#sick of people acting like her stories are irredeemable

[roseworth]

not to be a devin grayson defender but her haters on here are crazy. yeah shes one of the worst comic writers along with the literal fascists and racists because she made dick go through a bad thing one time

[despazito]

wish script doctor bc i feel like this movie could've been a lot stronger with some things altered. like i dont even think it needs a complete story overhaul, a handful of changes could make it much tighter imo

asha does not live so close to central rosas, but a village on the outskirts of the kingdom, and this will be her first time venturing to see the mythical king in person.

not all wishes are equal in this magic system. selfish and shallow wishes do not contain much power, but noble and selfless wishes are very strong. (also i don't see the point of forgetting your wish you made?)

the grandad was animated way too in shape for 100 years old, make him weaker and frail. hell, put him on his death bed to raise the stakes.

perhaps have asha's grandfather be an esteemed but very humble scholar or medicine healer whose dying wish is to establish a library or hospital for the local people (or something). asha believes that if she meets with king magnifico herself, she can convince him to grant her grandfathers' wish. she believes she can do this because an old childhood friend of hers now works in the castle as his aid.

asha travels to rosas and meets her friend dahlia. expecting her to be very close to the king, dahlia sheepishly admits to being a much lower ranked servant who hardly ever sees the king in person, but still sneaks asha in to show her around the castle because she's such a fan of magnifico + introduce asha to all her friends/coworkers.

have dahlia be the only primary friend, relegate the rest of the lot to the background. we don't need much time with them all, use it to strengthen other relationships.

asha attends a wish granting ceremony and magnifico does not grant grandad's wish. after the event asha uses a sneaky corridor that she just learnt to ambush magnifico and plead her case to him. away from the crowd he goes mask off and tells her to fuck off, asha narrowly escapes his guards.

defeated, she sings her I Wish song and we meet the star.

instead of the short guy, have valentino play the grouchy foil. valentino hates the star, and they have slapstick together. hell if disney wants to be meta, have him resent the star for turning him into a funny talking animal or something.

dahlia is the only one who believes asha when she tells her about meeting the wishing star. the other friends think she's some kind of lunatic from out of town until they see the star for themselves.

have queen amaya be equally self absorbed as king magnifico and together act as an evil couple like in the concept art. she enjoys the luxury of being a self-made monarch and throws lavish balls and pampers her shitty cats or something. make them evil and campy together like mink stole and david lochary in a john waters film (we've had a villain based on divine, now its their turn)

alternatively, amaya can still have a redemption, but later on in the third act. perhaps she's vain and perfectly content with a certain level of fraud until magnifico crosses a line. have magnifico explain to her long ago that he gets strength from the wishes, but he only culls the shitty wishes bad people make. amaya thinks its reasonable that he crushes the wishes of bad people and people who "deserve" it. but selfish wishes aren't as powerful, and as magnifico begins to crave more and more power, he begins taking more innocent wishes to power himself. maybe he finally crushes the wish of some sick kid or asha's grandfather and that finally snaps amaya into realizing what they're doing has become completely irredeemable. i know disney is allergic to writing romance now so have asha stay single and instead take some time to explore this romantic relationship.

asha & co. defeat magnifico with the power of friendship or whatever, maybe even have the final final part of the battle be between magnifico vs amaya as asha rushes to care for her grandfather after his wish was just crushed. or magnifico goes full magical sorcerer and explodes asha's family home or something

everyone in rosas realizes they don't need magnifico to live their dreams and together (with some pitching in from a now queen-regent amaya) asha is able to build the library/school/hospital/insert public service building her grandad always wanted. amaya hangs the magnifico mirror above her cats' litter boxes. the end

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Brutal Honesty Time: Dragon Age Companions Edition

Origins

I never really LIKED Alistair. No hate to those who do but I never vibed with him. He looked like my brother at the time I was playing so romance was OFF the table, but later when my brother grew his hair out ala Thor, I did romance him and while it’s cute I’m still: eh. I do think he’s best friends with some of my Wardens and do headcanon his relationship with Thea Surana is adorable (Muirin is not a good partner though.) but I just… meh.

Also, I cannot see this man as anything but straight and it’s just… I can’t. To me he’s the himbo lovable guy but he’s just not into dudes.

Wynne also never appealed to me in the sense that I felt she was preachy as fuck. She was to much a ‘older wiser mentor’ for the players and yet I felt that she was also the granny who was without a doubt to set in her ways. I have a headcanon that the Spirit of Faith that possessed her actually bound her to rigid rules. As such she cannot change really.

Dragon Age 2

Anders is to me right in his goals but I think killing him is still a reasonable reaction. I it really depends on who you play as but I’ve always felt that while I would be personally horrified the fact the Chantry did NOTHING to help the people they claim to watch over and the hell the Circles became are on their shoulders. Anders was RIGHT. But a Hawke killing him doesn’t make them wrong. Also he’s like my fifth fav romance in DA2. Yes I mean I like Sebastian’s over his. I just never clicked with Anders despite some epic lines.

Aveline as well I never… liked? To the extent others do I mean. She’s interesting but I was always wtf about her comments. She feels like a character they were forced to sort of shuffle into the story without finishing. Her entire Act 2 quest is atrocious (oh you must help her with a man really?) and I would love to explore her slowly coming to the realization that she was wrong in her actions/the system itself is broken. I think there’s a fantastic post going around to break this down firmly but I can’t really remember who made it. She’s a character I have to aggressively headcanon like Cullen to put up with.

Varric comes up to and for me… he is fun. He’s a fav for me. But I’m also sick of this guy. Most of my Hawkes are his friend because I love the ‘storyteller is the lovable rouge’ trope but like I have a few Hawkes he did not like. Yet here we are with him being besties. I really wish if we needed a continuing companion it was Dorian who has REASON to be in Tevinter. Varric can at in Kirkwall.

Inquisition

Actually a brutal honesty moment is me going: this game is rank 3 for me out of the three so far. I don’t HATE it. It’s a fun game. But god the entire open world they tried SUCKED. It’s so tedious I get bored after Haven is destroyed.

Blackwell has the better romance compared to Cullen and no you can’t tell me otherwise. It’s much more dramatic and impactful and I love him. Also people saying he killed kids ignore how the Templars murder children and how Cullen 100% was an accessory to it even if he didn’t do it himself. Also I always find it funny there’s uproar over Blackwall doing this when there is a graduation system where they MURDER INNOCENT PEOPLE but oh no that’s never discussed. Plus with how much other shit goes down- yeah Blackwall is irredeemable totally when it’s HUMAN NOBLE children who die.

I’ve said my piece about Cullen being a disappointment of a character.

I never actually liked Cassandra and even after romancing her she’s still bottom of them in my list. I’m just not able to make anyone hate me.

[graycious-tea]

Inner court angst ideas/prompts cus y’all apparently wanna hear my ideas 😂 (mainly Azris coded)

Rhys finds out about Azris and approach’s it from a political standpoint which leads to the whole argument of “oh but when it was feyre and she was engaged to a whole ass other high lord it’s fine” or amren she’s his number 2 (I think) and she has a romantic relationship with someone politically involved in summer court

The inner circle full on not believing eris is az’s mate. Eris charges in furious that all these people claiming to be azriels family aren’t supportive that he’s happy: “I just can’t wrap my mind around why you’re so against it, you’re his family- wait… oh I see… you don’t believe it do you? That’s what it is?!”

I love Azris raised Lucien so like they’ve been together for centuries and the ic is pissed they didn’t know

AZ KEEPING PSYCHO SECRETS LIKE A PRO FROM THE IC

Has az been in love with Mor all this time? Maybe. But I like she’s his beard but she doesn’t even know it, she full on thinks he’s in love with her

Az standing up for Nesta when ic are meanies (I used to hate Nesta but like silver flames? Sold me. Her journeys great (don’t come at me if you disagree pls))

Azriel scaring the ic with his power/emotions and their reactions destroying him

I’ve said this before but az and Rhys conflict about azriels job

Mor knowing that eris isn’t this irredeemable person (this is like a popular fan theory) but on the Azris side “I spent centuries thinking I was fated to a sick son of a bitch who’d nearly killed someone I love”

Badass Elain finding out Rhys and all them argue over her love life and shutting that shit down cus “um no if I wanna be with him I will it’s not up to you”

Eris stuck under the mountain while az is stuck in velaris… you can see where I’m going with this

Y’all know how Rhys told feyre azriels like basic life story after she’d met him like once?? I’d like him to be pissed about that pls and thanks

Rhys making a deal with one of the Illyrian lords or whatever so they have access to velaris leading to azriels dick head brothers and father access to him and his mother (yes she’s alive I will die on this hill)

I don’t know why but I have so much Rhys and az beef ideas… like Rhys’s dad trained az to be a killer that’s gotta f you up

Maybe az and eris aren’t even together yet but Rhys finds out about the mating bond so he low key fires az because it’s a “conflict of interest”

Az losing his shit cus the ic was mean to his boo

Mor and azriels whole thing like… you can’t convince me he doesn’t know and the whole reason he acts all distraught is because he knows she does this shit just to remind him they won’t happen as a couple even tho HE KNOWS

That also pisses me off a lil like Mor going “wait az did something sweet/psycho attacking eris for me so I gotta sleep with some dude so he doesn’t get the wrong idea” like wtf…

Anyway here’s my usual all swirling in my brain I wanna be clear tho I don’t anti any of these characters so pls don’t be in my comments all mean pls (damn this turned out long)

[idiosyncraticofficial]

Idiosyncratic tells the dark story of Calixte Stanhope, a rather callous but…ordinary enough young man who awoke in a truly bizarre dystopian world after being pushed in front of an ongoing train while escorting his significant other home, a faceless and nameless woman he remembers only by her mere existence in this vivid memory, and throughout his journey he's haunted by a deep longing for her that's seems to drive his quixotic incentive to do whatever he must to survive

Rather than being welcomed by either the pearly gates of heaven or the fires of hell, Calixte found himself standing in the midst of the very strange and deceptive town of Baltimore, where everything from the largest bank to the tiniest coin is made entirely of cardboard and plastic, like the set for a play—mimicking the real thing while not actually being it. One can say, a rip off of everything in our world.

The citizens of the town too; although they're quick to greet you with a warm smile and talk with such an enticing charm that is sure to ensnare anybody desperate for answers to their odd predicament, they are not even close to being as ordinary as first impressions suggest--first impressions of which Calixte, for whatever reason, could see straight there. And soon enough, those illusions of a society you could trust fades into ash and the true extent of the young man's situation is ever so cruelly unveiled to him, and this reality would threaten twist and pervert the perceptions of goodness and evil he long since held dear to his heart, or at least he thought he did--he can't quite recall where his knowledge of civility, law, and order came from as vivid as they are to him, they seem feel almost like the figments of a hazy dream or fanciful concepts from a child's tale...

Regardless, what's become absolutely and abundantly clear to Calixte is that this world seems to glorify the things we don't, endorse the activity we shouldn't, and corrupt the ideas of right and wrong we have used to scaffold our civilizations from the ground up. Violence and madness is the way, entropy and discord is the center of worship, and every sad unfortunate soul who's found themselves in this world must abide by the matrix of the daily grind as they do here. The citizens of this delightful world are diehard fanatics for this way of living, lusting for violence so much to the point where its broadcasted on television, discussed fanatically in literature, and any horrid death calls for a grand celebration. The more irredeemable and atrocious something is, the more the residents of Baltimore revere it like sacred scripture, and the man who proudly encourages and orchestrates this madness is none other than the eccentric mayor, referred to as just “Whitman Sedgwick"--his pen name, as he only seems to make himself known through various propaganda, manifestos, and biographies littered about the town.

The unlucky few who wound up in Baltimore under bizarre circumstances similar to Calixte’s, properly labeled as “actors”, have to routinely partake in abhorrent acts for the public’s sick entertainment otherwise more than just their dignity, humanity, and pride will be torn from them. And eventually, once you're fully proven yourself to be of no use to Whitman's design, you are properly "dealt with"

It’s a horrifying ordeal to most, but a paradise to some of humanity’s greatest degenerates, and that small minority is powerful, hungry, and determined to survive by any means necessary--no matter how low. Thus leading Calixte, an obstinate man with an ambition, to meet people he never would’ve otherwise, creating a fragile alliance that will either make or break this band of deplorable lowlives, all depraved in their own ways but alike in their desire for freedom and above all, answers.

