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thyme-in-a-bubble · 2 months

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the pained peace treaty

fused with the foe, chapter one

a/n: oh wow, i have no idea how to introduce this beast of a story except to say hi, hello, welcome! i really hope you enjoy this story, as well as the rest of the trilogy, idk if i've ever gone as in depth and all out with any story as i have with these.

summary: “now, everything is already set into motion, so we don’t have time for any of your theatrics,” not looking you in the eye, he frostily told you, “you are to be married. A carriage has just arrived a few minutes ago to pick you up and transport you to Eflorr.”

warnings: king!steve rogers x reader, fantasy AU (monsters, but not much magic), original fantasy world, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, slow burn, innocent!reader, abusive father (like super bad. he is a garbage person), wedding, blood, injury

word count: 4813

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��Your majesty, I must warn you, if, gods forbid, our people come to discover the great lengths you’ve been willing to go in this disagreement over the past two decades, they might start an uprising. And if you keep going, then it’ll turn into a full-blown war and you know our kingdom wouldn’t be able to survive that, not with them. Our city’s walls may be high, high enough to keep out any beasts that may wander this far south, but it wouldn’t keep them out. You know better than most how people from Eflorr are. If you don’t wanna lose your crown, one way or another, then I’d strongly advise that we come up with some peace treaty.”

“I know, I know…” King Ivan leaned back in his gilded throne with a huff, the quality of his voice was as thin as his towering frame, “a trade I think should suffice.”

A different advisor then timidly pipped up, “but our mines ran cold ages ago, what could we possibly offer that would be satisfactory?”

Not lifting his cold gaze, the king stared at a fixed spot on the marble floor as he said, “I know one thing the king lacks that we may be able to provide for him… a wife.”

“A wife–,” both of the men’s eyes grew wide, “but do you mean–, your majesty, she is your only daughter, are you certain this is the fate you want her to have? Those people are barbaric! If one of the dangers that rule the north doesn’t get to her first, one of their citizens surely will. Sire, what if history repeats itself?”

“Then let it do so. In fact, perhaps this could have been her purpose all along and I just didn’t realise it. Couldn’t see past my own rage to grasp how useful she actually could be…”

Sharing a nervous glance, one of the advisors asked, “should we send for her? See if she agrees with the plans?”

“No, I’ll tell her when the time is right. Wouldn’t want her to do anything stupid and ruin the one good thing she could ever provide,” finally lifting his stony gaze, the king commanded, “make the arrangements, I’ll see to it that she doesn’t ruin it.”

Deep within the opulent halls of the gilded palace, standing grand and safe behind Ingorn’s tall city walls, twisting up towards the clouds, up in a window in the western tower, there you sat.

Book in your lap, you leaned back against the small pillow you’d propped behind you to make the wide windowsill more comfortable. Small paper butterflies hung from strings above and some dangled so low that the childhood craft that still decorated your window trickled the crown of your head. Flipping the page, your fingertips brushed down over the illustration that appeared in the agricultural tome you’d found in one of your brothers’ rooms.

As long as you put it back before Angus returned then you’d probably be good. And if he were to somehow notice, then as long as he didn’t rat you out to your father then it would be alright. Both Angus and a few of the others that were closer to your age, Oliver and Francis respectively, were always a bit of a gamble whether or not they would do such a thing. They didn’t always have the same spirit as the eldest pair of your older brothers, Xavier and Callum.

You missed them so much your heart ached. The older they got, the longer their diplomatic missions seemed to stretch out, making the quiet palace that much more lonely in your solitude.

A knock then suddenly boomed at your door, causing you to jump edgily in your seat before you slammed the book shut and nervously stuffed it behind the firm pillow.

“Come in!” you called out, swiftly straightening out your dress that had crumbled around your legs at the comfortable seat. As the door to your room slammed open, the figure that stood in it caught you by surprise, “Father–, oh, hello,” you straightened your posture that much further at his arrival.

Skipping over any niceties, King Ivan simply stated, “you need to pack up your stuff.”

Your brows knitted into a fierce furrow, “what?”

“Not everything, of course,” he cast a cold glance around the room though didn’t take a step to enter it, “just the things you are particularly attached to.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” your head lightly shook from side to side, “where am I going?”

When his eyes finally gave you the time of day, it swiftly dropped to the floor as a heavy sigh flowed from his lips, “why do you have to be the spitting image of her…” the muttering was unfortunately just loud enough for your ears to catch. His disappointment was always just loud enough for your ears to catch. When he entered the room and you moved to get up, he swiftly said, “stay seated, Y/n,” before he planted himself next to you on the wide windowsill, “now, everything is already set into motion, so we don’t have time for any of your theatrics,” not looking you in the eye, he frostily told you, “you are to be married. A carriage has just arrived a few minutes ago to pick you up and transport you to Eflorr.”

“To Eflorr?” your gaze grew wide, “you wish for me to marry someone there?”

“Not just someone, you are to marry their king.”

“I–… I–…” your chest rose and fell rapidly beneath your rosy dress, “but father, you can’t–, I can’t go live with the people who killed mom.”

“We don’t know if they actually murdered her. But I do know that you did,” his glare locked upon you as he let himself seethe, “if you hadn’t been born then she’d still be alive,” the fact that the only thing he blamed more for his late wife’s untimely demise then the kingdom she’d perished in was you, remained a point that the sovereign had never been shy about sharing with you for as long as you could recall, “your duty is to protect and serve this land, this crown,” your eyes naturally fluttered up to gaze at the twisted gold balanced upon his head, “if you don’t go through with this, then those savages will come pillage and ruin your home. You are, regrettably, the very last hope this kingdom has of survival. You have no choice, Y/n. This marriage is the only thing that can stop a war we would never survive,” exhaling slowly, he then dominantly nodded in a concluding fashion, “pack your stuff, you have an hour.”

You felt tears sting your eyes as your bottom lip quivered, “an hour? But–, can’t we wait at least a few days before I leave? Can’t I get a chance to say goodbye to at least one of my brothers? None of them are home yet.”

Regret instantly washed over you as your father’s nostrils flared angrily. Seizing your arm in a bruising grip, he yanked you close as he hissed, “you listen, and you listen carefully, you little brat. You have been the bane of my existence ever since you took your first breath. You took away the love of my life. You don’t deserve a goodbye, you don’t deserve anything. Do you think I got a goodbye when your mother suddenly went into labour on that diplomatic mission? No. All I got was you. Not another son, but a living, breathing reminder of what I lost that day,” your eyes squeezed shut as your cheek tingled at the memory of his strikes, “now, be a good girl and go wet his prick, give him a few babies, do anything he’d fucking please, so that him and his barbaric army doesn’t come here and slaughter everything you know and love.”

“Your highness, are you cold?” the high-ranking warden sitting across from you in the carriage noticed the shiver that your body couldn’t seem to shake.

Tearing your eyes off of the scenery along The Emerald Path that the narrow window granted you a view of, you glanced back at the warrior. The brown hair he had practically tied off at the base of his neck blossomed into a dark beard. A bare palm clasped over an inked one in his lap as you met his gaze and said, “no, I’m–…” in truth, you were scared, so scared that you were trembling like a leaf, but you couldn’t tell the foreign king’s advisor that, too much weighted on your shoulders, you couldn’t screw this up, “no,” glancing back out of the window, you only stared a moment at the sparse cottages that slowly came into view on the rolling hills before you turned your head again and let the nauseating nerves control your words, “pardon me, Barnes, is it?”

“Yes, your highness?”

“Sir, how much further till we get there?” your quiet voice echoed within the carriage, “it’s just–, it’s been days.”

“Oh, not long at all,” he shook his head lightly, “actually,” the knight leaned forward in his seat and cast his glance outside, “if you look out the window now, right there,” a small smile tugged at his lips as his finger shot up to point, “that river, that means we’re getting close to Borün city.”

As the river then suddenly curved before the dirt road, the clomping hooves of the horses that hauled the coach resonated as they trotted over a stone bridge.

Twisting your head, you glanced out to your right and spotted farmlands curve over the rolling hills that swiftly blossomed into thickets and towering flora you’d only assume was the southern perimeter of The Noll Woods. Books about this kingdom had been banned in your homeland for as long as you could remember, but even though you were essentially going in blind, you still weren’t completely ignorant when it came to the dangers that called that sprawling forest its home, not that you were an expert in the slightest, but your brothers had from time to time told you tales of the monsters who dominated in this part. From giant and twisted insect-like creatures, to mischievous pixies, to even the rare dragon, those stories had always been your favourite. Apart from the rare occasion where Callum would share stories with you about your mother. Being the eldest, he was the only one who truly remembered her.

Instinctively, your fingers fluttered up to fiddle with the opalescent stone that hung from a chain around your neck. In the middle of the milky jewel was a small rune engraved into it. You had no idea what it meant, but your fingers had still traced the carving countless of times before as it had hung from your neck for as long as you could recall. It hadn’t been till you were a ways into your teens that you’d come to discover that it had belonged to your mother.

Casting your glance out the other side as you passed a tall watchtower, behind the wide city stables unfolded a port town so quaint that it surprised you. Over the small valley of gabled roofs towered a central tree, and beyond all of that, the sparkle of the sea caught your eye, a sight you’d never beheld before, haven not only stemmed from a landlocked metropolis, but also not haven been permitted to leave your room as much as your heart had desired.

“This is Eflorr?” you asked as the carriage began to roll up the winding path to the stone castle that loomed on the cliff, granting you a new view of how the river that you’d crossed slid through the city and spilt into the ocean.

“This is Eflorr, your highness,” the corners of his lips twitched at the sight of how wide your curious eyes were.

“It’s–… it’s–…” your stare danced over the lush ivy that climbed the solid towers, “not what I expected…”

“What did you expect?”

Tearing your gaze away from the window, you blinked, “oh, I didn’t mean–,” suddenly worried that your shock had come out sounding rude, “I just–… I don’t know a lot about this land,” in the few tales you’d heard about this place, there had been a running gag that the people of Eflorr had lived so close to the dangerous beasts that called this part of the continent their home that they too had turned into monsters, “it’s just different than I imagined.”

Ascending the jagged hill and passing through the front gate, it opened up into a wide courtyard before you felt the carriage finally roll to a stop.

The wagon creaked gently as Barnes stepped out first, though when his boots were firmly on the cobblestone, his frame twisted as he reached an outstretched hand back for you to grasp in support of your own exit. Ever so apprehensively, you slid your own palm into his as your other twisted in your long skirts before you slipped out of the carriage.

Letting go of his gasp, the soldier's low timbre washed over you as your head tilted back to take in the vast stronghold, “his majesty, unfortunately, couldn’t be here for your arrival as there was a bit of a dryad problem further up north he had to take care of,” you gaze tore away from the fort and fell upon him, “but I assure you he should be back in time for the wedding.”

“Oh, alright,” you breathed, unsure if that fact made you feel better or worse about the entire predicament.

“If you’d like, I can give you a brief tour of the castle,” he offered as he led you towards the main entrance into the castle proper, “or if you’re exhausted after the journey, then I can just show you directly up to your chambers.”

Offering him a polite smile, you nodded, “a tour would be lovely, thank you.”

He only briefly went over the buildings surrounding the courtyard you’d entered into, as they were mainly designed as barracks and various other facilities for the local wardens, though the horses that stuck their heads out of the royal stalls in the corner did catch your eye before you moved on inside.

Barnes’ voice echoed in most of the chambers he showed you in the castle’s western wing. The vast stained-glass windows that were in the ballroom for instance took your breath away as you saw how the light streamed through them and warmed up the room with glittering little rays of colour.

Behind the great halls, squeezed in between and connecting the two major parts of the fort, there you crossed through a much more quiet and lush courtyard. The pebble paths that curved around the central fountain too curled around various topiary bushes that were trimmed to perfection like living sculptures.

Though as your guide showed you the eastern wing that crested over the foaming sea below, your curiosity got the better of you.

“Hey, Barnes?”

Slowing his leisurely stride, he tilted his head slightly, “yes, your highness?”

“What are dryads?” your brows knit lightly together, “you mentioned there was a problem with them, but what are they?”

“You don’t know?” he glanced over at you, clearly trying to mask his surprise as you shook your head, “oh, well, they are forest spirits, nymphs,” he explained as you roamed deeper down a broad hallway on the second floor, passing many private chambers both to your right and your left, “it’s not uncommon for them to wander and bother the folks who live further up the coast. Have you never encountered one? They are not as uncommon in Obelón as most of the other creatures that thrive this far north.”

“No, I’ve never seen one…” you shook your head as a low sigh flowed from your lips, “never really seen anything…”

“Not much of an outdoorsy person?” he guessed in a light-hearted tone.

Forcing a smile, you replied, “you could say that…” as you hadn’t been allowed to be one even if you wanted to. Passing a set of double doors that stood wide open, the sight inside made you halt your steps, “is this the library?”

Shadowing you as your feet crossed the threshold, he nodded, “yes, it is,” then pointed back over his shoulder, “and your quarters are right down that hall.”

Numerous grand bookcases stood lined up all the way down to where a tall window allowed the sunlight in and let it stream through the rows.

“Can I–… would it be alright if I read some of them?”

“Of course, your highness.”

“Would you mind showing me which ones I’m allowed to read?” you briefly peeked back at him as a bubble of anxiety fluttered in your belly, “I don’t wanna accidentally read something that I’m not allowed to.”

Barnes then blinked back at you a moment before he uttered, “your highness, you can read each and every one of them if you’d like. Why wouldn’t you be allowed to read whatever you wish? They are yours after all, or will be after the wedding,” the corners of your lips twitched upwards as he then asked, “would you like to peruse the titles now or do you want to see your chambers?”

“Oh, uhm,” you tore your gaze away from the tomes and turned back, “I’ll look later.”

“Alright,” he nodded, extending his inked arm to show you the way. As he pushed the heavy wooden door open to the room at the very end of the hall, his voice rang out once more, “this is the peacock suite,” following him inside, he settled to a stop near the exit for you to explore the space on your own, “you can, of course, change anything you’d like for it to match your taste.”

“Thank you,” you breathed as you slowly made your way deeper into the chamber. It was gently divided with a more formal area towards the front where both tufted couches and a crackling fireplace stood, as well as a set of doors that opened up to a quaint balcony. Towards the left, under a swirling archway, twisted a broad canopy bed up towards the tall ceilings, warm with blankets and furs, and in the corner, by a breezy partition, stood a deep cobber bathtub.

Haven not noticed that he’d moved, you then heard as Barnes creaked the doors to a close, “if you need anything, anything at all, I’ll be right outside.”

With a loud creak, the heavy double doors opened before you and revealed the grand hall. As soft music gushed out, you nearly didn’t recognise the space from your tour the other day as it was now decorated with vibrant flowers and flowing banners that dropped down from the high ceilings above, as well as being completely packed with a swarm of people. A thin path parted the giddy crowd right down the middle towards the opposing grand door that guards opened simultaneously to yours.

A shaky breath filled your lungs as you stared at the man crossing over the threshold. The flickering candlelight caught the honeyed shine of the locks that came down to tickle the nape of his neck. A bit darker, his short beard was full and warmed up the bottom half of his gruff features. He sure looked like a man who could slay a kraken with his bare fists, as the soft fur cloak that draped over his shoulders did not conceal his bulky physic one bit. The neckline of his indigo tunic stretched low enough for you to see the concave of his fuzzy chest and the impressive battle scars that broke up the rippling flesh.

You’d seen the portrait of the king that hung in the hallway that stretched up towards the throne room, but to see him before your very eyes, in flesh and blood and not precise paint, was something else entirely.

The long and embroidered train of the blue silk kirtle you wore dragged across the store floor behind you as both you and the monarch slowly stepped into the chamber to join in the very middle.

The enchanting music stopped as you reached one another and the parted paths to either exit slowly closed as the crowd gathered and enclosed around the sacred vow that was about to ensue.

Parting the sea of people like a divine force, an elderly woman, with a braided grey mane so long that it hit the floor, stepped up beside the both of you.

“People of Eflorr,” the crone’s calm voice boomed, “today marks a day of unity, a day of peace, and most of all a day of love. Like a seed planted in the soil, tonight we will all witness this relationship blossom and go on the journey of growing into a magnificent tree, with roots strong enough to endure any storm, to propagate new seedlings that will watch over and shade our kingdom when yours have fallen.”

Looking to the king, she handed him a small dagger from her belt and spoke, “blade across skin,” and he reached out for your right hand, “strike out your seedling’s love line,” your breath hitched as you felt him slice the top of your palm. Crimson blood trickled down onto his own hand as yours rested atop it, “and claim it as your own,” he flipped the blade around and handed it to you, before presenting you his own palm, open in yours. He didn’t even blink as you hesitantly pierced the calloused skin and traced the line already adoring his broad palm, “weave your lines together, so they become the same,” he then moved to clasp your hands together, his wide grip engulfed yours completely. Your teeth sank into just the faintest bit of your bottom lip at the fresh sting of your wound as it bled into his, “and may this scar serve you as a reminder, of the vow you made on this momentous day.”

