#yes I wholeheartedly believe he will get character development

[chestersbraincell]

Hear me out I do think a therapy session with Kinger, if Kinger could reach behind his obviously asshole mask that he’s worked up and near completely identified with atp likely to protect himself, would do Jax wonders.

[sukunasweetheart]

I refuse to believe Sukuna wouldn’t eat his lover’s body if they pass before him. There is no way he will let you rot away when you could be with him forever. Especially if it was by your own request. He will eat your heart raw and drink your blood like its ambrosia. Your soul will remain within him for all eternity uwu

ANON THIS IS SAUR BIG BRAINED..... THE WAY THAT THIS IS SO CORRECT 🥹🥹🥹🥹 i literally even had a fic idea similar to this 🥲🫡 i just love this concept, its so poetic and resonates so deeply with his canon character 💖

he'd carry a part of you with him forever through consuming you, the warmth of your blood spreading in his own veins as he drinks from your flesh, it tastes divine like nothing else, perhaps it's because he cherishes you so much, understands how precious you are to him, knows that this is the only chance he'll ever get to indulge in the pure, raw taste of you--

And knowing that this was something you wanted - to be consumed by him - makes sukuna's heart swell with pride, you wholly accepted him, and embraced him for all that he is. For that, he will dutifully devour you, just as you wished.

Each bite he takes, means another part of you is gone from his hands. Sukuna leaves nothing behind, even your bones are crushed up by his strong teeth before he swallows them up, too. It feels odd, to eat someone that he'd wholeheartedly loved as much as he did with you.

It's a messy, gruesome looking process. His four hands are tainted with your crimson blood, and the same has occurred around the edges of his mouth. He blinks, and your corpse has disappeared, as he's now eaten you down completely.

And yet, though he's fulfilled his desires and your request, and was fully able to enjoy the unique and delightful flavours of your body, sukuna feels strange.

He feels unsatisfied.

He had you to the last fragment, alone. So why is he still left with yearning?

Sukuna stares at his emptied, bloodied hands. Yes, empty... It's the first time he's felt empty after such a full meal.

He will never be able to touch you again, and that is almost unbearable to fathom, more than he realised. The only comfort he receives, is that your body is now within him, and he will carry you around to wherever he goes.

Doomed to forever to yearn after a taste, a person that he can never have again, sukuna picks up the bloodied kimono that he'd stripped you of from the floor, and leaves this place behind in silence.

-

This is just an afterthought, but imagine if you do actually pop up in his innate domain quite some time after, which surprises him 🤔 but then he realises that he probably ate you up with so much love that he'd unknowingly cursed you and took a part of your literal soul with him when he consumed your body--

He'd call you a sly thing, asking if you knew this would happen when you'd asked him to devour you with your dying breath. Yet he seems quite overjoyed by the fact that he can interact with you again

He would question you on why you're only showing up now, after making him grieve for so long (he wouldn't verbally say that last part 🤭) and you tell him its bc you're only a tiny fragment of yourself, it took a while for you to even develop this appearance of yours

You probably appear to him in his dreams or whenever hes just spacing out 😇

[super-who-locked-me-in-here]

Pieces of media my mom has seen and the popular MLM ships in them that she doesn't think are gay:

MCU - Stucky (note that she does get a kick out of Stony stuff and she believes wholeheartedly that those two hate fucked in a not-filmed scene of Avengers 2012 so this is not about her thinking "oh Captain America is so straight-laced because he's the ideal American man" or anything)

MCU - Poolverine (she's fully aware and accepting of the fact that both Logan and Wade are canonically queer characters but she thinks all the flirting Wade did with Logan in the newest movie didn't necessarily mean anything because "he talks like that to everyone". Side note though: while she believes Wade should be with Vanessa, she does think that Logan can and should shoot his shot with Wade after Vanessa inevitably dies since he and Wade are both immortal. It's just that she thinks Wade should get his happy ending with Vanessa first.)

MCU - Lokius ("Mama have you ever seen a man fix another man's tie like that" "No but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen! I wouldn't know though; it's been like 15 years since I worked a corporate job.")

Sonyverse/Marvel - Symbrock ("They literally have a symbiotic relationship. That doesn't make them gay." So I showed her the comics where Eddie calls Venom "love" and gives birth to Venom's babies and she said "Fine you win but please never show me alien man birth ever again."

Supernatural - Destiel ("They're like Steve and Bucky! They're brothers in arms! They've been through hell and back together!" Note that she only watched through season 5 but she does know about a lot of their later interactions because I told her about them)

House M.D. - Hilson ("Dot I watched that whole show and they were never anything more than good friends" "What about when House admitted to thinking about Wilson during sex? What about that whole episode where they pretended to be gay for each other to prove a point to a neighbor and Wilson proposed? What about that whole episode where Wilson had to furnish the apartment and House told him not to let a woman tell him what to do but Wilson let House tell him what to do? What about the whole ending?" "Why can't two men just be close enough friends to joke about that stuff with each other?"

Real life - Me and my best friend of the same gender orientation who I've kissed multiple times and have had a requited crush on for years that neither of us have ever persued for logistical reasons (I literally used me and this friend to try and prove my mom wrong about Stucky and Destiel. I asked her if she thought me and this friend were like brothers and she said yes with a straight face)

Sherlock - Johnlock (to be fair this is the BBC ship name, but she doesn't think any iteration of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are the slightest bit gay. "They're business partners and roommates.")

Our Flag Means Death - BlackHands (Should go ahead and say that I'm not really a BlackHands shipper myself; we both really enjoyed Stede and Ed's romance in the show. BUT it takes so much away from Izzy's character and his development if you don't acknowledge that he was jealous of Stede and in love with Ed, at least a little. My mom thought Izzy was just an extremely loyal first mate.)

Also, for the record, I'm not trying to call my mom out as homophobic. I'm queer and so are two of my siblings and she's very supportive of us. There are gay romcoms she enjoys like Our Flag Means Death and Red, White, and Royal Blue. The reason I'm making this list is because I think it's really funny how she doesn't understand the concept of queerbaiting (not that all of the above listed ships are queerbaiting). She thinks things are either explicitly straight or explicitly queer (whether it's gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc) and cannot comprehend the idea that some character relationships are deliberately pushing the boundaries of straight friendships into queer relationships to get more minority viewers and I think her explanations are funny.

[bibibbon]

Ok a question center about Izu, in a way. Hm, ok let me gather my thought:

Mirio is either stupid or naive? I ask this bc well nighteye was a miserable bitch against Izu for no reason but petty. Is Mirio aware Nighteye is a creep or ...nighteye fake around mirio?

Now to Izu...I think I'm the only one who can see this but...Izu getting the quirk, ofa, is now a mean spirit joke. "Huh?what you mean?"

Mirio is the perfect candidate for ofa. He has a good grasp on his quirk, he knows how to act and is a mini am. He could fill the gap right away and AM was in a hurray.

Why pick Izu?

"he saved PoS" which ok...but is that enough to grant him a special quirk? No discussing or get to know Izu? Am doesn't know this kid...for all he knows Izu could have used ofa for evil.

To me, the way I see it. Izu got the quirk bc am is stubborn and nighteye was a mega creep.

Like Mirio was a perfect option for ofa. Why Izu? Not asking this to shit on him (I'm not Hori) but while Izu does work to make this quirk his...AM was putting pressure...he needs Izu to be the symbol of peace in a second.

Mirio already was a symbol or coming closer. Why not him?

What makes Izu special of ofa? It's bc am picked him and it's a good reason if we saw why am picked him. Am picked him way too quick.

One good and frankly suicidal mission was enough to make him his heir. Why? We will never know.

Again, not shitting on Izu. I wanted to see a reason as why Izu is worthy of ofa. But we don't. The relationship of am and Izu is ...no. Existent. Really make me think he picked Izu too quick and if nighteye wasn't himself...the ofa would go to Mirio.

Hi @mikeellee 👋 sorry for not answering this sooner!

Hmm interesting I would say mirio is naive with a dash of biases. Let me explain, what I mean is that Mirio believes that nighteye wouldn't do such a thing especially if it's towards someone he thinks is a friend. Mirio and nighteyes relationship is what I like to describe what nighteye wanted his relationship to be with all might in a way.

I don't think that Mirio is aware of nighteye's creepy behaviour as canon never alludes or implies it at all and Mirio someone who has a strong sense of righteousness and would probably be very irked if he found out about nighteye.

My theory is that due to all mights and nighteye's strained relationship all might didn't trust nighteye's input or decision so he may of left Mirio getting OFA as a last resort type of thing. However, you are right Mirio is basically perfect for the role especially if they wanted another mini all might in a hugely short span of time but I think the message was supposed to be that with society changing that another all might may actually harm society a lot more than do good for it. Now I think that if horikoshi actually allowed Izuku's character to go through proper development that izuku would be perfect in delivering that message however this idea doesn't hold much weight after Izuku's fight with shigaraki that parallels all mights kamino fight.

Also maybe Izuku reminded all might of himself so that's why he picked him. In reality how would all might really know that though??!?! All might and izuku bonding time is basically non existent in the manga or anime their relationship is also non existent. All might doesn't know much about izuku and neither does izuku. All might is a bad mentor and it's never brought up or used as a point to develop him and his relationship with Izuku.