As he begrudgingly adjusts his mind to this new world, he quickly realizes his dangerous willingness to do anything and everything he must in order to escape the clutches of the Hegemony and Craze and to reunite with the one woman so dear to him. However, Calixte never would’ve thought that the madness of this world stretch far, far beyond just the glamorization and capitalization of evil. It seems, there's more than one person pulling the strings--its just a question of, who exactly is at the end of the cross brace?

OOOOoooh so ominous

Also, PLEASE, give me feedback.

Idiosyncratic is actually the result of FIVE years worth of heavy editing, revision, and complete transformation of my earliest drafts of the Idiosyncratic story, even though that was not its original title (not by a long shot). Since seventh grade, i've had my mind deadset on creating my own series and sharing it with the masses--my mother was the one who fueled this dream simply by suggesting that I got into writing even though by then neither of us really knew that I had a talent for it per say. Back then I had yet to get a true taste of the darkness in this world so the plot for Idiosyncratic I did contrive was something that would not only make you cringe into yourself from how sickeningly sappy it was, but it would also bore you half to death from how milquetoast and unremarkable the writing was. I actually don't know if I should exactly consider this the precise foundation of Idiosyncratic given how vastly and jarringly different the plot is now, or if I should just call it the crappy ass grandfather of Idiosyncratic that would awake me from my cringy writing phase and ultimately be scrapped for something better. Regardless, it was 600 freaking plus pages of writing that went straight down the drain. And thank God it did. It was total dog shit no law abiding citizen on this great green grass should ever have the misfortune of reading.

[persephoneed]

I was going to ignore this post, but the more I thought about it and how many notes it had, the more it bothered me and asdfghjkl I need to get this out of my system.

So Elphaba, my beloved, was not selfish in asking her best friend to join her against Ozian fascism. I’m more than a little aghast at the suggestion of it. Like…doing the right thing isn’t always what’s popular, but that’s often true for real life too. It’s not selfish to ask real people to make those same sacrifices, so I’m not sure why that would be applicable here. Glinda may not be for the systematic oppression of Animals, but she’s certainly complacent in it, and it isn’t wrong to criticize her for it.

It is also not easier for Elphaba to do the right thing because she has always been hated and ostracized. She is an incredibly vulnerable and marginalized person and making herself an enemy of the state comes at an increased personal risk. I think it really undermines her courage and strength of character to present her choice this way. If anything, her desire to be loved and to be seen as “making good” should have made it easier for Madam Morrible and the so-called “Wizard” to manipulate and exploit her. She was literally being groomed to be a corrupt government’s weapon and subsequently tricked into creating their army of spies, but she had the moral backbone to fly walk away.

We should be unanimously celebrating Elphaba’s decision and her fortitude; we should not be shaming her for asking her (again) best friend to join the cause with her instead of joining the one that’s against her.

And respectfully, I’m also not sure why you (or anyone) would be sick of “people acting like Glinda made the ‘wrong choice’”…she did make the wrong choice. That’s the whole point. Even she becomes aware of this herself in the second act of the show. The entire concept of this story is to ponder the questions of “Was the Wicked Witch of the West actually wicked?” “Was Glinda the Good Witch actually good?” “Was the Wonderful Wizard of Oz actually wonderful?” “Was everything in Oz as it seemed?”

Of course some of these questions have nuance to them, and I’m not trying to suggest that Glinda is this tainted and irredeemable villain. I love Glinda! She can be so ridiculous and silly! But that doesn’t put her above any criticism. Over the course of the first act, we see her exhibit a lot of personal growth; however, she continually falls short in a lot of ways politically.

Yes, she and Elphaba eventually become friends, but let’s not forget how relentlessly Glinda bullied her and encouraged the entire student body of Shiz to do the same because of the color of her skin. Glinda has sympathy for the Animals, I’m sure, but she doesn’t share Elphaba’s level of outrage towards Dr. Dillamond’s dismissal or any real desire to go against the grain. I don’t believe she would have freed the lion cub the way that Elphaba and Fiyero did, if she’d been given the same opportunity to do so. She was also incredibly irritated by Dr. Dillamond’s difficulty in pronouncing her name and only changed it in his honor later because she thought it would impress Fiyero.

She can be well meaning, and I understand the inclination to give her some grace because she’s so damn likable, but that doesn’t make her any less performative in her politics. She was given a choice, and it wasn’t a choice without consequence, but it was a choice nonetheless, and she chose wrong.

TLDR: Elphaba as an underprivileged person has way more to lose by making her choice than this post implies and is not selfish for asking Glinda, an incredibly privileged person, to join her in doing the right thing. Glinda is in fact wrong for making a different choice, and it’s okay to say it.

I love how inherently selfish both Glinda AND Elphaba are as protagonists. But where one gets praised and admired for it, the other gets demonised and hated.

People always attack Glinda’s decision not to runaway with Elphaba, but no one acknowledges how overtly selfish it is to ask that of someone.

Elphaba is asking Glinda to throw her ENTIRE life away for her. To be ostracised and hated all throughout Oz when she knows full well how badly Glinda cares about what people think of her.

And while Elphaba is used to such ostracisation, Glinda is not.

It is an equally selfish decision to refuse Elphaba request. To perpetuate corrupt beliefs you don’t believe; in order to be accepted and validated by people in power.

They’re BOTH in the wrong, for entirely different reasons. It was an impossible situation with no right answer. And I’m sick of people acting like Glinda made the “ wrong choice ”

[zoobus]

the people saying jökër was going to inspire acts of violence (white supremacist and misogynist mass shootings? what?) - where on earth did they get that idea from??? Some people started saying that and writing articles with that thesis, what the hell inspired that thought??

The Dark Knight (2008) Joker was popular, beloved, and the actor who played him died before the movie came out, adding an extra air of tragic coolness to his character. It almost goes without saying that for several years after, each high school had at least four chuunis larping as Heath-Joker. Perception of this ranged from "annoying edgelords" to "future school shooters who should be treated as such." People figured this would be a repeat.

Because the Aurora shooting happened in a theater showing the third Nolan Batman movie, many presume the shooter was inspired by Heath-Joker. Afaict this is hearsay with nothing to substantiate it, but that's another tic for the joker causing violence box.

I could write about this point at length; as much as liberal/left circles proclaim support for mental illness, they are deeply uncomfortable with acknowledging mental illness as inconvenient, recurring, abrupt, personality affecting, sometimes worsened at random by no fault of the sick. It can make, yes make you a worse person. It's nicer to think you get what you fucking deserve, isn't it?

It would be nice if this was a reasonable ask. That a human withstand poverty, child abuse that ends in permanent disablement, gutted welfare services, living with your abuser, endless harassment of your disability, no chance at forming positive relationships, having the one dream that keeps you from shooting yourself shat on live tv by your hero, and still maintain a "good" heart. What I'm trying to get at is woke types are super uncomfortable with mental illness as an inescapable burden or prelude to harmful actions rather than an empowered journey. They can only interpret "a mentally ill person lashes out after a lifetime of systematic and personal violence" as "a ✌️mentally ill✌️ white man refuses to hold himself accountable, blames everyone but himself for his circumstances." Portrayals of negative acts impacted by mental health demonizes us or something.

Culture wars, clickbait, ragebait, easy e-validation. We are still in a period that rewards you for pointing out someone is a white male. Joker is a white man, Joker is ✌️mentally ill✌️, Joker is a terrorist, hmmm jogs my noggin🤔 Sure you could put in more effort but why would you, it's not like anyone reads past the headline anyway.

Not sure how impactful this actually is, but there's been a significant change in how people talk about the Joker and Harley Quinn, where his abuse of her is an Irredeemable hill he should never be forgiven for, while Harley is an abuse victim getting her mojo back by kicking the joker's ass with her girlfriend Ivy before going on to be gay, do crimes (wholesome). I have no idea how much anyone really cares about their dynamic given that Birds of Prey flopped, but I see the abuser/misogynist sentiment leak into discussions about the joker frequently, even when Harley isn't a character in the story. You can probably tell that I'm not fan of this shift.

We're never getting gun control. Why not scapegoat a movie? Why not blame the clown

[kataraqui-archive]

Not me once again falling in love with a game that's being popularly shat on oh well here are all the things I love about Cyberpunk 2077 (spoilers kinda)

• Johnny being a narcissistic idealist, thanks I always wanted a foul-mouthed anarchist yapping in my ear

• V being a big sad who goes to ask a sex worker some questions and ends up getting therapy instead

• That one gun 'Skippy' as a parody of Microsoft's Clippy

• Judy's Ghost in the Shell tattoo

• Claire's trans flags on her truck and casually mentioning her transition and V not even blinking and her story not being about transphobia or coming out she's just living her life AND she's voiced by a trans woman

• the first person POV okay yeah I was sceptical but actually it sucked me in, immersive as fuck

• the text messages from Takemura, grandpa Goro accidentally sending me selfies and trying to search for good food

• driving around in the rain and neon lights to the tunes on my favourite radio station (Body Heat is the best one don't @ me)

• Panam going absolutely ape shit on Saul

• Kerry-you-made-me-feel-Eurodyne

• Kerry's whole struggle between wanting to make art that matters but being beholden to labels and realizing it pitted him against his fellow artists as competition then banding together with them to fight against the corporate wankers like god that was good shit

• V calling him 'Ker'

• Kerry going from a feral agent of chaos to sweet soft bf in like 0.0065 seconds

• This whole list could be about Kerry fucking Eurodyne

• HOW is Johnny such an irredeemable asshole yet still lovable by the end

• the fact unromanced NPC's still felt like deep friendship bonds, the love is there, like Judy still gives me the key to her pad cuz we are gay bros and I've never felt so-

• That bit when Vik tosses the screwdriver and kicks his stool he could kick me like that and I'd thank him

• V adopting a Bingus sphynx cat with Johnny it's their child now

• literally everyone else adopting V

• the voice acting and dialogue feeling so real and layered instead of people taking turns to talk and interrogate each other and just divulging all their deep personal secrets cuz you asked

• V leaving THAT voicemail on Jackie's phone T_T

• the sentient vending machine voiced by the guy who played Connor in DBH

• all the cars handling differently, sounding differently, like damn I guess I'm into cars now??

• a story that centres feelings of loneliness by having an unlikely hero make meaningful connections with other isolated misfits yes pls especially now in the middle of a pandemic

• V's sick nail polish

• riding the roller coaster with Johnny, Johnny smiling, oh god

• the subtle shifts in story/dialogue depending on your character and choices without it being an obvious game mechanic, if I hadn't done a different playthrough from my partner I wouldn't have known

• Johnny telling Rogue she was 'the one' and her saying 'I know, just a shame you died before you figured it out'

• just...I love everyone so much I desperately need eighteen DLC's and a sequel

[frickfracksnatchisback]

Alright, I have a feeling that some people aren’t gonna like this Hot Take™ of mine, but you know what? I’m not active enough on this blog to really care about my “reputation” at this point, sooo...

(In case you don’t care and/or don’t want to see it, fandom discourse under the cut. Keep in mind that everyone’s entitled to their own opinions.)

I haven’t found the courage to speak up about it in the past because I was afraid of how people would see me. But honestly? If anyone full-on hates me for what I’m about to say, then maybe this is for the best. I’m...really getting sick of all the discourse surrounding Vanessa as a character, not going to lie. I get if you want to use her for angst purposes in your AUs and stories; I get if you don’t particularly like her as a character; I even get it if you like to sympathize with Snatcher as far a toxic relationships go. But this whole discourse that “anybody who likes Vanessa as a character is an awful person”? I’m sorry, but I just can’t agree with this type of mindset anymore. Want to know why? Because it sounds exactly like the Snatcher discourse that’s also been going around. “Snatcher can’t be a dad/friend to Hat Kid! He tried to kill her!” sounds just like “You can’t redeem Vanessa! She killed the Prince!” to me. Not to mention that half of the characters in AHiT are problematic in one way or another. Mafia Boss, Conductor, DJ Grooves, Snatcher, Empress, even Mustache Girl! They’ve all done one or more questionable things within canon and have actively tried to kill Hat Kid. Why do these characters get overlooked while Vanessa is “completely irredeemable”? The “canon” we have surrounding Vanessa is already very loose to begin with. The most you can find is the Time Rift storybook and a few letters hidden within the manor level, and even then, not everybody knows about those or even finds them in-game. Also, Shane Frost, one of people who helped create AHiT, doesn’t explicitly depict Vanessa as a completely evil character. If anything, from what I’ve seen, she only acts the way she does because of the way her mother treated her. And while that isn’t canon in the actual game anymore, let’s be honest here. Nobody really goes one hundred percent by canon, and what little “lore” you can dig up from the storybooks is open to interpretation. There could be many reasons as to why Vanessa is the way that she is! But we don’t know for certain, because the lore and canon within AHiT is barely fleshed out. Maybe Vanessa could’ve had abusive parents; maybe her ice magic corrupted her based on her emotions; maybe she had some type of mental disorder. Does that make what she does “in canon” necessarily good? No, but if you’re going to portray her as a villian character, you have to have an actual reason as for why she’s motivated to do these things other than “she’s just evil”. I’d like to clarify, Vanessa’s not one of my favorite characters. The ships “Snatchnessa”, “Moonessa”, and “Princenessa” aren’t even any of my main ships. But coming from someone who’s been bullied, even if indirectly, for the characters and ships they like? This is not okay. It’s gotten to the point where fanon has overlapped with canon so much, that people are starting all this unnecessary discourse just so we’ll fight with one another. And it’s become tiring. It is not the end of the world if people like Vanessa or see her as a comfort character. You do not have the right to bully someone for having a “Vanessa turned good AU” when stuff like “Dadtcher” and “AHiT found family” are completely acceptable in your eyes. That’s hypocritical and, not to mention, it’s a cutesy 3D platformer game for pity’s sake. It’s not that fricking deep. Unless someone is outright justifying abusive behavior and using Vanessa to do so, there’s no need to attack anyone just for merely mentioning or making content of Vanessa. I know not many people will agree with me, or even care for that matter. But if you’ve managed to read this far, please take at least some of what I’ve said into consideration, or at least with the smallest grain of salt. I don’t expect to change your opinion, and you can’t change mine; I just hope that some of you can see where I’m coming from with all of this. And if you can’t? I’m not here to argue. The block button is right there, so feel free to use it. Thank you for your time.

