#my oppinion is the only right one

[jammerspyjamass]

Drawing of my newest dnd character for a campaign i just joined, im super excited for it

He’s a level 4 owlin artificer (arguably the best class) his name is Domino:]

#art #oc #character art #original character #oc art #dnd oc #dnd5e #dnd character #dnd art #dnd #dnd artificer #artificer #the best class #unsubjectively #my oppinion is the only right one #hes a lil cutie #dnd owlin #owlin are just perfect

[nailsofvecna]

I feel like you'd have some interesting oppinions on this.

What do you think of spells having "prerequisites" to learn, and I mean besides being of the appropriate spell level and class. Like maybe you need to know "spell a" before you can learn "spell b", or something like that?

It's a good question. Narratively it makes sense, right - it'd be like real life where you have to know about certain concepts before you can understand ones that are built on top of them. And we already have rules to say you can't craft certain magic items unless you know the spells contained in them.

I think it's an idea that could work well, but the system would have to be designed to accomodate it. Assuming we're talking about 5th edition D&D, I think it runs into a couple of issues, which I'll explore below the cut.

Not to mention that it wouldn't work at all for clerics, druids or paladins.

I feel like there's a pretty high risk that this would act as a tax where you have to take spells you don't want in order to take ones that you do, which doesn't really serve any gameplay purpose and wouldn't be fun for players. Espeically considering that wizards can know basically as many spells as they want, while all other known-spell casters are already hard pressed for making their choices count. So it's not even a fair tax.

A key issue for me is that 5e lets you boost spells by casting from a higher level slot. That means there aren't any spells that are just direct upgrades of lower-level ones any more. The core rules only have a handful of 'spell Bs' that would warrant a prerequisite. Granted, quite a few of my own homebrew spells are just modified versions of canonical spells, but I don't think it adds much to them to say "you can't learn this unless you already know the vanilla version".

And again, most of the obvious candidates for needing a prerequisite are cleric spells (lesser restoration -> greater restoration, revivify -> raise dead -> resurrection -> true resurrection, cure wounds -> mass cure wounds).

The flavour we've been given about how spells are learned somewhat alleviates the lack of realism, too (i.e. "how can you know delayed blast fireball if you don't know how to cast a regular fireball?"). Wizards learn spells by rote by studying books and scrolls, with each spell's mechanics being essentially sui generis. Bards pick up secret tricks here and there on their travels and don't really know how their spells 'work'. Warlocks are directly gifted their spells by their patrons and also don't usually know how their spells work. In all of those cases, there's a built-in explanation for why you know the spells you know, which doesn't depend on knowing simpler versions. Meanwhile I don't think the ranger list has a single spell that would logically need a prerequisite.

That does leave sorcerers. It's harder to wave away the above delayed blast fireball question for a sorcerer. Plus you could say that any spell cast with metamagic is actually a different spell, so they're already kind of doing the whole 'know spell A in order to be able to cast other spells' thing. Unfortunately, sorcerer is the class that's hurting the most for spells known, so it'd be unfair to tell a player they can't learn a spell because they don't have it's prerequisite. I guess you could imagine that they did know how to cast the prerequisite spell, but just forgot it because they weren't using it any more? They can replace spells on level up, after all.

One thing I have done in the past as a DM is require a character to know a spell A in order to create their own custom spells (which I've then let them have without it taking up a 'spells known' slot). For example, I required Astra's player to learn haste before she was able to forumlate Astra's instant antique. I'd say something like that is reasonable and can lead to fun interactions, without running into the problems I've discussed above.

#asks #spells

[marvelstars]

Luke, Anakin and Palpatine

On the matter of Palpatine´s grooming of Anakin, I agree completely with @ozarlu-seda

post I will just add some of my thoughts about it here:

So I completely agree about Anakin neededing an equally concerted effort to help him snap out of the Emperor´s grooming and of course the characters themselves recognizing this is what was happening, which wasn´t the case of either in the prequels, Anakin, the Jedi Order, Padmé or Ahsoka never quite call it what it was, with the sole exception of Maul, given all the ways the Emperor used to get ahold of Anakin and later to keep psycological physical control over Vader himself it was almost impossible for him to break out of it without looking for help specifically towards that end and still Anakin/Vader had to recognize he had been groomed, which he didn´t.

The only character in the entire saga who came close to understand what really happened to Anakin and started to undo the effects of the grooming and abuse even if it was decades later was Luke, his dialogue with Vader before and during their duel on the second Death Star is mostly about him trying to get his father to break psycologically free of the Emperor´s control and of the darkside by making him remember his name, the person he used to be and his real intentions, because Luke knew that if it where up to Vader, he would not have lead his Son anywhere close to Palpatine.

At the same time he keept his emotional distance from the Emperor, at no point does he think of him as an ally or a defenseless old man which inspires Palpatine to use Luke´s hate for him to turn him to the darkside.

Palpatine confirmed his possesion of Vader and believed he getting Luke was a matter of time, he tried to use Luke´s hate for him and compassion for his father to turn him but the conditions between Anakin and Luke could not be more different, Luke grew up free of any knowledge about the Sith or the Jedi, in a loving family, outside the Emperor´s influence, he already had his mind, pov, ideals, dreams well formed before Obi-Wan and Yoda started training him in the Jedi ways, this gave Luke a particular oppinion, he wasn´t afraid of confronting his teachers about what they were teaching him while also respecting them deeply for their knowledge and he didn´t think too much about doing something different from what they suggested if he thought it was the right thing to do, like going to rescue his friends on Bespin. Luke also had a circle of friends that loved him unconditionally and he didn´t have any problem with calling them his friends.

Anakin didn´t have that, he grew up a slave, loved by his mother but under the menace of being blown up if he dared doing anything other than his slave master will, yet at this stage Anakin developed a strong mind of his own, a plan to help his mother, his friends and himself to free them from slavery and even a strategy to help Padmé and Qui-Gon Jinn when they came looking for help, this compassionate kid who gave without a thought for himself was tremendously free mentally and emotionally, yet years later he´s so used to follow the dictates of Palpatine, the Jedi Council and even Padmé that he has a hard time deciding for himself what to do, even when the life of his mother is on the line, so what happened to that kid? My guess is that Palpatine´s grooming had a lot to do to attack Anakin´s sense of self, his security on himself, on his ideals, on his values and the Jedi style of organization didn´t help matters, so Anakin´s initial fierce beliefs and emotional and mental freedom took a beating during the 10 years of his padawanship and even more so at the times of the clone wars. He and Padmé became a couple but even there there wasn´t much time or even trust between each other Padmé started hidding things from him and Anakin did the same, he came back to the war only for Palpatine to give the final push forcing him in a direct confrontation between himself, the Order and the Senate, symbolized by Padmé and Obi-Wan, without being able to call Padmé his wife or Obi-Wan his father figure. His support net was in tatters mostly by Palpatine´s design

This is why I am not of the oppinion of thinking of Luke was essentially a "better person" than Anakin, because they have a lot of similarities, Luke has similar compassion and temper to the one Anakin had but their circunstances were extremely different, while Anakin´s sense of self constantly was beaten down by Palpatine´s grooming, Luke´s keep his sense of self by sheer will but also the support of his friends, family and teachers.

