#Ruthless Heart

[turtletoria]

thats show business baby !

#turtlearts #undertale #mettaton #littlest brother is playing undertale for the first time !!!!!!!!!! #mtt is his favorite :D he asked me to draw these #he prefers the calculator version >:-| #also his character is written so fantastically. hes so sassy and ruthless but with a heart of gold. obsessed #toby fox and the whole undertale team did such an awesome job

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

#roxy sloane #give me books #ruthless heart #release blitz #ruthless trilogy #flawless series

[marsneedstherapy]

something about a duology where the first book is very clearly structured and organized, and the second book is just a lot more unhinged and chaotic, just EATS for me

#six of crows #crooked kingdom #foul lady fortune #foul heart huntsman #divine rivals #ruthless vows #bookblr #random post #chloe gong #leigh bardugo #rebecca ross

[saessenach]

We're settled where we should be.

Bertha & George Russell in Never The New, episode 1 of The Gilded Age

#my art #the gilded age #tga #bertha russell #george russell #bertha x george #artists on tumblr #fanart #digital art #procreate #screenshot redraw #i love them so much they make me insane #i've watched their introduction scene a normal amount of times #someone help me find an otp tag for them #anyway the robber baron and his ruthless wife are conquering new york (and my heart) and they're batshit insane #here's to more doodles with them bc these actors are too hot #the gilded age fanart #otp: useless each without the other

[righteousinadversity]

Wei Wuxian really got an arrow shot in between two of his lungs ribs, pulled it out, and then tossed it back and fucking killed the guy who shot him - If that's not fucking terrifying (and more than a little awe-inspiring) I don't know what is.

#wei wuxian #mdzs #back on my wei wuxian simping hours again #which is all hours #though it is honestly intriguing how the guy who shot him is portrayed as young and unskilled and essentially naive- #likely with not the slightest clue as to the real situations surrounding wwx #and didn't see beyond the ruthless picture the jins painted of wwx #probably just wants to be hero or smth like that #listen kids #this is why you don't go to war without enough information #especially not against a man who has a very bloody history considering sunshot campaign #smh #you try to shoot a guy in the heart during a brewing conflict and you expect everything to go well?

[the-consequence-of-imagination]

Have I mentioned that I love her????

#bg3 spoilers #minthara #bg3 minthara #[i hear from the witches] #[and the witches they sing] #sure she's ruthless & kinda bloodthirsty but she's also sassy & hot so... #mean drow lady figured out that the way to my heart is by being a dork. she's trying to tempt me away from gale #everyday the polyamory mod gets more tempting #edit: whoops i meant to stick this in the queue. oh well

[dan-i-am21]

“I promised I would not kill myself”

Same

#the foxhole court #all for the game #Jean is to blunt #jean moreau #I love Jean with all my heart #he makes me insane #Jean is ruthless with his words #aftg #kevin day #tsc #tsc spoilers

[its-the-sa]

do you think there was backlash from other scavs when chief and arti befriended and eventually dated each other?

i imagine that quite a few of them would be less than eager to forgive the war criminal

there definitely was a backlash, but probably not to the extent that you'd expect. or at least not in the way you're thinking. both due to how the cycle works, and how I imagine scavenger culture works, i think a majority of them were willing to accept arti being integrated into the tribe, if only begrudgingly.

first and foremost, because arti didn't kill anyone permanently. there's a huge difference between killing and perma-killing, so while arti's crimes were certainly heinous and left a lot of scavs deeply traumatized, the fact that she didn't actually take anyone away from their loved ones made a big difference as to how many of them were willing to tolerate her presence. as long as she was no longer an active threat, most of them were more concerned with helping each other recover and heal from their collective trauma than with trying to interfere with whatever the king had going on with the murder cat.

secondly, and for similar reasons, I think a certain amount of lethal violence is just a normal part of scav culture. obviously nothing to the extent of what arti did, but based on how recklessly they behave in-game, i imagine it's common for scavs to kill each other over minor disputes, by accident, or even for fun. so, the capacity of scavs to move on and coexist with someone who killed them is a deeply ingrained social skill, because it's vital to keeping their society functioning.

of course, there are rules about how much violence is acceptable in any given situation, and just like anything else, breaking those rules requires payback. scavs keep close tabs on who owes what to whom, so anyone witnessing a murder would have a good idea of whether it's justified or not, and whether it warrants retaliation.

for example, if arti had the restraint to only kill the scavs directly responsible for her pups' death, the rest of the garbage wastes tribe would have been like 'ok yeah, fair'. they would've appointed some new toll guards, and the matter would've been considered settled. arti's reputation only tanked because she went way too far, and started targeting scavs who did nothing wrong.

so i think, to the metropolis scavs, arti's massacre was not so much an unspeakable evil as it was just a massive personal transgression. she slaughtered an entire tribe who owed her nothing, and in doing so, she incurred a massive debt to them. so when the king suddenly took a liking to her and decided to integrate her into the tribe, that didn't mean no one was allowed to harm her; it just meant they'd have to forgive her debt once she paid it.

