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footiehoemcfc · 1 year

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A sip, and you score

Hello :), this is my first John fic, ngl I'm nervous bc its my first time writing for him. Anyway, if you have any ideas or request you can send them to me I will gladly do them :). My master list is pinned in my blog if you want to check it out. Fluff, smut, tw none, 2.8k words.

To say this season for John has been amazing is an understatement. He was selected for the England world cup squad, he is now challenging for the title again, UCL semis again, the FA cup final and having played in different positions and out of his comfort zone so well. You were very excited for him and so proud of all the hard work he has done, seeing it payoff is amazing.

You and John started dating during Covid year. It was a very weird way to start a relationship, to quarantine with someone you had met for just 2 months. In a way, it was the best thing that could’ve happened to both of you. You had someone to spend a lot of time with, at times where it could become quite boring. You got to know him more than anyone and discover that actually, you two were perfect for each other. When you two first started dating, he was struggling to get into the team. It sucked seeing him sad and upset but seeing the progress he has made from that time to now; it just amazes you.

You were currently cuddled up to him, his arms around your waist and his chest pressed to your back. It was early in the morning and you knew his alarm would be annoying you at any second. Today was a big day, they were playing against Arsenal at home. John had told you he was not nervous but excited for this game. You on the other hand, you were very nervous because you know how south a game can go.

You don’t know why, but you woke up with a very different feeling this morning than the feeling you had last night about the game. You felt in your gut they would win, and John having scored already and played amazingly you had a feeling he could score again. You didn’t want to jinx it, but you also wanted to let him know how sure you were and how confident you felt in him.

You got up from bed carefully to not wake your sleeping boyfriend so he could enjoy 5 more minutes of sleep. You went straight to the kitchen to make yourself and John a cup of tea. You noticed the time, it was 8:55 am. You noticed how many tea bags were left, 5. You noticed you had unread messaged from last night, 5. You remembered a scene from the movie you binged with John last night, Focus. How they made someone choose the exact player they wanted him to choose to win a bet by making the man see the number 5 the whole day and subconsciously pick 55. All of these 5’s was giving you even more of a better feeling. You were always a big believer in intuition and going with your gut.

You were thinking about all of this while making tea and jumped a little when you felt two strong arms wrap around your waist. “Morning my love” John said kissing your cheek. “Hi baby”, you stopped doing what you were doing, turned around and hugged him. Once you pulled away, John went outside so your dog could go potty and to take the trash out.

John came back in and sat in the stool from the kitchen bar looking at his phone. You finished up the tea and placed his mug in front of him. “Are you excited about today?” you asked taking a sip from your tea. He placed his phone on the table and looked back at you, “Yea, I feel like it’s going to be a good game honestly”. “I have a good feeling too” “How? You said you were nervous last night” he says laughing. You laughed as well, you were scared but all these signs gave you a good feeling. Before John could take the first sip of his tea, you wanted to tell him it was different today. “I made a different tea today and… a sip of it means your scoring today so” you said playfully and proudly. “Is that so? You are making like a magic tea for me then?” he asked smiling. “Yea, I woke up with a good feeling today” “alright then” he takes a sip from his mug and smiles. He takes another one and soon enough he finishes his tea. “I guess I’m scoring a goal today then” he says smirking and you laugh. “If you do actually score, I want a bit of credit” you say as he comes closer to you. He grabs your face gently and kisses you. “You will get more than that”, you smirk when he says this knowing exactly what he means.

John went back to his room to shower and leave to the training center before the game. Meanwhile you started doing work stuff to be free in the evening since you were attending the game. “Okay my love I’m off” John appears in your little office like space to kiss you goodbye. “Bye baby”, you both hug each other tightly like you do before every single game. He kisses you lovingly, “good luck yea? I know you are going to be so great today” you said smiling against his lips. He kisses you one more time before he has to leave.

As excited as you were, you always had that thought in the back of your head of “what if they actually lose?” but you distracted yourself with work stuff, house chores and organizing your stuff around the house.

It was near 6 pm and you started getting ready to go to the stadium. His family would all be there today, as well as some of the other teammates girlfriends which you have gotten very close with. Once you were satisfied with your makeup and outfit, you headed to your car. The whole ride to the stadium was filled with John’s playlist and it kind of made your nervousness go away, at least for a little bit.

You were the first one in the box and you could see the staff arranging a banner they would display and the players warming up on the pitch. Before every game you would text John a quick message consisting of I love you and Good luck. This time, it included something else. “Already at the stadium! I love you and good luck! Score that goal for me please ;)”.

Everyone else arrived to the box, you greeted his mom, dad, sister and Sasha who was in the box next to you. “I need them to win otherwise Jack gets so moody and it’s annoying” you laughed at Sashas’s joke. You were in between John’s sister and Sasha watching the game. The atmosphere was amazing, the stadium was bouncing. Everyone knew how important this game would be in order to win the title this season.

The ref blew the whistle and not even 10 minutes in, Kevin scored the opener causing the whole stadium to roar. The game was looking good. You were holding either Sasha’s hand or fidgeting with your bracelets from the anxiety you had. Just before half time, they gained a free kick. You knew John loves his header goals, so you were excited to see if it would be a goal from him. Kevin made a really good pass and John was able to put it in the net. You all stood up once the ball went in, screamed but not even for a second. The goal was ruled as offside. “For fuck’s sake man” you said sitting down and covering your face. “They need to probably check it, damn that looked like a great goal” John’s sister told you. “Yea they are checking look” Sasha says pointing to the screen. “I really need him to score otherwise I will look like an idiot and disappoint him” you said while biting down on your nails, “what? What do you mean?” Sasha asked chuckling. “Oh god, I woke up today with a good feeling he would score and I told him, I was very confident and now if he doesn’t I will feel dumb” you said almost laughing know realizing it was just dumb coincidence all the signs you saw. “Oh my god look!” Sasha says pointing to the screen. The green line. It was a goal. You fucking called. “Yes!! I called it! Oh my god!”. Once the referee gave the goal, the whole stadium and all the players started celebrating and singing John’s song. You were so happy for him, and you saw he blew you kiss from the pitch after celebrating.

The whole second half, city were playing amazingly with Kevin scoring another goal and Erling in the last minutes scoring one as well. You were so happy for the team, but you were even happier for John. You knew how much it meant to him the fans singing his name and making them proud.

While you waited for John in the player’s lounge, you caught up with his family and some of the other wives and girlfriends. You still felt a lot of adrenaline form the game but the only thing you wanted to do right now was to hug and kiss John and say, “I told you so”.

You saw your tall boyfriend enter the room and greet his parents first. They hugged him and congratulated him on the win and the goal. Once he saw you, he couldn’t help but just laugh to himself knowing exactly what you were about to say. He hugged you tight and kissed your temple. “I might more of your magic tea for the rest of the season” he whispered in your ear. You just laughed, pulled away just enough to see his face and give him a kiss. “I told you” you said smiling against his lips and he just chuckled. Once he talked to his parents and sister a bit more, they informed him he had to do some post-match interview. “I won’t be long yea, let me know when you get home yea?” he kisses your temple and leaves to the media room. You said your goodbyes to everyone and arrived safe at home.

You made something quick to eat before John arrived so you could both just go to bed peacefully. Once you were done eating and cleaning up in the kitchen, you went upstairs to your bedroom and started getting ready for bed. You changed into your little shorts and a just a training bra. You pulled out your face wash, moisturizer, eye cream and oils to do your skin care. While you were washing your face, you heard the front door open meaning John was already home. “Babe?” John called out for you, “In the bathroom” you yelled out.

You felt his two strong arms wrap around your waist while you were just applying moisturizer on your face. He gave started kissing your cheek, your shoulder and neck. Once he reached your sweet spot, you didn’t even realize you had stopped moving and just enjoying his kisses. “You said you wanted me to give you credit right” John whispered in your neck. You closed your eyes while his hand started touching your stomach, waist and finally comping up and cupping your breasts. “John” you moaned out, you turned around and immediately kissed him. It was a rough but loving kiss. His hand on your waist, your hands grabbing his neck and pulling on his hair. He lifted you up and you wrapped your legs around his torso. He carried you to bed, laid you down and kept making out with him in the process. He was on top of you kissing you, but he stood up and removed his hoodie and his joggers. He came back down and started kissing your lips again. Your hands roamed all over his toned body.

After just kissing and making out for a little bit, you wanted to make him feel good after the game today. You tried to push him so you could be on top, but he stopped you “I thought I had to give you credit” he said smiling against your lips. “Yea, but I want to make you feel good”. He agreed and you were now on top of him. He was laying down while you were sitting on his lap. You stared slowly removing your bra so your breasts could be free. Once you threw your bra to the other side of the room, John came back up to you and nuzzled his face in between your breasts kissing them causing you to moan. Your hand pulling his hair, him gripping your hips, you rolling them so you could feel his bulge in your core. “Take this off” he said pulling your shorts down. You took your mini shorts off and now were completely naked straddling him.

“Lay down babe” you whispered in his ear. He laid back down, you stood up and started removing his boxers. One off, you took him in the palm of your hand and started stroking him making him close his eyes and moan at your touch. You started slowly and after a minute, you place your mouth on him. He grabbed your hair, making you go up and down. As much as you loved how John always wanted to make you feel good, feel his face in between your legs, you loved making him feel good and making him cum. You didn’t want to finish just yet. You wanted to do it at the same time as him.

“Baby, if you keep going I’m gonna cum” John says in between moans. You were on your knees bobbing your head up and down when he said this. You started coming back up to his face slowly, kissing all over his abs and torso, his chest, neck and finally his lips. You lined up your wet core with his cock and sank down in it. Once he was fully in you, it felt so good. You had your eyes closed, moaning while he watched and loved the view. This was his favorite position, you riding his cock. You started bouncing up and down, your breasts as well and John started moaning at the sight of you. “Oh my god John”, it felt so good.

“I’m close” he started moaning, his hand firm gripping your hips helping you bounce on his cock. “Me too baby” you moaned out. You felt his hands leave your hips and grab your breasts. You lowered your hand down to your clit to feel your orgasm even more, turning John on more. He came up to you, now face to face to kiss you. He removed your hand from your clit and replaced them with his. You were both panting and moaning in each other’s mouth. “I’m cuming John” “Me too my love” “Cum with me baby”, it didn’t take long for both of you to see stars and cum at the same time.

Straddling him, both of you just hugged riding out your high. He kissed your neck and chest lovingly. You pulled away to see his face and give him a kiss. He moved your strands of hair out of your face so he could see you properly. Your face was flushed and a bit sweaty like him. “I fucking love fucking you” John whispered against your mouth making you smile. “I love fucking you too” you replied chuckling. “Was that enough credit for the goal or do you need more?” “Mmmm maybe in the morning I can get more credit”, both of you laughed.

Once you got cleaned up, you were too tired from the activities that took place. John made sure the front door was locked and all the lights were turned off. Once he returned back into the room, he laid down in bed and pulled you as close as possible to him. Your nose was bumping his, his hand around your waist and your hands on his chest and cupping his face. “I didn’t tell you before but, you played really good today. I love seeing you play so good because I know it means you are in a good place” he just smiled at what you said and kissed your nose. “Well I wouldn’t be in a good place if it wasn’t for you, you know?”, “what do you mean” you were confused now. “Ever since we’ve been together, I feel like you’ve been the one person in my life who has cared about me, like how I actually feel outside of football. You’re always at the games supporting me even if I don’t play, you’re the only person I want to see after a loss. I know I haven’t really said it but I’m very grateful for all of that” His comment made you smile and blush a little. You were happy that he appreciated you being a supportive girlfriend. “Well I just want to make sure you’re happy you know? I hated seeing you upset when you didn’t play or didn’t get called up. I’m really proud of how far you’ve come” “Thank you babe”. He kissed you, “I love you, more than anything” “Me too John, more than anything”.

#john stones #John Stones x reader #John Stones fan fiction #John Stones imagine #footballer x reader #John Stones fluff #John Stones smutt

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somethingsomethingwords · 4 months

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Ok so, here is another one. This is a little bit different from what I usually write or even like reading, but alas, sometimes an idea just enters your brain and just doesn't leave. Also this one has a title ig. So here it is. I hope you'll like it. Enjoy 💜

Of course I wanted you to stay

(but you didn't, no you didn't, no you didn't)

Lance was so full of adrenaline he almost dropped the mic. He was shaking from head to toe, but there was a huge grin on his face.

There was no sadness, because even if this was the last concert of the tour, it had been one of his best ones like, ever.

Also he was home, so he knew that after all the crazy partying he would do tonight, tomorrow he'd meet his sister, he'd go to that bakery that sells the best cupcakes, and he'd be able to roam the streets with his thick glasses and ugly beanie and scarf combos, and no one would recognise him.

But still, that's tomorrow. In that moment, there was the encore.

It was always different, so it was always special, but that day even more so. It was composed of three of his older songs, about pain and heartache and moving on despite the past, maybe in spite of it. He loved it very much. Because he was home, singing his first hits and he was ending one of the happiest and saddest tours of his life.

It had started great, new album, in love and energetic. Then he was left behind, alone and with nothing to show for it. Because it had to stay a secret. He had to keep his love secret. He had had no one to complain to, because the only people who knew would have been put in an uncomfortable situation, and he didn't want that. So he hid his hurt and did what he always did. He put it in his music. He sang his pain until the only hurt he could feel was the one in his throat.

It really had been a rollercoaster. But now it was the end, everything was better, and he wanted to send a last fuck you. He may have matured, but nothing would make him lose his pettiness.

So he sang.

Are you sorry like you weren't at the time?

Loving you was easy,

that's why it hurts now

The worst way to love somebody

is to watch them love somebody else

and it works out now

And sang.

Cause someone loved me,

someone fucking loved me

Someone fucking loved me,

I loved him too

Goddamn it, I was worth something,

I fuckin' earned something

I have a right to die, a right to live,

a right to choose, too. And God, no!

Of course I don't wanna feel better!

Can you fucking imagine?!

And sang.

Because, in the end,

you can see how much I loved you

from the fact that I'm fine now

It's a lie, but I say it anyhow

He put every single emotion into these songs, and finally let them go.

When the crowd roared, it all exploded.

He felt a solitary tear wet his face, but nothing could have stolen his smile. He waited for his band, then bowed and left the stage.

