#except at least she picked up his tendency to be self-sacrificial for her

[alexiethymia]

[book spoilers]

Lockwood’s idea of a grand gesture is to be more of a fool than usual, more death-defying than usual, to make sure that Lockwood & Co. was always on front page news because if Lucy was the best then Lockwood & Co. could be nothing less than THE best agency to deserve her, to get her to return. And no, he doesn’t stop there. He may not have asked you to return on bended knee like you wanted Lucy, but like any proper gentleman caller he couldn’t come to your door empty-handed. He brings THE case, that one case that Lucy could never refuse coming from Fittes herself. I bet he spent all those four months searching for that one case. Because see the plan was always for her to return and Lockwood has always been an end-justifies-the-means kind of guy. And the way he gets her on board speaks a lot about his own character and how well he knows Lucy.

Lockwood has always been slightly manipulative and he uses the full force of that skill during that reunion with Lucy. Every move was calculated. From his suit he wears like armor, each one carefully chosen. An old coat that reminds them of a case they worked on together, an immaculate new suit (Really? Just to hire her again?), and to top it all of, a tie which Lucy specifically gave him. He catches her off guard, he doesn’t give her time to get her bearings. He knows asking her outright to return wouldn’t work. Even if he did beg, that already failed when he ended up so angry that he left Lucy behind in that cafe (the fact that Lockwood who prides himself on being a gentleman could leave a girl, and Lucy of all people, shows that his emotions were completely haywire that day). In other words, Lucy’s stubbornness proved stronger than his own. So he had to change tactics. He had to make sure that her returning would be all her idea, that she would return all on her own.

Because see, he didn’t need a case to see her. He could have visited at any time after they didn’t have closure when Lucy snuck away in the dawn to leave. He could have normalized ties between them and remained friends even as Lucy was now a freelance agent. But he didn’t. He made sure they didn’t have closure. He didn’t even acknowledge her leaving because to do otherwise would make it final. On Lucy’s end I think she wouldn’t have minded if they could be friends and talk casually together again. She wanted it. But that’s not what Lockwood wanted. He wouldn’t have been satisfied unless Lucy was back home with them. Like a jilted lover, he needed a grand gesture to draw her back in.

So he does everything. He lies. “I wouldn’t ask you again to return.” “It’s just a one-off.” “One night, two max.” But and even though Lucy couldn’t fully see through him, what they really meant, she did pick up on signs of him fraying and unraveling. The uncertain smile that was simultaneously just for her and was shades paler than his usual gigawatt smile, the slight bitterness that she was willing to work with other agencies but not his, that studied nonchalance as if he wasn’t keeping track of her progress and whereabouts the same way Lucy tried not to follow news of Lockwood and Co., the deflection, deflection, deflection.

He doesn’t answer properly regarding Holly because he still thinks she might have had something to do with Lucy leaving.

“George didn’t like it.” This is his mixing up of I and we tendency again but way worse. For him to use George to say that she was missed was egregious because couldn’t he just say that he missed her? Or even we missed you, we didn’t like it [the idea of replacing you]. It wouldn’t be so strange. He is as much her friend as George. Unless her leaving cut him more deeply. And we know he represses that sh*t. So he doesn’t even include himself in the equation anymore maybe because he thought it would make Lucy uncomfortable because not even him losing control of his emotions, being exposed and raw could get her to stay. Or at least that’s what he tells himself when in reality he’s fortified his barriers once again. He made himself open for Lucy, all the anger he’d kept tightly locked inside, and still - she left. So he can’t even talk to Lucy anymore without using someone or something as a conduit, projecting himself because he can’t expose himself to that sort of vulnerability again until he accomplishes his goal. So yeah there’s plenty of bitterness on his part, but what trumps that, always trumps it and his pride (because I’m sure part of him expected that Lucy would come back earlier on her own so he was just waiting and when that didn’t happen because see in a contest of wills Lucy’s would always trump his own, he’s weak when it comes to her, he’s the one who comes to her instead) - is that base desire for her to just come back.

#lockwood and co #locklyle #lockwood & co #anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #see this is why I like manipulative characters #but ouch the angst #he was desperate by that point #you can’t tell me he didn’t have a plan a to z #everything is muted from lucy’s perspective because she always downplays everything lockwood does to or in relation to her #except at least she picked up his tendency to be self-sacrificial for her #but of course she turns it around and assumes it’s entirely her fault because she can’t control her emotions #when you know lucy it could be that it’s lockwood who can’t control his emotions #when it comes to you #see this is why I will not survive if there isn’t a second #(and hopefully third and fourth best case scenario four seasons) #because I desperately need to see that cafe conversation from outside lucy’s pov #because if that’s the way she described it #then lockwood must have been livid and entirely heartbroken #which doubles the angst when you consider what they went through this first season #and while he may have been aware of his feelings for lucy this first season #I think he took the stupid stupid route of thinking he wasn’t good enough for her #which is why he sort of stays away during the events of the hollow boy as to not burden her with his feelings #which unfortunately also contributed to lucy feeling that perhaps she did have to leave #when that was the last thing he wanted he never meant or even wanted for her to go #there is so much angst in the hollow boy and the creeping shadown #they already tripled the angst with the first season #if we get the second season focusing on these two books with perhaps a mid season finale at the point where lucy leaves the agency #I will not survive the angst #but I still need it

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: Whole Cake Island

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano

sanji is such a self-sacrificial idiot. and i know that’s not exactly a ground-breaking statement, but it does define the entire first half of whole cake island, so it may as well be reiterated here: sanji does not value his own life as much as he should, and fails to grasp that other people care about him outside of what he can offer them, which is why he’s so surprised when luffy later comes charging headlong into big mom’s territory.

zou is a really good little arc, and it also mirrors the themes of whole cake island in miniature. the minks collectively make a massive sacrifice and risk absolutely everything to protect raizou, and wci is essentially all about loyalty and sacrifice, whether its sanji giving himself up to protect the strawhats and zeff or luffy and the strawhats facing impossible odds to rescue him to pedro giving up his life to get them all out of there safe.

huge fan of this panel partly just because it’s cute and partly because it’s a great visualization of just how dysfunctional the heights are in one piece.

zou is one of my favorite settings in one piece just for the sheer creativity of it. zunesha is so massive and so mysterious and so strange. and she really looks unspeakably old just from how she’s drawn, looming over everyone and everything, eyes hollow and empty, an entire forest and an entire people growing on her back that have been there for thousands of years. it’s just so neat and so wildly inventive.

this applies to zou as a whole, but i think it’s really cool how all the little threads that will become important during wano are set up so effectively even before whole cake island starts. we get this shot here of kidd beat to shit and then forget it because so much happens between here and when he shows up again in wano, but then oda punks us into caring about him and killer so much and this retroactively becomes very important.

ever since his introduction sanji’s always been a character basically defined by his adherence to his principles: always feeding the hungry, never wasting food, never hurting women, never using his hands in combat. he’s probably the most firmly principled person on the crew, and that’s more obvious in whole cake island than in any other arc except maybe baratie.

sanji is very stubbornly good, which puts him in acute contrast to his siblings and their general cruel apathy. it’s something i really like about him.

i’m a huge fan of big mom’s introduction, which is also our introduction to tottoland in general. it’s cutesy and colorful and musical while simultaneously being deeply creepy, with lyrics about killing people for ingredients and making jam out of blood, which is a great summary of the core of big mom’s character. she’s an old lady all in pink who lives in a cartoon fairy-tale land- but she’s also a deranged cannibal, and all those singing trees and flowers are animated by the life she steals from her citizens as tax.

whole cake island draws on a lot of fairy tale motifs (especially with brulee), and the contrast that saccharine appearance creates with how fucked up the actual content is is super effective and memorable, i think.

honestly i find most of the content of sanji with the vinsmokes just plain upsetting, which i’m sure is intentional, so i’m not going to go into it a lot here, but i am including this panel of him kicking niji in the face.

sad as this scene turns out, luffy’s absolute thrill at finding sanji and the corresponding bafflement of the vinsmokes as to how the fuck he even got there always kinda makes me grin.

i always love seeing people’s underestimations about luffy get thrown right the hell out the window- because let’s be honest, he’s easy to underestimate, he’s like a five and a half foot tall rubber teenager and not very physically intimidating and all, and then he goes and pulls off the impossible without blinking.

the thing that makes luffy unique as a captain has always been his willingness to rely on his crew, and his willingness to openly admit that reliance, like he did all the way back in arlong park. most of the other contenders for the pirate king’s crown we’ve seen- big mom, kaidou, crocodile once upon a time- have been stubbornly individualistic people who explicitly shown not to care for their crew and allies, generally seeing them as disposable.

luffy is the opposite of all of them, because his crew are everything to him, to the point of being willing to sacrifice his dream for them. and the loyalty he wins from them in return is unmatched, as opposed to big mom and kaidou, who both get cheerfully betrayed not just by their own crewmates but by their own children.

brook is really cool in whole cake island, and honestly it comes at just the right time for him as a character. ever since his introductory arc in thriller bark until this point he hasn’t gotten a ton of focus, so it’s great that he gets to be the mvp here and demonstrate exactly why he’s a strawhat pirate and how much he’s grown over the timeskip.

oda is generally really good at introducing and handling characters contained to a single arc/saga, but i do think he absolutely knocked it out of the park with pedro. he has an interesting backstory, compelling motivations, and basically an entire sub-arc ending in his death that never distracts from the main plot, but only ever adds to it.

pedro really feels like a fully realized character who’s had a whole life offscreen, who we just happened to catch at the very end of his story. i think that’s super impressive.

i really love this moment, because for me, this is the moment where whole cake island becomes a tremendous arc, and where the tides begin to turn and the dominoes begin to fall, one after the other. this is sanji hitting absolute rock bottom. the one ray of light he pinned all his hopes on was a lie, and he can’t even light a fucking cigarette.

but one piece is, very often, a story about picking yourself up even when you feel like you can’t.

i think there’s something lovely about how much one piece emphasizes the value of honestly asking for help. luffy waits for nami to ask for help, and for robin to say she wants to live, and for sanji to admit he just wants to go home, and then says, “okay, i’ll make that happen.”

it just makes me so happy how happy the stawhats are to know sanji’s back with them. it reminds me a lot of how they all brush off robin’s thanks after enies lobby. sure, they’re going to have to crash the wedding and confront big mom directly and might all die, but who cares? they’ve got sanji back. i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, i love how much they love each other.

i think the gangster outfits are super fun, and i love that oda is committed enough to his aesthetics to come up with an excuse to put them all in formalwear. it pays off, they all look extremely snappy.