Iam not sure what's so special about izuku for all might to pick him or why all might never picked Mirio. I remember a few years ago I saw a video talking about how in the overhaul arc we never actually got proof as to why izuku is the better candidate for OFA and i have to actually agree. Izuku never ended up differentiating himself from Mirio and frankly we don't even have any logical reasoning from all might as to why it was izuku himself. Or it's how he broke the bystander effect and wanted to help bakugo even though he couldn't do anything that maybe inspired him to help this kids dream of becoming a hero become a reality but oh well I guess we will never know the true answer.

[bugcatcherkit]

do you have shou mom hc or anything like that? I was looking at the bingo cards and wondered about your thoughts

kind of YES! I'm making another list. I don't know if you mean the entire Broad Range of what a HC is, or something specific. So these will be random thoughts I think about her.

This isn't really a HC and more explaining and/or expanding her canon personality traits. But alongside her headstrongness, I think she can be impulsive. Like, rushes into things she shouldn't but she becomes wholeheartedly committed anyway. Which isn't to say she's naive -- she knows exactly what she's getting into, she just thinks she can handle more than she actually can. Like someone else I know..

Also anybody else notice her strong need to make a huge impact on somebody else's life. She chose the Worst Guy ever with full intent that she alone could Fix Him (didn't even wait to see if she could). I think she wants the validation that her words, efforts, and convictions alone can make the world (and other people) a little better overall. It's just interesting that she could possibly seek a Big Goal through relationships themselves instead of at the expense of them.

Does anybody else think about how she was the only person outside of Claw who knew about it. Her ex literally got someone murdered and she couldn't do anything about it or go to anyone (because who's going to believe that? Especially when she doesn't have any evidence). And she had to live with it for years. Probably isolating as hell !!!! Especially because we don't know what her support system outside of her family was, if she even had an extensive one.

I imagine she tends to feel bad about things very easily, specifically her own actions/inaction, and how that effects other people. Like a responsibility thing, even though most things are out of her control. Her knowing when she needs to quit doesn't quite stop her feeling bad for doing so (and also I don't think she learned her own limits until That Argument, so she's like "what if I did More". It's part of I think she's always asking about Toichiro and planned to visit him with Shou -- she wanted to try again. This is Alongside her concern for him).

OKAY I am going to rant about the abandonment thing again because I keep seeing it still. Grabs everyone by the shoulders. There are so many reasons that she did not take Shou with her. Since (in the context of the argument) her leaving seems like a split-second decision, she probably did not have the proper resources to support him immediately after she left. By the time she got something figured she literally couldn’t get custody. AND I hope nobody forgot that Toichiro used Shou as leverage against her and that was why he cut contact between them entirely (or he thought he did). But they stayed in contact anyway!!!!!!!! They called and visited!!!! People get so distracted with the "abandonment" part that they overlook any potential complicated feelings that probably exist on both sides. Because those are very normal to have with a situation like that!!! For example, her leaving did not have the effect she thought it would (make Toichiro see his mistakes), and she has to consider that! But, at the time, she had run out of things to do or say, and it wouldn't have mattered anyway because the whole point was that Toichiro refused to listen to her or consider her feelings or Accept Change at all. Can anybody hear me??? So sorry to put this rant here when all you wanted was some headcanons

FUCK THAT GOT LONG. That's not even HC that's just character analysis I think? I don’t know anything. I'm actually bad at HCs guys. IDK what characters do in their spare time I just hyper-analyze their thoughts and motivations and ideals. Here's some actual HC maybe?

post-divorce she doesn't get her own place for a while (she is Unsure of what her next steps are and has a LOT to consider) but when she does it's quite small and cozy. Though, it only develops a Homely feel when Shou starts visiting. It becomes more personalized after that, I guess? Does that make sense.

She seems like the type to have a collection of trinkets that are One specific animal. She's got like 50 little porcelain bears sitting on a shelf somewhere or something.

she has one of those ugly little dogs with the crusty eyes. And she saw him at the shelter and he was so old and sad that she almost cried, so she had to take him home.

She is big on manners. Constantly scolding Shou for his lack of them when he moves in with her finally

also she's got the same bluntness and genuineness that Tsubomi has, I think. Actually she has a lot in common with Tsubomi. They are shaking hands. Committed to the people they care about but don't sacrifice their true selves for anything. Etc.

LET HER HAVE A LITTLE GARDEN!!!!!!! She'd love it. She'd talk to her plants to help them grow.

I want to give her a name but I haven't been able to settle on one. Very sad. Hopefully soon?

this feels like me saying a whole lot of nothing. I guess I couldn't get too deep into things because at that point it would feel like I'm inventing a totally different character (because she does not exist in the narrative outside of Narrative Device). Maybe she needs it though. but I fear i cannot do Mob Psycho like ONE can....

[meiyudo]

Enigma// ch 24 pt 2

anakin x reader

A/N: HELLO MY LOVES!! i am so so sooo sorry for my long ass break- school has been insane; im taking 19 credit hours and have three labs on dif days 😭/ last week my grandpa died and then my car broke down… so it’s been a time. anyways!! im back now for the time being!! i hope you all have been doing well and are excited for the stories to progress!! thank you all for the support and for being so patient w me :)) i love u all

Unexpected guests, a tedious day… how will anakin react?

warnings: cursing, ani is a disabled veteran, ptsd

_____________________________

There was a knock on the door and Anakin begrudgingly hoisted himself up to go see who it was. 

He opened the door and was met with Ben, Satine, Ash, and their other friend Rex. 

“Surprise!” they said in unison.

You felt a wave of anxiety- you knew Anakin wasn’t fond of surprises (look how he reacted to your pregnancy!) But you also understood the gesture everyone wanted to make. 

“Happy Birthday Skyguy!” Ahsoka exclaimed once Anakin stepped aside to allow them inside. 

“It was Ahsoka’s idea by the way” Ben said to Anakin as he patted him on the shoulder.

“Look, you wouldn’t have let us celebrate if we asked- and if we planned something you wouldn’t come. So this was the only choice!” Ahsoka defended in a mock-sad voice. 

Anakin seemed perplexed- almost frustrated, so you were ready to be on damage control once he finally responded. 

“Thanks guys, I really appreciate it”

Huh?

“Not what I was expecting, but I'll take it!” Ash exclaimed. 

“Wow Anakin, that's some real character development” Rex joked as he placed the chocolate cake on the counter. 

“Yea” Anakin blushed. 

“y/n” Ben greeted, “how are you doing my dear? Is the baby doing well?”.

“Hey Ben! We’re both doing just fine, except that this little one has decided that around midnight is the best time to start kicking” you joked (it really was a pain though; you weren’t getting good sleep at all). 

“And is Skyguy tending to your needs kindly?” Ahsoka added with an arched brow. 

“Yes, Ani has been so sweet; making me weird combinations to satisfy my cravings” you laughed, rubbing his back. 

“Of course,” he said back, eyes full of sincerity. 

“Damn, y/n. He must really like you because he hates cooking. When we bunked together, I had to bribe him to make me a PB & J” Rex added with a boisterous laugh. 

“I never said I didn’t like to cook, maybe I just didn’t like to cook when it was for you” Anakin quipped back. 

“Look at you Sky guy! Being a good boyfriend and all '' Ahsoka joked. 

You and Anakin hadn’t really talked about what the relationship officially was since the fight; it just never really came up. But hearing him being referred to as your boyfriend again made your heart skip a beat. 

“Is this everyone?” you asked Ben as Ahsoka and Rex continued joking with anakin.

“Yes, we didn’t want to overwhelm him, plus the last time we did a surprise thing with a bunch of our friends, he wasn’t thrilled” Ben chuckled. 

You, Ben, and Satine stayed on the side line and observed the other’s banter. You couldn’t help the soft smile that found its way onto your face as you watched his eyes crinkled when he laughed. 

Satine noticed your adoring gaze and nudged Ben’s shoulder; she nodded her head towards you and the pair smiled. 

Ben gave his Fiance a look and she nodded. 

“You really do care for him, don't you?” 

Ben’s voice grabbed your attention from Anakin.

Of course you did, but you didn't want to sound childish and too forgiving to Satine and Ben. 

“Yea” you tilted your head to the side and sighed, “I do. I know he has his flaws but so do I”.

The pair listened intently, “I know some may see me as too forgiving, but I believe Anakin is a good man. A man deserving of love; love that I want to give him.”

“Maybe some of my optimism is the baby, but I wholeheartedly believe that we would still be as happy as how we were before, if I never got pregnant”. You explained, placing a gentle hand over your stomach. 

“Do you think that’s naive of me?” you asked worriedly.

Ben scratched his beard in contemplation and Satine shook her head. 

“I do not think you are naive for having hope in the person you love.” her smooth voice assured you. 

“I have known Anakin for many years and rarely have I witnessed him care for another as he does for you.” Ben added.

“Of course, he loved Padme at a time, but even when they were in the prime of their relationship, he never really actively bettered himself. They would get into little spats over repetitive things that Anakin promised he would fix, but his resolutions never really stuck.”

“Though…” Satine interjected, “I do see a change in his nature since you’ve been with him”. 

In that moment you locked eyes with Anakin across the room and he winked at you; no matter how long you’d been together, he never failed to make you blush. 

You turned back around and smiled to the couple, “Thank you, that really means the world”. 

________________________________

“Alright, everyone! We’re gonna light the candles!” Ahsoka shouted with a jovial tone. 

Everyone headed towards the kitchen and gathered around the counter; Anakin was already standing by the cake (which looked quite scrumptious), so you walked up beside him and gave him a small side hug. 

“Hey princess” he smiled as he leaned in to kiss your forehead.

