#though if he WANTED to get to the end i'm SURE he wouldn't sacrifice himself (c!martyn at least �� it's still relatively close to the win so

[autumnwhistles]

(note: this is purely from a character perspective, not a comment on CCs.)

grian and scar have now both been in opposite positions to the original 'cactus ring', and it's so interesting to compare their attitudes to sacrifice on both ends. whether or not scar threw the fight in the cactus ring, he did offer for grian to kill him before it began. grian declined this, but was clearly fighting with the intention to win during the fight itself – he's giving scar a chance, but not sacrificing.

in secret life, scar's on the other end of things. he's fighting another winner – who herself has been sacrificed for previously – and, like grian, is going into what he assumes to be a fair fight... but which is in his favour due to the others' willingness to sacrifice themselves for him. this is a common pattern for winners: in whichever order, they take the win once, and are once willing to sacrifice themselves to let another take it.

cut to wild life.

this time, it's grian in the final two once more, yet again against an – albeit more distant – ally. he's got a win under his belt already, so you might expect him to do what pearl did, what scott did, right? sacrifice their chance at glory to let another taste it for the first time.

and yet:

"I'm going to have to kill Joel"

"Can I win this? I worked so hard on this series, I'd love to win it!"

because here's an important thing about life series!grian: though he's willing to even the playing field, he's not willing to sacrifice – not when it matters. pledge your loyalty to right a wrong, yes; give lives to gain allies hours, yes; refuse others' sacrifices to fight on fair terms, yes. but in the end, no matter how much he wants to stick with friends, no matter how bad he feels about it, no matter how may "i'm so sorry"s he gives – he will put his own life first, in the end.

there's a reason he's the reason for so many of his allies' deaths, after all. and in its contrast, the wild life finale showcases this beautifully.

(and for the record, i don't see anything wrong with this from an out-of-univere perspective – it's been 5 seasons and 3.5 years since Grian's last win, and even if it hadn't been, it's the CCs place to judge fairness, not ours.)

[galedekarios]

gale as a professor at blackstaff academy

i have to say that at first i wasn't too sold on the (then still fanon) idea of a professor ending because of gale's own prior anecdote about being irked by his previous students and their inadequacies.

i thought it might not be a good fit for him as far as professions go.

but reading the epilogue files, i have come around on it.

i think it's just one more way in which he's really grown into himself, become content with who he was in the past, the mistakes he made and what he has learned from them, and the person he wants to be in the future:

Player: You? A teacher? I'd hardly say you set the best example for impressionable young wizards... Gale: I think it makes perfect sense. devnote: Surprised you wouldn't recognise this, a tiny bit offended you don't trust him to do this Gale: Who better to warn of the perils of misusing magic than someone who was once only a wayward sneeze away from destroying a mid-sized settlement? devnote: playing up to his past a bit, you can imagine this is how he acts with his students Tara the Tressym: Don't remind me of those terrible times, Mr Dekarios. My blood pressure has only just recovered.

a few more cute banters & things we learn about gale and his new teaching position:

tara swipes at students who fall asleep in gale's classes, which he himself doesn't mind. he, too, slept through some of them (like his calishite lessons):

Player: Perhaps that's a good thing. I'm sure they're far better students than I was... Gale: Ah, so you still remember our little lesson? devnote: A little bit bashful, it was a vulnerable moment for him Gale: 'Teaching' you was hardly an effort at all. Not like my present cohort of apprentices. devnote: Complimentary, pulling the thought back to the teaching element after getting lost in the memory of the moment Gale: They try their best, of course - when they can manage to stay awake. devnote: Not upset by this - he slept through his fair share of classes as a student Tara the Tressym: The cheek of them! Nothing a well-placed swipe from Tara can't fix, though.

2. gale offered to teach more subjects than illusion via simulacra:

Player: Only a professor? With your expertise, I'd have thought you could teach every kind of magic going... Gale: I did offer, as a matter of fact. devnote: Secretly glad the player thinks so highly of him Gale: However, the Blackstaff insisted I couldn't teach every subject, nor could the simulacra of myself I offered to create for that purpose. devnote: Reluctantly accepts that this was the right decision Gale: So, I've settled for teaching the art of illusion. Magic to confound the senses, to render the impossible into reality, and to allow expression of that most magical attribute of all - imagination. devnote: Selling it a bit - he wants to make sure you appreciate how cool this is

3. gale has told his students about the player's adventures and will invite a player to be a guest lecturer:

Player: I found the love of my life. I'd say I'm pretty happy. Gale: And I couldn't be happier for you. A fitting reward for the sacrifices you made in getting here. Gale: I've told my students plenty of tales about our escapades. You're something of a hero to them, you know. Gale: I'd be delighted to introduce you to my current cohort - as a guest lecturer, perhaps? I'm sure they'd have plenty of questions for you. Player: It would be my pleasure. Gale: Excellent. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist the allure of sharing your expertise. Gale: Of course you'll be most welcome to stay with me in my tower- Tara the Tressym: Ahem. Gale: My apologies, Tara. That would be our tower.

4. his students find him somewhat intimidating due to his backstory with mystra and the orb:

Gale: Well, that was quite lovely. I'm glad you're as pleased to see me as I am you. Gale: I have to say, I'm quite grateful to just be 'Gale' for the evening. Gale: I fear my students find me somewhat intimidating, due to my erm, explosive former reputation. I seem to put the fear of the gods into them. devnote: He plays up to his reputations a bit, so he isn't overly surprised Gale: Or the fear of Mystra, to be more specific. Gale: I surrendered the Crown of Karsus to her, as I told you I would. And in return, she cured me of the orb at last. Gale: Even now, I struggle to put the feeling into words. It was like exhaling for the first time, after holding my breath for so very long. Gale: Of course, I haven't clarified with my students that the orb is no longer a threat. The legend of my explosive capabilities is an excellent means of controlling a classroom. Too good, if anything.

5. he wants to teach his students that there is fun in studying magic:

Gale: I spend most of my time trying to convince them how much fun the study of magic can be, but it'd be easier to crack a smile on an intellect devourer than some of my pupils... devnote: Despairing a little, doesn't understand why they aren't all as passionate as he was Player: Or on a mind flayer, perhaps... Gale: Smiling may no longer come easy to you, but I've seen how your tentacles twitch at my jokes. Even the ones I'm not entirely certain I was trying to make... devnote: Last sentence a tiny bit self-conscious, aware that people sometimes find him ridiculous. Gale: Still, I hoped my students might be a little more open to the playful side of such magic.

anyhow, i hope this was insightful to someone! 🖤

[the-badger-mole]

I've seen people criticize Zuko for not taking the opportunity to kill Ozai during the eclipse but expecting Aang, a 12 y.o. pacific monk to do that instead. He was called hypocritical for being unsympathetic towards his unwillingness to take a life when he himself couldn't. I do like Zuko and tend to side with him ( post redemption ofc ) over Aang, but that seems like a valid take, I don't think I have a counter-argument to that.What is your opinion on It ? Also, what do you think was the in-universe reason for Zuko to make such a decision? He said that It's not his destiny, do you think there was any other reason for It? Is he not wrong for not doing It just bc of destiny since It's just an abstract concept and the stakes were really high ( plus It's against the show's message about shaping your own destiny) ?

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but it sounds like the people criticizing Zuko for not killing Ozai when he had the chance wanted Aang to do it? That doesn't sound like a contradiction, so I'm not sure if that's how you meant it?

Aside from that, I can only speak for myself. I understand why Zuko didn't kill Ozai. I also understand why Aang didn't want to. What my problem with the resolution for that was that it was the first time Aang seems to have even thought about what ending the war would entail. It doesn't make him look noble, or idealistic. It just makes him look stupid. What do you mean? What do you mean that he took this entire journey to get him to master all the elements on a deadline so he can end the war, and he had no idea what ending the war would even look like? He didn't even consider it? It had to be told to him. He really goofed off this entire series and didn't think about his project until the night before it was due. And don't anyone try to use his age to excuse this to me. First of all, Aang isn't a 12 year old. He's a fictional character who was created by writers. Writers who were telling a story. THEY are the ones who didn't consider how Aang would end the war. Second, within the story, Aang's age is never used as an excuse for why he did this. In fact, not only is an excuse not given, it's treated like a virtue on his end and not a lack of forethought on his part. He's rewarded for it.

Listen, I hate the Lionturtle/Rock of Destiny double deus ex machina, and I have made no secret of it. It was a cop out. It cheapened the finale. It made everything Aang was supposed to learn irrelevant, because no, he didn't have to make sacrifices and hard choices for his victory. He won because he was supposed to win (and how's that for shaping your own destiny?). Here's the thing, though. The Lionturtle, at least, could have worked. If Aang had to come up with the solution himself, go find the Lionturtle and ask for help (and maybe have to perform some challenge to earn it), then it would've been a satisfying ending while still not making Aang himself have to shed blood (nevermind that keeping his hands clean was a privilege most of the heroes in this story couldn't have).