The night was young and he was feeling free and wild. And quite hungry, actually.

So he took his band to his favourite pub. They ate, and drank, and ate some more.

On the taxi towards his house, Lance realised that, no matter how much it had hurt, he didn't regret having what he had with Fernando.

Even the tears, even the heartbreak, they all shaped the person he was today.

He liked to think he was loyal, and dependable and kind. But most importantly, he liked to think he was better than the person he was yesterday.

His house appeared, and after paying and tipping the taxi driver, he opened the door.

Yeah, it was big and a little bit empty and a little bit cold. A little bit like his heart. But it was something to be proud of, because it was his, and he was working on it.

---

The next day he really started to rethink all of this rock star thing.

His head pounded with his heartbeat and his mouth tasted rancid.

He got up and drank some water, downing a couple of aspirins for his headache.

After the shower he felt somewhat normal, and decided to go out for breakfast.

He reached his favourite bakery and ordered two pastries to go. He wanted to retreat and lay warmly in front of the fireplace.

Lance noticed him as soon as he stepped out, but he decided to ignore him. His house wasn't that far, he could reach it quickly and without having to talk to him. For once, he wanted to thank whoever made him with long legs.

But even if he could go fast without running, so could the other.

They walked in silence, side by side, for a few minutes.

When the silence and the presence were getting to him, he abruptly stopped and turned towards the other man.

"What do you want?"

Fernando didn't deserve kindness nor gentleness. He forfeited those when he left Lance. Via text. Without explanation and blocking him immediately after.

Lance had spent too many days crying; now he wanted nothing to do with the man.

"Hello Lance. Was just around" he said, as if it explained why he was in Canada and not in England, in Monaco, hell even at home in Spain.

Lance huffed and started moving again, having had more than enough, but stopped when he felt a firm grip on his wrist.

He stared at the hand on his arm with wide eyes, before raising them to Nando's face.

"You have three seconds to either take your hand off or have it broken" he said shakily.

There must have been something in his voice that made the threat a real one, because suddenly he was free again.

"Lance, am sor..." Nando started.

"Shut up before I make you. We can't discuss here, someone could recognise you. Come to my house" surely not his finest moment, but all Lance could feel was fury. Still, he wasn't raising his voice, so he could consider it a win.

you are still protecting him, Este's voice said in his mind.

shut up, of course I am, but what else could he do?

They arrived at his house. He quickly opened the door and closed it when Fernando got in.

"You have no right to come here with your flimsy excuse and expect me to be ok with it. Now, tell me what you want and get the hell out of my house" there, simple and direct.

For a moment, Fernando seemed seriously sorry. But Lance didn't care. He was the one left behind, the one who had to pick up his pieces when he fell apart. He healed as best as he could, and he would not apologise for building up his defences.

"Lance, I am really sorry, for what's worth. I want to explain"

"You are a few months too late. At this point, I don't even know if I care. I only ever asked one thing, Alonso. One. I was ok with being kept a secret, and avoiding being seen together, and the distance. I only asked you to openly communicate and shit like that. You just left without a word" now that he had started, he couldn't seem to stop.

"You knew, I told you why I wanted that. Why I needed you to be honest and open, yet you just disappeared. I had to ask Este, who had to ask Mick. And for what. To be told that you had a new model girlfriend? So no, Alonso, I don't care anymore. It would just reopen old wounds. Now go, I'm sure you have somewhere else to be"

and someone else to be with, it wasn't said but both could hear it.

"That's not right. I have nowhere to go. Am alone, Lance" he said, something hurt and teary in his voice.

Lance was about to replicate, sharp words already on the tip of his tongue, when something in Nando's expression made him stop. His eyes showed how open he was being, how vulnerable.

Lance sighed, and led the man into the living room, making him sit on the couch, while he went into the kitchen and brought back two glasses of water. He would have preferred something stronger, but this felt too important of a moment to have it tainted by alcohol and not being in the right mind.

He sat on the opposite side of the couch, and waited for the other to start talking.

"First of all, am sorry, really. I knew it would hurt you, how I left you, but I did it anyway. And I know you have no reason to believe me or care. Am here because I believe you deserve the truth about everything"

He seemed honest, but Lance wouldn't trust him so easily, not again.

"What are you hoping for with your confession months later, mh? I'm not going to obediently come back to you, waiting to be heartbroken again. You're not gonna fuck me and leave, either. So, what do you want?" he was probably being unfair to the other man, but anger and confusion had never been a good mix of emotions for him.

"Lance, I would never..."

"Like you would never leave, Alonso? Don't make promises you can't keep and don't say things you don't mean" he interrupted, harsh and stubborn.

"You are right. I made promises and then I broke them and betrayed your trust. But I need you to know I had reasons. Not perfect, not good, but I had them" and goddamnit, Lance could feel himself beginning to soften.

just listen to him, said his conscience, suspiciously sounding like Mick.

"Would you care to explain them?" Was he being sarcastic or curious? He himself didn't know.

"Of course. Someone was starting to notice some...changes in me. I was happier, nicer, smiled more. Someone I don't like said something in a way I didn't like. Made me understand that he knew something was up, and would ruin me. So I decided that I needed to protect myself, to protect you. Left you because I couldn't see you. I knew I'm not strong enough to leave you if I saw you"

It all sounded logical, from a certain point of view, but Lance knew there was more, so he waited for the other to continue.

After a few seconds, Fernando raised his eyes, looking at Lance, before turning them down again.

"I didn't like the weakness. All the time, I was thinking about you, wanted you near. It was too much. So I thought I could just stay away, and forget about it"

about you, was left unsaid.

"And can you? Forget about it?" Lance not only wanted to know. He needed to, before going on with the conversation. He could feel his hands beginning to shake and his eyes starting to water, but he had to be sure.

Fernando immediately raised his eyes, and spoke with a tone determined and something like hope in his eyes.

"Of course I can't. I'm here right now, begging for a second chance" he said pleadingly.

"Then beg" Lance said, not meanly, but he also wasn't feeling particularly charitable, and it was better to make some things clear from the beginning: he wasn't going to repeat the same mistakes. He wasn't the young man staring at his teen crush, starry eyed and in love and grateful for every scrap of attention and affection. He was older, maybe a little bit more bitter, a little bit wiser. Fernando left some marks onto his heart, and he wasn't going to refresh them for nothing less than certainty.

"Lance, please give me another chance. I know I fucked up, was so wrong. I'm begging you, let me fix this. However long it takes, is ok. Just, tell me you'll think about forgiving me, and starting again" he was being so earnest, how could Lance resist?

"Even if I forgive you, and it's a big if, I'm not going to forget anytime soon, ok? I'll need time and space and for you to make an effort" he really was weak for this man, but who could blame him, he spent half his childhood idolizing him and then he met him and fell in love.

"Will do whatever it takes. But let me, please"

Realising all the air stuck in his lungs, Lance sighed.

"Ok"

He didn't even finish the word that Fernando picked him up and spun Lance around, making him laugh despite himself.

Fernando finally put him down, and took his hand to kiss it, maintaining the eye contact for a few seconds.

Lance could feel himself blushing, and quickly shook his head, still smiling.

After a few seconds of just getting reacquainted with one another, Fernando broke the silence.

"I liked the show yesterday. Especially the encore"

And now Lance was definitely blushing. His encore had been designed as a way of finally letting go, one last screw you to the man now in front of him. But he couldn't say that to him, even if it was pretty clear.

It would have been childish to throw shades at Fernando in one of his concerts, no?

"Yeah, I was inspired, I guess" his smile smaller but still there.

"Fuck the guy who made you suffer, the bastard" and in his jokingly way, Nando was telling him that he wasn't angry, and that they would be ok.

"Yeah, fuck him"

#lance stroll #fernando alonso #strollonso #grumpy cat boy x besotted old man #this old man is down bad #the boy isnt any better but at least he tries hiding it #this is a popstar au ig #also my very first #song fic #if u'r interested the songs are #body better by Maisie Peters #Feel better by Penelope Scott #and for my italian entry #Occhi grigi di Fulminacci feat Giovanni Truppi #roughly traslated by me #go liten to all these artists obviously #also also #the title is from Villain by Maisie Peters

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stellae-de-baphometis · 9 months

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An Ultimate Revise: Who Or What Is Satan?

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Okay... So I have a lot to say before I get into this post, because the original blog post I made was extremely problematic and I would like to address it, first and foremost.

My original "Who Or What Is Satan" post that I wrote was meant to be an educational and historical post, but it ended up being far from historically accurate whatsoever. It was full of errors and antisemitism, and I had absolutely no idea what I was talking about.

And so I've decided to completely rewrite and revise the entire post from scratch. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while now, because I really hate how my original post turned out and how antisemitic it was.

So without further ado, here is the revised and rewritten version of my original post, minus all the bullshit lol. Strap in, because this is gonna be a looong post! Full blog post is under the cut. ↓

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So here's a little more info and backstory on the original "Who Or What Is Satan" post, before we get into the revised version;

⚠️ - TRIGGER WARNING: Antisemitism - ⚠️ About a year ago now, I wrote a blog post of the same title under the username of @/thebaphometicforest. At the time of writing that post, I was extremely uneducated and new to Daemonolatry, and I had also been almost fully indoctrinated into a Ne0-Naz1 cult on Reddit without realising it (cough cough the fucking cesspit that is r/DemonolatryPractices cough). The blog post I wrote was full of misinformation and antisemitic propaganda, and I'm really not proud of the fact that I used to hold such antisemitic beliefs surrounding Judaism and cultural appropriation in general. I have since deleted the post, though I believe there are reblogs of it that exist, for those who wish to seek it out for further context, or whatever other reason you may need it.

I would like to take the time to sincerely apologise to the Jewish community for how blatantly ignorant and disrespectful I was in my past. There is no excuse for my antisemitism; I was just stupidly misinformed. I want it to be clear though that I never intended to purposefully discriminate against Jews, I just didn't realise how problematic my views were at the time. I wanted to clarify that distinction; But the bottom line is that the intent doesn't matter. At the end of the day, I was still a dick. It is no excuse and I take full accountability and responsibility for my past actions.

Please know that my past problematic views do not represent me anymore and I have changed and educated myself since then. And with that said, I want it to be my main goal to help dispel antisemitism, ignorance, and bigotry in occult spaces as an ally, as well as advocate for the rights and wellbeing of the Jewish community not only in occult spaces, but overall. 💙

With all of that said, it's time to set the record straight and talk about who and what Satan actually is!

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DISCLAIMER: Please keep in mind that I am not Jewish or Muslim, and therefore cannot speak from those perspectives on this subject. I understand and acknowledge that the concept of Satan originates in Judaism and have no intention to be appropriative. I'm simply just going off research and from what Jewish people in occult spaces on Tumblr have said regarding this subject. I also apologise in advance for any inaccuracies in this post. Please don't hesitate to point them out and I will correct them as soon as I can! Xx

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+: GIF Credit :+

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Satan has evolved to become a very complex character in the modern day. In fact, the very concept and idea of Satan can depend on who you ask, as there are multiple different spiritual paths that interpret Satan differently nowadays. Satan's history has also been muddied quite a lot over the years.

But what are the actual historical origins of Satan, and how did he even come to be?

༺・ The Origins Of Satan ・༻

So, where did Satan even come from?

The origins of Satan can firstly be traced back to Judaism, where Satan refers to an angel (Ha-Satan) that was initially subservient to God. It was only later that he came to be known as "The Devil" in Christianity (sometimes considered synonymous with Lucifer, a bastardised Greco-Roman god) and was referred to as an evil demon, devil, and fallen angel. Later in Islam, he came to be known as an evil spirit who went by the name of Iblis or Ash-Shaytan.

The concept and role of Satan varies drastically between Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other belief systems which may have similar figures in their mythology. Let's further elaborate on what Satan means when it comes to these three belief systems.

Note: In the Christianity section, I have added a lot of my own interpretations and personal beliefs on the subject as I used to be a Christian as a child. However, I have not done the same with the Judaism or Islam sections as they are closed practices from what I have heard, and I feel that it is not my place to have a UPG on a closed practise, especially if I am not a part of it. Therefore, I will only be including historical info I have gathered from doing research in those parts and nothing more. I wish to remain respectful by not adding my personal input on those parts.

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+: In Judaism :+

There appears to be two main accounts of Satan in Judaism. The most well-know account is that Satan refers to an angel in the Torah named Ha-Satan (literally "The Satan") who is actually subordinate to God, rather than being an opposing force of God. His role was to test the faith of God's followers by tempting them to sin. If they resisted Ha-Satan's temptations, they were proving themselves faithful and loyal to God.

Another account comes from Satanail, the Prince of the Grigori Watcher Angels. The role of the Grigori were to descend to Earth so they could guide humans and teach them. But when they began having sex with humans and producing offspring such as the Nephilim, they were cast out of Heaven and became fallen angels. Some translations suggest that the Nephilim were a type of giants, whereas other translations suggest that they were the hybrid children of fallen angels.

Sometimes the archangel Samael is also equated with Satan, however they don't necessarily have the same functions. Samael was usually tasked with destroying sinners, whereas Ha-Satan was tasked with tempting and testing sinners.

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+: In Christianity :+

Here's where things begin to get muddy. Satan is referred to in multiple different ways in Christianity, and it really just depends on the interpretations and translations of the Christian Bible. Let's have a look at Satan's multiple titles that are mentioned.

~ The Serpent ~

Satan is considered to be synonymous with The Serpent that convinced Eve and Adam to eat fruit from the Tree Of Knowledge. In Genesis 3, the serpent claimed that if you ate the fruit, you could "be like God, knowing good and evil".

+. Genesis 3 .+ ❧ Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman "Did God really say 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" ❧ The woman said to the serpent "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die'." ❧ "You will not certainly die", the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil". ❧ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

In my interpretation, Satan brought liberation, indulgence enlightenment, wisdom, and free will to Adam and Eve through eating the fruit. He showed them that if they open their minds and were willing to learn new things, they could grow and flourish to be wiser than they once were, as well as constantly strive to be the best version of themselves.

It was actually God that brought about consequences for Eve and Adam eating the fruit from the Tree Of Knowledge, not Satan. My interpretation is that if you choose to embrace your true and best self, there are always going to be people who will not like or approve of you; But that doesn't mean that you are doing something bad (as long as you aren't hurting anyone or doing anything immoral of course, lol).

