#bound to fail

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

Accept  -  Bound To Fail

#Accept #Metal Heart #Bound To Fail #Release date: March 12th 1985 #Full-length #Genre: Heavy Metal #Lyrical themes: Social issues Sex Rock 'n' Roll/Metal Fantasy War #Germany

[mari-lair]

Let's talk about Akane's overprotection of Aoi and the dangers of not properly setting up a narrative tone.

We are told that Akane stalks Aoi because guys have been trying to force her into a relationship for years, so he protects her by beating up anyone who approaches. Nene and Kou are understandably horrified by this.

But in the very next page, Aidairo hit us with this tone switch:

What Akane is saying is contradictory to the violent and possessive narrative that was shown during his introduction, to this yandere role he played the entire chapter, but the manga is trying to convey that we should take him seriously here. Even the lighting and composition are the ones used when characters are vulnerable and Aidairo wants to show that what they feel is real.

It's strange...

Being possessive is never framed as something that leaves other characters in awe, just compare Akane's melancholic and peaceful gaze to the creepy tone used when Kou and Hanako have their "you are possessive" moment.

Both Kou and Hanako hate that part of themselves, Kou even rejects it, but it's still clear the rejection doesn't make him any less possessive. Both want to be dependable, they want to be the only choice, no one else is acceptable. It's a selfish feeling. Being 'the most important person' is more important than the joy of the person they want to help (Kou's wish is Mitsuba needing him, instead of Mitsuba happy as a human. Hanako wants to be the one to save Nene, the idea of Nene being saved by someone else does not satisfy him even if it would make her happy and safe)

So this isn't a "Akane is lying to himself" or a "he is delusional" case.

The narrative, which had presented Akane as someone violent and obsessive, wants us to believe his claim "I will protect Ao-chan... Even if she never looks my way" is not only what Akane believes to be true, but also something admirable. A sentiment Nene craves directed her way, claiming to be 'a little jealous' of Aoi, despite calling Akane scary a single page ago.

Let's rewind to see how we got here.

Akane and Aoi's stories suffer from being mostly given to us in gags for a good chunk of the manga, as they are not very relevant in the early arcs, but the crumbs come together after their confrontation in chapter 69.

Why is Akane stalking Aoi? Because he worries about her. Not about someone stealing her necessarily, but about her being hurt or forced into situations she is uncomfortable with.

They are very codependent. They have been for years.

We can see Akane being shocked at the sight of people bullying Aoi since they were kids, it isn't just 'boys who want to date her' that makes her uncomfortable. Jealous girls do too.

Even when Aoi is left alone, using clothes completely out of her cutesy style to attract less attention, and just living her life, she is still harassed.

Aoi's life is a nightmare, it straight up sucks. She hates that, and when Akane notices this discomfort, he hates that too.

He is far more protective than possessive, he doesn't care when people are touchy with Aoi as long as she welcomes the touch: Take Nene as an example.

Akane never touches Aoi at the start of the manga but Nene does, a lot. He never think "Nene is touching my Ao-chan! Unforguivable". "Maybe Ao-chan likes Nene more than me is not far!" or anything of sorts

Even when Aidairo uses the same over-the-top/creepy gag humor I personally find excessive, and Aoi straight up flirts with Nene, Akane's only thoughts about it are the usual "I love her so much"

When he does show dislike for Nene it's never because she is of value to Aoi. It's because of how dismissive Nene can be, not taking Aoi's safety seriously and easily excusing Hanako's actions.

We only see him be aggressive with Nene when Hanako possesses her and makes Aoi uncomfortable.

The problem here is the framing, the comedy focus. It's hard to take it seriously.

Everything about Akane's intro chapter is hard to take seriously. We are told he is "Hard working. Reliable. What a nice and sweet person."

But we aren't shown these honorable qualities much, not explicitly at least. The big panels, the main focus, is on his gag.

