#like don’t get me wrong he’s a fascinating character and he intrigues me but. i don’t think i like him as a person

[a-menaceinpink]

second time thru RoW and i still don’t like the deal dalinar made. it’s so … presumptuous? he is so determined to speak for all of mankind and to believe he’s making the right decision and (as his history has shown) he’s not the most reliable on that front. sure he’s able to uphold HIS morality but that doesn’t mean it’s right, esp considering he’s more put off by the murder of a slimy evil man who tried to kill him multiple times than the concept of slavery

#is this #kholin critical #? you decide #i really find myself disliking dalinar on this reread. like. he just never REALLY faces consequences and never really atones for his actions #in my opinion of course #like don’t get me wrong he’s a fascinating character and he intrigues me but. i don’t think i like him as a person #dalinar kholin #cosmere #stormlight archive #rhythm of war

[whalesforhands]

kaizen daycare! 3

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“Are ya gonna follow us home t’day?” Megumi rubs at his little eyes as his puppy-themed socks come to a stop before you, trying to stifle an incoming yawn. He sounds hopeful, dare you even say, excited.

“Daddy said you were gonna eat at our house too.” He’s suddenly holding his arms up towards you, asking to be carried as he awaits with still half-opened eyes.

“Oh? Megumi-kun, are you excited about moving in?” You’re bending down, your hands picking him up and supporting his weight, letting the child’s head loll and rest against your chest. His cheek squishes against you, a sleepy comfort overtaking him once more now that he’s in your arms.

“Mn.” You feel him press his ear against your heartbeat, smiling at the steady, slow vibration, his innocent eyes already starting to close once more as he cuddles himself against you, getting comfortable in your embrace. “I just wanna see you there…” His words trail off with his sleepy haze, going limp in your hug as he finally falls back asleep.

You feel a blush overtake you at his words, the gentle chime of a nursery lullaby flowing into your ears, accompanied by the adorable snores of your other children as you sat upon a nearby cushion with a sleeping Megumi in your arms. So cute.

Maybe it was a good idea to accept their family’s invite afterall?

——

Sometimes, you’re utterly at a loss for words at a certain trio within your class. Even as Mimiko sips on a cup of milk whilst sitting on your lap, Nanako humming, sprawled out on the floor next to you and drawing with her plethora of crayons and Megumi playing with the toy trucks by his sisters.

(“Hmm…” Mimiko leans back, staring up at you, hands fiddling with her now empty milk carton. She’s always been one to speak her mind.“(name)-sensei…”

“Mm?” You look down at her, snapping out of your dazed out trance, your fingers that were mindlessly combing through her hair stopping abruptly.

She doesn’t respond, her eyes scrutinizing you as you give her the moment to collect her words. Is something wrong? Did her milk taste bad? You had the same one, you don’t think—

“You’re so pretty.” Just as pretty as her Papa and Daddy. Maybe even more? She’d have to ask her plushies one by one later on who they think is the winner. She’s betting on you.)

“Nanako-chan, do you need me to call him? It isn’t like your Papa to be late…”

“Nope!” She pops the ‘p’ as she skips over to her cubby. “It’s realllll good that we’re the last ones left, and so earlyish! Pap— We thought we were gonna have to wait longer!!” She digs around the frog themed backpack, her tongue stuck out in concentration before she pulls out her phone.

Her very expensive, high-tech, latest in the market phone that was leagues better than yours and probably costed around an entire month of your salary. “Papa said to just text him if he’s late, and Daddy’ll come zooming the fastest around!”

That was approximately 4 minutes ago.

“(name)-sensei, (name)-sensei! I drew this for you!” A sheet of A3 paper is thrusted into your face, a burst of colour that dyed your eyes in fascinating intrigue as they slowly focus in on the drawing.

Matching blonde and brunette bobs, right next to a darker ponytailed brunette and spiky black. Shiny, smiley faces that were drawn on with an attempt to scribble the characters of their names just above them.

Though, that wasn’t the main focus. You notice 3 more figures upon the paper, characterized by neon-blue crayon for eyes, another having long shadowy black for hair… And the unmistakable pink of your apron you wore for work.

(You can’t even deny that it’s you. You saw her peeking over and trying to see and copy down your name embroidered onto the top of your apron.)

“That’s a wonderful drawing, Nanako-chan! What made you want to add me in?” Megumi and Mimiko have now gathered near you, squeezing in under your arms to stare at their sibling’s art work.

“That’s cause we love (name)-sensei a wholeeeeeee lot!” She draws a circle in the air with her arms, the widest circumference she can go. “Wayyyyy more than this!”

We…? Why, you feel flattered— A knock at the door sounds, a boisterous voice disrupting your train of thought.

“Daddy’s here!”

——

“But Nanako wants to sit on (name)-sensei’s lap!” A pouty complaint as she tugs on her dad’s jacket, narrowed brown squinting up at him as she hugs her frog plushie backpack close to her.

“Nope!” The grown man makes an X cross with his arms. “Papa’s gonna have my head if you’re not in your booster seat.”

“Then you sit in the back and Nanako will drive!” She’s determined to be able to be next to you on this short drive back.

You’re already helping Megumi buckle himself into the booster seat, a sleeping Mimiko all strapped in as her soft breaths are barely heard. You notice the soft, chubby fingers that rests themselves over your hand just as you were about to pull away.

“Hmm? Megumi-kun, what’s wrong?” He says nothing as he stares at your hand, eyes downcast and as if too conflicted to let go. “I dwon’t want you to go…”

You think you’re going to die from cuteness.

“I’ll be with you real soon, okay?” You ruffle his hair, watching as he grunts lightly at the sensation before he lets you go.

It isn’t long before Gojo gets his blonde daughter to behave and obediently settle next to her siblings, hugging her plushie close as she receives a wave from you from outside.

It’s just you and their other father now.

“Gojo-san, thank you for offering me to drive me back.” You’re smiling up at him, oh so innocently. It almost makes him want to—

“Sa. To. Ru.” You feel a tap to your nose at the last syllable. “We’re gonna be neighbours, aren’t we?” He sends you a charming wink. “Plus, I don’t mind driving you back. I’d even it rather be a regular occurrence, if you left it up to me.”

(S-so forward! Isn’t he scared of what his husband will think?! Driving another adult around so casually in his car!)

“That isn’t necessary at all, Gojo—“ You see him pout, his cheeks starting to puff up. “Sa…Toru-san. You really don’t have to.”

“Hmm.” He leans in— Almost intimately close as you back off slightly, your back coming into contact with his car. Vibrant blue stare into your own, as you tilt your head in innocent confusion.

“You know, (name).” His voice trace over your name with such a deep, almost fulfilling tone that makes your heart stir. “I’m been kind of worked up lately.”

An arm that extends past, lightly brushing your hip as he gets the door for you. Except… He doesn’t seem to be opening it anytime soon, choosing to box you in between the car and his body. “You could say that I’m even a little… Excited.”

(“Oh? I suppose it is a little nerve wrecking to have a guest over when you just move in.” You nod, ignoring the warmth that was exceedingly close to your waist, your gaze still holding his own intense orbs. “Even I wouldn’t dare to invite someone over when I’ve barely got everything set up yet, so I get you, Satoru-san.”

He blinks, the tension diffusing in mere seconds before he starts breaking out into a boisterous laugh, tilting his head downwards towards the ground and a hand over his mouth.

“Ahaha! That’s right, sensei!” You’re so cute.)

——

“Hello!” A sparkling set of eyes and rocking feet, hands clenched into excited fists that pump into the air. “Welcome to our new house!” A little girl no older than 3 or 4 appears in front of you, her brown hair fluttering with her bouncy joy that radiates off of her in waves.

“My name is Tsumiki! I like drinking strawberry milk and being praised!” She ends her introduction with an eager V-sign, bright teeth out in a grin and eyes upturned into the cutest little crescents, before she flattens her arms at her sides, bowing to you. “It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“My, you’re so polite.” You lean over to pat at her head, your bag long placed on top of the counter at their genkan. “I’m (nam)—“

“(name)-sensei! You live in the apartment right next to us, you work at the kindergarten my brother and sisters go to, you’re super, suuuuper sweet like kikufuku mochi and, and—!” Her eyes are sparkling more intensely, practically reflecting a constellation of her thoughts as she looks up at you. “And you’re even super, super pretty!”

(Even prettier than all the other times she’s seen you.)

You’re honestly at a loss for words right now. How much are you talked about here…?

“Mmm, but I suppose calling you sensei when you aren’t my sensei is a little strange, right, sensei?~” She’s strangely playful, big grin and eyes that gleamed with something you can only describe as a yearning want.

She taps her chin in thought, eyes averting to the side and upwards as if in deep thought. “Ah!” She claps her hands together. “Can I call you Mama?”

(W-whaaaaaat?! So upfront!)

“Please, please?” She’s already wrapped her arms around your legs, her pouty, mischievous eyes pleading up at your blushing form, her head buried into your tummy as she’s on her tiptoes.