Everyone was still chatting amongst themselves and Ahsoka was looking for the lighter she unfortunately misplaced, so no one noticed Anakin wrap around a gloved hand to lightly squeeze your ass. Your eyes widened and you pinched his side lightly, making him let out a small laugh. 

“Found it!” Ahsoka exclaimed, excitedly holding her beat up lighter. 

“You coulda, just asked me for mine, y’know?” Rex offered.

“Why didn’t you offer it when I was ripping my bag apart?” Ahsoka sighed, fakely annoyed.

Everyone laughed before Ahsoka opened the cake box and lit the lighter. 

“Alright, Skyguy! This is your moment, better wish for something good“.

“Don’t worry Snipps, I’ve got it ready” he joked, pointing to his head. 

“Alrighty” she said with a sing-songy voice before lighting the candles.

Rex started the “happy birthday” song and everyone joined in to celebrate the man in the middle. 

Anakin blushed ever so slightly before giving his cunning smirk and gently blowing out the candles in single blow. 

Everyone cheered and Ben handed him a knife to make the first slice. Anakin’s hand slowly gripped around the hilt of the knife before he brought it down into the soft top layer of icing. After the pieces were distributed, everyone found somewhere to sit and began conversing with whoever was close by.

Anakin sat in his normal spot on his sofa and you invited yourself to the seat beside him after he nodded you over. 

You sighed as you sat on the plush couch; the weight of the baby was really getting to you so it felt nice to be off of your feet for a moment. Anakin set his plate down onto the end table to his left, then promptly draped his stiff arm over your shoulders to draw you closer. 

“Hi” you smiled, looking into his beautiful blue eyes.

“Hi” he smiled back, leaning in to gently kiss you. 

The two of you sat quietly for a moment just observing the others.

“What did you wish for?” you eventually said.

Anakin sighed and began to speak, “Well, I-”

You gently (but quickly) placed your hand over his mouth, making him confused.

“wha-?”

“Shh, shh It was a test!” you giggled. “Don’t ya know that if you tell your wishes, they won’t come true” you smiled.

He rolled his blue eyes with a smile and playfully obliged, “alright, if you say so. But it better come true, now that you said that” he winked.

“I’m sure it will, the birthday wish is a sacred tradition” you joked as you batted your lashes at him. 

“Of course it is,” he playfully responded. 

___________________________________

The party continued until Rex realized he had to be at work in 5 hours; Anakin thanked everyone and they all left with wide smiles. THankfully there wasn’t much of a mess, so all you had to do was put the leftover cake in the fridge. 

Once everything was taken care of, you took a seat on the couch next to Anakin once again. You leaned into his chest and ran your fingers through his sandy locks. 

“I didn’t think you would be this thrilled by a surprise” you said after a few moments of silence.. 

He grabbed his soda and drank some before speaking, “Well with all that’s going on- who’s to say I’ll get another one of these?”.

His grim reminder made your stomach drop. The macabre threat of Anakin’s eventual death always hung over your head, but the joyous events and lifted spirits of the evening must have kicked it to the back burner for a moment. 

You bit your lip and leaned over to embrace him. 

The two of you sat there for a while until you felt droplets landing on your shoulder. You pulled away to see Anakin’s blue eyes filled with a sea of sorrow. 

“Oh, Ani…” you sighed, pulling him into your chest.

“I’m scared, y/n”.

You had nothing to say because you were just as scared; so instead you held him as tightly as you could. 

***

a/n: RAHH sorry again for being gone for so long 😭😭 but i hope this chapter still is as enticing as the others!!

taglist : @dnamht @sxoulohvn @angeelcoree @wtf-andys @httpeachesblog @katsukiswrld @jetiikote @poisonedsultana @imarimone12 @fallinlovewithevil @sythe-skywalker

[the-path-to-redemption]

You know after looking back on the show. I refuse to believe that WF just disbanded after Adam defeat because you know who would've finish Adam work and rebuild WF?

The WF lieutenant that was always by Adam side.

If you go back to Vol 2 episode 11. He says these words at the beginning of his fight with Weiss.

"Finally, I get to kill a Schnee..."

And what did we find out about the Schnee treatment with faunus? Oh yeah slave labor and imprisonment for mine for dust. That means he could've been a slave like Adam and why he trust him so much.

Even Rwby: Atmity Arena quotes this about the lieutenant.

"As Adam Taurus' right hand Faunus, this hulking masked figure is a capable fighter with strength, speed, and toughness beyond even his most bestial peers. He has been seen leading many of the biggest White Fang attacks in remnant with his massive chainsaw. Yet none, know what kind of Faunus he is."

You can't tell he would've rebuild WF and become leader to finish Adam work. I would've love him to see him confront Weiss and this time showing her what her family has done to Faunus. Maybe even call out Blake for keeping it a secret about what her friends father has done to Faunus and how she never tole anyone about Adam mistreatment.

Long Post Ahead

Goddamn, I miss Banesaw so much.

He's such a cool looking design, and honestly, yeah I wholeheartedly agree with you on him being the next leader after Adam. Or just him continuing to exist within the Faunus narrative after Adam's death, because he's always been shown to be dutiful in his loyalty to Adam/the WF. Hell, he was the one who proposed to go after Blake after she deserted, and they had that confrontation on the train car during "No Brakes". Banesaw knew Blake, maybe her parents too, and it's a shame that he just disappear after Beacon when he's also a vessel for the nuances in the Faunus story line.

That Amity Arena card is just *chef's kiss*. Look at the supplementary continuing to add onto the show instead of said show doing it themselves and forcing fans to participate in as many products as possible. Not predatory and lazy at all /s.

And yes, Bane's card info was a great look into who he is as a character. His Faunus type being a mystery is also a great chance to look into Remnant as a whole, because it opens so many doors to the previously mentioned nuances. Does the mystery around his trait a result of oppression because his oppressor doesn't care about him at all to even distinct him from the other Faunus, and to them the only thing that matters from Bane was his physical feats? Or does Bane hide his trait to lessen day-to-day racial aggression and it's an unfortunate habit that he had to develop to survive? I love Bane so much, you have no idea.

Him and Weiss is on the same vein as Adam and Weiss; the SDC takes from Faunus until there's nothing left to take, and Weiss wanted to take over the legacy (at least during Beacon Era) without even glancing at their plights because of her own prejudice that she has to work through herself. These are two exploited minorities in front of her, and they could have went somewhere with it in V7 had Bane stuck around. Though I doubt it, with the mess that is Atlas as a whole.

As for Banesaw and Blake, I can see why he wouldn't call her out for not telling Weiss about Adam's brand. That information is not within Blake's rights to tell, because it's Adam's. Adam's trauma should've been his, and that's cool with me. However, Banesaw should have called Blake out for running, for being compliant while their people are continued to be discriminated against, for not fighting and would rather burn down her fucking house to goad a bunch of Faunus to fight for a kingdom that doens't like them when they just wanted to be left alone. Banesaw should have been given the chance to call Blake out for the coward she is, even though she's seen first hand what her friend's family can do to people like them and did nothing.

[remylebeaugambit]

So, I decided to wait a little to think this show over. As a Gambit fan I’m still pretty much bitter about it all. However, as an X-Men fan, I can say I understand why people love the show. But I also believe there’s an exaggerated amount of praise due to the fact that we’ve been starving for good X-Men content. 

I was going to write a much angrier version of this text (I actually outlined an angry rant but there were too many fuck yous), however I’m trying to be reasonable here. The animation is mostly impeccable (don’t like the way the women are drawn, but that’s a minor complaint), it’s colorful and vivid and fluid. The action scenes are mostly awesome too. So, yeah, there’s a lot of good in it. Having said that, there’s tons of problems as well and the great majority of fans are willingly blind to them because of, you know, the good and the lack of content for years. 

I want to be bluntly honest and say I’m glad that the showrunner had been fired. I wholeheartedly don’t believe he is deserving of all the praise he’s been getting because my biggest issues with this show come from the writing. It’s amazing and exciting to see scenes from the comics being brought to life in beautiful animation? Yes, definitely. But it’s not enough when the writing is rushed and lacking.

First, I thought I was biased because I hated what they were doing to Gambit, but now I really, truly don’t think this show that amazing. The first half of the season was mostly decent, there were things I didn’t like but that wasn’t enough to called it bad. Episode 5 was when the show peaked (although to be fair Gambit wasn’t in it much, it was the way he went down that made it memorable) but after that it just went downhill.   

All the plot holes, the playing favorites, the inconsistencies, the rushing through storylines, the terrible pacing, the loose ends, the weak motivations, the terrible character development, the retcon to characters’ relationships (so Ororo and Jean are sisters now? Ororo was way closer to Rogue in the original cartoon, but, you know, Rogue had to be isolated for her disgusting retcon and inconsistencies of character and decisions to work out. Newsflash asshole: they didn’t. Rogue was character assassinated. And though I love her in the original show, I wouldn’t be this angry if it hadn’t directly affected Gambit the way it did), and, of course, all the foreshadowing of Gambit becoming Death left to be (hopefully) resolved in the second season. That means there was no payoff. I repeat: the show was mostly curveballs and no real payoff. With a cast that big, you don’t expect all the characters to have satisfying character arcs but in this case if you aren’t a Jean, Scott or Magneto fans you’re left hanging. 