i know i just said it in the dressrosa posts but i’m reiterating it here because this is my favorite example of it by far: i love when oda does this split-screen thing with his panels. the contrast between the two halves of pudding is so severe and yet they’re so clearly the same person i honestly just find this pair of panels fascinating to look at.

this panel also kind of gets at my favorite thing about pudding as a character, really. i know she’s a little controversial in fandom, but i’ve always found her entertaining (at least post-reveal), especially in the contrast between her unhinged evil side and her genuinely sweet romantic side and her post-wedding tendency to randomly ping-pong between the two.

i just always like reminding people that sanji is fast enough and his observation haki good enough to dodge a surprise attack, while thoroughly distracted, from katakuri.

sanji in this arc tends to get shit from a certain side of fandom for being ‘useless’ since he doesn’t have a big climactic fight despite being the focus of the arc, which i think is thoroughly missing the point. sanji is still plenty capable in combat, as demonstrated both here and later, with chiffon and oven. it just happens that his strength isn’t what saves the day ultimately, because combat ability isn’t everything, which is the entire point of the vinsmoke backstory/subplot. sanji saves the day just by being kind.

i’ll admit big mom’s flashback isn’t one of my favorites, taken in isolation- there are some parts of it that kind of unresolved (at least as of now- i still suspect they’ll be followed up eventually), and in general, although there is a tragedy to it, it doesn’t quite hit the way many of the other more effective flashbacks do. that said, i do think it does a really good job of succinctly explaining why big mom is the way she is in the present: she’s a child who was never told no, who never grew or matured past the disappearance of her adopted mother. that’s it, and that’s enough.

i’ve always been a little bit in love with how seriously and consistently one piece handles its themes of found family, and sanji outright disowning judge in whole cake island is maybe the most outright they ever get: family is found, not made. you owe nothing to your blood and are never beholden to your abusers.

and i just like that a whole lot.

i do think the tamatebako is one of the best uses of chekov’s gun i’ve ever seen. we’re first shown it at the end of fishman island, it’s revealed it got sent off to big mom rigged with explosives which is a minor “oh fuck” moment, and then it gets forgotten about, because the entirety of punk hazard and dressrosa happens in between! which is a lot!

i remember when i reached the moment in whole cake island where we’re reminded that that bomb still exists and is still waiting to explode, i just started laughing hysterically out loud, because i’d completely forgotten, and now that i remembered i was just delighted to know it was going to definitely go off at some point, almost certainly in a very satisfying way.

pedro is, if i remember right, the first time the imagery of the coming dawn that will become quite important in wano really has attention drawn to it in-text- the recurring motif is there before this, of course, dating all the way back to the names of the first chapter (romance dawn) and first island (dawn island), but this is the first time it’s actively addressed in-story.

in doing so, oda essentially presents a fresh mystery for us, but one that has been set up so consistently ever since chapter one that it feels like it fits perfectly into the world and story.

luffy’s been punching way above his weight class ever since crocodile all the way back in alabasta, fighting enemies who clearly outmatch him but always managing to win anyways, but his fight with katakuri is maybe the clearest the sheer differential in strength ever gets, because katakuri’s powers are similar enough to luffy’s that he can pull off pretty much all of luffy’s techniques, but better. so luffy has to fall back on the two things that have always been his greatest strengths, again all the way back to crocodile in alabasta: innovation and sheer fucking stubbornness.

one thing i love about one piece is how no character is immune to being clowned on. absolutely nobody. everybody looks like an idiot sometimes, and it makes everything so much more fun than if the series took itself more seriously. katakuri basically actively tries to avert this by building up a fearsome, flawless, and utterly no-nonsense persona, but it winds up failing hard because it actually only makes the contrast and surprise of his actual personality and vices that much funnier.

i’ve always loved this one panel of carrot going sulong, because she just looks so monstrous, like a true werewolf. the same goes for the shift in big mom’s design when she starts going truly mad with starvation and gets even more threatening-looking (below). i just think oda should let women be monstrously scary more often.

i do really love that the entire climax of whole cake island hinges on the degree of trust and faith the strawhats, and sanji and luffy specifically, have in each other. they’re all facing massive challenges that would seem insurmountable to an outsider- luffy facing down a yonkou’s commander with a bounty of over a billion and sanji remaking a massive cake that took months to plan and make in just a few hours, the others evading big mom’s full forces and big mom herself for a full night- but none of them have even a shred of doubt that the others can manage it.

i wrote a meta post awhile back about one piece’s concept of ‘honor in a pirates’ fight, and what it came down to is this: honor can never be expected between pirates, but the best of them will show it anyways, and it can be a very telling judge of character. nobody would expect katakuri to do this, and luffy even calls him an idiot for it, but he has enough respect for luffy as a strong opponent to do it anyways, and that’s how we know for absolute certain that even though he’s an antagonist, he’s also a good, honorable person.

i really like the gesture of luffy leaving his hat over katakuri’s mouth, especially because until this point, we’re never even given any indication that he’s really noticed it, let alone that katakuri is insecure about it. he never reacts to or comments on it (which is in itself kind of unusual from someone who tends to nickname opponents by their appearances as often as luffy does) one way or another.

and then he does this, confirming all at once that he did fully notice and understand, he just doesn’t care. which i think sums up one of the more under-appreciated aspects of luffy’s character- he’s generally way more observant than people give him credit for, especially when it comes to people, it’s just that he has a very different sense of what’s important and what’s not than your average person.

i love the sheer contrast between big mom’s delighted, rapturous singing as she devours the wedding cake against the violence taking place on screen as her army rains fire and hell down on the thousand sunny. it parallels her initial introduction at the start of the arc perfectly, and is just an excellent way to close out the arc with a bang.

i said it earlier but it bears repeating here, for a different reason: luffy is not very physically intimidating. he’s shorter than most of the other main characters, he’s a lanky teenager, he dresses casually and his most identifiable accessory is a farm hat.

but then there are times when he looks like a captain, like a future pirate king, and it just looks so natural on him. i can never get over it.

i really like that, after spending a whole arc demonstrating just how different (and how much better) sanji is than the vinsmokes, it ends like this- showing us just how similar he’s grown up to the man he’s chosen as his real family, and just how proud zeff would be of him.

#the voyage so far #one piece #opmeta #arc: whole cake island #arc: zou #long post #not japanese

[artekai]

I recently picked Mystic Messenger back up, and combined with my P5R brainrot, it gave me a crack crossover idea that just won’t leave me alone:

AU where Rika and V are Takuto’s parents.

Okay, hear me out for a second.

(Bear in mind that it’s been a year since I last played Mystic Messenger and I haven’t seen all the endings yet -- I haven’t played Rika’s Before Story or V’s After -- so this might not make any sense in canon and the characterization might be all over the place. Then again, it’s a crack AU, so…)

Major spoilers for both Mystic Messenger and Persona 5 Royal under the read more!

The beginning is fairly obvious. Rika and V are an inseparable couple, they get engaged, she gets pregnant. But then The Mint Eye thing happens.

Rika considers getting rid of the baby just because it’s V’s, but deep down she still has feelings for him. Plus, having a baby in the cult is like getting a new believer but without all the purifying process, right? So she keeps the child.

Rika treats Takuto similarly to how she treats MC: she’s strangely kind to him, she mostly keeps him away from the other believers, and she doesn’t force him to take the elixir or anything. She already sees Takuto as being purified, because he’s just a toddler, so no need for all those painful rituals; she just needs to raise him the way she wants. Of course, since he’s the savior’s son, all of the believers think he’s like Baby Jesus, so no one bothers him.

You know what happens then. Canon happens. I’m not sure what route and what ending would fit this, but it needs to be a route where they go to Mint Eye and save Saeran. Maybe V’s Normal Ending? I don’t know, I can’t remember if Saeran survives in that ending. Well, let’s assume he does because I need that for my sanity.

And if he doesn’t, then I don’t care tHIS IS A FIX-IT AU.

please let me have this.

So, anyways, they infiltrate Mint Eye, they save Saeran, and they find Takuto. Given that V has been infiltrating the Mint Eye for a while, he already knows about him, and by now he has figured out that that must be his child. Either way, they get him away from the cult before any “cleansing” can take place, and V and MC commit to taking care of him.

Takuto starts off as a very anxious kid, which is normal considering that a bunch of strangers suddenly took him away from his mother and everything he has ever known. He mainly sticks with Saeran (which isn’t good for either of them), but, over time, MC gets him to open up to her and V and, eventually, to the rest of the RFA. Of course, Rika already drilled her ideas of “true paradise” and “eternal happiness” into him, so V and MC take it upon themselves to decondition him and reeducate him. Their efforts pay off, as Takuto eventually manages to adjust to normal society fairly well, but you know that those cultish ideas will still linger in the back of his mind, even if he doesn’t realize it.

Though his memories of Mint Eye completely fade away with age, Takuto inherits V’s gentleness and self-sacrificial tendencies and Rika’s madness and obsession with eradicating pain. When he’s mature enough, he also learns about what happened around that time (but maybe he doesn’t have all the details), because V and MC are determined to not keep any more harmful secrets like they used to.

Anyways, growing up with the RFA fuels Takuto’s natural passion for helping people. Yoosung introduces him to cooking, Jaehee teaches him her work ethic, Saeyoung transfers him his love of cats and animals in general (which is why, in Takuto’s words, “they don’t seem to share the sentiment”), and Zen constantly reminds him to never give up his dreams, no matter how crazy they might seem. He tells him about how he ran away from home to pursue his dream career and has never regretted it since, which Takuto takes very seriously.

As for Jumin, Takuto thinks that he’s too cold-hearted, but he looks up to him for his managerial talent and admires the bond that he shares with his father. When V and MC are away from home, Jumin offers to babysit Takuto for them, so he gets many exclusive tours of C&R, where he starts dreaming of growing up to work on a project much larger than himself with experts in the field (read: leading a team of researchers and having his very own lab).

Takuto also sees that Saeyoung and Saeran are getting along well and slowly overcoming their trauma together, so he comes to believe that everyone can change for the better, and thus, that everyone deserves a second chance, regardless of the mistakes they’ve made in the past. This will come into play at least two times: First, in his reality, when he lets Akechi and most of the Palace Owners roam free; and, second, when he decides to turn his own life around after the change of heart.

Anyways, Takuto meets Rumi, begins dating her, graduates high school, goes to college, and gets engaged after a few years.

V has always felt uneasy about Takuto dating. He knows that Takuto is too nice for his own good, so a part of him is afraid that he’ll end up in an obsessive relationship like the one he had with Rika. But, when Takuto introduces Rumi to his family, he and MC can tell that she’s supportive, well-adjusted, and considerate of Takuto’s feelings, so they are happy for both of them.