And as the last of the matron's words flowed from her lips so did the roar of celebration that erupted throughout the crowd as the festivities of the night bloomed at an instant.

The feast had been nothing short of immaculate. Countless of dishes had been spread out on the crowded banquet tables ranging from the savoury braised legumes to the sweet and shiny pies. It was an impossible task to try and taste every one of them, but an excuse you still used to stay glued to your seat and not get up and mingle with the boisterous gathering of strangers.

As a stark contrast, you thought you only noticed the king take two bites before he rose to greet some latecomers who had arrived. Laughing and chatting with the sea of people, he hadn’t offered you a single word, barely even a brief glance the whole night. Though your gaze still followed him from your seat up at the high table as he moved through the crowd like they were all his dearest friends.

When the moon had floated up to be high in the sky, clearly visible on the other side of the stained glass, your head had dropped down into a propped-up palm as a deep yawn forced its way out of your frame.

“Are you tired, your majesty?” a deep timbre suddenly found your ears, a specific tone that caused your spine to straighten out at once.

Whipping your head to your right, your weary eyes grew wide as you saw the king again at his seat, “no, I’m alright,” you hastily coughed out, “I’m so sorry for behaving like that in your presence. This party is exquisite.”

“It’s alright, you can yawn,” you suddenly felt the need to look away now that his ocean stare was finally fixed upon you, “it’s late, I was about to retire for the night as well, so I can only imagine how you must feel. If you’d like, I could escort you back to your chambers. I’m not sure how familiar you’ve become with the castle since you’ve arrived, but even I can still get lost when the corridors are this dark and I’ve indulged in perhaps one too many goblets of wine.”

A flutter of nauseating nerves rushed within your belly, but even so, you still pushed through and forced a smile, “if that’s what the king desires, then sure, you can escort me.”

It was your wedding night. You knew what was about to happen.

Or, actually, you didn’t quite know what the marital act entailed, but you were sure a man such as Steve had enough of an understanding to take charge. All you knew was what little you’d been told. To strip down naked, not whine or scream, and do as he tells you.

The soaring butterflies within you only grew more ferocious as you followed his long stride throughout the castle. Out of the ballroom and through a cold stone hallway, when you crossed the bridge that linked the two wings over a part of the cliff that descended dramatically, you nearly doubled over the parapet to empty your stomach over the town of Borün that blossomed below.

But with a shaky intake of breath, your fist closed around the silk of your skirt as you settled yourself and forced your feet to keep moving. Even as you passed the threshold into the eastern part of the castle, you still shadowed the monarch up the many steps until his broad palm held the door to your chambers open for you to enter.

The fire had been lit while you were gone, and the room was encased in the warm glow.

“Did, uh…” you heard the door close behind you as the king attempted a bit of small talk, “did you have a nice time tonight?”

“I did, your majesty,” you kept your answer brief out of fear that he’d hear the tremble to your tone.

Slowly turning his back to you, his gaze washed over the room, “are you pleased with your bed chambers?” he settled to face the balcony, the door slightly ajar to let the night breeze seep through and rustle the sheer curtains, “because if you don’t like it, if you’d rather have a view of the town then the sea, then that’s an easy problem to fix.”

“I think the view is just fine from here, but thank you,” you answered politely as you gathered up the last bit of your courage and reached back to undo the long row of buttons that went down the spine of the light blue dress.

When the silky garment dropped to the floor, the quiet rustle was enough to draw the king’s attention.

First offering you just a quick glance over his shoulder, he then swiftly whirled around completely, “what are you doing?”

Weaving your fingers in the thin material of your chemise, you blinked back at his stunned features, “I’m sorry, am I doing it wrong?” sure that he could already see everything through the sheer, white fabric.

His feet didn’t move as he asked, “what are trying to do?” before he averted his gaze to the stone floor.

“Well,” you uttered quietly, “it’s our wedding night.”

“Oh…” was all he breathed.

“To be transparent, I’m actually not quite sure what’s to happen, but I do know it’s something,” reaching up, you took the gold and twisted circlet, that crowned your head, off and carefully sat it down on the side table to your left, “I don’t know the details, I just know that I should strip down. Do you know what we’re supposed to do?”

“Fuck,” he cursed, briefly squeezing his eyes shut, “yes I do, but, your majesty, please, keep your clothes on,” his gaze flickered back to you as you slowly began to hike up the last layer.

“Why?” your fingers froze, “isn’t it a tradition here for us to–”

“Well, yes, but–…” he let out a strained sigh before slowly stating, “I’m gonna go.”

A chill crawled up your skin, “…oh, I see…” you uttered quietly as he crossed the room, “did I do something wrong?”

Halting in the doorway as he ripped it open, “no, you–…” but the rest of his words crumbled as his gaze settled upon you one last time, instead letting a low sigh flow from his lungs, “sleep well,” and added nearly subconsciously just before the door slammed shut, “goodnight, dove.”

Even though a wave of relief washed over you, a sting of hurt also followed suit as the king left.

Had you done something wrong, or did he just find you that repellent, that hideous, that he refused to perform his marital duties?

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goldeaglefire1 · 3 months

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so admittedly my knowledge of dungeon meshi has been mostly absorbed through osmosis and also that one time I picked up and read a few chapters (which. I should really finish reading Dungeon Meshi sometime what I read was good shit). however, with that alone I have determined that a dungeon meshi/undertale crossover would be funny as fuck

allow me to illustrate:

upon hearing that they're in a kingdom of monsters Laios gets really excited for a moment before promptly deflating when an extremely confused Toriel informs him that the monsters in the Underground turn to dust upon death, so no, he can't eat them. he gets better when the party finds the Spider Bakery stand and Laios realizes that the Underground can be just as weird about food as he is (Marcille is significantly less happy about this revelation)

the gang's on a pacifist run not because they're intentionally sparing the monsters but because every monster who runs into them only has to look at them for ten seconds to go "there is something deeply wrong with you people. I am going to leave"

Laios and Papyrus are on the same autism wavelength. for Laios and Papyrus this is a "oh my god he's just like me fr" moment as they excitedly listen to each other ramble about their special interests, but for Laios' party (mainly Marcille and Chilchuck) they're watching in mounting horror as they realize "oh god there's two of them" and listen to Laios making suggestions to make Papyrus' traps and puzzles deadlier

(Laios also asks Chilchuck if he has any advice for Papyrus considering his expertise with traps, to which Chilchuck goes "why the fuck are you asking me to give him advice on how to make the traps more effective at killing us that is the exact opposite of my job")

Sans and Senshi interacting. I don't have anything particularly funny to say here but I think this writes itself honestly

speaking of Senshi - Senshi getting in a very heated argument with Undyne about cooking methods. he is genuinely more offended about her methods of cooking than her attempting to kill them

Alphys is the only monster who realizes that there's only one human in the party (well, not really; Sans also recognizes that Laios is the only human but his response is to just go "huh. whack" and then go to sleep) and is so incredibly confused that she actually tries to cancel the whole Mettaton plan because she needs to go down a research rabbithole to figure out when elves became real. this does not work because Mettaton ignores Alphys and shows up anyway but there was an attempt

Muffet, Laios, and Senshi also get along to a horrifying degree and this ends up cancelling the Muffet fight early because they want to talk recipes. Marcille very quickly drags Laios and Senshi away from Muffet before either party can give the other ideas

honestly this is just scratching the surface I KNOW the meshiheads out there will be able to come up with even funnier scenarios than I did and I fully invite you to

#dungeon meshi #dunmeshi #undertale #utdr

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joys-of-everyday · 1 year

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Love Confession

I love Shen Jiu. He is literally my favourite character. Maybe not ever, but up there.

To SJ, I dedicate this rabbit hole of takes. (And omg this ballooned into a monster)

Take 1: He’s a scum villain.

Take 2: He’s an abused, misunderstood soul who didn’t actual do most of the things he supposedly did. The Qius are the actual villains and taking vengeance was his right.

Take 3: Yes, his past was pretty bad and sure he didn’t do all of the things he supposedly did, but that doesn’t excuse his bad behaviour (he canonically, explicitly, very brutally abused a child) and ultimately, he’s still a villain. The massacre in the Qiu manor was excessively violent, and probably harmed a lot of innocent people.

Take 4: His actions and behaviour have to be taken in the context of the time. He lived in a world where violence and death were common, corporal punishment was acceptable, and subjected to violence from childhood. Judging him by modern standards is wrong. Also he was manipulated by Wu Yanzi.

Take 5: He still abused a child, not just physically but emotionally, alienated him from his peers, purposefully stunted his progress, with strong implication that he just wanted to crush LBH because he was jealous AND that he had done this to other kids. That’s pretty bad. Even YQY knew this was Not Okay. He just didn’t do anything about it. Despite being manipulated by Wu Yanzi, we see that a lot of the bad things he did, he did entirely by his own volition.

Take 6: But look at his face! How can you hate anyone with a face like that? (#PrettyPrivledgesAreReal)

Take 7: Firstly, there are two questions to be asked here. How do we judge Shen Jiu ‘in world’? How do we judge Shen Jiu as an 21st century reader?

To illustrate the difference, if LQG stabbed a serial killer in the world of SVSSS he would probably get a pat on the back for his hard work. If he did that in London today, he would be arrested for murder. We have different standards nowadays. But both questions are important, because I think most people would agree that just because society thinks it’s okay, that doesn’t make it okay in some broader sense. (Without going too deep into the theory of morality.) (Note this is a very serious question people argue about irl, so a discussion on SVSSS definitely isn’t going to cover it. E.g. how do you judge influential historical figures that had connections to the slave trade?)

1) In world.

There’s not much we know about the ethics of the SVSSS world, but let’s say it’s roughly 'ancient China' (sorry, condensing a few thousand years into one here). The unfortunate predicament was that the magnitude of your crime depended on your class. (And I understand that we do a lot of ‘oh look how backwards ancient China was’ in this fandom but Europe was atrocious too. Equality is a fairly modern take.) I think (and I’m not an expert so definitely call me out if I’m wrong but ew I just skimmed Slavery in Medieval China (Chapter 11) - The Cambridge World History of Slavery and damn life was tough) QJL beating a 12 yr old SJ would be sort of morally sus, but not like… earth-shatteringly terrible. SJ stabbing him in the stomach? Heinous crime. Now SJ abusing LBH is slightly worse because LBH is a disciple not a slave, but again not an earth-shattering crime – a stain on his reputation, but nothing on the level of the Qiu massacre. YQY could probably get away with not stepping in.

But also note, the application of the law and the views of the common people were two very different things. A layperson would probably have found the behaviour as disgusting as we do, if portrayals of villains in contemporary romances are anything to go by. (really random, but in the Romance of the Sui and Tang (written in 1695) I vaguely remember one of the heroes comes across a young man beating a woman on the street, accidently kills him, realises he’s a young lord, and has to run off because he’s about to be arrested. It’s meant to be satirical, I think)

On a more holistic level, SJ has a series of ‘character faults’ – promiscuity (arguably), disrespect of superiors etc. – which would have been judged more harshly than we might judge them now. (Being a dick to your boss is not really seen as a moral failing nowadays, although it may or may not class you as an asshole.)

2) As a modern reader

Again, lets split the question in two. There are roughly two stages to SJ’s life: before entering Cang Qiong, and after.

For before, we have the massacre of the Qiu manor, as well as various crimes under Wu Yanzi’s tutelage. (and note, ‘it was for vengeance’ will not get you out of prison these days, whether you agree with that or not (and yes, you can disagree. The law isn’t what is right, the law should be what we aim to make what is right)). There’s a reason there is a separate justice system for adolescents and adults – for one, we appreciate nowadays that adolescents are so heavily influenced by their environment that judging them by the same standards as adults is wrong. Giving Shen Jiu’s upbringing, I am going to tentatively put aside all of the things he has done in this stage of his life.

Now the primary failing of SJ’s character that we see during his time as peak lord is obviously LBH’s treatment, which by any modern standards would be a hideous, headline-worthy, prison-sentencing crime. And a bad childhood really doesn’t excuse that. Plenty of people have bad childhoods and end up fine.

On the other hand, many people have bad childhoods… and end up with bad adulthoods. Childhood trauma is linked to adulthood crime. Poverty is also another factor. There exists one (1) study which suggests a correlation between sexual abuse in males and becoming a perpetrator (please read with a very large dollop of salt. Abused becoming abusers is not as common as believed. See: The Myth Of The Abused Becoming Abusers | Defend Innocence. The issue is sensitive and complicated.) (Also I’m not going to argue whether SJ was sexually abused or not – that’s a whole other post. (which probably won't happen)) There is a serious question to be asked as to what level of personal responsibility can be taken by someone whose life shows a pattern of crime. Again, a very relevant real-life question people have argued about extensively for a very long time (e.g. reform vs punishment of criminals).

SJ’s life has been systematically stacked against him. His childhood taught him that having power excuses terrible behaviour. In adulthood, we see YQY systematically failing to teach him any better (and no shade on YQY – he had it pretty tough as well). Nobody shows any kind of deep understanding of his situation and his anxieties, because he is unable to communicate them without ruining his reputation (remember, slaves had few rights). We see his misbeliefs throughout the extra chapters – he is a bad person (for having natural responses to shitty situations), it is shameful for him to seek support and validation (toxic masculinity being harmful to men!), it’s better to be misunderstood than to be judged as weak. SQH suggests that after LQG’s death, SJ fully had a mental breakdown.

Trauma and mental health problems ruin people. (And btw, the stereotype that people with mental health problems are dangerous is extremely harmful.) That being said, being depressed can make you a pretty nasty person to the people around you. And I don’t just mean asking more of people sometimes, I mean the full-blown ‘knowing exactly what will hurt someone and doing it, out of spite’ kind of nasty. It’s a scary place to be in, that is extremely difficult to overcome without dedicated help. (And there’s strong evidence to suggest that adverse childhood experiences strongly correlate to health problems, e.g. mental health problems in later life. See the ACE studies.)

I think the question of how we judge SJ is so complicated, not least because we don’t actually know that much about him, but more so because actually what we’re all debating back and forth is a Very Hard Question. How do you judge someone like Nicky Cruz, gang member turned Christian Evangelist? Or even harder questions – if certain minority groups are statistically more likely to commit crimes, how do you deal with that? Sure, people who cause harm to others should be punished accordingly, but labelling them a villain and chucking them into prison causes mass injustice.

SJ is not a shining symbol of breaking class barriers. As an individual, he’s still a shitty person who did some shitty things. YQY is much better - he's a slave who became a sect leader and doesn't do much (much) wrong. But I think SJ does demonstrate that a better society for everyone (including SJ) leads to a better society for everyone (including LBH).

To ask other questions: Okay, LBH’s revenge was definitely excessive (I'm sorry but they got rid of torture as a punishment in the Han dynasty, okay. It's really not a good way to deal with things. Edit: they did not, but they stopped cutting off noses?) But what would have been an appropriate punishment? Could SJ, given the right circumstances, have found redemption? Was there a better path he could have walked?

Finally, a note on being a Bad Person vs being an asshole. Being rude is not nice. But it is not a crime either. Someone can be dislikeable and not really do anything wrong. I think confounding the issue is that SJ is both a Bad Person AND an asshole (in the most loving way possible). The former makes us want to call out aspects of the latter (oh look how he fought with LQG) (and yes, it’s explicit that it was usually SJ provoking him. Edit: it is not, see discussions below), but the latter is not a moral failing.

For example, had SJ not killed anyone, nor abused LBH, then he could probably get away with being an acerbic but maybe lovable figure. You can agree or disagree whether you want to be friends with him, but you probably wouldn’t complain about his existence. If he committed all of his crimes but was a wonderful person to chat with… he would be a JGY, and that’s a whole other can of worms.

Anyway, thank you for sticking with this monstrosity written far later in the night than is healthy. I would love to hear criticism/other takes!

#svsss #scum villans self saving system #shen jiu

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cantsomeoneelsedoit · 22 days

Text

Ch 55: Use Your Rules

Oh fun! An old-fashioned human+monster 2-on-2!

I'm not sure what this kind of mixed-doubles fight genre is called, but it's different than regular summoning where the humans just sit back and watch--Otherwise I would've filled this page with tokusatsu gifs like I really wanted to

The chapter title "Use Your Rules" already reminded me of this meme and then Tozuka had to go and give Spoil that face, so this happened...

I am so sorry everyone the doctors say my brain is spoiled

Poor Spoil. He's really going through it!

Juiz tells him that even if she eliminated him, another rule would compensate for his loss. That's an interesting idea in UU and it explains why they had a concept of "years" even though they didn't have Revolution in place.

The idea that the world will "fill in the gaps" if a rule goes missing raises the question of what is considered a necessary or sufficient aspect of the world. In Ch 14, Spoil claimed to be a necessary rule ⬇️

Maybe he just has an inflated ego and he's not actually necessary. Or is Juiz just bluffing when she says that he's replaceable? He might just be jabbering, though. He was in a very different situation when he was bragging to Fuuko!