~ The Devil ~

I think everyone is aware that Satan's most well-known title that he goes by is "The Devil". Personally, I don't like to refer to Satan using this title because the word originates from the Ancient Greek word 'diabolos', meaning 'slanderer'. This implies that Satan is a liar and deceiver, which I don't personally believe. In my experience, he has always been a bringer of wisdom and truth.

Satan is said to be the "father of lies" and that he "leads the whole world astray", but I still have yet to see any evidence of him lying or leading anyone astray. The Christian Bible says that he lies, but doesn't show how he is a liar; At least not to my knowledge anyways. However, the God depicted in the Christian Bible seems to have lied about how the fruit on the Tree Of Knowledge would kill Adam and Eve... Because it didn't. It enlightened them and opened their eyes. It helped them to see the truth.

I can't really find any bible verses that suggest Satan actually lies; Only verses accusing him of being a liar. I did, however, find evidence that God lies in the Christian Bible. (Please note that this isn't me trying to be anti-Christian or anything, I'm just trying to make the point that there isn't really any evidence that Satan is deceptive in the Christian Bible. This is mainly to point out the hypocrisy of conservative/extremist forms of Christianity.) Here is an interesting verse that I found which may prove my point that God is deceptive and does in fact lie:

+. Jeremiah 4:10 .+ ❧ Then I said, "Alas, sovereign LORD! How completely you have deceived these people and Jerusalem by saying 'You will have peace', when the sword is at our throats!"

Just something to thing about lol.

~ The Dragon ~

It is when Satan is introduced as The Dragon that the idea of him falling to the Earth (presumably from Heaven) is addressed in Christianity for the first time. In the Christian Bible, Satan is described as taking the form of a giant seven-headed red dragon, donning ten horns as well as seven crowns, one atop each head. It is described that Satan is "hurled down" to the Earth, as well as his angels that serve him.

+. Quotes From Revelation 12 .+ ❧ Then another sign appeared in Heaven; An enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the Earth. ❧ Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in Heaven. ❧ The great dragon was hurled down - That ancient serpent called The Devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the Earth, and his angels with him.

+. Luke 10:18 .+ ❧ He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven".

I personally don't really believe in angels or the Christian God, therefore I don't believe in fallen angels and I don't really buy into the divine simply being split up into "good vs evil". Instead, I believe in metaphorical fallen angels; Deities and spirits that were bastardised by Christian extremism and painted as evil, simply because they were anything other than the Christian God (e.g. Baal and Ashtoreth starting out as Canaanite deities and being demonised into the Goetian daemons that are Bael and Astaroth).

I think the whole thing of Satan being "hurled down" was most likely just a metaphor to symbolise his apparent defeat and that he had no place in Heaven, according to the Christian God.

~ The Morning Star ~

I think this is mainly where the whole idea of fallen angels came from, when Satan was conflated with The Morning Star, better known by the name of Lucifer. Funnily enough, Lucifer is never actually addressed by name in the Christian Bible; At least not that I could find. Rather, he is addressed as "morning star" and "son of the morning".

+. Isaiah 14 .+ ❧ How you have fallen from Heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the Earth, you who once laid low the nations! ❧ You said in your heart, "I will ascend to the Heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the upmost heights of Mount Zaphon. ❧ I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." ❧ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.

+. 2 Peter 1:19 .+ ❧ We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

These verses seem to paint Lucifer as some sort of fallen angel that was jealous of God and wanted to rise above him. However, what some may not know is that Lucifer didn't even start off as an angel at all. The name "Lucifer" is Latin for light-bearer. The Greek word for this term is "Phosphorus", which is also the name of a Greco-Roman deity!

Phosphorus was the personification of the planet Venus, which appeared as the brightest "star" in the sky at dawn, hence the term "morning star". Phosphorus was the son of Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn, hence the term "son of the morning". So technically speaking, Lucifer and Satan may not even be the same entity. At least, not historically. The concept of Satan originated in Judaism, whereas Lucifer seems to have spawned from the bastardisation of a niche Roman god.

However, when it comes to Luciferianism, Lucifer is seen as a guide/teacher, liberator, guardian, beacon of enlightenment/ wisdom/ truth, and even sometimes the "true god" as apposed to the Christian God. I personally differentiate Lucifer from Satan to an extent in my beliefs, but more on that a little later!

IMPORTANT EDIT: A good friend of mine has since informed me that the aforementioned bible verses weren't referring to the Roman god Phosphorus. I was incorrect about this. The term Lucifer was actually a title applied to the King that ruled over Babylon at the time, most likely Nebuchadnezzar (II) the Great. The King of Babylon was compared to the planet Venus because of his power and influence in the world. He was "cast down to the earth" because of his wickedness. In this context, "Lucifer" was a physical human being; Not an angel, nor a god.

It was only until Christianity that these verses were misinterpreted (probably because of mistranslation issues, though I'm not entirely sure) and the story of the King of Babylon was twisted into the tale of an alleged angel that got his arse kicked out of Heaven for "disobeying God" or whatever lol.

You can read more about the backstory in this PDF I found that goes further into detail here.

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+: In Islam :+

The concept of Satan is also found in the Qur'an under the names of Iblis or Eblis, also known as Ash-Shaytan or Al-Shaytan. He was a djinn and the "leader of the devils" in Islam. On some accounts, Iblis actually started off as a high-ranking angel and went by the name of Azazil (not to be confused with Azazel). Iblis was assigned the role by God of eradicating disobedient and destructive inhabitants of Earth, so that they could be replaced with humans who were more obedient. But when Azazil refused to create a successor, he was punished by being cast down to Earth by God, where he then became a shaytan.

In another account, God created Iblis from the fires beneath the seventh Earth. Iblis worshipped God for thousands of years, and eventually, he ascended to the surface and continued to rise in rank until he accompanied angels in the seventh heaven.

God then created Adam from the essence of clay and breathed life and a soul into him, and ordered the angels to bow down to Adam. But Iblis refused to bow down; Being a jinn born of the essence of fire, he felt superior to Adam and refused to bow down to someone he considered to be below him. His disobedience to God and efforts to prove humans unworthy led to him being cast out of Heaven, where he earned the position of an eternal enemy of humankind.

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So with all of that said, I would now like to talk about my UPG of Satan and my personal spiritual beliefs surrounding him! :)

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+: GIF Credit :+

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༺・ What Does Satan Mean To Me? ・༻

My personal experience of Satan is that he's a very complex figure made up of many different bits and pieces from other spirits and deities. But mainly, I view Satan as being a triune godhead made up of three different beings/aspects; Lucifer, Sathanus, and Baphomet. It's kind of similar to the "Holy Trinity" in Christianity. He's a diagram I made of the "Satanic Trinity" lol.

In my UPG, I see Lucifer, Sathanus, and Baphomet as their own distinct entities, but I also see them as all being aspects of Satan as well. Think of them as being like a hydra dragon; Three distinct heads that all connect back to the same body. I also believe that other daemons can hold this title as well (Azazel, Belzebuth, Mephistopheles, and possibly many more) but I also see the term 'Satan' as just that; a title.

My best friend @sortiarus-de--naturas--daemonum has a really cool UPG regarding Satan as a title. She believes that Satan can be anyone or anything, and that it can also be a title for people who appose Christian (extremist) values. I actually really love this lol and agree with it quite a lot. ^.^

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In regards to the Satanic Trinity, the number (3) is said to historically be a sacred and magical number, revered across many different cultures and religions.

❧ In Celtic Paganism, the Earth was said to be made up of three realms/parts; Land, Sea, and Sky. ❧ In Alchemy, there were Three Primes (tria prima) that corresponded with the three aspects of human nature; Salt (body), Mercury (mind), and Sulfur (spirit). ❧ In Greco-Roman religion and Neo-Pagan religions such as Wicca, the triple goddess was a triune godhead usually made up of three different goddesses (e.g. Artemis-Selene-Hecate) and was usually also associated with the waxing, full, and waning phases of the Moon.

I view Satan in a very similar way to this. I see Sathanus and Lucifer as being almost like polar opposites, with Baphomet being in the middle of both of them.

❧ If Lucifer is Above and Sathanus is Below, then Baphomet is the middling Within and All Around. ❧ If Lucifer is the Sky (Upperworld) and Sathanus is the Land (Middleworld), then Baphomet is the Sea (Underworld) that meets and connects the two. ❧ If Lucifer is the Radiance of light and Sathanus is the Shadow of darkness, then Baphomet is the grey Quintessence in between. ❧ If Lucifer is the Sun above and Sathanus is the Earth below, then Baphomet is the Moon that middles between the two. ❧ If Lucifer is the Waxing Moon and Sathanus is the Waning Moon, then Baphomet is the Full Moon that connects the two moon phases together.

These are the correspondences I personally associate with Satan. I also have my own UPG about how Satan came to be.

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༺・ So... Who Is Satan Then? ・༻

I believe that Satan came to be through many different deities, spirits, influences, and Christian extremist paranoia throughout history. To an extent, I believe Satan to be a spirit shard of sorts. What's a spirit shard, you ask? Allow me to explain...

+: Spirit Shards :+

❧ A spirit shard is when a piece of a deity or deities breaks off and develops into its own entity that stands alone from its fountainhead deity. This is usually the result of vilifying and demonisation of gods from other religions and belief systems, primarily done by Christian extremists.

A good example of this would be the formerly mentioned Bael and Astaroth; I believe they are both spirit shards of Baal and Ashtoreth that came about because of demonisation by Christian extremists, and eventually those demonisations broke off from the fountainhead deities and became distinct daemons.

I also believe that there was some egregoric influence that aided in the creation of Satan as well. Thus, I feel that he could partly be an egregoric entity too.

+: Egregoric Entities :+

❧ An egregoric entity is a spirit, deity, or other type of entity that arises into existence from the collective thoughts, influences, and energy input of a distinct group of people.

Lord/Lady Baphomet themselves are a perfect example of an egregoric deity that arose from the collective belief in them being falsely conflated with "The Devil" by Christians. But more on their origins a little later. :)

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With all of that said, here is my take on how the three main aspects of Satan that are Lucifer, Sathanus, and Baphomet came to be! Please note that this is just my UPG and isn't meant to be presented as an absolute truth or fact; These are just my personal beliefs.

Note: In my practice, I believe in eight elements rather than just five. I believe in Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. I also believe in Spirit, but I split it into three aspects; Spirit Above (Radiance), Spirit Below (Shadow), and Spirit Within (Quintessence). Finally, I also believe in Void as an eighth element, which is represented by The Self, as you are the ultimate creator of your own personal practice. :)

∙---+ 🜍.~ Lucifer ~.🜍 +---∙

As previously mentioned, Lucifer seems to have originated from the Roman god Phosphorus, a personification of the planet Venus that appears as the brightest "star" in the sky at dawn, called the "morning star". Phosphorus also had a brother named Hesperus, who was basically the same but instead appeared at dusk instead of dawn, and was known as the "evening star". In some accounts, the two gods were later combined into one singular deity.

For whatever reason, this niche Roman god was then dragged into the Christian Bible with the coming of Christianity, thus demonising them and leading to an initial split of Lucifer as a spirit shard from Phosphorus/Hesperus.

Interpretations then spread of Lucifer apparently being some sort of "fallen angel" that was cast out of Heaven for wanting to "rise above God" out of jealousy and pride. They were then conflated with being an evil demon, possibly originating from the benevolent daimon/daemon that was initially a type of guiding spirit that provided wisdom and knowledge, and not actually having anything to do with being evil at all.

Lucifer then started being conflated with The Devil, The Serpent, The Dragon, and the entire concept of Satan in general, thus leading to Lucifer earning their place in the Satanic Trinity.

❧ Lucifer represents higher consciousness, wisdom, enlightenment, knowledge, spiritual liberation and freedom, a guiding light in the dark, expressing/embracing your true self, confidence, standing up for yourself, self-love, rebellion, and always striving to be the best version of yourself.

+: Other Correspondences :+ - Animals: ravens/crows, hawks, swans, tree snakes, doves - Colours: icy blue, sunshine yellow, snowy white, sandstone orange, rich golds/silvers/bronze - Element: Air & Radiance (Spirit Above) - Incense/Scents: sandalwood, lavender, juniper, amber, lily - Metal: Copper & Gold - Planet: Venus & Sol (The Sun)

∙---+ 🜔.~ Sathanus ~.🜔 +---∙

In my UPG, Sathanus is a complex daemon and deity that came into being via multiple sources. I believe that the concept of him spawned in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; However, he later broke off into a spirit shard and egregoric deity, and further developed into his own entity over time.

As Christianity spread and extremist paranoia began to mount throughout the years, more and more deities were demonised and vilified in comparison to the Christian God. Deities such as the Greek Pan, the Celtic Cernunnos, and the Canaanite Moloch were all conflated with "The Devil" and falsely assumed to be demons. Overtime, attributes and pieces of these gods and many other vilified horned deities began to feed into the concept of Satan; And in an egregoric fashion, Sathanus evolved into a daemon and deity of his own.

He even has entries in several demonology grimoires that were written within the past few hundred years (e.g. Livre Des Esperitz and Liber Officiorum Spirituum).

Sathanus is primarily The Serpent, The Devil, and The Dragon. In the Garden Of Eden, he showed Eve that she wasn't bound to follow the rules of God if she didn't want to. He gave her the fruit of the Tree Of Knowledge to open her eyes and show Eve that she had freewill and could be the god of her own life. At least, that's my interpretation of it anyway lol.

Some rumours suggest that The Devil appeared at Witches' Esbats as a "great black goat with a candle between its horns". In this account, he was referred to as "The Witches' Devil".

❧ Sathanus represents worldly pleasures, power through knowledge, self-leadership, ecstasy, strength, confidence, insurgence, finding/embracing the beauty in darkness, finding hidden wisdom, nature, deliverance from limitations, courage, hedonism, and liberation through "sin" and freewill.

+: Other Correspondences :+ - Animals: dragons, snakes, goats, bats, spiders - Colours: blood red, jet black, electric blue, rich golds, rosewood / dark strawberry pink - Element: Fire, Earth, & Shadow (Spirit Below) - Incense/Scents: dragon's blood, rose, cinnamon, black opium, sandalwood - Metal: Lead & Titanium - Planet: Saturn & Terra (The Earth)

∙---+ ☿.~ Baphomet ~.☿ +---∙

A lot of people don't actually believe in Baphomet as an existing daemon or deity, but rather simply as a symbol representing universal balance; However, from my personal experiences, they definitely are a very real entity. But how did they even come into being? Let's have a look at the history of Baphomet, and how they came to be associated with Satan later on.