I didn't necessarily want Aang to kill Ozai, and definitely didn't want him to kill Ozai just because it would look cool (although...). I would have been fine with a no-kill ending, if it had been set up right. I just think having Aang kill Ozai given the set up of the rest of the story would've been more satisfying than the cop-out ex machina double team. Or someone else could've faced Ozai, because he was never the main villain of the series. Azula was. And that fight was both satisfying and didn't end with her death, either (because it's a kids' show). It wouldn't even have to change. Aang was not the real hero of this story. Katara was the hero of the first half, and Zuko was the hero of the second. Aang was just the McGuffin. He could've sat this one out and been the one to make the "Real Hero" speech instead of Zuko. That would have been a good ending.

[geekgirles]

The interesting thing about Gobbowl culture in Ankama media (and probably the aspect that most resembles irl football) is the fact that the interest it draws comes less from the sport itself and more from there being players the fans can idolise and obsess over.

Khan Karkass summed it up best: people don't come to matches to watch them play, they come to watch him.

Gobbowl fans care more about their favourite player than the sport itself. In fact, for the most part they care more about their favourite player putting on a show for them than them playing well.

And this is something that's been present in all iterations of the franchise, in the different eras (except for Waven, but the game's not quite there as far as I'm concerned).

Back in Wakfu season 1, there was Kriss Krass, who was massively popular, even when I seem to remember he didn't even play in the first division back then.

Moreover, his main flaw was being a complete showboat, but it was precisely because he knew his fans cared more about him putting on a good show than about the actual outcome of the game. I mean, the man held back from utterly cursbtomping the opposite team just so he could keep the game going for as long as possible and his fans wouldn't get bored!

Then season 2 introduced Maude as the Masked Gobbowler. In Brâkmar. Where women aren't even allowed to watch Gobbowl.

And, sure, one of the main reasons she hid her identity was precisely because if she was found out, the lightest sentence would be her being banned from ever playing again, with the highest sentence being... Well...

You know...

But that doesn't change the fact that Brâkmar holds their best player in such a high pedestal the Masked Gobbowler had a say in legal procedures and how to deal with the accused party of a trial. With no one, not even the Prince of Brâkmar, daring to refute.

And in the end, after Maude proved just how amazing her technique is by saving the city alongside Kriss from the Mmmmmporg's rampage, Brâkmar started treating having a girl as their best player as a badge of honour (if only because they thought it proved their superiority over Bonta).

And then we have the Dofus Era with Khan Karkass.

Khan, who was introduced looking for new team members with the sole purpose of making himself look better, because that's what the fans wanted. They wanted Khan. Everybody else was little more than a living prop meant to make him shine.

His fame was so great that you could say it overshadowed even Jashash's. Because even though the match was supposed to commemorate him and his sacrifice, what everyone really came to see was Khan play. Even the announcer gave so much more importance to Khan's presence over Jahash's feats.

And, again, the fans seemed to care much more about Khan as an icon than they did his actual skills. Now, don't get me wrong, Khan genuinely was a talented player, more importantly, one that recognised true talent. And Marilyn possessing his body and playing bad on purpose was a great factor in the fans' disillusionment over him during the climax.

However, it should be pointed out that what horrified them first was Marilyn shaving Khan's hair. Because that simple action shattered their ideal image of him. If they truly cared more about the sport, they wouldn't have even batted an eyelash.

(Again, this is a reflection of real life, where the moment a famous player makes a drastic change to their appearance, social media is already flowing with comments about it).

But no. They were horrified because they idolised Khan as a source of entertainment much more than they liked the actual sport, and his hair was his trademark. Getting rid of it was getting rid of what made Khan an object of envy and desire. And Marilyn, as fellow Khan Karkass Stan and scorned admirer, knew that. He knew it better than anyone. That's why he did it.

And I don't know wny I chose to fixate on this today and overanalyse a relatively small aspect of the franchise. I just guess this is all a neat piece of world building.

[odo-apologist]

Thinking about Out of Time, specifically the ending, which, in my opinion, is one of the best Rimmer scenes of the franchise. It's one of those moments- like his sacrifice for Nirvannah in Holoship or his insistence that Lister burn his soldiers in Marooned as a gesture of friendship- that hint at the potential that he has, deep down, of being noble, heroic, kind. What's particularly interesting about this scene, though, is that up to this point, Rimmer has often been shown as having a fascination with power, with militarism and fascist aesthetics. This is among his worst, most dangerous traits. You see the extreme outcome of it in Meltdown, what I think is Rimmer at his most abhorrent; he is the cause of the death of an entire group of people all because he wanted to live out his power fantasy of being a strategic military general, watching the battle at a distance like he describes in Marooned. Of course, as others have pointed out in their own posts, Rimmer's desire for/adoration of power likely comes more from his desire to be loved and prove he's deserving of love, but its consequences can be horrific. In Out of Time, when he encounters a version of himself that is an *actual* fascist sympathizer/apologist, he is disgusted. He is the one who wants to fight and who says, "Better dead than smeg." Whereas his future self says he would rather die than live like rats as the present crew do, our Rimmer would rather die fighting than live a life of ease and comfort while rubbing shoulders with bloodthirsty, power-crazed dictators.

And I think it's really interesting that the episode before this one is Rimmerworld. The aspect I often think about (that I wouldn't be surprised a lot of other fans also often think about) is Rimmer's 550+ years of imprisonment. It's such a disturbing concept, being kept in solitude for that inconceivably long, that its apparent dismissive treatment as a joke and lack of any real impact on Rimmer haunts me a little bit and I'm glad there are a few fics out there that explore the aftermath more thoroughly. But before he ends up in that situation, he 1. Abandons the others- the seemingly only people who have ever come close to caring about him- to die, leaving them to flee in an escape pod, and 2. Creates a civilization of clones of himself that he clearly bases off of the Roman Empire (a notable inspiration for many fascists). The first is significant because it shows the contrast between his cowardice in that situation and his lack of it in Out of Time. But the second point here, about the creation of his civilization, may show why that contrast happens between episodes, the reason for it. The civilization of Rimmerworld, based on an obsession with power, inspired by what we can assume is Rimmer's own idealized view of the Romans and empire in general, is the same that causes his centuries of suffering. So the next episode, when he sees another version of himself willing to get along with the kind of people like those who imprisoned him (who, albeit, were also versions of him)...I don't know, maybe the events of Rimmerworld did have some notable effect on him after all, at least for a while; maybe that's why he was so sure in his decision that the crew fight even though he knows they'll die trying.

Or maybe I'm just being ridiculous and overthinking things

[monster-slxt]

Vampires you say? I happen to be a vampire connoisseur, some little things that have been on the brain lately - A vampire that can't stop themselves from sinking their fangs into your neck while they rail you into next week - Alternatively, a vampire who can stop themselves from biting you, they just don't. They whisper "hold still" in your ear and then bite you as hard as they can - Being a free use fuck toy/bloodbag for a covenant of vampires. They of course have to be careful not to drain you too much before your body has time to replace its blood volume, but they drink form you till your weak and unable to struggle, and then they spend all night using you like a fleshlight. They are creatures of the night afterall, they sleep all day and then have plenty of energy to use up at night. - Being a servant sent as a sacrifice to a vampire ruler, you presume you are meant to be a meal but instead they stuff your holes full of cum and you're made to join the group of other 'sacrifices' all of which are also filled to the brim

God these are all so good. Let's see if I can't combine them into something fun<3

"Really, they'll make a wonderful... servant! Very healthy, this one." It was all I could do not to shudder at my soon to be ex-employers words, offering me up as a lamb to the slaughter. The man, mysterious with sharp eyes, carefully took me in but said nothing. Instinctively I knew he wanted to watch my boss squirm.

Everyone knew the truth. Our town was practically run by a group of vampires. No one ever said it outright, but we all knew. You kept your head down, didn't get close to new comers who wouldn't last long, and everything was fine.

But everything was not fine. My boss had gotten himself into a spot of trouble. He never told me the details but it must be pretty fucking bad if he's desperate enough to offer me up on a silver platter. To call attention to himself.

"I think you might just have a deal." The monster, the head vampire if the whispers were correct, finally spoke up, "get out of my sight. You, come with me."

And just like that, i belonged to the vampire coven.

The first night had been utterly terrifying. Instead of being ripped into like I expected, the leader showed me around their manor and introduced me to the coven. Of course they fed from me that first night, but nothing more. Four mouthes latching onto me, sharp fangs piercing deep into my neck. Something about their bites left me uncomfortably warm and light headed, and I'm quickly shown to a room to recover.

