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fumifooms · 4 months

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Firefly Wedding is so…

It’s so

It’s them. It’s "It’s just a firefly, they’re meant to die soon. Why should I care about the sick, or the poor?"

It’s "I was purposely trying to scare you and push you away to see how far you were willing to go with your act, how desperate you were to play with my feelings as if I was a fool, but it didn’t work."

It’s "I know you’re just using me but now I care. Please keep using me. I need you to need me."

It’s choosing to give her her freedom anyways. Because your love is no longer all about you, no longer selfish. Because this love isn’t just a shallow balm to soothe your complexes anymore.

It’s being betrayed, finally facing the lies and no longer pretending you both don’t know that this is a farce, but desperately wanting to keep it going anyways. It’s "I should hate you now. Why don’t I? Hey, tell me we’ll go through with the plan, tell me you’ll marry me after all. Otherwise, why am I still here? Why don’t I want to leave? You act like you don’t need me but I still need you."

Like that’s so revolutionary for a yandere story. The self-delusion is strong, denial that things have changed despite it being impossible to truly believe, BUT HE STAYS. It’s no longer selfish 😭😭

"I don’t care about you anymore, I won’t help you. Get yourself killed for all I care." <- Jumps to her rescue 3 milliseconds later when she almost falls down a ladder/roof. It happens twice. The ‘lying and trying to emotionally distance yourself from something to protect yourself and not get hurt’ defense mechanism is blatant and it’s failing really bad.

It’s "My sense of duty and goals to have accomplished something useful in my short life are making me do this, but I do want you to stay with me." The yandere stuff here gets turned on its head because what he says is empty where it matters and meaningful where it matters. It’s knowing that if Satoko asks him not to kill anyone he won’t, but knowing that he won’t give up on her no matter what, even if she’s unattainable, even if she’s sickly, even if she pushes him away like just before. It’s so thinly veiled for "I’m determined to see my goal through, but that’s not what I want. If you just so happen to take me away and I don’t try to run away hard enough then we can elope and be free. I want to have an excuse to leave with you. Please give up on marrying me. Please don’t. I want that, but I can’t."

It’s "If I didn’t burn brightly in my short firefly life, then what was the point?"

Except that burning brightly doesn’t have to mean making big achievements, or being useful to your family.

It can be living happily, living for the ones you love, fighting for them. It can be worth to risk it for things that actually matter to you.

It’s giving your heart to someone, figuratively and literally. To lend it to them even if it might get used or battered, for as long as it beats to use your body to protect them, even if you have to sacrifice yourself. A love that burns bright into a bonfire before they both turn to ashes. Unwise but wholehearted.

It’s despite even that, needing grandiose gestures to be able to trust that this is real. It’s needing external cues that prove it to feel safe in their love existing, other people to confirm that he’s not crazy, that this is happening and this is how they both feel. Their love has been fake, both being a warped love and being a lie, only being out of necessity or because the other was the only one willing to offer it to them, offering comfort, safety, support and care. And showing that they care is the most loving of all It’s despite everything falling back into old habits that "Oh if she was miserably worried for me then that means she’s not indifferent to me! That’s good!" And then once again being taken aback by her, by her earnestness and by her will. Because oh, no, this goes deeper than that. She cares. It’s love.

It’s opening your heart up to love, and both being punished and rewarded for it.

But most of all it’s

And it being the most loving thing he’d ever heard

Firefly Wedding is so…

And yet it’s also

The complicated and hurtful nature of love and the joy and light it brings are two sides of the same coin, because that’s what inevitably happens when you care about something. But caring about a firefly isn’t a waste even however short lived it is, or how hard the loss will inevitably hit you. Isn’t their light just such a wonder to witness?

#hotaru no yomeiri #firefly wedding #firefly marriage #firefly wedding fandom how we feeling #Spoilers #he’s like Denji except. Worse #Lmk if i need to take out the pictures or smth #I genuinely don’t know if firefly wedding will end happily or in tragedy I AM SCARED??!#Iirc the very beginning is a letter that says how she died?? Anyways i am so fine and cool and collected #Ah yes my favorite genre dark romance that manages to become healthy somehow by the end of it <3 #Can’t believe they invented love in 2023 #It’s like seeing them slowly work through loving someone loving yourself and loving life live it’s so good #Gimme the sad af dark romance about what it means to love someone 😤

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shadowshrike · 4 months

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The Curious Case of Halsin and Astarion's Ascension

For anyone who's occasionally poked around my stuff, you probably know that I found my Evil run of Baldur's Gate 3 (by which I mean my selfish run where I tried to gain as much power, wealth, and companion trust as I could) to be my most satisfying thus far. Part of that was the unique experience of having Halsin ask to join Tav and Astarion's relationship post-Ascension.

At the time, I said yes because it made sense for my character to "collect" an Archdruid. Out of character, I was tickled by the idea that Halsin confessed after Astarion became the new biggest bad in the land. Halsin was supposed to be a Good guy. Surely, either a possessive Astarion would be spitting mad about the arrangement, or Halsin would have second thoughts about Mr. Vampire Ascendent once he got a taste. I was ready for the drama.

It never came. In fact, the glimpses of their dynamic were so comfortable and playful that I was shocked.

Since then I've been doing a lot of thinking about Halsin and why he might act how he does throughout the Ascension storyline. I realize most of this can be handwaved with 'fanservicey romance writing.' That's true for parts of all romance paths, honestly, and I don't consider it a wholly bad thing given the game's goal to make you its center. However, I think being dismissive of the writing is not as much fun as building headcanons that work with any set of behaviors or lines you get.

So enjoy some theories pulled from datamined dialogue and my personal games. As always, this is completely hypothetical - I encourage everyone to write 'canon' in their personal playthroughs however they prefer.

Note: it's impossible to get all these lines in a single run due to some hinging on Astarion leaving and some may be bugged or near impossible to trigger. They're just being used to explore a character and dynamic that I don't see much of around fan spaces.

Halsin on the value of lives

To briefly set the stage, it's important to understand how Halsin views life and justice. He spells it out rather clearly if Kagha kills Arabella and her parents are also dead.

Halsin doesn't consider himself to be an arbiter of good and evil, only a steward of nature and its Balance. He highly values life. However, it's not him, the leader of the Grove, who is ultimately responsible for deciding Kagha's fate; it's the wronged parties or, barring that, nature itself who should decide her true punishment.

Halsin: As for the idol? It's nothing compared to a life. A mere object, next to one of nature's creations. I cannot absolve you, even if you are repentant. The girl's parents should have decided your fate, but they perished. Instead, nature will judge you. You are banished from this place - banished from everywhere the Oak Father's creations thrive.

But valuing the sanctity of life doesn't mean he doesn't also understand the importance of sacrifice. For example, if Wyll chooses his freedom over his father, Halsin counsels that it's a necessity to sacrifice to grow at times, no matter how unpleasant.

Halsin: You made a hard choice, Wyll. But not one that is unknown in nature. At times, a seedling must strangle the very tree that bore it, if it is to survive.

The price of 7000

So, Halsin's not a big fan of sacrificing life, yet understands that sometimes, people need to die for others to thrive.

But what about 7000 lives? A whole village worth?

That level of sacrifice sounds an awful lot like the day his life was destroyed by Ketheric and the Shadow Curse. A horrible event that haunted his every thought and deed for the next 100 years.

Within this context, it makes sense that all of his responses during the Ascension, whether Astarion does it or not, are focused on the price being paid. He usually emphasizes the sheer number of people affected and never discusses Astarion's potential evil (more on that later) or the undead nature of those lives.

Halsin: Stay your hand, Astarion. To sacrifice so many is a tyrant's ambition.

Halsin: All those lives snuffed out, just to grasp some power. That was craven - unnatural.

Halsin: Astarion resisted the allure of Cazador's would-be powers - and I am glad of it. Whatever he would have gained would have come at a great price.

The interesting part about this is, as an Archdruid of Silvanus, those undead lives should be considered an abomination. The Oath of Ancients oath break if you free the spawn reminds us of this. So Halsin's advice to save the spawn is not necessarily druidic advice - it is a personal opinion wrapped in flimsy druidic justifications.

He even recognizes undead as unnatural when you enter Cazador's home:

Halsin: A lair of undeath - most unnatural. We must tread carefully.

Yet about the spawn, who are undead and an intimate part of that unnaturalness, he says this about releasing them:

Halsin: Good - they deserve a chance at life. Nature will handle their fates from here.

Mercy for all monsters?

This is interesting to compare to another encounter with a smaller version of an eerily similar choice in Act III. The mindflayer in the Windmill - a person turned into a monster, much like a spawn. Allow it to live, and it may devour a family. In that case, Halsin says:

Halsin: We allowed this unnatural thing to live - now a whole family's worth of blood is on our hands.

He joins a host of other Good companions who curse themselves for showing mercy where it wasn't warranted. These are largely the same companions who would also save the spawn.

Karlach: This is our fault. These people died because of us. What were we thinking?

Wyll: Justice does not entail granting mercy to monsters. We should not have let this abomination go free.

Gale: A cruel conclusion to the mercy we showed, but hardly an unpredictable one. As long as it lives, so will its appetite.

The contradictory perspective taken during these two storylines shows the importance of emotional context in how we make decisions. For most, their traveling companion, who also has a tadpole, is the first vampire spawn they've ever met, while mindflayers have generally been the big evil this entire time. This could lead them to feel as though a horde of spawn may have enough humanity to need a chance, while a newborn Mindflayer should be exterminated on sight. Also, most of the other Good companions are relatively young and idealistic, so it makes sense that some may make foolhardy, heroic decisions.

But this encounter also begs the question: if these heroes are so distraught by having the blood of one family on their hands due to a single hungry mindflayer they saved, how could they justify letting 7000 starving monsters with unquenchable bloodlust free? Are they simply kind-hearted and short-sighted? Or maybe they're only optimistic about the hunger of vampire spawn, despite having personal examples of both a spawn and a mindflayer who manage their hunger equally ethically - by feeding on enemies and criminals.

Their naivety is driven home by Jaheira not being moved by the mindflayer or the spawn due to her extensive life experience. She believes in both cases that the greater mercy is to kill the creatures now.

(About the spawn) Jaheira: And what of the living they'll feast on, should they not prove as admirable as Astarion? They deserve a chance, too.

(About mindflayer) Jaheira: Look well. Our stupidity. Our price to pay.

Halsin is even older. He's a devout druid. He recognizes undead as unnatural. By all accounts, he should be on the same page as Jaheira to preserve the Balance. Yet in the face of that, he still advises to give the spawn a chance to live free, likely wreaking havoc wherever they need to feed.

I like to think this strange blind spot in his doctrine is due to a combination of Astarion's presence humanizing the unknown spawn, therefore making their unlives worthy of protection, and his own history as a genocide survivor creating an emotional reaction strong enough to override his usual wisdom. The price of a village is simply too devastating and personal for him to condone. No matter what letting 7000 ravenous undead free may mean.

Making the price worth it

Once you've ascended Astarion, you may be surprised that Halsin - generally a good man - is now steadfastly on Astarion's side. His reactions to the Gur conflict highlight this. If you side with Astarion against them, he's not happy, but resolute.

Halsin: An unfortunate battle... but I must stand by those I count as allies.

And if you decide Astarion is evil now and side with the Gur, Halsin doesn't seem to care about what Astarion has become, only that you allowed the sacrifice to happen and then let it go to waste:

Halsin: We allowed Astarion to sacrifice so many, only to just turn on him soon after? We should have stopped him sooner.

