If Heroes Are Supposed To Help Those In Need, Comfort The Distressed And Protect The Vulnerable, Then

The First Murder of Twice/Jin Bubaigawara

one of the more heatedly debated topics in the My Hero Academia Fandom, Is the death of the mentally ill villain Twice/Jin Bubaigawara, at the hands of pro hero Hawks/Keigo Takami.

The debate is a facinating view of how each individual reader interprets justice, morality, when and when not killing should be allowed by law officers, should it be avoided at all costs? or should there be times where it is allowed?

On one side of the argument, is the fact that Twice WAS running off to help his comrades, and his briefly surviving clone did murder a pro hero to accomplish this goal.

on the other hand, there is the fact that Hawks stabbed a man who was running away from him, and sought to speciffically kill him, rather than knock unconcious, or capture. Further, his motivation was very speciffically, that he regarded twice as too powerfull to live, and simply a threat that was too massive to be allowed to exist in this world on the wrong side of the law.

There has been much and more debate about this topic, but i am not actually here to discuss the morality of Twice’s actual death.

Rather i wish to take a look at the first time Hawks tried to kill Twice, and show just how unheroic Hawks was while doing it.

The confrotation between Hawks and Twice begins as The number 2 hero ambushes him during the beginnng of the war arc, easily subduing the man he deems the biggest threat on the villains side.

after getting Twice into a position where he is in complete control, Hawks decides to lay it all out on the table. essentially, he’s monologuing for his audience because his ultimate goal at this moment is to convert his enemy into his ally, to make him switch sides. and that begins by laying out just how screwed Twice is.

What is very interesting here, is that Hawks flat out says he’s going to capture Twice and hand him over to the authorities. which is absolutely the right thing to do. That is his job, and i dont think anyone would argue othervise. capturing criminals alive and then bring them to justice, is what law enforcement should idealy be about, and it is most certainly the ideal of hero work within the context of MHA.

That however, comes with a price tag.

Hawks is willing to capture Twice, and even help him out on the path of becoming a law abiding citizen… if he’s willing to ideologically change, and turn to the same path as Hawks did.

what i dont want to do in this post is to debate the reasons for WHY hawks reacts this way(as that would require a full character post on him in his entierty). What i want to discuss, is the complete flip Hawks does once it become’s clear that Twice isnt going to join his side.

the very first thing he does Twice makes it clear he’s not going to cooperate the way hawks wants to, he immediatly turns this mission from capture, to kill, as his very first act is to slice off Twice’s arm, something that would at best have maimed him for life if it hadnt been for twice’s great strides in his abilities in the previous villain arc. this ability to replace lost limbs isnt something Hawks would be familiar with, given its the first time in the series both Jin, and the audience gets to see it.

the point here, is that the moment twice makes it clear where Hawks can shove it, he ditches all ideas of capturing him alive, and relatively unharmed, and switches straight to Lethal force.

and the worst part of it all is that at any point, Hawks could have ended this non lethally by knocking Twice out.

in the brief time where hawks and Endeavour teamed up, there was a very brief scene where a very minor villain tried to get revenge on his ex-company. 

the scene is very, very brief, and Hawks deals with it in one panel, knocking the guy in question out withouth even focusing on him.

This scene at the time was there both establish Hawk’s strength and quirk, and to act as a funny gag. in hindsight however, this very silly scene has a much more darker purpose. its there to showcase that Hawke is completely capable of knocking out people in one single blow to the back.

He could have done to Twice what he did to this random villain at any point during their confrontation, and he simply doesnt. 

he decides, after realising that Twice isnt going to become a hero no matter what, that he has to die.

after violently making mincemeat of twice’s first assault, Hawks gives Twice one more chance to yield, and come to the other side.

and when predictably, twice tells him to fuck off, he decides to end it, but while doing so, he uses some really interesting language. and this little detail is a very interesting one i never really noticed before i made this article. Hawks actually tapes this next part. he makes sure to record it, presumably for legal use. and what does he focus on in this next part, which he knows might one day be used in court?

he speciffically, makes sure to mention how villains like Twice refuse to get knocked out, to make it seem like he had no choice but to do what he’s about to do.

and without video to contradict him, who’s to say that he wasnt? he is free to spin this little encouter any way he wants. twice is after all resisting, so who’s to say hawke was in a position to knock him out?

