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#writing him…. is a different story
swordmahes · 2 years
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just a toooooon of stevens!
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dazais-guardian-angel · 7 months
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Chapter 110 is 13 pages long welcome to hell!!! so in a lot of ways this is just more fuel for a theory that I've had for a few weeks now, that's only gotten stronger with each recent season 5 episode, which is that the last episode of the season is gonna end on 110, and that Asagiri/Harukawa and Bones have been collaborating to make this happen, specifically because it's a major turning point that would be the only good place to end the season on.
When we started getting especially long chapters again (like from 25-35ish pages, with the exception of 107.5, the last two being some of the longest we've ever had), at first I just assumed that Asagiri/Harukawa got freed up from some other obligations they'd been having to cause the extremely short/half chapters, like promotional stuff for the anime/Beast movie, or working on light novels. But then 109 happened, with the "supposed" death of Dazai, and heavy emphasis at the end on how literally everyone is at their lowest point right now, and I got to thinking. 11 episodes is a strangely specific number for an anime season -- why not 12, or 13, or even 10, like you'd usually see? Why have we gotten suddenly gotten two 35 page chapters out of nowhere, that's almost unheard of at this point? They're both beautiful chapters, don't get me wrong (as always), and maybe A/H simply just didn't want to cut them in halves because they felt like the full emotional impact wouldn't hit/that there were no good cutoff points in them, but you can't deny that it's surprising, after all the shorter chapters we've been getting. Why has the anime been going at such insanely breakneck pacing for the most part ever since around the Sunday Tragedy chapters, even more so than it has in the past? So much so that it feels dangerously close to overtaking the manga?
Well, maybe, just maybe, it's because..... Asagiri decided a long time ago that whatever happens in 110 is the only point that feels "season finale"-worthy enough, in an arc that still isn't anywhere close to being completely wrapped up, and so both the manga and the anime have been specifically coordinated to reach that part within 2 and a half weeks of each other?
I've seen a lot of people now think season 5 will end with 109, and as much as my sadistic side would find that hilarious, I honestly don't think they'd do that and realistically don't want it to happen; it'd be so cruel to cliffhanger the anime for years like that, and just doesn't feel like a season cliffhanger BSD would do, a series that is ultimately hopeful and uplifting. Seasons 2 and 3 had a positive, conclusive ending; the only reasons seasons 1 and 4 didn't was because they're technically not really full seasons of their own, and are more like the first cour of another "season" that also came out that same year (seasons 1 and 2 both aired in 2016, so they're more like one big season, and seasons 4 and 5 have both aired this year, so they're also more like one big season, again taking into account how episodes 12 and 50 are not satisfying finales like episodes 24, 37, and hypothetically, 61, are). I really can't see season 5 ending with Dazai and Fukuzawa's supposed deaths, Sigma being unconscious and maybe close to death, Atsushi being vulnerable and limbless again, everyone we love still vampires, and the entire world being basically doomed; that's just too depressing and not like BSD at all. However, having said that, if it doesn't end there, there really isn't any good place to end the season before that, either, that feels in any way satisfying or like a finale at all. And so, to me, that only leaves after 109: chapter 110.
I think things are really gonna turn around next chapter. Like I said, everyone is at their lowest point right now, it cannot possibly get any worse, the framing of Dazai, Fukuzawa, and sskk at the end of 109 is telling us that; this is the time for the heroes to finally start winning again, with Aya being so close to pulling out the sword, and for all the thematic reasons other people have talked about to death that I don't need to go into here again. This upcoming chapter being so short again makes a part of me wary of 110 being "the one", so to speak, I won't lie, but at the same time, it's very possible that it needs to be that short because that's all the final episode of the season will be able to reasonably fit in, since it's already gonna be VERY close if they do make it all the way to 109. And at the end of the day, I don't doubt at all that Asagiri and Harukawa can make these the most monumental and game-changing mere 13 pages ever if they wanted to; a chapter does not at all need to be extremely long in order to be an important and impactful one, even if short ones we've gotten in the past haven't felt the most important.