Wow, Juiz is scary!

She immediately informs him that he's at a disadvantage-- it's crazy how many steps ahead she's already planned for. She knew Billy's plan, his goal, his weapon, etc, and she knew how their Pokemon would match up.

Spoil's such a brat! I love him! He's not even looking at Burn when he shoots; he's looking at Juiz because he's about to say, "See? I told you!"

But he gets socked in the jaw by Burn instead.

Poor lil feller

Billy tells Tella to stay back and that he'll handle the situation. Is he really planning to kill Juiz?!

It looks like Billy might be thinking the same thing Tella's saying.

Juiz's focus and speed with her saber is ridiculous!

My love for Mihawk knows no bounds, but Juiz did that with a smaller sword and at a shorter distance, j/s. Then again, he's lazy and she's a go-getter, so it makes sense.

I love the layout on the next page.

Unfortunately, that's kind of true for Juiz as far as Union leadership, as well. Because Juiz is so honest to her own sense of right and wrong, her actions can be predictable.

She uses Unjustice on Burn, who GRRR?s back at her. Can Burn not speak at all?

Acting against his sense of Justice, Burn blocks Billy's bullet from hitting Juiz, revealing that Burn really is on Billy's side, and not just a hostage. Spoil can't resist trolling.

"Mr. Stubble!" I'm glad someone acknowledged it! Billy's been out here in the wild for a while now...

What's the favor that Burn is paying back to Billy?

Concept-types seem to be more overarching and multifaceted compared to phenomenon-types. Winter has more going on than just being cold, for example.

Is this why Spoil has a chip on his shoulder? Does he have a bit of an inferiority complex caused by God's favoritism and phenomenon-types being snobby to him? Or maybe he's just kind of a SPOILed brat and so he likes to complain about others-- it won't be clearer until we meet more UMAs that show inter-UMA dynamics lol.

To illustrate his point, Burn shines a bright light into the sky. It seems the favor he owes Billy is that Billy has given him a chance to meet his "maker."

Interestingly, Spoil can understand Burn! I wonder if Billy also had a way to talk to Burn and negotiate their partnership. Could he have used a version of Tella's equipment to allow Burn to speak?

The "childhood memories" line cracks me up. It hadn't even occurred to me that UMA would have life stages.

Use your rules to make humans suffer? WTF, God? Because it seems like some of these rules could be used to help humans under the right circumstances, like Burn providing warmth or Clothy making clothes. So if there's a specific directive to be malicious about it, then it means that God really is only interested in making the humans miserable to force them to try to overcome their circumstances.

Billy assumed that Spoil was aiming at him, but the beam actually hit the ground. From the way Spoil thinks aloud, ("So I can start shooting once he uses Unstoppable, was that it?") it's obvious that Juiz has instructed him on what to do here, and he's surprisingly obedient.

Her plan worked, and Billy gets hit with the Spoil beam. Tella is AGHAST. Billy had told him he'd take care of everything, and Tella never doubted him. Even so, he doesn't rush forward to get involved--he stays back and follows orders.

We know that Billy can use Unjustice because he used it on Tatiana. So why won't he use it on Juiz? He claims that her mindset is predictable and easy to read, so it's probably safe to assume what her vision of justice is, yet he still doesn't try to negate it.

If Billy is holding back, it could be that he simply doesn't want to kill the person who has the most information about the way this world works. Juiz's tears are sincere, but Billy's still hiding something...

Masterpost

#undead unluck #overreading undead unluck

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racfoam · 1 year

Text

yfsm chapter 2 snippet Harry with Teddy

“Harry, Harry, Harry!” a five-year-old boy with light blue hair came running up to Harry, holding a book. “Read! Read!”

“Hang on a bit, Teddy,” said Harry, smiling, endeared by the boy's enthusiasm. Harry took the book. “This book's a little long for you, don't you think?”

“But it’s got," said Teddy, hopping up and down excitedly, “you in it!”

“A lot of books do.” said Harry calmly. “Too many, actually.”

“But this one's got You-Know-Who, too!”

“A lot of books have him in them, too,” said Harry reasonably.

“You're in all the books about him and he’s in all the books about you, too! That’s what Aunt Hermione says!”

Dammit, Hermione.

“Yeah, well, of course we are. I did beat him twice...”

“Read it to me? Please?”

Teddy used the most devastating move in his arsenal. The puppy eyes. Harry's heart melted.

“Teddy, you don't want to know about him. You'd get nightmares. Your grandma would kill me.”

“Then... just the parts with you and You-Know-Who! Aunt Hermione bookmarked them! They're the red-green ones!”

Of course she did... Hermione must have forgotten to take this book with her on one of her visits...

The Second Wizarding War

Harry restrained a sigh. This was the book she avoided reading the most.

“Okay,” said Harry. “But only one bookmark.”

Teddy cheered, hopping onto Harry's lap, holding out the book. Harry tapped her holly wand against it, floating the book mid-air in front of them.

The pages of the book turned, opening to the first bookmark.

“Huh?” said Harry upon the sight of the black-and-white drawing. Under it was the title He Who Must Not Be Named. It was a very unflattering, unappealing drawing. Harry needed a moment to realize it was supposed to be a drawing of Voldemort. Voldemort looked more like a snake in the shape of his face in it. The outline of his face was too skeletal, his chin was completely off, and his eyes weren't very well drawn. Why did he have wrinkles? His skin was as smooth as a marble sculpture’s, without any wrinkles, with a little bit of scales on his cheeks.

Who drew this? Voldemort looked like some sort of monster from a children’s book.

Maybe that's the point.

Sure, Voldemort could pass off as such most times, but they could have at least given some effort into capturing him correctly...

“That's not how he looks like!” yelled Harry before she could stop herself, indignant. At least they could have come and asked her to describe him so a magical sketcher could sketch him...

Oh, right. I refused all interviews.

Teddy blinked up at her, confused.

“Teddy," said Harry, standing up. “Get your trainers and coat. We're going to the..." Harry checked the publishing house and groaned. “Daily Prophet Publishing. I'll read the book to you while we wait.”

Excited by the prospect of seeing the office of The Daily Prophet, Teddy hopped off of Harry's lap and raced out of the room and down the stairs of Grimmauld to grab his coat.

Harry checked the page didn't have any text behind it, looked left and right, fearing Hermione would pop out anytime.

Coast clear, Harry grabbed the page with the illustration and ripped out the terrible drawing that didn't capture Voldemort at all.

Addition

Harry: My man hasn’t been drawn accurately, this is an insult! (kicks down the doors of the Daily Prophet) YOU BASTARDS, GET ME A PENSIEVE AND A MAGICAL ARTIST! YOU'RE GOING TO DRAW VOLDEMORT PROPERLY OR I'M GOING TO BURN THIS ENTIRE BUILDING TO THE GROUND!

Teddy, hanging off Harry’s back, going with the flow: Yeaaah!

Voldemort, laid back on a sunbed on a beach, wearing pink heart-shaped sunglasses, sipping a cocktail through a straw, watching Harry's life through a screen in limbo: You tell them, darling.

#harrymort #tomarrymort #tomarry #female harry potter #harry potter #lord voldemort #tom marvolo riddle #your fingers seek mine #your fingers seek mine snippets #yfsm snippets #yfsm

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peggy-sue-reads-a-book · 10 months

Text

The Garden of Innocence

Dionysus x Ariadne | Greek Mythology | Teen+

Summary: Theseus is Edward Cullen a real piece of shit.

Illustration panels: (x)

Chapter 4

The truth was, Theseus was an excellent sailor. He was a novice, however, at the slaying of fearsome beasts. He had not expected to survive the labyrinth.

He was seventeen and had gotten lucky. And he loved Athens.

That, and he was the last, obviously, to find the Minotaur. The death blow to a creature with weak eyes and a bruised head. The real monster had been stench of the pit. And the darkness. Then there was the crunch and clatter underfoot. And worse, anything warm.

The thing had charged him. As it did, he skewered it through the eye with a rib snapped from the litter on the floor. It was just enough longer than the monster’s horns. And after it fell, he stabbed it again. He even opened its dead mouth, rammed the splintered rib through the back of its throat and left it there. No longer was he thinking of Athens. He was thinking of his back, and the fear of turning it to run.

That is what happened. That is how the Minotaur died. And after, Theseus followed nothing more substantial than a silk thread to find his way out again. It was an evil place. Even with the monster’s death-rattle behind him, the maze still breathed. When he returned to the light of Knossos, he was sweating and white as with fever.

Ariadne was so beautiful. Overjoyed to see him, never minding his drenched hair and shaking hands. He sunk to his knees, hid his face against her. Clinging to her as a suppliant— this beautiful girl he never expected to see again. What’s more, her things were packed.

He couldn’t just leave her.

The ship seemed so empty. There was not one surviving tribute besides himself. Would he return home a hero? Or merely a guilty survivor? He needed time to think. And the voyage from Crete to the mainland was short. He felt terrible for tricking her. He really did.

But she believed him so easily. Where was the hurt?

Their second night on Naxos, he build her a fire of blue and green. They gazed at stars and she fell asleep with her head in his lap.

He nodded off only a few times, his chin dipping to his chest just before he startled awake again. His legs and lower back cramped from the rigid stillness of that night. He knew he deserved it. There was sand in his ass. He deserved that too.

He would not wake her. The little movement he allowed himself was to touch her curls. It was a pleasure. “You’re so soft,” he whispered, trailing his fingertips along her cheek, down her neck.

The dark ocean was loud, almost menacing. The earliest light turned it purple— like wine. Every groaning tree, even the little frogs that peeped made his neck prickle. Some hero, he thought.

As the sky yellowed, Theseus could not bear it any longer. “Princess,” he said giving her shoulder a squeeze. When she only stirred a little before falling back asleep, he spoke louder. “Ariadne.”

“Hmm?”

She blinked up at him and yawned.

“I need to talk to you.”

The way she looked a him. No longer with guileless fawning, but caution. Like a startled animal when a twig snaps.

She sat up, inching to the very edge of his cloak. For a moment no part of them touched. Then she lay a hand against his thigh.

“Yes?” she said.

He rubbed the back of his neck and gulped. “The wind is right today,” he said, “I could probably reach home by dusk.

Her face brightened. “We’re going to Athens! Oh!” Her hands found both of his.

He looked just past her, at the lonely ship bobbing in the rising tide. He tried to let go of her, but found himself gripping her fingers all the tighter.

“You can’t go with me,” he said at last.

“What?”

His breath shook, “Ariadne, I can’t marry you.”

Tears sprung in her eyes. She jerked her hands out of his. “Well, that’s too bad because you’ve got to now. I’ve been alone with you for days and Minos would kill me before taking me back!”

He looked away, reddening. “I have not taken your honor,” he mumbled.

“As if that matters!” She stood over him, her voice rising to an angry screech.

Something in the pitch of her voice annoyed him. “A priest might still confirm your purity,” he said harshly. There was no cause for her to make a spectacle of herself. He had expected a delicate reaction: weeping, perhaps.

“Theseus, what are you saying? I thought- I thought-“

“I do love you,” he said, “But I can’t bring you into Athens. You might not even be safe.”

“Why not?” she cried.

“Think about it,” he raised his voice, tears now in his own eyes, “Every year since you can remember. Your parents—“ His words were brittle with sudden anger, “Do you realize what they levied from us? A ship full of - of-“

“Of course I do,” she said, “I helped you to kill my own brother.”

“Your brother? How can you call it that?”

The dull eyes. The grinding teeth. Hot breath in the dark.

She held her up to look him sharply in the eye. “We have the same mother. You already killed him. What does it matter if I show him a little dignity?”

“I could ask you the same thing! It eats fourteen children every harvest and you’re concerned with its dignity?”

He was flushed, shaking in his anger. She was frightened.

“He is my brother. You have my loyalty which is all I can give. I cannot change blood and nature and history to your liking.”

Theseus looked very near to striking her. She held rigidly still. She would not flinch from him; she had already given enough.

“It is as I have said.” He frowned deeply, but appeared to have mastered his temper. “You are not a fit bride for Athens.”

“But what about you? I love you.”

“I know,” he softened at last. “But I am not my own person. I came to Knossos ready to die for my city. I will not lose what I have fought for over an imprudent marriage.”

“You sound like a king,” she said.

“I will be a king. And Athens and Crete are still enemies. Can’t you see what will happen?”

She could, but was too offended to relent.

He took her silence for ignorance. “If I take you to Athens, your father’s fleet will be right behind us. His wealth is in gold and ships. If he plunders us, he could afford the mercenary forces necessary to move further into the mainland.”

“And what if he doesn’t?” she answered sharply, “I betrayed him. I’m not worth the ships it would take to recover me.” When he opened his mouth to argue, she cut him off. “I know him better than you do.”

He looked away from her. “Fine. Say he didn’t follow us. It’s still not acceptable. My father will arrange a marriage for me that will credit him. You will not.”

“But you love me.”

“Not enough to lose wars for you.”

She backed away from him, an angry knot in her gut. “You used me.”

“I did not mean to— I didn’t think of it—“

“You should go.”

“Ariadne, you have to forgive me—“

“I don’t have to do anything.” For a moment she seriously considered spitting at his feet.

“I didn’t think I would live — I thought you were the last girl I’d ever see. I shouldn’t have—. Ariadne, I’m sorry. I have wronged you, I am wronging you now, but—“

“Theseus, go.”

He reached for her, but she turned her face away. His last kiss landed awkwardly on her ear. She flinched in annoyance.

“The gods keep you, princess,” he said.

“Take your cloak. I don’t want it.”

She neither replied nor turned away. But she watched him all the way to his boat. Only once the vessel was free of its mooring did he realize she was gone. He had not seen her run. Theseus squared his shoulders, calves straining to push the hull through the sand. He could be home by dusk if he kept focus. A humid wind filled his black sail, and he jumped aboard.

@dionysian-daydream @hycinthrt @withlovefromolympus @kebriones @margaretkart @lefty-scissors @human-still-developing @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @silly-billy-the-bunny @shitfacedalways

#greek mythology #in your paradise #dionysus diety #dionysos #dionysus #dionysus x ariadne #ariadne #angst

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patchworkgargoyle · 11 months

Text

i recognise you're a hideous thing inside

This is so late, but here it is: my @steddiebang fic annoucement!!

The summary needs some work but-- We've got monster hunters, werewolves, and vampires, oh my! We've got a murder to solve and romance afoot! This is heavily inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and my own love for supernatural creatures, and the title is from this song.

I'll be working with @mcdadarts, who'll be creating a gorgeous illustration or two, and @steves-strapcollection, who'll provide an excellent playlist for the fic.

I'm so excited, I hope you all will be too!!

For your reading pleasure, a snippet below the cut.

Chapter 3

With a single step, Harrington got right in Eddie’s face. Grabbing the collar of his shirt, he brought his free hand to Eddie’s face and before he could pull away Harrington jabbed his thumb against Eddie’s lips. His upper lip. Pushing, he exposed Eddie’s teeth. Eddie froze.

Oh fuck.

“Weird how your teeth got pointier the angrier you got, Munson.”

Breath caught in Eddie’s lungs. Not that he needed to breathe anymore. But as his wide, panicked eyes stared into Harrington’s cold, single-minded stare, he still felt like choking on air. That thumb still pressed against his sharpened canine tooth, the warmth of it as shocking as it was… enticing. Eddie could feel the subtle pulse of blood under the pad and, unbidden and unwanted, he started to salivate. Goddamnit, this wasn’t the time.

“Listen-” he began, his tongue brushing against that fucking thumb and sending a wave of hunger through him right as Harrington tore his hand away from his mouth with a sneer. “Man, I swear, I haven’t done anything or killed anyone-”

“So that werewolf in the woods out back was, what? A ghost?”

“Sorry, werewolf?”

Harrington yanked him closer. “Don’t play dumb, Munson.”

“I’m not!” Eddie yelled, but Harrington wouldn’t budge. He could hear it, in his elevated but steady heartbeat, saw it in the set of his brow. Shit. Shit.

Whatever. He was just a fucking human. Trained to fight things like Eddie, sure, but that’s all. Eddie wasn’t.

The low light of his room grew brighter as his eyes changed. He could see, now, the faint jump in Harrington’s neck, but pushed it aside. Grabbing Harrington’s arm, hand still clutching his shirt, Eddie twisted, fast, faster than a human. The momentum, the speed, sent Harrington stumbling. His knees hit the bed, but before he had the chance to recover, Eddie ran.

As he sped down the hall, a low growl rumbled out of his room. “What the fuck. What the fuck!?” he panted.

Rapid footsteps thundered behind him. Eddie’s hair stood on end. Reaching the door, he went to throw it open, desperate to get the hell out of there, but Harrington slammed into him. A broad hand shut the door with enough force to knock mugs off the wall and rattle the window. Another landed on his back. Eddie’s face and chest hit the door. He let out a pained groan, wincing his eyes open.