You’re blushing hard— Your eyes swirling with bashful shyness that makes you so, so nervous. Sure, she’s adorable— So forward and so cute pleading you like this…! You did always tell yourself that you wanted kids—

“Now, now Tsumiki. You’re teasing our poor guest too much.” A tut and a ruffle of her head from behind as an all too welcomed figure appears.

“Papa!”

“Geto-san…!”

“I’m sorry. She takes after Satoru a little too much in that sense.” She turns his gaze downwards. “Tsumiki, help me set the table, please.”

“Okay!” And she patters off, socked feet against the wooden floors as she skips away. “Talk to you later, Mama!”

(Ohhh… You feel like you’re going to burn up from gratified embarrassment… You like the way it sounds but it’s so embarrassing—! Especially when she’s not your child…!)

“No, no, Geto-san. It was lovely being able to talk with her! You raised all your kids so well!” You’re gushing as you talk to him, a hand pressed over your stuttering heart, letting him lead you around, not even noticing the hand that had intertwined with your own as you lost yourself to your overactive mind.

“I sometimes wish they were my own.” You’re turning sheepish, body turned slightly to face his with the still all too cute, all too adorable smile of yours. He stops in his tracks, fingers closing in on your face to brush a strand of your hair back, the graze of his skin against yours makes you shiver in a sense of delight… It always felt strangely— Good whenever he does this.

(He can make that happen, you know?)

“Trust me, sensei—“ He feigns a tired sigh, pulling away, causing your shoulders to slump in visible disappointment, much to his adoration. “They can be up to no good if they want to be.”

Now that you’re actually in their house, it definitely feels a little high class. Their cushions that looked and felt like they were too out of this world, their curtains looking a little glamorous… Not to mention how amazingly soft the couch you were sitting upon felt…

You were so sure you passed by your own apartment next to theirs not too long ago. Now you’re not even sure if you’re even living in the same realm of possibility…

“Dinner’s about to be finished up. Do you mind waiting a bit?”

“If you don’t mind,” You tilt your head to the side as you watch him. “I could lend a hand.”

——

“Gumi, c’mere.” Tsumiki beckons her younger brother towards her, the little boy waddling over with his towel wrapped around him, dripping with water as he holds onto his sister’s hand.

(It’s normal for them to wash up a little bit before dinner, they’ll take their bath later.)

“Don’t they look like a marriage?” A proper one. Like in those late-night soap operas one of her Mother’s ‘friends’ used to leave on. The way Papa is smiling as you taste test his cooking, the way Daddy tried to eat whatever you touched, the way you all laughed in an emotion that cannot be anything else but utter joy.

“Get— Suguru-san, I think it needs a little salt.”

“Mm, is that so?” He doesn’t even hesitate to place his lips onto the spoon you had just used, tongue peeking out to lick up any leftover remnants that could be there. “It might be the lack of dashi stock. I need to go to the market soon.”

“Oh, there’s one nearby, I could show you—“

“Suguru! No fair! I wanna taste too!”

“Aren’t you meant to be helping the kids dry off, Satoru?”

“Mmm, I will if I get fed!” He opens his mouth towards you, “Pleaseeeeee? I’m getting hungry!”

You’re the one. Tsumiki knows you are. She just does. Her grip on the door frame tightens ever so slightly, a twinkle of longing, of yearn in her gaze.

“Better than Mother ever looked with any of those men…”

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Notes:

It’s very important that you do not leave the nap room for very long during naptime. You went out to do some administrative work and you came back to a crying Mimiko that was biting into her plushie, trying to silence herself so as to not disturb the rest while she huddled into a corner and silently wailed for you.

“(name)-sensei…! D-don’t leave Mimiko again…!” Her tears are soaking into the front of your apron, her small hands gripping onto the fabric of upon your shoulders as she clung onto you. Desperate, scared.

The other children do not like it when you’re not around. Stay in the rooms with them.

“Aww, I thought I heard something from outside. Was it you, Megumi?” Geto Suguru soon scoops up a blank, sleepy little boy dragging a blanket in.

“Oh? What do you have in your hands for me, Gumi? It’s—“ He continues to smile. “Are those my… Contact lenses? Thank you very much…” The transparent item is plopped onto Suguru’s open palm, a silent Megumi burying his face into his father’s chest soon after.

What a peculiar child.

#jjk x reader #gojo satoru x reader #geto suguru x reader #satosugu x reader #geto x reader #gojo x reader #kdc au

[asteria-edalyn]

The Story of Kunning Palace 命转皇后/宁安如梦

Started watching the canto dub with eng subs when it came on tvb!! I’ve wanted to watch it for a while but I didn’t want to get another streaming service to watch it. On episode 17 now and I couldn’t resist making a post about what happened so far lol. Please don’t give me spoilers!

I love Ning Er so much. She’s clever, and she’s trying her best to change things, but she doesn’t know everything from her past life and things have changed so she’s having to act on the fly! And I love seeing how she uses her wits in these moments! And how she outsmarts her opponents!

I love the dynamic between her and Xie Wei. The brat and teacher power dynamic? But she’s just as clever as he is? And he’s constantly like, how/why do you keep showing up when shit goes down?? She infuriates him but he’s also sooooo fascinated and charmed by her and he wants to protect her.

So this probs real obvious but I’m gonna put it down here anyway. Xie Wei is the missing Xue Ding-fei and he and the current Xue Ding-fei swapped identities so that he could be sneaky and undercover.

I… don’t think the male cast is very good-looking tbh :”) Zhang Zhe’s probably the most attractive to me. I guess Xie Wei is hot when he’s being all smug and domineering and shit. Also I love how Zhang Zhe (and Ning Er, but more so Zhang Zhe) had been going “You’re working for him too??” like, constantly and getting more and more incredulous but he can’t react cuz he’s undercover lmao.

I feel like this is the start of the second arc, like we’re leaving the palace, the stakes are higher, but maybe I’m wrong. More hilarious moments: when Zhou Yin-zhi tells Xie Wei Ning Er has been kidnapped and internally he’s like: What?? Why??? How??? WHY like girl is gonna make him go grey. And also when she tells Zhang Zhe she told the rebels they’re cousins but they’re in love so they ran away to elope is HILARIOUS. He’s like, why would you tell them that?? But tbh it was a good plan to get them to stop questioning her. And then the rebels acting increasingly awkward around them. Love that the auntie ships them. She’s like, ah young love.

It definitely appeals to me that Xie Wei is so clever but also fucked up. Like not necessarily in a bad way, but man has been through A LOT, since he was like 6. And he’s been plotting and scheming and deceiving for so long, that’s gotta have an impact on his personality.

I have so many fav moments when Ning Er out-smarts her enemies or comes out with the upper hand. A cute recent one is basically the whole “getting the second half of the letter” plot, but specifically when the bank notes reveal her little turtle drawing. So cute!! It’s like she’s saying, hi 👋🏻😙 and then when he shows it to the others and they are just so confused because they don’t have context for the turtle??

Okay wait wait before I end this post I wanna talk about what intrigued me so much about this show in the first place. I’ve always loved reading time travel fix-its, seeing how things change or stay the same, what characters do with what they know and i thought it'd be so interesting for a story to start like a time travel fix it fic, but because the audience doesn't have the established "canon", it's revealed slowly through the story. And then this show showed up on my tumblr and I was like ??? wth this is exactly what I was looking for

Anyway that's it for now!!

#the story of kunning palace #命转皇后 #cdrama #宁安如梦

[fandomtrashhh]

Sam & Powers

I can never articulate how disappointing it was for Supernatural to focus so much of their time and effort on Sam’s powers and everything that comes with it in the first 2 seasons only to bring it back in season 4 and even season 5 even more in depth than before to then just drop it after that and only mention it once every 2 seasons. I feel like it was such a core theme in the beginning of the show that was used so well to tie up what they thought was going to be the season finale in season 5 that once they realized they were going to continue the show they decided it would become too boring or repetitive or something to use more when they were SO wrong. Sure if that’s ALL they focused on then that would make sense but what they did didn’t make any sense at all because how can you take something that was such a big part of one of the main characters and erase it all? One of the things that drew me to Sam’s character in the first place and that helped cement me as a Sam girl was the fascination with his powers that he was slowly coming to terms with. What made his powers different than a lot of other pieces of media that I’ve consumed is the concept that they were forced upon him by a DEMON through his BLOOD! How is that not compelling?? He literally states in the show that he has a sickness that is pumping through his veins that he can never get rid of so why shouldn’t he do good with them? Like !! There was so much potential here!! I’ve always felt when they said that Azazel’s death just...made Sam’s powers “go away” it was a flimsy excuse to get rid of them and only use that plot when they felt like it (i.e drinking demon blood) but if they never had Sam’s powers function like that they could have created a whole plot where Sam comes to terms with his powers and realizes they aren’t going away but they aren’t inherently bad, that he can choose what he wants to do with them, re cementing his autonomy that is so often lacking in the series!! He chooses to help people with these powers (without needing to drink demon blood) and explores them and accepts them!! The route that the show ended up taking never sat well with me because it felt like he just internalized his powers because of what other characters said about it and how people literally tried to kill him because of it and that just feels wrong. Like the show tried so hard to just magically turn him into this Normal Guy TM when Sam is Not Normal and that was the whole point!! He deserved to be as freaky and as comfortable with it as he wanted!! And then in season 15 I almost felt like they were going to do something freakish with his character again because of Rowena’s comment about him being the “closest to a witch” among the characters in the room and then she left her spells and potions and everything TO SAM and it would’ve been so cool to have him dabble in witchcraft and would make so much sense with his character yet he uses them once and then it’s never mentioned again. By the end of the show he’s living this normal life when after everything he went through and everything he discovered about himself throughout 15 YEARS, I don’t think that’s what he would’ve wanted anymore. Supernatural had so many brilliant ideas & concepts which is why I think I’ve continued to be so obsessed and intrigued by this goddamn show, but so so many shortcomings.  

