hxh 85:

:(

The worst part about trying to figure out what Crocodile's deal is that because he's so fucking irredeemably evil in Alabasta... Like... Yeah he's just irredeemably evil. Like I love him but he did cause countless casualties, a ton of pain and suffering and literally attempted to blow up a million people

Like no amount of theoretical "trying to do it to save his son from the Government" or "trying to stop the Government from hurting anyone else" or just "doing it for the greater good" is going to make him any less of a mass murderer

But also Robin absolutely 100% helped with all of that shit simply because she wanted to read the Poneglyph for herself.

No amount of her intending to betray Crocodile from the begining and sabotaging his plans erases the fact that Robin also caused countless people to starve to death and die in the civil war. Her sabotages only succeeded out of sheer luck, and only spared the lives of the people at the final battle. She has the blood of countless innocents on her hands. Because she wanted to read history.

But her crimes were swept under the rug because she has a sad backstory and her sabotages worked out just at the nick of time by sheer dumb luck

So Croc??? Just??? Is there a chance??? At all???

But also he did literally intend to sell Buggy into slavery

Like, fuck Buggy, but jesus

What's also killing me is that we like. Don't know what Luffy thinks of Crocodile right now. Which really is like. The thing that will decide how we, as the readers, are supposed to feel about Crocodile. Luffy is our POV

Like we don't know what Luffy's opinion of Crocodile is after he helped save Luffy (and spared Ace once) during the Summit War. Like Luffy clearly fucking hated the man in Impel Down and the two interactions they had during the War weren't like positive (in the sense that Luffy himself didn't think of the interactions as particularly positive. Defending Whitebeard from being attacked once and then being like "wait what HIM?!" when Crocodile defended Ace. To be fair, in the midst of the chaos, there wasn't much time to spend on Pondering On Such Things because Ace needed to be saved, and Oda goes out of his way to not show us what's going on inside Luffy's head, because it's all meant to be out in the open anyways. Regardless, these weren't like "yay it's Crocodile! :)" moments for Luffy is what I mean)

But also Luffy was very grateful of Law for saving his life and was willing to put his trust into Law for their alliance- of course, they weren't explicitly enemies to begin with, rivals at most, but still. Luffy respects those who help him.

But also Luffy grew during the timeskip. Like he's not that clueless anymore (like he finally understands Hancock is in love with him etc), and similarly Luffy gets that Buggy is an absolute loser now. But also Buggy did also help save Luffy's life (even if it was by accident), and while IDK if Luffy is aware of that, I don't think that helped improve Luffy's impression of Buggy

So like. The fuck does Luffy think of Crocodile, at this moment? Even with the Cross Guild reveal, he didn't even really comment on Croc and just focused his energy on being confused about Buggy being "the leader" of CG. IDK it feels almost intentional or something, that we don't know what Luffy thinks?? Especially since we did get Zoro's opinion on Mihawk in the situation?? Or am I delulu?? (Sidenote. I'd love to know what Robin would have to say about Crocodile helping save Luffy's life. What Jinbei might think of the final words Crocodile left him with before blasting them out of Akainu's reach. But mainly just Robin's thoughts)

Like IDK my best guess would be that Luffy still hates Crocodile just the same but is like grossed out by technically owing him one??? In the classic

-kinda way, you know? And that he'd be just kinda confused about it?

Because I can't fucking imagine Luffy being like "oh we're cool now" with Crocodile, let alone "Yay Crocodile :) He saved my life!". But also like. Luffy does kind of owe Croc one. Kind of. And Luffy is usually very respectful of that kind of thing. Aaaaaaaa???

(Also does. Does Luffy even know it was Crocodile who yeeted him and Jinbei out of Akainu's reach to begin with. 'Cause he was unconcious. Knocked the fuck out. Does. Does Luffy even know. Did anybody tell him???)

I just.

There's the reasonable part of me that knows Crocodile is an irredeemable evil dickbag and everything he has ever said and done up to the most recent chapters support that. He is too far gone.

And then there's the absolutely delulu part that loves a tragic villian who gets a heartwrenching redemption that's looking for any fucking sign that could indicate Crocodile could maybe be one

Do you ever just lay awake at night, turning over in your head the stark difference in delivery between Hewson's Van saying--steadily, unshakably--"it's just something that's happening to you...happening to us" and Cypress' Taissa saying--imploringly, whiningly--"this was not just my dream, this was our dream"?

Do you ever just turn it over and over, how often Tai tried to scare Van away, and how it only made Van set her feet more firmly? How Taissa's first love was this person who saw a problem fall into Taissa's lap, a problem that was quite literally trapped inside Taissa's body, and decided unflinchingly: No, that's an us problem now? How she refused point-blank to walk away even with blood in her mouth, how she flatly informed Tai "I'm never gonna be scared of you", and promptly turned a moment of pain into a declaration of love? And how this would etch itself into Taissa for the rest of her life? How she'd take these things that worked with Van--with the person Van was, with the bond they shared--and try so hard to run through an identical script with Simone?

