won't become allies with anyone."

However, something I haven't seen many people note is that Mydei's very next line is:

"As the successor of Kremnos, I am not able to act independently on such matters."

This is a weird statement, right?

Saying "I am not able to act independently" basically implies that there is a desire to choose differently than his people. It's not "I would never act differently than my people demand." It's not even "I don't want to act independently"--it's "I am not able to." Wording the statement this way actively suggests that Mydei has a different stance than Kremnos itself--that if he had the power to act independently, he might make a different determination than his people expect.

Or, in more direct words: He would accept Phainon if he had the choice.

The dev team is very careful about the first impression that characters make in their debut appearances in the game. Choosing to deliberately reveal to us that Mydei has a different opinion of Phainon than the rest of the Kremnoans might is a strong signal for Mydei's characterization--deep down, he is very different from other Kremnoans--but, even more importantly, it tells us instantly that Mydei thinks more highly of Phainon than other people from Kremnos do. (Even if he also thinks Phainon is a mannerless heathen who lacks hospitality lol.)

Okay, okay, but that's just one little line. There's another thing I wanted to point out too, and that's actually Miss Castorice...

I've seen a lot of people suggesting Mydei/Castorice, Phainon/Castorice, and even Mydei/Castorice/Phainon, but for all the fandom's shipping (and everyone should feel free to ship what they love; your ship is valid, fam!), I actually kind of think that...

Castorice is a bit of a Mydei/Phainon shipper herself.

Although Castorice is of course just a good person who is doing what she can to help Okhema, she also is quick to assist Phainon specifically to save Mydei, quick to try to keep Phainon calm because that's what will help him get to Mydei quicker, and she just brings Mydei up out of the blue to Phainon several times throughout the story.

It's Castorice who halts Phainon's ascension ceremony to ask where Mydei is, because she expected him to be there for Phainon.

It seems to be a given for Castorice that if Phainon needs him, in Phainon's most important hour, Mydei should obviously be with him. She knew Mydei would come.

Even before that, when Phainon was feeling down, Castorice admits she doesn't know how to comfort Phainon herself, and instead... brings up Mydei to comfort Phainon???

Girl thought Quick, how can I raise Phainon's self-esteem? and Mydei's nickname for Phainon was the first thing that seems to have come to mind. 😂

She really said "You're not lame, Phainon; Mydei thinks you're a hero!"

Okay, being more serious--even putting shipping aside entirely, it's just overall clear that Castorice perceives the close comradeship between Phainon and Mydei (probably moreso than Phainon himself) and understands how important having that close friendship is to Phainon, who seems to have nothing else left outside of the Chrysos Heirs at all.

She seems to be able to tell how much Phainon needs people in his life who believe in and can stand beside him, and seems to have clocked that Mydei is definitely one such person. The game tells us players clearly that Castorice is an incredibly perceptive person who is sensitive to the feelings of others, and part of that includes her continuing to verbally recognize, throughout 3.0, the support Phainon gains from his close connection to Mydei.

I think this is just another cool touch--but also maybe another subtle nod from the devs. Castorice won't even let Phainon have a single scene where Mydei isn't mentioned lol.

And finally, one last crumb based on a pet theory...

"As I've Written"

We don't yet know who is responsible for actually writing the character profiles in the "As I've Written" book--although the rewards section is called "Author's Recompense" and the player get rewards for "composing sagas," alongside the interact button being "Write Story," there's actually an entire achievement teasing the fact that the Trailblazer doesn't know who actually wrote the book:

It's not remotely written in a style the Trailblazer would write in, and it also contains information the Trailblazer (at least currently) has no way of knowing at all, like the details of Castorice's backstory.

At this point, the real author could be anyone. But I feel like there's a few things pointing in favor of the idea that the real author might be Phainon. It could also be Anaxa or Cyrene or even Mem too, but hear me out...

First, the book's design is reminiscent of Phainon: the book features prominent sun/moon symbols, has the same blue-white-gold color palette, and even the design at the bottom of the book resembles the design along the front of Phainon's coat:

The book also seems to be strongly foreshadowing that someone is going to lose their way, step onto a dark path, or end up making a terrible mistake.

In Tribbie's chapter:

In Aglaea's:

And of course in Phainon's chapter, where the foreshadowing is strongest:

If this "one who has lost their direction" and "lost themself," the "flawed hero," are all references to Phainon, then the book over and over again seems to be--for the player--foreshadowing Phainon's downfall. Or, from the other perspective: This is a record written by someone who has witnessed (or experienced) the downfall and knows what is coming.

There's also the fact that while Phainon's chapter is written in third person, the narrator occasionally slips in some hints that they know what's going on in Phainon's mind:

And there's also this moment from Mydei's chapter:

We already know that this is not how Mydei behaves around people he doesn't know. When Mydei isn't familiar with a person, he doesn't banter with them--he doesn't even bother with them. He barely speaks directly to the Trailblazer the entire 3.0 plot, for example! He doesn't remotely seem like the type of person to sit down at a table and drink with someone he doesn't know.

We also know that he's already scolded Phainon several times for trying to act like an expert in Kremnoan legends:

(Thank Streetwise Rhapsody from Youtube for these screencaps because I forgot to screencap it myself lol.)

And the icing on the cake:

The exact phrase "amateur historian" again.

To me, this all but confirms that the "true" author of the "As I've Written" chronicle is probably Phainon, which finally brings me to the actual Phaidei crumb I wanted to discuss all along:

Mydei's story is listed as chapter 10 of the book. Yet for some reason --even though we get the book only after completing nearly the entire 3.0 questline, when the player has definitely met Aglaea, Castorice, and Tribbie already--Mydei's story comes first.

While Castorice, Tribbie, Phainon, and Aglaea all share the same memory crystal, Mydei has his own separate memory crystal, not shared with any other character, and it is given to the player first, before anyone else:

Phainon really said "My man is more important than the rest of us combined."

Tribbie is chapter 1. Phainon is chapter 7. Aglaea is chapter 9. But for some reason, we jumped all three of those characters to present chapter 10 first. Theoretically you could say that it's because we went to Castrum Kremnos and fought Nikador? But, story-wise, was Mydei the most important? The Trailblazer met Phainon and Tribbie first, got to actually play Aglaea for a sequence of this story, and traveled alone with Castorice. Mydei is the character the Trailblazer actually had the least connection to in the whole 3.0 storyline, so it doesn't seem that the story is truly what determined the order characters' chapters were given to us.

At the end of the day, in a book that seems it could be written by Phainon (from the future? the past?), Mydei was given special treatment and came before anyone else.

I'm just sayin'... the devs don't do things on accident.

[nightlyrequiem]

How would Valeria deal with a significant other who is a pop star? How would the two navigate a relationship like that considering that one of them is in the spotlight?

Oh there is lots of potential for angst here.... but I have to reel myself back and keep things happy.

What an interesting dynamic too. In the real world, I feel like Popstar!Reader would be in hot water for dating such an awful person.

Valeria x Popstar!Reader

I don't see Valeria as the type to listen to pop. A few songs here and there but I think she prefers 90s rap or even dramatic classical music. She had heard some of your songs playing on the radio and liked them enough to give your name a little search. She found you pretty. You had a few scandals, as comes with the job. The music industry is cruel after all.

Maybe it was drug related, relationship drama, you being 'rude' to paparazzi even though you were only standing up for yourself. Her interest in you starts off as not much. She likes some of your music and thinks you're pretty but then she slowly starts lurking about on your socials. She doesn't follow you but she regularly checks to see if you've made a new post or a new story. Then she starts saving pictures of you. Any kind that catches her eye but a lot of them are you in more revealing outfits.

She feels frustration and jealousy whenever she sees you with friends. You posted one story where you were side hugging some guy and she was in a foul mood all day. She firmly believes that if you and her had met that she'd have a chance with you.

And meet you she did! Maybe you live in Mexico or maybe you're on tout there. Either way, by some stroke of luck you wind up in Las Almas. You were at a club, and Valeria was also at the club. The rest is history.

Valeria did in fact have a chance. Surprising to no one really. She is one fine specimen. After a few drinks you two ended up in bed together. it turned from a one night stand into something more.

It wasn't like she thought though. You're famous. You preform. You're a goddamn popstar. Which means you're on social media a lot. Which means you receive a lot of attention. You have a lot of people in your DMs. Not that you really see or answer them. There's just too many for you to do that. But Valeria sees them. You had also posted a story of the two of you cuddled up on the couch. Now everyone wants to know who she is. What she does, and she doesn't like that so much. It's not good for her line of work after all.

It's also a bit of issue for you. Cancel culture isn't real and I stand by that, but some people are unnaturally obsessive and critical of everything a celebrity (Specifically women) does. See Chappel Roan. You feel nervous that someone will somehow figure out what Valeria does for a living.

