#which of my loved ones would i kill/save if i had to is the domain of sadists and weirdos

[shallowseeker]

Worth pointing out... Dean is a soldier.

In this episode, 5x03, he came all this way expecting to die with Cas facing an archangel, which is the thing he may arguably be the most afraid of in this particular moment (with the recent stuff with Lucifer, Michael, etc)

...all because Cas asked.

Dean's used to risking his life for loved ones, friends, and fellow hunters all the damn time. Like... the sad thing IS that when it comes to risking his life for others? It hardly registers.

Back in 2x20, we saw that when faced with happiness, Dean remembered John's "heroic" example.

DEAN: It's like my old life is, is coming after me or something. Like it like it doesn't want me to be happy. Course I know what you'd say. Well, not the you that played softball but... "So go hunt the Djinn. He put you here, it can put you back. Your happiness for all those people's lives, no contest. Right?" But why? Why is it my job to save these people? Why do I have to be some kind of hero? (begins to cry while talking) What about us, huh?

It's what most, nearly all (?), of the soldier-coded characters tend to do. I think too of Mary in Apocalypse-word. The sad part is that, in many ways, the real Mary is even more of a soldier than John was.

MARY: (looking uncomfortable) I, uh...Boys, um...About that. [Dean and Sam look at their mother, confused. Mary sighs.] MARY: I’m not going back. DEAN: I’m sorry. What? MARY: I fought beside these people. I respect them. I respect their cause. You can’t expect me to just abandon them. SAM: No, Mom, that’s not -- You heard what Lucifer said. We have 31 hours -- MARY: I -- Sam...Dean...I know what you went through to come find me. [Dean scoffs at that. He is obviously upset.] MARY: But these people are being slaughtered. They need me here. DEAN: (getting angry) No, we need you, Mom. We do.

[melodic-haze]

Personally how touched starved do you think Arlecchino and Furina are? Like one has been alone for 500 years and the other killed her best friend and probably doesn’t think she deserves love.

☆ — DEMO TRACK: Arlecchino x Reader, Furina x Reader

☆ — TYPE: SFW

☆ — CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A

Oh I think they'd be VERY fucking touch starved, except the two are like. On two different sides of the scale

On one end, you've got Furina. On the other end, you've got Arlecchino. What they're on a scale of? How "vocal" they would be in terms of it

Furina would be on the VERY vocal side, and by that I mean she WILL monologue to you about how she needs your touch or else she will PERISH from a lack of you-contact

Furina puts the back of her hand on her forehead, "My beloved wants to leave me be! Oh, you torture me..."

"Babe, I'm literally only going to get a glass of water."

"You forget my domain over the element!" She moves to throw herself onto you, wrapping her arms around your neck and causing you to laugh as you caught her, "I can satisfy your needs easily!"

"At that rate I'll be better off taking a shower!"

"It gets the job done!"

But she's not vocal for no reason :((( 500 years spent in self-isolation in order to save her people takes a HUGE toll on you so the moment Furina had realised that she doesn't have to do the whole song and dance all over again, she just can't help the want—the need—to basically be attached to you

It's not just because she wants to make up for lost time after FINALLY being able to do so, but also because she's scared that one day it'll all just go poof and disappear in a distant dream. She doesn't speak of her troubles until either she decides it herself that she should or one of the members of her Salon Solitaire (Crabaletta lol) decides to conk her for it

Sometimes she'll ask if she's being a pain in the ass bc she IS aware that she's constantly wanting for you to at LEAST be near her which. If you say she is then I need to sit you down personally and slap you in NOT a fun way

Meanwhile, Arlecchino on the other hand, is VERY quiet about it. She won't say anything, nevermind doing anything. She'd restrict herself from clinging onto you as much as she'd like to

You were a vision to her, a lovely sight to see and a lovely voice to hear as you recounted your day's events. Even when you did something so mundane, something that isn't necessarily something special, Arlecchino still looked at you with such adoration.

She almost didn't notice her hand inching closer towards yours from her warm daze.

Almost.

Before she could draw it back unnoticed, however, you turned your head at just the right (or wrong) time.

"Arlecchino? Is there.. something wrong?"

..She shakes her head instead of admitting her desires, "No, my apologies, darling. I was rather captivated by your tale. Do tell me more about your friend's predicament."

And so you do, but you couldn't help but notice the longing look in her eyes.

It takes a while before she starts warming up to the idea of letting herself actually do SOMETHING. And that'll take a lot of time, patience and encouragement from her❗️❗️❗️ But trust when I say it's worth it bc she practically treats you with so much more affection and devotion than the literal archon she serves HAHA

She doesn't thinks she deserves to show physical affection, to touch you, to truly worship you and your body in every way she can—not when she has the power to hurt you, not when she's killed off the person she had cherished the most all those years ago :(

You gotta reassure her that everything's okay and that you won't disappear bc once you've done that? She's SO TOUCHY she will NOT go through the day without havign some form of contact with you

She won't do it as much in work though she has a reputation she wants to keep lmao

[see-arcane]

Lucy Undying came out a few days ago and

"It's a feminist retelling, giving Lucy the agency she so lacked in Dracula."

I am putting feminist retellings on the top shelf unit we all consider if sometimes lack of agency of a character in a story was the point

In fairness, I get the 'why' behind stuff like this.

Lucy's story is painful. It is scary and tragic and ends cruelly for her, just like so many tales of female victims before and after her. Though her death(s) have a real narrative and an emotional point, whereas your average damsel is nothing but an extra pound of meat for the grinder to help add more woe to Hero Man's story. It hurts more with her.

She stands apart from the common fridged woman by being someone we know, someone loved, someone killed and remade into a bloodstained caricature of herself to be her attacker's eternal slave. Ending her existence in that second iteration is mercy, practicality, and the setting of the stakes for Mina when Dracula targets her. If the monster doesn't kill you, the heroes will put you down for becoming a monster too. Which itself ripples out into new moral conundrums when we see how staunchly Jonathan refuses to risk destroying Mina in any form; making us question in turn whether there really was hope for Lucy the Bloofer Lady--who had killed no one yet!--if only Van Helsing and the Suitor Squad had tried another angle. It makes you chew on the implications.

So, I get it. We all want to save the character we love and who got crushed underfoot by the plot.

The problem comes in when to do that literary rescue, you completely obliterate everything about that character which makes them themselves and not Generic Strong Spunky Female #1897. And the book's summary doesn't give me much hope for this not being the case.

Her name was written in the pages of someone else’s story: Lucy Westenra was one of Dracula’s first victims. But her death was only the beginning. Lucy rose from the grave a vampire and has spent her immortal life trying to escape from Dracula’s clutches—and trying to discover who she really is and what she truly wants. Her undead life takes an unexpected turn in twenty-first-century London, when she meets another woman, Iris, who is also yearning to break free from her past. Iris’s family has built a health empire based on a sinister secret, and they’ll do anything to stay in power. Lucy has long believed she would never love again. Yet she finds herself compelled by the charming Iris while Iris is equally mesmerized by the confident and glamorous Lucy. But their intense connection and blossoming love is threatened by outside forces. Iris’s mother won’t let go of her without a fight, and Lucy’s past still has fangs: Dracula is on the prowl once more. Lucy Westenra has been a tragically murdered teen, a lonesome adventurer, and a fearsome hunter, but happiness has always eluded her. Can she find the strength to destroy Dracula once and for all, or will her heart once again be her undoing?

Now, if the name here was different? If this was, I don't know, 'Lorelei Wilder' thwarting her monstrous master 'Count Lord Duke Dracattackula,' that'd be fine. But the fact that it's trying to convince me that the central character is Lucy Westenra, the girl we know through others' words and her own as a human, and through the lens of others' witness accounts as an apparently merrily content monster as the distorted Bloofer Lady, makes me fear the worst: That our girl's been girlbossed out of recognition.

I won't pass immediate judgment. Maybe it's a hidden gem. Maybe a century's worth of character development has altered Bloofer Lucy into this form believably and the author hasn't just retroactively taken an eraser to everything she was pre and post-vampirism in order to make Standard Rebellious Hero Girl (now with public domain name!). I'll cross my fingers for it.

But I won't hold my breath.

[mindmeltonabun-blog]

My Demon: Theories and Analysis for Eps 7-8

Hello Readers!

The episodes this week were top-tier! Some quick thoughts I had about this week's eps: Kwang Chul gave a whole new meaning to the phrase, “step on me”. I totally wasn’t expecting this drama to have any blood or gore, but here we are. Did they have to make Gu Won’s stabbing so violent and gruesome?!! Blood was spurting out everywhere! It seriously made me want to vomit.

Other thoughts I had were that all of Madam Ju’s family members should be in prison or at least a mental institution because they're all so freaking crazy. The only good thing about these episodes was that Do Hee and Gu Won finally admitted their true feelings to each other.

I'll try to keep this post as short as possible, but you know me, I still end up writing a shit ton. Anyway, let's take a deeper dive into some of the many mysteries in "My Demon". Time to put on our thinking caps to analyze and theorize!

Demons' Limitations

In Ep 7, we were finally given more information about demons. Specifically, the writer provided us with information about demons' limitations which are quite similar to the limitations of the genie from Aladdin.

For those who don’t remember the rules of Aladdin's Genie, here they are: 

1. Can’t kill anyone 2. Can’t make people fall in love 3. Can’t bring anyone back from the dead

There are some minor differences between the two sets of rules. For instance, instead of the rule that prohibits you from making people fall in love, there are rules against interfering with God's work and preventing natural disasters.

I believe the writer is presenting these rules to suggest that Gu Won will eventually break one of these rules to save Do Hee's life (see the section "What's Best for You is What's Best for Me" for more). Something interesting to note is that Netflix didn't translate the whole page in this scene. There is a part of the text that says, "Killing the living, saving the dead, etc are part of God's domain". This means God is allowed to kill the living, bring back the dead, prevent natural disasters, etc. Basically, God can do all the things demons can't. Seeing this translation also made me realize what God meant when she said "turf" in Ep. 7. I'll further elaborate in the section titled, "God/Lady".

Demons vs Guardians

I'm curious about the differences between demons and guardians. When a demon becomes a guardian, do they acquire a new set of powers? Or does becoming a guardian simply mean they return to being human without additional abilities? Based on the information presented so far, it appears that for a demon to transition into a guardian, they must learn to love and be loved in return. Achieving these milestones would essentially enable them to regain their soul and humanity. It would be cool though if, upon becoming a guardian, demons retained their powers but without an immortal lifespan, similar to Lee Yeon from Tale of the Nine-Tailed!

What Landed Gu Won in Hell? Love

Being a demon is comparable to the life of a genie. In both cases, the individuals are bound to fulfill the desires of others. However, for demons, this servitude isn't a mere obligation--it's a necessity for their continued existence. Unlike genies, demons must grant wishes to sustain their own lives. When I think about it, the life of a demon is quite sad because they have to spend their entire existence granting others' wishes without ever having an opportunity for their own wishes to be fulfilled. This got me thinking about what exactly was Gu Won's greatest desire or wish. Side note, y'all should check out the show Lucifer if you like mystery, devil and human romance, family drama, etc.