[kiruuuuu]

Protection Mountain: The Finale⛰️

Yes. It is here.

Montagne/Bandit conquered my heart so quickly with what was meant to be a oneshot, then turned into a small series of oneshots, and ended up as my longest series in Siege. And now their main story is coming to an end. I would like to thank absolutely everyone who participated in this journey, be it through direct messages, magnificent art, shared ideas, comments, reblogs, likes, the simple act of reading and enjoying - you helped make this happen, you motivated and encouraged me. Thank you for falling into this bottomless hole with me 💖

A special thank you goes out to @ekhap, who commissioned this piece in the first place - without you, it’s likely I never would’ve written it. I’m so happy you enjoyed it, and I hope all of you who stuck around long enough to read this will too.

I have actually managed to post the entire series on AO3 as well, so you can comfortably read (or re-read) it here!! And without further ado, here is the final chapter of Protection Mountain. (Rating T/M, hurt/comfort + a ridiculous amount of fluff, ~8.5k words)

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“I’m leaving tomorrow”, says Madeleine, voice soft and always a reprieve from the harsh reality of the hospital room around them. “I don’t think coming back will be necessary this time.”

Montagne squeezes her hand, making her smile.

She’s been juggling family and career for her entire life and right now is no different: on slower or off days, she hops on the train to visit, taking the opportunity to report on some local stories on the way, utilising her travel time to write up or edit her pieces. A busy bee, always worried about being overshadowed by her older brother. They haven’t seen each other this much for years and though the occasion could be merrier, Montagne is fiercely grateful for her presence. He’s unloaded some of his worries onto her and she onto him, and somehow they ended up lighter than before. Tourés tend to stick together, given the opportunity.

“Why do you say that?”

“You might not realise, but you’re looking much better, Gilles. You’ll be let loose on the world again soon.”

They exchange a quick grin over her choice of words. She’s certainly more of a menace to society than he is, and they both know it.

Next to her, Lion is sitting in a second chair, rigid. He’s confessed to Montagne in private that Madeleine reminds him of his mother – whatever that might entail – and so he’s unfailingly awkward around her, probably ruing the fact that they happened to drop by at the same time today. Dealing with strangers isn’t usually a problem for him; dealing with family of friends, however, is.

Apparently, Bandit won Madeleine over immediately, surprisingly enough. She says it’s his horrific German accent whenever he attempts to speak French and his deadpan humour, but Montagne is relatively sure she senses a bit of how much Bandit cares for him. Tourés are also protective of each other, siblings even more so. She wouldn’t have told him a thing about Montagne’s current condition if she hadn’t thought his worry genuine.

And then, out of the blue: “Cathérine called me.” She still sounds conversational, but her gaze becomes a tad more attentive.

Montagne stills.

Lion’s gaze is jumping back and forth between them, the man even more uncomfortable now.

It’s the last person he expected Madeleine to mention, so he needs a second to compose himself. “What about?” He tries to search for emotions, for any kind of reaction to encountering his wife’s – ex-wife’s name, but comes up empty. It’s like hearing about an old, lost friend of his: someone who once used to be important enough to be mentioned in his will, now someone who barely counts as a remnant in his thoughts.

“You, of course. Maman tattled and, eventually, it reached her. She wanted to know how you are and whether contacting you directly is a good idea.”

“And your reply?”

“I said I’d ask you.”

He nods, thankful. During their divorce, too many people presumed what would be best for either side instead of addressing them directly. It didn’t feel like their own private business anymore, somehow it affected everyone and so everyone was entitled to an opinion and a listening ear. He appreciates Madeleine allowing him this kind of control. “I don’t think she has my current number. Please give it to her and let her know I’d be happy to talk.”

And that’s that. They kiss cheeks and do a half-hug, exchange verbal pleasantries which are nonetheless heartfelt, and then she and her mild perfume are gone, leaving behind a slightly relieved-looking Lion.

“You do look a lot better, you know”, he confirms Madeleine’s earlier assessment, and though he seems intent on changing the topic – for him, family is still a sore topic most days –, Montagne’s mind lingers. Vague memories form a blurry whole, the image so distant it may well originate in a film he once saw or a book he once read.

Catou used to be his entire world and there were days he was convinced he couldn’t go on if she were to leave him. Yet time, the wound-healer, sometimes corrodes instead – and in their case, it must’ve mistaken their passion and devotion for sickness, for it cured them. They noticed before comfort turned into indifference, but only barely. By the time they decided on breaking up, another man was involved as well, though Montagne assigns him no blame whatsoever. Until their divorce was finalised, Catou kept her friend at arm’s length and he never even attempted to get any closer; but while she didn’t allow herself to fall in love again until Montagne openly gave his blessing, he could see the seeds growing already.

Neither of them cheated, he knows this for a fact. They’d never. He noticed how she became aware of the possibility of being with another man after a few of their long talks which denoted the beginning of the end, and while it hurt, he vowed not to stand in her way. If he couldn’t support her, he at least didn’t want to hinder her.

What hurt the most wasn’t any misguided feeling of betrayal or even jealousy, no. It was the realisation that he simply didn’t suffice. He gave her his everything and it turned out it wasn’t enough.

Maybe this is why he won’t accept Bandit’s proposal: the creeping fear of committing fully and finding it to have been in vain.

“You never spoke about her.” His friend has indubitably noticed his mood by now, or maybe the lack of response gave it away.

He supposes he hasn’t. Neither to Bandit nor to Lion, actually, not even when the topic had strayed to Claire and Alexis. “There isn’t much to say”, he summarises well over a decade of companionship, eroded and erased slowly by the very thing which tainted it in the first place: time apart. “We fell in and then out of love. She was a remarkable woman. She deserves someone who can keep up with her.”

Lion fidgets a little, avoids eye contact. Montagne’s words might’ve struck a chord but he’s too exhausted, too restless to talk it out. Madeleine’s statement has given him hope that he can leave soon, leave Bandit’s birthplace behind, hopefully to return and make happier memories in the future.

His friend’s next question catches him off guard. “Why did you marry her?”

It’s so much out of character for him to ask that Montagne needs a few seconds to come up with a reply. “I loved her, with all my heart. I expected to spend the rest of my life with her. Why do you -”

“Then why are you saying no to him?”

Montagne stares, shocked. The slight petulant undertone, the hint of defiance, the blunt accusation – Bandit himself could’ve posed the question, and it’s not for the first time Montagne realises how alike the two of them really are. But what leaves him utterly dumbstruck isn’t the implication of Lion approving of a marriage between them, no, it’s the fact that he can’t come up with a reasonable answer.

At least not one which doesn’t sound like an excuse.

He must’ve realised the impact his words have left behind, so Lion swiftly changes topics yet again, allowing for Montagne to recover and respond to a few simple inquiries, but nothing really manages to soften the blow.

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~*~

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There’s a reason he chose le Roc over more modern, flashier, possibly more efficient alternatives.

When he was younger, he used to hide his height by slouching, felt embarrassed by the fact that he’d stick out due to something he neither chose nor controlled – as a tall, muscular man, he’s perceived as intimidating or, worse, a challenge. He reacted to mentions of his physique with sheepish smiles and laughed it off when people referred to his ability to beat up whomever he liked, portraying it as enviable.

It took him a while until he began seeing his build as an advantage. It took friends confessing they felt safe with him around. Acquaintances appreciating his company during the dark. His soon-to-be wife admiring his drive to put his stature to good use. Ultimately, it influenced first impressions only, a quick glance upwards, but as soon as people heard him speak gently, noticed his aversion to unnecessary violence, be it verbal or otherwise, they forgot about his impressive physique immediately.

Like le Roc, it’s a shield. He utilises his own body to protect others and has subconsciously done so his entire life, be it to separate his little sister from her bullies, friends from aggressors, or even two agitated strangers: he absorbs the blows which to him are no more than light punches whereas they could cause more harm on their intended victims. He’s been likened to a mastiff and their instinctual drive to break up fights by simply standing in the way.

Like le Roc, it’s an asset. And like le Roc, it can get damaged.

What he hadn’t realised is just how much he relies on his body to function exactly the way he needs it to.

His life is his job, they’re irredeemably intertwined, and imagining one without the other is … nigh impossible. His mind struggles to come up with alternatives – helping others is in his essence, but picturing himself working in a nursing home maybe or a school, a community centre, is madness to him. Catou had been very involved in these kinds of projects, volunteered wherever there was a need, and while he saw the good she did, the joy she spread, she had a certain soft touch he simply lacks.

He’s a mountain. He can kill and besiege and protect and recover and rescue, but the thought of being responsible for children not his own, or the well-being of elderly people, terrifies him. A small mistake, a brief distraction could prove fatal. He’s trained for combat.

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He needs to recover.

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Sometimes, he wakes up and can’t feel his limbs. He hasn’t stood on his own two legs for who knows how long. Movement hurts, lying down hurts, existence hurts. But what hurts most is the prospect of never returning to the work he’s destined for.

No one is allowed to catch a glimpse of his frustration as he feels it’s ungrateful, possibly even malicious. Not only should he be elated over having survived at all, it would also imply he regrets having taken the actions he did, and nothing could be further from the truth. Saving Lion was inevitable; he just wishes he could’ve gotten away with less serious injuries. He wishes so fiercely. Bottling up his anger is destructive and being fully aware of how irrational his behaviour is merely continues the spiral of negativity, yet he’s powerless to change it. The people closest to him are still processing the shock of almost losing him and don’t need the added burden of his dread for his own future.

He wonders whether Bandit is repulsed by him. Aside from his atrophied muscles, he’s lost weight, there are the burns which will likely mark his body for the rest of his life, another ugly scar on one thigh where he’s been stitched up. His skin is discoloured in multiple places and he vividly remembers the way Madeleine winced when she visited him the first time. He already doesn’t consider himself overly attractive, so he must seem frightening. It doesn’t help that Bandit distanced himself the way he did at first – though it was likely the shock affecting him still.

Recently though, his lover has been doing much better. He’s been doing amazing, actually: when Bandit isn’t visiting him, he’s out and about, meeting with friends from the GSG9, eating at exotic restaurants, working out, keeping himself entertained. He keeps messaging Montagne, sending photos of dogs he meets or particularly tasty dishes they need to cook together (or rather attempt to), and every line of text lightens his heart. Bandit even keeps Six and Blitz up to date, informing Doc of Montagne’s condition unprompted, and converses with Madeleine as best he can. Of course, there are bad days sprinkled in now and then, days on which his gaze is endless and unfocused, days on which Bandit is either taciturn or won’t stop talking about unrelated things so Montagne can’t ask him how he’s doing. Recovery isn’t fast or linear, Montagne knows this.

He’s so goddamn proud nonetheless.

And even though seeing Bandit flourish, having watched him pick himself back up and carry on where he left off, witnessing the man he loves with all his heart succeed over this void in his chest once again causes Montagne’s chest to swell in pride and adoration, there’s a bitter note to it. An out-of-tune note, a scratchy, unpleasant one. Because Montagne believes he knows the reason for Bandit’s sudden motivation to improve his existence. And it’s not for its own sake, not for Bandit’s own benefit alone.

