#self sacrificial tendencies

[writersmorgue]

Febuwhump Day 24 - "I'm doing this because I care about you"

TWs in tags || read on Ao3 || wc: 847

◈━◈━◈━◈━◈

“Fuck! Deku!” 

Izuku’s head turns to the sound of his name being called, he twists in his fall, right arm crushed painfully under his weight when he hits the ground.

The ice shard cuts cleanly across his rib cage to his opposite hip, pinning him in place like a toothpick. 

“Why didn’t you wait, dumbass!?” He shouts, causing Izuku to wince at the volume. 

“B-bad matchup.” His teeth chatter, jaw clenching as he tries to keep himself from crying out, “Thought I c-could take ‘im.”

Kacchan crouches next to him, reaching his arm down to Izuku’s. They both flinch when Izuku cries out at the contact, his very broken bones grinding together. 

“Shit, can you move?” Kacchan asks, looking up when a wall of ice appears to their right. Todoroki runs by them, fire summoned in his fists to combat the villain’s ice. 

An explosion jolts his body, causing Izuku to cry out again. 

Kacchan curses, running his fingers over Izuku’s left shoulder hesitantly, “Fuck, Deku I don’t know how to get you outta here without-”

Several chunks of ice fly towards them, one clocking Izuku in the side of the head. He feels his forehead split open, hot blood dripping down his nose. 

“OI ICYHOT- WATCH HIM!” Kacchan shouts, rolling his eyes when Shouto retaliates by creating a giant ice cavern around them. 

“Fuckin’ overdramatic ass.” He scoffs but takes the opportunity to grab his med kit and start chipping away at the ice connecting Izuku to the ground. 

“He’s just being cautious. It doesn’t hurt in our line of work.”

A loud boom sounds outside, and the villain yelps. 

“Sounds like he’s got him cornered.” Izuku hums, trying not to focus on the immense pain radiating through his torso. 

Katsuki pauses his work, shifting his knees slightly in his kneeling position. 

Izuku can see the unsaid words in his eyes. 

“What’s wrong, Kacchan?”

Kacchan gives him a look. One that says I’ll get to it when I fuckin’ get to it, then sighs. 

“We were right behind you, idiot. You keep doing shit like ‘n you’re gonna pay for it.”

“I miscalculated. He shouldn’t have-”

Kacchan growls, poking Izuku harshly on the knee, “No you shouldn’t have. You don’t fuckin’ miscalculate Deku,” he mocks, “You’re the goddamn symbol of peace. You do what you know you can and the rest you do with backup. We’re here for a fucking reason.”

Izuku looks away, flinching when Kacchan resumes the sawing harshly, “I tell you this because I give a shit about your well-being- but I’ll deny I ever said it so keep your mouth shut.” 

He looks at the blond expectantly, unanswered questions shooting through his head at 100 miles per hour. 

Red eyes look up to his, narrowing at Izuku’s feigned innocence. 

“Deku, you are going to die if you keep running in head first to fights you can’t take by yourself-”

“But I CAN-!”

“NO!” Kacchan shouts, panicked eyes drilling into the back of Izuku’s brain, “YOU FUCKING CAN’T.”

He punches the base of the ice, now tinged with red, and lets Izuku slump to the ground, “You ran into a fight- with backup- and still manage to get severely injured before anyone else even touched the fucker.”

“It’s not that-”

“Interrupt me one more time and I’ll finish the job.”

Izuku gulps, nodding curtly and looking down at the ground to avoid eye contact. 

“Izuku,” Kacchan says quietly, “What happens when Recovery Girl can’t get to you in time? What happens when no one can treat your injury and you bleed out because you’re been impaled in the fucking gut. Deku this would be more than enough to end normal people! You need to start putting more value on your life. You’re not playing a video game where you can just restart when you go down.”

Izuku’s eyes burn, bottom lip tucking behind one of his canines. 