And his main joke is that he loves excessively, even for this school standard where everyone is weird (like Nene writing a self-ship fanfic with Teru) so he needs to be over the top, his behavior has to stand out!

How do they try to achieve this? Yandere jokes.

It is overplayed, they spend pages on it. WHOLE PAGES on it.

It is an old narrative trick to present a twist character as a comic relief to lower suspicion, to keep the more important characterization for after a reveal when they are oficially important, but framing all his actions as comedic and devoid of dept to make his reveal as No.1 more unexpected leaves him in a strange position: Akane is intended to be written as a protector but framed as a joke, to the point his introduction become the satire of a protector.

When he is revealed as the clock keeper and allowed to be given more focus, Aidairo try to explain his behavior and show signs of him being a genuinely caring and kind person, as the first part of his intro had promised.

But it's to late.

His crazy actions and anger issues is in most people's minds, a few lines can't erase pages and pages of his introduction as a yandere like archetype, so it's easy for first impression bias to come into play and interpret all his actions as a simple "He is obsessive." instead of trying to find dept or nuance to the established dependence he has on Aoi.

When we are shown that above wanting to date her, he just wants her to be safe and happy, it does not become clear. The reader needs to pay a lot of attention to small moments like these:

Which a casual reader likely won't. Most are reading for the toilet trio at this point in the manga.

This fumble on his character introduction makes it hard to know what should and shouldn't be taken seriously. Aidairo discarded the yandere narrative relatively quick (we haven't seen Akane's bat in ages) but this gag about being happy as long as Aoi is happy turned out to be important:

It was used to further contrast Aoi's and Akane's mentality on their big arc, and highlight how much nearly losing Aoi affected him.

So the only way we can tell what joke to take seriously cause it will be used to build up his character and what isn't important is hindsight.

I did not care about Aoi and Akane's relationship when I first read the manga, i went 'oh cool!' on their conflict, cause that was very well done, but since their characters were not well introduced, I did not notice a lot of the ideas being shown to me.

Akane is a sweet boy. That's his core, his consistency. Even with Aoi, being kind is the priority over being with her.

Let's compare him with Hanako, who is an openly possessive character, and see how they approach their love interests when they don't know if their love interest likes them back yet, and they aren't reduced to a gag (so we'll dismiss Akane being 'a yandere with a bat', and Hanako's joke of him being a tactless pervert, like peaking under Nene's skirt when her time was frozen)

(so pre-chapter 86 to Hanako and pre-chap 69 to Akane)

Hanako traps Nene, he will cling to her anytime he can, he cares about Nene and loves her dearly, he even says he "loves everything about her" but he is greedy for her attention, he is selfish, always trying to make her focus on him out of everyone in the room and keeping her in his hold, out of others reach. His unsubtle possessive nature is a charm of his, makes for an interesting character.

Akane has a different vibe to it. He doesn't have many serious moments with Aoi before their spotlight arc, unfortunately, but when he does, he focuses on reassuring her (even when her time is frozen and she can't hear him) and avoids touching her at best he can. He has known her for more than 10 years, but he doesn't act as if she belongs to him.

I am not saying Akane is not possessive of her, he is. But he tends to be more worried about her than anything.

Using hanako as the trademark of possessiveness again, check out these two scenes:

At the start of the manga Kou likes Nene, and Akane is under the impression Teru like Aoi, so both scenes follow the basic premise of "A know B has a crush on their crush, and they get possessive over a possible romantic rival being too close."

Hanako doesn't say anything, but his message is clear "She is mine."

Akane explicitly says he doesn't like Teru near Aoi but he doesn't try to remove Aoi from Teru or try to do anything violent. Why would he? Aoi is in no danger, nor is she uncomfortable, so he changes focus to the person who is troubled, awkwardly reassuring Teru that his distress is, in his personal opinion, stupid, so "chill bro".

He wasn't like that with Teru before.

He was so determined to stop the wedding he even rejected hanging out with Aoi, crying tears of blood and asking for her forgiveness in his mind but prioritizing not making her get together with Teru above her joy.