Montagne remembers stewing in his own thoughts, fighting the urge to call himself useless, agonising over what might become of him, and there’s no way Bandit didn’t catch him wiping his face when he burst into the room that one day a while back. He must’ve noticed how red Montagne’s eyes were, unusually red. He must’ve realised how fucking weak Montagne is. And probably decided it was his turn to take care of his love.

The next day, Bandit announced having joined a local gym for the time being, as well as his intention to watch a film by himself later. It can’t be a coincidence.

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There’s nothing worse for Montagne than being a burden.

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~*~

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Bandit’s energy is enviable. It seems he’s attempted to prepare for every scenario imaginable: he’s washed all of Montagne’s clothes, bought a variety of snacks and pastries, piled magazines on the bedside table, purchased all kinds of toiletries and remedies including a remarkably well-stocked first aid kit, arranged lush-looking fruits on the small desk of their hotel room, and even produces ear plugs and a sleeping mask the moment Montagne mentions feeling vaguely tired.

It’s hard not to get swept up in the atmosphere his lover creates, especially when his own chest seems unusually light compared to the weeks prior – he’s elated to be discharged from the hospital, even if all kinds of other worries creep up on him during moments of quiet. Being able to return home is a wish he harboured without realising: he thought all he needed was distance from the very place that so consciously reminds him of his own frailty, but it turns out privacy and a new environment don’t suffice, not even close. Sharing a space with Bandit and Bandit only is an immense improvement, yet he longs to sleep in his own bed, feel like he belongs instead of being a perpetual guest. Still, he’s grateful for the spacious hotel room, some peace and quiet, and the assurance that no one is going to randomly check up on him anymore.

Except for Bandit, of course.

Maybe it was Madeleine’s comment which inspired him, or maybe he hadn’t realised how much he’d recuperated already, but once his sister had bidden farewell, his condition improved fast. It culminated two days ago, when Bandit entered his room to find him awkwardly holding on to the bed frame but standing, fully upright with no outside help, due to his own strength. He half expected to be scolded, though his weakness must’ve taken its toll on Bandit as well because all he did was burst into tears from happiness.

Montagne very nearly joined in.

Six arranged a flight directly once she received the message, paid for a wheelchair without batting an eye and ordered him to take it easy nonetheless. His leg will take a while to heal and the broken ribs forbid the use of crutches, so Montagne dutifully agreed and thought he could hear her smiling over the phone. He missed her curt, professional yet caring attitude, and it seemed she’d be glad to see him again as well.

All of which is why he’s allowed to spend his last night in Germany’s capital in the very same hotel room he occupied before it all fell apart. The life before tastes like honey, sweet and much too rich, thick in his throat and welding his mouth shut: how much he took his health for granted baffles him. How careless he was. How ungrateful. He longs to get back to lazy evenings with an oversized cat purring on his chest, to the chaos of messing up yet another recipe, their light-hearted bickering, not a care in the world. He’s desperate to return to it, without that creeping feeling of guilt over turning Bandit down for a mixture of sentimental, inadequate reasons he can’t even explain to himself. He lacks the words to express why the image of swapping rings or – heaven forbid – inviting his entire family to a big ceremony fills him with nothing but dread when instead he should be exuberant. Flattered, maybe.

“Do you want to shower?”

Bandit reminds him of a puppy, easily distractible and well-meaning, radiating pent-up energy. Montagne regrets having to refuse him anything. “No, I’d rather just read a bit and sleep. I can shower at home tomorrow.”

His lover very nearly pouts. “Are you saying I have to find another excuse to touch you all over?”

Montagne’s chuckle almost gets stuck in his throat. He’s not ready yet and has been racking his brain for reasons why they can’t sleep in the same bed, or why he won’t be able to undress at any point. He’ll have to deal with this eventually, but his foolish mind has convinced him he’ll be able to postpone it indefinitely if only he manages to use his injuries as a pretext.

If he wasn’t so fucking terrified, he’d call himself childish.

There’s no doubt Bandit has made an effort to tidy up the room, yet there are unmistakeable traces of his prolonged stay everywhere – the overflowing suitcase, tissues poking out from under furniture, too many cables for too many electronic devices carelessly strewn about. Housekeeping probably gave up after two weeks and resigned to only vacuum wherever possible and change the bedsheets, and the thought of exasperated staff dealing with the stubborn git he missed like hell makes him smile. He’s heard stories from various nurses and highly enjoyed Bandit’s redemption arc of starting out as a nightmare and turning into the highlight of their days. If he saw correctly, Bandit even bought them flowers. He must be very proud of his newly discovered move to weaken grudges.

“Wanna get on the bed?”, Bandit interrupts his thoughts a little too casually, so Montagne eyes him with suspicion.

“Do you want me to get on the bed?”

His better half purses his lips, probably considering whether it’s worth pretending like he has no idea what Montagne means (and oh, he hasn’t even considered this prospect, they’ll be finally alone and undisturbed, and despite his aversion to show any part of his skin, his body expresses some interest in the scenario) – but Bandit still manages to surprise him by muttering, almost embarrassed: “I just really want to cuddle right now.”

It’s disarmingly adorable, and Montagne’s heart melts. “Let’s do it, then”, he agrees. There’s some awkwardness in manoeuvring him out of the wheelchair and onto the much-too-soft mattress, but Bandit is stronger than he looks and able to provide enough support. As soon as Montagne sinks into the plushy pillows and Bandit presses himself against his side, all tension suddenly vanishes: his muscles relax, his thoughts calm down, his skin stops prickling. He hadn’t been aware how much he missed simple contact like this, the heat of another body against his own, the blissful feeling of being safe, being home, being loved.

This tiny bubble of everyday life suffices to soothe his cracked soul. He wishes he could wrap around Bandit fully, envelop him whole, drag him onto his chest, pull him into his arms – even offering his shoulder for Bandit’s head to rest on would help with his burning desire to be as close to him as possible, but for the moment he can’t. Not without considerable pain. Still, Bandit’s hand has slid into his, their fingers interlaced, and a gentle, regular breath caresses his cheek. Now and then, Bandit nuzzles him, presses a kiss to his cheek, sighs in contentment. They could stay like this for eternity.

And yet, Montagne’s guilt prohibits him from letting go completely. He has rejected this man. Refused to accept him into his life fully.

“If you wanna watch something, I pirated eleven films we haven’t seen”, Bandit murmurs against his jaw and makes him chuckle.

“I remember the hotel’s internet being unreliable. Don’t tell me you used public Wi-Fi? Mark would be horrified.”

“Yeah sure, I just sat down in the nearest McDonald’s and downloaded a hundred gigs of illegal stuff.” Bandit’s grin is boyish and attractive and so cute Montagne just wants to burn the image into his brain. “Better, actually – I asked one of the boys to do it. So we conspired together.”

“Are you going to miss them?”

Bandit thinks about it and eventually shrugs his shoulders. “Sure. It was nice seeing them again. But I think I miss everyone at Rainbow more. I haven’t been apart from everyone this long… ever, I think. Since I joined.” There’s more on his mind, Montagne can tell, so he waits and peeks down at the dirty blonde hair, the wild beard. Apparently Bandit decided shaving was too much of a hassle, so he gave up on it completely for the time being – and Montagne wholeheartedly understands. If he could grow one, he definitely wouldn’t be running around with naked cheeks.

After a while, Bandit adds, quietly: “I did visit Cedrick.”

Montagne wants to smack himself. How could he forget that Bandit’s twin still lives in Berlin? And while he’s proud of Bandit for taking the initiative and seeing him of his own accord, Montagne feels that he himself could’ve raised the possibility sooner. He knows they’re close, as close as any family member could ever hope to be with someone as fickle as Bandit, and he probably would’ve done wonders for Bandit’s psyche. “How is he? How is his family?”

“Good. They’re good. Gave me too much food, as usual. His wife got a promotion recently and the boys are doing great in school. They want to go to university later, imagine that. The first Brunsmeiers to go to uni.” Bandit glances up at him. “I also told them about you.”

There it is. He must’ve been dying to tell Montagne, judging by his pink cheeks and nervous fidgeting, and his demeanour as much as his words conjure up a bright smile on Montagne’s face. They had an unspoken agreement, an implied promise that they wouldn’t tell their families until they’re ready, which meant until Bandit was ready – coming out to friends was a big step, coming out to Rainbow a massive hurdle, and coming out to his family must’ve been a mountain to climb. His comfort zone has been steadily expanding, yet actions like these still turn Bandit into a skittish cat sometimes.

For someone with commitment issues like this, it’s incredible that Bandit decided for them to get married.

“Dom, mon amour, I am so proud of you.” He kisses Bandit’s temple and smiles even wider at his desperately dismissive mumbled reply of ‘’s nothing’. “That is wonderful news. How did they react?”

“Well, they wanted to meet you immediately.”

Yet they didn’t. Montagne’s smile fades a little. Did Bandit not want anyone to see him like this? Best case scenario, he figured that Montagne’s current state simply wouldn’t do him justice, and worst case… Would he be ashamed of him?

“But obviously, that didn’t work out, so I told them -”

“Why didn’t it?”

He must’ve noticed something, maybe an odd expression, because he reassures him instantly: “My love, I saw them yesterday evening. You’ll meet them soon enough, trust me. They were very supportive, in any case. I think Ced is just glad to know there’s at least one person out there who can tame me.” Bandit’s hand brushes over Montagne’s belly, toying with the hem of his shirt, and he puts his own over it.

Maybe he’s being dramatic. Thinking about it, his recent thought spirals followed a similar pattern to the dangerous ones Bandit entertains much too often, the ones Montagne has been trying to interrupt whenever he notices them. Except that Bandit can’t read minds as of yet and probably has no idea what’s going on with him, and how should he. Montagne hasn’t said a word. They haven’t mentioned their brief engagement, or whatever the fuck was going on for a bit, at all.

Maybe when Montagne said that he was worried about losing Bandit, he didn’t just mean Bandit’s own withdrawal from their relationship.

“I don’t like that you see me like this.”

Bandit reacts not, doesn’t glance upwards, but there’s a tightening of his half-embrace. He’s listening.

“I can’t stand it, in fact. I feel useless and powerless and I can tell it weighs you down as well.” Once he’s started speaking, the words nearly tumble out of his mouth by themselves, one by one does the truth finally spill over. “I’m sorry. You’re trying so hard, mon cœur, I know you’re trying so hard to be strong for me, and I love you for it, but… I don’t want this. I don’t want to be like this. I should be the one there for you.” His heart is heavy, his mind darkened and his eyes burning, threatening tears as evidence of his own fragility. Rarely do his emotions get the better of him yet his self-control is raw and worn out from too much use without a chance to replenish. “I know I should be grateful I survived, but I feel like an annoyance. I don’t even know if I can go back to Rainbow, I don’t know whether I’ll fully heal and I hate it.”

Before he can feel guilty for loading even more onto Bandit’s shoulders, his love cradles his head in surprisingly warm hands, whispers his name and puts their foreheads together. “It’s okay”, Bandit mutters, even though both of them know it isn’t, “Gilles, stop. It’s okay. Listen to me.”

Montagne expects platitudes and white lies, misplaced optimism, a few phrases people throw out and pat themselves on the back for consoling someone, but instead, Bandit says: “Look. All of this fucking sucks.”

Well. It sure does. Montagne frowns.

“I’ve been in the hospital before, I was injured pretty badly and felt less worthy than a sack of potatoes, believe me. I was hardly myself, I couldn’t sleep, the constant pain was horrendous and on top of that, all the pretty nurses were talking smack -”

This startles a small huff of amusement out of him and effectively interrupts his intrusive thoughts. “Aren’t you supposed to make me feel better?”

“- I’m getting to that part. But you probably know how degrading it is when you can’t even piss by yourself, right? That’s the fucking worst. You’re like a baby, and you definitely feel just as stupid. It was one of the worst months of my entire life. But you know what? I got better.”

Ah. There we go. Montagne’s mouth goes thin.

“No, I know what you’re thinking: empty promises. You don’t understand how true it is, though. I’ve been rock bottom a few times, but it gets better. You’ve been there for it, so you know what I mean. And don’t even think for a second that each rock bottom was the same level, no, there were times when everything seemed hopeless, but honestly? Each time, it got a little easier to get back out. To get out and get to a better level than before. My parents…” He catches himself and shakes his head a little. “I don’t wanna keep talking about me right now.”