Throughout the show, we have witnessed that our deepest wishes and desires, can ironically, lead to our demise, sending us straight to Hell, where we are tormented by these very wishes. Take for example, Park Bok Gyu's wish to never go hungry. After he died, he was tortured by creatures with fish heads. Conversely, the mob boss, who sought wealth and power, faces a fate in Hell that, according to Gu Won, would be even more severe. These examples show us the larger the wish, the steeper the cost--meaning that if your wish is significantly large, your soul could end up in far worse places than Hell. But what's worse than even the deepest levels of Hell? Becoming a demon. Unlike in Hell, where you could finish your punishment more quickly and be reincarnated, being turned into a demon means becoming a slave for all of eternity. All hope isn't lost though because as I mentioned earlier, if you learn to love and be loved returned, you can be free of your demon existence.

I'll now provide you with what I think Gu Won's wishes were and the circumstances surrounding his transformation into a demon! Let me just say that Gu Won's wishes were astronomical. They weren't common wishes like wealth or power which would be easily granted by demons. They were wishes only God could grant.

(DISCLAIMER: DO NOT PLAGIARIZE MY THEORIES, I BETTER NOT BE SEEING MY THEORIES ON ANY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM WITHOUT CREDIT).

So, Do Hee and Gu Won were in love, but their societal positions created significant barriers. Being a kisaeng and a nobleman, they faced the harsh reality their love could not flourish in that lifetime. Now, Do Hee was forced to work as a kisaeng to provide for her family.

Due to Do Hee's status as a kisaeng, she was either sold off to someone else or, in an alternative scenario, their forbidden love led to her tragic death (who knows, maybe Jin Star's past self killed Do Hee in a fit of jealousy; maybe they were sisters?). In either situation, Gu Won would've felt a profound sense of insignificance and weakness, unable to protect Do Hee from these tragic fates. Like he must've really hated himself.

In his pit of despair, Gu Won wished he could've saved Do Hee from her enslaved position as a kisaeng or untimely death, protected her, and married her one day. Now, those are some big wishes, and remember what I said? The bigger the wish, the larger the cost. In a twist of fate, God/Lady heard Gu Won's fervent wishes and offered Gu Won a deal. God would fulfill all of Gu Won's wishes if he agreed to work as a demon.

Sometime after this, Do Hee found out Gu Won became a demon because of her and felt immense guilt. Do Hee who was a devout Christian, prayed to God wishing Gu Won would be spared from suffering such an existence as a demon. Now, God mostly fulfilled this request by erasing Gu Won's human memories (I'm going with the Grim Reaper/oblivion tea theme here haha). Since Gu Won's inability to protect Do Hee tortured him deeply, the act of forgetting lessened his emotional pain. I say mostly because God wasn't quite done with fulfilling this request.

Just imagine being God, you would have to shuffle so many things around to fulfill both Do Hee and Gu Won's wishes. Make Do Hee rich so she's not working in a slave position...check...create a situation where the two would meet (i.e matchmaker got the hotel name wrong)...check...create a situation where the two would have to depend on each other (i.e shut off Gu Won's power on the road)...check..... make them get married..check and check.....free Gu Won from his existence as a demon...ongoing. IT'S A LOT Y'ALL.

How do you save Gu Won from a sad existence as a demon and spontaneous combustion? You turn him back into a human by introducing him to the very girl who would be capable of bringing out his humanity through her love. She's the water that extinguishes the Hellfire that is about to consume him. Gu Won freed Do Hee from being an enslaved kisaeng in the past and now she's freeing him from the shackles of his enslaved existence as a demon.

Gu Won and Do Hee are each other's salvation. One cannot survive without the other. If one is killed, the other one will be too. For example, if Do Hee dies, Gu Won would either be stuck as a demon for all of eternity or combust. And if Gu Won dies, it would leave Do Hee unprotected and she would probably get killed. It's like Do Hee said, they share the same fate and are in the same boat.

What’s Best for You is What’s Best for Me...Danger on the Horizon!

On the surface, the quote "What's best for you is what's best for me", said by Madam Ju and echoed by Gu Won may seem sweet, but upon deeper reflection, it reveals a bitter truth: what's best for you is not always what's best for me.

A brief digression: I have a suspicion that Gu Won might be a long-lost ancestor of the Ju family. Why would the writer intentionally give Gu Won similar personality traits as Madam Ju or have him repeat things she said if not to suggest there was a possible familial connection? While shared traits don't always indicate a blood relation, the repetition of the same phrases is highly suspicious. I guess one reason the writer did this was to convey that even though Madam Ju was gone, Do Hee would still have someone similar by her side. However, they could've accomplished this without having Gu Won be the male version of Madam Ju.

Another explanation for why Gu Won and Madam Ju say the same phrases could be that they crossed paths in the past. Maybe Madam Ju heard Gu Won say it or vice versa. Who knows. It would be sweet though if Gu Won were a long-lost Ju family member because then Do Hee would be related to Madam Ju through her marriage to him.

Ok, sorry for the brief tangent, it's my ADHD brain haha. Now, let's get back to discussing how what's best for you is not always what's best for me. Taking the example of the mother and her sick daughter, from the mother's perspective, signing away her soul to ensure her daughter's health might seem like the best thing to do for her daughter. Yet, it wouldn't be truly best for the mother as she would be damned to Hell. Similarly, from the daughter's POV, what's technically best for her (i.e not being sick anymore), wouldn't actually be the best, as she would be fraught with guilt knowing her mother suffered because of her.

When it comes to Do Hee and Gu Won, what's best for Do Hee is to continue investigating the deaths of her parents and Madam Ju. However, this poses a significant risk to Gu Won, who is almost fully human now and no longer invincible.

This leads me to my next point. Gu Won would stop at nothing to ensure Do Hee's happiness. He's well aware that for Do Hee to continue her investigations, she would need to remain alive and safe. For that to happen, he would need to have his powers fully working so he could protect her. What this means is that Gu Won will become a full demon again. I believe this is about to happen soon because, in Ep 8, we see God/Lady looking at the moon which is now a "waxing gibbous". If you recall from Ep 2, Park Bok Gyu hypothesized that they would have to wait until the next full moon to attempt transferring the tattoo back to Gu Won so he could be a demon again. And well, the next phase after a waxing gibbous is a full moon.

I think Gu Won isn't going to tell Do Hee about his decision to become a demon though. He's going to take Do Hee to the beach and make her think it's a romantic outing and she's not going to suspect anything because they’re in a relationship now. Then bam into the water they go! The betrayal she'll feel after Gu Won does this will be astronomical. It goes back to Madam Ju's quote about having someone on your side who, if they stabbed you in the back, you would understand. Even if Do Hee understands why Gu Won did this, it still wouldn't change the fact it would still hurt like Hell.

Would Gu Won doing this be really what's best for Do Hee? Or the both of them? Yes and no. While it would keep Do Hee alive and safe, she would be riddled with guilt knowing Gu Won sacrificed his soul and humanity to ensure she was protected. At the same time, Gu Won would become immortal again and able to protect Do Hee better, but he would no longer be able to feel love for her since demons are devoided of human emotions. Gu Won would simply view her as someone he just needs to protect to keep his end of the bargain.

Following this, I think there will be a situation where either Kwang Chul or Abraxas gets ahold of Do Hee and I think this is where Gu Won’s latest dream will come into play. To save Do Hee, Gu Won will have to kill whoever, and this will force him to break the rule that states demons can't kill. Subsequently, he'll spontaneously combust. Well, that's going to suck. Had Gu Won remained human, he could've killed whoever and not spontaneously combust. However, since he's a demon again, those consequences would apply. Don't worry y'all, I feel like Do Hee is going to wish or pray to God/Lady that she'll take pity on them and bring Gu Won back to life lol.

Abraxas..It's Still Seok Hoon

So earlier this week, I posted on Twitter how I now thought Abraxas was Seok Min or Do Gyeong based on the pillows. However, after thinking through some more things, I'm going back to saying Abraxas is Seok Hoon. That's my final answer.

Seok Hoon is a trickster/magician! He makes things "disappear" including money and people. That's why Madam Ju said in Ep 4, "You killed someone on top of all your dirty tricks?". He even suggested Do Hee let his department buy shares of her company to offset their losses which is a form of trickery since it would appear Do Hee was engaging in stock manipulation or insider trading.

The biggest trick Seok Hoon is attempting to pull on Do Hee is to make her believe he's really on her side and that he's her real guardian. Going back to Madam Ju's quote about having someone on your side means you would gladly let them stab you in the back and understand. When you trust someone completely, it means you would let them stab you in the back because at the end of the day you know they have your best interest at heart so you would understand.

Throughout this show, the writer has made it a point to emphasize how Seok Hoon is the only one on Do Hee's side. Here's the thing though, Do Hee doesn't completely trust Seok Hoon as evidenced by how she doesn't tell him everything. The same goes for Gu Won, but he's not a suspect in the death of Madam Ju.

Between the two men in the show, who do you think is the real demon and guardian? Btw, Abraxas is sometimes seen as a demon in mythology. For me, the real demon is Seok Hoon. Even though Gu Won projects an image that he's a big bad demon, he's actually an angel on the inside. In contrast, Seok Hoon projects an angelic persona, but he's really a devil on the inside. Gu Won is the real guardian who's trying to protect Do-Hee while Seok Hoon is the real demon who's trying to kill her.

One major question I had from earlier episodes was how Abraxas/Seok Hoon knew the identity of Gu Won was the Director of Sunwol Foundation before the wedding news articles came out that said as much? Furthermore, how did Seok Hoon know the Wild Dogs were looking for him? If you remember, the Wild Dogs only found out Gu Won was the Director of Sunwol and Do Hee's bodyguard after Kwang Chul passed the note revealing as much. There was no explanation of just how exactly Seok Hoon and Kwang Chul found out Gu Won was the director of Sunwol and that the Wild Dogs were looking for him. I looked through earlier eps to see if there was ever an instance where Do Hee told Seok Hoon that Gu Won was the Director of Sunwol, but there wasn't. I think Seok Hoon probably found out this bit of info from Secretary Shin. She probably mentioned it in passing to Seok Hoon because she thought Seok Hoon was Do Hee's ally.

I'm sure many of you are probably wondering how Seok Hoon can be Abraxas when we see Abraxas chilling at Seok Min's home. Well, the thing is, we haven't seen Seok Hoon's place for a reason--he doesn't have one. Due to his "hippie" lifestyle, he engages in communal living, meaning he lives with relatives. More specifically, he resides at Seok Min's home, and that's why we see him as Abraxas there. There's a strong possibility that he and Seok Min are probably working together too. Additionally, I'm ruling out Do Gyeong as being Abraxas because I think he's trying to help warn Do Hee in his own creepy way. When it comes to the pill switching of Madam Ju's medications, I suspect Se-ra may have some involvement. According to the info on SBS, Se-ra is the daughter of a leading pharma company. As someone with a background in pharma, I was like wait a minute. While I'm not sure about the rules and regulations in South Korea, in the US, diclofenac is a prescription medication. I'm just going to guess it's the same in SK. This led me to think that maybe Se-ra provided the diclofenac to Seok Hoon.