An additional thought I've had, though this is much more crack territory than all this already is, is that since we know from Anime Expo that a Stormbringer movie at some point is highly likely (judging from Asagiri's reaction when someone brought it up), it's possible that chapter 110 and thus the final episode will involve the long-anticipated return of Verlaine and/or Adam, or at least some other major reference to Stormbringer, that would naturally and smoothly lead into a Stormbringer movie to explain things to people who haven't read the novel. It would make a lot of sense, especially since the s4 OP has the Old World sign behind Chuuya, which might be a hint that this has been in the works ever since seasons 4/5 were first in planning with Asagiri. We also know that Dazai and Chuuya's voice actors apparently struggled to record their lines together this season, which probably relates to 101 and possibly 109, but it could be 110 too.... I could be very wrong, as I'm no expert on this kind of thing, but I kinda doubt they would bring Chuuya's actor in for just the vampire growls, and Asagiri placing heavy emphasis on Chuuya's importance this season in that one interview gives me the impression that he's talking about much more than just 101/109. But that's the least solid evidence I have, that's just mostly based on vibes I get.
So basically, I think a lot of factors -- the unusual episode count, how close the anime is to catching up to the manga with three whole episodes left, the seemingly arbitrary recent chapter lengths, and the climactic events of 109 -- can tell us that 110 might be a very, VERY big deal. Again, there's of course no way this arc is anywhere near close to being finished, with so much left to address and resolve, but since it is currently incomplete in the manga, unlike the previously adapted arcs, if the anime was going to adapt it at all, they'd have to find a place that feels satisfying enough to end this season, knowing there won't be more anime for a long time after this, and so I think they specifically planned for that, from both Bones' and A/H's sides. 10 episodes might not have been enough to reach that point, but 12 or 13 might have been too many it wouldn't have been if Bones actually decided to slow down and let the story breathe the way it needs to, but this post isn't meant to criticize the anime, so maybe 11 was just right. And maybe Asagiri and Harukawa specifically pushed to make recent chapters longer than usual, in order to make sure that the manga reached the story content in 110 the monthly release right before season 5 was to end.
Is this just copium? Absolutely. Am I going to look like an absolute clown in two days when this post ages like milk? Probably. But the evidence is There, so let me just enjoy my delusions until Sunday, okay 🥂🫡
#bungou stray dogs#seriously call me a clown and point and laugh at me if I'm proven wrong all you want#but I really feel like there's solid evidence for this#either s5 isn't gonna reach 109 at all (but I seriously cannot fathom where you would want to stop before then) or they'll go beyond it#if they really do end it with 109....... well i'll give Bones kudos for having the balls to do that ig lol#maybe i'm underestimating (overestimating???) them idk#also just to clarify I don't wanna make it sound like I think Asagiri let the anime/Bones dictate the manga's pacing#like I'm sure these were his/their (him and Harukawa's) own decisions first and foremost#not that (if this theory is true) the anime had a major impact on how the chapters were split and that it-#-would have been extremely different otherwise#i'm pretty confident in that Asagiri does not do anything with BSD he isn't comfortable with#and he doesn't let anyone tell him how to write his story#I just feel like he worked with Bones to make this near-simultaneous release happen#BUT if this is the case I don't feel like it had any major effect on the writing/final product that is the manga#like the last handful of chapters have been so incredible#so I at least am still perfectly happy lol#(i mean i'm devastated and a nervous wreck but u know 🫡 in a good way lmao)#anyway 110 in two days please let this theory be true because I need some fucking hope already#please let Oda show up as Dazai's guardian angel to help (see what I did there-)#it would be the perfect way to end the collective season that is 4/5 with s4 beginning with Oda and now ending with Oda#Asagiri are you reading me are you picking up what I'm putting down please please a ghost Oda is long overdue please-#Oda Verlaine Adam just GIVE ME SOMEONE ALREADY 😭😭😭#MAYBE EVEN A TASTE OF THE FYODOR BACKSTORY TO TIE INTO HIM BEING IN ANIME UNTOLD ORIGINS. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS
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gt-daboss · 2 days
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Teasing giants...
TEASING GIANTS YALL!
I feel like we are not realizing the full POTETNIAL of this! Like, instead of being all nice and gentle and 'Ooooh, I'll be so gentle the size difference will barely be noticeable!' NAH, SCREW THAT! Use those giant beautiful lips to blow a gust of wind that frazzles my hair, I'll get revenge by scaring you the next time you open the medicine cabinent! Jump on the bed and send me flying (uhhh, catch me tho ofc ofc...) and i'll hide in your morning coffee. like, the possibilities are ENDLESS, we should definitely be messing around with our giant/tiny friends more often like...
anyways, heres @entomolog-t 's characters from her story Bite Me who perfectly fit this idea (maybe even a little too good... but you should go check it out to find out for yourself!)
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PS! Sorry if I didn't portray your characters right (artistically or otherwise) I was more going off of the general vibe of their interactions in a more lighthearted manner, maybe a post-trauma interaction xD?