Is that because of his development? Yes! A big part is. Notice the way he treats his mental image as reality? That was his biggest flaw, he imposed his views on Aoi (the view being "everyone is stupid in love with Teru" in this case), and assumed what he believes is a universal truth, doing exactly what Aoi accused him of: Not seeing her, just an idea of her.

But the reason he went so crazy and determined, it's because Akane saw Teru as someone dangerous. Someone who would use Aoi. Hurt her. He believes he is protecting Aoi from the big bad president. A view that makes sense when we take into consideration both Aoi's history of being forced into relationships, and when we go back to their interaction.

Look at this and tell me this isn't a threat:

Teru acts as if he barely remembers her name, she is just 'that cute girl', mostly a tool for him to use against Akane.

When his view of Teru changes to someone kinder who genuinely cares about Aoi as a person, he no longer enters protective mode.

He is still bothered about the idea of Aoi being with someone else, he does noooot look pleased even with his fairy tale vision of a happy couple, but the way he treats this possible 'rivalry of love' when he does believe Teru loves her is so different from his "Don't get close to her!! I will NOT allow it!!" approach.

There is no insecure overthinking. No aggression. He is playful about it. He even teases Teru.

He just wants to focus on rescuing Aoi. A 'rivalry' isn't important. He needs her to be safe.

These two parts of Akane have been juggling for a long while.

But now, character focus is the priority, and I am thankful the damage is being undone, that Aidairo let Akane's love take up whole pages instead of small panels buried under pages of jokes.

Their codependence, no matter how many issues it has, and how it can sabotage them, is based on so much care for each other.

It's a shame I only believe Akane was sincere when he said he'll always be there to protect Aoi regardless if he 'gets to be with her', because of what we see later in the manga, not because of what had been set up in his intro.

#Every time i see the page of Akane gently cradling Aoi's face and crying over her being safe my heart break #tbhk #toilet bound hanako kun #jshk #jibaku shounen hanako kun #look at me trying to do a narrative structure analysis despite always failing lit class #aoi akane #akane aoi #aoikane #aoiaoi #long post #character analysis

[zodiac-keeper]

Every time without fail in Aidairo’s AU’s it’s always them.

#WITHOUT FAIL #like hanako of the opera he saves him #there’s the other detective au with them being litteraly hand cuffed #Adairo litteraly said you cannot separate them #toilet bound hanako kun #tbhk #jibaku shounen hanako kun #jshk #minamoto kou #tbhk kou #jshk kou #sousuke mitsuba #tbhk mitsuba #jshk mitsuba #mitsukou #mitsukou my heart ache

[arbor-tristis]

About the Great Betrayal of 1957......and why it was so impactful (besides the obvious) and the final nail in the coffin of their relationship......it isn't because Hawk caused a significant practical harm to Tim or lost him a job but because in that moment Tim realised that it didn't matter. Up until then, Tim must have thought on some level that their relationship was affected by Tim's principles. His inability to make peace with Hawks marriage. His unwillingness to constantly lie and put up a facade. Wanting a deeper connection than just sex. All of these things were boundaries he was constantly pushing for and what in his view, on some level made him lose in the end. He could have chosen to stay even after Hawk told him he was going to marry Lucy, but it was a deal-breaker for *him*.

So when he comes back in 1957 he aims to be chill, basically. He "has no expectations". He says "it's fine, I'll compromise on ALL these things that are super important to me. If it means Hawk will truly accept me." And it seems like for a while, it works. Hawk even indulges them a lot with attention and intimacy. He thinks he has figured out a way to make it work.

But that's the betrayal. Because Tim gave up everything. His faith. His principles. And it STILL didn't work. Because Hawk threw him out again. Cruelly and for no good reason. That was the betrayal. It wasn't about a job. Or government work. Hawk betrayed his *hope* that if he did exactly what Hawk wanted, if he simply compromises Hawk will hold up his end of the deal. But of course not.