In Ep 7, Abraxas/Seok Hoon informed Kwang Chul that Gu Won was only a demon when he was around Do Hee. This revelation led the duo to believe Gu Won's access to his powers was somehow linked to his proximity to Do Hee (they just didn't know how close). To test this hypothesis, they decided to separate the two lovers so that they could eliminate Gu Won. When this plan failed, they went back to the drawing board. At this point, the duo remained unaware of the tattoo and its connection to Do Hee and Gu Won's powers because there was nothing in the book about the tattoo transferring or how to get it back. I wouldn't be surprised if the book didn't even say how the tattoo was connected to demon powers.

It was only after Seok Hoon saw Do Hee place Gu Won's hand on her wrist with the tattoo that he realized the connection between the tattoo and Gu Won's demon powers. This is going to be important further down the line.

After realizing this, Seok Hoon messaged Kwang Chul, saying, "There's something wrong with his powers." Although not explicitly shown on screen, I believe Seok Hoon knew precisely what was wrong with Gu Won's powers. He deduced Gu Won was becoming human through Do Hee's love. This is why Seok Hoon chose to tell Gu Won he was the reason why Do Hee was giving up the Chairwoman position and investigation of Madam Ju's death. Seok Hoon strategically revealed this information to Gu Won with the intention it would encourage him to pursue a relationship with Do Hee, ultimately leading to Gu Won becoming fully human through her love. If Gu Won were fully human, he wouldn't have the powers to protect Do Hee, making them both sitting ducks for slaughter.

Seok Hoon's little plan is going to backfire, though, for two main reasons: He doesn't know one can get the tattoo back and he doesn't understand the power of love. Remember, the book doesn't tell us how one gets the tattoo back. Bok Gyu and Gu Won are the only ones who know this bit of information because they figured out the conditions (i.e full moon and ocean) had to be the same as the night the tattoo was initially transferred. Furthermore, Seok Hoon doesn't know the lengths Gu Won would go to protect Do Hee. He doesn't understand that Gu Won would essentially sell his soul and humanity to protect Do Hee (Gu Won's already done it once before in past), meaning he would become a demon again to protect Do Hee.

God/Lady

I don't know about y'all, but I'm quite frankly done with God in disguise figures in fantasy dramas. It's like in every single fantasy drama, there's always a God in disguise character that gives you hints of what will happen in the form of riddles, leaving many scratching their heads to figure out what they mean. We have seen these types of characters in Goblin, Tale of the Nine-Tailed, King Eternal Monarch, Doom at Your Service, Alchemy of Souls, etc. The list is endless.

The latest God in disguise is Lady... who goes around saving "recyclables", more like saving people. Anyway, I've seen many questioning if she’s really God. Y’all if she’s wearing a hat that spells out G-O-D in bold letters and she’s always asking money for Jesus Corporation, what does that tell you??? I don’t know how much clearer it can be that she is God. Instead of questioning whether she is God or not, maybe it would be a better use of our time if we spend it trying to decipher what she says instead.

Let's get to dissecting the many things God has said. Now, I've already gone over most of the things she said from Ep 1-6 either in the previous post or on my Twitter act so I won't really discuss more here. However, the are a couple things I forgot to mention in my last post though. Here they are:

The roulette wheel has 18 odd and 18 even numbers (36 numbers total). (18) 1+8=9 and (36) 3+6=9 all correspond to Gu (9) Won. The sum of all the numbers (0-36) on the roulette wheel is "666" which I already said in the previous post is the number of the beast/devil and corresponds to Gu Won (the combination to his safe is 666). When you flip “666” it’s “999” which is an angel number that symbolizes completion and new beginnings.

In "Divine Comedy", there are 9 realms of Hell + 1 with Lucifer = 10. The same pattern is present in Purgatory and Heaven. Gu Won's soul was in Hell and now it's in the purgatory on its way towards Heaven. Demon-> Guardian. Hell-> Heaven

On a broader level, if 1= new beginning and 0= end, our couple who's represented by the number 10 symbolizes they are each other's end and beginning. They complete each other.

The bill God is holding when she's saying, "I'm betting all my money on the odd numbers", is a 1000 bill. 1000 or "cheon" means "heaven". That scene could be intrepreted as God or the heavens are betting everything on our couple to win. Also, Madam Ju's first name is Cheon which probably means she went to heaven.

The overall conclusion I'm drawing from what God said about odd numbers from eps 1-6 is that our couple will have a happy ending after they go through some shit haha.

Moving onto what God said in Eps 7-8! When Gu Won called God/Lady, "Arabica woman", my mind lit up! Does anyone see the connection? Arabica...Abraxas. Abraxas is 7 letters and Arabica is 7 letters. In some belief systems, Abraxas was viewed as God. So, Gu Won calling her "Arabica woman" could be another hint she's God. The word "Arabica" also sounds very similar to "Abracadabra" which is related to Abraxas. Just so we’re clear, I’m not implying God/Lady is the Abraxas who’s trying to kill Gu Won and Do Hee. Seok Hoon is a wannabe Abraxas while God/Lady is the real Abraxas haha.

I also found it hilarious that God was constantly begging for donations for Jesus Corporation. It made me think about that time Madam Ju said she bribed God through donations after Do Hee said liars can't go to Heaven. Guess Madam Ju bribed God enough to earn a spot in Heaven.

When God says she knows this place like the back of her hand, she doesn't mean the train station, she means the whole world...because you know, God is omnipresent. God then tells them, they've intruded on her "turf" which means they've intruded on her domain.

What's her domain? Matters of life, death, natural disasters, fate, making people fall in love, etc. This was why Gu Won's powers would fail at the most random times or rather not-so-random times. God already has a grand plan for these two and she's keeping up her end of the bargain of the contract she made with them in the past (refer to "What Landed Gu Won in Hell? Love" section). However, these two would interrupt her work so she would shut off Gu Won's powers so that they follow the predetermined path she has planned for them.

Gu Won's power failed in Ep 1 because God was creating a situation where they would depend on each other, get to know each other, fall in love, etc. In the latest power failure, God turned off Gu Won's powers to prevent them from escaping so they could kiss each other. Consider this scenario: If God hadn't prevented them from escaping, what would've happened? They wouldn't have kissed. That kiss set the wheels in motion for the romance between Gu Won and Do Hee. God was just giving them a nudge in the right direction.

The next time Gu Won experienced another power failure was later in Ep 7 when he and Do Hee were attempting to leave Sunwol Foundation. Once again, we should question why God didn't want them to leave at that particular moment. Remember, because Gu Won and Do Hee were unable to leave precisely at that time, they encountered the Wild Dogs, who then proceeded to pledged their allegiance to Gu Won. Based on Ep 9 preview, it appears the Wild Dogs will play a crucial role in finding Kwang Chul.

As Gu Won and Do Hee were leaving, we saw God telling them, "What flickers would eventually go out sooner or later". Many interpreted this scene as God saying Gu Won's powers would eventually go out. Well, duh. I interpreted this scene a bit differently because I noticed God was looking at the clock that was flickering and pointing at 1.

What does 1 symbolize in numerology? New beginning. My interpretation was that she was saying Gu Won's life as a demon along with his powers was coming to an end and that he was about to begin a new life as a human.

Gu Won should really be nicer to God lol. Look at what happened to the Prince from Beauty and the Beast after he wasn't nice to the old beggar lady...she turned him into a beast. Ohhh now I get it....Gu Won needs to learn to love or he'll remain a beast forever aka he'll remain a devil/demon forever haha (666=beast=devil).

Later in the episode, one guy advises the other to let it go and blame it on fate. This refers to an earlier scene where Gu Won was blaming Do Hee (Fate) for losing his powers. God's message is clear--Gu Won shouldn't be blaming Do Hee for his current state; rather, he should be blaming himself. After all, it's not her fault that he's falling in love with her and becoming human. Moreover, there's the possibility that becoming human was one of Gu Won's original wishes in the contract he signed with God.

In Ep 8, we don't see much of God except in the beginning. Many interpreted what God said in the following scene as meaning Do Hee had special powers that allowed her to heal Gu Won. However, I don't believe she possesses any supernatural abilities. Instead, I think she saved him through the power of love, and, perhaps prayers. If you look at the end of Ep 7, you'll notice Do Hee's hands were in a prayer position right before they zoomed in on the cross tattoo. Do Hee likely wished and prayed for Gu Won's salvation, and God granted it.

Regarding the second thing God said, I believe she was referring to the moment when Do Hee was trying to save Gu Won. Seok Hoon witnessed Do Hee placing Gu Won's hand on her wrist, setting off a chain of events that would eventually threaten her life (refer to "Abraxas...It's Still Seok Hoon" section).

Tarot

Whew! We are almost near the end of this post! There wasn't really anything of significance in terms of tarot in this week's episodes. One thing I found interesting was that the social influencer had asked Gu Won if he was a magician. For those who don't know, the 1st tarot card is "The Magician". You can make multiple connections between that, the number 1, and Gu Won, but since I'm tired of writing, I won't be further elaborating on it. I think we'll see a situation in the future where everyone really thinks Gu Won is dead, but he'll show up very unexpectedly and say "Abracadabra, I'm back!".

One last thing I found interesting was the tarot card pulled by Jung Mi in Ep 8. She had pulled the 19th tarot card, which is the Sun. This card usually indicates success, good fortune, happiness, etc. Also, 1+9=10 and Yi Sun...Sun haha. I think this card conveys the same message that everything will be okay after we go through some Hell.

I bet you all that we'll be seeing the following tarot cards in future eps: #1 The Magician, #8 Strength, #11 Justice, #12 The Hanged Man, #13 Death, #16 The Tower, #18 The Moon, and #21 The World!

Other Random Thoughts

Gu Won and Do Hee's red and green didn't refer to Christmas or Battery Charge Status. They referred to the colors on the roulette wheel. There is only one green space on a typical roulette wheel and it corresponds to the number 0. Number 1 is usually red. So 1...0....10 and 1+0=1 completion. Also, odd numbers are usually red and even numbers are black. Oh, I get why Do Hee was wearing a red dress and Gu Won was wearing a black suit now haha.

What determines if one remembers their past lives or not? Why is Park Bok Gyu the only one who remembers his past lives? Will Do Hee ever remember her past lives?

I can't believe Park Bok Gyu compared Gu Won to being a meat eater who ended up becoming a vegetarian because he met a very special pig (Do Hee) that he didn't want to eat haha.

With Madam Ju, is she suppose to be a spirit in limbo or is Do Hee schizophrenic? In Ep 8, it almost feels like she’s a real ghost bc we see her tapping her cane in hesitation after Do Hee said she didn’t know who killed Madam Ju and her parents.

I hope the Wild Dogs or Park Bok Gyu will find the bug underneath Gu Won’s desk when they’re cleaning haha. Did Seok Hoon put bugs in Do Hee’s place?!!

Was Gu Won a prince when he was human?

Do Hee’s birthday is Oct 29 (look at her phone in ep 1) which means she is a scorpio. On the SBS site, it tells about the story of the frog and scorpion. In the story, the scorpion stings the frog who’s carrying it across the river. They both end up dying and the scorpion is basically like oops it’s just in my nature to. Also, on the lovers tarot card (Rider Waite deck), there is a snake which equates to the 8th zodiac sign…scorpio! The other zodiac sign on the lovers tarot card is a lion which means Leo (5th zodiac sign). I guess Gu Won’s zodiac sign is Leo. This would also explain why he likes those lion bookends haha. Oh and lions are considered “apex predators” haha. Leo’s element is fire and Scorpio is water….hahaha Fire and Water…Gu Won and Do Hee. In most tarot decks, the 8th tarot card is justice. In the Rider Waite deck, the 8th card is strength which shows a lion.

