#trust me he’s not the enemy

[lanae111]

Twitter pointed out shadows ears in the trailer and it looked so soft and fluffy and I genuinely can’t NOT see him as cute and adorable because he’s actually bbg and I wanna hug him so tight and there’s literally no way he could be evil and dark because he’s actually adorable

[mariathechosen1]

MAG 22 // TMAGP 23

[twisting-in-wonderland]

I've been playing a lot of fire emblem recently, and one character's casual wear (Pandreo's) just. reminded me of ace lol

so here's some self-indulgent drawings - Ace can be a fire emblem mage/priest. as a treat

(wips under read-moree)

[they-didnt-last]

anyone interested in talking about the iconic 2000's middle-grade-bordering-on-ya book series gallagher girls??

[moongothic]

You know I was wondering if Crocodile ever did have any kind of involvement with the Revolutionary Army in secret (lest the Government finds out and revokes his Shichibukai status), what kind of involvement would that even have been

And now, with both the Vegapunk/Ohara flashback and Kuma's flashback, it's being made very clear to us that the Revolutionary Army was broke as hell 22 years ago. Like the fact that this has been brought up twice now in a relatively short span of time is interesting to me, that's usually a sign it's not an unimportant plotpoint

But you know who would have had money to help fund the Army

A funny little warlord who would eventually go and build a fucking casino to run for funsies. A warlord who had to give the Government some of his Pirating Income to keep his warlord-status

Like Crocodile hated the Government anyways so why not help fund the Revolutionary Army in secret, out of spite if for no other reason

Vaguely related, but I keep on remembering this scene (post-Enies Lobby), which at first glance just seems like a basic Lore Dump

But then there's the

"Yet..."

(Or "however", she says "no ni" in Japanese and you could translate that in many ways, I would probably have gone with "however" but that wouldn't have fit into the speechbubble)

Mind you, the conversation just kind of ends there, next we see Garp realize he probably shouldn't have mentioned Dragon infront of such a massive audience, so wherever that "yet" was going to lead to we will never find out, because Oda conveniently changed the subject before we got to it

And you know. Like yes, Robin could be just expressing her shock over finding out that the leader of the Revolutionary Army had a child with someone

But also, Robin was a part of an organization that was trying to overthrow one of the founding countries of the World Government in an explicit attempt to go against said Government (compared to like, Blackbeard, who currently wants to make Fullalead into a "pirate country" that's a part OF the World Government)

Like you don't have to be a genius to look at Crocodile's ultimate goals and compare that to what Dragon is doing and find a few similarities here and there maybe

(Also like, Crocodile's equivalent in Romancing SaGa 2 is meant to be Wagnas, the queer-coded leader of the Seven Heroes (whom the OG Shichibukai are based on) who "hoped to help the world". You know, an interesting detail and all.)

Not to mention, during the time Robin spent with Baroque Works, if Crocodile was ever in contact with the Revolutionary Army at all, considdering she has the ability to easily spy on people and that she didn't trust Crocodile one bit, it wouldn't be unsurprising if she ever spied on Crocodile and/or just overheard a phone call or knew about Crocodile having secret spending habits or something

(Mind you, I'm not saying "she knew" Crocodile was involved with the Revolutionaries, more that she might've been Suspecting Things, that "yet" being about her connecting the dots while unsure if her conclusion was right or not)

Of course Crocodile's plans can't have been Dragon Approved by any means, especially considdering the Army had been looking for Robin for over 10 years (pre-timeskip)

Four years of which were with Crocodile. Like if he was FULLY allied with the Army and KNEW they were looking for Robin, surely he would've called Dragon and been like "hey I found the kid from Ohara, wanna come hang out" or something. But no, he had bigger plans and kept Robin a secret from the Revolutionaries and the Government alike

Also like, I have seen people question why the Revolutionaries weren't involved with Alabasta's rebellion at all, and "Oda hadn't come up with the Revolutionaries yet at the time of writing" (/"OP was meant to end at Alabasta at one point so there would've been no reason to introduce the subplot at that point") aside Between Baroque Works being a secret organization working undercover (thus the Army might not have been aware of the civil war being manufactured), the framing of the King making him look bad and very much the type of monarch that deserved to be overthrown in the Army's eyes, and Crocodile maybe lying through his teeth about what was happening in the country... Yeah, the Army's lack of involvement with Alabasta suddenly makes sense

EDIT Minor addition: Just realized that because Crocodile was technically working for the Government, if the Revs ever did send forces to participate in Alabasta's civil army and taking down the throne, the Government could've easily ordered Crocodile to step in to stop the rebellion and take down the Revolutionaries, right? Because he was supposed to be on the Government's side, right? And surely the Army wouldn't have wanted to fight against Crocodile if they were secretly allied (Croc's secret betrayal aside), and if Crocodile refused to fight the Revs the Government could've seen that as a reason to revoke his Shichibukai rights (which wouldn't be great if they wanted to keep Crocodile in a position where he could fund the Army?). So it could've also been a case of it being for the best for everyone's sake to let this one play out "naturally"