There, right by his face, was the hand Harrington had been examining earlier. Only the blunt nails were growing. Thick brown hair started to sprout from the back of his hand as dark, curved nails–claws–embedded themselves in the metal of the trailer door with a muted squeak.

“What the fuck are you, man!?” Eddie’s voice broke, raw and breathless. The hand on his back grabbed his shirt and flung him towards the living room. Nearly tripping, Eddie floundered until he found his footing, spinning to face whatever Harrington was turning into as fear clawed its way up his throat.

Standing in front of the door, chest rising and falling rapidly, Harrington looked changed. Like he was mid-transformation. His hands were the worst, furry, animalistic. His eyes were flashing more golden than brown, and his face–

“You should already know. You killed one of my kind last weekend,” Harrington grit out, almost growling, his lips moving strangely around the strange array of canine and human teeth, his nose and jaw uncannily elongated.

Track the tag hideous thing sbb if you'd like to see snippets and updates!

#steddiebang #steddie big bang #hideous thing sbb #steddie #steve harrington #werewolf!steve #eddie munson #vamp!eddie #stranger things #fanfic #sav scrawls stuff

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vacantgodling · 5 months

Note

I'm so sorry if you've talked about this part in Cage already (just lmk and I'll go find the post if there's one). But I think about Hanzo's intro in your fic almost daily. The cake. Cole's disbelief and confusion. The hostile banter between the two of them. Just how well you write characters and how easy it is to get invested in the stories you tell in general.

Uhhhh...oh, right. What inspired that whole scene? Was it something from the game itself? A reference? Just something awesome you imagined that would be sure to leave an impression?

--@ceph-the-ghost-writer

CAGE ASK CAGE ASK!!!!

i’m hype i never thought i would see this day 🥹 firstly, thank you for your super kind words it really means the world to me that you would even give cage a read without being as hyper invested in ovw as i am LOL. that being said i’ve come to realize that i reeeeally love writing thinly veiled hostility (thanks amon & hya) and how the SMALLEST shred of internal willpower is the only thing keeping people from lashing out. TENSION it’s so deliciously fun to write—

BUT to answer your question it’s actually a little bit of column a, a little bit of column b. so, many many moons ago, blizz released a christmas comic kind of showcasing what many of the og characters do during christmas and there is a panel with hanzo looking at a christmas cake in japan.

christmas cake is a Thing in japan, it’s literally a special cake solely for christmas time and that (along with eating fried chicken from KFC, seriously people order christmas dinner months in advance from it) is kinda how the western idea of christmas got integrated into japanese society lol. now, it’s very possible that hanzo is only getting the cake because it’s christmas however, as a fan base people kind of ran with the idea that hanzo likes sweets. they could’ve just as easily had him going to get fried chicken which is Also apart of japanese christmas tradition, and up until that point lore for hanzo was So Goddamn Sparse that seeing him get cake was actually very… interesting, yknow? so, at least for me this tiny panel evolved into the idea that hanzo has a big sweet tooth because it says a lot about how he craves being cared for (sugar is sweet, so, he wants to be treated sweetly) and to be allowed to indulge (because as the eldest, growing up he was raised more strictly — which is canon fact he and genji have a lot of voice lines about it, and i imagine sneaking off to have sugar or sweet treats of some kind every once and awhile was the only real rebellion he was able to have) and i guess in some ways i want to illustrate a juxtaposition with his character Immediately to the audience.

like let’s say this was a novel on its own and you have no context to overwatch: you spend the first chapter with cole and genji yelling at each other about hanzo is or isn’t a monster, how he “killed” genji or injured him so badly that most of his entire body is made up of cybernetics and despite it all genji wants to forgive him. by showing hanzo upfront doing something absurd (sitting on a plane wing and eating CAKE of all things) it communicates to you that there is something… off about him, at least when it comes to cole’s knowledge and interpretation of him (since we’re in his pov).

it’s a nod to people who like overwatch and love hanzo liking sweets bc we are constantly starving for hanzo content so that sweets-loving fact is highly regarded.

but also, subconsciously i feel like it harks back to the idea of what truly “evil” person likes sweets? there’s an association with sweets of innocence, of yknow obviously sweetness, but i find that most people find sweets (subconsciously) to be disarming. what does it say when a dangerous killer like hanzo who you’re “supposed” to dislike, likes sweets? it throws you off and that’s one of the many things that throws cole off!

one of the things about the whole “oh the curtains are just blue” discourse is always the idea of what if they’re just blue and sure that could be true, but there’s usually a subconscious reasoning why writers describe things the way they do even if they don’t “mean” to impart that idea into something. very easily i could’ve had hanzo eating cake just as a nod to the comic panel but i like to think a lot of the times i’m quite Aware of why i’m describing things as they are: hanzo eating cake shows that he craves affection and understanding, but him sitting high off the ground and putting physical distance between himself and the rest of overwatch is literally showing how he puts a barrier between himself and what he craves. in a lot of the first chapters you’ll notice that i tend to put hanzo up high, and as the story progressing he starts staying closer and closer to the ground. YES this is a nod to his canon-in game-wall climb ability but it’s also a showcase of him literally closing the physical and mental distance between himself and the members of overwatch. allowing them closer and closer and trying to distance himself less.

sorry this is a whole rant and a half LMAO but i think very muchly about the mechanics of what i’m writing and why i’m showing certain things so thank you again for letting me impart some of my process on you lol :’)

#ff: cage #ren analysis

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bicycleboyblog · 2 years

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Webcomic Recc Week 2

☆.:*[ Click here to read GHOST JUNK SICKNESS! ]*:.☆

This beautiful piece is a rework of one of the first GJS illustrations!

It’s hiatus: Week 2, and time to tell you about another gorgeous webcomic. This one’s called Ghost Junk Sickness. While the Ghost is a fashionable shapeshifting menace featured heavily in this epic tale, there doesn’t appear to be any Junk Sickness. Unless... here's looking at you, Boggmouth!

Created by Studio CARTRIDGE, a team of sisters named Krispy & Space, who are based out of Ontario, Canada -this story follows a pair of interstellar bounty hunters with a troublesome relationship, while the spectre of the “Ghost” haunts them in the background. They, like many unfortunates before them, are drawn to the hefty bounty, as the elusive Ghost is worth a whopping 600,000 triens! Life changing cash for Trigger & Vahn.

Trigger is, as his name suggests, a grumbly, gun-toting hardass, and he travels across the universe in search of sweet, sweet cash with his soft-spoken friend, Vahn Gavotte. Vahn is a more upbeat, feminine sort who is trying desperately to look on the bright side. They have some crazy markings nobody understands, and their tiny frame can easily brace a colossal energy gun that they use to destroy their foes. Curious, indeed.

Mecha battles, planet apocalypses, kidnappings, big ol’ lizards, a corrupt interstellar military, leg-lobbings, murder, and more– Ghost Junk Sickness will throw you through a tonal loop, and it's so much fun. Some parts of it feel like a “monster of the week” type of format, where each chapter is a self-contained episode. This storytelling style graciously shows us a window into all aspects of CARTRIDGE's universe, peering into the lives of friend and foe, bitter and sweet. Every member of the huge cast gets their time to shine.

GJS is a black and white behemoth, spanning 7 years of updates. It has 18 chapters and 1000+ pages that will keep you satisfied for weeks of binge time. At least, that’s how long it took me to read it, and I was devouring the damn thing. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous, confident, and intensely emotional.

Read it for Fiachra. She is mean and big and strong and powerful and oh dear I may be biased.

If you like Hunter X Hunter’s massive, sprawling universe, Vash the Stampede’s mysterious superpowers from Trigun, and all the space-faring adventure of Cowboy Bebop, you’ll love Ghost Junk Sickness.

Krispy also helped put together the wonderful Webcomic Resources blog, which, as the name suggests, is invaluable if you are a comic creator. It is full of useful information I reference often. She is also part of the team for the Webcomic-centric podcast SCREEN TONES.

Relevant Links:

Ghost Junk Sickness Webcomic Site

Studio CARTRIDGE @ Patreon

Krispy @ Twitter

Space @ Twitter

Krispy's Portfolio Blog

SCREEN TONES: A podcast about all things webcomic!

Webcomic Resources Tumblr Blog

#ghost junk sickness #webcomic review #webcomic #signal boost

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berenwrites · 11 months

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Beyond the Battle - Chapter 10 - Stranger Things - Steddie

Beyond the Battle: Action & Consequence

Click here for All Posted Chapters

Summary: Steve hits things with a bat or gets hit depending on who you ask. He definitely does not have anything to do with the psychic stuff. That is El’s domain. However, as Vecna is defeated, the rules change.

Pairing: steddie (Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson)

Other Relationships: Steve & Robin, Steve & Dustin, Eddie & Dustin

Rating: Teen

A/N: Multi-chapter story, updated regularly. Honestly not sure how many chapters it will have yet because it's still a bit hand wavy in the middle, but definitely more than 12. Thank you to my beta for find my mistakes and to all those who read/like/reblog.💖 Follow #st:beyond-the-battle for updates.

Also on AO3

Chapter 10. A Couple of Things

Steve rolled over to find Eddie sitting up.

“Eddie?” he asked as he realised that a, it was early morning, and b, Eddie had the most amazing bedhead.

However, any amusement flew out of his mind when Eddie looked at him. That wide-eyed worried stare he had seen too many times while they were in the Upside Down was engraved on Eddie’s features.

“What’s wrong,” he asked, sitting up.

He was pretty sure Eddie was not panicking over simply waking up in his bed, no matter how mostly asleep both of them had been when he’d climbed in.

“I’m really thirsty,” Eddie said quietly, “like really, really thirsty.”

That being said, Eddie opened his mouth. Steve squinted because the curtains were half closed and the light wasn’t very good, but then he saw what Eddie was trying to show him. Two neat little fangs were jutting from Eddie’s upper jaw.

“Oh,” Steve said. “Guess that part didn’t completely go away then.”

“That’s all you have to say?” Eddie asked, sounding just a bit hysterical. “Didn’t go away? Steve, I have fangs.”

“Hey,” Steve said, sitting up properly and reaching out to place a hand on Eddie’s arm. “It’s not like you’re some bloodthirsty monster. We can deal with this.”

“How do you know, Steve?” Eddie challenged. “How do you know?”

“Because I woke up to you freaking out, not chowing down on my helpless neck,” he said, giving Eddie a look. “Now how about we deal with this before anyone else wakes up. I think it will be much easier to explain once we can prove the solution, don’t you?”

He held out his wrist towards Eddie.

“Oh my god, you really are a self-sacrificial idiot, aren’t you?” Eddie said as if he could not believe what Steve was saying.

“No, in this case I’m a practical one,” he replied, “and your friend. It’s not like we haven’t done this before.”

“That wasn’t the same,” Eddie protested. “That was like some other reality.”

“What happens there still has real world consequences,” he countered waving between both of them to illustrate his point.

“It doesn’t feel like then,” Eddie said, expression twisted with worry.

“That’s because I think some of that was meta… metapsy… no that’s not right … meta something,” he tried to explain.

“Metaphysical?” Eddie suggested.

“Yes, that,” Steve agreed. “El and Will were talking about it while we were still staying at the labs and the way El explains it, it’s not exactly a real place. It’s not like going between here and the Upside Down, it’s well…”

“More like astral projection?” Eddie asked.

“If that’s where you leave your body, then yes,” Steve agreed. “Things there can seem physical and have real world physical consequences, but it’s not necessarily the same thing. You remember biting me, I remember you biting me, but I think it was to do with creating a connection between us so I could help you heal, not actual blood. But it doesn’t make much different because it felt real to us anyway and you proved you can control your instincts.”

“I could hurt you,” Eddie insisted.

“I could heal it,” he pointed out.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Eddie all but whispered.

Steve shuffled a bit closer.

“Eds,” he said, wondering after he’d said it where the nickname came from, “we’ve all come out of this a little different. Some of us like you, me, and Will a lot different, everyone else changed by everything we’ve all been through. We stick together, we deal with it. Please, let me help you. If it turns out not to be good for either of us, we’ll stop, and we’ll call our child geniuses and supergirl to figure out something else.”

Eddie sat there looking at him in silence for a few seconds. It was only then he realised it wasn’t a trick of the light, Eddie’s eyes were black too. When the little red ring appeared, Steve knew Eddie had agreed.

“If I hurt you, you stop me,” Eddie said perfectly seriously.

“I promise,” he replied, lifting his wrist once more.

Eddie’s fingers were cold as they wrapped round his bed warmed skin. His nerves tingled. When black, red-rimmed irises looked up at him, he nodded. It felt momentous, and yet not at the same time. It felt right and obvious.

“One second,” he said, just before Eddie lowered his head.

Leaning over, he grabbed a couple of Kleenex from the pack on the bedside table.

“Sorry, just in case of spillage,” he explained, taking up his previous position.

Eddie took a deep, shuddering breath, and focused on Steve’s wrist.

Steve bit his lip. Eddie’s fangs going in definitely hurt, but the feel of Eddie sucking on his wrist, that went straight to his cock. In a way, Eddie had been right, it was very different from when they had been in the Void, but it was in no way bad. Quite the opposite in fact. And Eddie only took a few swallows before drawing back.

Acting on instinct more than anything else, Steve clamped his other hand over the wounds, drawing his wrist back to him. The Kleenex went red as his blood soaked through, but he concentrated. Not really clear what he was doing, he closed his eyes and didn’t exactly will the holes to close, more he pushed them to be right. It was the strangest sensation as, for a moment, everything around him became distant. His wrist throbbed, just once and the real world jumped back to the forefront of his mind.

Not sure he’d managed to do anything, he moved the Kleenex carefully. What he revealed were two, neat little pink patches on his skin, a mere echo of the holes that had been there.

“Now that is metal,” Eddie said.

“Says the guy with fangs,” was the best comeback Steve could manage.

He touched his nose, but his fingers came away clean. No nosebleed either, which felt like a significant victory.

“Oh, wow, I think I might be high,” Eddie said, swaying slightly where he was sitting.

Definitely not the reaction Eddie had had in the Void either. Steve knelt up and gently took hold of Eddie’s shoulders so he could get a good look at his friend’s face. All the while doing his very best to pretend he wasn’t half hard.

“Your pupils are blown,” he said as Eddie looked at him with his pretty dark eyes that were once again brown, but mostly pupil.

“You taste really good,” Eddie told him. “Wasn’t like this before.”

“Yeah, well I don’t think anything is like before,” Steve replied, doing his best to ignore the way Eddie was looking at him was stirring feelings he wasn’t sure how to deal with.

“You have lovely eyes,” Eddie said with a small smile. “Everyone always talks about the hair, but your eyes are amazing. You have a first-class ass too…”

“Okay,” Steve said, feeling his face heat up, “how about you lie down and try to get some more sleep. It’s still early and I don’t think you know what you’re saying.”

“Yeah, maybe, sleep’s good,” Eddie said, moving as Steve gently urged him back towards the bed. “Meant what I said though,” Eddie muttered, relaxing surprisingly quickly.

For a while Steve sat there processing. On the one hand Eddie had definitely been kind of high so anything he said couldn’t be held against him, however, Steve also knew that sometimes that was when the real truths came out. Straight guys didn’t usually tell other guys they had pretty eyes and a nice ass unless they were taking the piss. He was pretty sure Eddie had not been doing that.

Of course, the bigger thing he was trying to deal with was his own reaction. He wasn’t horrified by Eddie’s words, he wasn’t even a little bit worried, quite the opposite in fact, he was pretty sure he was reacting in exactly the same way he would if a pretty girl had told him those things. Now that he looked back, it had started in the Void. Complicated feelings from before had now started to untangle themselves and were making a very obvious pattern.

Climbing out of bed carefully, so as not to wake Eddie, he walked out of his room and down the landing to the second guest bedroom. The door was partially open, and he stepped inside, padding over to the bed and sitting down beside a still sleeping Robin.

“Robin,” he said, gently shaking her shoulder.

The only response was a noise of discontent.

“Robin,” he persisted.

“What?” she asked, not opening her eyes. “You’re still in the doghouse, y’know.”

“Sorry, I kind of need to talk to you,” he said quietly.

Something in his tone must have been enough, because Robin sat up, pushing her hair out of her face.

“Hey, Steve,” she said in a much gentler voice, reaching out and taking his hand, a worried little frown clouding her features, “what’s up? I’m not really mad at you, promise.”

“You know you explained how some people like the opposite gender, some like the same, some like both, some don’t like any and everything else?” he asked.

He could tell by the way Robin’s eyes opened that she hadn’t really expected where the conversation was going.

“Of course,” she replied.

“I think,” he said, going over everything in his head again just to make sure. “I think I might be one of the people who like both.”

“And that’s perfectly okay, right,” Robin said, moving closer to him. “You get that, don’t you?”

He nodded.

“Do you mind me asking how you figured it out?” she asked carefully.

“Eddie,” he admitted.