Tim is never the same with Hawk after that. Why he calls it a "fantasy" because in 1957 hawk demonstrated that even in the best circumstances they could hope to have he would find a way to push him out. He understands, very clearly that Hawk is at his heart a self-saboteur and will get in his own way no matter how much he submits, how much he bends. He will not be chosen. And that is the ultimate tragedy.

#fellow travelers #sorry for writing long things y'all #i just needed to yap a little #tim never could catch a break #when he sees Jackson he Understands. #he sees the immovable truth of why him and hawk are bound to fail. #no matter what. #hawkins fuller #tim laughlin

[boygirltreehouse]

I fucking love we are robin they were so huddling in the back booth of the restaurant izzys family ran trying not to laugh while ordering, surfing on the tops of trains, learning how to treat a bullet wound crowding around the phone frantically collecting google searches, taking more hits than they were landing, listening to dax play shitty guitar in his garage while skipping classes, playing dnd in rikos basement, making snide comments while duke and dre argue again for the eighth time that day and watching duke try to resist dre bribing him with his cooking, being connect to someone you don't know halfway across town because they too know that with batman gone someone has to take care of this city someone has to do something and it might as well be you

#duke izzy and dre sleeping over rikos house bcs their own homes arent great to be at right now #duke quizzing riko on her math work just bcs hes failing doesn't mean she has to #dre patching up a wound izzy got bcs she absolutely ate shit while trying to make a jump and izzy thinking abt how dre reminds her of her #brother if he hadnt been such an ass #like gotham is a shithole and these kids are in the heart of the mess living and loving and protecting their city #SOMEONE SEDATE ME #this is what happens when u read we are robin one too many times and like too many studies abt gotham city #dc comics #dc tag #all of them grew up looking into the night and seeing colorfully clothed children bound across the skyline and thought 'i can do that too' #i need to be shot #duke thomas #batman #thought bubbles #we are robin

[n0bluev]

+

(eyes only 4 u)

EDIT: HI IM IRRATIONALLY ANGRY AT THIS DRAWING HAVE SOME COLOUR BLORBSIFICATIONS

#crunchy ah (slightly edited for my sanity) screenshot i took from the procreate timelapse #its so different to the 'final product [linked in “+”]' cuz i kinda ended up scratching the whole thing and sketching on top at the end lol #the process of drawing this was PAINFUL (was fighting for dear life against art block at the time) #but while checking the (painful. awful.) timelapse i kinda went 'hm. the eye kinda popped right tho...' #so i took that and went beep boop to fix it just a bit and im posting this too enjoy #呪術廻戦 #五条悟 #gojo satoru #jjk #jjk fanart #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen fanart #satosugu #gojo fanart #gojo satoru fanart #gojo #stsg #and yeah. i was messing with artstyles (and failing and crying-) and still am so... uh hope u like the art and that you can see details tha #make my art mine even when i cant rly see or appreciate it myself lol #that being said art is bound to improve and evolve with time and life so im not too worried ^^ (artblock still sucks tho hah) #+ the glasses are crooked / in a wrong angle and I KNEW THIS WHILE DRAWING BUT WAS TOO DARN LAZY + ratio (YEAH! RATIO!!)

[laniidae-passerine]

anyone who thinks that Olu and Jim broke up is clearly wrong because that look on Jim’s face when they think Olu is going to Zheng’s ship without them is heartbreaking

#those two are BOUND together #sure they have a fluctuating relationship #where some days it’s more platonic love than romantic #but they are always in love. and they definitely still fuck nasty and then cuddle romantically #TEALORANGES FANS NEVER LOSE! NEVER FAIL! WE STAY WINNING ALWAYS! #our flag means death #ofmd #tealoranges #jim jimenez #oluwande boodhari

[junkyard-cat-enthusiast]

love how Sunny can be a reference for such a wide range of topics from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial to the Bob Dylan biopic

#is there ahything they haven't done #im guessing it's cause they've been on the air for almost 20 years #there's bound to be some kind of overlap #but still it never fails to blow my mind #it's always sunny in philadelphia #iasip #always sunny #dennis reynolds #charlie kelly #mac macdonald #dee reynolds #frank reynolds

[just-an-enby-lemon]

Thinking about the complexities of a "losing your magic" story in a DnD (and similar) scenerio because what it means completly depends of your class. Because while not everyone is born with magic, everyone can have it.

