#literally just fighting with each other in the background while everyone else is doing their thing | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

justice-maul · 8 months

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Hello! I was hoping if you could do a rivalry fanfic about tony stark x dom male reader maybe? Like if Tony gets into a big fight with male reader and (this might sound a bit basic but whatever 😅) he pins him to the wall and they start a messy make out that might turn into smut? And maybe tony tells male reader that he been having odd dreams like this? ( I’ve never really requested before soo heh😀)

«Hateful Lust» Tony Stark x Dom Rival Male Reader

Word Count: 2,432

Author Note: I… I love you guys so much, I’m not a fan of porn without plot I fucking love plot gives it more character

Btw I literally know nothing about the business world so don’t check me on this and remember English isn’t my first language!!

Warning(s)⚠: Bottom Tony, rough hate sex, porn with plot, blowjob, butt plug,

Tony Stark was the most annoying human being you’ve ever known. While Tony had grown up into the business world, you had built your way to the top and Tony and his entitled personality always managed to get on your nerves.

When you met, it was at a simple business meeting between companies, but it was enough to make you dislike the man.

The entire time he wasn’t taking anything seriously, he kept making jokes and annoying quips, and he wasn’t even paying attention most of the time he just kept flirting with every girl he found attractive enough to his standards… so pretty much every girl in the room.

The worst part is that because of his status in the business world, no one could tell him off or saying anything disrespectful to him, but that didn’t stop your comments about his behavior, you didn’t care what he was capable of you always spoke your mind and criticized him when he needed to be

That was what made him dislike you and that’s where te rivalry all began, it started from petty little comments that were disguised behind your professionalism and only escalated to literally cussing each other out each and every time you were in the same room

As usual, you were invited to a Stark party (probably because Pepper usually wrote the invitations) and although you hated going, you knew it was always a good business opportunity so you decided to go ahead to the party and avoid and ignore Tony Stark as much as possible

But of course, Tony always had this way of making sure that everybody in the room noticed him and it always worked managing to piss you off, you huffed and just decided to walk off and go cool down.

Walking into a random room that looked like an unused office as you were looking around and finally feeling somewhat calm, Tony Stark obviously had to ruin that.

“Hey buddy, long time no see!”

He said in a sarcastic tone and closed the office door behind him and walked up to you

“Hi… Tony.”

You said with an exasperated sigh through your nose, clearly trying and not bite his head off

“Aww, what’s the matter hun? Don’t like me much?” He said teasingly making you grit your teeth, “Who would? Other then the girls you sleep with.” You said coldly to him making him roll his eyes while still smiling

“Well at least all those girls have money to spare,”

Now that made you upset, everyone was aware of your background but you never cared cause you were just as wealthy and powerful in the business world as them and they couldn’t say anything to you but for Tony to say it? It just pissed you off

“At least I earned my own money instead having my daddy help me.” You retorted mockingly

“Why is it that I’m able to get under your skin so easily?” He said smiling, he knew exactly what he was doing

“Cause your so goddamn annoying,” you said with a growl in your voice making him smirk in response as he got even cockier

“Why don’t you just admit it? You wanna kiss me.”

“Excuse you? Why the hell would I want to kiss you?” You scowled in disgust and turned to face him waiting for an answer but you could see that he was clearly enjoying this interaction

“Because your secretly in love with me. Why else would you be so mad?” He said trying to push you further, with that smirk still plastered on his face making you rolls your eyes and scoff,

“Oh fuck off Tony, I doubt anyone could genuinely be in love with you if it wasn’t for your money or looks.” You replied coldly

“So you think I’m attractive?” He asked teasingly looking smug as he spoke, moving closer to you and leaning forward “I bet you think about me before bed, don’t you?” He whispered into your ear, putting his hand flat on your chest and slowly dragging it down your body

“I know I do,” he said in a low voice still whispering to you as his hands moved to your belt gently tugging it before moving it further down to your length

“What do you think your doing?” You said grabbing his hand “Oh be real, we both know you wanna sleep with me.” He said pulling his head away grinning, and a part of you knew he wasn’t wrong

Your mind drifted to all those dreams you’ve had of fucking him so rough into the bed so he could finally learn some manners, when he would interrupt meetings and make those snarky comments you wished you could shut him up by making him deep throat your cock slurring and mumbling the words “I’m sorry,” over and over again

As you were thinking Tony’s hand firmly squeezed your softened cock rubbing it from the outside of your dress pants.

“Your thinking about it, aren’t you? I know you are,” He whispered softly near your lips as he watched your expression shift from him stroking your now hardening length

Having had enough of him teasing you, you pushed him up against the wall smashing your lips against his and kissing him, hard.

Tony kissed back, wrapping his arms around you and pressing his body against yours, his length grinding down on yours.

You lifted Tony up by his thighs making him instinctively wrap his legs around your waist as you slipped your tongue in his mouth, the kiss turning sloppy and messy as your arousal increased.

You don’t even know how long you two were making out when Tony pulled away to catch his breath, resting his head against the wall exposing his neck

You gave him no time to rest as you immediately began marking it all over focusing on his pulse points in a way that left him panting, letting out soft breathy moans, his legs started to shake and get slightly weak.

He was completely lost in the moment, wrapping his arms around you for support as his knees weakened at your increasingly aggressive movements. You set him down only for him to button your shirt and kiss down your chest

“I want to taste you,” he whispered, his voice low and sultry to which you responded with a simple nod, With a swift motion, Tony dropped to his knees before you, his eyes locked on your now erect length.

His hands gripped your hips as his tongue flicked out to trace along the length of your shaft his mouth enveloped you, his lips forming a tight seal around your cock as he began to suck and bob his head with a rhythm

His tongue danced along your sensitive skin, his warm breath caressing your most intimate area, sensations intensified and the wet heat of his mouth and the suction of his lips was driving you closer to the edge and eagerly taking you deeper into his mouth

As the waves of pleasure crashed over you, Tony maintained his relentless pace, eager to milk every last drop. He moaned around you, the vibrations sending shockwaves of pleasure through you

feeling the heat pooling inside you burst, you threw your head back as Tony eagerly swallowed, savoring the taste of your essence, sucking and licking to prolong your pleasure until the very last sensation of ecstasy subsided

“Fuck, at least your mouth is good for something when it’s not spitting out absolute filth,” you said in spite making him let out a breathy chuckle as he got back up from his knees “Oh you love it when I’m talking dirty, it’s get you riled up so bad…” he teased rubbing his hands up your chest as he batted the most innocent doe eyes at you

“Oh shut up already,” you said with a groan and pushed him against the wall so his rear end was facing you, he assisted you in removing his pants kicking them off to the side

“Well aren’t you inpatient?” He said cheekily, you dipped your hand down his back and spread his cheeks with your hand, ready to push your fingers in only to find a cold flat surface pressed against his hole, you didn’t even need to look to know exactly what it was

“Seriously Tony?”

He laughed “What? A guy’s gotta be prepared, right?” He said sarcastically and reached his hand around, his fingers gently tracing the edges of the butt plug making you grunt in response as you reached out grabbing the rim and yanked it out in a sudden, rough motion making him let out a startled gasp

His eyes widened a mixture of surprise and pleasure evident on his face “Fuck, I love it when you get all riled up, it’s such a turn-on” he said with a hint of breathlessness evident in his voice and turned around to face you, wrapping his arms around your neck

You lifted him up again like before and pulled Tony down on your cock making his body tense and moan softly, his lips parting in a silent plea for more as his hands moved to grip your shoulders for support and adjusted to your size his body gradually relaxing before he began slowly rocking his hips

You fucked into his sloppy hole, his eyes locked on yours, the desire shining in them as you moved your bodies in sync, each thrust bringing you both closer to a crescendo of pleasure

“Oh come on, at least fuck me like you mean it, don’t tell me your a virgin,” He said cockily even though his body responded eagerly to every thrust, riding the waves of pleasure.

“Says the one clenching around my dick like a needy whore.” You said with malice. The intensity of the moment was only increased by the roughness, the lust, the desire, and the hate between you two creating a powerful intimate bond

Your hands stayed on his ass, using it as leverage to fuck into him further. He arched his back, pressing his ass furthermore against your hands as he moaned

“Is this what you wanted? Is that why you’ve been such a brat?” You could only chuckle as his nails dig into your shoulder and he could barely respond, only throwing his head back “If you could’ve just asked me to put you in your place, I would’ve been happy to give it to you the way I know you’ve thought of,” you whispered in his ear, amplifying your words with deep, sharp, thrusts

He let out a guttural moan and buried his head into the crook of your neck “I’ve been having so many weird dreams about this, about you fucking me just like this…” he admitted, his voice filled with a mix of pleasure and desire which ultimately surprised you but only made you cockier

“Yeah? Is that why you always invite me to these parties that you know I hate? Were you really that desperate for me? Wearing tight fitting clothes all. The. Fucking. Time.” You punctuated every word with a sharp thrust, and he only responded with breathy whimpers into your neck which wasn’t something you’d ever expect from Tony Starj but man did it really boost your fucking ego

You laughed at his reaction and angled your thrusts against his prostate, making sure to hit it roughly and even grind against it which made him let out the throatiest moans you’ve ever heard as you pounded him

He pulled away from your neck to breath but he could barely even catch his breath as you fucked him into an oblivion making his brain fog his thighs trembling around your waist as he did his best to hold on

You, just plain old you, finally defeated the great fucking Tony Stark with your dick, knowing this entire time this is what he wanted, that he’s been dreaming of this, enticing you on purpose, he wanted you to hate him enough to the point where you felt the need to put him in his place, and there was only one more thing for you to do in order to have him completely under your hand

You fucked him purely to chase your release, not caring for his as your hips snapped against his ass relentlessly, making him scream out strings of moans with every sharp thrust before slowing down and finally spilling your load inside his messy puckered hole leaving him an almost adorable drooling mess

You pulled out watching as cum trickled out with your satisfied smile only widening from the look of him completely dazed with drool dripping down down his chin, as much as you hated him and thought he was the most annoying guy in the universe, your not an asshole

You left him on an office chair for a quick second and came back with tissues and water cleaning him up to the best of your abilities and offering him the water until he got back to his normal state and he was able to get back to his own party

“You really fucked my brains out, huh?” He said, still a bit out of it with a dumb smile plastered on his face as you only scoffed and rolled your eyes at him

“Yeah, yeah, this was only a one time thing, your a real pain in my ass Tony,” you said and he only snickered

“A lot of people say that to me, but we both know eventually you’ll come back for more,” you couldn’t say he was wrong per say, after already fucking him once you wanted to do it again and wipe that cocky ass smirk off of his face but you would never admit that to him

“Whatever, see you at work Tony, and not a word about his to anyone.” You said sternly and he made a locking his mouth gesture and throwing away the fake key and you shook your head at his childish behavior and left he called out after you Nanking sure your the only one who heard over the loud music

“Cal me when you want round two, sweetheart!”

You continued walking off but had to admit you couldn’t actually wait until you fucked him again even wait to bf a bit to see him leave the room a minute later and going back to mingling and flirting at his own party, his own cocky-self restored and although you wanted to again, you decided to go back to your own place… for now.

(Lol, sorry I didn’t know how to end this but I hoped you guys enjoyed! Eat, drink some water, and get some rest my lovelies!)

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slafkovskys · 6 months

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All of this start of the season Jack content is making me feel things!!! All I can think about is him and older Norris reader after the ring toss! What does he plan for the date? How does it go? What is everyone in their lives reactions to it? Does she go to Jersey with him? Jess your writing is so immaculate this AU has infiltrated my brain😂🥰

read part one here :)

as she hears his footsteps descending the steps, she thinks about how she wouldn't be doing this for anyone else, especially not on a first date.

her dress and heels were long abandoned in a guest room, instead exchanged for a pair of jack’s sweatpants and a too big t-shirt from her college days she had left at the hughes brothers’ house at some point during her many trips there over the past few weeks. her hair was now pulled away from her face, the fact that she had moved her wash day for the occasion be damned.

“so,” he lets out a big sigh before quite literally falling onto the l-shaped part of the sofa beside her. she’s got her legs tucked underneath her, a wine glass held tight in one hand, and her head resting on another on the back of the couch. the remote is resting on her thigh and all either of them had to do was press play on the third mighty ducks movie (“it’s better than miracle, jack. not even an argument,” and she quickly learned that jack does whatever she wants, so that was an easy debate to have before he retreated to shower) that had been queued on the screen for the past twenty minutes. instead, jack throws an arm lazily over her legs, gives her that stupid grin of his she’s become obsessed with, and nods, “tell me about y/n.”

“you know about y/n,” she states as though it was a fact, which it was. they weren’t strangers to each other in the slightest, having been somewhat background characters in each other’s lives for the last eight years.