In contrast, many other companions call Ascended Astarion a monster, evil, or maniacal if you turn on him. They believe killing him at that point was the only right answer.

Karlach: It's done. It had to be done. Astarion was... out of control. Gods dammit. Look, he was an evil leech, but he was ours. I thought he'd changed. I was wrong. I always am these days.

Minsc: Do not mourn Astarion. The Gur are known to be a just and righteous people among the Rashemaar. They named Astarion monster, and so monster he was. Yes, Boo - even if he sometimes seemed a friend.

Gale: That's one scourge eliminated. A vampire with that much power would be a death sentence for this city. A pity Astarion didn't understand that. Or rather, didn't care.

Lae'zel: Astarion proved himself no less maniacal than his master. His death was a favour - to him, to us, and to the city.

Wyll: Hunt the monsters of the Sword Coast, protect the people - that was my promise. Killing Astarion was the right thing to do. I have to believe that. But I'm not proud of it. Not after... all this.

Ignoring Astarion's evil and telling you that you shouldn't have betrayed him may seem odd for a character who usually has a strong moral compass. Especially since Halsin doesn't tell you that you shouldn't have betrayed Shadowheart if you choose that path, though he's wary of that decision since you're handing her over to Sharrans. However, if Halsin's focus is on the 7000 lives and not on Astarion's personal kindness or cruelty, it makes more sense.

The people are gone. There is no taking back all those lost. So he's left with the need to make their sacrifice something other than a meaningless slaughter. The power for his companion must be worth it.

Halsin on Evil Astarion

You may be thinking, "Okay, but even if it's all about the mass sacrifice mimicking his own horrific past, shouldn't he still care about Astarion being Evil? He doesn't like evil acts at all!"

That's mostly true. Halsin certainly hates Shar for personal reasons and can get upset when you do cruel things. However, he's also potentially had a bit of a soft spot for Astarion since Act I, when you can decide the vampire spawn is evil and kill him or kick him out of camp.

His lines for this are actually shared with Karlach, Wyll, and Jaheira, according to the data. The uniqueness is primarily in his distraught line delivery.

If you kill Astarion, Halsin admits that he liked the guy even though he was a killer:

Halsin: Rest in peace, Astarion. You may have been a blood-thirsty murderer, but I liked you all the same.

And if you send him away, Halsin says this about Astarion being alone in the woods:

Halsin: He's someone else's problem now, anyway. Woods are full of boars. Maybe he'll learn his lesson and start hunting something that won't miss him when he goes.

His camp reactions immediately after Ascension mirror this attitude of concern rather than condemnation of evil. If Halsin speaks directly to Astarion, he sounds exasperated (the way Halsin says his name always makes me snicker) while Halsin once again brings up the idea of the price being paid.

Halsin: Astarion... you have ascended amongst the ranks of the undead. I can only hope that you do not come to regret the price that you paid.

However, the almost identical line if he's talking to another player character is delivered differently, particularly in how he says Astarion's name. It's more concerned than judgmental, implying that his frustration with Astarion is coming from a place of worry rather than pure anger.

Halsin: Astarion... he has ascended amongst the ranks of the undead. I can only hope that he does not come to regret the price that he paid.

This is particularly notable because it's in contrast to Shadowheart, who has a very similar line after her evil choice, but the emotion behind both sounds more similar to my ear.

After that initial comment, Halsin can banter with Ascended Astarion about how he's turned the player into a vampire spawn if there's a player romance. Unlike most of the other companions who can comment, such as Wyll and Gale, he expresses worry for both of them, not just the player. He also explicitly explains he has no intention of kink-shaming them, just warns about how dangerous having a master/thrall relationship can be if made real.

Halsin: To give oneself wholly, and to have a lover totally in your thrall...? A harmless game, until it becomes real. I worry for the two of you, Astarion. For your sake, I hope some of it is just a fantasy, deep in your heart.

But perhaps the most blatantly accepting we see him of Ascended Astarion is if they go to the Drow twins together. There are always some playful lines with one another if they're both present, but one is unique to Ascension if the player bites Halsin as a spawn during the scene. Halsin's response is light and delighted, acknowledging Astarion's role as not just a vampire, but the lead in your new relationship.

Halsin: Ha - tickles. See what a bad influence you are, Astarion?

Combine with Halsin's direct propositioning of Astarion if Astarion teases him about his night with the player, and there's a case for long-held attraction as well, regardless of alignment.

Astarion: I hear things got wild between you two. I hope no one was too badly mauled. Halsin: We're all in one piece. Perhaps you'll join us next time. Astarion: It's bad enough having one person with fangs trying to keep control of themselves. Two of us could be dangerous.

All these lines, taken together during times when others label Astarion a monster, suggest that Halsin accepts Astarion as a whole. He doesn't believe in trying to change people's nature, so maybe he sees any distasteful deeds as part of Astarion's, the same as an owlbear cub eating its mother might disgust some though it is completely natural.

It makes sense, then, that Halsin might be proud of Astarion for choosing morality or personal growth, but he isn't too bothered if that doesn't happen either. What line Astarion would have to cross to earn Halsin's true ire is unknown. The reverse is a much more complicated question (mostly because it's plausible that many of Astarion's lines are rooted in deception) that I may delve into another time.

Is this whole relationship a little ironic given that Halsin is The Selfless Good Druid and Astarion is The Selfish Evil Undead? Absolutely. But that's the fun of it, in my opinion. It adds depth to these characters in ways that rarely shine through during a singular playthrough, especially since very few will do the crazy thing I did with an Ascended Astarion + Halsin romance.

It sure makes for narrative fun, though.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #halsin #ascended astarion #halstarion #analysis

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beanghostprincess · 5 months

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How would you rank each strawhat based on morality? Of cours they are all good people, but some are certainly more and others slightly less

I mean... I don't think morality is something we can make rankings of because it varies depending on your philosophy and a good person isn't always the one following the conventional, Kantian rules of morality. But I know where you're coming from. I guess I can just base it on my own understanding of what morality is, which basically follows the whole "an action is good when the outcome affects positively the majority of people/makes somebody external to you feel good/doesn't harm anybody external" (aka selflessness and altruism) and "an action doesn't have to be necessarily good and you can still be a good person because your initial intentions were good, even if the outcome wasn't the one you expected". So, basically, this ranking is based on altruism, selflessness, and the way their actions affect others and what are their views on society/how they behave with others. I also have in mind why they do the things they do and if their positive actions are done out of selfishness or pure altruism.

1- Chopper

Isn't it obvious? His whole character is literally about helping others. He's a caretaker who looks out for everybody and the common well-being and happiness. He has a strong sense of morality that's based on other people's joy and freedom, and he fights for the rights of every human being despite their background. He doesn't care about whether you're evil or not when it comes to your life, always saving the ones who need saving. His vision of the world is pretty simple, honestly. Besides, kindness is often related to naivete and he's well-known for that too. He treats people with respect, and kindness, often mimics others to fit in, and the only times he harms people is to fight for what he thinks is right (which is pretty often related to basic human rights being violated in a medical sense). Being a doctor doesn't make you morally good, but being this type of doctor specifically definitely does. He'd pretty much sacrifice himself if it meant helping others, using himself as a tester for various antidotes. He's by far the nicest straw hat. He's both selfless and altruistic and he even has his own set of morals that involve protecting humanity's basic rights when it comes to living. Wanting to cure every illness and make a world in which nobody can die before their time is basically his whole character.

2- Brook

What sets Chopper and Brook apart from the other Straw Hats is that they are pretty active in their altruism and try to do good for people unrelated to them. His whole thing is quite literally making others laugh from happiness. He's a musician. His whole life before joining the Straw Hats was to be in a crew full of artists who lived to make others happy with music. That's the most selfless passion ever. His cheerful and jokester personality is pretty much meant to cope in a funnier way to make others laugh and save them from being worried about him. He keeps wanting others to be comfortable and together as a family, he enjoys unity from spending so much time alone but it doesn't come from a place of selfishness, because he keeps wanting others to enjoy their time together. He might need/want company, but the way he asks for it is in a very polite way and he never wants to bother other people. His whole character is literally focused on wanting to go see Laboon and make him know he's alive. He could've tried to k word himself in the years he spent alone, but he didn't because somebody else was waiting for him. He might be a pervert but he asks for consent, having in mind what women want and he doesn't push things further if they don't want to. Brook is the definition of a very jokester gentleman with knowledge for consent and a very selfless attitude towards life, valuing others' needs before his own. Although he doesn't hesitate to cut people in half, he only does this to his enemies and, y'know, pirate life. And often it's either needed or they don't even end up dead, so... The reason he fights is to always keep others safe, rather than worrying about his own life (even though he's already dead yohoho!). I think he's one of the characters, along with Chopper and Robin, that value life the most and that's what makes them so good at protecting others.

3- Jinbe

The reason why Jinbe is third is because his sense of morality varies from Brook and Chopper's more empathetic and nondiscriminatory way of protecting people. Jinbe tends to follow logic within morality instead of instant emotions and I personally value more people who extend their empathy to everyone without a second thought than genuinely thinking about it first before acting. He has his own set of morals and what he considers to be right or wrong. He thinks first before doing anything and considers the outcome of whether saving somebody is plausible or not in the situation. That doesn't make him selfish, but just a logical person. What sets the difference between the other two and him is that Jinbe won't help everyone and Chopper/Brook will not hesitate to do so. Jinbe's caring side is mostly shown to be to his loved ones and he doesn't generally extend that behavior to people outside of his circle. He literally refused to look after Luffy because he didn't know the guy, even if he was Ace's friend. He acknowledges he can't help everyone and just takes care of his people. And when he does that, he does it in the most selfless and self-sacrificing of ways! He would die for his loved ones without hesitating and his whole character arc is about Jinbe deserving a break from looking after everyone instead of enjoying his own life. They quite literally have to force him to follow what he truly wants and yet he still goes back to help his people before joining the Straw Hats. So the reason why Jinbe is third is because he's just like Chopper and Brook, except that he acknowledges the reality of the world and uses a more logical approach, being more personal when it comes to taking care of people. Also, he wants to keep peace around the world and the way he approaches people is in a very respectful manner and tries to keep conflicts at bay, which is directly looking out for common ground and pacifism. I almost forgot to mention his whole deal with the liberation of slaves, and that's obviously something that makes him an even greater person. He fights for a cause, against the unfairness of the world. He makes the world a better place.

4- Robin

I've had a hard time trying to think about whether she should go before or after Jinbe, but after some time debating it, I think this is the right place for her. Her whole character is basically all about learning how to live and love because she never had the chance to do so after so many years of suffering on her own. Her concept of helping others might be more altruistic than Jinbe's because I view her as somebody who would follow Chopper/Brook's standards and help everybody in need, instead of only keeping her protectiveness to her morality and circle. However, even if she's more altruistic and empathetic with outsiders, her view of socializing is more cynical than Jinbe's. She chooses a more abrupt way of fighting for what's right and instead of looking out for common peace and ground, she doesn't mind cracking a few necks and spines. She has fun with chaos and dark imagery, unlike Jinbe, who's a very caring man. And she is caring too! The sweetest! But Jinbe worries more about what could happen while Robin is still learning how to have fun and just vibes. She has this bit of selfishness and enjoyment for chaos and having a good time that Jinbe doesn't have because he's calmer than her. She's calm but she enjoys the fun drama, and Jinbe cares about his surroundings' well-being more. The way she treats enemies is crueler because Jinbe is polite while she doesn't care about cracking a few necks. Even if she's more empathetic towards strangers, looking out for the general peace is conventionally better for society than cracking people's necks, so, yeah. And she's a revolutionary and their views might follow a set of morals about freedom, but the way they deal with social issues is very arbitrary. Basically, she's a sweetie but she has a bit of a dark side.