This similaritiy between them got in two directions, Vader could understand what affected Luke more to make him fall to the darkside, even better than Palpatine did and Luke discovered what was important for his father and what to tell him to make him start snaping out of the darkside.

Their duel is actually a psycological one and Vader almost actually managed to make Luke fall, the only reason he didn´t was that he had the example, right before his eyes, in Vader, of what would happen to him if he fell, he would destroy himself, this helped him get a hold on himself and break completely free of the darkside temptation.

But Luke does manage to help his father, symply by recognizing him as his father and a jedi, by giving him his dignity as a person back. "I am a Jedi like my father before me" this made clear that from Luke´s pov, what he knew of the Jedi his father have been, it was something good, something worthy of being emulated, something his father should be proud of and not reject as a shameful part of his past, that believing in compassion = unlimited love was an ideal worthy of dying for, because Luke went to the death star ready to die if that was what it took to free his father from the darkside, he trusted the rebellion to destroy the Death Star. Killing the Emperor was secondary to that.

So when the Emperor decided to kill Luke, secure in his absolute control over Vader that it didn´t matter if he killed his Son right in front of him, Vader/Anakin got enough strenght back to become himself once again, to defend his Son because he´s his Son and he needed help and he called for his father so he answered him even if it meant his death, the Emperor´s death and the fall of the Empire.

Vader didn´t break completely from the Emperor´s emotional hold, he still had a lot of mixed feelings towards Palpatine even after all those years, even after Palpatine bassically ordered Luke to kill Vader to take his place, Lucas even says that Vader "loved Palpatine" in his own way and yet he decided to take stand, to stop, to make Palpatine stop, not matter his feelings on the matter, because they had to stop.

Vader/Anakin doesn´t condemn Palpatine ,he recognizes himself as responsible as well for the state of the galaxy and takes on his master last punishment on himself to save Luke and it no longer mattered to him to die if it meant keeping Luke safe and put a stop to their rule.

He even asked Luke to leave him because he was serious about ending the Sith and he recognizes himself as a Sith but he also knew there was no way of scaping death this time and it was fine because it was his time. He let go of everything, even his life and this finally gave him peace, at this point he didn´t even know Obi-Wan and Yoda were going to help him become a force ghost, all he knew was that he was going to die and he was at peace with that, he became once more the person he used to be but also the fierce emotional freedom he used to have and he could not have been more proud of Luke, for growing up into the man he did.

#star wars #anakin skywalker #darth vader #Luke skywalker #mention of grooming #sw abuse #It was too long an answer so I posted this here #long post #star wars meta #anakin skywalker meta #Palpatine

[sharkinlovewithadolphin]

Trick or treat 👻 Anything you'd like!

ask box trick-or-treat Thank you!! 🎃🦇 For you: An excerpt from my notes for chapter 18 of A Magical Tale to pair with your magic au inspired oneshot. ❤✨

“Is that a fucking bear?” Rin asked in a hushed whisper, shocked by the silhuette visible in the far distance. “Yes, Rin. Bears are usually found around mountains, forrests, bodies of water?” Haruka pointed out. ”Did you really think there wouldn’t be bears here?” “Have we swam around by the waterfall with the risk of a fucking bear attacking us?!” “I guess? They don’t really attack unless you provoke them, though.” “You’re so ridiculous, you’re gonna get us killed,” Rin complained, voice still low as if afraid the bear was going to hear him. “I can just communicate with it, remember?” “Fine, then you’ll get me killed.” “You can literally create and manipulate fire. I’m sure you will be fine.” “I couldn’t back then!” “Well, maybe it would’ve speeded up your process,” Haruka joked. “Haruka!” “Okay okay. At least you know now.” Haruka said, then started to walk away. “Nuh-uh this conversation is not over. Are there any other large animals out here that I should be aware of?” Rin asked, still in entire disbelief of the whole situation. ”I’ve been riding around on a horse out here! Akira is roaming around here sometimes too!” “Hmm,” Haruka hummed thoughtfully. ”There’s sometimes a mountain lion during winter.” “Great,” Rin sarcastically said, whole dramatically throwing his hands in the air. ”We’re surrounded by dangerous animals.” “I can hold your hand if you’re scared,” Haruka jokingly offered. ”I’ll even let you hide behind me.” “Fuck off,” Rin said, but he didn’t sound harash or mad despite – in his own oppinion - having every right to. “So foul-mouthed.” “It’s your own fault.” “I thought you said knights had manners. It seems you keep forgetting them.” “Shut… up,” Rin sighed, though Haruka could easily hear the hint of a defeated chuckle sneaking in. Rin grabbed his face and leaned in to place a quick kiss on his lips before leaning back ever so slightly, still keeping his face close to his. “You’re so careless. You’re going to get mauled by a bear and leave me as a poor widow one of these days.” “I highly doubt that. And you can’t be a widow,” Haruka pointed out. “Widower then,” Rin relented. “No I mean, we’re not married,” Haruka elaborated, making Rin blush. “We practically are…” Rin looked away shyly. “Yeah,” Haruka agreed, smiled contently and then leaned forward to kiss Rin. Rin was quick to reciprocate the kiss. After pulling away, they started to walk again, the bear long gone. “Would you want to, though?” Rin asked after a moment of walking in silence. “Hm?” “Get married,” Rin clarified. “Maybe?” Haruka said, clearly surprised. ”I don’t know. It all seems a little troublesome. A ceremony for a piece of documentary paper.” “It’s more than that,” Rin insisted, looking directly into Haruka’s eyes. Haruka was about to answer, when, as soon as he opened his mouth, Rin accidently tripped and fell forward, reflexes quickly taking over, He turned sideways mid-fall while protecting his head with his arms, preventing him from injuring himself, though the landing was quite soft against the damp ground beneath. ”Are you okay?” Haruka quickly asked, concerned. Their eyes met, Haruka’s concern meeting Rin’s surprise. He tried to stay serious, to keep up his worried expression, but upon realizing Rin was fine and admitting to himself how silly he looked down there, looking up all childishly surprised, he lost it in a fit of laughter. Rin tried to get mad at him for laughing at his demise, but he couldn’t. He was so far gone in Haruka and his cute laugh to be able to feel anything but adoration, looking up at him with an amazed expression. If there had been a bear or any other large predator around them in that moment, not only would Rin without doubt or hesitation have pushed Haruka aside and sacrificed himself, he would’ve died very happily and content, just listening to that adorable laugh.

#declawedwildcat #asks #fic: a magical tale of fire and wonder #free! #rinharu #sharkbait #harurin #fanfics #rinharu fics #shark writes #ask game

[dxmurei]

pls go into big detail about all your d&d characters for me :)

Sorry it took me so long to answer this, the idea of explaining all of my dnd characters in one post scared me asdfghjkl but here we go!