the scav king really couldn't do anything to protect her from this without causing a full scale mutiny. (and honestly, arti is too proud to let him even if he tried. she knows she dug her own grave, and she's going to fucking lie in it as many times as it takes to earn her redemption)

however, he probably did have to set down some rules regarding how and where her victims were allowed to seek revenge, to prevent them from all mobbing her in the street. i imagine the official policy would've been something like:

all disputes with arti must be settled one-on-one in organized arena matches

arti is obligated to accept a challenge for every death she caused

the challenger can either fight her themselves, or they can choose someone to fight for them

anyone willing to fight for arti may do so if she allows it (she won't)

regardless of the outcome, the fight will be considered a blood payment and the dispute will be forgiven

any unprovoked violence towards arti outside of the arena will be considered violence toward an innocent person

thats about as lenient as he could get away with being, and still be fair enough for most scavs to accept. so, yeah, there was a backlash in the sense that many of them wanted revenge, and many of them got it. but it was mostly within the bounds of what's permissible, and it didn't cause any kind of major rift in their community. arti was willing to pay for her place in the tribe with her blood, and most scavs can respect that even if they still don't like her.

and as for the few who still weren't satisfied, and felt the need to make her suffer more than she deserved...

well. lets say they got a personal reminder of what happens to people who hurt the king's loved ones.

#artificer redemption au #i am utterly fascinated with the social implications of death being temporary #so many things become easier and more acceptable but at the same time so many new avenues of horror are opened up #imagine having to pass ur own displayed skull on the way to work every day #thats what some mfs have to live with now #scav king has a kind heart but he does know how to be ruthless

[prodigalxprince]

Damen stood. He was taller than Laurent, and physically stronger, and wearing no restraints at all. And they were alone together, as they had been last night, as they had been in the baths. But something was different. He realised that at some point he had begun to think of being alone in a room with Laurent as dangerous.

#very dangerous #your life is in danger BUT SO IS YOUR HEART DAMIANOS #LAURENT IS SO CAPTIVATING AND RUTHLESS YOU CANT HELP BUT FALL FOR HIM #captive prince #captive prince reread #laurent of vere #damianos of akielos

[septxwber]

Feel like crying and screaming and jumping off very tall somethings

#Why are the books I like most the ones that always shatter my heart into million pieces #Just a matter of theatrics #currently reading #the atlas complex #and #ruthless vows #I’m emotionally unwell #this reading journey is WILD #tac is making me brain rot (in a good way I guess??) #edit. no. definitely not a good way #reading two emotional (though on very different levels) books at the same time? not my finest moment #dark academia #light academia #chaotic academia #books #reading #g thoughts

[cryptidafter]

Now, see, I think JGY and ZZS should talk.

#cryptid’s thoughts #they both believe that the ends justify the means - albeit ZZS is way more ruthless imo #both incredibly ambitious skilled and good at deception #and made decisions they regretted bc they impacted the lives of someone they deeply cared for #(ZZS would’ve helped him become xiandu I just know it in my heart lol) #they also both use soft swords like wow kings 😌😂

[questioning-pisces]

the memory loss trope currently has me in a chokehold

#son of neptune is my favorite #and mockingjay ofc #and foul heart huntsman #and now ruthless vows #son of neptune #mockingjay #foul heart huntsman #ruthless vows #ruthless vows spoilers #percabeth #everlark #rosalind and orion #romaniris

[nyxonthestyxwiththetricks]

why is every ferengi episode so good. they’ve always got that undercurrent of support women’s rights and fuck capitalism wrapped up in a silly little comic relief package. i did not want to love these gremlins so much but how can i not

#and i love how none of the ds9 ferengi really fit in with traditional ferengi beliefs #rom is too compassionate #and a communist #nog knows he can’t be a ruthless capitalist and runs away to the army #quark secretly has a heart but is trying so hard to fit in #star trek ds9 #ds9 #ferengi

[videogamelover99]

do you have any ideas about chuuyas view on agency Dazai? Do you think he’d feel pride because his partner has begun to show empathy or that he’s matured…or especially that he’s found a reason to live? I think he’d be a little conflicted, but I feel Chuuya would have a sense of content seeing his formerly VERY sadistic partner having changed for the better whether he likes it or not.

From the vibes I got in the earlier arcs, Chuuya's attitude toward this new Dazai is very...conflicted. On one hand, Dazai is still very familiar to him. So he hasn't changed much. But he has?? Now he's more open and more willing to show kindness and I think it's throwing Chuuya off. I think it's upsetting to him more than anything to see Dazai again and know him but then also not know this new version of him.

I also find it really interesting that Chuuya calls Dazai "naive" when he frees Q. The same Chuuya that told Verlaine his friends are the reason he does what he does. I still think 22-year-old Chuuya is VERY different from 16-year-old Chuuya.

#bsd #asks #i also keep thinking of that wan! chapter when chuuya helps out an old lady #he wants to be that ruthless heartless mafioso but at heart hes still that kid that cares and wants to help others #anyway thats enough chuuya feels for now

[alientrashpanda]

I can't stop thinking about the kiss.