#sorry this got so long and i doubt anyones gonna read it but i needed to get it out there so yeah #i hope someone out there understands and agrees with what im trying to say #we deserved to keep bloodfreak sam!! #anyways i also thought it would be really compelling to not only have sam coming to terms with and accepting his powers #and how they ARENT a bad thing #parallel dean coming to terms and accepting his bisexuality!! #i thought that wouldve been genius #alas this belongs within the Good Supernatural that lives in my brain #and they seasons 6-15 rewrite of the series that im trying to stop procrastinating on #sam winchester #psychic sam winchester #demon blood #psychic sammy #supernatural #spn #long post #natalie rants #original post #sam winchester analysis #supernatural analysis #kinda #youre telling me that Sam Winchester #the same dude who killed the ORIGINAL DEMON with telekinesis while high asf #the same dude who shot THEE abrahamic god #the same dude who brought his gf back to life with magic left to him by one of the most powerful witches in existence #wanted to spend the rest of his life throwing around a ball and crying in a car?? #cap

[eego0]

Me again! You said you wanted a topic so I have one. What are your thoughts on the Jury of Nine and O'kasis, especially key figures like Katelyn, Zane, Ivy, ect?

Omg thank you so much for asking!!!

The Jury of Nine is SO fascinating to me. A group of the strongest soldiers in the land led by the physically weakest link but a master manipulator. I’m curious to see how things worked on the inside but lets talk about our key figures

Katelyn the Fire Fist: WHEW. She’s got so much emotional baggage but is such a good character. She’s a strong fighter and a fantastic friend when Aphmau needs her most. I love seeing her vulnerability over time. She seems cold at first glance but shes not above opening up to Aphmau and her guards after Jefforys been killed. She strives to help those in need, but she unfortunately was dragged away from her family and stapled to the wrong crowd. I wish we saw her family in MCD and I think about them a lot.

Jeffory the Golden Heart: his story BREAKS me. He didn’t get to do many good things but he was a good person till the very end. Again, I wish I saw the dynamic between him and Katelyn since they were such good friends.

Ivy: She’s a fantastic villain. I want to analyze each word in her name. Think of Ivy like the plant Poison Ivy. It causes rashes, irritation and harm to basically anyone that even so much as brushes against it. Then venom, when it's used as an adjective- it's there to describe a hostile or bitter tone or action. The scythe is used by the grim reaper in folklore to take the soul of a dead person or someone destined to die. It makes oerfect sense for her. But I have to wonder, was she ALWAYS like that? So blood thirsty? Power hungry? What do we think?

Janus: janus is a VERY intriguing character to me. I don’t know all that much about them but I’m pretty sure they’re the first non-binary (he/they) character. The whole arc with Ivy having his sword was incredibly thought provoking for me, but I don’t have much else to add.

Lastly, I’m gonna touch on Zane: like I said, I think he’s probably the weakest in the Jury. BUT, he’s an incredibly smart manipulator. Him being a son of Gartes definitely helped him. He was born psychotic and never strayed from his path. I wonder how Zianna felt about his involvement in the Jury.

Sorry my analysis’ were lackluster this time! It’s finals season so I’m very tired but I really enjoyed thinking more about them. Thank you for your thoughts @intrigued-gelatin as always! Feel free to drop what you know or tell me some of your headcanons!!

#mcd #minecraft diaries #aphmau #mcd aphmau #aphblr #aphmau mcd #mcd aaron #mystreet #the jury of nine #jury of nine

[morievna]

Was Fyodor on Tokoyami island? Speculation on his past

Hello~~

So here I am – joining countless ppl on speculation on Fyodor xD

I must say I like a lot Fyodor as characters – he is truly intriguing and complex villain, which actions could be interpreted very differently as fandom discourse proves (Btw I am totally on side redemption + living atonement arc).

What is fascinating to me is how on one side we know a lot how he is now – his morals, worldview, goal, behaviour – but on the other side, we don’t really know what shaped him that way. After all, backstory are often key to understanding character – I believe that Asagiri is purposely obscuring that for surprise later on. But still imo there are some crumbs in the story – on that I want to focus on right now.

Ofc I can be totally wrong – but still speculation is fun ^_^

1.       Does Fyodor has grudge against Mori?

When rereading series this scene caught my attention:

While Fyodor was attacking Mori there is such focus and almost full page is  dedicated to his expression. Meaning that his response here is important. For me his look feel condemnatory, like passing sentence on him.

Also he is using knife – close proximity – meaning personal.

After all, it is rather different from other times when we see him kill others – which have more feeling of something he simply needs to do in order to fulfil his goal. Additionally, it is important too that he planned to it personally instead of having Hawthorne do it like with Fukuzawa (which was attacked from distance as opposite to this case).

Moreover, Fyodor was after Ace for specifically finding out Mori’s skill. Ofc it could be that he simply wanted to be prepared before Cannibalism plan, but still it is a little sus to me.

But to be clear – I don’t want to imply that Fyodor is after Mori because the latter did something bad to him specifically. I mean it could be – but imo it is more like Fyodor detests for what Mori is standing for.

Which bring us to Tokoyami Island.

2.       Mori’s goal vs Fyodor’s goal

So Mori’s objective on Tokoyami island was to make government understand that times had changed – Europeans started to use skilled people as tools in war and Japan would fall behind if they didn’t adjust their strategy. Mori was thinking of ‘greater good’ and simply didn’t want his country to be ruined and conquered by foreign nation.

What’s important that he achieved that goal – Mori aka most successful anti-hero ever xD – as we see in story how Fukuchi was dispatched by government to the battlefield after battlefield; and also Special Division for Unusual Powers and Hunted Dogs were established to control situation in Yokohama; and military research and experimentation on people to get powerful skill users vide Arahabaki project.

Ofc it is not 100% Mori’s fault – it is more on human nature, where people in power want more power and system which often relies on regular people exploitation. You know, just like real world^^’

But still, Mori didn’t consider how repercussion will make on individual person – that treating living person as convenient weapon can lead to inhumane exploitation and PTSD just as in case of Yosano and Fukuchi. Also it is not that Mori is 100% evil – he just focuses on bigger picture too much and that’s why he needs his boyfriend Fukuzawa xD

Okay, so what all of that has to do with Fyodor? Let me explain~~

Fyodor’s goal is to remove abilities from the world – you know, it doesn’t have to be malevolent plan in his mind. After all:

Btw in polish official translation it is more like ‘let us meet in promised land’

Imo world without abilities doesn’t mean Fyodor wants to kill all people with skill – but more aiming at creation of new world where skilled people are born as regular people living ordinary life without being used by government as it is now. Imo it is possible that he rationalized killing people too - that they will be reborn according to karma. But for all of that he needs the Book, which has a power to rewrite the world and create new ones.

(BSD into the Multiverse xD or Multiverse of Madness more accurately xD)

But still, even though Fyodor wants to change the world, it is possible that he is feeling resentful towards Mori’s actions being starting point for government’s exploitation of skilled people. And later on cooperating with government via Tripartite Framework.

Especially what if he was able to witness Mori’s action first-hand?

3.       Does Fyodor was on Tokoyami island on ‘enemy’ side?

First off – this conflict is based on real one between Japan and Russia:

Yosano's poem Thou Shalt Not Die, addressed to her younger brother, was published during the height of the Russo-Japanese War. It was used as a mild form of anti-war protest, as the number of Japanese casualties from the bloody Siege of Port Arthur became public. In September 1904, Yosano had learned that Japanese soldiers at Port Arthur were being used as "human bullets", being strapped with explosives and sent to blast holes through the Russian barbed wire entanglements in suicide missions.

Yosano attacked the central concept that it was the greatest honor for a man to die for the Emperor, who she sarcastically noted never put himself in harm's way, expecting others to die for him. For calling the war with Russia senseless and stupid, Yosano made herself into Japan's most controversial poet, and the government attempted to ban her poem.

[source] irl Yosano is goat <3

In both cases we have:

Imperialist agenda of government (on both sides) over territories not really belonging to them.

Strategy being more important to government than casualties  

Fukuzawa mentioned that people were used  as ‘human bombs’ on Tokoyami island too

IRL Yosano’s beliefs are similar to BSD Fukuchi xD

To sum it up – that conflict in BSD could be Japan vs Russia too.