There's also the matter of you leaving constantly. Going off on trips and tours. It puts a bit of strain on the relationship. Valeria is irrationally worried that you're cheating on her. You've come to an agreement though. Every night, after every show you either call her or send her a text. Just to make sure you two are communicating. Sometimes the time zones are too different and one of you is asleep by the time the other responds but it works. You also send her videos. Of the crowds or of you in your hotel room. Sometimes though, she’ll join you. Not on stage of course but she’ll put on a hat and attend a concert or two to support you. Amazed at how monolithic you seem.

You two also decided that you won't post Valeria at all. and when you talk about her you have to be as vague as possible. For the safety of both of you.

In short, it’s kind of difficult for you two. There’s a lot of issues that need to be resolved but Valeria likes you enough to actually fix them with you.

[wileycap]

Little snippets of dialogue, showing what I think postwar redeemed Azula would look like:

AZULA: Admiral Asahi seems to be convinced that a return to the old regime would be in the best interests of the Fire Nation. He recently gave a speech where he accused the Fire Lord of being an impotent, cowardly puppet who was leading the country to ruin. Well, if he misses the old ways so badly, we should slather him with tar, put him in a boat at sunset and light the boat on fire after Agni's last rays have left the world, so his spirit will never feel the warmth of the Sun again!

EVERYBODY: [looks at her]

AZULA: But... we won't. Because. We're very moral.

SOKKA: Yyyeah, good save. Not creepy at all.

---

ZUKO: Princess Azula, what do you think we should do about the war orphans?

AZULA: We should train them to be an elite fighting force. They've already lost everything, so their feelings of hate and grief would be easy to twist to serve us.

ZUKO, sighing: Let's try that again. Remember that the Earth King's delegation is going to be at this meeting, so maybe try to avoid saying anything that could restart the war.

AZULA: ... give them jobs?

ZUKO: Child labor is bad.

AZULA: Even if it's-

ZUKO: Even if it's peasant children, yes. And don't call them peasants.

AZULA: What do you want from me? Should I say, 'oh, poor babies, we should fund luxurious orphanages where they can get the best education and care, and many hugs and kisses, where they can weave flower crowns and roll around in meadows of fire lillies?'

ZUKO: Yes.

AZULA: Oh. Well, that one, then.

---

ZUKO: Azula! What did you do?

AZULA: You're going to have to be a little more specific.

ZUKO: Admiral Asahi's estate burned down!

AZULA: That's unfortunate, but I don't see what it has to do with me.

ZUKO: So you're saying you didn't do it?

AZULA: Of course I didn't.

ZUKO: ... really?

AZULA: I hired someone to do it. I am royalty, after all.

ZUKO: Azula!

AZULA: Oh, lighten up, Zuzu. My operative made sure that everyone got out.

ZUKO: Everyone except for Asahi, who was trapped in his outhouse.

AZULA: Yes, well, that was unfortunate.

ZUKO: In his outhouse, where the fire started.

AZULA: A very tragic accident, but he survived, didn't he?

ZUKO: Yeah, but he was covered in... anyways, who did you hire?

AZULA: You know, I'm not entirely sure. She wore a mask, but I think she's called the Red Spirit.

ZUKO: What? You can't steal my secret identity!

AZULA: What are you talking about?

ZUKO: The Blue Spirit!

AZULA: The Blue Spirit was a myth, made up by Zhao to explain the Avatar's escape from Pohuai. Sure, there were some copycat bandits in the Earth Kingdom, but our own intelligence has repeatedly dismissed the possibility of the Blue Spirit being an actual person. Haven't you been keeping up with the reports?

ZUKO: I- you- argh! [stomps off]

AZULA: Bye, Zuzu.

[aingeal98]

Something I enjoy a lot about Cass is that with a lot of heroes that don't kill it can easily veer into self righteousness. It happens with Bruce a fair amount and while it can make for a compelling character beat if done well, if done poorly it just kind of makes the reader annoyed lmao. Like why am I supposed to root for this guy when he's saying "If you shoot the man who killed your parents your soul will be forever ruined!" and acting like there's no difference between types of kill?

And the thing about Cass is that while her no kill rule is based on the experience of watching someone die and the horror she felt, and while she does project it into pretty much everyone she meets... It never comes across as unlikeably self righteous to me. Like for Cass every kill is a tragedy and while her no death rule is a moral statement it's also given more importance as an rule that gives us psychological insight into what governs and drives her. Even when she's wrong, even when the villain is so sympathetic and justified that there's no reason to root for her, the narrative always feels very self aware about it. Like when she let that father get arrested despite him just wanting his daughter back. The writer (Puckett of course) wasn't interested in convincing the reader that Cass's judgement was the morally correct choice. He was interested in what it said about her that it was the choice she chose.

And similarly when she approaches people to try and stop them from killing she always lacks the morally righteous air a lot of others carry. She's desperate and earnest and determined to get them to change but it's not because she thinks she's in any way better than them and has the right to pass judgement because of it. It's someone who genuinely believes that she's irredeemable manically trying to save everyone else because if these killers can do the right thing and turn over a new leaf then maybe... Just maybe... there's hope for her?

It's so compelling to me. The desperation and clear projection that happens when she goes out determined to enforce and/or promote her code to as many people possible. Every time she says someone can change she's speaking from experience. Because she views herself as irredeemable and beneath everyone but she's still out here trying to be good so maybe if others make the same choice it's proof that she's not doomed. That none of them are. She doesn't want the hitman to redeem himself by becoming a hero and helping his former victims. She just wants him to walk away, to start a peaceful and quiet new life. And when he fails to do that and they meet again she still won't give up on him. When she stands in front of the victims family she won't declare she knows better. She'll hopefully and uncertainty ask "But maybe... He can change?"

Like there's so much heart behind everything she does and every action she takes. Every time the topic of killing people comes up she's so earnest and clearly projecting her own issues and seeing herself in every murderer and it's so fun. It's so fascinating. I miss Batgirl 2000.

[emeryhiro]

My take on the current fandom discourse

As well as a little reminder.

It hurts and is unfortunate to see many people on here and on Twitter who are worried and hurt by things they saw within the new teaser and sneak peek and their interpretation of what it means.

So I've decided to post this as a little reminder of who Daryl and Carol are to each other and how much they truly mean to each other, hoping that it can reassure at least a few of you.

I won't be disputing people's interpretation of the teaser and sneak peek, but I will be using a parallel I saw within the sneak peek and another similar scene. I'll let the gifs below speak for themselves for a moment before I continue, and I think most of you will know exactly where I'm headed with this.

She gets hurt She dies She catches a fever She gets taken out by a walker... She gets hit by lightning Anything... anything happens to her, I'll kill you.

- Daryl Dixon TWD 07x10

These were Daryl's words when the Kingdom, Alexandria, Hilltop, and everyone he knew were in danger, and even then, not even for a split second was he willing to put Carol's life and safety on the line.

There is not an ounce of doubt in me that Daryl feels any differently now; in fact, his love for her has grown even more because of everything they've been through since and all the time he's been forced to be away from her, never knowing if he'll ever see her again.

If the way he cared for the people of Alexandria, Kingdom, and Hilltop combined couldn't outweigh how much he cared for Carol, there is ZERO chance that Isabelle, Laurent, and the people from Nest ever could.

When Daryl finally lays eyes on Carol in season 2, compared to her, nothing else will matter to him anymore. The second Carol is ever in danger, Daryl will immediately prioritise her safety over all else.

Of course, he'll help the Nest as much as he can, and so will Carol; that's who they are, but if it ever came down to choosing between one or the other, they will always choose each other.

Yes, it's his nature to always fight for people who need him, but his feelings towards Carol led him to overcome that nature once, and he'll do it again without a second thought.

Trust the man who risked his life looking for her daughter

Trust the man who instantly ran into danger to protect her

Trust the man who ran into her arms when they reunited

Trust the man who would risk death to keep her safe

Trust the man who held her when she lost her children

Trust the man who ran to shelter her from seeing her son dead

Trust the man who puts himself between her and danger

Trust the man who stood by her when she lost herself

Trust the man who always made sure she was okay first (this)

Trust the man who has always put Carol first

Trust the man we've known for 13 years!

In 07x10, as a last attempt to convince Daryl to follow the plan and sacrifice Carol to save everyone else, Richard says:

"What we have to do requires sacrifice one way or another... Guys like us... we've already lost so much"

Daryl responds by saying:

"You don't know me"

Because it's true, Richard didn't know him, he didn't know what Carol meant to him, he couldn't imagine, but we do. And just like Richard, the people in France don't know him and don't know how much Carol means to him, hence why they don't understand him no matter how many times he has said that he has his home to get back to and promises he needs to keep.

So why don't they understand? Why doesn't he tell them about her? Why doesn't he explain who he wants to get back to and why? Wouldn't that just make things easier?