Over the next few weeks my postion as blood bag is made painfully clear. All four of them are nipping at me every chance they get, and getting progressively handsier as time goes on. I get to learn their personality and preferences through these feedings.

The youngest is wild and impulsive- biting deep and harsh and almost having to be pried off of me by the others, lost in their hunger. They're the most handsy too, ice cold fingers slipping under my clothes feel far too good in my loopy post-feeding state. Another realm they need to be reigned in, no matter how hot and bothered feeding the vampires, the leader never allows anything further than heavy petting. It's honestly starting to drive me a bit insane.

The sweetest vampire has platinum blonde hair and likes to coddle me, cooing about how sweet I am and petting me while drinking my blood. They always make sure I end up somewhere soft and comfortable in the end. I think they must be getting off on taking care of me when blood loss makes me dizzy and frail.

It's still preferable to the second in command. They're outright cruel. Biting the deepest, holding me down and mocking my inability to fight back against supernatural strength. They like the hunt, following me in the shadows only to pounce when i least expect it- leaving me jumpy and paranoid.

I still don't know if I prefer them to the leader though. The leader treats me like food, nothing more. Just a pretty thing to sit on his lap and quench his thirst. He hasn't said a word to me since that first horrible night.

And so here I am, sitting on his lap as the others watch him feed from me. It's clear whatever aphrodisiac properties vampire venom have are getting to me- im hot and barely suppressing the urge to moan and grind against his thigh.

"Look, it's broken in enough isn't it? Poor things desperate." The leader detaches from my neck at that, cold eyes taking in my desperate form.

"You know, I think you're right." He says, leaning in close and nipping my ear. "I think it's finally time we showed our new pet some proper hospitality."

In an instant the others closed in, their freezing hands roaming every inch of my body. The chill felt heavenly against the heat of my own body. I was too lost in blood loss and vampire venom to have any idea what was happening, not that it would have mattered against the four of them.

[diminuel]

Headcannon Scenario: How would the alabaster arc have played out if Crocodile had found out Luffy was his son during the arc? Would he be forced to change his 10-year plan? Would he have avoided fighting Luffy and the straw hats altogether, or would he not have given an F and continued the takeover as planned? You seem to understand crocodiles character pretty well.

I wouldn't say that I understand his character all that well, I'm just speculating based on what we saw of him and others probably do it better! But I'm happy to take your confidence in my Croc-analysis skills *lol*

But the outcome of your scenario depends on one main question: how did the separation from Luffy happen - does he know Luffy's name, Dragon's full name, where Luffy grew up? Also, connected to that: is his wish to have enough power to oppose the World Government in any way tied to Luffy (and/or Dragon)?

So it's really difficult to give scenarios with so many variables...!

Some options under the cut. I can expand on things if you let me know what you want me to imagine ;3

Scenario 1: he gave up Luffy because he didn't want to have a child and knows nothing about him. His ambition was too strong, the need for power too great to be held back by something like a child or ineffective dreamers like Dragon. If there's any anger and resentment in him regarding his pregnancy and the child (or its father) then I'm not sure he would have cared. Because this child was nothing to him. An obstacle he had overcome 17 years ago. An obstacle he would overcome again now. Just another hopeless dreamer who was too weak for the Grandline. Just like he had been, before he had turned his eye to real power. Effective power. But I think he would have been disappointed if his own flesh and blood would amount to so little, die too quickly. I think once Luffy has escaped death twice, Crocodile would start being intrigued and he might have recognized himself or Dragon in him during one of the fights. By the time they're in he mausoleum for their last battle, when Crocodile's plans were already starting to crack and fall apart (but not fully, he could still get the throne and figure it out from there), he did acknowledge him and maybe he think it'd be a bit of a shame to put an end to the kid's life here. A shame, but Crocodile's never been the sentimental type. He says but he didn't deal Robin or Luffy a decisive killing blow, missed vital organs, didn't drain him of all life, used poison with a known antidote. (Though maybe he's a bit sentimental because when they meet again he protects him. Might snark to him about the truth which Iva would understand, Luffy probably not. To Luffy it might sound like something along the lines of "you beat me, now I'm yours" as if Crocodile was just another wild animal to tame. *lol* He probably wouldn't get it until quite a bit later.

Scenario 2: he gave up Luffy because he had plans that he couldn't see through if he had to worry about the child. Additionally we might imagine that his plans are in alignment with Dragon's goal but they fundamentally disagree about what they're willing to sacrifice for it and therefore broke off contact. Crocodile didn't look into Dragon's business, Dragon kept his nose out of Alabasta even though - technically - Dragon should have sent people to investigate this kind of rebellion. That's what the RA is there for after all.

So Crocodile doesn't know anything beyond the things he would have known because he was there (day of birth, where he had been born) but due to Dragon's worry about the child being discovered Crocodile expected him to be moved around, hidden better. I'm not entirely sure what information Crocodile gets about Luffy (I vaguely recall him looking at his wanted poster with a "never heard of him" reaction but I can't find it. Must have either been in the anime or a flash back I can't place). But since Luffy appears in Vivi's orbit so close to Crocodile's plans, he might look into him a bit more. And if he gets East Blue, Goa Kingdom, birthday and maybe even just the last name, he'd know who that kid it.

I don't know when he would do that additional research, but even if he does it only once Luffy's in Alabasta I can't really see him stopping what he's doing, but I don't think he'd want to kill Luffy. Even if he personally has no feelings towards this child, this is Dragon's son. I don't think he'd be so at odds with Dragon that he'd want to punish Luffy for it. So he would probably just lock him up and continue his plans (no flooded secret base, just everyone locked up, including Vivi). But Luffy keeps getting out of any time out he puts Luffy in, burning with the desire to kick Crocodile's ass. Clearly, this guy has Dragon's frustrating idealism, and paired with Crocodile's stubbornness and selfishness, he knows Luffy's not going to stay down. The final battle in the mausoleum still happens and Crocodile loses (partially because Luffy was never severely wounded, while Crocodile's abilities to fight him were limited to non lethal attacks. And Crocodile most likely didn't use poison on him, might also just have knocked out Robin instead of hurting her severely).

So I think the only difference would be that Crocodile wouldn't try to kill the kid, but he wouldn't tell him anything and he would still continue his plan because he got so far he's not going to stop now.

Maybe Luffy would have wondered just why Crocodile never fought him with the intention to kill and Crocodile might have also refrained from villain speeches in Luffy's presence. He would probably have been cold and rational in the things he would have said, making him and his motives very hard to grasp. Robin would definitely have recognized a change in demeanor. She had never been upset about his casual cruelty, nor had she opposed to anything because the ends (getting to read the Poneglyph) justified the means, so why was he changing track, so close to the finish line?

I don't know if Crocodile would tell her anything, I doubt it, because he doesn't trust her after all. But Robin might figure out that there's a connection to Luffy based on him gathering more info on Luffy, the uncharacteristically tense reaction he might have had to him as well as the change in demeanor around Luffy. Luffy is somehow a weakness and maybe Robin would see to it that Luffy got out of his prisons because if Crocodile was distracted that gave her a better chance to escape once she saw the Poneglyph.

Luffy would probably be less antagonistic towards Crocodile when he saw him again in Marineford, still puzzled by him and his instant offer to help him escape. Maybe on the way to the battle they'd talk a bit but maybe all Crocodile would say is that he recognized him as Dragon's son and that they were... "friends" once. "No longer" he'd probably hurry to add when Luffy looked like he assumed that meant Dragon was also in the kingdom stealing, making princesses unhappy business. And meanwhile Iva's in the background doing maths and sweating X3

Scenario 3: Crocodile didn't raise Luffy to keep him safe and he's looking for Pluton because he thinks that this is what they need to free the world of the WG's control. He wants his kid to be free, he wants his family back and he's willing to do what it takes.

In this setting it's possible that Dragon and Crocodile have stayed with Luffy for a bit (just not long enough for Luffy to actually remember them) so Crocodile would know his name and what he looked like, at least as a toddler, but he would have said good-bye to him by the time he moved to Alabasta (when Luffy was around 3).

Would Crocodile still have made the same plan? Take over a country to potentially get the location of a weapon? Or would his plan have been different, merely exploiting and exacerbating a problem that already existed (droughts, Cobra's maybe well-meaning but short-sighted dealing with it, tension and frustration turning into rebellions)?

Whatever the case, the moment Crocodile hears that Luffy is not only on the Grandline, but has also met Vivi, knows he's behind BW AND is apparently wanting to help the princess save the kingdom, he's alarmed. He's not sure if he should be relieved or anxious when Robin tells him that they're on route to Little Garden. He doesn't want Vivi anywhere near Alabasta, he also doesn't want his kid there, not now. So he's torn between sending people to distract them and sending them to capture them. And things fail and Luffy suddenly is in the same place as him, for the first time in over 10 years.