Storm, who has been friends with Gambit, simply didn’t even mention his death. The excuse was that ended up on the cutting room floor, but don’t be fooled, there was enough time for Ororo to smile and hug Jean and later tell her platitudes (what a boring, cheesy speech!). There was also plenty of time for all those insufferable Magneto moments. “You killed more people than the Nazis? Awwww that’s fine, cause you’re family.” 😉 None of it was cut, right? That leads me to my biggest gripe with his show: fucking Magneto. I hate that took so much space and was unironically written as an old man who groomed a teenage girl (they can lie all they want and say she was an adult. She WASN’T. She was a teenager with serious emotional issues), manipulated her, gaslighted her, isolated her and told her pretty things to bang her. I guess that’s what’s called romance nowadays. I mean, the show runner didn’t even try to hide his fetiches for the old creep. All those plot contrivances and conveniences to accommodate someone’s wet dream. 

Ok, so, I don’t want to go ad hominem on the show runner here, but to be fair, he’s been dishonest with us fans this whole time, he’s lied straight-faced, said a lot of stuff that hasn’t panned out, given dubious answers, manipulative and evasive comments, asked for our trust, even though he’d been lying and giving us false hope (trust is earned, dude; I stopped trusting him after the first lie, if ever), and there are people, Gambit fans, still being hopeful and taking his words at face value. Fucking seriously? THAT dress was just another spit in our collective faces. Wake up!), also he’s self-indulgent, and pathetic in his comments about being the master of magnetism (ok, I lied. So what?).        

All in all, I don’t think that show is as good as so many people are making it out to be and I’m way too happy about the firing of the show runner. To him, I say, thank you for tainting the legacy of something dear and pure from my childhood. Good riddance, please, don’t ever come back, sink into oblivion and go fuck yourself (ok, I needed at least one fuck you, he’s had it coming). 

Ps. Romy fans, mark my words, the old creep will be making passes at Rogue and since she has no personality in this, we can expect the worse, like little Charles next season or anything else that is just as irreversible. I’m mean, an old man fucking a teenager is already irreversible to me. But that’s me. 

[shewolf-sinclair]

OKAY this post is gonna be long, bear with me.

Wednesday s2 is in production. here are my thoughts + what we know so far. -> anything in bold is my personal opinions and annectdotes. regular text is confirmed information. I will color code this by character and list in order of appearance in post. (percy hynes white/xavier addressed in italics. it is its own thing kinda)

Tyler

Bianca

Xavier

Yoko

Addams Family

Ajax - also listed eugene and pugsley (related information)

New Sheriff - Enid - Divina&Kent - Barry Dort - Dr. Fairburn (i am running out of colors so they don’t get one/each only has one mention/not much information.)

Capri

——————————————————————————-

New headmaster - who???

Stalker arc - so excited, is it someone old or new? (see yoko)

New mayor? -> What’s the deal with lucas? I hope to see him return as he became really interesting towards the end, in his interactions with Bianca and suggested past with tyler. His actor is not listed on any casting announcements, he (iman) is however interacting with the announcements on social media.

New Sheriff! Donovan Galpin’s actor is only listed as gueststarring, yet the deputy from last season is listed as recurring and in the cast picture with all the regulars for the season. This suggests donovan is stepping down or something and we will have a new sheriff for Wednesday to butt heads with during her investigation. however donovan isn’t entirely gone, suggesting he still has some part to play in story progression — likely involved with Tylers S2 story.

TYLER!! if you follow my blog for a while you’ll know I’m the tyler apologist ever. I wholeheartedly believe he was innocent (yes he did the crimes but like. mind control. i’ll link the thread here and bottom of post) personally I’m hoping we get a redemption arc. We know that hunter doohan is a season regular and major player based on his spot on the cast list. He broke out last season.. but how/why? I’m excited to see more of tyler. i love him sm you guys. -> thornhill is not coming back, as christina ricci is not listed and is seemingly univolved. the general consensus is thornhill died in her last few minutes of screentime though nothing on that was ever confirmed. I am looking foward to confirmation and what that means for Tyler, not having a master to force him to kill and all (again, ties into my previous point and I have evidence for why this in particular is important) (see bottom of this post)

Moving on: Bianca. Joy Sunday is listed as a series regular and a major player. After last seasons ending, I am excited to (hopefully) see the continuation of her growth and development away from being a bully and also hear more of her backstory with her mom and ‘morning song’.

That being said, nightshades. Percy Hynes White is confirmed to be not returning, neither percy nor netflix has made a statement, and we are unsure if this decision was percy’s or netfix’s. We do not know if Xavier is to be written out or was recast. -> Naomi (yoko) is also not returning. Naomi made a statement on instagram as to why. However, she was in last season’s promotional materials which suggests she was intended to be important. there were many theories she was the stalker. Here’s to hoping for a S3 return!-> the dias-watson twins (divina and kent) are not listed on any casting announcements nor have the twins posted anything regarding the production announcements. However, nothing has been confirmed regarding their return and no statements have been made. -> we don’t know what this means for the nightshades but I hope to see more of them this season, including inducting enid. maybe pugsley and eugene, who are both set to be series regulars - as is ajax. Personally ajax is one of my favorite characters and I am excited for him to play a bigger part in the story. enjax truthers unite!

Addams family members are also set to return. Morticia and Gomez are now considered series regulars according to the production announcements. Additionally, we will be seeing Grandmamma and Fester (Fred Armisen) as guest starring characters. The 90’s actor of fester is also confirmed to be making an appearance, though no character name has been announced.

STEVE BUSCEMI?! WHAT IS HE DOING HERE HELLO??? (I love him guys he’s so silly) -> Several other new cast members has been announced. Steve Buscemi is confirmed to be playing someone named Barry Dort, we have no further information on the character. Thandiwe Newton is confirmed to be playing someone named Dr. Fairburn, we have no other information on the character. Based on the gueststar status and Dr. in the name, there are many theories that they will be the new therapist, but nothing is confirmed. We also have Billie Piper as Capri. no further official information. I am so excited to meet this capri!! All I can say is that I doubt they will be the new headmaster because what headmaster has only a first name?? However, they also likely won’t be a new student because it’s Billie Piper, who is the same age as the other adult characters’ actors in the show whereas the students’ actors are in their 20’s/early 30’s. I think there’s a good chance they’re a siren as Capri is an tropical island. (please be morning song pleaseeee I’m desperate) -> three members of our new cast have no character names (Evie Templeton, Noah B. Taylor, Owen Painter) There are RUMORS (nothing confirmed) That Taylor or Painter may be Xavier recasts. -> All of these new cast members (besides Newton who is a gueststar I think probably a new therapist to replace kinbott) are listed as reoccurring, with Steve Buscemi listed directly under Jenna Ortega and above Emma Myers on the cast list, suggesting he has a major role. Earlier this year there were rumors or Buscemi’s casting, with people suggesting he may play the new headmaster. THIS IS JUST A RUMOR at this time. There was speculation that Weems (Gwendoline Christie) may still be alive, but with Christie being seemingly uninvolved it is likely to be false speculation. There are more new cast members plying unnamed characters, listed as gueststars.

AND YES, THING IS RETURNING!!!

They will not be filming in Romania again. The majority of the show was not done on soundstage. and was filmed in and around real buildings in romania. This means they have to duplicate everything as a soundstage, possibly limiting some filming capabilities. They are, instead, filming in Ireland.

Lastly, we have the title for Episode 1: Here we woe again.

This is all for now!! Please let me know if you have more CONFIRMED information (i will add it to this post and tag you!) or have questions on anything mentioned. I will be sharing more as things come out.

My sources include: Season 1 references, Netflix’s official instagram, The cast’s official instagrams, and these articles.

if you want my comments on tyler: (be prepared it is literally a thought dump and not organized and composed like this post. i may properly write it out at a later date idk yet)

[fujoshiwarrior]

limbus company 1 am (edit: now 2 am) ramblings (massive spoilers abound for canto v)

these are just some quick sleep deprived thoughts, and my analysis could be better, but i feel like talking about it anyway

i saw a post in the main tag talking about why the op really disliked canto v, and i don't wanna get into an argument and i don't want to vague the op in a way that makes it seem like im attacking them because im not, i just wanna talk about why i disagree with them

i don't think canto v was perfect or the best canto but i thought it was absolutely incredible (yes i did cry during the final boss fight), and i agree that starbuck and queequeg deserved way more screentime and development than they got (i also think the adaptation of queequeg from moby dick to limbus was woefully clumsy, which might have have been remedied by more time with her, though i still love limbus!queequeg)

however, i wholeheartedly disagree on ahab as a villain. i thought she was amazing. even if she doesn't really have any shades of gray to her, i think the point is that a lot of horrible, evil, selfish people genuinely believe what they are doing and their behavior is right and justified. furthermore, she was completely and utterly steeped in delusion and obsession to the detriment of herself and every single person remotely in proximity to her.

i need to say first that i've never read moby dick unfortunately, so i can't comment too much on limbus!ahab vs book!ahab. what i do know is that just like in limbus, ahab's obsession leads to the demise of every single crew member with ishmael as the sole survivor. since i haven't read moby dick, i had to consult sparknotes for a profile of book!ahab, and it describes him as much of a victim as he is an aggressor---however, i'll touch on that in a bit.

what i want to bring attention to is that both book and limbus ahab are characterized by sheer hubris, pride, and a god/savior complex. i want to bring attention to another classical literature character who is characterized by hubris and who also spends the entire novel on a ship: victor frankenstein.