The kiss scene with the garden backdrop looks like the lovers tarot card where Adam and Eve are in the garden of Eden. I can totally see people start making theories about how Do Hee is Eve and Gu Won is Adam after reading this post 🤣. And talk about “original sin” and “forbidden fruit”. Good luck haha.

Number 15 is associated with the devil tarot card as well as the full moon (the full moon comes 15 days after the new moon).

One other theory I had for Gu Won and Do Hee was that in the past, they were in so love that it became detrimental to everyone around them. Gu Won was a rule breaker and instead of doing whatever job he was suppose to do (I.e work as a government official), he was always going around “flower watching” aka hanging out with Do Hee. Him and Do Hee forgot about their responsibilities so God punished them. Gu Won’s punishment was to be turned into a demon so he could learn to follow the rules (Gu Won did say the demon manual was a book filled with many threats haha). For Do Hee, maybe her punishment was to always be alone, meaning she would always lose those closest to her. I feel this theory is just meh haha. The other theory aligns more with the many themes in the show than this one. I would be surprised if the writer goes this route haha.

END

Overall, I don't think we'll have a sad ending. I'll definitely let y'all know if I see anything in future eps that would indicate otherwise! I hope in this week's eps, we'll get to see what actually happened in Gu Won and Do Hee's past! I'm dying to know the circumstances that led to Gu Won's transformation into a demon! Alright, that's all I have for now!

[kame-writes]

Drabble- Sin!Lucifer's attitude towards the Hotel

The night before Charlie is due to make her TV appearance on 666 News, she stops by to have a word with her father about it.

Needless to say, the King of hell isn't too impressed with the idea of his daughter trying to turn Sinners into Winners.

One thing he can get on board with though, is challenging heaven and it's authority.

“Charlie, dear, don't you think this has gone far enough?” Lucifer sighed, leaning on his cane as he eyed up his deluded daughter, and what little she'd done to this hotel to ‘improve’ it. 

She still hadn't fully come into her power, which only made her attempts even more sad to witness. “I let you play hotel, tried to let you realise on your own that all of this is foolish but-”

“-It's not some silly game, dad! I truly believe that sinners can change.” She cut him off, insistent and angry. He was surprised her horns weren't showing yet. “They can be better. Cleanse themselves of their sins and make it out! Isn't that worth a shot? To save their souls?”

“I gave them freewill, Charlie. I gave them every chance to do the right thing, and they chose to sin and earn a place in my domain instead. The fact that they aren't barging down the door at a chance of redemption only proves my point.” He pointed out, taking a seat on the arm of the sofa.

“We do have a patron.” Charlie pointed out defensively, crossing her arms and giving a very half hearted glare. “And I'm sure once I do the interview tomorrow, on the news, more people will show up. We just… haven't reached the right people yet.”

“I can't believe you're actually going through with the interview.” Lucifer pinched between his eyes, annoyed, but holding himself back from saying something ugly. Charlie was young, and naive. He needed to be a good parent and let her make her own mistakes. But it was so hard to not shut her down right now and save her, and him, the embarrassment of announcing her naivety to the public.

“Everyone will see this place as a joke.” He tried to explain to her. “Why would a sinner even want to go to heaven? With all those rules and strict conditions? We've made Hell such a comfortable place for them. I provide them everything they could ever want and more. Sinners love to sin, it's literally in their name.”

“Mom thought-”

“-You're mother was soft!” He snapped, harsher than he meant to, but his ex wife was a sore spot that he didn't like thinking about. “Lilith was human. She understood better than either of us how Sinners think. But in the end, all she cared about was being Queen. If she gave a shit about any soul in Hell… If she gave a shit about us, then where is she now?” His hand clenched tightly on his cane, his eyes flicking away from Charlie, briefly landing on the family portrait, before landing safely on a stain in the ratty old carpet. 

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down and be reasonable about all this. Despite her foolishness, he did love his daughter, and wanted her to explore her dreams. He wouldnt make her feel like he'd been made to feel by the other seraphim

“You were born here Charlie. You don't know any difference. You believe the lie they sell to humans. That it's worth its weight in gold, and what people should strive to be worthy of.” His voice softened slightly, looking back up at her, rising up from his seat to place a hand on her shoulder. “I'm sorry, princess. I love that you care so much, really I do. It's sweet that you think you want what's best for our people.”

It really was endearing how much she cared. If she had more confidence and drive, or was willing to put some actual power and ruthlessness behind her empathy, she could be a force to be reckoned with someday. “But remember, I was from Heaven. And it's... It's not the perfect paradise that you've been led to think. We lose so many sinners because of their massacre. Why would you want to send our people into the arms of the same monsters who kill hundreds every year?” 

“That's different!” Charlie snapped, but the way she hugged herself showed it was more because she was upset than angry. “Exterminations happen because of overpopulation. Not all Angels are like that… You weren't. Plus, if they go to heaven, there won't be as much of an issue down here...”

“I was the exception, sweetie, not the rule. But, maybe you're right. Maybe they've ‘changed’ and will suddenly open the pearly gates, to allow in people who've committed murder and sexual deviancy.” Lucifer couldn't help the little laugh at the absurdity. “The fact remains. That our people don't want to change.”

“I've got to try, dad! I'll do whatever it takes to save our people from being slaughtered like animals. Just because they've made mistakes, it doesn't mean they deserve to suffer. To be killed like they don't matter!”

“I know honey, believe me, I know. I hate the exterminations as much as you do. But Heaven. They're not the forgiving kind.” Lucifer sighed, knowing that first hand more than anyone. “I won't try to stop you from doing this. I just want you to know that I'll be here for you, whatever happens tomorrow. I'll be here for you.” He bites his tongue from saying ‘When you fail’. “If you want to reach out to me.”

“Thanks dad.” Charlie sighed, sounding resigned, seeming to deflate a bit. Maybe she knew exactly what he'd left unsaid. “I'll keep that in mind.” 

“Hey. We might not always agree. But you know I love you, right, Char Char?” He asked, reaching up to cup her cheek, his thumb tracing the rosey cheek circles she’d inherited from him. 

Charlie gave a gentle smile, but it didn't bring the sparkle to her eyes that he loved to see so much. “I know Dad. I love you too. I just wish you could see the dream I have for our people.”

“I can see it perfectly clear. Once upon a time it was my dream too.” He huffed, pulling back his hand, to hold hers instead, looking up at her with a much more genuine smile. “I lost that dream a long time ago. Now I improve sinners' lives in a very different way. But, despite what it seems, I want you to prove me wrong. I want you to be strong enough to do what I couldn't do.”

“Really?” Charlie didn't sound sure. Not completely convinced that her dad wanted her to even try.

“Really.” He assured her, giving her a wide toothy grin, his eyes gaining a familiar hint of mischief. “You're my daughter. After all, It's been awhile since a morningstar challenged heaven directly.” He let go of her hand, and took another look at the rundown hotel around them. “This ‘hotel’ is your project, and I may not be on board with it, or your methods. But when it comes to heaven and the exterminations, I will be more than happy to help in every way that I can. I'll protect you and your right to dream, with every ounce of angelic power in my possession.”

Charlie stared at Lucifer with slightly wide eyes, being able to hear the genuine pride in his voice. Her father might be the embodiment of pride, but she wasn't often the inspiration for that pride. Her expression broke into a wide grin, before she lunged forwards to pull the shorter man into a tight hug. “Thanks dad. You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“I have an idea kiddo.” Lucifer wrapped his arms tightly around her, raising up on his tiptoes to be able to hug her more comfortably. “No matter what happens tomorrow. I need you to promise me that you will keep on fighting.”

“I promise dad. I'm going to make you proud” 

“You already do Charlie.”

[shroudkeeper]

Darkness consumed her, clinging to the curvature of her silhouette, transforming and defining her attire. She was adorned in her proper raiments, garments which billowed around her ankles. The shadows of her hounds rose, scaling the walls, climbing high above the awnings until the sliver of moonlight had all been engulfed in nothingness. He wanted this, to push her to the brink of enshrouding herself. To see her for what she was.

One of the lanterns peeled away the tenebrous shadows; from above one came to life suddenly. The ghastly light descended and a terrible maw formed then divorced, giving way to a tongue that rolled out, with a glaring eye was fixated on the target of its mistress, whose frigid touch held it in place.

"Finally, you're here..beloved."

His mouth watered at the idea of tasting divinity, to feel those same hands she denied him pressed against his face in praise. His beloved indeed, his beloved. In this state of hers, he would finally prove himself worthy, to stand at her side, even if everyone else had to fall for the sake of this. To his knees, and into a pool of rain, he fell before her. She saw what had become of him as the light finally reached his form. His features revealed themselves to her. This is what envy, desire, and loathing do, give birth to a demon, one who pollutes the tranquility of their soul, their heart decays, and any purity it holds diminishes and allows another to gain control. To manipulate.

"My lady," he could barely recognize his own voice as he addressed her, but the feelings were still there, sprouting with each word. "Would you accept it now, that I am the only one who knows what you are, who can protect you, who can give.. and take."

Each word fell on deaf ears, nothing but an insect's buzzing escaped his lips. Her eyes glanced at him but once and soon settled upon the blade that he flaunted, brandished. Still, there is no expression on her features, her gaze is as empty as before. Sympathy, anger, despair? She was numbed to it all. But to destroy lives, trap the souls purged from their physical forms, followed by the audacity of offering them up to death as if they were a prize.

It was offensive.

The wails and agonized whispers resonating from this accursed blade would be silenced, and these souls would find release.

Without warning, his throat was seized by tendrils rising from the penumbra at his feet, betraying him as she watched them take form and grow defined. He was going to be dragged under by hands, hands that took the form of the people he killed, of the corpses he left behind. Mercilessly they scratched and pulled, trying to sink him into the stone, to be devoured by the shadows of her manifested domain. Into the world of darkness.

"I have killed for you! Always for you! Yet it is not enough!"

He hated it, always being second place. To the clan, to his brother, and now she would treat him like the others. Never good enough, even compared to some worthless merchant who would piss himself if he confronted the monstrosities she loved.

He hated her for it.

And if she would not have him. He would have her, her life, her soul, her body.

"I will be the last thing you see!"

Against his bindings, he lashes out and pushes off the ground in unnatural strength, like a beast that has been taunted too long. Even Kikyo had to take a slight step back, though there was no semblance of fear in her steady gaze, a hint of disappointment graced her lips but dissolved within a heartbeat as her eyes shifted to a space behind him, looking beyond where he knelt.

The indignation he tried to keep in check, shatters past the delicate binds that kept his mind from unraveling, it erupted at once in a strangled roar as he clawed at the fronds of his shadows, but kept a hand clutching the sword he offered, refusing to release it to save his own life.