And then the burglary thing happens.

Takuto closes himself off from friends and family, overcome with grief and guilt. He still keeps in contact with the RFA, but it’s only because he knows that they will only get more worried if he stops talking to them altogether. Everyone at RFA is concerned, but V especially so, because he understands the pain of losing your fiancée and blaming yourself for not being able to do something to help her, and he doesn’t want Takuto to deal with it on his own.

After Takuto rewrites Rumi’s memories, he tells the RFA the same thing he tells everyone: he and Rumi broke up and it was his fault. This isn’t the RFA’s first rodeo, so most of them can tell that he’s hiding something, but they’ve known him for a long time, they know he’s a good person, and they basically raised him, so they decide to trust him (for the most part).

Takuto isolates himself more and more, acting like he’s fine to avoid being a burden, convinced that he must solve his problems by himself, like his father does. V and MC can see where this is going, and the former keeps spamming the messenger, practically begging Takuto to give him a call and talk to him, or at least get some therapy. But Takuto insists that he’s okay, that he doesn’t want them to worry about him, and that he just hasn’t contacted them much because he’s busy with work.

V starts blaming himself for being unable to reach out to his son, but, when he realizes that Takuto got his self-blaming habit from him, and only blames himself further.

As for the other RFA members, Jumin thinks that Takuto needs time to grieve and that, if he doesn’t want to accept their help, there’s nothing they can do about it. Jaehee is disheartened but she reluctantly agrees, hoping that Takuto will go back to normal soon. Zen thinks that they should be doing more for him, and that, if they put enough effort into it, he will come around.

Yoosung might revert back to his old ways and question V on why he isn’t doing enough to help his own son. Seeing as Takuto is his cousin and everything he has left of Rika, I’m sure he's very protective of him...

Once they all get worried enough, Saeyoung tracks down Takuto with his hacking skills, but he doesn’t find anything suspicious, so they decide to respect his privacy. After all, V doesn’t want to get too obsessive and repeat the mistakes he made with Rika, so he decides to listen to Jumin’s advice and give Takuto some space, hoping he’s making the right choice.

Meanwhile, Takuto figures out that Shido is behind the conspiracy that took away his research, which only strengthens his resolve to keep everything a secret from the RFA. Shido is too similar to the Choi twins’ father, and Takuto is afraid that, if Saeyoung hears about this, he won’t let it go, which could bring back some awful memories from his childhood and the Mint Eye thing… Especially considering that Akechi is in a similar position to Saeran, except that, you know, at least his mother wasn’t deliberately cruel to him.

A lot of the sympathy that Takuto feels towards Akechi comes from his experience with the Choi twins. He can deduce that he’s being manipulated by Shido like how Saeran was manipulated by Rika, so he wants to save him just like how V saved the twins. That also applies to the Yoshizawa twins, since the two of them promised to always be together in pursuit of their dream, but Sumire was the “weaker” of the two and was secretly envious of Kasumi. All in all, the similarities are everywhere, which might, consciously or subconsciously, affect the way Takuto interacts with the PTs.

In any case, Takuto just wants to protect the PTs from the same kind of trauma that the RFA went through. But -- he isn’t like Rika, or so he tells himself. He’s convinced that his methods are right because they can save everyone without causing any more suffering. He’s pretty sure he’s sane (he’s not). Besides, Rika’s dream was originally pretty noble, so it should be fine as long as he doesn’t start drugging people, right?

(He will retraumatize them, hold them hostage, and brainwash them, though, because he doesn’t see it as such)

The third semester comes along. I’m sure you also know what happens here. Takuto gets a god complex, the PTs fight him, defeat him, steal his treasure, and they destroy his perfect reality.

After the change of heart, Takuto is crushed, so he goes back to V and MC and confesses the whole truth through tears. He profusely apologizes, fully aware of how he retraumatized all of the Phantom Thieves to guide them to ‘salvation’, not unlike what Rika did to the members of Mint Eye, and he takes responsibility, knowing that he should’ve asked for help much sooner.

V and MC are shocked and heartbroken, faced with the fact that their son suffered so much that he fell into insanity and no one even noticed. They feel as if, with all the trauma that the RFA has already gone through, they should’ve seen the warning signs, and they should’ve tried harder to help Takuto heal… but they know from experience there’s no guarantee that that would’ve solved anything, so it’s pointless to dwell in what-ifs.

V and MC listen to Takuto’s explanation. They don’t understand any of the cognitive psience stuff and they are sure that he’s delusional because of the whole reality thing, but they comfort him to the best of their abilities. MC tells Takuto that he’s not like Rika and that he can always make up for his past mistakes, while V assures him that it wasn’t his fault and that, if someone like V could get back on his feet after everything that happened with the Mint Eye, Takuto can do it too.

Takuto takes their advice to heart, choosing to leave counseling, seek therapy, and make amends with his former patients. The RFA supports him while he gets his life together (but Jumin didn’t teach him how to drive, of course… oh god please tell me Jumin didn’t teach him how to drive), and he begins (continues?) to volunteer for the association’s charity events, so that he can keep helping people in need. That’s around the time when the P5R ending happens.

And… yep. That’s pretty much it.

Bonus points if Takuto ends up introducing the RFA to the PTs and they all become a big, happy found family. Jaehee and Akiren can bond over coffee making, Yoosung and Ryuji can bond over games, Zen and Ann can bond over acting and modelling, Jumin and Makoto can bond over being robots, V and Yusuke can bond over art, Saeyoung and Futaba can bond over memes and hacking, Ray and Haru can bond over flowers, and Saeran and Akechi can bond over their hatred of their fathers, haha.

Anyways, this crack AU became way more serious and more wholesome than originally intended... Now I actually want this to be a thing, haha.

#i can't believe this is my first contribution to the mysme fandom #persona 5 royal #p5r #mystic messenger #mysme #mm #mystic messenger au #persona au #takuto maruki #p5r maruki #jihyun kim #mm v #mm mc #mm rika #mm rfa #this might not make sense #its a barely edited word vomit #game crossover #p5 x mysme #mine #takuto kim au

[polar-stars]

🏀🌙🔮 for Ran and Takayuki :0000

//sighs// I had a god majority of the ask prepared already and then through stupidness I accidentally closed a tab and ahhhh 

But thank you !! ;v; !

Ran Mimasaka

🏀 Does your OC have any skills that people wouldn’t expect them to have? Do they have a hobby or pass time that others would consider strange or weird? How did they learn this particular skill or pick up this hobby?

Ran is a Mimasaka in the end, who are more or less famous for some oddities and unpredictability.

One thing to name is that she knows how to sew, just like Ayano. In-fact she actually taught Ayano how to sew. But while Ayano mostly sews dolls and the likes, Ran mainly makes embroideries or fixes clothes. Fixing clothes is also what got her to sew in the first place. When they were children, a bully tore a shirt of Kazuo’s. A shirt that he really liked. So yeah, Ran learned how to sew, so she could fix it. Many would be surprised knowing she can sew, because her biker-aesthetic and large hands just don’t really give off that vibe. 

Ran’s truly most outstanding talent though is that she can actually sing Operas! As child she was fascinated by watching operas (her first one was Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte”, that means “The Magic Flute”) and wanted to learn the skill of singing like that and so Subaru arranged her singing lessons. So yeah, Ran can sing operas and Noboru’s jaw hung low the first time he heard it. 

She also got a talent for calligraphy, which she practiced together with Suzume because they thought it was fun. 

🌙 What are some of your OC’s favourites? Favourite food, colour, season, stuff like that! Give some general simple facts that tend to get overlooked!

Since we already talked about operas, Ran’s favorite is “Un ballo in maschera”, translated to “A Masked Ball”, by Verdi. Ran’s favorite food is her mother’s fish stew, it’s a very special kind off fish stew but Ran loves it. Her favorite colors are black, red and green (in that order) and her favorite season is summer. Ran’s favorite sports are boxing and volleyball. Ran’s favorite animals are wolves. Her favorite flowers are red lilies, but she definitely also has a weak spot for orchids given that she was named after them. (”Ran” means orchid). She does have a weak spot for high heels and likes pulling them out for formal events. She also likes nail polish occasionally, mainly black one.

🔮What does your OC think is their best trait. What is actually their best trait? What about their flaws? Are they one to admit these flaws or do they like to pretend they’re perfect?

This is actually a bit hard to answer...

Ran herself thinks that her best trait is that she’s not the least bit judgmental, which is definitely true and of high value and plays a high part in why she’s so helpful. 

Many would probably argue that Ran’s endless generosity is her best trait but I don’t really feel that way, because ultimately there’s two sides to her generosity. She’s incredibly helpful, yes, which is not a bad thing but in Ran’s case it’s not in it’s entirety a good thing either. Ran is insanely self-sacrificial. Her kindness towards others can lead to her disregarding her own to a very, very unhealthy degree. 

Takayuki Hojo

🏀 Does your OC have any skills that people wouldn’t expect them to have? Do they have a hobby or pass time that others would consider strange or weird? How did they learn this particular skill or pick up this hobby?

I headcanon there’s a few traditions within both the Hojo but also the Kuga family, which our two Hojo-siblings are excepted to learn (one of them would be martial arts, but also learning Chinese). One of them is playing the Guqin that’s been in the Hojo-Family for several generations. So yeah, Takayuki can play an instrument and it’s a pretty elegant as well. He’s not bad at it either. It’s not something many would expect giving his brutish, hot-headed personality. 

🌙 What are some of your OC’s favourites? Favourite food, colour, season, stuff like that! Give some general simple facts that tend to get overlooked!

Takayuki’s favorite food is Kung Pao Chicken. Generally speaking, chicken is the type of meat he prefers most. His favorite color his red and his favorite season is summer. His favorite song is “TNT” by ACDC. His favorite teas to drink are Jasmine tea and Cranberry & Blood Orange Tea. His favorite thing to drink overall is Cola. Putting martial arts aside, the sort he enjoys watching the most on TV is basketball. He’ll say his favorite animals are dragons, however if you want to know his favorite animal that’s not a myth: Red Pandas. He prefers loose clothes largely over tight clothing. 

🔮What does your OC think is their best trait. What is actually their best trait? What about their flaws? Are they one to admit these flaws or do they like to pretend they’re perfect?

Takayuki likes to think that his best trait is his bravery, failing to notice that his “bravery” can at times also be acting much too quickly and creating more problems than solutions. His actual best trait is his loyalty. 

A major flaw of his is definitely his tendency to judge situations or people way too quickly and often interpreting them pretty wrong. He’s not all to self-aware of this though. 

