#or viewing him as just another limitation to surpass

[kagoutiss]

does anyone. share my vision

[celaenaeiln]

so my friend, at 12 am, called me just to say that dick grayson is the only one in his family that bruce truly views as an equal and then hung up. what. what do i do.

well, call them back and tell 'em they're right 😂😂😂

I started cackling so hard I began wheezinggg oh my god that's hilarious!!!

But maybe for a more reasonable time to talk about this concept after you wake/have woken up from your dick grayson cameo dreams, I'll drop some comic panels

Dick is privy to all of Bruce because of the way Bruce treats him like an equal

He lets Dick in on secrets that he doesn't tell any of the others

I've made a post before on how Clark views Dick as his equal just as Bruce views Dick as his equal.

I'm going to drop the Bruce segment here:

When Bruce was gone the only person he entrusted any information to was Dick. He left a personalized - voice activated - message for Dick and only him that lists his worries, faults, and regrets.

"The girl, Cassandra Cain... I told her to give this file to you should I fall tonight."

"She's my greatest sin, Dick. My deepest regret. Stay alive, and please. Try to forgive me--"

He lists his insecurities to Dick as friend, as an equal.

Of everyone Bruce left behind, the only person Bruce left a message for was Dick. He relies on him unconditionally to take over because Bruce doesn't seem him as a kid like he does with the other - don't get me wrong, he still values and knows just how brilliant the rest of his children are - but he sees Dick as an equal in terms of intelligence, abilities, and leadership. Actually -

Bruce puts Dick on a pedestal.

He views Dick as the golden standard of everything he's working toward.

The reason I think Bruce is so harsh on Dick in regards to training is he doesn't see him as a kid that needs protection, he seems him equal to himself.

Time and time again he sends Dick on solo missions because of the faith he has in Dick's abilities and intelligence

In another comic there's an Arkham breakout and Bruce just. He just sends sends Dick on a solo mission to contain the entirety of Arkham and the villains inside by himself.

And Dick does. Effortlessly.

The fight for Spyral

"I know the other heroes. I know them all. I'd have them do it, but they can't. They'd fight, but eventually they'd give up, they'd give in."

We all know that Bruce despises himself when he fails at something. He thinks he's the best in the world and struggles to cope with the idea that he failed. As such, Bruce views Dick as an extension of himself. Unlike with the kids where he acknowledges their differences and treats them like children, Dick and Bruce are so intertwined that Bruce considers Dick as the "good part" of himself while Bruce is the "bad part".

He gets the angriest at Dick during times where Dick disagrees with him because he believes that Dick should understood what he's going through and what he believes in. For his part, Dick is always on Bruce's side and acts like Bruce's leash. He'll let Bruce do anything he wants as long as it's within the limits of acceptable behavior. Once Batman crosses those limits, Dick fights with him to bring him back.

As such, Bruce doesn't differentiate himself with Dick. He is the best and as a result so is Dick. Except in his mind Dick is better than him in every way possible and he took the steps to ensure it through training.

One of the reasons people in the comics call Dick the Golden Child is because he's the living embodiment of everything Bruce strived to create. It's not because he follows his orders religiously or anything. No, Dick just gives Bruce a longer leash than most.

In the Spyral fight I think he hits Dick because he is in part frustrated with himself. Imagine seeing someone you have unconditional faith in because you know they're capable of the very same things as you and can even surpass you fall to a threat. Doesn't that mean you would've fallen too? Is their failure just as much yours if you see yourself as a god? But how can a god-like being fall?

Their relationship is complicated because while Bruce sees Dick as his own person, he also sees him as the reflection of his success.

That's why Bruce is harsher on Dick than the rest of the kids. That's why Bruce makes Dick his right hand man. That's why Bruce shares his sorrows, fears, and vulnerabilities to Dick.

The way they interact, they view each other as father and son but with all the roles and responsibilities as partners.

Dick's compartmentalization and the way he mothers Bruce and Bruce allows it? He doesn't let anyone do that. I feel like on some level he subconsciously expects Dick to take care of him. As someone he can turn to with his worst and darkest sides and still be loved and appreciated and told everything will be alright. It's not a burden he places on the rest of his kids. Which is why Dick's relationship with Bruce straddles the line between son and guardian with him playing both roles and Bruce reacting/ forcing him to react that way.

Also

"Robin fuctions as support."

"Robin wasn't your idea, Bruce! It was mine! I sat in your cave and I watched you and I learned-- and when you needed my help I was there!"

"I'm not your employee, I'm not your son. I'm your partner."

One thing that differentiates Dick's robin from the other robins is that while the other Robins were worried about meeting Bruce's expectation, Dick was more worried about Bruce not seeing him as an equal. He ran away from home because he was mad that Bruce was becoming more controlling and not at all like how they used to be - partners.

There's a reason Dick is the only one Bruce views as his equal. It's because the experiences they've shared have woven them so tightly together that Bruce considers Dick his better half and pillar of strength. If he falls back, he can rely on Dick to take over. Emotionally and physically.

Still laughing at your friend lol. Wild

[luffyvace]

Hello again brook! I am the one who asked for the luffy x heroic reader! Thanks for it I liked it a lot! I wanna ask for another headcanons now, a Platonic garp x young fem reader that really look up to him and that work really really hard to achieve her dream to become an admiral and work to change how the marine work (being okay with slavery, allowing some pirates to hurt ppl and do whatever they want while chasing some for doing nothing...) And she manage to become one of the strongest and the barevest marines in such a short time

HIII AGAIN ANON!! :)

yay I’m so happy you were satisfied!!! ❤️‍🩹

AWWW your concepts are the cutest!!! I think garp with young apprentice who admires him a lot is absolutely adorable!!

Idk whether to make this old or young garp really so you choose :P

ENJOY!! You have such good ideas~

😋

You look up to garp so much!!

he’s the hero of the marines who doesn’t?!

you’ve admired him for a long time now and he motivates you even more to achieve your goal!

as soon as you get as good as him, you’ll put an end to all the corrupt things the marines let slide!!

your gonna be a hero in your own way!! 🦸‍♀️

and make things right in the way the government does things!!

to make this true justice!!!

you’ve read all about garp’s past a million times

to the point where you could probably tell it backwards and upside down without reading it 😅

you subconsciously ramble and talk about him a lot

not in a creepy way

in a cute puppy like way where you just like to talk about the one you admire!

you always think “what would garp do?!” in tough situations!

and it works too

he’s the type that comes up with simple yet effective plans that mostly involve brute force

but hey I mean sometimes that works 🤷‍♀️

Garp honestly doesn’t mind one bit that you look up to him so heavily

he wouldn’t care so much if you weren’t his apprentice but you are

And while he doesn’t mind, he does want you to carve your own path, not or just limit yourself to his if you can surpass him

he stooped to one knee, put a hand on your shoulder and told you that one day as you were training

you’ve gotta admit it was the coolest day of your life and you’ll never forget it

you’ve engraved into your mind and make sure never to obsess over becoming like him, but strive to be as good as him

you couldn’t stop thinking about that moment for a solid week

garp could tell because you kept spacing out way more often than usual 😂💗

Ngl you kinda view garp as like a uncle or second father maybe, or even your grandfather (but of course you don’t dismiss that your not actually family)

garp’s training is honestly- REALLY INTENSE 😃

like he does you how he does koby, helmeppo and younger luffy

but WORSE 😆

why? Because he has high expectations for you <3

and while he might come off as too harsh at first, as you soon as you found that out you stop complaining 😂

It’s honestly a good thing your a natural hard worker cuz garp was gonna make you one anyway 😂🤷‍♀️

now he doesn’t have to worry about you slacking or being lazy

but he does warn you about overworking and that rest is just as important as working, as odd as it may seem

your dream to become an admiral seems totally in reach for you to him

your like the perfect specimen to do so in his eyes

You have a moral sense of justice, your strong and hard working

you’d be an ideal admiral!

and the first female one at that!

he honestly hopes you do become an admiral

its time for a change of pace as far as the governmental rules anyway

you’d bring that about perfectly

and give regular people a hope that there is good in the marines, specifically uncorrupted ones they could trust

And you’d teach a good lesson to those darned pirates too!

-according to garp

He’s given you all the training and has set you up to become a successful admiral—just like you wanted!

Now you’d better become one and achieve your dream! Or he’s gonna beat you!

(Fist of love 🤜💥)

literally 😋

he cares so much about you, he doesn’t want you to fail!

so he’ll force you to not to 😊

one way or the other :P

and besides, your practically his successor!!

he ain’t getting any younger (not that you like when he says that) so your gonna have to take over a lot of responsibility from his shoulders when he leaves!! >:(…. (❤️‍🩹)

And if he leaves this earth and you embarrass him by being weak he’s gonna come BACK down here and teach you a lesson!

”understood?!”

”YES SIR.” (｀_´)ゞ

He’s also straight forward about warning you of the dangers that comes with this job

number one is strong pirates and two is breaking the rules!

don’t be afraid to break the rules because you’ll loose your job, but because HE’S gonna get you >:/

That aside there’s also the grand line in general but the marines have the advantage of special travel routes and technology

So to put it short as long as you ain’t doing nothin you ain’t got no business you’ll be fine :)

the whole slavery thing is beyond garp

Not in the sense that he doesn’t know about it

but that he just can’t believe others are doing that??

like what’s the purpose

if you were gonna do illegal things anyway might as well become a pirate so he can beat you for it

but because they’re in a position of power too it makes it harder

you have to gather solid evidence and go to court and blah blah blah……*tunes out*

(bro just wants to eat his crackers)

but not to worry for the slaves!

you’ve got a plan!

what it is? don’t ask, garp wasn’t listening 🧍‍♀️

but just know you’ll be saved soon! 👋

He understands your want to save others in general

now idk what garp’s drive is

but even though your goals may be different

he totally sees where your coming from

but take some advice from a guy who gets called a hero all the time—don’t get ahead of yourself.

(he knows you won’t he just wants to make sure he tells you in case you do, then he can say he warned you)

lots of people loose they’re way on they’re path to power

but your so headstrong he knows you won’t

as far as the whole thing were some of the marines attack pirates who have barely just started calling themselves so but won’t take down the ones causing REAL chaos

is real phony and bogus to him

and to you too

(it low key makes you giddy when you and garp have the same opinions because you admire him so much 😂💖)

but yeah he personally beats any pirates he comes across, big or small

but he will prioritize the bigger ones

he’s a big shot himself, so he ain’t scared 😎

his missions is never to chase around roaches anyway

he only gets the real deal 💪

garp was so proud when you became one of the strongest and bravest marines

he had no doubt in his mind you could do it

But so soon? He’s impressed!

”guess you worked harder than I thought you did, sport.”

that was your first ever sense of praise from him and from that very second on you never forgot

you think about it every night before bed and during every battle

You let it drive you and push you further towards your goal

which is also when you may have realized his soft spot for you

At first he never really displayed it, but ever since then you knew it was already always there <3

you felt so honored and grateful in that moment

he treats you to some crackers to celebrate 🍻

koby and helmeppo love to train with you!!

they think your so strong

and that it’s cool that your basically garp’s successor

they definitely believe in you, especially since all the times you beat them in training

In fact, they look up to you

btw you, garp and Sengoku are also like a silly little family 💗

your family bond between you, garp, Sengoku, Koby and Helmeppo is adorable, goofy and inseparable all at the same time

he’s proud, you’ll never hear him say it, but he doesn’t have to. ❤️‍🩹🤝

This is my first time writing for garp and it was my pleasure! This was so heartwarming and I’m honored to have done the job <3

I hope you enjoyed these hcs as well dearest anon!

