#I don't have negative opinions about them to be clear... tis just not for me

[rundynamis]

it's going to be a hard life to not gaf about the most popular metaphor yaoi 😔👊

[beanghostprincess]

Not to keep beating a dead horse so to speak, but circling back to how the anime handles the Shuggy breakup it is personally the first time I've fully understood people who say the manga is way better & the "true" story because on the whole I think the anime is a really good adaption....except for this omg. I haven't read the manga fully either yet so now I'm wondering what else got a totally different vibe than intended & how that colors the perception of the story & characters. For instance, I'm already seeing anime onlys completely misinterpret Buggy's feelings in the shuggy breakup probably because of how brief it was.

I've had arguments in comments sections about people who do not think Buggy wanted to be Pirate King himself & his anger with Shanks isn't tied to him secretly sacrificing his OWN dream to follow him. To me the manga made it very clear that Buggy was making a great personal sacrifice in order to stay with his friend & how that all ties into his own insecurities, but a ton of anime onlys only saw it as Buggy being a whiny baby & not realizing how deep of a conflict Shanks refusing to look for the One Piece was for them 😭 and it's so frustrating! They just think Buggy is being "ungrateful" for everything Shanks did for him. I'm tired of the Shuggy dynamic being viewed so one sidedly in Shanks's favor & Buggy's detriment because they both narratively hold equal amounts of significance to each other. We just haven't been allowed to explore Shanks's side of it...yet. Oda kept Shanks's face obscured for a reason I'm sure.

And since the anime didn't frame it correctly Buggy's speech to Cross Guild about reigniting your dreams & setting sail for Laugh Tale loses all seriousness & comes off as just another gag instead & it breaks my heart because in the Manga while there is humor in it Buggy's tears are REAL & you can literally feel the spirit of One Piece flow through his speech. That speech shows us Buggy is a TRUE pirate! He ALSO inhereted Roger's will! I could literally feel the "I'm gunna become king of the pirates" OST from the anime play as I read it, but the anime framed it like another one of Buggy's "upward fialures" �� and it breaks my heart anime onlys don't get that. Imagine if Luffy gave up on his dream & finally after 30 years decided to believe in himself again? Imagine If Usopp really did give up in Water 7 & we didn't see him find the will to believe in himself until 39 years later? Buggy is an example of forgotten dreams & a lesson on it never being too late to go after them.

So I completely agree with you that it doesn't matter how little panel time a moment gets because if Oda can convey all of THAT in like 3 panels then the anime can do so and then some in a minute or 2. I also can't help but think this will confuse viewers later on because I'm certain Buggy is going to get to do some really cool & meaningful stuff in the last arc & a lot of them will feel blindsided because the set up was executed weirdly.

Sorry for sending such a long post & feel free to ignore If ur tired of discussing this I just wanted to give you some validation &let you know you're not the only one who thinks this way. Adaptation has a lot more going into it than just copying manga panels & the a good anime should definitely know when to expand on brief scenes & how to set the correct mood for them.

Oh, please, if it's not a negative ask you can keep sending me stuff about the episode and the breakup all you want!!! I'm just tired of having to defend my opinion. As if it wasn't just that, an opinion. But I'm sooo open to talk about it!!

And you're right!!! It bothers me so much to just think about how Anime Onlys are going to perceive this episode... If Buggy is already misunderstood within the fandom, I can't imagine what's gonna happen now that HIS episode has gotten this awful pacing and explanation (I complain but I've watched the episode so many times already lmao)

People misunderstand their relationship so much and in such levels... I don't get it because it's literally right there. You can't miss it. They're canonically crucial for each other no matter how you see it. It IS mutual whatever they have going on. I know we don't have much of Shanks' POV but you don't even have to read between the lines to see it.

And Buggy being seen as whiny because he has... Feelings... And is emotional... After his whole life crumbles down... Idk about you but if I lived in my best friend's shadow for years and gave up on my dream to trust in his instead, and suddenly when our captain dies he says he won't follow it... I'd be pretty fucking emotional too tbh. I could defend Buggy all day long and explain his character, but I believe I've done that already... So many times... (I love it it's my favorite thing ever)

I love your comparisons to other characters giving up on their dreams because it's so real. Buggy is the representation of people who once gave up on their dream and now are getting the courage back to follow it again. His speech is so emotional I think I know it by heart at this point with how many times I've read this chapter. I always cry-- Every time-- And I'm sooo angry Toei made the episode for laughs basically. It frustrates me in unimaginable ways.

Buggy is gonna do something incredible and people will complain and say it was out of nowhere because his speech in the Anime seems for jokes and like one of his schemes to get away from his problems. But this man was literally having a breakdown in the middle of a torture session and made an impulsive, emotional decision that came from the depths of his heart, because he had been holding onto it for his whole life. That's what bothers me about the animation. The pacing is bad and the way they treat him is even worse...

Don't apologize!!!!! I loved reading this. You expressed yourself sooo well and in such a polite way!!! Basically, you wrote everything I thought about the episode and I'm so glad to finally talk to someone with my same views 😭💖💖

[utilitycaster]

but you do have to admit that you write your 2k meta's mostly because you want (negative) attention? otherwise I don't understand why you are not writing more of your faves instead?

Sure! I can explain why I wrote this piece, which I assume is the reason you're asking this now.

I wrote it because I naturally had thoughts about the group dynamics of Bells Hells after the episode and started thinking about why this group is so disconnected this far into the campaign when, for example, the Mighty Nein, who had far more friction and conflict early on in the campaign, were positively ride or die by this point. I also really did genuinely find the degree of pressure that Imogen and Laudna have been putting on Fearne to be excessive and had been quietly thinking about it since episode 75 - they were the ones to initially make a big deal about "Emperor and Empress" (the fact that Ashton mentioned the party's positive reinforcement of the shard's retrieval being a factor in their choice is relevant here), I was reminded by someone else regarding Laudna's immediate shutdown of Fearne's attempt to tell the truth in episode 77, and then they called her out in front of everyone after she had expressed that she didn't want it to Morri. It made a clear pattern that I felt was interesting to explore, and in doing so I started asking myself if there were other patterns of behavior. I linked to someone else's post as well in there that talked about how Imogen and Laudna pretty much always act together in group discussions in my post because that was also an inspiration, and I've also talked a lot in the past about how Imogen and Laudna rarely bring up their own sources of conflict with each other, so the fact that their accusations towards Fearne are in the same scene where Imogen expresses disgust about Delilah's presence also is very relevant to their general group dynamics, since their own relationship with each other is very central to how they interact with the group.

I do write about my favorite characters as well. I wrote pretty extensively about Ashton after episode 78, as well as a bit about their conversation with Orym, but Ashton just had their big moment of explosion and I need to let that simmer or something else to happen before I have any longer posts. I've also, if not written anything myself, reblogged a lot of great posts about Chetney's fantastic reveal which I think tied up that whole exercise beautifully with a truth that was not a passive-aggressive accusation of others nor a self-flagellation but a realization of his own behaviors as well as an explanation to the group without expecting anything in return. In talking about the shard I did touch on my main feelings about Fearne in this situation but again I think I need to see how she actually reacts to the information she received here to actually have meta of substance, rather than "oh, interesting." And you can go through my archives if you'd like to see more; I'm usually pretty good about tagging by character.

But also: I like writing criticism, specifically. It is fun for me. I find that writing helps me arrange my ideas and understand them better, and sometimes I even change my opinion when I revisit the text or find my argument doesn't hold together on an intellectual level, even if I feel something emotionally. I've changed my mind about characters before through writing meta! Sometimes more positively, sometimes more negatively, but it happens, because the act of writing meta, if you do so well, is an act of interrogating your own pre-existing opinions and making sure they make sense to people who aren't you.

I also think there's value in writing things that aren't universally positive. Again, it forces you to actually think through what isn't working for you or what you dislike or what traits characters have that you think are causing problems for people around them rather than just saying UGH THIS SUCKS. But also, writing up how you'd fix a plot you don't like or how you'd resolve a conflict requires you have empathy for the creators or for the characters. Sometimes, even if a piece isn't, in your opinion, good, writing criticism of it helps you understand why a creator may have made that choice you didn't like. You can disagree or dislike something while still respecting it, and making yourself explain it to other people is a really good way to process your own feelings rather than stewing in them. I find people who never express any negativity openly are often deeply resentful and unpleasant and passive-aggressive. Indeed, that's arguably the whole point of that honesty exercise! This party keeps trying to smooth things over and so a lot of valid concerns or complaints they have about each other have since metastasized into something far more hurtful.