#Gofer answering to stuffz #Ran Mimasaka #Takayuki Hojo

[fanficsaremylifeline]

Ironman - A Cheater?

On AO3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21104183

*****

“May? Uh, can you come out here a second?”, Trish, her colleague called out from the other office.

“Yeah, what's wrong?” May walked out to her very uneasy co-worker. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, uhm... So, there's someone here to see you.” Trish was a little out of it, to say the least.

“Who is it?”

“You need to see yourself.” She grabbed May's hand and pulled her out to the little main office.

“Trish, what the hell is... Tony!”, she smiled, when she saw him standing in the office, talking to her very star-struck boss. “What are you doing here?”

“Hi.” He turned around and greeted her with a wide smile. “I was in the area and thought you might want to grab a cup of coffee.”

“Right.” Sure, Tony Stark just happened to be in Queens about five minutes before she was done with work. If there was one thing she knew about the man, it was that when he was involved, there were no such things as coincidences. “Give me two minutes, ok?”

“Sure thing”, he nodded. “Do you mind if I wait here?”

“No”, Trish quickly threw in, “no problem at all.”

May just went back to get her things. She had to laugh, Tony picking her up at her place of work caused a lot of stir. Sure, if she didn't know him the way she did, May'd probably react the same way her colleagues did. But since they were friends, well, more like family, it was quite hilarious to watch others reacting to him like that.

It was the first time though, that he'd come and pick her up for a cup of coffee. And May doubted very much that that was all he actually wanted to do. Last time it was just the two of them, he asked for her permission to take Peter along on a mission; three days on the west coast, where they dismantled a Hydra cell. It went good, except for a dislodged shoulder, Peter wasn't hurt. And neither were the others, at least not too badly injured, which was of course just as important, well, almost as important as Pete's safety.

Her bag over her shoulder, she walked back to the by now overfilled office; apparently everybody on their station wanted a selfie with Ironman. Sure, why not; May wasn't in any hurry to get home anyways. Peter is spending all day with MJ and, as usual when he talked about his girlfriend, he spoke so fast and high pitched in excitement, that May only understood half of what he said. What she did catch was something about going to the movies and taking her to dinner afterwards.

Seeing him so happy and in love made May incredibly glad. After things with Liz had gone quite awry – yes, May was aware that that was the understatement of the century – she was really glad how well things worked out with MJ. She was aware that Tony had done a background check on her folks, thankfully, Peter didn't know about that. However, after May and Pepper had collectively torn him a new one for that breach of personal security and boundaries, he promised never to do anything like that ever again.

Unfortunately, Tony seemed to have come by without his head of transportation and security... It would have been very nice to spend the time waiting for Tony to finish dazzling everybody here with Happy. May had to admit, she had quite the crush on him, and she knew that he felt the same, if not more. And even if she wasn't quite ready to completely go for it, May enjoyed his company so very much.

“Sorry, it took so long. You ready to go?” Tony ripped her out of her thoughts and offered her his arm.

“I am”, she smiled and linked their arms. “Where are we going?”

“Peter told me about that coffeeshop around the corner with apparently the best hot beverages in Queens. I'd like to give that a try”, he suggested.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Just before they exited the building, Tony pulled his hoodie deep over his face and lowered his sunglasses to cover most of his face. “So, now we might not be disturbed. At least not as much”, he shrugged.

.

“Peter was not lying”, Tony decided after downing almost an entire cup in one go. “This is good coffee.”

“It is”, May agreed, taking a little more time with hers. “Listen, Tony, just so I can calm my anxiety: Is there a mission for Spider-Man?”

“What? No”, he shook his head”, how did you get that idea?”

“Last time you bought me coffee, you took my kid to some hidden Hydra base in California.”

“Oh. No, don't worry, nothing in that department. I just thought, it'd be nice; whenever we see each other, Peter, Pep or Happy are there and... you know?”

“That's a really sweet sentiment”, May smiled. Tony was right; they never really got to chat just the two of them. There was still a lot, she didn't know about the guy and she'd take any chance she got to change that.

“Yeah, I'm adorable, I know”, Tony grinned. “I have a question I need to ask you, though. And it might be a little personal, so I won't be offended if you don't want to answer, but I just need to know: What are your intentions with my Happy?”

May snorted out a laughter; with that anxiety-inducing build-up, she would not have expected that question. “Sorry”, she laughed, trying to calm herself down again, “I do not mind you asking, I'm just not sure how to best answer that. I like him, I do.” That much she could say with absolute certainty. “I just need my time. But it is my intention to find out what is there and all that without anybody getting hurt.”

“That is a good answer”, Tony nodded appreciatively. “I'm only asking because I'm pretty sure Peter had that conversation with Happy.”

“That I can believe”, May laughed, “he's been very protective, pretty much all his life; even more since Ben died.”

“Yeah, I can pretty much empathize with that... As soon as I was old enough to understand what my kind of person my Dad was, it became my mission to keep my Mum safe. And after they died, it kinda transferred to everybody I met. I mean, when I went to college and met Rhodey, I was fifteen and he was twenty. He looked out for me and I returned the favour. I actually once got into a fight with a guy twice my size, because he made some comment about Rhodey, I don't even remember what it was. Rhodey had to come safe my ass from a fight about him I had started”, he laughed.

May broke out into laughter as well at the thought of teenaged Tony, beating up a twenty-something student for cussing out his friend. “You know, every time I hear a story about your youth or childhood, I can't help but see how scarily similar you and Peter are.”

“May, that is one incredible compliment”, he beamed. “But on the other hand a little worrying...”

“Yes, I could definitely do without his self-sacrificial tendencies and his apparent need to dive head-first into trouble.”

“Yeah... Thanks to Peter, I now know what I have been doing to Rhodey, Pepper and Happy all these years. And it is kind of forcing me to take care of myself, which is a pretty new sensation for me.”

“Yeah, that's Peter's effect; he's been turning my life upside down for years and years.”

.

“You know, we need to do that more often”, Tony smiled as they walked over to his car.

“Definitely”, May agreed.

“Do you need a lift?”

“It's just two blocks.”

“Alright then.” He held his arms out and May went in for the hug. “It was good to see you.”

“Ditto. Take good care of yourself, alright?”

“I'm doing my best”, he laughed. “You too.”

“Always.” She turned her head, kissed his cheek and broke away from the hug. “I'll see you around.”

.

It was early the next morning. May just made coffee when someone banged against the door. Ugh, it was way to early for visitors. “Who is it?”

“May, it's me, Happy, please open up”, he called, sounding very urgent.

“Happy, morning.” She opened the door and he stormed in, looking very worried. “What's wrong?”

“Where's Peter?”

“Still in bed.” She grabbed his shoulders. “Would you please tell me what's going on?”

“I guess you haven't seen the news yet, huh?” He got his phone out and held it out to May.

“I haven't, what is... Shit.”

May didn't bother to read the article, the picture of her, in Tony's arms, kissing his cheek, with the cap 'Ironman a cheater?' was more than enough information.

“Yeah, exactly. So, you two are coming with me to the compound, keep you safe.” Happy walked over and knocked on Peter's door. “Peter, you need to get up.”

“UGH!” The groan from the other side of the door was to be expected.

“Hurry, kid.” He turned back to May. “Sorry, I'm being pushy like that, but you're actually name checked and the first paparazzi and reporters are already in front of the house.”

“What's going on?” He trudged out his bedroom door, his hair standing up in every direction, wearing Ironman pyjamas. Ok, she needed to get Peter out of all this and into a safe space.

“Put this on.” Happy handed each of them a giant hoodie, it actually felt hulk-sized. “I'll explain in the car, but we need to go, now.”

Peter squeezed between them, they headed out, Peter stopping just before they opened the building's doors.

“What's wrong?”

“Spidey-sense”, he whispered, his face hidden under the hood.

“Yeah, that's the thing I'll tell you about in the car. Just keep your head down, this will all be over in no time.”

“Ok”, he nodded and grabbed May's hand.

“It's gonna be alright”, she promised him and reassuringly squeezed his hands. And a deep breath later, Happy pushed the door open and the madness began.

.

They hadn't even stepped out of the house and Peter felt like he was being blinded and going deaf at the same time. Before he knew it, they were surrounded by a horde of people, shouting May's name, flashes going off and Peter's senses went completely haywire. He squeezed his eyes shut, letting Happy and May pull him along. It felt like an endless whirl of noises, lights; so much more than Peter could ever process. The only thing he was certain of was May's hand he was squeezing harder and harder the further they pushed; it was the only thing he actually trusted. That hand on his back was probably Happy's, but if that hand were to pull in a different direction than May, he wouldn't follow it.

Somehow they got to the car, somehow he got inside, where some of the noise was muffled by the car. Peter just squeezed into a seat, pressing his hands to his ears, trying to disappear in the hoodie. He felt the vibrations of the car driving off, the soft shaking helping him to calm down. He felt a bit like a baby that was being rocked and when he was sure that they were far enough away from the trouble, he cautiously glanced out from under the hoodie. Yes, this was definitely the inside of Happy's car, he was in front of Peter, focusing on the road. Next to him sat his aunt, smiling over as she realized him zoning back in.

“Honey, it's alright. We're alright, we're safe.”

May sounded confident about that and, sure enough, his spidey sense had quieted down again.

“What the hell is going on?”

“First you buckle up”, May decreed and Peter complied. “Good. Now, yesterday, Tony and me went out for coffee. He picked me up from work and we just had a nice chat.  Apparently, some paparazzi thought, it was a date instead, thinking that we have an affair.”

“Oh fuck.” Peter fell back in his seat.

“Given the circumstances I'll let this one slide”, she remarked drily. “Happy's taking us to the compound to lay low, until this whole mess is sorted out.”

“But I have a maths test today!”

“I think we can excuse you for that”, Happy shrugged, “pretty sure your teachers will understand, given the circumstances.”

“Fine...”

This just couldn't be real life anymore. Was there really nothing more important going on in this world?

Peter was so focused on his thoughts, he didn't realize his phone was ringing, until May nudged his side. “Who is it?”

“It's MJ. Hey”, he answered the call.

“Peter! Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I'm fine. We all are.”

“Good. I just saw the news. I'm really sorry.”

“Yeah...” From the corner of his eye, he saw May looking over somewhat concerned. “Tony has a pretty good PR and lawyer team, so this should be sorted in no time.”

“I assume until then you're on lockdown?”

“That assumption would be correct. We're heading to the compound right now, I'm probably gonna miss a bit of school.”

“I mean, dodged the test today, so...”, she giggled and only the sound of her laughing made Peter feel like everything was gonna be ok and he couldn't help the grin spreading over his own face.