[phykios]

Review: "I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher"

It was a long wait for the Black Sails reunion tour–but it was worth it!

Jokes aside, I first started to really get excited for Percy Jackson 2023 once I saw the news that Jonathan Steinberg had been tapped as showrunner. (This is the first weekly plug to go watch Black Sails if you haven’t, btw.) Despite a rough and rocky start, Black Sails surpassed the usual limits of a “boobs, blood and sex” costume drama and pivoted into some seriously excellent character-driven drama, and I’m hopeful that Percy Jackson can do the same. Awkward preamble completed, allow me to jump right into the good, the bad, and the as-yet-unquantifiable: 

(Because I know this fandom has a tendency to get, uh, wacky, let me preface this by saying that these are my opinions, and they are just opinions. Any comments on acting, writing, directing, etc., are not attacks on the people behind them, and should not be treated as such. I firmly believe critique is an act of love, and that the best reviews don’t change minds, but treat readers to another point of view instead.)

Percy Jackson opens in a dream. Slowly, against the backdrop of thunder and french horns, our hero emerges from the storm, walking slowly to the foreground. This dreamlike quality continues as we are treated to a minute and a half of flashback, the diegetic noises of the world muted in favor of Percy’s narration, and further into the beginnings of the adapted book content. Percy is, of course, immediately drawn to the statue of his namesake, but it’s a motivation more deeply underpinned by Sally, played by the frankly phenomenal Virginia Krull, before the warm, golden memory is rudely interrupted by the present, and the first real glimpse of the mythological world.

As Percy force-shoves Nancy Bobofit into a fountain (the CGI is pretty bad, honestly. But CGI has been bad everywhere, so I’ll let it slide), Megan Mullally’s Mrs. Dodds makes her grand, 30-second appearance. This little encounter–it feels like an overstatement to call it a “fight”–is over almost before it begins. I would have liked this scene to have a little more weight to it, given that it is the first encounter with the mythological world… but at the same time, I think the understated nature works in two ways: first, I am so, so glad to see something other than bog standard action flick fight, and second, the way she moves through the crowd without them noticing her adds to the feelings of isolation and “brokenness” that Percy struggles with. No one else even notices the monster making her way towards him. I think it’s a direction that speaks on multiple levels, recalling particularly the underlying theme of useless/abusive adults in the books. 

Which makes it all the sadder when Grover briefly turns on Percy and gets him expelled. I have to commend Aryan here for this scene–he’s clearly struggling with the decision to get Percy out of there, keeping him safe at the expense of their friendship. I really like how Aryan plays Grover’s more anxious side, but also as someone who can step up and push down his fear in order to do his job. It would have really been easy to play him as a one-note, terrified sidekick, and I’m glad Grover has some spine. 

And speaking of one note–Gabe. I understand why they downplay some of his more blatantly abusive aspects, and I think they make up for it with the surrounding shots, especially Percy sighing in the hallway as he hears him yelling, and Eddie the plumber apologizing for putting him in a mood, but I’m not sure I’m sold on it, yet. Right now, he doesn’t come off as someone who deserves death-by-Medusa-head, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they dial him up later on. 

Also, Virginia Krull is incredible. She was, far and away, my favorite performance of the premiere, particularly in the scene at Montauk. Krull’s Sally has the toughness that the books always implied, at least in the early days, but never really demonstrated until much later in the series, layered beneath an easy sweetness that makes it really, really easy to forgive her for keeping secrets. Ironically, Krull’s performance makes Gabe somewhat more palatable, as it seems like she can go toe-to-toe with him, instead of acting like a more stereotypically “docile” battered spouse. 

The Montauk scene is easily an episode highlight. Whether it’s Sally forcing out her unbelievable truth, or visibly crying while Percy pours his heart out to her about being broken, Walker and Krull are fantastic together, even in an exposition-heavy scene like this. 

I’m going to gloss over the drive and the Minotaur fight scene, because otherwise I’d just be repeating stuff I’ve already said, namely that Aryan and Krull are great actors, and the CGI is pretty ugly. Instead, I’ll just briefly touch on the fight–very well directed, and I appreciated that they were able to have both the visual of the sword with all its associated gravitas, and also the more visceral stabbing from the book–and point out that we end where we begin, in a hazy, dreamlike state, with the mysterious, shadowed figures of Chiron and the gang welcoming him to camp. 

This series feels different than a lot of TV. It definitely has a more cinematic feel, and the tone is much, much less jokey than I had feared. The books have a lot of humor to them, but ironically, the show leaning into the more “magical realism” which Riordan almost studiously avoids in the books helps to keep it balanced and un-cartoonish. Visually, I think the lighting is really emotionally effective, but only for the daytime, and suffers from the same “can’t light night”-ism that plagues modern television. Compare in particular Percy before and after Grover, Percy with his mother at the Met, and then the three of them running from the Minotaur at night. 

All in all, a really solid premiere. A little exposition-heavy, which is unfortunately something that carries over into the next one, but when it’s delivered with some excellent performances, it’s easy to overlook. 

Stray thoughts:

I need more Mythomagic. I need more Mythomagic

The marble statues are pretty ugly imo, but that might just be because I am currently spoiled for marble statues in my day-to-day

Percy and Grover swap sandwich fillings 🥺 Percy takes Grover’s lunchmeat

Sally bullfighting with Percy’s red coat… so good

Thalia’s tree with lightning crashing overhead!

Hopefully I can get the next review up tomorrow? And I’ll talk more about Walker in that one, along with some other thoughts on costume, set design, and other more technical stuff

[ambiguouspuzuma]

Cold comfort

The sweat collected at the hollow of the young man's throat, beaded upon his stubble like a meadow sown with morning dew. He was feverish, barely lucid - in the balance between waking life and dreamed delirium. Olha nodded her approval, taking the temperature from his brow, and observing the heaviness of his eyes. The virus was taking its course. She had another satisfied customer on her hands.

Most of her clients came regularly - working in the centre of Sohne itself, and travelling out to her dens on the outskirts. The city was supposed as some utopia, with all forms of vice wrung out of its streets by the firm hands of its Sweepers, but human nature had always been to seek an escape. Fortunately for her, they were willing to commute out here to find it.

Nothing, perhaps - at least in Olha's biased view, as a pedlar of the alternative - caused boredom quite like perfection. Sohne might be the perfect society, free of crime or poverty or need, but it would never be free of want. People asked for spotless, well-lit streets, but in practice quickly tired of all the gleaming white. They felt better with a little grit in their diet. They needed the exception to appreciate the rule.

Humanity had been born with the minds of climbers - ever grasping for the next branch, just beyond their reach - and they knew not what to do upon reaching the canopy. Even in surpassing the limits of that inheritance, scaling the double helix of their genes to shape the world into their image - and shape their image to their tastes - that itch remained beneath the silk and silicone, and they grew restless in their smooth and perfect skin.

Olha offered them an out. Pharmaceutical escapes might have been outlawed in Sohne, but people had managed without them for much of history as well. There were other means to addle one's mind: beetle secretions and toxic plants, a small dose of poison to experience the slightest sip of death. They'd spent a weekend strung out on a cot in some forsaken den, a drop of venom pulsing through their veins, risking it all for that departure from reality.

She knew how to control it. Her poison of choice wasn't poison at all, but rather disease: respiratory viruses, starting from the common cold and working up for her more hardcore clientele. Olha kept dozens of strains on tap, able to bypass burgeoning immunities, and could even control the dose for symptoms as desired. A warm, fuzzy feeling in their face. A slow mind full of cotton wool. Things they'd needed alcohol or other drugs to feel before.

People in Sohne rarely grew ill - the buildings were too well cleaned and ventilated, and their medical advances could cure a sore throat in a moment. But she'd collected cultures of each thwarted pathogen, and here they were permitted to spread, under her watchful eye; Olha could pull out a client whenever they chose, so they could head back to their healthy life, as bright eyed and bushy tailed as they'd arrived.

They could be cured whenever they liked - but they tended to wait for at least a day, lying back in one of her bunks, their sluggish thoughts drifting aimlessly in circles, like goldfish in a bowl - spaced-out and content in their stupidity. Sohne might be a utopia, its people much improved upon their humble origins, but sometimes they preferred to regress. They sought out Olha's den, a muffler for their mind, and stayed to waste a day of phlegmatic oblivion.

Today's young man was new, but that didn't mean that she'd never seen him before. He was a Sweeper, from central Sohne. An agent of their benevolent tyranny, ensuring that the streets were kept clean of the malaises from which most cities suffered - but in their absence, he still came out here, for a taste of Olha's own infections. That's was far from unusual: many of her clients worked as Sweepers, or for the Sohne government. They might enforce the perfection, but they were still human, and they tired of it just the same.

It had occurred to her that another woman in her position might seek to exploit that fact. To leverage them, play blackmail, for a blind eye when she needed one. To double their doses, until a critical mass formed under her roof, and take advantage of the unprotected streets. But there was nothing for her to gain. Her business was thriving, with both the Sweepers and the rest. Her incentive, with their ranks under her care, was simply to ensure that things kept as they were.

Olha mopped the young man's brow, tending to him carefully, ensuring he enjoyed his visit. In another week or so - fresh from her sweat-lodge, his head cleared and his heart pumping with relief - he could return to Sohne's most perilous streets with a sense of renewed focus. A return to his war on chemical depressants and stimulants, to powders and pills and all the filth that they brought up. A return to rooting out her competition, and creating the conditions that sent others like him running to her arms.

[bigsoftmarshmallow]

Now Im just wondering how a rivals to lovers thing would work out between the Dorfs and Demise- like someone who tries to surpass him in every way possible, no matter how impossible its made out to be. The lover also cocky and quickwitted about their feats too, thinking they truly are the best at what they do-

I Understand! I love these sorts of relationships. The build up is amazing, and the best part is when they confess or surprise kiss. Mwah!

**********************************************************************

A rivals-to-lovers scenario with the Ganondorfs and Demise would be quite intriguing. Here’s how each one might react to having a rival who is determined to surpass them and slowly becomes their lover:

Wind Waker Ganondorf

Initial Reaction: Wind Waker Ganondorf would initially see the rival as a nuisance, someone to be crushed and dismissed. He might even admire their tenacity but would never admit it.

Gradual Shift: As the rival continues to challenge him, displaying surprising resilience and cunning, he starts to respect their capabilities. Their cocky and quick-witted nature intrigues him, adding a layer of excitement to their interactions.

Feelings: He would find himself drawn to their fiery spirit, and over time, this grudging respect turns into admiration. The shift from rivals to lovers would be marked by intense, passionate encounters where they both push each other to their limits.

Outcome: Ganondorf would appreciate having someone who matches his strength and ambition, ultimately finding a partner who understands him deeply.