It could be that Fyodor is ex-military agent/spy/intelligence officer, who was dispatched to fight in this war (maybe alongside with Gogol). And seeing first-hand not only terrors of war, but also effect of skill on battlefield –Yosano’s skill caused people being endlessly resurrected with no agency and sole purpose to fight as well as overwhelming power of Fukuchi’s skill, which mostly likely changed outcome of this battle for Japan’s favour. It could be after witnessing all of that terror was one of reasons he wanted to change the world to create new one without evil(=wars) and sin(=abilities).

After all, Fyodor is very negative on human nature – specifically on humans senselessly killing each other:

It could even be that he met broken Fukuchi there after battle – thus DoA was born from common goal and mindset. Even though there weren’t interaction between them so far – from symbolic perspective they stand for similar pessimistic values - that humans can’t do better on their own due to corrupt nature and that ideal world with god’s harmony can be only achieved via Book.

Why I think that Fyodor is ex-military? Well, it just aside from his unknown skill – he is capable very much like:

Hacking – very skilled - Moby Dick wasn’t supposed to be hackable, (otherwise Guild’s plan with Fitzgerald guarding transmitter makes no sense) and opening prison gates

Manipulation – it is like stating obvious but still - he is good at manipulation single person as well as crowds and global social response with DoA plan

Setting own information network – Fyodor has access to lot of not easily accessible information through the whole world. Basically he knows a lot, which doubled with his perfect memory is dangerous weapon.

Communication during Cannibalism arc – through requesting music in radio – it was really creative idea, which couldn’t be tracked or intercepted

Survival – as he mentioned that he is able to withstand starvation during Ace’s interrogation

Ofc, it can be that Fyodor is just self-taught genius – but it is more likely that he gained experience and knowledge during serving some organization on “wrong side”. Just pretty much like his foils - Dazai defecting PM to join side that ‘saves people before their eyes’ and Verlaine defecting France military because of wanting better future for his other self. Imo Fyodor is the same, but just on global scale – wanting to change the world for better one and bring karma as divine punishment to evil. And in BSD government is the evil xD

Honestly, i know I have just hunches – but still, we don’t know everything what was going on Tokoyami island and below things are especially sus to me:

Fukuchi POV on Tokoyama island is obscured - we got only glimpses or explanation from Fukazawa what happened there.

Tokoyami island being supernatural – well, in bsd usually causes of supernatural occurrences are people with ability xD Even though possibly that is just due to far north location, but imo skill users must been on enemy side as well, especially since from Yosano POV Japan was losing before Fukuchi arrived.

Fyodor’s age is unknown, which is sus… imo he will be around the same age as Gogol as all duos in bsd. (btw Gogol is 26, Yosano 25 for comparison)

A bit unrelated, but there is also case Tachihara’s brother knowing classified information on war – it could be just for exposition sake, but still pretty sus…

Also from thematic perspective:

Fukuchi is very anti-nationalism – pretty valid – it just would work neatly in story that starting point would be meeting supposed enemy and realizing they are human too.

Secondly, Asagiri loves parallels and foils - Fukuzawa picking up lost kids like Ranpo and Yosano – and on the other side Fukuchi picking up lost chaotic anti-society kids like Fyodor and Gogol xD and even with Mori, where PM is like new home for Chuuya and Verlaine. On symbolic level it is like one generation wants to start something new (ADA, new version PM) almost to repent for previous mistakes and picks up kids (which symbolize future) who share their vision.

Okay, it is all for today~~ I intend to make part 2 with speculation on Fyodor’s ability and probability of redemption arc, so stay tuned if you are interested^^

Thanks for reading as always  and happy new year <3

#bsd #bsd meta #bsd theories #mori ougai #fyodor dostoevsky #bsd fyodor #bsd mori #bsd fukuchi #bsd manga #i wonder if i got something right xD

[cranesofibycus]

Edit: Please don’t send me spoilers for later episodes. This includes “you are right/wrong about xyz interpretation”. Thank you!   

Episode 17 has so many incredible, heartbreaking, heartwarming, hilarious and frustrating moments; it’s one of my favorite episodes thus far for sure. A friend of mine told me that he fell in love with the Bells Hells in this episode and I’m inclined to agree. 

Between episode 14 and 17 I feel like the rest of them have really come together and have had the opportunity to show some of their softer, less silly sides. I love the silly, but sometimes it can get in the way of genuine character moments and those episodes are full of both, which is great. 

Here’s a little roundup of my impressions of the characters so far:

Ashton: This guy is so dumb. Like, can’t get any dumber. They are so preoccupied with being the unattached one, that every of their actions just screams “I don’t deserve to be loved and I will show you why!” - I love his short temper, I love his reluctant admiration of the others and I particularly love that Taliesin gets to play someone who is queer as fuck, yet determined to be disagreeable. That is just peak Taliesin PC design and I think he is having a blast with Ashton so far.

Fearne: This fawn is so smart. And I mean that genuinely. Fearne knows exactly how she can utilize her charm and her assumed innocence to get away with the most outrageous lies and actions. I’m sort of glad that Little Mister has faded into the background a little. I feel like Fearne needs nobody to help her shine. And it’s fascinating to me that it had never before occurred to me that Ashley would be perfect at playing a fey, since Ashley exudes heaps of fey energy even when she is just being herself. I’m curious how she will handle more dramatic scenes in the future. Fearne has shown that she can genuinely care about others, but there is a clear sense that she - as any fey creature - struggles with the dark grey morals of her heritage.

F.C.G.: Sam is a menace. It is known. But I wonder how much of a menace he is being with F.C.G. I think there is a very good chance that Sam knows very little of their backstory, or how much of it is true. The memories Imogen saw in him could’ve been placed there or altered. I adore that Sam chose a race/class/subclass combination that doesn’t cater to his usual dry sarcasm as Nott’s and Scanlan’s builds did. Instead he gets to experiment with humor that stems from F.C.G.’s genuine concern and their unawareness of certain social cues. I’m sure the other Riegel shoe will drop soon enough, but until then I’m just happy to receive puzzle piece after puzzle piece of this robit’s tragic past. 

Imogen: Until recently I really thought Laura had built a sweet, soft horse-girl sorceress. Oh what a fool I was! Not that she isn’t all of those things, but Imogen is so much more multi-facetted than I had originally understood. She is driven and curious. She is intrigued by power and convinced of her own abilities. She apologizes to people for invading their minds, but she also enjoys learning other people’s secrets. She is confident! She knows her worth! She understands how to get people to do what you want (not in a strictly manipulative way, but she has definitely learned that showing compassion is a way to get people to talk). I’m super intrigued by her and thus afraid to delve too deep into fandom interpretations of Imogen, because Laura’s track record is 1. build intricate, layered character, 2. fandom builds one-dimensional fanon version of said character, 3. fandom gets mad when Laura dares to stick to her original design for said character (one of the reasons why I’m not massively into glasses!Imogen - it just triggers a fight or flight response in my brain).

Laudna: What a ballsy character design! What a choice of a backstory and a patron! I love that she came up with this and Matt said “yes, and” to all of it. I agree with Orym that Laudna is fascinating not because of her backstory, but rather because she is who she is despite of her backstory. I’m a big believer that great tragedy functions like a fork in the road of your capacity for compassion. Either you become the least or the most compassionate version of yourself, and I adore that Marisha went with the latter. And for some reason I keep thinking of Laudna’s connection to Vox Machina and that she feels like the rebirth of Kerrek’s line in his letter to Keyleth: “Did you know that there are some seeds that cannot sprout unless they are first burned?“ I wish Laudna could’ve had the life she deserved, but I think her capacity to love and feel deeply is informed by the tragedy of her past. 

Chetney: Detective!Travis and comic-relief!Travis are two of my favorite Travises, so of course I adore Chetney. I’m so glad he finally gets to live his lycanthropy dreams! I’m curious about Chetney’s backstory and how much of it will activate the other kind of Travis I love, which is the what-makes-a-good-man!Travis. I love when he gets to explore the themes of masculinity, bravery and worthiness and I feel like Chetney might give him the opportunity to examine them from a very different perspective. Or maybe the wolf will die in three sessions, which is also entirely possible. Travis doesn’t trust Sam and I don’t trust Travis. C’est la vie!

Orym: This little guy! What a wee man! In ExU I was not super into Orym because I felt like he faded into the background next to so much color and character, but it is always the quiet ones who worm their way into my heart in the end. In one way or another Liam’s characters always carry an unspeakable amount of grief with them and that grief usually is for a future that was stolen from them. Vax, Caleb and Orym all had to come to terms with the loss of a version of themselves/their lives that they didn’t get to see or live. But with Orym there is a new kind of twist to this baseline of grief: There seems to be an immense amount of hope stored in this tiny dude; a hope for a life that’s worth living or a future that’s worth fighting for or a revenge that is worth pursuing. There is not a lot of Orym (physically), but every inch of this small man is full of love and hope and a deep sense that there are things worth fighting for. 

I thought about listing my favorite relationship dynamics so far, but the truth is that it is... all of them. I genuinely enjoy all of their interactions and how the characters mesh with each other. Eleven more episodes until I’m caught up and can laugh about my naïve impressions of them as of episode 17. 