How for a sorcerer losing their magic is genuinally about losing a part of themselfs, to suddently not being able to do something they always did. Losing your magic is like sudently losing a limb or one of your senses. And how besides being always theirs, their magic is ancestral how it can mean losing a connection with a part of their family history.

How for paladins is about morals. About breaking their vows whatever they are, dealing with the fact that they changed or maybe that morals were always way more complicated than they thought they were. (The Oathbreaker subclass changes things but I think it can work if Oathbreaker is one of the ways to embrace the emotional conflict that took your magic). Is almost phylosofical. Is the what makes Thor worthy?

How for druids, clerics and warlocks are different levels of losing a connection. For druids is with nature, with a force beyond their comprehension but that became a part of you for so long and who are you without this feeling? For warlocks is so many things, is losing a boss, a friend, is the price of freedom, is the loss of whatever you had with the sentient being that gave you powers. And for clerics is a mix, is about if their gods are feelings like nature or beings that talk to them, but whatever it is, for clerics, for clerics is a lack of faith. Is about what happens when you doubt your god, when you can't belive it or in it. Is also about what happens when your god doesn't belive in you.

For bards and mages is the loss of a skill. The bards might have the loss of their playing or voice but even if not, even if is just the magic that is gone, well they, just like the mages, studied hard to be abble to do magic. If for a sorcerer is like losing a limb, for them is like waking up in the morning and noticing your accent changed or that you don't speak a language you once did anymore, is trying to ride the same bicycle you used to go to work everyday and noticing you just doesn't know how.

#now since i'm listening to rqg #i need need to point out #that it started with me thinking aboug rqg wilde #and the differences between hamid's fear of losing magic and wilde's actual reality after losing his #and after getting it #thinking about how rq wilde speaks with a posh british accent #not a hint of the irish he had to have had #and thinking about how trying to do prestigiditagion and failing for him is actually similar to the day he realized it #the day he noticed his thoughts were not in irish gaelic anymore #also a thing hamid and him can totally bound about because hamid also lost his cairo accent #rqg #rusty quill gaming #dnd #pathfinder #ttrpg #loss of magic #in a less this specific podcast does degenerative disorders like dementia and Alzheimer affect bardic and mages magic? #does amnesia affect their spells? #are they muscle memory? #is some of them muscle memory and some not?

[floacy]

I could write about how mad I'm about double standards and the difference in perceiving islanders by one another. I could write about tragism. About vilification, structure, and roles. About Foolish and Tubbo. About Leo and Sunny. About Slime. About Tallulah and Phil...

Instead, I'll write about Chayanne. (And I know we joke about his role in the administration of the server, but lore-wise, I really hope he is just a baby) Chayanne is such a mature egg. He is an older brother to Tallulah - sure. But he is the older brother. He was also Tallulah's age not too long ago, but he had to grow up quickly to protect his sibling. He still is a kid after all; he has his hobbies; he plays; sometimes he sulks and bickers, but the moment there is any danger, he is quick to listen and fast to act. He makes sure everyone is taken care of and safe.

I still remember how, although reserved, he was still friendly towards Gegg. There is so much empathy, sensivity and maturity in this little kid.

After all, he too is affected by the trauma he had to endure, and besides, I think growing up on Isla Quesadilla isn't the safests of enviraments for a kid to develop. (Especially taking in consideration the kidnappings and jail?) Then again, he is an egg and possibly an experiment.