Baphomet was said to have been a Pagan deity or idol that was allegedly worshipped by the Knights Templar. The name Baphomet first appeared in trial transcripts for the Inquisition of the Knights Templar starting in 1307. However, there doesn't seem to be any evidence that Baphomet was worshipped by the Knights Templar. Furthermore, it has been stated that the name Baphomet was actually a bastardisation of the name Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

It wasn't until the 19th century that the well-known illustration of the "Sabbatic Goat" was drawn by Éliphas Lévi. It was comprised of a number of binary elements in order to symbolise the "equilibrium of opposites"; Half-human and half-animal, male and female, good and evil, light and darkness, above and below, mercy and justice, etc. Lévi's goal was to symbolise his own idea and concept of balance, with Baphomet being an ultimate symbol and personification of "The Absolute".

But what many may not know about Baphomet, is that Éliphas actually drew inspiration from two distinct existing deities to create his Baphomet illustration; The Greek Pan and the Egyptian Banebdjedet. Lévi equates his image with a god that went by the title of "The Goat Of Mendes" (Mendes is the Greek name for the ancient Egyptian city of Djedet). On some accounts, it is said that Pan is The Goat Of Mendes, but it is much more likely that this title referred to Banebdjedet instead, who was mistaken to have been goat-headed instead of sheep-headed.

The chief deities of the city of Mendes were the ram deity Banebdjedet (meaning "Ba of the Lord of Djedet"), who was said to be the Ba of Osiris, as well as his consort Hatmehit, the fish goddess. In my UPG, Baphomet was partially conceived through these two deities, as well as through Éliphas Lévi's illustration.

❧ Baphomet represents ultimate balance, equity, unity of the universe and all its elements, cosmic order, the cycles of life/death/rebirth, queerness, beauty, duality, love and peace, creation, liberating knowledge, embracing/becoming your true and best self, creativity, wisdom, manifestation, and nature itself.

+: Other Correspondences :+ - Animals: sheep, goats, rams, cats, sea snakes - Colours: amethyst purple, sapphire blue, stormy grey, charcoal black, oceany blue-green - Element: Water & Quintessence (Spirit Within) - Incense/Scents: oud, patchouli, sandal rose (sandalwood and rose), frankincense, myrrh - Metal: Mercury & Silver - Planet: Mercury & Luna (The Moon)

+: Divider Border Credit :+

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Please keep in mind that all of the correspondences and associations listed here are brief summaries of my UPG regarding these three deities/daemons. I will be making additional posts going into further detail regarding Satan as a triune godhead, hopefully in the near future! I'm not sure when the posts will be out though lol.

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Welp, that's pretty much it for this post! Holy shit this took me so long to write. 😭 I hope this has helped you learn more about Satan origins, and Satan as a concept as well as an entity!

I wish you well on your spiritual path. :)

༺⋆✦. Ave Satanas .✦⋆༻

-Korv

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sweet-hearts-and-destiny-knots · 4 months

Note

(/playful tone)

oh no! what couldve happened to set the Drayster spiralling?

The short answer is: Drayton came to the harsh and heavy conclusion his best wasn't and would never be good enough.

To elaborate, it's well established that Drayton has repeated the same year of school not once, not even twice, but thrice. Given his seemingly rather flippant attitude towards his education, I wouldn't have seen any need to reflect on this further were it not for the fact he's stated to be a second-year student.

I feel there could be a story hidden somewhere behind that little detail. It's entirely possible to me he could have spent his first year at Blueberry Academy attending classes and making an honest attempt to succeed in his studies.

At the very least, he managed to advance to the next year, something Drayton undoubtedly could not have accomplished if he didn't extend some amount of effort.

So, what could have occurred his second year to make him stop trying? His first second year, that is.

Sisterhood operates under a different timeline than the "canon" one, so for the moment we'll scoot what happens exclusively here in this universe to the side.

Drayton has two special conversations in The League Clubroom with Hassel and Geeta. The former provides the information the two know one another to some extent, and confirms all suspicions that Drayton is the grandson of Drayden.

Drayton himself tells Juliana/the protagonist he's been held back three years in a row, and says so quite calmly! However, he's not nearly as relaxed when Hassel brings up the topic. He's even decidedly defensive about it.

His conversation with Geeta goes a similar direction. His demeanor appears to instantly shift when she mentions him originating from a long line of esteemed Dragon-type users.

So, from both of these discussions I gathered that being held back is actually an issue Drayton does feel sensitive about, and that his reaction to the mentioning of his familial ties could suggest some significant strain in that area.

He also confessed that classroom learning is difficult for him, so my hypothesis is this: Drayton did try his absolute best his first year in school, but ultimately his best was more or less a D student when battling wasn't involved.

And it was embarrassing. It was an embarrassment for someone with such a prestigious background to be in possession of such abominable marks.

Drayton tried his best, but it wasn't good enough. So he stopped trying at all.

(Am I reading much too deeply into these moments? Possibly! But I will continue to believe they are that deep.)

Now we step into Sisterhood's alternate timeline and will delve into the specific event that made this universe's incarnation of Drayton dive headfirst into his downward spiral.

His grandfather Drayden speaks glowingly of Iris, his adoptive sister. Drayton doesn't resent her in the slightest for this; he's treated her as family since day one.

However, the fact remains that Drayden searched the world over for a successor after apparently deeming his still young grandson unsuitable, and eventually returned to Unova with an even younger girl from The Village of Dragons in tow. The favoritism he displayed towards Iris was impossible to overlook, and it frequently left Drayton struggling with feelings of inadequacy.

But one fateful day during his second year at the academy, he conquered The Blueberry League and was crowned its new Champion! He finally felt a sense of accomplishment!

Unfortunately, his achievement was overshadowed entirely by Iris claiming the title 'Champion of Unova'.

So Drayton smiled for his adoptive sister. He smiled as though his heart wasn't slowly shattering.

And then, he began to spiral.

(Does Drayton Pokémon know that I'm proud of him and that his best IS good enough? I need him to know.)

#Drayton #Drayden #Iris #Pokémon Scarlet and Violet #The Indigo Disk #Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 #Pokémon: Sisterhood

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bonefall · 1 year

Text

BB!Hallowflight

Dang, little dude was a breakout star of the Great Battle outline. Here he is!

[ID: Hollowflight from Warrior Cats, slightly renamed into a cat called 'Hallowflight.' He is a brown tabby with a soft, creamy belly that has gentle ginger gradients and amber eyes.]

Clanmew Name: Shahafyiooaw (Shahaf = Holy, Yiooaw = Flew like a swift or swallow. His official nickname is Shaw. SHahafyiooAW.)

Alignment: RiverClan

Relations: Rainstorm (father), Reedwhisker (mentor), Rushfish & Tanglepaw (siblings), Troutstream (bullied by), Lakeheart (mate), Harelight & Softpelt & Dappletuft (children)

See: Official BB!RiverClan Family Tree And: Dragonkin Family

Previously named Lizardtail, Hallowflight was a Dark Forest trainee who defected at the very end of the battle. He broke ranks when Tigerstar's plan pivoted to the slaughter of innocents, tearing across the territory at record speed, and swimming across the lake itself.

Though he collapsed when he finally fetched help, Mistystar was moved by his incredible display of heroism. While Wind and Thunder were punishing their trainees, regardless of if they had willingly defected or not, she was so awed that she felt it appropriate to bestow an Honor Title.

After OotS, he becomes a respected warrior of RiverClan, taking a place under his great-grandmother Sedgecreek and deceased uncle Rippletail. His honorable renaming solidifies his family as being quite renowned, but also, for having a fair amount of scandal.

More trivia below!

His parent Rainstorm and uncle Rippletail were the products of a HalfClan relationship between Swallowtail and Rainwhisker!

This situation was the breaking point between his great-grandmothers, Sedgecreek and Greenflower, and lead to Mistystar choosing Sedge as her deputy.

Rainstorm was part of the Po3 Apprentice Generation, and a casual friend of the Three. Particularly Lionblaze.

Rainstorm does not share where they got the kits from, invoking Queen's Rights adamantly.

Growing up, Lizardpaw had trouble with Troutpaw and Mossypaw because he was a 'meek minnow'. Always pushed around and had to rely on Rushpaw to save his butt.

The Dark Forest offered to show him how to be stronger than his bullies and he accepted, he was a naiive kid.

But he always had a good heart. Following Tigerstar through most of the battle was cowardice, he was afraid of what they'd do to him

When Hawkfrost attacked Tigerstar to stop him, Lizardtail took the chance to slip away unnoticed and run for help

After the Great Battle, he became close with Lakeheart, and eventually they had three kits together.

Dappletuft died in an attempt on the impostor's life, and was buried like a rogue. Softpelt died in the tyrant's defense. Harefur was exiled for supporting the rebels but returned when Ashfur's identity was revealed, and went into the Dark Forest to avenge his siblings.

Hallowflight is proud of his son and cheers the loudest at his Honor Title ceremony, but ever since then, Harelight has had his parents at paw's length.

He hasn't forgiven them for how they didn't fight for him to attend the funerals of either of his siblings, and just let Dappletuft get buried like a rogue.

IN TERMS OF DESIGN AND DECISIONS:

It's interesting that he's actually a direct descendant of Willowpelt through Rainwhisker. I'm planning to give her some funky teeth and Harelight was also getting a little overbite, so I decided to bridge the two with Hallowflight getting some odd fangs too.

I love his wiki sprite with that little orange gradient, so it's official in this design. I'm not sure where it comes from, maybe his secret mother.

His stripes are in 3s, one thin in the middle, bordered by two thicks.

I merged Lizardtail and Hollowflight, because I was committed to making Hollow survive the battle and Lizard is a convenient living background nobody with a canonical family I can use.

So all canonical roles Lizardtail is getting will be taken over by Hallowflight!

His Clanmew name is pretty interesting. It's straightforward as a translation, but Clanmew doesn't make a distinction between 'Healing' and 'Holiness.' So 'Shahaf' has a bit of a vibe of redemption in the original language, like he's healing from his mistakes.

The form of 'flight' that's being used is the one for the hurried, dashing movements of birds like martins, swallows, and swifts. They're birds that rarely stop flying, and swifts even drink while airborne! They do this by skimming the top of lakes and taking a big gulp of water. VERY cool animals.

So the 'flew like a swift' invokes the idea of him skimming the top of the lake and making a direct beeline to get redemption.

#BB!Hallowflight #Hollowflight #BB!oots #Better Bones au #Character summaries #Character summary #Dark Forest trainee

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nerdygaymormon · 7 months

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The Illusion of Choice - Therapy Session 10/17/2023

I think this is my fourth session with this therapist, and the sessions are quite unlike any other sessions I've experienced. We talk about books and philosophy and it keeps me a little off balance. I'm used to feeling like there's a plan that the therapist is guiding me through, but this feels very unstructured. It's not that I haven't made progress, but it's very interesting to experience.

One thing he does is reframes my life experiences in ways I never would have thought of, presenting me almost as a hero, and he is so convincing that I almost believe him!

Today he told me about a book he's working on, he's got 11 chapters written so far. It's about a detective in the future who from chapter to chapter meets different people and helps them find an answer to a question. In helping them find answers, the detective is also healing his own wounds. The thing is, each of these chapter is a metaphor for things people work on in therapy.

He shared a few examples with me, giving me summaries of 2 or 3 chapters. Then he asked me to come up with a concept for a chapter and a title to go with it. It's a form of narrative therapy to help me think about myself from an external perspective, a way to understand myself and my journey.

I came up with the title "Illusory Consent."

Consent is voluntary and uncoerced, it has to be authentic. The person giving consent has to be affirmative in communicating the consent, silence doesn't equal consent. Consent means being informed. Consent can be withdrawn.

The detective is perplexed that this person he encounters is upset with their choices. If this isn't what they wanted to choose, then why would they pick this? They consented to this.

But he learns that while it looks like the individual was free to make their own choice, they were manipulated. They were free to make the decision that others in their community approved of.

To ensure the "correct" choice was made, several techniques were employed, such as only being given partial information, or not being told the extent of what they were agreeing to, that agreeing to this also means agreeing to all these things. Sometimes they were emotionally manipulated by having their family brought in to express how proud they are of you for your willingness to make a certain choice and then watching expectantly as the individual is asked if that is their choice.

Is this individual really free to make a choice if not making the "right" choice will bring shame and isolation from their community? Is it a choice if they are told that God only approves of one answer? Are they really consenting to all the ramifications of that decision if they can't understand them or weren't given enough information?

But the truth the individual is learning is that they didn't actually give full consent in any of those instances. They weren't able to give consent as a child for what they would do as an adult. An adult isn't stuck forever with a commitment made by a child who couldn't possibly understand the impact of that choice. It isn't consent if the people you rely on are clear about what the only acceptable choice is. It's not consent if you understood you were agreeing to one thing but didn't know it implied agreeing to a bunch of other things. It isn't consent if you can't withdraw the consent, circumstances change and so can our choices.

If a choice is no longer serving me, I am allowed to make a different choice.

Why would someone allow themselves to remain in a situation like this where they don't feel they have the freedom to make the choices they want to make? Because an important aspect of being human is relationships. We are herd creatures; we need other people. Compromise is required. But when does it go from compromise to unhealthy? When is someone willing to sacrifice so much? Likely when they don't see any alternative that will be better than where they currently are. Fear is a big motivator to stay in abusive relationships and communities.

The detective is a loner who bounces around, meeting people and helping them. He is free to make the decisions he wants. He learns that choices have layers to them. Being in connection and community with others is meaningful and important, but also means to make your own individual choice is harder and takes more courage because it risks losing so much.

#david gets personal

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dungeonmalcontent · 11 months

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So, I'd like to showcase a few things that I've put on DMsGuild because there's a whole lot more now.

I want to start off with Grimdark & Dangerous. Follower turnover is pretty high on Tumblr, and people go inactive pretty quick. So many people that see this will not be familiar with G&D. It was a huge project for me and I am very proud of it.

Grimdark & Dangerous is a 5e d&d homebrew book available for purchase on DMsGuild for $19.99. It comes as a PDF (for now) and is 159 pages of content geared towards gritty aesthetics. You can follow this link to see my full post on the book or the DMsGuild page here. It has a lot of content and is more than worth the price tag.