I can't speak for everyone, but a lot of meta writers write meta because it's genuinely a fun hobby for them. When I was writing my piece about Dimension 20's genre experiments I stayed up later than I should have several times because it was interesting and I wanted to make sure I didn't forget how I was planning out the piece. I like writing a lot, and I've always preferred to write essays and criticism to fiction - I like to think I have a knack for the former that doesn't come as naturally for the latter. My brain jumps to analysis more easily than the invention of plot.

If you don't like the things I chose to write about, that's completely valid. But I'm not doing it for negative attention. I'm doing it because it's enjoyable for me. How you respond to it and how it makes you, specifically, feel, doesn't enter into my consideration. It's 2k words because that's how long it took me to say what I was thinking and it's about Imogen and Laudna's effect on the group dynamic as I understand it because that's what I was thinking about since it was very present in this episode, and I wrote it because I like writing.

Hopefully that explains it!

[fandomwe1rd0]

The Rick and Morty fandom is insane. You've got some good parts and some bad parts, allow me to put them into groups! From the best to the worst! Feel free to reblog or comment with your own rankings!

MY FOLLOWERS Y'ALL ARE THE GREATEST! MWAH! MWAH!

2. Rick simps aka Rickfuckers, they are pretty chill tbh, I don't simp for Rick, but Rickfuckers are like one of the most chill, normal parts of the fandom, even though I question their taste in men, they cool.

3. People like meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hi! I'm not exactly chill or normal- But yeah basically people who foam at the mouth over Rick not being a complete ass to Morty and who write fics, analysis, stuff like that.

4. Mostly normal people, they find moments of Rick caring about Morty sweet, but don't go insane over it like me, they make fics and anaysis and stuff like that, I follow these blogs a lot, they're cool. They are honestly probably tied with me, but some people may like them better since their energy is more subdued, meanwhile I excergate it for entertainment purposes.

5. Normal people, basically people just watching for the humor and don't really care about the emotional part or the character development which is fair, got no strong opinion on them tbh. So they are a great neutral point of the list, everyone else is above this is positive, and everyone below this is negative.

6. Ugh, dudebros. The people who get mad at Rick for changing and going to therapy, it's real ironic that they complain about this when Rick is literally pansexual and autistic, and the majority of the main cast is bisexual but whatever. Especially if they stopped watching due to Dan rightfully firing Justin Rolliland and if they defend Justin Rolliland, despite the fact that he talks to minors and beats his wife.

7. These people are less prevalent, but they are still there, the fans that claim haters of the show are not "smart enough" to get the show or that they are the only ones smart enough to get it, I feel like this one is self-explanatory

8. Rickortys shippers or Morty simps, clumping these two together because both of them disgust me <3 To make myself clear, I am talking about people simping for 14-YEAR-OLD Morty, I don't get a problem with people simping for adult Morty. But yeah, do I really gotta explain why they are dead last? I have encountered these people on Reddit AND on Tumblr, and neither was a pleasant experience. Some even reblogged my posts, and one followed me biefly, gave me a scare.

[halflucidramblings]

Do you think Misty Fey would've been a less divisive, possibly even beloved, and tragic character if they just made one adjustment in her story? What if instead of disappearing in shame, she was exiled or chased out of the village? (as a coup by Morgan, perhaps)

Compare these two scenarios:

Misty Fey, disgraced by her failure and having brought a lot of negative attention to her village and the art of spirit channeling, chose to escape it all. Rather than having her daughters be associated with a "sham" of a mother, risking their reputation being ruined as much as her own, she would rather that they not be associated with her at all. Though it breaks her heart, she opted to cut all ties with her child and infant daughters for those reasons.

Misty Fey, having put spirit channeling into the public perception in a negative light, is ostracized by her village. In the end, she is forced to leave the village. (Possibly as a ploy by Morgan, seizeing the chance to get Misty out of the picture for good.) Rather than taking her daughters with her, knowing that she lacks the resources to give them a proper life, she chooses to leave them behind so that they can live comfortably, albeit without a mother.

It may just be me, but I think I would sympathize with Misty much more than I already do if the story played out like the latter. Not to mention, it opens the door to a chance to add more to Morgan as an antagonist.

I'm not saying that Misty is a bad mother who abandoned her daughters without a second thought solely because of "dishonor" and selfish reasons. I'm sure it must've been the most difficult decision she had ever made in her life. It's clear that she holds both very close to her heart. I believe she grieved until her last breath upon hearing about Mia. And she would go on to give her life for Maya's.

She's not entirely a bad mother. She's a loving and dedicated mother. Just a very flawed one. But the way she's presented in game, a portion of the fanbase is bound to have that bad impression of her for the fact that she willingly chose to run away and leave her daughters. Of course she's going to be seen as an absentee parent for leaving when she could very well have stuck around and simply lived with the shame.

Maybe I don't get the whole "dishonor" thing. There's undeniably a cultural difference at play here. Depending on the audience's background, they will have different opinions of Misty leaving out of "shame and dishonor". But it's my belief that if she was forced to separate with her daughters by forces out of her control, a lot more people would view her in a more tragic, sympathetic light.

[fuckhouse2theelectricboogaloo]

okay, i just want to make this clear:

my views do not fully allign with the previous owner of fuckhouse, my opinions and biases are different, and i will run this blog differently as well.

a few people have come to me and expressed their various gripes with the way this blog was previously run and for the most part? i totally agree with them.

one of the problems a few people have had with this blog (and the other blogs as well!) is that much of the "reporting" on shep wasn't really reporting, and was instead just stalking his account for hours and posting screenshots of posts he reblogged that had no correlation to him being a groomer, and were just posts that meant nothing. (related: CONSTANTLY dunking on his art and CONSTANTLY making fun of things that did not matter.)

a problem i personally had was watching people maliciously misinterpret the things shep said or did. not everything is that deep nor does everything he says matter. of course, everything should be approached with critical thinking, but some things should be taken at face value.

another problem i saw brought up, which i can't say i DON'T disagree with is that there were a lot of biases when it came to certain things and people. everyone has biases, but those biases become very apparent when it's applied to something like this. one person could get away with something, but another couldn't.

one last problem i saw people talk about (and for the most part i agree) was people using the excuse of "well, shep's more important" only on certain issues. this ties into the biases as well. my point is that i generally believe two things can be bad and can be reported on at the same time.

if you have any other criticisms of the way it was run, you are 100% allowed to dm me or send me an ask about it. i want to run this blog effectively as possible, and i dont want anyone to feel scared to voice their concerns. i think every callout blog (even the ones not focused on shep) should try to be much less toxic, which, unfortunately, reblogging positivity posts every hour doesn't dismantle toxicity or negativity. the callout space should not have to be viewed as an inherently negative space when it can be used as a tool to do so much good.

[marley-manson]

I’ve been going through your mash posts and a lot of what you’ve said has really resonated with me, so I’d like to get your opinion on a couple things;

You’ve made your thoughts on Potter clear, do you like how he was characterised in “Dreams”? Because looking back i think it’s the most negative portrayal of him we see on the show; BJ dreams that he gets interrupted dancing with Peg by Potter handing him surgical tools, causing her to leave him. Klinger dreams that Toledo is deserted and when he pears through a store glass he sees Potter operating on him while motioning for him to come inside. Charles is more subtle (from memory) with Potter being the one to bring in the patient. (There might’ve been something to do with Potter in Father Mulcahy's dream but I can’t remember)

Do you think this should’ve been expanded on more?? Imo it gives a feeling that some of the main cast blame Potter for being in the war/stripped from family/ect. Also I think it really shows how different Henry and Potter are, because if Henry stuck around I cannot imagine that the characters would’ve dreamt of Henry in Potters position.