Then his wail soon joined the cacophonous symphony played into the air as her geta pressed to his wrist and a gruesome crunch splinters through the cries. There is no satisfaction on her face, only watching his desperate attempt to grab at her ankle, only to have his arm pulled back by force and snap at an angle that would send an ordinary man buckling to the ground. But despite breaking his bones, the humiliation of her giving her back to him caused him to foam at the mouth.

Broken bones would not stop him, the umbral bonds were broken and he launched himself forward, but stopped suddenly. Her hound's claws took hold of the demonic horns and snapped them in a sound akin to a twig. A piercing pain and head-splitting sound imploded in his head, and darkness flashed behind his eyes like a Rorschach test.

Limb arms swung, his claws swiped at the air, at fabric, trying to get to her flesh, to disfigure her. To imprint his agony on her in any way, any method, he could. This was his vengeance, for choosing a lesser creation he would brand her as a reminder.

Then suddenly a flash of light and steel broke past the gloom.

And the world grew silent.

The flame of his life was suddenly snuffed but it was not by her hand, nor that of her shikigami who stood vigilantly, but by another. Another who despite his own injuries, still adhered to his orders, who would not sway from his duty.

[wilchur]

Daydreaming bg3 scenarios is my full time job at this point and I've had this phenomenal idea on my walk the other day. It's not really a headcanon since it has little basis in canon and directly contradicts some game events and plays with the lore like it's play-doh so more of a AU/fanfic idea, but...

It always struck me as inaccurate for Durge to be referred to as a "Bhaalspawn" since they're literally a PART of Bhaal made into a separate person in an act of (very confusing) divine creation and it really downplays just how powerful and dangerous they are. Especially since I fully subscribe to the idea that Durge is NOT a mortal, but that's simply not in the game due to just how OP it would be to play an unkillable Dame Aylin-esque character and the definition of a Bhaalspawn is "mortal offspring of the dead god Bhaal". So what the hell are they?

The Slayer. Or at least they're a direct vessel for it, more like.

No, really. Hear me out. Have you noticed how Gortash refers to Orin as "The Slayer" in that bit of dialogue when she puts a dagger to Ketheric throat? Except she's not? Not yet at least because the dialogue does not change depending on if you're still the one who has Bhaal's favour or not and she doesn't get it until you piss of Dad enough for him to go "fine have it your way, ungrateful brat". Plus I don't think The Slayer has been used as a shorthand for "Chosen of Bhaal" anywhere else sooo... Does he assume it's a feature of the position since he knew Durge had command over the form before their disappearance?

That's what birthed the first worm in my brain leading to this unhinged infestation, but it's not all -- there's THE URGE itself.

The game fucks it up SO bad on the whole front because it's reluctant to take choice away from the player, which is maybe understandable, but absolutely WRECKS the narrative that it's something to be afraid of. There's what? Alfira and the squirrel? Those are the only unavoidable consequences of having these supposedly violent and divine compulsions baked into every cell of your damn body. Saving your partner from a gruesome death by your hand needs a dice roll of 15, for fuck's sake! It was harder to convince a bunch of goblins to not turn me into an arrow pin cushion. Durge themself has been scared shitless of it their entire life and you're telling me the thing mostly boils down to dialogue choices? That just won't do for me, sorry. In the game The Urge's source is also never really explained beyond "of course you have unstoppable violent compulsions, you're 100% Bhaal's flesh and blood" which is fucking BORING and doesn't make sense to me because as far as I know Bhaal loves murder because that's his domain as a god, he was not a compulsive killer as a mortal so why would it be something that's passed down? No, The Urge is a fucking Slayer thing!

"It also had the ability to incite attraction in others, and remove any negative feelings they felt, or compel an urge to slay in any intentionally malevolent being, whenever it chose."

To be fair this is from a 2e sourcebook, but COME ON. Didn't it strike anyone else as weird that young Durge is mentioned to have slain an entire PALADIN ORDER before making their way to the temple if you're playing as an oathbreaker? Like, HOW? Slayer form bay-be, that's how.

(Can you tell by now I'm not normal about the idea? Yeah.)

All living creatures learn the best from their own mistakes and I think that letting The Slayer take over would be Bhaal's version of letting your incessant kid touch the clothes iron because they just refuse to leave it alone. Bad parenting, but it's Bhaal we're talking about lmao. "Oh you don't want to kill? No biggie, fuck around and see what happens then. I'll wait." is way fucking scarier to me than him just forcing Durge's hand with the butler basically being like "Heads up, master. Your father is pretty mad and your Urge is hungry so you might commit a murder tonight!" right beforehand.

Just the mental image of Durge thinking "I've done it! I've saved Isobel!" and then having the starved Slayer rip itself out of them like it does out of Orin when Bhaal forces her to transform... You see my vision right? RIGHT? And then the beast gets slain because what else is there to do and since Durge is immortal they just come back to themself instead of becoming goo (which is a game mechanic already since their sis is not so lucky, rip). The drama and angst potential is INFINITE. The sheer raw power of THAT being the "Bhaalspawn" reveal because if Isobel is alive that means Jaheira must be there like "what the FUCK are you exactly??" and no one can pretend that Durge is just Bhaalspawn+ like they do in the game. Do they kill anyone? People are bound to be at least heavily injured, especially since they've JUST fought Ketheric's bossfight and are not rested and at full potential.

GOD, I am rotating this thing in my head so fast the friction is bound to make my brain melt.

[justsalpals]

https://www.tumblr.com/justsalpals/751271185799675904/hes-an-afterthought-one-by-one-they-are-brought?source=share

ooh, rubbing my little hands together. I didn't think anyone was actually gonna go for this. hell yeah. guessing you just mean the whole post?

So! If I'm recalling correctly, this was written immediately after the finale. Post-episode is when I've always had the most luck getting eyes on a post, so I was in a bit of a hurry to get something out while there were still eyes in the tag. I knew going into the episode that Jace was nearly certainly gonna die and was looking forward to getting a good short angst piece out about it. Because that's how I roll.

The main inspiration was, pretty obviously, how we have no fucking clue what happened to Jace. He was being arrested, but then pushed into the lava? But the death was quick and jokey enough it could be argued to be a non-canon aside. But then again, shortly after all the shatter starred people were brought back to life! Does that include Jace? Why wouldn't it? The Bad Kids straight up do not know enough about this man to judge whether he was irredeemable and genuinely into it or just a brainwashed pawn. (The real answer, of course, is somewhere between.)

One thing is for sure: they don't talk about him ever again. Which I choose to interpret as them just fucking forgetting about him. (To be clear, I find this very funny. And in character for a bunch of teens who just saved the world again. They don't have bandwidth to think through every little person who's gonna be resurrected, okay?!) So, gods left to their own devices were told to bring back everyone who'd been shatter starred. I certainly don't see why Jace would be excluded.

But he is forgotten. His death was tacked onto the end, a joke to wrap up loose ends. And his resurrection is just as careless.

He is an afterthought.

Ooh nice one, Arson. Punchy! Depressing! This is our starting point, the tone setter. We're taking this and running with it.

Jace is brought back to life, and just. Left to his own devices. Not worth the effort. Yeah you helped try to kill a god and force the entire town to become an unwilling divine domain, but we legitimately do not care about you enough to even follow up. He's not a threat. He's not even enough of an annoyance to swing by and heckle with some jeering one liners. He's not worth it.

He's alone. Unmoored. Directionless. For the first time since Porter raised him from the dead, he can't feel that otherworldly anger that drove him.

His chest aches.

Was he not angry anymore? He should probably be angry, right? That's how villains feel after their plans are foiled, yeah? And I do believe that even before being brought back Wrong, Jace had a lot of anger he buried far down as he could. The shatter star didn't invent the anger, just stoked what was there already.

But that anger was the only thing keeping him upright for months. He wants to be angry now, wants to still have that drive and purpose, but he's so damn burnt out.

So where does he go from here? He's probably lost his job, and gets the feeling if he goes to check he'll just remind people of his existence and get thrown in jail after all. What's left? Jace being directionless is something I love to play with, and he's had all that direction and devotion ripped from his chest. What's there to do but grasp at ghosts?

So he goes to the gym. Probably doesn't even know why, just knows it was the last place he saw Porter.

Hey Arson, why the hell does he make a bunch of clones of himself?? That makes no sense. BECAUSE ITS A COOL VISUAL OKAY. The emptiness of the gym is Too Much. Summoning a crowd of yourself, but their eyes judge harsher than any outsider ever would.

He's lost in himself, and after so long he can't even figure out what it is he's feeling. He can't comprehend that he just misses Porter. And what way is there to speak with the man who would be god than to pray?

But Porter's not here anymore. Jace, alone forgotten directionless, has to figure it out on his own.

[syrupsyche]

Lots of brilliant Cosette notes on today's chapter alr 😍 so I'm just gonna throw in my two cents too!

Firstly, I love this quote:

God willed that Cosette’s love should encounter one of the loves which save.

especially after the Romeo and Juliet comparison from earlier. R+J is very romantic pair but ultimately theirs is a love that ultimately kills them, and so Hugo wants to set Marisette apart (and 'better' in a way) by assuring us that their love is something that will have a happy ending. And in a literal sense, Cosette's love DOES save Marius too! It is her love for him that pushes Valjean to get him from the barricades, thus labelling her as his saviour too.

Also, the contrast between Marisette's very 'pure' and sexless relationship does remind us sadly of Fantine and Tholomyès. It is lucky that Marius is such a sweet and innocent man because if he was anything like Tholomyès, Cosette would have quite literally shadowed her mother's fate. It makes me think about what would have happened if Cosette and Theodule had actually got together; I doubt their relation would have been anything as pure and chaste as Marisette.

And finally, I adore Cosette's lines:

“Monsieur, you are handsome, you are good-looking, you are witty, you are not at all stupid, you are much more learned than I am, but I bid you defiance with this word: I love you!”

—

“Don’t cough, sir; I will not have people cough on my domain without my permission. It’s very naughty to cough and to disturb me. I want you to be well, because, in the first place, if you were not well, I should be very unhappy. What should I do then?”

Her speeches have a healthy sense of sarcasm while still being full of love for Marius. She is also very clearly headstrong— "I will not have people cough on my domain without my permission"? What a slay. Obviously being sarcastic about 'owning' their space but in this private sphere of theirs, she is free to put her foot down and command him, even if its teasingly so. It reminds me of this line a few chapters back:

Ten years later, with the love of Marius in her heart, she would have answered: “A pedant, and insufferable to the sight! You are right!”

when Valjean points out how weird Marius is. All this tell us that Cosette clearly loves to make fun of her loved ones! She's so full of spunk and life and nothing like the usual image one might have had of a lonely, sheltered bourgeois girl.