The readers however, was shown that scene in the previous arc for a reason. to showcase that this is all bullshit on Hawks part.

Hawks is completely capable of knocking out Twice non lethaly here, and frankly speaking, he could, and should have ended this the moment he had him surrounded by his telekenetic feathers at the start of this match.

he beats him to the ground and prepares to murder him in cold blood, all while making sure to speciffically talk into the mic about how this battle has reached a point where one of them has to die, when it clearly has not.

even disregarding that hawks is capable of knocking twice out at any time in this battle, at this point, hawks doesnt even need any of that. 

Twice is beaten. he is bested. he is helpless, and not capable of posing any threat to hawks anymore. he IS resisting, but he is about as much danger to Hawks at this point as a small child with a set of bow and arrows made of twigs and twine is to a knight in plated steel.

there is NOTHING Twice can do here to escape his predicimant, or beat hawks.

which is really what makes what Hawks is doing here so chilling. as he has him on the ground, and Twice prepares his final pointless struggle, Hawks brings down the sword, fully preparing to murder him.

this is flat out murder. and not a murder in the heat of the moment either. this is a planned, and calculated one, where he prepped the legal justification he would need for it. Hawks prepared a freaking script to make the situation look much more dire for him than it actually were to justify killing twice.

For me, this scene is far, FAR more important than the actual killing that happened shortly afterwards. because this is the moment that shows that there is nothing noble, or heroic about the way Hawks killed twice. he had every single opportunity to avoid it, and end it quickly, but he decided on his own, that if Twice wasnt going to dance to his script, he HAD to die.

he decided that HE was the arbitrator of life and death, that he had both the right and the duty, to be both jury, judge, and executioner. 

i dont know about you, but i really dont think anyone could argue that his attempt to kill Twice as he laid on the ground could in any way be called self defence, or saving anyone.

To me, its just a murder, perpetrated by an officer of the law, who went out of his way to make sure that this would not fuck him over if it ever ended up in a court.

The Russians are bloody butchers - now this will finally see the light of day

We know that it is not difficult for Russians to cut off an ear or something else, especially with our soldiers and patriots under occupation. Or just because we are Ukrainians.

Please keep spreading our voices and donate to our army and combat medics (savelife.in.ua, prytulafoundation.org, Serhii Sternenko, hospitallers.life, ptahy.vidchui.org, and u24.gov.ua).

Ukrainians, please take care of yourselves, and react to the air alarm. I wish everyone sweet dreams, except Russians and their supporters.

Hi! What would a traditional bride from Śląsk wear on her wedding day?

Hello! Answering your question might be a bit complicated, because Śląsk is quite a large area divided into two main subregions [Górny Śląsk - Upper Silesia and Dolny Śląsk - Lower Silesia], each having several types of costumes. However, there are some common elements that I might show you below.

Most of Silesian brides would wear: a jacket/blouse called jakla [often in black colour seen as the most elegant/dignifying - but it was changing with time and fashion trends], a skirt painted or embroidered with floral motifs [common in most of Silesian festive clothing] and a so-called “turkish shawl” [chusta turecka with decorative patterns and fringe] worn over the shoulders. One of characteristic elements is also a wreath/crown made usually from green myrtle - and the flower crowns were reserved for the bridesmaids during the wedding that [in general, flower wreaths would be worn only by unmarried women].

Here’s example from Bytom - clothing called strój rozbarski after Rozbark that is nowadays district of the Bytom city [source]:

Another shot of the Bytom wedding costume [source]:

Here you have a presentation of wedding clothing from Mysłowice city [source]:

Couple from modern-day Katowice, beginning of 20th century [source]:

Two examples from Siemianowice Śląskie, 1930s and beginning of 20th century [source]:

Two photographs from the beginning of 20th century showing couples from Racibórz on their wedding day [sources: 1,2]:

Another example from Racibórz, second picture shows the act of changing the wreath to a married woman’s head covering [source]:

And the same custom of changing the wreath to a headwear on the example of Bytom costume [source]:

In general, the myrtle wreaths were so important, that most of the brides would later keep them in a flat showcase on the wall as a memorial of the wedding [image below is a printscreen from the Silesian Museum’s virtual tour]:

The black jakla jacket might look a bit boring at the first sight [as I’ve heard before] - but it’s only an effect on badly balanced photographs… just look at these details [source]:

This is just a quick reply that focuses on the Upper Silesia region, but I hope it gives you a good picture.