“no, i don’t. i know about the y/n whose posts i see on instagram or whatever updates my mom tells me she’s learned from your mom. that doesn’t count,” his index finger traces the outside seam of the pants she was wearing from her calf, to just above her knee, and back, “i want to know about the y/n in front of me.”

“okay then,” she takes a deep breath, swirling her wine around in her glass before taking a sip, “i was born here in michigan, but moved to germany for a little while when my dad was still playing. before you ask me, no, the only german i can remember is my old address and how to tell them i was lost. when we moved back here, i picked up hockey for a couple of years before deciding to leave it to the boys-”

“you played defense, right?” jack interrupts, staring at her with such an interest.

she hums, “why do you think i always win when me and my brothers fight? i had potential, but it really just wasn’t for me.”

“is that so? because i remember a certain tipsy moment a few weeks ago where you said you quit because you didn’t like the colors of the uniform.”

“that may have been a contributing factor, but i was fourteen and very fashion-conscious. you can’t hold that against me,” she rolls her eyes. she catches sight of the wristbands on his arm and she can’t help but to reach down and tug on them as she resumes her story, “anyway, graduated high school, moved to minnesota for college. go gophers-”

“debatable,” he teases.

“got my degree in communications. thought that i met the love of my life in the backyard of a sigma chi frat house, which we both know how that worked out. moved down to florida, got engaged, called off the engagement, and now i’m back living with my parents. i have lived a life, jack hughes,” she sighs as she finishes off her glass. she didn’t miss the way that his face twitched at the mention of derek and how she just barely ghosted over what had happened. due to the movement, his damp hair had fallen over his eyes and she reached out to push it away, “it’s going to take more than one glass of wine and a first date to get into the good stuff.”

“but i already knew all of that,” he huffs, “tell me something that i don’t already know. tell me about something that makes you happy.”

“recently?” she quirks an eyebrow and he hums, “honestly, you.”

and jack’s world comes to a screeching halt. for as long as he had known her, she wasn’t the type to get sentimental, vulnerable, but over the last two months, he felt that he had seen more versions of her than he knew existed. from the first night she was home, to that plane ride to florida to get her things, to watching her toss her engagement ring into the water right outside his house, it wasn’t enough. he wanted, no he needed more of her. he needed to know every single version of her, every single story, every single emotion that she had to offer him.

her eyes find his and he squeezes her knee, a silent ask. he watches as her throat bobs and just as he goes to crane his neck up to meet her, an alarm sounds. that stupid fucking pizza.

after scouring the entire grocery store, they couldn’t find any pre-breaded chicken for chicken parm and neither of them wanted to bother with doing it themselves. so that’s how they found themselves snatching up a premade pizza with a reduced sticker on the front because its sell-by date was that day and even though jack insisted on getting one that was fresher, she only rolled her eyes and insisted it would taste the same. he, of course, let her sit it in the basket along with the thing of cookies she suddenly had a craving for the second she laid eyes on them. the way her face lit up made it worth the extra work he was going to have to put in later.

despite the insistent beeping from the stove timer, neither of them dared to make a move to go and pull the pizza from the oven. she blinks, “we should probably go and check on it…”

“i think that it can wait for a couple of minutes,” and yeah, it definitely could, because jack was leaning in and so was she. the second their lips meet it’s like nothing either of them had felt before. the build-up, the tension between the two of them over the summer was worth it as they melted into the kiss.

jack’s hand grips onto her thigh while her hand cradles his cheek. it was easy to get lost in each other, lips moving against one another’s like they’d been doing this forever. only when the need for air becomes too great do they pull away panting, still holding onto each other like either would disappear at any given second.

“we really should go check on the pizza,” she insists, swearing she can smell the cheese starting to burn.

he frowns, “can we do more of that later?”

“if you hurry back, you don’t have to wait that long,” she incentivizes and jack is all but scrambling towards the kitchen with the sounds of her laughter following behind him.

yeah, this was definitely something they could get used to.

(they never did hit play on the movie and the pizza didn’t burn, but it didn’t get eaten either. they were too lost in each other to even bother slicing through the crispy dough as it grew colder and colder on the countertop. oh well.)

#jack hughes #concepts #jackxnorris!sister

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decarbry · 1 year

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hey,, what’s up friends, I bring you... a literal summary of the Yabureme story up until around war arc events. obviously this is spoilery so if you don’t want to know what happens until the relevant comic pages come out don’t expand the post! this is just for people who don’t mind spoilers. also keep in mind that this is a summary so I kind of just. word-vomited. it’s... weird? short and sweet but not in some places. a literal mess. I put 0 effort into writing good and some sections are more wordy than others because I've thought them through for longer and have them more solidified. also things are subject to CHANGE between this and the actual comic pages so read with a grain of salt. the major events are probably gonna remain the same though. things might get inserted or removed. idk. also it’s LONG I’m so sorry. enj... oy ?? ?

Aizawa has been taken. Midnight and Nezu attempt to comfort Mic; there are no leads, but the faculty have already started working schedules out to help search, which reassures him. Though he is desperate to join the search, Nezu refuses to give his blessings until he knows Mic won’t act rashly. Mic hosts the Sports Fest in an attempt to ground himself and find unity with the students.

Hidden away, Garaki has begun his work on Aizawa. The injuries are bad; though Garaki is an accomplished and varied medical professional, he can’t do what Recovery Girl can, so Aizawa is merely stabilized and the bio-engineering in later dev stages will be relied on to do the heavy lifting. Aizawa suffers 2 days and nights of infusions (one for each new quirk) and barely powers through an intense fever on the last night. The capsule is the final and longest stage to allow the quirks to take hold and the body to heal. All for One is a regular voice in the background during the entire process, though those visits stop after an incident in the capsule in which Erasure activated for a solid ten seconds and strikes everyone in the room before going inert again.

Time passes with no news. Mic is becoming frustrated and less willing to listen to reason. Classes 1-A and 1-B attend their summer camp with Vlad and various other heroes that have substituted since Aizawa’s absence. Bakugou is kidnapped by the League in an attempt to recruit. Though the topic is raised, Shigaraki refuses to do more than tease Bakugou about his missing teacher, as well as use him as a bargaining chip. We still have yet to see him since his abduction. The mission to rescue Bakugou begins.

All Might engages in combat with AFO at Kamino. His weakened form is exposed to the world and he musters up his strength for the last strike. Instead, OFA fails, and all heroes present immediately know why. Edge Shot rushes to interrupt Erasure while Endeavor attempts to reach All Might. Neither get there in time and All Might takes a blow straight through his chest. Endeavor takes over the fight against a wounded AFO and Edge Shot engages in battle with Yabureme. Edge Shot is killed and Endeavor manages to subdue AFO.

Hours after the battle ends, Kurogiri searches for Yabureme, who has not reappeared as he was meant to. He finds Yabureme badly injured and hiding after his fight with Edge Shot and warps him back to where the League has taken up to recover. Shigaraki only knew that AFO had plans for Aizawa, not that Yabureme was to be a gift for him, but Kurogiri informs him of this. Shigaraki is unimpressed considering Yabureme’s wounds after only a single fight, but he’s going through some stuff, so he has license to be a bratty child for a night. Once Kurogiri hears from Garaki, he takes Yabureme to be patched up. Later he’s returned to the League, who as a whole are unsure about what to do next now that AFO is captured.

While everyone else is appalled to hear rumors that the supposed-missing Eraser Head was present at Kamino and had a hand in assisting the villains, Mic suddenly has a new fire lit under him. He breaks away from UA and strikes out on his own, against the pleas of friends such as Midnight. He manages to track the League’s movements after much work and finally sees Yabureme for the first time… but is unable to reach or speak to him as his quirk is erased during their escape.

Class 1-A witnessed Mic depart and, with the help of other pros, manage to convince Mic to let them help in catching Yabureme. He is very resistant to putting them in danger but relents with the alliance of Midnight and Gran Torino. During a previous sighting it was noted that Yabureme’s movements slowed and stiffened the more eyes were open on his body, so a plan is hatched to surround Yabureme with as many enemy quirks as possible in order to stun him.

Yabureme is located. He’s alone, which is odd, but not wanting to miss their chance, the operation is launched. Surrounded by what he believes are hostile enemies, Yabureme opens enough eyes to erase the quirks of every student, stunning himself. A short battle ensues; Kaminari is injured but proves instrumental in the discovery of a weakness in the Nomu: that an electrical current will force all of his eyes to close and subsequentially interrupt Erasure. Mic, Gran Torino, Midnight, and Class 1-A succeed in capturing Yabureme.

Too much of a threat for any normal prison containment, Yabureme is taken to Tartarus. They learn: about the nature of his engineering, that exhaustion has nearly killed him, that unlike every other Nomu contained so far he is not a corpse, and that three quirk factors were combined to create Yabureme. Erasure and Dupli-arms (or related) are confirmed, but the third is still being investigated. Because the third quirk is still unknown, containment is at a risk and a shock collar is placed to help mitigate any attempts at escape. The students are brought in to speak to him after everyone else, including Mic and Midnight, fail to get any response out of Yabureme. Unfortunately, the students are also unable to get through to him. Their failed efforts leave them dejected. Yabureme doesn’t speak a word the entire time he is inside Tartarus.

After a few days, the third quirk is activated by an unknown trigger. Yabureme and AFO escape Tartarus with the help of Kurogiri— the timing of the pieces prove that this was orchestrated from the beginning.

In the wake of the escape, Mic is told in secrecy that Yabureme has not removed the shock collar, probably because of its failsafes. It’s been tracked, and his location is known— a new operation is underway to recapture him. Mic rushes to get there first, finding Yabureme in solitude at an abandoned building, having split ways from the League temporarily to avoid getting them tracked while he tries to find a way to remove the collar himself. Mic and Yabureme have a tender moment, or so Mic thinks… but Yabureme slyly uses Mic’s obvious obsession with him to get the hero to take the collar off. Mic falls for it and Yabureme flees.

Though it seemed to be just manipulation, this kind interaction has left the first shred of uncertainty in Yabureme. He returns to the League and resumes his role in protecting Shigaraki and the others. A long period ensues where the League and the heroes play cat and mouse, Mic returning to society in order to accept help from friends and family rather than trying to go it alone as he had before.

Day after day, Yabureme’s doubts deepen as small things burrow into his mind: things like a song on the radio, a familiar black cat, names that he’s heard before. He can’t shake the face of the hero that spoke to him gently and had something warm in his eyes. He meets Eri, but seems to be merely a moment of warmth in her life before departing. Time passes.

The League grows frustrated with Mic, considering his constant interference as troublesome and annoying. Dabi sets a trap for Mic and attempts to kill him. Without any understanding of why, Yabureme takes the worst of the trap himself. He drags an unconscious Mic away from the inferno before collapsing with horrific burns across the right side of his body. Mic wakes in time to feel Yabureme’s heart stop, and in his anguish accidentally causes it to start again with the impact of Voice against the Nomu’s chest.

Mic manages to smuggle Yabureme to a hiding spot, containing him with the only thing available: simple metal handcuffs. Recovery Girl answers his call to the secluded site warily, unhappy that she is asked to keep such a dangerous secret. She stabilizes Yabureme and begins healing some of the burns, but considering his physical deterioration and exhaustion, can’t do much in one sitting.

When the Nomu wakes, Mic and Yabureme have their first real conversation, speaking mostly about the latter and how he’s feeling, what he’s thinking, and why Dabi, his supposed ally, would harm him so badly. He also points out that Yabureme could get out of the cuffs easily, and yet, for some reason, hasn’t.

On the second day, Recovery Girl returns, but so does a second guest: All Might. He is partially wheelchair-bound, the apparent repercussions of the wounds he took at Kamino. He expresses his unhappiness with this situation: Yabureme needs to be properly contained, not hooked to a chainlink fence with fragile metal handcuffs. Mic wants his blessing but plans to keep Yabureme here at least for a short while, highlighting the fact that he’s behaving more openly now than he ever did while in Tartarus. They notice Yabureme watching them and All Might speaks to the Nomu alone. He and Recovery Girl have agreed to give Mic a few days with Yabureme until his burns have been treated, but that he will be returned to Tartarus after that— and now that the third quirk is known, escape will not be possible a second time. He shares some belief that Mic is right that there is hope for Yabureme and that if anyone deserved a path back to normal, it was Shouta Aizawa. He urges the Nomu to try his hardest to remember anything he can.

In the ensuing days, Mic spends time conversing with Yabureme. Unlike the catatonic state he was in while at Tartarus, Yabureme is nervously conversational, answering questions and asking them on his own. He admits his confusion and doubts to Mic, and Mic learns that the whole reason Yabureme was unresponsive while at Tartarus was because of the lights and the intense head pain they cause, utterly decimating his senses and thoughts. He wasn’t shutting down because of his programming or a need to be disobedient— he simply could not function in those conditions.