And if a part of the reason why Crocodile's trying to get Pluton is to protect his kid, he can't just forge on with his plans if Luffy does actually stand in his way. What's the point of hurting his kid to get a weapon so his kid doesn't get hurt?

If he still has Dragon's number, he might call him. This might be the one scenario where things turn out differently, with Crocodile actually changing his plans. But it won't be easy. These are plans 14 years in the making. He's prepared every little detail, it would have been perfect. Using the distraction of a revolution to grab the king, find the Poneglyph, be the hero of Alabasta one more time by stopping the fighting, bringing back the rain, then find Pluton. (No dance powder, no bomb, no regicide - Dragon might not want him back if he sacrificed too much for his goals.)

But I think Luffy might mess up even Utopia Lite. The kid doesn't stay trapped (as in the scenario above) which means that he might have to fight and throw him into a time out again at least once. Though if Luffy did spend his early childhood with his parents, he might recognize him too once he gets close enough to grab him, to throw a punch through his sands. Maybe not his face or his voice but the warmth, the smell, the feeling of sand trickling through his fingers, the cadence of Crocodile's laugh. It might give him pause too, long enough to be put into another trap to keep him from interfering. Suddenly, kicking Crocodile's ass has become... difficult. In ways a battle hasn't been difficult before. He can't even fully explain why. Nothing's changed, has it? He's still the evil warlord who's going to steal Vivi's country.

I don't think there's any way out of it that doesn't involve Crocodile having to take the fall and getting arrested, losing his Warlord status. Because even if he withdraws his powers and lets it rain, thus stopping the rage of the rebels for long enough for the king or Vivi to give a passionate kingdom unifying speech, he still built up this drama for his own gains. And he won't even have gained anything because Robin won't tell him what's really on the Poneyglyph even though he knows for sure that it contains the directions to Pluton.

They'd make it out without the big fight, with considerably less heartache. Maybe Vivi herself would be surprised that this was not the high stakes take down of an evil monster that has poisoned her kingdom from the inside out for years and years that she had expected. Crocodile was not the kind of evil villain that she had imagined him to be the last two years.

I think this scenario would make it possible for Luffy to be glad to see Crocodile again in Impel Down. Because by then he would have known what the warmth and longing he felt was. Maybe Robin even found an old picture that Crocodile had kept when she raided his base before making her escape and deciding that she should better follow Luffy and see where it takes her.

So yes, those are some options. As mentioned above, I think the reason why he would have left Luffy would change how he would behave and how he would have schemed in the first place.

[ilions-end]

so euripides' hecuba (david kovacs translation) was wilder than i thought it'd be

immediate thoughtssss:

i'm pretty familiar with the sacrifice of polyxena through other sources by now, although this is the first time i've seen her, you know, speak and try to wield whatever small amount of agency she is allowed in her own death. VERY strong iphigenia in aulis parallels. really chewing on the "the trojan war begins and ends with the ritual sacrifice of a young girl" concept

this IS the first time i've gotten to polydorus' whole deal beyond very brief summaries (and similar but different fate in the aeneid). i'll admit i'm a dumbass so i got really confused about the timeframes and the geography. the entirety of the greek army is (somewhere!) in THRACE but not at TROY anymore, but achilles' TOMB is within walking distance? and i assumed polymestor was supposed to be further away but he's right there in this temporary camp and... idk, confusion.

also i rarely mix up greek names but the fact that polydorus was murdered by polymestor. i keep tripping up, sorry

it's interesting that we learn agamemnon argued NOT to kill polyxena, and odysseus got everyone convinced anyway. between this and aulis and trojan women: odysseus just LOVES lobbying for the murder of women and children

SPEAKING OF odysseus, his interactions with hecuba in this were so different than what i'd imagined! for one, there is no clear indicator that hecuba is HIS slave. i for sure thought that'd be a major thing in this.

secondly, in this version HECUBA SAVED HIM THAT TIME HE CAME TO SPY IN TROY AS A BEGGAR? he supplicated her, she got him safely out of troy... ooh you're a WILY one euripides!

ESPECIALLY WHEN odysseus, Mister Hiketeia himself, PHYSICALLY BLOCKS polyxena from supplicating him so he won't be obligated to help her. CHRIST, man!!!

augh athenian odysseus, you are such a genuinely awful man and i need to dissect you with pins and study your insides

when hecuba begs to be sacrificed in polyxena's stead (because she's right! the greeks actually have a REASON to want her dead, as hector and paris' mother), and odysseus argues like, well WHAT would it look like if they'd treated achilles with respect in life but not in death? and i could FEEL ajax reaching out ghostly fingers to odysseus in that moment because he experienced the opposite (odysseus' enemy in life, then respected in death) and WHERE did that get him? just. mm. thoughts.

hecuba knows odysseus is also a parent........ it still doesn't help

RETURN OF TALTHYBIUS! a weeping, sympathetic agent of violence and outrage. he's so interesting to me. is he largely an invention of euripides i wonder? i should look more into talthybius

i understand the need to make polyxena's death as noble as possible, but it did weird me out when talthybius assured hecuba that even as polyxena fell to the ground with a slit throat, she carefully minded her skirt so she wouldn't expose herself in her death throes

POSSIBLY the most sympathetic-acting agamemnon i've come across in these plays? even if all his sympathies and concern for hecuba is implied to be because she is a kind of pseudo-mother-in-law now that he "cares about" cassandra so much... which is, you know, it's own kind of fucked up. euripides absolutely downplays the non-consensuality of that relationship so agamemnon can serve as an agent of justice

okay, it is kind of delicious when agamemnon is like "a WOMAN kill a MAN??? PSSH as if that could ever happen". sir. sir.

how old are polymestor's children meant to be? they're young enough to be "passed between" the enslaved women but polymestor brings them to a soldier camp

if i had a nickel for every time someone had their eyes stabbed out with brooch pins in ancient greek tragedy i'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but--

i like the visual of polymestor "crawling like a beast" though. fuck you polymestor

and then there's the FAKEST trial because agamemnon pretends to be impartial? THAT was a twist

i couldn't supress a disbelieving chuckle when polymestor's like "oh by the way i have these incredibly specific prophecies given to me by dionysus at an unspecified earlier time. yeah so hecuba you're gonna turn into a dog in just a little while. and agamemnon, just so you know, clytemnestra's gonna kill you and cassandra as soon as you get home"

and of course agamemnon doesn't believe him but i have to wonder as he's getting chopped up later he's like "huh. why does this seem so familiar"

i don't know, man. this play was no trojan women.

[flo-zoinks]

Pls, yap about rdr1 Javier. If possible. ^_^ I love him. So much. He is my pride and joy.

I LOVE HIM TOO !!!! Hes probably my favourite after John and Jack

Uhm this will be a long yap btw

I'm not sure what I could say that hasn't been said already but one thing I've been thinking of recently was Javiers position in rdr1

He's considered a 'hitman' for Allende, which is so surprising after seeing rdr2. For a man so proud of the crimes he committed in Mexico to carry around his own bounty poster with full pride to show it in camp, and speak with little empathy on the high power military man he murdered, (unsurprising), then to work for Allende by 1911? It doesn't seem like him.

But!👆👆🤓

In 1907, the newspaper says hes supposedly around in the 'Mountains' of Mexico. Now, my family that live in Mexico are based in one of the most rural mountain areas, which is situated in the north, and quite far from any important cities. So it's most likely Javier too was in the North then, so most probably close to his home area of Nuevo Paraíso. But, its obvious he's hiding, clearly not well enough for it to be reported in the Mexican newspapers by 1907 though. And considering our knowledge that Javier definitely lives to see 1911 as a notoriously famous man of Allende, I believe the government definitely found him before the other way, but instead of killing and trialing him, he was put to do the dirty work of Allende for survival.

But once again, whilst Javier is shown to be able to throw away his own ideals and principals to survive, I think to contribute to the corrupt government, and help Allende kill people like the ones he nearly died to protect, seems too unlikely. John describes him as a 'cynic who was desperate to appear as a romantic' (paraphrasing lol), and saying he had a 'lot of passion, but no love'. So I dont think he would pick survival over life with Allende, desperate to fulfill the idea of himself he wants to be more than anything.

So why does he ?

Well I thought about that for a while, and remembered what he said in rdr2. Javiers family were labourers for Allende's uncle. Whilst he Father was spoken as but a borracho, and probably dead by 1907, like his Mother is, he still has a sister, brother-in-law and perhaps much more family (trust I know how big Roman Catholic Mexican families get) that he cared for. Obviously Allende has a massive power advantage over them, and wouldn't feel too prideful to not use them as a leverage for Javier to do this dirty work.

So I believe he became their Lackey for his family, granting not only himself but his family protection by the biggest sacrifice he could give.