The amazingly insightful @haircoveredwriter reminded me of something here: Why didn't Richard expect Daryl's reaction towards Carol being put in harm's way? Why do Isabelle, Laurent, and Losang not hear Daryl when he tries to explain himself?

Daryl has always held the people he cares about the most as close to his chest as possible, like they're his fragile secrets, like he's scared of sharing them in case they get hurt or he loses them. Of course, you might say that that's more something we do as children, but we can't forget that Daryl never got to have a childhood, and he lost the only people he ever loved while growing up, so no, I can't fault him for trying to protect the person he cares about most, even if it's not in the most conventional ways, instead of talking about her and sharing her with anyone he has an acquaintance with.

This is also a way for Daryl to protect himself; I can see how he believes telling others about her is like advertising his weakness, his achilles heel, like holding up a sign to them that says "Here, this is where you can hit me if you want it to hurt the most. This is my weakest spot. This is how you take me down".

Speaking about her out loud is too painful; a reminder of how much he missed saying her name, what he can't have and may never be able to see again.

Listen to the hesitation and the way his voice softens when he says, "There's a lady named Carol" after Laurent asks who he misses from home, and how within a second, we see his guard go right back up again.

Look at how he can't help but smile when he hears her voice saying his name again after however long, or how he can't stand still, and his shoulders move like someone who's overwhelmed by an emotion that they're trying to contain.

The Daryl we see in the new teaser/sneak peek and the Darly we'll be getting in TBOC season 2 is the exact same Daryl he has always been, the one that's always seen as distant and guarded on the outside and a man of few words but incredibly loud actions; almost all of these have been developed as a self-defence mechanism, but none of these means that internally he isn't dying to leave France and get back to her, to hold her again, to see her smile again, to make her laugh again, to wipe her tears when she cries, to be her support and man of honour again.