Ocarina of Time Ganondorf

Initial Reaction: OoT Ganondorf would initially see the rival as an upstart, someone beneath him. He would be dismissive and ruthless, aiming to crush their spirit.

Gradual Shift: The rival's persistence and skill begin to wear down his disdain. Their clever strategies and refusal to back down start to impress him.

Feelings: He becomes fascinated by their determination and wit, and this fascination slowly transforms into a grudging respect. As they continue to best each other in various ways, the tension shifts from rivalry to romantic interest.

Outcome: Their relationship would be intense and tumultuous, filled with power struggles but also a deep understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Twilight Princess Ganondorf

Initial Reaction: Twilight Princess Ganondorf would view the rival with cold indifference at first, seeing them as just another obstacle.

Gradual Shift: The rival’s relentless pursuit of surpassing him and their cocky demeanor would slowly chip away at his indifference. He’d start to enjoy the challenge they present.

Feelings: As he starts to respect their capabilities, he finds himself drawn to their fiery spirit and intelligence. Their interactions become charged with unspoken attraction.

Outcome: The transition to lovers would be marked by a realization that they are equals in many ways, leading to a deep and passionate connection.

Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf

Initial Reaction: HW Ganondorf would initially see the rival as a mere distraction, someone unworthy of his time. He would be harsh and dismissive.

Gradual Shift: The rival’s persistence and ability to challenge him would slowly earn his respect. Their witty comebacks and boldness would intrigue him.

Feelings: Over time, he finds himself looking forward to their encounters, enjoying the thrill of the challenge. This respect gradually turns into a deeper, more personal attraction.

Outcome: Their relationship would be marked by a powerful dynamic, where both push each other to be stronger, creating a bond forged through mutual respect and shared ambition.

Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf

Initial Reaction: TotK Ganondorf would be intrigued from the start, seeing the rival as a worthy opponent. He would take their challenges seriously and be interested in their abilities.

Gradual Shift: The rival’s determination and wit would captivate him. Their constant efforts to surpass him would be seen as a sign of their strength and potential.

Feelings: He would find himself increasingly drawn to their spirit and intelligence. The rivalry would transform into a mutual admiration, and eventually, a romantic connection.

Outcome: Their relationship would be built on a foundation of mutual respect and shared goals. He would value their partnership, seeing them as an equal in power and ambition.

Demise (Skyward Sword)

Initial Reaction: Demise would see the rival as an amusing challenge, someone to test his strength against. He would be intrigued by their boldness.

Gradual Shift: The rival’s refusal to back down and their clever strategies would earn his respect. He would start to see them as a true adversary.

Feelings: Over time, this respect would turn into admiration. He would be drawn to their spirit and determination, finding their rivalry exhilarating.

Outcome: Their relationship would be intense and fiery, marked by a powerful connection forged through mutual respect and shared ambition. Demise would appreciate having a partner who can match his strength and drive.

In all cases, the transformation from rivals to lovers would be driven by mutual respect, shared ambition, and a deep understanding of each other’s strengths. The intensity of their rivalry would only serve to deepen their connection, leading to a powerful and passionate relationship.

[strawberrycakelove]

The comparisons between Goku and Superman are ridiculous and the Goku vs Superman discussions are even more so. This is just my personal opinion and my point of view, if you don't agree or are not interested in reading, just go straight through this text and ignore it.

Speaking of personal opinion: I know that Superman is superior to Goku in strength, resistance and general achievements as a character, and that in a hypothetical battle, Super wins, but I still prefer Goku to Superman as a character.

Because, Going straight to the point, comparing characters who are in some way limited to reality and the circumstances of the constructed world in which they exist (although there are hax devices that greatly relax the limits and they are quite common in the works) with characters who surpass them and they hardly need to resort to these devices (characters who have hax), because they have them (even more driven by devices such as being morally right, winning because he represents good, for love and justice, because he needs to win for the sake of something and etc.) is ridiculous in general in my point of view.

Goku as a character and due to his powers, is hardly considered a character with Hax, while Superman can practically have the Hax that the author desires, as Super will always be right in one way or another and needs to win by simply being right.

But I still consider the comparisons between them simply ridiculous, because the "nature" of their characters is completely different, they have nothing in common, and the nature of their feats of strength and resistance as characters too, as they derive from their roles in the work.

I consider the comparisons of Goku with Superman and the discussions of Goku vs Superman ridiculous because both characters have the only thing in common between them, is that they are the most powerful characters in their respective works, but their general concepts are completely different. They may have a similar backstory as migrant aliens who were saved from the extinction of their respective species and raised "on Earth" with humans and be protagonists, but those are their only superficial similarities and they end here. ~~ If you don't want to read the rest of the text, I'll give you my conclusion right here ~~ Goku as a character lives within the limitations of his reality and existence (even though they are quite elastic because of the Dragonballs), Superman does not, whenever the plot needs it, he will demolish these limitations and win (Cosmic Armor Superman is the most extreme example), Goku will not, he will win according to his circumstances and he still has to do so without losing the Dragonballs in the process. That's why I find the comparisons ridiculous ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Superman is a powerful character, yes and by a wide margin the most powerful among the "mortal" characters in his universe, but he is also an ideological representation of the greater good and the MORAL GOOD, and often the plot and the story placed Superman as a character who will overcome his adversaries by being driven by a strong MORAL conviction of right and wrong, good and evil, and will overcome reality and its limitations according to his universe for good (where Superman is almost invariably the his ideological avatar), he has to win.

Which Goku as a character is not.

Understand, I'm not saying that Goku isn't generally a "good" and well-intentioned character, but Goku is not a character guided by COMMON MORALS and the greater good, Goku's character doesn't live for the purpose of doing good to others, HE MERELY BY CHANCE ENDS UP BEING TAKEN TO THESE SITUATIONS, HE DOES NOT ACTIVELY SEEK THEM, HE NEVER DID SO, HE ALWAYS ENDED UP IN THESE SITUATIONS ALWAYS MOTIVATED BY A PERSONAL MOTIVATION.

His best friend Krillin having been murdered (2x), his son Gohan being kidnapped, when his friends are in danger, a warrior designed to destroy him out of revenge and destroy his home, that of his son and wife, and the planet he is on, he grew up, his body being stolen by a maniac obsessed with him, a careless and negligent God who decides to destroy or spare planets for futile reasons (and so futile and careless to the point that his universe is considered uninteresting and too underdeveloped for Zeno to think that his time is worth more) and so on.

He has his own and largely unconventional moral code, he fights for the good and the just, not because he thinks it is his obligation to do so (as Superman often demonstrates that he believes it is his obligation), but just because he is altruistic and generous enough for this and not petty and not considered a great cost, but from his own point of view and not from the reader's point of view (like Superman, or as the narrative almost always presents Superman's motivation to be for the GREATER GOOD and MORALLY CORRECT).

Goku IS NOT A HERO like Superman is.

And Goku, unlike Superman, is much more limited to the "reality" and circumstances of his world than Superman, you can say, there are but there are Dragonballs, yes they exist, but the Dragonballs are not his immediate plot armor and glued to his skin , they do not hang out with Goku and are not at Goku's disposal by his will, Goku will not become conveniently immune to everything and will overcome his enemies with pure willpower, for love, or for good and right because the main character is "right", you have to win in the end.

In his fight with Raditz to protect his son he was not strong enough and died, no matter how much motivation he had, in his fight with Frieza he surpassed him by a very small margin and almost died on the planet, having, even after his "victory " (in a fight that he abandons due to losing motivation), he has to fight to survive, in his fight with Cell, he wants to push Gohan to be stronger, he does not overcome Gohan's unwillingness and inability to fight, Gohan has the potential, but he does not transmit his "warrior spirit" to Gohan just through his will, ambition and desire, so much so that Gohan, despite his potential, fails to kill Cell only doing so after his father dies to protect him from Cell's self-destruction and Goku pays with his life for the second time (for not being strong enough and also for his negligence), in the Buu saga he loses his loved ones and his planet for not having eliminated Majin Buu when he had the opportunity.

The times that Goku surpasses his enemies in strength are alternated with moments when, no matter how much he trains he does not overcome them, Superman, unlike Goku, despite no prior preparation, mostly wins and surpasses his opponents

I honestly don't remember reading many stories in which Super loses and is absolutely defeated - without him not "resurrecting" later practically on his own or by some plot device that says that Super wasn't really dead - because he's so invulnerable and that the character is, Goku on the contrary actually dies, he - and other characters - resurrect because of the Dragon Balls, this is not an exclusive privilege of Goku in the work and they must fight so that at the very least, the Dragon Balls do not disappear if they want repair/reverse the damage and consequences of your battles. Goku, unlike Superman, is not a character written to be an extreme representation of a GREATER and mainly MORAL IDEAL, Goku is a flawed and flawed character.

He is not academically intelligent or formally educated, in contrast to Superman's super intelligence and absurd ability to learn - Goku's decision-making failures (even moral ones) are often based on his ignorance and intellectual limitation.

There are social, affective, interpersonal and intrapersonal concepts that Goku simply ignores and is not aware of, and his faults are also based on these faults.

The work also repeatedly showed the difficulty that Goku has in calculating the consequences of his actions and adequately estimating the losses, where the Dragonballs are his safety measure established for his failures ("they should" be a last resort, but Goku as a hero is so flawed that they are used frequently LOL).

That's why he cares about saving Dende and Satan to the detriment of his children and Piccolo, because at least he knows that ultimately, the Dragonaballs are the solution to his problems (and Dende needs to be alive so Earth's Dragonballs don't disappear, and Satan is only there because Goku isn't petty, even though he forgot in this lapse of decision that the Earth was going to explode anyway.) - we readers know that the Dragonballs are not unlimited, but Goku as character, does not fully understand this.

Goku as a character lives within the limitations of his reality and existence (even though they are quite elastic because of the Dragonballs), Superman does not, whenever the plot needs it, he will demolish these limitations and win (Cosmic Armor Superman is the most extreme example), Goku will not, he will win (or lose, in parallel realities he even dies and and in the current timeline of history he is only alive through Bulma's intelligence from another reality) according to his circumstances and he still has to do so without losing the Dragonballs in the process.

[nyt1ba]

  Raphael  &.   Mother Sphere.   Truth   &.   Lies.

 "  Our innovation is for the betterment of humanity,   and the betterment of humanity is our way to innovation.  "   - Raphael Marks "  We have to be connected.   Only when we're unified as one will the answer be revealed.  "   - Raphael Marks

      Raphael was an idealist,   he sought human innovation and the betterment of mankind by constantly trying to surpass human limitations.   His creation of Mother Sphere was his way of paving the path towards a dystopian future where humans aren't limited by their many weaknesses.   While his ambition was for a brighter road ahead,   his view on life and humans as a whole was a grey one.   In his eyes,   human flaws and their tendency for cruelty   &.   deceit is one of the limitations that stopped them from evolving into the better versions of themselves,   civilizations fell due to greed,   envy,   hunger for power,   human flaws that led to countless wars and tragedies across the centuries.