“Hmmm,” Robin said.

“You don’t look surprised,” he observed.

“Yep,” Robin admitted, “I thought you might say that. You kinda get this look on your face when you’re into someone,” she told him. “I might be shit at telling if a girl is into me, but I’m kind of attuned to when you’re into a girl, or in this case a guy.”

“Oh,” he said as he let that sink in. “But its’s not just because he’s back from the dead…”

“I know,” Robin said, effectively shutting him up.

“How?” he asked, because that was definitely the first thing he had thought of.

“Because you didn’t get that look after Eddie died,” Robin told him, giving him that intense look of her. “That last time in the Upside Down, when we left behind Dustin and Eddie as decoys, you had it then.”

He almost contradicted her, after all he’d barely known Eddie at that point, but he didn’t, instead mulling it over.

“Oh,” he said again as he replayed that time in his mind.

It had not had a happy conclusion and he usually tried to avoid the memories most of the time, but he let it play through his thoughts.

“You never said anything,” he said eventually, not quite sure what to think.

“Didn’t want to pressure you,” Robin said, squeezing his hand. “Kind of something you have to figure out on your own, so I was waiting for you to come to me. Honestly, I was expecting a bit more of a crisis, you’ve always been so very straight.”

He shrugged.

“Probably would have been,” he admitted, “but with everything else, it doesn’t feel quite as big as it might have.”

“I suppose raising the dead could be considered a bit higher on the momentous events scale,” Robin commented.

“He wasn’t dead,” Steve countered automatically and rolled his eyes at her, for which he earned a smile.

“That’s called splitting hairs, Dingus,” she said airily. “So, spill, what made you finally realise?”

The memory of Eddie’s mouth on his wrist flashed into his head and he felt his cheeks heat up almost instantly.

“Steven Harrington, have you been kissing another boy?” Robin accused, teasing him mercilessly.

“Not exactly,” he said, ducking his head.

“Okay, now you have to tell me,” Robin said, “because I have never seen you blush this badly before.”

“Fine,” he replied, “but you have to promise not to yell at me.”

Robin gave him that look as if she was peering over horn-rimmed spectacles or something.

“Eddie woke up with fangs, I let him bite me, bullied him into it really, and there was nothing platonic about it, at least on my end. He got high off my blood and told me I had pretty eyes and a nice ass,” he confessed all in one go.

Robin’s mouth fell into a little ‘o’.

“Please say something,” he begged.

“Eddie is a vampire?” Robin finally asked.

“Kind of, only not really,” he did his best to explain. “I think it’s a hangover from what Vecna did to him. He was dying of hunger when I first saw him in the Void and I told you I let him feed from me, only it wasn’t remotely the same, and I think then it was mostly about creating a connection which let me heal him. He doesn’t have fangs anymore most of the time, so I think it’s an only-when-he’s-really-hungry thing, and he didn’t have them yesterday and he had no problem with sunlight. After all you found us outside and…”

Robin put her finger on his lips, so he shut up.

“Did he hurt you?” she asked.

“No, god no,” he promised. “It was kind of erotic actually, and I healed the bite.”

He held out his wrist where the two little pink patches were already fading.

“Oh my god,” Robin said, running her hands through her hair, “not only have you had a bisexual awakening, but you have a biting kink too. Steve, you never do anything the easy way, do you?”

“What do I do?” he asked, because he felt way out of his depth.

“About Eddie being a vampire or Eddie floating your boat?” Robin asked.

“The second,” he replied. “I think we’ve got the first one covered, although we’re going to have to let everyone else know.”

“I think other people might find the vampire thing a bigger deal than you do,” Robin pointed out, “but let’s skip that for now. What do you want to do about Eddie?”

“Kiss him within an inch of his life,” Steve said perfectly honestly.

Robin blinked at him for a moment, opening her mouth and then closing it again.

“Actually,” she said eventually, “that’s a really cute picture in my head.”

“Robin, focus,” he prompted.

“Sorry,” she said. “I think you need to talk to him,” she went on. “He knows what he said, you know what he said, so be brave, have a conversation about it.”

“What if he says he didn’t mean it?” Steve asked.

“Then he’s full of shit,” Robin said without any hesitation. “Steve, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. You’re not the only one who was giving off signals. I might not read Eddie as well as I read Dingus, but I’m also not blind.”

She made more sense than he really wanted to admit. Not that it made everything any easier.

“But until then,” she said, glancing at her watch, “it’s ass o’clock in the morning. Sleep now, talk later.” She was already lying back down, dragging him along. He surrendered, letting her snuggle into him, but he didn’t close his eyes. He had too much to think about.

End of Chapter 10

Chapter 11

#stranger things fanfiction #steddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #steve x eddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #eddie lives #stranger things #st:beyond-the-battle #fanfic #post season 4 #vampire eddie #hurt/comfort #vampire eddie munson #platonic stobin #psychic stuff #steve harrington has powers

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thequietmanno1 · 1 year

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Thelreads, Vigilantes 75, Replies Part 2

1) “Now, did you, knuckles? The beginning of this chapter was you looking for ways to track the Queen, are you saying that that was instead you just getting drunk and trying to look for AfO for shits and giggles?”- Well, he was only half-heartedly looking for Tamao and the Queen. He didn’t really have any hope that random guy would tell him about the drug, he was just looking for an excuse to beat somebody, or get beaten up in turn. It wasn’t until Koichi restored his faith in human goodness that he decided to stop punishing himself and start trying to actually figure out the details of the group that kidnapped her and how to effectively rescue her. 2) “Now that one I agree with, because koichi never gave up doing what was right, even though his rationality and doubt lead him to avoid pushing himself forward. We know that when the time comes, he already jumps in, that`s who he is.”- Doing the right thing is never easy, but that’s always what makes it so rewarding. 3) “Oh yeah, Koichi was always a hero on the inside, even if he didn`t fit society`s image of one. Now, although I`m happy on seeing you admit that koichi was always a hero and all that, I must say that this is slightly diminished by the fact that Koichi never did anything that would cast doubt on him being a hero. He just doesn`t have a license and that`s it, other than that he completely fits the bill, he would be pals with Midoriya.”-What the letter is ultimately intended to do is not to prove to others that Koichi is a true hero, but get Koichi himself to recognise that he genuinely is one, and needs nobody else to save the day, just faith in himself and his will to save others. He doesn’t need a Knuckleduster, and All Might, or even an Ingenium, he just needs the Crawler to be ready to handle whatever the crisis is. In another timeline, Koichi would have already learnt this lesson from a pep-talk with Midoria, but because he hasn’t met him, he instead gets it from somebody else who know what a true hero is like, even if he himself no longer is one. 4) “Now that- that`s what I miss the most from the first few chapters, this is the shit that was good. I liked when Koichi was focused on the unseen side of doing good, helping people, keeping the street clean, you know, things that didsn`t necessarily involved fighting giant exploding monsters while building fell from the sky and all that.”- Having said that, just because now is the time for him to step up and be a true-blue hero on his own, I don’t think Koichi will ever really stop doing deeds like this. Other heroes would probably do bigger acts of generosity, but Koichi seems like the kind of guy who’ll use his powers to do the smallest helpful deed, rather than considering any of it beneath him or any PR aspects. Having somebody like that as a popular hero one day might actually convince more kids to become heroes that, if not helping out with the monster-fighting, use their powers in small ways to help to community, just like the Crawler. 5) “Well, being honest knuckle, he would be glad to keep to unseen side of doing good like I said. Hell, he tried his best to avoid you afterwards and go back to his routine.

Koichi was always a hero on the inside, but he did need that push from you to actually get going forward. “- Unlike Izuku, Koichi did not have relentless childhood optimism pushing him forward out of his comfort Zone. It took a fight-crazed street janitor to really force him to make progress on being a hero, even if Knuckles also did his best to keep Koichi away from the really dangerous villain group in his area. 6) “Huh, that`s… oddly precise in relation to his current situation. Tell me, when did you wrote this letter, Knuckles?”-

If this illustration is any hint, sometime after he left Koichi and was still sporting his Hobo beard look. Which, indicates he greatly expected this next stage of his investigation could likely backfire on him and leave Koichi without a mentor in his corner, so he tried to cover his bases. On the other hand, given he gave said letter to Soga, it implies that he was basically counting them as said ‘few allies’ for Koichi, and that events going forward had a good chance of dragging his disciple into a crisis, which he may have tried to head off himself, but he could had also tried giving Koichi a bit more of a direct ‘heads up’ that something bad might be happening soon. Maybe Koichi and Pop would have been more wary in that case. 7) “Now, if you start talking about the parasite and how to remove it from Pop`s skull I`ll be sure that you just wrote this a few minutes before koichi woke up and fucked off so he wouldn`t see you. I`m watching you, knuckle… You will need to come back from the convenience store eventually…”- Nope, but apparently he left Soga his notebook that contained details anatomical charts and sketches on theoretical means of safe on-site removal when he was planning Tamao’s extraction. 8) “Now although I agree with the “no doubts” part, I do recommend Koichi thinking a little before jumping back in. Pop is not gonna be an easy opponent for him, even not taking into account the massive amounts of trigger she have in her system.”- Plan first, then act on said plan. Improvise as needed in the moment, but never stop doubting you can do it. In a way, it’s not too dissimilar to Izuku’s own analytical mind-set when it comes to Quirk combinations

(Vigilantes 7.5) 9) “Your dad is absolutely right Koichi, you listen to him and keeping your thing, and you’ll see how far you’ll fly.”-I can’t believe you predicated this turn of events all the way back in the beginning chapters. (Vigilantes ch 74) 10) “I WAS JOKING

I WAS ONLY JOKING THAT KNUCKLES WOULD LEAVE HIM A LETTER TELLING WHAT TO DO

OH MY GOD WHY

ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW FURUHASHI”- He might not have context on what exactly is happening to Koichi at present- Knuckles might be a Batman expy, but not even he could have prepared for this exact scenario- but he does know Koichi well enough to know that what Koichi needs most to save the day isn’t a guided plan, but the encouragement that he’s got it in him to save the day on his own. (Vigilantes ch 74) 11) “NO KOICHI DON`T READ IT. BURN THAT THING. WE CAN`T ALLOW THIS TO BE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IN THE STORY. WE CAN`T LET KNUCKLES FUCKING SOLVE ALL THE PROBLEMS ONCE AGAIN, EVEN AFTER HE`S BEEN FUCKING GONE SINCE FOREVER”- Good news, the letter still didn’t solve Koichi’s problems right now! Bad news it means he has to go along with Soga’s aid in order to have a proper plan of attack necessary to save Pop. (Vigilantes ch 74) 12) “NOW WHAT THE FUCK KNUCKLES I LITERALLY JUST CONFIRMED THAT YOU DID SAY THAT AND YOU`RE TRYING TO DENY IT? DON`T GASLIGHT ME YOU ABSENT BASTARD, I KNOW WHAT I SAW “- Magic feather situation. Can’t teach somebody to fly if they were already born with wings, they just need the courage to believe in themselves enough to try it. 13) “Oh, I`m impressed, no mentions of bees. Well, I must give it to Knuckles, he truly is consistent, he told him fuck all in a letter where he was supposed to tell him everything. He literally started the letter saying how Koichi definitely would be dealing with some demons from his past that he couldn`t handle, AND THEN HE DIDN`T GAVE ANY HELP IN DEALING WITH SAID DEMONS FUCKING LMAO KNUCKLES”- You’re really helping me realise just how roundabout Knuckles has been about this whole ‘dark past’ deal. Soga knows more about it than Koichi does, and it appears that Knuckles would prefer to have kept this whole issue squarely between himself and AFO’s Villain Factory, damm the realities of having a Quirkless body. But alas, said reality has dealt with Knuckles, so it’s up to Koichi to pick the pieces up. 14) “Alright then, since Knuckles is too busy doing whatever the fuck he does in the convenience store, I suppose that… Soga… would be the one to deal with the problems left behind. Yeah, because that`s definitely where the story went, if I recall correctly.”- Hey, if we can’t pry exposition out of Knuckles with a crowbar, sometimes we need to take the info from whatever sources we can get. Having a plan of attack is better than none, and Koichi’s not exactly the brightest bulb in the ‘plans’ department, ironically for a Pupil of Knuckles, who plans out the Wazoo to compensate for his Quirkless state.

15) “okay, now real talk, how do you know that? Knuckles knew that, I suppose, but how do you know that? I don`t think he told you about this, and I doubt that there were other queens between Tamao and Pop. How did you know how the bees are gonna act?

Also, how is the queen gonna fly away? I think she`d be a bit easy to catch considering her massive fat ass”- I’m guessing at the very least he’s extrapolating from whatever data Knuckles left behind for him and Koichi to collaborate together on, though seeing at most of it seems to be second-hand, he can be excused for some gaps in his knowledge compared to the actual process. 16) “Oh yeah, he`s back babey! There`s my empty-headed kid, you can see the neuron bouncing on the corners of his skull like a DVD screensaver.”- Soga: To act or not to act, that is the question. Koichi:….Sorry, what question? I thought we were just talking about Bees all of a sudden? Soga: Oh for fuck’s… 17) “Oh, I see how it is koichi, this time the neuron actually hit the corner, but you still got the words messed up on how to express yourself. I`ll forgive your little mistake there, if only because you`re my son and I love when you`re a dumbass.

Now, time to keep moving forward, until your enemies are destroyed, like Eren always says. Again.”- And this time, they have to make sure to actually destroy the whole hive, so none of them can be utilised by AFO or Nomura again.

18) “Yeah don`t think that you got a free pass to give a friendly scoff at him Soga, you`re still on the lowest side of the story. Your presence here is nothing when we focus on what truly matters, my boi mustering all his determination to prepare for what is to come.”- Look on the bright side, at least Soga’s willing to put himself in the line of danger to rescue Pop alongside Koichi, which in turn increases the odds of him actually suffering a dangerous incident.

“Well, I guess I`m just too rusty when it comes to Vigilantes. Still, it`s so good being back, even if I bitch and complain every other word, I love Koichi and Pop, and I do want to see how they are gonna get her back. Now this is the sort of emotional weight and stakes I wanna see in a story, alright”- Good news is, the story only gets better from here, in my opinion anyway.

@thelreads

#bnha vigilantes #bnha #my hero academia #thelreads #chapter replies #vigilantes 75

0 notes

bthump · 2 years

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So I was talking to some guy about berserk and ofc he hit me with the classic « Griffith is actually a monster of arrogance and his need to feel superior to guts was the main factor of their relationship » which obv I disagree with + when I asked him about a scene that could illustrate the arrogance that according to him was the main factor behind Griffith actions he mentioned the scene were Griffith meet « god » during the eclipse and the first thing he ask from him is to have wings (« it was a form of arrogance bc he didn’t talk about the band first after the sacrifice » but it doesn’t really make sense bc 1) it was after Griffith heart was frozen so he was not about to cry for his friends 2) aren’t the wings a reference to the hawk ? Or maybe I am missing something ?) But I was looking for a scene that could illustrate that griff is not actually super arrogant / did not feel the need to be constantly superior to guts and there was plenty of small scenes that could work but I wanted to know if according to you there was one or two in the manga that were particularly clear about that ?

lol yeah that arrogance example really doesn't work, since he had a whole monologue before that chapter about the Hawks being killed and how it's strange that he doesn't feel anything about it etc.

imo the wings are a symbol of, yk, soaring ever higher and his ambition and dream. So sure he's arrogant there, because he's already pretty much mentally Femto. To me that's like taking Femto's "still squirming in your pitiful existence I see?" and using it as proof that Griffith always felt superior to Guts.

ANYWAY examples of Griffith not being super arrogant and not needing to be superior to Guts:

Having sex with Gennon for the money to keep as many Hawks alive as possible; asking Casca if he’s dirty. (ch 17)

Risking his life for Guts (ch 15)

Risking his life for Guts again w/ Zodd, and the "for your sake," conversation. (ch 5-7)

Also the fact that he’s completely chill about being totally defeated by Zodd and doesn’t take it as a blow to his ego (unlike Guts, as we see in chapter 65).

Also this lmao:

*twirling his hair around his finger* Wow Guts you’re so much tougher than me... (ch 6)

Sending a search party after Guts and Casca despite the nobles he needs to suck up to telling him it's a waste of resources. (ch 21)

Asking if Guts thinks he's cruel, ie needing Guts' reassurance. (ch 32)

Telling Guts he only wants the Hawks to see him soaring up, while Guts is “rough enough to share this with to the end.” (chapter 34)

Nearly pulling his own arm out of its socket trying to save Guts when he falls off the giant eclipse hand (ch 76)

"But now as he shines so glaring within me, the junk grows dull." (ch 49)

"You're the only one... who made me forget my dream." (ch 78)

“You made Griffith weak! Griffith’s no good without you!” (ch 45)

“But Griffith always gets impulsive when it comes to you!” (ch 18)

Laughing when Guts wins the water fight by dumping a bucket over his head. (ch 16)

Oh yk also in the Lost Chapter, the way Griffith is more than happy to not have free will and turn control over to God strikes me as the opposite of arrogant. The first thing he says when God is like ‘yo I’ve been in total control of your life since before you were born’ is ‘okay what do you want me to do then?’