The list from earlier in this post is just a few examples (of many) of how he has repeatedly shown us, through his actions, that she is the most important thing in the world to him.

~~~~~~

To wrap this up I just wanted to say that I can't wait to see how their bond strengthens even more in season two because I see these two as the definition of soulmates.

I love them, I love how they love each other, and I always will.

Or in @lola-andheruniverse's wise words (her post), which have stuck with me:

"I'm choosing to hope [and trust] and ignore the fear of disappointment... I'll always love them... They changed the way I understand love, and I'll never regret a second spent loving them."

For those who want to watch the scenes mentioned above, the timestamps are as follows:

TWD 07x10 scene between Richard and Daryl is 8:45 - 14:27.

TWD: DD 01x05 scene between Laurent and Daryl 9:20 - 10:50

TWD: DD 01x05 radio call between Carol and Daryl

Thank you to those who read through this; I know it's a little long, and I could have honestly made it 3x longer because I always have so much to say about these two, but I hope it helped ease your minds, even if it was just a little bit.

[muffinrecord]

Blah blah blah, a bit of a ramble on my thoughts about Exedra based on which Homura we seem to be getting at the start.

In Magia Record, we got Glasses Homura. I wasn't active in the fandom when Magireco was first being announced in its original form (so not NA), but I feel like Glasses Homura is illuminating in what kind of story you're telling for Puella Magi.

Glasses Homura has a kind of optimism and silliness that allows for lighter storytelling, at least initially. She's not jaded yet, not so worn down that she's only focusing on saving Madoka and having given up on the others. That means her presence allows for stories where everyone can get along more easily. Of course, this doesn't mean that things won't go wrong-- Scene 0 starts with Glasses Homura to make the transition into Cool Homura more painful later on. But overall you see what I mean, I hope. Glasses Homura brings the idea that the Holy Quintet might get along. She and Madoka might be friends, she could possibly be friends with Sayaka, Mami might be in her leadership position, and Kyoko is the aloof ally who swoops in every once in a while.

Cool Homura though-- starting off with her gives a different vibe. She's closed off and keeps her distance from people. If Cool Homura exists then it's likely that her interactions with Madoka are kept to a minimum. If the two interact, it will be more detached and cold. Sayaka might be a point of friction, as Homura will represent to her a darker side to the nature of magical girls that makes Sayaka desire to oppose, even if it means hurting herself and the ones around her. That friction means Mami will also be more closed off to others (to protect her team from perceived threatening magical girls). Kyoko will also become more ambivalent and can be a hinderance as much as a protective ally.

I'm not saying it's impossible for them all to be a happy friend group like in Magia Record, but that we're starting at a very different point. Many of the Holy Quintet-focused stories had less conflict and more slice of life, focusing on joyful moments and friendship over distrust and points of friction.

Now-- I don't think that Cool Homura is a bad thing*. I liked Magia Record and I liked seeing the Holy Quintet get to hang out and be happy and heal and whatever, but I also didn't like the lack of conflict between the girls sometimes. I think Magia Record tredded on the side of caution by making the girls all friendly with each other ultimately at the end, with minor bits of hostility that get smoothed over. For example, the end of arc 2 had all the different factions work well together with little-to-no hostility. On one hand it's great to see your favorite characters have friendships, on the other it feels like it reduces the characters and their issues to blank moments and smooths out their rougher edges-- and those rougher edges might be what attracted to you in the first place.

I'm going all over the place, sorry haha. Basically, I'm curious as to what kind of vibe the new game will have. Getting Cool Homura over Glasses Homura right at the start makes me think that it will be rougher between the characters, and I'm curious about it.

*My only issue with Cool Homura being the version we're getting first is that it makes me wonder if the story will be another rehash of the anime, which I'm tired of. I love the anime and I love the spinoffs but I don't want to see them endlessly reiterated in different formats (especially then the anime is always going to be superior to a live2d cutscene in a game). New stories are better than ones retold and retold. There's value sometimes in seeing a story redone if it adds new material, but I think at this point it's been done to death. I will say that I liked Scene 0 because it shows different looks to the girls and was more about Mabayu (and it gave interesting new character interactions between Mabayu and the others), but I also know that there are folks who hated Scene 0 for this exact reason of another rehash of the anime.

[loveydoveymonsters]

A Perfect World - Part 2

⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚

No no no. He waited too long. This wasn't supposed to happen, damn it they took you. They took you and he doesn't know where. You haven't been back in the cell in days. Originally he was just going to wait a week and try to communicate with you to let you know his plan. A week turned into a month, which turned into two, and then the next thing he knew you were being dragged kicking and screaming out of the shared cell by your hair by two brutish-looking men. He tried to stop them, of course he did, but they shot him with tranquilizer darts before he had a chance to get close. He's been extremely aggressive ever since, refusing to eat, never sleeping, just growling at the glass plotting his next move. He's not going to leave you to be tortured by these psychopaths. All he needs is the perfect moment, the perfect time, the perfect angle to hit the glass, everything needs to be perfect. Nothing is perfect without you though. He can't focus without you. He keeps thinking about the torture you must be enduring, the pain you must be in. He whines to himself missing you. He was sleeping with you every single night, cuddled up next to your warmth. Sleeping on top of you as if he were a big old shield to the world around you. He can't do that now, he can't sleep without you. Who knew having a mate would have such an effect on him? He certainly didn't. He didn't realize the full extent of his affections for you until you were gone with no indication of when you'd be back. He hates this. He needs you, he wants you back ‘Give her back’. He slams his fist against the glass staring down one of the scientists, growling ferociously. ‘I want her back. Give her back to me’ His aggression almost turns into a plead. He's pleading with them, pleading with them to find some sort of humanity in their hearts and return his love to him. He knows though. The only way he's going to see you again is if he breaks out and finds you himself.

This is it, the moment he's been waiting for. It's in the middle of the night the guard has fallen asleep, he could kill him easily he just needs to break out first. It has to be one punch, strong enough to shatter the glass so he can break through. One punch that's all he needs, one good hit. That's all it took, one good hit and he was through the glass of the cell. When the guard woke up he used his claws to rip his throat out ignoring the blood that got all over him and the alarms that started to rage through the building. He deeply inhaled focusing in on your scent, desperately trying to pick it up. He won't leave you behind, he doesn't care how many scientists he has to kill nor does he care how many people try to stop him. ‘Come on come on where are you?’ He wanders through the halls as quickly as possible continuing to try and sniff you out. He stops, he found you, he caught your scent and he follows it immediately. Bulldozing through guards and scientists and monsters alike. He makes it to a room, a quiet room he's anxious to enter. He thought he would dive into your arms and hold you close but now that he's at the door he realizes how scared he is. He doesn't know what's on the other side of it, are you healthy, have you been ripped apart? Have they stuck you with so many needles there's not a single inch of skin left? He shakes his head, whatever he sees he's going to save you. He'll put you back together, he'll take out all the needles, he'll undo whatever torture has been done. ‘Open the door, open the door damn it why won't you move?” His body isn't listening to him. He's scared to see his mate in so much pain. ‘Just fucking open it she's waiting for you’ He's out of time, everyone's closing in on him he has to do it. ‘Open the door open the door open the door…’

⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚

He breaks it down and is horrified by what he sees. Hooked up to so many machines, needles stuck in every inch of her body, she's completely restrained, blindfolded, and covered in bruises and cuts. She's unconscious when he reaches her recklessly pulling everything out of her without regard for what it may do to her system. He doesn't know what these machines are, he's never seen them before, he just wants her free of them so he does what he can. He can't stop the bleeding that comes from her wounds. There's so much blood. He can't tell where it's all coming from. ‘Stop it, stop it, no dying’. He slings her over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing and he just starts running continuing to ram anything in his way. He stops before he reaches the door though when he realizes her bleeding isn't going to stop on its own. He turns back, as much as he hates it one of the scientists could help, or at least one of the doctors they keep on staff. ‘Look for a lab coat, look for a med bag, look for something you can grab’. He does in fact grab a doctor, lugging him under his arm as he hauls ass out of an exit door. He sees a car and breaks it open, gently laying her in the backseat before slamming the doctor into the passenger side. She had been teaching him English before she was taken from him. He doesn't know much but he knows enough to get his demands across. 

“Fix…Her…”

His voice is raspy, a growl still embedded in it. The doctor trembles terrified of what a large beast may do if he denies its request. He doesn't do anything, frozen in fear, in shock of what just happened. He's about to just kill him before he realizes that he doesn't exactly know how to drive a car. He's right about it but he's never had the need to. He's lived in the forest for most of his life, he hasn't been in his human form in decades, this doctor could be the one thing that helps them escape. So the werewolf sighs and pulls the doctor into the driver's seat. A clawed hand remaining against his neck as he climbs into the back with his love.

“Drive…”

“Th-This isn't my car! I don't even know if there are keys! There's no way you're going to make it past the gate anyway they search the vehicles! P-Please j-just let me go! Ah!”

He makes a small cut against his throat, not amused or swayed by the doctor’s pleas at all. He searches the car, the visors, under the formats, in the glove compartments, and he finds it. A spare set of keys ready to be used and the doctor realizes there's no way he's getting out of this now. If he doesn't drive he'll be killed, if he does drive he'll most likely be killed later. If he helps the monsters escape he'll be deemed a traitor and assassinated. Either way, he's going to die and he knows it. Regardless, he starts the car and drives away approaching the gate slowly so he can think of something. 

“Lay down, u-under the blankets. Put her on top of you. It's night if the both of you are covered we should be able to make it through the security checkpoint without issues”