But my point is

I'm just deeply intriqued by these little details and wonder if I'm Actually Masterfully Connecting The Dots Like a True Genius or just seeing a pattern where there's none. Like this is far from confirming the theory, I'm just saying, the pieces do kinda fit together do they not

[bericas]

isaac & scott / mason & theo | sometimes all i think about is you

[myrquez]

rosquez reconciliation is just not going to happen like never in their life ever (except, maybe, in just one case. maybe)

and i’m almost sure of that bc. listen. i have so many thoughts and it’s early in the morning and it’s gonna be so messy and i don’t even know if someone has already said this but.

what i’m really convinced of is, valentino didn’t believe marc sabotaged him. i think the whole sabotage story is bullshit. like, it IS really bullshit even for them. it’s as believable as that polleria osvaldo prank.

ofc uccio didn’t check any telemetry shit. ofc valentino didn’t really think marc was sabotaging him in phillip island. marc had a rough start of the season that year, made many mistakes, but at some point he eventually started to get his shit back together and even tho he wasn’t a contender for the title anymore he could’ve been very much of an obstacle put in the middle of the road of his climb to the 10th. that sabotage conspiracy theory really was nothing but a means to “scare off” little marc, to try to make him take a few steps back and get him off the hook or whatever. he NEEDED marc out of the games bc that was his last chance to get his 10th and he truly wanted it at ALL costs. plus, he really loved his silly little mind games. he pulled that shit with gibernau, biaggi, casey AND jorge himself. but it BIBLICALLY backfired bc marc has always been one tough mf and of course he served vale a little taste of his own medicine (showing him what it would have been like to have him as an actual sabotaging agent on track) and OF COURSE he had to show that he wasn’t scared or anything. OF COURSE he had to show that he would’ve never bent down for anybody. should he have behaved differently? probably. but he literally was 22. and it’s not to babey him or anything, it’s how it is. 22 years of age and FIRE in his veins, headstrong, impulsive, and all of that. of course it didn’t end well, that was the only possible outcome, no variations. vale ended up losing his 10th and marc.. well we know what he had to go through

but that’s it. vale’s own ambition outweighed his talent (for mindgames) (quote) and he lost the championship the exact moment he went and poked the wrong bear. vale never felt betrayed, he STILL does not feel betrayed or anything. it’s not about genuine delusions or hurt feelings, it’s about ego, truly. vale doesn’t need and doesn’t want any apology. vale just doesn’t want anyone to reach HIS greatness. HIS status as a god. which is why he ended up being friendly with all of his past enemies on track, they’re out of the games now, of course! they couldn’t (and won’t now) reach his status as a god not even if they wanted to. except for the one that is still riding despite everything he went through

this is why, or at least i think it is, they will never really fully reconcile, IF not, maybe, in just one case: marc retires before he has reached (or surpassed) vale’s number of championships.

even in that case, i wouldn’t be really sure it could eventually happen. but it’s really the only scenario that seems probable to me.

[mirkwood]

Feanor's last words being the three (3) curses upon Morgoth's name is sooo juicy. Like you hate him SO MUCH. so damn much right. you just have to use your last breath to make it known that you are filled w hatred for ur worst enemy huh. juicy.

[spotaus]

Thinking about Orchid and her connection to my take on Gender (because this was meant to be about her and the Crew but it just devolved into a character analysis kinda??? More trauma-dumping maybe???) This is very much an oc/personal rant so feel free to ignore it 🫡

So, Orchid started off as a character I didn't really think much of (hear me out this is going to be relevant) because I wanted to add a 'girl' character but didn't know what to *do* with her, y'know? She was always going to be the strongest one there, she had the odds stacked in her favor with her parents. She was always going to be the gloomy side-character to match Reset's energy. But I think she's gone through every stage of Generic Woman I could possibly find.

At first she was angry and abrasive (think Fell!Sans) where every other word was a curse and she was likely to throw the first punch then laugh as she kicks her enemy while they're down. This was when Reset was a cartoonishly self-centered villain whose goal was simply to prove others wrong. Then Orchid became a sort of sisterly figure. This was short-lived, but she was the one comforting people who Reset would torment, but would ultimately follow his orders, because at this point he was actually a danger and sadistic. And then there was the phase where the story mellowed out and she became the token Goth Girl who, yes she was strong, but was heavy on the 'whatever' energy. Then there was her Era of deep self-loathing and anxiety about her worth that held her back and made her a much more timid and meek character who would only lash out on occasion.

