#it also helps that there are enough contradictions (some intentional; most not) on the war that I can just call unreliable narrator on some-

[antianakin]

@theneutralmime

So there's a lot happening in this ask.

Do I think Palpatine could FEASIBLY be killed by something like choking on a grape or falling down the stairs? I mean, yes, sort-of. Like Palpatine IS still human, generally, and so if he's taken completely by surprise and doesn't have a way to keep himself from snapping his neck or whatever, he'd die. If we discount the Sequel Trilogy as canon, then Palpatine dies by getting tossed down a reactor shaft or whatever, so, clearly, he CAN die.

Star Wars has a tendency to run on rule of cool quite often, so Maul survives getting chopped in half because fans thought he was cool and Lucas then thought it would be cool to explore him again, rather than because it made any logical sense to bring him back. Palpatine survives getting thrown down the reactor shaft because he's the best villain this franchise has ever had and Rian Johnson ruined the two best options for villains in TLJ (Snoke by being unnecessarily killed off and Kylo by being made sympathetic to fans), so JJ Abrams was stuck coming up with something else in TROS. Shit happens in Star Wars sometimes and it doesn't really make SENSE, so it can be hard to try to puzzle out how the worldbuilding actually works in a situation like this one.

Maul keeps himself alive by spite and spite alone according to TCW. He's so full of anger and hate that somehow, despite being chopped in half and apparently magically transported to an entirely different planet somehow, he manages to stay alive long enough to attach his top half to a robot spider bottom. So, sure, if Maul can do that, then Palpatine should be capable of keeping himself alive by pure spite, too. You can try to argue that because he's killed in the way the prophecy says he would that maybe it should be more binding than Maul's, I guess, but THEORETICALLY, as per the worldbuilding rules that kept Maul alive, there's absolutely nothing keeping Palpatine dead, either.

I am also of the personal opinion that the prophecy means that IF the Chosen One tries to destroy the Sith out of selflessness and compassion, they are guaranteed to succeed (aka, if Anakin tries to kill Palpatine because this is what Sith apprentices do to their masters, the prophecy no longer applies and so he isn't guaranteed a victory). But this doesn't mean that this is the ONLY way to defeat the Sith. It's not like Palpatine could ONLY have been killed if Anakin personally kills him, it's just going to be a heck of a lot easier for Anakin than it would've been for anybody else. But Anakin defies his own destiny for over TWO DECADES and I think he could've defied it for the rest of his damn life if he'd chosen to. Which opens the door for the opposite to also end up being true: Palpatine can be killed by something that ISN'T the Chosen One fulfilling the prophecy. Maybe it takes a LOT of Jedi coming together to take him out, maybe it takes regular civilians helping the Jedi, maybe he CAN just randomly choke on a grape by pure luck. It's incredibly UNLIKELY to happen and even more unlikely to succeed, but not IMPOSSIBLE.

Moving on to the Separatist question about the contradiction between TCW claiming there are good people in the Separatist movement despite the horrible things their army is doing and the fact that without Palpatine and Dooku running things, they seem like they'd probably just fall apart immediately. I think the Separatists work the same way most of the antagonists do in Star Wars, especially in the prequel era: a parallel for Anakin. The Separatists seem to have good intentions for their actions, but are being manipulated by the Sith into (possibly unintentionally) backing some really heinous atrocities and a belief in their own superiority so strong that they'll never believe it's even happened, no matter how often it's explicitly laid out for them. The Separatist politicians (so NOT the people running the actual army like Nute Gunray or Wat Tambor or anyone else from the Corporate Alliance) are EXACTLY like Anakin, and they fall prey to their own arrogance the same way he does. So sure, there were "heroes" among them and people with good intentions, but Dooku was a good Jedi once, too. It doesn't mean that his choices NOW are actually motivated by those good intentions, though. The same is generally true of the Separatists. They had good intentions, but their ignorance becomes an intentional choice rather than something forced upon them and that ultimately makes them complicit in the crimes their army is committing.

I will say I don't think the Separatist politicians are explored well enough to really get that message across and so it just ends up feeling kind-of weird and contradictory sometimes, but that's my take on what the intended message of the Separatists is.

The same is generally true for Dooku. The thing with all of these characters is, they're ALL parallels for Anakin, which means that they have to also have one of the things most essential to his character: "There's still good in him." Regardless of how I feel about how his "redemption" was handled in ROTJ, the fact that Anakin has goodness left in him to act upon is VITAL to his character. So any character who is intended to be a parallel to his narrative ALSO has to have this characteristic. Dooku can still make better choices, he COULD feasibly turn things around and be a better person again. The Separatists CAN choose to be less ignorant and more open to listening to what people like Padme and Bail and the Jedi are actually saying rather than desperately trying to live in a perfect little fantasy world that appeals to them.

So even though they all SEEM irredeemable, they all SEEM rotten right through to the core, they're not. That's the major message of Star Wars, that choice MATTERS and you ALWAYS have a choice. Even if you've been making the wrong ones for decades, even if there's just a smidge of goodness left, it'll ALWAYS be there to act upon. Just like the capacity for darkness is always there to be tempted by, the capacity for compassion is ALSO always there to come back to.

Which brings us to the concept of, "What if the Jedi found out about the Tusken massacre sometime before ROTS and Order 66?"

The Jedi generally seem to believe in rehabilitation and forgiveness as much as possible, but they also believe in placing the needs of the greater good over the needs of one person, and in this situation, I'm assuming the Jedi are likely still dealing with the war happening which limits a lot of their options, especially if Palpatine is ALSO still in power. So they have to figure out how to help Anakin with the feelings that led him to commit the massacre in the first place while keeping him from being able to do it AGAIN. I generally imagine that this would mean removing him from positions of authority, which would include both being a General in the GAR and being a master to Ahsoka. I think he'd probably be asked to agree to being grounded at the Temple until such time as a Jedi mind healer deemed him capable of going back out in the field. I also think that, before he was allowed back into the field for any kind of Jedi work, he'd be asked to make some kind of amends for what he'd done, whatever that ended up meaning. It's not about punishing Anakin so much as it is about damage control.

The problem is that Palpatine is unlikely to allow Anakin to just be removed from the GAR and that Anakin is unlikely to take ANY of this well. Unlike most fics that deal with this scenario, I think he'd generally be willing to take the Council's condemnation of his actions relatively well. He admits to knowing it's not the way a Jedi should act in AOTC, so he'd be expecting the Council to tell him he was wrong to kill them all and I think he'd be able to put on a good show of contrition and remorse (regardless of whether it was that genuine or not; his remorse over having not acted like a Jedi would be real, but there'd be no real remorse for the deaths of the Tuskens and I don't know how well the Council would be able to distinguish between the two through psychic powers alone). But it's asking him to accept the demotion and the loss of Ahsoka that I think he'd lash out at. He'd accept the slap on the wrist, but the actual consequences would seem unfair and THAT'S when he'd start to defend himself and throw a tantrum about it (For an example of this in canon, look at how he acts during the scene where he's put on the Council in ROTS and how he stays pretty polite right up until he's told he isn't going to be made a Master and THAT'S what riles him up).

Anakin doesn't like making choices and I think the Council would likely let him know that this kind of infraction is one where, if he DOESN'T want to accept the consequences for what he's done and do the work it takes to re-earn their trust, they'd have to consider expelling him from the Order. So now he's faced with the choice of remaining a Jedi but diminished and humiliated (from his perspective), or not being a Jedi at all but leaving more on his terms. And I think that THIS is where he'd likely try to go to Palpatine to get him to pull strings in his favor and, given that the war is still happening, Palpatine might be able to accomplish this and force the Council's hand so that they CAN'T enforce these consequences no matter what. It's POSSIBLE Palpatine might try to convince Anakin to just leave so that he can then take Anakin even more under his wing, but I feel like Anakin wouldn't see that as helping very much, while Palpatine forcing the Jedi to let Anakin stay without consequences puts Anakin COMPLETELY in Palpatine's debt.

All of which would REALLY burn out a lot of the Jedi's faith in Anakin and start to turn even those closest to him against him, like Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. And the more they turn on him, the angrier Anakin gets, the darker and more violent he probably gets, and the more the Jedi lose faith in him. It's an ugly downward spiral for everybody that might lead the Jedi to ultimately feel like they have to try something beyond offering rehabilitation to Anakin. The reasoning would not be unlike what they utilize to step in with Palpatine where they realize that by NOT stepping beyond their boundaries, they're allowing the problem to persist which makes them complicit in the consequences. But now they have to remove both Anakin AND Palpatine from power without either of them finding out and while continuing to fight a war that's killing them off and spreading them thin. How this would turn out is anyone's guess, but I do think that eventually the Jedi could and would get to a place where they'd recognize that forgiveness only works if the person is willing to do something to EARN that forgiveness and sometimes the better thing to do is simply remove the person causing problems from the game entirely in order to protect everyone else. At this point, even though they firmly believe everyone still has the capacity to be good, it stops being a priority to ensure Anakin still has the opportunity to act on it when doing so puts others in danger.

#star wars #sheev palpatine #palpatine #separatists #count dooku #darth maul #anakin critical #anakin skywalker critical #this was very long so i hope this answered all of your questions and spoke to all of the points you were trying to make

[everythingstarwarsdd]

A KotOR 3 Theory

Some foundational pieces…

In KotOR 2 (if the stars align)… Carth tells the Exile that Revan left after KotOR 1… that she said [A] there was a path she needed to walk alone, [B] it was one she would never take anyone she loved on, and [C] asked him to stay behind, tasked him with keeping the Republic strong, which was important to her.

The way she spoke left him waiting for her return, whether it was her intention or not, and this implies some things about her demeanor and hopes at the time too.

(For the record… this scene he describes has lived rent free in my head for nigh on two decades, so thanks for that BioWare…)

With Carth’s help, you also realize that your ship, the Ebon Hawk (beloved), is the same one Revan left with. You found it discarded on Malachor V, which is ominous at best.

Three possible implications follow…

1. Revan died on Malachor V.

Darth Traya and her apprentices are suspect here, but the way Kreia talks about Revan leads me to believe this is not the case.

2. Revan is alive somewhere on the surface of Malachor V.

The Exile and their companions find no evidence of Revan’s presence though, and Traya makes no comment supporting this theory. It’s possible, but unlikely due to the length of time she would have needed to survive with no resources, and especially in light of the planet’s nature, which is worse than a barren wasteland. Its a wound in the force, a siphon on life itself.

3. Revan abandoned the Ebon Hawk on Malachor V as part of her journey.

I find this the most likely scenario. It raises other significant questions, like where Revan went, and how she was able to reach the next step of her journey, but doesn’t contradict anything in canon. It actually echoes canon events of the past.

Theory 3 aligns with Revan’s history.

It’s worth noting that Revan is canonically a compassionate, altruistic, feeling character, as evidenced by her refusal to let the outer rim worlds fall, and even among her enemies, she is characterized as charismatic, decisive, intelligent, and above all, a brilliant strategist.

The thing about Revan is that she was always willing to make the hard call.

More than that, she was willing to carry the cost.

If the Mandalorian Wars changed Revan, it was only in amplifying this quality. She was still a defender of the people. A hero of the Republic.

This doesn’t change when Revan and Malak retreat into dark space at the end of the war. They may be battered and ragtag, but their fundamental characters are ultimately unchanged.

And this is where we tread into headcanon & theory…

To me, this circular narrative where Revan disappears again indicates that she suddenly remembered something from her past — something she and Malak discovered out there that was important enough to drop everything for and cut all ties, even with the people she loved most.

Something more than the Star Forge 😳

Because what was the Star Forge?

Only a tool.

A tool for building an army.

Revan, always more attuned than Malak, would recognize it for what it was.

The Star Forge doesn’t corrupt on sight… Revan wasn’t ruined the moment she came in contact... It takes time. It takes focus. It takes alignment to its core purpose, which is innately of the dark side.

Altruistic Revan would need a REASON to use it.

A reason to risk that.

And nothing is more ominous than considering what made cost-counting Revan willing to risk a fall… willing to risk becoming the very thing she’d sacrificed everything to destroy, undoing all the work of the Mandalorian Wars, to earn that army.

What did Revan FIND in dark space that drove her to the Star forge?

Because the real tragedy of Revan’s fall is that she failed her mysterious task, and instead of defending the galaxy from this ominous threat, she became just another tool in its destruction.

This time, there would be no Star Forge.

There would be no natural armies.

There would be no companions.

This time she would go alone.

And if there was cost to carry, she would carry it alone.

So she left it all behind, pitting all the quiet of a single person and all the cunning of the galaxy’s greatest strategist against it.

But if she failed, she’d charged Carth with one last task, an impossible one… with bringing life back to the Republic which still staggered and threatened to fall, broken by her own hand.

The galaxy's last line of defense should she fail.

If this is beginning to feel familiar... it should.

An unnamed, unknown threat hiding somewhere out there in dark space too powerful for an entire galaxy to withstand?

And one person attempting to stand alone against it?

They done wrote themselves straight out of Star Wars.... 🙈

Three years later…

...

.........

.....................

#if someone can refute this genuinely please do #I’m curious for other perspectives #Star Wars #Revan #darth Revan #KotOR #KotOR 2 #KotOR 3 #yes I’m still feeling cheated by this 20 years later #thanks for asking 😂 #ainulindaelynn

[ki-flor]

Hi I just wanted to say I have no connection to either side of this war and it’s awful what is happening to both sides and judging by your posts you do have a personal connection to this (? Correct me if I’m wrong pls!) I’ll be honest and say I’ve filtered tags and phrases to do with everything bc quite honestly I don’t understand all the fine, complicated details and also I come to tumblr to chill and not constantly see all this pain but I understand how that isn’t as easy to do for others who are more connected with this. I’m absolutely all for free Palestine what they’ve endured is awful and of course anyone with one brain cell can understand there’s a difference between the innocent civilians and the actual terrorists/government making this worse. Same for Israel. There’s tons of innocent civilians who have done nothing wrong but be part of a generation born in Israel and again the Israeli government is not its innocent people. To me personally, I read Noah’s post as one of frustration that what is being lost here is the innocent lives being taken. He has family and friends there and it’s people of his faith who are being murdered - ofc he’s going to be upset and worried. I also personally didn’t read it as him calling all Palestinians terrorists.. he differentiates between the innocent and the not. To me he wants peace on both sides and probably would express that more clearly if given another opportunity. I do agree what he said could have been more clear and I hope he does express himself clearer in future. Like I said to me it sounded like he was mad that ppl were being so cruel over an innocent woman who lost her life (who he possibly knew). I do feel like perhaps he should’ve stayed more silent or just thought about things more before just posting stories constantly but in that respect I can’t say I blame him for being upset that his people are being killed. Some of what he’s said to me does come across a little… brainwashy(?) though.. like he’s young and impressionable and maybe his trip to israel to learn about his culture (which he’s allowed to do!) right before this all happened hasn’t helped just how pro-israel no matter what he comes across.

It’s actually so interesting to see both sides being discussed on here bc I have mutuals who are against Noah and those who are for him bc they themselves are Jewish and seeing all the anti-Semitic things that are being said to him… it just goes to show (to me anyway) how complicated and tricky this is. And as someone who isn’t connected to this personally at all will never truly understand.

Anyway if you read this far thank you for reading my ramblings! This was never intended to be a dig at you and if it’s come across that way I truly apologise, I thought you just seemed like someone who would be mature enough to express this thought to!

I honestly don't believe he has bad intentions but it is the impact that matters most. A couple of contradicting statements in what he said. I do think it was worded poorly. You cannot truly support Palestinians if you stand with their terrorists(Israel). The very statement of him saying "stand with Israel or stand with terrorism" is offensively stupid. Perhaps he doesn't believe that all Palestinians are terrorists but you know who might? The Israeli government. That retorhic has been used in American history before such as the aftermath of pearl harbor and post 9/11. What do those things have common? They both led to people being racist to Japanese people and Muslims. To the point where Japanese people were put into internment camps and all Muslims were viewed as terrorists. You think Israel is going to clear up that when they say terrorists they mean hamas or Palestinians in general? When they don't even allow them to return to the land that belongs to them. They don't see Palestinians as human. So yeah people will interpret it as him saying "all Palestinians are terrorists"

I can try and sympathize with his stance on Israel as it's such a close subject to him but there's a lack of care and urgency that he and many celebrities who have spoken in support of Israel show to Palestinians. I do think it's brainwash because there's propaganda coming from Israel that gets played all over news/media. You got people claiming anyone who supports free Palestine is Anti-Semitic which is not the case. You have people believing all Palestinians are in support of hamas. Everyone gets to say their versions of events but Palestinians are struggling to even get their stories out with the cut off of their electricity. They are the ones who have been suffering for years under oppression but you didn't see celebrities chiming in by the masses like now. It's scary how easy they will turn a blind eye to the crimes and treatment Palestinians have faced. It's scary because they support the oppressor since they see stories of innocent people dying but where is that same empathy for all the thousands of Palestinians who die? It's all very selective.

People want to play like there's a way to end this peacefully when the reality is Palestinians have tried doing that to no avail. It's dangerous to take the side of pascifism when you look at the power imbalance between Israel and Hamas. At the end of the day Palestinians with no help from anyone will still be under the occupation of Israeli forces and they will continue to be dehumanized and killed. This to me isn't tricky even without a personal connection. No one should be complicit of this treatment of any human and that's something to be concise about.

#Thank you for the ask this subject has been something perturbing me for the past few days.

[cinaja]

@croissantcitysucks just described Before the Wall as "canon compliant in a way that looks canon in the face and spits at it" and never has the vibe I'm going for with this story been more perfectly described.