this comparison might seem like it's coming from left field, but i promise i have a point. also, while i don't think limbus!ahab was overtly inspired by victor frankenstein, considering how obsessed pm is with literature i think there is a very low chance that kjh or at least one of the writers haven't read frankenstein. see also the parallels between angela and the monster/ayin and frankenstein in lobotomy corporation and library of ruina (especially library of ruina, where there is a direct connection between angela and lucifer related imagery, who the monster is also associated with). frankenstein ends with victor, after telling his, encouraging the sailors not to give up on trying to find a new passage channel in spite of the fact they will probably die doing so---victor has not learned his lesson, and now he's luring a group of sailors to their deaths.

ahab is so full of herself and so egocentric that even when she was facing the death of her very "self" (or...ego) she did not falter in her delusions, not even at the very, very end, and was happy to continue the cycle. the point i'm trying to make here is that a character being unambiguously bad and selfish doesn't necessarily make for a bad or uncomplicated character. i will concede though that op again has a point with the lack of screentime with ahab means that she didn't have the time to prove her complexities.

this brings me to canto v's ending. in the post credits scene, we saw the ahab somehow survived the collapse of the white whale (this is just speculation, but i think it has something to do with her ego awakening---judging off the cg art, i would guess the ego fused with the pallidification from the whale or nullified it entirely...or both maybe). i was initially disappointed by this.

however, we know very little about hermann's crew. as op touched on, and as i have touched on, ahab had little screentime and not a lot of character development. her now being a member of hermann's crew gives ample opportunity for further development of her character---i think we'll see why exactly she became so obsessed with the whale and why she is the way she is (the aspect of ahab as a victim, i imagine there's a deeply personal reason why the decided the whale was the source of all evil)

this leads to me another point op mentioned: ishmael sparing ahab.

op talks about this as a bad thing. i STRONGLY disagree.

the name of the game here is obsession. ishmael's new ego for this season is even named "blind obsession". from the 4.5 event, we saw that this obsession has been tearing her apart. several people theorized after that event, and during this canto, that she was for sure going to distort. the fact that she had a distortion effect behind her battle sprite made lots of people (including me) extremely confident that she would distort and be the boss of this chapter (outis said in part 1 that lcb doesn't need all 12 sinners to operate and you only use half in battle anyway).

if ishmael had killed ahab, she would have given into her obsession and may have *actually* distorted if she did. and she would have proven ahab completely and utterly right.

ishmael stealing away the opportunity to be the one to kill the pallid whale from ahab and leaving her to rot inside the collapsing whale with that knowledge is the best possible punishment ahab could have gotten.

that's why i didn't like the fact that ahab had survived, it felt like it defeated the point of ishmael's development and the canto itself. i changed my mind because the point of ishmael's character development was letting go of her obsession and being free from ahab, and ahab doesn't need to be dead for her to do that. and her involvement with hermann's group means an opportunity for a bigger and better comeuppance since she's probably going to have a new obsession soon enough.

[moonspirit]

Hello! I'm super late to the aot and aruani train (having just binged the entire show start to finish like 2 months ago over 4 days lmao) but I just gotta say that I really enjoyed your Fort Salta series! Annie and Armin were legit my favourites already during my first watch of the anime, and it really saddened me to know that it seems alot of people online really hate Annie? Like (no hate on any other characters) but Annie is legit best girl how tf can people hate on her ;-; Anyways, I've been ecstatic since I've found your fics and blog along with many others (shoutout to distortedclouds and flailingkittylover too!!) bc it felt like I finally found my people - good to know I'm not the only one brain-rotting from this show and especially over these two xD I've been dying to talk to someone about this recent discovery of mine since I've started reading the manga though...did you know that Armin has been taller than Annie since even before she was crystalized?? In the anime he's like the shortest person pre-timeskip beside Historia, but turns out it's not the case in the manga! In volume 8 when Armin confronts Annie in Stohess, he's clearly drawn to be slightly taller than her in the scene - I thought it was just a perspective error, but it's drawn that way over multiple pages so it's definitely intended! Makes the whole height/size difference thing even more adorable omg ;-;

Ahhh hello there! First off: Welcome, welcome to the Aot fandom, and the AruAni fandom in particular! No time is too late, we're all happy to have one new aruani fan join in haha xD

I agree that while it's very sad seeing the Annie haters, it's best to ignore them. They may have their reasons or not (tho tbh, those of us in the Annie/AruAni fandom would say they just have a very poor or nil understanding of her character). Annie's an extremely well written character honestly; @distortedclouds and I once had this conversation where she was talking about how Isayama managed to give Annie flawless character development in spite of portraying her as the non-typical badass female (in that she doesn't have huge, heroic ambitions and etc) - and I agreed wholeheartedly. Annie's very strong and lethal, but in her vulnerability and desire to be loved and wanted, I think we can all see a bit of ourselves.

Wait I digressed xD My point: Annie's best girl, and we stay away from the haters and stick to worshipping her. Strengthening the Temple of Annie Leonhardt must be our ultimate goal.

I would go on a rant about Armin too being the best, bestest, bestestest boy, and of our other goal of strengthening the Temple of Armin Arlert, but that is for another post, maybe xD

Regarding the height difference! I believe it's an established fact that Armin has always been taller than Annie, right from the beginning. If I remember right, the official Character Guidebook (2014) which was based on the first 11 volumes of the manga, listed Armin as 163cms while Annie was 153. While he's one of the shortest among the boys in general (and post-timeskip he's taller than Levi), he's been at least a whole head taller than Annie ever since they joined the military. Post timeskip, he's 169cms while Annie remains apparently unchanged, so the gap is larger, and likely to grow an inch or two more (since he's only 19). Anyway, yes it's fucking cute, and don't get me started on the size difference 🫠🫠🫠

Once again, welcome to the aruani fandom here, there's lots of lovely people with great blogs writing fics, making art, brainrotting 24/7 and posting about AruAni all the time, and we're very happy to have you be a part of it, here!

And thank you so much for reading the Fort Salta series T/////T I'm very grateful.

[buddiewho]

I'm convinced people don't want characters to grow. Everyone says "Characters should grow and be better people." But then hate when a character does that exact thing. Yeah, Tommy started off as a not so good person. "He was racist and homophobic." Sure yeah, maybe. He didn't stick up for chim or hen openly, and was rude to both of them. But he clearly grew as a person, in large part because of them. Just because we didn't see it devlope on screen doesn't mean it didn't happen. But we saw where that growth was getting him in Hen begins and Bobby Begins Again. Hen and Chim would not be friends with him if he did become a better person. I swear media literacy is dead.

Yes, I agree. The way I see it if it wasn’t shown then you fill in the gaps. I once took a Film as Literature course and that taught me seeing the story of the film. It’s just told differently either in movie or television format. Sometimes, not everything is shown or written and so as the viewer/reader you can make assumptions. The assumption that Tommy never changed is odd to me, because I often think of Tim and other writers in their space. Would they sit there and be like, “yeah I’m going to bring back this character but he’s still going to be racist, sexist and homophobic but also gay…” I don’t know it just seems odd to think that from writers standpoint they wouldn’t fill in the gaps and say he’s changed but we will only see that by a few words of Tommy’s and interactions with the ensemble characters.

The gaps being that Hen and Chim haven’t voiced anything against Tommy. Bobby isn’t against Tommy. Which also reminds me of my Shakespeare acting course. In that class, we were often told to understand what other characters are saying about the character you’re portraying so it helps develop the character and it might also be a crucial part of the story. Since, Tommy isn’t being reviled by the ensemble cast; actually being quite welcomed, then I believe wholeheartedly that Tommy has changed.

Sure, is Tommy still a bit crass, sarcastic and a bit of brute yeah maybe. Also, the line “enjoy it while it lasts,” come on folks! It’s simple. Tommy is a character who does not think good things last which also means he is probably still treading waters with Buck. Are they maybe treading into kink territory? Who cares. And also when Tommy points out the jealousy that’s pretty simple too because I get it. I’d be jealous of everyone in the 118 having that found family and having each other’s backs. Having that kind of loyalty is one in a million so yeah enjoy it while it lasts.

Because unbeknownst to Tommy the 118 is meeting storm Gerard again so…

I digress. Know that I agree with you because Tommy has changed and that’s that. Would direct apologies go a long way? Sure, but why can’t I believe he has done that long ago with Hen and Chim?

Well, I can and will.

[nowherequiet]

On Regret: Echo Chambers and the Importance of Values in Gaining Ownership Over Ourselves

I recently have been thinking that I don't have many substantial regrets regarding my past, and that's because I believe regret, along with guilt, are the consequences of actions which are in disagreement with our values. To put it simply, we have higher chances of regretting something we've done impulsively or when our judgement was clouded, rather than something which was analysed thoroughly.

Regret cannot be avoided, and it shouldn't be, as it has its role in our social development and a healthy amount of regret could set us back on the right track sometimes. However, I believe there are ways of minimising it by staying true to our values, with all the actions it involves like being in touch with ourselves, setting boundaries, taking time to reflect, and acting in a way that accurately represents how we are within.

I believe our nature is to be good, as good as an animalic nature can be. (Here I make an exception to the obvious rarer cases in which extreme circumstances or neurological imbalances drive others to commit heinous crimes and have a severe lack of empathy. The essay is aimed towards the largest demographic, the average person). Yes, it is easier to harm than do good, and yes, we are inclined towards selfishness and cynicism, but I'm certain that comes from a hyper fixation on the things exterior to ourselves. In short, in my opinion (and John Stuart Mill's), people can be better individuals and be content with each other if first and foremost, they are at peace with who they are.