[note to self: I should post more examples from Silesia]

Kherson region.

People and animals being rescued for more than a day.

Fucking russians.

An excellent list of organizations that can help Ukraine :

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shame corner

I’m very tired. you probably heard that Russia destroyed the Kakhovka Dam to slow Ukraine’s counter offensive. here’s something I didn’t qui

adult animation appreciation post bc we've got some good shows lately

Bojack Horseman

a lot of us know it and love it, but for the ones who never got around to it, PLEASE watch it at some point in your life. it has so many good storylines centered around depression, addiction, sexism, repercussions of child abuse, and the daily struggles of living in this messed up world that we all know and can relate to. it'll punch you in the gut with some of the most unique storytelling you'll see in your life

Tuca & Bertie

created by the lead character designer of Bojack, this show may seem like a spinoff from the look but it isn't in the slightest. created and starring amazing women and letting women be funny in their own unique way that feels so genuine and following the story of these two crazy bird friends, I cannot tell you the emotional rollercoaster this one took me on. our mains struggle with anxiety and sexual harassment, with some great queer rep, and the stories are so fun and inventive that you can't help but have a blast

Final Space

I could talk about this show for DAYS, but I already have in this post so I won't go on a massive rant rn. it may look like a normal little scifi comedy show at the beginning, but this show'll blow you away with plot for days. if you want an action show that has consistent storylines, here ya go. it's so heartfelt, and it has stories revolving around coping with loss and loneliness by building new connections and new families, and it rips your heart out while leaving you shook over how great the animation and the soundtrack is

Castlevania

this one is insane. it is super gorey and violent with tons of swearing, but if you like that stuff you'll love this one. vampires and action with some stunning animation drags you in quickly, and the plotline is actually really good and you'll end up feeling for the characters so hard. their struggles are so investing and even if there's blood every second, it still manages to hook you quickly and wanna know what happens next. still haven't seen the new season yet, but I bet it's great

Primal

created by Genndy Tartakovsky, the legend behind Samurai Jack, so you already know this one is good. it's a short miniseries but whoo boy is it good. the animation is so nice, and this one is so unique. following the story of a caveman and a dinosaur becoming unlikely companions after loss, there is no dialogue. that makes it such a unique experience and it gets so emotional with some pure raw emotions that just crush you

The Midnight Gospel

the newest addition to the family, created by Pendleton War, the genius behind Adventure Time, this one messed me up in ways that I can't even put into words yet. it's an animated podcast with crazy trippy animation behind it and holy shit it is so unique. it takes time to process everything going on, but once in you get in the flow of it it hits you with emotions. following a guy who goes into a simulator to different worlds to interview people for his spacecast, expect for some great discussions of the struggles of hoping, coping with loss, and meditation. take your time with this one, it is so beautiful and funny

adult western animation is finally swinging up, and these are only some of the good ones. thought it would be good to advertise how not adult animation is ugly and just gross humor all the time, because people are finally telling stories that only adults can understand and relate to and feel, and I for one am absolutely here for it

Lilia bringing Silver to the Briar Valley (1999, colorized)

in shades of violet ; 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 — (part 2) .

pairing: gale x gn/fem!reader

authors note: uh HIIIII, this is proof I'm not dead, my heart is just suffering from another fandom :') posted from my ao3 account hurhur

disclaimer: gale and tav but with the line: "I will stand with you between the heavens and the Earth, I will tell you where you are, do you love me? - I love you!"