“I don’t want to go to your damn funeral in the next twenty years, hell the next eighty. You can’t do shit for the world if you’re dead.” Kacchan pauses, seeming to debate what to say next. This is already much more than Izuku was expecting to say. “And I sure as hell won’t make you katsudon again.”

He snorts, looking back up at his friend, “Can’t have that.”

Kacchan smiles at him, but a frown replaces it quickly, “I’m serious, Deku. Don’t fucking do that again.”

They can hear Shouto calling for officer reinforcement. He must’ve taken the villain down.

Izuku knows he has a point. He’s been borderline suicidal about his attacks since UA. 

It just doesn’t feel right if he doesn’t put it all into a fight. 

But maybe that doesn’t need to mean a good battle is one where he only has to stay in the hospital for a week afterward. 

“Yeah Kacchan, I’ll do better.”

The blond narrows his eyes, quirking an eyebrow. 

“I promise, Kacchan.” He concedes, “Will you help me up please?”

His friend nods, grabbing Izuku’s non-injured arm and tugging him up. 

“Let’s get you fixed up, loser.”

[akanemnon]

That's two jailbreaks in one day!

FIRST - PREVIOUS - NEXT

MASTERPOST (for the full series / FAQ / reference sheets)

[thecmaly]

harem squad said deal's off folks

-

more windbreaker comics

[sandflakedraws]

hey is anybody gonna talk about this excerpt from the artbook or can i lose my mind about it. we cool? cool.

anyways. always screaming over it.

like, i know from a narrative standpoint that this excerpt is designed to make floyd look even more sympathetic to the audience; framing the brothers' disbandment as a 'well they stormed off first' kind of deal.

but!!!

... the absolute agony of could have.

could have kept everyone together. could have talked them through their issues. could have spared them so much of the heartache he never wanted any of his family to go through.

like!!!! all this unforeseeable anguish lying in wait, maybe entirely avoidable if floyd had just ... asked for it. if he maybe talked about his own feelings on the matter. if he hadn't buried them in inscrutable boyband puns, in an effort to comfort a confused three year old. if he had maybe made this expression somewhere that somebody could see it.

we all love the 'quietly bears the bulk of emotions' trope in fiction but man. martyrdom as character flaw my beloved....

dEVAStating!!! to me,

[chandralia]

actually need bkdk to get into counseling where they’re advised to impersonate each other

Deku: ‘I’m kacchan and I’m so perfect and amazing and more blinding than the sun and—‘

Counselor: you’re supposed to act out things that you don’t like…

Deku:

Katsuki: well ‘I’m Izuku and I know everything about everything, about heroes, about kacchan. kacchan kacchan kacchan!’

Counselor: again… it’s supposed to be things you don’t like…

Katsuki: *lunges across the room*

[bell-cloche]

Caught up to en book 7

[crazydaymycrazyway]

Cale: Just trust me

Choi Han: The last time you said that your plate nearly broke, Cale-nim

Cale: But things got done, didn't it?

Choi Han: That's not the point-

[batbabydamian]

The Boy Wonder #3 by Juni Ba rambling about how cool this series would be to read in a single sitting...it's all so connected!!

rambles for issue #1 and issue #2!

i don't have as much personal interpretation for this cover besides it being a solid piece of art in shapes and silhouette! ALSO. bi bg lighting lol. Damian's "X" posing of his cape and swords parallels with Tim's "X" chest straps + the Robin emblem in the center. Tim's closed Red Robin wings frames Robin's own outstretched cape wings; and on top of that, the shadows cast inside the wings nicely frames Damian's demon mask.