Also, you’ve mentioned before how B.J. doesn’t seem to like Hawkeye that much but really wants to be liked by Hawkeye, do you think this translates into how B.J. views Hawkeye as a surgeon? Because from the get go the show established that Hawkeye is an incredible surgeon and that even characters that don’t like Hawkeye as a person admire his skills, do you think B.J. is envious of Hawkeyes skill or at least his position as Chief surgeon? Bc imo B.J. has the personality of someone who is used to being the best (e.i. Husband/provider) and so I can imagine him feeling envy of either Hawkeyes ‘ ability and/or his position as chief surgeon.

Anyways I love your writing 💚💚

Thank you so much 💖

YES! Dreams is my favourite episode for Potter, for exactly the reasons you've described. I loooove how sinister he is in BJ, Klinger, and Charles' dreams, especially - and probably most fittingly - Klinger's. (I don't think Potter was in Mulcahy's dream? Not prominently at least, he may have been one of the surgeons in the audience, I don't quite remember.) And yeah, completely agree that Henry would not have been framed like that - he never seemed any more "army" than the draftees, just someone unlucky enough to get stuck with more responsibility.

Potter's own dream is also interesting in how it combines the war with a game at his childhood home, like his identity is irrevocably tied to war, influencing his entire life. It's dark how his dream is the lightest of them all, in a way.

And yeah, I would've loved to see that explored in more episodes. My ideal like, framing of Potter is as an affable villain, or at the very least someone who can occasionally be an antagonist that the draftee characters have to work against at times, who they express some resentment towards, etc. I've mentioned this before but like, even Henry was framed as an antagonist in some episodes, and it's bizarre and disappointing to me that Potter never gets that treatment. The closest he gets is the aforementioned Dreams, and Wheelers and Dealers imo, where he's at least treated as a punchline by the narrative, if not a villain.

It's a shame to me that the show almost always feels like it's laughing with him whenever he eg foils one of Klinger's escape plans, or makes threats to make someone attend a meeting/go to the front/smile more/join a bridge game/etc. Like, in the earlier satirical seasons the fact that the CO can use his authority for petty reasons would itself be a dark joke, but in the later seasons it's just a cute character quirk.

And yeah re: BJ, I think the idea that BJ loves Hawkeye but doesn't necessarily like him all that much, or at least resents a lot of things about him and/or finds aspects of his personality uncomfortable, isn't necessarily how the writers intended us to see their relationship lol, but I'm into it and I think it's a pretty fair extrapolation from a lot of BJ's behaviour, both early and late.

And I do think it makes sense to read him as at least a little jealous of Hawkeye's surgery skills. Like for the most part I think BJ does admire his skills as a surgeon, but I can think of three episodes off the top of my head where BJ demonstrates insecurity over his career, two of which are in relation to Hawkeye (The Young and the Restless, Stars and Stripes, and Heroes).

Heroes in particular does show BJ acting very jealous of Hawkeye in terms of being a doctor, though it's the attention Hawkeye is getting for treating the famous boxer. And Stars and Stripes is BJ lording being asked to write an article over Hawkeye to a very petty degree that imo also suggests jealousy of Hawkeye, in the way he takes weird smug pride in shutting him out.

I wouldn't say jealousy over Hawkeye's surgical skills specifically is a major aspect of BJ's character, more like a little buried resentment and insecurity that rears its head every now and then, because he's the passive aggressive type and buries his negative feelings about everything until they seep out or explode in weird ways, as pretty explicitly shown and discussed in Wheelers and Dealers.

Like, he was fresh from residency when he came to Korea so it makes more sense for him to respect Hawkeye's skills as someone a little bit senior to him and not be like, all that weird about Hawkeye being better than him. But they aren't that far apart in age - I headcanon about 5 years* between them - and Hawkeye is very notably skilled even as a young surgeon just one or two years into his own career, so it's easy to see BJ being a little intimidated and resentful at times.

Thanks for the ask! This was a lot of fun to answer and I appreciate your interest in my thoughts <3 lmk if there's anything else you want to add!

*my reasoning for their ages is: BJ is 28 in Welcome to Korea, drafted directly from residency with one surgical specialty (general surgery). Hawkeye was drafted from working in a hospital and he has two specialties (chest and general), which means 2 two-year surgical residencies under his belt. Add about a year for the first three seasons and he's at least 4 years older than BJ. Then I add one more to make it two years working in Boston post-residency, because why not? I like him mid-30s.

[bookwyrminspiration]

Excuse me hi new anon sorry for all the discourse talk on your blog lately but you can’t seriously think that someone being pro life has more impact on others than someone posting possibly triggering art.

I’ve noticed that they put the proper tags on it now to make it blockable which is definitely good and makes it better

But also someone who is pro life and literally doesn’t even post about it is NOT HURTING ANYONE

that’s literally a thought. A belief. Thoughtcrime is not a thing 1984 is a dystopia btw

Whereas posting something is an action that will inevitably impact others—actually art is SUPPOSED to impact others—be that in a positive, negative, or nuanced neutral sort of way.

So posting art is objectively more impactful on other real life people than holding pro life beliefs and never even rlly posting about them

Again thoughtcrime is not a thing

Honestly my biggest issue with the art initially was that it was put in the main tag with no trigger warnings at all, meaning someone scrolling through the main tag who has things triggering to them blocked would have to see it……..

Anyway yeah the two situations definitely aren’t comparable, but NOT in the way that you seemed to think.

Sorry if this feels kinda confrontational but I’m also pro life, have never once posted about it ever, and am deeply disturbed by the idea that me holding a belief and never saying it ever is somehow considered a heinous crime that impacts others terribly, while posting possibly triggering art without trigger warnings totally impacts nobody

Alright, Nonsie, let's break this down.

I'm well aware thought crime isn't real and wholeheartedly agree

No one has said you're a criminal for being pro-life, nor that it's a crime

The impacts/harm I'm talking about extend beyond just posting/holding a belief

Being pro-life contributes to a community and environment that allows harm and control to be enacted against real and vulnerable people

Being pro-life/pro-choice is a belief centered on real people--what a person's body can be used for, if it's their own, and who gets to decide that. Very closely tied to beliefs on abortion, who gets to make choices about who's bodies, etc. You're right that simply holding a belief is passive, and your thoughts are not crimes.

However, the actions that accompany those beliefs/that are because of those beliefs (not necessarily yours, general population) are impactful. I apologize if I wasn't clear when I said "the people being debated about are real and harmed by it." The "it" is not your belief, but the societal and legal consequences that come from your belief.

Public opinion (such as people being pro-life, and public opinion is decided by numbers) decides who is in office, and who is in office dictates laws and legality, and that determines what's easily and readily available/how people will act.

A pro-life person acts based on that--perhaps votes for mayors/representatives/presidents/etc. who are against abortion. And then those authorities pro-life individuals elected at least in part because of their pro-life beliefs (an election won because of community, numbers, and environment), create a society where abortion is less accessible, where sex education is less thorough, where contraceptive/sexual health is expensive/hard to find, etc. We've seen this consistently across the US

Real people suffer from it and they do not have the simple choice to disengage. We've consistently said block and move on regarding online media--but you can't pick and chose which of your country's laws apply to you. You can chose to ignore them if possible and deal with the risk, but you don't get an opt out button. And moving to different cities/states/countries is not an easy solution.

I am considering all this in my discussions. Belief informs action, and pro-life beliefs have historically and continue to impact real people in harmful ways--and to be used as a foot in the door for further harm, such as anti-trans legislation.

I am not saying you are an awful criminal hurting people by being pro-life in your head--though you may lose friendships if people learn of it. I am saying media should not be restricted, and an untagged post does not change that. And I am saying the harm of seeing an uncomfortable image/fic (and being uncomfortable does not equal being hamred), even if untagged, is not comparable to the real life societal consequences of pro-life beliefs.

You may not be of the age or ability right now to vote or petition or otherwise, and as such the action part does not yet apply to you, but if you continue being pro-life then someday it will.

I'll also say this. I don't think being pro-life is evil. I think it can be well-intentioned, but is misguided and ineffective. Wanting fewer abortions is fine--I'd also love that. Getting an abortion isn't fun, and having to make that choice is excruciating for many. But banning and criminalizing abortions (which is the ideology associated with pro-life) does not achieve that and in fact makes it worse.

And, as with fiction, there is no moderation that can reliably dictate what is best for the individual/family/etc. in every situation. Someone will always be hurt when others are making choices about their lives and bodies for them. Including the children intended to be protected.

That, however, is its own can of worms.