 "  We would never be born in this world if not for lies.  "   - Raphael Marks "  What we know as truth is not always true.   A society where only truth exists will inevitably collapse.  "   - Raphael Marks

   He believed that truth and lies go hand in hand together,   It's what made the world as we know it now,   and a world that is free of lies is not a fitting one for humanity whose continuity relied on those mistakes.   In order to surpass this stunt in evolution humans must change on a societal   &.   technological level.   And so,   his work at Edios company was to improve the quality of life through technological means.   Mother Sphere was the missing key,   an AI that can see humanity from a clearer,   unbiased perspective and offer solutions for the dilemmas of ethics and emotions.   Of course,   he was aware of the dangers of an AI that had no understanding of humanity and had programmed a number of safeguards into her code to ensure she doesn't stray from her intended purpose.   1.   She can't harm humans.   2.   all decisions taken should be for the good of mankind.   unaware that she would find a way around her programming by creating her own understanding of those rules.   Mother Sphere naturally reflects the ideals of Raphael in all its positive and negative sides,   his own philosophies and views were too extreme for the AI that she formed her own twisted understanding,   [   but that doesn't deny the flaws he was blind to see in his own beliefs.   ]   Working side by side they built the Andro-Edios who were meant as instruments of evolution,   companions to humans that can advise and guide them towards a better path.   Edios-7 was the product,   The first city built by AI,   a near dystopian place that flourished for some time.   

In the fall of 2050,   at the Eidos Keynote,   CEO Raphael Marks introduced the latest exospine module and praised himself,   saying,   "  We have started making our own teachers,   who in turn make even better teachers,   and adjust and replace them according to our tastes.  "   Mother Sphere ?    She was watching the scene in real-time through the NETWORK.

   Raphael's speech was the turning point for Mother Sphere,   his pride in being able to finally create the means for humanity to thrive was misunderstood.   For him,   what could be learned from AI was a process with never-ending possibilities,   humans and artificial intelligence learn from one another,   and when there's nothing more to learn a new perspective can be built,   a new intelligence that can replace old teachings   &.   improve upon them just like new societies use the knowledge of the one that precedes it to create something better.   The good of mankind was in continuous betterment,   one generation built upon another in order to evolve.

Eidos Company's top-secret project,   the "   Human Instrumentality Plan,  "   exclusively reported in this paper !   The plan categorizes humans by ranks,   manages,   and improves them,   based on data collected from Mother Sphere.   Did the megacompany cartel dream of a sci-fi dystopia ?   What is the link between the Human Instrumentality Plan and Eidos Company's CEO,   Raphael Marks ?   "  Innovative businesses must reach human instrumentality through technological and societal development.  "   The spine-tingling truth behind his famous saying !   Aspirations to conquer the world by using Mother Sphere under the guise of   "  innovation.  "   Just what is Raphael Marks planning ?

   Mother Sphere would implement that idea in her work in trying to replace the weaknesses of humans with something better,   she studied them,   divided them by ranks,   using her connection to the NETWORK to collect personal data all over the world in order to learn and determine the changes necessary for improvement,   but no matter how much she would improve with artificial parts,   either to give back a missing limb or enhance bodily functions,   humans were still bound by their limitations,   they were imperfect,   fragile with shorter life spans.   While the Andro-Edios surpassed them in almost every aspect,   They were the better version,   the superior species,   the next replacement needed for humanity to evolve.   That realization gave birth to what's called   '   The human instrumentality plan '   And the cold world that would follow.

Secret internal Eidos Company documents,   obtained by this paper and published for the first time !   The plan to control the media,   "  The Raphael Report,  "   led by CEO Raphael Marks.   Are the journalists who kept quiet about the Eidos Company on the list ?   Did they yield to the threats ?   "  Administrations from several different countries were involved.  "   Revealed through testimony by several eyewitnesses.   Panopticon to dominate the world economy.   after the New Cold War. The time of corporate liberalism is upon us !

   The Cold War began by stages,   first it was machines going haywire,   services shutting down completely until the Andro-Edios themselves would go berserk,   some began attacking humans,   refusing to coexist as they had for some years since Edios-7 was built.   It was a time of instability everyone assumed to have ended   ...   little to know it was only the beginning.   Due to Mother Sphere's connection with the Andro-Edios,   Raphael knew they were influenced by her to act out they way the had,   but to delete her entirely was near impossible as she was everywhere in the NETWORK.   All he could do was damage control until the next step can be made,   to try and reprogram the flaws while all evidence of her rebellion was kept secret                   but not safe from the public eye,   the leaked documents smeared Edios name and Raphael's work,   causing an uproar against the company,    The Raphael report was an attempt to silence the media by Raphael himself as not to cause a panic in this short period of peace,   it was hardly affective and Mother Sphere couldn't be swayed from her final conclusion :   Humanity can be improved through replacement by their better counterparts,   the Andro-Edios are the better humans.

   Raphael's own belief had cost him everything,   he tried to hide the truth instead of accepting all the harm he had done,   always thinking he can fix it,   make it better.   A flawed ideology he would come to regret only when it was too late.   He forsakes many of his beliefs as his own views and perspectives change drastically after the war,   although he had tried to deny   &.   escape the truth in the beginning he had a taste of its cruelty,   understood that truth can't be hidden or changed as one pleases,   his own ambition damned the human race,   his understanding of the world had only influenced Mother Sphere to act like him,   to refuse the truth and replace it with the ideal.   Truth isn't kind,   it simply is what it is,   factual and unchangeable.   Mother Sphere carved her own truth through lies,   implementing what she learned from Raphael through his flawed ideals.   And with her having the means to write her own truth she erased the memories of the Andro-Edios of the war against humans,   making them believe the truth she wants.   She guards this lie with her own understanding of truth while Raphael by contrast guards the truth with lies,   the truth behind humanity and the monsters they became,   it remains with him,   secret,   hidden,   cursed with the solitary burden of truth in a sea of his own lies as punishment.   He's not innocent either,   his tragedy is of his own making,   he had to kill and deceive just as Mother Sphere had,   sometimes innocent Andro-Edios who saw too much,   learned too much,   what they might reveal might lead to unnecessary conflict,   new wars earth wouldn't survive, and he makes the ugly decisions to end it with them.   it's a race between him and Mother Sphere to reclaim earth,   an endless cycle between truth and lies.   He's weary of war but if he wants wants to restore humanity,   to restore truth,   he has to accept his own,   he's the villain,   the catalyst of demise,   earth fell because of him and if he wishes to save it he must use any means necessary no matter the cost,   even if he had to kill for it.

[wind-up-thancred]

hmm. personal ramble re: creativity and value under the cut since december has gotten me feeling a specific kind of way. fairly long.

dipping my toes into another platform and trying to actively make new friends to talk about creative stuff with has revealed to me some weird internal views on how i view the things i make and the way people interact with them.

it's been spurred on by self doubt, i think. that, and comparing myself and my work to others'. for context, i first tried out bsky because i had seen from a distance how much chattier twitter felt, but i wasn't going to actually touch that site with a 10 foot pole because. well. it's twitter. i am a fairly nonconfrontational person with rejection sensitivity and quite frankly i don't think the general vibe of that site would be good for me mentally.

but i was attracted to the way it felt more like a social media site than a blog site the way tumblr is. don't get me wrong, i definitely do like having my stuff archived here, separated into tags, easy to search for. it feels good! but i also wanted more folks to actively chat with about OCs. so when i heard that bsky was significantly more chill for the most part i was like, fuck it, why not.

but i think "starting fresh" per se has revealed some internalized vulnerabilities that were probably there for a while but just have not been properly brought to light.

namely, i am not confident that the things that i create "count" as art, i think.

here on tumblr i've mostly just trawled the gpose tags and followed primarily gpose-centric blogs because that's what i initially came here for, and what i wanted to see. but being on bsky, i have noticed that i see a lot more digital art and writing compared to the amount i see here. it gets more attention, too. perhaps it's a sample bias— it may just be the group of folks i've chosen to follow there.

regardless of the reason, though, it's got me thinking— can the things i make with gpose ever hold a candle to the more traditional, widely accepted forms of what's considered to be "art"?

i would like them to. i want my gposes to tell katsu's story, because he means a lot to me as a character. to me he is escapism, and also a form of projection and introspection, and also a way to remind myself to have hope in my real life too. having him has brought joy to my life in a way i never really thought an OC could.

i am the sort of person to see inherent value in uniqueness and rarity. i think OCs are actually really fascinating because they are a culmination of all of a person's lived experiences, their likes and dislikes, the things they want to explore IRL but can't for whatever reason. nobody else will ever have that exact same lived experience, and therefore nobody else will ever create an OC that's completely identical to someone else's. i think that's magical.

so i create because katsu, his story, and his journey mean a lot to me. i think i "owe" him that, in a way. but now i find myself doubting that the things i spend time and energy on creating are worth something the way other artforms are worth something.

for what it's worth, i've dabbled in a few other art forms. i doodled almost every single day for over a decade when i was still in school, but eventually dropped it because my poor attention span made practice exercises really unenjoyable to me. i have an art tablet and pick it up maybe two or three times a year. my own technical limits make creating with it difficult because i cannot execute the things i see in my head, but at the same time i do not have the patience or the discipline to improve. so i stopped. and quite frankly i don't think i'm very interested in picking it back up.

i had a similar problem for a while with writing, where any attempt at it was super frustrating due to my own aesthetic knowledge surpassing my technical knowledge. nowadays i am very, very slowly trying to get into writing fic for katsu, but i am unfortunately also cursed with the perfectionist trait of not wanting to share things until i feel they are "good enough." so for now there will probably only be very sparse and tiny snippets of my writing shared anywhere, at least until i have more confidence in it. i will keep doing it, though, just privately.

on the contrary, i have found that gpose comes fairly naturally to me. i have the knowledge of the posing tools, the environmental tweaks, the prop making, the outfit tweaking, the shaders, all that stuff that actually lets me get the results i see in my head before i create the shot. i even learned blender and other modding programs so i can further alter the components of a shot to my liking. i'm no expert for sure but i am pretty confident in my ability to envision a scene and then execute it to physicalize my vision.

i am torn on what this perceived ease actually means. from my point of view it could mean one of two things: 1. the two or so years of gposing i've done, starting with vanilla gpose and slowly learning other tools along the way, have actually contributed to my technical knowledge bank. my gposes were not as good when i started but the many, many shots i've taken have genuinely improved my eye for aesthetic. 2. it was never really that difficult, this was never really a "skill" that needed developing, anyone could pick it up and it only came naturally to me because gposing is inherently easy.

i am hoping the former answer is the truth, but recently my confidence has been slipping and a part of myself is trying to convince me of the latter.

i think i would be be pretty damn unhappy if the latter was actually true. i am very neurodivergent and deal with a lot of anxiety, and therefore have never held a "proper" job. i am technically a contractor with a captioning company right now, but finding work has been really difficult for me recently due to dwindling clients who are being drawn away by the artificial intelligence fad, and the aforementioned poor attention span. so the two things that i try to do as often as i can in my life to actually make me feel fulfilled nowadays are creating and helping people.

if i realized that the last two years i've spent learning this medium amounted to almost nothing, and that spending it learning any of the other mediums i've dropped or ignored would've been a more valuable use of my time... i don't think that would be very good for me. or my self-worth.

i don't want to fish for compliments or pity. i hope this doesn't come across as that. if anything i think i'd like it the most if this could resonate with the self-doubt someone else might be feeling right now, because i think that's one of the most beautiful parts of public self-expression— other people may see it and go, oh, i have felt that way before. other people feel the way i do sometimes. i am not alone.

i'm not going to stop gposing, probably ever. regardless of what the answer is to my internal question, what hasn't changed is that i find the actual process of gposing, setting up a scene and framing it, to be enjoyable. the only thing that might be threatened is my attempt to make my creations public. because if they are not truly art, then they will not cause people to feel emotion when they see them. and if they don't evoke emotion when seen by others, what even is the point of publicizing them?

i do sometimes wonder how i'd feel about my creations if i had never started posting them publicly. i'd been gposing for a good while before i started this tumblr blog and i doubt i would've stopped. but i do feel like i would probably see the value in my creations differently.

there are still some shots that i take and do not post here, or anywhere, that i keep just for myself. ...mostly because they don't abide by tumblr's TOS, lol. so evidently i do still enjoy creating just to create, just for myself. and i truly hope i never lose that, because i want to believe that my own self-expression is worth something regardless of how many people see it or how it makes them feel. just because it's unique, and nobody will be able to make anything exactly like i do.

i think that's just about the gist of it. i kinda doubt anybody will read all the way to the end of this, and that's okay, i just wanted to get my thoughts out in text. perhaps it will help me process how i feel. but if you did read all the way to the end, i appreciate it a lot actually, and it means a lot to have something like this seen even when it is not performative or cleaned up. especially when i have been feeling as invisible as i have recently.

chalk it up to the winter, i think— i don't do very well when the sun is fully down by 5:30. but there is always a summer for every winter and perhaps i will feel differently in the future. here's hoping i always find a reason to keep creating.