We don't need to fix the society, we need to fix the individual, but we can only fix him if he wants to. No help can be given forcefully.

Whenever people notice deviant, harmful behaviours, they all start yelling "Let's do better! Let's be more united! We need more love!" in unison. Or, they wish them the worst. Neither of these approaches help in any way, and if anything, only reveals the character of the one who points the finger. To those people, I don't wish happiness, love nor to find God. Instead, I wish they can get to the essence of who they are, live according to their values, and be able to say wholeheartedly one day that they are glad they did so, as it's a state just as rewarding as it is difficult to get to.

We're constantly being bombarded with all sorts of information, to the point that it feels as if we don't have any discernment over our actions, and that our minds are everything but our own. I believe that this might be a hugely overlooked reason why more and more people seem to have identities fluid to the point of disassociation, being easily propagandised and radicalised against one another, turning towards all sorts of distractions to stop themselves from introspection, and being overall extremely dissatisfied with their lives (whether they like to admit it to themselves or not).

Without beating too much around the bush, it is obvious that technology evolved way quicker than humans could realistically properly adapt to. Here, by adaptation I don't mean being able to learn a new gadget with ease, but the deeper implications of what having to give in to endless new devices and media implies. Socially, mentally, and most importantly, spiritually, humans weren't ready for such a rapid technological development. And this is precisely why, despite living in the so-called most convenient times, the omnipresent frustration which can be felt every time you go on the internet is evident.

A behaviour I noticed among my close ones' social media usage, and which I'm sure represents a common practice, is that whenever a new post catches one's attention, before even finishing to read or listen to the entire video, the person opens the comment section. This pattern is so wide-spread, that many videos which have even the slightest shock effect to them, one of the top comments will always be somewhere among the lines of "I ran straight to the comments when I saw-".

"Humans are social animals, of course it is instinctual to constantly seek a sense of community and be concerned with what others will think" you'll say, and that is something I won't argue against. But now the current context makes me involuntarily draw a parallel in my head whether this extreme of a concern for others' opinions has always been part of our society, or is something that we are yet to become aware of as is a phenomenon still so fresh. Naturally, is easier to analyse the past: it gives us a bunch of information which we can put together like a puzzle should we wish to dedicate some of our time to it. While in the middle of an event, the judgement is clouded by all the information we're fed. It's difficult to accurately judge how big a crowd is until you're out of it and you see it from a distance.

'How do you even get out?', you might ask. And to that I will answer 'One step at a time'. 'And how do you know when to get out?'. 'When you start feeling suffocated.'

However, through the refusal to engage in this mass-psychosis, it is essentially impossible to live in today's society. And as much as I do recommend occasional periods of minimal contact with others, I am aware it's increasingly more difficult to have the privilege to do so, and that it is also certainly not for everyone; just as it can be beneficial, if approached incorrectly, it can also cause more harm than good. So the key approach towards engaging with today's media and overall culture, all while keeping a sense of autonomy over ourselves, is moderation, self-awareness, combined with the so-needed grain of skepticism.

With the constant exposure to information, and the implicit impossibility of avoiding it altogether, it naturally becomes extremely difficult to accurately categorise everything that's thrown at us. 'Thankfully', the internet gets to decide to categorise everything for us, including what kind of person we are and what is suitable for us through the ever-present algorithm. As with any kind of categorisation, while it seemingly benefits the one who makes the assumption and gives them clues on how to best approach another, it comes at the disadvantage of the one who is put in a box. Why? Because it makes it increasingly difficult for the 'victim' to be seen as anything more than X or Y and further isolates the individual into a space 'suitable for others like him'.

So while a person can now much easier find communities of other people exactly like them thanks to the algorithm, it also limits their expansion anywhere further beyond that space. If a social platform picked on the fact that you like cooking videos, gaming, and cats, that's all you will ever see on your page unless you decide to look for something else. From a highly-complex individual perspective, the way the algorithm works will never seem advantageous, human beings are more than a 2D image on a screen, can (and absolutely should) have more than the maximum of 5 interests, and the internet is not designed in any way that does human individual complexity and overall social development any justice. If anything, through excessive internet usage, people are developing in a strangely-linear, inhuman way.

In relation to this, I can't seem to avoid mentioning an idea I came to recently. The internet, through the way it's designed, feeds into a false sense of identity and community which is exclusively valid within its parameters, and automatically cancels out when returning to the real world. Through engagement with digital echo chambers*, the individual gains a feeling of an utopian community that is fundamentally null when not in a virtual space.

After repeatedly gaining sense of comfort through the overestimation of the prevalence of people similar to them, when the daily real life seems to be otherwise, the frustration one feels is much more intense than if they weren't to experience any sense of community to begin with. A notable disadvantage of habit.

*The term of digital echo chambers was coined and popularised by Korean-born German philosopher Byung Chul Han, whose philosophy thoroughly analyses the implications of the prevalent Internet culture over our social and emotional development. Another related philosophical concept worth looking into is the one of the digital panopticon, which in large terms addresses the influence online surveillance has over our wellbeing. But I might approach those specific ideas in more detail in a future essay.

When belonging into any sort of community, online or offline, you naturally get 'plagued' with ideas, ideals, and images of how the typical person from the group should be like which the members more or less consciously adopt. The absolutely necessary parallel to draw and carefully observe in this particular situation and which connects to the entire concept of values as a way of minimising regret, is the following:

A person unsure in themselves will see the community as an advantage, with an extreme appeal; after all, it gives them the opportunity to 'explore' who they are. A person who already knows what they stand for and what they believe in will see the community as disadvantageous, and will be substantially more hesitant to engage in group activities.

It is important to note that here I'm not advising being close-minded and firmly rejecting everything that stands in opposition to what you think ('I will not be dancing with you at your birthday party because I am not a dancer'). Staying open-minded is very much in the centre of the grey area of self-discovery, while communities of any sort tend to step out of the grey area.

'But you can learn so much from within a community!'. Yes, you can, but can learning from one side of the coin only be considered valid knowledge? And are you doing it because you want to learn something, or because you lack a sense of self and are seeking to be attributed a definition from outside? Certainly, most people are in the second category, but very few, if any at all, would have the courage to admit it.

Most times, knowing alone doesn't seem to be enough when part of a group, as many of them have systems similar to a loyalty card when it comes to how dedicated one is to the cause they're promoting, and how 'good' of a member they are. The first example I can think of is the notorious Christian missionaries, as I believe everyone has interacted with them at least once and probably even viewed them poorly for being so 'brain-washed' at times. Of course, it is much easier to notice certain behaviours in others, and especially when they show up as religious extremism, but instead of pointing fingers, we should take it as an opportunity to self-reflect.

'Oh, but I'm not extremist like they are and I'm not trying to convert anyone!'. I'm not suggesting self-reflection for this reason alone. Obviously, no two cases will be the same, and just because you might be an atheist doesn't mean the advice doesn't apply to you. Think of how many times you acted extreme in discussions with others, of any nature, but particularly in the ones concerning debating of some kind. In my opinion, if you find it impossible to stay composed during a debate and not turn aggressive or persuasive, you shouldn't engage in debates. Not being able to have an objective conversation, and repeatedly implying the another is of lower intelligence unless they share your point of view is substantially more disrespectful and shameful than simply refusing to discuss to begin with.

That is something I'm still working on myself. For this reason, I'm extremely selective with who I choose to engage with in conversations of sensitive matter. The ones who use the internet and television as their main information source are automatically ineligible for the reasons previously mentioned. It takes two people to tango, and it is up to each of us to learn how to dance before we step on a stage.

'But only through conversation we can get to the essence of things!'. Yes and no, and that depends exclusively on the type of person you choose to discuss with. Anybody who thinks radically will not respect your opinion, and a debate should be had only in the case you fancy arguing and winning yourself an enemy for free. It is also important to consider the person's education, and here I don't mean formal education (diplomas and certificates aren't proof of intelligence, but that's an essay for another time), but how wide their general knowledge is. The wider the knowledge, the higher the chances they will be able to see your perspective as well even when at opposite poles.

Just as it is important to choose our information sources carefully, it is equally important to know who we can have certain conversations with, and who to be more careful around.

When discussing politics for example, knowledge in politics alone doesn't instantly make one apt enough to be having political debates with others. In order to properly analyse an event in its entirety, knowledge of economics, history, sociology, and even cultural psychology is needed. So a bit of self-awareness regarding the size of our boat is necessary before we decide to embark on a difficult journey. Having someone else make you feel foolish is a shameful ego hit. Admitting to yourself that you are a bit of a fool, recognising when a situation is out of your expertise, and choosing to not embark on the boat until you feel better prepared is a much wiser decision.

Especially if you hold unconventional beliefs and you wish to live harmoniously with lots of people, I advise not sharing them freely with everyone not because they don't deserve to be heard, but because once they are out in the world, people use them to judge your value based on them. People promote freedom of speech, but realistically, they don't want to surround themselves with people who contradict and question their worldview. While someone might not instantly turn against you after you voiced your opinion, you can still notice a slight expression of disappointment and disgust. That is, because it's easier to moralise others, and a lot of people would much rather close their ears off and point fingers than attempt to understand; the latter requiring a level of understanding that a majority hasn't reached within themselves.

How could you pour into another's cup when your jug is empty?

So you have to choose between lying and betraying yourself for the sake of social harmony, and leaving the constraints behind to live the difficult, yet increasingly rewarding individualism. Friends and family aim to teach us how to be better with others. Time spent alone teaches you how to be better by yourself.