5- Usopp

He's the sweetest guy of all time and normally wouldn't hurt a fly and he goes all the way to make everybody feel comfortable and have a sense of unity. However, the main difference between Usopp and the others (this is where the ranking kind of starts being more and more different in terms of complex morality) is that he's selfish out of fear and self-defense. A thing that is completely natural and proof that thinking about himself and his loved ones first doesn't make him a bad person, just careful and human. Selfishness is often seen as something bad and against the benefits of society as a whole, and it might be, but it doesn't make him a bad person (that again, I don't think we're able to judge this either). The cool thing about Usopp is that he's a growing character. He keeps learning more about himself every day and, even if he's a "coward", the bravest thing somebody can do is fight against fear. Especially when it comes to insecurities and when you're probably about to die. He isn't altruistic in the sense of risking his life for a stranger (unless he feels guilty about it or has the need to do so) but he is the kindest in the sense of embracing friendship and support. He brings domesticity and comfort to quite literally everybody he encounters. He's easy to befriend and to talk to. His whole thing about lying comes from trying to cheer up his mom about his dad leaving them, c'mon, even if he was suffering because of her illness. He fights for the ones he loves even if he's scared, and when he refuses to fight is when he doesn't know the people that much and, to be honest, fair. Nobody should be forced to sacrifice themselves for people they don't care about and I personally don't think that can talk about morality. Besides, the way he jokes around and does his little shenanigans with Luffy not really caring about the chaos around (besides when, y'know, personal safety) only makes everything I said more obvious.

6- Sanji

Sanji is a very... Complex character. The duality of men, basically. When he's kind he's at his best and when he's creepy he's at his worst but then he also has this view on how much people's lives matter depending on what he personally thinks. He's very emotion/trauma-driven, so perhaps that's why it's really hard to tell whether he follows a conventional morality or his own. His whole character arc is about him realizing that he's kind, empathetic, self-sacrificing, and everything the Vinsmokes aren't. But he also has a calculative and cold side that shows up when he doesn't give a single fuck about the people he's talking to. Basically, Sanji can be both the nicest and the meanest guy in the world depending on what he thinks of you, but he'll never let you starve due to his own morals of "nobody should die of hunger". Like he might beat the shit out of you but he's making you a damn risotto before the fight. Sanji is a very kind soul and he looks out for others and always puts them first, but his morality is pretty much focused on his past experiences. He also has these preferences for women, which are not morally correct (if you view this term as equality) because, unlike the other characters, he doesn't view their lives in the same way. However, that doesn't mean he hates men, he just puts women on a pedestal. He will put others first no matter what but if he doesn't care about you he won't give a single fuck. He literally was about to leave those kids in Punk Hazard and only helped because Nami said so. When he has to help somebody he cares about, though (or anybody, really) he always ends up self-sacrificing for the greater good. But it's not really coming from a place of "this is a good thing to do" but from a "their lives are more important than mine and I like to feel needed". Even if I do think he also does this out of empathy and love, both things coexist. He tries really hard to please others. He finds joy in feeling needed but also in making others happy, so it really is a mix of trauma and genuine kindness. He's quite literally the whole "doing good things because it feels good but also because it helps people, and helping people makes me feel good" but I don't think he does it in a selfish way, because he doesn't even realize he's doing it to feel better in the first place. He just doesn't value his life the way he should. So, TL;DR: Sanji's a selfless character when it comes to the people he loves and when his morals are at hand (huge difference between the other characters, who help people without having in mind those things), but if he doesn't care, he genuinely doesn't care. His self-sacrifice might come from a place of wanting to feel needed, and that could be seen as selfish, but I don't think he actively thinks about it. He just acts. The reason why he's number 6 despite being one of the kindest characters is because he canonically has preferences and uses his own morals to decide what to do instead of valuing everyone's lives equally. Besides, his whole thing being creepy with women (even if it's just a running gag) makes him less likable. But this is post-ts Sanji's fault mostly.

7- Franky

He's a family man. He puts his family and the people he loves first. He has his priorities and follows his morals about masculinity and that's it. Great pal that cares deeply about his loved ones and would beat the shit out of somebody if that person were to hurt him/them/his ideals. The reason why he's number seven despite seemingly being so nice at first, is pretty much because of his background. The whole Franky family? Beating up Usopp? Stealing the money? He was into very dark stuff, man. Mafia type of shit. That doesn't mean he's a bad person but his morals are pretty questionable, and they basically follow the "Protect family, protect home, protect ideals, befriend cool people, beat up people I don't like". He's very... American. I mean. He is technically canonically American and it makes a lot of sense if you think about it. He befriends people quickly but he can despise them just as quick too. Once again repeating the whole "only looks out for the people he likes or for his morals/what he loves" but if he isn't interested in something he'll just... Don't do it. But, yeah, he might be pretty empathetic because he resonates with all the sad stories he hears and doesn't hesitate to save people, but as I said, it's not really an "I save people because all people deserve to be saved" and it's more of an "I like this person so I'm gonna save them" which is exactly what happened with Usopp back at Water 7/Enies Lobby. I must say he's also kind, helpful, and energetic and loves to spread fun around the ship to make people happy. Seeing the ones he loves full of joy makes him complete, and that comes only from love. But he doesn't spread that love the way the characters before him would, you know? The reason why he's here is both because of his past and his behavior toward helping others which is basically about turning them into friends right away (which, you know, is exactly what Luffy does too).

8- Nami

She's a bitch. In the best of ways. But she's still a bitch. I'm always the first one to say she's one of the kindest characters. Her heart is just so, so big and she treats people in need with so much love it's obvious she has motherly traits and just loves to take care of people. However, the girl is greedy. She's greedy. Selfish. A liar. A thief. A bitch. A flirt. A queen, basically. To me, she's the best of the best and she would go on top if we were talking about best characters, but here we are judging based on morality and... She's just that. A bitch. With a very warm heart that just freezes the second she gives no fucks about you. You know, she's not evil, she just uses people to her advantage because (especially back at the start. Arlong Park things) she isn't used to trusting people. She has really obvious trust issues and she pretty much only loves a few specific people in her life. She would do anything for them. And yet, even when she loves somebody, she's still a manipulative menace. Morally speaking she's fucked up because she looks only for herself and the ones she cares about, and when she needs to run to save her ass, she does it. She doesn't leave anybody behind if she knows it's gonna be THE end, but if the one who's with her is only gonna end up hurt and not dead (usually Usopp. RIP Usopp) she's running for her life. Also, she's shameless and uses the strength of the Monster Trio to her advantage and I absolutely love it. She's the brains, let the others protect her fr. She knows she can fight, she's just scared af of dying and I find her so real for that. She likes teasing people and wrapping them around her finger to get what she wants! She doesn't care about anybody except for her crew because why would she? They're pirates! And she only does it when it's either about kids (she has a huge, soft, warm spot for them) or somebody she grows fond of. So, she's a sweetheart and a very caring girl to the ones she loves (or she's the meanest too, as a sign of true tough love) but she gives in between -10 and 0 fucks about others and will steal from them, no hesitation needed. She breaks so many morality norms within society that she makes the perfect pirate. Honestly, it looks like she's the only one in the crew interested in the part of being a pirate that's about stealing and treasures. I love her so damn much...

9- Luffy

A lot of people are going to disagree with me on this one, but this is the one part of the ranking I'm 100% sure about. And it's not even hard to explain: Luffy is selfish. He's a very selfish pirate. But he's empathetic, kind, and really easy to befriend if you manage him to like you. He also sees the good in people. But he isn't altruistic. He only helps people he chooses to help because he either likes them or finds them interesting enough or perhaps he owes them one or whatever. He loves people in such a huge way that, if he likes you, he'll do anything for you. Anything. But he only helps people he considers his friends/acquaintances without wanting to be seen as the hero of the story because he's literally just helping a friend out. If he doesn't care about somebody, he will just ignore them. Or be straight-up mean to them. He has no filter and if he hates somebody, he does it explicitly and without any remorse about it. He might be extremely empathetic and sacrifice his well-being but only when it comes to the people he cares about. Otherwise, he'll just groan in pain and boredom. On the other hand, Luffy is also Chaotic Good (haha me too!), and he has his own morals. They consist of freedom and liberty. He will help to free a whole village. Or prisoners. Slaves. Even if they aren't his friends. But only because all of his ideals are about freedom and choosing how to live your own life. It just bothers him personally. And it's not even "I'm helping these people be freed because they deserve it" it's more of a "The concept of cutting somebody's wings makes me so fucking furious I'm gonna make this everybody's problem. I don't care what these people do after this adventure, but they should be able to have the freedom to choose". So, yeah, basically Luffy follows his ideals of "I do whatever the fuck I want" and "Don't hurt my friends. Don't go against freedom. Or I'll beat you up". He's very stubborn, too. Chaotic. He doesn't think about how his decisions will affect others. He's a very independent person when it comes to decision making but he's also very needy in the sense of needing people around him to feel safe because he is, after all, an extrovert who loves his friends/family to death. Luffy is selfish because he does whatever he wants, even if he's empathetic, kind, and understanding. Those concepts can coexist perfectly.

10- Zoro

I don't think I need to explain this much, honestly? He's very introverted and doesn't let people in easily, so he just doesn't care about people who aren't in his circle. He fights for his loved ones to death and holds the people he loves close to his heart, to the point of doing anything for them. But... But his morals are basically shit outside of that. He used to kill pirates for bounties without any hesitation. He still pretty much murders the people they fight against without any remorse. And, y'know, they're pirates so I'm not judging here. He's selfish in the sense of being a very protective person with his things and his personal space, and he can come off as rude to outsiders because, well, he is genuinely rude to them because he genuinely doesn't care about them. Unless he befriends somebody, strangers to him are just strangers and he couldn't give less of a fuck about them and their tragedies UNLESS they're going through something that goes against his own/or a nakama's morals. I personally think he's a sweetheart, but if we're following moral codes about the well-being of society as a whole and how much positive impact somebody does? He's, like, the last one to choose from the crew. He cares about Kuina, his swords, Luffy, and his Nakama. Perhaps he befriends somebody along the way but it always feels more like just respect and not really a friendship. Not saying Zoro is a bad person for his introverted personality and cynical behavior, I just think he's very intimate with his circle and will only do what he thinks necessary instead of focusing on selflessness and altruism as a society. He's pretty strict about the pirate code and he follows those rules solemnly, so he does have a type of morality, but he doesn't focus on society's well-being. He doesn't mind causing chaos if he gets what he wants. He's just chilling. Passing by. I honestly think Nami/Zoro is a great friendship because they're both little shameless bitches. TL;DR: Zoro loves crew only. Fuck other people. Might respect acquaintances. Strong pirate/swordsman moral code. But he isn't an altruistic/society/people person.