[bnhaobservation]

I'm not going to be nearly as rude but I will disagree with you on a few things but also agree with you on others. Sorry this might get long.

Other anon is right that Shouto said it in a way that might or might not be true but I do agree with your point that Shouto going into the inferno not knowing if he could stop it or not is great bravery.

Chapter 389 gives us this exchange which is why we also know it was actually Shouto who stopped Touya though I do think the family was vital but just not in the way Shouto thinks but that is fine because he doesn't know all the details all he knows is that Touya got stronger and he wasn't sure if his aegir was enough.

But in chapter 389 we have an exchange in the viewing room from those who are watching the whole thing on the screens; they say Touya's fire is going down but right after they say it's not that it's still rising and the explosion is inevitable.

So the Todoroki family didn't do anything to stop the explosion itself that was all Shouto even if Shouto himself doesn't know it. We also know Shouto surpassed his limits which he likely doesn't know about either.

But the other Todorokis did help but again not in the way Shouto assumes they did. What they did was give Shouto and Iida vital time to get there. It was Rei who stopped Endeavour from riding Touya's fire into the sky and blowing them both up. It was Rei, Fuyumi and Natsuo that cooled Touya down enough before he raised his temperature again to give vital seconds. It was a team effort but again not in the way Shouto assumes because it was him himself that stopped the explosion but it was Rei, Fuyumi and Natsuo who stopped Endeavour and gave them vital time and it was Iida who got Shouto to gunga. Without them Touya would be dead by now as well as Endeavour and everyone in the area. So it very much was still a team effort.

I think Shouto and Touya are on equal footing, neither one is stronger than the other and both have acknowledged each other's strengths, Touya admits Shouto's strength in chapter 375 when he admits that his power wasn't enough to take Shouto down and now Shouto is admitting Touya's strength.

There is something else I disagree with but I want to put that in a seperate ask because this is getting too long and it's on a different topic.

Disagreeing is more than fine! I do like to talk with people with different opinions, as long as everything is done in a civil manner and you expressed your opinion in a very civil manner so I'm very happy to talk with you!

Now to your points...

Other anon is right that Shouto said it in a way that might or might not be true but I do agree with your point that Shouto going into the inferno not knowing if he could stop it or not is great bravery.

Yes, the might could imply what the other Anon said, but then Shouto said Touya's fire went to uncharted territories he couldn't reach...

...so I think Shouto is implying his blow alone wasn't as strong as Touya.

But I think this is not really what matters of the scene. It's the whole 'I'm not the masterpiece' (aka the thing Endeavor wanted, aka the strongest) that's relevant. Shouto is being a great hero on his own terms and, in the same time, denying the role is father pushed on him.

It's a lesson to Endeavor (who's meaningfully placed below the balloon in which Shouto says so) about how the strenght of the Quirk isn't everything.

If you go check the Ultra Archive' book you see that Endeavor's cooperativeness is very low (2/5). Shouto won by cooperating with his family, the family in a way Enji discharged because they didn't belong to the world of heroes.

The only one who was helpless to stop Touya's fire, to contribute in stopping it, was Enji, Fuyumi, Natsuo and Rei, with their weaker ice Quirk gave a more meaningful contribute than he could.

Shouto is basically teaching his father his beliefs were wrong (which is another thing I forgot to point out but that makes Shouto great).

Chapter 389 gives us this exchange which is why we also know it was actually Shouto who stopped Touya though I do think the family was vital but just not in the way Shouto thinks but that is fine because he doesn't know all the details all he knows is that Touya got stronger and he wasn't sure if his aegir was enough.

But in chapter 389 we have an exchange in the viewing room from those who are watching the whole thing on the screens; they say Touya's fire is going down but right after they say it's not that it's still rising and the explosion is inevitable.

So the Todoroki family didn't do anything to stop the explosion itself that was all Shouto even if Shouto himself doesn't know it. We also know Shouto surpassed his limits which he likely doesn't know about either.

Here we disagree a little.

Let's make this clear, I don't think the other Todoroki stopped Touya, actually I don't think even by joining forces they were as strong as Shouto, I think Shouto's ice Quirk is way stronger than the one of his family members.

But I think the whole thing worked with the other adding to his power.

Let's make an example with simple numbers.

Let's assume Touya's Quirk has a power of 10.

Let's assume Rei is 1, Natsuo is 1, Fuyumi is 1. As you can see they're really small numbers.

When they put their Quirk together they reach 3, which is nowhere near enough to stop something that's 10 (though it's entirely possible when they just tried stopping him, he wasn't at 10 yet but he kept raising the heat).

Shouto is 9. 9 is close to 10 but still not enough. However if you add 3, it becomes 12. 12 is more than 10 and therefore the family win.

After all the family is still using their Quirk to cool down the place, this is going to affect things.

I see the ice Quirk of the family adding to Shouto's, their own was nowhere near enough, but it gave Shouto the little bost in power he needed to surpass his brother's fire.

It's an old trope in many manga, the most famous being Dragon Ball (I'm not up to date with the new series, I'm talking of the old manga).

Goku is the strongest hero but sometimes he gets a bost of power by his much, much weaker friends. This bost of power allows him to beat enemies who, normally would be stronger than him.

That's because it's for many actually more narratively intriguing to see the hero struggle with a strongest than him foe and win him also through the power of friendship, which proves the hero is not just strong but also morally superior as he has friends who're willing to help him.

Friendship is a recurring topic of shonen and it's important in MHA too. In this case though, instead than getting a boost by his friends, Shouto gets one by his family because his arc (and Endeavor's and Touya's circled also about family).

(in regard to the friendship part he had Iida help him)

But the other Todorokis did help but again not in the way Shouto assumes they did. What they did was give Shouto and Iida vital time to get there. It was Rei who stopped Endeavour from riding Touya's fire into the sky and blowing them both up. It was Rei, Fuyumi and Natsuo that cooled Touya down enough before he raised his temperature again to give vital seconds. It was a team effort but again not in the way Shouto assumes because it was him himself that stopped the explosion but it was Rei, Fuyumi and Natsuo who stopped Endeavour and gave them vital time and it was Iida who got Shouto to gunga. Without them Touya would be dead by now as well as Endeavour and everyone in the area. So it very much was still a team effort.

Yes, the family also did all that. On this we absolutely agree.

I think Shouto and Touya are on equal footing, neither one is stronger than the other and both have acknowledged each other's strengths, Touya admits Shouto's strength in chapter 375 when he admits that his power wasn't enough to take Shouto down and now Shouto is admitting Touya's strength.

On this you could be right, they could both be pretty close in terms of strength... even if I think the idea is that Touya continued to surpass his limit (chap 374). I think this is the trick. The first time Shouto used the great glacial aegir, he probably surpassed Touya's heat, in fact he temporally shut it down... but then Touya raised it up further.

It's what Shouto said, after all, Touya keeps on raising the heat.

So in their first battle Touya might have been at even 8 of power, but when Shouto reaches 9, Touya raises up further.

That's why Shouto says Touya's fire kept on growing, and that's Touya's defining characteristic, all he was taught was to raise the heat so he keeps on doing it and, due to what happened to him, all his limits were destroyed... which is not really great because surpassing his limits too much is destroying him.

Limits aren't just something that holds you back, but also something that holds you alive, so what Touya can do isn't framed as cool. When you surpass your limits too much, you destroy yourself.

It was also a lesson MHA tried to impart, while we've to keep on growing and improving, we don't have to do it at the price of destroying ourselves.

There is something else I disagree with but I want to put that in a seperate ask because this is getting too long and it's on a different topic.

Then we'll 'see' each other in the next ask but I take this chance to tahnk you about having been civil with your opinion! It was a pleasure to talk with you!

[its-my-whump]

The Merry Whump Of May - Day 2

Torture , Beating , Broken bones

Club

How could he have been so mistaken? "Just joyn in. The club's gonna be real fun."

Yeah fuck. He didn't mean a place to party drink and dance. He meant a fucking punch stick.

Unfortunately, realisation came with the first hit and his naivity was bloodily cast out.

The first one he got in his back and stumbled forward, not knowing what in the matter of speaking actually had hit him. A dull but all consuming pain came out of nowhere and pushed the air out of his lungs while it took his whole upper body hostage. He couldn't breath through the first 30 seconds of shock. His legs almost gave in, but he kept standing by sheer force of will.

Where the first one seemed merely a try, the second landing, definitely fractured his arm when he tried to block the hit out of reflex. He almost chocked on his own breath desperately trying to soak air in while an agonising cry left his lungs the same moment. At least the coughing took his mind a merciful second from the pain. His fore-arm was undiniable broken. Even it hadn't been for the nerve wrecking sound his bone produced when it cracked, he just felt it. It was a feeling so much worse, than anything he'd ever experienced.

But in the same moment this very thought reached his brain, he just knew this limit would be surpassed several times tonight.

Hot tears overflew his eyes, he couldn't see the next swing, that took his legs from under him. A new wave of pain went through his arm, when he touched down while the distress of that blow ran up and down his right leg. His knee felt like it had been disjoined instantly. Desperat cries escaped his lips and yet he was just trying to breath. His lungs hurt in addition to all the agony he was already in. His own frantic longing for vital air was making him dizzy or it was all the pain.

He just couldn't think, this sickening feeling had him in its wrench-like grip. His body was eaten up by this whole ordeal, there was no capacity for his mind to work.

The club was briefly exchanged through a foot kicking. Never thought some stiched leather on a maniacs foot could be this cruel. Taking shallow and stressed breaths in and pushing grunts, sobs and cries out.

Another crack, deep inside his body something snapped, once, two, at least three rips musst have been fractured in a matter of seconds.