The parallel of his situation to John is so tragic though to think about if you apply this theory, that when leaving the gang they both fall into being the governments little puppies forced into a pit to kill one another. The situation that some of the biggest fighters for freedom, a life without the control of the government, ended up being the biggest puppets of the government. As John says "you just work for a different government", showing their situation as the same, no matter what route you took with Dutch or Arthur, or how you tried to better yourself.

Another point of Rdr1 Javier I was thinking of was the lines he says that stood out to me.

When injured, he shouts "Finish me coward!". This stood out to me a lot, as I think it highlights their relationship a lot by rdr1. (I'm not gonna write about this as a ship comment btw just about the canon as we know)

Javier is the only gang member we can choose to let "live", (although it doesnt really mean anything at the end), and the only one John will appear empathy for as he wipes away a tear after spitting on him. (a strong showcase of his conflicting thoughts and how he wants to hate Javier, and tries to push down and 'wipe away' any other weaker-percieved emotions over the man he knows is in the past.) Javier and John still seem to have feelings of perhaps "brotherhood" or friendship by 1911, of course mixed with hate and brewing of resentment over the years. The word "coward" I think shows that Javier thinks John won't kill him because of that left over friendship, trying to instigate him into letting the anger take over and override that 'unmanly' emotion.

But it also shows Javier's lack of will. Normally in rdr2, we see how Javier's character will still fight to survive even when the odds are 99:1, and try to live without ever giving in and losing hope. But by rdr1, whilst it's still prevalent, its clearly not nearly as strong. The second Javier is injured, he gives up, and accepts he won't make it out. With that mentality in rdr2 as a starved child who'd just immigrated to the USA, he wouldve died instantly. But it seems Javier doesn't want to die, at all, with all the begging lines, but just doesn't think it will do anything. He begs John in an act of losing all pride, simply saying just "please let me go, John", and "Please, don't let me die like this." (THAT BREAKS MY HEART BTW). He fights with his words when he can, but when hes shot and injured and his real words cone out, they are a lot more vulnerable, and suggest a strong lack of will he has left. (Another line he says is just "Tell...tell your wife it's the Lord I praise."

Going back to the point of his relationship with John by then too, something else that stuck out to me was some lines to John. As we hear previously to Bonnie, John had a daughter who died, perhaps at around a toddler age.

Javier knows this, too. He shouts "I hope you and your wife and children rot in hell!", with children plural. Another thing is when he says John should "Go back to your farm!", showing Escuela definitely knows about John's life after 1907. How exactly? Who's sure. But, I partly believe he only could've found out if he'd actively tried to find out, maybe by methods of outsourcing some of Allende's men to check under the guise of saying they are suspecting of assisting the rebels escape to the USA or something. Or, considering how he still remains in contact with Bill enough to smuggle him out the country, could've asked Bill. Either way, it shows that the gang is still a moment Javier won't let go, which could be because of the lack of pride he would have of working for the man he does now. The last moment of pride Javier would have wouldve been in 1899, before the ever described 'vain' man abandoned all pride to hide out in a mountain far from all people.

A final point I think would be that I believe Javier lost himself during the times of rdr1, and actively tries to forget his morals subconsciously. The amount of guilt he would have, including the Catholic guilt, national guilt, and guilt for his family, is too much for one man to handle. Luisa, and many other like the prostitute in Las Hermamas(?) Speak of Escuela in a strong disgust, with the lady saying she wouldnt even "spit on him if he was on fire". So we know Javier is so unliked by the revolutionists, and general public too. Luisa says bad people spoke of him, and I believe from those lines that Javier would've tried to suck out all his empathy to try and lift that sack of weights on his shoulders and mind with guilt, by forcing himself to not care. And by doing that lost himself in his bad deeds and became his own worst enemy. The previously repetitively stated man as vain and obsessed with vanity in 1899 changes to wear a scruffy hair style with dirty, cheap and boring clothes. I see this as proof that he doesnt hold himself to standards he used to, nor like himself and believe he deserved such as he does now.

Anyway I could yap some more but I got a big exam tmrw and just realised its 1am (getting up at 5 yay). THANKS FOR THE ASK I LOVE ASKS, AND U!!!❤❤

What are your opinions ???

[writerfae]

Okay, so now that I'm awake: The mighty Willow dying, am I right?

Let's think about this! First off: Why is it dying, because I personally wouldn't want to give the Willow Court the Alder Court backstory, sooo...

But regardless, it's dying. And Callan has to sacrifice himself

The thing is that the whole court would be devastated, because Callan's a great king plus he's the baby they prayed for the moon goddess to save!

And imagine his friends! Rhys would lose his best friend!

Imagine Amelie!

And, of course: Henry...

I can't decide if Henry would accept Callan's decision or try and keep him from going through with it. I mean in the end he would surely realize that it's the only way to save the court but I could see him having a brief "I'm not letting you do this" panic moment.

And afterwards Henry just cries and cries and holds Callan in his arms. And Aiden would I think try to comfort him the best he can, but...

Another great angst idea:

Same concept but with the royal willow siblings! Because then here's what I think could happen:

All three of them arguing over who gets to sacrifice themselves and I can imagine a heartbreaking scene where:

Celene and Tamlen are arguing, Celene claiming that she should do it because she is the queen and the oldest, Tamlen arguing that that is precisely why she shouldn't do it, and he'll do it instead... and while they're arguing, Nolan sneaks over and does it himself 😭😭😭

Haha do you truly were coming back for this xD

Okay, so hypothetically the Willow could die. All mighty trees can if their spirit or the tree itself get damaged. It doesn’t have to be like with the Alder court.

So this would be the backstory for this scenario.

But like maybe someone who isn’t the king could try to pull a Rook on the Willow (obviously they would fail, but they could damage the Willow enough for it to fall sick) or someone would find a way to like poison it or something.

And I totally see your ideas! Really delicious angst! With Callan doing it cause it has to be done and his friends and family grieving him. Henry especially, obviously. He’d only let Callan do it if it’s the last chance they have, knowing he cant stop his beloved from doing what he put his mind on.

But let me raise you this: Callan sacrificing himself after Henry died. Callan, at this point an old king with grown up kids, grieving the loss of the love of his life.

Him sacrificing himself to the Willow not only cause he’s the king and this is the best and last service he can do for his people (especially his children, the one thing from Henry he still has), a death of far more use for them than one of heartbreak. But also because then he doesn’t have to live without Henry anymore.

I also like the idea to do it with the siblings. I could see them arguing about who will do it, all trying to keep each other safe. Also, I agree that if one of them were to do the sacrifice, Nolan would do it. He’d be best suited.

The poor siblings though. In both scenarios…

[lu-zijing]

So.... BSD Chapter 117.....

NOOOOOooooOOOO- I THOUGHT I COULD TRUST NO MAIN CHARACTER WOULD DIE IN BSD UNLIKE JKKkkkkkk—

But also... :D

DAMN GOOD FREAKING STUFF—

Ahem, big spoilers under the cut ofc- (If I didn't already ruin that—

Here are some quick thoughts about the new chapter, 'cause I saw someone do it and now I wanna do it too. Let's all suffer and glee together.

*SNIFF*

This is my first time reading a chapter the DAY it comes out and DAMN I got a FULL-SERVED PLATE With Anguish, Excitement, Undefined feelings, and just.. other feelings, as well, served dangerously close AND MIXED together.......

✨✨✨✨✨🥹🫠

The whole thing about Aya and Bram is just so Heart aching and Beautiful..!！!!！

The fact that Aya did exactly what Bram's daughter had promised him, And that he then called her, his daughter.

The meaning of what he said... ”YOU��YOURSELF，MUST BECOME THE KNIGHT.“

SO BEATIFULLLL✨✨✨😭

And This.... JUST THISSS

Why does it always hurt so much more when there is a promise like this in a flashback right when a character dies.

.

AND THE FREACKING FACT THAT BRAM SAW HIS DAUGHTER AND LIKELY THE MOTHER AS HE DIED ...!!!!

That did actually make me feel better.

Sniff.....

"The first time" he died, I was definitely in the classic denial- you all know it- But this time I can accept it.

I really appreciate Aya and Bram got this talk, and that we got to see Bram go off like that. And like I have already seen some people mention, I agree that it's a good thing Bram really died.

Please don't come at me as well—

I am definitely not an enjoyer of character deaths, and in most cases, no- just all cases, I would just want to get them back, Don't get me wrong I REALLY hoped Bram would come back..!

But I also agree that sometimes, making a character die some kind of big death, （maybe self-sacrifice for example）and then just bringing them back without anything to it can be a bit - Unforfillling no matter how happy it may be they came back.

And now when Bram did die,

And since he got such a nice ending, talking to Aya and seeing his daughter, and wife(?) I can live with this. I wouldn't complain if he came back though- NO- I mean- He deserves his happy ending- If you could call it that given the circumstances.