Montagne nudges him. “Please do. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

A deep breath later, Bandit continues: “My parents valued independence highly, so Ced and I were encouraged to help ourselves, which I suppose is a good thing. But it also taught us to not rely on anybody else. To not expect any safety nets: you fall, that’s it. Convincing yourself it’s worthwhile to go on after you’ve fallen was hard. I felt like I failed at life, and for a bit, giving up was the better alternative. But I did have a safety net after all: Ced did his part, a few friends did, my boss, too. So it worked out.”

“But you got worse again”, Montagne mutters.

“Yes. I got worse. Still, by then I knew not only that it was possible to get back out, but also that others would help. Miles away from asking for help, mind you, but with more hope. I kept learning. And…” Despite his reluctance to go on, Montagne remains quiet and waits. Some part of him realises it’s something Bandit has to say. “And… as horrible as that sounds, as much as I don’t even want to imagine it… I think I’m at the point where I could go on without you. If you didn’t – didn’t make it, for example, I could… I think I could. The beginning would be the absolute fucking worst, no doubt, but I’d find something to – to make it worth it. To continue.”

Wordlessly, Montagne drags him into a bear hug. Presses their bodies even tighter together, ignoring the stabs of pain in his side, ignoring all his muscles protesting, ignoring the uncomfortable weight against his injured ribcage. He just needs this man like air all of a sudden, and it seems impossible to him how he could’ve ever rejected him in anything.

He knows exactly what Bandit means. It might be put in a morbid way, but he’s trying to express just how much Montagne has helped him. Comparing this version of him with the fragile creature he once warmed in his arms is unthinkable; this Bandit isn’t vulnerable anymore. And though he was hit hard by Montagne’s near-death, he ended up recovering, largely due to his own strength. A few years ago, he would’ve reacted very differently to nearly losing a loved one, that much is certain.

Bandit is clinging to him as well, taking measured breaths against his jaw and hiding his face. “You’re the strongest fucking person I know”, he whispers, voice cracking. “And even if you lost all your limbs or your eyesight or what the fuck ever, you’d still be you. You’d still be as great as you were before. That’s a fact, you dumbass. And if you can’t do Rainbow anymore, you’ll open a stupid dog café in Marseilles or sell Fairtrade products in a corner shop, I don’t bloody know. All I know is that you shouldn’t listen to that irritating voice in your head because it has absolutely no fucking idea what it’s talking about.”

By now, Montagne is chuckling and crying at the same time, overcome by too many emotions to be able to process any of them. It feels like he was allowed a deeper look in Bandit’s workings, like he’s able to understand him a little better. More importantly, he does feel significantly less stupid now that he knows Bandit is familiar with thoughts like these and already opened himself up about them.

“I’m also worried you’d be put off by all my injuries”, he admits after a while of comforting physical contact, feeling much more confident in himself and assured they can actually talk things out.

His better half lifts his head to squint at him in confusion. “Put off…? Like, grossed out? This is nothing, I once had someone in my arms whose guts were – wait, you don’t mean that I’d find you unattractive, do you?”

Montagne eyes his love for a moment, the man whose knees get weak whenever Montagne whispers a single filthy word in his ear, the man who has admitted to having more wet dreams about him than he’d like, the very man who so valiantly held himself back until Montagne allowed him to let loose, and who has never held back since. The man Montagne missed every lonely second he spent without him over the past weeks. “Well, I’d hope not”, he mutters.

Bandit looks at him like he grew two heads. “Are you serious?”

“The bruises still look quite bad, and all the -”

“Okay, listen. You stop talking. I’m going to kiss every one of your bruises until you’re not sure whether it hurts anymore, and then I’ll make you come so hard you’ll pass out. To hell with waiting, I won’t take this for another second.”

He’s not sure whether he should take it as a threat or a promise, but when Bandit starts pulling Montagne’s clothes off his body, he finds that he has no intention to argue whatsoever. And it’s good to know this part of him still works. “Be careful, mon cœur.”

Dark eyes flick up and are accompanied by a growl: “Can’t promise that.”

And though this one was definitely a threat, all Montagne does is smile. He didn’t even realise how much he missed this.

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~*~

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Bandit continues to do all the work for them the next morning: he orders room service and serves Montagne breakfast in bed while also shoving everything he finds into their suitcases. No need to separate their clothes or belongings; they’re going to the same destination anyway. They should travel more, take some time off and explore the world together – a notion Montagne hadn’t entertained until now as he was never really tempted to leave France or just Europe in general without good reason, and their missions abroad together with the other operators’ supplemental information used to be sufficient for him. But now, the thought of spending a week in a hotel with no one familiar around him but Bandit, the image of them going on walks while holding hands, pointing out quaint aspects of the place around them… it’s enticing. He vows to bring it up sometime.

Muscles still sore from the previous night, his mind is the opposite: he feels refreshed, optimistic, motivated. Part of the reason is undoubtedly the sex, he can’t deny it – falling asleep with Bandit in his arms, the faint feeling of satisfaction still coursing through his body, it’s as invigorating as the act itself, the knowing, challenging stare as Bandit swallowed -

Well. He shouldn’t dwell on it. They don’t have a lot of time planned between leaving the hotel and the departure of their flight.

But anyway, it’s not just that, it’s also the conversations before and after. The way Bandit made him realise what exactly is important, that he can rely on his lover without a guilty conscience. He kept repeating how beautiful Montagne was, even during, and though it caused him to blush in considerable embarrassment, he certainly feels less self-conscious now. There wasn’t a single second in which Bandit’s assurance wavered, no moment where he showed doubt. He meant what he said.

And, thinking about it, it would be the same for Montagne. He wouldn’t care about Bandit’s physical state. He’d still love him unconditionally.

Then why are you saying no to him?

It’s different, Montagne wants to argue in his head. But is it? He’s known Bandit for longer than he did Catou when he proposed to her. They were at a different point in life then, not entirely sure about their careers (well, she wasn’t), uncertain about their future (and children is still a sore spot he refuses to entertain), really too young to make such a momentous decision. He’s been living together with Bandit for long enough to assess how well they work together. How well they fit.

No. It’s not any different in his heart. Where it’s different is his head: he’s twice shy, irrationally worried about getting hurt. And consequently hurts Bandit instead. Bandit has openly declared his wish to make their undying love and loyalty official, whereas Montagne punishes him for a crime he didn’t commit. A crime which was nobody’s fault, in the end.

Watching Bandit tear through the room and toss most of what they own into the nearest suitcase, Montagne notices how there’s one object Bandit hasn’t touched. Montagne’s passport. And he probably never will again, without explicit approval. He made a mistake, apologised and learnt from it.

Now it’s Montagne’s time to do so.

“Dominic”, he says, and instantly all activity halts. Bandit is comically frozen mid-throw, like a deer in headlights. Montagne never calls him by his full first name. “Mon amour.”

“… yes?” He seems unaware of the severity of the situation as of now.

“I would like to change my mind. If it’s still possible.” Montagne extends his hand and, instinctively, Bandit glides over to take it and sit down on the edge of the bed. “I do want to marry you.”

Bandit blinks at him. “Oh”, he says. And then: “Really?”

“Yes. I’ve thought about it, and I realise I’ve been unfair. We don’t have to rehash how… questionable your proposal was, but it made me overlook the most obvious truth: that I do love you above all and want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I do want to make it official that way.”

Bandit still looks dumbstruck, probably overwhelmed from the suddenness of the announcement. “Uh -”

“If it’s alright with you, I’d like us to have rings, too, so I can carry something on me at all times that marks me as yours and the other way round. So yes, mon cœur. My love. I hope your proposal still stands, because I would like to accept it.”

By now, his lover has turned crimson. He’s fidgeting with Montagne’s hand, bending his fingers and generally not knowing what to do with his own, and his embarrassment is terribly endearing – up to the point where he mumbles something Montagne would swear he misheard. “… for the benefits”, Bandit ends, apparently addressing his own feet.

Now it’s Montagne’s turn to blink, uncomprehending. “What was that?”

“I wanted to marry for the benefits”, Bandit repeats, louder, and Montagne’s mind screeches to a halt.

He stares at Bandit, Bandit stares at the ground. “You… what now?”

“Not just – well I mean, also, but definitely not only… you know, financial, because I think there is…” Bandit’s tongue seems to be disobeying him. “But, mostly because…”

“What on earth are you saying, Dom?”

“I wasn’t allowed to visit you.”

The shoe drops.

Boy, does the shoe drop. This explains so much. Montagne blanks for a second before his brain retroactively feeds him bits and pieces of information which now neatly fall into place, now that he’s been handed the solution on a silver platter. In his delirium, he never questioned why Madeleine was the only one coming to visit him – hell, even his parents did – instead of Bandit as well; he did hear about a fight between Bandit and Lion and probably, in his feverish mind, figured that Bandit was banned because of this and couldn’t visit him as a result. But never, not for a moment, did he consider the option that they simply turned Bandit away because he was no more than a stranger to them, no official connection between them.

No wonder Bandit went stir-crazy, no wonder his mind snapped and convinced him faking official documents was a reasonable long-term solution, no wonder he announced their wedding so casually without ever officially proposing. It was never meant to be a step forward for them as a couple, was never meant as any kind of declaration – it was meant as a preventative method in case they ever find themselves in a similar situation.

No wonder Bandit is thoroughly embarrassed by Montagne’s acceptance speech.

If there even was any left, all of his residual anger vanishes upon this revelation. He’s not even dismayed about Bandit’s motives: had he, at any point really, explained himself, Montagne might’ve actually agreed with him – because while a marriage means something much more sentimental and symbolic to Montagne, he understands Bandit’s viewpoint as well, especially under the circumstances.

Bandit is still avoiding his gaze, so he lifts his lover’s hand and kisses its palm until he has his full attention. “We’ve become victims of a grave misunderstanding”, Montagne states, a smile playing on his lips. “I understand now. Still, my point stands: I would like to be married to you, for the reasons I stated, and also for the reasons you had in mind. But I’d like you to think about it, because we obviously have different approaches and I want to be sure our expectations match.”

And this is the moment burning eyes meet his, framed in an expression so open and vulnerable that Montagne has no doubt about the authenticity of Bandit’s next words: “I don’t need to think about it.”

Montagne’s heart doubles in size. His composure, his tension, all of it melts instantly, replaced by a heady rush of pure serotonin as he realises just how right this decision feels. Inevitable, almost, like this has been their destination all along without either of them being aware, but now they’re here; exactly where they belong. All their time together has led up to this, the difficult conversations they had, the obstacles they overcame, all the beautiful little moments which were wholly theirs. It’s incredible to him how far they’ve progressed, from near-strangers who barely exchanged a word to lovers so intimate they’ll spend the rest of their lives together.

It’s not about the proposal itself, not about the wedding or even the marriage after – Montagne himself knows best that a marriage is no guarantee for happiness; instead, it’s something deeper, significant only to them. A promise to each other, a promise to take care of each other, to stay loyal and supportive, to listen and talk to each other. Ultimately, it’s extremely private, yet they might decide to share it with the world regardless.

“Come here”, he pleads and kisses Bandit, half drags him onto himself and pushes his hands under Bandit’s shirt – no, his own shirt, he notices, the one Bandit slept in. A shirt he brought Montagne to wear in hospital and a shirt he took back to wash it, but it seems he didn’t get around to doing so. Instead he just wore it. “I love you so much”, Montagne whispers against scratchy beard hair, and of course that moment someone knocks on their door.

They look at each other and simultaneously roll their eyes. Lion has terrible timing.

“We don’t have much time left!”, the other Frenchman announces from the other side of the door. “So whatever it is you’re doing, you better -” He stops once Bandit yanks open the door with an annoyed scowl.

“We were actually getting ready”, Montagne lies smoothly and can’t help his beaming expression. The same glowing, fluttery feeling which has settled in his stomach is tugging on the corners of his lips, forcing him to grin.

Lion raises a sceptical brow. “Seems like you kissed and made up then.”

“And out”, Bandit provides helpfully. “Don’t stand around, get this luggage downstairs, I’ll take care of Gilles.”

“That better not be a euphemism”, Lion scoffs, but Montagne catches him fighting a smile himself.

Maybe the two of them are contagious. It would certainly make for a more pleasant flight.

.

~*~

.

By the time they’re back in England, Lion is thoroughly done with their shit.

The entire jouney, Bandit fawned over Montagne and tended to his every wish – uttered or not –, all of this done on top of all the accommodations he’d booked in advance. They spent a relaxed hour in the airport lounge, sipping on overpriced drinks and listening to the bustling around them, and even flew first class despite the shortness of the flight. Not even the screaming baby that performed the entire duration as if it was having its debut on the big stage was able to put a damper on Montagne’s or Bandit’s mood, and part of him understands Lion’s irritated response to their admittedly disgusting lovey-dovey aura.