#his is one of my favourite eggs #i think i just love tragic stoires and heros bound to fail #qsmp #qsmp chayanne #qsmp eggs #qsmp thoughts #edit: leo. sunny and pepito!

[ignify-caligo]

Makarov: Captain Jonathan Price! Leader of the feared Task Force 141 for the past four years. Servant of the western world. Responsible for the assassination attempt on Imran Zakhaev. Hunter of man with ideals frowned upon by your masters, torturer of woman and children. Twice decorated for valour on the field of battle…

Price, greatly unimpressed: Makarov - a regular son of a whore.

Yuri, in the background: *sighs the deepest sigh ever*

#call of duty incorrect quotes #incorrect call of duty quotes #vladimir makarov #captain price #john price #yuri #task force 141 #imran zakhaev #call of duty #call of duty mwii #caligo incorrect quotes 2 #u can’t tell me vladimir ‘am I the drama?’ makarov wouldn’t pull a stunt like that #he has his audience (Price) literally & figuratively bound to his performance lmao #also if u know where the og quote is from - u win a cookie 🍪😂 #cheering myself after failing on of my three exams by making silly posts again don’t mind me

[qqueenofhades]

Also, just as an overall observation, I really can't help but wonder how much better things might be if we actually tried to teach kids about the complexities of the world, rather than "Protecting Them."

(But that's the one thing the right wing literally can't stand, so god forbid we do that.)

#hilary for ts #blanket blocking and censoring content has never worked in the entire history of anything #kids are small people #who will grow up to be big people #and they live in a complicated world #we owe it to them to create useful and age-appropriate answers even to tough questions that adults might find squicky #but so many adults are bound and determined to keep kids ignorant #because their entire sociopolitical power paradigm rests on raising kids who won't challenge its ideas #so you end up in a total alternate reality #and we've all seen how that works #so. like. adults are once again failing kids here #because we don't have our own shit together #and think that just pretending something doesn't exist will work #which again! it will not! kids are curious! they will find it anyway! #anyway. ANYWAY. 'protect the children' should be taken behind the woodshed and shot #it's stupid and it does nothing and it's not useful in the long term #especially the way the right wing in particular uses it #but the left is certainly not blameless either #sigh

[mari-lair]

thinking about them again

#aoi akane #akane aoi #my fail girl my beautiful disaster #tbhk #aoikane #toilet bound hanako kun #jshk #jibaku shounen hanako kun #textpost

[still-not-a-cat]

things that made my hypermobile life a billion times better (for hypermobile people who want life improvements but don’t know where to start)

- pelvic floor physical therapy

- squatting toilet stool - brand name link but mine is literally a random one from target

- well fitting appropriate braces

- appropriate shoes

- a registered dietitian who made a meal plan with a goal to reduce inflammation and increase energy

- neck collar for any time spent sitting at a desk

- osteopathic muscle manipulation/Doctor of Osteopathy primary care physician

- cane for balance/rollator for balance and fatigue

- physical therapy with the goal of proprioception (which you may be lacking) and mindful movement (NOT acute injury or “strength”) this link is just a good podcast about hypermobile bodies and approaches to health

- if you have contracted COVID please make sure you don’t have Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and other dysautonomia/COVID complications, as COVID seems to have caused or “awoken” POTS especially in hypermobile people and it DOES NOT always improve over time without medical intervention in these cases.

I am not a medical professional but I am someone with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome who was given no assistance after diagnosis and a decade later had no choice but to take medical leave from university learn how to thrive in my hypermobile body, rather than barely survive.

DO NOT take my advice over that of a medical professional and I encourage you to do your own research into any linked tools/references!

#hypermobile ehlers danlos #ehlers danlos syndrome #hypermobility #bendy bodies podcast #do not be me #do not ignore your problems until you are failing university and bed bound #they really told ten year old me i had an incurable illness gave no other information and wished me luck

[deoidesign]

go back to SLEEP!