Fabled Revelations Campaign

1) Ninnic

Ninnic is one of my favorite characters and my longest running one! I use him for the main campaign and I feel he’s definitely needed there lmao. He’s like the comedic relief? I guess? But plays an important role. Anyway:

Race: Ratling (homebrew class)

Gender: Male, He/Him

Sexuality: Panromantic, Asexual

Class: Fighter: Gunslinger

Height: 5 ft

Age: Unknown, estimated to be around 20

Notes: Doesn’t seem to remember his childhood

Yeah, you read that right. This goofy little no-thoughts guy has a gun. Not only does he have a gun, but it’s the campaign world’s FIRST gun. And he ‘made’ it in partnership with a human engineer named Anastasia. And by made I mean Anastasia made most of it and was running into some troubles with the triggering and Ninnic fiddled with it and accidentally got it to work. And so she kinda just gave it to him.

Just recently in the campaign, the party discovered that he came from a whole town of Ratlings, except that town is abandoned and burned to the ground. Seeing this has started triggering certain memories for Ninnic and he’s slowly starting to remember his past. And, because the party loves him, they’re actively trying to find where the surviving Ratlings are.

One last important note is that he has five mechanical rats that stick with him. He found them in Anastasia’s workshop and he loved them so much she also let him keep them. Even if she didn’t, they probably would have followed him out anyway.

2) Thozsa

Okay, now I’m sure it’s obvious, but Thozsa is my absolute favorite. I use him in a little side campaign with the DM to help flesh out what’s going on in the world outside of the party. Best thing is that he was just a random rolled character for a one-shot. The DM held a one-shot for a little event at the Faetopian kingdom’s capital and needed us to make guards. And I didn’t feel like making a new character so I just clicked randomize on Dungeon Master’s Vault. And that gave be the base for Thozsa.

Race: Yuan-Ti Pureblood

Gender: Trans Man (He/Him)

Sexuality: Pansexual

Class: Cleric (Blood Domain)

Height: 5 ft 10

Age: 25

Notes: He’s got a very very very dark past and motive that I cannot explain atm

There’s so many things that I can’t go into detail with cause it’ll spoil shit for the main party, but I’ll share what I can say.

He caught the Prince of Faetopia’s eye by harassing him at the before mentioned event. (Bro had no idea it was the prince). The Queen noted that Thozsa had been a very capable guard and had talked with Price Astervian and decided it’d be a fantastic idea to assign Thozsa as Astervian’s personal guard. Thozsa hated the guy but the position was very beneficial for him so he took it. Although he was constantly on the brink of quitting because Aster is so goddamn annoying.

But you know, enemies to lovers, traveling together, only one bed oops, trauma unpacking, etc. All those tropes. And now they’re inseparable :) Aster still annoys the shit out of Thozsa, but he endures it instead of threatening to quit.

Vistar Campaign

1) Byakko

I have a love hate relationship with this guy. His character is very cool in my oppinion but VERY hard to play. My favorite thing about him though is that he has lycanthropy :) basically,, he’s a weretiger

Race: Human

Gender: Male (He/Him)

Sexuality: Aromantic and Asexual

Class: Ranger (Horizon Walker)

Height: 5 ft 7

Age: Unknown but estimated early 20s

Notes: Remembers nothing before he contracted Lycanthropy

Earlier in the campaign, he had a very hard time controlling his lycanthropy. Anytime he was emotionally negative, he was at risk of turning against his will. For example, fear, anger, stress, etc. Now, however, he can mostly control it! He’s also gotten better at controlling himself while in his tiger form.

His character is supposed to be a little silly because of the juxtaposition between his large, intimidating, badass tiger form, and then his scrawnyass timid human form.

Anyway, I really like him, but trying to play someone so anxious and timid is hard in dnd, at least for me it is.

2) Ambrym

This guy was made for a little one-shot session and he’s basically a joke.

Race: Fire Genasi

Gender: Male (He/Him)

Sexuality: ?

Class: Fighter

Height: 6 ft 7

Age: 27

Notes: When he gets frustrated he accidentally sets things on fire

The one-shot took place in a great library in Vistar, and my character’s whole deal was that he really liked reading, but he sets things on fire almost constantly. And books are flamable, so…. you get the picture

Anyway, he ended up actually helping defend the library and it’s owner from an attack so now he has a job there as security lmao

Blight of Man Campaign

1) Dr. Shai Sarhan

Okay, so this isn’t dnd, but it's a ttrpg so in my book it counts. Dr. Sarhan is a xenobiologist at SARO (Supernatural and Alien Research Organization), which was basically treated as a joke until the literal apocalypse happened and now SARO is on the front lines of saving the world. He’s currently stationed in Geneva with the other survivors of SARO and the UNE (United Nations of Earth).

Ethnicity: Egyptian-American

Gender: Trans Male (He/Him)

Sexuality: Panromantic, Graysexual

Occupation: Xenobiologist and Lead Researcher of the SARO division

Height: 6 ft 4

Age: 28

Notes: Alcoholic

This guy is a mess. He had a solid future going for him as an astrobiology grad student, but got kicked out of his ivy-league school because of a “mental break.” He was about a year away from getting his doctorate. Luckily for him (or unluckily) SARO took notice of his research and recruited him when no one else wanted to give him a job. He worked there as an astrobiologist and xenobiologist and completed an odd dual program that rewarded him with his doctoral degree in xenobiology (he’s still not sure if it’s real or not but he’ll use the title while he can). This guy worked in a small underfunded lab for several years with less than favorable coworkers until actual aliens invaded Earth. Now, his research on alien biology is getting put to real use and is highly valued. He’s getting the recognition he always wanted, but at a terrible price. Dude was a light alcoholic before the apocalypse started, but it’s gotten worse since. He heavily relies on it to get to sleep at night. Between that, the rate at which he overworks himself, and the traumatic things he has to witness on a weekly basis, he’s a fatigued, grumpy mess.

#demurei answers #holy shit this took so long #dungeons and dragons #dnd #oc #dnd character #yuan ti #yuan ti pureblood #cleric #ranger #fighter #gunslinger #ttrpg #ttrpg oc

[madwomansapologist]

How about Morpheus meeting Death wife?

Morpheus meeting Death's wife would include

Masterlist | Rules | Taglist | Library | More Death | AO3

synopsis: Morpheus care the most about his family. Would you be considered family or a intruse?

ps: thanks for your request! Hope you like it!