Point being, GOOD DAMN WRITING AS ALWAYS ASAGIRI!!!✨✨✨✨

But...

BUT THAT CERTAINLY IS NOT THE CASE FOR KUNIKIDA RIGHT NOW ASAGIRI I AM IN DENIAL—

WHICHEVER GODS YOU BELIEVE IN DOSTOEVSKY I HOPE THEY DON'T LIKE YOU...!

I can see Bram, but I did NOT expect Asagiri to do this to a main character like him- Kunikida was never really a character I looked that much into, but to you who did- I can imagine the self-denial must have hit HARD some places on earth right now.....

No- I REALLY LIKE HIM TOO WHO AM I KIDDING, I guess I'm just not crying as hard as I would if it was Chuuya or Dazai for example- Oh Dazai.

I am genuinely scared to see how he will react to Kunikida's death. They are close. We all know Dazai likes to annoy those close to him.

And the fact he may even blame himself for not figuring it all out sooner... I really hope he and Chuuya stay together for some time..

...Could this be potentially Dazai angst in plain view of everybody? Characters and readers as well? I wanna see both the Agency and Chuuya see him breaking down at some point..

Am I too evil considering the current circumstances-? Okay sorry, maybe not sorry-

....

On one side I really wanna see how well Chuuya would do in a fight against Amenogozen, and on the other, I am scared considering even a character like Kunikida would die. a MAIn-

To be honest, I am genuinely not sure whether or not he is really dead.

The Agency can easily survive a stab to the chest, and that's why this hits harder.

It wasn't the stab wound that killed him, It would have if Yosano hadn't come in time, yes, but that doesn't matter now, because rather it was because of the fact that the stab wound turned him into BUBBLES Amenogozen swallowed, that he died.....

Which makes me wonder.... We don't know anything about those bubbles. What if people who died like that can be brought back if Amenogozen is killed/defeated or something like that?

Maybe Amenogozen can bring them back if it's willing itself?

That may be a little too hopeful, but STILL!

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THOSE BUBBLES...!!!!

It sure is damn SURE that we don't know anything about them yet, so I will keep a little hope for now.

And a last thing about Amenogozen, His EYES-

Not alone the fact that meeting his- or its(?) gaze did that, but also the fact that its eyes are shaped like three "parts/spots" considering it is a "Tripartite Fusion" I found that detail pretty awesome..!

ALSO THE FACT THAT A SINGULARITY CAN HAPPEN WITH THREE PARTS AS WELL!!!!

I guess if two things can then why not three but still!! It was a fusion between two Swords and a Human!!! This is really something to behold..!!!

(okay, to be honest, I am still not completely sure of how a normal singularity even works, so please excuse me if I'm wrong, and tell me how it works instead  🥲 ))

Haahhh, Okay let's end this on something happy.

AKUTAGAWA IS BACK BABYYY OH YEAHHHH!!!

THE FREACKING FACT THAT AKUTAGAWA BASICALLY PROMISED BRAM HE WOULD LOOK AFTER AYA—

Someone better do a redraw or coloring of this Panel- Am already heavily considering it myself-

Akutagawa sure has had some serious character development in this story- AND. I. LOVE. ITTTT ！！！！

I could not see him saying that at the start of the story, especially at least to someone he barely knew.

He even said "UNDERSTOOD" As if he not only promised but also, well.. Understood them.

I hope he and Aya actually get some kind of friendship and actually, well, talk, and it isn't just Akutagawa saying this and doing it, but never really speaking with her.

I am a BIG fan of character interaction between big/main characters or characters you like, that you maybe wouldn't normally think about interacting, with or just haven't really interacted with before -Like how I desperately hope Atsushi and Chuuya get to talk, and not just one time, but get some kind of at least somewhat good friendship- THAT WOULD BE AWESOMEEE

I really hope Akutagawa and Aya will talk now as welll!!! I hadn't even imagined this duo before, but I wanna see it!

And also guys, this panel is also stunning, let's all just get that settled.

I LOVE the effect, but it doesn't beat the rendering in Akutagawa's comeback panel

I didn't expect Amenogozen to be able to talk. But ah well... I guess it makes sense. They still have a human body... kinda......

Anyhow, Thanks for reading! I would love to hear some thoughts in the comments, reblogs, or whatever, if you're wanting to share some thoughts about thisss!!

Oi, oi! And one last thing!

This panel:

This.

I find it incredibly Ironic that that even Bram who was called a demon, a devil- Vampires, that usually is the Enemy of god, yet he still refers to the Lord in Heaven himself in his despair.

To refer to god, like this in his despair -even as a vampire- just like any other, really hit me hard. He had feelings just like any other human.

Ofc, he does say it in anger, but a faithful human in this situation could easily have done the same. So whether or not he liked god before or even now, As a vampire, I just thought he wouldn't even mention god in a situation like that. But he did.

Also, both his daughter and likely Wife (or Lover) looked quite human, didn't they?

It's hard to say with the woman, but at least the daughter didn't have pointy ears. So I guess Bram even fell for a Human back in the day， huh?

He was human himself in the past, but he must have already been a vampire at this point. He clearly has those pointy ears and the same looks as present, in the flashback with his daughter.

....Wow.. now that you think about it, his whole story must be incredibly interesting and sad....

Anyhowww, seems I could keep going, so I will wrap it up for now- Like I said, do comment or whatever, with your thoughts!! Would love to discuss this- We have a whole month until the next update guys. Let's get this talk going

[imaginarylungfish]

my thoughts on the end of mha

i've had a few weeks to process the ending of mha now. when i first heard there were only 5 chapters left, i was shocked. i thought when hori said he had more story to tell, we were gonna get like 10 more chapters or something. so yeah, i felt like i got some whiplash there.

but after i had some time to recover from my shock, i got sad. this manga has brightened many a sunday for me. sure, i understand the criticism of the final war arc, but i can't say i was ever bored. i always wanted to know what was happening next.

and while i was sad the villains didn't live/we didn't see a rehab arc for them nor did we see much emotional processing by certain characters after the war, i understand this manga couldn't go on forever to adequately tackle all those stories. that's what fics are for, i guess.

izuku's ending

a really big thing i liked about the ending was izuku becoming quirkless again. that's what i wanted. i have some gripes with the execution, though. it was weird that izuku didn't show any emotion about losing ofa except in the battle. i still think that was a bit of a fumble on hori's part. you're telling me the kid who cries about everything wouldn't cry about losing something that let him live his dream? just seemed ooc.

but anyway, izuku ending as a quirkless hero was exactly what i wanted. that's exactly the way to conclude his whole arc. however, unless you fill in the blanks with headcanons, the impact of that arc is a bit lost on the reader. do we see izuku's acceptance of his inherent worthiness of being a hero (due to his unwavering spirit rather than the need for a quirk)? we don't. do we see society's acceptance of quirkless people as inherently equal to people with quirks? we don't. we must fill in the blanks ourselves. and i just don't think that type of fill-in-the-blank should happen. we should get that from the mangaka.

i also found it weird that izuku became a teacher at ua and then a quirkless hero. i understand there was some fun shock value/bait-and-switch to this little plot point (which i have to admit was amusing). but it kind of just didn't make narrative sense to me once i had my little laugh. like, pick one, hori. does izuku lose his quirk and become a ua teacher or does he lose his quirk and become a quirkless hero? having both muddies the waters.

we knew mha was going to end in a hopeful way. that's what this manga was about. it was all about trying and pushing past limits to succeed, despite the odds. i knew it wasn't going to end with izuku being depressed or anything. he was going to be happy in the end, whether he ended up as a quirkless teacher or quirkless hero because that's just who he is--he doesn't give up. so, i wish that was more of the focus of the last chapters since izuku is the protag after all. but i got the big thing i wanted (which is more than some others can say), so i can't complain too much.

katsuki's ending

i'm actually really satisfied with kastuki's ending (and his whole character arc, honestly). katsuki's whole thing was that he felt inferior to izuku his entire life because of izuku's innate heroism. so, katsuki bullied izuku to make himself feel better since katsuki always felt like he needed to be the best. but slowly, we see katsuki's worldview change as he enters ua high, fails the provisional licensing exam, and sees izuku's continued mastery of his quirks.

throughout the manga, katsuki has to grow up and mature. he has to realize that while he was born with something that makes him a great hero (his quirk), that's not all that it takes to be a great hero. and in fact, izuku has the other part (empathy and determination).

katsuki learns how to be more of a team player and less self-centered. he balances out his need to win and be the best with including others in his thought processes. enough so that he sacrifices himself for izuku, apologies to izuku, and gives izuku the final push in the war.

katsuki shows emotional growth and maturity throughout the manga which i think culminates not only in the final chapter but also in his reaction to hearing the news that izuku lost ofa. his show of emotion is big for him since we know this is not something he normally does. (i still can't believe we saw katsuki of all people cry after the war, but not izuku. ugh, i'll forever be salty about that.)

it's made clear in the final chapters through his words and actions that katsuki cares about izuku. he not only verbally expresses to izuku that he is sad they can't compete anymore, but he also checks in with izuku about how much of ofa he still has, and ultimately, works to get izuku's dream back. if that ain't redemption, i don't know what is.

so with one of the last panels of the manga being katsuki reaching out his hand to izuku (!!!), calling him deku to reinforce izuku's heroism? what a great conclusion. i am satisfied. thanks, hori.