#i spent the whole day writing this lmfao #okay so there are some things i would've liked to write better and expand more and also word in a better way but i didn't have the time #it's a pretty messy post so i'm sorry i couldn't do something better!!!#i understand if you think differently btw this is just my honest opinion and i see why it could be very recherché #btw i didn't reread all of this so if there are any mistakes just ignore them #one piece #straw hat pirates #tony tony chopper #soul king brook #jinbe #nico robin #usopp #black leg sanji #franky #nami #monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro

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raayllum · 2 months

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Been thinking about it partially as I come closer to it in fanon S6 / divergences where what I'm writing (in prose with zero constraints) vs what I think the show is actually more likely to do (such as in this case) with the Celestial elves because like

If we look at it just from a storytelling standpoint, there's a few things we want to take into consideration.

Why Skywing elves?

Despite being an aspiring and then full fledged Sky mage for most of the series (5 seasons) as his defining... career trait? with Ocean only added at the end, Callum's attachment to the Sky arcanum is incredibly important from a thematic standpoint. I talked about this in more detail in terms of how TDP writes from theme to begin with, but it would not surprise me if a lot of the series fell into place after decisions were made regarding "mage boy has Sky-Freedom powers" and "big endgame big bad is Stars and Destiny embodied," i.e. like what kind of dragon Zym would be in order for Callum to have a reason to sacrifice his primal stone, why have Callum learn Sky magic first, etc etc.

The Celestial Elves, presumably, could've been any group of elves. We know from Tales of Xadia that Sunfire elves had a chant about warding off dangerous Star dragons from the Great Orb, and that Karim-Pharos are poised to be future pawns, so there is a decent link there. It also could've been cool if the Celestial elves had had elves from all over, showing both intergroup workings and that the Stars were bringing them together in some manner.

If Sky and Skywing elves by thematic extension represent Freedom, then it makes sense for these to be Skywing elves who have perhaps forsaken notions of freedom for ideas of pre-determinism or destiny, i.e. our circumstances beset all of our choices, or that fate/destiny is real and unchangeable. To have the same arcanum and similar abilities as Callum, but to already be warped to Aaravos' will / thematic graces of destiny and fate - to amplify what he's scared of and to accentuate what he might become (at least in terms of what he's scared to become).

On that note, I think it makes sense for them

To be Antagonists

Partially this is because of precedent. Most elves, when in groups, have been more antagonistic with one or two rising to the forefront to be allies. We see this in arc 1 with Moonshadow and Sunfire elves, with the majority being antagonists especially at first (the assassins, the Sunfire soldiers) with Rayla, Lujanne, and eventually Janai being allies / exceptions - even if the Sunfire elves as a whole quickly switch to being allies as of 3x08/09. We see this again in S4 with the Drakewood Earthblood elves being mostly antagonists, Terry as more of a grey area, and only N'than (and possibly Mukho the Mushroom mage?) being downright allies. This would mean that Astrid and maybe another Startouch elf might be more sy

Plot / Misc Reasons

Of course, the biggest reason for the Celestial elves to exist is to, presumably, give exposition regarding Startouch elves to the main characters and to extradite subsequent views / philosophy about Star magic and the arcanum (arcana?). If they are loyal to Aaravos, they would likely provide a perspective on Startouch elves different than one Callum might be coming in with and give more credence / context to Claudia's assertions of Aaravos as well, given that she's the one character currently with a positive view of him. It also doesn't seem they can entirely be good guys given their 1) isolationist nature and 2) having not one but two super OP objects that the protagonists definitely need. While they may not end up being villains, I think we can somewhat safely assume they will initially be obstacles, if only in giving tests (of love) like another certain Startouch elf...

#tdp #the dragon prince #tdp theory #worldbuilding #predictions #s6 speculation #arc 2 #mini meta

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nyxronomicon · 2 months

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Nyx, my beloved - I am here to share some more thots regarding assassin choso x reader. (ps. I love, love, love a black turtleneck on a man so let's go with that and also, I pictured the yakuza boss being sukuna too!!)

choso starts second guessing if he should continue his work with sukuna. the man is one of the most violent, deranged criminal lords in the country but choso has been nothing but loyal towards him. he's been in this game since he was nineteen years old, trading his life into protect his younger brother, itadori, who ran with the wrong crowd.

itadori's mistake costed choso his freedom. all he's ever done is sacrifice but if it meant protecting his loved ones then he had no qualms. but now, with you in the picture, he can't but think if this life makes sense to him anymore.

I picture him standing in sukuna's office, his mind wandering to other places. maybe he can just work as a waiter, or bartender until he can figure out what kind of career he can build. he'll take any honest work at this point, as long as it means coming home to you with no shadows following behind.

the two of you can simply build a life together. maybe even have some kids. his throat tightens. he would love to see you as a mom. he saw you interacting with your friend's toddler recently and it nearly drove him wild. but it's not something you've both discussed yet and he won't push anything that you don't want either - but the possibility makes his heart flutter.

just wondering how a life with you can foster and grow.

he loses himself for a moment while speaking to sukuna, and his boss notices.

"choso" the man sternly calls out, snapping his attention back into place. "something on your mind?"

choso shakes his head, "no, sir.."

sukuna furrows his brows, his index finger tapping lightly against the surface of his wooden desk. "you've been distracted as of late. you know I don't like repeating myself."

choso straightens his back, two hands slipping into the pockets of his charcoal slacks. "I apologize," he expresses regretfully, "it won't happen again."

but he can't stop thinking of you even after sukuna repeats his assignment. can't stop picturing you in a white dress at the alter as he steps out of his office. can't stop thinking about how your honeymoon would be as he hops on his motorcycle to track his next target.

all the while sukuna sits at his desk, moves to open one of the drawers before sifting through the cabinet. he pulls out a file, flips through the stack of documents and photographs. he pulls out one where you're sitting right across from choso, the two of you at a coffee shop. his arm is draped over your shoulder, your cheek resting comfortably on his shoulder.

there are only a handful of people who sukuna trusts, and choso is one of them. he didn't join sukuna's gang on his own accord, but he turned out to be an exceptional asset. the king of the underworld narrows his eyes at the sight of your pretty face.

he can't have anyone coming in between his deadliest weapon. your lover is bound to sukuna for life, and he won't let choso go that easily.

FIRST OF ALL WHAT A BLESSING IN MY INBOX ugh i love him i love him I LOVE HIMMMM

also cannot forget that i love YOU too bb <3 <3 ok more under the cut heh...

!! dark content ahead !!

was i picturing toji as the kidnapper that disappears? no not at all why would i do that i would never....

cw: murder (you literally watch choso kill some guys lol), reader is kidnapped, BLOOD, reader wears a skirt, mentions of rough handling

Your struggle against your restraints as you come to. You're not dead, that's good. In fact, you don't feel any serious pain, maybe some bruising from rough handling but nothing major. You take in a deep breath. The air is cold, a little musty. You're blindfolded, sat in some cheap metal chair.

"Awake, sweetheart?" A man's voice bounced off the walls in the room. It was clearly empty. "You'll want to see this." The blindfold fell from your eyes but the man had disappeared just as quickly. You couldn't catch a glance at him, but you were sure this was the man that kidnapped you last night. Was it last night? How long have you been out?

"Hey, wait!" You shouted. "Let me go!" You struggled more, now able to see, though the only lights were spilling in from the hallway. Other than the chair, there was a little table. Your kidnapper had carelessly left the door open, and you saw a few men who looked like yakuza milling around in the other room.

Fuck. Yakuza? This shit doesn't happen to normal people. You struggled against your restraints again before seeing one of the men collapse with a hole in his skull. Shot with a silenced gun. Standing right behind where the man once stood was unmistakable. His twin pigtails and that tattoo across the bridge of his nose... it was Choso.

You watched as the other guys attacked him, and just like a trained assassin, he dodged and counter-attacked both men simultaneously. He now wielded twin daggers, the same kind yakuza are known to keep. In just a couple of minutes, the two men were gasping for air as their lungs filled with blood.

Was that your boyfriend? You couldn't even imagine him doing something like this before seeing it with your own eyes. He was too sweet and kind. He'd never hurt a fly. This had to be someone else. And this someone else just brutally murdered three men like it was child's play.

The stranger looked through the open door, seeing your eyes wide and filled with fear. He started to rush towards you and half of you wanted to scream, but something inside you held it back. The very small piece of you that knew this was Choso, despite your adamant denial.

"Babe, fuck, I didn't mean for this to happen." As he entered the room, it was undeniable. It really was Choso. Or some cruel, sick joke from the universe.

"Choso?" You could feel the tears forming.

Without answering, he pressed his lips to yours, the feel of his mouth, the passion. He was warm and comfortable. He was home. Tears sfell from your cheeks, but it was from relief knowing it was him.

"Let me get you outta here, ok, love?" He looked into your eyes, worry set deep in his features before he moved behind the chair to untie you.

"Did... did you kill them?" You asked, letting your limbs drop as the rope fell to the floor.

Choso was silent. He stopped moving, he even stopped breathing. This was his fear. You'd find out about him and then...

"Yeah." He ripped off the band-aid. "I needed to protect you. Sorry, this was all my fault." You could reject him, you could leave him, but he'd die before letting you rot in this place.

"Your fault?" You turned to look at him, massaging the dents left behind from where the rope dug into your skin. He was covered in blood, but it was still him. Even if it was his fault, he risked his life to rescue you.

"I..." Choso was still frozen, adrenaline pumping. He needed to save you first, that was all he could think. "Let's talk later. Please. We gotta get out of here. Can you run?"

Choso helped you to your feet. You felt a little wobbly, but you could manage. "I think so."

He frowned. He hated seeing you in this state. He hated the thought of another man grabbing you. Your short skirt showed off the bruises on your thighs from getting manhandled. Bruises in places only he should get access to. He could kill everyone on this building for even considering laying a hand on you. He needed to find the kidnapper and slaughter him senseless. It's what he deserved.

"It's ok, Cho." You touched his cheek, pulling him out of his vengeful thoughts. "I'm ok."

He didn't think twice before pressing his lips to yours again, kissing you even deeper as you tasted someone else's blood on his lips. Had he not been holding you so tightly against him, you might have fallen over from the force.

"Fuck," he whispered, worry still decorating his features as he pulled away. "I'm so sorry. C'mon." He grabbed your wrist, thinking about you in that white dress with your beautiful smile for the hundredth time. But this time, he was determined to make that vision a reality.

#choso x reader #jjk choso #choso kamo #me running away with choso..... sigh i love him i love this au bb you are so big brain for this #spinoff fic where toji kidnaps you?? don't look at me #i briefly considered having itadori do the kidnapping but that is too obviously sukuna's doing lmao #i like to think of toji as a freelance assassin. he's better than choso but does not honor alliances. he's loyal to the fattest wallet lol #x reader #anyway. the ending of the fic is reader and choso fuck nasty fueled by adrenaline and then he proposes bc of course he does #and sukuna gets what he wants (reader under the protection of the family so cho can keep killing for him lol)

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fangirleaconmigo · 2 years

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Geraskier concept (PART TWO IN THE REBLOG)

How about an AU where Julian Alfred Pankratz’s family is a scary, violent family…like evil necromancers who work for imperialists and do their dirty work. Magical mobsters. Something like that.

And when Julian is ‘brought into the family business’ as a teen, he is taken on an errand and witnesses a murder. He is so traumatized by it. He vomits. He rages.

He isn’t a hero or anything but he does have a conscience and harming others and violence sickens him.

He wants to run away but his father is too powerful. He would never be able to get far enough. So he asks his father to let him go. To release him from his family obligations.

His father is like absolutely not. You’re young. Once you get a little experience, you’ll realize that killing is necessary. All of this idealism and self righteousness is just naïveté and childishness. So just stay. You’ll get used to it.

Julian is like no I will never be alright with killing people.