While G&D is my biggest item on DMsGuild, I have a nice handful of middle sized docs as well. These are mostly pay what you want (PWYW) titles and quite old. They are also more prone to errors and unintelligible text (where I just started writing and went into a stupor and created something I no longer fully understand).

+ Ancient Artifice Primer for Modern Practitioners (PWYW) - A magic item crafting system which can allow players to create magic items with some degree of value based balancing. It doesn't cover as much as it should in my opinion and is one of those unintelligible texts. However, I do still appreciate my very limited world-building of early runic magic and early graphic design work.

+ Better Backgrounds: 5e Character Building Alternative (PWYW) - A short book on how players can build characters without relying on race based ability score increases. I built on this premise in Grimdark & Dangerous and I'm still quite proud of how I did it in Better Backgrounds. This is a much rougher document than G&D and the writing has a handful of errors, but still decent.

+ The Inheritor: An Artifact and Exploration Class (PWYW) - A homebrew class option. I always say that if you want to play in a game and have a strong connection to the setting, run vestiges (Critical Role), or have a complex backstory this is the class for you. Inheritor characters come with a prebuilt artifact which functions as a growing magic item. You get to customize the item and there is a lot of variability to what your item can do (also includes a modular builder if you aren't very creative). Still pretty proud of this.

+ Mystic Revised (PWYW) - A full remake of the mystic UA class using my own opinions of what it should be. It's based, roughly, on the Nen system in Hunter x Hunter. It's a pretty fun class, but is not very mystic/psionic-y.

+ An Outcast's Notes on the Plane of Pensos - A Planar Adventure Setting for 5e (PWYW) - Don't pay money for this one unless you really genuinely love it. It's an outline and not worth much (IMO). Technically, it can't really even be sold on DMsGuild because it constitutes a homebrew setting (which they don't allow). I created it because I ran (and still do run) this setting and figured it could be a fun thing to share.

+ Plague Pestilence Parasite (PWYW) - A disease book that introduces new mechanics for how contagious diseases spread and how they can be integrated into 5e adventure settings. It also includes a handful of new diseases of varying danger (not all of which are actually threats to player characters). Still a decent book, though I now recognize it lacks some clear writing and has a handful of errors (I may come back and redo this book at some point).

+ Plague Pestilence Parasite: Avolakia Overrun (PWYW) - I don't think I'm really fit to write actual adventure modules, and this book is why. It is an adventure module written to use the rules in Plague Pestilence Parasite. It is still technically an open beta test. It's not unplayable, but I don't think it represents an adventure that players would latch on to (feel free to prove me wrong).

+ The Emissary: An Extraplanar Class (PWYW) - One of my first docs. It's a homebrew class heavily inspired by the Fate/Stay series (has nothing to do with any of the core themes/tropes/abilities of any Fate title) and is actually way more fun than it may sound. The premise: you get a little pocket dimension to store things in and it gives you a variety of powers (the ability to make a little nature preserve, become an auto-crafter, or be Gilgamesh in UBW and launch items at people).

Then there are smaller docs. These are moderately more expensive than most of my short docs (will list those later) but have a significant amount more content than my short docs. These are more recent docs and I generally have higher opinions of them because I was more skilled when I made them.

+ Grimdark Puzzles ($5) - An extension of the themes present in Grimdark & Dangerous. This document contains three (technically 5-6 depending on how you think about it) puzzles that present unique puzzles with dark aesthetics. I really like this doc.

+ From the Dwarven Vault ($1.50) - An item collection themed for dwarven cultures. This does rely a lot on dwarven stereotypes in fantasy, but I did get to bring in some fun things (like burial armor and the DUBA) that I think most people would really appreciate having in their games for lore and aesthetics. Also includes some content for rune carving.

+ From the Elven Vault ($1.50) - Like FTDV, this is a collection of items themed for elves. However, this one is a bit different. While Dwarves are smiths and warriors, elves are crafters. Not just of metal, but most mediums and particularly with mediums that take a great deal of time. If you like crafting in campaigns (if artificer is your favorite class), you want to take a look here because I added in crystal singing and there are three new sets of artisan's tools.

+ Lich Minions: A Lair Building Guide ($2.50) - I really liked making this doc and I am very happy with it. This is a guide for making lairs when your BBEG is a lich. It includes a variety of undead themed minions and how they fit into a lich's minion hierarchy. Each minion has some unique difference from their generic variety or are outright unique, they all have stat blocks. This is a really good resource if you want to do a short dungeon run campaign or a siege campaign. I plan on making more docs like this and I really enjoy this format.

Finally, I have my short docs (there's a lot of these). For simplicity I'll break these into two sub-categories: "Encounter With" and "Subclass".

The “encounter with” docs are short docs that include information on a unique or updated monster, a specific NPC, or a type of NPC. Each is given a stat block, has an outline of what kind of hazards are in the same area as this creature, and lists what kind of loot you might be able to gather from encountering this monster. These encounters include:

+ Archchancellor Ensiid

+ Dracolich Gollryn

+ The Athach

+ The Beholdra

+ The Boom Goblin

+ The Chaos Beast

+ The Destrachan

+ The Drow Paleweaver

+ The Introspective Terror

+ The Lifeblood Magus

+ The Musclemancer

+ The Non-Phaneron Beast (note the cover of this doc is intentional, as the beast does not have a visible form)

+ The Pale Widow

+ The Silkscale Coiler

+ The Soliptic Nightmare

+ The Sunken Effigy

+ The Venomous Plesiodrake

+ The Werewolf Lord

(I feel like I'm missing one...). All encounters have a $0.50 or $0.75 price tag depending on if the encounter features an original or converted stat block.

The subclasses are just that, subclass docs. I really love making subclasses and I try not to burn out on them because I have so many subclass WIPs I want to do. These subclasses include:

+ Druid: Circle of the Grove (Plant druid. Why doesn't this exist already?)

+ Druid: Circle of Witchcraft (Discworld witches, love this one)

+ Fighter: Blade Drifter (I just want to link a song from the Sonic Riders franchise here, but they're all so corny)

+ Ranger: Hell Skulker (nine hells/abyss ranger, also really like this one)

+ Warlock: The Greatwyrm (DRAGON PATRON! Why doesn't this exist already?)

These subclasses all have a $0.75 price tag. I will probably be making a lot more of these, they just take a bit longer than the encounter docs.

#d&d #dnd #homebrew #dungeons and dragons #5e #ttrpg #fantasy #grimdark & dangerous #writing #masterlist

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bluejayblueskies · 1 year

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As the poets say

One year ago today (March 18, 2022), I bound my very first book--@arthureameslove's As the poets say. It was a bit messy and slightly poorly constructed, but I had made it myself, and I could read it, and I was intensely proud of it. One year later, I thought it would be a nice way to reflect back on my progress as a binder if I rebound this fic! Below are the first edition, bound in March 2022 (left), and the second edition, bound in March 2023 (right).

I made quite a few changes between the first and second editions! The most noticeable of these are the size (the first edition is a half-letter book and the second is a quarter-letter book) and the covers (the first edition is half-bound in bookcloth and paper and the second is fully bound in cloth with cutouts that show a printed image beneath). I learned a lot of things between then and now, including:

How to properly measure my materials (no more exposed bookboard for me! 😅)

How to add titles to books (in this case, using both a foil quill and Lumiere fabric paint to reinforce it)

How to add sewn headbands

How to do cutouts (this is actually my first book using cutouts!)

How to wax paper (the paper in the cutouts is waxed and thus [theoretically] water-resistant)

How to make different sizes of books

How to add hinges

I also spruced up the typeset between the first and second editions--pictures of that are below the cut! I've had such a wonderful time bookbinding this past year--learning how to bind is one of the best decisions I ever made, and the sense of community it's given me amongst other binders and with fic writers is unparalleled. I love being able to make physical copies of my favorite works and to gift copies to the authors, and it's really something special to create a book with my own hands. Thank you to @arthureameslove for writing such a delightful fic, and I look forward to many more years of bookbinding to come 💜

(Typesetting pics below!)

The typeset for the first edition was quickly done because I was eager to try binding a book but didn't want to use the fics I had gotten printed on nice paper at the print shop. I had planned to bind As the poets say at a later point, but I decided to instead turn it into my first project! I've made some changes to my typesetting process since putting the first edition together, including completely reformatting the front matter, cutting the half-title page (I often feel it's unnecessary, particularly in quarto books), getting my images from entirely public-domain sources, changing around my preferred fonts, and generally getting more creative with my typesetting! I've included pictures below of the title pages, front matter, and chapter header pages for the first and second editions. I tried to keep the general theme (cursive font, ocean iconography) the same between both versions to better explore how I've grown over the year. I'm quite proud of my progress!

#the magnus archives #tma #bookbinding #fanbinding #jay's bound books

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stardustjie · 10 months

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𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚙𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚘𝚙𝚑𝚢

oh, this one took a lot. i apologise for the wait, it was quite a busy month. i'm not even that proud of this drabble if i must be honest, but i hope you like it anyway ♡ there might be some mistakes, but thank you for being patient

buying books and reading books are two different hobbies, but very few things could give the reassurance to have every title in your "to be read" list already bought and patiently waiting on the shelf. when you would read said book was a mystery for everyone, you included, but it was there for when the time will come. there was this feeling of comfort, knowing you didn’t have to buy it and you just had to wait for the right moment in your life to actually enjoy the reading. this might seem a bit strange, but you are lucky your girlfriend understands your literary philosophy. except she had a whole library in her home.

the first time she mentioned it, you thought she was joking. you were talking about your favourite book again, illustrating all the characers and the specific things you enjoyed. at some point she said the word library, but you didnt really pay attention to it. until she finally invited you in her home and with the most natural expression she showed you the biggest collection of physical books you have ever seen with your own eyes. you realized oftentimes your girlfriend didnt need to endure the bother to buy those books, rather than to find them.

now you are in the same library, with lara explaining how she bought the book you are holding in your hands so carefully. you lightly touch the title, gently. you are scared the littlest mistake will ruin it despite the other girl reassured you its not that fragile. you haven't been together for a lot, her stories are so new and interesting. you could listen to her for hours until she got bored. lara was telling you about one of her expeditions, how she found this little market stall in iraq a few months before.

"how do you manage to remember which one you have and which one you dont?" you ask at some point. your girlfriend watched you with curiosity, doe eyes wide open, and giggles. apparently she has list of them. everytime she is interested in a new book she looks for the title in a list she has on her personal tablet to see if its already in there. every title is in alphabetical order under its group genre. lara wasn’t as organizza and one would think, but she tooks her library quite seriously.

"its easier than it seems," she explains "its just a matter of habit and willpower. also, most of those books arent really my own. they are my father's or my ancestors' i think." but you were still suprised. you were still used to her little apartment in with the paper on the wall in front of her desk and books on the ground. now she is telling you she spendt her first week in the manor taking care of the library (and her other stuff, but that's not the important part).

"of course, if you see anything you like just take it. i dont mind" lara says and in your head it definitely sounds like a marriage proposal. you could hear the bells already. she probably notices your heart-eyes and giggles a little. you spend the rest of the day with her in thr library, talking about the numerous editions and books you could find and learning about the ones she used to read when she was little and her favourite characers. you are delighted when she explains her interpretation of enjolras and grantaire and lara listened carefully to your there about that duology you are reading.

you never thought you would be like this, talking for hours with your girlfriend surrounded by the biggest collection of books you have ever seen. sometimes she moved her hands a little bit to highlight a concept, other times she quickly showed you the paragraphs she was referring to. you really could listen to her until sunset came, the passion in her voice was addicting.

and you didn’t even know next time ahe was going to show you the art room yet.

#lara croft x reader #lara croft #tomb raider #lara croft hcs #lara croft headcanons #lara croft tomb raider

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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 2 months

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Makoto Naegi VS Phoenix Wright [Danganronpa VS Ace Attorney]

Leona: Ok, Ok, we're really doing this...! Phew...Alright, it's go time!

Hifumi: Ms Vasquez, is everything ok?

Leona: Yeah, yeah, everything's fine! I'm just...very excited to be working with you is all!

Hifumi: The pleasure is all mine! Thank you very much for inviting me

Leona: Well, as a fellow lover of fiction, and when compared to...that other person with the glasses, you're easily my most reliable and safest option! For all we know, she could very well end up on one of these battles someday...

Hifumi: I wouldn't put it past this. But regardless, I suppose we should introduce ourselves to our newfound audience!

Leona: Indeed we should! Hello everyone! I'm Leona Vasquez! Freedom Academy's Ultimate Mangaka, and proud founding member of the Freedom Foundation!

Hifumi: And I am Hifumi Yamada! Also known as...THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA! As well as the Ultimate Fanfic Creator!

Leona: As fellow writers, we dabble in the world of anime, games and fiction all around, and today, we're going to be bringing our reality...metaphorically speaking, to that world, and pit the people we know in fights to the death against them! You know, as good friends do!

Hifumi: Do not worry. These are merely simulations. No one was actually hurt during these proceedings. But yes, she is indeed correct! We know our fair share of powerful, capable people, and our fair share of powerful, capable characters. For example...

Leona: Makoto Naegi, plucky protagonist and Ultimate Lucky Student! A friend of my friend Hifumi and the current leader of Future Foundation's 14th Branch.

Hifumi: And Phoenix Wright, legendary lawyer, and Ace Attorney!

Leona: Two very quirky, kind, yet meticulous solvers of mystery, who put their lives on the line for their cases, be it willingly or unintentionally. Once again, he's Hifumi and I'm Leona!

Hifumi: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, talents and skills to see who would win...a DEATH BATTLE!

Leona: So...since this is a Danganronpa themed story, should we start with Makoto?

Hifumi: Yes, I believe we should. As is the case for most of our Danganronpa combatants, our story begins at Hope's Peak Academy. Aptly named, this school specializes in the fostering of gifted high school students. Like myself!

Leona: As we said before, Ultimate Academy's like Hope's Peak or Freedom Academy takes on high school students which they deem to be the best in their field, at least compared to a high school level. These kids are given Ultimate titles, like Hifumi and I. Aside from Ultimate Mangaka and Ultimate Fanfic Writer, you've also got Ultimate Swimming Pro, Ultimate Detective, Ultimate Programmer...