The morning of the intake comes. Tsukauchi and numerous officers arrive to take Yabureme into custody. Mic attempts to keep everything smooth, warning Yabureme about their arrival and making sure that there aren’t too many men appearing at once. Yabureme nearly panics anyway at the sight of firearms, but is calmed when Mic holds his hands and gives encouragement. Yabureme is taken into custody without a struggle, though he shuts down when he’s led away from Mic.

Mic apologizes to Tsukauchi for hiding Yabureme, but is forgiven considering the relative ease of the capture. The detective promises to keep Mic with Yabureme as much as possible this time around, since his presence clearly helps. He also acknowledges Mic’s request for accommodating Yabureme’s aversion to the bright lights of the prison, especially with the confidence that it might help with getting information out of the Nomu. Yabureme’s shutdown reverses some when Mic reappears in the police transport to travel with him to Tartarus.

Yabureme and Mic arrive at Tartarus and the Nomu is immediately assaulted by the lights. He’s given relief in the form of a sedative. His wounds are checked over while he’s out: it’s discovered that his right eye took far too much damage from Dabi’s flames and must be removed before the dead material causes an infection, shock, or worse. The majority of the burn scars will be permanent because of the lack of proper immediate care in a supplied burn ward. Aside from a handful of new scars and wear and tear, nothing else is noted.

Yabureme startles awake, finding himself in a Tartarus cell with Mic at his bedside. The lights are dimmed rather than blindingly bright. Mic gives him the rundown of what happened, and proudly tells him that the hardest part, getting to the start line of his recovery, was over. He is questioned for the first time the day after waking, and though he is much more responsive to interrogation compared to his last stint in Tartarus, Yabureme still shies away from answering questions that would cause the League a disadvantage… though he is clearly conflicted.

So begins Yabureme’s long road back to someone he didn’t know he used to be. Mic becomes the only foothold of stability Yabureme has, finding that his physical reassurances such as hugs and hand-holding are intensely grounding. The second time he is questioned, he holds Mic’s encouragement in his mind, and manages to talk shortly about some of the Leagues’ hideouts.

He still has doubts about all of this Shouta Aizawa stuff, but Mic works him through stories of his past gently and at a slow pace. The first bit of information that helps Yabureme see that the possibility exists of a connection between himself and this other person is a story Mic tells about Aizawa feeding cats on the street; Yabureme shyly, but excitedly, admits that he does that a lot too. After this, things begin to come more swiftly. Mic brings him his wedding ring, and Yabureme asks to hold Mic’s as well, and remembers the sensation of them clicking against one another in his hand.

With Mic’s help, and the help of a therapist that meets with him daily, more and more begins to come back. Even memories he reclaims are left blurry and dull, but once the flood gate opens, it doesn’t close, and Yabureme’s progress quickens the harder he works. When his memories begin to focus on Class 1-A, he asks to see them. Plenty is still missing, but he apologizes for the things he did to them, focusing on Kaminari and the wounds inflicted during his first capture. He wants to work for their forgiveness, but doesn’t expect it. Midoriya mentions that he seems a lot more like his old self, which fills Yabureme with a hidden relief and encouragement.

Time passes. Yabureme continues to work hard at getting back to himself, and the image of Shouta Aizawa gets more clear by the day. His old mannerisms begin returning in small amounts: rolling his eyes at stupid things Mic says, muttering about things that annoy him. When he gets a surprise visitor, both Mic and Yabureme are surprised to find Kaminari requesting advice for a hitch in his hero training. As Yabureme converses with Kaminari in an observation room, Mic and Tsukauchi watch, and both are amazed to see the clearest image of Aizawa they’ve seen since before his abduction. Mic takes the opportunity to ask about a road that leads outside of Tartarus and, though Tsukauchi doesn’t shut it down, he admits there are many concerns— specifically regarding hidden triggers that might still exist inside Yabureme’s mind. An idea is floated: bring someone in with a voice-copying quirk, and see what happens when Yabureme is faced with orders from Shigaraki or All for One.

Yabureme (Aizawa? Yabuzawa by this point?) agrees to the experiment, though he is clearly discomforted by the idea, unsure of how he mind be effected. The experiment begins. Yabuzawa is secured heavily just in case, but he is clearly determined, if nervous. The voice-copying quirk speaks in Shigaraki’s voice first, ordering him to turn his head to one side. Yabuzawa doesn’t seem to have a problem disobeying, but when the speaker doubles down and becomes hostile about his refusing to obey an order, Yabuzawa spirals and has a panic attack. All for One’s voice cuts in with an order that is obeyed immediately, and Mic is only able to snap him out of it with a slap to the face. The results are clear: Shigaraki’s orders can be ignored with enough work, but AFO’s orders seem unquestionable. Yabuzawa is frustrated by his own perceived failure in the experiment, understandably upset that despite all of the progress he’s made, they still hold some power over him.

Time passes. Yabuzawa improves with his response to Shigaraki’s voice, though still shaken after being faced with it, can do so without panicking. AFO’s orders seem unbreakable. Mic once again breaks the topic of getting him out of Tartarus, and after some debate, it’s agreed that the UA students and the hero efforts (and Yabuzawa himself) would benefit more with Aizawa back in the world. By this time the unknown of the League and AFO and the PLA have long been poisoning society’s trust in heroes; Erasure can’t be hidden away in a bunker with tensions growing by the day.

Mic is permitted to confine him to their apartment under police guard for increasingly longer periods of time, regular check-ins and evaluations, and lots of rules. Yabuzawa isn’t permitted to be alone with anyone aside from Mic, and when outside of the building must cover his neck, arms, and hands. Finally, the shock collar is back as a last resort. If you read this whole thing you’re a certified #1 Yabureme fan sorry I don’t make the rules

#boku no hero academia #my hero academia #Yabureme Spoilers #Yabureme Aizawa AU #text post #I mostly just wanted to put this out there so people who wanted to dig further into the au could do so #and maybe widen your questions a bit if you felt like it #since there's a LOT more here we haven't touched at all hehe #but a lot of this I want to do in comic form. like the actual comic form I did the first chapter in #but some of it especially filling in the holes would be great for little side content comics #also I just want to put it out there that the canon timeline doesn't work with this au #so I'm making the executive decision to stretch it out a lot more #instead of the war starting at the end of the first school year #it starts way after that #ok? ok #it was already a pain in the ass trying to figure out the nomu dev timeline to fit with what I wanted to do in Kamino #I hate timeline shit HAHA #heck tbh I don't even know if there is still a war arc anymore #AFO has erasure now and it fucks everything up #anyways just pretend that that stuff doesn't matter right now #I'll get to it eventually #just focus on the erasermic. erasermic. erasermic. xoxoxo

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cmyk-anaglyph-honeycomb · 3 months

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Hazbin Hotel Episode 3 & 4 Opinions and Story logic (mostly)

(ignore any typos, it's 3 min til midnight and I have a con in the morning and was at one all day, i'm not reading through this)

(Episode 3: Scrambled Eggs)

It’s weird to me that Vaggie wants to get rid of the egg bois cuz like??? Are they not also sinners that need redemption? Don’t they need to be saved too? The problem was that they kept building weapons that Sir Pen told them to make. They just needed something else to do, like idk, act as staff for the hotel. They can build, so maybe they can fix the hotel up a bit more.

I get it was just so one of them could spy for Alastor, but like, just have one follow him randomly. That isn’t out of character considering the eggs don’t have one.

It doesn’t make sense to me that Vaggie is so broken up by not getting the hotel guess to bond with each other. I get that she feel like she’s failing Charlie, but like, Charlie has accomplished literally nothing up at this point.

Yeah, so far there’s only 4 episodes, and the most Charlies done in all of them is get the exterminations moved up to every six mouths and fuck over Angel majorly ( I'm soft-balling that right now).

Like she signs a random paper without reading it, which, like girl, you are the daughter of the devil, there is now way she doesn’t know about the importance of contracts. Not only that it absolute FUCKS OVER everyone in hell. And it’s just brushed off??? Like no?

The exterminations is a big deal to all sinners, no matter the rank. Even if no one else knows what she did, Charlie should be more effected by this. The contract thing should have happened mid season or at the end, with her becoming more frantic to prove that her idea work so she can save sinners. But instead its treated like an oopies and she does trust falls and bond activities as if that’s going to make anyone a better person. Them liking each other doesn’t redeem them of anything.

*episode 3…im talking about that…*

Its my favorite so far. I like Zestail, Carmillia, Velvette and that dino lady are my favorite characters. Genuinely surprised I haven’t heard more about Respectless because it is my favorite song. (But it did come out next of ep 4, so it make sense.)

I hope Carmillia’s daughters are adopted or where her kids in life cuz the idea that the sinners can have kids are stuck in hell like the imps is messed up.

I’m glad Velvette gets development in this episode. I was worried that she’d just be the woman (tm) character of the Vees and be pushed to the side, so I was happy to see her upfront so soon. She’s now my favorite of the three, sorry Vox. I also like that her hair style keeps changing, that’s a nice touch for the fashion oriented one of the Vees.

The hotel gang going to the bondage…idk what to call it..Club felt like a waste of time. It was there for a joke and that’s it. Then Vaggie takes them to a city war zone and throws Pen and Angel off the building while Husk sneaks away.

Admittedly Husk sneaking off was funny to me, but like why would Vaggie think this would make them trust each other. Angel has a mafia background and family. Best bet he’s had to get into a few fights with them, and if I’m remembering lore correctly, he hates most to all of his family but okay.

At this point I’m genuinely curious how this show is going to develop Charlie’s redemption plan, because everything we’ve shown them try has failed and been show to clearly leading to fail. I have a feeling that he show isn’t going to have an ending, its just going to end. Like, nothing regarding the redemption plot line had made a single step forward. There’s just one more of them not, that’s it.

The second song doesn’t feel earned from Vaggie’s side.

Conclusion: This one is the best so far. It being mostly away from the main cast is not a good sign but it’s only number 3.

(Episode 4: Masquerade)

*gestures to that hot fucking mess* I’m not touching most of it. If you’re reading this them you’ve probably seen better points than I can provide. So I’m just going working on the logic within the story.

Personally, I think the visuals are a little too much, and I can understand where it goes way to far for a lot of people. I’d like to note that while Helluva Boss has a working screen on every single episode this has jack shit which was a huge fuck up in my opinion. I don’t care what the shows rating is, adult content and sensitive content are two different things and need to be treated as such.

Any media that handles SA, SH or abuse needs a huge label like those FBI no pirating screens from back in the day. I am not joking.

*shit I toughed it moving back a bit*

Okay, so why did Charlie goes to Angel’s job KNOWING he was in the middle of working. Like she knows he makes porn. The episode starts with the hotel gang watching one and her being visible uncomfortable. Why would she go there? And not like, wait outside or something? (she was uncomfortable at the bondage place why wouldn’t that be any different here?)

Charlie not picking up how upset Angel was that she showed up to his job THE FIRST time is child levels of ignorance. Even without the seriousness of what was really happening, that was infuriating to watch. I get that she’s supposed to have rose tinted glasses but those things are opaque. By this point all of her ‘accomplishments’ have been fucking people over majorly. She is a hindrance to those around her and it is hard to watch.

*skirting around the trash fire a little bit more.*

( I’m not trying to make a joke about this but like, I don’t know how to express how fucking yikes this episode is. Like it’s such an uncomfortable topic and it’s fumbled so hard. And then for Viz to turn around and argue about it on twitter and shit, like come on.)

Husk and Angel arguing doesn’t make sense to me. Husk says doesn’t like Angel cuz he’s fake, ignoring that it’ coping, shouldn’t Husk’s reasoning that Angel makes him uncomfortable. He is clearly shown being bothered by Angel’s aggressive flirty and sex talk. Him being ‘fake’ comes out of nowhere. As does them fighting.

Three minutes in, Angel gets pissed at Husk dismissing his porno. Flirts with him when Husk reveals he knows about the other hotel gangs’ insecurities and secrets. Then gets pissy again when Husk does the same to him. If Angel is short with Husk this episode because of Val, then let that be that, but the back and forth is jarring.

Charlie being the one to go after Angel an comfort him would have been the one good thing she could have done in the show cuz to be honest she as done nothing but ruin things for everyone at this point.

The loser song happening IMMEDIATELY after Angel’s emotional moment is a gut punch. Like WTF. I could not imagine being on the production team, seeing this shit and not saying something. Like there’s not scene cut to Charlie writing those (pointless) letters, her talking to Vaggie about how she messed up, nothing.

Angel has his break down and Husk seconds later is singing about how shit sucks and he’s a loser. Without the context, that’s bad. With the context, it’s horrific.

Husk had/has a gambling addiction. Not to downplay that or invalidate anyone who has/is going through that but it is not the same as SA. Especially as Husk isn’t going through his problems right now while Angel had to go through it…what an hour before, two maybe. For a prolong period of time and has to go back to that.