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captain-astors · 7 months
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Creature. (The rendered ones are referenced from manga panels)
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askthebadkidz · 1 month
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some of you are just saying you headcannon Riz as Demi-romantic and Demi-sexual because you want to ignore that he’s aroace while pretending that you’re not ignoring that he’s aroace and it’s painfully obvious to actual aroace people.
-mod Riz
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mona-bus · 4 months
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of all the characters in the hunger games to get hyperfixated on, my brain landed on GALE HAWTHORNE, which i did not see coming. don’t get me wrong, i don’t ship him with katniss — that boy never stood a CHANCE against peeta. but i believe that gale is fascinating, tragic, over-hated, and worthy of more nuanced analysis than i see on tiktok.
i’m not saying gale’s a perfect person, but he’s not some irredeemable villain. he’s a desperate, oppressed kid caught in horrifying circumstances that radicalize him to develop a very black-and-white, us-against-them worldview, which ultimately leads to his downfall.
katniss and gale’s friendship is a tragedy, it was never a love story. their fathers died in the same mining accident, they each became the sole providers for their families, and they both had to put their names in the reaping dozens of times to feed them. they were two children faced with the same trauma and responsibilities who teamed up to keep their families from starving to death. even if it’s not inherently romantic, they become codependent on each other. they trust and rely on each other. then they’re torn apart by the capitol, the same oppressive force that’s already controlling every aspect of their lives. the moment prim’s name is called, gale loses katniss, then he continues to lose her over and over and over again in a million different ways.
the girl he’s in love with, his best friend and hunting partner, is sent to the hunger games, leaving him to care for her family, which is traumatizing in and of itself. then katniss falls in love with a different boy on national television, while gale has to pretend to be her cousin. yes, she did it to survive, but gale didn’t know that at the time. then when katniss and peeta BOTH survive and come home, he loses her again in a whole new way. katniss is still confused about her feelings for both of them, she tells him it wasn’t real, but it definitely seemed real to him. OF COURSE gale’s fucking weird about it.
i’m not saying he expresses his feelings in a respectful or kind way, but he’s an angsty teenager too, and he’s allowed to have feelings about the situation. he may not have the trauma of the arena, but he gets whipped within an inch of his life, his best friend is sent to the hunger games with peeta AGAIN, his district gets firebombed by the capitol, and he has to save as many people as he can and lead them all to safety.
from the start of mockingjay, gale is irreversibly radicalized by the horrors he’s witnessed. this eventually leads him to take drastic measures under the guidance of coin, who (from gale’s perspective) rescued his people after their district was bombed off the face of the earth and provided them with the means to fight back. he’s too blinded by his anger toward the capitol to find any nuance in their circumstances or question coin’s motives. his worldview becomes “an eye for an eye,” no matter who gets caught in the crossfire.
which leads us to everyone’s favorite argument — that gale killed prim. there’s truth to that, but it’s not that simple. yes, gale had the idea for the bombs that killed prim, but he didn’t know that coin was going to use them that way. he was busy fighting with katniss and the star squad while the rebels were closing in on the capitol, he wasn’t in contact with them, and he was captured by the capitol before the bombs went off. the bomb was his idea and beetee’s design, but it wasn’t gale’s decision.
that doesn’t make him innocent, he is complicit in the deaths of all of those kids (and, more directly, the people in district two). but people talk about gale as if he authorized the bombs himself or intentionally murdered prim with his own hands, which is not the case at all. none of them knew prim was going to be there. gale took care of katniss’ family while she was gone, he kept prim alive that whole time, he LOVES prim. he wouldn’t let her die like that if he’d any prior knowledge or control over that decision.
the series ends with him having to accept that he’s at least partially responsible for the death of the person he was supposed to protect above all else. even if it wasn’t intentional, he knows there’s no coming back from that. he failed. he is as good as dead to katniss. after already slowly losing her bit by bit, over and over again, gale finally loses katniss forever, and it’s due to his own actions. he finally understands that war and death comes at a personal cost, which katniss tried so hard to warn him about, but it’s too late. prim is dead. katniss hates him. i don’t think he ever recovers from that.
TLDR — gale’s not some heartless, cruel monster. he’s not “the prim reaper.” at the end of the day, he’s still a traumatized teenager, just like peeta and katniss, and he deserves more credit than people give him. i understand why he views the world and humanity the way he does. i empathize with him.
you can hate him all you want, i understand. but if you’re struggling to understand the narrative significance of his character, take a moment and reframe your perspective of him. gale’s interesting as hell.