They fight like demons about it and Julian’s father tells him he will let him go under one condition. That he consents to having a spell put on him. “The day you kill someone, everything will go black and you will wake up here, under an obligation to work for me.”

They are both so sure of themselves.

Julian agrees to it almost before his father is even done explaining himself. He has nothing to lose. “I’ll never do it,” he vows.

Julian’s father is so sure his son will eventually become like him. Will follow in his footsteps. So he casts the spell and Julian agrees to change his name to sever their connection. He calls himself Jaskier and he takes off.

Freedom is exhilarating. Jaskier drinks and sings and fucks and meets new people and sees the world. Most importantly he gets to be himself.

Of course his father keeps tabs on him and occasionally sends a messenger to ask if he’s tired of being a brat. He tries to get him to come back. But the answer is always no.

Then Jaskier meets Geralt. At first it’s just admiration and of course (of course) lust, like everything else. But it quickly transforms into something else. They spend nights talking by campfires, drinking together, talking shit, making fun of aldermen who are afraid of Geralt or who don’t want to pay him. They fit together in a way Jaskier has never experienced.

And Geralt is magnificent. Geralt protects him and pulls him out of danger and saves his life time and time again. Jaskier falls in love with his entire heart and soul. He thinks it is one sided. So he decides to never confess it. But oh he loves him. He harbors it in his heart.

But he cannot bring himself to tell him about his family. Mostly, he is ashamed, though he isn’t sure if it is of his father or himself.

Then one day, Geralt is set upon by superstitious villagers being egged on by a mage who wants Geralt run out of town. Geralt, strong as he is, can be overwhelmed by magic plus being outnumbered.

Jaskier is in a tavern performing, but he finishes and comes upon the scene just as Geralt has fallen. He realizes with soul deep panic that Geralt could die if he doesn’t help him. The only way to do so is to silence the mage who hasn’t yet seen Jaskier.

When Jaskier picks up the knife he knows he will likely never see Geralt again. He knows it will mean a life of soul destroying evil. Of conformity. Of captivity. Of being under his father’s thumb again.

But they are bearing down on Geralt and no one else can help him. Geralt who has saved his life more times than he can count.

And what is love if not willingness to sacrifice?

So he steps out of the shadows and buries the knife in the mages neck. By the time he pulls it out, he turns to mist and the knife clatters to the ground.

With the mage dead, Geralt easily overwhelms the villagers and frees himself. He didn’t see who killed the mage but there’s no time to figure it out. he goes to find Jaskier so they can get out of town.

But Jaskier is gone. Geralt cannot find him anywhere. He tortures himself with thoughts about why Jaskier abandoned him. Did he sense that Geralt had fallen in love with him and so abandoned him? Did he grow tired of dealing with the prejudice that dogs Geralt? Did he see the mob and say…no more?

And who stabbed the mage? Certainly not Jaskier. Not his Jaskier who vomits at the sight of blood.

But Geralt cannot in his heart of hearts believe, truly believe that Jaskier would leave without a word. Would he? He thinks he can accept it and forget about him. But he can’t. It haunts him. So he decides he needs answers. He wants jaskier to explain himself.

If only he could find him and ask. He could put his heart at ease. But he realizes with horror that he has never actually asked Jaskier about his family or his life. What kind of friend has he been? And how will he find him?

Then he remembers something.

One night at a performance, someone called Jaskier some other name. Jaskier hustled them away, and Geralt doesn’t remember the whole thing.

The only word he remembers is Lettenhove.

He will go there. He will get his answers.

#the witcher #geraskier #geralt of rivia #jaskier #Jaskier’s murder family

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dia-reads · 1 year

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I WANT TO HEAR ABT THE LOST SISTER. smth is going on w it i can’t identify

the importance of the lost sister in the stranger things narrative

okay so i got one like on that post. this is happening now.

the lost sister has always had one of my favourite plot lines in the entire series, and i'm tired of people saying it was useless or that they skip it on rewatches. especially in the byler fandom, where everyone seems to be insanely gung-ho on the idea of el getting independence from a break up with mike.

el may have started out as someone with very little freedom, but she's still a very independent character in her own right. you could argue that her independence wasn't there during the entire series, however, a key moment in gaining that power over herself was in the lost sister.

so by skipping it, avoiding it or not posting about it in general, we miss out on one of the best parts of el's arc in stranger things.

the most obvious and easily analysable part of this episode is el's relationship with kali.

kali prasad is el's narrative foil. they come from similar circumstances but have contrasting personalities and values. kali's view on their childhood is simple. she wants revenge against those who wronged her family, and attempt to hurt her friends. el's motive is practically identical, but this is where the 'morals' and 'values' come into play.

kali is willing to kill without thought or remorse. el is not.

and before you say "but dia, el has killed people! she doesn't hate it!" i feel the need to point out that el has never felt like she's ever had a choice. she kills because she's in danger, she kills because she has never felt safe her entire life, she kills because it is what she was trained for. she kills, because it is all she knows how to do.

but with kali, el is offered that choice. kali gives her the gun, and tells her to kill a man. people say kali is manipulative, but i don't see this at all. she gives el every bit of information she has on this man, his views, his crimes. she never threatens to punish her whether el follows through with the deed, or not. she is the first person who says el is her family, and does not hurt her.

that's crazy. just saying.

so we see el, dressed in black and makeup a mess. she is playing pretend again, trying to fit in somewhere at last. she holds the gun, feels rage and anger and thoughts of 'he deserves it'. but, ever our heroine, el hesitates.

she grants him mercy. she lets him go.

regardless of how the rest of the mission went, this is a very important moment for el. she makes this decision, not influenced by anyone around her. she takes control of her fate, her destiny, and she didn't need to sacrifice anything to do that.

i could continue with points like the entire power training thing, the meaning of family, the advancement of the plot. but that's obvious stuff, it doesn't take much effort to figure that out.

there is so much good in the lost sister. all you have to do is dig a little deeper and take off your shipper goggles to see it.

#el hopper #el hopper analysis #kali prasad #the lost sister #icb my first attempt at an analysis was to defend my fav episode of st

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mothmans-wedding-photographer · 6 months

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Finished Thunder! Here are my thoughts (spoilers obviously):

SQUIRRELSTAR SQUIRRELSTAR WE WON

Oh my I have so many mixed feelings on this book. I mean first of all I'm so excited for Squirrelstar but I digress. Also I'm pretty good with Ivypool deputy, I was rooting for Twigbranch but she was my second option :)

Frostpaw and Whistlepaw's friendship was so cute, Whistlepaw cares so much for her :) and I loved the bonding between Frostpaw and Nightheart, they're such good friends. It's nice to see Nightheart with someone with problems a lot worse than his, gives him some perspective.

The fact that Frostpaw was spayed is... interesting. I hope the story team doesn't make her be a medicine cat because "hey i can't have kits what's even the point of being a warrior :(" in real life TNR is great but from the perspective of humanized cats it feels so awful :(. Im not entirely against the plotline, I just hope it's handled well.

I hate Riverstar in this book he's so annoying and OOC. I did like the fact that they essentially sent Frostpaw to therapy to work through some of her trauma though lmao. Waffle is so cute, and I love Rook and Bee. I felt Wasp was a bit of an odd choice to come back to the Clans but whatever.

CURLFEATHER COMFIRMED EVIL YES our first main series female villain and she's complex?? She's awful and she used her kid, but she still loves her enough to sacrifice her life?? That's so cool. Splashtail is fine ig

Nightheart really did not need a POV this book lmao he just spent it worrying about Sunbeam. I do like that he's learning he's not the main character though lol, and again his friendship with Frostpaw is so sweet.

Sunbeam was sooo good this book I loved how they showed her learning to want to be in ThunderClan for ThunderClan, not just Nightheart. And she girlbossed when she stood up to her mom and Cherryfall, she's no longer a pushover! Character development.

I will say that argument at the start of the book between Bramble and Squirrel was stupid like ah yes the perfectly mentally capable woman somehow walked STRAIGHT INTO ANOTHER CLANS TERRITORY without realizing but somehow Bramble with his deteriorating mental state is right. Not misogynistic at all

OTTER CAMEO WHOOHOO

The ending with Berryheart was so anticlimactic and awful like she gets exiled for?? Expressing that she doesn't agree with her leader?? What the actual fuck??? I know she's xenophobic but she's not being exiled for that, she's being exiled for exercising her rights. Thanks I hate it! I wanted her to get kicked for like. Getting someone killed, or starting a fight, not this bullshit. Also Puddleshine miss me with that shit about how "one grudge can exploit this new code" like yeah ok but he's fucking invading and controlling another Clan, even if he has good intentions that's still a fair thing to be mad about?? (To be fair though Berryheart was being more xenophobic than on the side of RiverClan's freedom so I guess I can see where Puddleshine's coming from. I guess)

Speaking of why are all the protagonists so forgiving of Tigerheartstar like "he invaded, beat up, threatened to kill, and forcefully took control of this Clan and gets mad when people question him but he just has good intentions UwU" like no.

Splashstar real? That's going to be interesting. And I'm excited to see more of Podlight as a character

Overall an ok book, probably my least favourite of the arc so far but I still enjoyed most of it

#warrior cats #wc #asc #asc thunder spoilers #asc thunder #a starless clan thunder #a starless clan #frostpaw #whistlepaw #nightheart #sunbeam wc #berryheart #tigerheartstar #squirrelstar #squirrelflight #ivypool

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space-blue · 11 months

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Hi, I'm not sure if you've talked about this before and it might be silly to ask this, but I'm curious about your opinion:

There was a scene that surprised me quite a bit in episode 6 when Vi escapes. Initially, Silco was sitting calmly, and then boom! Everything explodes. It's understandable, but it's strange because Silco has always reacted in a cautious and calm manner, except for one time in episode 3 when he was talking to Vander. After that, he has been someone who knows how to stay calm. I've seen people say that Silco's reaction is because he's a megalomaniac who doesn't like anything being out of his control, but I don't think that's the case. I think it's something more complex. I see Silco as someone who internalizes everything to maintain control or appears to have it, keeping his thoughts and emotions to himself. That's why you see Silco exhaling or releasing tension before and after meeting with his associates, but I might be wrong. Anyway, I'd like to know what you think is the reason for Silco's actions.

And I'm sorry if I made a mistake in my grammar, I don't speak English very well

Hello anon! Thank you for reaching out and asking me this question... It sends me back to my Arcane meta days with a big smile on my face.

But honestly, I don't know who looks at Silco in that episode, having finished the story, and thinks he screams because he's megalomaniac. Not only does this not go with the rest of his character, it just fails to comprehend his character arc.

Silco doesn't want power. He wants freedom, and he wants his mission to realise itself. Silco has more of a religious fervour to him. He's a zealot. He speaks of the 'Nation of Zaun' with an air of rapture. He believes it, lives only for it. Just because we may not like his ways doesn't change that. I mean look at this guy :

#fully lost in the sauce

A character who really wants power would be Finn. We see him fallen to the trappings of wealth, plotting to uproot Silco from his position. Finn never shows any care for the cause. He only cares about supplanting Silco.

If Silco truly cared about power, then why is he still leaving down deep, on top of a night club? If he's a megalomaniac, why are his list of conditions for Jayce not covering him, but demanding amnesty for his people and equal access to the Gate for commerce?

No. Silco isn't a megalomaniac. He definitely wants to be in control, but that's hardly surprising for a leader. We also only ever know Silco at crazy important moments of his life, where his plans are running wildly or exploding in his face. It's not exactly every day Silco.