Except Simone is her own person. A completely different kind of person. A person who hasn't been offered any of the context, any of the realities going on inside Taissa. So: naturally she doesn't respond the way Van did at eighteen--and will go on to do all over again in her forties. Naturally, she hears our dream as the excuse it is, not as a plea for connection. Naturally, she is scared away when Taissa pushes, and shouts, and begs. Because there isn't blood in her mouth, not yet, but there will be. And they have a son to worry about. And she isn't eighteen and a special kind of immortal, a special kind of romanticized. She's a grown woman with responsibilities, with priorities, with an understanding that you can't fix someone just because you love them. And Tai can't just perform a revival of the play she and Van had memorized twenty-five years later with a whole new performer in the works, and expect it to shake out the same.

Of course it doesn't work. But look at Taissa trying it. Look at Taissa trying to reframe her first love through a new lens. Trying to recast it. Trying to play it through again. Van taught her love was sticking out the blood, shaking off the pain, making a you problem into an us problem. Does it ever just eat at you, how tragic it is, watching Taissa try to shape her marriage around a woman who isn't even wearing a ring?

"He's spent the entire time being picked upon and bullied by the family. I think personally from where Juan stands he sees the hypocrisy in the family, how they can do one thing and say another. As far as Juan is concerned he's always had the best interests of the family at heart, however misguided that might be and doesn't quite comprehend why nobody understands that. Nobody seems to understand that what he does, he does for the betterment of the Borgia clan and never waivers from that. He does that in ways that perhaps aren't sanctioned by the church or sanctioned by family law."

Alex singing Hollywood Hopeful by Loudon Wainwright III before Dancefloor (Los Angeles, August 7 2014)

The lyrics to the song:

I just want to save him

Already ranted about this to my friends and stuff but I just need to get it out into the void of Tumblr dot com. Sighs. Sega why do you keep messing up my boy.

"he has no love for it or it's people" MY ASS. SEGA. I AM SHAKING YOU BY THE SHOULDERS. PLEASE.

"his one friend" "allows himself to trust in the occasional support of Rouge and Omega" THEY ARE HIS FRIENDS. AND WHILE WE'RE AT IT, SO IS AMY LIKE LET'S BE FR.

I know I said Carol can do whatever the hell she wants, but the way she keeps saying "you should hate me. please don't hate me" instead of just "sorry" and more importantly "are you ok?" is driving me nuts

people being RACIST CUNTS on my aotearoa poll post 0 dead 1 really pissed off

realizing how much physical affection means to me literally. like i always get that as my #1 love language for every fun test i do but oh my god they're right. i don't get enough physical affection or i don't get people saying they're giving me physical affection when they can't and suddenly i'm staying up that everyone hates me

link click is that show that has me constantly on the edge of my seat (figuratively of course i love laying down) there isn't a single boring moment

I love the universal Soulsborne experience of fighting a boss, going "Damn that was tough" and then some other time listening to their boss theme some other time when 100% of your focus isn't on fighting a boss and being like "Holy fuck, shit dude, oh my god"

[Slight(?)GENSHIN IMPACT SPOILERS]

....IS ARLECCHINO FROM FONTAINE..??

(Also, am I the only one who doesn't trust Arlecchino and the Tsritsa's words of stopping the prophecy in Fontaine???)

bro what do you MEAN that there are a bunch of warhammer 40k audiobooks on spotify, but the only available ones in my region are in german and french.... what do you MEAN........

when i tell you that that level of observing your surroundings + weaving said surroundings into maladaptive daydreaming/intrusions/delusions + controlling and willing the narrative of your body into doing things based on fundamental abject fear is me to the fucking core, and that i have (actual, diagnosed) OCD and have always suspected glennis dennis presents many classic symptoms of OCD too, what then?

Another thing that doesn't make sense: if Mike's reason to struggle with saying ily is because he's scared of El not needing him anymore, wtf did he not say anything when she was BEGGING him to say it, crying. His actions don't make any sense. When she was fighting Vecna, why did he only say it after Will told him to say something. All he said are lies, shit he came up with on the moment. He cares for her, he loves her platonically, but FUCK, that's not romantic love. Their relationship is build on lies, manipulation, arguments, spying and pressure from others. If they're so good for one each other, why are they always arguing, why are their best interactions platonic, why do they always have to be apart for the narrative to progress, why does Mike has more romantic chemistry with Will. Duffers, if your plan is to make Milkvan endgame, making a queer character feelings for his best friend as the instigator to the cishet romance is NOT it. El didn't commission the painting, those are Will's feelings, El doesn't NEED romantic love, especially from Mike, to grow. Otherwise, WHY DO YOU ALWAYS SEPARATE THEM FOR HER TO GROW. Why whenever they're together they're just garbage shells of themselves. This is NOT a healthy relationship. Why have Mike have such a meaningful relationship with Will, which is shown to impact both their lives, to throw it all away for the sake of a cishet romance. Is just INFURIATING. And ik this is set in the 80s and what not, and maybe that's how queer romance would end up, but this is a show you're making in 2022. What message are you giving to the public? That queer people are just meant to suffer and be unhappy? That if you're in a relationship you're allowed to have that as your sole personality trait, all that while treating your gf badly (only saying you love her in life or death situations) and destroying your relationship with your bff? That if your a girl that went through shitload of trauma, that instead of needing professional help for it and support and love from your friends and family, all you need is for your bf to say he loves you and all the problems from the relationship that were making you miserable will magically go away?!? Yeah that's a happy ending, that's the sort of message we should tell others.