• Morpheus is somehow like a cat. He can be very lovely, but most of the time he is skittish. Death call him stubborn, but you kinda understand him. So much time, so many lives, he have the right to behave like that. You would never said that to his face because Morpheus would probably react in a bad way

• Before you meet him you were really affraid of what he would think. Death keep saying that his oppinions didn't worth the time you would spend overthinking, but words aren't as powerfull as knowledge. And what you didn't know was what Morpheus would think about you

• You marriage with Death is something new even for you, two amazing years still only two years, imagine for him. He probably would look at you and think that you are a useless kid. Or even worse: a profiteer

• When you finally meet him, damn, it was worse than anything you had imagine. Morpheus simply ignored you. Your voice wasn't heard, your smiles werent returned, your politeness wasn't even notice. It was embarrasing. Being around him made your stomach hurt

• You tried your best to ignore that and pretend that you didn't get offended by his actions, but Death know you better than anyone. Death could see in the way your smile was bigger than it is, or that your eyes seen almost dry. You were fighting against that feeling because, much more than an Endless, Morpheus is someone that Death loves. But she is already used to make that emo bitch behave how he should

"Can't you see that you are hurting my wife?" Death shouted as soon as you distract yourself in the kitchen with something that wasn't hurting you. "Don't make that face. Behave yourself."

Morpheus smiled in a way that only a stubborn brother would be able to. "She really tamed you? You are old enough to not fall for pretty smiles and sweet lies."

"Take that back", Death said. "Who do you think you are to treat my wife like that? And who the hell you are to give romantic advices? I am married for two years. And I know her for so much more."

"Like I said: pretty smiles and sweet lies." Morpheus smiled again. "You should know better."

"At least you think my smile is pretty." You said, back from the kitchen with two glasses of juice. You give one to your wife and put the other in front of Morpheus. You looked at him, than at the glass again. "You would like it better if I had spat on yours? I didn't, but that a problem I can solve."

Death smile proudly. You are a good woman who wants to make a perfect first impression, but you aren't dumb.

Things werent perfect, but by the time Morpheus smiled at you at the end of the night. "I told you" Death hugged you from behind. "A stubborn emo bitch. But a lovely stubborn emo bitch."

if you enjoyed, please reblog! i promise it makes a difference ♡

@ madwomansapologist.tumblr.

#madwomansapologist #neil gaiman #sandman #sandman neil gaiman #sandman netflix #the sandman #sandman x y/n #sandman x reader #sandman x you #ask box

[soul-dwelling]

Any new thoughts about current one piece? To me its just seems like Oda is throwing things at the wall at this point - Oh the elder is actually a monster, oh but Kuma comes, but oh Bonney can control the other robots, but oh the giants come too, but oh now ALL the elders come when just one was supposed to be the "hype" thing.

I guess the problem is that instead of being cool and exciting it just devalues everything - like one elder not being able to do everything leaves room enough for the others in the future, but now all five not really being able to do their job makes the whole concept of turning them from ruthless yet human politicians that do cry when they have to do inhuman acts into generic demon monsters that treat humanity as bugs be kinda not worth it, atleast in my oppinion

I received this ask on March 20, 2024.

I better answer it now, given some non-One Piece spoilers I read that kind of screw up what I'm going to say below.

(My Hero Academia spoilers below; spoilers for Justice League Unlimited below; spoilers about One Piece throughout.)

One of the inadvertent advantages of enjoying One Piece, while not being as close to the series and not remembering all details from it, is that these kinds of details bother me less compared to series I have a lot more familiarity with. 

For those reasons, revealing that Saturn has a giant monstrous Devil Fruit ability didn’t bother me. If anything, I can enjoy the moment for the pure shock as well as, with reflection, what that may reveal: the reason Saturn has been in power this long is not just due to experience and intelligence but also a powerful Devil Fruit ability. 

But as you say, when thinking about it, it does lead to disappointment--maybe in different ways than what you describe. What I mean is, okay, sure, Saturn now shows he has this giant terrifying power…and we can assume Luffy will beat him, because Luffy. At best Saturn’s power means he’ll overwhelm other characters first, which could cause irreversible harm or at least long-lasting harm. 

As for the arrival of the other Elders and then showing off their powerful abilities: yeah, that is rushing things more than I think the story needed--that could have been saved for a future story. At best, it makes sense: the Elders are now just that desperate that they are going to do overkill to make sure to stop this problem right now. The problem is that, even if it makes sense for the characters, it does sap some anticipation in the story. As you said, “one elder not being able to do everything leaves room enough for the others in the future,” but now we got to rush everything to get to that reveal already. 

As for the Elders coming across as less human--I’m ambivalent. To complain about a different series, it’s like how I feel about My Hero Academia and All For One. 

On the one hand, yay, we made the fascist into a pathetic immature man-child and wannabe supervillain, showing that at the end of the day every fascist is nothing more than a bully who never grew up. 

On the other hand, it means the way of defeating All For One will always be unsatisfying, not only because in our real lives we (for good reasons) don’t handle fascists and bullies that way and hence those fascists and bullies persist (making My Hero Academia a bothersome moment of escapist fantasies that inadvertently suggests the wrong way to handle fascists and bullies and denies us a real-world example how to address them). 

Plus, by making All For One so pathetic, it leaves you thinking, “Why didn’t someone just do this to him before?” The manga at least does give an answer: in a society where no one extended a hand to help Tenko, why would you expect anyone to stand up to stop All For One? Then again, someone did stand up to All For One--a lot of someones, all the holders of One For All--and All For One’s long-term planning and massive power makes their sacrifices, especially All Might’s and Nana’s, seem pointless, and it requires the story to bend over backwards to act like All For One is so smart when, even within the story and with the suspension of disbelief, there is no way he could get every last bit of this stuff correct (up until he let his ego toying with Endeavor, Hawks, All Might, Stain, and Bakugo get in the way of just finishing the job).

What does all of my ranting about All For One have to do with the Elders? My point is, do you want to represent fascists as humans and hence they have flaws, emotions, maybe even sympathetic qualities, or for political motivation do you want to dehumanize fascists and portray them as just monsters? Each approach has its advantage--but neither version on its own is usually satisfying on its own. Probably the best iteration we got was Eiling / the Shaggy Man in Justice League Unlimited, someone who shows “honorable” qualities and perhaps some sympathetic ones, but who is still a raging fascist and, by his transformation, becomes monstrous on the outside and, as he concludes, “becomes what [he] hate[s],” another overpowered freak who hurts bystanders in a foolhardy quest against an equally powerful opponent. 

Maybe Oda will do that with the Elders what Justice League Unlimited did with Eiling--but then we don’t get the satisfaction of seeing them get their asses kicked. Maybe Oda will just have them get their asses kicked--but will we also get a motivation representation of how we should be handling fascists, by holding them accountable by law and, through their punishment, reassert how such threats will be stopped and make an example of them so that no one ever abuses power like that again? 

I mean, fascists do treat people like bugs. Even if they cry, that doesn’t suddenly change the awful things they have done (I’m not about to let someone weaponize their tears--going back to All For One again, cry harder over killing your brother, AFO). But, yeah, as storytelling, it is less engaging when the villain is just a straight-up fascist, because just about nothing they do is going to make you believe their emotions are anything more than an extension of their work to maintain their unsanctioned power over others. Unless you’re Odo from Deep Space Nine, it’s hard to write a fascist where you get how they eventually committed the injustices they did but can cheer on their redemption and understand their desires. 