“Though the test isn't why I was looking forward to come to school today”, he grinned.

She didn't have to say anything, he could practically hear MJ rolling her eyes. He prepared himself for an MJ-typical snarky retort, instead she answered: “yeah, I'm gonna miss you, too.”

The dopey, lovestruck grin won, spreading from ear to ear and momentarily, Peter forgot why he was currently on the run from the public. “Aww, you're so sweet.”

“I am not sweet”, she made clear, but Peter was pretty sure she was grinning as well. “I'll talk to you after school, alright?”

“I'll be waiting by the phone. Love you.”

“Love you, too. You nerd.”

.

“Hey guys, are you alright?” Tony greeted them, very worried.

“Yeah”, Peter yawned, “mostly tired to be honest.”

“I can see that. And I definitely like your pyjamas”, he grinned.

Peter looked down himself and only now he realized that he was still in his sleep-wear. His Ironman-themed sleep-wear. Shit, this was slightly embarrassing; his face flushed deep-red, perfectly matching his pyjamas.

“Oh, don't be embarrassed”, Tony smirked, “it's such an honour!”

“Good for you. So, you're having an affair with my aunt. I gotta say, I'm not impressed.” Screw being embarrassed, Peter wasn't the one who had messed up. Well, Aunt May and Tony hadn't screwed up, the tabloids had. But still. “Very much notressed.” Peter crossed his arms in front of his chest and raised his eyebrows, which was probably not as dramatic as when Tony did it. Still, was good enough for Peter.

“Right. That's exactly what happened”, Tony deadpanned. “I cheated on Pepper. Because it's not like I value her or my life, really.”

“Besides, if I were to cheat with either one, it'd be Pepper”, May chuckled. “Sorry, Tony, but she's just so much more my type...”

“If you're offering to run away with me”, Pepper grinned and walked up to her, “I might be down for that...”

“What, so we're debunking the one rumour with the next one?”, Happy asked.

“I don't know and don't really care, I just want breakfast”, Peter moaned, “I'm starving.”

“Of course you are”, Tony chuckled, put his arm around Peter's shoulder and walked with him to the kitchen. “Cereal?”

“Sounds good”, Peter agreed, and only moments later he and Tony enjoyed a bowl of Cheerio's each.

“So, you very sadden you can't write a maths exam today?”

“I'm devastated”, Peter grinned, “it's a damn tragedy. Ok, it admittedly kind of is. Shit, I haven't even checked with how May's doing, I've been so freaked out!”  Peter was really the worst nephew. So, the paparazzi and all that hurt his brain a little bit, May's entire life was being torn apart!

“She knows you're worried about her”, Tony consoled him. “Besides, your aunt is one tough mother. She's gonna get through this with her head held high.”

Yeah, his aunt really was the best and strongest out there. Peter really should tell her that more often... So, as soon as he and Tony had gobbled up their cereal, he headed straight to the living room, where May and Pepper were sitting on the couch together. Peter all but tackle-hugged his aunt and put his head in the crook of her neck. “You're really awesome, you know that?”

“Thanks honey”, she laughed and wrapped an arm around him. “What brought on this sudden burst of emotion?”

“Well, you've been taking care of me all morning, when I should be making sure that you're alright. Are you alright?”

“I am”, she assured him, “really, I'm good.”

“Ok”, Peter nodded, he could accept that. “And what do we do now?”

Before anyone could voice any ideas, the door burst open and Rhodey waltzed in. “Where's that idiot?”

“Hello Mr Iron Patriot War Machine Rhodey”, Peter greeted him.

“Heya, kiddo. You know, just Rhodey is perfectly fine.”

He technically knew, but Mr Rhodey was just such a high ranking military person and Avenger... “He was just now in the kitchen”, he just answered instead.

“Alright. I'll go looking for him.” He shot them another smile before heading back out of the room.

“Now, let's see what we can do”, Happy got back on topic.

“Maybe we shouldn't make a big deal out of it”, May suggested, “the less we acknowledge what's going on, the sooner this'll all blow over.”

“You could turn it around on the gossiping idiots, though, give them really something to chew about”, Peter grinned.

“Oh, I don't like where this is going...”

“It was your idea”, he shot back at his aunt. “Let's get you and Pepper trending.”

“Peter, please just stop the twenty-questions-game and tell us right out what you want to do.”

***

“There you are.” Rhodey burst into the kitchen, where Tony was having just a little domestic with the coffeemaker. “Don't kill it.”

“I mean, even Dum-E makes better coffee than whatever that thing is”, Tony groaned and dumped his cup into the sink.

“Come on, the one on the Avenger's floor still works”, Rhodey suggested and together they headed down to the common kitchen, where thankfully Tony managed to get a proper cup of coffee. “So, you wanna tell me what you did?”, Rhodey eventually asked. “Because I do not believe that you would cheat on Pepper.”

“I didn't, honey bear”, Tony shook his head, “me and May just had a chat over a cup of coffee. That was it. And besides, if I were to cheat on Pep, it'd be with you, darling”, he grinned over.

Rhodey just chuckled. “I'm honoured, man. And I love you, too.”

“I should hope so!” Tony got up and made himself another cup of coffee; today just felt like a 'drown-yourself-in-caffeine-day'.

“It's 7am. I don't even want to know how many of these coffees you already had and are going to have. I do fear that I will actually have to duct tape to a bed tonight.”

“My, my, honey bear”, Tony smirked, “I'm not cheating with you, yet.”

“Idiot.”

“Boss, you might want to check your twitter”, FRI announced.

“What happened now?”, he groaned, “wasn't there enough gossip for one day?”

“You need to see for yourself”, she just explained.

“I got it.” Rhodey got his phone out and after a few moments, he started giggling. “Would you look at that.” He held his phone into Tony's face and after his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the screen, he could make out Pepper's latest tweet.

.

Pepper Potts (verified) @theCEO

[picture of Pepper with her arms wrapped around May, who was grinning from ear to ear, as Pepper kissed her cheek]

If anybody gets May, it's me!

.

In the fifteen minutes since the picture had been posted, it had been reblogged countless times, commented like crazy.

And Tony couldn't keep his face from dropping; it admittedly took him a moment or two, before he started laughing as well. “Oh, this is brilliant!”

“And they do make a much better pair than you and May”, Rhodey added, taking his phone back.

“Please”, Tony scoffed, “the hottest couple in town is about to be announced. And... whoop!” In one swift motion, Tony jumped up into Rhodey's arms; his friend was just in time to catch him before dropping Ironman on his ass.

“What the fuck, Tones?”

“You know me and that I can never let myself be one-upped”, Tony explained. “So, smile at the camera!” He pointed upwards and wrapped his arms around Rhodey's shoulder, nuzzling his head against Rhodey's temple. “FRI, take our picture.”

“Smile.”

***

“Uhm, Pepper? May? I'm sorry to say, but you are no longer the number one topic of gossip.” Peter looked from one woman to the next, trying to bite down his grin.

“Show us”, May demanded and Peter held his phone out to her.

.

You Know Who I Am (verified) @iamironman

[picture of Rhodey carrying Tony bridal style; Tony nuzzled and cuddled against Rhodey's chest; Rhodey slightly rolling his eyes but with the widest smile]

We are happy to announce the upcoming wedding of the century between Anthony Edward Stark and James Honeybear Rhodes

.

“Well played, Tony, well played”, Pepper snickered and handed Peter his phone back.

“I assume we're going to let him win this one?”, May asked.

“Yes”, Pepper nodded, “Tony would literally marry Rhodey to win this. And I do love him enough that I'd like to be the one he'll say 'yes, I do' to.”

#avengers #may parker #aunt may #tony stark #ironman #happy hogan #peter parker #spider-man #mj #michelle jones #pepper potts #rhodey #iron patriot #war machine #twitter #the tabloids fucking suck #spreading bullshit rumours´

[thankyoumskobayashi]

The symbolism of changing clothes: Hualian and color schematics. (Spoilers up to Tian Guan Ci Fu Chapter 109).

In the most recent chapter, Xie Lian, Hua Cheng, Wind Master, and Earth Master all go to a small town where their flamboyant attire stands out. Everyone changes except for Xie Lian, who dresses casually because he has spent most of his immortal life wandering the mortal realms and therefore he is better equipped to handle them. During the protagonist's backstory, author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu states that Xie Lian has always like to wear white clothes, and reminds the reader of this fact throughout the previous two cases Xie Lian handles. In this case, Xie Lian's choice of clothing remains pretty static.

He had gotten wiser throughout the years, and grown to see (perhaps) the folly of his younger ways. He had grown resigned to misfortune to the point that he scared away Venerable demons because they couldn't feed off of his broken dreams. This is some serious depression right here. Even though his consistent choice of clothing paralleled his consistent personality traits, Xie Lian's clothing choice is perhaps symbolic of more meanings.

Taoism is the cultural paradigm pervading Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's cultivation novels (or probably cultivation novels in general, but I have only read hers thus far), and some of the things it emcompasses are the concepts of yin and yang energy. White, or Xie Lian's chosen color of dress, represents the masculine yin energy. It is, as Mo Xiang Tong Xiu states many times in Mo Dao Zu Shi, the energy of life, an active energy, and a force for good. This "force for good" was shown as Xie Lian modeled the perfect cultivation student as a Crown Prince, and it became his driving motivation when he reneged against the divine rules of interfering with mortal matters.

This active energy means he is by nature a proactive person. He created a sign saying "renovation needed" by his latest tiny temple, he didn't wait for reinforcements when he learned his idiot cousin was kidnapped by the rebels but left to rescue him anyways, he volunteered to help the noble family when they threw out a doctor to gain a chance at feeding the two kids. From the time he was mortal until Xie Lian's present day, he has seen a need and strived to meet it. Giving rain, saving the child Hong, helping the merchants in their caravan. He has a desire to provide for and protect others -whether from royal duty to the people or compassion matters not- which has become innate over 800 years. It's instinctive. He has become the model of yin energy personified, although his portrayal of leadership is not what one might expect.

The "leaders" one could think of are loud, commanding, in control of everyone and everything. However, that level of micromanaging may produce hostility, helplessness, and resentment among the subordinates. Xie Lian steps in as a leader only when no one else knows how to or even wants to handle it. His main goal is calming people during times of paranormal crisis, like his many attempted directions to the mob on the mountain, or the directions to the soldiers not to jump into the pit. He also wants to keep the others safe, which lends itself to his self-sacrificial tendencies. He understands that even his subordinates have a right to run away from the case, even if that strands him in a precarious position. He listens to their concerns and mediates their fights. Although this may seem like the caricature of the "weak" leader, Xie Lian's leadership methods show the people he works with that he is dedicated to providing their safety and peace.