Most of the people we see him interacting with also tell us things : of course he needs to be ruthless and in control while facing Marcus. That man would lash out at the slightest show of weakness. Same with the other chembarons, who actively turn on him after the factory attack (that makes him look weak).

Silco isn't a control freak to be a jackass. He's like that because he's a Zaunite, and a Zaunite in a dangerous position of power. He's shaped by his environment too.

Anyway, why does he lose his cool in episode 6?

It's actually a very short answer! It's because of Jinx.

Jinx is his everything. Across my many meta posts I covered how codependent they are. How she physically abuses him, yet he never reaches out with any force towards her. The most violent he is, is after she nearly ruined his life plans and won't listen, and all he does is snatch a pen from her hand to make her pay attention.

They exchange caresses, rest against each other. He keeps her gifts on his official desk and actively uses them. And in the end, he can't accept her mortality, and sacrifices everything he's suffered and fought for his entire sad, fucking miserable life, because he loves her more than his cause.

So why does Silco lose it? Because Vi is alive, Vi is looking for Jinx, and Vi is the only person who could actively take Jinx away from him.

I mean like a day or two prior Jinx lost her shit and nearly killed Sevika because she saw a pink haired girl. Silco takes her to the pilt to try and soothe her and put her demons behind her, the only way he knows how. And then she happily gets to work! She's doing well!

But Silco isn't dumb. He knows Jinx is unstable and unpredictable. And finding Sevika hung like a ham from the ceiling? With a broken arm? Yeah, he knows she knows, and she's pissed... And he KNOWS that he just told her that VI IS DEAD. Which he 100% believed! Since when Sevika tell him about Vi being back he's like "From the dead???" in total horror and disbelief.

Marcus completely blindsided him, and it's a race against time now.

A race in which if Vi lives and finds Jinx... His Jinx, the only person he thinks he has... The girl he loves more than his cause, even if he hasn't fully realised it yet... Might hate him. She might decide to leave him.

Then he'd be alone again. And uhm... IDK if you all noticed but like... Silco isn't exactly a picture of clean mental health either. He's trauma ridden, set in very harsh ways, and has a solid spark of paranoia (which has kept him alive, but also isolated).

So the Silco screaming and spitting and kicking is a Silco who thinks that potentially everything will be fucked up now. He's stressed about the developing situation (the one where he asked his unstable daughter to basically make a nuke with stolen uranium, while juggling an increasingly strained sheriff and actively traitorous colleagues), AND the potential idea of his ONE person, his one broken, fucked up, twisted emotional bond, potentially being ripped from him.

Last time that happened, Vander was trying to drown him.

So he's just in a Bad Place™️

Cut the poor man some slack ahaha. I think it's normal that the mask finally cracks and reveals his emotions.

Silco isn't a cold character! His speech to Vander shows his zealotry and his passion! He has a dark humour too, and is aggressive and bitter when cornered. Silco wears a mask of cool professionalism when it's convenient, which is very often, as a leader in the undercity. But he also shows lots of emotions whenever suits.

I don't think you can be a cold character and stay riveted on your insane freedom fight for like 20+ years. He's got a big fire burning in there, and the scene in episode 6 is the proof of how hot it gets when he thinks he's about to lose it all. All your examples of him 'reining it in' are great too! He clearly has strong emotions. He just manages them a lot.

I hope this answers your question! AAaaaahhhh look at me, I just went and gushed, didn't I?

Thanks a lot Anon. And your English is better than some native speakers I know, so don't worry! <3

#thank you anon #silco #arcane #arcane silco #arcane meta #it's been a while #he just came out of his little office in the back of my brain #strutting out being like #somebody called?#jinx #arcane vi #silco and jinx

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beauty-and-passion · 6 months

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Attack on Titan: the eternal circle of life and war

It’s hard to talk about Attack on Titan. Not because there’s not much to say, but because there’s too much to say. And if you spend your free time watching videos about it (like I did in the past 3 days), you will hear all sorts of analyses, explanations and comments.

So, instead of talking about all the great things in this anime, I just want to give some of my thoughts on a story that accompanied me for 10 years. A story I never talked about here, not even when season 4 came and gave us some of the most wonderful episodes ever. Not even after Memories of the future, which has the most majestic plot twist in a series that has a ton of incredible plot twists already.

But If I want to talk about the finale, I have to talk about the series too and I will inevitably end up spoiling something.

So, if you never watched AOT before, just listen to this: if you want a story with fights, character growth and science-fiction/drama, trust this story. Trust the words these characters say. Trust their growth, because there will be one. Trust the plot, because it knows where it’s going. And even if seems like “urgh, that’s the typical structure of a shounen”... wait for it. This story is much more real than you think.

_________________________

Ten years together

I’ve always been an AOT anime watcher, not a manga reader. The only time I spoiled myself something from the manga, was between season 2 and 3, when I feared this story would never be fully animated and I wanted some goddamn answers, instead of waiting forever for something that would never come.

I made the mistake of not trusting the plot. And so, when I found out what was in the basement, I was a bit taken aback. Uh, that sounds forced, I thought.

Then season 3 came and, okay, maybe this plot point can go somewhere. Wait, if I look at the story in retrospect, maybe it goes somewhere. Maybe it explains Reiner’s character a lot more.

This is when I realized the story knew where it was going. There were no fillers. It was all connected.

And so, I trusted the story. I stopped looking for spoilers, I detached myself from all videos and explanations. The story had a direction, I wanted to see where it led to.

It was a… well, not completely unexpected finale. I mean, I knew Eren would die. But back then, when he took the Warhammer Titan, I thought he wanted to get all Titans inside him then kill himself - thus ending all Titans and Ymir’s curse at the same time.

Then, he started acting all alpha male gigachad I-don’t-care-about-my-friends I-want-to-destroy-the-world and I realized: oh, he will sacrifice himself. But he will play the Lelouch card and become the world’s enemy. That’s where it’s going.

And yes, this was where it was going. However, knowing where a story is going, doesn’t automatically mean the story is shit. It all depends on how you reach that ending.

And the way we reached it, was perfect.

_________________________

The inevitability of destiny and the power of friendship

The conversation between Eren and Armin is one of the most beautiful parts of this finale. I feel kinda sad for the manga readers, who got a weird conversation and Armin telling Eren stuff like “Thanks for becoming genocidal”, which sounds very questionable.

In the anime conversation, it’s very clear Eren is wrong and pathetic. He’s so pathetic, he himself says it.

And even if some people say this is the lowest point of Eren’s character, this is not. This is what Eren has always been. A child, because he is. He’s 19, not 30 or 40. He is a child.

But he’s not just a child: he’s a child soldier. He grew up surrounded by war, he fought and killed. When he looked at the sea for the first time in his life, he didn’t see a beautiful sight: he saw another barrier overcome, to reach the people on the other side and kill them. And he did all of this because Eren has always sought freedom and never reached it.

Just like he said, Eren is a slave. Of freedom, sure, but also of destiny. Eren cannot escape from the destiny he himself threaded for him. He put all the pieces in place, from the very first Attack Titan, so he would inherit that role and start the Rumbling. His destiny - and everyone else’s - is inevitable and inescapable, no matter how hard he tries to change it.

So when Eren breaks down with Armin and admits he doesn’t want to die and wants to spend his last years with Mikasa… that’s not Eren’s character assassination. This is Eren showing the most human parts of himself. The human who doesn’t want to die. The human who wants just some peace. The human who doesn’t want to follow the predetermined destiny, but has to.

I don’t really believe in the inevitability of destiny, but oh boy if it’s not fascinating in its tragedy. And in AOT is even more fascinating, because it’s Eren who wrote it for him. Because once he realizes what the future holds for him, he still keeps following it. He keeps putting pieces in place. He keeps up the façade. And only a few times, he lets that façade slip, to reveal the scared boy hidden underneath. The boy who doesn’t want to die.

And yet, he keeps going, because he wants this destiny. He wants to destroy the world. Because, just like when he saw the sea, he thought that if he killed everyone on the other side, his loved ones would finally be free.

That’s absolutely, terribly tragic. And I felt pity, by watching this young boy, who thinks everything could be accomplished only by killing, who knows he has to do that to ensure peace for his loved ones, who knows he has to die and doesn’t want to. He’s pathetic, he’s tragic, he’s caring, he’s human. He’s imperfect. And that makes him interesting.

But what’s even more beautiful about this part, is how friendship prevails. Because after admitting his fears and sins, Armin doesn’t leave Eren behind. He acknowledges his own sins and promises he will meet Eren in hell.

And that proves Armin is amazing. He doesn’t try to justify his actions because he’s on the right side of the story. He killed too. He took a lot of innocent lives. And if he won’t pay for them now, he will pay in the end.

And so, he reassures Eren: he is condemned, he will die, he will pay for his sins, but he won’t do it alone. Armin will be with him. Their friendship will overcome death itself and the inevitable destiny. As he said, they will be together, forever.

That’s what friendship truly is. Not to justify your friend, but to promise to be there. Not to say “but you’re good”, but to say “you’re bad, but I’m bad too. Let’s repent together”. For me, that’s way more powerful than a simple “let’s atone our sins” or “we’re besties”: it’s the sum of them both.

_________________________

Love as a chain and love as freedom

I’ve never been a fan of Eren and Mikasa as a couple. It reminded me too much of the Japanese trope of “step-parents being lovers” which is illegal and also urgh.

But the way Isayama handled this love is very clever. It’s not the typical “I love you baka” or Mikasa with heart eyes or other stuff. Sure, there are moments when she simps for him and that’s annoying. But in general, it’s very subtle and not thrown in your face.

So when we reach the end and Mikasa asks herself if she should kill Eren or not and cries and doesn’t know what to do… well, that’s realistic. That’s what every real person in love would think. That’s not Eren’s fangirl talking, that’s a real girl who is torn between doing the right thing and the guy she likes.

And in the end, Mikasa does the right thing, freeing the world, Eren and Ymir. And by doing that, she showed her that love doesn’t have to be a chain. You can love and still be your own person. You can still love and be free to do the right thing.

This is also why I like the credit scenes a lot: it wasn’t fair to let Mikasa spend her entire life sitting on Eren’s grave. It was fair to let her mourn him for as long as she wanted, then move on with her life. Again, that’s human. That’s realistic.

And that’s what Eren wanted too. Because along with the more childish idea of wanting her to think about him only forever and ever, there was also a more adult mentality - the mentality of a man who truly loves: to see Mikasa moving on with her life.

That’s true love. Not keeping someone with you, locking them with you forever because of your egoistical need. It’s letting them go. Because if they truly love and care about you, they will come back.

Like Mikasa does: she get married, has children and grandchildren, but still, she comes back to visit him. She moved on but didn’t forget. That’s one of the most beautiful, real representations of love and the reason why, in the end, I appreciate how their relationship was handled.

_________________________

The meaning of life

The conversation between Armin and Zeke is another masterpiece, especially because one of the characters involved is Zeke. You know, the man who always saw life as pain, mistakes and doing wrong things and the only happy moments he had were short and with his fatherly figure, while his real father didn’t care enough about what Zeke needed.

So when he realizes that oh, life doesn’t have to be just perpetration of life itself but also experiencing that life…that was great. Loved it. One of the few moments that almost made me shed a tear.

Personally, I also think that’s the true meaning of life. Sure, life is stubborn and loves to multiply and that’s what we keep doing from the very first bacteria that developed in the ocean. But we’re not just bacteria. We have a brain and memories and conscience. And we don’t see life just as “have more kids to pass your genes”: we search for something more.