Joe and Merle's dynamic has been so fun, especially with the mutual enthusiasm over the storytelling 🥺 Joe also opens up about his circumstances that led him to this moment, which perfectly sets up the setting of this issue! Even his very first introduction becomes a relevant detail when a fancy rich couple drops a champagne glass, uncaring of the people literally below them, saying “some poor sap down there’ll appreciate it” when it bonks Joe’s head.

it all comes around!! and tbh this issue proves how much this series would slap to read in a single sitting (GET THE COLLECTED EDITION)

Going beyond first impressions seems to apply to the color palette in this series. From #1 in the first page of Gotham, we see the gold of upper society to the blue of the downtrodden → from issues #2 and #3, it’s the warm gold of inner Gotham to the cold blue of the rich. there’s a sense of community displayed among the poor - even part of Jason’s intro avenging Bill, a generous man mourned on panel by many. The rich gives off a sense of individualism, celebrating themselves and their excess.

With the change in scenery, this issue steps into the more civilian side of things through a spy theme - fancy suits and lil gadget intros! Going down the civilian route with Tim feels very fitting since it's what makes Tim's run as Robin so charming!

i love that Talia’s taught Damian to be conscious of the rich’s effects on society, especially in the following page of small panels zoning in on the details of wealth and overindulgence. but also LIL DAMIAN. HIS LIL ROUND EYES AND HANDS 🥺

Damian’s aware of the facts, and his disgust is clearer after having just been through lower Gotham and seeing firsthand the poverty directly caused by the wealthy (also not sure if that old lady is the same one from #1 with similar hair and clothes, but pls she can't a break…)

i mentioned Damian’s “inciting incident” for this journey to be the intro of a demon for Damian to prove his worth but i’m correcting the use of that term!! the intro of the demon is more the beginning of plot, whereas the actual inciting incident is beheading the thief!! it’s the main reason he’s in this situation where he felt the need to prove himself, and atone. Most notably is that the beheaded thief is a consistent character that quite literally haunts Damian every step of the way.

The statue of Batman’s head being popped off becomes a significant visual, because while Damian started this journey to prove something to Bruce, the only one that really seems to have (quite literal) eyes for Damian’s journey is the thief. Why does he make more of an appearance than the actual Bat? Even his statue’s head doesn’t make a figurative presence; whereas the only one looming over Damian is the thief. Guilt over killing him may be driving him just as much as his desire to be worthy. Alternatively, it could be that Damian needs to reexamine his motivations since the thief is really getting in Damian's face now.

Damian is proud to be a positive influence on Tim, but the moment is short-lived. It’s an ironic moment to me because Damian doesn't even know the impact he's had on Jason just in the previous issue!! 😭

Damian's so desperate to prove his worth, yet he's been making choices in every issue to help others!! Helping the old woman up in #1, being vulnerable with Jason in #2, and now sacrificing himself for Tim!

The Ra’s "Weakness" panel has been reoccurring since #1, but it's the first time Talia has been included. Being great figures in his life and mind, their silhouettes consume Damian's, similar to a few of Batman's appearances below. This latest disappointment was such a blow to Damian, that Talia (who he might have the most respect for) becomes an added voice in his head.

Final thoughts!!

Like Rok, does the thief actually have a connection to the al Ghuls or is this beard just in fashion at the moment.

Lex is clearly referencing one of the Underwell warehouses that Joe and Merle are presently, so wondering if whatever he and Tim discuss here will be affecting them later.

Ending with Talia’s cover for extra hype!! i’ll probably go back to this for the next ramble, but i’m already gearing myself up to wail about Talia just based on this cover. The Mary and Jesus imagery (more prominent with Damian’s lil crown as a “prince”) but most importantly Talia weathering the flames for Damian…her own shroud/shawl wrapped around Damian and burning… oh boy

[kroosluvr]

we'll stand together, even at the end - especially at the end.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Adrien Agreste and Why Motivation Matters

One of the most important things you can gift a character is a motivation that correlates to their intended role in the story. It's a big part of how they truly come alive. And if they have a motivation that doesn't correlate to their role? That can make them come across as a total ass!

A few days ago I got an ask about Lila. I ended my response with this:

I'm totally fine with complex, master-manipulator Lila, it's just hard to figure out the best way to make her work when we don't know anything about her backstory or motivation.