The way Griffith asks him to assassinate Julius, rather than ordering him, which is pointed out in the text when Guts mentions it. (ch 10)

Thinking about Guts leaving while fucking Charlotte, crying and tracing scratch-marks after. (ch 38)

Crying and apologizing to all the dead soldiers in his subconscious (ch 77)

Smiling and being relatively chill about the loss of his dream when they drive away from Midland (ch 59) before everything with Wyald goes down.

The way Griffith’s internal monologue during the second duel was matter of fact and demonstrated that Griffith already knew full well that Guts could beat him in a one-on-one duel - therefore that’s not what he’s having an emotional breakdown over. He’s known for a long time that Guts has surpassed him in raw ability with a sword, and he’s factoring that fact into his decision making here:

This monologue boils down to: “Guts is better than me, so I have to use an extremely risky technique and gamble everything on one strike.” He’s not even sure of his success here. “If successful,” he says.

So yk, the point of the duel isn’t to prove he’s superior and he didn’t fall to pieces bc Guts beat him, which is something I see a lot of Berserk fans think, it’s to keep Guts at his side through the only means he can think of, and he fell to pieces because it didn’t work. (ch 36)

Someone who’s convinced Griffith only cares about being superior to Guts could probably argue away a lot of these, but like, this is why you should apply Occam’s Razor to your interpretations of stories sometimes, yk? If there’s a bunch of important moments you need to somehow explain away to justify your take, it’s probably not a very strong interpretation. An interpretation of a story should shed light on it, not make half of it confusing and contradictory.

Like if Griffith’s main trait is arrogance, what does chapter 17 exist to convey? Why are we shown him feeling shame and guilt? Why does he self harm? Why does he risk his life for Guts? Why does he need to be convinced to make the sacrifice? Why does Guts make him forget his dream? If Griffith was devastated because he’s not superior to Guts after all and losing the duel was a blow to his ego, why would Miura choose to convey that through Griffith thinking about him while fucking Charlotte and then curling up and crying about him? Is that tonally consistent?

Like imo the best argument against Griffith needing to feel superior to Guts is the fact that his narrative just straight up isn’t about that, it’s about something else entirely, but that requires like a whole essay of explanation lol.

Hope this helps though!

#thanks for the ask!#a #b #character: griffith #bananaproved #ship: griffguts #scene: second duel #arc: ga #theme: self loathing

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shirozora-draws · 2 years

Text

I posted 56 times in 2021

48 posts created (86%)

8 posts reblogged (14%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 0.2 posts.

I added 310 tags in 2021

#shirozora draws - 48 posts

#star wars - 46 posts

#the mandalorian - 43 posts

#luke skywalker - 35 posts

#din djarin - 35 posts

#dinluke - 34 posts

#skydalorian - 32 posts

#grogu - 19 posts

#story: the suns - 11 posts

#cobb vanth - 7 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#like y'aaaaaaaaaaaaaall i finished a sketchbook in 3 months? i mean sure it's just an itty bitty moleskine and not a honkin' regular sketch

My Top Posts in 2021

Runaway 2AM thoughts turning into runaway headcanons about Luke getting Mandalorian armor courtesy of the Armorer because my brain won't shut the fuck up.

--------------------------------

Leia: ... why do you have Mandalorian armor?

Luke: Oh, the Armorer made it for me.

Leia: Who?

Luke: She's part of Din's covert. He said it's a wedding gift.

Leia: A what? Since when did you get married?

Luke: Three weeks ago? I think? I'm not sure. Apparently we got married while fighting stormtroopers.

Leia: Stars, why didn't I think of that? We should've done that.

Han (off-screen): No, we didn't!

2313 notes • Posted 2021-04-09 07:41:51 GMT

I said I was going to slow down to focus on writing and this is why - I, a fucking fool, am illustrating my own goddamn fic. Sure I'm working full time and taking an intensive class on character design but who needs sleep when there's a story to tell?

Anyway, here are the illustrations for the first chapter of The Storm sequel, The Suns.

*rolls the fuck away*

2445 notes • Posted 2021-04-17 03:19:50 GMT

As the person responsible for a day's worth of chatter, art, and fic featuring Lightning!Luke at the dinluke Discord server, I figure I ought to post my own contribution. Don't usually post illustrations ahead of the chapter (have 1 more thing to sketch out, so looking at Saturday to post) but this is the "alt" version so have at it. Enjoy this visual vibe-y mashup of Sam Kim's Mandalorian version of the Luke Skywalker Theme and Into the Spider-verse's What's Up Danger

2525 notes • Posted 2021-07-09 07:50:29 GMT

I, the biggest fool to ever fool, really thought I could put a moratorium on doodling Mando things until I was this much closer to finishing this goddamn 50k+ monster of a fic. Except I felt very naked about not doodling anything because I apparently developed this brand new habit of doodling Mando things all the time and posting at least once a week. The loophole is, “Well you said you were gonna commit to 1 sketchy illustration per chapter so we might as well start sketching those out.”

So I did just that. Have two sketches for fic illustrations. Goddammit and dank farrik.

2804 notes • Posted 2021-03-27 09:55:27 GMT

So.

This is what happens when you try to stop hyperfixating for several days to do your goddamn art assignment and your hellbrain says, “I have an idea.”

Sure did take me 2 days and 2 near emotional meltdowns to learn how to use CSP’s animation tools and make this work.

I’ll maybe post the jpeg later.

3196 notes • Posted 2021-03-10 07:31:41 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#2021 tumblr year in review #jesus bejesus #that is a freaking fuckton of traffic you guys have brought to my art blog this year #this is *mindboggling*#i am so grateful for y'all likes and reblogs and replies and TAGS I LOVE YOUR TAGS YOU GUYS HAVE THE BEST TAGS #puts my main blog to fucking SHAME haha oh my good god #fingers crossed that starting this month and into the depths of 2022 I'll be able to put out just as much nice art

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broxklynn · 3 years

Text

The End Of My Candy Love

Warning!

Alright, so. This post will contain a lot. First of all, it's gonna be really sloppy. I'm very emotional person and I easily get attached to games, movies and stuff. I know it's a bit weird, but yeah, I'm a weird person. Anyway, that's why there's a warning: there's gonna be a lot of sloppiness, grammar mistakes (at least I think so, specially since english isn't my native languange) and it's probably going to be long. So, if you're intrested in reading my thoughts about everything - good luck.

First Adventure

I first heard about "My Candy Love" in 2015, six years ago. So, I was basically a baby (I'm pretty young). And I started playing a year after, I got totally obssesed with Lysander and I fell in love, seriously, haha. I was into writing back then, but I couldn't find any ideas on "what to write?" and MCL gave me just that - inspiration (that's most likely why I'm just a romance freak).

My Story

You know, I was a child so I couldn't really pay for AP, but I always found some kind of way to get them. But then I got my phone I just used money from that, geez, I was nuts. The old AP system was so iconic, looking for Nathaniel, finding Kiki, I'm gonna miss it.

Anyway, I got along with Castiel pretty well (which suprises me 'cause I found about walkthroughs in 2017, like year after, so maybe it was because I was a brat?), but I adored Lysander. Oh, I also loved Ken (I was so sad when he went away) and Nathaniel. After I met Armin, I liked him too.

Again, being a child and playing a game like this I came across all diffrent kinds of emotions. I was laughing, crying, dying from embaressment (this thing with Nath and locker room, aaa) and getting seriously mad (Deborah's arc, Priya, Charlotte). I remember impatiently waiting for new episode to come out or crying my eyes out during Lysander's amnesia plot. Jesus. I loved the way Castiel was teasing Candy, I loved this cute-clumsy Kentin, I loved the old Nathaniel, I loved Armin and most of all - I loved my precious Lysander. I adored the interactions between characters, how funny or cringy they were and how much fun I had. I even like this secret-dating plot even when it got on my nerves. I still remember staying up late to watch videos like "lysander illustrations" and stuff. I also really enjoyed reading MCL manga and I spent hours trying to translate it from Spanish to English or my native languange (funfact: I still haven't finished it! I don't know where to find those mangas) or trying to draw something from the game up ending up terribly failing. Anyway, I was crying during the prom thing, my Candy was so grown-up, I got emotional, haha. So, 40 episode came in. I was pretty excited 'because, me, being extremely naive (I got to say, I've never had a problem with Beemoov before, I started playing MCL in 2016 and Eldarya in 2017, so there were no major issues with them, only the price of PA, I think) thought that my Lysander is going to propose (I was a child, ok?) and maybe, there's going to be a second season with us living together. Haha, how naive I was. Whole episode 40, really got me tearing up, I was a wreck, seriously (When Kentin couldn't take Candy's bra off I lost it or this whole ananas thing in Castiel's route, omg). But I finished it feeling happy. I truly enjoyed spending my time on this game. But, then this whole university thing came out. And the fact, that Lysander, Armin and Kentin won't be with us foe the next season. I spent entire vacation crying (I was a kiddo, ok?) and being mad at everyone. I felt like I got robbed. It was horrible.

"A New Chapter"

I was one of these people who just couldn't accept the change. Not in the world. Never. They stole my Lysander, Kentin and Armin from me and changed AP system to some kind of bullshit. God, I was mad. Really mad. Seeing Castiel was quite nice, but I didn't fill the void of my baby. But, oh, my, God. When I saw Nathaniel I just couldn't believe. I said I was mad? Then I was furious. I really liked the old Nathaniel, he had his own vibe, his backstory, his character and it was just, damn, amazing. But they changed him completely, for what? They wanted the second Castiel? Yeah, they got it. Priya as a love interest was quite a good move, tho. I even though I didn't like her (in highschool or in university) I liked the idea of adding a female interest. But the thing that hurted me, was the fact that Lysander was taking care of the farm. Like, no! He didn't want that. He didn't like the countryside. He had such a potential to become a author and Beemoov didn't let him. God, that broke my heart. Anyway, I didn't spent a single penny on MCLUL, but I have to say - I kinda enjoyed it. You know, it was the guily-pleasure kind of thing. I didn't like it as much as I liked highschool, but there were some good or funny moments. I loved Rayan's kiss scene. I adored Chani. Or Hyun making us watch "Toy Story". Nathaniel's ulgy green hair or all these crazy threesomes. I liked it. Kinda. I hated Nath tho. The ending, hm, it was okay, I guess? I do feel sort of nostalgic thinking about it 'cause I got some nice memories from it, in the end. But yeah, going on.

Love Life

Oh. My. Lord. I was so sceptical about it. Like, I was sure that, at this point they're going to do "My Candy Love Mid-Life Crises" next or some other shit. But in the end, I "kinda" like it. It wasn't good like highschool or fresh like university, but I was nice to see new chapters with our annoying-cringy Candy, that I love (btw, I started playing other otome games and I realized that Candy wasn't that bad). Meeting Eric was nice, even tho, this whole cheating plot really got me ragging. Like, damn, Beemoov, seriously? And if you going this, why not with old LIs? Just kidding. Anyway, I truly enjoyed meeting Dan and Eric, the two of them were quite a characters. I won't forget them, hah. I was happy with single ending, 'cause I think about it as a "open ending" when my Candy can go back to my baby and everything's going to be alright.

Regrets & Complaints

Now, now. Where do I start? AP system was a freaking nightmare. Replacing old Nathaniel with some kind of weird Castiel was a nightmare. Removing Lysander, Nathaniel, Armin and Kentin was a nightmare. Not finishing plots was a nightmare. And why in the whole Love Life I haven't seen Amber once? Why Alexy never mentioned Evan like they're not brothers? Why Castiel doesn't care that I was dating his bestfriend? And why, in the world, after changing the system finding Kiki is so damn easy? Why AP is so expensive? So many questions!

All The Good Times

But, I got to say. I will never forget this bitchy Castiel, cookie-monster Ken following us around. Or cute Nathaniel. Castiel buying Candy some kind of weird McDonald's. Or Lysander's parents exposing him having crush on Candy. Or seeing Kentin kissing Amber (ew). This super akward-funny sex ed lesson. Deborah's arc and losing my shit over it. Or Thomas (this weird child) stalking my Candy and her LI in the park. And Lysander asking us how to hide a body, aaa. Or Armin telling us he loves us. Or Kentin. And Cookie ripping this huge teddybear apart. Or the water fight in Kentin’s spin off. And crushing on Alexy and later on finding out he’s gay. Or spin-the-bottle game and Lysander getting jealous. Or Dake, being a creep for entire game straight. Or guessing what was guy's surnames. And for sure, I will never forget this demonic Kiki dog.

What it worth it?

In the end, yes. Have I ever told you that I want to become a professional writer? Silly dream, I know, but writing is a huge passion of mine, and well, my first story was based off My Candy Love (it is cringy as hell, but I feel kinda nostalgic thinking about it). All these years spending on playing game that I wasn't supposed to be playing was amazing. It was one of the best experiences I had in life and I will never, ever forget that.

What now?

Well, Beemoov is working on a new game and I'm kinda optimistic. I know, it's really naive of me, but I want to believe that they won't f*ck this up, this time. And going back to Sweet Amoris, well, I truly missed this place! And the teachers... And Kiki. I wonder, when it will be released and will Beemoov finally open up about telling us surnames and ages of love interests. Anyway, I want to believe they learnt from their mistakes.

In the end. Thank you, My Candy Love, for creating so many memories. I will be forever grateful.

(I just re-read this post and it seems like I have really love-hate relationship with this game)

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betawooper · 3 years

Text

rating every demon fight in kny bc i can

non-biased, completely objective rating (more or less) of every significant demon fight in kny based on a number of factors, including:

cleverness of fighting tactics

placement in the story’s timeline

integration of character backstories

cohesive themes between characters

etc

by non-biased and objective i mean i’m not skewing the rating if a death felt fair or whatever

everything past where the anime ended will be under a read more so anime onlys who havent watched mugen train, youre safe lol

oh and i reread the manga like 20+ times (reread the latter arcs at least 40 times, haha hyperfixations am i right?) so be rest assured im not pulling these ratings out of my ass

also ill randomly be bolding certain phrases just to improve readability

anyways let’s gooooo

VS NEZUKO

[Image Description: Manga panel of Kamado Tanjirou and Nezuko. Tanjirou is fending her off by putting the axe handle in her mouth, keeping her from eating him. End Image Description.]

10/10

i like how realistic it is, because yeah tanjirou would react the way to he did with zero fighting skills against a demon

very clear why tanjirou is fighting nezuko and shows a bit of worldbuilding on how normal people react to their family becoming demons

always nice to see worldbuilding

giyuu is the perfect example of a seasoned demon slayer who’s good at his job, and he juxtaposes tanjirou very well in that aspect

my only complaint is not directly in this fight itself but how nezuko is handled throughout the story as a whole

like bro, it is literally never explained why nezuko is different from demons

could have been easily explained if maybe her family’s ghosts like slapped her hand every time she wanted to eat a person but nope

she’s just built different lol

so yeah youll see future ratings get points docked off bc nezuko unlocks some secret power with no prior explanation other than she angy >:3

VS TEMPLE DEMON

[Image Description: Manga panel of a demon. The demon has a sharp-nailed hand over his neck and there are four text bubbles around him saying “But a wound like this... will heal in no time! See? The bleeding already stopped!” End Image Description.]

10/10

may be more forgettable compared to like rui but still good

tanjirou did exceptionally well in this fight and his ability to think on his feet is once again beautifully illustrated here (trapping this dude’s head against the tree trunk with the axe)

very clever

again, establishes more demon worldbuilding regarding regeneration and still being able to move without their head

and the demons burning in the sunlight thing since nezuko wasn’t able to show that

the ending where tanjirou hesitates to kill the demon also serves to show his sympathetic nature towards demons that will last throughout the entirety of the first 60-ish chapters

we’ll talk about what the hell happens to tanjirou after that

or not, it could honestly be its own post

VS HAND DEMON

[Image Description: Manga panel of a many-handed demon. He has six hands around him, three of them covering his mouth while he chuckles, two of them grabbing his cheeks, and one holding on to the top of his head. There are two text bubbles saying “That’s how many of Urokodaki’s students I have eaten! I’ve decided to kill all of his students!” End Image Description.]

10/10

ooooh probably the first big fight against a demon in the series

oh yeah not doing the two random demons tanjirou one shot in a single blow bc eh

anyways hand demon’s pretty goddamn scary, considering the fact that this is the 5th demon or whatever tanjirou has had to face so far

very nice way to show us how much tanjirou’s innate intuition and all his other random abilities (sense of smell, hard forehead) can come together and help him decapitate this guy

i liked the mini history with urokodaki this dude had and why he had beef with our favorite mentor figure, it establishes that urokodaki was in fact a super good demon slayer and its cool to see that actually shown

i also liked that small moment of compassion tanjirou gave this demon, staying consistent with tanjirou’s established kindness

the demon’s sad tale with killing his own brother very much humanizes him when all the reader has seen up to this point is that this guy is a monster who eats people

sets up the theme of demons just being humans but being victims of circumstance that unfortunately doesn’t hold up as well in arcs past mugen train

VS SWAMP DEMON

[Image Description: Manga panel of Kamado Tanjirou fighting off three horned demons as they appear from below. There is a spiky text bubble saying “Three of them!!!” End Image Description.]