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givethispromptatry · 9 months
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"Do you know what you've done?"
He stared at her as the siren crawled her way over the rocks toward him.
"You've taken a gentle man from his home and shown him the horrors of the world." She perched in front of him on a slick stone. "He has adapted, clever thing he is, but he will never again be the creature you knew him as in the beginning, if he ever was at all."
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aleksanderscult · 5 months
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I just realized that Alina and the Darkling comforted each other in his last moments. Alina held his hand and assured him that she would honor his request to burn his body.
I swear if I see one more anti say that she didn't love him I'm gonna lose it here 🙃
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mysicklove · 4 months
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Imagining ? Idk who for but maybe Yuuji?
He loses a bet or he owes you or something so you make him wear kitty ears and get on his knees n lick his hand and he's all glossy eyed and blushing embarrassed when he robotically meows and u laugh at him
i love yuuji more than anything, and i can go hours on and on about him in cat ears, but THIS particular situation reminds me of bakugou soooo much.
like it is him to the tee i literally have thought about this exact situation a thousand times i just havent writen a fic on it. his entire body is a vicious shade of red and he wears pink lingerie, frilly and cutesy, with a matching pink collar (with the bell of course). he wears white cat ears, and you have even gave him fingerless gloves that has pink paw pads on them.
but ofc, it is katsuki, so he is glaring at you the entirity of it, and you have to be careful with whatever you say, because one wrong word and he is locking himself in the bathroom for awhile to spite you. but if you craft your coos sweet enough, rub at his face a little bit, he will eventually find comfort on his knees in front of you. of course the twinge of humilation sends blood straight to his cock, but he pretends it doesnt exist for the sake of his pride.
it will take alot of convincing to get him to act cutesy for you, but eventually when his mouth is swollen from kisses and his eyes are hazy from the constant positive attention, he may follow your comands. lifting his hands up to his face in the standard cat pose, and letting out the smallest, awkward meow out there. it of course makes you giggle, and depending how deep his into the play, he will either throw a hissy fit and curse at you, or he may just bury his head into your legs and whine from embaressment.
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seventh-fantasy · 5 months
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okay... idk at all if this has been discussed or that I'm just stating the obvious. I'm posting any way to get more feedback.
so. can we be sure that the last boat scene even happened (in the way we saw it at least)
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yeah the letter was delivered to the intended recipients. the letter also did say 李相夷绝笔 lit. the final writing by li xiangyi. there's a brief exchange between him and the assumed "boatman" asking him where he was going. and we see he spat blood while writing yeah but:
llh/lxy's eyesight had been failing for some time.
Professional Letter Writers are a thing in the past in service to people who can't write their own letters (idk enough to verify the historical accuracy in this specific context though)
what has been bugging me since forever is the manner of speech of the letter. yeah it's different from their everyday speech, but that's actually perfectly fine since this is A Letter so I'm good with it being more formal. but... there's something I just can't quite pinpoint. especially with the use of the 君 jun pronoun by llh/lxy to refer to dfs when there could be other pronouns with less connotations of intimacy (and scholarly/imperial court system) implied and still conveyed cordiality, marking a shift in their relationship. (I'm not well versed with wuxia as a genre enough to know what are the conventions. someone else who does can say something though.)
whatever these put together means (eg. he may not have written the letter personally, or he wrote it in a different situation from what we saw, etc etc.) alongside:
this scene existed only as part of a visualisation as the letter content is revealed to the audience (or assumed to be fdb reading the letter to dfs & guests of the wedding spectators of the duel)
the boat lxy/llh jumped on is not the same as the one he was writing the letter on - the boatman is also not on it despite the conversation at the beginning, but lxy/llh's dressing and hairpin are the same as the ones before he jumped. (the boatman delivered the letter so he's real though.)
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also as @wonderfulnonsense happened to have just pointed out in the tags left in my other post: it's in fact the same boat he took to go fight dfs at donghai 10 years ago. (edit: or maybe it isn't? as pointed out by anon.)
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if we viewed whatever we perceived in this scene as imaginary (not what actually happened), then the reading of it being a metaphor for lxy/llh being on his way to enlightenment just makes sense. (the boat being a carrier on his spiritual transformations.) especially when you consider that 彼岸 the other shore is another concept in buddhism to represent enlightenment, alongside the motif of lotuses. (credits to @markiafc for the buddhism reading - edit: mark's meta here) and then, consider the beach ending... yeah.