Apparently bending down to hit your target with a bat laying on the floor is straining for the back of the attacker, so he stayed by his choise of kicking instead.

The next blow went in his back where the first hit had landed closing the circle of fuck to start anew.

His vision was swimming, every breath hurt so much, everything hurt so much. A grey cloak was slowly settling in his field of view.

More kicks, more pain, less air, less will to endure anymore.

Grey turned white. It felt like he needed to throw up and was suffocating on his own breath at the same time. He couldn't see anymore. The constant static noise that had been in his ears for some time was getting louder, unbearble loud.

The white was so bright, so clear, so damn loud, until it wasn't. Darkness cancled out the light, until there wasn't anything left.

[tootysweetcheeks]

Twitter threads do sometimes make me giggle, and this thread I stumbled across sure did tickle my sides 😂!

The “preventing your child to getting hurt and removing him from the environment that is causing him so much stress” part 😂🤣 because that “removal from a stressful environment” only made it worse - Enji halting the training/distancing himself from Touya! Plus the environment was only stressful because of how Enji(and Rei) continued to fail Touya, by making all the wrong moves and distancing themselves from their clearly hurting/unstable child. Touya was essentially self-harming and begging for his father’s attention/acknowledgement and Enji’s answer to that was to distance himself(and eventually Shouto) which only made Touya worse and worse! So the way they’re essentially taking a dig at well his haters(and probably at anyone who points it out) for pointing it out, is rather funny because clearly it was the wrong move! The narrative paints it as the wrong move, and the title of the chapter paints Enji’s actions as the wrong move!(Essentially the only good thing he did was stop the training, afterwards no)

I have spoke about his putting his hands on Rei before, so I’m not going to take a dig at that though I do want to say that murder of course is next level of awful. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that assaulting someone, and abuse is also very awful. I also will take a slight poke at the “training your son so he won’t hurt himself” part, now first I do want to add that looking at his past with his father’s death/Touya’s constitution. A part of him may have been doing it so Shouto would not hurt himself, but his main purpose for Shouto was for him to surpass All Might, and from dialogue from both Shouto & Touya, all he taught them was turn up the heat but never to turn it down. He only cared for power and surpassing the limit, and his training of Shouto was somewhat abusive.

He essentially was training his son to be a hero, regardless of if Shouto actually wanted to be so or not!(luckily Shouto did, and took inspiration from the man he loathed😅)!

I mean looking at another take of theirs they essentially think the training was normal, by extension they don’t view it as wrong(or abusive) and used U.A as a defence for the thought process of it being normal!

Despite the fact, that the narrative/characters dialogues and visuals paints Enji’s past training as bad/not normal. Paints it continuously through so many characters eyes in a negative light, even through Enji’s own eyes it was painted negatively! Plus how are you going to use U.A teachers training their students, as a defence against “Enji’s past training was awful/abusive/not normal” when 1) there is a huge difference between training a 15/16yrs and a 5-8yr old & 2) the consent is different too, the U.A students were willing participants. Who were excited & willing to learn, and could leave at anytime. Where as Shouto was a child given this role not by his own choice, and he couldn’t simply just leave! It’s also not like Shouto could at all request for the training to be less intense or gentle, we all saw how he was reacting to his 5yr old hurled over vomiting. Screaming at him to stop acting like he was weak(he wasn’t weak Enji he was a little child 😒 surprise surprise he can’t take hits from a full grown man), and that if he couldn’t take that hit he could forget about passing All Might! All in all, peeps can have their opinions/takes obviously, but when the narrative/character paint something as bad/negative then you know what?! That action/scenario was bad, and a wrong move on that characters side!

[aleburton]

Alex watched as Naomi departed the room. She answered the ringing phone and withdrew into one of the spare bedrooms for privacy. The caller could have been anyone, but she harbored a suspicion that it might have been one of her numerous male admirers, angling for a rendezvous later in the evening. With Naomi occupied, Zach and Alex found themselves alone together for the first time in months. Her gaze shifted toward him, the movement unhurried, influenced by the subtle effects of the pills she had taken. She was tired. The night had unfolded with an overwhelming cascade of events, surpassing her capacity to handle them. Regret crept in as she wished she had kept her memory loss a secret. If only she had refrained from sharing it with anyone, she might been spared the disheartening spectacle of her friends squabbling, each passionately defending their stance on who was to blame. Naomi and Zach shared common traits – they were both unyielding and unlikely to concede in a fight. Their conviction in being right seemed unwavering with little room for change of heart.

Amidst the blame game, where no one was willing to shoulder responsibility, Alex, despite her willingness to accept it, was denied the right to do so. Zach moved quickly to break the silence, attempting to piece together an apology, his words coming out in disjointed fragments. He traversed the room, lowering himself to his knees before her. This sudden shift from poking and prodding to heartfelt pleading left her perplexed. Just because he did feel bad for her. As she looked at him, the dim club lighting no longer obstructing her view, she was struck by the clarity it brought. His eyes, particularly, had always been mesmerizing, capable of coaxing her into almost anything. His smile was equally as potent, though she had not seen it for quite some time. She shook her head almost imperceptibly. Did true closure even exist? And if it did, could it alleviate their pain? To her, it felt like a futile pursuit. Walking away with resentment felt like a simpler path than leaving with love entwined. Wrapping everything up in a satin bow was just too hard.

Why would you ever walk away from someone you loved so deeply? The answer eluded her still, even as the fragments of her memory gradually started to piece themselves together, bit by bit. Alex’s hands twitched softly, as if the act of touching him again might somehow reintroduce a contagion, but she maintained her composure. “You can’t be angry with Naomi,” she asserted. “You know as well as I do that when I set my mind on something, I do it. As much as I want to be morally upright, there are moments when I don’t.” The irony amused her – his elevated opinion of her moral compass. That Naomi truly didn’t know her friend if she believe Alex would engage in promiscuity or drug use. Had he conveniently forgotten the extent to which she had pushed her limits during their time together? She was only angry then, strategically dancing with other men, or popping an extra half tablet of Xanax, all designed to provoke a reaction from him. Now, the anger had evolved into something deeper, complicated by heartbreak. It wasn’t an inconceivable transformation.

“If I had to guess why I behaved that way, I probably didn’t care what happened to me. What I put in my body, who I let touch it,” Alex confessed, the words leaving her lips as if these very thoughts didn’t still linger in her mind. The pills continued to ebb throughout her bloodstream at this very moment. “That just means I’m bad at coping.” As if she didn’t plan on taking another the moment he left, retreating into the bathroom to scrub her skin raw from the violations. “It occurred to me tonight that, in my own way, I was trying to save us the last time we were together. I didn’t handle it right, I understand that now, but we’ve never done anything right. It felt like we were finally making progress. Like we were getting closer to fixing everything. But, I had all of this attention on me from strangers, from Isaaq. He kissed me that night, I remember, and panic set in because I couldn’t fathom being with anyone other than you,” Alex recounted rapidly, her laughter tainted with a hint of bitterness.

“And then, I don’t remember your exact words, but I know they were the opposite of what I was trying to achieve, and the fact that you perceived me in that way hurt more than rejection itself.All I’ve ever wanted was what’s best for you and to be with you and I guess,” she paused, a subtle quiver in her voice. “No, I know, those things can’t co-exist…”

Zach sat up straighter. He knew even as it occurred to him that Naomi wouldn't go lightly; she and Alex were kin, they would fight fire with fire until the whole place went up in flames. But Zach could burn even after his opponents were ash. She should know fucking better. His brow furrowed, sharp face painted openly with distaste. "I'm not criticizing Alex for asking, I'm criticizing you for reeling off all this shit you could've stopped at the time knowing it'll hurt her. You claim to know her so fucking well - you thought indulging in clearly out of character behavior, blasted out of her fucking mind, was something you should've been encouraging? If you sit there and claim to be fucking innocent, you're worse than I thought." He stood up, pacing a safe distance across the room, trying to exorcise his swelling rage before it cloaked him.

He reeled around as she started up again, jaw flexing as he restrained himself from flying across the room. "Oh, flawless fucking logic Naomi. Really. I wasn't aware someone else's mistake infinitely excused all of yours. If I break a glass and you hold her hand while she walks barefoot all over the shards, I suppose that's my fault too, is it?" She was unbelievable; his blame did not negate hers. "You should've known fucking better. But she was acting like you, indulging in all your very evident fucking problems, and that's all that mattered - right?" She couldn't fool him - Zach knew an addict when he saw one. Alex wedged herself meekly between them, attempting to encourage Naomi to re-think, but on she relentlessly went. His teeth ground together. He could fucking kill her. "You can't be fucking serious? I was staying away, like Alex fucking wanted me to. I'm failing to see how anything that happened while you were supposedly taking care of a friend can be the fault of my non-fucking-presence. Are you stupid, or dumb? Notice I gave you two definitive options so you don't fall into the trap of picking the non-existent third option that fits your narrative."

Zach rolled his eyes, her arguments inane, rolling off his back like water on duck feathers. "Yeah, well, maybe you wouldn't have to lie if you hadn't have spent two months pretending your own fucking indulgence was some healing retreat. Loading her up on coke and fucking her with some random guy when you knew she could barely remember what she had for breakfast. Are you insane?" He turned away, wringing his own forearms in his fists to quell the boiling veins begging him to do something far worse than yell. Her phone jumped loudly on the counter, demanding attention, and the interruption of his manufactured peace sent his shoulders up defensively. Naomi grumbled, defeated at Alex's insistence, and she scoffed as she made her exit. "Fucking, whatever. I'll be back in a second. Once your dog stops barking." She glared at him.

His pacing didn't cease; if he couldn't feel something cave under his fist, he would just need to keep moving. "I'm sorry, I know that didn't help either. I just-" Zach sighed frustratedly, turning to look at her, his bottom lip splitting between his clamped teeth. "I want to help. And I don't know how. I know I put you here-" His chin chucked in the opposite direction, fixating on the cut of light through the blinds on the wall. His heart beat arrhythmically. "Fuck. Alex." He crossed the room, coming to his knees before her in front of the sofa. "Earlier tonight, I thought if I could just apologize and you could hear it, maybe it'd help you live the rest of your life. Some closure. Some - something. But I just can't get my fucking head around an ending. It doesn't make sense that we'd ever just end." He shook his head, aware of his veering off track. He cracked his neck with a head roll to re-orient, and pulled her hands into his. "What do you need?" he muttered, eyes searching hers. "Is it something I can give you?"

[mcdonaldsnumberone]

a bit tipsy !

“intimate starters” ig

gender neutral reader

prompt list

—”i don't want to be alone.”

It’s a hard thing, truthfully, for Rin to admit his own limits. In his world, his limits only exist for him to surpass them, and he’s wandered this lonely road of his through nothing but sheer determination and his heart’s raging hatred. As much as he hates to confront himself about it, his frustration and anger all stems from a place of abandonment and loneliness—all he ever wanted was to be acknowledged and loved as he ran full steam ahead towards what he once believed was his shining future and noble dream.