Hifumi: And in the case of Mr Naegi...Ultimate Lucky Student.

Leona: Hm...You know, I don't think I actually knew that before now...That's not a very eye-catching talent, is it?

Hifumi: You know as well as I do there is more to Mr Naegi than meets the eye. Ultimate Lucky Student, as a talent at it's base, is the title given to a random student who is invited to Hope's Peak Academy after being randomly picked from a lottery.

Leona: That...doesn't exactly help his case.

Hifumi: But the day Makoto Naegi arrived at the doors of Hope's Peak was the day his life would change dramatically. When entering the school, he would black out, and wake up to find himself locked inside the school with 14 other students, including myself.

Leona: This was the first ever broadcasted Mutual Killing Game, a historical event for humanity, even though the Kibougamine Gakuen Killing Game (Danganronpa: Another Despair Academy) was held as a test before. After that, several more would come, including the Freedom Academy Killing Game, the one that I was forced into.

Hifumi: In concept, the Killing Game's were quite simple. Kill one of your fellow captives, and you can leave, but you must not get caught in the process. When a body is found, a Class Trial is held, during which, the students are gathered together in a courtroom to work together and figure out who the murderer is. And if you kill someone and get found out...

Leona: You get forced into a horrible "punishment" that being a twisted execution based around your Ultimate Talent. Should you somehow survive, the same punishment awaits everybody else. The Mastermind behind this original twisted Killing Game was the Ultimate Despair, Junko Enoshima, who took the form of Monokuma, a sadistic, robotic black and white bear.

Hifumi: Regrettably, I wasn't around to see the Killing Game's end, but I know what happened after my death thanks to the stories of my peers. The killing was first started by Sayaka Maizono, who in an attempt to kill Leon Kuwata and frame Makoto for her crime, unfortunately...dare I say it...had the knife twisted on her. Then, Makoto would find himself becoming the suspect for HER murder.

Leona: But with Hope in his heart, Makoto solved this murder and proved his innocence. Then did the same for the next. Then the next. You get the idea.

Hifumi: Before we get into how he holds himself into a fight, it's here we should note one of Makoto Naegi's best traits and weapons when it comes to facing tough situations: his almost boundless optimism. He's capable of being put through the most horrific situations that would bring even the strongest and most capable to their knees in Despair...and he had to do this TWICE OVER!

Leona: Alongside the other surviving members of the first Killing Game, Makoto is one of the few people who had to go through a Killing Game TWICE. He was also a participant of the FINAL Killing Game, masterminded by Kazuo Tengan and set amongst the members of the Future Foundation. And one could argue that that Killing Game was even worse. Especially since Makoto lost the love of his life after she sacrificed herself to protect him.

Hifumi: To be fair, they didn't really start dating until years after, but your point stands. In fact, said person, the Ultimate Detective Kyoko Kirigiri, branded him the Ultimate Hope by the end of the First Killing Game. A title I believe he deserves, as I know that if I was in his shoes, I wouldn't be able to do what he's done.

Leona: I mean, that's pretty obvious. You died in the First Killing Game after being tricked into killing someone yourself, right?

Hifumi: Thank you for the...*ahem*...pleasant reminder

Leona: By the way, we should let you know now that there are two meanings to the title of Ultimate Hope. The first is the icon and symbol of peace and salvation that the Future Foundation survives on and lives by. The other is a term given to special people who through external means, have been provided the power of every Ultimate Talent known to man. For Makoto, we refer to the former. But speaking of Ultimate Titles, and going back to what we were saying earlier, are you sure he's the Ultimate Lucky Student? Being put through all this crap makes me think he might be the opposite...

Hifumi: Another one of Mr Naegi's innate abilities is his Ultimate Luck, which isn't just the power of being randomly picked in a lottery. Luck in our universe, as discovered by Hope's Peak, is actually a SUBSTANCE, that certain people possess to a certain degree. There are multiple Lucky Students across our universe, but we only really know two for comparison. Makoto Naegi, and Class 77's Nagito Komaeda.

Leona: Though it happens more for Nagito than it does Makoto, both guys possess a material luck that is both abnormal and supernatural in its practice. Makoto's Luck has saved his life on multiple occasions, such as when he slips on a piece of paper to avoid being concussed by a wrench thrown by Junko Enoshima.

Hifumi: Or more relevantly, when his luck saved him from his own execution, and gave the group the exact means they needed to take down Junko Enoshima in the Final Killing Game. Junko hatched a plan to set up a fake murder, so she could assassinate Kyoko and get away with it unknowingly, but a spanner fell in the works when Makoto steered the guilt towards himself. In a desperate bid to maintain the facade, Junko instead tried to execute Makoto, only for Chihiro Fujisaki's Alter Ego to come back to life, hack the execution, and save Makoto's life. Instead, he fell deep down into a garbage chute.

Leona: It's also worth noting that the drop into the garbage chute was a VERY LONG drop, and Makoto survived it too! So not only is he lucky, he's pretty damn durable too!

Hifumi: He also has an impressive memory, as well as excellent observation and analytical skills, which is what primarily allows him to solve the cases that he's presented with.

Leona: Ok, I see your point. He's certainly more impressive than he appears...But this is supposed to be a Death Battle, isn't it? What can he do in terms of a fight?

Hifumi: Admittedly, early on, Makoto wasn't one who was known for dishing out punishment, at least not the physical kind. If anything, he was the one taking it. First of all, like you said, one of his most impressive feats of survivability was how he lived the drop during his execution, like you just mentioned.

Leona: And he was bound to a chair at that time, so he couldn't even curl up into a ball to soften his fall, yet he still made it through. It couldn't have all been up to luck, could it? In fact, how deep even was that drop? Do we have exact numbers?

Hifumi: No, actually, we don't. The circumstances make it so that we can't calculate the height of the drop within reason, especially since the full scene of both the fall and the climb back up isn't shown. While we can't lock down an exact number however, we can assume that the drop was, in the very least, the height of a small skyscraper.

Leona: Is...Is that good?

Hifumi: Let's just say that your average human being wouldn't be able to survive a point blank impact like that. In summary, we can say that at the very beginning, Makoto Naegi's durability is equal to that of a small building at least.

Leona: Ok! Man, he's WAY more impressive than I gave him credit for! And he can deal a mean punch too, right!?

Hifumi: Well, not at first. Like I said already, Mr Naegi spent most of the early Despair days taking punishment instead of dishing it out. Aside from that ridiculous feat of surviving the drop he did, he's taken beatings from the likes of Mondo Owada, Kyosuke Munakata and Juzo Sakakura, but the beating that comes to mind as most important to the rest of our calculations, is the beating given to him by street thug, Eje Karma.

Leona: After the end of the Final Killing Game, Kyoko took Munakata's place as Chairwoman of the Foundation, and left her branch and it's people to Makoto. And it was early into his time as the boss that he came across this blue-haired bruiser.. While now a reluctant ally of the Future Foundation, Eje Karma was one of their first adversaries post the tragedy period. He became the leader of the Crazy Diamonds after Mondo Owada was captured into the Killing Game, and once the truth came to light about Mondo's involvement in his more respectable brothers' death, Karma retained some spiteful feelings towards the former biker leader.

Hifumi: So much so that he was unwilling to cooperate when he believed ex-Future Foundation Branch Leader, Koichi Kizakura, murdered one of his best men, when in actuality, the real killer was Ms Taeko Yasuhiro, AKA Celestia Ludenburg, who had previously gotten said victim to do illicit deeds for Organization Zetsubou, before silencing him...Hm...That sounds eerily familiar.

Leona: Guess she's got a track record. Anyway, to spite the Foundation and Mondo, Eje and his gang went out of their way to cover up evidence, like trying to steal resources and even kidnapping Kanon Nakajima, Leon Kuwata's cousin.

Hifumi: It should be noted that Ms Nakajima is a strong warrior in her own right, possibly stronger than Komaru, and by extension her brother Makoto. Yet Eje was able to subdue her easily. Then, during a spat over some camera film to prove Mr Kizakura innocent, Karma attacked Makoto and broke his arm.

Leona: So, what you're trying to say is that Makoto both survived a deadly drop while being barely scratched, but immediately has his arm broken by a random thug off the street?

Hifumi: Like I said, Karma isn't an average thug. But I suppose that's what I'm getting at, yes. Though, it should come with the turf that levels of power are never consistent.

Leona: True dat. Anyway, that beating was the final straw for Makoto, and he came to a quick conclusion. He couldn't be the Ultimate Hope that the Foundation looked towards as a hero if he kept taking beating after beating, so he decided it was time to perk himself up, put on a couple pounds of muscle, and fight back!

Hifumi: He did this by asking his closest cohort in his branch, Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier and an ex-mercenary for the terrorist group Fenrir, to train him in the ways of military combat and self-defense. Coincidentally, Ms Ikusaba is the older twin sister of Junko Enoshima, Makoto's sworn enemy.

Leona: The irony is not lost on me. But Mukuro herself is also very powerful. We'll get to a more in depth analysis when her match comes around, but is it safe to say that Makoto can do most of what she can do?

Hifumi: Well you see, the difference lies in the years of experience they have. Of the Branch 14 trio, Makoto, Mukuro and Kuripa, Mukuro is by far the one who has the most experience training. She's been training in military warfare since she was a child, whereas Makoto has only been training for about 4 to 5 years at this point. Mukuro herself is capable of attacking at a nuclear force and moving at a blinding speed. For someone as normal as Makoto who aside from the Killing Game, had a fairly standard upbringing, that kind of ability is not easily gained, even with time.

Leona: But with that said, he is a very good student, and learned far quicker than Mukuro predicted he would. He might not scale much compared to Mukuro or even Kuripa, but he's still capable of superhuman feats, even after such a short time studying under her. I mean, the first opponent he really had to face by himself was Mr Kuma! AKA a brainwashed Gonta Gokuhara! And he won!

Hifumi: Technically speaking, he didn't WIN win. With how ridiculously strong Mr Gokuhara is, it's likely if the fight was dragged on for long enough, he would have been pummeled into a bloody paste. The goal was to pull the mind controlling helmet off of him, which he was able to do so successfully. In fact, in that very fight, Makoto states that Gokuhara outmatched him in both speed and power.

Leona: Oh...I see...

Hifumi: With all that being said though, it's undeniable that Mr Naegi pulled off some incredible feats during that confrontation. Forcefully pulling off the helmet alone was something to commend him on, but on top of that, despite Gokuhara's attack speed being almost subsonic, he was still able to dodge most of his attacks, and even BLOCK one.

Leona: Well, we did say he was durable!

Hifumi: And it's good that we did, because Gokuhara ALSO threw Mr Naegi straight through the ceiling of the room they were fighting in. This would have required a force of at least 326,800 newtons. And get this...He had to do this TWICE consecutively! Shortly after he was thrown through the ceiling, Gokuhara smashed him back down again!

Leona: Which is even more impressive than the impact of Makoto's fall down the chute! And he tanked that with minimal injuries too?

Hifumi: It definitely hurt him a lot more than the chute, but he was still able to stand and fight even afterwards. This proves that Mukuro's training worked to heighten his endurance even further than what it already was. Not only that, but it significantly increased his speed and reaction time, which was already pretty fast when scaled with that of his sister and classmate, Yasuhiro Hagakure.

Leona: Hiro? Why bring him up?

Hifumi: Believe it or not, though by no means a fighter, Mr Hagakure has performed some impressive feats of his own. He was able to avoid bullets fired from a military helicopter, and kept pace with Monokuma units. In terms of speed and reaction proficiency, Mr Naegi and Mr Hagakure at their base are about the same. HOWEVER, thanks to Ms Ikusaba's training, Mr Naegi is able to get over a puddle of electrocuted water by bouncing off of rubble MID-AIR, which means his athletic ability far surpasses even that.

Leona: So like Legolas in the Hobbit?

Hifumi: Similar, but not quite. Mr Naegi still has a notable mass, and while he is indeed quick on his feet, he can't defy gravity. It's a matter of two forces pushing against each other that allowed him to stay airborne, but if the gap had been any longer, he would have fallen into it very quickly.

Leona: Any other notable feats or fights we should consider.

Hifumi: The other big one that comes to mind is Makoto's final confrontation with Yukari Koime. Much like with his previous bouts, that confrontation resulted in him taking a beating from all sides, while also dishing out some big hits of his own. Then he immediately had to follow that by teaming up with Kuripa to take down both her and Mikihiko Koyasunaga with his powered up Petty Jr. Koime has a brain chip that connects her to the Alter Ego of Junko Enoshima, and as an AI, Junko can upload data into her brain almost exponentially.

Leona: The woman effectively has a direct line to the internet in her brain, but most importantly, it gives her all Junko's data on her enemies at the Future Foundation, including Makoto and Mukuro. And because the original Junko Enoshima spent so much of her life with her twin sister, she has the data on all her techniques and fighting capabilities. Which as a reminder, are the same techniques Mukuro taught Makoto.

Hifumi: This puts Makoto and Yukari on the same fighting plane, which means anything one can do, the other is also capable of. Which by extension means that Mr Naegi is also capable of doing the same "throw-them-through-a-solid-wall" technique that Gokuhara used on him previously, as Koime easily does the same with Kuripa during Branch 14's fight with her at her Shikoku Mansion.

Leona: But not only that, in this rematch, Yukari dodges a punch from Makoto that when it impacts the wall behind it, the wall is left with a giant hole in it. A blow like that on a wall of that size and thickness would require a force of at least 145.617 Kilonewtons or in other words, 31.572 grams of TNT.

Hifumi: Grams of TNT doesn't sound too impressive, but bare in mind two things here. 1 - the hardest punch recorded in average history is a record held by Francis Ngannou, who's according to mathematics, dealt a blow of 69.233 Kilonewtons. Meaning Mr Naegi's punch is at least twice as powerful.

Leona: And 2 - this is a result after about 4 to 5 years of slow and heavy training. And I know by normal standards, it sounds completely ridiculous that a wimp like the plucky protag of the first game could go from this feat to that feat in just a short time, but crazier things have happened in the world of anime. I mean, Saitama supposedly did a basic training regime every day and that allowed him to kill things with a single punch.

Hifumi: I wonder if he'll ever appear here one day.

Leona: Better yet, who would he fight!?