And what could this “more” be, if not life itself? What the meaning of life could be, if not to live it?

This makes Zeke’s last scene even more beautiful because, for probably the first time in his life, he looks around, enjoys the world for what it is, takes a moment to appreciate everything. And then, he accepts to die and atone for his sins. Truly a great conclusion for his character.

Another scene that celebrates life and its importance, is the baby’s scene. A desaturated scene, where the only pop of color is the red of the baby’s cloth and the reddish pink of his face. Definitely wasn’t expecting an anime to refer to Schindler's List, but here we are.

But that’s what makes this scene even more impactful: because in both works, the red and the young child are a symbol of hope and desperation, of the strength of humankind and the importance of life.

The baby was condemned, just like all the people on the cliff. Moving the baby away from the edge of the cliff wouldn’t have saved them. The Titans were there, these people were destined to die.

And yet, the stubborn humanity pushed that child towards safety. Why?, Zeke would’ve asked. Why save a baby, when the end is there? What would be the point of fighting, if the final goal is to die?

Because that’s how we work. That’s how life works. Even if the end is there, even if the child will die, the goal is to keep the baby alive as long as possible. It doesn’t matter if it’s one minute or two seconds: the goal of life is living. Living for the sake of life itself. Because life encloses all the possibilities and the younger a human life is, the bigger the possibilities are. So ending one life is like ending endless possibilities. And life doesn’t like to waste anything.

_________________________

The neverending cycle of war

Isayama didn’t offer us a perfectly good ending. The “and they all lived happily ever after” ending. It gave us something real - which is, by comparison, worse than a tragic ending.

After the Rumbling, Paradis became a fascist state, while Armin and the gang turned into peace ambassadors. And, somehow, there was peace. And there was peace while Mikasa was growing old. And there was still peace for a long time after her death - 20.000 years, according to the ending song.

It’s very ironic that Eren’s genocide really managed to let his friends live in a peaceful world. But hey, I suppose that a massacre that led to the death of 80% of the world population is something humankind remembers for a very, very long time.

However, what do we see after all this time? World peace? People living all together and dancing in a circle? No, we see another war. After all this time, humanity fell for another goddamn war.

If this sounds realistic, it’s because it is. That’s the story of mankind. That’s what we are: imperfect beings who keep fighting and do horrible things, so we promise to remember, to not make the same mistake again - until enough time passes for us to forget our mistakes and repeat them all over again.

Just look at our current time period. Just look at how long peace lasts. In Europe, we managed to keep it for less than 80 years, before starting another war. And in other places all over the world, war never stopped.

AOT’s ending is darker than any tragic ending, because is real. Because it’s the real world within a fictional story. Because it’s a crude, realistic warning: war is easy to achieve, peace is hard to protect. And if enough time passes, humankind will give in to the easiness of war again.

_________________________

The neverending cycle of life

The ending of AOT tells us that this story is a neverending cycle: it starts, grows, dies and starts again, over and over.

However, the ending is open too, so it’s up to the viewers to decide how this next cycle is going to be: will it be the same? Will the boy and his dog get the power of Titans again, to start a new cycle of terror, fear and war? Or will something change this time?

This reminds me of something very specific, so please be warned: I will make a HUGE spoiler of The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. If you read it/don’t want to read it, you can keep going. Otherwise, skip the following paragraph.

In the last book of the series, once Roland enters the Dark Towers and climbs its steps, he finds out that everything is a cycle. He already climbed those steps. He already reached the end, only to start all over. And so it does: in the end, he’s back at the beginning of his journey, searching for the Tower again. But this time, he has his friend’s horn with him. This time, something is different. And maybe the outcome will be different too.

The last time, Ymir was scared, wounded, alone, chased by dogs, escaping her assailants, fearing for her life. This time, there is a young child, who is walking around, exploring the place accompanied by a dog. He doesn't look wounded, nor sad, nor scared: just a little tired.

Maybe that’s not enough to assure us everything will be fine, this time. But the elements are different. Something changed. And maybe, the different conditions will lead to a different outcome. Maybe the neverending cycle of war will keep going, but the neverending cycle of life will keep going too.

And if we think about it, between the two, in the end life always won. War destroyed, but life reclaimed everything. After the Rumbling, nature reclaimed the earth. After 20.000 years and another war, trees reclaimed the island and grew taller than ever. War may come and destroy but, in the end, the true winner is life.

And, again, this is real. This is what the world truly is. Just think about how easily nature reclaims what we made/still make. Once again, that’s our world in an anime series.

At the end of the day, this is probably what makes this story so impactful. AOT is real, despite taking place in a world of monsters and incredible powers. AOT shows us the good and the bad of our world and our nature and does it cleverly. I don’t think world peace or total annihilation would’ve been as good as this ending. This was just right. This is what it was supposed to be and, for once, I’m glad my expectations weren’t subverted with a resolution that could’ve been a lot worse.

So after ten years, all I have to say is that it was worth it. It was worth watching this anime and enjoying the fights, foolishly thinking that what was outside the walls was the biggest mystery. It was worth it for the plot twist, the characters' growth, the devastating deaths. It was worth it for the realism and the deep themes.

AOT changed a lot of things and I’m glad I was there to witness it until the end. So thank you Isayama and thank you to all the people who made this. It has been a long journey and it has been great. I will never forget it.

#attack on titan #eren jaeger #armin arlert #mikasa ackerman #zeke jaeger #aot #shingeki no kyojin #snk #aot end

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where-theres-smoak-2 · 6 months

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I think I may have interpreted Sylvie's smile at the end of 2x06 differently than most. To me it didn't look like a I'm so happy, I'm so excited to go on and live my life smile. I actually think it looked something more between a putting on a brave face for Mobius smile and a bitter one, I mean that smile never reached her eyes. I also think Sylvie was feeling very conflicted in this scene and a bit lost. There's a reason she sought out Mobius because she knew he probably misses Loki just like she does, that he is lost and unsure where to go from here without Loki just like her.

I think when she says that it's weird without Loki she was hoping that Mobius would open up a conversation with her, confirm that he is also feeling the same way as her because he lost his best friend, he was someone who deeply cared about Loki to. Sylvie, like Loki isn't the best communicator so when Mobius says quiet and just nods instead, rather than express her own feelings she lets the subject go.

When Mobius asks her what she's going to do now and she just gives this shrug and, in my opinion, half hearted smile its because she is feeling bitter, I think in this moment Mobius reminds her of the void and when Loki asked her the same question. In the void her and Loki said after it was over they would figure it out together, find a life together. Yet now its over but she's been left to figure it out on her own.

If we do get another season or if we see Sylvie in other projects I think what will happen is at first she will try to be happy, live her life and make a home and I think she'll do that because she feels like she owes it to Loki, she knows he made this sacrifice for her so that they would have a chance to live, to have their own free will. I think this was huge for Sylvie as she had spent her whole life with people trying to take that free will from her, who kept her on the run and who tried to kill her. And then there is Loki who has given up his own freedom and isolated himself so that she can have everything that was robbed from her by HWR and his TVA. That must be pretty overwhelming for Sylvie and cause all kinds conflicting emotions.

But I also think that despite trying to find a life she'll eventually come to realise that she just can't find her place, that it always feels like something is missing and that something is Loki. I think that's when she will start looking for ways to free Loki so that they can build that life together liked they planned. Or another thing that could happen is that Sylvie eventually makes the same sacrifice Loki did and instead of setting him free she gives up her own life to join him at the end of time so that he won't be alone, kind of like how HWR and Renslayer planned to be together at the end of time before he betrayed her and wiped her memories. That could make a nice mirror or parallel to the two couples and show the contrast between them.

I could also be delusional, that's also an option.

#sylki #loki season 2 spoilers

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conscbgb · 6 months

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I came across this video where Taeyong was explaining the inspiration behind the song "Love is a Beauty" and what he said left me with a deep sadness...for him...for all of them because I think the situation is more or less the same for them all...

We know how the k-pop industry works (and we know it sucks) but listen to a grown up, talented, hard working, brilliant, caring man of 28 years old saying that he "actually don't know about love" should make you think...especially their fans...what he, all 9 of them, give up in the name of their dream are 2 of the most important things that we are gifted in life : Love & Freedom.

And it's something that when you are 17 yo you can endure, you tell yourself "It's ok! I wanna become this or that...it's a big sacrifice but it's my dream"...when you are 28 you endure it anyway but...it's different...

The Love they get from their families, real friends, band mates,working team, fans is a totally different thing from the love you get from that 1 right person for you, that one who loves the REAL you, the natural and "imperfect" YOU, who support you anyway, your "Ride or Die" together, not because you are a worldwide famous singer/artist and the allure that comes with it!

Part of the reason they are forced to put Love in stand-by is because of the fans (the toxic/psycho ones obv) because God forbid if the news of one of them dating gets out! All the hate they receive...the company who rush to explain that the news is not true while going to repremend that poor one who was "caught" goin' out 🙈 and all of this for what?? They are grown men, they should be able to live their lives and that little free time they have in the best possible way for them!

But it doesn't work that way...their freedom is put on hold too! And not only because the company exploit them and their talent as much as they can, making them work literally 24/7 365 days a year especially during the promoting season, they can't use their freedom in absolute private matters too... like getting a tattoo! They can't get a tattoo without fans "consent": it's literally their skin!! What do you mean they should ask fans before do it?? Fu€k it!! I would tattoo my whole body like Michael Scofield just to piss those "fans" off 🤣

They can't smoke...thank God they "limit" themselves with smoke because with all the pressure the company/audience/themselves put upon their beings I would be high all the time just to get throught it...

The way they can't almost interact with women in front of cameras (or in general because they are literally haunted from stalkers) it's insane in my opinion and the company should take action more often to protect them! And it's equally shocking the fact they can't interact the way they really want between them (band mates) because if one of them look or talk in a certain way to the one he is not "shipped" with from fans ➡️ hate

This album and tour mean a lot to them and to us because we know what is gonna happen starting from next year...so please: let the guys enjoy this experience to the fullest! Support them! Let them Live! RESPECT THEM! They deserve it 🙏😉

Video credit @neocrushtech on TT

#lee taeyong #taeyong nct #nct 127 #yuta nakamoto #mark lee #nct jungwoo #doyoung nct #moon taeil #haechan #johnny suh #nct jaehyun #kpop

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peanutpinet · 1 year

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Anything for You - Demon! Jung Jaehyun x Witch! Fem Reader

Pairing: Demon! Jung Jaehyun x Witch! Fem Reader

Warnings: slightly mature, strong language, a bit of cursing

Synopsis: you were one of the most powerful witches of your generation. But when an evil witch that was over a thousand years old is taking over, you had no choice but to sign your freedom away to the devil himself

A/N: yes, yes, I know, another Jeong fic after a month of nothing. I'm so sorry T^T But this man literally lurked in my dream the other day like a demon (pun, intended) and I just had to write a quick something :')

Even after years of experiencing multiple hardships, fighting against some of the most powerful supernatural creatures, nothing has really prepared you or your friends to face off against the most powerful witch; because even in death, this witch is just as threatening as she is alive.

Even if you were dubbed as one of the most powerful witches to live, you were still unmatched with a witch that is over a thousand years old, who had no problem coming back alive thanks to a mishap spell caused by a mediocre witch that was just toying around.