Rather than proclaiming he will protect them, as he did when he was the Crown Prince of Xian Le, Xie Lian tells the merchants he will go with them and demonstrates through actions that he will protect them along the way. He used this method of showing before telling as he protected the child Hong (whom he'd first saved when Hong fell from the sky) from his evil cousin's murderous schemes. He ordered the carriage stopped, carefully picked up Hong, did some crowd control, then marched that kid right up to the palace healers. He showed Hong he was there to protect him, murmuring comforting things to him along the way.

That child, as you may suspect from Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's love for creating many identities for her characters, likely will turn out to be the devotee at the run-down Temple of the Flower Crown Prince, aka the Temple where Xie Lian first noticed and appreciated the white flower in his statue's hand. It was implied that Hong, touched by Prince Xie Lian's rescues of him, looked up to him even after Xie Lian ascended to godhood. Hong looked up to him enough to do something different than the rest of the followers: establish his own personal symbol for Xie Lian in the white flower, and actually listen to Xie Lian's instructions to his worshippers on how to worship him. Touched by these two things, Xie Lian protected Hong from the children bullying him and invited him to sustain himself from the fruit offerings given. Hong confessed that he didn't know what to live for and Xie Lian told him "Live for me."

With all the political unrest, drought worries, and epidemic to worry about, Xie Lian didn't remember this child was Hong, who he'd saved from falling and from his cousin before. He merely saved him again and left to do more martial-godly stuff. Eventually, Hong heard through gossip that Xie Lian was on the battlefield fighting the people who wanted to escape the droughts. That, I believe, was when he first began pursuing Xie Lian, probably beginning as a form of hero worship. He snuck onto the wall guard then, and caught a glimpse of Xie Lian and his assistants as they guarded the royal capital. They got notice that Qi Rong was kidnapped and Xie Lian, ever a man god of action, left alone over the wall to fight them.

Hong siezed his chance then and followed him to the mountain, even after he was vastly outstripped by Xie Lian. He still caught up eventually to help Xie Lian deal with the plants, and sliced them down in a fit of anger while they tormented his hero. At this point Hong only ever wanted to pay back his hero for saving him, but was forced to watch Xie Lian harm himself rather than injure the child nearby. Indecency aside, Hong was probably enraged by having to watch his idol stab himself under the influence of demon plants. From there, it isn't hard to imagine Hong learning, perhaps as a young god himself, the exact effects of those demons. He would have learned that Xie Lian would rather sacrifice himself than kill another person. And even if he wouldn't die, he had been prepared to make that sacrifice. It isn't hard to imagine Hong becoming enraged at those demons Xie Lian had faced, before he had known what they would make him do. It isn't hard to imagine Hong, a nascent Demon King, seeking out and destroying all of those kinds of demons in a form of vengeance.

By this point you have probably arrived at the same conclusion as me: Hong/Hua Cheng/San Lang is in love with Xie Lian. He is pursuing him romantically (as well as sexually, though I'm not writing this essay about that) throughout the eras. Yada yada, this was in the summary Mo Xiang Tong Xiu provided with her novel, stop telling me this. I get it. But she likes to take an incredibly roundabout approach to storytelling, not addressing these things until at least 20 chapters later. As of right now the part(s?) when these things are discussed by the characters in-universe have not yet been translated. So forgive my redundance.

Mo Xiang Tong Xiu likes to give color schemes with her main pairings. This was true with Wei Wuxian (red and black) and Lan Wangji (white and blue). It also goes for Xie Lian and Hua Cheng as well. Xie Lian is white, and Hua Cheng is red and black. There might be other colors mentioned for both which I haven't picked up on, so I will only focus on those three. This essay began with everyone besides Xie Lian changing clothes. Hua Cheng changed into black clothes from a previous outfit which was a white robe beneath a red one. Let's examine how that color psychology helps him pursue Xie Lian's affections.

First of all, the red and white. Red is the color of passion, anger, excitement, and danger. It is attractive and alluring. These adjectives all describe the person Hua Cheng became over his 800 year existence. They were shaped by his determination and drive, his tenacity and his passion. His love for Xie Lian shows in his fixing the door, kissing him in the lake, sending up 3,000 lanterns. His love is the kind of unbounded, head-over-heels timeless love we have heard about in the Odyssey: he is the one seeking to find his way back home, back to the person he belongs with. He said so when he told Xie Lian (paraphrased) "Paradise Mansion is a house but not a home. It doesn't feel as much of a home as your tiny cottage does." When he is at the shrine with Xie Lian he is laughing and joking, offering to do domestic things simply because he is content. Here, his red is affection.

When Xie Lian is in danger, his red becomes the red of power and anger. After Xie Lian got stung by a scorpion snake, Hua Cheng immediately stopped the swelling by cutting the wound with a borrowed cauterized knife and sucking out most of the poison. When Xie Lian jumped into the pit after him, Hua Cheng had already killed all the wolves and was waiting to catch him at the bottom. Heavenly officials all told tales of how he caused only death and devastation in his wake.

Perhaps, if he hadn't had someone to look up to, he would have already fulfilled that prophecy of destroying the world.

But with Xie Lian's influence, he had someone to look up to. He had some model of morality in the Crown Prince who had saved him three, four, five times without even demanding thanks in return. Hua Cheng had plenty of time to learn about Xie Lian's compassionate and just lifestyle through hearsay and word-of-mouth news. He had plenty of time to analyze on the actions he'd seen Xie Lian perform firsthand and gain a reasonable grasp on his personal morality. By adopting some form of Xie Lian's moral code, Hua Cheng chose not to kill the entire world. He fought his so-called destiny with Xie Lian as assistance. Or perhaps? Perhaps his evil fate, bound far in the distance like a train stop down the track, was entirely shifted, a shifting of the rails so to speak, the moment he heard Xie Lian, the god who didn't appear to mortals anymore, whisper those words: "Live for me."

He truly took them to heart, although in a different way than Xie Lian probably intended. Rather than living out his life to make Xie Lian proud of him, he strove to become someone on equal footing to the pedestal in his mind he had created for Xie Lian. He strove to become someone who could properly charm Xie Lian and earn his trust. He wanted to be as powerful as Xie Lian was in his heyday. He wanted to have Xie Lian see him as a dependable and trustworthy person, but he probably ran into trouble finding the Flower Crown Prince after Xie Lian descended to the mortal realm for the second time. Everyone may have either made fun of Xie Lian when Hua Cheng asked after him, or flat out didn't care to learn or pass on his location. And so Hua Cheng made his own fortune, embraced his own power, became the Demon King who would kill everyone except the two gods who had formerly assisted Xie Lian.

If there is some plot to Xie Lian's second fall which complicates this somewhat--and knowing Mo Xiang Tong Xiu there probably is what with 135-6 chapters untranslated-- please know that it hasn't been translated yet, and that I am not a psychic. Anyways, when Hua Cheng 'first' appeared to Xie Lian, his clothing was crimson maple leaves on a white background. This shows that his own personality, vibrant and powerful, has been affected profoundly by the gentle, compassionate, noble personality of Xie Lian. He keeps Xie Lian's personality closer to his heart- and shows it to fewer people -than he does with his own personality. Hua Cheng said earlier on in the novel that he would give his ashes- his own biggest weakness- to someone worthy, someone kind who would guard them and do with them as they wished. And that if, at any point, he did something that person didn't like, that person could end him right then and there. Then he left the next morning, leaving Xie Lian with a ring on a silver chain. Suspicious? Hm. Coincidental? Very.

He has known Xie Lian for almost as long as Feng Xin, and nearly as long as Mu Qing has. He has known Xie Lian better than most other followers, since before he was a god. Hua Cheng even defied Xie Lian's orders of forgetting him, as well. That QianDeng Temple was probably built hundreds of years ago, as soon as Hua Cheng became a Demon King, and just sat there waiting for him to bring Xie Lian to see it. Since no one in the crowd was talking about it, and no one ever suggested going near it as a dare, it is reasonable to induct that Hua Cheng built it awhile ago, and Hua Cheng enforced strict punishments towards anyone who dared go near it. He probably tested out E-Ming on whoever tried to visit it, whoever commented on it, etc. Then the rumors got around that you'd be tortured for looking at it so everybody in Ghost City stopped. Once Hua Cheng showed QianDeng Temple to Xie Lian, he was probably nervous that he defied those orders, to forget the god whom he'd idolized, but luckily for him Xie Lian has a shitty memory and was impressed instead of embarrassed or angry at him. Xie Lian has mostly been ostracized from the Heavenly Community due to his infamy and wandering the mortal realms. He doesn't have people with a similar sense of humor to talk to, he's mostly lonely. Which brings us to the black robe: the role Hua Cheng dons in an attempt to win Xie Lian's favor.

In the yin-yang symbol, the two tapering swirls of black and white have a dot of the opposite color inside them. The white is the yin, and the black is the yang. Those two are eternally matched with each other for eternity, a profound meaning not lost on Hua Cheng when he chooses his clothing next. Since Xie Lian has no need to change his outfit, as he already blends in, Hua Cheng changes his own outfit to complement that. Yang energy in Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's novels is typically the energy of the dead, malevolent energy, the resentful power which a certain necromancer harnessed for personal gain. This kind of energy is what ghosts, demons, and the like all share, and as King of Demons it fits Hua Cheng to change to an outfit of its color.

However, the inherent paradox within their relationship is that fundamentally, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng are pitted on opposite spiritual axioms. This is much more complicated than the "opposites attract" adage; Hua Cheng has similar strategies and theories to Xie Lian about the cases they solve together. Xie Lian is happy that his funny password made Hua Cheng laugh. No, there's parts of their personalities picked up by the other and folded into them, whether consciously or not. Hua Cheng's persistence at following Xie Lian during the Qi Rong's rescue becomes Xie Lian's persistence at hunting the fetus spirit, even if he has to swallow it AND his sword to do so. Xie Lian's intervention on Hua Cheng's death becomes Hua Cheng sending "greetings" to tyrants because he has standards for who's allowed to be on the throne, you know. They reflect each other, both looking in a puddle of water, both dripping from the blood of their casualties, accidental or not. The difference is, Hua Cheng can bear that weight of casualties differently than Xie Lian.

Xie Lian considers himself a has-been. He was great once, but not anymore. He failed to do what he'd said he'd do, and paid the price with followers and powers. Hua Cheng, after getting back into contact with him, is just as smitten now as he had ever been before. He showed Xie Lian a roomfull of swords just to hear him ramble for hours about how cool all the swords were and then told him, point-blank, "You can have all these swords." This Demon King wants to give Xie Lian reasons to be happy and excited again. He wants him to go on rants about the stuff he enjoys just so he can watch and listen to the Flower Crown Prince talk, his eyes sparkling, his expression unguarded and happy like he once was.