#I love them so much. #also once I again I just draw and post random things all day and fail to queue. I am not bound by. whatever #ocs #adam and steve #adam #steve #I LOOOOOOOOOVE THEM! #anyways. #yeah I cant wait for them to get over their problems so they can be happy #ttawebcomic #time and time again

[avionvadion]

For someone who’s writing a fic centered around Sesshomaru x OC I sure do like to put Inuyasha under a microscope to prod at his brain to figure out what’s going on in there.

(Anyways, here’s my favorite paragraph from Inuyasha’s POV from the most recent chapter.)

"He knew what it was like to lose a loved one. He knew what it was like to lose someone he thought he could trust. He knew what it was like to love and not trust, and to have that love and distrust thrown back in his face. He knew what it was like to love and lose, because he had done it several times before, and each time was more painful than the last. His entire childhood was spent running and hiding in fear, trying desperately to stay alive, because all he had known had left him and the world was intent on getting rid of him too."

(Also an excerpt from Sango’s POV because I love her and there’s something very important near the end of it.)

Lifting her gaze, Sango turned to stare at Inuyasha again- the boy chancing a glance at her out of the corner of his eye, over his shoulders. To the demon slayer, who had been informed how badly Sesshōmaru had treated him in the past, and had seen them fight at least once, Inuyasha looked like a frightened dog.

He was afraid.

Not for Irene, who- deep down- he knew was alive, but of the idea that Sesshōmaru had somehow changed. The person he despised more than anything, perhaps even more than Naraku himself.

Sango remembered all too clearly the way Inuyasha had lashed out at Irene before when she said she didn’t hate Sesshōmaru. When she said she had actually felt safe with him. The idea that Sesshōmaru could have had a change of heart, and was no longer the ruthless demon Inuyasha grew up with- grew up avoiding, grew up trying to survive against- was… terrifying to him. It was like the world he thought he understood was coming crashing down around him.

Because if Sesshōmaru’s heart actually changed for the better, if he was actually going out of his way to save Irene- Inuyasha’s friend- then that meant Inuyasha would have to feel gratitude towards him. One of his best friends would be alive because of the half-brother that had so-often wanted him dead.

But… that doesn’t erase the past.

Sango wonders if Inuyasha realizes that. If he knows that, just because Sesshōmaru has the capacity to care now and even cares about one of their friends, it doesn’t mean the scars of the past will vanish. Inuyasha is still allowed to hate him. He’s allowed to hold a grudge.

Sesshōmaru had been awful to him.

Just because there will be gratitude to the demon lord for saving Irene, that doesn’t mean Inuyasha has to forgive him.

“Inuyasha…” The bloodied mask felt heavy in Sango’s hand, but she didn’t set it down. Her features shifted into something gentler, yet still so very sad. “It’s okay.”

The half-demon said nothing.

“It’s okay to hate Sesshōmaru.”

His feelings are completely valid on this matter. Forgiveness is a gift, not an obligation, and Inuyasha does not have to give it if he does not choose so.

#he’s such a complex character. like he doesn’t seem to at first glance but if you actually DELVE into it? #boy’s a tsundere but like onky because he’s been THROUGH some shit #he was bullied by humans and hunted down by demons. his mother and only supporter died when he was a child #his own brother spent most of Inuyasha’s life trying to kill him #when he finally learned to love again he couldn’t TRUST and then had that love and distrust thrown back at him in the worst way possible #and ended up bound to a tree for fifty years before a girl identical to the one who pinned him there woke him up #and then he learned to love AND trust. but then becomes so very afraid of losing everything all over again #so he tries to keep his new friends at a distance but fails because they’re stubborn and affectionate and LOVE him for who he is #and now the brother who hates him and tried several times to kill him is raising a HUMAN??? He ADOPTED a human???? #in this essay I will- #Inuyasha #Sesshomaru #kagome higurashi #his tsundere-ness is like a defense mechanism and it HURTS ME but like in a good way #sango #lord sesshoumaru #Sesshomaru x oc