Husk is talking about his problem in the past tense. Besides the Alastor thing, it’s behind him. Angel’s problem is in the present and future. And that’s not taking into account the guy at the bar who was going to drug him. Who Angel was going to let drug him.

I could not imagine being on the production team, seeing the script for this and not immediately being like, no. This show is making miss Helluva Boss I am not joking.

Positives: The song Poison is good. Just listen to the audio and nothing else and its great. Val’s coat being moth wings was neat to see (especially if you ignore everything that happiness before and after that one still shot). I like Valentino’s design. I’ve no people have a problem with his voice, but personally I don’t mind it.

Conclusion: I have mixed feeling on the aftermath of the episode. Acting like the problem is solved and not addressing it won’t treat the SA plot-line with the seriousness it deserves. On the other hand, I do not want to the show to touch anything like this again. If it just leaves it here, then at least its only the one episode instead of more.

Ignoring Viz’s response to criticism over this, the executives and people with money have likely seen this shit blow up, and if anything, might not be willing to let the show go near something like this again. Which, in my opinion, is the best option. I do not trust this show to do it well, so it might as well not do it at all.

I am going to keep watching, cuz, like Helluva Boss, I want to see how this turns out. I don’t have hope for the show, but I am curious.

Overall, I hope ep 4 will be a good example of what not to do for any media hoping to cover SA in one way or another.

If anyone want to talk with me about the show send me a message and tumblr mobile and social anxiety willing, I'll be able to get back to you.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel critical #one of mine #2 cents

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lover-of-whatever · 5 months

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Fandom AUs do tend to lean towards not engaging with the material so much as treating it as a mere prompt to slap any aesthetic on. Swap AUs have become infamous for changing characters into something completely unrecognizable, but I don't think the Au is an inherently bad idea. I think Swap Au's are at their best when the two characters in question are already narrative foils and come from similar backgrounds/can easily be put in the same situation as the other.

My favorite example is kinda cheating because there is kinda basis in canon for it, but it's from one of Don't Starve Together's skin sets, called The Triumphant. The context for it is that upon being placed on the throne that controls the world of DS, you become a pawn for "Them" and they warp you into a worse version of yourself. But it's okay, you get a cool goth outfit and magic powers. Every character gets a super evil version of themselves, all but Maxwell. Maxwell as a playable character had already spent years as an evil pawn, before that he was the timid and dweebish William Carter. His time hanging out with/being used by some weird shadow shit straight up had him take on a new identity. Default Maxwell is already "Triumphant", so in order to have a skin in the set he is instead reverted back to William and literally dubbed "The Untriumphant". This is literally a Swap AU but instead of two people it's Maxwell swapping with everyone else out to kill him lmao. That in of itself is hilarious and more Swap Aus should do that actually, but that's not the example I'm going for.

Wilson is the kinda protagonist of the series, poster boy is more accurate, but he has the most involvement in the narrative for a playable character. As a result the official narrative of the game is that it was Wilson at the end of the first game that freed Maxwell from his throne and took his place. While their roles as protag and antag are loose, esp since Max is no longer the main antagonist but another guy just a part of the ensemble, they were written to have reasons to hate each outside of circumstance. While neither would admit it, they are very alike. Both are stubborn and insist on being gentlemanly, but are ultimately just massive dorks. Maxwell more the former and Wilson the latter, but Max is still subject to the butt of jokes by the rest of the cast and Wilson is literally called "The Gentleman Scientist". Both had ambitions in their respective fields but sucked at them, and when in a moment of desperation They took advantage of their desire's and offered them a trade. Max/William practices magic and Wilson science, and each insist that their. Methods let's call them is superior to the other. Their fighting is ultimately pointless, the world they live in is capable of both. They may be able to come to an agreement if they were to admit they both really wanted the same thing, knowledge. Knowledge is what drives the game; you may die and no longer have the tools of the previous sessions, but you have your memory. You can learn from your mistakes and get progress. Wilson isn't GREAT at science, but the mc/posterboy/protag is a scientist for a reason, he's as curious as the player is.

The main difference between the two is that William didn't get full understanding, his magic in the real world was all just a performance using something he didn't fully understand. He literally faked it so hard he became his persona. The extent that Wilson understands his knowledge isn't clear, but in his circumstance he has to use that to survive an environment out to kill him. When Maxwell is freed and has to live in that same environment, he does the same.

How much of Maxwell is William and how much is the result of Them? The extent of Them's influence isn't clear, but what is clear is that Maxwell would not have come into existence without Them. Every cast member has the potential to become Triumphant, not just from the potential to do evil in everyone but because They would enable that evil. Wilson's Triumphant skin is even a bloody three piece suit like Max's for Pete's sake. Wilson literally would of looked like Maxwell after taking his place. To swap the two would be to explore the worst aspects of Wilson, and William as his own character with less Them influence. What about their dynamic changes now Wilson is the one with more power? How then would they view each other? Would they still have that iconic slap fight gif or is William nicer/weaker than that?

I think it's neat :)

#dst #anaylsis #hi

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smash-64 · 1 year

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2022 Game of the Year Countdown 2. Panel de Pon Intelligent Systems Super Famicom, 1995

Yeah! FAIRIES!

In early January, @studentofthors said she wanted to try this game. I’m not into puzzle games, but I said I’d give it a shot. Between being completely lost and being stomped into the dust, I somehow developed a love for everything this game offers. Gorgeous visuals, overflowing charm, bright colors, funky bass guitar, and a depth to gameplay that far outreaches my humble skills. Panel de Pon is the greatest puzzle game I’ve ever played, and nothing else even registers on the scale.

Let’s start with the visuals. This game is so gorgeous, it’s hard to believe it’s a Super Famicom game. It has highly detailed and animated sprites, each one distinct from the others and displaying each fairy’s personality with the many reactions during games. The backgrounds are also gorgeous, and I just cannot understand why new Puzzle League games have removed this sort of thing. Just look at them!

Everything about this game is charming and upbeat. Positivity is kind of my thing, so seeing a character like Lip is really fun for me. And all of the fairies have detailed and colorful backgrounds.

Even the bad guys have a sort of charm to them. Thanatos is supposed to be scary, but some of his sprites are just ridiculous.

I cannot get enough of the music from this game. Neris’ theme is calm and relaxing, with a really funky slap bass beat when the panic theme kicks in. Flare’s theme is probably the most invigorating tune. Ruby has a great theme, too. And Walking on a Rainbow is one of my all-time favorite credits tunes. It’s just so calming and reassuring.

So, as everyone likes to point out, this game came West as Tetris Attack, rebranded as a Yoshi game. There was an N64 sequel planned, which ended up being rebranded as Pokemon Puzzle League, and while it did eventually get released on a Japan-only puzzle collection for GameCube, it seems like the developers had only one goal in mind for the series: remove ALL charm from sequels. No fairies anymore for Puzzle League games. This is supremely sad for me and honestly kills all desire for me to play the newer versions. I do like the actual puzzle gameplay, but the rest of the game was what really enticed me to begin with.

I cannot even begin to describe the gameplay to this game because it is so deep and complex. However, the basic concept is so simple, you can grasp the goal of the game in mere seconds. Yet, even after a year of playing this game, I’m probably considered barely even intermediate level. Watching tournament finals absolutely blows me away every single time. I’d lose to these people in literally 10 seconds. It’s absurd.

The VS mode is probably where the most fun can be found, as you can do the story mode against CPU opponents, or fight your friends. But there is an endless mode where you can go for a high score, and there is also a 1P puzzle mode where you are given a puzzle and must solve it within a certain amount of moves. There are an astounding 120 levels to this 1P puzzle mode. This game is 27 years old. I love it.

With the addition of this game to the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, you can play it online against anyone in the world. This was how I initially tried the game out, and it’s probably the best thing that ever happened to Panel de Pon. So many people are discovering the game this way, and are able to play against other people online. I even ordered a physical copy from Japan and swapped the board for a donor cart to be able to play it on my SNES. I brought it into work and we’re currently working on an interdepartmental tournament on break time!

In the past year, I have gotten no fewer than seven people hooked on this game. I guess it’s similar enough to Candy Crush that people took to it quickly, but then stuck with it because it was more interesting and deeper. Take a break from your normal game rotation and check out something different.

#panel de pon #super famicom #sfc #puzzle league #tetris attack #nintendo #intelligent systems #game of the year #2022 #countdown

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a-scary-lack-of-common-sense · 1 year

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[busts out of the ground]

I'M NOT DEAD @jbeetle814 @hattedhellspawn I'M SO SORRY I ABANDONNED YOU GUYS INSIDE MY INBOX FOR A YEAR

I'll tell you everything with pleasure!

Buckle up because this might be a long ride :)

So, let's first establish the basic context of this whole AU; such as background info on what in the actual fresh hell is going on here.

First things first: this AU just kind of co-exists on the sidelines of canon tf2 with its own separate story happening while the OG mercs are off following canon at the same time in New Mexico and stuff. So technically, they both are in the same universe, just, from entirely different perspectives. I guess we can’t even call this an AU at this point but shhhh, we like having fun here.

Okay, so now that we’re clear with that let’s hop onto the actual story of ✨️ ze switcheroo mercs✨️:

BASICALLY, the 'mercs are actually all clones' theory is very much a real thing in my world. Except that the canon RED mercs are the “original mercs”, and literally everybody else are just clones.

Multiple cloned teams of the "original mercs" are scattered worldwide, and the job switcheroo mercs are one of them! Every single cloned teams are controlled by the one and only, you guessed it: Administrator. RED and BLU basically run a massive international chain company at this point, but like, with clones that fight each other to death.

The job switched mercs are one of the few cloned teams that have the least physical differences from the OGs they are supposed to doppelgang, which is surprisingly rarer than you’d expect. Ironically enough, clones rarely ever look exactly the same as the "originals" because of gene mutations (don't trust me on this, I'm not a science person at all), and more often than not a clone is going to pop out blond instead of brunette- or tall instead of short.

PERSONALITY HOWEVER, is a whole different story. My version of clones are "born" with a blank slate for a mind, with only the bare necessary knowledge for, ya know, living (i.e. how to eat, how to speak, how to do their job, yada yada you get the gist). All memories and pasts of the "originals" are wiped clean and you've got yourself a fancy new clone, yayyy.

So because of the obvious lack of everything inside the clones' minds, clones often don't have the same personality as the "originals", and sometimes even differ completely. It's up for them to build experience and form their own identity (as long as they don't end up revolting against Admin or anything, but that's never happened before so it should be okay).

The job switcheroo mercs have been stationed at a base in bumfuck nowhere (think of any country to slap em onto) with another cloned BLU team for approximately 3 2 years now; and all members of each team have formed their own entirely unique identities by now, and guess what that means! They're starting to have thoughts!

In the beginning, no one really cared about the jobs they were assigned with as a clone, but as the years grew they started thinking: “Hey, how about no [breaks the social norms]”. Everyone eventually realized that no one was happy with the jobs they were initially given, so they said fuck you to the system and started passing around their classes like a hot potato to see what sticks. By the end of this whole ordeal, everyone had tried everyone else’s job at least once before they eventually found the one they were satisfied with. TADA, ✨️the job switcheroo mercs were born✨️

Admin didn’t really care about this whole thing because 1) they're technically still doing what they're supposed to be doing, just with different jobs now and 2) she had other, bigger things to worry about, and the most emotion this mini revolt drew from her was: “ew, Miss Pauling, they’re starting to have opinions”

So far the team consists of:

Sniper as Soldier

Scout as Medic

Medic as Engineer

Spy as Demoman

Soldier as Spy

Demoman as Sniper

Heavy as Pyro

Engineer as Heavy

Pyro as Scout

ANYWAYS that’s all I got for now so if u got anymore questions feel free to ask

(Friendly reminder that this AU is a joke that I got way too invested in, and these job switches were made completely on random. AND ALSO literally nothing about this makes sense so let's just fuck around and find out at this point)

#I AM SO SORRY FOR THE EXTREMELY LATE ASKS- THESE ARE LIKE A YEAR OLD OR SMTH #I GIVE YOU ALL 1 FREE PASS TO COME TELL ME OFF IN MY INBOX- I DESERVE IT #also btw- do you guys want me to like- @ you when i answer your asks just to let you know or smth??#tf2 #team fortress two #asks #job switcheroo au #tf2 au #tf2 ocs #world building #job switch mercs #job switcheroo #silly chatters

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ticklystuff · 1 year

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Heeeeello! This is not my team, but could I request hmmm Wanderer, Albedo, Xiao and Aether if that's not too troublesome? ^^

send your genshin team!

omg it's aether and his harem hehehe thanks for the ask and hope you enjoy!

who’s the most ticklish character

This one's really hard because they're all ticklish babies, but I'm going go with Scara because I think it'd be really funny if the biggest ler of the group is also the most sensitive one and he has a love/hate relationship with it because being the most sensitive means he gets tickled a lot and gives him that attention he needs but also he's constantly teased for it

who’s the character that most people would assume isn't ticklish, but actually is