Hifumi: We'll save that for another day I suppose. But to summarize, if he trained hard enough, at his maximum level of strength, Mr Naegi is more than capable of bringing a small building to the ground. Not only that, but he has almost incalculable durability and superhuman speed, reactions, and mental fortitude, and is naturally not lacking in any smarts.

Leona: Bet you didn't expect that from someone who looks and acts so docile...but regrettably, even the strongest heroes have their own brand of kryptonite.

Hifumi: Unlike his mentor and closest cohorts in his branch, Mukuro and Kuripa, Makoto is inexperienced when it comes to wielding weapons of any kind, choosing to fight with his fists instead of firearms or even a sword. This by extension, means that he lacks range with his attacks.

Leona: That is unless we're counting Truth Bullets. Are we counting Truth Bullets?

Hifumi: You know what? Yes! Yes we are! While they aren't necessarily a material matter, and we wouldn't count them in any other matchup, we're going to this time simply because Phoenix Wright has a very similar form of attacking. Truth Bullets are comprised of evidence, and this can range from people's accounts, to physical proof. So long as Makoto has reasonable evidence, he can fire them off as Truth Bullets. And he can get these bullets on the fly based on conversations that happen in the trials.

Leona: The MC's of Danganronpa all possess unique trial abilities, some of which are shared, and some of which are unique to specific characters. For example, Hajime is able to use his surfing Logic Dive power, while Kaede and Shuichi have Psyche Taxi instead. And unfortunately, compared to those three, as well as anyone else who may be capable of the Trial feats, his own set of abilities are by far the most limited. For example, he isn't able to utilize the power of Truth Blades or Lie Bullets. Guess that means he's just...unabashedly honest?

Hifumi: What he CAN do is fire smaller blasts made to shoot down white noise with his Silencer ability, which he doesn't need evidence for, absorb words from people's arguments to turn into his own ammunition, compose his mind using his own branch of Hangman's Gambit to prevent himself from freaking out, and keep pace with opponents in physical or verbal brawls using Bullet Time Battle. And his most powerful attack is the Hope Bullet, a bullet comprised of the raw power of the Hope Makoto stores up inside him, which he metaphorically used to take down Junko Enoshima.

Leona: Like we said, his abilities are unfortunately limited compared to the characters who come later. But speaking of that and going back to shortcomings, Makoto's relentless optimism, willpower and inner-strength is admirable and abundant, but it is still FINITE. Being the Ultimate Hope doesn't mean you are completely incapable of falling into Despair. This happened twice to Makoto once during the Final Killing Game when he was almost brainwashed into suicide after being forced to relive every death and traumatic memory at once, and the other when he lost his fight against Tsumugi Shirogane, resulting in Kuripa almost being killed, serving as the final nail in a slowly building coffin of tragedy since the fugitive incident first began.

Hifumi: Speaking of Celestia Ludenburg, it's worth noting that comparing their strengths, if Mr Naegi was to punch her at his maximum force, it would most likely kill her instantly. Ordinarily, he would naturally hold back as a result of not wanting to kill her. Their first fight was not the same way, as Mr Naegi attacked her with ferocity and bloodthirstiness.

Leona: We don't take morals into account with Death Battles. Makoto will be fighting to the death here, regardless of his kindness and moral standing, but that's not the point here. The point is that despite Makoto's unyielding fury, Celeste was still able to wear him down with t special dress augmentation, since it had everything she needed to wear him down until he cracked...and crack he did.

Hifumi: It was rather tragic, but as Leona said, it proves that Mr Naegi's Hope is indeed NOT unlimited. When faced with an immense enough amount of pressure, he breaks down and loses sight of himself, just as any other human would.

Leona: Still though, it's worth noting that the first instance of Despair was forced into him through brainwashing, wheras the second was built up over a lot of time. Even if this is one of his Ultimate weaknesses, it's unlikely any opponent would be able to crack him almost instantly, especially not with the abundance of emotional power he possesses.

Hifumi: And with the help of those close to him, Makoto was still able to come back to the light. He let go of his inner feelings and came to accept that he himself was not the perfect hero that he felt he needed to be. He was just a normal boy with overwhelming optimism...

Leona: And one hell of a right hook!

Hifumi: Through his acceptance of this fact, Makoto then became the exact person the world needed. The shining light of Hope, who with his friends by his side, finally put an end to the evil tyranny of Organization Zetsubou...

Leona: For now that is...Dun Dun DUUUN!

Hifumi: The story of our combatant this time around begins all the way back in the fourth grade. A young Phoenix Wright was accused by his classmates of stealing fellow student Miles Edgeworth's lunch money. Being unable to prove his innocent, the young spiky-haired boy was preparing to receive a guilty verdict.

Leona: That was until Miles Edgeworth himself, the victim of the theft, as well as fellow classmate Larry Butz, stepped in. They joined Phoenix's side and stated that with the absence of incriminating evidence, they could not force the blame onto him. The three of them immediately became the closest of friends following the incident.

Hifumi: Inspired by Edgeworth, after graduating from high school, Phoenix became a student of arts and law at Ivy University, where he became enamored with the enigmatic Dahlia Hawthorne. His fate was decided on the day he talked to her ex-boyfriend, who told him that Dahlia was crazy and should be avoided. Insulted, he shoved him to the ground and stormed away, but what he didn't realize was that by the time he hit the ground, he was dead.

Leona: Of course, Phoenix himself was not the killer, but he was taken to court for the charge. As it turns out, that ex-boyfriend was right. Dahlia Hawthorne was a sadistic sociopath who was the real culprit. It was only thanks to the efforts of rookie attorney, Mia Fey, that Phoenix was acquitted of all charges and Dahlia was sent to death row. Inspired and pumped up by Mia's performance, Phoenix went back to university and completed his courses, earning himself a career in the law. He then went completed the bar exam and received his attorney's badge. And from that day forth...he was PHOENIX WRIGHT! ACE ATTORNEY!

Hifumi: Since I already went in depth about most of Mr Naegi's feats, I'm going to let Leona cover the majority of Mr Wright's, though I will step in occasionally.

Leona: In his home turf of the courtroom, Phoenix Wright is almost unstoppable. He's incredibly perceptive, brilliantly smart, and has a near unbreakable will...Sounds familiar? Eh? Eh?

Hifumi: Yes, yes, we get the connection. It is part of the point for our two combatants to have a lot in common. And the two certainly do have a lot in common.

Leona: Like having a courtroom as their home turf, always being able to turn bad things around, and their first girlfriends trying to pin a murder on them!

Hifumi: Do NOT let Mr Naegi hear you say that.

Leona: We've talked about Makoto though. Now it's all about PHOENIX! And in all seriousness, Phoenix's ability to turn cases around even when most dire, is the very thing that staples his reputation; always able to both defend his client, and prove the identity of the real culprit at the same time.

Hifumi: Though you wouldn't be able to tell from how much of a goofball he is sometimes, Wright's intellect has been complimented by the one and only Professor Layton, who as we know, is an intellectual genius. However, to be frank, Phoenix is probably less known for his capabilities and more known for his exclamations.

Leona: "OBJECTION!"

Hifumi: "HOLD IT!"

Leona: "TAKE THAT!" Haha! It never gets old!

Hifumi: No it doesn't!

Leona: As far as Japanese lawyers go, Phoenix's record is honestly incredible by all accounts. Over the course of his decade-long career, he has taken part in multiple cases, and has only ever lost TWICE! And those barely even counted because in BOTH cases, Phoenix's Clients, Matt Engarde and Paul Atishon-Wimperson, actually WERE guilty! So Phoenix gave up the win so that justice could be served.

Hifumi: That's all well and good, and we've established that he's pretty intelligent, but remember, this is a physical battle. How would Phoenix fare in fisticuffs or anything of the like?

Leona: I guess now is a good a time as any to let everyone know that for the sake of fairness in this battle, we WILL be taking into account Phoenix's feats from both the Ace Attorney series, AS WELL AS Marvel Vs Capcom.

Hifumi: I know everyone's probably thinking "We can't count that because it's technically not canon"...Well...Neither is Danganronpa Survivor, and the vast majority of Makoto's capabilities come from that source.

Leona: Phoenix is able to take his skills from the courtroom and apply them in a fight. Just like Daredevil, if a little less vigilante-esque. He can throw all sorts of evidence and use them as makeshift weapons, or stun his enemies by throwing paper in their faces and attacking with it. But his most impressive physical capability is probably that he can launch people into the air by SNEEZING!

Hifumi: That's impressive enough on it's own for a person of regular height, or at least the same height as Phoenix, but then you consider that the sneeze is capable of launching enemies like the Incredible Hulk, Juggernaut, Iron Man, Colossus, and most impressively, a titan like the Sentinel, or a hypder-dimensional being like Shuma-Gorath!

Leona: Granted, within the MvC universe, both of them are scaled a lot smaller, but realistically they should be just as heavy. While Shuma-Gorath is another thing entirely, the Sentinel's are reportedly around 18 feet tall and weigh approximately 4,800 lbs. Meaning the force required to knock them into the air would have to be at least, 27.6 Kilonewtons, or 30 Grams of TNT. For a SNEEZE!

Hifumi: Though he isn't predominantly a fighter, Phoenix still establishes his own style of fighting with three distinct forms or modes. The first is Investigation Mode.

Leona: In this mode, Phoenix can pick up pieces of evidence and produce items seemingly out of nowhere, stocking himself up on ammo.

Hifumi: The second is Trial Mode.

Leona: This mode allows him to fire off large Objection Bubbles, like those commonly featured in his trial exclamations.

Hifumi: And lastly is Turnabout Mode.

Leona: This mode is where Phoenix turns his lawyerly defense into a physical OFFENSE. From shooting out ghostly projections of his own hands, energy blasts from using the evidence he's picked up, and generally boosting his attacks, it all builds up until Phoenix has his opponent backed into a corner, physically AND literally, when he delivers the final verdict! He's also in possession of Maya Fey's special magatama. The magatama has the special ability to allow its possessor to see Psyche-Locks, which appear when someone is hiding information from the user. More deeply buried secrets have more Psyche-Locks on them. Once all of one's Psyche-Locks are broken, that person will finally admit to the truth and will reveal his or her secret in full.

Hifumi: And of course, there's the Order in the Court attack, which summons the powerful figure of the Judge to slam a gavel down on Phoenix and his opponent! Though, as powerful as these blows are, Phoenix is unfortunately limited as some of his most powerful abilities can only be used with the assistance of his...assistant, Maya Fey, as well as his dog, Missile. These count as outside help, and will not be able to be used here.

Leona: But to be honest, he doesn't really need Maya protecting him with how much punishment he's taken over his life. He once swallowed a necklace that was made of metal and glass, and ALSO might have contained fatal poisoning inside! Besides that, he's been assaulted by a variety of thugs and murderers, hit over the head with a FIRE EXTINGUISHER and suffering only temporary amnesia, has swiftly recovered after being shocked directly with a taser, and has survived being jumped on by a TIGER with barely any injuries!

Hifumi: And that's not even the surface level of what he goes through. The life of a Defense Lawyer in the world of Ace Attorney is a very difficult one. You have to put up with having scalding hot mugs of coffee thrown at your face, being pecked at by birds, attacked by a deranged samurai prosecutor, and CONSTANTLY SMACKED WITH A WHIP! And he's endured all of this without so much as any marks on him!

Leona: Perhaps Phoenix's two most impressive feats of survival is first his fall from the Dusky Bridge, which was set ablaze on the night Iris Hawthorne, Dahlia's sister, was supposedly seen stabbing someone. Fearing for Maya, who was training in the Inner Temple's Sacred Cavern on the other side of the bridge, he ran across, only for the bridge to break underneath him and drop into the Eagle River far below.

Hifumi: The drop measured to about 40 feet, which, by the way, was notoriously known for carrying its victims downstream never to be seen again. Wright climbed of that situation suffering only minor injuries and a cold!

Leona: And if THAT'S not enough for you, he was once hit by a speeding vehicle and thrown into a STEEL TELEPHONE POLE at FULL FORCE and walked away with only a SPRAINED ANKLE!

Hifumi: However, quite possibly Phoenix Wright's greatest shortcoming is his human limits. While definitely exhibiting some superhuman feats of survival and power, Phoenix is not a fighter, and isn't trained in any sort of martial arts or combat training. And while he may be able to tank powerful blows and other such damage, but it doesn't mean he is any less susceptible to injury or sickness. Furthermore, though his optimism is powerful, there is a breaking point to it.

Leona: Aside from the despair of being forced to fight for the losing side in two cases, Phoenix hasn't always been the headstrong lawyer people know him as. After being played by Kristoph Gavin, Phoenix was accused of forgery and his disbarment soon followed. Phoenix became a changed man, wallowing in misery while he looked for any evidence to prove his innocence, and marking off the well-known "Dark Age of the Law." It was tough times, but in the end, he was still able to pull through with the help of both old friends and new.

Hifumi: Like Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes, two aspiring lawyers who joined Phoenix's agency and studied under him, both as proficient, if not moreso, than he is. So not only is he a genius lawyer, but he's a damn good teacher too!

Leona: Phoenix Wright is a legend, not just behind the bench, but on the field too! His relentless mindset makes him an invaluable asset to the side of truth justice! No matter what comes your way, you can always count on the Ace Attorney!

Hifumi: And with that, the combatants are set! It's time we end this debate once and for all!

Leona: Oh boy, I've been waiting for this...!

IT'S TIME FOR A DEEAAATH BAAATTLLLLLLEEE!

Police vehicles and investigators crowd around the foot of an apartment building, where a rather egregious murder has taken place on the first floor. The building is closed off with yellow striped tape, and a man in a blue suit, Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright, carefully walks past the investigators into the crime scene.

Phoenix: What the-!?

He is surprised to see a young man with spiky brown hair looking down at a desk with a chalk outline of where the body was originally. He appeared to have already poked around the room a little bit, picking up some evidence that Phoenix has failed to collect the previous day. Makoto Naegi turns his head to see who just walked in on him.

Makoto: Huh? Oh, sorry...Am I in your way?

Phoenix: What are you doing here, this is MY crime scene!? You're tampering with evidence!

Makoto: What? No, I'm COLLECTING evidence! Sorry, just give me 5 minutes!

Phoenix: How do I know you're not trying to cover up the crime by taking away important clues? You're not supposed to BE here!