I think you mean well, Nonsie, but may have reacted a bit quickly to what I said--you've argued against multiple points (thought crime, being a criminal) that I did not actually make. I own that there were parts I could've been more clear, but I stand by what I've said, and hopefully you better understand what I meant.

And just in case: like with that other poster, people are going to form opinions and see you in certain ways based on your beliefs. Including if you don't act on it, but just think that way. That's how it works for everyone.

Thanks :)

[trainsinanime]

The Movie

Under a cut because I don't know how to spoiler tag this, and I will spoil all of it. I know it's called "Awakening" in some markets, but not where I watched it so it wouldn't occur to me to block it if I were wanting to avoid spoilers, and it's a stupid title anyway.

What I will say without spoilers is: The concessions area in the Belgian cinema I was in was something else. They scan your ticket, and then you walk essentially into a small supermarket full of all sorts of snacks, including popcorn and nachos, but also bags of chips, sausage, cheese, sushi and some merch. Then you walk past cash registers and pay there before you get to your actual movie. Fun experience, but sadly the nachos didn't taste great and, according to my sister, the popcorn was kind of stale.

After that, there was a huge activity area where small children could take pictures together with cardboard cutouts, and makeup artists were painting Ladybug and Chat Noir masks on their faces. That was very adorable.

On to the movie!

Yeah, it was fine! I had a good time watching it. I really recommend watching it on a big screen if you have the chance (RIP to Americans), because the main point of the movie is that it looks really pretty. And it does! It's all so, so pretty!

The characters are all adorable. The city is way more beautiful, and it feels big and alive in a way the show could never match. The special effects are great, the fights are really nice, the scenery is amazing and the animation is so full of life!

Story-wise, I'd say it's okay. I know there are people on Twitter who say that the movie is way better than the show. These people are insane. The movie story is good, but to fit it all in, it has to squash and compress everything in ways that don't always make sense. It's very clear that this material wasn't meant for a movie. For example, exactly one character gets anything approaching a full character arc, and it's Gabriel Agreste of all people. Happens very randomly, too.

In a lot of ways, I feel like you could have done more with this. The bit of conflict that Ladybug and Chat Noir briefly develop is kind of stupid and easily forgotten. The songs (you knew this was a musical, right?) are beautifully animated, but they feel a bit perfunctory. Many of them feel more like "Let's put an I-want song here because that's how musicals go" rather than really motivated based on characters.

I don't think that's a huge problem. The charming qualities of the movie easily carry it over all the stuff that isn't that well developed. But if you ask me what the point of the movie was, the specific main story or the specific main idea, I couldn't answer. The movie doesn't really have anything like that. It is Miraculous Ladybug: The Movie, for better or worse, and it's mainly an excuse to give us beautifully rendered charming sequences tied together with the bare minimum of string to make the plot work.

Again, all that sounds so negative, but that's just because it's easier to write about the things that didn't quite work in the story department than about the great visuals and how much I just loved seeing the characters. The reality is that this movie isn't a big revelation, it isn't a much better reimagination, it's just a nice, very pretty movie that shows us stuff we already like done exceptionally well. In my opinion it was well worth the admission and the drive to Liège, and I can totally recommend it.

[hanako-san]

I don't hate Tsukasa but I will resent him for what he did in chapter 105. Amane cried and his feelings are the most important thing to me so I won't forgive Tsukasafor that but I don't hate him but I'm sure Amane will forgive Tsukasa that. That's all. It's just that Tsukasa is so cool after all!

Aida and Iro what they did is show that it was a joke on Tsukasa's part, a fun and game that Tsukasa plays, but the truth is that his joke can turn into a real feeling because Aida and Iro like it and it won't surprise me that they will in this series. Amane can accept this and share Yashiro with her younger twin. That's how I think Aida and Iro can do it again in the jshk series like they did in the game they were responsible for. Everything points to it. If that happens, I won't accept it, but I'm not going to worry about it either because I have no control over it.

I hate Nene there are many things I don't like about her but also Nene shows nasty acts like "I have a boyfriend but I will still admire others of my type" so I wouldn't really be surprised if Nene falls in love with Tsukasa and a love triangle will form between them and that what Aida and Iro shows in Nene I also consider a harmful act, because even though she has a boyfriend that she obsessively desires, she still looks at others with desires. She admires teru who did her a lot of harm and wanted to kill her boyfriend but she is not angry, just still admires him, she doesn't show any reflex she should have at the moment like being angry at him for taking advantage of her, trying to get Akane and Kou against Nene to stop her from saving Hanako when he wants to kills him. It's Hanako who should be the most important to her, she still sees not only him, but also others. Which means that feelings for Tsukasa can develop. Everything points to it.

So everything indicates that it doesn't have to happen, but maybe Aida and Iro are giving more and more clear signs. So my solution to the love triangle isn't so unreasonable.

In my opinion, what Aida and Iro have done in chapter 104&105 and maybe will do in the end - AmaTsuDaikon together may be canon in the end,and I think is harmful, because fiction can affect people, it doesn't have to, but it can, and I am the person who was influenced by fiction thanks to one fictional female character from another series I got rid of negative thoughts that I had years ago. I love her to this day and she is my queen and I will be grateful to her for the rest of my life. Amane has tied me to him forever and is very important to me. Amane became more important than her. And I support him and I will continue to support and care for him and tell him how beautiful he is because he deserves it. Aida and Iro are his parents, but I don't need to agree with all how they do. I got the impression that Aida and Iro think that twins, despite having different personalities share everything, it's nothing wrong to share a girl. It's okay for them and I don't think it's healthy, it's a sick fetish that they pass on through the characters.

Fortunately, romance in jshk doesn't interest me. I just find them boring and uninteresting. And there, everyone hurts each other, it's supposed to be a proof of love according to Aida and Iro, and Hana // Nene as a ship is the worst for me because she still beats him, she abused him in p.p arc when caught her attention, she only apologized, but she keeps doing it all the time, but there are styles of Aida and Iro with which I don't agree and it's good that I cut myself off from romantics ships from this series. It doesn't make sense to me. The only 'love' relationship I will support is the family relationship between Amane and Tsukasa. It's the only family bond I'm interested in. I once said that I like Hanako and Aoi together and I don't take it back. It's my personal opinion that they would be good together, but that doesn't mean I have to support canon ships in the series because I don't have to and don't want to. Ships are not something in this series that is a priority for me.

I really like their work and find them interesting but they show really bad things as positive in this work and I really don't like it but I am grateful to them for creating Amane I will support him with all my heart

[mdhwrites]

Luz is not in love with Amity, I don't even know why she is attracted to Amity, Do you know the reason why Luz likes Amity (romantically?

In "The First Day" Luz has a line while talking about being excited for what may come that goes 'And maybe meet a hot VULNERABLE upperclassman.' It's meant to be silly but... It betrays the fantasy that Amity gives Luz. She may not be an upperclassman (and actually, she is of 'the upper class' financially so she still can fit) but the points of her being considered one of the most attractive students in Hexide, at the top of her class but also emotionally able to be manipulated and controlled to always forgive Luz all stand true. The fact that Amity started out as a rival only made the fantasy all the more appealing so she could be the Hecate to her Azura, a fantasy she makes the comparison to herself.

And that... Is as far as I'm going with this. I've made my opinion clear with how I feel about what Luz planned in Thanks to Them and what she did in Reaching Out that I don't think Luz cares about Amity post them getting together. Not beyond the spins and the kisses. I could dive DEEP into this rabbit hole and get lit more on fire than this is already going to make me. I'd also make myself INCREDIBLY sad doing so and honestly not be the most productive.

SO INSTEAD, let's go more into the hypothetical and the literary. I'm going to cover three things. 1: What Luz and Amity's theoretical archtypes are, especially in S1 when their characters had the most potential and were their most likable. 2: Why Luz's archtype would be attracted romantically to Amity's. The reverse of what I did in my blog about why S1 Amity loved Luz. And then finally 3: Where I talk about the ways in which Luz's archtype normally struggles to show a partner extra care (and I will try to say why it doesn't apply to Luz).