‘Don't tell me what to do human’ The werewolf grumbles in his head as he follows instructions. Her blood seeps into his fur, he's losing her, he shouldn't have ripped out those needles. He shouldn't have detached her from those machines so quickly, he whines quietly holding her tightly. It was an accident, he didn't mean to, he hopes you forgive him. You'll be fine, you'll be fine, everything's going to be fine. Just make it past the checkpoint that's all he has to do and then he can get this doctor to fix you and then he can finally be free. Free with his mate. He can finally take care of you the way you always should have been taken care of. ‘Hurry up’ The car approaches the checkpoint and the doctor gives a strained smile to the security guard who shines a light into both sides of the car. The guard had heard the alarms and knew to be aware of escaping monsters but thankfully the werewolf had kidnapped a very trustworthy doctor, one that doesn't cause suspicion. They make it through the checkpoint with no issue and the doctor drives them to the nearest motel where the werewolf proceeds to mug him. 

“Money…give”

“W-What?”

“Give…Money.”

The doctor knows at this point not to agitate the werewolf who begins to shift back into his human form before the doctor's very eyes. Dread fills his heart as he realizes pretty soon the werewolf isn't going to need him anymore, he just has to fix the fox hybrid and then he'll probably be killed. He can't take this anxiety. He's about to have a panic attack. He starts to breathe heavily, gasping for any sort of air. He doesn't want to die. He knew what he was doing was wrong but he was making a lot of money. He may deserve to die in the werewolf's eyes but that doesn't mean he can accept it. He doubles over gagging, trying to breathe trying to get any sort of air into his lungs. He's having a panic attack. The werewolf recognizes this though. He places his now human hand on the doctor's shoulder, it's heavy, he's big even in his human form. He remembers his mate doing this for him when he would have bad reactions to the experiments. She would rub his shoulder, and his back, and help him breathe through the worst pain, through the worst panic. He's not stupid, he knows why the doctor is freaking out. He may not care about this pathetic human but right now that human is the only one who can save his love so he needs him to be calm.

“Calm…won't hurt…fix her”

He says while pointing to his mate still bleeding in the car. 

“Fix her…please”

The desperation in his tone made the doctor pause. Air finally filling his lungs as he calms down. This wolf is so scared to lose his love, maybe he would spare him if he saved you. He has no choice now so he figures he may as well go for it. Sighing in defeat he shakes his head and turns towards the back door of the car. Opening it to check your wounds, your poor broken body in worse shape than he thought. 

“Okay, I'll get us a room. You stay with her. I'll be right back I promise…please don't take my wallet.”

He bears his fangs momentarily before huffing and returning to you. You're still unconscious and still bleeding but thankfully not as much as before. You got so small so quickly, they must not have been feeding you. He hates how much pain you must have been in. He hates that he didn't break out sooner, he should have gone sooner. He blames himself. He shouldn't but he does because if he had just broken out the moment he landed in that hell hole you probably would have been spared this anguish. He was also too rash in thinking he could just detach you from everything without anything happening to you. ‘please be okay. I need you to be okay’

“I got us a room. Go ahead and pick her up I'll treat her inside.”

⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚

Inside the motel room, it's very quiet, your werewolf stands over you as the doctor stitches your skin, injects you with a ton of numbing meds. By some grace of God, there was a medkit in the trunk of that car so while it may not have been that doctor’s it certainly was a doctor's vehicle they stole. This place is shady, it smells like death, everything feels so muted, maybe it's because you aren't awake. Everything feels so much duller when you aren't around, you give him life. You are the reason he started caring again. Before he was captured he was just living on autopilot. Doing the same thing all day every day, while it was nice to be free the repetition was starting to get to him. He didn't see a meaning in life anymore. But catching your scent was all it took for him to become hooked on you. You're his mate, you're his everything. So you need to be okay you better be okay because he can't live without you. He doesn't care how fast this is. He doesn't care that saying I love you may be too much. He loves you, he's possessive over you, you are his whether you like it or not.

“There, all done. I stopped all her bleeders and the pain meds I gave her should keep her numb for a while but you're going to need to restock. Now we just wait for her to wake up…Can I go now?”

The werewolf tilts his head at the doctor as if it was a stupid thing to ask. He needs to ask the doctor a couple more questions but his vocabulary is still so limited. He doesn't think he's finding the right words. He's trying though, he doesn't want to kill this doctor, especially not when he helped you. But he can't risk him letting anyone know where you are, at this point he doesn't care if he's captured again as long as you're safe. You have to be safe. So he's trying, trying to communicate, trying to keep things clean like you always want him to. 

“No…Speak…talk?...Where are”

He huffs in frustration, he knows it doesn't sound right. He tries again rearranging the words but the doctor cuts him off with a hesitant hand. This werewolf is intimidating in both forms so it took a lot of courage just to do that. With a almost hopeful voice the doctor speaks in a reassuring tone and a very calm one, praying that this wolf doesn't get tired of him. 

“I won't tell anyone where you are. I'll also get you some money so you can run freely to wherever you want to go.”

Instead of easing the wolf's fears this just made them worse. He had every right to be suspicious, it didn't make any sense why the doctor would fund their escape. He grabs him by the throat and slams him against a wall, a little too preemptively he admits but it was just his instincts leading him.

“Why?...No hurt her”

“I-I’m not going to hurt her I just don't want you to kill me! Ow shit!”

“Why fix?”

“Because I feel bad! So many monsters, so many creatures were wounded or experimented on under my supervision. I never wanted that, I just wanted to make a decent living for my family. She never did anything wrong. I wouldn't wish harm upon her. Maybe on to you but that's a whole different story considering that you're holding me against a wall by my throat right now”

“...Sorry…Walk….home”

He wasn't holding him very hard, he wasn't trying to choke more restrain. He releases the doctor, loots his wallet and the keys to the car before pushing him out of the motel room leaving him alone with his mate. His mate who he hasn't seen in so long. Days felt like months, he approached her sleeping form and curled around it. Letting his tail and ears be visible since hers are. He pets them, her most sensitive spots hoping it'll help her sleep better. Hoping it'll relieve the pain that may still be going on inside her. He kisses her cheek, his fangs lightly grazing her skin. He can't hold his human form for much longer. He hates being in it. So he relaxes, letting his wolf form return as he completely dwarfs her in size. He lays right next to her curling around her entire body, shielding her from the rest of the world. ‘Wake up’. It's a silent plea as he licks her cheek, her face, her neck, and down to her collarbone. Soft places, intimate places that she may enjoy. He doesn't know, he's never had a partner before. He'll talk to her when she wakes up, because she's going to wake up. You are going to wake up. He has no doubt in his mind about that. He'll wait, he'll wait for you as long as it takes. If he has to bathe you, force-feed you, and carry you around everywhere he goes until you regain consciousness he will. Just do him a favor, stay with him. Stay with him so he doesn't have to be alone again. So he doesn't have to wait for another perfect mate to come along. No one could beat you anyway.

⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚۰˚☽˚⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡˚

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ch.205 thoughts

[Despite Everything, It's Still You]

(Contents: Philosophy - Souls and identity, Character Development - Nico)

At the risk of overselling it, I think this might end up being in my top 10 favorite chapters by the end of the series. There are so many emotions wrapped up in this chapter that I can't help but feel the absolute weight of it all: the serenity in Nico's face and voice contrasting his haggard form, the triumph as we see the path to the endgame slowly coming into focus, and the relief of watching Fuuko's greatest fear gently lifted from her shoulders.

The image of Fuuko's tears alone is enough to make me want to cry. I always figured that Tozuka would reveal that souls are the same between incarnations, but the uncertainty of whether he would want to make the cast wrestle with the possibility of choosing between the present self and the past self always gave me the same kind of anxiety I imagine Fuuko was feeling. Fuuko's relief is not hers alone here, as I and I'm sure many others were right there with her the entire time, so I can empathize quite well with her feelings in this moment

Of course, Nico asking Language directly about the nature of souls gives us the answer that everyone is the same "them" that they always were pretty plainly and concisely, but from a philosophical standpoint, we can see this in Nico's characterization here as well. Because Nico has regained his memories of all previous Loops, for all intents and purposes he's acting as a preview of what will happen to the rest of the cast if they use Remember, though they likely won't suffer mental strain usually associated with Artifact memories if they do (hopefully)

The fear has always been that the use of Remember would "overwrite the save file" so to speak, that the soul of today would be replaced with the soul of yesterday as if the present self never existed. Julia unfortunately serves to reinforce that fear, as while she has a similar personality to Juiz, it's undeniable that she has her own identity, more analogous Andy and Victor than to say Gina 100 and Gina 101. How Julia would be impacted by Remember is honestly still up in the air, but now we at least know what to expect from everyone else

As Nico regained his memories, he neither overwrote his current self nor felt disconnected from his previous self - instead, the ideal scenario seems to have come about, and the two have become one. Nico knows who he once was, what he once did, but also knows who he is and who he wants to be. The goals he has now have not been replaced by the goals he once had, but rather have been reevaluated and informed by information new and old. By reconciling who he was and what he wanted back then with who he is and what he wants now, Nico is able to create an image of his ideal self and the path for how to get there

Past and Present have met to become Future

When I was in college, I once got into a debate with a professor about the nature of "choice." He argued that human beings don't truly make decisions, that their own nature, experiences, preferences and biases aggregate into consistent patterns of action that we call "personality." Provided the same information and the same set of circumstances, our personality dictates the "choices" we make, meaning that at our core, our "choices" are predetermined, and therefore not choices at all

I didn't quite understand what he was getting at back then, I thought he was just being pedantic and invalidating the idea of autonomy for the sake of sounding smart, but now I think I have a better idea of what he meant

Nico 101 wouldn't sell out his comrades the way that Nico 100 did, but this isn't because he's a fundamentally different person than Nico 100; it's because he isn't in the same scenario as Nico 100. Nico 100 had been under the effects of Unforgettable for decades, the memories of Ichico were fading, and the world was falling further and further apart by the second. His death, and the deaths of everyone he knew, were unavoidable; in his final moments, of course he would want to be with the person he loved most, the person whose memory he could only cling to and who had been his driving force for the majority of his natural born life