After they visited QianDeng Temple together, Hua Cheng explained to Xie Lian that none of his things could be stolen from Paradise Manor without his permission. Elaborating further with "...once something is in my hands, it's mine," Hua Cheng might be simply making things up sarcastically. Or, it could be one of the times when he is deadly serious and every word is accurate. We as a reader can't quite tell if Xie Lian is fully processing this, but he thinks to the first time he met Hua Cheng in the Ghost City. There, Hua Cheng had placed his hands carefully over Xie Lian's to help him roll two sixes on the dice. Did that mean he had already claimed Xie Lian as his? Does Xie Lian know the romantic implications behind that? Did he recognize the romantic intentions behind Hua Cheng's kiss? Mo Xiang Tong Xiu experience says that he didn't, but the clues are blaringly obvious to the reader.

Xie Lian has never left Paradise Manor through a door without Hua Cheng by his side. He has left through the roof, but that was one time. It will be interesting to see whether he can leave by himself later. Casein point: Hua Cheng built Xie Lian's door. Did he use the same spell on it that he did with Paradise Manor doors? If so, how can Xie Lian use it when he's not around? A viable explanation is that by giving Xie Lian his own ashes, Hua Cheng has granted Xie Lian co-ownership of Paradise Mansion and he will be able to go wherever he wants at any time. Either way Mo Xiang Tong Xiu chooses, this will be an exciting result. Through all of these cues and more, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu has shown us Hua Cheng's dedication and loyalty to Xie Lian, with his words, actions, and clothing choice. His name, however, as a Demon King: Crimson Rain Sought Flower, is incredibly obvious. The white flower is a symbol he personally gave Xie Lian after he ascended the first time. In QianDeng Temple, Xie Lian even holds it up and asks if "...this is the kind of flower [he is] pursuing," to which Hua Cheng, delighted that Xie Lian finally realizes his romantic feelings, replies that he has the premonition of gods. Xie Lian had only asked about the flower, not himself. It is unknown whether Hua Cheng understood that, but either way his tone reads as teasingly sincere.

One last thing: the whole "falling" in love thing. Hua Cheng fell from the sky in order to first meet Xie Lian. He was probably chock full of adrenaline and scared to death, but once those strong arms caught him and held him away from danger he felt safer than anywhere else in the world. He probably wanted to know more about the person who had saved him. I bet he manipulated the info of who saved him out of Qi Rong when Qi Rong's five hitmen showed up to kill him. I bet just knowing the name of the person who'd saved him was what drove him to fight like a madman to avoid dying by Qi Rong's interference. That led him directly to the carriage's path again, and then to Xie Lian's arms again. He was calm when Xie Lian was holding him, but no one else. He didn't give a shit when the Head Priest predicted a future of only destruction, but heard Xie Lian insisting that he was capable of doing good. This fundamentally changed him as a person, even if Xie Lian didn't remember it later. This, I believe, is the reason why Hua Cheng left the world largely intact. Plus he didn't know where exactly Xie Lian was, so he couldn't just destroy large areas without possibly creating a most unwanted casualty.

Falling from the sky, beaten and dragged behind a cart, accused of bringing doom, watching Xie Lian stoically face angry crowds, asking the god who no one heard from anymore why he should live. Watching the flower demons torment his hero. Although many assume Hua Cheng decided to become strong enough to protect Xie Lian at this point, it could have been a resolve building up since their first interaction. Whatever the case, suffering through watching Xie Lian deal with the outbreak, face the angry mob, get heckled as he held up the Pavilions day in day out, that was the acute torment which fueled Hua Cheng's determination to become powerful. That this remains his worst fear, even after he now is at LEAST as powerful as Xie Lian in his heyday, says much about how much he loves Xie Lian.

Pursue his affections, he's the kind who loves with his entire heart. And since you wear a white robe, his color, close to your heart, perhaps he is the person nearest and dearest to yours...

#tian guan ci fu #long post #essay + analysis + headcanons #updated with the new information heheh

[rorykillmore]

what would u say are the different ways your characters show affection, love, etc.

thisis gonna be a roller coaster…

 whenit comes to most people, lucille is super reserved in her shows of affection. herview of love was so messy and unhealthy for a long time that now she’s prettywrongfooted when it comes to? showing it properly? plus she’s english,

nobut i’d say while there are a select few cases of overt familiarity where she’sa little more tactile and maternal, for the most part lucille shows her affectionby watching out for people, doing what she needs to do to make sure they’resafe. she’s also fairly articulate and thus not too bad at talking peoplethrough things, telling them what they need to hear, supporting them that wayas long as it doesn’t require too much introspection on her part.

gloryis about as disinclined towards physical contact as lucille is, but she doesfind it easier to be a bit warmer. towards people she loves, she’s affectionatewith words if not in gestures – yeah, she’ll get real with you if she thinksyou need to hear it, but she’s also not afraid to point out people’s strengthsand positive qualities and let them know that she believes in them. with certainpeople she’s even inclined to be quite open about how fond of them she is, likewhen she calls moon one of her favorite dragons. needless to say, she’s also fiercely protective of the people she loves, and her affection can shinethrough that way even if it can be… a bit scary…

karareally has no qualms about showing her affection as openly as possible. she’svery physical, very happy to indulge in hugs and kisses and other affectionategestures as long as the other person is comfortable with them. she’s also just,pretty much always open about how she feels when it comes to people she likesand loves, and more than willing to offer them support or compliments or justremind them that she loves them if they need it. there’s really no mystery orsubtlety involved; you’ll know if kara holds any amount of affection for you. thoughone thing to note is that talking about krypton or sharing kryptonian cultureis something that’s… really personal for her, so people she does that withshould know they’re Next Level.

 siobhancringes away from affection whenever possible, and –

nahbut obviously, she’s not particularly skilled when it comes to communicatinghow she’s feeling, at least when it comes to the mushy stuff. but while shemight have a hard time telling someone that she loves them, she’s a little betterat showing it, even if not directly – she attaches a lot of stubborn loyalty tothe people closest to her, and will do like, incredibly dumb things for them.she’s actually a bit reckless and self-sacrificial when it comes down to it.her shows of affection also manifest in a particularly chaotic brand ofride-or-die that means picking a fight with anyone who so much as pisses offsomeone she cares about (see: lin hu having to deal with her after insultingrocket).

whenit comes to physical affection… she uuusually doesn’t really indulge in it,although there are some exceptions with people she feels really strongly about,but even then it’s pretty clumsy and usually only in really impulsive moments.

 caitlintends to come off to most people as, well, kind of cold. she’s not very tactile,and on top of that she’s very… blunt and professional and not really inclinedto go into mushy feelings too much. you can tell she really cares about someoneif she’s a little more willing to be vulnerable and… well, human, around them.people who see her sweeter, more supportive side are definitely seeing itbecause she loves them. as for killer frost, well, it’s hard to decipher ANYTHINGshe does as affectionate, really. mostly her positive feelings for someone willmanifest in her like… bothering to pep-talk them while they’re down, and eventhen she can be a little harsh. she’s not… very good at being affectionate… oropen about her feelings in general, really

sarausually shows casual affection through teasing, sometimes flirting if thesituation calls for it, but when it comes to the people she’s deeper levels ofride or die for she’s… actually a pretty loving and affectionate person, if inher own way. she’s not SUPER cuddly, but she can be physical if she thinks it’llhelp the other person, or to make a point. namely, though, she’s really good atverbal support, and shows a lot of her affection through pulling people up withthat and emphasizing their better qualities and their worth to the peoplearound them. she’s very… empathetic; she’s good at being able to tell whatother people need to hear and being understanding of their mistakes. and she,unfortunately, also falls into the “stupidly self-sacrificial” category andoverly extreme gestures such as almost crashing the waverider to save apotential teammate,

bramblestar…well he’s a cat, so even at his most casual a lot of his affection is tactile.warrior cats comfort and reassure each other with nose touches, licks, etc.apart from that, he’s gotten really good at… well, Dad-ing other people. akaworrying about them a little too much and occasionally being overprotective,but also giving out good advice and just being kind. also, as a clan cat, hehas loyalty pretty much ingrained into him, so he very much believes in showingaffection through that and stuff like hunting, protecting, making sure everyoneis well-provided for, etc.

heatheris a bit aloof on the surface, at least emotionally. just her not being kind of…dismissive and rude is a good indication that she likes you, because she’s atLEAST learned to be nicer to people she has positive relationships with. physically,she indulges in a lot of casual gestures of affection the way teenage girls tendto do with her friends, but even that itself is an indication of a prettypositive relationship because… if she doesn’t like you, she doesn’t want youtouching her :/.  but yeah, just casualstuff like shoulder bumps, arm linking, the occasional hug or sprawling out allover someone (like the cat she is). when it comes to the people she… reallycares about there’s this streak of protective ferocity that rears its head whenthey’re in a really shitty situation, or even just doubting themselves a lot

madelineshows her love by being the most ride or die person on earth, basically. onceshe’s attached to someone, she feels pretty compelled to treat all of theirproblems as a cause she should feel obligated to solve, which… can result inimpressive amounts of resolve and loyalty, but on the other hand, canoccasionally make her way too hover-y and inflammatory. she does mean it out oflove, though. she’s very protective of the people she cares for and very muchbelieves in showing it. if you’re close with madeline, she’ll most definitelyhave your back in any given situation, but… you should probably keep an eye onher so she doesn’t accidentally make things worse,

badgerstripefalls under the same types of physical behavior as bramblestar does, though sheis perhaps even less reserved with that than he is. she grew up learning to be pretty tactile with her sister, and she’s willing enough to extend that to other cats she’s close to. i think, if this makes sense, a lot of her love for others also shows through her willingness to like... steel herself. because badgerstripe has a lot of downplayed insecurity and she has trouble overcoming that when her only motivation is herself, but she draws a lot of strength from wanting to help the people she loves.

trish is a little tricky because she has a good heart, and a lot of compassion for other people, but she’s a bit... withdrawn about showing affection openly. i think a lot of that comes from her upbringing. she doesn’t like to be touched, for one thing, and there are people she can overcome that and be comfortable with but even then like... reaching out in that way is not her first impulse? and i think her relationship with her mom taught her to be more reserved about being verbally affectionate too; she can be very earnest and frank but she has a harder time being really... emotionally vulnerable. it’d probably be good for her to learn to navigate that with people who aren’t jessica.