#cranes catches up #critical role #long post

[bentrollio]

mohg for the bingo :-)

Man what a guy. Kinda sucks that a lotta his fans are kinda absolute Freaks. Im fascinated by how mohg and Morgott are the consequences of extreme isolation and abuse taken to their extremes. He doesn’t feel evil in a “I had a shitty childhood so now I’m taking it out on people way”, it’s a much more complex and interesting “I was completely isolated and never experienced key steps for healthy socialization with others, and I have a fundamentally flawed understanding of love as something that is inherently tied with pain”. Like, it’s such a well executed and visceral concept and it’s annoying when he’s portrayed in the fandom as evil just for the sake of evil. He sucks shit don’t get me wrong, but at least accurately portray his shittiness.

Genuinely though what an excellent and terrifying concept. An incredibly strong demigod working off of a very isolated and childish understanding of love and power, and limited understanding of how the world works. Don’t even get me started on the themes around motherhood, blood, and birth.

Every day I stand outside GRRMs house asking him to elaborate on mohg and morgotts relationship. Because holy shit, that’s like. A really fucking important relationship if they were together in the shunning grounds. It’s not just your twin, it’s also someone you rely on just to survive. To help you find food and stay warm and defend yourself, and likely the only meaningful social interaction you ever get. I am once again intrigued by the aspect of isolation on these characters and what that realistically means.

Formless mother is awesome and it reminds me a lot of the great ones from bloodborne, and how they too have a fuck ton of themes surrounding blood and childbirth. I think about this in relation to mohg and the formless mother a lot:

Also!!!! I just think large monster men are neat :))))))))) hes got big ol wings, you KNOW those tits are massive to support all those flight muscles. I think they do be bouncing 🙏 his outfit serves cunt and his horns are build in leg rests thank you for reading👍

#elden ring #my posts #sorry this was way longer than I intended #I can’t write a normal amount about him #this should go without saying but no I don’t think his actions are okay in the slightest #he’s a predator. a creep. a weirdo if you will #but I appreciate an interesting character with cool boss music and silly gibbon arms

[vacantgodling]

3, 8, and 14 for Hya and Amon? - @void-botanist

thank you!! :’)

3. Ask them to describe their love interest.

LMAO after wrangling them enough to admit they are Love Interests and In Love (god it’s so hard with these losers) this is what they said:

Hya: “He’s irritating. He’s annoyingly observant, and he loves to talk—just talk and talk away about anything that catches his fancy. Does he have something interesting to say about it? Most times, yes, but why he feels the need for incessant chatter is beyond me. It’s insufferable. And whenever he feels particularly satisfied about something he’ll get this smug grin on his face—you’ll know it when you see it—that hooks you. I want to wipe it off his goddamn face. … He’s also…” *sighs* “Easy to be around. I don’t have to think about what ulterior motives he has, when I’m around him. I don’t like to compliment people, especially not to their faces, but every time he calls himself ugly or puts himself down I want to bash his skull in. If I am so much as willing to be seen with him, then that’s some merit to his physical attributes. To his… ugh, character? I guess. Whatever. He can be such a bitch sometimes about things; like he has a backbone but he acts like he’s afraid that he’s wrong for asserting it. Why can he fight on everyone else’s behalf but his own? I’ve met many shit stains in my life and he isn’t one of them. He’s more… noble than he allows himself to see. Aside from just putting up with my shit. But, all in all, he’s just fucking annoying okay? Fuck off.”

Amon: “There’s two sides of a person that you’ll notice when you first meet Hyacinthus Shrapnel. The first is the faux lord; he’s beautiful—blessed by the gods, some would say, with his dark eyes and hair, long lashes and full lips; stunning physique accentuated with robes fit for a king. No, no one would blame you for taking a liking to him just on appearance alone. Then there are his internal attributes, which are… less so. I’d call this side of him the “animal.” He’s crass, he’s arrogant, vain beyond measure, and the most genuinely obtuse person you could ever attempt to converse with. He’s bullheaded—there’s no other way to put it. Yet… There’s a third side of Hyacinthus Shrapnel that most never get a chance to see. Not the lord he tries to be, or the caged animal he’s been trained to be… But the man. Hya, the man, feels too many things, so he tries to feel nothing at all. Hya, the man, is so desperate for affection that he denies himself of it—lest he break under the pressure of it. Hya, the man, is so infinitely fascinating and complex that I could spend my entire life trying to understand him, and explore every nook and cranny of his brain until I know it like the back of my own hand. And, I intend to.”

8. Do complex puzzles intrigue or frustrate them?

Amon would get infinitely frustrated by them lol. He likes to be learned and to problem solve but he tends to lack patience in the grand scheme of things. He has patience for very particular things in his life so patience in other areas is lax. Hya enjoys them to an extent if he thinks the payoff is worth it. And the payoff can range from something he’s genuinely curious about, monetary gain, etc. He won’t do it for fun lol there has to be a why.

15. What would they consider a waste of time– other than school or work?

Hya considers a lot of things a waste of time, though I interject with the caveat that he didn’t think he’d have access to a lot of these things or he was taught not to value them from a young age. Things like interpersonal relationships of any kind, religion, being kind or giving for the sake of it. He also thinks, more benignly, that pointless conversation is a waste of time. I will say many of these things he does kind of grow out of or gain a passing appreciation of.

Amon doesn’t think there’s anything that’s a true waste of time. If it exists then to some extent it must be worth doing in his mind.

#hya and amon’s descriptions of each other actually makes me emotional #especially amon #i gotta lay down #s: paramour

[life-set-to-random]

Across the Universe, aka Death Race Turtle-thousand as I like to call it.

Raphael’s episode, so you’d think I’d be all “Hell yes! An entire episode about my main guy! My favorite Turtle takes center stage!”

Yeah, you’d think that, and you’d be wrong. 😑Oddly enough, it’s for the exact opposite reason that I disliked Mikey’s episode.

This one is too good for the wrong reasons. The writers crafted a fascinating universe and premise, populated by charismatic characters who intrigued me. And that’s the problem entirely, I should be stressing over wether Raphael will ever get home, but I find myself wondering how his new friends met and how long they’ve been racing together. What planets are they from? How did they get their bike? How long has the racing circuit been having problems with entrepreneurs trying to turn it into a mindless violent cash grab? Raphael is my all time favorite Turtle, character et all, and I don’t even care if he ever gets home because I’m being drawn into this world he fell into!

This episode reads more like the pilot for a spinoff series than a chapter in the saga of the Hamato brothers. Mind you, a spin-off I would have loved to have seen come to fruition. But such is life. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Someone remind the writing staff what show they’re working on please!

#my childhood #2003 ninja turtles #tmnt 2003 #kevin eastman #peter laird #hamato raphael #motorcycle enthusiast

[cluelesswithadashofsmartass]

Stranger Things Characters Gardening:

<this is my first ever headcanon so don’t hate me>

Steve:

*it’s mama steve need i say more*

*i can imagine him on his knees wearing a straw hat and pink paisley patterned gloves planting a new row of poppies*

*vegetable garden? pssh. he can grow butternut squash and eggplant in his sleep*

*the party have been the main recipients of the vegetables ever since he found dustin’s snack stash and nearly had a heart attack from all of the sugar and salt*

*at first it annoyed them but now they look forward to the brown paper bags full of produce every Friday*

*mans is all natural. he makes his own mulch with the pine needles in the woods*

*back to the flower stuff*

*all of the neighborhood moms and grandmas are jealous of his roses*

*the attempts to find out his secrets have ranged from bribing with baked goods to outright spying on him over the backyard fence*

*they’ll never know*

*they get cut periodically and the ladies all wonder if steve is finally seeing someone*

*nope. they’re for robin after she gets done playing at a game or a competition*

Eddie:

*he’s made multiple attempts at planting a garden*

*it goes wrong for one reason or another*

*the soil is too rocky. he forgot to water them for long stretches at a time. he pulls up the small shoots thinking that they’re weeds*

*he even tried planting weed once. the red and blue lights convinced him not to try again*

*the hellfire club gave him the nickname “plant murderer.” he accepted it and is interchangeable with “dungeon master” during meetings”

*then he heard lucas mention these unkillable potted plants and was intrigued*

*he may or may not have gotten five snake plants*

*his teachers notice that he seems more alert*

*he gets his latest paper back, a red B circled in the upper right corner. he’s shocked, happy, and very confused*

*he drags mike and dustin to the library with him to find out more about snake plants. turns out they release oxygen like a mother*

*those plants are now his babies. he makes a watering schedule and everything*

*dustin relays this to steve. steve takes eddie under his wing*

*great more time with harrington like you’re complaining you hobbit*

Eleven (and the Byers):

*i think eleven would like having a wild garden*

*hopper and joyce take eleven to the hawkins nursery and pick out polinators*

*she likes watching the bees and the butterflies fly from flower to flower. its fascinating to her*

*like eddie, she makes a watering schedule. well, with joyce’s help*

*the hopper cabin soon becomes a hot bed of animal activity. flying insects in the plants, birds grazing from the feeder, hedgehogs going in and out of the homemade burrow, squirrels taking drinks from the man-made pond*

*it’s basically a woods version of eden*

*everyone takes turns tending to the garden. will, jonathan, el, hopper, joyce, and surpisingly argyle alternate making bird seed and weeding the flower beds

*only after hopper made argyle promise not to smoke weed on his property ever again*

*the wooden bee hive is eleven’s favorite spot. sometimes will joins her when they both need to calm down*

*she definitely wants to be a beekeeper*

*she makes flower crowns with the cosmos and daisies

*she made one for joyce once and hopper saw her wearing it. let’s just say it gave him ideas*

Part 2? If so, let me know what characters and what you think they’d like

#headcanons #stranger things #stranger things headcanons #jim hopper #joyce byers #will byers #jonathan byers #steve harrington #eddie munson #eleven #jane hopper #mike wheeler #dustin henderson #hellfire club #first post

[oddishblossom]

Hi....for SVSSS and Banana Fish, no 8 & 9, please.....