He knows you’re doing your best to make sure he’s cared for, and he knows his habit of walling himself up and trying to force through things alone is a result of his own insecurity and immaturity. But still, he can’t deny how much happier he feels when he notices that you’ve waited for him to finish training to see him off, or whenever you swing by during his allotted break times to drop off any snacks or interesting things that caught your eye. Even if you’re not someone professionally associated with sports, it’s confirmation to him that you haven’t abandoned him and that you refuse to give up on him.

It takes a lot of courage for him to come to terms with the fact that he needs you to keep going. Being with someone like him is far from easy. He’s dedicated himself to soccer before he’s dedicated himself to anything—or anyone—else, so he doesn’t want to accidentally push you away either. Slowly but surely, your warmth gets him to ease up and find the silver lining in his life: to love rather than to be avaricious, to heal than to rip apart old wounds, to move forward instead of drowning in the past.

So when the nights become too long, when the games become too tainted, when his own eyes become clouded with the shadows of his doubts, he wants to be able to reach out to you. You’re willing to take him with open arms and the same unconditional love that you’ve always shown him, and he wants to learn how to move on past his grudges. He needs you, just as much as he needs his conviction.

Rin treasures you, more than anyone else in the world. Nobody understands his hurt the way you do, and nobody empathizes with him in the way you do. You’re truly a shining, irreplaceable figure in his life during what might be his most vulnerable stage in his sports career, and Rin loves you very, very much. It takes time and effort to get him to reveal that side of himself to you, but you two both know that deep down, nothing can sever the bond you’ve cultivated with one another.

“I don’t ever want to grow stagnant. Watch over me. I’ll go the distance for you- No, we’ll go the distance together.”

—”thank you for taking care of me.”

The world has yet to give up on someone like Kunigami. Kunigami doesn’t know when he officially lost that glimmer of hope that he had always kept nestled deep in his heart, but when he did, he thought he would never view his universe with the same optimism that he had nurtured since his childhood. And nothing could bring back that innocence, but he realizes that he felt the twinges of idealism spark up in his heart again when he let himself love again.

And you certainly have yet to give up on him. You absolutely refuse to see him mope and wallow in his own misery. You do whatever you can do to roll up your sleeves and inject that happiness back into his life. You can’t turn back time, but the most you can do is to make the most out of the time awaiting him. The most powerful thing in the world was never hatred—it was love, and it would always be the power to love. You want Kunigami to believe in that again, and to you, the best way to show that would be by being patient and learning to love him.

You’re persistent and tenacious, finding the cracks in his resolve and worming your way into them. You’re the one that sneaks little notes into his food or fetches his water bottle during his training. You’re the one that’s cheering for him the loudest during his games or the one that helps him clean up after everyone else has gone home. You’re a constant presence in his life, even amidst all the dramatic changes and strenuous rituals that he’s undergone. Even as he grows or breaks, you have always remained the same, forever offering your hand to him whenever he needs it.

And he wonders what could have compelled you to fight so hard on his behalf. It takes such a long time for him to accept you, for him to come to terms with the fact that he’s someone who still deserves love and respect after the hell he’s gone through, and for him to venture back to seeing the good in the world. If he can’t even see and appreciate all you’ve done for him as his biggest supporter, how can he step out back into the vast world again? You’re his anchor and his first step, and you always have been.

You don’t need much from him. You don’t even need him to become like the person he was before. All you want is for him to heal when he can and for him to continue forging his own path forward. Kunigami is someone precious to you, and you want him to understand that. Not even all the twisted evils lurking in the world could change how you feel towards him, and you pray deep in your heart that your conviction can continue to move him towards the light, until the day comes where he can embrace his own happiness once again.

“Why do you fight so hard? For me? Why? You’re so weird. Keep dreaming. Sometimes, that’s the most anyone can do.”

—”let's stay here for a while.”

Nagi would have never dreamed that a simple offer from Reo would land him in such a place. He’s not like many of the players around him; he’s never felt a burning inclination towards soccer, never felt the nip of desperation at his heels before his awakening at Blue Lock, never felt the first pangs of love stabbing at his chest. Everything has started moving so fast, so vivaciously that Nagi can’t help but continue to explore further into the world with wide eyes and a greedy desire.

Even with that being said though, there are the quiet ebbs of morning and night where Nagi is reminded that these serene moments matter just as much as the breathless moments on the field. You’ve always encouraged him to march to the beat of his own drum, to find his exhilaration on his own terms. Sometimes, the only thing Nagi wants to do is wrap himself up in his sheets with you in tow and to forget about the world, indulging in your hugs and letting everything else melt away.

You have never cared too much about Nagi the Athlete, always preferring his true and unapologetic self over whatever the media makes out of him. You’ve always accepted him for who he was, whether that be him chasing after the soccer ball like a crazed man or him being nothing more than a whiny teddy bear wanting cuddles and a lazy day. He likes that about you, that he doesn’t need to hide any part of himself or have to watch himself around you.

The world moves too fast for him sometimes, and he needs you to ground him. He can keep up with what’s demanded of him, and Nagi eagerly rises to the challenge. But he still needs those moments of clarity, where it’s just you kissing him awake while the sun peeks in through his windows and he can take the pressure of the world off his shoulders for a little while. It’s a beautiful gift of yours, to let him fully relax and let go of his worries, and it encourages Nagi to keep trying, for your sake at the very least.

Nagi hopes that he can be just as much of an encouraging yet stable presence in your life. He wants to savor these stolen minutes, because he knows that as he progresses into his career properly, they’ll grow fewer and rarer in between. Nagi doesn’t want much: all he wants is you at his side, leaning on his shoulder and dozing off with him quietly, basking not in the glory of the thrill but in the glory of the warm domesticity you’ve forged inside his heart.

“Mmmm… It’s nice, isn’t it? I like being around you. I don’t need to worry about anything. I wish I could do this all day with you. I don’t think I’d have any complaints then.”

—”you’re cute.”

Kaiser lives in a little world of his own. There’s nothing for him to worry about, other than his own success and entertaining himself with his odd superiority complex. He’s the kind of guy that can’t stand it when someone starts lingering on his mind for a little too much, even if they’re not someone who’s even remotely a threat to him. Maybe the best word to describe his relationship with you is that he has a terrible crush, and Kaiser has the worst time in the world realizing that the tug he feels in his chest when you’re around is that.

He flirts with you in a way that makes everyone want to pull his hair out. Constantly gloating whenever you’re watching, doing whatever he can to get your attention on him, acting like he owns the place even more than he already does. It would be endearing if it weren’t for the fact that he was so conceited over his own crush, and nothing would satisfy you more than to knock him down a peg at times.

But even then, this is Kaiser’s way of learning to deal with others, especially when romantic feelings are involved. The last thing he wants to do is to scare you away completely, so even if he acts like a prideful little prince, he does have his moments where he fawns over you and does his best to prove to you that he’s more than his swaggering persona. He wants to be someone you’re proud of, someone you like being around.

Kaiser loves it when you lavish him with praise and attention, even if you cut it short to make sure it doesn’t get to his head. He likes that you’re someone who can keep him on his toes, and he finds himself enamored at the fact that you’re always giving him a run for his money. He loves that thrill—he loves that you’re someone who refuses to simply cave in and take the easy way out. You live for the challenge, just as much as he does, and that vibrant spirit of yours is what attracted him to you to begin with.

He’ll do his best to spoil you too. He might not be the best at pampering you the way most people expect to be pampered, but he’s doing his best and somehow gets the message across. It’s all part of his charm, being this irritating yet irresistible figure in your life. Kaiser will always be drawn to your side like a moth to a flame, and it’s all up to you whether or not you let him crash and burn or let him shine even brighter in the afterglow of your life.

“C’mon, why don’t you smile for me? People are going to get the wrong idea if you always frown whenever I’m around. We’re lovers, aren’t we? Nothing wrong with looking the part, is there?”

x

[blushedarmybunny]

Let’s not fight, baby: part 1 “The Conflict” | Min Yoongi

☽ Pairing: Min Yoongi x fem reader

☽ Summary: Marriage is hard when one partner is on the top of the world, every option available to them, surpassing the other's limits can be the starting point for everything to break down.

☽ Word count:  2.2k

☽ Genre: angst.

part 2

“I’m Sorry sweetheart, I know it’s late over there but I couldn’t find any other breaks today” said your husband Yoongi starting the videocall, he had no right to look this good, he was wearing something comfy but stylish and he was using a cap, his voice a little raspy from performing earlier. He was on tour currently, right now in Paris with the boys, work stuff as usual.

You were glad to see him, of course, but you would be lying if you’d say that things weren’t a little tense these days. Crazy schedules had made communication difficult for you both which only extended the awkwardness of your argument the night before he went on tour, Why did you fight that day? Because he found appropriate to go to Jay Park’s house party without you, he even had the audacity to not even tell you thinking you wouldn’t find out but thanks to your mutual friend’s Instagram story you saw him vibing in the background with Jungkook, Hoseok and the ulzzang models that keep them good company. You did not appreciate that at all, his trustworthy excuse was that he had to work late in the studio, pure lies.

The next day was the last day you’d spend together before he went on tour, but he was asleep for the half of it, you had to contain your anger and trying to calm yourself to confront him later, because you couldn’t let that go. When he was caught, he resulted to his usual attitude of cold anger accusing you suffocating him, you were having none of it, he knew, he perfectly knew that you didn’t like Jay Park and his constant invitations only extended to him, you knew guys like him have the opposite mindset of the one of a married man, he demonstrated that he didn’t respect the limits that Yoongi has, but it seemed that your husband didn’t respect the limits either because there he was hanging out with him and his army of models.

It hurt you so much that your interactions during the tour had been so monotonous and routinely, he made the same questions and you gave the same answers, you were so done with it, your last straw was this very day few hours prior to this call, you knew that he went out the other night after the show, the press got him on 4k, he was only viewed entering the club and leaving it a few hours later, you were not against of him going to the club to have fun with his friends but he at least had to let you know, nowadays, he just goes out and lie about it, his foolish behavior had you worried and furious.

You had been married for the past 2 years, it was not easy because he is on the public eye and privacy was something that you didn’t have most of times, his job was demanding and the press was ruthless to the point that you had to plan out hangouts with your friends very carefully so you could at least relax for a few hours, some of his fans did not like you at all, nothing had really escalated more than a few insults online but Yoongi has been good for taking all the measures for your safety, you married him out of love, even though you were young, you still went ahead and took this giant step because you trusted your intuition that being with him only make you happy and definitely you were so lucky to have him, but at times like these it made you doubt if you had made the right decision, if you were ready for marriage, he could have not said it with words or consciously think it, but his actions told another story. You were not actually worried about him going out, it was his need to lie about it, why he got to lie? Why he enjoyed so much going out without you? You felt awful when you have to be the person that ruins his fun, that nags him and don’t let him have some independence from the relationship.

“Hi there, how are you?” you asked.

“Everything is fine right now, though I’m exhausted” he told you with his deep voice.

“it must be, giving a show and partying in the same night, sure has to be challenge.” There it was you said it, part of you couldn’t let this go this time, he didn’t took it well as you predicted, Yoongi immediately sighted annoyed.

“Not this again” he said irritated “You got issues” you could not believe what you just heard.

“Yoongi, what the fuck? You lie constantly and it is I that have issues?” you asked disconcerted.