#it's kind of a challenge to make the mess that it canon into a coherent story #but it's also SO MUCH FUN to write the exact opposite of what sj.m intended while keeping everything completely canon compliant #do I know that sjm intended to have drakon be another Brooding Asshole? sure! but she didn't say so so I get to do the complete opposite #s.jm: the Fae were so nice to save the humans! they are the best! the humana are just ungrateful and also ugly #me (keeping direct eye contact): anyways here's 101 canon compliant reasons why most of the High Fae are absolutely TERRIBLE #it also helps that there are enough contradictions (some intentional; most not) on the war that I can just call unreliable narrator on some- #things #cinaja talks about before the wall

[dimdiamond]

Bagginshield fic list

Yeah, I decided to make one too because there are enough to cause me headaches and I'd like to have them somewhere organized. Please look at the tags before reading them!

Fix-it fics

Desperate magic by BeautifulFiction: Bilbo is left to tend Thorin as he hovers on the brink of death after the Battle of the Five Armies. Is love enough to save Erebor's king, or is this the last farewell?

Lay your troubles down by Avelera: An extended version of "the acorn scene." Bilbo sees his chance to snap Thorin out of his madness, and takes it.

The Riven Crown by BeautifulFiction: The aftermath of war is no laughing matter. Those who died must be honoured, those who are wounded must be healed, and those who remain need food and clothing, peace and sanctuary. With Thorin's life hanging in the balance, it is up to Bilbo and the rest of the Company to rule the rag-tag remnants of Erebor in his place. Then there is the matter of the gold... Can Bilbo save both king and kingdom, or is Erebor destined to fall deeper into ruin?

The Color of Possibility by lindoreda: When Bilbo puts himself between Thorin and Azog's blade, his mithril shirt protecting them both, it isn't long before some dwarves whisper that 'Oakenshield' might not be the best epithet for their king anymore. But for Bilbo, barred from Thorin's sight since the battle, this new epithet only adds to the sting. Spending his days caring for the recovering princes, Bilbo wonders how much more of this he can take, not suspecting his place at the center of a silent divide in the company.

Homesick by Margo_Kim: Five years after they've reclaimed Erebor, Thorin is sick of home, Bilbo is just sick, and neither is handling the situation ideally.

The Road Delivered Us Home by keelywolfe: In the years since Bilbo left Erebor, he has lost his respectability, gained a nephew, and gotten on with life at Bag End. He'd left aside adventure for the comforts and peace of his little Hobbit hole, and for the love of a child who needed him. Though perhaps, adventures can yet find him.

Notices in the Paper by YamBits: Bilbo returns to the Shire after his adventure, newly married, and newly homeless, after his two year absence allowed the Sackville-Bagginses to obtain Bag End. Bilbo and Thorin go to the Tooks for help, and find newly orphaned Frodo Baggins, also looking for a home.

A Royal Guardianship by ladyoakenshields: When Bilbo and Thorin return to the Shire for a sabbatical during Yuletide, they find a reason to retire the throne in Erebor sooner than expected.

The Shire's gems by awkwarng3: Thorin, Bilbo, and Frodo move to the Shire after raising Frodo in Erebor, and Frodo makes a friend.

Time travel fix-it fics

An expected journey by MarieJacquelyn: For years Bilbo has written about his adventures and told stories about his dealings with dwarves and dragons. To most it seemed like fanciful nonsense but to Bilbo it was all very real. A weight followed him home from his travels, one called regret. Now in his final moments Bilbo has a choice to make – go quietly into death’s embrace or go back again and face all the fear and pain for the chance to make things right? Of course, change is a fickle thing and not everything can be done again as Bilbo is about to find out. In the end, it may not only be salvation that he’s fighting for.

Bilbo Baggins, warrior of the Valar by Pallalalo: Bilbo raised his eyebrows. “And you’ve come to the Shire to look for this someone? My, Gandalf, I wonder if you know Hobbits at all. They would tell you that adventures are nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things. That they would make you late for dinner.” Bilbo recalled his own words perfectly. It had been something he and Gandalf had looked back on with bittersweet laughter. This Gandalf however noticed his exact words. “Would they now? And what about you, mhm? What would you tell me about adventures?” #The Valar send Bilbo back in time, to the day where Gandalf asks him to join in an adventure. After living a lifetime of regret and suffering, he vows to change things for the better. For Thorin. For Frodo. But will he succeed?

I'll die to care for you by thehufflepuffhobbit: His gaze landed on Mahal's eyes once more. "You did your best, Thorin." It was tempting to look away; he wanted to deny that with everything he had. It certainly didn't feel as though falling into Gold Sickness and then dying was doing his best. Mahal smirked, as though he knew Thorin's desire to contradict him, and pinched his cheek before walking over to a table. "Aye, I didn't think you would believe me. I'm not lying, it certainly could have gone better. More according to my plan, but I know you really did try." "Your plan?" He didn't know if he should ask, really. Knowing that his Maker had set a course for him, he didn't want to think about the ways he had done everything wrong. There were too many examples of mistakes in his long life, too many opportunities that he had missed that had probably been planned for him from the beginning. Or:Mahal feels like Thorin fucked up his legacy and gives him a do over.

Darker times ahead by Reach4theSky: Bilbo is sailing to the Undying Lands but wary of letting go of the guilt that has been with him for many decade. His most sincerest wish is to go back and change what was done. Before reaching the lands of peace and healing, he dies aboard the ship and finds that his wish is being granted, not because he is the one to wish it but because this is the dwarves last chance to escape a fate of eternal waiting. He finds that not only is he going to be sent back to his younger body, but so is the entire Company of Thorin Oakenshield. Time is a fickle thing and not all the members have their memories returned to them at the same time. The journey on becomes interesting as the dwarves slowly remember and fight for themselves and their kin, yet new hurdles are thrown at them when they realize that more people remember than expected...

Of an arcane binding by Salvia_G: An inexplicable magic ties Bilbo Baggins, hobbit of the Shire, to Thorin, dwarven prince of Erebor.

Legends by DomesticGoddess: The fellowship has set out on its noble quest to destroy the ring and put an end to the threat that is Sauron! Just set out really, barely left the gates of Imladris, but things are going smoothly enough so far. That is until the two most unlikely party crashers fall upon their little fellowship. Uncle Bilbo and the Legendary Thorin Oakenshield?! Frodo just wants to know what's going on but the two of them won't stop hollering at each other long enough for anyone to get a word in edgewise. Suddenly, their little group is joined by Frodo's two biggest heroes and he discovers there was a lot more to Uncle Bilbo's stories than he realized.

Beside myself by bliboboggins: "What are you doing? Just who do you think you are?" Startled, Bilbo turned around slowly. And there, in a familiar patchwork dressing gown, brandishing a fire poker wildly about, was... Bilbo.

Erebor never fell au fics

The hearth doesn't make the home by Moonrose91: For things Bilbo could not change, he was condemned to a life of isolation, with the belief that none could love him. And then a Dwarf came to Hobbiton.

Clarity of vision by Mithen: In a Middle-Earth where Erebor never fell, a shadow remains in the heart of the Lonely Mountain. Bilbo Baggins finds himself drawn reluctantly into a quest that will lead him across the continent--from Bree to Lake Evendim to the icy North and beyond--with a party of five dwarves searching for an artifact that will cure the ailing King Thrór.

Ghivashel by mdseiran: The last thing Bilbo expects when he stays up late one night is company. The strange dwarf and his companion crash into his life and prove unexpected saviours. But the dwarf seems to think he will be joining them on their travels, and Bilbo has no such intentions.

The Song of My Heart by DomesticGoddess: After a failed attempt of trying to carve out a new home in the Blue Mountains for his people, Thorin finds himself beseeching the Hobbit Thain and his council for a place for his people in their bountiful land. An agreement is struck and plans in the works for integrating his people into their land. The only condition being an arranged marriage between himself and one of their family heads. A small price to pay to see his people safe and well fed. Unfortunately, he’s to marry the most disagreeable hobbit in all the Shire who also seems to hold a personal grudge against him. If only he could figure out why his new betrothed hates him so much.

Oak and Mistletoe by HildyJ: After a life dominated by a strange form of sickness, Thorin is sent to the Shire to seek a cure only Bilbo Baggins can offer.

Karkûn shukula - A Cinderella AU by harrypanther: When the Prince of the Shire visits the Kingdom of Erebor, there is great excitement. There are hopes he will choose to marry one of the Royal Family, cementing an alliance that would secure food supplies for the dwarven Kingdom and gain new allies. All eligible dwarves are expected to attend a series of Balls. Unknown to the guests, there is a third royal child, manoeuvred out by his ambitious stepmother, for whom this may be his last chance of restoring his fortunes and escaping his fate…

Alone this Yuletide by Emsiecat: 'Alone this Yuletide? Irritated with prying and nosey family members? I am an out of work blacksmith currently trying to make my way by any means necessary that does not involve my resorting to thievery (prisons are most uncomfortable, I've unfortunate first hand experience). However, if you would like me to be your strictly platonic companion for any social function, but have me pretend that we are in a serious courtship, so as to torment your family and ward off unwanted suitors then I am more than obliging...' After becoming increasingly irritated by overtures of romance from various Shire residents following the death of his mother four years ago, Bilbo is more than ready to resort to desperate measures. That is, up to and including pretending to be in a serious relationship with a certain surly blacksmith currently inhabiting the Bindbale Woods. It's a good idea after all; all they have to do is pretend to be in love over the Yuletide period and Bilbo's family and suitors will surely leave him alone after that. It's perfect! And nothing can possibly go wrong, right? Certainly nothing as preposterous as falling for one another for real...

Modern au fics

Nothing gold can stay by perkynurples: Bilbo Baggins led a rather peaceful life, thank you very much, until an old acquaintance decided to turn it upside down, and he found himself agreeing to take a job that’s… let’s say not exactly up his alley, and might eventually cost him a little more than his treasured cozy lifestyle. Who would have thought tutoring a slightly menacing monarch’s more than slightly overbearing nephew could prove to be such an adventure?

Love-In-Idleness by perkynurples: Taking Bilbo Baggins, a successful movie actor who is only just getting used to the perks and intricacies of becoming A Face People Want To See, and putting him together with Thorin Oakenshield, with his very traditional (read: slightly backwards) ideas about what constitutes Real Art and Real Talent, might very well be viewed as just some clothead’s idea of a joke. But there are jokes, and then there are carefully calculated risks the size of controversial reproductions of classic Shakespearean plays - for Bilbo, it is the chance of a lifetime to prove himself to all those who have ever deemed him too one-dimensional to even attempt stage, while Thorin has the opportunity to get out of the rut that’s been hindering his career for so long now, and shine in a role worthy of his talent once again. That is if the two learn how to share the same space for more than ten minutes without wanting to tear each other’s hair out. The course of true love never did run smooth, after all…

Candid by northerntrash: Thorin wasn't entirely sure why there was a six-foot candid photograph of him hanging in this exhibition, but he was going to wring the neck of whoever had put it there. In which Bilbo is a photographer, Thorin an accidental model, and Gandalf just likes to make trouble for everyone.

How the west was won and where it got us by stickman: Bilbo is a harried 1st year British literature Ph.D. (early 20th century fiction) who happens to have an interest in spatial narrative structures, a lack of time-management skills, and a tiny apartment with a lot of books and very little furniture. He’s stressed, always, and doesn't quite know where he belongs. He tells himself that really, this is, in fact, what he wants to be doing. But sometimes, as much as he loves books, he gets an urge to do something with his hands. Thorin is a disgruntled M.Arch. 1 in his last year who can’t be arsed to shave and frightens his students, and, frankly, his profs, but his work is top-notch so no one can really say much. They can, however, bully him into running a hands-on design workshop on Saturday mornings, which is complete crap, because he’s used to drinking his Friday nights into oblivion so showing up at Milstein at 7:45 the next morning and trying to teach in a room of wall-to-wall windows as the sun rises is not at the top of his list. Besides, no one ever shows up. Except one morning, someone does. [graduate school AU]

Butterfly effect by eyra: Yoga wasn’t for him. Yoga was for interesting people. Luminous people; people who took gap years and spoke a foreign language. People who ate lentils and burned incense and had fantastic, colourful friends with fantastic, colourful lives full of travel and silent retreats and those baggy trousers with elephants on them. Yoga was decidedly not for people like Bilbo, who wore cardigans and ate beans on toast and whose linguistic capabilities stretched only as far as a rusty Spanish A-Level. Just your regular story of boy meets yoga instructor.

Remover of the obstacles by MistakenMagic: "Dis often chided her older brother for being a misanthropist. She did it so often it had become a term of endearment. It was true that Thorin struggled with people; he struggled to form and maintain relationships. Dr. Grey had diagnosed him with this and Thorin hadn’t the heart to tell him this wasn’t a symptom of his PTSD, it was a symptom of his personality. He exercised a sense of apathy with almost everyone he met… But Bilbo was different. Thorin actually found himself wanting to know more about him."

Color outside the lines by andquitefrankly: Kindergarten has just gotten significantly better. Just ask Thorin, who's got the biggest crush on the new kid in class, Bilbo Baggins. With the help of his friends, Thorin knows that he can take back the swings from the 1st graders, show up the K-1 class in the school pageant, and win the heart of one curly haired boy. Yup. Kindergarten is going to be a year to remember.

Bran' New Suit by pibroch (littleblackdog): Andrew's description had been sufficient to recognize him— a riot of honey brown curls, short in stature, a well-favoured face with expressive features— but it hadn't quite been enough to prepare Tom for the sharp, almost painful tug in his gut at the sight of the man. They had never met before, to the best of Tom's recollection, but there was something eerily and inexplicably familiar about him all the same.

Different species au fics

I've grown a hedge around my heart by pibroch (littleblackdog): "Thorin was the essence of so many Buckland oddities, distilled into one misfortunate young hobbit, much to his infinite embarrassment. Built like a stork, his father had said once, in an example of Thrain Brandybuck’s usual tactless humour. All beak and legs." Thorin Brandybuck, just recently come of age, still lives in his family’s smial in Buckland, with his parents and two younger siblings. Thorin is an odd duck amongst his relations and neighbours-- unsociable, grumpy, shy, and awkward. And beyond that, he looks rather strange even for a Bucklander, strongly favouring the thick, dark haired build of his Stoorish blood. It defies all sense and reason why Bilbo Baggins, an exemplar of all the respectable traits Thorin lacked, would ever desire a friendship with him. Bilbo, as Thorin discovers, is not always as sensible as he appears.

In which the dwarves are satyrs for reasons by HiddenKitty What the title says basically.

Bride of the demon king by DomesticGoddess: Thorin is King of the demons, a beast-like race feared by humans. Ever since the demons and humans formed a truce years ago, the humans have sent a young human every year as a tribute to the King of demons. Thorin is tired of having to deal with the tribute that has long since lost its meaning. The only tribute he'd be interested in is the boy he met fifteen years ago on the border of the demon and human realms. Despite his fantasies, Thorin knows the chances of ever seeing the boy again are slim to none, until they're not.

Lost He Wandered Under Leaves by serenbach: Thorin son of Thrain is a struggling blacksmith descended from a fallen line of kings. In an attempt to provide for his family over the winter, he reluctantly accepts an impossible sounding task - to hunt down an enchanted deer that lives in the Old Forest that borders the Shire, and make armour and weapons from its hide and antlers. He never expected to succeed. And he certainly never expected what he found to change his life so completely.

A Dryad's Tale by Bilbo Baggins by Moongazer12: Bilbo is a dryad (think little sibling to ents). Long ago a curse was placed upon him from destroying one of the rings of power. Whenever he touches someone with his bare skin he will make them insane. But despite this, he and Gandalf have gone on many adventures to help protect Middle Earth (What was the point to destroying the ring if something else destroyed it instead?) Gandalf has called on him once again to help on a quest, Bilbo just hopes that they read his amendments to the contract.

The quest but with a twist au fics

King, come at the red morning by Tawabids: Bilbo has heard fairytales of the lost prince of the dwarves, Thorin son of Thrain, who disappeared the day Smaug attacked the Lonely Mountain. But he does not believe in fairytales until he comes across the dwarf sleeping in the depths of Erebor, and kisses him back to life. Now Thorin - a hundred and fifty years out of his time - has to confront a world in which his city is empty, his people scattered, his baby brother Frerin is king, two nephews he's never met are missing in action, and a war is brewing right on his doorstep. And as if that wasn't complicated enough he's trapped in the body of an old man and falling stupidly in love with a gossipy, grudging little hobbit.

When the sun rises by Harry1981: Bilbo Baggins of Bag End was not a very respectable Hobbit. No respectable Hobbit had a sword and crossbow hanging in their home, nor did they have Dwarves as family. But Bilbo Baggins did, and all of Shire knew of his husband, blacksmith Thorin Oakenshield. When Bilbo comes home to find his Husband earlier than expected, he learns of a quest to reclaim Erebor. It is a death mission. Bilbo knows that Dwarves are stubborn creatures, and none more than Thorin himself. But nobody said that Bilbo himself was any less stubborn. So he will follow his dearest husband across all of Middle Earth, through plains and mountains and forests, all while hiding the true nature of their relationship (Dwarven politics never helped anyone), brushing off some old wounds (and getting new ones) and finding out new things about the dwarf Bilbo calls husband (and his extended family). Nobody ever said love was easy, after all.

Small, but fierce by DomesticGoddess: As a result of a magical mishap during the trip to the lonely mountain, Bilbo is reverted to a wee little hobbitling. Only in body, of course. His adult mind is still very aware of the indignity of it all (seriously! He doesn't need to be coddled, carried, and fed like a child). It turns out, dwarves love children and there is nothing cuter than Hobbit children. Bilbo soon realizes that he can get away with just about anything in his babyish form and starts taking full advantage of it. Even the grumpy brooding king can't deny the angelic little creature anything he desires (and Bilbo's going to milk that for all it's worth).