Now, Orchid is the best of those iterations I've written yet. She's calm, level-headed, and a natural leader. Her father raised those traits into her. But she's very reactive, and can be silly, and when she's comfortable it's likely that air of importance transforms into something more comfortable and familiar. She laughs loudly and grins wide, she likes loud video-games but loves to read in the quiet. She's extremely disciplined, and normally no one can get through her tough exterior besides her best friend, Reset. She does what she does for her own enjoyment, sure, but she's thought of every angle and makes her choice to help Reset and control the others with her whole chest. She still worries she won't live up to her invisible expectations, and that and her loyalty are her two driving forces.

I know that Orchid is important to me because she's the longest-running female oc I've had. I have a rough relationship with womanhood/girlhood and I know looking back that Orchid recieved every ounce of my distaste for being a woman that I could shovel into her. That never made her less of a character, she was actually always one of my favorites, and rarely was she a 'punching bag oc'. I just... projected onto her a lot. And she's a good sign of how I've learned who I am. I've decided that my own femininity is something I could live without. I'd rather not associate myself with it, and I'd like to leave it in my past, focusing on a future where I'm not tied down with any gender roles or expectations. That won't happen, but I've come to terms with it myself. Orchid though? I figured out through her that I don't have to hate women characters. My own distaste for my circumstances doesn't mean I have to push it onto my characters (on God I've never expressed anything rude to actual people, that'd be rude as hell and uncalled for, but I have a bad habit of disliking fictional women in media). So, Orchid is a well-roubded character finally. She has motivations abd goals and a *lot* more depth than I ever expected her to. She's happy with being a woman, she's content. She's not treated differently for it in unfair ways by those she cares about, so she doesn't mind it. She likes to wear pretty outfits and lets Reset add bows to her ribbons. She doesn't let being a woman hold her back in the slightest.

So, yeah. Orchid is one of my babies. If I ever leave this Fandom behind for good, she's one that's coming with (Ichor, Orchid, and Pretender all have human designs I can use elsewhere lol-) but in the meantime I'll just rotate her around in my brain for a while longer.

If I'm right, she's been with me for nearly 5-6 years and I went through a *lot* with her as an outlet. So, she's kinda just like an old stuffed animal. A lil ripped, matted fur, maybe a stain or two, but there's a story there and that makes it important beyond belief.

[backfromtwitterforw]

There's legal silence where you keep sensitive information to yourself. And there's silence where you don't even say "please be patient we'll update you in time, we're actually talking to the union/the admins/the intern team". For us viewers, we don't need to know more than to have the assurance that things are being taking care of. We don't need to be repeated the exact same info I différent words over and over again.

There's silence with your team where you want to be careful with your wording. And there's silence with your team where you keep them completely in the dark about their future, not even saying what they just need to hear: "sorry about how things turned out, we have no certainty in either taking you back or not, right now our priority is financial stability, we cannot tell you our différent options so far, but we'll update you when and if we can afford to take you back".

There's silence where you ask for discretion because you will not be able to keep that many people in the team and don't want leaks about what branches are kept and which one will close, then announcing to a whole group of admins that they'll be let out of the project starting this or this day. And there's silence where you warn a lot of twitter update admins that they won't be in the project starting immediately through discord and closing said discours before everyone had even a chance to read it.

There's silence where you're afraid of leaks and there's silence where you don't treat people working for you with respect.

[coquelicoq]

gurathin, thiago, indah...starting to get the sense that if murderbot didn't have any specific person playing the role of "someone i deep down respect who i'm convinced hates me" at any given time, presaux would have to assign someone, for enrichment purposes

[larabar]

quick random poll because this has been bugging me since frontiers came out

cutscene in question -> X

[aq2003]

so true david

[pastelnightgale]

I think about Octavian from HoO so much

[kuroo-hitsuji]

(Minor?) NB Spoilers (lesson 35 (normal))

I'm losing it over the fact that I spent literally the Entire beginning of the train dinner situation telling my partner that I was gonna throw Lucifer out the fuckin window

And then Mephisto shows up and Lucifer says something about fucking throwing him out the window--

Please this Keeps happening fjsjgdxj stop stealing my lines, asshole

[eviltwinnotclickbait]

yk i've started hearing people talk about this twin who only wants to begin when I wanna start. This absolute HATER (known only as my (yes, my) virtuous twin) MUST BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS!!! He looks like me, but is a GOOD WEATHER ENEMY instead.

My Virtuous Twin CANNOT BE TRUSTED. He is making up BLASPHEMOUS RUMORS about me like saying I scare him so. NOT SO!! I am VERY approachable and normal!! He is a fake friend, and I hate him. end message