You and your friends tried everything. Ever spell from every grimoire that was available. Every dark object that could possibly suppress the witch’s magic. Alas, none has come close to even so much putting a scratch on her skin. Even if they do, she would easily heal herself without needing much energy, as if she was a completely different supernatural creature.

When you all tried to fight back, she would hit back 7x just as hard. Yet, none of you wanted to give up. All of you stood your ground to fight back. But with every blow, all of your powers and energy were decreasing by the second. Seeing all your friends on the ground whilst you were barely standing was the final straw for you. You had to use your last resort.

With what little energy you had left, you managed to protect your friends and bring them to safety. You hurriedly healed them then put a cloak over the safe house that you were in before rushing out the door to go to your last resort.

You didn’t want to have to use this option. Hell, you never even considered this an option in the first place. But when you’re put into the real deal, things change and in the end, sacrifices must be made. Sacrificing your freedom and your whole being to the devil whose attention and affection you’ve caught, in return for his help, his power.

You’ve met the devil once before. Hell, you helped him once and in return he provide you a proposal. A proposal that you swore would be kept locked behind the back of your mind, never to be opened or used. Ever. Until today that is.

You ran as fast as you could. Not caring that you were still injured all over. Every second that passes could mean death to another person. You kept running and searching until you arrived at the very spot where you first met him. You called out to the nickname/human name that he told you whenever you needed him.

After the 9th time, you were suddenly teleported to a dark void. You used your magic to create a small light sphere to give you some light and way but when you cast the spell, instead of a light sphere, a wholeass spotlight shone. You turned and saw where a throne with your name on it where the light shone.

Seeing the throne with your name made your entire physical and spiritual being shivered. Especially when you realised that this is the choice you made in order to save everyone. Taking a deep breath, you started walking towards the throne. With every step you took, you became closer to signing away your freedom, body and spirit.

Slowly and steadily, you walked your way and finally reached the throne. Turning around, you took another deep breath, closed your eyes and finally sat on the throne. A tear escaped your left eye the moment your butt touched the cold metal. But at the same time, you felt a familiar presence behind you. A cold yet warm hand crept your left cheek, wiping away the tear as a hot breath followed by a familiar baritone voice on your left neck.

“You called for me…But not in the way that I hoped you to do so. I had hoped that you would accept my proposal and see you in a different situation. But it appears that things have taken a turn, haven’t they? Tell me, what’s the reason you accept my offer?” He spoke, you could feel his sharp chin on the crook of your neck, making you shiver

“Y-you know why I’m here” you started. “I need your help. I need you. I need your power. Your protection. Not for myself. For everyone else. There is evil lurking, walking around the earth. Going against every nature’s rule. Throwing the world off of balance. I’m here to ask you. No. Beg for you. In return, I’ll accept your offer. To stand by you. To allow you to own me. Mind, body, soul. As long as you would allow me to roam around freely on my birthday. That’s all I ask of you” you truthfully explained to him

As you wait for his response, you grow even more nervous. Especially when you felt his long, thick fingers trace the top of your head, down to your cheeks and finally found their home on your chin, forcing you to look at him for the first time in a long time.

“What’s my name, love?” he asked, his dark eyes were soft looking into yours

“Jaehyun…” you breathed out, a smile was now forming on his face, sweet dimples contrasting the other features of his face

“I wanted you to accept my proposal under different circumstances. Because of your own will” Jaehyun started. “If it’s not by my own will, I wouldn’t be here” you countered, making Jaehyun chuckle

“I meant that you want to be with me in exchange for anything you could’ve wanted and more. Not because you were forced to, love” Jaehyun replied, slowly letting your chin go as he made his way in front of you. “W-what are you? A-are you not going to help me? After what you promised…” you argued but Jaehyun quickly shut you up by trapping you between himself and the throne you were on

“I’m a fair person, love. I know what I promised. But it seems you have mistaken my promise and proposal. My promise was to return your act of kindness towards me. Consider it a one-of-a-kind wish. You could wish for all the evil people dead but that’s it. Just one wish. My proposal, on the other hand, gives you about the same power I have. Provides you with my protection. No matter where you are, or who you are up against. Immortality. However, my proposal requires you to be by my side, forever. Whenever I call upon you, you will come and answer to me. But that doesn’t mean that you won’t get the freedom you so love. I’ve watched over you whenever I get the chance, darling. Why do you think you survived better than your little friends?” Jaehyun explained, making you confused

“It’s alright, darling. I’ll let this one slide since you were honest and sincere to me. One of the things I love about you” Jaehyun caressed your cheek, making you feel healed and safe instantly

“We’ll talk about the proposal some other time. Perhaps I was too quick on it as well. I should do what humans do nowadays, hmm? What are they called? Taking you out on a date? But first” Jaehyun cupped your cheek, his eyes turned darker. “Tell me exactly what happened. What is the wish you desire? And who the hell dared to lay their hands on you? Hurt you. And made you cry?!” Jaehyun demanded, his touch was gentle but his words were like a time bomb. One wrong move and it’s over.

A/N: hellow everyone. Yes. I am alive (sort of). Gosh, November flew so quickly T^T especially after I watched my first concert ever, NCT 127 THE LINK. Let me just say that I don't regret any second of the concert, from getting the ticket up until the concert itself. While it wasn't the best first concert (am not gonna say anything because it was worldwide news T^T), I was truly happy being able to see NCT 127 perform live and enjoy the concert with fellow nctzens. Hopefully, I'll be able to watch them again (SMTOWN!! AMEN). I hope that you all are well and thank you for reading my fanfics, I truly appreciate all of you 🥹🫶 Stay safe and healthy :) xoxo Vinet

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blueskittlesart · 1 year

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i understand that link saving zelda is the main shtick of these games, so that means the game ends when she's saved so we never see her but CMONNNN. at least make it like impa where we can visit :(((

i am zelda's greatest defender you all know this and i would love to see a game where she isn't as absent during gameplay but genuinely, from a writing and game design standpoint, i struggle to see a way to do it that keeps thematically with the preestablished lore, themes, and gameplay experience that zelda is known for. the nature of the lore is that it's cyclical and that certain steps have to be repeated at the beginning of each new cycle, which means zelda MUST be taken as a sacrifice at some point in every new cycle. sequels like totk have more freedom in what they do with her, but letting her just be a visitable npc like impa almost... lessens her narrative importance too much, if you know what i mean. it takes her from a character with genuine agency and impact over the story to an idle helper for link, which isn't the right way to approach her character imo, especially in a sequel to botw where she was the driving force for EVERYTHING in the game. a lot of loz sequels elect to just remove zelda from the equation entirely in order to focus on link. and i think that's a good solution provided it's written well, because it removes any potential for agency-stripping or retconning of her character, but it does come at the cost of her presence in the game. if zelda cannot be playable, she must be removed enough from the player that her presence doesn't become a hindrance or annoyance to them, but present enough that she still carries narrative weight and doesn't become a side character, and that's a REALLY hard balance to achieve without locking her away somehow. i think the most successful example of a nonplayable, non-fridged, present zelda is sheik in oot, but link doesn't actually KNOW that sheik is zelda until she DOES get fridged in the final segment of the game, and sheik's entire character & motivations hinges on the fact that link CANNOT know that he is zelda until that final segment. a zelda who is in no immediate danger by associating with link but refuses to associate with him aside from occasional appearances anyway just. doesn't make sense. like i think this is a genuine writing dilemma that's been exacerbated by the way that the lore and gameplay of this franchise has played out over the last 30 years and i am genuinely sympathetic to the writers who have to make these decisions because i can see the thought process and it's not easy. i will say that i trust the developers of this game to treat zelda with respect if nothing else, because i saw how wonderfully and compassionately she was written in botw.

#asks #like ive thought about it. on paper it works fine but the second you try to translate it to a playable video game things fall apart #i guess cut them some slack is what im saying kinda? they're really trying to give us a really complex and nuanced zelda #but theyre also making a video game. working within the constraints of OTHER video games. and doing all of those at the same time is HARD #totk predictions

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brujitaadinbo · 2 months

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I continue with this segment that I started weeks ago; enemies then lovers. The cliché resource that has been used to give a lot of power to romances and that if you know how to use it; It gives you a spectacular romance within the material you are handling (films, writings, series)

Taking Din and Bo Katan's parallels with iconic couples within this dynamic, there is one in particular that I think has a lot of similarities. I'm not a fan of kdramas, but there is some very good Korean visual material.

If you have the opportunity to see this kdrama that is so good, so realistic and so sad at the same time, I promise you that you will love it but hey, try not to get attached to the characters. "Mr. Sunshine" can be found on Netflix. It touches on topics about Korea in its most difficult moment, when they were a country at war, occupied by Japan, suffering the inclemencies of these conflicts and how they had to survive and seek the independence of their country.

The main couple behave like the typical "enemies then lovers" Eugene and Ae Shine, being an exile from his country, mistreated by everyone and taking refuge in the United States, growing up in an unknown country, being adopted by a priest and being part of the army American to earn a place and be able to avenge his parents murdered in Korea because of a wealthy family.

Ae shin is a girl from a wealthy family, forced to behave like a society lady, who is outraged with the situation in her country, with what her people are living. He secretly joins rebellion groups, against the invaders and in search of independence. This is where the parallel between Din and Bo begins.

Eugene is a hurt man, alone, destroyed by the world, he believes that his life only has meaning for revenge, until this conflict makes him return to his land, where he meets Ae Shin and the causes of his people, the search for freedom, to recover his country, that is when he marries these ideas and when he understands Ae Shin's way of acting, when he begins to look for her, take care of her, hide her and give her support, until he falls in love with her and gives his life for Ae Shin if necessary (spoiler…if it happens) He understands that his purpose in life is greater than just hating.

We have a cold and methodical Din Djarin, a lonely man locked in his own rules, who when he understands that life is not just about "surviving"… that green boy arrives to change his destiny and begins to understand that loneliness It is not her path, then more allies come, then friends, then a woman comes to offer a greater purpose, take back your planet, give a new life to your people, find a decent way to live, that is when it becomes your center , He admires her. . he protects her, takes care of her and somehow marries Bo Katan's ideas to fulfill that purpose.

Then mutual feelings begin to play out and the bonds already created are strengthened. Love comes out and despite being in a war; They let themselves be carried away by it. The problem is that in this kdrama, everyone is destined to sacrifice themselves and the ending is very sad.

At least in Star Wars there is minimal hope for everyone.

Ae shin is a tough girl, she knows what she wants and she is a woman of action. But her heart begins to fall into Eugene's hands, so she begins to feel the need to have him close, as more than an ally, and she dreams of him, living a normal life.

Bo katan is a born warrior; a woman wounded by the war, with frustrations, lost in her own path to help her people, desperate and with all those burdens and regrets. But when she meets that man in the silver beskar and his green child, she begins to feel at home, she begins to know that part of herself that she didn't know. She begins to protect them, she begins to walk a different path that takes her to better places, she is part of a new clan and understands that perhaps this path is the right one. Despite war and conflict, she feels supported.

This is when I actually say; the one that uses "conflict or wars" as a way to separate the characters; it's ridiculous. In this life, every day is a problem and a war even against yourself. We live in constant conflict all the time and what people need most now is a home, it is a refuge, it is prudence; What we need most is love. And not as a false flag of cheap romanticism; if not as a way to love freely without having to fall into clichés, just as these characters need it. This is the way…

#the mandalorian #dinbo #bo katan kryze #bo katan x din #din djarin #star wars #this is the way #bokadin #clandetres #din x bo #lucasfilm #mr. sunshine #kdrama #eugenexaeshin

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