As for the other details: 

Kuma showing up makes narrative sense, so that’s unavoidable. 

Bonney controlling robots… I admit, I’m ignorant as to a lot about Bonney and her power set, so I don’t have an opinion on this. 

The giants showing up… That is too awesome for me to worry about it: this is absolute fanservice, paying off the long wait. As I said, maybe if I was closer to One Piece then I would get annoyed; at the distance I have from the story, this is a feel-good moment of getting to see the giants return.

#one piece spoiler #one piece spoilers #long post

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

OMG WE'RE RANKING HAZBIN SONGS!?!?!?!? MY TURN MY TURN MY TURN!!!

Respectless: Carmilla and Velvette both have such satisfying voices omfg. Also the beat goes sO HARD- it catches your attention and DOESN'T LET IT GO! Also it moves the plot forward very effectively which is actually really important for songs in musicals to do so. That's nice. Tbh it's only flaw is being too short-

Stayed Gone: VOX MY BELOVED- this song is so fucking catchy. It also kinda gives me Will Wood vibes, and I love Will Wood so ofc I'm gonna love the Will Wood ass song. Love how petty Al and Vox are, like it's so fucking funny. The lore drops are also really interesting. Aaaaaaaand Alastor's bit at the end reminded me of the Nowhere King and I love Centaurworld so :)

Loser, Baby: Pretty obvious why this one's so high up; Huskerdust, Keith David, cute bonding, has a message I needed to hear tbh, and its catchy as FUCK

Hell Is Forever: God I love all the different genres they play around with in this show- like I was NOT expecting a straight up ROCK BALLAD in the FIRST FUCKIN EPISODE but god Im so happy we got it. This song goes so fucking hard. Alex Brightman should be allowed to sing more Rock n' Roll.

Poison: Once again, this song is catchy as hell! Blake Roman's vocal preformance is also phenomenal, like that man can fuckin SING!!! Of course he can he's been on broadway and releases his own music bUt you get it. Also that final verse... man. In the context of the episode this song is emotionally devastating, out of context it's uh. Still really sad tbh but it's easier to bop along to it cause you don't have the visuals- Idk it's just a fuckin banger man. Though speaking of the visuals VOX WHAT WAS THAT FUCKING LOOK WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO CONVEY HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ANGE- *gets shot dead*

Happy Day In Hell: Honestly? Pretty neutral on this song. Love Erika Henningsen's voice, I think it's catchy(no duh), and the Disney Princess vibes are IMMACULATE. Not a huge fan of the random shift in the music I wanna say half way through? But otherwise it's a good song I think, conveys Charlie's motives really well.

Whatever It Takes: Okay okay look. It's a good song. Does it's job in the episode. It's just not for me. I think it goes on a little too long, and I think that, while Daphne Ruben-Vega's voice fits the song PERFECTLY, Stephanie Beatriz was singing too high in her range to a distracting degree. Like I think there was something wonky going on because that shit gave me the same whiplash I got when Marinette started singing in the Miraculous movie, and it just. Doesn't fit the style of the song. Like Vaggie's part should've been more belty or something. Idk man I might be too out of my lane w/ this for my critique to be valid, because I have literally never written a song before, and music is VERY subjective so I don't think I can even be objectively right here, but still. Oppinions.

It Starts With Sorry: Look, I know this song is supposed to be a joke, but the first time I saw the episode that did n o t click with me, and without the understanding that it isn't entirely serious this song just feels so fucking out of place and really falls flat. Like it feels like somebody took a song from My Little Pony: FiM, made an AMV with Hazbin characters, and then threw it in the episode, y'know? And like don't get me wrong MLP has some FUCKIN bangers(Say Goodbye to the Holiday, This Day Aria, etc), but a lot of the musical numbers are still really bland and samey, y'know? So uh yeah it's a decent song and a funny joke but def my least favorite so far.

#hazbin hotel #I will finish tagging in the morning ig #late night ramblings

[daphnasworld]

do you know what else shows us that a lot of the pretend pro-palestine people know and show that they don't care about the truth or facts? They have no issue with their lies contradicting each other.

Because it is like this:

When you are sure that a) is the truth and you even go and protest for it, than you will definitely speak up when someone claims to be on your side/the side of the truth while saying that b) is the truth. Especially when b) would mean that a) can't be true.

Let' take slavery in the US as an example.

A) the truth would be that black people from african countries were sold as slaves in the us.

B) would be that there were slaves sold in the us, but it would not be black people from africa but only people from india. While if true b) would not be less or more horrible, it simply wouldn't be what actually happened. That are the facts. So when you would speak up about the matter of slavery in the us in order to say that it was bad (which it was!!!) and someone else would come along and at first say that you were completly right, you would march along with them. But the moment they would claim that it was people only from india being sold and traded as slaves in the US you would speak up and remind them of the facts. You wouldn't just let them talk on simply because they also say that slavery is bad. Because if you would let them talk it would also mean that you don't care about the truth which is that (while people from india also have to suffer from racism in the us, which is also very bad) black people in the us are still suffering today from the effects of slavery. If you would truly care about the effects of slavery today and slavery back then itself than you wouldn't be able to let someone spread lies about it. Even if at first it would seem that you are on the same side.

Which brings me to my point. There are a lot of different lies going around about october 7th and what is happening afterwards.

Some people are claiming that no Israeli died on october 7th and that it is only propaganda by the israeli government. Others are claiming that israelis did die on october 7th, but that they were killed by the israeli government itself.

While both lies are sharing one message - the israeli government being the big bad evil - they are still contradicting each other. If the people claiming these lies to be the truth and would actually believe that their oppinion is the truth, than they would have to speak up about the lie of the other person. If you really believe that israeli civilians were killed by their own government, than you would speak up against the people who claimed that no one died at all. And vice versa. Yet no one on the pretend pro-palestine side has a problem with the lies of their peers, no matter how exaggerated those are. Which to me is a proof that the all know exactly that they are not telling the truth. They are not blinded by fake facts - because someone who would be blinded by fake facts would still believe what they know to be the truth and could not stand to hear lies about it.

#antisemitism #i stand with israel #israel #i/p #racism #slavery #psychology

[saiaisaiko]

The Fucked up shit happening with Israel, the Palestine and Gaza

I don't actually feel qualified to say something to the situation, but I have to say something. For my own peace of mind if for nothing else. So here have my somewhat disjointed rambling about the situation.

I don't claim to now the history or anything substatial about the violent conflict in israel and the Gaza. I would actually not care, if our world would not be as connected as it is.

Honest disclaimer, I don't have much to do with any side of this, so what I am saying is my opinion that I fomred only from the media I have consumed. The News in my country and the things flying over my tumbler page. That said, I think I can form an honest oppinion regardless.

First, it is genocide and absolutly dehumanizing and an heinous act to cut of everything and then bomb the whole landstrip without pause. It is inhumen to deny the civillians help and to cut off any resource needed for survival. That is something that should never be done.