Though a heads up: While these are my interpretations of the two, the ONLY versions you'll really see me write, I do NOT think they're true at this point. Luz only really fits her archtype at moments and to really fit it you have to believe her words far more than her actions. Amity on the other hand stays to her archtype through S1 but by S2B she has turned into "Generic, morally good character with jokes" which is the majority of the cast. One could easily make the case for this change happening even as early as Winging it Like Witches honestly.

With that said:

1. What exactly are Amity and Luz's archtypes?

I would best describe Luz as a ball of sunshine with hidden insecurities. The Pinkie Pie archtype. This is mostly an expansion, especially in modern times, of just the always happy, always excited and always energetic archtype that gets a bit more angst because they're not quite as confident as they make themselves out to be. This can be simply who they are, due to past trauma, an awareness that their friends may be fair weather fans, etc. like that.

As a note, I would argue this archtype pushes the character to be even MORE full force with their friends and trying to make them happy. They're on their mind pretty constantly and they're constantly trying to appease them, for better and for worse. Often they need to be told they're enough, not just for their weirdness but just as a person. Their value is not tied to how they appease others.

Amity's archtype is actually MORE common than Luz's which is that she's the overachieving, mean spirited high society person with the one twist of having a good heart. She is serious, ruthless to that which stands in her way, intelligent and driven. Her achievements define who she is and her worth is commonly determined, internally and externally, by how much she is meeting the goals put in front of her. While a lot of this can sound negative, really they commonly just need to be reminded to breathe (Luz) and given a reality check from time to time (Boscha).

2. Why would Luz be attracted to Amity?

Amity's archtype can very easily end up being a bully for the sort of archtype that Luz is. They can see the lack of achievements, the penchant for what appears to be wasted effort and energy as a waste of time and space and find them loud enough to possibly even consider them a distraction that needs to be removed. This possible contrast is actually part of what makes the pairing so popular in a lot of media honestly. They live on a knife's edge of being worst enemies or...

Giving the ball of energy someone in their corner that lets them stop second guessing themselves. One of the biggest reasons Luz's archtype is attracted to these sorts of people is because of validation. "If the popular girl thinks I'm doing things right, maybe I can tell myself I'm not the only one laughing at my jokes." However, the danger of that same person calling them out is ACTUALLY PART OF THE APPEAL. Someone who they know cares about them enough to have it come from a good place but also will call them out when, I dunno, they fuck up and have snakes accidentally assault people. As a hypothetical.

As a note, I actually think Boscha's archtype leaning more on ruthless bitch actually fulfills this role even better, especially since she allows Amity to be even more in her own head and less emotionally reliable then. Her approval also hits someone like Luz even harder when it comes because it NEVER should, instead of there being a maybe. I could do a whole blog on why Lumischa is great though.

Beyond that though... A lot of it's actually the basic reasons why anyone would find another person attractive. Amity's archtype is commonly highly capable, highly intelligent, passionate in their field, commonly depicted as more beautiful than most people, etc. like that. Her archtype is depicted as the most popular girl in school FOR A REASON.

That's likely why the Luz has to put a lot more work into forming cohesion and sticking to their Amity than the other way around. The traits for why someone would want to get with Amity are obvious. Why they'd want to get with Luz can be a bit less so, especially since many can find class clowns annoying more often than exciting. Not to say the Amitys of media don't need to work for their partners, they still need to show they support and appreciate and care about them, but as far as what attracts the two to each other, it's a lot simpler for a girl like Luz and ripe for angst about them being 'out of their league'. Mind you, if looks is ALL the Amity has then once the two are close, the ball of sunshine has every reason to leave. That’s when the Amity usually needs to show their better nature, show they can care, etc. like that but baseline what brings the two together to have an interest in each other? Attractive people attract people, what can I say?

I do want to acknowledge that some of this could even be said as exactly what I brought up at the top and I want to remind people: Just because two people get together doesn't mean it's inherently healthy. How they treat each other, their priorities, etc. like that is important. Wanting validation and wanting someone you never have to worry about questioning you are two very different things. One is someone you open up to and be honest with, especially if you have a promise in place, the other is one where lies flow as easy as water because you know there will never be repercussions for your actions. One takes into account how their partner may feel while the other plans in ways that, I dunno, may emotionally devastate their partner because their feelings, their validation, matters more.

3. Luz's archtype and difficulty with differentiating a friend and partner So when who you are as a person has you throw your full force into caring about potential strangers, how the hell do you make a partner feel special? How do you make sure they know that in your eyes, they DO matter more than others? Because when you care so deeply about all and any social connection, it can become blurry which ones mean anything to you. *opens mouth to mock Luz* No. We're not talking about Luz's failure to meet her archtype, no matter how little investment she has in... any of her relationships except maybe Eda and King? This is as close as we're getting. Because a bad writer will make sure a character is more important (and this includes in the eyes of the audience, this isn't just an archtype thing) by having the rest not matter as much. This can happen to the Luzs of media really easily actually. The girlfriend, having someone that close, consumes them and trying to prove that they mean something special to them is a very real problem they can develop. In a more benign way, I would say that the best way to depict is to make their partner be the one who can most easily make them slow down. They get serious with their partner faster than anyone else because they know they don't need to use humor as a defense mechanism with them.They can be honest. And that is probably the absolute best way to make a Luz character, especially if you lean on the insecurities, show love rather than friendship. How much do they let the smile drop and take things at the pace their partner needs them to? How much do they prove that they truly can be there for the Amity who needs to know love isn't transactional and that she can be vulnerable herself? Admittedly, one could claim this for any relationship. That openness and honesty are some of the scariest things we can give as human beings and thus why some only save those things for those they love. Almost any truly healthy relationship doesn't have secrets or lies after all. And yet Luz post Amity and her getting together seems incapable of doing much else but lie to her girlfriend, with catastrophic consequences for Amity attached to those lies. *sigh* Can you see why I didn't want to go in deep on why Luz clearly doesn't love Amity?

[gamebunny-advance]

Some Pre-Poll Gabbing

The poll technically isn't over yet, but I don't see the results changing significantly, and there aren't enough votes for me to say that this is a conclusive answer from the fanbase. Nonetheless, I think the results are about what I expected.

The yes to no split is (at the time of writing) fairly even, at about 58:42. Still, I did figure that the vote would be more negative than positive, so that's a small surprise.

What isn't surprising though is that the majority of people that voted still said that they didn't consider these sections fun at about 67:33. Granted, since the "different reasons" vote is vague, I can't necessarily confirm that voters that voted for "Yes, but for a different reason." didn't also think that the sections were fun, but at the very least "fun" was not the primary reason that they replayed those levels. But in that case, I have to wonder, "why?"

If these people don't consider these parts of the game fun, then why are they replaying them?

I made my opinions about the approaches pretty clear in the original post, but beyond my subjective opinion, I don't know what value they add to the game at all after going through them once.

You aren't ranked for them, so you don't get fans for beating them again, and you can't get a better score for them. There are no achievements tied to replaying them. You can get pretty much every mini Qwasa you need by just playing the game normally.

I just don't get it.

[flamedoesart]

hey you're not a bad person for wanting to give cc's the benefit of the doubt. was the finale disappointing? yes. but also realistically speaking, I seriously don't think cc!tommy straight up decided "yeah fuck abuse victims" with his ending. I also don't think he had any malicious intent with that ending, and if anything it's just a case of him being oblivious to the implications. he's an 18 year old who loves marvel. I don't think he's over here analyzing things as critically as a lot of us do.

and even ignoring whatever cc!tommy's intent was, you're not a bad person for just?? enjoying media? all media is flawed. especially when it's a minecraft roleplay server made by a group of young adults with little to no experience in writing. I hate this idea of people's personal morality being tied in with the content they enjoy. you can look at the positives of the ending and that doesn't make you a terrible person. you literally just enjoy a minecraft roleplay. that's not a reflection of your morality whatsoever.

thank you nonny, i just.

sometimes the constant negativity this fandom exudes wears me down, bc whenever shit like this happens people tend to look at these cc's in the most bad faith way imaginable and assume they were Purposefully trying to harm their fans, which is oftentimes not the case.

it has never been a habit of mine to dehumanize these ccs and i sure as shit won't start now. the concept that they never gave a single shit about the story is grossly oversimplifying the situation, in my opinion. we don't know these people. that's the crux of this issue. we don't know them, and thus we cannot assume that they fumble their writing on purpose.

let me make it clear that it's absolutely okay to be angry. it's okay to feel upset and be hurt by the finale. my point is to not let those feelings drive you.

i easily forgive bc i know i am also not an experienced writer, and i most certainly don't know what it feels like to have millions of eyes on me while I'm working in a collaborative project with 20+ people. obviously none of that excuses these cc's, but you can simultaneously acknowledge that the ending sucked and the implications were Not Great while also understanding that these people are Human and do care about this story, but just suffer from a lack of research and are most likely ignorant.

idk if my response helps at all, but yeah.