10/10

not my most favorite fight but it still portrays everything alright and im not allowed to let my personal opinions mess with the rating so

i like how tanjirou mentioned the fact that he trained in conditions similar to the bog and explains how he pulled off the whirlpool form

using past experiences to aid him in the present, nice nice

tanjirou and nezuko dont quite work together very well but its yknow the first mission so ill chalk it up to simple inexperience

also the way the muzan curse thingie was hinted at here? fantastic way of showing that little bit of demon worldbuilding

...

oh god, it mentions nezuko being stronger than normal demons

ok its not a problem here per say since i can still suspend my disbelief, but later on it just becomes a glaring problem that gets worse over time

VS SUSAMARU AND YAHABA

[Image Description: Manga panels of Susamaru and Yahaba. The first one is a joyful Susamaru about to throw a temari ball. There is floating text saying “Is she one of Kibutsuji’s minions?!” The second image is an annoyed Yahaba, holding one of his eye-hands to cover himself. There are two text bubbles around him saying “My kimono got all dusty. Tch!” End Image Description.]

9/10

why dont these bitches have a good looking panel together dammit

anyways amazing entrance, the way yahaba used his hand eyes to track down tanjirou is really neat

the synergy yahaba and susamaru have is incredible, its awesome dude, they work extremely well together and it shows

tanjirou actually mixing his water breathing forms together is a god tier move and i absolutely love how he can show off his ability to think on his feet once again

establishing how yushiro’s bda works early on is really well done

establishing tamayo as a fugitive this early on is also super well done

not to get into spoiler territory but both these things pay off

how tamayo ended up defeating susamaru is literally awesome in so many ways

shows off both how smart she is by exploiting the muzan curse

and speaking of the muzan curse, we actually get to see what happens to demons who even say his name, back when it was hinted with the swamp demon

tamayo is amazing dude, and we get some real evidence of the horrible suffering demons go through if they even accidentally attempt to betray muzan :D

...

now heres what keeps this fight from being perfect

nezuko somehow grew stronger against susamaru’s temari

with no explanation

which could have been easily explained if tamayo was like “oh yeah the drug also boosts a demon’s strength temporarily”

but nope

god, i just dont like how gotouge handles nezuko’s power boosts throughout the series bc like i said before

no explanation is given anywhere

this is a huge issue, this isnt a pokemon game, you cant just kill demons and get exp at the end of every battle, level up, get some sweet stat bonuses and move on

(actually if gotouge established that this is how nezuko grew in power, than all my complaints about this would be gone, im not even joking)

anyways i get that nezuko is supposed to be “special” but thats too vague of a descriptor

how the hell is she special? ya gotta be more specific and stick with that explanation or that suspension of disbelief is going to disappear

VS TONGUE DEMON

[Image Description: Manga panel of a four-eyed demon with horns and a long tongue. He is crawling in an awkward position, one foot in front of his tilted head. There are two text bubbles around him saying “Heh, heh! I’ll slurpy slurp your brains out through you ear!” End Image Description.]

10/10

not much to say, showcases zenitsu’s true abilities really well

nicely done

VS HORNED DEMON

[Image Description: Manga panel of a big, single-horned demon. There are three text bubbles saying “You dodged! You’re awfully lively for a human! It’ll be a treat to carve away your flesh!” End Image Description.]

10/10

would have ignored this fight if not for the fact we havent seen inosuke fight before

it definitely shows how very fast-paced and wild inosuke is

no complaints here lol

VS KYOGAI

[Image Description: Manga panel of Kyogai, a demon with tsuzumi drums attached to his shoulders. There are four text bubbles around him saying “Why?! Why does everyone keep sneaking through my house? It’s so aggravating. It’s my prey! It’s my prey! Found in my territory!” End Image Description.]

10/10

establishes marechi blood pretty early on, once again expanding the worldbuilding of kny which is always cool

interesting terrain where it’s always shifting, tanjirou once again proves his ability to adapt really quickly by altering one of his forms to work with the turning room

(man, i wish the form mixing/form modification thing carried on throughout the rest of the story, but it really didnt which is just a shame)

the injuries tanjirou had prior to this mission actually affecting him was a nice touch

oh yeah, kyogai gives us more worldbuilding (which is always nice) regarding the 12 kizuki, and the aspect of him being cast out due to being weak shows a lot about muzan’s indifference towards his own demons if they arent strong

his backstory being a failed writer once again humanizes kyogai as a former human being and not just a monster

tanjirou shows his sympathy and compassion again by not stepping on his written work and complimenting his bda

well, tbh tanjirou’s actions kinda came out of nowhere but its a very minor thing and not enough to dock a point off, like it didnt affect the outcome of the fight that much if at all

(so if you see future battles where points are docked off for things not logically making sense, its bc whatever nonsensical concepts were integrated into the fight actually turned the tide of the battle and thats a big no-no)

very good fight and if you remember how kinda bad tanjirou was at accurately slicing the swamp demon, you can see that he’s already improved leaps and bounds

im so proud of him

VS MOTHER SPIDER DEMON

[Image Description: Manga panel of Kamado Tanjirou and the Mother Spider Demon. There is a light shining down from the top right on to the demon as Tanjirou slices her head off, rain following in his wake. There is floating text saying “Water Breathing: Fifth Form - Blessed Rain After the Drought!” around them. End Image Description.]

10/10

i mean does anyone disagree?

all the demon slayers getting their necks snapped by her threads was pretty horrific, probably more horrifying than anything else we have seen in the entire series if im gonna be honest

the death scene is probably the most beautiful one in the series

it reveals a water breathing form that we havent seen before thats the 5th form

as far as i know, no other breathing style has this merciful sword stroke so it shows a lot about the original water breather and what they might have been like

but enough about them, really the focus is on tanjirou bc this is like the best example by far of how kind and sympathetic he is to demons

dunno what else to say, its perfect

VS SON SPIDER DEMON

[Image Description: Manga panel of Agatsuma Zenitsu performing Thunder Breathing 1st Form: Sixfold on a spider-like demon. Zenitsu is crashing through the roof of a shed, and a zig-zag path is left behind. There are sound effects all over the panel, saying “Bam!” in large font. End Image Description.]

10/10

chose a picture without a huge spider on it bc i would like to not scare myself half to death

anyways extremely amazing fight, showcases zenitsu’s immense talent and skill, adapting the 1st form of thunder breathing to be a more versatile move

theres a moment where his backstory with kuwajima and kaigaku were revealed and his hidden insecurities are out in the open which is super nice and further develops a character weve only considered as comedic relief until now

the anime made the backstory scenes and the killing scene so much cooler

while there is no thematic connection between zenitsu and the demon, it really isnt necessary to keep this fight interesting

anyways another pretty much perfect fight

VS FATHER SPIDER DEMON

[Image Description: Manga panel of Kamado Tanjirou and Inosuke slashing at the Father Spider Demon. The demon has blocked Tanjirou’s sword with his arm, and Inosuke is slamming both his blades down on the demon’s other hand. End Image Description.]

10/10

again, not my most favorite fight but it does everything right

i do have to say it was excellent how gotouge hyped up the father spider demon to be the big bad, only just so the plot twist later takes the readers by surprise

nicely done

VS DAUGHTER SPIDER DEMON

[Image Description: Manga panel of Kochou Shinobu and the Daughter Spider Demon. Shinobu’s back is seen and her haori looks like a butterfly’s wings keeping her afloat as she holds her stinger blade out to the side. The demon looks surprised as blood gushes from her side, arm, shoulder, chest, neck, and forehead. There is floating text on the panel, saying “Insect Breathing - Butterfly Dance - Caprice!” End Image Description.]

10/10

first time weve seen shinobu and her fighting style

what i love most about this is how much it shows her true character, appearing as a carefree and naive individual so she seems underwhelming

then bam, reveals exactly how dangerous and uncaring she is of demons, listing out the specific ways she would torture the daughter spider demon in grotesque detail

her using poison to take demons by surprise is also super clever and brings back the worldbuilding established way earlier about wisteria being poisonous to demons

amazing integration of that concept

anyways this fight really encapsulates who shinobu is as a character and thats why it gets a perfect score

VS RUI

[Image Description: Manga panel of Rui holding his hand out directly towards the viewer. There are two text bubbles around him, saying “Give me your sister. If you hand her over quietly, I’ll spare your life.” End Image Description.]

8/10

not only is it a super scary fight but there is a deeper conflict between rui and tanjirou, what it means to be family

they are opposites in the sense that while tanjirou believes love is what makes a family, rui’s subconscious desperation for an unbreakable bond drives him to use fear to keep his “family” together

excellent juxtaposition of their values, and this is only further emphasized when rui expresses out loud what he was going to do to nezuko

i also like the symbolism regarding rui’s bda, how he uses threads or the “familial” bonds to cut up his fake family with it if they act out of turn or annoy him

super neat detail

alright what i dont like about this fight is nezuko (again)

mostly her unlocking her bda to turn the tide of the battle bc her mom was like “yo, wake up, your brother is going to be killed”

feels... forced ig

her bda in general is confusing and not consistent

man, i wish i could make a stronger argument for this but i do believe the problem stems from the fact that we dont ever know what nezuko is thinking, and what she thinks of tanjirou specifically

if she even cares for him as a sibling or if shes only going along with what her family is saying to her, things like that which would have been fixed if gotouge actually gave her thoughts some screen time

so the action feels pretty shallow

im also conflicted over tanjirou somehow remembering how dance of the fire god works

on one hand, hes using past information and applying it in the current setting so he doesnt die, which is understandable

but on the other hand, this was a teeny bit random?

i think what could have fixed this is if there was a scene in the beginning of the series where tanjirou was performing it himself, like practicing before he actually had to do it for new years

so that when the rui fight rolls around, it would have felt less like throwing dry spaghetti at a wall

but yeah

overall super good fight, giyuu ending up having to kill rui instead of tanjirou was super good in that tanjirou didnt become a pillar this early in the series and to show how strong giyuu is

there are some odd bits regarding the ultimate “beheading” of rui using nezuko and tanjirous supposed bonds but it doesnt kill the fight entirely so it deserves its pretty high score

***under read more is manga-only fights so beware***

VS ENMU

[Image Description: Manga panel of Enmu holding his hand out directly at the viewer, with a mouth on the back of it. There is floating text to the top right of Enmu that says “Whispers of Forced Unconscious Hypnosis!” End Image Description.]

9/10

id say this fight is definitely overshadowed by the dream stuff prior to this but its pretty good in its own right

enmu fusing with the train was kinda confusing, like when was it established that demons could fuse with objects?

this worldbuilding element doesnt even appear again so yeah thats why it loses a point

how the kmbk gang end up defeating enmu is pretty sweet though, tanjirou using dance of the fire god to sever the neck bone was really nice and shows that him using the breathing style in the rui fight wasnt a one time thing

while kyojuro’s role was smaller in this part, the next part makes up for it so i cant complain

anyways ye, almost perfect score but its pretty good

VS AKAZA (MUGEN TRAIN)

[Image Description: Manga panel of Akaza holding his hand out to the viewer’s left. There is a text bubble saying “Why don’t you become a demon?” End Image Description.]

10/10

this encounter is literally amazing okay?

after the crew kills the big bad, it seems like everything is fine

but plot twist, upper moon 3 appears out of nowhere

this is the first time the reader has seen an upper moon, let alone the 3rd/4th strongest demon in existence and the way gotouge handled this twist is fucking amazing

kyojuro’s death scene really shows just how human even the strongest pillars are against demons with incredible power

its just

amazing

VS OBI DEMON

[Image Description: Manga panels of the obi-like demon. The first image shows the obi hung in the air and strung over each other like decorations, with women-shaped patterns in its folds. The second image is Hashibira Inosuke fighting the Obi demon which now has lips and eyes. There is floating text in that panel saying “Breath of the Beast: Sixth Fang - Jagged Gnaw!!” End Image Description.]

10/10

on to red light district

this fight is admittedly super forgettable and not very interesting at least compared to the main fight with daki and gyutaro

but it wraps up the sub plot of the women and uzui’s wives going missing so it gets a perfect score for not messing that up

oh and it establishes the stretchy neck thing daki has going on which is very good

VS DAKI AND GYUTARO

[Image Description: Manga panel of Daki and Gyutaro. Daki is sitting on Gyutaro’s shoulders. There is a text bubble on the top right that says “The two of us are one, after all.” as well as floating text that reads “The power of the irregular siblings...!? Next issue lead color and the fight reaches its climax!!” End Image Description.]

8/10

love how this battle challenges tanjirou’s sympathy and kindness towards demons, just simply bc daki and gyutaro are horrible people

(too bad nothing came of this, which ill explain in the hantengu portion)

daki and gyutaro are very good villains and kept this fight super interesting from start to finish

uzui acting as a foil to gyutaro is nicely integrated and properly shown with how jealous gyutaro gets over seeing uzui’s perfect form and stature

tanjirou not only mixes forms but mixes breathing styles as well, which is so fucking awesome

(too bad it was only used like once throughout the entire series, its quite unfortunate)

the super high tension right after inosuke gets stabbed and tanjirou wakes up was expertly portrayed and handled, it felt like the kmbk gang and uzui were actually going to lose

super awesome

the tanjirou and gyutaro parallels are expertly portrayed, with how gyutaro taunts tanjirou over failing to protect his little sister, and the more visual thing where tanjirou imagined his own neck underneath his blade, that was super duper nice

the ending is extremely tense and emotionally gripping, gotouge did a really good job with that artistically too

the demon mark acquisition scene was surprisingly not frustrating, considering that it wasnt really explained prior to the battle

i do think it has to do with how it was explained later just exactly how they worked so its not just some random thing gotouge pulled out of their ass

so pretty good

what i dont like is nezuko and her full power demon form

first of all where the fuck did that come from? she just got angry and suddenly shes as powerful as an upper moon

how?

that doesnt make sense???

her extremely quick regeneration makes no sense

her ability to manipulate her blood’s properties makes no sense

and it doesnt even appear again so what was the point of that existing

none of this is even explained later which annoys me

that one part where tanjirou sings a lullaby to her to calm her down was alright ig but nezuko in this fight makes me extremely irritated and frustrated

just ugh

VS HANTENGU

[Image Description: Manga panel of Hantengu opening a shoji door. He is crawling inside, his hand in a gnarled, unnatural position. There is a text bubble saying “Eeeeeeek.” End Image Description.]

1/10

swordsmith village

this fight can go fuck itself /j

no but seriously it has so many problems that it would be shorter to name its redeeming qualities (which ill do later)

first off, the nezuko full power form thing again

i hate it so much with a passion

again, where did her ability to regenerate instantly even come from???? this is never explained, ever

and why did she cut herself on tanjirou’s sword anyway

did she somehow know that it was going to turn red if she burned it?

gotouge what the fuck, there is literally no reason why nezuko would do that and we cant even read her mind to see her thought process

gotouge hates nezuko, i swear

remember when i said uzui is meant to be a foil to gyutaro in the rld fight? its pretty obvious that those two are opposites, it was nicely done

... what the hell does mitsuri’s insecurities about strength have to do with whatever the fuck hantengu has going on (which is basically nothing)?

so no meaningful connection between mitsuri and hantengu

theres no meaningful connection between tanjirou and hantengu other than tanjirou getting pissed off for like the second time

also tanjirou’s thing with being kind and sympathetic to demons was entirely dropped at this point

but instead of it leading up to a corruption arc of some sorts, it just doesnt

like honestly if something actually came of that anger he exhibited in this arc and from red light district from this point forward story-wise, i would have counted this as an amazing writing decision

but it literally doesnt so who cares

(god, i really start to hate what happened to his character after this )

and genya’s revealed motivation also doesnt fit at all with hantengu’s thing, he’s not a foil, not a parallel, nothing, there is nothing

tanjirou being the catharsis for development for mitsuri and muichirou, who he has only talked to like twice

theres definitely a better way to handle those two’s developments without his help

like gotouge, you have a big cast of characters, use them lol

i want to kick hantengu in the face for being boring as fuck (at least his clones have cool looking weapons)

doesnt even have a proper backstory, just a single spread of him being blamed for shit as a human

like... thats it? this is upper moon 4 what the hell

theres no clever form mixing here at all (regarding tanjirou) which probably would have helped with foreshadowing the 13th form for dance of the fire god/sun breathing better

also gotouge established that as tanjirou’s thing and now he doesnt do that stuff anymore which sucks

oh hey remember when tanjirou actually learned how to do zenitsu’s speed boost thing?

if you didnt, i dont blame you bc it literally doesnt appear again, ever

you could argue that he adapted it into his “waltz flash” technique or whatever the fuck that is but the way it was integrated into this fight was like throwing dry spaghetti at a wall

which is just a shame bc its meant to be representative of how tanjirou and zenitsu are good pals but the way it was utilized is forgettable as hell

i absolutely loathe the crimson blade concept as a whole and im mentioning this now bc its going to come into play why future instances where this goddamn thing comes up again causes points to be lost

its inconsistent as fuck ill tell you that

at least some yoriichi stuff appeared here and not shoved into the final battle with everything else

so the yoriichi stuff later didnt come out of absolute nowhere

genya and mitsuri’s unique fighting styles expand the kny worldbuilding just a little more which is always nice

tanjirou got a cool sword out of this which would have been cooler if him and yoriichi had a deeper connection that was actually explored

but we didnt get shit so whatever

other people getting demon marks being revealed here is also okay so that again, the final battle isnt filled with absolutely everyone getting their marks at once

demon marks have their own slew of problems but its not as bad as the fucking crimson sword shit

god i hate the crimson sword shit

...

dude this section needs a tldr, even i cant sit and read through my shit

TL;DR - this fight sucks and crimson swords are bullshit (more on this later)

VS GYOKKO

[Image Description: Manga panel of Tokitou Muichirou and Gyokko. Muichirou is looking to the left while Gyokko is looking to the right, both with their backs to each other. There are mist clouds billowing in the foreground and background, as well as a slash mark going across Gyokko’s neck. End Image Description.]