Your song like a home in my heart by Nennvial: In Middle Earth, all creatures have a soulmate. Not all have some, but if they do, it is a bond nothing can break, not even death. The more famous story of such a bound was the story of Bren and Luthien, who even defied detath. The way someone can find out that the other is one’s soulmate is through song: when they meet and hear the voice of the other, a song sings in their heart, which feels like home and makes them complete. They may refuse it if they wish to do so, but they hence risk a life of bitter looniness. Thorin Oakenshield and Bilbo Baggins are soulmates, but they must admit it to themselves throughout their journey to Erebor.

To Dungeons Deep (And Caverns Old) by KingUndertheMountain: Bilbo Baggins was not your average hobbit. Of course, he had the wonderfully groomed and well-taken-care-of hairy feet like every other one of his race, yes, but he was not like other hobbits. He was cursed. Or, as the witch who gave him the enchantment put it, was “gifted”. She had given him the “gift” of obedience – whenever there was a direct command given to him, for example “cook a large meal” or “take a walk”, he could not disobey. Not without a lot of pain and eventual submission.

Chocolate candy one-shots

The world is sleeping (my world is you) by katheneverwrites (mandolinearts): I asked Persephone, “How could you grow to love him? He took you from flowers to a kingdom where not a single living thing can grow.” Persephone smiled, “My darling, every flower on your earth withers. What Hades gave me was a crown made for the immortal flowers in my bones.” - Nikita Gill ---“What do you mean, my friend?” There is a line of thought that surfaces in Gandalf’s mind, but he drowns it before it can take root. Surely not. But Bilbo’s chuckle sets him on edge. The small, gentle god of harvest, nature, and flowers sits up straighter, and in his crown of flowers there is a wire of strong metal, his cloak is suddenly not colorful anymore but the deepest black and he is terrifying, horrific, powerful - “I married Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the World.”

Of seasons by northerntrash: As far as he could tell, he had been kidnapped, which in itself made this week more than a little unusual. In which Bilbo steals away the Lord of Death, and Thorin can't quite bring himself to stay angry about it.

Warm up by paranoid_fridge: On one of their walks, Bilbo tumbles into a stream. They make it back to Bag End and Bilbo demands Thorin warm him up.

Royal Blue And Crimson Red by Mistofstars: Here's what happened before and after Bilbo accidentally eavesdrops on Gandalf and Elrond at night in Rivendell, as they discuss Thorin's quest and his family's history. Oh, and Thorin and Bilbo share a room, of course ;)

I was young when I left home by Margo_Kim: There was a pity clapper somewhere in the third row. Thorin finished his fourth song to polite applause from the people who noticed that the song was finished, but within the smattering of claps was someone beating his hands together like he was trying to rhythmically kill a fly. There was usually one of those, the kind who notices that no one else is paying attention and so is determined to compensate for that regardless of how they feel about the actual music. Thorin ignored him. It was easy to do so—he'd always hated looking at the audience when the singing was done.

A matter of buttons by StupidFatPenguin: “Your shirt,” says Thorin, quite out of the blue, and Bilbo looks down his front to see if there is a spot of tea or jam or anything equally embarrassing spilled on it. He is relieved to find nothing of the sort and looks up at the dwarf with an eyebrow raised in question. Thorin sits mute, his still-smoking pipe forgotten in his hand. He looks on for long moments still, seems almost lost to a thought before he shifts and lifts his gaze to meet Bilbo’s inquiring face. “It is familiar to me. Did you not wear this on the eve we met?” In which Bilbo and Thorin re-enact the evening they met.

The ladder by Milliethekitty27: Inspired from a post made by wheeloffortune-design on tumblr. Tired of his lonely kitchen in Yavanna's Garden, Bilbo Baggins wonders if the dwarven love of being underground is true in death. If so, maybe his dwarves are living (ha ha) under the very land Bilbo is weeding. With that thought, Bilbo goes and asks Hamfast for a shovel.

Love hobbit by HybridOwl: Bilbo Baggins considers himself a bit of a cock up, all things considered. He never made it out of his small highway adjacent town, can't seem to stop chain-smoking, and overall has more to talk about with the plants in his shop than 90% of all the rest of Middle Earth. So when he's reading the morning paper and a love note that can't be for anyone but him pops up, he's pretty sure - almost positive, really - that he's being made fun of. "TO the chain-smoking little stud who collects two metros from Gamgee's Goods every morning, will you be my love hobbit? - Bearded Biker." (heavily inspired by tumblr posts)

Fusion with other fandoms au fics

The Second Time by authoressjean; Sebastian Moran can't pull the trigger on John Watson to save his own hide, and what the hell is it with the doctor, anyway? Then Gandalf shows up, meddlesome wizard, and reminds him none too gently of his past life: as Thorin Oakenshield, leader of a company that had once included a small hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. One that looked decidedly like John Watson. And this would be the perfect chance to make things right with Bilbo the way he really hadn't been able to before he died, and that's when Gandalf tells him John doesn't remember being Bilbo, and to leave him alone. Right. Like that's going to happen.

And sow a star divided in us by MistakenMagic: Short summary: Gays in space! Longer summary: After his first successful solo mission, Jedi Knight Bilbo Baggins, trained by High Council member and full-time nuisance, Master Gandalf, returns to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. During an excursion to the sparring arena, he meets a group of Dwarven Jedi from Ered Luin, a mountainous planet located in the Outer Rim. Young padawans, Fili and Kili, are full of curiosity at this strange, barefoot Jedi, but Master Thorin, who appears to have the personality of a rancor and mental shields like blast doors, is less than impressed.

Comics you should definitely check

Every work by rutobuka, seriously they're criminally cute and they're not still favored by everyone without reason.

Retelling the Hobbit by Mellow_Comics: Bilbo has never been good at telling the "true" story of what happened on his journey to the Lonely Mountain. Now he's trying to turn the tale of his quest into a lighthearted children's book-- a bedtime story for his young nephew Frodo. But what really happened on his journey? And how did it actually affect him? This is a comic adaptation/retelling of the Hobbit! It's framed as a bedtime story that Bilbo is telling a younger Frodo.

For now these are some of my personal favourites! However, I'm sure my list will grow since my reading list has some gems still waiting for me to read, so be certain that there will be a part 2 of this list!

#bagginshield #fic list #bagginshield fic #they're a LOT #they're all great #thank you fic writers #thank you artists

[solomonish]

My Personal Simeon Fall AU Headcanons

These are within the same realm of this fic - and it is intended as a Simeon x MC universe! These HCs will focus on his time in the Devildom rather than why he fell, but maybe that information will come eventually...

*some things regarding this war I keep mentioning may not be entirely clear - still working on that! However, I’ll try not to put out too much contradicting information, hehe!

WARNING: some angst, brief mention/implication of torture. forcibly removed memories.

First Days

He came to the devildom in a blaze, much like the brothers did, hurtling down like a shooting star. At the core, encasing him as his wings charred to soot, was a brilliant light blue, rimmed by a dazzling white and platinum gold. At his impact site, parts of the dirt and stone have crystallized in the same colors. The site is still roped off for investigation.

He fell, acting as a white flag for both sides to signal the end of a war very few people knew was raging. The impact sent the last of his holy energy into the surrounding area, and demons near the sight complained of itching and general irritation for weeks after.

The only people at the site who looked into his eyes when he struggled to get up were you, Diavolo, Barbatos, Lucifer, and Solomon. A few curious Devildom citizens were scattered about, too, but Diavolo's authoritative vibe kept them too far to see anything.

Diavolo and Barbtos kept him in one room in the castle as he adjusted to the sudden demonic energy inside him and learned to contain his wrath. You were allowed to see him, but only if supervised by Barbatos or Diavolo in case Simeon tried to hurt you.

He was despondent most of the time, sitting curled up and stiff in the middle of the bed that looked untouched. He spent days without sleep, simmering with rage. You never found out if he bottled it up or if he destroyed the room but Barbatos put it back together before you appeared.

(You might not ever learn that some of the methods Diavolo and Barbatos used to bring his memories back were...extreme. They had no intentions of torture or pain, but they desperately wanted to get to them if they could. That’s where his anger was used up - as he screamed out in agony, either from the extraction method or the feeling of having lost everything yet not quite grasping what that meant.)

Satan suggested books and sent some of his personal collection that helped him gather himself when he was created. Diavolo and Barbatos tried to jog his memories, both for personal reasons and to get information on the Celestial realm, but that was exactly why they were gone. His memories had been magically extracted, but haste made him forget most everything instead of just sensitive information regarding the realm.

Eventually, he was free to roam the garden and some hallways, and when Diavolo and Barbatos concluded that regaining his memories was impossible, he was housed.

Power & Standing

He was a powerful angel, so he is a powerful demon, yet not quite as powerful as the brothers.

Simeon, for the majority of the war, was fighting on the side of the Celestial Realm, so he's generally disliked among the citizens of the Devildom. Our cast are all weary around him for multiple reasons - aside from Satan, Beel, Solomon, and MC (obviously).

He isn't an official member of any student council or governing body, nor does he really have a final say in anything, but he does frequently act as an advisor of sorts. He tends to work with Barbatos on that front, discussing in the background anything that might need discussed or worked on separate from the brothers.

Simeon is a wrath demon, though the change in his temper is hardly noticeable at first. He resembles Lucifer in how strict he is, mostly when he is in charge of something, and his anger that releases when he isn't listened to mimics Satan's.

If they are near each other and angry about the same thing, Satan and Simeon can actually feed off of the other's anger and boost their power. Satan does NOT need the boost, but you bet he brings chaos and destruction tenfold is he has it. For Simeon, though, it practically puts him on par with some of the brothers, if only for a short while.

Socially, he is generally ignored, and nobody runs away from him if he initiates conversation - but he doesn't. Simeon turns into a bit of a loner, a large chunk of his personality and memories gone and replaced with anger.

He's still learning how to deal with it.

His demon form consists of black deer-like antlers (not small but just small enough to avoid being entirely cumbersome) and long wings with bone-tipped feathers. His wings are almost always folded against his back and hanging low, the dangling feathers reminiscent of his angelic cloak with the golden charms. He does have a little black deer tail but doesn't like it being commented on.

(Don't worry about aerodynamics or which animal he represents, it's a magical universe its fine uwu)

General Information

He lives in modest home on the outskirts of the Devildom, somewhat close to the castle in case there's some type of emergency that needs to be taken care of but not so close he gets a super nice house and causes some social uproar. He has a small yard and a garden he tends to meticulously.

I imagine the house as a sort of townhouse (although not a for real townhouse because its it's own thing), two stories tall. The downstairs has a small living room, kitchen and bathroom while the entire upstairs is an open bedroom/office type deal. It gives off a gothic cottage type of vibe. No idea if this is helpful so maybe one day I'll build it in the sims.

He keeps his house tidy but has many bookshelves filled with equal parts books and knickknacks.

As stated before, he is a wrath demon, and because of his memories being almost entirely erased, he had a similar fall and adjustment period as Satan. Also, as a writer, he has an intrinsic appreciation for books. He and Satan get along the most out of all the brothers - the fact that Lucifer has mixed (mostly negative)(?) feelings about Simeon makes the deal sweeter for Satan.

Beel doesn’t dislike him, and while he doesn’t trust Simeon yet he’s willing to see if Simeon is on their side now considering none of his family got hurt. Solomon still trusts him though, but he does get a little downtrodden when he has memories that Simeon doesn’t.

When angry, Simeon smiles sweetly but his voice turns dead cold. Whereas Satan goes feral and seeks destruction like a bomb, Simeon feels more like a sniper rifle that needs careful aim and precision with just as devastating consequences. Shouting and immediate carnage are rare and only come after a severe transgression.

Otherwise, Simeon allows himself to be more playful than before. He doesn’t exactly have snide remarks, but he is an expert at stating the truth in a way that feels like a blade cutting through your confidence.

In true "flaunt what ya got without really making it seem purposeful" Simeon fashion, he wears button-down shirts that are almost entirely unbuttoned. They are always patterned and funky, and he wears them tucked into black pants. I'm thinking something like this (he also has patterns that are more "groovy" than vacation)

Will also occasionally sport a deep v like this

He still acts just as naive and confused if you bring up how exposed he is to him, so its best just to suffer in silence.

When making a pact with MC, he makes sure the mark covers a scar he left and doesn't remember from the war on your shoulder. It feels like a longer-lasting apology.

He still calls you "little lamb," but instead of smiling gently at you like a loving shepherd, his smiles look like a predator baring his fangs at his prey. In a sweet way. In a hot way.

What Does He Remember?

At first, nothing. Demonic instinct claws at him and he lashes out at everyone and everything.

He is still a nightmare with technology. Nobody knows if this is residual from how he was before, a result of his memories being taken, or just a trick.

Occasionally, he’ll remember an inside joke, but only halfway. You’ll say something you don’t realize is from before, and he’ll laugh, almost like an impulse. But then his laugh trails off and he gets contemplative, wondering what, exactly, was so funny about it.

The brightness of the Celestial Realm is hard to forget. The rainbow framing the palace and vast fields appear in dreams. He never remembers anything ‘important,’ but it’s enough to remind him that he was discarded.

The Celestial War hasn’t gone away, not in its entirety. There are certain things like battle strategies that he can’t for the life of him conjure up in his mind, but he remembers the bulk of it. It helps him realize why some of the brothers were/are so aloof towards him - nothing was ever as simple as he thought it once to be. Fighting a losing battle isn’t a choice you make when its for love - its simply the only path available.

(Apologies are so, so hard to dish out when you can’t remember most of your transgressions, though.)

He remembers Luke and will worry himself to inconsolable tears at night just thinking about him. Those thrown away don’t get the privilege of knowing what happens to their friends - and even if he did, Simeon wouldn't be so stupid as to put a target on Luke's back by proving that he was still important to him.

But he can only remember Luke's terrified, teary eyes when he realized Simeon was going to turn on the Celestial Realm in the middle of a war, and how he pleaded with Simeon not to. Luke asked what he would do all by himself, and Simeon hopes to his Father for only one thing - that he figured it out.

This is his sore spot. Nobody is allowed to be privy to these thoughts, not even you. But some days he comes to RAD looking worse for wear and you KNOW something is bothering him. He'll just never tell you what.

#obey me #obey me simeon #obey me shall we date #obey me swd #swd obey me #swd simeon #simeon x reader #simeon fall au #mine #simeon #simeon x mc

[ibijau]

#2 FOR XISANGYAO?? WITH JGY AS THE SPEAKER AAAHHH

"It's not my fault," Nie Huaisang exclaimed while wringing his fan, a sure sign that it was, in fact, his fault. That brat had heard his brother say that an honourable man had nothing to fear from false accusations, and developed a habit of only protesting his innocence when he was guilty.

Jin Guangyao wished he didn't find that endearing.

And as to Lan Xichen's guilt, it was even more obvious. The man had many qualities, and could hide anything behind a warm smile in public, but in private…

"It might be a little bit my fault," Lan Xichen pitifully whispered, anguished guilt displayed on his handsome face.

And it was a very handsome face. How could anyone be that beautiful? A masterpiece of humanity, with a face to make gods weep with envy, and a body…

Jin Guangyao shook his head, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Salivating about Lan Xichen later, political disaster now.

"I'm not mad," Jin Guangyao said in the softest tone he could muster at the moment. "I just want to understand. Why were you even there?"

"Well, Wen-xiong is an old friend," Nie Huaisang explained. "We used to hang out together a lot when my dad and his uncle met up to… chat."

Jin Guangyao nodded. He'd heard about Wen Ruohan and Nie zongzhu's chatting. Wen Ruohan was a nostalgic drunk, and tended to ramble about his love life in greater detail than Jin Guangyao would have preferred. He could probably paint certain parts of Nie zongzhu with great precision.

The man's face would not have been one of those parts.

"So, Wen Ning was my friend," Nie Huaisang resumed. "And I thought I'd drop by to see how the Wen were treating him, right? I figured we could have a chat. A real chat, mind you!" he quickly added when Jin Guangyao glared at him. "A talking chat, not a…"

He made a vague hand gesture that made Lan Xichen blush, even though it was far from explicit.

And what a handsome blush that was. Worthy of being painted and adored and…

Focus.

"You wanted to talk, fine," Jin Guangyao said. "And then what?"

"Well, I couldn't go alone!” Nie Huaisang exclaimed, crossing his arms on his chest in the manner of a contradicted child, charming little actor that he was. “They were under Jin Zixun's power, and he hates me!"

"He probably does,” Jin Guangyao conceded. “It's nothing personal, he hates everyone."

"The first year I was studying in the Cloud Recesses, I punched him in the face, broke his jaw, and told everyone that Jin zongzhu was his real father."

That was new. Not the rumours about Jin Zixun, he'd heard those before, and also suspected them of being true, but he'd never heard of a feud between his cousin and Nie Huaisang.

Jin Guangyao blinked a few times at that sudden influx of information, then looked at Lan Xichen who nodded and smiled at Nie Huaisang, so completely unbothered that it not only confirmed the story, but hinted that maybe Lan Xichen too would have liked a chance to punch Jin Zixun. He couldn't be blamed. Jin Zixun was very punchable.

"Then I guess it's a little personal," Jin Guangyao admitted.