Phoenix tries to grab Makoto's shoulder, but Makoto spins around on him. As he does, some of the chalk from the outline gets caught on his arm and goes into Phoenix's face.

Makoto: Look, I don't know who YOU are, but I can only assume you're here in regards to the court case. I'M here on Future Foundation official business. If it's so important, I can share whatever evidence I find with you; or better yet we-

Phoenix: Aah...Aagh...!

Makoto: Huh?

Phoenix: *ACHOOOO!*

Makoto: WAAGH!

*CRAASH!*

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The lawyer, as a result of the chalk, suddenly sneezes, the force of which knocks the plucky lucky student straight upwards, sending him crashing into the low ceiling. Phoenix wipes his nose and sighs.

Phoenix: Oh boy...THIS isn't gonna end well...!

Makoto: Tch...You TRY to be friendly...!

Makoto gets up from the room above and hops down through the hole that was made with his body, glaring at Phoenix with a furrowed brow.

Phoenix: Hey listen, I'm sorry about that, I didn't-AAGGH!

Before the Ace Attorney is able to finish his sentence, Makoto rushes forward and starts laying into him, first with a few strong punches, then with a few kicks, ending with one right in the stomach that sends him flying back, crashing into the wall. A crater is made with Phoenix's body, and he slumps to the ground, a single pebble bonking him on the head as he shakes off his fatigue.

Phoenix: I'm supposed to be a lawyer...! Why am I always getting beaten up...!?

Phoenix crawls to his feet in time to see Makoto running in for seconds. In an attempt to stop him, Phoenix grabs some evidence from his suit pocket and tosses them at his adversary.

Makoto: Hmph! Hup! Gagh! Haha!

Phoenix: Eh!?

*BANG!*

Phoenix: HEEEH!?

Makoto dodges the first two items Phoenix throws and then catches the third one. To the attorney's surprise, the evidence in his hand suddenly reshapes into a bullet, which Makoto then fires at him from his finger like a gun! Phoenix fortunately ducks in time to avoid being shot in the face, but Makoto continues his advance Phoenix quickly gets up and points a finger at him.

"HOLD IT!"

Just as he's about to land another blow with his fists, a giant speech bubble containing the words "HOLD IT!" appears out of thin air, knocking the Ultimate back!

Makoto: Grrgh!

Phoenix: Hehaha!

Makoto slides back, retaining his balance, but it only gets upset when Phoenix procures some papers from his pocket, smacks them with his hands a few times, then throws them into the boy's face! While Makoto is caught unawares, Phoenix lands a punch to Makoto's ribs. However, it does little to phase him.

Makoto: Is that all you...got...?

Phoenix: Uh oh...not a...aah...*ACHOOOO!*

Makoto: CRAP!

*CRAAASH!*

Phoenix sneezes again, launching Makoto backwards from his disadvantageous position. This sneeze sends him crashing through the wall into the streets outside. Phoenix swiftly climbs through the hole that was made, taking the fight to the streets.

Phoenix: Well, the crime scene is as good as wrecked! Thanks a lot!

Makoto: I'm sorry!? I'M not the one who sent someone crashing through the ceiling and walls!

Phoenix: Only because YOU started FIGHTING ME! Now NEITHER of us are gonna get our evidence!

Makoto: Well MAYBE if you'd just LET ME INVESTIGATE, this wouldn't have happened!?

Phoenix: I can't! Future Foundation or whoever you work for doesn't have clearance on this case! Besides, this is already the second day of my investigation! You've thrown a real spanner in the works of my case!

Makoto: Huh? Is that right? Fine...Guess since we're already fighting, I'll have to take that evidence off your hands!

Phoenix: Guugh!?

Phoenix raises his arms to block Makoto as he rushes forward at a rapid speed, delivering a punch to him! He tries to hit him back wildly, but the smaller boy is clearly a more proficient fighter than he, and he's able to parry and block all attacks while dealing some of his own. Phoenix is forced to throw more paper at his face to stun him while he puts more distance between them, scurrying down the streets!

Phoenix: You want the evidence!? Fine!

"TAKE THAT!"

Makoto: Gegh...!

Phoenix began to throw a lot more evidence at Makoto, lots at once to scramble his vision. However, like before, Makoto aims his finger and starts shooting the incoming ammunition down with his silencer. The last item, a fire extinguisher, falls towards him. He grabs it and turns it into a truth bullet, pointing at Phoenix again.

Makoto: Why do I always use these things!?

Phoenix: How is he doing THAAT!?

He catches himself mid-thought as he dodges the incoming blast, which just nicks his shoulder. However, he is unable to straighten himself upright again as Makoto hurries forward and grabs him by the scruff of his neck!

Makoto: Let's see how YOU like it!

Phoenix: OOOF!

Phoenix's eyes cartoonishly pop out of his head as Makoto tosses him upwards and lands a hefty punch to his gut! The lawyer goes flying and crashing back into the lower wall of the apartment. In fact, the punch sends him crashing through two thinner walls, and he sprawls out on the ground, dizzy. He clutches his aching head as he climbs to his feet, Makoto walking through the wreckage to examine his opponent.

Makoto: Wow...You're still up?

Phoenix: Kid...You don't know the kind of things I've been put through, hehe...

Makoto: Preaching to the choir on THAT one...Look, I'm not a bad guy. Just give me the evidence and I'll stop-

"OBJECTION!"

Makoto: Guh!

Makoto is blown back out onto the streets as another speech bubble, bigger this time, appears and launches him! He flies back and rolls along the ground, while Phoenix scrambles out after him!

Phoenix: Not a bad guy!? Despite the crime you've committed!? No authority under the name "Future Foundation" has the permission to investigate this case!

Makoto: Ahagh!

Makoto spin kicks at Phoenix, only for the attorney to jump over him and kick him in the face.

Phoenix: It is noted that the suspect for the case is in league with the Foundation, so they were abstained from investigating under suspicion of this being an organized hit!

Makoto: RAGH!

The lucky student takes another swing at the ace attorney, which he dodges to the side to avoid.

Phoenix: Ergo, your actions fall under disregard for trespassing laws, and orders of restraint!

Makoto: I'm JUST trying to help my friend! Is everyone in your agency THIS overly suspicious!?

Makoto lands a punch to Phoenix's shoulder, which prompts Phoenix to shove him back. As Makoto staggers, Phoenix leaps up and smashes Makoto backwards with his phantom hand, sending him crashing into the wall of the apartment building. He quickly pushes off and uses his silencer blasts to take down Phoenix's smaller shots using the evidence. It overwhelms him enough however, to let Phoenix get a little closer...Just close enough...!

Phoenix: I've got all I need! The culprit of the trespassing crime...IS YOU!

Makoto: GAGH!

Phoenix's shout freezes Makoto in place, and cockily, the lawyer starts smacking his papers again.

Phoenix: No alibi, no justice, no HOPE! It's time to pay for your crimes!

"TAKE THAT!"

Makoto: ...Heh...

*WARPWARPWARPWARP!*

Makoto: Thanks! I WILL!

Phoenix: Huh-WHAT!?

Just as Phoenix lands the final assertion, and the large speech bubble is about to grind Makoto into the dirt, the Ultimate student uses his copy ability to steal the words in the bubble, weakening it and causing what remains to simply brush against his body!

Makoto: "No hope?" That's where you're wrong...! There's ALWAYS hope! I'LL SHOW YOU!

The bullet Makoto creates using Phoenix's bubble grows to an immense size, and the Ultimate Hope raises his arm in the sky! Phoenix staggers back, panicking.

Phoenix: No...Not good, not good, not good!

With Makoto's Ultimate Attack overwhelming him, Phoenix, in a last ditch effort to turn the case around in his favor again, closes his eyes and focuses. The area around them turns dark, and above them, the nightmarish gigantic silhouette of the Judge looms over the both of them! Phoenix himself flies up into the air above the gavel, pointing defiantly down at Makoto.

Phoenix: This is the end of your trial, stranger!

The Judge raises his gavel, and yells the familiar words in its booming voice as he brings it down onto the Lucky Student.

"ORDER IN THE COURT!"

Makoto: Oh yeah? Well, I've got three words to say to that...!

Makoto, clenching his fist with determination, swings his arm around, and points back in kind, bearing a look of overwhelming Hope and power!

"NO! THAT'S WRONG!"

The Hope Bullet is let loose, and flies upwards, smashing straight into the demonic Judge's hammer! It's a strength struggle, with Phoenix and Makoto both gritting their teeth as the gavel and the bullet collide, each one trying to overpower the other, until...!

*CRACK!* *SMAAAASSH!*

Phoenix: Gagh! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHH!!!??

The struggle ultimately comes to an end as the Hope Bullet smashes straight through the gavel, blasts STRAIGHT THROUGH Phoenix Wright, and completely obliterates the head of the demonic Judge! As this happens, the area returns to normal, and Phoenix's cavitied body falls to the ground, smashing into a bloody pile on the floor!

Makoto: *pant...* *pant...* Don't worry Hiro...I promised I'd get you out of this and no self-assured attorney is gonna stop me...

Makoto takes a moment to catch his breath, but then becomes aware of the approaching sound of police sirens from the officers on the scene, who had already become aware of the struggle.

Makoto: Hah...Just my luck...

Leona: WOW! Talk about an intense battle right out of the gate! But I always knew Makoto would win! It was a foregone conclusion!

Hifumi: Actually, it REALLY wasn't! All things considered, this fight was actually pretty even! Both of them have exhibited incredible feats of survival, and both have exhibited powers, feats of strength and abilities that are beyond that of what they appear to be capable of. However, in a no holds barred battle like this, Mr Makoto Naegi had everything he needed to counter the Ace Attorney's defense!

Leona: Let the record say that if this wasn't a physical brawl, it's actually very unlikely that Makoto would be able to put out a win if this were on their home territory of the court. Intellectually, Makoto could give most lawyers and detectives the runaround, but Phoenix Wright is called the Ace Attorney for a reason. He only really lost once or twice over the course of his whole career. However, despite his ability to turn his cases on their head and achieve victory after victory, even in the most dire scenarios, it simply isn't possible for Phoenix Wright to "out-hope" Makoto Naegi.

Hifumi: Simply put, Mr Naegi's mental fortitude has just been shown to be better than Mr Wright's. The worst thing that Mr Phoenix Wright ever suffered through emotionally was Maya Fey being kidnapped and turned into a hostage to force an innocent verdict, as well as the case that made him lose his attorney's badge. On the other hand, it took 3 KILLING GAMES and TWO APOCALYPSE scenarios to properly break Mr Naegi! The Dark Age of the Law is NOTHING compared to the Tragedy, and Phoenix has never been able to outmatch an opponent as powerful as Junko Enoshima!

Leona: I mean, whoever has the better mental fortitude is subjective, but personally, we still believe Makoto had Phoenix outmatched. Nothing Phoenix has fought through and survived comes close to the kinds of hits Makoto Naegi has tanked. For example, both of them at some point in their lives fell down a very long fall, and came out of it barely unscathed. For Phoenix, that was the bridge, and for Makoto, that was the trash chute.

Hifumi: As we said before, we can't put down an exact figure on how deep the drop into the trash chute was, but based on how long Mr Naegi and Ms Kirigiri were climbing the ladder back up for, we know it must be longer than the 40 foot drop Phoenix survived.

Leona: And even if it wasn't, it doesn't really matter. Makoto has been able to completely tank hits from overpowered monsters like Mr Kuma, Yukari Koime, and Mikihiko's Petty Jr, all of which DEFINITELY hit harder than when Phoenix had his car accident. And with his almost non-existent level of training compared to Mr Naegi's combat training with the Ultimate Soldier, Phoenix was nowhere close to hitting as hard as ANY of these guys, even with his special abilities. So much so, it's not really clear if even the Order in the Court attack could take him out!

Hifumi: And on that note, BECAUSE of the training with Ms Ikusaba, Mr Naegi was just far more powerful and far faster than he was. He can move with quick enough reaction time to practically defy gravity and jump on falling platforms, as well as avoid subsonic levels of attack speed. Phoenix has never been shown to possess superhuman levels of speed, so we can only assume that he's at the peak of a human level, which would be significantly slower.

Leona: So in short, if we compare all of Makoto's stats to all of Phoenix's stats, even if it is only a small difference, ALL of Makoto's are HIGHER. Speaking of special abilities though, it turns out a lot of what Makoto can do with his special powers serve as perfect counters to some of Phoenix's moves. As mentioned, so long as Makoto has evidence on hand, he can turn it into Truth Bullets, so that basically means Phoenix's standard way of defending himself was just providing Makoto ammo!

Hifumi: Mr Wright's Magatama would also have been useless since it's abilities aren't combat oriented, and wouldn't have worked anyway if Mr Naegi had nothing to hide. Even if Phoenix could somehow use it to get Mr Naegi to fess up the secrets of his training and his Truth Bullet powers, there's not much Mr Wright could do with that information. And though it's a risk, Mr Naegi could use his copy ability to create Truth Bullets from Mr Wright's exclamations. After all, those ARE large floating words, and very similar to the text in Class Trials. And as we mentioned, he definitely has the reaction time for it!

Leona: The last thing to consider is the Hope Bullet, and this was an interesting thing to think about. After all, Makoto was only able to pull this thing out the first time around because he was building it on the Hope of his friends around him. Assuming Makoto needed his friends to make the attack work, he wouldn't be able to use it here, just like how Phoenix couldn't make use of Maya or Missile.

Hifumi: But we know that's not how it works if we compare it to a similar ability shared by one of Mr Naegi's peers, Mr Hinata; the Future Bullet.

Leona: The Future Bullet is made of Hajime's innate desire to build a better future for himself, and take his life and his friends lives back into his own hands. At the time he first made it, his allies around him were falling into Despair. Assuming the Hope Bullet works on the same principles, the Hope of those around him would strengthen the bullet's power, but Makoto probably doesn't NEED that Hope to make it. He's got enough stored inside him as it is!

Hifumi: All in all, this fight was certainly a challenge for both sides, and Mr Phoenix Wright was certainly but due to his stats being ever so slightly higher in all areas, as well as his own abilities cancelling his opponent's out, Mr Makoto Naegi was able to prevail and win THIS trial!

Leona: I guess you could say that for Makoto, everything went..."All Wright!"

THE WINNER IS MAKOTO NAEGI!

Next time:

#danganronpa survivor #danganronpa #makoto naegi #death battle #warriors of other worlds arc

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