[waterlinkedgirl]

I'd love to know your thoughts on Versus, if that's okay?

Aaaaaa I'm more than delighted to! Of course!!!! What ends up on here is mostly translations, but aside from translating I like writing meta, as well as writing in general (I finished a 12k historical KogiMika fic the other day! I might post a link to it here if anyone is interested), so more than anything I am THRILLED to get an ask like this and I answer with joy in my heart AAAAAAAA

To begin with, I think live songs hold this interesting place where they may reference back to the events and themes of the myu, but don't *need* to relate back to it in any fashion. The first example that springs to mind is kakumeizenya, TKO live's opening number; picking out two distinct references that aren't quite up to interpretation of what TKO is, they'd be "I haven't experienced it yet, there is no right answer" referencing back to Sui and the girl, and "Straight ahead, faster than a bolt of lightning" referencing back to Masakado's first myu song ("mounted onto a bolt of lightning"), while the song itself is more about reinventing oneself. Of course, there's examples like Real Love and Can you guess what? and S where the content of the song (and even the characterisation present in it) isn't precisely according to what the myu informs, and then there's songs like Timeline (in my opinion, if you or anyone else is interested in the essay I'll gladly, GLADLY write and post it! Just shoot me an ask!) or Illusion of my heart, or even Tears from kousui, where the lyrics are so directly back-referential to events in myu they may have much more value being interpreted from a myu lens than otherwise.

In other words, not all characterisation present in songs is characterisation fully canon to myu characterisation, but since songs may (at times even strongly) back-reference myu, depending on the song, there may be value in looking exactly how it ties back!

So without further ado, let me try to take a look at the lyrics, one by one and bit by bit! And improving on my translation a bit compared to kotobuki as I go along, ahahaha, I will probably edit my subs a little to fix minor mistakes like these! I do warn, though, since I'm invested in what toumyu has sketched us of Kogi and Mika's relationship (and yes, I ship them, if they don't think of another as brothers they are not by virtue of them being steel objects), I may make extra references to that.

Under the mask of our smiles, we tame our hatred Everyone is weighing the weight of love

These lines are the very reason I wrote down my little disclaimery thing above, because right off the bat, I don't think either of these lines applies back to tsuwamono in any literal capacity. After all, Kogitsunemaru's concerns towards Mikazuki after their fight rules out any hatred being in play, and if this refers to that regardless, that would mean the following 'love' must apply to it as well. On top of that, I don't think "Taming one's hatred behind the mask of a smile" fits with what's shown of *game* Kogi either, since there doesn't seem to be any negative feelings underlying his politeness at all. However, if you regard this line within just the canon of the song, then I'd say it's very effective at setting up the "He can be your angel or your devil" thing the song has got going on! If I had to interpret these lines, it'd be "Under the mask of our smiles, everyone tames their hatred, no one is telling what they truly think. Yet we make decisions weighing the love we feel against that hatred, because in spite of it, it's present and important."

In a way, this line also immediately introduces the theme of contrasts this song has. With 'smile' as front, 'hate' in the back, and then the second line's 'love' as the back behind the back blurring the ability to make a clear front/back distinction, it makes for a fascinating setup for the rest of the song.

That conflictingness of emotions, rather than the precise emotions involved, Does fit pretty well with the position Kogi was in during tsuwamono. Pretending he wasn't overhearing all kinds of things about Mikazuki doing things behind the scenes, he confronted him first on a good-terms basis, before facing off against him when the evidence is damning and nothing else-- because he believes they as Touken Danshi must fulfil their mission just the way Master tells them to, and any direct interference with history to change things from how they had been, like what Mikazuki is doing, cannot be any different from what the HRA is doing.

It is precisely because it is implied, not just through his faces throughout tsuwa, but also through the choreography of their fight and through the fact the Saniwa pretty much implies Kogi holds a biased eye towards Mikazuki as the Genjis were intended to watch Mikazuki with an unbiased eye over someone who knows Mikazuki better, that Kogitsunemaru thinks of Mikazuki as pretty dear, and that emotionally, he doesn't wish to fight Mikazuki, but Mikazuki's actions against Kogitsunemaru's faithfulness to their mission leaves him with no choice.

"Weighing the weight of his feelings of dearness for Mikazuki against his mission, hiding his conflictedness behind his smile as he talks to him, Kogitsunemaru chooses to fight him in spite of those feelings," is a way of phrasing that situation that unifies the vibe of the song lyric with what actually happens in myu. I think this case, because of its mention of love, it's best interpreted in a 'simple' angel-or-devil kind of way, aimed in a romantic sense at the listener, but this would be the way it relates back to what happened in myu.

Light and shadow, the past and the future, the front and back of man It's an age where it’s difficult to see what's right and what's a mistake

The first line of these strongly emphasizes Kogitsunemaru's relation to omote/ura (literally "front and back", but in this sense "the front you show people" and "the feelings you hide inside or behind you/your true intentions"), even more than the double contrast the previous set of lines struck. Omote/ura is a theme that ever since the start of tsuwamono has been connected to Kogitsunemaru, because he was smithed with the inscription "Munechika" on the front, and "Kogitsune" on the back, and adoutsukoe emphasizes this by repeating it twice. I would also argue tsuwamono itself sets Mikazuki-- "Be as pure as this flower, behind it lies..." as he holds the lotus up and implicitly sketches himself as the "behind" in the form of the muddied water-- up as the ura, to Kogitsunemaru's omote-- emphasized through his devotion to the upfront mission they follow and his ability to encourage Iwatooshi to follow it, in spite of holding doubts in his heart himself. And it's very likely he holds those doubts, after all, there must be a meaning to him singing mamorubeki mono, his second solo from the story part beyond stating what has already been stated, at least from how I see it. 

I would say that each of the three contrasts as sketched here is in fact emphasized by tsuwamono itself, with light and dark being highlighted through the metaphor of the light of the crescent moon and the darkness that gives shape to it, as highlighted by Higekiri near the beginning ("Is the part of the moon you can't see also part of it? Or is it true darkness?") and Mikazuki himself near the end ("I am only a crescent moon at best. But, don't you think that is better than no light at all?"). Then, past and future is most strongly set through Mikazuki and Yasuhira's dialogue, and the songs that relate to them; Mikazuki sings of "A lotus pedestal to share the world of yore," and Yasuhira asks how the people will think of Hiraizumi in the world to follow. With Mikazuki sharing his duty with Yasuhira, and sympathising with him as they are both certain shapes, I think there's enough basis to call that a contrast sketched. And lastly, omote/ura, or front and back as it's translated here, which I highlighted in the previous section.

That last one and the context behind it actually connects pretty smoothly to the next line. After all, ascertaining whether Mikazuki's workings are right or wrong is one of the main conflicts driving Kogitsunemaru through tsuwamono. Kogitsunemaru in tsuwamono is in the fun position where he gets relied on to make level judgements of situations, whether that be assessing the enemy's intentions, ascertaining whether the Saniwa has thought adding Higekiri and Hizamaru to the formation through, down to Iwatooshi coming to confide in him that he's thinking about his existence. Kogitsunemaru choosing to fight is another choice he must've weighed whether it was right or a mistake. In the end, Kogitsunemaru comes to the conclusion that he doesn't think Mikazuki's methods are right, but he can't say he's wrong, either. However, the use of 'age' in the line stands out. After all, while Mikazuki emphasizes that it's hard to truly know what happened 1000 years ago, it is not as much the age itself that causes the line between what's right and what's a mistake to blur, but Mikazuki and his choices in this age. Because of that, it's also easy enough to return to the out-of-tsuwamono interpretation, and interpret this age as the modern age. I think the most straightforward interpretation, in that case, would be Kogitsunemaru finding it hard to discern whether him involving himself with the recipient of the song is a mistake, this time because it is him carrying aforementioned set of contrasts within him.