#莲花楼#mysterious lotus casebook#my posts#lhl#lhlmeta#断剑又绝笔......#this was a question / discussion brought up internally but i wanted more feedback / ideas so. and also for the record#but ofc...if there are details missed out that completely prove this wrong then pretend i never wrote this#pls blame it on the brainrot#lhl discussion of the day is buddhism meta.#taoism and buddhism readings loving hand in loving hand.#honestly i did not think of the story specifically as a path of enlightenment until i was writing the meta#and then it was a downward spiral there on.#it makes a lot of sense given how it's a story about cultivation of the personage (and the struggles of it)#which is the goal of all chinese ideologies. not just taoism and buddhism. they just have different answers#mark is gonna come back with a massive buddhism meta. i'm excited and afraid#also the detail i am sitting on is what is the significance of him signing off as lxy. on top of his r/s with dfs being from lxy's pov.#considering the way he has been identifying with lxy ever since he took over llh as an identity.#PLUS when i first heard lxy thanking dfs for the wangchuan flower. the chinese didn't include the subject of flower#i thought he was talking about 忘川 METAPHORICALLY bc i forgot that was the name of the flower HJBJHHJBJHB#yeah so like this is the river of oblivion he's on or wtv (i'm just babbling now)#also i said INTENDED RECIPIENTS. but the envelope cover is also interestingly empty. though boatman knew who it was meant for
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good-beans · 6 months
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I know most of our focus goes (rightfully) to the trial songs, but I genuinely believe Baptism of Fire is equally a masterpiece of meaningful writing and intense vocal acting
Incoming tag rant because I need to yell about this, feel free to yell back
#milgram#fuuta kajiyama#like the other vds have good writing about the character and whatever social issue their crime focuses on#but this one is very pointedly about YOU#its about the audience. its about the milgram project. its about self reflection. its about self-appointed roles. its about you#even if you didnt vote t1 or anything the whole things is calling on you to reflect on your own judgements of others#how you treat people who come off rougher. how you treat people who have made a (bad but) common mistake.#do you also find entertainment in seeing people dragged down and suffering because it would 'serve them right?'#but es always remains in control of the situation. the drama doesnt end with 'and fuuta was right - you guys suck!'#its clarified that situations are different and have nuance. we are reminded to look at things with nuance.#then we are smoothly re-immersed in the story#and then!! the acting itself!!!#arthur lounsbery put his whole fussy into that performance (<- fuuta pussy) and i am in his debt every day for it#in both his vds hes just super expressive and fun to listen to#i dont understand japanese but he packs so much interesting intonation and emotion into every word -- im obsessed listening to him#he nails all the subtle emotions fuuta has: the pouts and outrage as well as underlying fear grief insecurity and immaturity#and then baptism of fire hes just... Wailing#like mahiru has her innocent and pathetic cries of pain in her sweet voice that works for her character but fuutas pain feels much more raw#the way hes practically sobbing at the end -- his voice cracking and screeching throughout -- the whimper of pain#its so unbearably intense!! it hurts!! and its supposed to!! but hes just so raw with it#and dont even get me started on his pained hysteric laughter omg....#its just. a masterpiece.#i always appreciate the vds but i dont think ive enjoyed/relistened to one as much as this one#okay WAIT im back to add one more thing because im obsessed with ths idea of intentions#specifically in milgram i think the intention behind the murders are very important to consider#so i love love love the huge focus on 'i didnt expect/mean for this to happen'#plus as a general theme in fiction i think its sooo juicy when good intentions get fucked up#so i loved the repetition of that#fuuta is such a special case because he genuinely had no desire or expectation for his victim to die#(maybe kazui too? but he doesn't say so in his vd like fuuta does)
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longclawshilt · 9 days
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Much has been said about why Jon sacrificing Dany a la Nissa Nissa is horrible, sexist writing (in addition to being completely useless because Dany already fulfilled the prophecy herself)…but no one ever mentions how this literally doesn’t make sense for Jon either? Like the very first chapter in the series, Bran I, tells us what Jon would do if he ever had to make a choice: he would choose to sacrifice himself over anyone else. You mean to tell me that very same Jon who is unwilling to deprive his younger sister of her birthright would deprive a would-be lover of her very life?? That’s just so diametrically opposed to who Jon is. Plus it’s thematically inconsistent because Jon always gets rewarded for sacrificing himself, which is very different from the established Azor Ahai lore given to us by Salladhor Saan.