Changed this question because all genshin characters are ticklish i know this because i'm literally mihoyo's ceo Scara because he's a literal puppet but he has nerve endings like the rest of us hehehe Also Xiao because he tends to want nothing to do with tickling and is just standoffish at a glance, so people just assume that he isn't. If someone asks him, he'll kinda just brush it off, but he won't try to sway their opinion one way or the other. Ironically, Scara is the mouthiest about trying to convince people he's not ticklish, which just leads them to believe otherwise

who’s the character that everyone gangs up on and tickles

Xiao! When he notices Scara tickling Aether, he'll try and sneak out of the room unnoticed, only to be stopped by Albedo at the doorway. It doesn't help that his body freezes up when he's tickled (he's like a possum that plays dead except he's laughing so it doesn't work lmao) Okay lksadjfklsad like imagine Albedo cornering Xiao while Scara and Aether are busy tickle fighting and Albedo is just lightly circling his thumbs up Xiao's sides and almost gets to his underarms but not quite because Xiao will shriek if he does and Xiao is heavy breathing and trying to control his giggles because he knows that if he's too loud then Aether and Scara will hear him and come over and start tickling him too and he's not sure he can handle three lers at once and Albedo knows this very well and looks at Xiao all smug and he leans down and whispers something like "be careful... not too loud or they might just notice you" and every time Albedo's thumbs traverse up his sides they get just the tiniest bit closer each time and Xiao has to screw his eyes shut to focus on not going into full-blown laughter and it doesn't help that he can hear Aether and Scara's own laughter in the background because it makes him wanna laugh too

who’s the character that somehow knows everyone else’s tickle spots and reveals them to others

Aether because they're all his boyfriends and he knows and loves them very well! This is a double-edged sword though because if one of them wants to know another's tickle spots, they just have to tickle it out of Aether. Also, since they're all his boyfriends, it means they all know and love him very well lmao

who’s the character with one specific tickle spot that only one other person knows about

Aether is the only one to know about Albedo's diamond spot on his neck being his most ticklish spot because that's his special spot that he likes to give kissies to just to hear Albedo laugh. Sometimes, though, he'll tease Albedo about telling the others just to watch the little panic briefly flicker through his eyes hehe

who’s the most likely to win gang tickle wars

This one's hard but I can tell you who would lose: Xiao! I think it'd be a toss-up between Albedo and Scara. Albedo is a naturally skilled ler and I think Scara would be very aggressive and not give up till he's on the brink of passing out lol

which character has a kink for tickling

You cannot convince me Albedo wouldn't have a tickle kink lmao this is the headcanon I hope to take with me to my grave

which character didn’t even know they were ticklish until another character tickled them

Probably Scara because of the whole puppet thing. He was pretty much a loner when he joined at first, but Aether tried to warm him up to the group with tickles and at first he hated it, but now it's something he's come to enjoy even though he won't admit it

which two characters have tickle fights all the time

ALBEDO AND SCARA because Albedo is very smug and cool and level-headed and Scara is very cocky and I think Scara would easily be taunted into a tickle fight with Albedo and lose like 9/10 out of ten but they're like shonen manga rivals and are constantly at it LOL Also, I don't think Xiao is very good at tickling but I think he'd be more comfortable with tickling others around Aether and Aether will purposefully lose just to let him win!

#aether #xiao #albedo #scaramouche #genshin impact #tickling #also i’m manifesting this team for you one day!

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ninoisntluka · 2 years

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A Deep Dive of the Hikari-Mahiru Revue in the Movie, or why maybe you should figure out your own stuff first before giving other people advice

Okay, so the Revues in Revue Starlight are super confusing.

There’s just so much going on at once, from the fights to the sets to the music in the background, it’s overwhelming! And the movie somehow makes the revues even more vague than what we got in the show, because along with the budget to pop off on the sets of the Revues, apparently there’s a costuming department now! Meaning that instead of laying themselves bare like they did in the auditions, now the stage girls are acting like half the time, so I don’t know if they really mean it or it’s just a performance!

That’s not to say the fights are hard to follow, since honestly it’s pretty clear what’s happening and what it means for the characters, but it’s still a lot at once. If you got time the to rewatch any of them, you will probably find something new that you missed the first time. So this is part of my ongoing project to write a deep dive into each of the movie’s revues so I can get a better understanding of everything going on in them.

This is the second one, about the Revue between Hikari and Mahiru, and it should be able to be read stand alone, but I may touch on some themes I mentioned in the previous deep dive on the Revue between Kaoruko and Futaba, since it’s hard to completely separate each Revue from the others.

In my last write up, I could very easily compare what was going on with Kaoruko and Futaba in the lead up to their Revue because they both were together the whole time and I could compare their reactions to whatever was going on in the plot simultaneously. But Mahiru and Hikari are in different places. Both physically, since Hikari went back to London, but also mentally, since by the start of the Revue, Mahiru is ready to move onto the next stage, but not Hikari.

So basically the Revue of Competition is to Hikari what the Revue of Annihilation is to everyone else.

A wake up call that they can’t get to their next stage as they are now.

So to see how we got there, let’s take a look at Mahiru!

After High School, she’s planning on applying to the New National First Theater Troupe, which is widely regarded as the best musical theater troupe! She wants to use what she learned at Seisho to make her ideal self come true on a bigger stage.

This may sound familiar, and that’s because it’s exactly what the Mahiru from 3 years ago, who was applying to Seisho wished for!

Her dream is still the one same one she had from Middle School, and she hasn’t lost sight of that! And we’re gonna see a lot of comparisons between the Mahiru who was applying to Seisho and the Mahiru who is applying to New National.

When she and Claudine are in the washing room, Claudine compares them all to freshmen being excited about the future, and specifically says that Mahiru would be one if she gets into New National. But Mahiru, much like in her interview as a Middle Schooler, isn’t too confident that she’ll be accepted.

And while I really do wish she’d build up some self confidence, I’m really happy that Mahiru resembles her younger self. Admittedly considering that a stage girl evolves everyday, and that stagnating could lead to death as a stage girl, this could be dangerous, but this is a series where literally everything comes back to a promise that two kindergarteners made, so it’s definitely not a bad thing to stick to your roots either.

But the reason it’s so important for Mahiru to stay consistent like that is because she thinks that her younger self was dazzling. Back during Episode 4, Mahiru thought that she had no talent as a stage girl, but Karen pointed out that actually she was overflowing with brilliance, Mahiru just wasn’t looking at herself properly. And while Mahiru wasn’t completely convinced in their revue, afterwards she saw proof of her own potential by looking at herself objectively through an old interview, and realizing that she had that glimmer all along.

Even though she had lost confidence in herself after seeing how amazing everyone around her was, Mahiru realized that as long as she stuck with her original dream from when she applied, she could shine. She didn’t need to rely on anyone else other than herself, despite thinking if Karen left her, she would be empty.

And she’s right! She is someone her classmates and underclassmen can always rely on, and she got to a place where she did everything she could to help Karen find Hikari. That’s not to say the Mahiru at the start of the show wouldn’t have done the same, since she’s a sweetheart and can’t refuse Karen, but she’d be way more reluctant and passive-aggressive.

(Although admittedly the glimmer on screen when Mahiru looked at her current self was a lot smaller than in the interview, but it’s a work in progress! She just regained her sense of self worth after all! Give her some time!)

Self love is hard. And Mahiru did lose herself to despair once, so it’s easy to slip into a downward spiral again. After all, she’s applying to New National alongside Tendou Maya and Daiba Nana, literally the best in her class. It could be easy to lose confidence in herself if she compares herself to them again, and it seems like she does come close at some points.

Because in this movie, Mahiru is constantly linked to Futaba.

Take how the two of them are applying to the same school, even though neither of them are quite sure if they’ll make it in. But despite that they both have a super long list of questions for the actors at New National and are both excitedly reciting the line of the New National’s lead on the train, so it’s clear they’ll do their best to achieve their dream, despite the odds.

Or take how during the Revue of Annihilation, they are both defeated by Nana in the same swing.

As I talked about in the last deep dive, Futaba doesn’t think she’s good enough as a stage girl. In her Revue with Kaoruko, Futaba mentions how she didn’t have the qualities the others had that made them shine as stage girls, and how she needed to go off on her own to become someone who could stand beside Kaoruko.

And all of this rings true for Mahiru as well. Neither her nor Futaba think it’s very likely they’ll make it into New National. And just like Futaba, Mahiru had lost confidence in herself after comparing herself to how amazing her classmates were back in their first year.

But it’s really just a matter of perspective if you consider how Futaba mentioned Mahiru alongside Claudine and Maya as stage girls she admires. Anyways, this will come up later, but just understand that Mahiru doesn't think very highly about her own acting skills, even though she’s actually great and doesn’t give herself enough credit. (Just like Futaba, may I add.)

So Mahiru, after her devastating loss, has a lot to think about before the 101th Starlight Kick Off Party. And like all her classmates, she’s in a dark place. Literally. (Except Maya because she’s simply built different, but we’ll get to that in her essay.)

Nana gave each of them a lot to think about, and Claudine took the practice room and Junna took the table they always ate snacks at, so Mahiru gets the leftovers and has to brood in some place that’s not very significant to the anime, since all the good spots were already taken, I guess.

I think it’s telling that despite all of them facing the same issue, that they aren’t ready for the next stage, they are all dealing with it alone. Each of them knows what the others are going through right now, after all Nana beat all of them at the same time, but none of them are willing to reach out to each other. They’re so caught up in their own problems and self pity, that they don’t realize this is an option.

But keep in mind, if you ignore the absurd and extravagant nature of the revues, they’re just high schoolers who are about to graduate. Literally everyone else around them is also worrying about their future. It’s not just the main characters who are dealing with this.

Just like the stage girls, the scriptwriter from Class B is also in the dark. This is in contrast with all their other classmates who are enjoying the festival and are illuminated by the lights of the party.

And just like how everyone else realized they weren’t ready for the next stage, neither is the scriptwriter.

Even though she promised to finish her script by the party, she couldn’t make it in time. She wanted to write the best final chapter, but she couldn’t achieve that. And now she doesn’t want to go outside and tell everyone that she couldn’t do it. She isn’t ready to go onto that podium.

But she won’t be the only one on that podium.

The director from class B is there too, and she says they have to go up. The scriptwriter promised and everyone is expecting them.

Plus, it’s not like the scriptwriter didn’t try. The script is incomplete, but it’s still halfway there. And it has some banger lines in it.

So when the director and scriptwriter go on stage, the director breaks the tension of everyone noticing the script is incomplete by screaming that she’s afraid. She doesn’t know if they can surpass the production of Starlight they put on last year, just like what the scriptwriter was worrying about.

And it’s not just those two who want to put on the best show they can. You can hear the lighting girls talking to Maya about how they also want the lighting to be the best since it’s gonna be their last year. And then we hear the acting class students talk about how they want to do the lines that the scriptwriter wrote.

They all want to do their best for their final show, and they’re all scared because of that. The director acknowledges that. And she guesses that every year’s graduating class has been scared about their final performance too.

But even though she’s scared, she wants to perform with everyone, since it will be their last chance to put on this show with everyone.

And because the director could admit her own weakness, the scriptwriter can too. (I mean she still needed to be dragged on stage, but still.) The scriptwriter acknowledges her failure and apologizes for being unable to finish, but everyone supports her despite her failure. They love the lines she wrote so far and there for her so she can write even more!

It’s this support that brings the scriptwriter out of the shadows and into the light with all her classmates.

And I’m happy for them! I’m glad they’ve got all these friends who support them, even when they mess up. Even though we don’t see this duo very often, I’ve always had a soft spot for these two. Mostly because I think it’s funny that despite working on the play for 7 months, they completely rewrote the script for Starlight to change the ending and recast the play to change the leads and add a 7th goddess for literally no reason. Actual Legends. And while I’m on the topic, how did Karen and the others even convince them? It’s not like they could explain the Revues…

But the reason I spent so much time on them, other than the fact I adore them, is because we’ll see this entire situation play out again with Hikari and Mahiru in their Revue.

And this scene is also the moment when the stage girls realize that they aren’t alone in trying to figure out their futures and what their future selves will be. They can rely on each other and talk about where they are going. Admittedly stage girls don’t so much as talk as they do swordfight, but you know what I mean.

But unfortunately Hikari isn’t here, so she get didn’t see this beautiful moment of solidarity. She’ll need someone to show her it’s okay to be scared since everyone is there for her.

Fortunately, the rest of the stage girls who are here have learned this lesson. So when they go back to the site of their failure, their death as stage girls, they go together.

The bodies laid out on the roof of the train are dead stage girls. None of them are wearing their cloaks as they have all fallen on the ground. This is their future if they stay complacent and don’t shape up.