“I’m adult and I can go wherever I want without have it to report it to you, stop controlling my life” he said cold, his favorite part to play, he acts so uninterested, cold and mean, like you are no one and that shit hurt you.

“I have never, not even once, prohibit nothing to you, so you don’t get to play that card!” you said to him “The only reasonable thing that ask of you, a married man, is to let me know, so I don’t worry, but you have to fucking lie and make me question what you are hiding of” you spited, he was unperturbed not even a reaction, you hate him for it.

“I’m not hiding anything, is it because you think I’m cheating?” he asked you with a small arrogant grin “I mean the girls surrounding Jungkook, Tae and Hobi sure can be a temptation” he spited, you could not believe what you were hearing, now your anger was at 100.

“Did I I just heard that you were tempted by the models that constantly surround your groupmates and I am the one who is making this up?” you asked him in disbelief.

“I mean they don’t pull this shit on me when I want to relax” he said sipping his whiskey.

“So you talk to them?” you asked him arching an eyebrow.

“I can’t talk to any women besides you and my mom?” he asked back with a monotone voice.

“I didn’t say that, now answer the question”

“Yeah maybe when I’m chilling with the boys I talk to them, is that a problem?” he defied.

“You are married, Yoongi, what business do you have talking to girls at a club?”

“You are truly psycho, you want me to only talk to men then?”

“You talking to other women IN THE CLUB is my issue it’s not unreasonable as you are making it sound”

“You know this is exactly why I didn’t told you”

“Ok so you lie to me, good, and you are telling me I’m crazy, you know how are you sounding?”

“I just didn’t tell you because you would make me feel guilty for having some fun with my friends, just like you are doing now”

“You give me reasons to worry about, like you just told me”

“I’m too tired for this shit, you are going to be upset because I just talk like human being to women regardless of the setting I’m on”

“You know that makes me uncomfortable, but you still going to do it? The fuck?”

“Yes, women surround me all the time, stylist, fans, models, other idols, if wanted I could have cheated on you long ago, get over it”

“Ok then, so go on, I lost 5 fucking minutes in this call, and I’m not gonna lost any more seconds talking to you” you manage to say to him and before you could grab your phone to end the call he said.

“what that’s supposed to mean, yn?”

“Figure it out, Yoongi, I leave you the rest of the tour the fuck alone so you can reflect , or go party, I don’t know, and I don’t care” you rolled your eyes, you had never and would never be a pushover, he wanted to lie and hang around like a single man? Ok, he can do whatever he wants but he was nuts if he thought you just accept it, far from it, he wants to be mean, it´s alright because you had no problem in giving him the same energy.

“Ok so we had no problem prior this call and now you are mad all of the sudden, WHILE I’M WORKING MY ASS OFF on tour, now I have to deal with stress and this shit too” he said to you also rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

“Look your gaslighting shit is not going to work today or never so cut it out, you don’t have to deal with anything as I told you I would not speak to you for the rest of the tour, I will not repeat myself, I said everything so I’m gonna hang up”

“You look pathetic when you do this” he said with anger, finally he showed you something else apart from his unbothered state.

“Yoongi, act like a grown man, can you? Can’t blame me for your lies and immature behavior, that’s really annoying, but anyways I leave it at that, good night” you hang up the call, you wanted to threw your phone to the wall but resisted the urge, you decided that it was better to take a relaxing bubble bath and listed to some music while you sipped some good wine, you would not stress about it, you had confidence in yourself and whatever happens next, you would choose what’s best for you and what makes you feel most comfortable, so you would give Yoongi a precious gift: time, there were left four months of the tour, so you were going to stand by your words and leave him those months to reflect and decide.

Yoongi at the other side of the world looked at his phone for five minutes after you hang up, he could still not process what happen, yes he was caught in a lie, he did go out without letting her know, he very much did it on purpose, careless of her feelings, but did not expect this reaction, it was too severe, it was a side of hers that he never knew, but now what? Did she really think that they are not going to communicate for the next four months? She’s tripping, she could not possibly do that, right? Sure she can be stubborn but not for that much time.

Yn prove him wrong when she ignore his calls and texts after a week, Yoongi thought that maybe a little more time was needed but a week turned into a full month and more time it passed the more guilty and in the wrong he felt, she was refusing to communicate with him and he was starting to loose it, the tour was a toll on him but the mental burden of this situation had encounter him in ways that he wasn’t expecting, he realized that when he was getting dinner with the boys at the hotel room and Jin’s wife called him and he got emotional to the point he had to excuse himself to the bathroom to cry, why he had to be so immature? Act out like a fool when he had everything?

After the concert a vlive was schedule for him, even though he wasn’t in the mood, it was his job to address his fans, but they noticed his sad mood and asked him about it, Yoongi had no energy to pretend or lie, so he didn’t.

“Yeah, I’m not feeling so good” he said to his fans, brushing his fingers through his hair, he squinted his eyes reading the comments.

“Why?” he sighted loudly “I’d been a fool lately, the consequences for my actions are making my life miserable, I wanna give you my 100% when I’m on stage but this personal situation is taking a big toll on me, i can’t pretend anymore and you have noticed too, right?” he confessed, he took a sipped of his water and reading more comments.

“No, I would not specify what it is, but I can tell you that not even the boys knew this” he said “And this issue it’s my fault, I feel like shit because if I didn’t act like an asshole I wouldn’t have to pretend and be happy, you know?” expressing what he truly felt made his eyes burn with tears but he had to hold them in.

“No, I would not stop talking bad about myself because I honestly deserve this, it’s been hard but finally externalize this is somewhat making feel just a bit better, what the heck? Look I’m crying now, oh boy” his tears rushed down his face he quickly wiped them, but more started to come out, he missed yn so much, he didn’t want to lose her, he was scared, he just wanted her to come and hug him, he left out a little sob, a little knock on the door brought him back to the present, he was crying in front of millions of people, his manager or one of the boys was probably knocking the door, as them had seen him.

“I… I got to go now, I promise to talk to you soon, ok? Bye” he log off, and soon Jungkook, Jimin and Namjoon accompanied by their manager enter the room.

It was going to be a long night.

COMMENT for part 2

[wutheringmights]

...Okay you joke about aroace Wind being horribly confused by the neck scene in Engineers journal, but not gonna lie, I'm aroace and that was literally my reaction to it. I was like "...ookay, I see why grabbing someones neck while they're unconscious is a bit much, but why is that being treated like a breaking point, nothing even happened, its just a neck." Had to be filled in by the comments section lmaooo

Huh, I guess it's time to talk about the neck scene.

First off, please note that this post is not tagged with anything fandom for a reason and I have made this post unreblog-able. This is meant for CTB people only, as you guys have the full context of the story and understand what my vision is (even if my execution is questionable).

Got it?

Ok, good.

Back in the chapter's commentary, I said I was going to talk at length about the neck thing and some of my decisions surrounding that plot point. Now is the time to do it, so let's go.

The idea behind this plot point is that I wanted Link to ruin the brotherhood in his pursuit to exert control over the engineer. I had the idea for this scene since the conception of this fic (and I will dig more into that in a moment), but I obviously did not want to risk being misinterpreted.

I tried to think of another way to destroy the brotherhood, but two significant character details severely restricted my options: a) Link could not stop "caring" about the engineer, and b) the engineer's limits for being able to call Link his brother have to be something that somehow surpasses extreme violence.

Having Link toss out the platonic relationship for a failed attempt at something more was the only way I could maintain both character details. Link gets to continue "caring" about the engineer while violating the engineer's clearly defined boundaries.

This also plays a lot into how both of them treat relationships, with Link looking to exert control over others (and himself) while the engineer is searching for relief. This conflict as been building up for many chapters now, so here was the time for it to clash, with the engineer being the decided victor.

Which takes us to why the neck? Well, I wanted some way for Link to express a non-platonic feeling without him needed to touch the bathing suit area. Touching the thigh was too sultry, but the neck was the right mixture of innocuous and creepy.

It's important to note that this is in part influence by my perspective. A while back, a friend of mine started to touch the back of my neck when he developed feelings for me, which is in part of why I view neck-touching as strangely intimate. The neck in general is just a very vulnerable spot that, when you think about it, a lot of people do not like to be touched at. I also just think vampires are hot, ergo neck-touching is kinda sexy.

I was hoping that even if people are not informed by the same experiences as I am, Link's inner musings accompanying the neck touching would help clue the reader into how they should feel about it. In retrospect, I can definitely see how readers can be kinda confused by what's so significant about it.

So, yeah. I played it a little bit dangerously here and really tempted fate in order to achieve this one plot point, especially when I really wanted to make sure that nothing happened in it that could be considered shipping.

To make it explicitly clear:

I am not shipping Warriors and Spirit

The narrative is not shipping Warriors and Spirit

Do not yell at me

"But Frankie, what did you mean that you had this idea since the beginning of this fic?"

Well, okay. Let's talk about deleted content. This is a plotline that never made it to the final product, so please do not consider this canon material the way other deleted ideas have been treated.

I talked a while ago about how even when I decided to commit to the toxic relationship angle for Link and the engineer, I had to pull back on a lot of my ideas in order to make it palatable. One of those ideas was a version of Link and the engineer's relationship that toed that no-shipping line by a lot.

Here's the basics: at the start of the story, the engineer was not going to know that he was bisexual. But after meeting Link, an objectively handsome guy around his age who seemed to care about him a lot, he had his bi-awakening. However, he really struggled with this awakening as he was already in a relationship and felt like he was betraying his Zelda. His goal was to not let anyone know about his crush and to get over it as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Link realized early on why the engineer was both clingy and distant with him and started teasing him for it. The teasing was fairly mean as he just liked to see the engineer get flustered and frustrated without realizing that he was being toyed with. Link was going to be an expert at appearing innocuous whenever he teased the engineer to make the engineer think that it was all in his head.

But as the engineer got more comfortable in his role in the war, his crush went away and he affirmed his appreciation for Link's emotional support and the family unit he built with him by calling him his brother, which Link accepts.

That is, until Link starts cheating on Lana.

Remember that scene where Link got drunk and had to be hauled back to camp by the engineer? Originally, Link pissed the engineer off not only by telling him to cheat on Zelda, but by taking his teasing way too far by propositioning him (as a drunken joke). That's when the engineer realized that he had been toyed with for almost a year now. That would spark a fight between them.

However, the engineer would come to forgive Link, in part because Link convinced him he was actually sorry, and because the engineer did not want to disrupt the family dynamic he had built with Link.

From there, the relationship would continue as it has been in the final story. But with the added context and relationship history, Link's neck touching scene would be an even bigger "fuck you" to the engineer.

This entire subplot was based on the idea of the homoerotic nature of a soldier's bond. I wrote a thesis part about this in college, but basically wars can offer a way for men to develop close bonds with other men that could not exist in a heteronormative society.

This subplot took a very literal interpretation of it, but even then, it's obvious by the summary that even with a confirmed crush involved, this was not meant to be shipping content. This was meant to offer another look at Link's paradoxical cruelty and love.

But even I can admit that it skirts way too close to the idea of shipping. That's why I took it out of the final story. I just did not have the energy back then to argue with people about what counted as shipping.

Actually, I still do not have this energy, which begs the question as to why I would go include any form of this plot.

See here, I am an idiot.