Hello, there! 😊

8. Why did you join the fandom?? (Banana fish)

I joined because of Ash. Ok, seriously though it was actually because of Yuri on Ice. I watched Yuri on Ice weekly, back when there was only one episode out, so I was kinda obsessed afterwards! If I saw anything affiliated with Kubo, Yamamoto, or MAPPA, I would be intrigued to at least check it out. Which is what happened when I saw a tumblr post talking about Studio MAPPA’s newest work called Banana fish. I was like “That’s all I need to hear” and went to go watch the 3 episodes that were out. I got hooked immediately 😂. It took me like two scenes into episode 1 to become captain of the Ash Lynx defense squad

8. Why did you join the fandom?? (Scum Villain)

I started watching svsss back in 2020 because it’s mxtx! Saw it on the front page of the tencent app and thought I should watch it. It was also because the idea of shen yuan/shen qingqiu as a character was just immediately entertaining to me. Dying from a fit of anger over a book? Literally me 🤣. After mdzs, I think it was only natural that I would look into svsss. I think to better answer the question I should answer why I joined the mxtx fandom 😊

Funnily enough, it was because of Banana Fish and the MDZS fandom on twitter. I never read the BF manga. And I avoided a lot of spoilers while I watched the anime. But even still, somewhere around the halfway point, Ash talked about Hemingway’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro and I just knew… I KNEW… how this story would end. The parallels were so clear to me. That didn’t stop me from hoping that I was wrong until Episode 24 was released and yeah… That ending ruined me. I don’t regret watching it! But, perhaps watching that show once a week for half a year may not have been the best decision (think I could fill a swimming pool with all of my banana fish tears). Afterwards, I went to twitter to see what the rest of the fans were saying and I saw some posts like “if you were upset with the banana fish ending, go check out mo dao zu shi! the main character dies but comes back to life in the first chapter and he gets a happy ending with his husband and their son” and I was like sign me up!!! I had no idea what donghuas or manhuas or even C-Dramas were, but that all changed after watching the first season of the mdzs donghua. To say I was “hooked” would be an understatement! MXTX writes such fascinating stories! So much of my favorite tropes all in one book. Scum Villain has become so incredibly dear to me! I absolutely adore the characters and the story 🥰

9. What is your favorite fanfic for the fandom? (Banana Fish & SVSSS)

Well I’ve got a LOT I could pick from! There’s so many good ones! But if I had to narrow it down to only one, I would go with Water on Water’s the Way by ADreamingSongbird for Banana Fish. It’s my #1 💖. All I Ever Learned of Love by the same author is a close #2.

For SVSSS, there’s also so many good ones!! There’s like 15 of them that belong in the category of BEST! But if I had to lose all of my bookmarks and were only allowed to keep one… it would be Honesty is Such a Lonely Word by Chrysaliseater. I love that fic so much 🥺❤️. But Honorable Mentions go out to Sweet Tongues, Sharp Teeth, To Stem the Coming Tide, and Linger Till Dawn also by Chrysaliseater. I’ll also have to include Those Hands Pulled Me From The Earth by Sarahyyy, By Omission by Yuu_chi, High Mountain, How I Long by Minimalistless, System Restore by Straightforwardly, We Never Dreamed These Walls by Straightforwardly, Parenting Shenanigans by Jayfeather63 and ok I have to stop now or else I’ll never shut up

Fandom Ask Game

#thanks for the ask! #sorry this is so late :) #asks #anonymous #lucy answers #svsss #banana fish #fic recs

[sminny-wew]

“You Ain’t Got the Soul”: A Sonic Theory on Robots and Life Energy

The following was written prior to the release of Issue 50, which I still haven’t read

From the chick who brought you that “The Deadly Six's one-note characterization in Sonic Lost World is being retconned by the IDW Comics as a symptom of the cruel and selfish conservative culture that is Zeti society” theory comes a whole new beast lol

So while the writing in the Sonic comic series from IDW Publishing isn’t perfect (lots of people have circulated the image of Shadow stubbornly getting infected by the Metal Virus, a consequence of SEGA demanding that Shadow be written with very specific characterization in mind), there is a lot that it not only does well, but even pleasantly surprises me with. I love the new characters this series adds to the world of Sonic: Tangle and Whisper are fun allies, the logical Dr. Starline is a wonderful contrast to the creative Dr. Eggman, Mimic and Clutch are both intriguing villains that I want to see more of, Surge and Kit are exciting takes on the Sonic fandom’s fascination with glitches, and Belle is just a delight, no matter what any disgruntled party may say about her. In fact, she’s kind of the reason I wanted to write this post. Well, her, and this scene from Issue 4 of the Imposter Syndrome miniseries:

Say what you will about the fight itself, but Surge’s comment here is what I want to focus on. She sees Metal Sonic as any other badnik: a soulless robot, a hunk of junk, a thing with no heart or soul that could never be real, not like her.

But the comic, and even the games themselves, prove the opposite to be true. And the IDW crew in particular seem to be doing it in a way that makes use of something that has nebulously existed since Sonic 1, but was first properly addressed in Sonic Lost World.

(Quick note: I’ll only be using examples from the games and the IDW comics as they are considered canon material; as much as I love Ian Flynn’s run on the Archie Comics and how Shadow was characterized there, those comics are no longer supported by SEGA and thus will be ignored here.)

Buckle up, folks, this one’s gonna get long

Sonic the Hedgehog as a franchise is primarily geared towards kids. That’s just how SEGA wants to operate it and it’s very unlikely to change, no matter what tone the games may take on. But like any other piece of kids’ media, Sonic is no stranger to exploring more emotionally-mature themes. After all, Gamma’s entire story in Sonic Adventure is about him gaining self-awareness, recognizing with Amy’s help that Eggman’s cruel and power-hungry agenda is wrong, and enacting mercy killings to free the animals trapped inside each of his E-series “brothers”.

But Gamma is not the only robot in this franchise to demonstrate self-awareness.

Emerl spends the entirety of Sonic Battle imitating others, learning and growing from every character (and Chaos Emerald) he encounters, until his personality eventually evens out. He was a “Gizoid” built by the mysterious Fourth Great Civilization thousands of years ago to be a weapon, but upon being discovered by Eggman’s grandfather Professor Gerald Robotnik, Emerl was apparently given a “soul” like that of Gerald’s granddaughter Maria. I mention Emerl not only because of how his character growth ties into the rest of this post, but because after his destruction, his data was used by Eggman in Sonic Advance 3 to create Gemerl, an enemy-turned-ally prominently featured in the IDW Comics.

Omega may not seem very lively if you don’t know or think much about him, but his debut in Sonic Heroes clearly establishes something: he feels things. Eggman locked him in an abandoned base to guard Shadow, putting him into stasis to boot; when Rouge finds the room holding Shadow and activates his pod, she also unintentionally reactivates Omega, and he is pissed. Since then, he’s defected from Eggman and made his life’s goal to destroy all Eggman robots, motivated entirely by rage. With that said, it isn’t the only emotion he feels: both Team Dark’s story in Heroes and Shadow’s story in Sonic 06 feature moments where Omega displays small glimpses of care for his teammates. If Omega didn’t care about them, why would he bother telling Rouge that the original Shadow must exist somewhere among the clones Eggman created, or bother going into standby mode to help Shadow in the future when he could be fighting badniks in the present instead? Because he isn’t driven by logic, he’s driven by feelings.

Orbot and Cubot are interesting to think about in the context of this post. Compared to badniks (which these two apparently aren’t), Orbot and Cubot have very clear personalities, with Orbot being the more sassy and tired one while Cubot is more scatterbrained. Aside from a few animated series here and some comic books there, Eggman never really had any sort of long-term ally to banter with in canon until these two showed up in Sonic Colors. (Sonic Unleashed tried to give him one with SA-55, who’s basically a proto-Orbot, but the character didn’t stick.) As high and mighty as Eggman may consider himself to be compared to the rest of humanity or any other species, he’s still a human being; human beings are social creatures by nature, we come from families and make friends and adopt pets and talk to coworkers and form communities and send messages across long distances. Thus, it makes sense that Eggman would build robot companions with more lifelike artificial intelligence to keep him company, even if they’re sassy and idiotic (also, it’s more interesting from a writing perspective when characters have someone else to interact with and bounce off of).