Turn your attention within and keep digging. You will find your heart beating, and underneath it lies your truth.

So, if you want to learn something new, and objectively be able to analyse for yourself what is closest to the truth, is best to keep searching independently and quiet down your mind from others' screams. When alone, you are absolutely free to make mistakes, correct and come back to a different result over and over again. You are your own judge. And what better way to exercise your judgement and power other than when you have complete freedom over both action and consequence? You can either rise or bury yourself; it's entirely your responsibility to keep yourself balanced.

Most importantly, it makes you value time, and not take others' presence for granted whenever you do choose to pursue relationships with others. As you grow to see the time spent alone highly, you become increasingly aware of how you get to spend it, and most importantly, on who.

In the age of technology, attention is the most valuable thing we could offer as consumers. Attention, just as time, is something that many give to others freely without thinking much about it. As it isn't a physical good which we can feel with our hands and see with our eyes, we don't seem to be as attached to it as we would be with our valuables. Paradoxically, the things which we don't keep track of, seem to slip through our fingers the fastest, and we wake up one day to realise we threw years, decades of our lives in the fountain. If there is something we should, and it is absolutely justified to be selfish with, that is our time.

No matter what you do, there'll always be regrets. But no regret is worse than realising you lived a life that's not yours; a life full of rules that weren't your own, opinions you didn't come to yourself, experiences you never got to experience first-hand. A life without a clear beginning, with an ambiguous open conclusion.

22:50, Sun 10.11.24

[roobylavender]

i read your post about a potential harvey murdersueicide and while that is a fantastically tragic idea i cant help but notice you always believe bruce should meet his demise early😭 as in, he doesnt get to experience true old age.

its not actually that i disagree or even not understand where youre coming from. i feel like, since dc insists batman has to exist and has to be a big player, the main character, gotham can never truly improve. because stories need to be told with him. theyre stuck, the city is stuck, and thus bruce is stuck, he only continues because he feels he is needed. in order for him to retire i think hed have to look at the progress hed made and go, yes ive done enough, but that will never happen because books need to be sold.

i think there could be potential for him to reach this conclusion and retire in a more limited series like a show or movie series, but do you think hell ever get to a point where he feels comfortable naturally retiring, and if so what would you think needs to happen?

i should probably clarify the reason i'm so invested in the idea of bruce dying early is bc denny o'neil said that by his early 40s bruce would either be married to talia or be dead and since he vehemently opposed the former i imagine had his editorial stint continued that he would have led us to a conclusion of the latter. so in my case it's less about a supposed impossibility for him to ever escape the life he leads as batman and more me being morbidly intrigued by this ultimatum denny set for the character. i'm not sure what his intended end for bruce might have looked like but ig in my imagination i either love the potential drama of the bruharvey murder sewercide or the sheer inconsequential nature of bruce dying while saving a life. not anything too grand or complex but simply being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and dying as anyone would, while doing something he wholeheartedly believed in. like a car crash. the dark knight rises for all of its faults has a few plot decisions i dearly love, bruce's retirement and passing on of the mantle being one of them, but i think that's a development that, complementary to what you said, works more in a medium where things have to end. the trilogy was finite so it made sense for bruce to move on. comics however are never-ending. and even beyond that ig i don't think bruce would be the type to retire even if he did sort out a lot of his emotional issues or feel like the city was on the right path. he's a very stubbornly selfless person and so long as he has a working body he'll be putting it to use. in that sense batman beyond definitely took a logical path in that bruce only gave up the mantle when he could no longer physically maintain it. the only problem there was that the timmverse's bruce is progressively depicted as an isolated loner so his retirement feels almost like a defeat that is subsequently revived once terry enters his life. and maybe there is a world where bruce could sort out his issues and retire of his own volition instead but for some reason i find there to be more meaning in bruce dying doing what he believes in. and maybe he's happy and gotham is on a path to being better bc he's reconciled with his children and maybe he's slowly trying to dedicate more of his time towards abolitionist work on the ground rather than encompassing all of his spare time in vigilante work. but i would like to think if he died in the mask at a point where his life is like that that it would still be meaningful. bc the mask would no longer be a prison. it would be what it was always intended to be: the truest representation of himself and his desire to help others

[emdashingly]

hydraulic heart (35k, ushihoshikage, T)

Kageyama Tobio's happy being alone. He's survived this long trusting nothing but his own instinct, and he doesn't want that to change. But when a taciturn noble catches Kageyama breaking into his ship and tries to recruit Kageyama as his pilot, his instinct tells him to say yes. It tells him to say yes again to the sharp, irrepressible off-worlder who ends up taking refuge in their cargo hold after a mission gone wrong. Thrown together by fate, the unlikely trio stumble across a plot which concerns them all — and the fate of their world as they know it. (Or: a prince, a spaceship thief, and a professional wrestler walk into a bar.)

new fic! space opera/found family vibes, and as always my kageyama and ushijima are autistic in very, very different ways. i hope you like it!

concept art/planning/thoughts under the cut!

so this is... not my usual fare at all! it's the longest thing i've ever written by over 50% (black nightshade is 14k), it's got an actual plot, and it's got a setting that i had to get roughly right before i could even establish the scale of the plot.

this fic was written for the tobio bowl event, a kageyama-centric ship exchange. my giftee (who seems to have dropped, so this is now a gift for everyone) requested the adlers trio as a ship, a slow burn, and an au, potentially royalty. this is technically a royalty au, in the loosest sense! but that's where i started, trying to work out how to slow burn these three as a ship in a universe outside canon. for me, that immediately suggested very different class and region origins (which is true in canon to some degree), and a crisis which forces them to understand each other.

the rest went from there! here's some art, then some snippets of insight into how i started developing this, taken directly from discord.

feb 11

so here's the thing right. in an au you make characters recognizable by giving them not just similar temperaments but similar arcs so a) they retain their arcs. b) their arcs must intersect creating the enemies to lovers/slow burn c) they have to start at different places, of course ushijima's arc is always going to be like. respectful, quiet guy in power who hates the social side of things, but who believes wholeheartedly in the goodness of his power and rule -> working out the world is not that simple, finding joy and meaning and color in his life, rising to the challenge of meeting people outside his world i want there to be a power struggle especially since we're doing hurt/comfort and/or enemies to lovers. but like. interpersonal/societal hurt as in most of my fics bc that's what's interesting to me. sometimes the hurt is that the world is broken and the comfort is that you have each other. and enemies to lovers can be the personal betrayal being symptomatic of the bigger hurt

feb 22

i wrote the fic roughly from march 15 to april 15, so clearly it had over a month to marinate (apart from one scene, the climactic one, which was written first in february!). then it all came together! between april and may i had help from my friend m, who did a wonderful job catching minor plot holes and errors. thank you!! i owe you my life.

and finally, a quick sketch of ushijima, the very first time i put any of them to (digital) paper, bc i saw a photo of a cape (that it turned out one of my friends has sewn???) and was like It's Him. the kageyama (and the fic graphic) came later!

[contagion808]

On Regret: Echo Chambers and the Importance of Values in Gaining Ownership Over Ourselves

I recently have been thinking that I don’t have very few substantial regrets regarding my past, and that’s because I believe regret, along with guilt, are the consequences of actions which are in disagreement with our values. To put it simply, we have higher chances of regretting something we’ve done impulsively or when our judgement was clouded, rather than something which was analysed thoroughly.

Regret cannot be avoided, and it shouldn’t be, as it has its role in our social development and a healthy amount of regret could set us back on the right track sometimes. However, I believe there are ways of minimising it by staying true to our values, with all the actions it involves like being in touch with ourselves, setting boundaries, taking time to reflect, and acting in a way that accurately represents how we are within.

I believe our nature is to be good, as good as an animalic nature can be. (Here I make an exception to the obvious rarer cases in which extreme circumstances or neurological imbalances drive others to commit heinous crimes and have a severe lack of empathy. The essay is aimed towards the largest demographic, the average person). Yes, it is easier to harm than do good, and yes, we are inclined towards selfishness and cynicism, but I’m certain that comes from a hyper fixation on the things exterior to ourselves. In short, in my opinion (and John Stuart Mill’s), people can be better individuals and be content with each other if first and foremost, they are at peace with who they are.

We don’t need to fix the society, we need to fix the individual, but we can only fix him if he wants to. No help can be given forcefully.

Whenever people notice deviant, harmful behaviours, they all start yelling “Let’s do better! Let’s be more united! We need more love!” in unison. Or, they wish them the worst. Neither of these approaches help in any way, and if anything, only reveals the character of the one who points the finger. To those people, I don’t wish happiness, love nor to find God. Instead, I wish they can get to the essence of who they are, live according to their values, and be able to say wholeheartedly one day that they are glad they did so, as it’s a state just as rewarding as it is difficult to get to.

We’re constantly being bombarded with all sorts of information, to the point that it feels as if we don’t have any discernment over our actions, and that our minds are everything but our own. I believe that this might be a hugely overlooked reason why more and more people seem to have identities fluid to the point of disassociation, being easily propagandised and radicalised against one another, turning towards all sorts of distractions to stop themselves from introspection, and being overall extremely dissatisfied with their lives (whether they like to admit it to themselves or not).

Without beating too much around the bush, it is obvious that technology evolved way quicker than humans could realistically properly adapt to. Here, by adaptation I don’t mean being able to learn a new gadget with ease, but the deeper implications of what having to give in to endless new devices and media implies. Socially, mentally, and most importantly, spiritually, humans weren’t ready for such a rapid technological development. And this is precisely why, despite living in the so-called most convenient times, the omnipresent frustration which can be felt every time you go on the internet is evident.