His friend started out being cordial and visibly swallowing various remarks, progressed to thin-lipped, high-browed and disapproving, and ended with eye rolls and audible sighs. Every affectionate nickname worsened his mood, every public display like kisses or interlacing their fingers prompted a judging glance, and every soft-spoken sentence had him check his phone for the time.

Montagne has no space in his fully-occupied heart to feel any sort of guilt, especially because he suspects Lion is largely doing it for Bandit’s benefit as the German seems to relish the reactions he provokes. He is very smug.

His suspicions are apparently confirmed when he’s alone with Lion for a minute while Bandit bodychecks his way through an unmoving and uncaring crowd blocking the baggage claim. “Seems like you came to an agreement after all”, Lion states neutrally.

“We did. And if I’m honest, something you said helped with my decision.” Lion only nods, like he expected it. Curious. “Don’t tell me you’ve come to like him? If so, I won’t need a wedding present from you because that’s all I could wish for.”

“Let’s not go that far”, comes the hasty response and Montagne chuckles.

“Then why?”

A one-sided shrug. “I think everyone deserves a second chance.”

They share no more than a significant look before Bandit returns, masking his annoyance with overdone cheeriness, and so his statement remains unexplained. Whether he finally noticed the mirrored qualities he and Bandit share, whether he’s referring to Montagne’s first marriage, or whether he’s implying that he might meet Bandit with a different attitude in the future, Montagne doesn’t know. Still, the assertion resonates with him.

.

Seeing the oh so familiar landscape rush past the window on the last leg back to Hereford evokes an odd kind of nostalgia in Montagne. The view is one he’s always enjoyed, it marked the end of a difficult mission, the return to normalcy in a way – because his life at Rainbow has become the new normal for him, his everyday life, the foundation for his daily routine. The company of his colleagues is dear to him, as is the work itself, and as gruelling their training schedule is, he sleeps better when his muscles are sore and his head heavy.

Knowing he won’t be able to go back to this life for the foreseeable future causes a bittersweet feeling in his stomach. He will still participate, no doubt, will be included in briefings and kept up to date, will confer with teammates, offer advice. So it’s not like he’ll be isolated or exiled. But the knowledge of being incapable of doing what he’s used to stings a little.

Even so, his mind is focused on another matter. There are many more obstacles to overcome in the future concerning their engagement, starting with their respective families (though he’s under the suspicion Madeleine has realised something is up, even if she might not be aware of the severity of the situation) and ending with important decisions on how to hold their wedding party – but the most valuable aspect is that they’ll be doing it together.

Although he’s not so sure whether Bandit is ready for some of it.

“Take it to your grave or I’ll haunt your son when I’m dead.”

Lion seems largely amused by the threat, patiently waiting in front of the main entrance to Rainbow’s headquarters for Bandit to open the door. “One of his friends is a flat-earther, so he’s faced worse.”

Montagne snorts and Bandit nearly slams into the doors from scowling back at the other Frenchman. “Seriously though. This is just between us for now, alright? Even I haven’t told anyone, and neither has Gilles. Right, my love?”

“I’d like to point out that you were the one who told Olivier about your ‘proposal’ in the first place, mon cœur. Drunkenly, if I remember correctly.”

“Does that mean I can’t even tell Gustave?” Lion seems intent on making Bandit faceplant after all – he’s got the easy job of pushing Montagne around whereas Bandit is tasked with the much more difficult assignment of holding doors open for them on the way to their canteen. “I would love to see his face.”

“No. Nobody. Especially not in Rainbow.”

“What about Père Bertrand?”

“Absolutely not. Who knows whether he’s a snitch.”

“Who would he snitch to? God?”

“Look. I don’t know why this is so hard for you.” Bandit’s voice is rising in agitation as he shoulders open the last door, back turned to the room behind him, eyes fixed on Lion. “Just don’t. Tell. Anyone. Okay? No one needs to know. No one! This is just between us.”

Montagne’s composure is crumbling. Wordlessly, he indicates the entirety of the canteen with a vague gesture, trying his best to hold back a hearty laugh.

In response, Bandit whirls around with a wild expression, only to be faced with an entire room decked out with the gaudiest decorations in pink and white, plus literally all of the other operators arranged along the wall, holding confetti cannons or glasses of champagne, wearing party hats and utterly aghast expressions, and above them, floating below the ceiling, are gold balloons spelling out  E N G A G E D.

The awkward silence is palpable.

The champagne bottle in Blitz’ hand pops with a startlingly loud noise, making everyone jump and almost taking out Twitch’s eye in the process, and Lion just starts roaring with laughter, holding on to the wheelchair as to not lose his balance.

“Welcome back, Gilles”, Doc offers and lifts his glass for a toast, and that finally breaks the spell. Everyone rushes at them, congratulating them and greeting Montagne after his long absence, Rook with tears in his eyes and Jackal with an encouraging smile, there are too many faces and too many well-wishes to identify them all. Their gesture is heartwarming, and though Bandit stands in the middle of the crowd, hiding his bright red face with one hand (and repeating that no, he is not taking questions right now), he’s far from fighting the many hugs he receives. When Sledge takes him into his arms, there’s audible bone cracking and joint popping, and Montagne is suddenly glad to be confined to the wheelchair.

Maybe their reveal didn’t go quite as planned, but the support they’re receiving is invigorating. Montagne might’ve preferred a small wedding prior to this, yet being confronted with hard evidence of how much all these people care for them is beginning to change his mind.

He will talk about it with Bandit, later. For now he has a party to attend.

[clevercorvidae]

BNHA Common Misconceptions

I’ve been seeing wayyy too much bs on my dash lately. So I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on some Controversy™

***Spoilers For The Manga***

1. “What the HPSC did to Hawks wasn’t bad”

A government organization putting a young child through rigorous training so that he can be used as a tool is bad. I don’t know why I have to spell that out

Hawks had to abandon his real name at a very young age. That’s damaging for a kid’s sense of identity. His identity as a person no longer has any separation from his work as a hero. Being a hero is all he is now. I wouldn’t be surprised if (provided Hawks’s wings are gone for good) he has an identity crisis after this arc because he can’t be “Hawks” anymore.

Hawks is based on Lionel Messi, a soccer player recruited at a young age in return for paying for his medical procedures. I’ve seen people say that Hawks chose to be a hero. One, he was a child, young children shouldn’t be making decisions like that. Two, we know based on context clues that Keigo was more than likely living in poverty, possibly with alcoholic parents, and we literally are told that the HPSC payed for his family’s living expenses. Do you really think Keigo had much of a choice here?

I’ve seen people say “it’s just like what UA is doing”. First of all, UA is called out for being irresponsible and endangering their students IN UNIVERSE. Second, Keigo was a young child, the UA kids are 15+. There’s a huge difference.

2. “Mitsuki isn’t abusive”

Honestly when it comes to her smacking Katsuki, I could excuse it as a joke done in poor taste and not hold it over her as a character.

Hitting him WASNT just discipline tho. You should never, ever, under any circumstances hit your kid. Fuck that noise.

What I really have an issue with is what she SAYS to Katsuki. Her guilt tripping him isn’t a throwaway line either. He repeats the sentiment that he is responsible for Kamino during Deku v Kacchan 2. It’s one of the main reasons he fights Deku.

Horikoshi says that Katsuki has a good relationship with his mother. In that case, he did a horrible job at presenting that. What is written in the canon is what should be used as the basis for how we interpret her character.

3. “Shigaraki chose to kill his family/was born evil”

No...just...no. He was FIVE for crying out loud.

He wanted to be a hero, and took extra care to play with kids that had no friends. He definitely wasn’t born evil lmao.

His quirk manifested while he was having an emotional crisis. Decay is controlled by emotion so of course it went haywire.

He didn’t even know it was him doing it at first.

“But Shigaraki said he WANTED it to happen” Shigaraki is an unreliable narrator. What we actually SEE tells a very different story. He reaches out to Hana and his Mother for help. His grandparents are just caught in the shockwave. The ONLY person he killed on purpose was his father.

Now when it comes to his father, he had just beat him and locked him outside. He’s FIVE, and he has no healthy outlet for his anger and frustration. Hell, we see that in his “itchiness”, he only feels like this in the house, because his father makes him suppress his love for heroes and his dream to become one. He takes joy in killing his father because it’s the only release he’s ever experienced.

The fact that you guys forget that this is an abused child with no real control over his quirk that just got beaten and locked outside... Nope, no reading comprehension here.

4. “The League of Villains are justified/are a revolutionary group”

...Shigaraki has stated over and over again that he just wants to destroy everything. He doesn’t care about reform or improving anything. That one panel in Ch. 222, where he says he wants to destroy everything I think sums it up perfectly.

He wants to destroy EVERYTHING good or bad or neither or both. There’s a newborn baby, a field of flowers , Nine, various heroes, the UA kids, etc all varying in innocence.

The rest of the league have very different goals and reasons why they continue to support Shigaraki. Twice wants to protect the only people that accepted him. Spinner just wants to have purpose for his life. Toga wants to live the way she wishes with no consequences. Compress is also here.

The only “revolutionary” is Dabi. But his views are not universal throughout the league.

Even if they were trying to improve things. They have killed countless innocent people, they’ve tried to kill the UA kids too. That’s not ok. And it’s not erased by the fact that they’ve done good. (I do appreciate them for killing the MHA version of the KKK, truly epic of you)

5. “Hawks is abusive”

It’s not abuse to manipulate someone for info when you’re a double agent. It’s kinda shitty, and you could argue that it was unnecessary for Hawks to do so in context. But it’s not abuse.

Y’all need to stop using the word abuse/abusive tendencies to describe all immoral actions

I’ve also seen people say that Hawks has abusive tendencies (as in he’s abusive in all his relationships with other characters) and...do I really need to explain why that makes no sense at all?

6. “Twice deserved to die/it was necessary to kill him”

Feel like I need to remind people that we’ve only ever actually seen Twice kill one guy and that was one of the KKK guys.

Twice isn’t evil, even Hawks admits that he is a genuinely good person. Good people don’t deserve to die.

It wasn’t necessary, and here’s why: Hawks could’ve just knocked him out or even just severely injured him. (Or the HPSC could’ve just grown a brain cell and sent more people to back him up, making it easier to hold back his quirk and arrest him)

Hawks shouldn’t have killed Twice, he only killed him because he’s been raised as a child soldier and I wouldn’t be surprised if what he told Twice about taking out villains was a direct quote from the HPSC

Also, Hawks would’ve killed Twice with or without Dabi’s intervention

Something I do have to say though is that Hawks was right not to just let Twice go. It’s tragic because Twice WAS leaving to help his friends, but the other side of that tragedy it that his friends are terrorists. If he was allowed to leave a shit ton of people would have died (again that doesn’t mean he deserved to die either, don’t get it twisted)

The WHOLE POINT of Hawks v Twice is to make you question who the bad guy is. Both characters are morally gray and the only reason they even have to fight is because of the outside forces controlling their fates. It’s supposed to be tragic it’s supposed to be unclear who is in the right, so stop arguing about it.

7. “Bakugou is abusive/irredeemable” (I know it’s been talked to death but I still see it everywhere)

People are, in fact, allowed to grow past the person they were in middle school.

Most people get hung up on the “throw yourself off a building” line. Which is fair, but again, he was in middle school.

People also say “he hasn’t apologized yet”. Yeah? And? The story isn’t over yet. Horikoshi has already acknowledged that too. I don’t know what you want? People who like him know that his arc isn’t over yet.

I’ve seen a lot of people denying his character development. In the beginning of the series he was a bully and let his ego control him. I don’t think he’s bullied...anyone since Deku v Kacchan 2. He insults people but they obviously don’t take it seriously.

He’s also gone from preferring to fail a final exam to avoid working with Deku, to following him into battle against Shigaraki.

Also, when he actually likes and respects someone he doesn’t mistreat them. This is the same thing with Hawks where y’all NEED to stop misusing the word abuse. He was an abusive friend to Deku when they were kids, that’s it.

8. “Rei was abusive too!”

I’m BEGGING YOU to learn what the term “abuse” means istg

She had a psychotic break. She genuinely thought it was her abusive husband coming through the door, and she acted out of fear.

“Well that’s not an excuse” yes it fucking is. Not to mention that as soon as she realized what happened, she sobs hysterically because she hurt Shouto and tries to use her quirk to help him.

I genuinely don’t understand why people think this

9. “Dabi actually does care about the league”

Listen, I know it sounds harsh, but y’all need to get your heads out of your piles of headcanons.