(plus, there were no canon ships which i'm happy about. that's something that i'm glad hori left up to interpretation. now, we can all go read fics with our favorite ships without too much retconning. i think we all won in that regard.)

shoto's ending

i love shoto, so i will always want more of him. but i think that's exactly why i'm fine with his ending. i don't see it like an ending. it's a start for him. he finally gets to be himself, to be shoto. sure, he still probably has a long way to go in terms of getting over his family trauma, but throughout the manga, i think we get to see his growth in that regard which culminates with his battle with dabi and subsequent aftermath.

his story was always tied to his family's story, which made him a complex character. and while i can't say i loved everything that hori did with the todoroki family, i do like what he did for shoto individually.

i will always love shoto's thoughts during his fight with dabi. i think it exemplified his character growth. he was such an angry, cold teen when he entered ua. but he learned how to make friends, accept his trauma, and become his own person. throughout the manga, he learns how to interact with others in the way he wants. despite his treatment as a child (ie. abuse), he decides to reconnect with his mom and work with endeavor. but the main thing is that he chooses it. he gets to dictate what he does now. that's huge for him.

i particularly loved the scene where shoto says he just wants to talk with dabi/touya during their fight. it reminded me of a little kid who just wants to get to know his big brother. but also it showed the maturity shoto gained throughout the story. instead of avoiding things like he originally did at the beginning of the manga, he wants to face them head-on. he has learned talking with others and gaining new perspectives is helpful and that arguments, even though unpleasant, can be productive.

and like i said before, i have some gripe with how some pieces of the todoroki family arc ended. however, i was satisfied with shoto's ending. i loved the "favorite food convo" callback. touya's response was hopeful yet heartbreaking at the same time.

i do wish izuku and shoto talked after the war because i just think izuku would want to know how shoto's doing instead of whatever the fuck this was:

but again, overall i am satisfied.

ok i'm going to stop writing now. i already wrote more than i thought i would (and even added panels). i do have thoughts on ochaco's ending and other random things, but i think that's a post for a another day. i did the main three and that's good enough for now.

overall, i was satisfied with the ending of mha, especially after looking back on it with all pieces put together. the story impacted me in more ways than one and i look forward to re-reading and learning more in the future!

[ijustwanttoreadfanfictionplease]

I'm Disgusting

Hello everyone 👋 this is part of a wip I had for Kakuzu that I wa Ted to post. I'll add onto this by reblogging it later!

MDNI 🔞 (eventual smut, this part is just like background build up)

It wasn't like he wanted to be here. A party full of loud-mouthed intoxicated children who knew nothing but to be a waste of time, energy, and money; which to Kakuzu, you might as well of said the latter part three times.

"AYE, OLD MAN!" Kakuzu's attention was diverted from the table that himself and a few others were sitting at to the worst loud-mouth there was. Hidan. "Why is Jashin's name haven't you gotten FUCKED up yet?"

Hidan albeit immortal had a tendency to drink exorbitant amounts that'd put any other person in their grave. Kakuzu didn't really care usually, but it was still an annoyance.

"Busy." Kakuzu's gruff voice retorted. Sure, going out was fine once in a while; moral booster or whatever for the other members. The cash that they spent though got on Kakuzus nerves the next day always. His red eyes scanned the room as Hidan drabbled on in frustration about Kakuzu needing to loosen up.

This to loosen up? A bar which their leader rented. Patrons which came in for cheap booze. A bunch of fucking kids getting drunker than yesterday but not enough to miss work tommorow. Disgusting. Kakuzu clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Hidan, go fuck yourself."

"OH, don't worry about that. Imma get laid LAID tonight!"

Kakuzu rolled his eyes. Of course Hidan would. Even though the crazy Jashinist tended to end the night in sacrifices he undoubtedly always was able to find some paramore to take to the woods and have...fun with. Kakuzu didn't. Rather, Kakuzu wouldn't. Until he saw y/n.

Y/n, sitting at the bar out of place. If he had to guess y/n wasn't as young as his partner or other business associates (as he told himself the other Akatsuki members were to deal with their shenanigans daily). Y/n was wearing a low cut top and a skirt that wasn't hiked to see your hole so he figured you weren't down to fuck and run but he still couldn't help eyeing y/n.

Maybe it was Hidan still popping off in his ear, maybe it was even the alcohol swelling his pride a little bit, but Kakuzu walked up to y/n now with a mission. For the first time in a while he wanted to fuck someone's brains out.

When he reached y/n he thought for a moment all the different ways he could approach this. Outright and ask if they wanted to fuck. Try to do what Hidan or Deidara do and butter up with fake compliments. Instead, Kakuzu was beaten to the punch.

"What's a handsome man like you doing here?"

[oshinohoshi]

Oshi no Ko Ch 164 Thoughts

I don't know what the return policy is on manga chapters but I'd like to return this chapter and ask for a new ending

I have reasons beyond "I hate this because it depresses me" but honestly I fucking hate it because it depresses me

Aqua died smiling. Great. He also died horribly in graphic detail. It's impactful, sure, but it also felt gratuitous. Maybe I'm just sensitive but it was awful to read

This arc is called "Toward the Stars and Dreams." I guess Akasaka was being clever and he meant nightmares

Akasaka said in a conversation with Mengo that he wanted to portray despair:

A: I guess the emotions I want to show are the pain of living and despair. M: Aka-sensei, are you in despair? A: I live with hope! M: But... What you want to depict in the manga is despair? A: Hope and hopelessness are two sides of the same coin, and that's what I want to show. M: So, what you're trying to depict is a form of hope? A: To make a star shine you have to put them in a dark place.

But I never viewed OnK as a story primarily about despair. If hope and hopelessness are flip sides to a coin, Ai's death portrayed that a lot better

Aqua's is a poor imitation. Deciding your life's worth is to die needlessly for your loved one is not the same as experiencing deep regret mixed with the relief of learning in your final moments that you loved like you always longed to

Aside from Ai and Hikaru, the characters generally got happy endings even if they had to go through hell first

I thought the story was moving towards a slightly bittersweet ending where Aqua finally took a step towards healing and living for himself. I didn't think Ai would have said, "I love you" to her kids if this whole thing was gonna end horribly

Boy do I feel like a clown

Maybe it would be more palatable if Aqua had died for revenge. I'd still have issues with it in terms of expectations, but at least the murder-suicide of a victimized individual wouldn't be framed as self-sacrifice

Can we all just agree that Aqua was NOT born to protect Ruby?

And if we had to go this route, couldn't the loose plot threads have at least been resolved first?

It really sucks that Ai's wishes for her kids to be happy and for Hikaru came to naught. It all seems so pointless now

I guess if there's one thing I can say that isn't bitterly complaining, it's that this chapter made me depressed for nearly a week since the leaks came out. If OnK wasn't something special to me I wouldn't care so much, you know?

Aside from the Aqua panels, I don't know which are the most psychologically damaging. I think it's a tie between Akane collapsed on the shore dressed to the nines, Ruby smiling while signing something for a little girl in a bow, and Miyako's face

The below panels hurt like hell now:

Although there's no way we'll have time to properly touch on the guilt Miyako is likely to feel so just throw it in the bin with every other offscreen moment from the last couple arcs

Everyone gets to be miserable but only for 2 chapters so they better be quick about it

Next chapter: Ruby won't kill herself unless Akasaka has committed to the worst possible ending in which case I'll have to declare him a genius with a vision that was simply too advanced for my puny mind to comprehend.

Instead, we'll time skip to Ruby taking her son, Aqua Ai Hoshino-Narushima, to the Hoshino family grave to pay respect to his namesakes. Then Hikaru, who managed to secure a nearby plot, will rise from the dead, do a fancy coat flip, and moonwalk away.

Man, I really am depressed about this ending though.

[sufferu]

Your fantastic writing skills gave me angst I demand compensation. Lol. You gave me a lot to think about and I have to say, in my nearly 9 years of being an avid fanfic reader. A writer never made me THIS invested.

After being abandoned by everyone, do you think subaru will go to Priscilla? She was the only one who saw his side.