And of course, there’s Metal Sonic. I’ll get to him shortly.

First, I gotta talk about Belle, because she helps tie this whole thing together.

It’s no secret that the comics have made a pretty big deal out of Belle, to a point where some fans feel she is hogging the spotlight (for the record, I disagree, but I really don’t want to debate over this). Along with her companion, Motobud, Belle is one of the few remaining robots created by Eggman during his amnesiac “Mr. Tinker” phase, and thus is, literally AND metaphorically, built different from anything Eggman has made. It’s been noted, within canon and by the fandom, that Belle is remarkably lifelike for a badnik: she has free will, she speaks in full sentences, and she doesn’t just feel emotions, she cries actual tears. Belle’s technology is so remarkable that Dr. Starline kidnapped her to examine her AI, and used his findings to mold Surge and Kit into who they are now. And what did he discover was Belle’s secret?

I’m not the first person to point this out, but if you type that binary code above Belle’s head into a translator, you get...

(I just googled “binary translator” and clicked on the first result I saw, the site itself is binarytranslator.com if you’re curious.)

So, what exactly am I getting at? How does this all connect to “life energy”?

The concept of energy as a classical element is nothing new. In Greek mythology, “aether” was considered to be the bonus 5th element that made up the stars and other non-Earthly celestial bodies; its Roman equivalent was called “quintessence” (meaning Voltron didn’t make that word up lol). It’s been utilized under various names in plenty of media, including W.I.T.C.H., Final Fantasy VII, and of course, Sonic Lost World.

Lost World is a game I don’t normally think about that often due to how lackluster its story is (and also I didn’t get my Wii U back until recently, so it’s not set up for me to play). But even so, the story has hints of potential at its core, namely in the fact that it delves a little deeper into Eggman’s process of creating badniks and why he tends to use living beings to power them.

Since Sonic 1, Eggman has been capturing animals to use as organic batteries for his badniks; he occasionally uses alternative power sources, such as Little Planet’s flower seeds in Sonic CD, Power Cores in Sonic Heroes, and Chaos Drives in Sonic 06, but for the most part he sticks to using animals. In that sense, he is harnessing the animals’ life energy to power his badniks and act as their AI.

In Lost World, where life energy is directly named and addressed for the first time, Eggman creates a machine called the Extractor in order to siphon life energy directly from the planet itself, which the machine condenses into a green liquid. However, the Extractor could only borrow a limited amount of energy without completely destroying the planet (you can’t rule the planet if there isn’t one left to rule). After the Deadly Six broke free from Eggman’s control, they used the Extractor to drain the planet and its inhabitants of all their life energy, hoping to make themselves stronger and destroy the world.

And when Tails reprograms the Extractor to give the planet back its life, all the plants that withered into husks are shown re-growing leaves.

This establishes that people, animals, plants, etc. all have life energy in them.

But what about robots?

Emerl and Belle are both explicitly stated to have souls. If Gerald “gave” Emerl a soul, that may very well mean that he cared enough for Emerl that some of his life energy made its way into the Gizoid. Belle regards Mr. Tinker as her father: he is her creator not only in the sense that he built her, but that he brought a child, a new life, into the world.

Gamma, despite being powered by a Flicky with its own will and desires, developed a soul.

Orbot, Cubot, and Omega all have clear personalities and wills. Though none of them are powered by animals (Omega is debatable but I can’t remember for certain if he is), it could be argued that they, too, all have a piece of Eggman’s life energy in them to make them stand apart from standard badniks.

Which brings me back to Metal Sonic.

Despite being referred to as a badnik, Metal apparently isn’t powered by an animal (which makes sense, see the other power sources I mentioned before). We don’t know what exactly he runs on, but I firmly believe that like his “sister” Belle, he possesses some amount of Eggman’s life energy inside him.

Although Eggman has been known to be cruel to his creations and even neglectful of them, Metal is different. Metal isn’t just some mass-produced badnik, Eggman specifically created him to match Sonic’s speed and power. He put a lot of work into perfecting such a robot, so of course he’s not going to just throw Metal away, but his dedication and commitment to this one specific badnik speaks volumes.

Metal Sonic is Dr. Eggman’s golden child.

Seeing Metal Sonic is what causes Mr. Tinker to revert back into Eggman, and in the image on the right he literally calls Metal a work of art. Eggman is clearly very proud of Metal, even when he fails, and is dedicated to Metal’s upkeep. Metal is also the only badnik known to be able to scan and copy life data (which he’s done at least 3 times: Sonic Heroes, Sonic Free Riders, and the first saga of the comics), the only other robot capable of doing so being Emerl, a Gizoid. And as far as I know, Metal doesn’t need to be in his Neo form in order to do that (though apparently it’s the only form where he can talk with an actual voice).

As for a personality and desires, it’s been made clear in games like Sonic Heroes that although he knows he is a robot, Metal Sonic sees himself as the one true Sonic: a clear indicator of a superiority complex. He also mimics a lot of Sonic’s gestures in apparent mockery. And though he’s otherwise completely loyal to the Eggman Empire, he’s no stranger to rebellion.

One of my favorite one-off stories in the IDW comics is “Reflections”, a story written by Caleb Goellner, featured in the 2020 Sonic Annual, and set during the Metal Virus saga. Because Metal can’t talk in his base form, there’s almost no dialogue, except for a few lines from Dr. Starline. As a result, the storytelling is 99% visual. Basically, Metal Sonic wanders around Eggman’s Faceship until he finds a vat of the Metal Virus in Starline’s lab. There’s also a screen showing footage of Sonic being infected by the virus. Seeing all this, and checking that the coast is clear, Metal Sonic hesitantly dips his finger into the vat...

...and the stuff just slides off his finger, because it can’t infect what’s already made of metal.

If this doesn’t convey the extent of Metal’s feelings of envy towards Sonic, I don’t know what does.

And thus, we finally wrap back around to Surge.

Starline created Surge not just to replace Sonic as the world’s hero, but to be a better match for him than Metal Sonic. Metal’s sense of superiority as the “real” Sonic stems from him being a machine and lacking the perceived limitations of an organic lifeform. His systems can overheat and he needs to recharge, but he doesn’t need to sleep, eat, or breathe. He can be dented and has to be repaired, but he doesn’t bruise or bleed (as much as a kids’ comic will allow). Sonic may be fast and strong but he’s also made of flesh and blood. Sonic needs rest, food, and oxygen, because he’s organic. Metal doesn’t, because he’s a robot. If he can do everything Sonic can, but without the hassle of getting tired, then Metal must be the superior Sonic, right?

Surge, on the other hand, is a cyborg. She needs air, but she’s also less fragile than the average person. Thanks to Starline giving her cellular upgrades with a modified form of the Metal Virus, Surge can survive the crushing weight of a badnik’s spike hand, something that could seriously hurt Sonic if he couldn’t dodge, with nothing but a few scrapes. And despite her current personality and memories being fabricated by Starline through the use of both Belle and Neo Metal Sonic’s coding, she’s still a living person who thinks and feels independently.

Surge is, logistically speaking, the perfect balance between Sonic and Metal. She can match practically all of Sonic’s abilities, from superspeed to consuming chilidogs, but with the enhancements of a machine. And I strongly believe that because of this, Metal sees/will come to see her as a threat to his goal to become the “real” Sonic. Maybe even form a rivalry with her.

Maybe I’m looking too deep into something that isn’t there. But then again, these comics are written by Ian Flynn and Evan Stanley, and in all 15+ years that he’s written for Sonic comics, Ian has been known to recycle lesser-known and poorly handled characters and concepts with impressive results. And as someone who engages in character design, I can only commend him for it. He’s already made readers open their hearts (pun intended) to the Deadly Six, you never know who or what else he might put a fresh spin on next.

TL;DR: I theorize that more advanced badniks/robots like Metal Sonic, Belle, Orbot, Cubot, Gamma, Omega, and Emerl (+ Gemerl by extension) are more lifelike than standard badniks/robots due to possessing some amount of their creator’s (or studier’s, in Emerl’s case) life energy, a concept which was properly introduced in Sonic Lost World and is arguably the whole reason Eggman primarily uses animals to power his badniks. These robots’ possession of life energy stems from how invested their creators are in their construction/maintenance, and plays a role in them developing feelings (Belle seeing her creator as her father) and desires (Metal Sonic wanting to be the true, superior Sonic).