Second, the propaganda angainst and dehumanisation of the palestine population is something that's leaveing a sour taste in my mouth. Does the West not remember the last time that happend? What I have seen and heard is a stark reminder of my history lessons. The holocaust also began like that. Dehumanizing the population one wants gone and slowly cutting of their rights and freedom. Forcefully moveing them out of their homes and buisnesses. And then killing them in silence as it was done now, it's the modus opperandi of the Nazis.

Third, I don't think warcrimes and genocides are a way to deal with terror groups. Such violence only causes more violence after all. I don't know why this place of the world go to be such a hassard to speak about without morally compromising oneself. At least with my morals and in my country, but it did and it is frustrating.

I don't side with the decisions made from the Israel gouvernment, I don't side with their Genocide and I don't think their methods are valid in any place. But every decent human being should be able to see that it is unjust what is happening around Gaza right now.

I also condem the terrorist act happening before the violence broke out again. Abducting children and terrorizing innocent is not the way as well.

But the point I wanted to make here is, that the Israel Gouvernment and everyone fully supporting them, are just Nazis with other names and skins. I don't see the difference between the dehumanisation and the violent acts taken from Nazis against Jews (gross simplification about the holocaust, but the simplification everyone is focused on), Russia against the Ukraine population and Israel against Palestine. We condem two of them, but the third is alright? That is hypocrisy in it's finest.

#israel #palestine #gaza #stop the genocide #historical parallels #ramblings

[crazedmetalhead]

Eddie Head cannons/ character analysis

Is this gonna be me projecting onto a fictional character; yes, yes it is. This is just my opinion of what I think Eddie would be like as someone who grew up in a trailer park, with a lot of the conditions that the fandom assumes Eddie went through in his childhood. For context, there will be dark themes, don't like, don't read. THIS IS MY OPPINION (sorry if it makes no sense)

Okay so there has been some discourse in the community about whether Eddie would be a softie or a hard-ass, and I raise a middle ground. I feel like Eddie would seem like a hard-ass, hell, he'd act rough and shit around his friends, and he's loud, he wears leather and chains, I can see where you're coming from, and I also see where people get that he's a softie, from his interactions with Chrissy. I think you're both right, let me explain. "Eddie's always amped up," to me, this means that he's always on guard, he's been hurt before, this man grew up between truck stops and tin cans. The way I see it is he was always, poor, never knew any luxury. He probably grew up in a trailer with his sick mom and abusive dad, he was probably moved around a lot after his mom died, maybe his dad was a part of organized crime or something, which is why he knows how to hotwire a car. He's terrified of getting hurt again, yet expects it so he puts up a tough guy act, but deep down he wants to be good, he wants to protect those he loves. There's also the discourse about Lucas and as a Dungeon Master, I can tell you, if one of my party members last minute cancelled on us, the day of the session, especially a big one, to hang out with people who are known bullies.... I'd also be pissed off, I'd think, "Fuck he's really fraternizing with the enemy," and I would also get a substitute player. Campaigns take months to plan, that session for cult of Vecna alone probably took at least two weeks of planning and Eddie had to buy everything for it, D&D figures are not cheap either so if he planned it down to the player, which many of us do, that'd be infuriating. I think that all the supplies for that game today would run at over $120.00 which for a super senior living in his uncle's trailer and dealing drugs to get by, is a hell of a lot of money. Also, every single other person in the party agreed that that day was okay, and so did Lucas at the time, postponing would screw everyone over, it's literally how every D&D group runs, at the end of the session you all work out the next time you can meet. It's a really high-pressure hobby to be a Dungeon Master because it's not just making the game and improv, it's also managing everyone else's schedules. It can be stressful as hell. Especially with a party of that size. I feel his reaction was pretty valid as someone who has had that happen.

With Chrissy he was soft, yes, that's because he saw how scared she was, Eddie isn't the sort to kick somebody when they're down and wouldn't try and freak her out when she's already practically shaking with anxiety, and sure, he may have had a little crush on her- he has eyes. I think when she says she thought he'd be mean and scary it's not only because he's loud and wears mean looking clothes, I think there is valid reasons, as some of you say, but I think he has his reasons to act that way. He probably got into a lot of fist fights, that's just how the highschool hierarchy works, but I don't think he'd have started it. I believe Eddie is a firm believer of, "I don't start shit, but I will finish it," as well as, "Fuck around and find out," and I feel like a lot of people fucked around and had their asses handed to them. Also, being called the freak all your life is eventually grating on you and eventually you put yourself in that box before other people can, which usually includes wild hair, loud rants, hissing at people you don't like and a mean case of resting bitch face. Also, I raise to you, when I went to a new school, before I even dressed alt, people thought I'd be mean and scary simply because of my resting bitch face, so even without fist fights people would find Eddie intimidating. That being said, I feel like Eddie Munson is an onion of many layers, and if you break through those walls, he is a major softy, malleable butter in your hands. He'd at first be confused by the love you give him, suspicious that it's a prank, but when he trusts you, he trusts you with his life and it's hard to get it back if you shatter it. He definitely holds the doors for strangers, especially girls, he opens the car door and walks on the outside of the sidewalk, Wayne taught him how to treat a lady and he follows those rules. That's all, this is just my oppinion.

#Eddie Munson #eddie my beloved #stranger things #headcannons

[thealmightyemprex]

Favorite Movies Ramble: Exorcist III

THis is where I take a movie I love and ramble bout it

In this case we shall look at one of if not the best horror sequel ever (Sorry Bride of Frankenstein ) at least to me :Exorcist III

Before we get into the film lets get into what I think of Exorcist 1 and 2

The Exorcist is a legit great movie though it has taken a while to grow on me .At one point it was considered the scariest film a monicker that has seemingly gone away ,and honestly I am glad that perception of the film as the best of the best made the film less enjoyable cause NOTHING can live up to being called the "Best"and now people can just enjoy it as a very good horror movie .

Exorcist II The Heretic.....Is awful.Possibly one of the worst horror films I have ever seen by the simple virtue it actively refuses to be scary .Thankfully III is a direct sequel to the first film,so II is easily skipable

Also revieweing the theatrical cut

Also spoilers for the original Exorcist

This 1990 film follows Lieutenant Kinderman (George C Scott ) as he investigates a series of killings similar to that of the Gemini Killer (Brad Douriff ) ,a killer executed 15 years prior ,leading him to a familiar face from his past ....