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wolves-in-the-world · 2 years
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thinking about how the one time eliot masterminds something, it's because the circumstances are dire and we don't actually see it happen; how he says he plays chess and nate believes him but we don't ever see it or hear about it again; how we don't even see his most basic fighting skills until they're needed and he has to drop the cerebral and nonthreatening grift he was using in front of the team. and I don't know what to think except that in some ways he's just as secretive as parker is, we just don't see it because on top of that he's this very believable gruff-but-sorta-amiable person who meets up with his vet buddies and goes on dates and cooks for his team.
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wizardsix · 6 months
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astarion stans who refuse to try befriending or even romancing anyone else are the most annoying mfs. "I only romance astarion I just can't relate to the other stories" really? you can't relate to gales deep self loathing? his deep love and loyalty for those he cares about? you can't relate to wylls kind heart and desire to always do good, even if it means he's miserable? can't relate to shadowheart blindly following a god, only to learn the truth and reinvent herself? you can't relate to lae'zel or karlach who were lied to and used as weapons their whole lives, but continue to push on even when they're scared? you can't relate to the overarching theme of authority vs autonomy???
it's not difficult, it's just people refusing to appreciate and explore the game to its fullest bc their manipulative sexy vampire is all they need(something astarion actually loathes being seen as btw). but ok, you can be boring and do whatever you want, but don't lie and say the other stories are bad, because they're not. it's simply a lack of media literacy and critical thinking. because to you, if a character doesn't tell you point blank that they're aware of their situation, it's bad writing. missing the entire point that victims don't always realize the situation they're in. keep in mind astarion and karlach are the only ones who got away from their abusers, which is why they tell you clearly and confidently about what happened to them, fully aware that it was abuse. whereas the others give only their tunnel visioned perspective and speak highly of their deity(not caring about themselves, wish to appease them for something in return).
don't get me wrong (seriously, if I see one person misunderstand me I'm going to lose it) astarion is a good character, but people who only like him need to stop acting like he's the only complex and well written one. stop crying when people with brains call you out for being weird about his ascended ending. the game isn't about him. at least try and show some respect to those who worked hard on the game. make an oc and try new things, i promise the fictional vampire won't care if you don't romance him one run. have a drink with shadowheart, dance with wyll, go to a restaurant w karlach, maybe then you'll calm down.
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popponn · 9 days
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i'm this close to opening discussion whether (is it possible that) kaiser is a playboy or not
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thychesters · 1 year
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Luffy is like staring into the sun.
At least, that is what Zoro thinks the first time he sees him. But then, his first coherent thought had been it’s too bright upon their initial meeting, looking up from glowering down at the ground to raising his head and squinting at a too big, self-congratulatory smile and do you want to join my crew?
Then it had been simple enough to blame the harsh sunlight blinding him, framing Luffy’s profile and that bright grin, and he’d bitten back the hell I will one minute and had a sword and an oath clenched between his teeth in the next.
And so Zoro follows the sun.
He follows and his skin reddens and blisters and peels; it splits at the seams and bleeds as he burns, and still he follows. It aches and cracks, and still he reaches out, twining his fingers through promises and a loyalty that will not bend.
Luffy curls a hand around his jaw and it’s a different sort of burning, flaring up into his eyes and down to his very marrow. And Luffy asks, where will you go? Nowhere, Zoro says as the words gather in his throat, raw and parched, and he chokes on them, anywhere.
His touch is a balm as fingertips skitter across his skin, soothing and pressing and digging and prying, and Zoro thinks he would burn again and again, blinded by the sheer brilliance of it all.
And then it’s dark out on the open sea, some nights, and then others too many stars dot the horizon, gathering up above them like they’re spilling out of the slit open belly of a giant, and Luffy tilts his head, blistering heat where he rests against his shoulder and looks at Zoro and says, I think I know where, and would you come with me?
And Zoro is a drowning man with a lungful of sea water, salt gathering with blood at the corners of his mouth and asks, of course, and where?
Luffy smiles and it’s a gathering of starlight and the sun, and it makes Zoro want to shove his fist into his mouth and shatter every one of his teeth, and Luffy would just laugh and bite down on his wrist and lay claim to his pulse point, like he doesn’t already live inside its every thrum.
No telling, he says. Will you still come with me?
And Zoro burns and it rages in the pit of his belly right into the raw skin of each scar, into his fingertips as they dig into Luffy’s scalp. How dare he have to ask, grin with the knowledge that he already knows the answer, and Zoro turns to follow the sun and says, yes, says I wouldn’t be anywhere else.
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