"Exactly!” Nie Huaisang cried out, one hand on his heart. “So I asked Er-ge to come, for safety. But we get there, and everything is awful! Lots of dead people! And they thought I'd like to see that, on account of da-ge's whole feud thing, so they took me to see where they were torturing people, and they had a little boy doing work, and they wanted to hurt him to amuse me, and Wen Ning objected, and they said this time they were gonna kill him, and I said no!"

Nie Huaisang paused, ostensibly for breath, but actually mostly for the drama of it.

"So, that's when it got a little out of hand," he admitted.

"A little?" Jin Guangyao repeated.

"It wasn't my fault!" Nie Huaisang cried out. "But they got upset when I said I'd tell my brother about this and he'd killed them all for hurting my friend, and they thought maybe they could deal with us…"

"They did attack us first," Lan Xichen sheepishly confirmed. "And I tried my best to de-escalate, but they were convinced they could kill us and blame the Wens. And there was so much crying…"

"Mostly me," Nie Huaisang remarked. "But also the little boy, and some of the Wens. I was definitely the loudest though."

"Yes, you were," Lan Xichen fondly confirmed.

Well, at least that made sense, Jin Guangyao thought, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose once more. Lan Xichen, bless him, his handsome face, and his godlike body, was very weak to sad people. Jin Guangyao wouldn't be surprised to learn that Nie Huaisang's tears had been fake, but couldn't have blamed him for it when he also cried on command sometimes to get something out of Lan Xichen.

Lan Xichen who probably knew his two lovers were horrible, manipulative people who could cry on a whim, and who just enjoyed playing at consoling them.

Probably.

Either way, the death of those Jin guards no longer bothered Jin Guangyao. Anyone attacking Lan Xichen with killing intent deserved to perish. First, because the great Zewu-jun hadn't gotten such a flawless reputation without reason, and men stupid enough to go after an opponent so out of their league had it coming.

Secondly, because Lan Xichen was too perfect to be harmed, and Jin Guangyao was going to personally slaughter any survivor among those men who'd dared to think they could deface a living piece of art.

Better yet, he'd get Nie Mingjue to kill them. It'd be much easier.

“Most people just have to deal with one idiot," Jin Guangyao sighed. "You both will someday be the death of me.”

Lan Xichen, bless him, look mortified to hear this. Jin Guangyao was going to be able to milk this for favours for years. Nie Huaisang looked rather more unconcerned, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be very demonstrative if Jin Guangyao managed to help them handle this without starting another war.

These two were trouble, but they were so worth the hassle.

#nie huaisang #lan xichen #jin guangyao #xisangyao #xisang #xiyao #sangyao #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #jau writes #I was keeping that one for a rainy day and welp I am once again so anxious my shoulders hurt from being tense #so have so ridiculous nonsense

[cremdotexe]

Villains of 3rd life: Analysis

I was bored, and though we all know basically everyone is a villain in their own rights, there are definitely some stand-outs. So I’m here to analyze some of them, this is in the context of 3rd life and not cc, of course. A very long post and session 7 spoilers under the cut.

Grian and Scar

I’m putting Scar and Grian together because they’re on the same team with the same goal, but I’ll analyze them both together and seperately, starting with Grian.

Grian dedicated his green life to Scar. It was all fun and games at first, but I believe while Scar’s first death was unintentional, and that he felt genuinely guity when it happened, Grian has twisted that into his advantage. He sets a lot of traps, and use Scar as the completely willing scapegoat. No wonder he didn’t die sooner, the red army still has faith that he was going to switch sides once he had died. BUT the thing is there’s a loophole in his agreement with Scar, and that is while he can leave, he doesn’t have to. And at this point in the war, who would? The red desert have quite the upper hand now, and Grian’s partnership with Scar has been more than successful. Grian knows this as well, so he teamed up with the hobbits and decides to stick with Scar, and that’s the smartest thing to do.

On to Scar, who has been a wild card this entire series. Etho described him as a wild animal, and while that’s can definitely apply due to his knack of just going rogue and attack people even when he’s at a clear disadvantage, what directly contradicts Etho’s statement is that Scar doesn’t actually attack wildly like say, Skizzle or Cleo do. Even when he was going up alone against the entirety of dogwarts, he managed to stall long enough to pretend to escape down under his bunker, then he ambushed them, almost killing Etho permanantly. He then lure Martyn over and that led him to his first death, then he ambushed Impulse. Yet everyone seems to see him as a non-threat just because people knows Scar’s biggest weakness is his own clumsiness, but what they don’t realize is that his biggest advantages are that not only is he actually quite smart and charismatic with his attacks and escapes specifically, but people keep underestimating him.

I have said it before and I will say it again, these 2 together is one of the most dangerous duos and they have been since the beginning. They work incredibly well together, and both of them have specific skill sets that let them live this long despite having a lot of enemies at the beginning. These two legitimately and quite literally gaslight gatekeep girlbossed their way out of the chaos they caused themselves, and they have been successful so far, which says a lot considering how much damage they actually caused.

Ren

I’m putting Ren here more as the ‘tragic backstory’ villain rather than the fullfedged villains that Grian and Scar are. At first, Ren has great intentions, but that all went downhill after Scar threatened him and the sand people successfully put him on yellow life. His villain arc, however, starts the moment he purposefully went red and went to people’s house, asking for an offering in exchange for loyalty, if he doesn’t get it, their names get put into the book.

Sounds familiar? What he was doing was EXACTLY what Scar did to him, and that led him to turn yellow. and now the rest of the server other than the red army refers to him as the red king and they see HIM as the villain. Ren’s been hunting down his enemies, and this became very clear in session 7. He declared war, and all of this was for a banner, all for their honor. Now, he’s at a disadvantage after a betrayal, arguably because he went red on purpose.

Speaking of betrayal...

Impulse

I count Impulse as a villain here specifically because of his motives. Impulse has been playing 3rd life in a very passive manner, he helps everyone and gain favors from everyone, getting on people’s good side this whole time, all because he wants to survive himself. From session 1 to 6 he had everyone, and I mean everyone warped around his fingers for a good while, and he was planning on betraying most of them, if not all. And while everyone knows something is up, the only one really distrusting him by the beginning of session 7 was Cleo, and Cleo is gone now.

What he said at the beginning of session 7 to the crastle really made his intentions clear. Impulse wants to come out on top, and in a way, he already did. He have good gear, good ally, and he was very willing to betray dogwarts without any hesitation. He even said he wanted death and destruction, he didn’t want people to just go to war with no pay offs, he wanted people to actually starts dying more than they already were. I wouldn’t be even a little surprised if he turns on Bdubs and Tango too, after all, he’s still on yellow and they were both red.

Out of everyone, I also think Impulse have the most drive to actually win the series, he’s still having fun of course, but he have a legitimately good plan. We’ll have to say where that goes.

Joel

Joel is dangerous in a different sense than the other 4 mentioned in this list because he seems to be going with the flow, so this one is going to be a bit shorter than everyone else’s due to the simplicity of his actions. He’s simply doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Everything he does is in his own best interest, he doesn’t actually care about alliance other than what’s convenience. Joel betrayed the dogwarts just so Scar would help rebuild his roof, he burnt down the hobbits’ wall just because he wants to. Like Scar, the only thing he really wants is to cause chaos, but unlike Scar, Joel does it for his own gain as opposed to for fun like Scar often does.

-----

Yeah, to be honest I just wanted to ramble and share my thoughts, it’s fun to type these down even if it makes me a nerd lmao. Minecraft war go brrrr.

#3rd life spoilers #3rd life #3rd life smp #3rdlife #3rdlifesmp #grian #goodtimeswithscar #rendog #impulseSV #smallishbeans #long post

[yanderenightmare]

BNHA HEADCANNONS

WHAT TYPE OF DARLING?

goodiebag WARNINGS: yandere, noncon/dubcon hinting, stalking, kidnapping, abduction, Stockholm syndrome, abuse, drugging, ableism

FOREWORD:

People fall in love with contrasts. We fall in love with qualities that somehow survive what seeks to destroy them. We fall in love with small creatures who somehow seem colossal in the measurements of confidence. We fall in love with hope in places where there shouldn’t be any strength left for it to be held onto. We fall in love with those who dare spare compassion for even those that might not deserve it anymore. We fall in love with those who’s curiosity seeks adventure even when the outcome might be fatal. We fall in love with those who stand their ground, refusing to budge, break or bow, despite the terror they face. We fall in love with those that stick to their ideals, morals, ethics even though the world constantly tells them to join the corruption. We fall in love with humble creatures facing worlds that have shown them nothing but cruelty. We fall in love with the survival of passion overcoming pure torture. We fall in love with contrasts. We fall in love with constant wars.

BAKUGO KATSUKI CONFIDENCE DESPITE INFERIORITY

It might sound shallow and materialistic, but what Katsuki attracts to first and foremost is femininity. He enjoys the esthetic contrast between his tall masculine rough self and someone dainty, delicate, defenseless. Something in dire need of protection. Something in dire need of him. However, that’s far away from ever being enough for the hero to fall in love. What Katsuki needs is a good challenge. He doesn’t feel fit, content with or deserving of his prize if he hasn’t worked hard to achieve them. It’s about stimulation; that feral desire to hunt and catch prey. Which means, he much rather prefers chasing above being chased. Because of this, Katsuki carries no interest in quirkless individuals. He doesn’t view them as equals, much less rivals. They are unworthy of him, in some sense. But… quirkless individuals who still have the audacity to pretend to be his equal… now that, that intrigues him.

When it comes to his darling: her quirk, or lack of one thereof, plays a large factor in why Katsuki first pays notice to her. It’s something between endearing and maddening: how she, without a quirk, can still go about with the confidence to act as though she’s unbothered by it and somehow live her life while still portraying as the sun itself. It’s infuriating to some degree: how she can make him feel like Icarus when she smiles his way. How she makes him feel inferior but somehow blessed at the same time.

As explained: despite it acting as a brief relief to satiate his ego, inferiority usually disgusts Katsuki. But, there’s something about her and her ambition, that just makes the whole display so mouthwatering to perceive. He admires her tenacity and aspiration, even though it’s futile. It’s inspirational just as much as it’s adorable. Somewhere inside him he feels the need to protect that light, meanwhile he also feels the sadistic urge to squash it, or, at the very least, prove that he has the power to. That’s were his sadistic narcissism comes to play. He has always had an odd lust for putting people in their place, their rightful place. To him: it portrays as a constant reminder that he himself is superior. This sickness only grows deeper, festering in Katsuki’s heart. Where her dependence of him, even though it’s mostly unfounded, could only be described as pure rapture. Katsuki just loves and craves feeling needed, not caring if it’s unwanted or not. In his eyes she was made to be ruled, made to be taken care of, made for him and only him. He adores how little power she possesses in the world, and the idea that he is the only person who can properly protect her from it all has become absolutely riveting.

Katsuki’s usually indifferent towards people’s attitudes, only ever judging people by their strengths and weaknesses. But, this girl, in all her inferiority has managed to create contradictions upon paradoxes within his mind. And, because of this, she poses as the ultimate challenge. Though he would never admit it, mostly chalking it down to her being whimsical and naïve, he quite admires her perseverance. How her spirit survives what her body cannot, as though she was built to break, only to come back even stronger than before; like a phoenix from the ashes and rubble of what his quirk left behind. If anything, her endurance only proves how much they truly belong together. Who, if not her, could ever handle him in his darkest hours?

KEYWORDS: feminine, vulnerable, delicate, confident, aspiring, perseverant

DABI HOPE AMONGST DEPRAVITY

Small, plump and grabbable females is what attracts Dabi, but it’s never enough to make him linger for too long. Dabi enjoys his females shy, because he knows that those are the ones that are the most sensitive; emotional, loud. Alike Katsuki, Dabi enjoys contrast. He’s scarred, he wants someone untouched. He’s the devil incarnate, he craves the embodiment of innocence. He much delights in seeing that timid type of lust in those otherwise chaste eyes. But, whence he’s destroyed that chastity, there’s not much that beckons him to stay. It takes a lot more for him to fall in real love.

What intrigued Dabi even further than her physique and innocence was his darling’s act of charity. Her need to help, her belief in the goodness in humanity as opposed to his obvious abandoned hope for the world. She looked at people with a mission, seeking the tragedy behind the wrath, the beauty behind the madness, refusing to let go of her hope as opposed to seeing the truth. Oh, how adorably naïve she was.

It was a strange type of strength he no longer possessed, no longer seeing the point in wasting his energy on, yet… seeing it displayed so easily in someone else, especially when her eyes were locked on him, was something gratifyingly pleasant and warm; a kindness he felt undeserving of, yet… not possessing the reserve to refuse, not when she was so intent of indulging him. It was a sanctuary that reminded him of a grace he was never blessed with having; something he could only describe as home.

That childlike hope and innocence, he just couldn’t leave well enough alone. He needed to hoard it all to himself. Besides, she needed him as much he needed her. As everybody knows: innocence is so fickle and easy to influence. She was deeply in need of guidance and so very eager to please. Dabi appreciates loyalty, he’s not one to enjoy struggling with his darling. And with someone as sweet, innocent and sensitive as his darling, it will be very easy to enforce. And now, with those large doe-eyes directed toward him, he could say it was worth it. He so adores the chaste disbelief displayed on her face each time he introduces her to some new type of sin. The swirling, spinning, drooling storm brewing in her eyes, all under the crushing weight of paradise. She’s too good for him. He knows that much. But… that’s what angels were made for, wasn’t it? To save damned souls like his, risking becoming damned themselves in the process? She was surely sent his way for a reason. She was made for him.

It only seems right in his eyes: that a sweet and innocent creature like her craves the corruption that only a sinful being like him can bestow upon her. She’s probably been waiting for someone like him all her life. She might not understand it yet, but Dabi can see it clear as day. She’s so wide-eyed and hopeless. Looking at him as though he were a God of some sorts. She kneels so easily and perfectly for him as well, you cannot tell him it isn’t what she was made for. To please him. To love him. Leaving her morals and ideals and firsts on floor all for his pleasure.

KEYWORDS: sensitive, emotional, shy, timid, innocent, naïve, sweet, caring, soft, loyal

SHIGARAKI TOMURA COMPASSION FOR THE WICKED

Tomura cares little for appearance. He destroys everything and anything he touches, no matter how ugly or how pretty. Esthetic has nothing to do with real life and therefore something idiotic for anyone to appeal to. Besides, for someone to draw his attention they have to be more than just pretty. For Tomura to truly notice someone, they have to be special… rare. For Tomura to give anyone a second glare he has to feel like he’s meant to, it has to feel like fate; unrivaled destiny. Otherwise he’s wasting his time. And along she came; his destiny. Looking at him with those large doe-eyes; gazing past the ugly and seeing the tragedy instead, not as though he were some monster, but as though he were nothing more than human. It’s a kindness he’s so very unused to; a memory forgotten and buried beneath the rubble of past hopes and wasted dreams. The feeling of hummingbirds in his heart was so extremely foreign and strange and scary in a way, but welcoming at the same time. And, when she bestowed this grace upon him, he couldn’t simply just let it go.

Finding out she’s equipped with a quirk that goes hand in hand with his quirk only solidifies his delusions even further. His past doesn’t help her case either; not when it aids his steadfast resolution on the fact that she’s always somehow belonged to him. Tomura was never spoiled as a child, which is why he truly feels like he deserves her, and cannot bring himself to feel guilty for hogging all her love for himself. She really doesn’t do herself any favors either, not when she comforts him in his fits. Her in her fatal compassion. How she sympathizes with his troubles; his deadly quirk, his callous life-view, his woeful past. He’s never had anyone understand him the way she does. He’s been neglected all his life. It feels so oddly deserved and heavenly to have someone express concern, affection… love… all for him. He feels as though he’s been refused the sun all his life, only now feeling the warm embrace of the light it grants without it seeking anything in return. It’s baffling. To the point where he might just argue he’s been dead all his existence, up until the point he saw her smile, heard her laugh, felt her warmth. He doesn’t ever want to feel like he’s dying again, not when she poses as life itself, not when she’s already caught firmly in his iron-grip.

Tomura’s never been thoroughly interested in anyone. He finds most people completely mediocre and boring and unworthy of his attention. Humans were, in his eyes, a wretched, greedy, despicable type of creature. But… she, despite being human, bares a heart of pure gold. That’s humanity, he came to conclude. That urge to help, to comfort, that feeling of kinship, that lack of bloodlust and cruelty. She’s so human it reminded him of what humanity really is. Humanity beforesin. Human; without sick ambitions, without twisted ideals, without demented morals. Unlike the world. Unlike him. She’s golden.

It’s no good being as caring as her in world such as this, especially not if she’s going to be as generous with her affection as she so is. Tomura becomes addicted, dependent, rather quickly. And why not? He has the means to make her stay and the means to murder anyone who dare defy those wishes. So, he’ll remain dependent on her golden touch and her golden words. It would be impossible to let her go now, when she feels like pure absolution against him.

KEYWORDS: affectionate, compassionate, caring, thoughtful, sympathetic, considerate, generous

SHINSO HITOSHI CURIOSITY DESPITE PERIL

Hitoshi cares little for pretty things. Mostly because he doesn’t like wasting his time. He’s never been one for believing in the soft pleasures of the world. Love, being one of those things, has always been a fairytale unworthy of his attention, unworthy of his words. But, of course, there are times where even he feels lonely. And, though he enjoys being alone, no one enjoys feeling lonely. But… Hitoshi’s ever the stubborn guy. He will not bend to the pathetic pulls of his heartstrings. No, if he’s ever going to fall in love, love better come to him. And, that’s exactly what happens. A magnitude of expressive emotions that demand his attention takes him by the nape of his neck, storming his heart into surrender. She’s obviously oblivious to her effects on him, but he rather prefers it that way. Studying her in her natural state.