#sonic the hedgehog #idw sonic #sonic lost world #metal sonic #belle the tinkerer #surge the tenrec #media analysis

[killsandthrills]

Why do you like Karn so much? I’m honestly asking because I pretty much just see a space nazi.

because i don’t actually get space nazi from him like… at all (or at least, not yet). the one thing we know about syril for certain is that he’s a highly principled guy. he cares about doing what’s right (well, what he thinks is right) and even defied his superior to do so. he has a strong sense of justice (like so fucking strong lol), but he has no idea that the people he was working for and will probably continue to work for are corrupt as fuck. he’s almost a foil to cassian in that way, in that both of them want to do what they think is right, but they have completely different means of going about it. syril thinks justice comes from inside the government… from the rule of law (and he’s wrong about that), while cassian just wants to burn it all down. it’s really fascinating stuff to see and i’m thrilled that a character like syril exists to give that other point of view. i honestly can’t wait to see where his storyline goes… he intrigues me so much!

also, can we talk about his mom?! i’m dying to talk about the scene with his mom lol.

#i hate that i only seem to gravitate towards characters like syril… would love to like a different kind one day lmaoo #andor #syril karn #andor spoilers #star wars #asks #anon

[sebastiankeepsbustingmyballs]

Matchup pt2: Other Matches

Warning: Slight spoilers for Book Of Circus ahead.

Note: I just wanted to let you know that there’s nothing wrong with you and you seem wonderful. Feel free to ship yourself with or love any character you like platonically or romantically and I hope you like this.

Vincent Phantomhive!

Why it would work:

Going off of MBTI, Vincent is an ENTP and ENTPs seem to be very interested in INFJs. I also think that he’d become very fascinated by your way of thinking as well as your love for reading. Vincent would appreciate your views towards others and due to that, he’d definitely be able to open up to you a bit. He’d really like how you appreciate the small things as he tends to as well. As for your beliefs on religion, I don’t think that he’d judge how open minded you are to the subject but do keep in mind that he was raised in a time where people weren’t very understanding of spirituality and other beliefs so as much as he’d like hearing about it from you, he may want you to not be as open about it with others.

Why it wouldn’t work:

Although Vincent would find you intriguing, I feel like his personality might be a bit too similar to yours for your liking. He’s also known to tease so he may not always realize that something could offend you. I can see that because of how deep your mind is, Vincent might view you as sort of a fun challenge a little bit more than a love interest. If we’re going off of MBTI again then the way that INFJs tend to handle or experience things often come from feeling and for Vincent that may also be a bit difficult due to him usually focusing on what he thinks rather than feels.

Spoiler part:

Why it would work:

His past and his current life is pretty serious in terms of ‘not positive’ so I think that it would be really great for him that you always try to look for the light in others. The assumption of you being naive is what would attract him to you to begin with and he’d be pleasantly surprised to know about what kind of person you are. Joker would view your elegant style as very charming and would be very understanding of your interests in anything spiritual. Your love for animals is also what attracts him and he’d love to introduce you to any of the animals he has in the Noah’s Ark Circus. He can be a bright and cheery guy so he’ll always want to make you feel happy and safe.

Why it wouldn’t work:

Joker is a sweet guy but I don’t think the relationship would be very healthy considering some not-so-great things he does. I get that you want to see the light in people but he may have issues with that due to some of the things he’s done. Joker also may not fully get your interest in psychology as he tends to not focus too much or be very interested in how the mind works. He may have moments where he’ll interrupt you when your talking about it because he wants to more physically active things rather than mentally or emotionally active things. Joker also likes to tease people and a lot more than Vincent so it could really end up upsetting you when he’s not careful.

#vincent phantomhive #joker black butler #black butler matchup #black butler #kuroshitsuji

[lilareviewsbooks]

My December Reading Wrap-Up

I thought I'd do one of these since I don't really do in-depth reviews for all the books I read! I might do some bigger ones for some of the books on this list, but if I do that, then I'll come back and link them! 

Nona the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir - 4/5

This is the third book in the beloved Locked Tomb series, and follows a mixed cast of new and old characters in a - as is common in this series - mysterious setting. I often wondered, while reading this installment, if there's too much mystery in this series. Sometimes I feel like we don't know too much... But I think it's mostly my lack of patience talking. Also, I might just have read this at the wrong time - it was finals week, after all, and I did really, really just want to know.

I think most of what can be said about this series has been said, and all I can add is, it fucking rocks. It's confusing and it's beautiful! And I want to make Daniel Greene's words my own: I think the writing has been becoming consistently better and better at each installment, which includes cutting down ever-so-slightly on the lyricism and finding a difficult balance between that style and objectiveness.

The Hedge Knight & The Sworn Sword, by George R R Martin - 5/5

These are two novellas compiled in the A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms collection. They tell the story of Dunk and Egg, an unlikely pair of squire and knight who journey around the world of Game Of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire having adventures!

This was wonderful! I loved being back in this world after my short break (I was praying for Winds Of Winter) and The Tales of Dunk and Egg are the perfect bite-sized version of my beloved ginourmous ASOIAF books, with just a little more cheerfullness than usual. I'm excited to get to next ones, but dreading finishing up all the ASOIAF content I have left!

A Desolation Called Peace, by Arkady Martine - 5/5

This is the second (and final?) installment of the Teixcalaan series, and it was just as incredible as the first one! Full of politics, intrigue and gayness, this one blew me away. It continues to follow the adventures of Mahit Dzamere as she navigates the politics of the Teixcalaan Empire as the envoy of the tiny Lsel Station - whose culture is slowly being swallowed up by the Empire. 

This one, like I've said before in my more-in-depth review of the whole series, plays out almost like the movie Arrival. Adding to the previous themes of culture, imperialism and linguistics, Ms. Martine brings in first contact with alien cultures and different conceptions of language and consciousness. A fascinating read, and one I'd highly recommend to anyone into The Locked Tomb.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, by Foz Meadows - 3/5

This one has such a nice premise, and one of my favorite tropes: arranged marriage! I thought it would fill my Winter's Orbit-shaped hole, but it only went so far. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance follows Vel as he moves from his homophobic society to a tolerant one for an arranged marriage to Cae, while healing from a traumatic event in his life.

It sounded right up my alley, and although I did find the world-building and concept very interesting, I found that the characters and especially the dialogue lacked some luster. The plot also felt stretched, as if there were 100 pages added on for good measure when they should have been cut. Furthermore, I think the structure - having one of the POVs be in the first person, and the other, in the third - wasn't very smart and only served to distance us from one of the characters. Overall, a mediocre read with very nice world-building -- I'll be on the look-out for Ms. Meadows further endeavours!

Ocean's Echo, by Everina Maxwell - 4.5/5

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, and it did not disappoint! I loved Winter's Orbit so much, for its characters and for its world-building, and so I was very excited to see where Ms. Maxwell was going to take us next.

This installment was so much fun! It introduced us to new facets of the world, which was so exciting! And Ms. Maxwell really manages to thread a delicate line, keeping a balance between romance and sci-fi really, really well. There was a bit too much back-and-forth with the romance for me, but apart from that, this was amazing!

All The Horses of Iceland, by Sarah Tolmie - 3/5

Pitched as a fairy tale-esque origin story for - guess what - all the horses of iceland, this story follows our Icelandic protagonist as he travels with a merchant troupe of mostly Jewish traders. Although it had its strong moments - which I talked about more in my in-depth review - the story abandons its pretensions and mostly focuses on our main character's personal life, which I didn't find as interesting. 

Binti & Binti: Sacred Fire, by Nnedi Okorafor - 3/5

Binti follows the homonymous main character, the first of the oppressed Himba people to attend the prestigious Oomza University. But her journey there isn't as easy as it might seem...

As an immigrant attending college in another country, it was hard not to relate to Binti. And the world building was interesting and original - such a nice mix between actual cultures and alien ones! But I didn't love Binti, unfortunately. Everything felt too rushed for me (especially the ending of Binti, and the subsequent plot of Binti: Sacred Fire), as if it was almost trying to be a novel in novella format. In short, its just not perfect for this format!

The Genesis of Misery, by Neon Yang - 3/5

The Genesis of Misery follows title-character Misery Nomaki as the people around her decide she is the chosen Messiah, due to her communications with God, which she knows to be a symptom of her hereditary "void-madness".

This was my second shot at Mx. Yang's fiction, and I came out of it, once again, underwhelmed. As with the Tensorate Series, I found the first half of the book and its world-building exceptionally good, -- love a good queer-normal world!! -- and then was disappointed by the second half. The character development becomes wobbly, and the twist The Genesis of Misery relies on for its second half to work is half-baked (though its final twist is pretty nice). I'll probably write more about this in the future, but in general I thought it was half-baked, quite literally.

Mamo, by Sas Milledge - 4/5

This graphic novel follows Jo and Orla, a witch, as they attempt to properly bury Orla's Mamo, her grandmother, in order to help their town. Although quite simple, Mamo features some pretty nice art and character design. Plus, the plot is interesting -- but a bit drawn out, spanning five volumes, and it depends too much on Orla's info-dumping monologues. In general, however, it's an enjoyable read -- and, did I mention? It's gay!

#reading wrap up #fantasy books #scifi books #queer books #queer #queer reads #book reviews #book recommendations #the locked tomb #asoiaf #dunk and egg #a desolation called peace #teixcalaan #a strange and stubborn endurance #ocean's echo #winter's orbit #all the horses of iceland #binti #the genesis of misery #mamo #wlw books #sapphic books #mlm books #achillean books