And Nico 101, upon seeing all of the circumstances that led to that choice, undoubtedly understood. He didn't say "I can't believe I did that." Though not in so many words, what he said was "I'm sorry for how I acted. I'm going to make it right." Nico 101 identifies with the actions of Nico 100, and rather than separating himself from those actions by claiming to be a different man, he takes responsibility for them by ensuring that the circumstances that brought them about can never happen again

Because while Nico 101 may not be a different man, he is a changed man. Through Fuuko's influence, through her choice to let Nico 101 live as himself for as long as possible, the nature of his soul changed in a way that Nico 100 likely couldn't have. Nico 101 learned to cherish other people, to make room in his heart for them, rather than to cling to the one shape it had taken from Ichico's influence alone. But more importantly, Nico 101 learned to value himself in a way that Nico 100 never did

"If I could atone for what I did by dying, I would."

A very Loop 100 sentiment; everyone in L100 craved death, to escape the survivor's guilt that their abilities had saddled them with.

"But even more than that, I want to repay your kindness...I'm going to achieve the most happiness I have in any Loop so far!!"

A sentiment unique to Loop 101; where everyone L100 craved death, everyone in L101 craves life. The fight against God is no longer a fight for revenge or atonement, a fight to destroy the past, but a fight to create the future, where everyone can be happy without the fear that a detached deity will try to steal that happiness on a whim

This change in Nico, visible in other members of the cast already, may have suggested to some readers that the souls of L100 and L101 were fundamentally different, but remember, in every previous world, everyone ended up the same every time because no one made an active effort to prevent their tragedies

Nico became Unforgettable in multiple Loops. Juiz knew how he manifested his Rule, but as far as we can tell, she never tried to save Ichico, and in fact may have even deliberately introduced Ichico to Nico as an investment towards attaining Unforgettable. That's a bit of a cruel interpretation of Juiz's actions, I admit, but I do think it speaks to her approach in defeating God - Juiz likely believed that everyone's tragedies were either unavoidable at best and that she was powerless to stop them, or necessary at worst and that she had to ensure they came to pass to create the strongest possible allies

In other words, Nico 100 was not "the default" Nico, he was the product of all of the choices and circumstances that led to his existence, just as Nico 101 is now. Unforgettable Nico 101, in turn, is not simply the product of the events of L101, but the aggregate of all 100 prior Nico's; their choices, their tragedies, their deaths, and of course, their experiences, their relationships, and their happiness. Nico 101 is the completed form of every Nico that came before him, and the meeting of all of their joys and sorrows created hope, a vision for the future and the confidence to achieve it

While we can't know how anyone else will react to Remember until they use it, the one thing we can be sure of is that they'll still be themselves. Rip will still love Latla and Leila, the question is whether he'll be more inclined to feelings of guilt or gratitude. What kind of man he is will determine which way the coin falls, but the fundamental truth that Rip cherishes those two above all else will not change

Like I said, Julia is the real mystery here, since Juiz's reincarnation has created a new person with new circumstances, but her morals and convictions are still intact. I think for all intents and purposes, Julia is Juiz's blank slate, a reset to the default she essentially was in L001, but that's so far removed from the Juiz that we knew or any experience that we in reality have had that it's hard to conceptualize just how large of a gulf that creates. We'll have to wait and see, I suppose

As usual, this chapter has just continued to build up hype for what's to come, and I simply can't wait to see what happens next. I'm sad that we'll have to wait another two weeks to see the finale of this fight, but with how phenomenal this series has been across the board, Tozuka definitely deserves to rest

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

[bengiyo]

Don't Care for an Old Man's Underwear Ep 11 (Finale) Stray Thoughts

This watch made possible by @isaksbestpillow.

Last time, Daichi's dad came back into the picture and dumped a heaping pile of homophobia right on top of our favorite boy. Daichi, despite all his courage and conviction, balked before his father. No one was able to say much to Daichi; not Madoka, not Makoto. Makoto wasn't sure how to interject himself in this situation, and hesitated because he wanted to move properly. At work, there was discussion about people being downsized and laid off, and how that ruined relationships once a man could no longer provide. Meanwhile, Kakeru is struggling with the ethics of makeup after he helped his friend pretend to be a kind of girl she isn't. Finally, when no one else seemed like they could talk to Daichi, Kakeru reminded us that he's Makoto's son and meddled directly. We left at Daichi's dad being horrible to Kakeru, and Makoto stormed off to confront the man once he found out.

I really like how vile this final villain is with his presentation as reasonable and principled. He uses a soft tone, but he's constantly turning things around to be cruel. He made his son suffer, and he was rude to Kakeru. I almost wonder if he provoked Kakeru just so he had the leverage to demand the Okita family stay away from Daichi. He's an excellent villain, because you have to use all the empathy and compassion the show brought out of you to resist this man's flawed logic.

Wow, Makoto gets it. I am gonna cry because I'm so proud of him for not losing his conviction.

Madoka, my guy, what are you doing? This is a big problem you should face together.

Oh, Kakeru, you were so harsh to everyone all season about how they talked to you. It's hard to talk to people isn't it?

OOF Mor is also dealing with the expectations of society at large. We're really building to a finale.

And now Mika might be losing her job!

My family is in crisis!

Truly so special that Makoto has finally reached an understanding with his family that he realized what was wrong with each of them.

No! Don't ruin the sanctity of the park!! Gays, get it together!!

"Why are there so many obstacles to overcome if you're gay?" Bitch, me too, the fuck!!

It did feel like a barrier had formed between Daichi and Makoto. I'm sad and frustrated.

Y'all are gonna kill this old man.

Okay, what bad news did Furuike get, because my man just reiterated that when you grow up your heart dies?

Oh, Furuike, you've come along as well. Responding to the info that Shimura realized what was going on with him that she should be promoted is excellent growth. I also love him reminding Makoto that he's not dead yet. Life is still worth living.

I love Makoto recognizing that he was asked to be the matchmaker. He needs to know that the rules of the society can be turned for the betterment of people even in the modern age.

KAKERU'S TELLING SHIZUKA HIS FEELINGS OVER MAKEUP

"Making noise to help you forget is also what friends are for." Y'all I'm overwhelmed.

"If I'm ever unsure of myself, I'll ask Kakeru-tan to do my makeup." STOP MAKING ME CRY.

Actually so important that this show reiterates that even straight people get rejected constantly by others for failing to be what others want them to be

Of course Moe's full pen name is Pectoralis Major Huge Melons. I love her.

I'm so happy to see Makoto and Mika talking about things over chores together. I'm so proud of Mika, too.

Save us, Carlos!!!

YES, MEDDLE!!

Wow, this is the best show I've ever seen. The Okita family showed up exactly as themselves, with their passions plain, and stood before Daichi in front of this cruel man. Makoto demolished that man entirely, and said plainly that he is cruel to his son.

Daichi said it! If I change myself like that then I won't be myself!

Don't let the door hit you on the way out!!

So thankful that this show gave us that scene between Mihoko and Daichi. Sometimes we have to accept that people important to us won't accept us, but we must remember that we have those who will.

Way to release the tension with an old man's underwear and his kids dunking on him.

THEY SAID THE NAME OF THE SHOW! FINISH YOUR DRINKS!!

Of course Makoto is a crying, sloppy mess during the wedding. I love him.

What a beautiful finish.

Final Verdict: 11, Television Can Still Be Good. Truly, I don't know how else to describe this other than as one of the most important things I've ever watched in the last 20 years of engaging with stories about queer people. Seeing the Okita family reveal their passions and blast Daichi's dad like Care Bears as Makoto tells him he's a cruel asshole jumping to the front of the line to beat him up. This show earned every single beat it hit, and it was so lovely to watch a show where every character had goals and challenges. It wasn't just about making sure two guys have sex. This was a story about friendship and community, and it had strong ideas about how we make ourselves suffer for the betterment of others and yet no one is happy. This is one of the best things I've ever seen. Please go watch it.

[peachymilkandcream]

For The Glory Of Humanity|Part 4|Erwin x Reader

WARNINGS: noncon, dubcon, forced/arranged marriage, misogyny, domestic violence, yandere themes/behaviours, violence, Erwin being a (g)rape apologist, power imbalance, age difference, verbal/emotional abuse, murder, sexual coercion, blackmail, etc.

================================================

The replay of the party continued to float through both Erwin and Miss Blanke's head. One with the idea of catching the attention of such a well-known and rich man. The other at the idea of possibly finding a naïve and useful woman. They both wanted something from each other, except one had a much more sinister goal.

The important thing to remember is that they were both content and pushing forward with their plans for what most would call a decent and respectable future.

Yes, Erwin was content indeed. Levi was pacified, Evelyn safe and unable to distract Levi from saving other soldiers this time. Hange was in good spirits, perhaps some new situationship. Even the Scouts were on a high of new recruits flocking to join the ranks of the group that saved humanity within the walls time and time again.

Or he was content until his office door was nearly broken down from all the insistent knocking. With an annoyed sigh he crossed the room and opened the door, surprise coming to his face at seeing Evelyn on the other side.

"Evelyn. This is a surprise, won't you come in?"

Erwin's eyes follow her as she sits. There's something off, she's out of breath and sweaty. What had Levi been thinking dragging his rebellious wife here. Was he just trying to torture him with the memory of what he signed away on? Well if he thought that would get a reaction out of him now, he was sorely mistaken.

"Now. How can I help you? Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you, I just need to talk."

Shit. Here we go. Unless Levi had already broken her will now he would hear the whole sob story. "Yes of course, what is it?"

"It's Levi, Erwin I don't know what happened to him but he's nothing like you know. He's lying to you, he lied to us both about this marriage. It wasn't just a sham, he consummated it, he made me consummate it Erwin. I didn't have a choice. Since then he's kept me locked away and forced himself on me time and time again. He's obsessed with the idea of getting me pregnant and loses his mind if anyone who's a man looks at me. I tried to escape once and he threatened to beat me senseless. And while he hasn't done it to the point of senselessness he has beaten me many times if I "talk back" or "misbehave". I need help Erwin, and you and Hange are the only ones I have to turn to. I know Hange can't do anything but as Commander of the Scouts you can, you can arrest him, court martial him, the whole nine yards. Please Erwin, I need you to help me, I'm begging you to believe me. I know it sounds crazy from the Levi we know but I'm telling you it's true. Please just, believe me."