The silence clouded your shared camp with an unforgiving hush, the wind particularly brisk, and the whisper of the trees seemingly more pronounced. Those words spoken by Mystra's Chosen, deafening in their own heavy deliverance, refused to leave your crowded mind. The unforgiving visitor sang ill-sickening horrors that twisted your mind onto your own, thankfully not driven to insanity on the part of Shadowheart's found artifact. But there was more to this; more to find on the journey ahead. Paths left untrailed, answers yet unfound... this couldn't have been our last resort. You were to make sure of it. You could tell in the way Gale’s eyebrows knitted together, the way he bit his cheek, how his chest seemed to fall faster than before Elminster’s disrupted visit. The tension was suffocating, you couldn’t stand it. Just then, you had found your chest falling rapidly all the same… but not in a sense of sadness, nor of fear. But in rage. The Goddess asked of something you had found irrational, and even if the Gods held you back with all their might, they could not obstruct your determination.

“Time seems so infinite when you’re young… a month is an age, a year is a lifetime…” Your ears prickled upon hearing the wizard speak. His voice hummed with a self-deprecating laugh; you could hear the ache in his heart. “It is a strange feeling, to realize how little of it one might have left.” It was as if all light had fallen from his eyes. Once hazel in sunlight, once sparkling with awe and curiosity. You refused to have him snuffed out as if simply candlelight; you will preserve and hold his heavy heart for as long as you’ll have him. You turned to face Gale, your eyebrows furrowing in disbelief, a scoff leaving your throat harshly.

“You can’t possibly consider what She is asking of you.” Your voice slightly raised, you advanced towards Gale, your eyes sharing his with your unrelenting hold. You noticed Adam’s apple bob, he swallowed, slightly intimidated by you. But with a clench of his jaw, he stepped backward, clearing his throat.

“Of course, he offered the clearest solution to our problem,” he began. You frowned. “All I have to do is find the right place and time, close my eyes, and... well, let go.” He spoke as if it were a simple task. As if Gale had nothing to lose and everything to give. But how wrong he was, oh, how your heart cried due to Gale’s blindness. “Then the slate will be clean, wrongs will be righted, the Absolute will be gone… and I along with it.” His tone sauntered to a sort of grief... to a sort of realization.

“You’re an idiot. An idiot to think so,” your voice wobbled, your eyes threatened with tears. Gale’s façade had begun to falter as soon as your broken sentence left your lips, his heart ached for what he thought he could not have. “It’s a suicide mission. I can’t let you, not when there’s… undoubtedly, another way. There must be.” You looked away, shame rosing your cheeks in its warming triumph. You couldn’t let yourself go just yet.

“That… this, isn’t a choice either one of us can make Tav,” Gale spoke, his hand lifting to rest on your shoulder. In response, you bucked away from him, shaking your head. “It is your decision! It’s your life, and you are what you make of it!” Your throat began to seize up, burning with an intention to release your tears, but you fought it. You marched towards him; he stepped back in return. “I understand she is your Goddess; I understand your devotion. But what about… oh, lords above." A hand fell over your lips, cursing… your heart racing in your ceased thoughts. It was clawing at you; your love was destined to put your heart to ruin if you had let Gale continue his newly found mission… how badly you wished to speak of your daydreams; your fantasies; your devotion for the wizard, a love you had wished to grow old with. Had it only been a few weeks on your travels, if not months, and you were completely transfixed in his pretty words and captivating conversations… for it did not take long to realize your affections. But it hurt. It hurt more than poets could write on tarnished paper; more than the absence of a lover; more than the moon’s unrequited love for the sun. It tore at every seam of your heart.

Gale frowned, eyes catching yours as his hand lifted your face by his touch. “Speak to me.” He whispered now, the Earth around you began to shift in a mystic purple, caressing your skin with its doting charm. Your lip curled, and your heart pounded against your chest, bound to be left free from its cage. And so, you spoke.

“Do you love me?” Plain and true to your question, Gale blinked, taken aback… his hand fell. The Weave flickered by Gale’s fluttered heart.

“I’m doing this to protect you. To protect you all.” His response did not align with what you had asked him.

“Do you love me?” You continued to push your question.

“It wouldn’t… Tav, we couldn’t, you know this. We can’t—”

“Do you love me?” You advanced towards him, feet hot on his trail as he looked at you, small in your gaze. Gale stuttered in response, excuses falling from his lips. A deep purple smothered the both of you. “Do you love me!”