She’s so very colorful; as in quirky, flamboyant, creative, artsy. A plethora of a thousand devastating, split-second passions. She’s everything he didn’t even know that he wanted, needed in fact. A woman of substance, a woman who breathes chaos. Both to balance out his grim resolution and sobriety, but also to… feed his insatiable gluttonous need for control, because… chaotic, brazen and wild minds are the easiest to exploit, when at the same time they never dull or tire or break. Bendable and therefore mendable.

What more humored Hitoshi, when first meeting his darling, was her fearlessness, or perhaps recklessness; that strange type of unrivaled curiosity that seemed to outweigh any viable threats of danger; gullibility. The fact that she just spoke to him so effortlessly, trusting him; carelessly, despite knowing of the nature behind his quirk. How she so blatantly became his friend, with no ill will or scrutiny in her personality or attitude toward him whatsoever. It’d been so long since he’d come across that same type of idealism and good nature; that childlike innocence. To say that it took him by surprise would be an understatement. He didn’t know what to make of it at first; if to believe it was downright foolishness or daringly haughty and playful. How she held herself so carelessly around him, coaxing him instead of walking on thin ice like everyone else did. Just… talking to him. Talking and talking about nothing and everything, as though she wasn’t in any type of danger whatsoever. Talking to him as though she had nothing to fear. Talking to him as though he weren’t a threat. Talking. Just talking.

Her compulsive behavior and knack for taking risks works so well with his desires. Where she´s incapable of controlling herself, he would love to do it for her. But… there’s more to it than just that. She’s so good at talking. So much so he hardly wants to take advantage of her answers. She’s like a treasure-trove that hands out their treasure willingly. Not just responsive, but talkative on her own and unreserved with her words as well. Even asking questions of her own; curious and invested. In him? How could he pass her up?

It’s true it didn’t pain him as much as he probably would have wanted it too when he betrayed her trust. But, despite Hitoshi not being delusional, he still manages to blame her for it. He argues she must have wanted him to take advantage of her. She knew every step of the way what could happen when she answered his questions time and time again, yet she never took any safety measures to avoid it. That carelessness. It was almost as though she was coaxing him, teasing him, begging him to take control. Why not oblige her wishes?

KEYWORDS: foolish, reckless, careless, compulsive, frivolous, colorful, creative, passionate, brazen, haughty, responsive, trusting, gullible, curious, playful, adventurous, expansive, unreserved, talkative

TAMAKI KEIGO DEFIANCE UNDER INTIMIDATION

Keigo’s a simple guy. A simple guy with simple desires. He likes pretty things, plural. He collects them. Pretty things upon pretty things upon new pretty things. And because Keigo’s popular with the public, he doesn’t exactly need to chaseanyone in order to get what he wants. People come to him. He will have someone one night and move on to someone else the next day. Which is why being pretty isn’t enough to make him thoroughly interested. For him to become invested, the pursuit has to pose as a challenge. A hunt, and not just for any pretty little thing, but for a pretty little monster.

As explained: Keigo’s a simple guy. A simple guy with simple goals. However, when one of his supposed simple goalsturns out to be a much harder goal than expected, causing a ripple in his otherwise perfect streak, it’s enough to drive the bird… let’s say… a little bit kooky. What Keigo hangs up on when meeting his soon-to-be-darling is her uniqueness, or… rather her reluctance. Her defiance. That wrinkle between her brows in her otherwise gorgeous face. Something so pretty, so petite, so small, but so very hostile and beastly at the same time. So very feisty and stubborn and defensive. Batting off his charm as though it were the plague. Protective of herself despite his reputation, in fact: seeming irreverent over his obvious status. Viewing all his efforts as though he were setting some type of trap; animalistic in her ways too, never feeling like polishing her brash attitude even when regarding him of all people, one of the top five highest ranking heroes. Looking through his seemingly harmless flirtatious nature and seeing something that alarmed her. He quite enjoyed it all.

She’s just so different from the rest of his pursuits. She’s a game he can’t seem to win. It’s frustrating, maddening even, yet somehow it is the only thing that makes him feel alive. The outright rejection should have been humbling, should at least have been accepted, but Keigo saw no reason to back down, he only saw reason to try harder. Which he did.

Life had become boring lately, being one of the top heroes. He has everything. Or… he had everything. Her defiance is refreshing. It acts as a reminder, his animalistic instincts kicking in. Finally feeling the odd yet pleasurable thirst for hunting simmering through his veins. He’s used to tapping into that raw impulse when catching villains, but he had yet to experience the carnal desire for finding a mate. It soon becomes a little overwhelming. A little domineering. Fending off his better judgement. It’s easy to forget how wrong it is to take pleasure in her tears, when the smell of fear has scented the air. It’s easy to forget how twisted it is for him to enjoy seeing her cower away from him, when it’s so easy to win the fight.

He’s a predator, she’s prey. In a way… it isn’t really wrong at all.

KEYWORDS: hostile, defensive, stubborn, feisty, reluctant, rebellious, irreverent, liberal

MIDORIYA IZUKU ALTRUISM IN THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

Izuku finds ways to appreciate every physique he comes across. It’s all in the details; minor, minuscule details. Both flaws and perfections alike interest him to a near clinical degree. However, because of this knack for observation, most people, in all their peculiarities and intricacies, still tend to blend into one. But, there are exceptions: heroes. Izuku’s been drawn to heroes all his life. Admiring their strength, their sense of justice and honor. Herodom is something he’s always aspired to become. Something he wished to achieve. Which he did. What Izuku seeks now is a partner with those same aspirations. Izuku can only find love in kinship. With a person similar to him. It’s a twisted type of narcissism he cannot bring himself to describe, one probably adopted from Katsuki, through many years of having a festering sick adoration and glorification of the childhood friend, one which ultimately resulted in Izuku mirroring more and more of Kachan’squalities, however in a much more demented fashion.

Unlike the others, Izuku’s been hellbent with the idea of sharing his life with a significant other. And he’s nothing if not a planner, he’s been searching for his perfect darling for years. And there wasn’t much, if anything, that would change his mind once he found her.

Just like he once was, his darling is quirkless, but still prop-full of that unrelenting ambition. Selflessness as well is another attribute as to why she was chosen. He is a bit of a sap for nostalgia, you see. She reminds him of his young self. That type altruistic generosity without expecting anything in return. She’s so innocently and hopelessly idealistic; dreamy… naïve. He finds it endearing in some sick sense: how the world chews her up and spits her back out again. He’ll want to deny it. But he can’t resist the sadistic enjoyment found in her struggle. He feels the need to save her from herself, because he knows better than anyone that her kind-heartedness will only get the best of her, like it did him in the end. He won’t let the same fate befall her. He’ll have to be a bit selfish with her though, despite it being the exact thing he’s trying to defeat. He needs to be selfish in order to protect her. It’s in both of their best interest really. The world won’t drink her dry, there’ll be more for Izuku to cherish and she’ll be safe and sound and perfect forever.

He can’t help his less appealing sides. Despite how much he loathes feeling those disgusting self-righteous desires, despite how unwelcome those thoughts are… he can’t seem to rid himself of them. It’s frustrating because he truly loves his darling, he wants to protect them, to cherish them, but on the lesser charming side of himself he feels superior, where instead of them belonging with each other, she belongs to him, for him, where she has no right to refuse his wishes. Because he’s achieved the title of God, and she’s still human… his human, his doll.

KEYWORDS: sense of justice, heroic, honorable, selfless, altruistic, ambitious, dreamy, idealistic, silly, awkward

CHISAKI KAI HUMILITY DESPITE HARDSHIP

Kai is corrupt, hypocritical, established, impatient, entitled and most of all white-gloved. Love seemed too hopeless a goal for a guy of his stature and perfectionism. But, alike with Hitoshi, chaos seemed to sweep him into a whirlwind of graceless, peaceful wilderness. A pull so vehement he couldn’t simply ignore it. At first, he dimmed his interest down to the simple fact that she was quirkless; clean. Quirkless people are a minority. Not only is she a treasure fit for the yakuza boss, but she’s also spared the ghastliness and depravity and corruption of carrying a quirk. But, her lack of quirk soon dimmed in the light of her other qualities. For the more he observed the more he unraveled about the chaotic nature of the beautiful creature he’d found.

Opposites attract. This is true for everyone, but not as literarily as for Kai. Not only is she clean in the sense of being quirkless, but also in the sense of being humble and sweet; lacking in sin. Her morality hits him as a surprise, it being refreshing in a sense he hadn’t ever felt before. He is so very used to taking what he wants with zero regard towards anyone or the possible consequences of his actions. What worse: never even once feeling content or satisfied with his reaping. Serving himself and himself alone has always been Kai’s mindset, where he never once expects anyone to act any differently than him. Humans are greedy creatures after all, yet… his darling seems overly at peace with her life, rather preoccupied with her surroundings to even so much as think about her own desires. He finds it enraging at first, but then peculiar, daunting even, and then endearing.

Their differences exceed his expectations time and time again. Where he is the epitome of modernity, hygiene and laundered health, she was the embodiment of wilderness. Where he was white-gloved, she was green-fingered. Unafraid of getting her hands dirty with soil; gardening. A pastime he was thoroughly disgusted with, yet she seemed to do it with such ease, such effortlessness, such peace, such happiness. He was astounded each time he saw how delicately, respectfully, she treated her surroundings, unlike him who trod as though he owns the very earth beneath his feet. Her life was messy, but she seemed to have no qualms with the fact. Quite the opposite actually; thriving in her chaos, appreciative of what little she had. He came to understand that it wasn’t so much her life that was messy but she herself. Her, in all her clumsy, forgetful and graceless peace, was in desperate need of correction, guidance, restraint, something he would eagerly fulfill her with in his determined and stoic reform. She’ll be the peak of humanity once he’s done with her. Though it proves difficult due to her forgetfulness and lack of heed, none of his lessons ever really sticking. But he comes to adore that quality as well, knowing full well her intention is not to anger him. If anything, her oblivious nature and childlike negligence only calls for his protection even further.

Kai isn’t usually a curious guy, especially when it comes to singular human beings, but he quickly discovered, or came to the conclusion, that his darling is far from being any regular human being. She is his opposite, his polar opposite. Humble, pure, passionate, everything he is in dire need of. She will complete him, she just needs to accept that.

KEYWORDS: humble, earthy, peaceful, disorderly, chaotic, messy, disorganized, graceless, grateful, appreciative, clumsy, forgetful

TODOROKI SHOTO PASSION TRANDSCENDING SORROW

Shoto had no thoughts containing that of love or attraction. Being a rather platonic guy in any relationship he ever ventured, never feeling any carnal desires or things similar to it. His appetite for such things rather quenched in light of the ruins that make up his parent’s marriage. However, once he met her, he knew instantly. Embers of a dying fire finding new life. She was perfection; messy, clumsy, zany perfection. She possessed everything he didn’t have. That type of lustfor life that always seemed to slip past him. It’s mesmerizing to behold someone so drunk on living, it distracted him from feeling so empty. Perhaps she could teach him? Perhaps she could share? Share some of that passion she possesses, that wild, vivid, fervent, unrelenting, brazen, wanton passion.

Shoto’s just so taken aback, as though swiftly swept off his feet, faceplanting into a rainbow-tinted world, a world so intense and so very loud. It was so perplexing, the amount of energy all cooped up into that small being. She reminded him of a storm, yet she was far from being violent or deadly. She was just so bubbly, so very livid, as though life were a constant parade.

He knew he loved her once their first encounter let up, feeling as though he’d been robbed of something, something he had no problems being robbed of.

He’s used to people having ulterior motives, but everything about her intense, unabashed, completely earnest dorkiness was so very honest. So candid and cheerful in her queries, jabs and jokes. And though he might not have understood half of the jests she came with, the sound of her laughter more or less made up for the fact, ever pleasant and euphoric as it was as she boldly cracked herself up with her own tales and even finding an immense form of amusement in the slight shift of his otherwise plain features. Question upon question leapt from her mouth, about his appearance, his past, his thoughts for the future. He’d half the mind to tell her she was his future, but he managed to contain himself. Seeming patient when she didn’t quite extract a response from him, happily helping with explaining anything he might have had questions about too, never once finding his curiosity odd, never once passing judgement. She droned on as though they’d been friends for a lifetime.

Now they’d be each-others for the rest of their lifetime. He’d make sure by mixing their natures, marveling at how she reacts to him and his quirks. He finds it quite educating, how her spirit never seems to break, but rather bends or resurfaces even stronger than before. It’s beautiful. She is so colorful, breathtaking, so much so it makes him appreciate breathing. Everything she does is executed with the outmost maximum effort, never doing anything half-way. He wishes he had the same drive, the same fire, but he remains so cold and lifeless compared to her. When she laughs, she cries. When she screams, she dances. When she moans, she sings. He wishes he could imitate the same spirit she carries.

He’s envious of her, but… at least she belongs to him now. All her passion being his to devour. Besides, if she shares her hearts secrets to unlocking passion, there’s no end to what he can teach her regarding what it’s like to suffer.

KEYWORDS: cheerful, optimistic, spirited, passionate, colorful, droll, comical, clumsy, silly, whimsical, zany, honest, candid, forgiving, helpful, patient

#yandere #yandere bakugo katsuki #yandere boku no hero academia #yandere chisaki #yandere dabi #yandere izuku #yandere katsuki #yandere deku #yandere bakugo #yandere shigaraki #yandere shoto todoroki #yandere shinso hitoshi #yandere shinsou #yandere shouto #yandere kai chisaki #yandere keigo takami #yandere keigo #yandere todoroki #yandere tomura #yandere tamaki #yandere takami keigo #yandere chisaki kai #yandere midoriya #yandere midoriya izuku #yandere hawks #yandere hitoshi #yandere hitoshi shinso #yandere izuku midoriya #yandere headcanons #my hero academy headcanons

[where-theres-smoak-2]

The Problem With Grisha

 Spoiler alert for the first two grishaverse books, Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, also for the first season of Shadow and Bone. 

I don’t know if its necessarily a problem as that may be bad wording for it but there is something strange about the way the Grisha are written.  Now that I’ve watched the show and read the first two books I’ve been thinking more about this. The strange thing about the way Bardugo chose to write the Grisha is that she writes them as being both a minority and oppressed group that are hunted and killed but also as a privileged group. You get this really weird scenario where you’ve got the First Army looking at the Grisha as privileged and who are treated better than them in that they are given nicer accommodation in the army camps, they are given these bulletproof uniforms (the Keftas) whereas First Army are sent in as cannon fodder and have to have their sugar rationed. They are also treated with healers whereas first army are sent to medical. In the first episode too you can see the Grisha acting in a privileged way with the squaller challenging Mal to a fight knowing that if Mal wins he’ll be arrested and if he loses he could be seriously injured. With Zoya reminding Mal that stealing from second army will get him ‘put in a hole.’ Mal’s comment about the grisha always bulling them whilst the general is away. In the second episode you’ve got the first army general referring to the Grisha as ‘those fancy folks’ and talking about how when he joined the army his superiors considered Grisha lives to be more important than those of the first army. The grisha live and train in a palace. And having read the books I’ve learned there's even this hierarchy within the second army where some ranks are more favoured than others. All of this paints the Grisha as this privileged, elite force. 

But then on the flipside of it we are also shown that Grisha are oppressed, they are forced to fight the King’s wars just as much as the First Army soldiers are. They are hunted and prosecuted and experimented on. They are shown to be feared and hated by not just the Fjerdans and the Shu Han but their own people too. In the second book we learn that after the fight in the Fold between Alina and the Darkling the First Army turn on the Grisha even tearing them from their beds and killing them to the point where many Grisha have to run and hide. In the show the Apparat tells Alina that the peasants hate the Grisha because the Grisha do not suffer and yet we are shown on countless occasions that the Grisha do suffer. 

I can’t help but wonder why Bardugo wrote them this way, as this kind of paradox where they represent these two opposing archetypes. Taking a guess I’d say it was because of the way she was trying to present the Darkling and Alina and what I mean by that is under the Darkling’s rule the second army is segregated into these ranks, the Corporalki, The Etherealki and the Materialki, and they are ranked in that order with the Corporalki being the most favoured and the Materialki the least. Then when Alina becomes the second army general in siege and storm one of the first things she does is get rid of this favouritism. She encourages the three ranks to sit together at dinner and for the First army and the grisha to bond. I think its obvious that Bardugo was trying to show the difference between Alina and the Darkling, its very much Darkling ‘bad’ because he wants the Grisha ranks segregated and he doesn’t encourage friendship between the two armies. But Alina she represents unity and so is the ‘good guy’. However I personally don’t think it really works because there are too many other contradictions. Like its painted as the Darkling encourages this rank climbing and competition within the Grisha and this, I’m better than you, type attitude and yet we also know that he encourages the grisha to be humble and has them eat peasant fare. Its painted like the Darkling didn’t encourage unity between the first and second armies yet we also know that he discouraged bullying between them and that the first and second army worked together to cross the Fold in the skiffs to get supplies for the first army. There just seems to be too many contradictions. I don’t know I just think maybe it would have made more sense to have the Grisha be one or the other. Like to have them be an elite force that rules over the first army and have privilege, power and wealth. I feel like then this whole power corrupts theme would have fit in better because as it is, whilst they are presented as having some luxuries they are mostly materialistic, like the palace and nicer tents and nicer clothes, meanwhile they are shown to be very downtrodden and as being hunted. Whilst they have these powers that make them special as the first army general said with the advance in weaponry it won’t be long before the grisha are as useless as the rest of them. Which ties in with what the darkling says in the books about the age of grisha power coming to an end. I feel like with having them be both oppressed and privileged (if you even really can be both) you get this very confused message or moral of the story. Because  you’ve got this villain who is craving power, who is hungry for it and you’ve got this army of grisha where some of them are also craving power and this is being shown as being bad, dangerous, the message here is don’t crave too much power, you’ve got a villain who becomes a tyrant and makes others suffer and is this symbol of the powerful hurting the weak for their own gain. But then he’s got this backstory where he is doing all of this in an attempt to save his people from prosecution. So now I am sitting here wondering what is the message here, is it that you shouldn’t save your people from prosecution? Or is it that sometimes good intentions can lead you down a dark path of corruption when you seek too much power? See if it were the second that might work, but only if you proved an opposite solution to it. For example if Alina had another solution to end the grisha’s oppression without committing all the dark deeds that the darkling does, if she ends their sufferings without giving in to the corruption of power. But so far she hasn’t, so far all Alina has been focused on is destroying the fold, but we are also told both in the books and the show that the grisha have been prosecuted and hated long before the fold was created. Sure it didn’t help but the people never needed it as a reason to hate or hunt grisha. So really what is destroying the fold going to do in terms of making things better for the grisha? The other thing Alina is focused on destroying is the darkling. So you’ve got the heroine of the story who is trying to destroy the man who is trying to save their people from prosecution because he has become too corrupt and power hungry, but she herself also doesn’t have any other solution to the Grisha’s plight. I mean maybe she’ll come up with some kind of solution in the third book and I’ll have to eat my words but as of right now I just feel like the message or moral could be clearer. 