7/10

this fight suffers from the same lack of cohesive themes through characters like the hantengu battle bc the antagonist is given nothing

but its better

we havent actually seen mui fight before so theres no consistencies that the reader has to keep track of for now

and there arent like 10 characters in the fight so this fight gets a lot of points just for being a lot more coherent

i do like that this fight shows just how good mui is that he can defeat an upper moon by himself

mui’s backstory is neat

gyokko’s bda is very interesting too

... thats pretty much it lol

ye, anyways not the best fight but not the worst fight either

VS KAIGAKU

[Image Description: Manga panel of Kaigaku holding the hilt of his blade with one hand. There is two text bubbles around him, saying “...As usual, you’re still shabby. It’s been a while, Zenitsu.” End Image Description.]

9/10

alright on to final battle arc

theres some good fights and then some really sucky ones, but this one was pretty incredible and very emotionally charged

theres a clear reason why zenitsu and kaigaku are battling each other (kai betrayed the corps and inadvertantly caused the only parental figure in zenitsu’s life to die, and zenitsu is rightfully pissed off about that)

the visual yin-yang symbolism is awesome too

zenitsu winning due to using the 7th form he created himself (which i have reason to believe was inspired by tanjirou) was the perfect ending to the fight, really couldnt ask for anything better and is a perfect example of how much of an effect tanjirou has had on zenitsu

the 7th form is what tanjirou’s waltz flash should have been lol

what keeps this fight from being absolutely perfect is lack of development prior to this conflict

(since the final battle arc is basically a culmination of all the hinted developments through the series, im going to actually factor in how much and how well these conflicts were foreshadowed)

anyways if we had actually seen zenitsu, kaigaku, and kuwajima actually interacting with each other and showing how they were essentially a family (not just through flashbacks), it would have made zenitsu placing the responsibility of killing kai onto himself a lot more tragic

but like, apart from brief flashbacks where zenitsu actually met kaigaku off screen and that one thing all the way back in natagumo where both kuwajima and kai were introduced, thats pretty much it in terms of thunder family development

so yeah its underdeveloped for sure

also one random thought, i personally think zenitsu should have gotten his demon mark in this fight, it would have been cool to see

VS AKAZA (INFINITY FORTRESS)

[Image Description: Manga panel of Akaza’s face. There are two text bubbles around him, saying “Okay, let’s get started. It’s time for the feast.” There is also floating text saying “The inspection of the strong has begun...” as well as a simple box on the lower left, denoting its the end of chapter 147. End Image Description.]

6/10

oh god please dont hate me for this

ill list the good things first how about that

this conflict was foreshadowed perfectly in mugen train, you bet the readers were expecting a tanjirou vs akaza battle after the death of kyojuro and gotouge delivered

akaza’s power is shown extremely well with how many close calls tanjirou and giyuu had while fighting him

akaza eventually giving up on his own volition was really nice and fit into the context of the battle very very well, like sure tanjirou and giyuu wouldnt understand why he gave up but us readers do know

akaza is a really good character and a good villain

now notice how im only mentioning akaza and not giyuu or tanjirou in the good aspects

bc those two are eh

no form mixing at all from either tanjirou and giyuu

i know i said form mixing was kind of tanjirou’s thing but you’d think giyuu would have gotten more creative with his moves once akaza said that he was getting predictable

(well he said he “ran out of water breathing forms” but same thing)

so its kinda bland lol

speaking of giyuu, his whole thing with his insecurities of being weak wasnt handled well (it was sort of immediately brushed off in pillar training, and its unclear what part of his character arc he was in)

like sure him announcing that he’s going to protect tanjirou is cool but it feels like he was haphazardly dropped into the tanjirou and akaza conflict

isnt he supposed to be both their foils? that wasnt really explored that well in this fight and theres no deep meaning behind him even being here just analyzing what he did in it

he could have been handled better or even given more focus is what im saying

the anatta state came out of nowhere, im sorry okay? just bc inosuke like barely hinted at not being able to sense grandma hisa bc she had no fighting spirit and tanjurou magically taught his son how to achieve this state doesnt mean it was properly integrated into the fight

if the anatta state was actually explored prior to this battle, i would have given it a pass but it just feels like a cheap and poorly developed trick to get around akaza’s technique development (which is overpowered as fuck might i add)

gotouge should have just given akaza a plausible weakness to his technique development instead, especially since they dont use or even mention the anatta state after this

the transparent world shit makes no sense but ill elaborate on that in the koku battle analysis

oh and this thing doesnt affect the score but why wasnt there a “yoriichi visage overlapping” moment when tanjirou was fighting akaza? hes an upper moon, he should have gotten those visions but he didnt

for some reason

anyways this battle was alright and has good set up but the middle and end parts didnt hold up as well bc random concepts were thrown at us without prior explanation or development

VS DOUMA

[Image Description: Manga panel of Douma licking Shinobu’s butterfly pin. There are two text bubbles around him saying “Anyway, tonight is a good night. Such fine feasts keep showing up one after another.” End Image Description.]

9/10

damn, such an amazing fight

the build up to this was properly foreshadowed

shinobu finally showing her true anger after hiding it for so long is amazing

douma is a super interesting character and fantastic villain

shinobu showing off her true power and determination against douma was sooooo nice

shinobu’s poisonous body plan is so clever and so interesting

if i was to rate the shinobu part of the fight alone, it would have gotten a 10/10 no question

the reason why its knocked down a point is because of the kanao and inosuke part

dont get me wrong, the way kanao is able to hold her own against douma by herself is pretty cool, how shes meant to parallel douma with their similar struggles surrounding human emotions and demonstrate how she has grown as a person, how she regains the ability to cry

that shit is cool, inosuke also getting in touch with his emotions after learning what happened to his mom was super neat as well

however

bc this battle takes place in the final arc with everything else, there wasnt proper build up regarding many things, the kotoha reveal especially

so inosuke feels kinda forced into the kanao shinobu and douma conflict, similar to how giyuu felt forced into the tanjirou and akaza conflict

its quite unfortunate bc if the kotoha stuff was actually explored prior to the confrontation, this “forced” feeling would have disappeared

i know some people have suggested that the douma fight should have just been its own arc, and i very much agree, it would have certainly helped fix this problem regarding inosuke and kotoha

last random thought, i wish shinobu, kanao, and inosuke got their demon marks

VS KOKUSHIBOU

[Image Description: Manga panel of Kokushibou looking directly at the viewer, holding the hilt of his blade as if he’s going to pull it out. There are text boxes around him saying “This... is Upper Moon One... He’s so different compared to the other Upper Moons. He looks so dignified and majestic.” The text boxes are narrated by Tokitou Muichirou. End Image Description.]

5/10

this fight is... mediocre

at least theres a more tangible connection between muichirou and kokushibou

even though that was handled kinda poorly

tbh there really was no point to revealing that mui is koku’s descendant like at all, it just had no significant bearing to the plot of the fight

sanemi’s backstory being here is... okay ig?

idk the whole shinazugawa conflict has fundamental problems that i just cant think of any other place to put it without changing the entirety of canon

the marechi blood concept coming back was nice though

genya is there

him getting his bda was cool and helped turn the tide of the battle in a satisfying way (before kicking the bucket but thats not the focus here)

gyomei is a hollow husk of a character who barely got anything at all

but his fighting style is extremely cool and conveys his immense power very well

oh and him and sanemi are amazing at working together, like better than giyuu and tanjirou, and better than kanao and inosuke

theyre that good yet pretty much nobody acknowledges it which is sad

koku himself is pretty interesting and pretty tragic, very nice villain

but everyone together?

gonna be honest but this is such a random collection of characters, there was basically no foreshadowing that these four were going to go up again kokushibou, they are not that connected very well

i know there was this one post that focused on the theme of family that was common in all 5 characters in the fight but its just not enough

it would have been more cohesive if gotouge emphasized gyomei, mui, sanemi, and genya being like different aspects of yoriichi coming together to kill kokushibou hundreds of years after yoriichi failed to kill him

lmao its not like the 4 of them defeated koku with the power of family or friendship, they just smacked him over and over with a flail, shot him with magical bullets, and stabbed a crimson sword into his abdomen

wouldnt have been too hard to switch over to koku’s pov and go “damn these bitches are like my stupid brother”

...

speaking of crimson swords

i fucking hate the crimson sword concept oh my god can i complain about it now? im gonna complain about it now

unlike demon marks, the crimson blades werent even given any proper conditions, you just hold the stupid thing hard enough and it somehow imbues it with magical properties with no logic behind those properties

what part of crimson swords completely destroys a demon’s body in an instant? even muzan didnt go through that process when he was almost killed by yoriichi so where in the goddamn fuck did it come from

it could be explained bc the sword was left in the same spot for a long time but this tactic doesnt even appear again in a meaningful way (didnt kill muzan when tanjirou and giyuu held the sword together) so what the fuck was the point of having this even exist

its so underdeveloped and confusing and i hate it

the transparent world stuff is also confusing as shit and its pretty much never explained how they work aside from the vague “close your mind” advice, like why did it exist, it did nothing to help the present day demon slayers

its just so... poorly integrated

yeah anyways this is around the same rating as the akaza fight but a little worse bc there wasnt that strong set up beforehand

VS KOKUSHIBOU (SENGOKU ERA)

[Image Description: Manga panel of a bag getting ripped open, pieces of a wooden flute tumbling out. End Image Description.]

10/10

easily 10/10

this fight shows the tragedy of kokushibou giving in to his envy and hatred, when yoriichi cries over seeing his own family commit terrible attrocities against the people he wanted to protect

and yoriichi dies, now carrying the fact that he couldnt even save his own brother from the influence of muzan on his conscious forever

what a sad ending for yoriichi

and after koku angrily slashes apart yoriichi’s corpse, having him find and keep the flute he gave to him when they were kids to the present day gives him a small shred of humanity in the midst of his monstrous anger

VS NAKIME

[Image Description: Manga panels of Nakime. The first one shows a low quality version of her playing her biwa. The second one is a close up of her eye. There are spiky text bubbles saying “It’s Upper Rank... 4!” End Image Description.]

0/10

no nakime backstory

not even a goddamn fight

forgettable

useless

VS MUZAN

[Image Description: Manga panel of Kibutsuji Muzan in his white-haired, mouth-covered form. There are text bubbles around him saying “Not a single one was of use to me. I will crush the demon hunters tonight. I’ll massacre them all right now.” End Image Description.]

1/10

._.

i have many complaints but ill try my best to not make this another hantengu rant section lol

first off, obanai deserved better

im serious, this poor dude was forgotten until pretty much the end when we finally get a backstory out of him

and then he died

what a waste of a potentially amazing character

mitsuri getting taken out early was ehhh

pretty sure someone else made a post about her supposedly being extremely strong but she was nerfed in this battle which i agree with

literally none of the pillars work together very well, like remember how i praised sanemi and gyomei for being super coordinated? lmao that doesnt exist anymore

you could say this is caused by desperation though and you wouldnt be wrong, its just boring to sit through

that causes issues bc this now basically requires the crimson sword and transparent world concepts to be there to spice things up

but in this fight, they do nothing in the long run (except for tanjirou using the crimson sword at the very very end)

youve already heard me talk about why those two things are super shittily integrated and i cant be bothered repeating myself so moving on

kanao, inosuke, and zenitsu

they... exist? they didnt do much tbh, which i guess is the point but like, now its boring again

nezuko could have been used as a potential way to raise the stakes and make things interesting again (like “ah shit, muzan might actually be unkillable if he gets nezuko but its okay bc shes not here- oh fuck shes here this is not good”)

but nothing came of her running off except confirmation that she became human again so whatever

uzui and shinjuro are useless, why werent they at the fight?

like they could have followed nezuko and contributed to the battle even a little but they just didnt and now theres literally no point to them appearing in this arc at all

wasted potential

tanjirou

i wish him going absolutely apeshit had actual substance behind it, like it being a part of his character arc or something

i remember having this one theory that he had a corruption arc (due to dropping his kindness thing towards demons) and i wanted this to be true so badly

but it doesnt exist

not with how the series ended

god

the only thing that saves this fight from being complete trash is tamayo’s poison thing being amazingly executed

and the part where everyone got blasted away, losing limbs and shit, that made things a little more interesting again

but thats it

VS MUZAN (SENGOKU ERA)

[Image Description: Manga panels of Kibutsuji Muzan, Tamayo, and Tsugikuni Yoriichi. The first one has Muzan and Tamayo, while the second one has Yoriichi pulling out his sword. There are text boxes saying “And the moment I met him, I understood that I was born into this world to defeat this man.” End Image Description.]

9/10

finally something good again

while short, that’s just the nature of all of yoriichi’s battles with demons

anyways pretty nice, theres a clear reason why this battle exists (shows the scenario that made the original breather get super close to defeating muzan in detail)

adding tamayo here was a nice touch

my only complaint is that it seemed extremely coincidental that yoriichi somehow developed a breathing style specifically countering muzan’s multiple organs without even knowing prior that he had all those brains and hearts floating around freely in his body

like thats kind of ridiculous, even for yoriichi whos supposed to be “blessed by the gods”

could just be me though

VS TANJIROU

[Image Description: Manga panels of Kamado Tanjirou in his demon form. The first image has his eyes closed. The second image has his eyes opened and the tumor on his face almost completely faded. There are text boxes around him saying “You will destroy the demon hunters in my stead.” End Image Description.]

1/10

hoo boy

ok first off, demon tanjirou lasted for 2 chapters

thats it

2 chapters

so thats already a problem

i am aware its meant to parallel the beginning of the series but also its ridiculous how completely vague and rushed this entire thing was

nezuko doesnt do shit through not just this battle but this entire arc which i already explained so not gonna go into it further

kanao magically having a demon cure on her made very little sense

the scene where tanjirou leaves muzan in purgatory is pretty but if you look at it in the context of everything else, its ambiguous and confusing

(if someone could explain it and see how it connects to the original theme of “demons just being victims of circumstance,” i would love to hear it)

actually you know what makes me so mad about this “fight” as a whole? there was so much potential to do more with this concept

and im not talking about him escaping and nezuko becoming a demon slayer roleswap au (even though its a pretty cool concept)

him becoming a demon could have been a metaphor for his lost kindness and sympathy towards demons halfway through the series

it could have been a punishment for letting his anger towards muzan cloud his judgement

it could have symbolized literally anything about him losing his humanity as he got stronger

but those three things are just scenarios from my head, they dont exist in this series just based off of what weve seen from these two chapters

its disappointing

the only thing keeping this from getting a 0 is the one part where inosuke couldnt chop off tanjirou’s head bc he cared about him too much

that at least shows inosuke had grown as a character

everything else is just meaningless and convoluted garbage and “convoluted” is not what you should be aiming for if this is supposed to be the ending of your series

IN SUMMARY

early kny is very good, later kny is questionable and the ending is just a mess of wasted potential and disappointment

i get why gotouge had to have the transparent world ability, crimson blade ability, and the demon marks appear before they all appeared on yoriichi but theyre all just so underdeveloped and terribly handled in the battles they are used, it makes me want to kick a wall

like lmao, i could literally think of so many ways they could have been properly integrated, hell, im even writing a whole goddamn rewrite using my ideas for these three things (link to that is in my pinned)

just, god

if you want to debate over these ratings, my ask box is open ig? idk

#kny #kimetsu no yaiba #kny meta #demon slayer #my writing #long post

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