But this isn’t the first time Mahiru has seen herself as a dead stage girl. Back during the auditions, Mahiru felt like she had no glimmer. And Hikari, who had actually lost her glimmer in the London Auditions, specifically calls herself a dead stage girl at the time.

So Mahiru knows that the path of a stage girl is going to hurt her. She doesn’t think she’s that good of a stage girl and this inferiority complex drains her. She almost lost hope in her second year because of that, before Karen helped her see herself properly. So she understands that she may get hurt, but she needs to push forward regardless.

But I think this line could potentially be referencing another thing too. In the upcoming Revue, Mahiru is going to have to scare Hikari. This is directly at odds with her motivation to become a star who brings smiles to those she cares about. Mahiru thinks that she can only shine if she makes people happy, and we know how lacking that shine can hurt Mahiru. So this next performance will be painful, but she has to do it. For Hikari, yes, but also because Mahiru is a stage girl who chose to perform.

Everyone from the Revue of Annihilation knows what to do next. They come to the same conclusion and take a bite of the tomato, symbolically the first step to going to the next stage.

But Karen and Hikari didn’t get to witness Nana’s epic solo win where she crushed literally everyone else simultaneously, and like a student who missed a day of class, now need to borrow their friend's notes.

So the Revue of Competition is meant to help Hikari take the first step in going to the next stage, which is to first recognizes her faults and what she needs to do to improve in the future.

Now for Hikari, there really isn’t much to say about her before the Revue. Aside from some adorable flashback scenes, we don’t really know much about what happened to her after the show’s finale. And just like the tomatoes, I’m saving the analysis of that means for the essay on the Karen-Hikari Revue. But as for the third year Hikari, we know that she’s back in London, but her reasons are a mystery.

Just like in the first episode, we know nothing about what’s going on with her. But if there is one thing we do know, it’s that Karen is important to her, even if she won’t say it out loud. I mean, the giraffe mentions Karen being in trouble and she has no hesitation in getting on the train so she can be there for Karen. And this is the same giraffe whose audition led to her losing her radiance and potentially Karen’s too, but none of that matters if Karen’s life (as a stage girl) is on the line.

But her impatience to get to Karen means she skips some important steps.

Unlike everyone else who had to take a break after the wi(l)d-screen baroque scene, Hikari simply runs past the sign, without the proper time for self reflection. This is because Hikari mistakenly thinks she already knows what it means to already be on stage.

For some reason, after sending the cutest picture of them as kids to Karen, Hikari says “We are already on stage,” the conclusion that everyone else comes to on the train, despite having not yet eaten the tomato.

Also, quick sidebar, but literally what the fuck is Hikari on about? What could possibly be the context for sending those two things one after the other? Why does Hikari say the things she does!? I just want to understand her but she always makes it so hard!

So, moving on now, it’s Revue Time.

Hikari, who had entered the revue following a red line that said it led to Karen, she is super lost when Mahiru is there instead, and keeps asking her where Karen is.

But Mahiru isn’t confused at all, she’s been expecting Hikari. But instead of answering any questions, she starts to perform on stage.

And it’s a grand stage, that once occurs every four years where participants compete in a variety of sports for a gold medal, all under the purview of a giant flame that was lit by a torch.

It’s basically the royalty free version of the Olympics.

And Mahiru is in complete control.

Sports have always been associated with Mahiru, recall how her last Revue with Karen had a baseball motif going on, and the Olympics is the biggest stage for sports in the world! Plus the stadium is full of cutouts of her favorite mascot, the Suzdal Cat, as opposed to the singular Mr. White cutout that greeted Hikari when she entered the stage. And that’s not even mention that Mahiru can somehow quiet down the entire stadium at will as well as bring out props from her old revues!

And while Hikari is super confused when she enters the set, Mahiru doesn’t miss a beat when she enters and immediately does her introduction, but in line with an Olympic oath, to show that she is already on this stage.

You can see this difference in preparedness in the entrances of their mascots too. While Hikari was surprised that Mr White was there, which she really shouldn’t since he will always be at her side, Mahiru was leading her Suzdal Cats like a country’s the entrance parade in the Olympics.

Anyways, Hikari is super worried about Karen since the giraffe gave her that cryptic warning, so she’s in a rush to get to her. But Mahiru insists that they perform together anyways.

Because Mahiru knows that Hikari can’t help Karen get to the next stage as she is now.

And Mahiru symbolically says that, by saying right now it's the two of them on stage, so she can’t focus on anyone else right now.

As is tradition for all of Mahiru’s revues, it starts with the opponent running for dear life while she chases them.

The two of them are not on the same page at all, with Mahiru insisting that Hikari compete with her, and Hikari asking Mahiru to stop. Possibly because Hikari wants to find Karen instead of performing with Mahiru, or possibly because Hikari genuinely needs a moment to process what’s going on since this was all sprung on her at the last minute.

But Hikari does perform with Mahiru. She and Mahiru put on outfits for the various sports they compete in. And when you listen to the song, you can hear both Mahiru and Hikari singing about competing in various sports. Hikari can do this much because Hikari has always been an amazing stage girl. The beginning of the show had her perform at a level that impressed everyone who saw her, even though she lost her motivation and her heart wasn’t in it.

But when you look at their dialogue, you can see that Mahiru is in character for all these, as she talks about how rivals competing can push each other to new heights. But the issue is that Hikari keeps breaking character, pleading with Mahiru to listen to her so that they can stop performing.

So basically this is all a long winded way to say that Hikari is not on stage. She’s refusing to act, which is why she loses her button, her pride as a stage girl. Since what’s the point of a stage girl who won’t act?

And just like the stage girls who lost their jackets when Nana beat them, Hikari stands there in utter confusion over what just happened.

The song stops, and since Hikari lost her button, the revue should be over, right? But this isn’t an audition, so the same rules don’t apply. This is between these two, so they’ll decide when it ends.

Mahiru confronts Hikari over the fact that she won’t act despite claiming to be on stage, and the stadium dims as it loses its shine, since it looks like the performance is over. But then Mahiru starts singing in the background again. Their Revue isn’t done yet. And since Mahiru has been in complete control of this set so far, it shows that the dimmed lights aren’t because the show’s over, but because Mahiru isn’t trying to make those she cares about smile anymore.

In Hikari’s revue with Nana, the background becoming blue was a triumphant moment for her. It was the moment her brilliance was reborn as she remembered her promise. But this time, the background becoming blue is ominous for her. But just like last time, this signifies that we are going to focus on Hikari and their promise for this next act.

And apparently this next act is a straight up horror movie.

Okay, before I get to the next part, I want to discuss a question: Is Mahiru acting here?

Like afterwards, she does say that all of this was an act to Hikari, but it’s left a little vague.

I mean she literally says that she always hated Hikari just after the song in the background has her singing about her how she wants Hikari to be honest. And as I mentioned earlier, when the two of them were performing, they changed into the outfit of whatever sport they were playing, but they are in their stage girl outfits here. Although that might just be because Hikari didn’t realize that Mahiru was acting at the time, so that’s why neither of them could change.

But from her perspective, I get why Mahiru could be pissed at Hikari here. After all, she just sang a song about wanting to compete with Hikari as rivals, but Hikari kept brushing her off. And this could just be frustration from all the way back in the second year where they were love rivals over Karen, but Mahiru was way more conscious of Hikari than she was of her.

And Karen is still super important to Mahiru. So when Hikari just straight up left after they performed Starlight, Karen was hurt, and no one knows why Hikari did that.

It’s easy to be frustrated with Hikari after all of that.

But I don’t think Mahiru would lie to Hikari about feeling scared over having to act scary, especially because Hikari just admitted that was scared of facing Karen. And although Mahiru says she’s not great at acting after Hikari leaves, which is what made me think there is a grain of truth to her performance in the second part of the revue the first time I watched the movie, remember that Mahiru has been constantly underselling her skills since the movie began. Despite what she thinks, she could totally pull off this performance because she definitely has the range! She just needs to recognize that in herself.

But the biggest reason I think this was all fake and Mahiru was just acting in this scene is because when Mahiru is actually angry, she doesn’t act like this. We’ve seen Mahiru angry a few times in the series so far. Like back when Kaoruko wanted to snitch on Hikari and Karen for sneaking out without a permission slip in episode 4, and Mahiru scared her off by reminding her that snitches get stitches and also Mahiru had a baton and she knew how to use it. Only at that time, Mahiru was way more expressive and theatrical when threatening her, imitating Kaoruko and monologuing about how she wished Karen paid attention to her like she did Hikari.

And this is a recurring thing for Mahiru. She cries tears of frustration when confronting Hikari in the locker room about stealing Karen from her. She loudly whines whenever Karen makes them late at the start of the series, and during their Revue, Mahiru acts overly cheery at first but nearly breaks into tears when she talks about how she missed their old relationship since she thought it was the only thing she had.

So the Mahiru in the Revue, who acts cold while forcing Hikari to face uncomfortable truths, doesn't feel like the same person to me. No, if anything, this anger feels more like Hikari’s.

In episode 3, after Karen’s revue with Maya, and in episode 5, when Mahiru accuses Hikari of stealing Karen’s glimmer from her, we see an angry Hikari. She’s cold and harsh and threatening, and completely ignores what the other person is saying.

So my theory is that Mahiru is trying to show that she means business by imitating Hikari. It’s a nice a little call back to when she imitated Kaoruko back in episode 4, but that time was to show that she knew what was going on, but this time it feels like an attempt to convey the intended emotions in a language that Hikari understands, but Mahiru doesn’t realize how scary she can be and went overboard.

But while I do think Mahiru is acting in this part of the Revue, she might still be mad at Hikari deep down. After all, no one frustrates us more than the people we love, since we expect so much more from them. But it’s left vague on purpose, because even if Mahiru hated Hikari at one point, now she chooses to ignore that to help her get to a point where she’s ready for the future, and honestly that feels a lot like love if you ask me.

That was a bit of a tangent, but I wanted to get my thoughts out on why Mahiru acts so scary before I actually looked at her actions in this scene, since hopefully it will help us understand her better. Also the fact that I changed my mind about what was going on after rewatching the movie and the show makes me want to see what others think, since other people may have their own interpretations that could make me see it in an even newer light.

So back to the Revue, Mahiru shows she means business by decapitating the Mr White cutout Hikari came in with. Now Mr White has always been by Hikari’s side, a bastion of support and comfort in her most trying times, but Mr White can’t help Hikari right now. Like Mahiru said at the start of the Revue, there’s no one on this stage but them. And right now, Hikari is alone.

So Hikari flees from the stage.

She runs away to the backstage, as you can tell by the background having spare props, dressing room lights, costumes hanging on a rack, etc.

But Mahiru calls her out for that. That she’s running away, just like she did from Karen and their promise. And she wants to know why Hikari is running.

And behind Mahiru, as well as all the places that Hikari had previously run, there are these Suzdal Cats cutouts with red heads.

So I’m not sure exactly what those things represent, but I have a couple theories. Firstly, I think that it's a constant reminder of what Mahiru did to Mr White. She decapitated him, and so their red heads remind Hikari of the danger that she’s in. Another explanation is that the circular red shape of the head could be a reference to the tomatoes, the symbolic first step to going to the next stage. Hikari still hasn’t accepted it, so they’re looming behind Mahiru, constantly reminding her. But my last theory, and what I think is most likely, is that they’re reminding Hikari of a certain other redhead she’s been running from.

And Mahiru is an extension of that. She’s chasing Hikari while repeating the promise Karen and Hikari made, and Hikari is running from her. She also asks Hikari why she really left for London, calling Hikari a liar for saying that she left in order to make sure Karen didn’t get too spoiled, since that’s also a way of running from the truth.

And in order to escape, Hikari runs to the elevator, heading up from the 99th floor to the 101th. This is a nod to how their class performed the 99th production of Starlight and the 101th production will be their last, showing the passage of time. I’m not entirely sure why these numbers were chosen considering Hikari was only in their class for one year, but I think the more interesting thing is that the elevator is going up. After all, the elevator to the auditions went down, so it shows how Hikari is still running from the stage.

But despite not being in the elevator, Mahiru still manages to confront Hikari. And Mahiru demands more from Hikari. To act more properly. To convey more emotions. To say more lines. To be more real.

Because Hikari has never given the audience much to go off of. She’s the cool and mysterious transfer student. We didn’t see her backstory until episode 8, over halfway through the series. We didn’t even know what she was up to in London before the Movie Revues!

And this approach carries over to Karen too. Hikari never sent letters and she’s a taciturn person in general, so it can be hard to tell what she thinks. Now there’s nothing wrong with that, after all I’m a private person myself too. But this is an issue when it comes to dealing with problems with Karen, since Hikari usually pushes Karen away instead of telling her more.