Overall, a very cute romantic chapter. Hugo does have some Weird Comments when it comes to women again but this is still one of many Cosette’s shining moments where we as readers learn a little bit more about how assertive and bright of a character she is :)

[uriekukistan]

hii, I'm new to your blog and haven't had the time to read through all of your works because uni is kicking my ass so I don't really have a significant question yet, but I just wanted to say that I fell in love with your account from the one analysis of JJK that I read and on that note I wanted to ask which your favourite characters are and why?🫶🏻

aaaaahhhh hi and welcome :D hope uni is going well for u im totally not procrastinating my own uni work rn !! and thank u, i'm glad u liked my analysis :3 apologies, i really rambled on this answer but thank u for the ask !!!

megumi is very much number one in my heart <333 if i had to say why, i'd say it's probably because i gravitate towards characters that i feel similar to, and megumi is definitely one of those...he's very me and i'm very him. tbh he really didn't stand out to me that much until the detention center and his whole "i've never once regretted saving you" speech, and that was it for me. i love his mindset/philosophy as well, i would love to put him under a microscope idk

yuuta is also a solid fav for me and anyone who speaks ill of him can answer to me (and will after i reread jjk0/sendai battle 🤞). i really enjoy his story with rika and the true and mutual love domain, i just think it's really beautiful, and you can see how he carries that idea with him. for example, when he kills kenjaku so gojo doesn't have to kill his best friend twice, or even the speech he gave last chapter (broke my heart btw), he's just so empathetic and kind :') something i'd love to dive into at some point is gojo vs yuuta, as in the difference between growing up knowing you're the strongest and preparing to be a human weapon your whole life vs having it thrust upon you out of the blue

choso is actually the reason i started jjk (i'm a latecomer, i started after s2 of the anime was finished TT). i came for his character design, and ended up loving him more than i could have expected </3 ik some joke abt him being a hater bc it was On Sight with yuuji, but he's really such a lover...in a series about a villain who thinks love is pointless and ate his own brother in the womb, it's a refreshing to have a character who's motivation is unconditional love for his brothers...which would be his undoing....ow...

this is getting long, so i'll do a quick mention of the other characters that are very dear to me: yuuji ofc, shoko, inumaki, maki, and nobara are also favs of mine :D

this was really fun to answer, so thank u!!!

[10piecechickennuggy]

Magic and Secrets, Chapter 3 - Sanji x Witch!OC

WARNING: Mature content ahead!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Piece or the art featured above. This is a fan-created work featuring an original character.

Read Chapter 2 Here

Read Chapter 1 Here

The patter of footsteps echoed throughout the mansion, a young girl giggling as she ran through her home. She was supposed to be in her room. She’d been told that there would be punishment if she disobeyed. But curiosity had wormed its way into Vera’s naive mind.

It had been easy to escape. Her mother hadn’t even bothered to lock the door, knowing Vera could easily open it with magic. Praesentia’s voice had been stern as she threatened her daughter, and for a moment Vera did feel true fear. But the allure of secret agendas and forbidden knowledge proved too strong.

“The brat has to go!” Her footsteps halted just short of her stepfather’s study. Careful to not make a sound, she pressed herself flat to the wall and focused her hearing. 

“Darling, I know you don’t want her. And neither do I. But what do you suggest we do?” Her mother’s voice was laden with frustration.

“I’d love nothing more than to wring her neck myself.” Misericors seethed with rage, no doubt fantasizing about murdering the girl.

“And what would the other Celestial Dragons say if you did?” Praesentia’s voice rose in volume, an accusatory inflection to it. “She’s a God, just as we are. If you kill her and they find out, we’ll be cast out of Mariejois! Our fate would be worse than the Donquixotes!”

“The Donquixotes?!” A piece of furniture fell, the resulting thud startling Vera. But still she did not move. “If anyone deserves their fate it’s that whelp! She and Doflamingo are the only two left carrying that disgraceful family’s blood!”

Praesentia sighed, no doubt exasperated by the conversation that had been ongoing since her daughter’s birth. “You know we can’t do that without risking our own lives. Product of an affair or not, she’s still a Celestial Dragon. And a purebred one at that, …” her words trailed off at the end of her statement, seeming to lose herself in thought.

“I don’t want to hear about your infidelity! I want that girl out of my home!” Misericors was almost screaming now, no doubt red in the face.

“There is a way we could get rid of her.” Praesentia began hesitantly. “But it would take time.”

“Out with it!”

“We could sell her into an arranged marriage.”

Misericors was quiet as he mulled over the proposal. When he spoke again, his voice had calmed. “That would make her somewhat useful. And in the meantime, she could work with the slaves. Say that she’s being taught homemaking for the sake of her future husband.”

“Yes!” Praesentia clapped in delight at her husband’s words. “I have no doubt a royal family would pay greatly to be married into the Domain of the Gods. And if we train her as a slave, she’ll be so obedient !”

A hand clasped over Vera’s mouth, maintaining her silence as tears welled in her eyes. She willed the sobs to stay down, her body shaking in fear at what she’d heard. She turned to run back to her room, ready to dive under the covers of her bed and pretend she hadn’t just eavesdropped on a conversation which sealed her fate to a life of misery. 

“You impudent little pest!” She’d been caught. Vera halted her movements, freezing mid-step as she turned to face her mother. The older woman marched forward, gripping Vera’s arm painfully tight. 

“I told you to stay put!” Her hand rose, palm open before coming down fast. The harsh slap reverberated off the ornately decorated walls, paintings of smiling faces inside gilded frames mocked the young girl. “But I suppose you did save me the trouble of explaining things.” Praesentia released her daughter’s arm, leaving Vera to fall backwards.

“I’ll have the slaves move her things.” Misericors scowled down at his stepdaughter like one would an insect. “Tomorrow, you’ll start working.” 

Vera gulped at the statement. She was only five years old, and yet she knew her very existence was a mistake. A mistake for which she would be punished relentlessly.

***

Dark eyes gazed through glass towards the horizon. Endless blue in all directions, calm waves and sparsely clouded skies met Vera’s vision. How many days had they been at sea? Time seemed to blur when the scenery and weather were unchanging. A small part of her wondered if Nami had gotten them lost. She sighed and resumed reading the book cradled in her lap.

The library door swung open to reveal an exuberant Sanji, a tray of beverages in one hand. He twirled to Robin first, offering her an ornate teacup upon its matching saucer. Steam wafted into the air. 

“Herbal Rose tea with honey.” The historian took the delicate porcelain into her hand. Sanji stood upright, smiling wide. “A delicate and sweet blend for an equally graceful beauty.”

Robin thanked the cook with a smile, her voice soft and eyes kind. Sanji took this as his opportunity to spin towards the window seat where Vera lounged. Upon reaching his destination, he knelt at her side and offered a glass. “And a mango smoothie for the alluring enchantress.” 

Vera blushed and took the beverage from the blonde. She immediately took a sip, her face lighting up. “Wow, Sanji! This is even better than yesterday’s acai bowl!” 

The chef beamed. “You’re too kind.” He tucked the tray neatly under his arm and turned to exit. Just before leaving, he announced, “Lunch will be ready in a few hours. I’ll come retrieve you when it’s time.”

Once the library door had closed, Robin addressed her companion with amusement evident in her voice. “He seems fond of you.”

Vera turned away, hiding her darkening cheeks. She glanced down just in time to see a head of blonde hair entering the ship’s kitchen, a trail of smoke cut off by the closing door. “He’s fond of anything in a dress.”

Robin chuckled, a loose fist covering her mouth as she did. “Whatever you say.” She took a long sip of her tea, punctuating her suspicions. 

Laughter caught the witch’s attention, drifting to the ship’s bow where three distinct figures sat on a wooden banister. Fishing poles were clenched firmly in Usopp and Luffy’s hands, long lines cast into the sea below. Chopper sat beside them, his hooved feet dangling over the ledge. The group appeared incredibly carefree despite two thirds of them being unable to swim.

Across the deck, Franky sat working on an indistinguishable project. Tools were strewn around him and he was clearly working on something. But what that something was, Vera couldn’t tell. The cyborg sat back, admiring his work before looking upward. His eyes met Vera’s and he smiled, waving up to his new crewmate. Vera waves back weakly, placating the man who quickly returned to his task.

Nami stood at the helm, her gaze shifting between the log pose on her wrist and the map held in her other hand. As abruptly as he had entered the library, a beverage wielding Sanji nearly pirouetted across the deck. He landed on one knee, appearing to propose with the colorful drink he offered the ginger navigator. Once the drink had been taken, the cook stood and began visibly gushing over the woman. Though she couldn’t hear what was being said, Vera could tell that verbal honey poured from his mouth in proclamations of his adoration.

The witch’s eyebrows furrowed. Why did the scene before her cause such discomfort? She stood, sending the book she held away with a soft muttering before exiting the room. 

Now in a proper foul mood, Vera searched for something to occupy her attention. But being confined to a single ship - no matter how large Sunny was - her options proved limited. Weighing her options, she eventually decided the greatest potential lay with the crow’s nest and a particular swordsman.

Upon lifting the heavy wood of the trap door, sounds of clanking metal and grunts invaded the air. Vera lifted herself into the room, greeted with the sight of a shirtless, sweaty Zoro on his back, a bar with several large weights attached to either side held firmly in his grip. A large scar spanning the man’s broad chest caught her gaze, noting its jagged contrast to the straight line over Zoro’s missing eye.

“What?” The word came out sounding more like a growl. At first, Vera wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. But as he continued lifting the metal bar, the swordsman’s single eye came to meet with hers - a look of expectation on his face.

“Sorry.” The girl’s fingers toyed with the hem of her skirt, eyes studying the grain lines in the wooden floor.

Metal clanked loudly as the bar was returned to its rack, causing Vera’s attention to return to the green-haired man. Zoro now sat upright, a rag being pressed to his dripping forehead. “What do you want?” This time the question came clear, laced with annoyance.

“I-”

“Out with it.” His arms were crossed over his chest, creating an intimidating pose.

“Is it alright if I stay here for a bit?” Her words were quiet and fast. She wondered for a moment if they’d even reached the swordsman, but he replied with a simple nod before bringing a bottle to his lips.

Vera sighed, taking a moment to look out the windows which encircled the room. A 360 degree view of nothing but clear blue, the only difference being that she could now see more of the seemingly unending ocean than the library could offer. 

Vera sat on one of the many benches lining the walls, her gaze returning to Zoro as he reached for a dumbbell. “Is it really okay for me to be here?” She asked, not expecting an answer from the man.

“I said it was fine, didn’t I?” Zoro eyed her whilst his biceps flexed. 

The witch shook her head. “I mean on the crew.” The only response she received was a raised eyebrow, and so she continued. “You all barely know me. And sure we haven’t been at sea for long, but I haven’t done anything useful and I feel like I’m just wasting your resources by being here.”

Zoro scoffed, setting the weight down and reaching for his swords. Vera gulped, bracing herself for the attack. With three swords, surely it’d be as painless as possible. He’d behead her in one swift motion and the crew would be rid of a nuisance. 

Her eyes squeezed shut in anticipation for the impact. But all that happened was a small click of Zoro’s tongue before he rushed forward, thrusting open the window behind her. Vera opened her eyes in time to see the swordsman lean out the window and shout to the crew below. “Marines! Straight ahead!”

Vera turned, looking out past Sunny’s figurehead and to a tiny dot on the horizon. She’d originally mistaken the ship for a wave or a bird, nothing worthy of a second glance. But upon further inspection, the large white and blue sails were unmistakable. Zoro had rushed out of the crow’s nest before Vera could register his actions. Upon hearing the trap door slam, she was knocked from her thoughts and sprang to follow.

The main deck was in a state of chaos. Bodies ran about, executing orders which Nami shouted. Sails were unfurled and the ship lurched as canvas caught new wind. 