A behaviour I noticed among my close ones’ social media usage, and which I’m sure represents a common practice, is that whenever a new post catches one’s attention, before even finishing to read or listen to the entire video, the person opens the comment section. This pattern is so wide-spread, that many videos which have even the slightest shock effect to them, one of the top comments will always be somewhere among the lines of “I ran straight to the comments when I saw-”.

“Humans are social animals, of course it is instinctual to constantly seek a sense of community and be concerned with what others will think” you’ll say, and that is something I won’t argue against. But now the current context makes me involuntarily draw a parallel in my head whether this extreme of a concern for others’ opinions has always been part of our society, or is something that we are yet to become aware of as is a phenomenon still so fresh. Naturally, is easier to analyse the past: it gives us a bunch of information which we can put together like a puzzle should we wish to dedicate some of our time to it. While in the middle of an event, the judgement is clouded by all the information we’re fed. It’s difficult to accurately judge how big a crowd is until you’re out of it and you see it from a distance.

‘How do you even get out?’, you might ask. And to that I will answer 'One step at a time’. 'And how do you know when to get out?’. 'When you start feeling suffocated.’

However, through the refusal to engage in this mass-psychosis, it is essentially impossible to live in today’s society. And as much as I do recommend occasional periods of minimal contact with others, I am aware it’s increasingly more difficult to have the privilege to do so, and that it is also certainly not for everyone; just as it can be beneficial, if approached incorrectly, it can also cause more harm than good. So the key approach towards engaging with today’s media and overall culture, all while keeping a sense of autonomy over ourselves, is moderation, self-awareness, combined with the so-needed grain of skepticism.

With the constant exposure to information, and the implicit impossibility of avoiding it altogether, it naturally becomes extremely difficult to accurately categorise everything that’s thrown at us. 'Thankfully’, the internet gets to decide to categorise everything for us, including what kind of person we are and what is suitable for us through the ever-present algorithm. As with any kind of categorisation, while it seemingly benefits the one who makes the assumption and gives them clues on how to best approach another, it comes at the disadvantage of the one who is put in a box. Why? Because it makes it increasingly difficult for the 'victim’ to be seen as anything more than X or Y and further isolates the individual into a space 'suitable for others like him’.

So while a person can now much easier find communities of other people exactly like them thanks to the algorithm, it also limits their expansion anywhere further beyond that space. If a social platform picked on the fact that you like cooking videos, gaming, and cats, that’s all you will ever see on your page unless you decide to look for something else. From a highly-complex individual perspective, the way the algorithm works will never seem advantageous, human beings are more than a 2D image on a screen, can have more than the maximum of 5 interests, and the internet is not designed in any way that does human individual complexity justice. If anything, through excessive internet usage, people are developing in a strangely-linear, inhuman way.

In relation to this, I can’t seem to avoid mentioning an idea I came to recently. The internet, through the way it’s designed, feeds into a false sense of identity and community which is exclusively valid within its parameters, and automatically cancels out when returning to the real world. Through engagement in echo chambers, the individual gains a feeling of an utopian community that is fundamentally null when not in a virtual space.

After repeatedly gaining sense of comfort through the overestimation of the prevalence of people similar to them, when the daily real life seems to be otherwise, the frustration one feels is much more intense than if they weren’t to experience any sense of community to begin with. A notable disadvantage of habit.

When belonging into any sort of community, online or offline, you naturally get 'plagued’ with ideas, ideals, and images of how the typical person from the group should be like which the members more or less consciously adopt. The absolutely necessary parallel to draw and carefully observe in this particular situation and which connects to the entire concept of values as a way of minimising regret, is the following:

A person unsure in themselves will see the community as an advantage, with an extreme appeal; after all, it gives them the opportunity to 'explore’ who they are. A person who already knows what they stand for and what they believe in will see the community as disadvantageous, and will be substantially more hesitant to engage in group activities.

It is important to note that here I’m not advising being close-minded and firmly rejecting everything that stands in opposition to what you think ('I will not be dancing with you at your birthday party because I am not a dancer’). Staying open-minded is very much in the centre of the grey area of self-discovery, while communities of any sort tend to step out of the grey area.

'But you can learn so much from within a community!’. Yes, you can, but can learning from one side of the coin only be considered valid knowledge? And are you doing it because you want to learn something, or because you lack a sense of self and are seeking to be attributed a definition from outside? Certainly, most people are in the second category, but very few, if any at all, would have the courage to admit it.

Most times, knowing alone doesn’t seem to be enough when part of a group, as many of them have systems similar to a loyalty card when it comes to how dedicated one is to the cause they’re promoting, and how 'good’ of a member they are. The first example I can think of is the notorious Christian missionaries, as I believe everyone has interacted with them at least once and probably even viewed them poorly for being so 'brain-washed’ at times. Of course, it is much easier to notice certain behaviours in others, and especially when they show up as religious extremism, but instead of pointing fingers, we should take it as an opportunity to self-reflect.

'Oh, but I’m not extremist like they are and I’m not trying to convert anyone!’. I’m not suggesting self-reflection for this reason alone. Obviously, no two cases will be the same, and just because you might be an atheist doesn’t mean the advice doesn’t apply to you. Think of how many times you acted extreme in discussions with others, of any nature, but particularly in the ones concerning debating of some kind. In my opinion, if you find it impossible to stay composed during a debate and not turn aggressive or persuasive, you shouldn’t engage in debates. Not being able to have an objective conversation, and repeatedly implying the another is of lower intelligence unless they share your point of view is substantially more disrespectful and shameful than simply refusing to discuss to begin with.

That is something I’m still working on myself. For this reason, I’m extremely selective with who I choose to engage with in conversations of sensitive matter. The ones who use the internet and television as their main information source are automatically ineligible for the reasons previously mentioned. It takes two people to tango, and it is up to each of us to learn how to dance before we step on a stage.

'But only through conversation we can get to the essence of things!’. Yes and no, and that depends exclusively on the type of person you choose to discuss with. Anybody who thinks radically will not respect your opinion, and a debate should be had only in the case you fancy arguing and winning yourself an enemy for free. It is also important to consider the person’s education, and here I don’t mean formal education (diplomas and certificates aren’t proof of intelligence, but that’s an essay for another time), but how wide their general knowledge is. The wider the knowledge, the higher the chances they will be able to see your perspective as well even when at opposite poles.

Just as it is important to choose our information sources carefully, it is equally important to know who we can have certain conversations with, and who to be more careful around.

When discussing politics for example, knowledge in politics alone doesn’t instantly make one apt enough to be having political debates with others. In order to properly analyse an event in its entirety, knowledge of economics, history, sociology, and even cultural psychology is needed. So a bit of self-awareness regarding the size of our boat is necessary before we decide to embark on a difficult journey. Having someone else make you feel foolish is a shameful ego hit. Admitting to yourself that you are a bit of a fool, recognising when a situation is out of your expertise, and choosing to not embark on the boat until you feel better prepared is a much wiser decision.

Especially if you hold unconventional beliefs and you wish to live harmoniously with lots of people, I advise not sharing them freely with everyone not because they don’t deserve to be heard, but because once they are out in the world, people use them to judge your value based on them. People promote freedom of speech, but realistically, they don’t want to surround themselves with people who contradict and question their worldview. While someone might not instantly turn against you after you voiced your opinion, you can still notice a slight expression of disappointment and disgust. That is, because it’s easier to moralise others, and a lot of people would much rather close their ears off and point fingers than attempt to understand; the latter requiring a level of understanding that a majority hasn’t reached within themselves.

How could you pour into another’s cup when your jug is empty?

So you have to choose between lying and betraying yourself for the sake of social harmony, and leaving the constraints behind to live the difficult, yet increasingly rewarding individualism. Friends and family aim to teach us how to be better with others. Time spent alone teaches you how to be better by yourself.

Turn your attention within and keep digging. You will find your heart beating, and underneath it lies your truth.

So, if you want to learn something new, and objectively be able to analyse for yourself what is closest to the truth, is best to keep searching independently and quiet down your mind from others’ screams. When alone, you are absolutely free to make mistakes, correct and come back to a different result over and over again. You are your own judge. And what better way to exercise your judgement and power other than when you have complete freedom over both action and consequence? You can either rise or bury yourself; it’s entirely your responsibility to keep yourself balanced.

Most importantly, it makes you value time, and not take others’ presence for granted whenever you do choose to pursue relationships with others. As you grow to see the time spent alone highly, you become increasingly aware of how you get to spend it, and most importantly, on who.

In the age of technology, attention is the most valuable thing we could offer as consumers. Attention, just as time, is something that many give to others freely without thinking much about it. As it isn’t a physical good which we can feel with our hands and see with our eyes, we don’t seem to be as attached to it as we would be with our valuables. Paradoxically, the things which we don’t keep track of, seem to slip through our fingers the fastest, and we wake up one day to realise we threw years, decades of our lives in the fountain. If there is something we should, and it is absolutely justified to be selfish with, that is our time.

No matter what you do, there’ll always be regrets. But no regret is worse than realising you lived a life that’s not yours; a life full of rules that weren’t your own, opinions you didn’t come to yourself, experiences you never got to experience first-hand. A life without a clear beginning, with an ambiguous open conclusion.

22:50, Sun 10.11.24