Hikari locked Karen in a shed without explanation to keep her from the Revues. Hikari beat Karen in the penultimate revue of the show since only she knew what winning the top star in the audition meant. Hikari solves problems on her own, without explaining her plans to Karen.

And while it was okay in the show, since Karen was the one reaching out to Hikari there, that won’t work this time, since Karen needs help. Karen needs help to know what to do in the future, and if Hikari can’t give her anything to work with, then the two of them meeting at this point is useless.

And as Hikari escapes from the elevator, where she still was still being pursued by Mahiru and the redheaded cutouts, she’s eventually comes to the elevated platform of the backstage, but it’s a dead end (It’s also shaped in a T like position zero). And now there’s nowhere left to run on this bridge, so Hikari is forced to stop running from the truth and confront the real reason she’s left Karen.

This is also the moment Mahiru corners Hikari, showing that Hikari running from Mahiru meaning Hikari can no longer run from either Mahiru or Karen anymore.

Also I want to take a second here to point out that in the song in the background, even though Mahiru is the only one singing, it isn’t a monologue. She’s directly asking Hikari questions, but Hikari isn’t answering them. And just like the song, when Mahiru confronts Hikari about how she intends to help Karen be reborn as a stage girl if Hikari isn’t even acting properly as a stage girl and can’t face Karen properly, and Hikari can’t say anything in response.

So the last thing she can see before she falls is a young Karen, holding a letter. (Also a neat thing I noticed is that Hikari’s eyes narrow in fear almost identically when she sees that Mahiru means business as well as when she sees young Karen.)

But this isn’t the Karen from when Hikari made a promise with her. She’s wearing the crown pin that Hikari gave her after they made the promise and the letter in her hands isn’t the invitation that Hikari gave to her all those years ago, since it doesn’t have the Mr. White sticker. Instead, it is one of Karen’s numerous letters that she sent to Hikari that she never responded to.

This is the Karen that Hikari ran from.

And since Hikari can’t answer Mahiru, she pushes Hikari off the stage (or drops, it’s vague like that.) And as I talked about in the deep dive essay on the Futaba-Kaoruko revue, falling in Revue Starlight signifies failure. But the thing about failure is that the most important thing is what you do next.

As Hikari falls, she has flashbacks of the first time she met Karen, the last time she saw Karen before moving, and the moment Karen gave her the star hair pin, the moment they solidified their promise. And all this is very similar to what happened to Karen in episode 1 when (dream) Hikari pushed her off Tokyo Tower, which symbolizes the stage, and it was this moment that made Karen realize that she wasn’t taking her promise with Hikari seriously enough.

So just like how Karen could be reborn after that moment, Hikari falling here is a chance for her to confront the fact that the real reason she had left was not to keep Karen from getting spoiled and stagnating as a stage girl, but because Hikari was worried that she would be the one to stagnate, because she would be too captivated by Karen to become a stage girl who could stand by her side.

And eventually, Hikari lands safely on a giant Mr. White, because Mahiru doesn’t actually want to hurt her. This is all an act, remember? And in lying down in the fetal position, Hikari is symbolically reborn as she admits that Mahiru was right and she had been running from Karen and their promise when she went back to London. She cries and admits that she was scared and she’s sorry that she avoided Karen after they fulfilled their promise by going back to London.

And this next part is kind of a stretch, but the shot of Hikari lying alone on a soft mattress-like object kind of reminds me of that scene in episode 1 where Hikari was lying in bed, clutching a picture, the same picture of them that Karen kept framed in her room. Up until then, Hikari had been rather cold to Karen, but this was the first glimpse we saw that Hikari cared about that promise just as much as Karen.

But unlike that scene from episode 1, Hikari isn’t alone anymore.

Mahiru is also there, and her voice is much kinder than before. She admits that she had been acting the whole time, and that she was and still is scared too. Specifically about whether or not she could be a good enough actor.

So Hikari asks Mahiru why she stands on stage when she’s scared, because Hikari was terrified and she ran but Mahiru could instead overcome her fear and embrace it.

And Mahiru’s answer is simple. Because she decided that she will live on stage. And this is a really big moment for Mahiru, because earlier in the series, she said she only applied to Seisho because her grandmother and the people around her thought she could become a star. And now Mahiru fully accepts that dream as her own, she’s not trying to meet anyone’s expectations other than her own now, and she’s choosing to be a stage girl.

And Hikari also decided. She made a promise to stand on stage with Karen and shine together all those years ago. And even though it’s scary, she still decided that she wanted to be a stage girl who could stand beside Karen all those years ago.

Just like that scene with the scriptwriter and director at the party, they’re both scared. They’re both facing the same challenges. But even though they feel alone, there are people around them who care for them and are willing to help them.

And Hikari and Mahiru have each other, so they can help each other overcome their fears.

So as the star in the background ascends like a sunrise, Mahiru returns the star clasp that she had knocked off of Hikari so long ago. And the whole thing resembles a medal ceremony because now that Hikari is honest with herself, she is actually on the stage now, so they can finish their performance.

Plus this also ties into the line from the pep rally that was spoken over Mahiru, since she literally helps breathe new life in Hikari by helping her be reborn as a stage girl.

Meanwhile, Mahiru sings to Hikari that she understands her fear of being left behind, because of how dazzling everyone else is, since that’s what caused Mahiru to lose heart in the beginning of the show, so she knows what Hikari’s going through. Hikari isn’t alone, and if she bears her heart more, she can perform more honestly, which is a much nicer way of conveying that message than chasing Hikari backstage with a mace that can crack concrete.

And since Hikari finally understands what Mahiru has been trying to say to her the entire time, the two of them can now sing together in harmony about how as rivals, they can share their burdens with each other.

And after restating what she said at the beginning, how she was happy that she could share the stage with Hikari, Mahiru urges Hikari to run, despite being on her case about how she ran away from Karen only minutes ago.

Mahiru knows that Hikari has another stage with Karen and encourages her to say the final lines to Karen that she couldn’t before, because she had been too scared to say them before this Revue.

But before Hikari can descend down the combination finish line/position zero, the two of them say their goodbyes, with Mahiru reaffirming that she was happy to stand on stage with Hikari. Mahiru had been saying that from the start of the revue, but it’s also a callback to when Karen had to descend into the basement to save Hikari with the help of her classmates. Each and everyone of them asked Karen to pass on the same message to Hikari, that they were waiting for her on stage. So it’s not just Mahiru who’s there for Hikari, but every one of the stage girls she fought with and grew together with during the auditions.

And Hikari, before she leaves, thanks Mahiru again. She also praises her acting skills, partially because Mahiru was super terrifying earlier, but also because Hikari has always thought highly of Mahiru. Hikari, who is notoriously stubborn, always listens to Mahiru when it comes to cleaning their room, despite being super reluctant about it. And in episode 5, Hikari herself says that Mahiru is shining, even when she had lost confidence in herself.

Hikari always saw Mahiru as a proper rival, even if Mahiru didn’t realize it.

We see this again, in Mahiru claiming she’s not that great of an actress after Hikari is gone. Mahiru still suffers from the self doubt problems she came into this revue with. Actually, Mahiru doesn’t change at all in this revue. She repeats the same thing at the beginning and end, that she’s happy to be on stage with Hikari. And her last line in the scene is the same as her introduction’s last line!

And that’s because Mahiru doesn’t need to change. She was already shining at the start of the Revue. Her arc in the show was that she lost track of what she originally came to Seisho to do. And in this movie, we see the continuation of that struggle. Times are going to continue to be rough for her, and she won’t always have the confidence to succeed, but as long as she keeps aiming for her original goal, she can be happy and brilliant as a stage girl.

And she keeps at it! Mahiru makes it into the New National Troupe despite her doubts! And she made it in with her fellow applicant Tendo Maya, literally the top star of her class!

As for Hikari, we’ll get to her ending when I cover her Revue with Karen, but just know that had she not had this Revue with Mahiru, she would not be ready to face Karen, and they wouldn’t get a happy ending.

Anyways, before I get to my final thoughts on the Revue, I wanna do my fun facts corner.

The Olympics has a passing of the torch from event to event, like how Mahiru is passing the torch onto Hikari to help Karen. She helps Hikari understand how to get to the next stage, and in turn Hikari will help Karen in her next revue!

The set of Mahiru’s previous Revue was full of cartoonish designs and had a childish air in general. But the Olympics is the greatest stage for sports in the world, and I’d like to think that this reflects not only the bigger budget of the movie, but also the bigger ambitions and maturity of Mahiru now that she doesn’t rely on others to feel dazzling.

But it’s still the same Mahiru, so she keeps the cutouts and Suzdal Cats, as well as the UFOs that are around when Mahiru drops Hikari from high up.

Also, whenever Mahiru and Hikari are performing and have a number on their uniform, it’s their student numbers, 17 and 29 respectively.

Mahiru can deadlift almost 200 kg. This is very important and I need everyone to know this fact.

Once Karen and Mahiru came to a proper understanding in the Revue of Jealousy, the two of them play baseball to decide the winner. So in a way, I think this shows Mahiru’s sincerity in attempting to perform with Hikari, since she and Karen managed to communicate like this, and Mahiru wants to use what Karen had taught her to communicate with Hikari.

Also, I’d like to take a moment to appreciate how far their relationship has come. After all, Hikari really didn’t care for Mahiru at first. She came to the Tokyo Auditions and was willing to steal the brilliance of all the other stage girls in order to keep her promise with Karen. And in episode 11, when Hikari doesn’t do that, her classmates all agree that it was probably to protect Karen, and the rest of them were saved as a byproduct of that. Another example is how despite knowing that moving in with Mahiru and Karen would be a bother to Mahiru in episode 1, she moved in anyways despite her objections in episode 2 anyways.

But Hikari does soften a lot over the series, and since they are roommates, she probably was the closest to Mahiru out of everyone other than Karen. So that’s why Hikari doesn’t just ignore Mahiru, and tries to reason with her at the start of the revue.

The redheaded Suzdal Cats might be rejected props since one of them has an upside down mouth. This is either to show that Hikari running away is a mistake or it’s to give a feeling of wrongness about what Mahiru is doing, since she’s actually acting here. I didn’t bring this up earlier though, since usually the redheaded Suzdal Cats are blank.

I always thought Hikari moved since her parents got transferred or something, but Hikari makes it sound like she’s the one who chose to London, so I’m imagining the conversation her parents had go like, “Hey, Honey? Our five year old is worried she’s gonna catch feelings for her best friend, so we’re gonna move halfway around the globe. How’s your English?”

The fact that Hikari and Karen need to find themselves and their own star apart from each other now that they completed their kind of brings to mind how Mahiru’s Revue in the show was about finding her own shine and not relying on others, which feels thematically similar, and is probably why she could help Hikari come to the same conclusion.

Mahiru says she wanted to be on the same stage as Hikari, but understands that Hikari has another revue with Karen, which is some good character development considering that she also wanted to stand on stage with Karen, and got upset when Karen wanted to stand on stage with someone else too.

Also it’s just so nice that Mahiru is just so gentle with Hikari at the end, showing just how much she cares about her and wants the best for her. And I know that Hikari and Karen have this bond of destiny and they mean so much to each other, but they both have two hands okay!?

Also they literally just taped the head of the Mr White cutout back on at the finish line. That’s just so funny.

Anyways, take a look at Hikari running to her Revue with Karen before and after this Revue. The first time, she’s in the dark, and she’s determined, but probably a little scared. But after Mahiru, Hikari is bathed in sunlight, and is smiling when she runs. She’s still determined, but she’s not nearly as impatient since she stops to say goodbye and compliment Mahiru. Anyways, this Hikari is way more ready to finally face Karen than before, and I think the difference between the two shots helps show that.

So overall, this Revue feels a little out of place. Unlike everyone else in the Movie, Mahiru doesn’t really change after this Revue, and Hikari still has another Revue with Karen, so this isn’t really a conclusion for her either. But it still makes sense in a way. After all, this the culmination of both of their times at Seisho.

Because for Mahiru, there is never going to be a proper end point for her goal, unlike Karen and Hikari’s Starlight or Claudine beating Maya. She’s going to have to always keep trying to become a warm star, even when times get tough. And so the fact that Mahiru can remain unchanged, even after a Revue, which is usually a volatile moment for a stage girl, says good things about her future.

And for Hikari, this Revue is the result of her time at Seisho. Even though before she had only come there to get her brilliance back to maintain her promise with Karen, she found friends who will support her. I said before that this was supposed to be like the Revue of Annihilation for Hikari, but in a way it’s also her Interlude of a Stage Girl. That’s the song where all the classmates helped Karen descend into the basement to find Hikari, and they told her that she wasn’t alone.

And this was important since Karen literally quotes Junna and Maya while fighting Hikari to show that Hikari doesn’t have to perform alone. And in a way, this revue tells Hikari the same thing, that she doesn’t have to perform alone. Only this time it isn’t Karen saying it, but Mahiru, because Karen isn’t the only bond Hikari had at Seisho.