An angel and a demon are whispering to me And my heart shakes vehemently The Jekyll and the Hyde, hidden in our hearts Who we join hands with, ah, all of that is decided by us!

Considering the sets of omote/ura in the previous lyrics, this becomes really fun. After all, the common metaphor of an angel and a demon whispering to someone tends to symbolise one's sense of what's right fighting against one's desires. This is very similar to what actually ended up happening in utaawase! I've always thought utaawase's Kogi skit retroactively makes Kogitsunemaru in tsuwamono more complex, because it essentially denies what Mikazuki had thought of him. Kogitsunemaru isn't so single-minded that he can follow Master's orders without questioning, and he isn't as pure of heart that he can fight for what's right without feeling conflict, that he can draw a simple and clear black and white. Mikazuki keeping his mouth shut about the truth of this timeline is an emotionally motivated decision, since he thinks Kogitsunemaru wouldn't understand, much like Yoritomo each and every time, and since he wishes not even the Saniwa to know protecting history isn't as straightforward as it should be, let alone someone whose single-mindedness he envies. But, the existence of a side that's tempted by desire importantly implies that, while Kogitsunemaru fighting Mikazuki is a decision born out of reason, he doesn't wish to fight Mikazuki. And I would say the fight choreo supports that. Instead, Kogitsunemaru wishes to understand him, but Mikazuki doesn't speak. All they can do is fight. To add to this, upon hearing of the extent what Mikazuki has been doing, the very first thing Kogitsunemaru does is express concern for him; "You did... All alone?!"

I think that emotional conflict is a very nice thing about that scene, and that this is how it comes back in Versus.

Then, continuing with the idea of omote/ura, it's very interesting that the lyrics choose to invoke Jekyll and Hyde here. I'm not sure how great a Japanese lyricist's expected awareness is of the gothic novel, but in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and My Hyde, Hyde is a transformation of the good-mannered Dr Jekyll, acting out all vices Jekyll kept in his heart, evil, self-indulgent, and caring about none but himself. At first, Jekyll controls his transformations with use of a serum, but eventually, Jekyll loses control of when he transforms. This shares some core similarities with what later happens to Kogitsunemaru in utaawase, with the key difference that Kogitsunemaru's transformation, while self-indulgent, is benign. Considering Hyde is outright evil, though, it is hard to relate this back to tsuwamono. There's no "evil" to join hands with, considering Kogitsunemaru comes to the conclusion Mikazuki is neither right nor wrong. While I would love for Kogitsunemaru to eventually come to commit time crimes with Mikazuki, the invocation of the listener (in the form of what I interpret as the general 'oneself' -> 'us' (jibun)) calls the song back to the listener-aimed interpretation, in other words, this comes to show once again he can be your angle OR yuor devil, but which side comes out depends on you.

Hiding our true intents in the deepest of our hearts With a fabricated smile, everyone is desperately feeling one another out

Once more, the song calls back to the concept of omote/ura! This time, it comes with the association of wanting to know what the other is really thinking. One thing I quite like about these lines is how they involve 'everyone'. It gives the sense that the things Kogitsunemaru is singing about are things that pertain to general humanity, and he and the listener both participate in that as well.

Meetings and partings, dreams and setbacks, feelings are contrary The answer I had so long searched for may not even exist

Another row of contrasts, culminating with something ("contrary") implying two sides of a coin. This one, though, is a lot less strongly connected to omote/ura, and a lot less straightforward to connect back to Kogitsunemaru. Yes, Mikazuki has met and parted with Yasuhira countless, countless times, yes, Imanotsurugi and Iwatooshi meet with Hizamaru and Higekiri, and Imanotsurugi parts with Yoshitsune, but that's not something that relates as strongly back to what tsuwamono sketches as its themes (not like musuhaji does), nor does it relate back to Kogitsunemaru. Similarly, while 'the warrior's dreams' is a key concept in tsuwamono, the setbacks experienced are either those personal to the historical figures, Mikazuki's failure of being able to convince Yoritomo, or in the form of Iwa and Ima discovering they don't exist. Kogitsunemaru doesn't have a clear dream or setback! But, as sketched before, contrary feelings are very much a Kogitsunemaru thing, and the second line closely mirrors his resolution at the end of tsuwamono. After all, what Mikazuki is doing is neither right, nor wrong.

Truth and lies are intertwining Even the truth is meaningless by now The love and hate I bear in my heart Which one I'll choose, ah, that is always decided by you, my dear!

It's a bit unfortunate that 'truth' is both the most suitable translation for 'hontou' in this case and 'shinjitsu', because, well, I like mimicking different word choices w  But, both in terms of tsuwamono and in terms of Kogitsunemaru, this line is one that fits well! After all, tsuwamono is a myu in which only part of the fictional, being several heroic events from the Tale of the Heike as well as the importance of Benkei, truly happened, and part of what's regarded as fact wouldn't naturally occur if this timeline was allowed to happen without interference. To borrow Suishinshi's words, "History was just written by the victors, isn't that right? No one remembers what truly happened."

The end result of tsuwamono is that it doesn't matter if history isn't followed to the precisest word, just like in Mihotose, as long as the form is correct, the precise details can (and here even need to) be fudged a little.

In terms of Kogitsunemaru, he himself also walks the border of being real and fictional. More specifically, while Kogitsunemaru himself is clearly and decidedly the Noh play, his line in Touken Ranbu the song ("If the golden beast dances, hear, peals of thunder resound!") implies he is in some way connected to the real Kogitsunemaru swords that have existed (since the most famous of those, the one owned by the Kujou Fujiwara, is said to have repelled a lightning storm), and Kogitsunemaru's crest incorporating the Fujiwara crest lightly supports that. In Kogitsunemaru's own case, he regards it as "A difficult question," all the while knowing of his Noh background: in the trial performance, Mikazuki quotes the "Fuujinkaden" treatises by Zeami, the founder of Noh, and Kogitsunemaru identifies it as such, in one of the srs22 higawari Kogitsunemaru quotes those same treatises saying he "hasn't forgotten his [newcomer's] heart." And in his kiwame, too, while it is highly curious he managed to go down to Munechika in Ichijo's reign considering Mikazuki says he himself was smithed in the late 11th century, his resolution essentially boils down to 'something has happened'. While it is certainly up to interpretation how Kogitsunemaru sees himself in myu, I like to see it as that Kogitsunemaru can't deny his own existence, even while identifying more with his story than with his real blades, precisely because he has experienced being smithed in that story. If he in his experience has been smithed by the hands of Munechika and Inari, and has now obtained a physical shape reflecting that, how is that truly different from being real?

The latter two lines are just about literally the core of the song. Depending on what you do, he can be your angle or yuor devil, or more metaphorically, depending on Mikazuki's actions, he can resolve to fight him or accept him.

I picked something more akin to the 'lover-level familiar' interpretation for 'anata' here to contrast with the earlier 'jibun'-- while Kogitsunemaru normally addresses Mikazuki as 'anata', I think this is part of his normal polite speech rather than an expression of intimate familiarity. However, this song doesn't use Kogitsunemaru's polite speech patterns, hence my choice to emphasize it.

For all the times we repeat mistakes, we come to know what's right

This, too, is a close reference back to tsuwamono! Iwatooshi told Mikazuki "It is through making mistakes and taking detours, over and over again, that we grow," and after Iwatooshi left, Mikazuki echoed him as "Over and over... Over and over, huh?"

If there's any 'mistake' that you could say Kogitsunemaru himself repeated, that would eventually lead to him coming to learn what's 'right', it would be his fight against Mikazuki. As a sidenote, it also reflects Kogitsunemaru's attitude from atsuibun that some things are better learned through experience and one's own thinking, rather than being handed an answer.

I don't think this line applies as strongly to Kogitsunemaru accepting Mikazuki's chagashi, by the way. After all, right before that happens Kogitsunemaru tells Mikazuki he thinks his methods are neither right nor wrong, and essentially says he will condone but not join Mikazuki's time crimes. If anything, Kogitsunemaru, by as readily accepting Mikazuki's chagashi as he does, says it's no mistake for him to stay by Mikazuki's side.