Like I said I feel like it might have worked better if the grisha were written as the ruling power of their world. As the elite and the first army as the oppressed who struggle to get supplies and who are used as cannon fodder as the grisha sit back in their fancy tents. You could then have the advancement of their enemy weaponry coming in and with the grisha’s abilities being less useful their power begins to slip away and maybe the first army sense this and try to rise up against them. The darkling fearing the loss of power then has the whole power corrupts thing going on and enter Alina who grew up outside of the little palace and so never had the power and privilege of the grisha and understands the plight of the oppressed first army, she ousts the Darkling and becomes the new general and teaches the grisha that they must stand against their enemies and can only defeat the fold by uniting with the first army. Then you’ve got that clear message of Alina, the hero, teaching the powerful to reach out a helping hand and rise up the weak, to stand united and to create a system that benefits everyone equally, one of unity.   

Who knows maybe I’m thinking too much into this. But either way I’ve rambled on about this enough so I am going to leave it there.     

#shadow and bone #shadow and bone spoilers #the darkling #alina starkov

[siennahrobek]

“He’s holding me back,” Anakin snarled as Obi-Wan carefully paced a cup of steaming tea in front of him. He had come to the older master quite readily after he and Qui-Gon had joined their crew. Getting picked up by a fleet of venator class destroyers could either be incredibly embarrassing or quite impressive. Obi-Wan isn’t entirely sure which Anakin thinks. He had steeped Anakin something sweet and calming; exactly what the young knight needed. It was pretty much what he needed all the time, to be honest. The boy had more than just a bit of a temper.

Being around Qui-Gon Jinn didn’t exactly help.

The man rather indulged him.

Obi-Wan shrugged as he sat down on the opposite side of the thin table, shifting the cup towards Anakin and pulling his own closer. He made direct eye contact as he took a sip. Usually, it would prompt Anakin to do the same. In the company of certain people, Anakin sometimes mirrored others’ actions. Obi-Wan was one of those people. “Perhaps. But you are no longer a padawan. A knight in your own right,” he assured gently. He honestly doubted that Qui-Gon was actually holding Anakin back; Obi-Wan was fairly certain no one could really hold him back.

Sometimes however, he could be convinced to step back once in a while. It was a rare occurrence, but it had happened before.

“He’s jealous of my power,” Anakin snapped, nearly cracking the mug his fingers were laced around. Obi-Wan gently put a hand over his to stop it and pull it away. Anakin’s fingers were trembling in the jedi’s own and Obi-Wan gave a gentle, assuring squeeze before he pushed the mug a little further into Anakin’s purview.

In the end, Obi-Wan had actually snorted. The concept was rather ridiculous, his master being anything of the sort. Anakin was thinking things, perhaps even told things like this, but it couldn’t be the truth. “Doubtfully,” he muttered, something low but able for the younger man to hear rather clearly. He cleared his voice to continue. “Qui-Gon Jinn isn’t jealous of anyone, least of all you, Anakin. Take a sip, you will feel better.”

He hesitated but Anakin did so, mirroring Obi-Wan. They drank in silence, but the air was turning more comfortable. Tension bled from his shoulders as they released, and he slumped down a little bit. Anakin’s temper always seemed to be running high these days and Obi-Wan wasn’t sure if he could help in a way that Anakin really needed. He only, currently, had momentarily solutions to a bigger issue.

“A bit better?” he asked. He knew the answer.

“Yeah,” Anakin admitted begrudgingly with a sigh, shaking his head. He glanced over down below the balcony and then back at Obi-Wan, something sad but fiery in his eyes. It was a rather strange combination, Obi-Wan had to admit. “I should be out here, with you. In the war. Fighting.”

“It is not as glamorous as you are thinking it is,” the older jedi just hummed, taking a sip of his own tea and once again, Anakin took his own sip. He wondered if the younger man realized what he did.

“I know that.”

“You don’t,” Obi-Wan refuted but it was kind and patient, shooting a look to project that when Anakin stared at him, a bit angry at his counter. He didn’t like people contradicting him or telling him what he knew. Usually he wouldn’t, but Obi-Wan knew that Anakin had no idea what war was actually like. Not like this. Obi-Wan just tried to keep himself as serene and enduring as ever, to deal with Anakin’s irritated and frustrated disagreements. “I would not expect you too, either. Master Jinn is right about one thing, we shouldn’t be fighting a war.”

“You agree with him?” Anakin sputtered, surprised. The concept was befuddling to him and Obi-Wan wondered what exactly he knew about the war. Master Jinn was certainly not favorable; he couldn’t imagine the older master saying anything nice about it. Perhaps he even spun falsehoods. “Then why do you?” Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan looked over the ledge that sat about the rest of the mess hall, off to the side. Down below them was the rest of the mess hall and cafeteria, littered and crawling with troopers. Obi-Wan could feel them, he could always feel them. They filled him with such warmth and care, it made it just a bit easier to get up each morning and fight in a war that he could not stand being in. Yes, it was to protect innocents, but he reminded himself everyday that he could do what he had to protect as many as them as well. “Reach out and tell me what you feel,” he added. It was more of a suggestion than a demand but rarely did Anakin see that kind of difference.

Anakin sighed and rolled his eyes, staring at him intently. “You are not my master, Obi-Wan.” This much was true. Anakin was a knight, he no longer needed – or wanted for that matter – a master telling him what to do, but Obi-Wan had a point. At his core, he always knew he would be a bit of a teacher. He always had a point.

“Humor me,” Obi-Wan glanced at him with a kind smile.

The younger man just sighed again, loud and dramatic, and eventually complied. He looked over, beyond the railing, down in the large room that harbored so many soldiers. Some of them were in their amor uniform, usually sans helmet and others in blacks. Officers had their own uniforms that they were hardly out of, whether they were clone or not. A minute passed. Two.

Obi-Wan just waited patiently.

But then. “What do you feel?”

“They are warm,” Anakin acknowledged, his voice starting to soften, just as Obi-Wan spotted his eyes doing the same. “Brighter than I expected them to be. “They are strong, loyal, determined. Doing their best and being their best. They care about one another such certainty and persistence.” His smile was gentle and kind, lacking the fiery passion that usually inhabited him.

He could make friends here, Obi-Wan thought.

But Obi-Wan just nodded and Anakin looked back at him. He was still in a bit of a daze, probably from seeing and feeling all that warmth and light, but he was still listening, probably expecting Obi-Wan to tell him his point for the exercise. Whether or not Obi-Wan would say anything, he knew that Anakin didn’t quite regret what the older master had asked of him. “They are living and breathing beings. Sentients with hopes and dreams, whether they admit it or not. Whether they consciously know it or not,” he started. Many times, had he heard that the soldiers only dreamed of the survival of themselves and their brothers from one day to the next and didn’t think of the future that they may have afterwards. Although Obi-Wan believed them, when they said such things, he also thought they had subconscious desires and dreams for that future. Hopes for it. Even if they hadn’t been able to quite realize them yet. He truly hoped he could help them get to that point.

“I know they are,” Anakin added quietly, staring down at his tea before taking a small sip, unprompted. Obi-Wan counted it as a win. It was hard enough for Anakin to drink tea, even when he knew it helped him.

“They are a large reason why I do this. Why I must,” Obi-Wan responded, just as soft, staring down at the gently swirling liquid in his cup.

Anakin glanced up at him, his head turning a bit. “What do you mean?”

Obi-Wan pointed to the corner of the mess hall, a small table inhabited by non-clones and non-jedi. There weren’t many of them, but Anakin had a thought that it was rather on purpose. They packed together, rather tightly and did not move away from their specific table, keeping together and not milling with anyone else around. “What do you feel from them?” he asked, a bit abruptly.

Anakin groaned again but it was light and only half-hearted, but did so, taking a breath before letting his eyes sweep over the room and then settle on the table in the corner. He closed his eyes briefly and reached. With a frown, he started to speak, to explain what he felt. It didn’t appear that he liked what he was feeling, what he found in them. “They…aren’t happy. But…not in the sense of war, not in grief or sadness but like, they are dim, displeased, annoyed. They feel…disgust? Indifference?”

Obi-Wan nodded. He had felt it.

“Do they…are their feelings because of the clones?” Anakin asked, startled at the thought and pending realization.

“Sometimes, yes. Those few right there think of the troopers much like the rest of the galaxy sees them. As though they are droids encased in flesh; worthy only to be cannon fodder,” Obi-Wan explain, only sparing those men a quick glance. He looked back at the troopers that made up most of the room and Anakin could feel him softening again.

Anakin’s lip curled as a snarl escaped out. The thought made him angry.

“They do not care so much for casualties, only absolute victory, no matter the cost,” Obi-Wan continued. “If they jedi were not here to use tactics and ideas that wouldn’t decimate the numbers…I imagine it would be much worse,” he sighed, shaking his head with a deepening frown. “The clones are so willing, so eager, so loyal. I do not quite understand how anyone can meet them and not love them.”

“You are trying to save them,” Anakin said and felt pushed around by the appreciation and care for the troopers. It was interesting to feel. Jedi were known for their compassion and kindness, their wiliness to help others, sometimes even at the cost of their own lives, but it felt a bit different with the troopers. Anakin was beginning to understand why the jedi may have chosen to enter the war; if only to try and help in any way they could. There was something different about these beings. Like they were somehow intertwined with the jedi. Made to be friends, to work together, made for one another in a way that was profound, and one Anakin couldn’t quite understand or comprehend in words. He wondered if others had noticed this.

“I am not so naïve to think I can do so,” Obi-Wan replied, breaking through Anakin’s thoughts. “But I want to get at least as many as I can through this war. They…care about us in a way we don’t generally see associated with the jedi. The least we can do is try to get them through this and return the favor the best we can.”

“Do other jedi feel this way?” Anakin hadn’t even realized he had spoke for a moment, verbally saying what he had been thinking just seconds prior. Sometimes he felt so different than others, like he was the only one who could connect on the level that he did. Like he was an exception.

Master Qui-Gon thought he was an exception.

Obi-Wan nodded and there was absolutely no hesitation to it. “Not everyone of course, but most, at the very least. Even if we hadn’t been drafted into the war, I think the Council would have done the same.”

“Drafted?” Anakin blinked.

“Yes.”

“Wait. So, the Order was forced to join the war?” Anakin asked incredulously because…that was not what he had heard. Over a year in and this was the first he had heard of such a thing.

Obi-Wan hesitated, like he wasn’t sure if he should be the one giving this information, like he wasn’t sure if he should be the one having this conversation, but his brows furrowed, and he nodded. “Yes, Anakin,” he replied slowly. He had to be careful with how he spoke. Anakin’s friendship with the leader of the Republic was not exactly a secret and everyone knew how protective Anakin was of his friends. “The Chancellor made it…very clear we did not have much of a choice.”

“Master Qui-Gon said you chose it,” Anakin responded, and he sounded numb, his voice just kind of dropping off in surprise.

You, Obi-Wan mused with darkening thoughts. Had Qui-Gon meant Obi-Wanspecifically chose this or was Qui-Gon distancing himself from the jedi already? Had his old master turned Anakin against the jedi; made him see himself an exception for everything? Chosen one or not, Anakin was a jedi. That was not to change unless Anakin chose to change it. But one could not continue to truly be a jedi if they thought of themselves as exceptions to the rules, to the guidelines, to the faith of their culture.

“No, Anakin,” his voice came out nearly as a croak. “The Order was drafted.”

“But Master Jinn…” Anakin drifted off, staring down at his tea. There was barely any of it left. “If the Jedi were drafted, not everyone is involved. Master Jinn, he…he’s not a part of it.”

“We found a loophole for him,” Obi-Wan confessed and it felt a bit different when he spoke it. He found a loophole for his former master; to ease the mess. He couldn’t imagine what Qui-Gon would have done or said if they hadn’t kept him out of it. Whether or not it was the right choice, Obi-Wan knew, even if they could get Qui-Gon to work within the confines of the war, he would almost certainly have become Obi-Wan’s problem. And Obi-Wan dealt with his old master enough as it was. “He was rather vehement in his stance on the war, so we claimed his injury and ability would make quote useless on the battle field,” he explained.

“His injury?” Anakin echoed.

“From Naboo.”

Anakin nodded in sudden understanding but his gaze was far off, nearly vacant, like there was something happening in his mind, wheels turning that not even Obi-Wan could fathom or comprehend. “I guess that is smart. He wouldn’t have listened anyways,” he confessed. It sounded rather fond, which wasn’t surprising. Anakin’s soft and often blind spot when it came to Master Jinn was always apparent. He loved Master Jinn’s blatant disregard for rules, to follow what he thought and believed was the will of the Force. Whether or not it actually was the Will of the Force, it hardly mattered. It was the will of Qui-Gon Jinn.

Qui-Gon often seemed to believe that he was the only one who really understood the will of the Force.

At this point, everyone was too tired and too busy to even try to argue with him. Not that anyone wanted to argue with him because it never did anything, never got anywhere. One could not change Jinn’s mind, could not shift his perspective or make him think in any other ways.

“Quite,” Obi-Wan agreed.

“I wasn’t forced,” Anakin realized quietly after a long moment of the two sitting in silence, sipping what was left of their tea, not lukewarm. “I wasn’t even asked,” he added.

“That is partially my doing,” Obi-Wan confessed. He knew he would have to have this conversation at some point, and he had been dreading it ever since it had been done.

Anakin surged in anger and Obi-Wan could feel it. It was fairly certain everyone could feel it. The troopers in particular seemed rather sensitive and knowing of a jedi’s moods and projections. “Why?” Anakin demanded. “Did you not think I’d be good enough for-?”

“Anakin, calm down,” Obi-Wan said, quickly slipping in his own before things could get any worse and his projections stronger. “Take a sip of your tea.”

There was not much left but there was enough. Scowling, he complied.

“Qui-Gon was already going to disown me, and I knew how you feel about him, and you were still a padawan at the time…I didn’t want the same to happen to you,” Obi-Wan started. He wasn’t sure how to explain this but he would do his best with what he had on hand.

“I’m not you.”

Ouch, that stung. It was true, of course, in many more ways than Anakin knew, but that hardly made it hurt any less.

“That came out wrong,” Anakin nearly winced.

“You aren’t wrong. You aren’t me,” Obi-Wan said, which, of course, was always true. Lucky him, the master thought. He didn’t say that Qui-Gon loved Anakin in a way that he was still incapable of caring for Obi-Wan. It wasn’t either of their faults and Obi-Wan knew a lot of the blame could be found on Xanatos and the Chosen One prophecy, but that hardly made it any easier to live and deal with. It could very much be exhausting. Anakin didn’t see it, not yet, and Obi-Wan still isn’t entirely sure if he ever would. “But that does not mean he would be happy with it. You know how he feels about the war, about my part in it. About the jedi’s part in it. I didn’t want you to have to go through that. Something even remotely like that. My apologies, I wanted to keep you out of the war best I could. You are so young.”

“I am an adult! A knight!” Anakin’s voice rose into a near screech. So ready, so adamant to prove that he is mature and capable and an adult. Of course, he was capable, but his maturity wasn’t nearly as rounded as he liked to believe, and he often just did not think. He reminded Obi-Wan of Master Jinn this way. It was his way or no way at all. But unlike Master Jinn, at least in the present some of the times, Anakin was also just a bit more inclined to listen to Obi-Wan. Not all the time, of course, because Anakin always thought he was right, but with the right care and nudging and so much patience, Obi-Wan, on occasion, could get through to him on certain subjects.

“Anakin,” he said his name with as much fondness and softness and patience as he could muster. Which, when it came to this boy, was quite a bit. “War is….it is not like any mission you have been on. It is constant and it does not end. There is a goal, but it does not finish there. There is always something else, something so time sensitive. You don’t get to go home after one mission is done, there is always another, linked swinging from one to another. There is so much more violence and death, and it chips off pieces of yourself every moment. It stays with you, long, long after the conflict may be resolved,” he said, and Anakin seemed rather enraptured in what Obi-Wan was saying. He couldn’t understand all of what Obi-Wan was referencing and he wouldn’t understand how this would stay with those who fought in it. Conflict like this, although not to scale, was something Obi-Wan knew, at times, rather intimately. “It is an experience, a pain, a dirt you can never be clean of,” he insisted, swallowing hard. “War is messy, and nothing is so clean cut as people often make it out to be. You keep giving things up; your ability, your mind, your emotions, your morals, your soul, loyalty, trust…. until there is nothing left of you to give. It becomes written in your bones until it is hard to imagine you were anything else. It takes the best things of life, of ourselves, and only gives back the worst and most destructive for us to figure out how to live with.”