It also opens up the idea of a stage without Karen for Hikari, which is essential for the two of them since their next stage won’t have each other on it.

Also I’m just really happy I finally got to see the Hikari-Mahiru revue after I got baited in the show. And yes, I’m still not over the fact that they had the ringtone chime right when Hikari and Mahiru were about to get into an argument in the locker room, only to never follow through on that until now.

But I guess it was worth it. This was everything I wanted and more from their Revue together!

#revue starlight #hikari kagura #mahiru tsuyuzaki #mahikari #revue starlight movie #shoujo kageki revue starlight #gekijouban shoujo kageki revue starlight #revstar #essay

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grailfinders · 9 months

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Grailfinders Viewers' Choice #16D: Richard the Lionheart

hey, what’s up, it’s ya boy, Richard the Lionheart again. somebody wanted the Richard build but in D&D, and I thought it would be cool. not sure if/when I’ll get to the other Viewers’ Choice builds since a) I’m still catching up to NA again and b) summer is just around the corner, but it’ll probably happen eventually. if WotC doesn’t fuck up again.

anyways, Richie 2.0 is a Glory Paladin to smite at maximum speed, as well as a Swords Bard to be good at literally anything he wants to do.

check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

Race and Background

as you likely remember from the pathfinder build, King Richard I is a Human, as well as a Noble. that being said there’s something funky going on in the state of France, so he’s got a Mark of Passage, giving him the standard +2 +1 stats of other races. (we’re also messing with the specifics here thanks to Tasha’s Cauldron, so that’s a +2 to Charisma and a +1 to Strength.) that means you have Courier’s Speed, a permanent +5 boost to walking, and Intuitive Motion, letting you add a d4 to any acrobatics or land vehicle check. riding skill, baby! you can also find Magical Passage once a day with a free use of Misty Step, and you gain some Spells of the Mark which you can add to your spell lists. we don’t pick any up as a bard, but feel free to prepare some using your paladin spells later! the ones you can do that with are expeditious retreat, jump, misty step, pass without trace, blink, and phantom steed.

and again, as a noble you have proficiency in History and Persuasion.

Ability Scores

Richie’s so dang persuasive his soldiers follow his orders in the afterlife, so Charisma has to be high on his priorities. after that is Strength. it’s hard to cut rocks in half without it. unless you’re playing a monk, which we’re not. though that does mean Dexterity is next. I know it’s not “really” needed for speed, but it’ll keep you from tripping, which is pretty dang important when you’re moving twice as fast as everyone else. Constitution comes next. from what I’ve heard Richard’s not unusually tough, but he is a melee fighter, so keeping this stat positive will help immensely. that means your Wisdom isn’t great. that and we’re dumping Intelligence. sorry, we needed everything else more.

Class Levels

1. Paladin 1: starting as a paladin gives you plenty of cool toys to play with, like your new proficiencies in Wisdom and Charisma saves, plus Athletics and Religion.

you can also use a divine sense to detect celestials, fiends, and undead nearby! it’ll tell you the type but not their identity, so i guess its kindof a servant senser? you can also lay on hands as an action, patching up your allies with but a touch! this recharages on a long rest, and it’ll only give you five times your level in hp per day. you can even spend 5 points to heal a poison or disease! we’ll get you some magic resistance later, but this is pretty good for a start.

2. paladin 2: second level paladins can get a fighting style of their choosing, and we’re pickin up interception! now if, say, a big chunk of ceiling is about to hit somebody you can react and use your sword to reduce the damage they take by 1d10 plus your proficiency bonus! you can’t use this on yourself, but you’re a cool dude, right?

you can also cast spells now! you can use your charisma to cast ‘em, and you can swap ‘em out each long rest when you’re bored! that also means we don’t have to go too in-depth about which ones to pick, but I’d definitely grab Compelled Duel or Searing Smite if you have a chance. the former essentially codifies a duel between you and another servant, while the latter is a damage over time kind of smite.

speaking of, you can use Divine Smites now. they’re not spells, but using one will eat up a spell slot, and deal radiant damage based on the level of slot spent. just stick one onto one of your weapon attacks and you’re good! you can use this with just about any melee weapon, so… yeah, noble phantasm 1 achieved.

3. Paladin 3: but that’s just one phantasm, we still have another one to get, plus your other skills! to help with that lightning speed, we need to dive into the Glory oath. this grants you Divine Health, giving you immunity to disease, as well as two ways to Channel Divinity once a short rest. you can either become a Peerless Athlete for advantage on your athletics and acrobatics checks, your carrying capacity is doubled, and you can jump ten feet further! alternatively, you can turn a divine smite into an Inspiring Smite, spending your bonus action after smiting to give temporary HP to nearby creatures.

you also gain access to Oath Spells, a special subset of spells that you can always have prepared without counting towards your limit, even if paladins couldn’t get these spells normally- sort of like your mark spells. right now, you have Guiding Bolt, which deals damage and gives the next attack on your target advantage, and Heroism, which emboldens creatures while giving them temporary HP each turn.

4. Paladin 4: fourth level paladins get an Ability Score Improvement like any other class, so now you can even out your Strength and Charisma scores. only even numbers really count in D&D, so that’s two half-price +1 bonuses to the relevant stuff strength and charisma do. which is a lot on a paladin.

5. Paladin 5: for example, your strength can be used even more now that you have an Extra Attack each attack action, and your charisma helps out a ton with your new second level spells! you get enhance ability for free, giving you advantage on one kind of ability check for a minute, or you can use Magic Weapon to give your stick a little boost. I’d also recommend you pick up Protection from Poison for more magic resistance. everybody knows poisons are magic. or is that friendship?

6. Bard 1: speaking of magic, let’s swap over to bard real quick for more spell slots! you get another list of spells you can cast. you have to mash your classes together to figure out how many slots you have at any given time, so check out your PHB for that. bards get their spells hard-coded in and can only swap them when they level up, so we’ll go into more detail here.

for cantrips, grab Blade Ward for a chance to go on the defensive and take half damage from physical attacks for a round. it’s not usually the smartest move to make, but at least it’s better than True Strike! yeah, we’re not here for much magic, we’re just using bard for extra physicality, a sentence I am sure has never been said before.

that being said, some spells are pretty nice. Animal Friendship will further improve your riding skill, and Feather Fall can keep you from taking fall damage after your Jump and Peerless Athlete-boosted jump launches you 50 feet straight up in the air. Command will help you keep ahead of your knights, which I swear are coming eventually, and Disguise Self will help you blend in with the human populace. I assume this is the kind of thing that happens in other fate works, right?

you also get proficiency in Animal Handling for multiclassing, and you can give allies Bardic Inspiration as a bonus action Charisma Modifier times per day, letting them add a d6 to a check, save, or attack roll of their choice in the next minute.

7. Bard 2: a second level bard is a Jack of All Trades, adding half your proficiency bonus to any check you make that doesn’t already add it, like your initiative. see, you’re faster already! this and Enhance Ability also covers your “good at literally everything” skill. you’re not the best in the party, but you’ll always be ready to give it the old college try.

you also get the song of rest, giving your party more HP when they heal up on short rests! yay, unexplained healing!

you’re also even faster with your new spell this level, Longstrider. speed, you are speed.

8. Bard 3: at third level you can give everything the ol’ college try thanks to attending the college of Swords. with it, you can now cast bard spells through your sword, and you get the Dueling fighting style for an extra 2 damage with one-handed weapons.

more importantly, you can now spend inspiration to make Blade Flourishes in one of three flavors once per turn. a Defensive Flourish deals the inspiration in extra damage and adds it to your AC for a round, a Slashing Flourish deals the inspiration in extra damage to your target and any other creature you choose next to you, and the Mobile Flourish deals extra damage and pushes the target away, giving you a chance to react and get back into range. also, even if you don’t use a flourish your speed will still go up by 10’ when you take the attack action.

you also gain Expertise in two skills, doubling your proficiency bonus with Religion and Athletics checks. and you gain second level bard spells now, like Borrowed Knowledge, allowing you to have full proficiency in any skill you wish for an hour.

9. Bard 4: fourth level bards get an Ability Score Improvement like any other class, but we’re going to cash this one in for a feat. the Crusher feat can add a point to your Constitution, as well as greatly improve your unarmed attacks and any other bludgeoning weapons you choose. once a turn you can push a creature you hit with a bludgeoning attack five fee, and when you score a critical hit, attacks targeting that creature get advantage for a round. it’s not quite the unarmed fighting style, but it’ll definitely make your boxing skills more noteworthy.

you can also make a Light with the cantrip of the same name for a shiny sword, and you can make a Kinetic Jaunt with a spell slot, adding to your speed, preventing anyone from attacking you opportunistically, and letting you pass through people as long as you don’t end your turn inside of them.

10. Bard 5: the fifth level of bard is the best level of bard, because you’re now a Font of Inspiration, so your inspiration dice recharge on short rests instead of just long ones. on top of that, your inspiration dice are now d8s instead of d6s, and you learn third level spells!

spells like Intellect Fortress, which will give you advantage on all intelligence, wisdom, and charisma saves to supercharge your magic resistance! just ignore that next level it’s fine just focus on the cool spell.

11. Paladin 6: six level paladins get an Aura of Protection, adding your charisma modifier to all your saves, supercharging your magic resistance! just ignore that last level it’s fine just focus on the cool feature of your class.

12. Paladin 7: that’s not the only aura of coolness you’ve got though! as a seventh level glory paladin, your Aura of Alacrity gives you another 10’ boost in speed to you and anyone standing within five feet of you.

13. Paladin 8: use this ASI to bump up your Strength. I don’t have anything witty for this level, you just hit better now.

14. Paladin 9: ninth level paladins get the vaunted “third level spells”! the most important one here is your oath spell Haste, which can double your speed and give you an extra action each turn for dashing or attacking once. whichever you pick you’ll speed up at least a little bit thanks to your flourishes! you also get Protection from Energy for damage resistance, or Crusader’s Mantle to turn all your knights into paladins. I swear they’re on their way just hold on a sec.

15. Paladin 10: our final level of paladin comes with a final aura, the Aura of Courage, which prevents you or nearby allies from being frightened. it’s not that flashy, but it’s wayyyy better than bard’s next level.

16. Bard 6: speak of the devil, it’s bard’s next level! Countercharm takes an action to use and is pretty much a worse Aura of Courage, and Extra Attack doesn’t stack.

at least you can speak in Tongues now?

17. Bard 7: at seventh level you can use fourth level spells, finally giving you your first knight, the Phantasmal Killer! …which isn’t a creature, so it can’t have the crusader’s mantle on it. darn. still, it’s kind of a summon. we’ll work on getting something more corporeal.

18. Bard 8: at level eight you get one last ASI, so grab the Resilient feat to round out your Constitution and give you proficiency in constitution saves. it sucks to drop concentration on summons, and a +12 will go a long way towards helping with that.

you also have a Freedom of Movement now, which will help you speed your way out of any difficult terrain or getting chained up.

19. Bard 9: at ninth level you get a better song of rest, yes, but you also get fifth level spells! with Planar Binding you can keep your summons on this plane of existence for a full day rather than just an hour or so with concentration. it’s really expensive, but you’re a) a 19th level adventurer, and b) you can upcast it up to seventh level right now for a month-long knighthood. now we just need to get the summons…

20. Bard 10: at tenth level bards can get those summons thanks to knowing Magical Secrets, giving you two spells from any spell list. Conjure Woodland Beings will allow you to summon a mob of fae creatures at a time, while Summon Celestial gives you one glowy paladin to pal around with.

while we’re on the topic of spells, you get one last cantrip like Message to speak with your Master in silence.

your Bardic Inspiration dice increase one last time to d10s, and you get another round of Expertise in Animal Handling and History.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

given enough time you can just. have a private army of celestials and fey now. they probably won’t be thrilled to work for you, but that’s when the charisma comes into play. go forth, abuse the action economy as you see fit!

you’re also just. stupidly fast. your base speed is 55’, and with haste you can get up to 110 feet normally, or 130’ if you attack someone with two actions. monks wish they were you. and you can mobile flourish to add another 130’ onto your movement speed for no goddamn reason.

your saves are ridiculous, with a +4 bonus to everything and possibly advantage on your one weak save by using Intellect Fortress, magic just kind of doesn’t work on you that well.

Cons:

your friends are expensive, needing 1,000 gp per binding. plus you don’t actually get them until level 20, by which point they’re not useful for much more than guard duty in your private castle.

no matter how fast you go, you’re still a saber, so you can’t do much at range. the second an enemy learns how to fly it’s over for you.

you don’t need that much speed. it’s a nice flex, but I doubt your DM’s going to include that many situations where being able to go across the map and back in a single turn is super useful.

#fgo #fate grand order #D&D 5e #DND #Richard I #Paladin #Bard

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