We know next to nothing about how Dabi feels about just about anything. But we do see that he’s aloof and distant with the league, he doesn’t put in more than he needs to. The rest of the league think of each other as family. Dabi straight up says he doesn’t give a shit about them.

“What if he was just putting up a front for Hawks” Why? Why would he do that? When asked who he was he answered him. He tells him how he feels about hero society and Stain. Not to mention that he was getting ready to kill him. If he was hiding his true feelings about the league I doubt he would’ve so easily said that he didn’t care about them but rather how useful they were.

At this point it’s just wishful thinking. Based on everything we’ve seen in the series so far and everything we know about Dabi, I think it’s safe to say that he doesn’t care about them all that much. If he secretly does care about them, I’d say it’s likely that he doesn’t even know he does.

Idk why all of a sudden villain stans and hero stans are feuding over things that shouldn’t even be up for debate in the first place. Sorry if this came off as super aggressive, I’m just sick of seeing this stuff all over the place. If anyone has anything to add go ahead

[battiesart]

How do you feel and what is ur opinion on people saying Kazuya is irredeemable for having killed people n such? since i've seen alot of people say that kazuya liking kaiji and being nice somewhat is unrealistic and ooc and saying he's violent and evil and will never became a decent human being

Uhmmm I'm gonna go ahead and answer this since I was talking about it the other day on twitter, but I should preface this by saying that questions like these feel a bit out of place for my art blog 😅 I'm not mad at you for not knowing, since I don't advertise it much, but you can always send questions like these to my main blog or my CuriousCat (I'll probably edit my sidebar on this blog with those links)

Anyway long-winded answer below the cut, since I love to talk about Kazuya

Whether or not you really believe Kazuya is redeemable or not comes down to just personal opinion. At the end of the day he's a fictional character. Me interpreting him as a redeemable person isn't me justifying or defending a murderer. If you disagree with me then it's fine because the whole point of fiction is facilitating different interpretations. It really doesn't bother me if people dislike my boukai works or how I depict him.

I've reread parts 3-5 about 3 times in the last year and I believe that despite Kazuya having killed people, the narrative makes it apparent that it's something he's never taken pleasure or joy in doing. In a lot of ways, I think his violence is a symptom of his upbringing, especially considering who his father is. But, having people grovel for him, having to push them to do violent things in his gambles, it's never something he seems to enjoy -- instead, I think it's him trying his hardest to be vindicated for his twisted worldview, wanting to be confirmed that his nihilism is justified and that he's correct in thinking people are irredeemable.

This scene in particular towards the end of part 3 I think is really telling towards his feelings, his anger prompts this response from Muraoka and he's clearly sick of people kissing up to him.

A lot of the violence in his gambles serve as motivation for the players to act out of "true human nature," AKA what Kazuya believes to be the truth, not necessarily because he wants to see people suffer. Kaiji immediately refutes him in this scene anyway, which you agree with as the reader.

As the Friendship Game progresses without issue, Kazuya loses motivation and interest to continue. He literally slumps over lmfao.. but I think it's indicative of the fact that these life and death gambles are just methods to affirm his own beliefs (especially when you consider how much he messes with the actual game to get the result he wants through the interviews, extending the time limit, etc etc).

As a character, Kazuya's whole schtick is that he hates his status and wants friendship. It's not even subtext, Kaiji literally says this to him towards the end of One Poker. It's mentioned constantly beforehand, too.

Much like Kaiji, Kazuya is a victim of violent & predatory capitalism, but in a different way, where his upbringing in the Hyoudou family has resulted in his inclinations towards violence and distrusting others (though I doubt sadism, considering he doesn't seem to enjoy the actual acts of violence, more just proving himself right when people start going insane).

Towards the end of One Poker, Kazuya begs for someone to rescue him, thinks back on his life with regret, and fully drops his confident persona as he fears for his life. He pushes back against Kaiji's claims that he's lonely (he is), refuses to back down even an inch and claim defeat, and it results in what would have been his actual death. In his final moments, all he can do is think about the love his mother showed him, realize he closed himself off from affection following her death, and sob.

So, I think that experience, his complicated feelings towards friendship and love, and realizing someone like Kaiji saved him just because he's a person, and not despite his cruelty or status, would really shake him to his core. He loses for the first time, is proven wrong entirely by Kaiji's resolve, and he'd probably reflect on everything and realize how wrong he's been about other people. Of course, that's what I think would be the natural course of events for his character -- especially considering his cruelty is a symptom of capitalism, and transcending what the system does to us is a core theme for all of FKMT's works. I think having a character who embodies predatory capitalism itself learn to trust others, abandon cruelty, and heal from his past is extremely powerful and what the story of Kaiji as a whole is about, in a lot of ways.

Anyway thanks for letting me write all this out LOL I love my insane little maniac and his struggles ❤️ Again, this is my interpretation of a fictional character, if you disagree, it's fine!

P.S. "kazuya liking kaiji and being nice somewhat is unrealistic and ooc" The man builds a grave for his gambling rival and people think he's not nice? Have we no chivalry? He reserved the entire restaurant that night just for them! 🙄

[phoebelovingcare]

“I’d like to introduce you to my religion”

Jambandran religion headcanons. Oh boy. Time to invent a whole religion.

There is, actually, a wiki page on the jambandran religion! It says a lot of things. I might ignore most of them.

So, the wiki says that Hyness “founded” the religion, but Hyness’ wiki page kinda half-contradicts that???? so screw that I’ll do it my way.

Alright, so!

Jambandran is a type of halcandran clan, magic-focused and religious specifically. They worship Astrals (kirby’s species) and Dark Matter!

When wars started breaking out in ancient times, it was in part due to astrals and dark matter being harnessed for the forwarding of Halcandran magic and technology: The Master Crown uses the soul of a never-born astral to power it, and clockwork stars require star power to function, which is what astrals are born of.

This created a serious conflict between the Jambandrans and the other clans, eventually resulting in the exile of Jambandrans from Halcandra, and banning the practice of the religion.

And that’s enough clearing up backstory lets get into some fun headcanons huh? or should i say juh

10 is considered to be a holy number, unlike all other halcandran religions and beliefs where it is 9. Because faelynes have 9 lives, 10 is usually considered unlucky because by that point you’ve run out of chances. In Jamba beliefs, however, 10 is respected as an end goal, use of it generally implies “live your life to the fullest” and “remember the dead”. jambandrans would love unnus annus now that I think about it Anyways, if you didn’t notice the second I said it, J is the tenth letter of the alphabet. Surprise!

Jambandran language features the letter J so often because of this. Adding “ja” to a word increases it’s importance or intensity, “jam” is added to more foreign words to imply it’s been accepted into their vocabulary, and you can find instances of J in many places to indicate respect... but never in names.

You’ll never find a Jambandran with a J in their name, because that’s considered blasphemous. If you think you hear a J, it’s probably a G instead. To name yourself with a J implies that you’re on the same level as the gods, and like wow how narcissistic of you, damn.

Okay so with the fun facts out of the way let’s get into ~religious practices~

Astrals are born of starlight and emotions/morals, the emotion you provide them with before they’re born determines many things about them. Kirby’s born of love, Meta Knight’s born of justice, for example. If you provide them with negative emotions, you’ll form a Dark Matter instead.

So Jambandrans are all about mental health! Kinda!

Jamba beliefs focus on how emotions impact others and yourself, on self-introspection and improvement. A good preacher acts as a group therapist almost, and promotes self care. A bad preacher is purity and cancel culture wrapped up in some jambandran garb.

I’m having trouble explaining the “pathing” part in my head so I’m gonna explain it this way:

Francisca has chosen a path of self-expression, making art as a way to show her thoughts and uplift others. She has trouble talking to people, so it helps to have a subject to talk about - if she has a serious problem, she might make a piece of vent art and go to her sisters with it.

Flamberge has chosen a laid-back path, carefully managing work and play. Being super professional stresses her out, so she balances and works out when she should be serious and when she can chill out, making her more relaxed and outgoing.

Zan Partizanne has chosen a path of self-improvement, and it’s actually not the best choice. Or it least, it was a while ago, but now she needs to slow it down and change focus. Zan works very hard and strives to work harder to improve on the lives of her sisters and Hyness - but this disturbs the balance of care-for-self and care-for-others, because she’s working herself down to the bone to get things done.

So that’s paths of improvement.

Onto the next practice: journaling!

Jambandrans keep diaries!

The objective is to write down your thoughts and experiences, and then as you grow and mature, look back on them to see how you’ve improved, or how you can improve in the future. The side-effect of this is that Jambandrans keep super-cute diaries, tend to do lots of scrapbooking and adding little doodles and stickers and aaaAAAA CUTE-

*ahem* So yeah, those are their ideals. As for sins? Basically just the opposite. Manipulating, baiting, gaslighting, all those nasty things are considered damn-near irredeemable, and this is a culture about improvement and redemption. Of course, since they’re about redemption they still allow people room to improve, but Marx and Magolor get some serious eyebrow raises from the mages.

I have so much more to get into - prayers & hymns, holidays, etc etc, but this is getting REALLY REALLY LONG, so here’s the absolute basics;

-Hymns are generally a team-building exercise, with everyone working together to express themselves in a beautiful way -Prayers are directed at potential Astrals! They tell them things they’ve learned and their hopes and dreams in hopes that the astral will be born of emotional maturity and love! -The only holidays I have fleshed out are New Years, which is basically just the concept of resolutions magnified, and The Day of Lights! -The Day of Lights comes from a story of some not-very-well-off jambandrans stranded in space, when they come across a nebula trying to become an Astral - it’s dark like a storm cloud. They enter the cloud and pray, offering love and hope to the Astral until it becomes a beautiful aurora of color, using it’s energy to heal the sick and injured and repair their ship. Nowadays it is celebrated by wearing bright colors, helping those who need it and spreading love and joy wherever you go.

So there you have it! Jambandran Religion! Sorry it’s so long winded, but I consider this piece of the world well-built now! Hooray!

[mostlymobilegames]

The way this sick bastard is happy to capture his own son, knowing damn well how Dino feels about his betrayal and the whole situation, makes Fencio irredeemable for me. Not that he had any chance of being forgiven or something, but I thought his concern for Dino and Dino's unwillingness to hate him and kind nature (even tho he did say he'd kill Fencio if necessary 👀) made me believe he might change his mind and come to his senses, or some dramatic, last second plot twist like that (which is probably what will happen with Adi, but anyway)

The least he could do is not act like they've won the lottery by kidnapping the best students of the Academy, including his own flesh and blood, who spent his entire 26 years of life achieving his goals and reputation, with no consideration of his personal needs and wants (until the MC appeared, which also only happened because of Fencio lmaoo)

God, Fencio's death is gonna be enjoyable, but I'm really worried about Dino's "If father threatens you... I will kill him", it almost feels like a premonition. Also, at the time, Sammy's last words to Fencio ("The moth dies when it reaches its goal") made me think that Malbonte would just get rid of Fencio after using him, which can still happen, if Fencio stops being "a raging engine" and becomes a "hindrance", but now it makes me think of another possible ending for him.

So, obviously, Fencio's main reason for doing all of this is to gain power, no doubt about that, but the way he was so excited to have Dino at the camp, Dino's assessment earlier ("I'm sure father thinks he did the right thing for the common good"; only appears if they listen to Rebecca's story) and Fencio's response to being called a monster in the season 2 finale ("I don't expect people like you to understand me") make me believe that a part of him realized how unjust and unfair the ruling side really is, and that only when he was stripped of his rank for a mistake, while the other person involved was forgiven. This makes me think Fencio will try to reason with Dino, try to make him see that Malbonte is fighting for the right cause, try to get him on his side.

Now, the MC will probably be blackmailed into helping Malbonte, since I doubt this decision will be a choice for the player, but I'm thinking the three musketeers might pretend to join Malbonte, like some espionage shit, or actually be forced to join him, after they fail to escape his imprisonment ("When the cage is too narrow, the birds try to escape..."- ep. 5 description). Therefore, Dino "switching" sides would be Fencio achieving his goal, having his beloved son by his side again... who eventually kills him (whether it will be because he threatens the MC, or because of something else).

While there isn't an ending more brutal than looking into your child's eyes as they drain the life out of you, and as much as Fencio deserves it, I hope someone else will kill him because Dino doesn't deserve that experience.