but mostly as it stands now, one way she was taught to show her fondness for other people is... idk if “gestures” is the right word but like, more material stuff, like how she’ll just swoop in and pay for some of jessica’s shit or fix her door or whatever even without jess asking. and then on a deeper level, she shows love through quiet, unwavering loyalty even in pretty terrifying circumstances, but that’s reserved for... more dire stuff

anya is a little bit like a skittish cat. she’ll kind of... skirt around things and keep her distance even when she’s fond of people until she’s convinced that her feelings are reciprocated without some kind of catch, and then she can be slowly coaxed into showing affection more broadly. up until that point, she kind of does this thing where if she REALLY likes someone but doesn’t want to own up to it, she teases and prods at them and gets a lot more easily drawn into bickering and banter and that sort of thing. 

and dolores is... actually pretty openly affectionate and all around Soft with people she’s close to! you don’t get much of that on denny because she’s so jumpy around most people and wary of them getting too close to her (physically or otherwise) but she is very touchy-feely; if she wants to express affection for someone she’ll touch their face or hold their hand or do something sappy like that. she also has a tendency to be pretty open about how she feels; if she really cares about someone it’s not really in her nature to downplay that. she’s kind of all or nothing as far as Feeling Things goes, and thus a surprisingly... direct and uncomplicated entry on this list. it just all comes with the caveat of “she really has to trust you first” so again, not really stuff you’d see much of on denny yet (though she is a little more tactile and gentle with maeve just on the basis of maeve being a host)

#gr8 question but it took me a long time to get through so #enjoy your essay #thanks tony!! #cuts dennys lvad wire #fizzlep0p

[shenanigumi]

Characterization Essay #2

or, Why Chizuru Doesn’t Deserve Your Hate

I’ve been fortunate enough to avoid any overt Chizuru hate during my time in this fandom, but I’ve seen quite a few people telling her off for ‘getting in the way’ of them and their man, as though she isn’t—you know—integral to the plot. As though she’s somehow ‘less than’, or unworthy of their attention, or otherwise ill-suited to her possible love interests.

Basically, I’ve seen many people treat her as though she’s in the way, rather than the central character through which we see the rest of the world. Today, I hope to show you why I at least think that Chizuru fulfills her purpose as both a protagonist (meta) and a deep character (in-universe). As seems to be usual, I’ll be including sections from my wiki, and those are as objective as I could make them—but again, I can’t vouch for my interpretation.

Now, are you ready for yet another character study?

First of all, I’m not asking you to like Chizuru any more than I’m asking you to like anyone in real life. Some personalities mesh better with ours than others, and hers is no exception. And I’m definitely not saying I don’t have my own issues with how she usually acts, because hell, I’ve made fun of her myself:

The thing is, all my comments are exaggerations rooted in affectionate exasperation, whereas I’ve encountered several instances of alarmingly genuine agreement over the months. People definitely have their own individual preferences as to personality type, but no matter whether you love her or hate her, the point I hope to make today is that Chizuru is a valid and three-dimensional character.

Chizuru is hardworking and kindhearted, and has a strong sense of propriety and justice. Though she is sensitive in the extreme to others’ needs, she can be oblivious with regard to herself. She has a deep-seated desire to make herself useful to those who help her, such as the Shinsengumi and (in his route) Kazama. Because of her largely self-imposed sense of obligation, it can be difficult for her to decline tasks she does not want to do.

Chizuru is naturally very curious, which can make it challenging for her to drop a subject about which she wants to know more, and consequently makes her initial situation very hard for her to manage. She also finds it difficult to suppress or conceal her emotions or intentions, and in spite of her crossdressing, she is neither a good actor nor a good liar. Furthermore, Chizuru is easily flustered, which makes her a prime target for teasing, particularly from Okita. Similarly, while she does not have a quick temper, Chizuru can become indignant and defensive if she is passionate enough about something, even before the situation calls for it.

Despite her status as a demon, Chizuru is physically not very powerful. However, she is strong-willed to the point of occasional obstinacy, and can verge on the self-sacrificial if she believes it necessary. This is most prominent when she demonstrates overprotectiveness of her loved ones or even ideals.

Does that sound like a flat character? Sure, I can pick out a number of significant differences between her and myself, but she has a definite personality of her own—and, refreshingly for an otome heroine, it’s got no small number of flaws that come with it. More than that, it’s how her flaws are portrayed that I like. With characters labeled ‘Mary Sue’, often, their faults are downplayed or spun to be endearing. For Chizuru, they are specifically addressed and oftentimes developed/improved just like any other character’s faults.

More than that, different shortcomings crop up and are eventually resolved during different routes, lending her as multifaceted a personality as Kazama’s. For instance, on Harada’s route, her tendency toward self-deprecation is spotlighted; on Heisuke’s route, it is her stubbornness. Both are directly confronted as part of the plot, working in tandem with Harada’s and Heisuke’s own faults to be resolved so that both characters grow as a result.

Speaking of which, it’s worth noting that game!Chizuru and anime!Chizuru are presented differently, but though the depiction varies between media, these facets are always present in her personality—and that shows significant depth of character. Even within the game itself, each route brings out different aspects of Chizuru’s personality: in the games as a whole, she is an “active” Chizuru, most prominently in Saito’s, Heisuke’s, and Harada’s routes, and is more inclined to take her fate into her own hands. In the anime, she is a “passive” Chizuru, and her more submissive traits are also accentuated in Hijikata’s, Okita’s, and Kazama’s routes in-game. Yet they are all decidedly Chizuru, and all recognizable as such: tell me that isn’t a versatile character!

Now that I’ve hopefully at least established that Chizuru has a personality and is not a Mary Sue, I’ll get into some of her character traits that have been known to rub people the wrong way. And again, I’m not asking you to like them—just looking to explain them. She has excellent reasons for being the way she is.

First thing’s first, you have to keep in mind that Chizuru is very much a product of her time… in a way. Similarly to the entire plot of Hakuōki, and all the other characters, she is a seamless blend of modern concepts and past context. This means that as a young woman, she is naturally put in a passive position, but she is not helpless. From the very beginning, Chizuru makes the best of her situation and takes care of herself in every way she can. Her entire goal is to impose as little of a burden on the Shinsengumi as possible, which can hardly be called attention-seeking. More importantly, her subservience can be traced back to an earnest desire to help and to have something to do with herself, not out of weakness or bowing down to her superiors. She has an acute sense of what is right, but by no means does that make her less of her own person.

And regarding Chizuru’s fighting ability? I’ve heard many complaints about her lack of combat scenes, and believe me, I’ll be the first to yell at Chizuru in the anime or musicals for not drawing her sword, but I’ll also be the first to defend that choice. It would be out-of-character for Chizuru to be interested in violence of any kind; she prefers to assert herself with her words, preferably gently, although she has been known to talk back in the heat of the moment. Besides, it is explained in the games that she has developed a slight (and extremely understandable) phobia of blades due to having been conditioned to avoid them lest others find out about her demonic healing.

Chizuru’s self-defense training was not something she undertook of her own volition, and she has never claimed to be any kind of combat expert. Nor does she need constant support and rescuing; though she gets into tight spots sometimes, it is usually a.) demon-related, and b.) not because she insisted that someone save her. In other words, when she needs help, it isn’t because she’s gone looking for trouble or gotten in over her head by overestimating her abilities. Additionally, she does not get in the way during combat, so much as she is reluctant to initiate it. I will own that the anime and/or musicals could have handled this much better, but they are also different media, with a slightly different point—and in the meantime, mine still stands. Chizuru cannot be expected to be a master of combat; that is not who she is.

I’ve heard it said often among fellow Chizuru supporters that one does not have to be overtly badass or skilled in combat in order to be a strong female character, and I’d just like to underline that here. I’d argue that the guys’ dynamics with Chizuru develop precisely because that’s who she is, and that everything would change if her personality were altered in that way. In short, the game we know and love would cease to be. It is a delicate balance, and if we tweak Chizuru’s personality so that she comes more to the forefront, we defeat the point of the game we all love.

Another aspect of her personality that people may find troublesome, and the one that bothers me the most, is her obliviousness. But even that is forgivable if you look into the context. Chizuru is innocent, not ignorant. As the players/observers, we have been trained to look for signs of romance, because we are playing the route. This makes every blush, glance, and line of dialogue extremely significant. However, in Chizuru’s position as a naïve and somewhat sheltered girl who is not initially looking for love, it’s understandable that suggestive remarks or flirtation would go over her head. After all, she’s there to find her father, right? Why would she read into anything? And let’s not forget that she’s perfectly aware of what goes on in the red-light districts. She simply has no prior experience in sex or romance, and therefore no special sensitivity to most subtle remarks.

Now, back to the ‘not looking for love’ thing: I’d like to point out how absolutely non-romance-centric Hakuōki is. It gives priority to character development, including Chizuru’s, and much of her romance with any one guy depends on her actions (hence why there’s a Romance meter as well as Corruption). What I love most about Chizuru and her dynamics is that not all the guys fall for her at all, let alone instantly. This is not your typical ‘reverse harem’ game, where there’s a distinct possibility of romance with almost everyone no matter whose route you’re on. Everything depends on Chizuru’s choices, which are always colored by Chizuru’s personality, and while they may not necessarily line up with what you or I would do in that situation, Chizuru is who each character ultimately begins to respect.

She is significantly less of a self-insert than many other otome heroines, from what I’ve seen, and actually stands up well to the historically based characters as both a foil and a plot pusher. She interacts well with the environment around her, fitting into the game’s style of worldbuilding, revelations, and gradual pacing. A more ‘assertive’ heroine would naturally have forced them to put her in the spotlight, which would have defeated much of the point of the plot. The point is that she is our window into modified!19th-century-Japan, not its centerpiece, and that while her character development is always central (as she learns how to navigate the world around her and overcome her own internal battles), it is often intertwined with that of history itself. If we changed Chizuru’s personality, it would have changed not only the plot, but the entire message. Thus, because of her passivity and her pacifism and even her at times infuriating obliviousness, Chizuru is exactly the heroine that Hakuōki needs—no more, no less.

In conclusion, not everyone can be expected to like any given person, real or fictional, but you must acknowledge Chizuru as a functional character. I’m not even sure where I stand with her myself, but to me, she is who she is… and that’s the only thing that really matters. My point is simply that Chizuru is as complete and important a character as everyone else in Hakuōki, and that if your hatred of her is based on the fact that she is ‘shallow’ or ‘two-dimensional’ or a Mary Sue, you should consider that maybe she’s just not your type.

(@kurokiorya​ – I hope this explains a few things!!)

#hakuouki #hakuōki #hakuoki #characterization essay #longest one yet i believe #hopefully it gets the point across #yukimura chizuru