This got me thinking about motivation in general and how much it plays into the show's poor writing. I talked about Lila above, but I wanted to point out how much it's responsible for Adrien's issues, too.

Motivations are one of the main ways you create strong characters. You come up with the thing they want and then keep that in mind whenever you're writing them. Motivations can be very simple and straight forward (I want to get home) or extremely complex and nuanced (a person wanting to create a new government with a very detailed idea of what that means). A character can even have multiple motivations!

Unfortunately, all motivation are not created equal. There is such a thing as a bad motivation and I'm not talking ethics or morality here. I'm talking about picking motivations that match the character's intended role. For example, Gabriel's motivation is fine! It perfectly suits a villain. On the other hand, Adrien's motivation sucks because it makes him into a terrible hero.

Adrien's motivation as given in the show seems to be this: win the heart of my Lady. Later on, that motivation changes to: date Marinette and be the best boyfriend possible. And that's it. He has no other overarching motivations. Individual episodes might give him a one-off motivation to jazz things up for a bit, but generally speaking, romance is all he cares about. It's why we get baffling moments like this one from Dark Cupid:

Cat Noir: Falling for me already, my lady? (pulls Ladybug down next to him) I need to talk to you. Ladybug: It’s gotta wait. Dark Cupi- Cat Noir: (hushes her) I swore to myself that I'd tell you as soon as I saw you. Ladybug, I-I... Look out! (Cat Noir spins around to shield Ladybug, and is struck by one of Dark Cupid's arrows.)

Or this one from Oblivio:

Nadja:(from a helicopter) Looks like Ladybug and Cat Noir are struggling today. (Ladybug is rapidly spinning her yo-yo to deflect Oblivio's blasts while Cat Noir sits down casually.) Ladybug: And stop calling us a couple!

These are just two out of many examples I can pull from, but they highlight a reoccurring issue: Adrien often doesn't take akumas seriously. He's been shown to happily prioritize flirting over fighting and, as a result, he's put himself, his Lady love, and all of Paris in danger.

It also gives us things like Kuro Neko and Kwami's Choice. Episodes where he quit without any concern for protecting his loved ones or even just protecting the freedom that comes with being Chat Noir, things that he only really cares about in the realms of fanfic. As far as the show is concerned, Adrien doesn't care about his loved ones or his freedom. His only constant driving force is his current crush.

Don't get me wrong, he's going to react if he sees Nino in danger or if his father bans him from going to a party! But in terms of what generally guides Adrien's actions? His father, Nathalie, Nino, Chloe, and Alya are out of sight, out of mind. And being able to leave the house? Well, who cares about that? He'll happily sacrifice freedom for a date. Outside of Origins, I think we only ever see him sneak out or otherwise break the rules so he can have a date.

You'll note that Marinette doesn't really have this problem*. While dating Adrien is a big motivation for her, she has a second motivation: protecting Paris. Sometimes those motivations clash, leading her to make poor choices, but that story never treats this as a good thing the way it does Chat Noir's endless flirting. Instead, Marinette's crush is treated as a character flaw or an interesting source of conflict like Volpina threatening to kill Adrien, making Ladybug having to chose between her two main motivations: love and duty.

This is why I've had several posts where I offhandedly mentioned Adrien needing a second motivation. It's also why I've mentioned that Gabriel should have been claiming that akumas were the main reason that Adrien was getting locked up because that's a really simple way to give Adrien personal stakes in the fight. Are those stakes selfish? Sure, but that's okay because it's a selfish motivation that doesn't go against being a hero. If Marinette was only being Ladybug for the sake of her parents, her motivation would be selfish, but still suited to a hero because it doesn't stop her from being heroic. It actually drives her to be heroic. As written, Adrien's motivations do the opposite. Whenever Ladybug or Marinette are seemingly safe, he will do very unheroic things because romance is his only main motivation and that's a problem. To make him work in his intended role, he needs to match Marinette and have (or discover) a motivation that suits a hero.