A thunderous boom suddenly overpowered all other noise. Vera turned just in time to see a cannonball flying her way. She took a defensive stance, ready to utter a spell when a blur of red ran past her. In an instant, Luffy was in the air. He’d inflated his body to an impossible size, causing the cannonball to bounce off into the water upon impact. 

More deafening noise and several balls of iron were headed their way. Zoro and Sanji were the next to jump into action. Zoro swung his swords, a wave of energy cutting a cannonball in half. Sanji leapt out, his leg darkening from the knee down with armament Haki. With a single kick, the offending mass was sent down in a splash.

These people were monsters. In the best possible way. 

Another boom and the Sunny heaved, firing a cannon of its own. Vera watched as the ammunition landed just to the left of the Marine vessel. She clutched a railing, steadying herself and fixing her resolve. She would prove useful in this battle.

The enemy ship drew nearer - when had it gotten so close? Marines could be seen, aiming rifles now. Luffy had jumped into the air, his gum gum powers hurtling the man toward yet another cannonball. With the distracting iron, he’d failed to notice the men taking aim from the deck.

Vera acted fast, rushing forward and thrusting her hand outward. With splayed fingers and fear in her eyes, she shouted a spell. “Deleo te in planum astrale, offenso glandibus!” 

The men fired their weapons, plumes of smoke rising into the air. But no bullets came. Luffy landed back on the Sunny and turned to his newest crew member with a grin. “Thanks, Vera!”

The girl gave a thumbs up and a weak smile before the world turned black.

Read Chapter 4 Here

[lycanlovingvampyre]

MAG 187 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: taking a bath.

Lol, that elevator music xD

HELEN: "So, where’s the old ball and chain?" Fucking Helen... Always talking about others in a degrading way... Also typical narcissistic behavior, pushing others down in order to feel like they’re better.

JON: "You hoped that by nudging us past his domain, Martin would still be there when I arrived… so I would have to pass through on my own. Apparently, you were right." HELEN: "I thought you said you weren’t going to look inside people’s heads?" JON: "I thought you said you weren’t people." HELEN: "Touché." JON: "Well, for what it’s worth, I have tried not to look inside you." By now Jon has seen enough of the Distortion's behavior as Helen, it has become easy to predict what she's up to.

HELEN: "… He’s still so new to all of this, caught up in ideas of justice and ‘solving’ things. Sure, he can wave away the theoretical idea of people suffering…" JON: "But if he sees it up close, he might try to get his boyfriend to smite you?" I feel like Jon likes the sound of that. His boyfriend.

JON: "I’m trying to ‘know’ if there’s another route I can take." HELEN: "And?" JON: "Turns out there is, actually. But it is rather full of spiders." Coincident? I think not!!! The Web wants Jon to pass on the Fears.

HELEN: "The tape recorder feels more, um… awake." Hmmm, I wonder in what sense... The tape recorders have already been very actively clicking themselves on (or appearing at all) in S4. Is it just because the Web is now in this world instead of lurking at the edges?

HELEN: "Even though I saved you from Michael." The Distortion saved itself from Michael. Suddenly putting itself clearly on the side of "I am not your friend" is not what the Distortion is about. Besides, if it had killed Jon, the "Wonderland" of an Eyepocalyse, which is oh so loved by the Distortion, would have been delayed.

JON: "I liked Helen." HELEN: "I am Helen." JON: "The real one." It is consistent for his character, but I find it funny that Jon seems to bond with people rather quickly. He knew Helen for 20 minutes. He knew Jordan for 20 minutes. 

JON: "True. But as you’ll recall, I was pretty paranoid myself at that point." HELEN: "So what? You saw yourself in her? A sad reflection? A possible future?" Hmmm, maybe it's the same with Jordan. He bonded with him over his experience with the Corruption.

HELEN: "Oh, Jon! This existence can be wonderful, if you just let it." JON: [Sadly] "I know." :( He could just give up. Resign himself to his role as Archivist... Reminds me of working in retail, for example. Other people get sent to ware house duty because they're too rude be around customers. While I have to do the dirty work with customers because I care too much about not being an asshole. Or like working in a team with the same pool of work load. Others put their feet up, after all the work gets done by the others. But I don't want to be someone like that. I don't think I could be someone like that... 

JON: "I see. How long have you been working with Elias?" HELEN: "I’m not." JON: [Faux-shocked] "Helen! Is that… a lie?" HELEN: "No! No, it’s not. I don’t know him. I’ve never even – Look, I’m happy here, all right?" Changing the subject, hehe... We know, that it was Elias who sent og!Helen to the Institute. Did he also suggest that Helen will probably be confused after her statement so there’s high chances of her finally walking through his door? Was it also Elias who sent Michael to Sasha, so they could find out to use CO2 extinguishers against Prentiss?

HELEN: "You are so difficult to like sometimes. I’ve been nothing but nice to you." JON: "Maybe that’s why I never trusted you." Ohhh, yes, I've talking about this in another post already. I'm super wary of people who are immediately over-the-top nice to me. That's very often a facade which hides a very ugly personality. (Also, that was a lie again. Helen threatened him in MAG 157, so not very nice. But very typical for that personality again. Stating untrue things in a beneficial and factual way, suggesting you should believe it.)

(STATEMENT) "Well, not a dead end. It’s a door that says ‘Honeymoon Suite’." HELEN: [Saucy] "Currently unoccupied…" (STATEMENT) "I turn to retrace my steps. I must have taken a wrong urn." HELEN: "Just in case you and Martin were looking for a room." Pfff, Helen is so pushy and nosy regarding things which are absolutely none of her business.  

"How long… How long has Alex been alone now? " Ha! Another character called Alex!

The sound of laughter during the statement. So mean...

"She’d love nothing more than to help me, although she does hate to see me check out, it’s always so hard on her when guests leave." Making you feel bad for a totally normal thing...

VICTIM: "I don’t know how long I’ve been here." JON: "Look. I’m so sorry –" VICTIM: "You’ve got to help me!" JON: [Angrily] "Don’t touch me!" It's a stressful situation, but you're always allowed to set boundaries. No one gets to touch you when you don't want to. Again, it's just a shitty situation all over like so many others in TMA. Also, especially understandable that it’s Jon who doesn’t want to be touched... So many have hurt him..

HELEN: "Oopsie. Not so easy, is it? Keeping up your humanity?" Oh yeah, and then making you feel bad for setting boundaries...

JON: "You’re dangerous because for all the torture and cruelty, you still somehow got us to think you’re our friend." Mentioned it in MAG 183 (I think?) already that I'm not sure, what's more dangerous. More straight up hostile Helen. Or fun Helen. The one that makes you laugh about all her little manipulative comments. Schrödinger’s douchebag: Come on, don't be like that, it was just a joke!

JON: "No, you are the question of “What lurks behind a smile?” Is a friendship true, or is it reaching out with hands that cut you?" Being wary of the people who are over-the-top friendly... JON: "And when one face finally stopped smiling, you just changed the face." Helen taking over from Michael.

HELEN: "Fine. So if that’s all true… why? Why would I do any of that? What’s my actual motive?" JON: "I don’t think you even have one. It’s just what you are." I have asked myself this question so many times. And I've come to the same conclusion. There is no grand motive behind that. Just doing it over and over again, torturing others, they like that. The feeling of being able to make a person so submissive, so obedient that they will do everything to stay your friend. It makes me sick... I have once asked one of my “Helens” if she knows that those things she did are horrible. She got all smug and said yes and that she likes it and is proud of it. Fucking hell..

JON: "I will end you." [SILENCE BUT FOR SOME CREAKING] JON: "What, nothing? No smirk? A laugh? I’ve got you rattled." HELEN: "I’m not scared of you." JON: "Helen… Was that… a lie?" Smug and badass Jon is back, yaaaaaaaaaay!

JON: "Urgh!" [A STRANGE SOUND RINGS OUT AS THE ARCHIVIST REAPPEARS IN THE WASTELAND] MARTIN: "Christ, Jon!" JON: [Groggy] "Oh, Martin! Good." MARTIN: "Wh– Wh-wh-what… What happened? Th-th-there was the hotel and then…" Hmmm, I like the headcanon that Martin saw (and heard) something in the sky shifting and and suddenly, like "the sky ate him" but in reverse, it spits out Jon and Martin catches him^^ The soundscaping suggests otherwise though. After "Christ Jon" and during "Oh, Martin! Good." there's rubble to be heard, like climbing over debris. And only after "What happened?" we hear fabric rustling. So sounds to me like Jon fell out of the sky in front of Martin, then gets up and they hug.

JON: "Do you? Want to mourn?" MARTIN: "… A bit, I guess. I-I mean, she was our friend. Sort of. A bit." It's okay to be upset losing a "friend" like this. After all, there most definitely were fun times too, if it was just awful, you probably wouldn't have become their friend, after all.

@a-mag-a-day

[lesbianator3000]

Okay, hear me out:

I’m happy Avery was a bad friend to Max. I’m happy she hurt the people around her.

When I first read TIG, I remember thinking that Avery was *such* a Mary Sue in the first few chapters. For context, this is what Wikipedia says a Mary Sue is: “A Mary Sue is a character archetype in fiction, usually a young woman, who is often portrayed as inexplicably competent across all domains, gifted with unique talents or powers.” I mean, she was the quiet “wallpaper” girl with only one friend who faced hardships and lived out of her car occasionally, yet still did well in school, successfully ran a poker ring, and then befriended + played a homeless man for the privilege of buying him breakfast every day. I thought I would dislike Avery because of this.

But we get to see the actions that drove the Mary Sue impression hurt those around her. She managed to be so successful in school while managing a job, tumultuous family relationships, and a poker ring because she’s stubborn, driven, and focused.

However, her focus nurtured selfishness, as she was only able to focus on her situation, therefore causing that temporary rift between her and Max. Her life situation was dire, but that doesn’t erase the fact that Max had felt like she wasn’t listened to for a length of time. Avery’s explanations for being an inattentive friend are valid, but they don’t excuse it. Although, she did listen to Max in TIG and aspired to be a better/more attentive friend. Despite this, she still forgot about Max’s birthday in THL because she was so focused on Emily’s birthday auction and the family affairs:

“And that was when I realized: ‘Today’s your birthday, too.’

‘Too?’ For a split second, I saw raw emotion behind Max’s eyes” (THL 121).

Similarly, while I won’t be finding quotes for it, Avery acknowledged that she became negligent of Libby as she focused on her new situation, the puzzles, and the boys.

Also, in THL, Avery’s stubbornness and drive hurt Oren. She continues pulling on the Toby thread, eventually leading to the plane bomb incident. Avery says: “Alisa didn’t like the idea of my visiting Hawthorne Island. Oren liked it even less. But there was no stopping me now” (THL 292). Because of this, men *die.* Now, Avery didn’t kill those men, but both her and Oren recognize that it was avoidable:

“His voice got tighter. ‘Two of my men didn’t make it.’

Devastating guilt drilled through me. . .‘I’m sorry.’

Oren didn’t tell me not to be. He didn’t say that if I hadn’t pushed to go to Rockaway Watch, those men would still be alive” (THL 310).