#I'm A Boy No I'm A Man #Gotta love them song lyrics #I love Treasure Planet okay? #Anyways #Anakin Skywalker #Obi-Wan Kenobi #Obi Wan Kenobi #clone troopers #au #alternative universe #Qui-Gon Lives #this one isn't super friendly to him #I have others that are #I know #I'm rather strange

[shera-dnd]

Oh boy am I late with this one, but here it is.

And now Weiss and Ilia finally get to interact in the story. It’s mostly anger and threats, but they’re at least interacting.

Oh god this is gonna be a long fic.

Anyways AO3 link up top if you’d like to read it over there and read more link bellow if you’d rather stay around.

The days that followed were tense, to put it mildly. Though Weiss’s faith in Blake’s honor - and Ilia’s certainty that her fellow fae could not lie to her - had afforded the Black Knight a considerable degree of freedom, Weiss and Ilia granted each other no such privilege, neither allowing the other a moment away from their sight.

That meant many quiet meals shared under a heavy atmosphere of anger and distrust. That meant catching the other glaring at them from the corner of their eye as they tried to enjoy the festival. That meant Ilia had very few chances to talk to her fellow fae alone.

It was on the fourth day of their unbearable standoff that Ilia finally managed to catch Blake alone while Weiss went through the laborious process of donning her armor.

“Belladonna!” She called.

The fae sighed at the sound of that name. Ilia was fully aware of every ounce of suspicion that dripped from that  singular word, but she couldn’t care less right now, she had to know why Belladonna had abandoned them, why she had abandoned her.

“You’re a traitor and a deserter,” she continued, “but I did not think you mad.”

“Just ask the damned question and get this over with,” Belladonna complained, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“What reason would you have to join the humans after everything they’ve done to us?” Ilia demanded.

"I simply believe that their potential for good outweighs their potential for evil,” Belladonna answered truthfully, “yes, I still believe the evils of men must be paid for, but I've seen what we can accomplish together, and I truly believe that is worth far more than anything war could ever bring us."

Ilia wasn’t sure what she expected, but it wasn’t this. She had braced herself for another shouting match, and was fully prepared to bring her full fury to bear upon her. She was prepared for anything but this.

When Belladonna spoke she made it sound so simple, like it was the most obvious choice for her, like the court, or Taurus, or Ilia were only afterthoughts.

“And what of us?” Ilia asked, not even trying to mask her hurt, “you speak of bringing peace to men and fae, but when have you last stepped into one of our courts? When have you last seen the face of your people?”

‘And what of me?’ she nearly asked, but the words died as the Schnee stepped out of her tent. Though she looked utterly disinterested in their argument, Ilia did not feel comfortable pursuing that topic with the Schnee around.

Belladonna tried to speak again, “Ami--”

She raised a hand to silence her, “I don’t wanna hear it!”

“Very well,” the fae knight sighed, and picked up her belongings, “I must attend to my knightly duties now. I hope I can trust you both to not kill each other while I’m away.”

“I make no such promises,” Ilia replied.

“And I won’t hesitate to retaliate,” the Schnee bit back.

Utterly unsatisfied with these responses, but also already far too tired of the two of them, Belladonna simply shook her head, and left them to their own devices. They silently glared at each other for a few moments, before the Schnee spoke up.

“I have a proposition for you, Ilia.”

“I’m not interested,” she replied, promptly.

“Won’t you at least hear what I have to say?” She asked, annoyed.

“Why would I even deign to entertain you, Schnee?” She demanded.

“Because we’re both miserable, distrusting fools, and I know how to fix at least one of those things,” she replied.

“You truly believe you can make me trust you?” She mocked.

“No, but I can make us both less miserable,” she replied and for once Ilia didn’t have some overly belligerent retort, “we may both refuse to let the other away from our sights, but at the very least we can try to keep tabs on each other while enjoying the festival, instead of sulking around our tents all day.”

“So what do you propose, Schnee?” Ilia asked, “that we walk the festival grounds together like we’re the best of friends?”

“No,” she answered, again, “we’ll walk the festival grounds as noble and bodyguard.”

“What?”

“I need someone to speak for me, so I won’t be recognized,” she explained, “and you need someone to protect you from drunk fools.”

“I do not need your protection!” She insisted.

“Half the people here are armed with iron,” the Schnee replied, fully aware Ilia would act like that, “but please, do try to cast your spells,see if your head won’t be on a pike by sundown.”

Ilia clenched her fists and wondered if Belladonna would mind if she returned to find the Schnee girl had been mysteriously turned into mulch. It took a few deep breaths for her to stop considering ways of returning that woman to the ground.

“We can’t give you the satisfaction of watching that, now can we?” Ilia replied, with a smile that was only slightly less threatening than her scowl, “very well. I’ll be your noble lady and you’ll be my silent knight.”

The Schnee girl puffed up her chest a little, and her lips twitched into the first hint of a possible smile, pride shining in the woman’s eye at being described as a ‘knight’. Ilia could not be more displeased with the knowledge that she had made a Schnee feel happy.

Ilia made a disgusted sound that immediately crushed the Schnee’s smile, good, “just allow me to change my glamours and we’ll be on our way.”

Soon enough she walked through the many tents of the festival once more, the Schnee following dutifully behind her. This time Ilia took her time to stop by each of their performers and enjoy their shows. It made for a far more enjoyable experience than these past few grueling days.

She had been watching this young fae man present his magic tricks for a while now. He was quite clever with his presentation, mixing practical tricks with true magic so as to make his show more grounded, more believable to a mortal eye. Ilia was impressed, but clearly not as impressed as her bodyguard.

The man had barely finished his last trick when the Schnee marched up to him and offered him a considerable amount of money. The man’s eyes went wide and offered her a deep bow as he took the coins from her.

It was clear that this generosity was born both of kindness and a lack of monetary sense. These few gold coins would change that man’s life, but were only a fraction of a fraction of the wealth she had to her name. Still this gave Ilia quite the interesting idea.

For the rest of that day she made a point to stop only by the performing fae. Musicians, magicians, artists, and actors alike, all who took their time to entertain the crowds of the festival. And without fail, Weiss offered them some of her wealth before they moved on to the next performer. By the end of the day they had left many fae happier and the Schnee’s purse a few fractions lighter.

It was only when they had settled down back at their camp and sat together around their bonfire that Ilia had finally deigned to speak of what happened to her companion.

“You were quite generous today, Lady Schnee,” Ilia commented.

The Schnee took off her helmet and stared at her for a moment, “I sense there’s a twist to your compliment.”

“Of course not,” Ilia replied, “I was just surprised that a Schnee would freely offer so much of their money to the fae.”

It took her a moment to process what was said, but when she did instead of looking angry at Ilia, she appeared instead to be… offended?

“Was that why you led me to these people?” She asked, “so you’d have something to rub in my face come sundown?”

“Of course not,” she denied, “but I must admit that your reaction was as rewarding as the act of helping my people.”

She could see the anger in the woman’s eyes even as she tried her best not to show the rage Ilia wanted to see from her.

“I wanted to help the people my family had neglected,” she eventually replied, “fae or not, my intentions remain the same.”

“You can’t claim that you don’t care who they are,” she countered, “you were the one who tried to ambush me and Blake but a few nights ago. Had it been any of these people in the woods you would have hunted them down just the same.”

“I drew my blade against you only in defense,” she countered.

“Was it in defense then that you stalked us in the middle of the night?” She demanded.

She clenched her jaw and stood up to Ilia, but her gaze faltered. She was utterly furious, but only at herself, at her own hypocrisy.

“You’re right,” she admitted defeat, “I stalked you and was ready to strike you down in the name of some...false glory.”

Ilia was almost satisfied with this response. She had gotten that Schnee fool to see herself for what she really was

“If I wish to become a knight, I must act like one,” she declared, “and that means I shouldn’t allow my actions to contradict my words again.”

And that caught Ilia by surprise.

“I have sworn I would dedicate my life to making the Schnee name mean more than the destruction and pain my father has brought,” she explained, “I cannot keep my word if I keep acting like this.”

“Am I simply to believe that?” Ilia challenged, “when it was Schnee men that cut down our forests! When it was Schnee iron that branded our people!”

Weiss faltered again. Guilt was clear in her eyes, but guilt would not bring back all the people her kind had killed.

“No,” Weiss admitted, “all I have done was sow bad faith, and earn your mistrust.”

The woman seemed to shrink before her, even in her armor she looked downright fragile with how she held herself, shame imprinted into every word and action.

“But I’ll do what I can to make things better, to earn your trust, lady Ilia,” she offered.

“By what?” Ilia bit back, “handing off pocket change whenever you feel guilty? Making empty declarations of loyalty? I will never trust you, Schnee. No matter how many empty acts of kindness you offer.”

“Even if I can’t,” she returned, fire burning in her eyes once more, “I will do everything within my power to be a person deserving of it.”

“Then you will labor for the rest of your life.”

“Then I’ll accept that fate,” she replied, “and if Lady Blake is truthful about her talks of peace, I swear to match her effort tenfold.”

“Careful, Lady Weiss,” Belladonna’s voice called, playfully, “I’ll be holding you to your word.”

“And I am grateful for that,” Weiss replied.

Ilia stared up at her as Belladonna sat down by Weiss’s side.

“So be it,” she huffed, “may you both waste your lives in this fruitless pursuit.”

“Gladly, my lady!” Belladonna replied with a cheerful laugh, “now I take it you two had an interesting day.”

#rwby #prismatic ponytails #weiss schnee #ilia amitola #blake belladonna #medieval au #fanfic

[dylan-is-a-frog]

Rest | Fox

Hey, hey, hey! I’m back, and MAYBE i’m now really interested in writting for Fox.

JUST FOR YOU TO KNOW, my new interest in Fox is 100% Kayla's fault ( @morganas-pendragons ).

With that said, enjoy this fluffy and cute one-shot where Fox is just a tired man who needs a rest.

(I really liked this Doctor s/o bc i think it's such a funny and cute dynamic with the commander).

**********************

You loved your work, more than anything else in the world, but sometimes, just sometimes, the moment you left that room was the best part of your day.

Your night shift had already ended, so you didn't even look at the hour on the holopad when you handed the keys to your reliever and walked to your bedroom, a small room near the infirmary that they had taken care of setting up as comfortably as possible, taking into account that you were only passing by to sleep and get dressed, spending the most part of the day in the infirmary.

You stood in front of the bed for a few seconds and turned around, closing the doors of the room and walking through the corridors of the facility trying to keep your eyes open.

As the war progressed it became increasingly difficult to cope with the many attacks on Coruscant at every opportunity, not to mention the fact that during the day, there were also soldiers arriving at the hangar who were injured. However, if your energy was drained so quickly within the Coruscant guard, you didn't want to imagine what it was like to be a doctor in the middle of the crossfire.

When you stood in front of the doors you looked to both sides and, before you could stretch the panel, the doors opened and Thorn, without his helmet and probably just waking up, looked at you and smiled slightly, deducing your intentions.

"Good morning, Doc," he muttered, trying not to raise his voice too much so as not to disturb you.

"Good night, Thorn," you both smiled and, as he passed by, you carried one of your hands to his shoulder. "Is he sleeping?"

Thorn couldn't help but laugh a little, putting on his helmet and shaking his head. "He's been working all night and in a couple of hours we have to escort the chancellor to a meeting. Do you really want me to answer that?" he asked. You let go of his shoulder and set out to walk beside him, knowing that there was no point in going to the soldiers' rest area if he wasn't there. "I'll tell him you're going to sleep anyway, Doc. Maybe I can convince him to get some rest. Between us, he can be a little stubborn sometimes."

You had earned the respect and loyalty of the soldiers long before your non-official relationship with the commander became an open secret, so it wasn't a big deal when some soldiers began to see the commanding officer leave your room completely revitalized for mysterious reasons. You have always been careful to give everyone the best treatment possible, giving them your trust and thereby earning theirs.

"Tell me about it," you responded sarcastically, drawing a slight chuckle from the soldier as he swerved to the intersection of the corridors and you walked to your initial stop. You grimaced as the doors to your room opened and the empty bed gained your attention. You did not like to sleep alone, at least not after you had become used to forcing the commander of the Coruscant guard to take the breaks you had prescribed for him as a doctor.  The breaks he so easily ignored, every single time.

Sometimes you felt that the relationship you had with your loved one at the monthly appointments was completely different from the one you both secretly shared.

Everyone knew that Fox did not enjoy a completely healthy sleep cycle, and that being the commanding officer of the Coruscant guard was incredibly stressful, but you knew better than anyone that his tendency to have everything under control did not allow him to sleep properly. But if the soldier had enough reason to rest, it was certainly to have his beloved in his arms.

You got rid of your shoes and walked to bed, barely able to take off your clothes on the way. When your knees touched the bed, you gave up and could not unbutton your white shirt, letting your body melt into the soft sheets while your hands drew the pillow to your chest, hugging it.

You closed your eyes and even when the doors opened you could not move from the position you had adopted. You did not know how much time had passed, but you assumed that Thorn had kept his word.

The commander let the doors close behind him and took off his helmet, letting out a yawn from his mouth. You had forbidden him to drink coffee hoping that he would be forced to rest as he should, but his constant yawning and his haggard eyes showed that the poor man simply did not know what rest was. His eyes traveled over your body and a smile appeared on his tired face, as his feet began to crawl on the ground. At the moment when his mind let the exhaustion hit his body hard, his left hand let go of the helmet but the commander did not flinch.

"Take off your armor," you mumbled sleepily.

"I can't," Fox said, slurring his words and failing in his attempt to not show the tiredness that overtook him. "I don't have much time, I must..."

"You must listen to your kriffing doctor for once, now come," you turned around and with the palm of your hand you hit the free space that the bed provided.

"I can't sleep, I have work to do," contradicting his own words, the soldier began to take off his armor, or at least what his little energy allowed.

"For your own good, you'd better come here. That's the last time I'll say it," you said with a frown. You could hear a tired little laugh escaping his lips at your threat.

You assumed that the commander was too tired to bother you any longer, so you were not surprised when the empty space sank under the weight of the clone, who dropped onto the bed, tired and exhausted. You waited a couple of seconds and, when you didn't feel his arms around you, you opened your eyes with great effort.

His eyes remained closed and, unable to avoid it, you stayed a moment appreciating the tranquility in his face. Sometimes you thought you could stay the whole life watching him sleep, but right now you were angry. Tired, but still angry.

"Fox?"

"Yes, Cyare?" he answered in a thread of voice.

"You better hug me," you said trying to sound firm, but making it sound more like a request than a threat. "Because when I wake up I'm going to make you sleep all day with the beating you're going to get for disobeying me."

Fox didn't say anything, but you felt him turn around and imprison your body with his arms, and something told you he was smiling with that bright smile that in seconds disarmed you completely. His legs became entangled with yours and, finally, you felt how your bodies allowed sleep to overcome you once and for all, feeling that essence that characterized your relationship.

Both of you had demanding jobs -although it was not hard for you to admit that Fox had the most stressful one-, and both had reached a point where the tranquility that the other emanated was more than enough. Being together meant that you had managed to escape the daily stress for a moment, and every chance you got, you were reminded that beyond the horrors of war and hard work, your relationship had become a way to protect your mental and emotional stability.

Fox was your safe space, and you were his.

The commander left a warm kiss in your hair, and you left one in his neck, encircling his waist with your hands.

"I love you, Ad'ika," Fox said.

"I love you more, Cyare," you replied.

You knew that when you woke up Fox would no longer be there, as usual, but having him so close and knowing that you had managed to give him rest, was the best part of your job.

Undoubtedly, the best moment of the day was when you managed to get your beloved commander to take a well-deserved rest, and in passing you also managed to rest next to him.

#clone wars #commander fox #reader x fox #Star Wars One-Shot #clone cc 1010

[thedorkmagiciangirl]

The Missed Thematic Importance of Anzu’s Speech

Okay everyone in the ygo fandom guess who watched Anzu’s speech to Kaiba in the sub and had FEELINGS?

And to be honest, I think all of people miss what she’s saying, especially in the original Japanese since some people are more familiar with the dub.  So I am going to explore what she says, what it means, and how it connects to Yu-Gi-Oh!’s themes as a whole.  Let’s get started.

All right, what should happen first is that we actually establish what she says, right?

Here are her speeches, manga and sub.  I’ll probably make another post about the dub version of her speech later.  I’ll be using the official Viz translation for the manga and the Crunchyroll translation for the sub, which while they have their inaccuracies are accurate enough for our analyzing purposes.

Manga:

Kaiba:Games mean conflict.  A combat between two enemies...It’s the same for all of them!  Cards...chess...the bloodsoaked wars of the human race...all these are different kinds of games...Do you know what God gave to people so they could play games in this world?  A single chip...called life.  When I threw my chip of life on the board...Yugi exposed his weakness and lost the game!

Anzu:That’s not true, Kaiba!  You’re the one who lost! 

Kaiba:What?

Anzu:You say people struggles are a game!  That’s totally wrong!  Facing yourself no matter how tough things get...and keeping up the fight...that’s what games are really about!  You bet your chip of life as if it meant nothing!  You lost to yourself!  When you realized you were going to lose, you didn’t have the courage to keep living!  Listen...real courage is protecting that chip you have in your hands...No matter what!  The moment you give that up is when you lose!