On a side note, Rebecca being the one who kills Fencio would be hilariously ironic, given than she metaphorically ended his life in the past, when she crushed all his hopes and hard work, and it would feel like getting the closure that didn't occur in their last meeting, after graduation ("Rebecca left, and Fencio kept looking at her with an unspoken promise in his eyes"/"She smiled maliciously, as if Fencio has just proven how weak he was"- S. 2, ep. 8, Dino's memory)

There's also the possibility of the MC killing him (because that's her thing 🤡🤡) but I just don't think that it would have the same emotional impact as the others

[goldenkamuyhunting]

I've noticed a kindness/tolerance afforded to children even by adults who've committed horrendous acts. (like Tsurumi & Sakamoto/O-gin's child) Hostility towards children is an oft used shorthand for the depths to which one might sink, so it's refreshing to see it avoided. I think a lot of the subterfuge surrounding Asirpa can be traced back to an unwillingness to use cruelty against a child like they might with an adult. Parental relations/expectations seem to be a very important theme.

Hum…

…actually the question ‘children’ for how I see it is pretty complicate.

In media hostility towards children more than just shorthand for the depths to which one might sink, the trope of ‘would hurt a child’ has been used way too much as ‘Moral Event Horizon’ to prove a particular character to be irredeemably evil to the point it cheapened it but well, it still made it pretty effective.

And here it’s the problem and why you don’t see people hurting children often in Golden Kamuy.

Because Noda doesn’t want to depict characters who can be waved off as irredeemably evil, he wants to depict them as complex human beings and he takes pain to describe how they moved from normal people to monsters. They weren’t ‘born evil’ they just became ‘monsters’ due to circumstances and this is meaningful in that intriguing study of how trauma can reshape a person that GK is.

So it’s not so much that ‘they’re kind to children’, it’s more often that they need to be shown as such to force us to accept they aren’t just monster.

Basically Noda is subverting the trope so that we’ve to say ‘Oh but that character hadn’t sunk to the rock bottom of depravity yet’. It’s a narrative expedient more than a character trait.

And in truth Noda is quite a master at using it to shape and reshape our view of the characters.

Think at Tanigaki.

When he appears he threatens Asirpa… then he even use her as a human shield… quite a terrible person isn’t he? But then he’s friend and caring with Osoma and Huci and even take care of Cikapasi… isn’t he such a sweety?

And Ienaga? She tortured and murdered so many people and even wanted to eat Asirpa and kept on trying to eat Kantarou… but she died protecting Inkarmat and her unborn CHILD, so she can’t be that bad.

And then, as you mentioned, we’ve Sakamoto and O-gin, complete monsters who loved their kid so they can’t be that bad either, can they?

And so on and on.

And in truth it’s just a trope and if we’re careful and read in between the lines Noda knows as well and knows that real humans aren’t defined by merely crossing a moral horizon.

I’m sure Tsurumi loved his child and would have handled her with care. And he had no reasons to harm Sakamoto and O-gin’s child so he was nice with him too. But I’m also sure if pushed he wouldn’t hesitate to kill a child or have it killed, he made it clear when he threatened to destroy Ariko’s whole family, when he planned to trap Asirpa in a basement for all the time he needed, even years.

And what about Tsukishima who’s so sweet with Sakamoto’s baby in his arms and yet not only was capable to kidnap Koito but, with his chase to Tanigaki, not only might have caused Inkarmat an abortion or wounded her, killing her baby?

Sakamoto and O-gin loved their kid… but would they have spared someone else’s kid?

Probably not but it doesn’t matter. When those two monsters die, we’re left with the knowledge they loved each other and THEIR KID. While this doesn’t wash away all they’ve done (most of which we didn’t saw so we don’t have a clear image in our mind) the fact they were loving parents psychologically stop many readers from waving them off as just monsters. They could love.

And that’s exactly what Noda wanted, a world of people, a world where there’s no black and white but many shapes of grey.

So for me it’s not really refreshing children aren’t harmed as it’s a mere consequence, what is refreshing is that characters aren’t meant to be black and white but that they’re depicted as humans. Terrible humans, humans who make mistakes, or generally good humans who sometimes screw up, or humans who due to trauma were turned into monsters. But humans, like you and me and with whom we can sympathize.

So this ends up giving Asirpa a VERY STRONG plot armor to the point she doesn’t even get hurt when attacked by a bear and really, I think the only time she got scratched was when she had a whole forest fall over her and Sugimoto.

Otherwise even before, when people weren’t aware she had a code or didn’t care she had it, she never got hurt. She couldn’t.

So well, of course if we analyze this from a Watsonian, in-universe perspective we’re dealing with people who, most of the time, care for children, who wouldn’t hurt them. But from a Doylist point of view we’re merely dealing with an author who wants to make sure his characters won’t be seen as merely evil villains.

You hit a nail when you say ‘parental relations/expectations seem to be a very important theme’ because they are. Noda works a lot on them and on how they shape a human.

In a way you might read his story also as an analysis of society and how it can harm humans.

From Hanazawa who, due to society’s pressure discharges Ogata and, due to his rank, put Yuusaku in the flag bearer position, to Wilk, who fears for the future and therefore wants Asirpa to forge a better future for Ainu, to Ueji’s father who basically broke him with his expectations, to Boutarou and Sugimoto, who lost their beloved family and were ostracized by society due to their sickness, to Tsukishima whose father his ostracized by the islanders who believes him to be a murderer and use this against Tsukishima as well.

We’ve parents of every sort, many of them trying to be good, few of them succeeding because back then there were beliefs about how to handle children that were actually not good.

And in the end we’ve plenty of children, children who often had grown up and became adults, yet carry inside themselves the harm their parents did to them, or their expectation or the loss of them, or the hope to surpass them and become better parents.

Think at Shinpei and Chiyoko or at Tanigaki and Inkarmat, couples who had/are about to have a child and are hoping they’ll be good parents.

In a way it’s a progression from the oldest generations, represented by Hijikata and Huci, to the new ones up till Asirpa and Cikapasi with Enonoka and Osoma with that unnamed Ainu kid.

And maybe it’s just me but this is part of what makes GK a story I love.

Thanks for your ask!

[agentnorthdakota]

It's A Lot so you don't have to do all of them obviously but all odd numbers for Lark and all even for Cauterize

Collin I’m love you <3 I may not get through them all and I’m gonna skip the less relevant ones but you bet I’m gonna answer a lot of them. Under a readmore because this is gonna be a Lot lol.

1. Lark - Why did they choose their class(es)? their subclass(es) When they were a teenager they went to see a powerful, retired bard named Marsha who offered magical fantasy transition to anyone who desired it. While there, they were inspired by how welcoming she was, and by her masterful piano playing. They learned the basics of music from her and continued that path after they left. (College of Lore bards just get the real good perks imo lol)

2. Cauterize - Before they met their party, what was their main goal? We haven’t played yet so he hasn’t met his future party members, but his goal is basically to earn a living and go unnoticed. And the past he left behind finds him, to burn it out and finish it off once and for all.

4. Cauterize - If they could learn one spell that isn’t available to them at present, which spell would it be? Well he’s a monk so he has very limited magical abilities. Fireball would be sick but very attention-grabbing. He would enjoy Vicious Mockery, but Disguise Self would prove the most beneficial (for low-level spells considering he’s level 3).

5. Lark -Do they follow a higher power? what are their thoughts on divinity? Hard no. They don’t put much faith in the gods, even though they know they exist. In Lark’s mind, the life they have is theirs to live however they damn well please, and they’re going to make the most of it, because nothing is waiting for them afterwards

8. Cauterize - What are three songs that suit them? He has a playlist! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3FzJakPSGPq9KL4snLcqW6?si=a53d2c47077a4d5d But the three of my favourites for him are: Just One Yesterday (Fall Out Boy, Foxes), Prodigal Son (Rationale), and Sunrise (High Dive Heart)

9. Lark - Do they care about their appearance? how much effort do they put into presentation? OH BOY do they ever. Lark is absolutely the type to spend an hour getting ready every morning, even when adventuring. They're very particular about their fashion and overall appearance, and a majority of the time they're putting on some kind of performance to be more attractive/charming. They only really let their guard down around their party, and particularly around their partner. Sidenote that they don't like getting dirty ex. going into the sewers, but they will if they have to. It also took them some time to become okay with the prominent scars on their face, and the other nasty scars they've picked up during their adventuring.

10. Cauterize - How often do they lie? what situations cause them to be dishonest? HA! Like, all the time. He has his fair share of secrets to keep, which means lying and deflecting when anything personal comes up. He's also a criminal, so he has to be careful about what he says and to who.

11. Lark - What skills are they proficient in? why? As a College of Lore Bard, just like. So Many. Sleight of Hand (+7), stealth (+7), investigation (+6), insight (+11), perception (+11), deception (+15), intimidation (+10), and persuasion (+15). Most of them are skills they picked up from their time as a honeytrap, deceiving, seducing, and stealing from nobles. Perception they honed during their journey because the party needed someone with an eye for danger.

12. Cauterize - Have they ever been in love? Once. Or at least, the closest thing to love he's ever felt, he didn't get much of a chance to explore it.

13. Lark - What do they dislike about themself? why? Oooh this is a hard one for them, because they have a Bit of an ego. But I'd say their tendency to push people away, and how they worry they're always too close to having their bad habits slide into addiction.

14. Cauterize - What is something they love about themself? Oh see now this one's equally difficult! Because Aut does not have much of an ego, he's always careful to stay humble and is fairly pessimistic. Love is a strong word, but he's proud that he takes control of his own life and future.

15. Lark - do they trust their party? why or why not? At the beginning Lark (Virus) didn't trust anyone (except Rancor their familiar). Trust was foolish, and letting people in on your secrets gave them power over you. But they've slowly learned to trust their party member with their life and their secrets. Mostly thanks to Kairos' stubborn persistence and affection lol.

16. Cauterize - What are their feelings on the people who raised them? Ooh this one's too spoiler-heavy to really answer, but Not Good.

17. Lark - What do they dream about, when their dreams are their own? Hmm this is a tough one, I haven't given much thought to their dreams. Their nightmares definitely consist of the times they've had to kill people, and maybe the rare nightmare of their upbringing. In terms of good dreams, probably memories of past lovers tbh, and of music. Dreams of a quieter, retired life with their partner.

18. Cauterize - Do they see themself as a leader or a follower? Another tough one! Aut would hate to be forced into the role of a leader, but he's also to stubborn and opinionated to be a well-behaved follower. He's kind of a lone wolf rn. This would be an interesting one to see how things play out and where he falls on this spectrum.

19. Lark - What haunts them? what doesn’t? Definitely the people they've had to kill. They never used to kill, and don't want to kill unless that person is "irredeemable" or is too great a threat to them and their loved ones. They harbour no guilt over their thieving and honeytrapping tendencies though, especially because they use it as a way to steal from and blackmail the rich nobles who deserve it.

20. Cauterize - Which of the five senses do they rely the most on? Sight and sound. His monk training would have taught him not to rely too heavily on any one scent, but these two are the best suited for sensing danger and incoming attacks in combat.

21. Lark - Do they follow their head, their heart, or their body? Pffft. I mean... defs their body more than they should. But they're not a fool, and typically have enough sense to think things through first and weight the risks. They rarely follow their heart - almost never did until recently.

22. (Lark) - What is a promise they’ve broken? I don't think Aut has made many promises, and the one I can think of is a major spoiler lol. This is actually a really interesting question for Lark tho, because they have a strict moral of not making promises unless they truly mean them. They'll lie through their teeth and manipulate people without a shred of guilt, but as soon as they use the word "promise," that means they're dead set on keeping their word.

23. Lark - How do they feel about nicknames, titles, or labels that have been given to them? how do they feel about their name? Lark never really got any nicknames or the like tbh. They're proud of the reputation they've built (whether that's for being a clever fuck or a skilled bard), so anything related to that they'd get a bit of satisfaction out of. They chose the name Lark Freesia for themself, as it embodies them and is truly their name, and they'd never trade it for anything (though they would add to it when they get married lol).

24. Cauterize - Which of the four elements speaks to them the most? Okay this one's plain and simple - fire. I mean, he is a fire genasi. But also he hates being associated with the sun (for ~reasons~), and so he really leans into his association with fire, as... almost an act of rebellion against that.

25. Lark - What stories do they like to tell? what stories do they like to hear? As a bard, I think they'd have a talent for remembering grand tales they've heard from other bards, and like to add their own twist and dramatic flair to them. They're more of a musician, but I think their songs would tell stories, and their favourite would be of triumph, of freedom, and of found family - though subtly. They like to hear stories from those they love about their own lives, anecdotes that open a window into their history and happiness.

26. Cauterize - Who do they miss? Without getting into specific spoilers, the only family he ever had, and the man he loved.

(I’m gonna keep adding to this lol)