I love that her traits were double-edged, and I love that they were truly bad. So often, the flaws female characters are allowed are negligible— especially regarding consequences and accountability. It’s also notable because JLB said she wrote Avery with the ability to go toe-to-toe with the “magic” Hawthorne brothers; it would have been so convenient to subdue her flaws. Yet, Avery didn’t have traits which existed only as flaws to check a box; she had traits that acted as both assets and liabilities. She successfully managed the adversity dealt to her because of such, but also equally hurt those around her— and for that, I’m happy. I thought she would be a Mary Sue, but her actions in the beginning of TIG are simply one side of the coin. It saved Avery from being an unfortunate archetype, instead transforming her into a dynamic, realistic, understandable, and relatable character.

Extra: people get mad at Jameson because he was so focused on the puzzle in TIG that he hurt Avery— but she did the exact same thing to the few people who cared about her. Let’s not absolve her of and feel guilt only for Avery in order to villainize Jameson and make his mistakes uniquely indicative of his moral failings. Their hunger can be selfish. Let’s recognize that, like Avery, Jameson’s drive and focus are nuanced. In contrast, Alisa and Nash’s drives were unmatched, which led to their downfall—but that’s a whole separate discussion.

Extra extra: ignore any spelling or grammar mistakes. I’m not double checking this because I’m hungry and want to go eat :(. Also, I definitely was swinging like a pendulum between present and past tense as I discussed the story and evidence— ignore this. It’s a bad habit that I always have to pay special attention to while editing papers, but like I said, I’m not rereading this.

[bd-wlf]

What are your overall thoughts on Sherlock Season 4?

Personally I think it was quite rushed and seems like the writers wanted to end the show all nicely wrapped tied up in a bow, probably because they knew it wasn't likely that we'd gey a season 5. I'm not saying the stories weren't great but at least one extra episode really could've helped with the story.

The plot of Sherlock and his drug use was really well done and I think the lying detective was the best episode that season.

Fuck yeah!! I love getting asks thank you!!

So basically you have some really good points, I also think season 4 was rushed and having an extra special episode (like in the previous season would have been nice ESPECIALLY IF IT HAD BEEN THE DANCING MEN but ofc they couldn't do that because the ACD stuff had not gone all free domain yknow and I think the closest they got to legally having it in the show was by showing like a 5 second clip of the chalkboard at the very end of the season finale) probably would have brought the season to an even better close

To be honest, I loved the last season, loved the red beard plot HOWEVER I wish they had made up a character like Eurus instead of killing off Victor Trevor

Uhm I also agree the drug use plot was really well executed, I try and hold back the tears when it's revealed that Sherlock was following Mary's plan all along but I cry buckets every time. And how she says John is the man they BOTH love and the only way Sherlock can save him is if Sherlock puts himself through hell and I just *starts sobbing*

The way they both care and love Rosie is also *starts sobbing again* like idk there's a point in the last episode after everything happens where Sherlock is holding Rosie and they look so much like husbands I love them so much.

Which reminds me, i dislike that Eurus went back to prison, obviously she has multiple mental illnesses and disorders and imprisoning her will not help her especially in an isolated cell. If she had as much anxiety as Sherlock and Mycroft do then she would not improve mentally, her mental state would actually decline. I actually wish that she got to stay with her parents, there she could be kept under watchful eye but also become more socialized and maybe even mellow out I guess. Obviously it's great that Sherlock visits her and practices violin with her but also it's the bare minimum.

Watching that and then watching Enola Holmes is disorienting I WANT BBC SHERLOCK TO HAVE SIBLING INTERACTIONS LIKE ENOLA HOLMES IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?? Says the person who is apart of a very dead fandom connected to a long ended show

Anyway, yeah :] thank you for the ask those were all my thoughts :]] head is now empty

[mz-elysium]

rambling on shadowheart's direction (or lack thereof)

idk if I'm big-brained or just weird

I've been thinking more of Shadowheart's story and how it falls flat a bit on theme in places.

Like. It's a story about leaving a cult. That specific trauma, her reactions, etc., are brilliant. Beautiful.

But I distinctly do not like her just up and becoming a Selunite. Maybe it's because religion in D&D is different (gods are literally real and have massive interactions), but it feels like a worse coping mechanism than dying her hair. She should get room to breathe and be without the gods, without doctrine (good or ill), for a little while. Or forever.

Honestly, I really would've loved her story to be one more about faith than cults. As a cleric, she parrots doctrine but it's more brainwashing than genuine heartfelt belief.

I think she should've had four main endings:

Shar-Shar. Kills the Nightsong, embraces Shar's teachings blindly as the brainwashed cultist she is and never questions it. Kills her parents. Ascends as Shar's right hand.

Shadowheart-Shar. Kills the Nightsong but comes to question Shar and her faith. Saves her parents. Redefines Sharran doctrine in ways that make sense for her, reframing the eternal doom of The Void and the inevitable crushing darkness as something hopeful, honouring Shar in a way that other evil gods are appeased in wariness of something mighty. In D&D, gods are very real and very jealous, so this might be less realistic for Shar to allow but would be a more satisfying story about faith and contesting the gods. Shar might chuckle wryly, not accepting her as her right hand, but even gods don't get to decide who worships them and how.

Selunite. Saves the Nightsong, saves her parents. Dame Aylin helps guide her onto Selune's teachings. What started as a desperate way to come becomes something spiritually fulfilling and genuine. She finds peace as a cleric or paladin of Selune. It reinforces the black/white thinking of Shar/Selune (which is classic D&D but less to my taste).

*Losing My Religion*. Saves the Nightsong, kills her parents. Lost and alone, she realises she's been used and dominated by cruel and uncaring gods all her life (like certain other tadfools). Leaves them behind, but finds new purpose. Changes classes.

now. what class?

oh im so glad you didn't ask!

rogue? trickery domain clerics are stealthy. her dex is a lil low, but her and astarion have a great rapport by act 3. i can see an apprenticeship going.

paladin? charged by a powerful oath instead of divine magic... but her cha is very low and her other stats aren't great. besides, shart isn't a woman of great conviction. esp after losing her faith.

bard? no cha. monk? no chill. warlock? over wyll's dead body. wizard? our girl dumbo. fighter? barbarian? not...really.

i think a druid and i actually think it really works

at the end of act 2, we have two druid companions -- nay, mentors who would be glad to take an apprentice.

while both these druids worship the elven nature god silvanus, a god is def not a requirement for druids.

after flailing godlessly, would embrace the natural world's steadiness.

the circle of the moon is selunite-tinged and our girl is an animal-lover.

the circle of the land is heavy casting and she's a wisdom char.

the circle of spore's focus on decay/rebirth would probably be very soothing to an ex-sharran who used to only look at the Void.

she mentions in her epilogue wanting to go live in a farm, with chickens and animals. imagine druid!shadowheart magicking the garden and speaking with scratch.

also, it's the only class (other than cleric) that her natural stats work with, which is a bonus.

i honestly think it would bring her a lot of peace, purpose, and happiness.

[hxhhasmysoul]

Yeah I need to re-read those chapters too, I feel like I skipped through some stuff or maybe it was the leaks that confused me? Because when I see the leaks I kind of skip that panel because I saw it, does it make sense? Guess not XD

Yes! I can't wait to see what Gege is cooking for us!

I agree, but the prison wouldn't be Yuji's body and soul? Like the combo?

For now I only see the body swapping thing the only way to save megumi, unless there is something about that last finger ( I like the theory of nobara waking up and hitting it, but... if gojo couldn't destroy it, can she resonate that thing? She needs to pierce it and I don't think she can)

At this point I am just hoping choso and Hiromi won't die XD I love them a lot, mostly because Hiromi is like an oc of mine and choso is too precious, so cute XD

Remembered about the comedian guy, I wonder what his role would be too? It was said the dude was very powerful, dunno what he can pull off.

Oh yes, I really like Sukuna XD he is a good villian, he is evil because he vibes with it, he is strong because he wants to be, he eats and kill people because yes XD no complicated reasons, he is just true to himself. I like that.

Can't help but wonder what kind of pact/contract he did with kenjaku though. Someone like sukuna must have a good reason for that, just wonder what it is...

And I really like his annoyed expression XD like when talking with yorozu or inside his domain after taking yuji's heart out XD love that face!

Yes! I think as of right now both yuji and sukuna have a personal beef. Sukuna because yuji is his prison and whether he likes it or not, yuji is good at suppressing him. For yuji, well, poor boy was / is tortured by sukuna.

Oh which makes me think, if sukuna and yuji ends up on the same body, will their pact return? The one that sukuna cannot kill anyone? It should, because it something done with yuji's soul... maybe that's the key to saving megumi?

Bah! I get so excited to read what happens next!

This manga has been really fun, truly! Heart breaking at times, but so much fun!

I wish I could thank Gege somehow... ih sorry for blabbering about this XD

As to the the body and soul being the prison together, i think so, yes. In JJK there's really little difference between the two, more like one feeds into the other. The body being the byproduct of the soul, from Mahito's pov. But also the body retaining some of the soul even after death what Kenjaku uses to retain the techniques of the bodies they wear. And also what Sukuna uses to transfers himself between vessels, because the finger he rips off and feeds to Megumi is well, dead the moment it separates from Yuuji.

I think Nobara's power could work with Sukuna's finger, I mean it can't be destroyed but putting a nail in it isn't exactly destroying it. If Yuuji ate it, she'd just need to put a nail into him and that's easy. I have my gripes with the Yuuji will eat the last finger theory because it feeds into the fandom shittakes of "Yuuji's powers come from Sukuna, he's nothing without Sukuna". But it's not completely impossible that he will eat it. And I'm all for Nobara coming back and fighting alongside Yuuji, I love her and love it when they pair up. But truth be told, I'd rather the last finger didn't come into play, at least not as something Yuuji would eat.

I also hope for Higuruma and Chousou's survival, I also hope for Hakari and Kirara surviving because they are such a sweet couple. I also want Maki to survive, she had to endure enough, she deserves a break. And I want Hana to survive and be able to save people. And I want Uro to survive because she deserves a better life than the one she had before. Also if Gege kills Yuuji I will lose my mind. But I know the cursed cat is capable...

Takaba can theoretically pull of anything but he isn't exactly trained or fully aware of his powers. And he also needs to come up with a joke to make that happen. But I hope he does something fun.

As to Sukuna having a contract with Kenjaku, he might have one. But he might also just be interested in what Kenjaku is up to, Sukuna is a little cursed energy nerd too. He might hide it under the feral hunky image, but he clearly loves jujutsu and has thought about it a lot. Other than that he might simply owe Kenjaku without a binding vow, it's not impossible that Kenjaku and/or Tengen took in this unwanted child. There are so many possibilities, I hope Gege gives us a Heian flashback soon.

That one binding vow Sukuna had with Yuuji is done, fulfilled. It spanned a minute. Sukuna said he wasn't going to hurt anyone for a minute after he said "enchain". And I think Yuuji can cage him without a vow anyway, he'd just need to be in the same body as Sukuna again.

Sukuna has amazing expressions. And I especially love that the belly mouth is expressive too. It's also amazing how distinct his expressions are from his vessels'. Amazing job by Gege. And Sukuna refusing to engage with his little fandom really made me love him.