Jonouchi also chips in after this, pointing out that it was Yugi who saved Kaiba’s life when Kaiba was throwing it away.

Sub:

Kaiba:You showed weakness in the end, Yugi.  If you were willing to send me into the abyss, you would’ve won.  As a duelist, you made a foolish choice.

Anzu:You’re wrong!  You’re the one who lost the game, Kaiba!

Kaiba:What?

Anzu:Kaiba, you tried to throw away your most valuable chip: your life.  You lost to yourself!  You didn’t have the courage to face yourself to the end!  Real courage is to protect your chip - your life - no matter what the situation.  You lost when you threw it away!  Yugi saved your chip of life!

Now let’s break it down.  Anzu uses some gaming metaphors here (appropriate for this series) and other roundabout ways of speaking, so let’s put it in more direct words.  What is she trying to tell Kaiba?

Being courageous is being willing to live, and by extension, never giving up on life.  Courage is living with your failures, with loss, and with regret.  This is her philosophy.  Every time a dancer falls, she gets back up and tries again.  Every time someone told her they didn’t believe in her dream (given that she assumed Yugi and Jonouchi would make fun of it, it seems likely that this happened in the past) she keeps working at it anyways.  It’s even similar to what she says following the duel with Johnny Steps.  She yells at him for quitting because as she says, she’ll fail a hundred times but she’ll still pick herself up and keep trying.

What’s important about this is that it serves as counter to Kaiba’s philosophy, taught to him by Gozaburo.  Losing.  Equals.  Death.  In Kaiba’s philosophy a loss is final.  It’s the end.  Anzu is telling him that’s wrong, and that a loss is only the end if you make it so by gambling away your chip of life.  Indeed, it’s actually similar to what Mai says to the Other Yugi at the end of their duel in the Duelist Kingdom finals about loss.  There are two kinds of loss, one that is a stepping stone forward and one that is the end.  The difference between a loss that’s a step forward and a loss that’s the end is in your mindset.

Contradicting philosophies are a core element of yugioh as a whole, and duels are really just elaborate metaphors for showing these philosophies come into conflict with each other.

Anzu using the same analogy Kaiba did is also a rejection of Kaiba devaluing life by reducing them to chips to be gambled away.  No, she says, life is not worth so little.  The chip of life is the most valuable.  It’s to be protected.

Now, I know what you’re thinking.  Or I can guess at least.  But, Dork Magician Girl, you’re saying, Kaiba didn’t just gamble away his chip of life for nothing.  He was dueling for his brother, and Anzu didn’t know that at the time!

Good point, I say to you, reader.  But it ignores a few key points as to what happened in the duel.

1. His threatening suicide was not a strategic move.  It was one born of emotion.  Prior to his doing so, he has a vivid hallucination of failing to save Mokuba, and then Kid!Seto, in the manga, glares at him, and in the sub, yells at him.  He was not making a plan to try to save Mokuba.  He was desperate, not thinking things through, and he had other options, as I’ll point out below.  This means his impulse to try to commit suicide was just that, an impulse, and Anzu is right to point out that that should not be your impulse.  It really shouldn’t be.

2. Now this is more up to interpretation, but let me ask you a question. 

Did you think Kaiba thought Yugi would back down, or did he make that plan with the full intent of dying? 

... If he made that plan with the full intent of dying, then Anzu was right on the money, regardless of the limitations of her knowledge.  He was throwing his life away, so he wouldn’t have to live with having failed Mokuba.  And I personally think he was planning on dying.  Remember that Kaiba is more familiar with the Other Yugi than Yugi.  Remember that the Other Yugi was going to go through with it.  It’s ambiguous here what he intended.  But either way, Anzu still has a point.

In a way, it was a win-win for Kaiba; if Yugi backed down, then he won and would have the chance to save Mokuba.  If Yugi went through with it, he would be dead and wouldn’t have to live with his failure.  But the second option is selfish; it gives up all hope of saving Mokuba through another route because Kaiba would rather die than admit weakness.  (Like, he could have told Yugi about Mokuba and probably gotten him to back down that way.  The suicide gambit was not the only way Kaiba could’ve gotten Yugi to back down.  But it was the only way for Kaiba to avoid expressing Actual Human Feelings or depending on someone else to help save Mokuba. Kaiba will do anything to save Mokuba...except depending on others, asking for help, exposing weakness, or talking about feelings.  See the finale of Virtual World Arc 1 where if it wasnt for a Deus Ex Machina he would have gotten Mokuba killed because he was too prideful to go along with Yami’s plan.  Also, he’s deliberately withholding this information from them, though there isn’t a good reason for him to do so.  In the manga he says “I’ll gladly die for the cards” just to make it look like he has no other reason to threaten suicide.  Why?  Because Kaiba, that’s why.)  Anzu calls him out on this, because that is cowardice to be unwilling to face your own loss, which beside his pride, is Kaiba’s main flaw.  He cannot accept defeat, loss, or failure.  She’s right on the money, and we’re gonna go into this more later.

3.Sure, Anzu may not have known about Mokuba...but she still hit the nail on the head about Kaiba’s philosophy.  He’s not able to recover from losses.  He’s hung up on the past.  He can’t overcome grief.

The divide between looking at the past and looking at the future is another central theme in Yu-Gi-Oh!, placed at the forefront in the Battle City Arc.  The Other Yugi’s goal is to find his memories, and in the end he literally relives the past.  However, Seto Kaiba represents the opposing viewpoint, especially in his duel with Ishizu when he rejects her philosophy.

“The future is infinite!”  He says.  “The past is a series of footsteps!”

How ironic then, that in the end, he cannot stop focusing on the past, when everyone else is moving forward.

In the Dark Side of Dimensions movie, Yugi and co. sit atop a rooftop talking about the future.  They talk about their dreams and plans and eventually decide that when Yugi creates his first game, they’ll all play it together.  Meanwhile, Seto Kaiba broods alone in his lab, recreating the past through Atem’s hologram as he’s surrounded by a bunch of “sycophants” as he calls them.  The parallel here is clear.  Yugi is not alone, and he’s moving forward from Atem’s loss.

Kaiba is not.

In the end, Seto Kaiba uses his dimension cannon to go to the afterlife, with no guarantee of returning.  He cannot promise Mokuba that he will return.  He reaches the afterlife and reunites with Atem, but he may have killed himself in the attempt.  The ending is ambiguous, up for everyone watching to decide for themselves.

What I believe is that Seto Kaiba chose to live out his philosophy.  Losing equals death.  Just as Anzu warned him, in Duelist Kingdom all that time ago, he gambled away his chip of life.

#yugioh #duel monsters #yugioh manga #seto kaiba #dark side of dimensions #character analysis #analysis #tea gardner #duelist kingdom #my posts

[sinnbaddie]

So, I saw a post by @stilena regarding this article;

https://m.ranker.com/list/why-sakura-doesnt-deserve-the-hate/anna-lindwasser

I’d like to debunk a few things from this article.

This doesn’t make sense in the slightest. First off, you say she’s not cruel to her friends, but then say her behavior towards Naruto could be improved? That’s very contradicting, and it seems like whoever wrote this article is trying to find evidence she’s a good friend when it’s quite the contrary.

“Other fans think she destroyed her friendship with Ino over a boy, but it had little to do with Sasuke...”

This is complete BS. They didn’t even try and find any other reason to give why Sakura broke her friendship off with Ino.

The main reason she destroyed her friendship with Ino, is because she found out Ino had a crush on Sasuke. They literally lied on an article to make her look better than she is, and saying “other fans think,” no, actual fans know what happened, and what fans know is that Sakura broke off her friendship with Ino because of Sasuke. There was no, “differentiation” in place at the time. Maybe when she was like 12-15 she wanted to be different, but it did not happen when she was 5.

They also contradict themself later in the article;

“...when she discovers Ino has had a longtime crush on Sasuke too, it quickly sours their relationship and fuels their rivalry...”

So, at first they say their friendship wasn’t broken off bc of Sasuke, then say it was the reason it soured? This whole article is very contradictory.

The whole rival thing is stupid as hell, too. Ino never wanted to be rivals, she wanted to stay friends. Also, comparing Sasuke and Naruto’s rivalry to Sakura’s and Ino’s is very rude to Naruto and Sasuke, seeing how Naruto and Sasuke actually cared about each other and were friends throughout it mostly.

Even when Ino and Sakura were “ok,” when Sai met Ino, Sakura was rooting for him to call Ino ugly. Who the fuck does that to someone who helped you and was friends with you? Someone who called you pretty, and kind, someone who genuinely valued your friendship?

Either way, Ino’s friendship with Sakura was destroyed because of Sakura having a crush on Sasuke, not because she wanted to differentiate from Ino.

“...learns he’s an enemy of the state and puts aside any personal feelings...”

What?? Puts aside her personal feelings? The only time she’s ever put “aside” her feelings is when she tries to kill him. She’s so bent on him acknowledging her that when she got stabbed by Madara in the war and he didn’t notice her, she whined about it in her head. It was stupid as hell to try and fight Madara 1v1, but if her sole purpose was to “distract” him I can get behind that, but the purpose was so Sasuke can notice her. She’s extremely shallow considering Sasuke.

I mean look at this shit; she’s so damn obsessed with him that not even a fucking war can keep her attention off of Sasuke.

“...to perform her ninja duties and protect her village.”

When Sasuke was leaving, she begged him if she could go with him. Protect the village? If Sasuke accepted her self invite, then she would be a rogue ninja, someone who detached from the village.

And it happened again when she went to kill him. Albeit that she was trying to make it seem like she would actually help him, but if Sasuke actually gave her the chance she would take it. Sasuke saw through her bullshit though because he’s not a fucking idiot like she assumed he was.

“...don’t get to see Sakura spend a lot of one-on-one time with Sasuke after the first few arcs, they do witness the evolution of Sakura’s feelings.”

How can Sakura’s feelings evolve if she never has one-on-one time with Sasuke? When do we witness her feelings evolve from just looks? When does Sasuke open up to her so her feelings can evolve? They can’t, we don’t, and he doesn’t. The only time we as viewers see Sakura’s feelings evolve, is when they start to become obsessive. These are not kind feelings, these are obsessive ones.

“Even fans who aren’t on the Sasusaku ship can appreciate how she handles her emotions.”

The only thing I appreciate is that Sasuke keeps denying her advances because he doesn’t want romance with her, which he’s stated multiple times. She never handles her emotions. Just in general, too. From her constantly crying, to her anger issues, her trait is being unable to handle them. I’ve never once met an anti ss fan who appreciates how she handles her emotions. This is absurd in it of itself.

“Sakura cares deeply for Sasuke, not because of his looks, but because of who he is.”

Sakura cares for her idea of Sasuke, not Sasuke himself. Like the quote above speaking on her “evolved feelings,” shes never shown to care about Sasuke’s well being, seeing how she tried to kill him. Again, Sasuke has never opened up to Sakura, only Itachi and Naruto, and they have the audacity to say Sakura cares about Sasuke because of who he is.

What does Sakura think of Sasuke as a person that isn’t what Sasuke shows to everyone who he doesn’t actually care for? She cares about his cool, calm, and collected personality? Was he so cool, calm, and collected whenever Naruto was brought up, or Itachi? Is it because he is quiet and reserved? Was he quiet and reserved when he was a child, before Itachi slaughtered their clan in front of him, 518,400 times? Does she care about his strength and smarts? Does she know he wanted to be intelligent and strong enough so he could kill Itachi? Does she know on a deeper level than just “I want to kill a certain man; I want revenge”?

No. Because Sasuke never let Sakura know the real him because he doesn’t care about her as much as Naruto, or Itachi. He never once thought about her throughout his years gone from the village in Pt.1 and Shippuden, while he thought of Naruto occasionally.

The truth of the matter is, Sasuke does not care about Sakura, his supposed wife, as much as he cares about Naruto, his best friend, someone he considers a brother.

“...she refuses to compromise her principles solely because she loves him.“

What principles are we talking about here? Didn’t she falsely confess to Naruto, drug him, Yamato, and Kakashi, and try and kill Sasuke on her own? Like I mentioned above, wasn’t she the one who idiotically charged Madara (someone she knew stomped the five kage, and who was basically a god at that point, too), and get stabbed for it, only to be upset that Sasuke didn’t notice her nor care about her wellbeing?

“She’s still her own person.”

Take away her crush with Sasuke she’ll be her own person. I’ll admit, in the beginning of Shippuden, she did well. Why? Because Sasuke wasn’t there and was barely mentioned. Kishimoto said in an interview that Sakura is obsessed with Sasuke (if someone can send me the interview It’d be much appreciated as I can’t find it as of now).

She’s only her own person when you take Sasuke out of the picture. Throughout both series her actions and intentions has been based around Sasuke. She isn’t her own person and it’s absurd to think of her as one when it’s shown time and time again she is not.

This whole article is complete bullshit, seeing how many of these “facts” are lies to make it seem like Sakura is some lovely person. She’s not, and she’s not a good person towards Sasuke either.

It’s ok to admit Sakura isn’t the best character nor person in Naruto, because she’s not. It’s fine to think Sakura as kind, and loving, but only in fanon. Canon Sakura is not what you, and the person who wrote this article is talking about.

You can like Fanon Sakura, but don’t dismiss that Canon Sakura is a jerk who is heavily involved with her own self and benefits, maybe not fully but in regards to “love, and friendship” she most definitely is.

#anti sakura haruno fandom #anti sakura uchiha #anti sakura haruno #anti sasusaku #pro sasuke uchiha #uchiha sasuke #sasuke uchiha #pro ino yamanaka #ino yamanaka #naruto #naruto shippuden #kingliho analyzes

[cblgblog]

so i love the way you write and if you have time, i was wondering how you'd approach this: steve finding out about EDITH and its similarities to project insight

Thank you for the compliment, first of all. Super appreciated 😊

Second, I feel like I should say right off the bat that I hate EDITH. Narratively, I just hate it for so many reasons, so if that comes through in my response…it probably will. But I’ll try to save most of it for another rant.

I'd approach it from the stance of Steve being a man who fought in WWII little more than a decade prior and knows the atrocities men can commit thinking they're in the right. From the stance of someone who knows Tony's good intentions were more meant to soothe his own conscience than to save the world in a smart way. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

You have a man who lost his father, never met his father, because of WW1. The ‘Great War.’ WW1 at the time it happened? They were rolling out fresh new ways to kill each other, ways that, at the time, were considered the worst things humans could possibly do to each other. And now those things are considered tame. Steve would’ve grown up in the shadow of that war, surrounded by men who came back broken, physically and mentally. Whether or not he knew any personally, they’d be surrounding him. That’s before the serum, before Hydra weapons. Then he wakes up, and someone got the honor of telling him that his buddy Howard helped with the nuke that killed thousands upon thousands of people. Tony talks about never getting to ask Howard if he ever had doubts or regrets, but Steve didn’t either.

So, you have that. His friend’s involvement there. You have the absolute hell that he went through with Sam and Nat to kill Project Insight. And then he finds out that hey, here’s this same thing Hydra was gonna use to kill everyone, but it’s made by our side, my friend, and it has a more annoying name. Steve’s got to be living in this infuriating state of déjà vu. He does this whole big thing to stop the magic cube from wreaking havoc? Five minutes after he wakes up, shoot, they lost the cube again. Almost died to stop the murder machines? Well here they are again, with a new paint job.

Tony needs to feel like he’s saving the world more than he actually needs to save it. He needs to think he can control the uncontrollable because there were so many times he couldn’t. He needs to think that he is, because he’s got 30 years of built up PTSD and, by his own admission in CW, never treats it. He lets his mind spin out, envisioning all these catastrophic scenarios, and instead of going to a professional or any of the many, many people who’d be willing to help him, he creates these solutions that are more damaging than the things he’s trying to prevent. EDITH, most awesome thing ever, right? Except it’s not smart enough to think that maybe I shouldn’t shoot a missile at this bus full of children that I and my wearer are both on.

That’s Tony. That’s Tony’s whole thing, boiled into a terrible, garbage piece of tech that makes no sense within the MCU. He’s incredibly smart, but also dumb as all hell. He’s the reason knowledge and wisdom are different stats.

As for how Steve would process that emotionally? I mean, the problem with FFH (and it has many problems as an MCU Infinity Saga epilogue film despite being great as a standalone), is that you get all these revelations and accusations about Tony, but he’s not here to answer for them. I dunno if that’s because RDJ was done with his contract, so the MCU is allowed to talk bad about Tony now, or what. But these revelations lose their impact when Tony’s not there to defend himself, or face up to anything. So I think Steve would be angry, disappointed, but now he’s got nowhere to go with that. Tony made the ultimate sacrifice, and that can’t be written off. Nor can it be used as a free pass for all the mistakes he made prior. Steve’s not gonna be the guy who wants to speak ill of the dead, or be angry with them. So those feelings probably get tucked in with all the other things that he and Tony never truly resolved. And that sucks, honestly, but there it is. Steve never got to ask Howard about some of the questionable things he did, and the same goes for Tony.

Ultimately, Tony was a broken dude, in a lot of ways, who named his Project Insight AI after his hero complex. He did a lot of good, a lot of bad, he was the villain to just as many people as he was the hero. He had good intent, but his execution was beyond bad sometimes. Steve can’t confront him on any of that, so he’s left to deal with all the complexities and contradictions and heroics and not-heroics, just like everyone else is after Tony dies.

#anti tony stark #anti tony stans #steve rogers #Anonymous