PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE

Invalid reasons for why a character should not be redeemed:

They’re too evil! - Redemption has nothing to do with how good or evil you were to begin with.

They don’t deserve it! - Redemption is not something that can be “deserved.”

Their actions are unforgivable! - Redemption has nothing to do with forgiveness.

It’s too late for them to change! - It is only “too late” to choose redemption when a character is dead (unless the scope of the story includes an afterlife in which change is possible).

Valid reasons for why a character should not be redeemed:

It doesn’t fit the themes of the story.

They’re not an important enough character for showing the process of a redemption arc to be worthwhile.

They’re more interesting as a character who isn’t doing the right thing.

It’s more satisfying to let them keep being evil.

It makes it more satisfying when they die.

There’s probably more, but you get the idea.

Remember, redemption is when someone realizes they are wrong, and takes steps to doing the right thing. That is not something that can be “deserved,” it is not something that hinges on forgiveness, and it is not something that it is ever too late for! …Unless the person is dead or something.

Why did no one tell me Monster was hilarious?

Mochizuki Jun 20th anniversary illustration!!!!

All credits go to @/PH15th_Cafe, @/PH15th and Mochijun on twitter :)

OK correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like the main 'yin/yang' parallel with Atsushi and Akutagawa is not something like 'this one is bad but secretly has a good side and this one is good but secretly has a bad side'.

I feel like it's more about 'who they are at their core vs who they choose to be'.

At his core Akutagawa is kind and at his core Atsushi is not. But despite this Atsushi tries every day to make the kinder choices and I love him so much for it. He has to work so hard to be good.

He wants to be a bitch SO bad I know he does but he tries his best to help people and be nice (sometimes he fails but that's OK <3)

Atsushi doesn't always WANT to help people, a lot of the time he's selfish and scared, but he does help people anyway. He keeps helping people over and over again. There's still some selfish motivation to it, and his initial motivation for helping people was because the headmaster told him that's all he was worth, but overall he does care about the people he helps and it weighs on him if he fails to save them. And of course, as the series goes on he starts helping people more because he can rather than because he feels like he needs to.

In Akutagawa's case, he's still capable of being kind but his environment led him into being someone who chooses to hurt people. But he's always been a protector at heart. In the start he was bad compared to Atsushi because he was choosing to hurt people and keep the cycle of abuse going. Just like how Atsushi developed in why he saved people, Akutagawa starts to get redeemed when he chooses to not just act on his rage. Not only does he start to spare people, but he speaks more kindly to them (apologising to Higuchi and telling Kyouka he's proud of her). It all culminates into the moment he chooses to help Atsushi and sacrifice himself for him, going back to his core value of being a protector. Even when he's finally revived, he keeps this role in his new position as Aya's Knight.

I kind of see the streaks of white in Akutagawa and the streaks of black in Atsushi not as their 'hidden sides' but as their fundamental selfs. That's who they are at their core, and their main colours (black for Akutagawa and white for Atsushi) are how they're presented to everyone else and how they try to have people see them as.

This is the worst timeline. (x)

laila dermott you mean so much to me. she’s lebanese. she’s a lebanese LESBIAN whose storyline isn’t dictated by the homophobia in arab culture (and as a queer arab, that is SO refreshing). she speaks arabic with her mother. she buys sex toys for her friends. she’s a great girlfriend to cat. she’s protective of the people she loves. she calls her friends out when they don’t take care of themselves. she loves dogs. she’s an amazing goalie. she sees jeremy as her brother. she brushes people’s hair. she lets jean braid her hair. all she wants is a home of her own. i love her so much.

On another note I’m so glad Germany won bc it’s more likely Rin will lose his mind like I wanted him to which I cannot wait for

On the other hand when things go too well for the protagonist for too long I worry a little and wonder when it’s going to crash down.

On the OTHER HAND when I think of the entire arc I remember how fucking awful things have been for him pretty much the whole arc so it might just be recency bias. Not only with Kaiser but Rin really shook things up and made it a special kind of hell for him. And Rin asked for this by being so obsessive abd misplacing his anger in Isagi and not mentally preparing for the very real possibility that Isagi would beat him. Can’t wait for that break down lol

Untouched points: Bachira has lost all his games and ChigirI and Nagi lost all their games, and they’re currently playing each other right now. The undefeated team just got confirmed so now we’re waiting on who is the team that never defeated anybody

Reasons for Bachira to loss: opportunity to grow, be the opposite of Isagi and make room for a plot point for them to meet in the middle (Isagi iron out some of his flaws/hold ups and Bachira grow), love story in the making I believe in them

Reasons for Nagi to lose: crash out divorce #3 backslide #2 dumpster fire arc that is inevitable whether he wins or loses but if he loses it’ll flow nicely; Nagi and Rin both being the main personal conflicts in the end makes the most sense to me as they’re both really tied to Isagi, this is the reality even though Isagi has never once directly done anything to them, so they’ll be responsible for figuring their own drama out, also possible Bachi is in on this drama somehow too, all tied to Isagi

Reason for Chigiri to lose: uhhh leg injury lurking in the corner, drama with Kunigami unaddressed and it’ll be interesting that one wins all their games and one loses all their games (dramatic love story dawg), Kaneshiro said he was gonna be an asshole somehow so this could open the way for that

Personally I want Nagi to lose but both options are good

I’m so glad Germany won lol

We already know Isagi and Sae are gonna team up so I’m assuming Isagi is gonna continue to indirectly ruin Rin’s life and this will lead to Sae and Rin figuring their shit out.

Canon tragic couple

KENDRICKS PROFORMANCE. KENDRICKS. PROFORMANCE.

1. When he went silent for the word pedophile he looked at trump which caused Trump to leave the stadium

2. One of his people came on stage and waved a palestine and Sudan flag and ran across the field well being chased by security

3. The people wearing red white and blue formed the us flag and then moved around at the end to turn into the trans flag

4. He talked abt how the superbowl is rigged

5. When booking him the NFL asked why there weren't any white ppl on stage and his manager said "I thought we didn't do DEI hires anymore"

6. He brought up SERENA WILLIAMS. Her blackness has been fucking dogged on and she crip walked.

+TONS more stuff. He knows he's not fucking coming back and he doesn't want to.

FUCK FOOTBALL. FUCK THE NFL. ART WILL ALWAYS SHOW THE HEART OF THE PEOPLE.