“Tav! Please, stop! Stop this!” Gale raised his voice in return, your lips twitched in your abrupt pause. The darkened purple was hushed now to its softened twinkle.

“Is this because you think you’re protecting me or yourself? Do you truly believe that if you do this, my love for you will simply shy away? Because it can’t.” Gale's eyes searched yours desperately as if his puppy browns could find anything within you. “I love you, Gale.” The way you had pronounced his name clearly in your sweetened words; the way you spoke plainly alone of your love held his heart in your divine chamber. And he wished to never leave it. “I love you so much that I will do as you wish. If you do not love me, all you have to say is you do not love me, and I will leave you to Mystra’s command.” Gale could not speak. Whatever he had wished to say to you had left his mind… it did not live up to what you were proposing, he only had your words coddled in his brain. His mouth was left agape, watching you speak.

You continued. “We will find the heart of the Absolute. I will leave you to Her command and I will go on with my days without you. All on my own, I will do that. But first, you have to say that you do not love me.” A quiet hushed over your words, his lips seemed to move; seemed to move in hopes to say something, but his voice was trapped. Gale’s mouth had gone dry, his mind enclosed with what he so desperately wished to say to you. “You must tell me that I am utterly alone in this world.” Gale’s eyelashes fluttered; his once gazing eyes that longed to be lost in yours had disappeared with the shaking of his head. His voice had soon accompanied yours.

“I am a danger; a ticking time bomb that will inevitably detonate,” his words were as though they were a broken record. You sighed, lip quivering. “The Weave is tireless and ever-so hungry. And eventually, I will become lost in it. Once I was lost to celestials above, and… I wish not to have you tangled within my own fault.” Gale had sounded as if almost desperate. You needed to hear it clearly. You needed to.

“Do you love me?” Your words continued to prevail an answer in search of his response. Slowly, he began to back away, hands raised in the hopeless comfort to retreat. But you continued to push, swirls of the Weave hugging your figure.

“You do not wish a life with me for yourself,” Gale kept his gaze on the ground, hands on either hip as he cowered. “No one wishes what I cannot give you.” Within Gale’s sorrow, a shade of violet hung heavy over his shoulders.

“Gale!” Catching his attention, his eyes met yours, fully swept within your pearled orbs. “I will stand with you between the Heavens and the Earth, I will tell you where you are, do you love me!”

“I love you!” With a final gust, shimmers of a royal lilac decorated your face with its beautiful hue. The world seemed to stop, the Weave with it. It had felled from his lips as though it were his last words; devotion he would happily give if he could have only you… disregarding Mystra, disregarding everything he knows for you. Selfish as that may be. A sigh left your lungs, relief soothing you. “From the moment… from the moment you pulled me from that rock. I have loved you desperately—I cannot breathe when you are not near… I love you, Tav." Within your shared breath, the Weave had fallen away… the whispers of the trees were once more, the song of the birds within the twilight… embraced into each other’s arms, a kiss was shared; deep and true, your lips did not tear, if even for a breath. For Gale did not need to breathe, you were his oxygen. His means of breathing; his means of living. But alas, the kiss was broken. You two had held each other, and felt the touch and warmth of each other’s bodies. A comfort Gale was at peace with knowing.

His voice broke through the silence.

“What I carry is darkness,” he whispered. “A suffocating darkness due to my own hubris. Tav, this is my burden. But you…” Gale had brought his hands to cup either side of your face, his softened gaze welcoming yours with the purest of adoration. “You bring the light.” He rested his forehead upon yours, eyes fluttering closed in the embrace of your presence. “I love you. I love you; I love you; I love you.”

“I want you and only you,” you whispered in solace. “I want you until the celestials find their end. Until the Earth cannot carry us no longer. I want you.”

“Then you shall have me.”

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.

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rorichuu!

I know that Peter’s Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy technically has flaws but also….it doesn’t. It’s perfect.

“young adult dystopian novels are so unrealistic lmao like they always have some random teenage girl rising up to inspire the world to make change.”

a hero emerges