Where to start? WEll as a horror film.....Its scary .Unlike the original Exorcist where the horror comes from how grounded it is,this film is a bit off ,and I applaud William Peter Blatty's direction .I also like that all the kills are off screen ,cause it makes them more disturbing to hear them DESCRIBED ,the best case of how telling can be better then showing . The film also happens in my oppinion the scariest jumpscare I have seen .I also think the dialogue is very engaging

The acting is all top notch .Now this film had a big hurdle to jump because it follows two characters from the first film:Kinderman and Father Dyer,played originally by Lee J Cobb and Father William O Malley,the former of who had passed on and the latter was a bit busy due to being.....Well a REAL priest ,so recasts were in order .As Father Dyer we have Ed Flanders,who while looking nothing like Father William O'Malley ,still delivers a solid performance.The casting masterstroak however is George C Scott ,who is not only a great actor in his own right (Which I shall go more into ) but he also looks like/is a very similar actor to Lee J Cobb ,I totally buy its the same character. I love the chemistry between George C Scott and Ed Flanders ,they are believable as old friends united by shared tragedy and a love of movies .I also think that Scott really is the right lead for the movie ,as a tough guy cop but a sense of warmth and humanity .OF course,like any Scott performance ,the shouty scenes are the most famous ("ITS NOT IN THE FILE! ITS NOT") but honestly my favorite moment from him is one of subtlety ,when he learns of someones death where he is holding it together but you can tell that if he was alone he would collapse into a wreck

Ah but what is a good horror film without a great villain and in this film we have The Gemini Killer played by TWO great actors :Jason Miller and Brad Douriff .Jason Miller reprises his role(Kind of ) of Father Karras ,the protagonist of the first film who sacrificed his life to take out a demon.See his body is now the home to the spirit of a serial killer played by Brad Dourif ,and we the audience will ocassionally see the killer as Karras or as his true face .Now the reason for this is very complicated so I wont go into it , but suffice to say it works . Miller plays the killer very cold ,and comes off quietly menacing ,while Douriff plays him like a wannabe artist as he gleefully discusses his art and raves and rants about his purpose and his master . The combination of the two performances makes for chillining villain and are easilly the best parts of the film .Also Douriff just describing hi9s murders is simply horrifying

Now while this is a personal favorite of mine,I do have some issues:the studio wanted an exorcism scene so forced Blatty to add in the character of Father Morning played by Nicol Williamson.I like the exorcism scene itself but Father Morning is basically a non character and a waste of a good actor.Also there is a scene in a heavenly train station which is just....Weird

Overall I think this is a very underrated horror film and if you have seen the first it is worth a watch

@ariel-seagull-wings @the-blue-fairie @metropolitan-mutant-of-ark @angelixgutz @princesssarisa @amalthea9 @themousefromfantasyland

[mysolar]

Have you ever done something really really bad? Was it easy to own up to it? Can one ever?

Really really bad 🤔? I Guess it depends of our moral cursors and compass.

Cheating for me is really really bad for example. I never did because my occasions are basically close to zero by being single since 10 years+ but as I can understand falling out of love or loving 2 people same time I can't forgive cheating.

I don't really lie I am really well known to be too direct so it is quite the opposite.hmmm thinking out loud 🤔 I had a car crash which was in my sense bad. No one hurted just the car being back to a metal can.

Ok bad I searched the phone of my first boyfriend breaking his trust and intimacy, I was right to do so because he went back to dealing and doing drugs when I told him it was a no go for me but ultimately I know it was very very bad and it was also very bad to be all black and White to make him choose between me and addiction . I was totally making regency into his life and it is what lead to the break up so I guess I have learned a lot.

I think I hurt and hurted a lot of people by my inflexibility , intransigency and being very needy- with high standards about and with people. This is very bad to be so judgmental even if it is hiding in a loooot of good intentions : wanting the best for people, trying to rise the level, to elevate and support. Sometimes I really don't see where I do wrong when I want what is best (only in my oppinion of course otherwise it isn't funny). I should take more consideration of the others and not apply my own values to their issues.

Everyone has the right to be forgiven even for badbadbad things I believe in second chances and rehability, and have a lot of things to say against enclosed prisons and I also think a lot of things can influence you to do bad more than good. It takes a lot of courage and dilligency to be good. Otherwise I think you should always speak up and tell the truth even if it hurts and owning your bad behaviours, change it once you admited it but no need to hide.

#idk if it is a satisfying answer but it is a great question thanks

[al-live]

Let me whisper a secret.

When you get older, ways you had to survive sit within you. Once you had to fight but maybe not much anymore. Maybe you had to stay silent and now you can speak.

Still, there are things. There will always be things and you work through and around them one by one. Thats what I've tried to do for years. A human is a lifelong student if you're doing it right. A thing that is not finished being worked through is no longer just a thing after some time. It's a trigger. Mine results in fight or flight.

The problem is not just the fight or flight; they can be accurate even if only proven later in time. The problem is knowing the level of threat to respond to.

I got a broke meter and I reckon, since february, I got a tempermental pulse. Anxiety? Ha! Find a better word to give someone a made up, trash diagnosis. When my pulse hits, I'm starving and weak and unregulated. Or I have indigestion and my whole body is lightin' up like a pinball machine- rejecting what I ate maybe because it cant break it down and it's poisoning me. Maybe PRESSURE to juggle things like a normal person? Maybe. Not the unrelated and over diagnosed "Anxiety". Do people even know the difference? They do when youre old. They don't when you're young.

The councilor (referred by a carless doctor to do med management with me and not even try talk therapy first) told me noone would touch me with scope if I didnt take the anxiety meds first and rule it out. So I finally remebered to take them. I started last week and guess what?

My body is still fucked up! Colon, kidney, and something else. And i have long known some of my neighbours would creep on my room and that someone use to chase me home everyday on the free way from my old job. Wouldnt you know it! I could still feel them spying on my while taking the medication. I even found out that the car that use to follow me home every day is one of three people in my building that apparently use to work at one of my old jobs as a seasonal warehouse associate. They knew me and my face and I dont really know theres except one who got kicked off a picker machine for bumping into something. Even then, I didnt really know him or his name.

They are so desperate for attention. For a while, one of them would wait till I had to go out to my car and leave to try and catch me at the same time for about 2 months after I no longer worked at the warehouse. One of them (a girl) would purposely open her door to eaves drop if she could hear me talking in MY apartment. Another one (a boy) one time got so desperate for attention- despite me trying to hurry to my car so Im not late for work- he purposely stood out side the exist so id have to see him on my way out. I almost didnt. He blended into the dark morning and almost got smacked by the door.

I am no longer taking peoples oppinions about my life or my "paranoia" Fuck off.

#al-live #ohio #blackgirl #nature #april #paranoia #olanzapine #apartment #diary #spring

[soul-dwelling]

Still wonder if the Ashura/Kid brothers twist was planned or not. They did have simmillar hair and all but on the other hand dunno, atleast the details probably came later (like in my oppinion the whole "Madness of Order", Great Old ones, fragments of shinigami stuff came later, maybe Asura and Kid were supposed to be biologically born and not created, eh who knows)

A story doesn’t have to have everything planned from the beginning to be good. 

What makes the story good typically has more to do with the end result, including engaging with it in the order it was released. 

Even if Ohkubo planned all of this out from the beginning, it wouldn’t suddenly make the work better; what makes it better is getting a new story that retroactively makes the earlier stuff better.

And I don’t feel like the stuff that came later made the earlier stuff suddenly better. 