In our flag means death the kiss was soft and gentle.

Nothing could've prepared me for Crowley kissing Aziraphale with everything he had because he was so afraid of losing him and Aziraphale being shocked and crying, realising what was happening and that this was goodbye.

#good omens 2 #spoiler #spoilers #good omens spoiler #good omens spoilers #crowley #aziraphale #brb going to throw up #that was ruthless #it was so good #it was so needy and perfect and heart breaking

[isan0rt]

I think one thing that really sticks with me in interpreting how Dark Road shapes Xehanort is the fact that Xehanort truly was raised to believe himself to be the only one truly strong enough to do what needs to be done to save the world. An interesting thing I think is to look at the way Xehanort’s apparent perception of Baldr changes after his world tour...but not really the crux of his feelings about Baldr, which is that I truly think he sees Baldr as pathetic, in both senses of the word.

Before the tour, Baldr evokes pathos from Xehanort. He feels sorry for him; he takes the time to leave flowers on his grave, but crucially, does not actually express regret for killing him. What he expresses is that he thinks this is the best outcome for Baldr; 

Xehanort: Baldr... Now you and your sister will always be together. You'll always have the light to share.

Killing Baldr was a mercy, from Xehanort’s perspective. Baldr wasn’t strong enough to handle the Darkness. He wasn’t strong enough to face a world of nuance alone. Not like Xehanort, who is determined to be strong enough. Who was born to be strong enough; who then decides to prove he’s strong enough by removing his armor in the space between worlds. 

Then, there is the comparison between Baldr’s dying words, and what Master of Masters and Xehanort express before and after his world tour:

??????: Let me guess... You thought your heart was strong enough to withstand the darkness in there.

??????: Human emotions are complex. For example, what you feel toward someone you love isn't always good or well-meaning. It can be a false kind of light. Which begs the question: are these messy feelings that emerge from love still light? Or are they darkness?

Baldr’s love for Hoder was a false kind of light. It was one that smothered, one that made her responsible for his well-being. Baldr can’t separate his own feelings from other people’s; his worldview is completely self-absorbed. Other people are having feelings at him; Hoder is there to spread her light at him. He can’t see beyond his own pain and his own needs, and what love he has for Hoder is really about what she can do for him; a love that isn’t good, or well-meaning, but toxic for both of them until it kills them both.

Xehanort knows this. His experience, as Master of Masters asks about, tells him this; he saw first-hand how that false love destroyed both Hoder and Baldr, and their classmates as collateral damage.

Baldr’s last words have this to say:

Baldr: Xehanort... Do you see now? There's them...and there's us. When we find the strength to pursue our goals, they condemn us, insisting that our strength comes from darkness.

Then Xehanort goes on his world tour (and it seems strongly implied that he travels to the future during this time, experiences Dream Drop Distance and Kingdom Hearts 3, and comes back with those memories erased, but changed by the experience);

Xehanort: Those who are weak, and who desire greater power, simply strip the strong of their power, and convince themselves they've earned it. That's how people become tainted by darkness. They believe what they want to believe, using hollow reasons as justification. They repeat this cycle, and their darkness grows.

??????: So you're saying the weak feel the need to justify their actions to maintain a sense of self. Can't let that slide?

Xehanort: No, it's better they be ruled by darkness. People carry delusions of having power, but it's a lie. 

Baldr is the sheep pretending to be a wolf, slaughtering their friends to build his own power through the act. Baldr no longer evokes ‘pathos;’ now, for Xehanort, he is the other definition of ‘pathetic;’ “miserably inadequate, of very low standard.” Xehanort’s opinion is now that Baldr was too weak to handle being weaker than Hoder, being weaker than his classmates, so he killed them all, and pretended that made him strong. He told himself lies about how they were feeling things at him, and how that justified what he chose to do.

Xehanort looks down on him. Xehanort will be better than him. Xehanort is truly strong, he believes; all his life, he’s been practicing control. Managing his own feelings. Keeping them separate from those of others, not allowing them to be tainted by the emotions around him. Being flawless, to be the change he was born to be. He will do what’s necessary to make sure nothing like Baldr can ever happen again, and he won’t let feelings get in the way. It’s the reason for his existence, after all.

What comes next is too important.

#khdr #Xehanort #tbh one of the things I find the most compelling about Xehanort is how ruthless he is #He understands emotions and feels them from others all the time #but he does not let them control him #he's condescending and dismissive of people who do #he looks down on those who let their feelings dictate their actions #I think one thing that's lost in translation in particular is the fact that shaving his head is clearly intended to be read as like #Becoming a Buddhist monk #A symbol of dedication to putting aside his worldly attachments to bring about the end of this world #and the birth of a new balanced world #His final act before beginning his plan in earnest is to cut down Eraqus who is his final worldly attachment #Xehanort as an old man is fully above petty things like crying over his lost friends anymore #He has bigger fish to fry #and he's going to fry them. #kingdom hearts dark road #kingdom hearts