The bitch. At least he could count his blessings on the matter that she didn't go to someone else with this like Hange. His career would be over and his life shortly after with a short drop and a sudden stop. But he swore, Levi wouldn't hear the end of this embarrassment. Best to return her as quickly as possible, if he knew Levi, the cleaners would have to work extra hard in his office once the Captain had thoroughly punished her.

"I believe you."

It's almost comedic how her eyes brighten at that simple phrase. Up until now surely she's thought that everyone was against her and no one would give her help. How right she was.

"You do? You don't question it? Oh thank you Erwin- thank you so much-"

He nods, standing. "I think I know what's best for you. If you follow me everything will be alright."

Like a fool she follows, not questioning in the slightest what his intentions are for or with who his allegiances lie.

"But wait, this is Levi's office-"

Now she gets it, now she knows how fucked her situation is. "Yes it is."

With one shove she's inside, Erwin ensuring her blocks the door.

"What is this?" Levi was already in a bad mood, probably annoyed that his wife had caused a disturbance.

"It seems we weren't clear in our deal Levi, control your wife. She came to my office begging for freedom. Control her or lose her." He turns quickly and leaves.

As Erwin closes the door he waits just long enough to hear the sounds of Levi's punishment. By no means did he get off of the idea of other people in the act, but he was nosy to ensure that his plans were going as scheduled and Levi wasn't shirking his duties. But by the sounds of it, he had nothing to fear.

================================================

It seemed turning in Evelyn gained more of Levi's good graces and tolerable tempers. He actually treated Erwin with a grain of respect, something that had been a hard won battle for years.

Therefore whenever there was report of Mrs. Ackerman seen wandering the streets Erwin made sure that his men were the first on it, gathering her and depositing her back to her rightful owner.

Each time Evelyn became more and more angry, throwing more curses Erwin's way as she was brought to him before being shipped off to Levi.

"I hate you. I curse you and your family. I hope you die in a stinking Titan's mouth." She finished this latest rant with a wad of spit hitting the floor.

"Perhaps Levi can teach you some manners. But come now Evelyn, again? I'm starting to believe you like being hunted and punished."

"Never."

"Really. You say that now. But one day you'll come to realize that Levi and I, we're on the top of this world. Even the Premier Zachary has his ways to be bought into my pocket. With the right connections you can rule this world. Historia, Zachary, Pixis, Niall, all those who could knock us down from our pedestals owe us something. Just like I have, they would sell you out in a second. In fact, when they were told of the union they believed it was perfect to keep you in check. 'Being barefoot and pregnant will be enough to reign in a Titan shifter'. Those were their words."

"No-"

"Don't believe me? Since Eren's disappearance they've all become a little hesitant to trust a Titan shifter's good judgement. Why do you think Mikasa Ackerman has been entrusted to stay so close to Arlert? The only reason those two aren't in the position you're in is because there's a chance Mikasa's ties to Eren could bring him back to us. No one, will come to save you. No one will believe you. So do your duty already and submit."

Her head hangs low, perhaps this time he had gotten through to her. He was annoyed by her constant lack of understanding to the situation. She should be grateful to him and Levi for this opportunity instead of being a dissected experiment.

"Now get her out of here."

As she's dragged away Erwin can't help but smirk slightly. No one was getting in his way.

[clonerightsagenda]

Arcane S2E5

Oh hey it's the guy whose jaw Vi broke last season. He's got a metal jaw now. I relate to him.

Vi looks like she's doing awesome. Of course living in the underground she's constantly bombarded by either people cosplaying her sister or her ex establishing military law.

Are these drunken hallucinations, or does Vi also have elements of her sister's psychosis, and she just wasn't under the right kind of stressors to bring it out before?

Oh man Mel your skin has gone so ashy, have you been in a coma with no lotion for the entirety of the timeskip

What exactly did the doctor do to Jinx to save her life? She's corpse pale, and I don't like the look of those veins around her eyes. Did she die?

Journey into the transgender cave (trans flag walls)

Sibling behavior

Singed and Hilbert should hang out

That's… not really her brother is it

Nice, Mel caught on quick and immediately went for the kill, she internalized at least a little bit of being mommy's little monster. Not everyone could immediately smash the head of someone who looks like their brother

Oh hey, Mel has magic powers? Iirc she wasn't a LoL character pre-show so I figured she'd be normal

Unrelated but having rewatched s1 where Jinx was driven to a jealous frenzy over Caitlyn and Vi standing next to each other I'm surprised she threw in that "I hope you at least got to have gay sex before I kill you <3" comment. You'd think she'd be in more of a love loses mood.

Oh god I can only imagine how many people are now thirsting over scarless young Silco. Young Vander on the other hand is objectively a downgrade imo

Not sure how I feel about Vander and Silco knowing Vi and Jinx's mom beforehand. I kind of liked them just picking up random kids off the street rather than doing it because 'hey I know that kid'. Vander in the spirit of community mutual support, Silco because he has problems

Appreciate that Warwick comes with color coded mood signifiers

I'm sure this one moment of the sisters happily hugging their werewolf zombie dad is the last hope spot for the next 4 episodes. Since I just read Anne Carson's Antigone and it is On My Mind I'm thinking about the chorus while all the characters rush offscreen hoping to make it in time to stop the tragedy (they won't. it's a tragedy. they were all doomed from the beginning) going "we're still here, we're all fine, we're standing in the nick of time"

Aaaaaaand nick over, we are now in the industrial chamber of doom

Oh hey when the transgender furry mentioned a good doctor I thought she meant Singed, not Viktor. Well, enjoy your new legs I guess, elf council guy. Possibly evil legs? Because all prosthetics in this show are Sinister except Jayce's mom's fingers. Actually Jinx's finger is fine. You heard it here folks: fingers! the one body mod the showrunners don't think is too scary

Jayce is back from the shadow realm. Is he… glitching?

Jayce what the fuck man

Wait if Jayce was in some weird nightmare dimension that he just popped out of was he... in.... hammerspace........... (I'll see myself out)

[maryamf1d]

Directioner unity

Not being on tumblr felt like I've been away from all of the fun that the directioners would be having. Now the worst part about this comeback is that one of the prettiest souls, softest hearts among us has left us touching stars deep down in dark. We're hopeless and hurt. So many of us might've thought about how we could've changed it how we could've prevented it how we could've saved him. But...we couldn't we failed. He was alone thinking that everyone was hating on him no liam no one hated you bb boi. I've wrote many poems for Liam even before i had the news crawling in my brain. I've written many many poems for one direction too which at this point would get really sad if i shared.

Now, here we are, I'm awfully sorry for everyone who holds the ache of him not being here with us anymore in their heart. First of all his parents and his sisters. You can't even imagine the pain they've been going through they've seen him grow up. And then the boys louis, harry, niall, and zayn. For they had spent their slipping teenage years with liam all the memories might make them cry it's not easy. then of course the fans. All of them who had encounter with him and mourn on the fact that he'll never be able to do that again. And then those who never got the chance to meet them grieving about how they'll never be able to tell him how much he means to them. And then his girlfriend. I don't know why people act like she hasn't lost a gem of a boyfriend. Because she has lost something greater from her life. You guys what I'm tryna say is that what if you were in her place? You know what would happen to you so be nice.

For me of course I'm a fan I'm a directioner, and i obviously feel what all of you feel. I'm heartbroken and this excruciating pain won't let me sleep at night (and I'm sure all of you feel the same). It's worse knowing that i just lost my father a few days before Liam's...death (feels so surreal to write this sentence) and when i heard about this...well, i couldn't keep myself together and like all of you I'm still in state of shock.

And now all i ever wanna do is protect the others. Because we canNOT afford to lose any of our boys ok? So we'll let them know how much we support them along with liam. For which if you guys show directioner unity, repost this and share your poetry, mention me and I'll repost your poetry, and get this as far as possible, we wanna reach them, show them how we're standing by them.

Love,

Directioner maryam f.

[hel-phoenyx]

Kaizarz (mentioned) and Skuld belong to @corneille-but-not-the-author

We went past the first island of Paxaikon yesterday, and still haven't thrown the anchor for good. Some halts, to buy food and signal our presence, of course (and I have to admit we were better met than in the Shabbatai piers) but never a full stop.

I wonder what our captain and king has in mind, but hey, never had the occasion to ask him the question.

Won't do so today either. Because I have company of the fleeting kind, and I intend to enjoy every last second of it.

Skuld is sitting on the edge of the boat, looking at the sea. One of her hands is playing with a braid, turning it around and around like pulling on it would help her concentrate.

I'll never stop enjoying her presence, just looking at her in silence, but there is a question I wanted to ask since a long time.

"Hey, Skuld. Have you ever predicted your own death ?"

She jumps from the edge almost immediatly. Looks like I've startled her. Yet, her face still doesn't show anything.

"... Weird question."

"Sorry for the morbid curiosity. Your're not obligated to answer, I was just wondering."

She shrugs.

"Well, yeah, actually. That's the first thing a Norn looks at. Also, I have so many visions I basically saw everyone dying. In wildly different ways. But it's just visions. Possible futures."

You're taking that quite lightly for a woman that once told me I saved her life, without me even remembering what I did. But I know better than digging deeper. She gives the answers she wants to gives, to whoever she wants. The fact I got more than most is not indicative.

I don't feel entitled to her words. I just want to set her free.

"So you saw me dead.

"Don't need a vision for that, mister I almost drowned after an assassination attempt."

"Good point. But well, I'm alive."

"And I intend to keep it that way."

I smile.

"Yeah, me too. I still owe you a training session."

Since two years we haven't had time to do so. Even though I promised. The only time we saw each other after that, the Tyrant was just dead, and I only had time to talk about the boat journey with you, and give you one of my training axes.

It's been two years since that promised yet if you resented me once, it's nowhere on your face when you start laughing.

"Right. Even years late you don't forget things like these, do you ?"

"Well, I promised."

"Just say you want to get beaten up, it's not shameful."

She winks at me and gods even in the middle of sassing my person she looks so pretty. It is no wonder Kaizarz loves her so much.