TL; DR: I don't think Ohkubo figured out Kid and Asura were related until after he started work on the Monotone Princess video game, around the same time he was doing the Baba Yaga arc. But even if he had the idea at that point, he didn't really do much to reveal it until the actual reveal--robbing readers of the chance to re-read the story and see how it was there all along, because it wasn't there all along.

Spoiler warnings for the ending of Soul Eater and the ending of Fire Force.

There are three moments in time that would seem to be when Ohkubo may have anticipated: 

Asura being Lord Death’s child

The Madness of Order

The Lines of Sanzu

The Great Old Ones

And Kid’s creation

And those three moments are: 

Kid’s creation

Kid finding the book checked out by “M” 

And the Lost Island / BREW arc 

When Kid was introduced, Lord Death does emphasize his three lines. I get that it is in part a gag around how Kid hates his asymmetry. And sure, this is right upon Kid’s introduction, before Soul Eater existed as anything but three one-shot stories connected only by Lord Death’s presence. But it is a Checkov’s gun: Kid dislikes asymmetry, he has the three lines, at some point he will connect those lines, then something major should happen. Whether Ohkubo knew what that “something” was remains to be seen: this is a one-shot, he may have not thought to a conclusion where Lord Death gets replaced once Kid connects those three lines. 

Kid finding the book checked out by “M,” which is supposed to set up the Book of Eibon arc. But did Ohkubo know he was ever going to introduce the Book of Eibon? 

Let’s go with the timeline on this. 

After Autumn 2003: Prologue 3 comes out, where Lord Death first mentions Kid’s three lines. 

January 2007: Volume 8 is released, the first time Eibon is named.

May 2007: Volume 9 comes out. In it, Kid finds “M” checked out a book that mentioned Eibon. Also in this volume, the gang arrives on Lost Island and get a flashback to Arachne collecting Eibon’s blueprints. 

September 2008: Monotone Princess comes out. This video game introduces Grimoire and his book (the proto versions of Noah and the Book of Eibon). 

October 2008: Volume 13 comes out. This is the first time the manga shows the Book of Eibon, at this point in Noah’s possession. 

November 2008: Episode 34 comes out. It adapts Volume 9, only now Eibon’s blueprints are designed to look like the Book of Eibon. 

July 2010: Volume 17 comes out. This is the first time the Great Old Ones are mentioned, as well as how they inspire various types of Madness--hence showing that Madness doesn’t come just from the Madness of Fear and Asura but from other Great Old Ones, such as Lord Death leading to the Madness of Order. 

December 2013: Volume 25 reveals that Asura is Lord Death’s fragment of fear, hence his child. 

February 2022: Fire Force ends with an explanation as to Kid’s creation. Just before this time, Fire Force also reveals Lord Death’s creation came about at the same time with something akin to Madness globally, which may or may not have something to do with the Evangelist with the Kishin eye. 

So, back to the question I asked: did  Ohkubo know he was going to introduce the Book of Eibon? 

Based on this timeline, I don’t think he had this figured out until the anime started showing something like the Book of Eibon. Things are not quite accurate in my timeline when referring to Monotone Princess, Volume 13, and Episode 34. Now, my dates are accurate for Monotone Princess and Episode 34, while Volume 13 was a collection of the manga chapter, so, really, Book of Eibon in Noah’s possession would have appeared before October 2008. 

But I expect making Monotone Princess would have taken another year at least to develop, so Ohkubo may have designed Grimoire’s book around September 2007 for Studio BONES to use in the game, Studio BONES modifies it to be the Book of Eibon in Episode 34 in November 2008. 

But before Studio BONES gets to show that off, Ohkubo was already revising the design of Grimoire’s book, making it into the Book of Eibon by October 2008 when it appears in Volume 13 (and even before that, since the actual chapter was months earlier before collected into that volume). 

So, we can revise this further: I doubt it wasn’t until September 2007 that Ohkubo, when designing Grimoire, that he hits upon leaning more into Lovecraftian lore. Sure, he already named Eibon (in Volume 8 in January 2007; the chapter itself was out earlier), which would naturally then lead to introducing the Book of Eibon. But naming Eibon and actually getting to the Book are two different things, and it wasn’t until after work on Monotone Princess that leads to actually showing Eibon’s manuscript notes as a book in the anime, not just as loose pages as in the manga. 

What does any of this have to do with revealing Asura and Kid as brothers? In this timeline, I have shown how Ohkubo didn’t hit upon the Lovecraftian stuff until, at earliest, Volume 8 (January 2007) with Eibon’s namedrop, and at latest whenever development started on Monotone Princess (maybe September 2007 at latest). It was the Lovecraftian angle that got the ball rolling to show different types of Madness, which further associated Asura and Lord Death as each embodying a form of Madness. 

But neither Madness is necessarily as directly connected, and any physical resemblance between Lord Death and Asura is limited, at least as limited as you could say Eibon looks like Excalibur or the Great Old One. 

What would have pushed Ohkubo to making any similarity more explicit? All that comes after, when you just flat out put Asura and Kid in juxtaposed panels and have Asura claim they are related. 

If I’m being generous, maybe you could say Ohkubo had this idea earlier, when he started having Kid link together Lines of Sanzu, chipping at Lord Death’s mask, so, around July 2010. 

However, this was also around the time we first see the Book of Eibon in the manga, so, again, this is all stumbling out of Monotone Princess and the Lovecraftian leaning. (And that’s not getting into the anime showing Kid’s lines linking, but that’s an entirely different context and continuity.) If you start linking Kid’s lines, that starts to look like the lines in Asura’s hair more, and then Ohkubo can re-design Asura to look more like Kid (...similar to how he ends up re-designing Kid yet again to look more like Shinra to force that bullshit connection…). 

To summarize all of this rambling, I don’t think Ohkubo had this planned out, at least not at the beginning, and not when Asura first escaped Death City. This would account for how little of a parent-child interaction we get with Lord Death and Asura during the latter’s escape--although, from a Watsonian point of view, we can chalk that up to 800 years of separation between a parent who is acting more like a brutal authority figure, and a child who is not about to act friendly to an abusive parent. I therefore can forgive the story for not making that apparent at the time when it happened. 

However, I can say that, by the time of the revelation, the setup is just not there. We needed foreshadowing. We needed more emotion out of Asura revealing this to Kid, and Lord Death’s anxiety about Kid learning this. It’s bothersome to me, just tossing off abruptly that Asura was fragmented from Lord Death to embody his fears, then abruptly revealing Kid was not born the same way--as bothersome to me as just as abruptly revealing at the end of Fire Force that Lord Death just summoned preschooler Kid into existence (and basing his face off of Shinra’s, which, no, Shinra and Kid do not look alike). 

To end this already: Ohkubo probably only had the idea of Kid and Asura being siblings around the time he started the Baba Yaga arc, but it’s not really clear until Asura reveals it, so I don’t think the setup and payoff were very good.

#death the kid #asura #long post #fire force spoiler #fire force spoilers