*To be extra clear and hopefully save myself a salty ask or two, I'm NOT saying that Marinette never does questionable things in the name of romance, she absolutely does. I'm saying that it's extremely rare for her romantic motivation to get in the way of keeping Paris safe because keeping Paris safe is her second motivation and it overrides the romantic one most of the time. Once an akuma is on the loose, she's usually all business. It's one of the reasons Passion (the episode where Nathalie becomes Safari) is so awkward. They did a full role reversal for Marinette and Adrien and it really doesn't work on Marinette's end because it feels out of character for Marinette to ignore the akuma threat in favor of flirting. She never did that for Adrien or Luka or even Catwalker. The worse we ever saw was a crush distracting her from making the right call, but even then, she was always at least trying to protect Paris. Compare Desperada (Viperion's debuted) to Passion and you'll see what I mean.

[boxesblr]

The hill I will die on is that LastLife!Etho (and Etho more generally) worries so much about rules and that's the reason some people think that he comes across as 'uncaring', especially when it comes to giving Bdubs his life. In episode 5, he tells Cleo he can't just give her the brewing stand - he can't just give things to red lifes, it has to be a deal. He is happy to make the deal for Bdubs to sign Scar's book to get him a life, and then executes the boogey kill (arguing that he didn't break any contract), and Then signs Scar's book himself. He goes on to argue that 'The Boogeyman took the enchanter' but when Scar counters that Etho was cured upon the kill so that's untrue, Etho backs down. He talks about rules and technicalities and he loves to play the game but he wants to find loopholes, not break rules.

That's why he hesitates to give Bdubs his life later on. All alliances with reds are cut, so he can't give anything to Bdubs without something in return. And yes he's a survivor yes he bends to the whims of others but he does care. He was the one out there working to get Bdubs back on yellow, and he was willing to make enemies to do it if he had to. He never fully trusts Bdubs and he vocalises that after he sees BigB kill Cleo ("it's always the ones you least expect") but he does care. He does.

[homolobotomized]

people saying thriller bark is the only angst zolu has is wrong either way but funny when you consider how HUGE zoro's (perceived) one-sided pining is within zolu fandom

[noughticalcrossings]

Know you are loved, DI Hillinghead

I just finished Netflix’s Bodies and I am frothing at the mouth (complimentary)

[notyixiangs]

big fan of characters who understand each other so well that they are able to use each other’s weaknesses against each other. characters who have been inseparable for so long (whether they like it or not) that they’ve witnessed each other’s crest and fall and studied each other’s dispositions like specimens beneath glass. as a result they’ve crawled into the cracks in each other’s skin & mapped out the soft underbelly hidden beneath all that confidence and pride. so now they’re calling out the other person’s most shameful flaws, sniping at the most sensitive bits of scar tissue they try so desperately to hide, digging out their most humiliating memories or those filled with grief.

if you’re lovers or close friends, then you’re forced to realize that yes, to be loved is to be known, but to be known is also to flay yourself open. you cannot declare yourself above the risk of having someone take advantage of your wounds & you cannot transcend the vulnerability that comes as love’s collateral damage

if you’re enemies… then all i can say is that the sweet respite of enduring coexistence for so long is that you know precisely how to take each other apart. you know how to play the other like putty beneath your fingertips by tugging at their pain points, and that in itself is a glorious thing—but equally so, the knowledge that they can enact the exact same thing on you is inordinately terrifying

[reanimatedgh0ul]

ok but thinking abt this scene in agit and how when danny sees the imminent danger that dan poses to jazz sam and tucker he immediately puts himself in harm's way in order to protect all of them

[alexiethymia]

I love “I heard your voice too”, but I also love the translation, “Thank you Meryl. It reached me. Your voice”.

It cements the parallel between them as foolhardy, reckless idiots who never give up, as well as makes a neat little call back to the first episode where Meryl ropes him in. Meryl’s voice reached him in time to save him, and Vash’s wire reached her in time to save her from Knives.