It is no wonder I do.

I give her back her wink, with a smile albeit a little softer.

"We'll see about that."

Another laugh. I am quite lucky today.

"You wouldn't even dare to activate your electromagnetic protection force field in fear to electrocute me. Or because you want to be touched so badly. Don't think I have forgotten how you react when I'm sat on your lap~"

"You did that on purpose and I know it. Also remember I can still throw you in the ocean..."

"Oh, I'm terrified."

Sure you aaaare. Especially with those mischevious grey eyes, I am sure you're shivering in fear, and certainly not in anticipation. Tss. The moment I can find training weapons, some time for ourselves and a moment when Kaizarz won't see us and spark guilt in all three of us, I'll show you.

Until the moment when we can just fight. Spar in the open like nothing else matters, other than winning and having fun. In the Coast's tradition of proving your strenght to your beloved, right ?

[cantsomeoneelsedoit]

Ch 56: Because You Believe

Three chapters ago, Billy claimed not to have any tea.

However, this chapter is overflowing with 100% undiluted tea, including shocking and unimaginable teas that we didn't even know existed. WHERE DO HIS LIES END?!?!

Prepare yourselves, because this chapter is wild!

It starts with a redraw of the final scene of the previous chapter, except this time Juiz adds, "I thought you betrayed us." The fact that Billy isn't acting like the villain and fighting her to the death has upset Juiz's clear-cut sense of right and wrong. She's torn by the possibility that he's not fully committed to this divergent course.

In other words, she's saying that if he wants to be a villain, then he should act like one.

And then HOLY SHIT BILLY'S BEEN PLAYING THE LONG GAME! How villainous!

Never once?! Up until now, it seemed like Billy's rebellion might have been a rejection of Juiz's leadership or maybe he had a different idea of what the Union goal should be. It was plausible that he only decided to rebel and form Under due to some grievance.

BUT, NO, HE'S BEEN PLANNING THIS FROM THE START?! Incredible! Preposterous! Outrageous!

And yet, the flashbacks that follow aren't of him scheming and pouting over the years... He looks happy!

We see Juiz giving him his sunglasses, Nico giving him his spurs, and Billy laughing with his team. Was it all a lie?

"Simply the ammo that I need to defeat God."

Has Billy been collecting abilities all this time to add to his arsenal? Just how many has he copied? And why does he want to defeat God? If his reasoning is the same as Juiz's, then what's the point of rebelling?

Even saving Tatiana was just a ploy? How could he be so cruel to a little kid?!

He says that finding Andy and Fuuko granted him a full arsenal and allowed him to move forward with the rebellion. He keeps describing this in military terms like a general who's had everything planned out, but it's looking like he spent too much time collecting weapons and resources when he still lacked A LOT of information about the nature of the world.

Juiz has heard enough! She's gonna call his bluff and force him to fight for his beliefs. She still sees herself as his boss, and she wants to bring him back to the Union nest like a mother cat.

Juiz charges toward Billy. He's stated his beliefs--almost purposefully laying out his "vision of justice" for her, and she believes him. Knowing that, she believes that her ability will cause him to attack himself or Tella, giving her an opening to non-lethally behead him.

But unfortunately, Juiz has been tricked again. Alas.

Instead of harming himself or Tella, Billy SHOOTS OFF JUIZ'S ARM!

And everyone is stunned except Billy. He won't even look. This is horrible!

Shooting Juiz went against Billy's sense of justice, but how? I see two possibilities:

Billy's justice wanted to kill Juiz, but Unjustice caused him to only wound her.

Billy's justice didn't want to kill Juiz, but Unjustice caused him to shoot her anyway. He mitigated the damage by aiming at her arm instead of a more deadly target.

And Billy is still trying to kill her even after she used Unjustice, so it seems he really does want her dead (or at least wants her to believe that he wants her dead?)

He couldn't use Unjustice because she believed in him? He used it on Tatiana, and she definitely believed in him! Just what exactly is the condition for Billy's copy ability?

Juiz calls for UMA Move. I never realized Move could work that fast!

"Hello, dearies. If it's not too much trouble, might you find the time to staunch this trifling little inconvenience I'm experiencing? It's just a minor issue, no worries." Oh Juiz, always trying to take too much on herself...

She's still keeping secrets! Nico is rude, but he's not wrong. And how the hell is she gonna hide a missing arm?!

Billy's plan keeps moving forward after the interruption from Juiz. Just how far has he planned?

Billy is betting that Feng can defeat both Fuuko and Andy (plus the rest of the team on the Summer mission?) He needs Fuuko's ability if he's going to be able to defeat God, but it's still not clear what the conditions are for Billy's copying.

Juiz's sword and arm are left behind. Without her weapon, how can she fight Billy when his motives are still so unclear?!

Masterpost

[sl33paholics]

Can't Be Fulfilled

Jotaro Kujo x Black!Female reader

Warning(s): Mentions of divorce, infidelity, domestic v¡olence, arguing, angst, listen the shit is depressing alr? Felt like writing one bc I got tired of the smut. Can be triggering into some readers.

We're close to 40 followers. Thx everyone 🤲🏾

"I don't think this is going to work anymore..."

You stood near the bedroom door with your hand on your elbow, looking at your husband on the bed before staring at the other side of the room as your eyes quickly met the ground. The room was completely silent, save for the quiet sounds of your breathing and the sound of your heart beating in your chest.

"What do you mean?"

You flinched. "Just... I'm tired of this. All of this, Jotaro." You sighed, turning your head slightly toward him. "All of it...this is too much. Days, weeks, hell, even a month of you being away because of your work, it's not fair." Your voice was barely audible through your closed teeth. Tears stung your eyes, but you weren't ready to give in yet. You had been trying so hard not to break down, but it just wasn't working out. You had tried to keep it together for years but it wasn't possible anymore. You watched as Jotaro put his book aside on the nightstand right next to the bed and sat straight up, facing your direction. "It ain't fair...for me...for Jolyne." He opened his mouth to say something, but you interrupted him, continuing. "And it's not fair for you either, Jotaro." His expression grew grim after your last statement, knowing that he had failed you once again, but he wasn't expecting this.

"Y/N...don't tell me what I think you're trying to say." His tone sounded more serious than usual. "Are you saying...you want us to split up? Is that what you're getting at? Y/N...we can make this work. We always have-"

"Yes," you said quietly. "I tolerated your absence for these years but you have to understand how things are now, Jotaro. Our daughter is growing up and as the years go by I don't want her to..." You paused. "Not this again."

Jotaro didn't let you finish. "She's seven years old." You wanted to respond but Jotaro continued anyway. "I work my ass off to provide for this family. I try. You know I try, Y/N. Every day." He took a deep breath and stared at his hands resting in his lap. "To keep both of you safe. To make sure we'll be okay. And this is how you repay me? With this? This bullshit? This stupid fucking arrangement of yours?" The tears were streaming down your face silently now and you felt yourself crumple into yourself further. Jotaro finally stood up. "We've had this conversation before, Y/N."

"I'm sorry," you choked out between sobs. "I'm sorry, Jotaro, I am. But you have to listen to me." Your voice was small and soft. "You don't know how many times Jolyne asks me when you're going to be home or if you're coming back, at all. When I'm bathing her, her bus dropping her off, braiding her hair, or even reading her to sleep."

Jotaro scoffed and stepped closer to you. "She misses her daddy." You could feel his eyes bore holes into you. "Even if she doesn't talk about it." He stopped close enough to touch you but still far enough not to scare you.

"She does," Jotaro responded. "But we shouldn't split up over this Y/N I told you whenever I got the job, that I won't be here as often. I'll try to respond when I can or if I have time off. What about that can't you understand?" Jotaro's voice rose with each word, becoming louder until you were sure the neighbors would hear what he was saying. You bit your lip and averted your eyes from his gaze. The truth was, you hated when he used this argument against you. It made everything hurt. Made everything worse.

"Do NOT try to pin this on ME!" you clapped back, seeing Jotaro startled, which is rare. "Of course I understand! I'm not stupid, JoJo! If it wasn't for your goddamn job, we wouldn't be having this discussion! Talking to me as if I have no damn sense, I supported you when you were pursuing your degree!" finally turning to look him in his ocean eyes. "Can't you see our marriage is falling apart?!" Your voice broke at the end. "I make sure to text you every morning, leave a voicemail every time you don't pick up the fucking phone, even LETTERS! It makes me believe something happened to you!" you continued.

"That's because I'm WORKING! I can't be on or even near my phone every second of the hour to respond to you. What's wrong with you, woman?!" Jotaro shook his head. "You have to understand that I'm stressed out too, you know? Not only with work but make sure to at least keep in touch with you every time I have the chance to!" he shot back. You pushed him out of your way, angrily stomping out of your shared bedroom into the hallway. Jotaro followed behind you as if his life depended on it and you heard him call you an idiot. You ignored him. You kept heading towards the living room.

Jotaro came to a halt when he saw packed luggage on the ground. "What the fuck is this?" he asked.

"I'm serious, Jotaro. This isn't going to work out no more," you replied without looking at him. He grabbed you by your arm and spun you around to face him. You tried to yank your arm out of his grasp but failed, you were nowhere near his level of strength. The sharp pain of being pinned against the wall. "Let go of me-" "You got some damn nerve!" Jotaro roared out in your face, quickly shutting you up. "Y/N, we are NOT getting this divorce! We've had our ups and downs, I admit that. But we always work it out one way or another, you're NOT leaving me for another guy who you think that's ten times better than me!" "Ten times better?" you echoed incredulously. Jotaro looked like he was getting ready to explode, the veins in his forehead bulging dangerously, and his lips turned downward into a frown. "I never said I was cheating on you, I wouldn't do that! Just because we don't have sex as much anymore, doesn't mean I would cheat!" you screamed.

Nothing but back and forth. It was for certain that your neighbors could hear you two bickering and the police were called. If only you two could see the green-eyed little girl peaking through her slightly cracked door watching and clutching onto the dolphin plushie her dear father gifted on her birthday. The sad expression on Jolyne's face watching her parents argue. She knew it was bad news. It was very alarming news. Sickening. Disgusting. Horrifying. Jolyne was scared and confused. She knew her parents loved each other deeply. How could they fight like this?

"You ain't leaving. That's final." Jotaro stared into your dark brown-colored eyes before letting your arms go, watching you slowly slip to the ground as you slightly sobbed in your hands. He stood there before kneeling to your level, gently wrapping his arms around you, embracing you in a hug. "I'm sorry, dear," Jotaro said quietly. "I know it feels like I'm abandoning you, but please believe me when I say we will work this out, together." You nodded, sniffling and leaning further into his hold. You closed your eyes and gave into his embrace.

You can't help but be disillusioned.