I have to say tho I get Subaru's side more. He can't control RBD. If anyone had the power to bring back loved ones they would. I'm sure Ferris wouldn't hesitate to save crush. I think everybody is so upset that they tunnel visioned and didn't do right by him. Everything is outside of his control. He doesn't choose to come back. But he is, so he tries to save more people everytime.

Subaru obviously has issues. And I don't like the way the re zero narrative punishes him for using RBD. Meanwhile, Al is over here spaming reset with no consequences.

The world hates Subaru and the rest of the cast blame him. He is trying harder then ANYONE to LIVE, but they call him a suicidal monster.

I’m so glad that you’re enjoying my fic! That is some high praise right there, lol: I do hope to meet those expectations going forward ;)

Though I will say…I am approaching this from a slightly different angle. For starters — this will be a lot clearer in the actual chapter than it was in this ficlet, but Arc 5 does not go the same way it does in canon, hence how Subaru managed to save EVERYONE and capture/kill literally every attacking Archbishop in Priestella. This is the main reason why everyone is so angry and devastated. If it were canon Arc 5, things might have gone differently. …Then again, Arc 8 DOES exist. So maybe we would have ended up in this situation someday regardless.

But also…well.

Return By Death isn’t JUST a powerful ability that Subaru has access to: it is the epitome of weaponized self-destruction, in which he can literally sacrifice himself over and over again for the sake of those around him whether they like it or not. He is fully capable of taking all their pain on himself, of placing himself in unimaginably horrible situations on other people’s behalf, and doing it for…maybe even all of eternity, depending on how things go. If you’ve ever read The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K Le Guin — Subaru has the potential to basically become That for the entirety of Lugunica. And even worse: if he’s employed as a knight, it is arguably his sworn duty to do exactly that, because a knight is a profession in which one lays down their life for the people they want to protect. What does that turn into when the knight can do that again and again, indefinitely?

The cast of Re:Zero shows every sign that they would absolutely fucking hate the idea of being reliant on something that disgusting. Julius sacrifices his reputation to try and keep Subaru alive, Tivey and Hetaro declare that throwing away one’s life for a cause is a fucking joke, Ferris has this whole thing about valuing life to the point where just a hint of Subaru being suicidal sends him into an actual nervous breakdown, Vincent is raked through the coals for his attempt to sacrifice himself for his country just that one time by both the narrative and the people around him, Arc 4 exists — there’s A Lot that points to most of these characters finding the idea of this cycle of repeated sacrifice bring just AWFUL, and even to the idea that they’d actively take offense to someone attempting to do such a thing on their behalf.

There is one exception to this rule, however, and that is Priscilla Barielle — who actively praises subjects that sacrifice themselves for her, who forces Aldebaran to reset whenever he does something she doesn’t like, who praised Subaru as a brilliant knight when he was (narratively speaking) at his very worst, who symbolizes the mechanisms of fate itself, who’s final moment involved her sacrificing herself for her homeland, and who is in every way the pinnacle of the Sword Wolf that Vollachia praises as the ideal subject (VOLLACHIA, mind you, which is a nation that has the whole Muspel contract going on). Priscilla is an actual monster, an awful personality, and the antithesis of the themes of Re:Zero. So her siding with Subaru in this instance is — completely in character, but it’s one of the most damning things I feel I could have done.

(I am glad that someone was able to actually connect with her though — was afraid that I made her too cartoonishly evil lmao)

As for what’s happening to Subaru now…well, you’re right about the end of that duel being the rock bottom of his character’s state in this fic. But — just because he was fired from his post doesn’t mean he’s being ABANDONED. They can’t afford to abandon a time traveler to be left to his own devices, first of all. But also, even in they’re all Very Angry with him right now…all these people still love him an awful lot. There’s a reason Wilhelm decided to duel him for the position and take the blame for his removal all upon himself, instead of doing something that would leave Subaru more at the mercy of public opinion. And there’s a reason Crusch’s idea of “suicide watch” was basically, “Hey, Wilhelm, do you want a new grandchild?” instead of something like “Let’s imprison him in the catacombs of the Kingdom.” They DO care about him. That’s the problem.

[quigonswife8]

Teen wolf characters when you get badly hurt

Includes: Peter, Derek, Jordan, Noah, and Chris.

warnings: near-death experience, being captured, nearly dying, getting hurt, swearing, death.

---

[Peter]

When you run into Peter after an attack, which left you bleeding out, Peter's first thought is to go after who hurt you.

-When you pass out in his arms from the blood loss though, he changes his mind.

-Tries to heal you, but it doesn’t really work for some reason, but it does help enough to ease the pain.

-Will hide his tears at first but when he sees just how bad you got hurt, Peter he can’t help it.

-He’s lost too many people, so it hurts more, because he's not sure what he would do if he lost you too.

-Will stay by your side for however long, not caring about anything or anyone else but you.

-'Cause he just cares about you, loves you more than anything.

-Grows so much more protective of you.

-He will also go after who'd hurt you, and he will make them suffer.

-Cracks jokes and does anything to see you smile while you recover.

-Tells you stories to keep you entertained, and doing/getting whatever you want.

"Peter, I can get it..."

"You need to recover, sweetheart. Besides I don't mind."

-Loves just being there for you.

[gif creds: @jothayne]

-

Derek:

-When you show up on his doorstep with a broken arm, Derek's eyes widen.

-He'll already be by your side.

"Who did this?"

-Though you admit you have no clue, because the car you were in crashed, but you couldn't see who caused this to happen.

"I'm sorry I wasn't with you.”

-Pulls you towards him gently, pressing a soft kiss to your head.

-Offers to heal you, but when you convince him it will be okay, he'll stay by your side until you've healed up.

-Finds himself losing sleep even though he knows you're okay.

-He wants to find the person who'd hurt you, but not until he knows you're better.

-Postpones the pack meetings to be with you.

-Brings you what you need, and just helps nurse you back to health.

-Lots of ‘I love you’s’ and you see more of his soft side.

-He cares so much that he sacrifices his own well-being, so you’ll be okay.

[gif creds: @berezneva-tw]

-

Jordan:

-When Jordan finds out you're being held captive, and you were hurt, he immedietly goes after you. It doesn't take long for him to find you.

-Once the sick son of a bitch is knocked out, he rushes to you.

"(y/n)!"

-Though since you're out of it, you don't really register Jordan being there.

Still he'll hold you so carefully, too scared to let you go, if he's being honest.

-Blames himself for this happening when it was far from his fault.

-And once you're okay at home, he doesn’t leave your side. He’d taken time off work to be there for you.

-Loves to do things with you that you would normally do like watch a movie, or just cuddle. If you’re up for it, though.

-Likes holding one of your hands, and will fall asleep still holding whoever hand. Which you find adorable.

-He’s just the sweetest, as always, and will devote all of his time to you.

-Even though you're worried he'd get sick of you, but he could never.

[gif creds: @noeliaanne]

-

Chris:

-It's a hunter who shoots you while you're patroling with Chris

-You’re hit in the side, to be precise, and Chris... Chris is pissed.

-He kills your shooter, immedietly putting his gun away, and rushing to you.

"Sweetheart, hey..."

a hand moving to rip of a piece of cloth, while he presses it down to your wound.

"It's okay..."

-Soon enough you end up passing out from the blood loss, and Chris speeds to the hospital.

Ticket for speeding? Whatever, he'll just pay for it if he gets one.

-Nearly breaks down seeing you this way, and basically blames himself for this happening.

'cause if you weren't there with him, if he hadn't convinced you to come, this wouldn't have happened.

-Doesn't want to lose you like he lost his wife, it would be the straw that breaks the camels back, and he would fully lose it, he's sure.

[gif creds: @bonniebirddoesgifs]

-

Noah:

-You're protecting Noah when you're thrown at the wall, and knocked out.

-Noah is in shock, at first, until it pretty quickly disappears.

"You son of a bitch!"

and he aims his gun at who’d hurt you, ready to take him down.

-That is until Scott appears and does so, before he can. Which he's thankful for because he knows he wouldn't take it easy on him.

-Muttering underneath his breath he runs to you, gently picking you up .

-You're still knocked out, and now you're sporting a cut above your left eye, and a bruise has already formed on the right of your head.

-Forces himself to stay out of shock, as he instead focuses on calling for help.

-During the week that you're in hospital, he finds himself praying.

-That's never really happened before cause he never believed, but he can't help but ask for help.

-He prays that nothing else will happen to you, that you'll be fine, and that son-of-a-bitch will stay in prision. Where he belongs.

[he did kill over ten people, and you might have been next]

-He prays that you'll be okay because he doesn't want to lose you, like he lost...her. He doesn't want Stiles to lose you, either.

-Like Jordan he also takes time of work. Doesn't really care that he's the sheriff because you're more important.

[gif creds: @seven-oomen]

————