But we mustn't forget that, even so, humans are greedy and mutually desiring living beings

And this is what makes the song so nicely foreshadowing of utaawase! At its heart, utaawase is about Kogitsunemaru's struggle between what's right and where his desires lay, told through the lighthearted medium of his desire to eat aburage. These lines say that, in pursuit of greed and through desire for one another, because we are human and living beings, we will willingly make mistakes even if we've come to know what's right. The contrast, or rather, question, whether the toudan are human or objects is one that has been alluded to since srs16, while the subject was introduced in atsuibun. I highlight this bit in particular not just because utaawase repeats it, but because I believe it's an important motif in tsuwamono and the broader plot of myu. Tsuwamono is a musical that humanises Mikazuki, while kishou is a musical that renders Mikazuki closer to an object-- a function. TKO essentially deifies Mikazuki, but that's a sidetangent I won't go into at the moment, haha.

Both myus each have their lines that showcase this; tsuwamono has "No one truly knows what goes on in a [human: hito]'s mind, not even oneself," and kishou aside from calling him a function has Mikazuki calling the humans he's approached the "Mononobe", 'servants of objects'. In tsuwamono, this contrast between 'object' and 'human' finds itself in the contrast between Kogitsunemaru, who is intent on following the Saniwa's orders without questioning, single-mindedly, and Mikazuki, whose humanity drives him to make complicated decisions out of kindness.

While Kogitsunemaru is the 'object' between the two in tsuwamono until their confrontation, these lines (and utaawase) re-emphasise Kogitsunemaru's humanity. It's that same humanity that makes Kogitsunemaru want to understand Mikazuki before actually laying a hand on him, and that same humanity that drives Kogitsunemaru to worry for him, and in the end, to ask him to dance with him in battle.

While I do think Kogitsunemaru being the object of Mikazuki's desires and Mikazuki being the object of Kogitsunemaru's desires, in the name of which he wilfully makes mistakes, is very sexy, I don't think it applies to Kogitsunemaru and Mikazuki's resolution in the end of tsuwamono, as I wrote in the analysis of the previous lyrics. Though, interpreting his initial unwillingness to go full force against Mikazuki as a mistake he makes out of a desire not to slay the person he is closest to is pretty readily done. It is also easy enough to regard Mikazuki keeping his mouth shut to Kogitsunemaru as a mistake he makes out of caring for him and the Saniwa, and the mistakes he makes in the form of telling Yasuhira about his duty over and over again instead of simply controlling him is another mistake made out of kindness. But all of those are different from greed and desiring one another.

What I could see happen, in a further future, hopefully it's still somewhere on the table after Goumyu (my extremely worried/depressed What Goumyu May Have Done To Kogitsunemaru Through Evoking His Themes essay is also on request), is Kogitsunemaru making the 'mistake' of covering for Mikazuki in his want to stay by his side. This could be either in the form of Kogitsunemaru fending off the swords of the Citadel as they try to pursue Mikazuki when he's gone too far, aiding Mikazuki in ways that don't directly interfere with the flow of history (for example by becoming a bridge like the Gous), or even eventually coming to commit minor time offences himself.

Once again, because of the implication of a relationship more desireful than myu is likely to intend for KogiMika, I think interpreting these in a listener-aimed romantic light is the more straightforward thing to do. In these lines, Kogitsunemaru says it's human nature to wilfully make mistakes in the name of love and desire. This turns the song from "he can be your angle or yuor devil (kinda dangerous)" to "he can be your angle or yuor devil (sexy)." He may have conflicting sides as a lover, but he is always weighing its weight, and will make mistakes in name of love and desire because that, as well as being two-sided, is human nature. And I think that that change of angles (actual angles in this case) is neat, precisely because Kogitsunemaru holds the cusp between various things in myu, either within himself or together with Mikazuki.

Ah!

To close off, if you can, please listen to kotobuki (senshuuraku) Kogizono's 'Ah!' it is so powerful I had to include it as text when I subbed kotobuki. He's grown from a nice to a pretty dang amazing singer, even if not as conventional as the likes of Tsuru, Hori, or Tonbo. Please Recognise His Power 🥺 For me 🥺

And as tl;dr; While I think Versus is most straightforwardly interpreted as a song aimed romantically towards a listener, it builds strongly off of the events and themes introduced in Tsuwamono, and so, as extension of that, it calls back to Mikazuki and Kogitsunemaru's relationship in a less direct way. I also think it leads up to Kogitsunemaru's utaawase skit really well! Though not everything fits either myu!Kogi or game!Kogi, it's a fun "I can be your angle or yuor devil" song that solidifies Kogitsunemaru's connection to the omote/ura theme utaawase and kotobuki come back on, which is fun to see. Overall, especially in post-srs18 Versus performances, it showcases Kitazono's vocal ability, topped off by him adding the Wham Note AAAA after the bridge.

This was fun to write! It may have ended up a bit big, but I hope it's nonetheless a fun read! This goes to everyone who came up to here (thank you so much for reading!), but let me know if there's anything toumyu you'd like my thoughts on! I have plenty of them, especially about kogi/mika/kogimika, so little essays about those would tend to be a bit more longer and elaborate, like this one 😌

[foggyparadisecandy]

On Resilience and "Being Strong"

I know these types of posts where I lay out what passes for deep thoughts in my mind aren't my most popular but I'm dropping this stuff out to clarify my own thoughts.

If any of y'all benefit from these words, that's great. If you disagree, drop me a comment or a DM because I'm still figuring stuff out myself.

The hard truth is - like most of the stuff I've written since late April - I'm writing this for one person in particular even though it's unlikely she'll read it. Well, that is what it is. I'm writing it for her anyway.

Let's get to it.

Life is hard and messy. I'm optimistic as hell but even I recognize that sometimes life throws a brick upside our head. That shit hurts! Sometimes, we might not even feel like we're going to make it through.

How we react and bounce back is called "resilience." Resilience does not mean "being strong" or "toughing out bad times."

Nah.

Bend Don't Break

There's an old parable about the mighty oak and the lowly reed. When life sends a nasty windstorm their way, the oak snaps and the reed bends and survives.

Take from that what you will but, for sure, it's a great visual about the importance of reslience.

A resilient person is flexible, adaptable, resourceful, creative, solution-minded, and know how to process and work through life's difficulties - like the metaphorical brick upside your head - in constructive ways.

Resilience doesn't mean you are going to be free from stress or difficulties. But you are going to be better equipped to bounce back, faster, and possibly stronger than before.

Treat Yourself with Kindness

You can learn and become more resilient with a tiny bit of effort. There are a lot of ways of doing this but my favorites are tied up in my four principles:

FORGIVE YOURSELF LOVE YOURSELF FORGIVE OTHERS LOVE OTHERS

Being kind to yourself, forgiving yourself, knowing you are doing your best - and no, you aren't perfect lol - helps you find a genuine path to loving yourself.

Mix in some gratitude - an attitude of looking at the good things in life that happen and, more importantly in my opinion, the things that you are proud of that you've done or accomplished.

You're pretty fucking good. You might forget it. Hell, you might not believe it :( but re-read those two paragraphs and do your best to start catching the negative stuff that tells you the opposite messages.

It takes time and it isn't easy but work it. Become your own best friend. You are always with you so it might be a good idea to become friends with yourself.

Forgiving Others

As far as forgiving others goes, well ... look ... this shit is hard to do. I understand. Someone does you wrong, it's a natural animalistic instinct to lash out and get revenge.

Fuck that. Another old parable goes: before you start off on a journey of revenge, dig two graves. One for them and one for you.

And if it isn't clear from that parable, you are harming yourself if you live for revenge. And maybe you aren't looking for revenge. Maybe it's just that person that hurt you still looms large in your mind. Bugging you. Pissing you off. Making you sad. Angry. Fearful. Whatever it is.

Well ... fuck that too.

Letting someone that hurt you live on inside your mind, hurting you further? That's double damage. Let it go. I wrote about catharsis a few days back - get to it. Vent out those emotions and feelings as much as you need to - take as many passes as you need - and get them out of your head - speak them out or write them out. And each pass you make, focus on releasing the emotions. Feel relief as you spew it out on to the page or out in the air.

And ... do your best ... I get it ... it's fucking hard ... but forgive them. They did a shitty thing. There are a lot of reasons people do shitty things. If you really want, you can try to understand them but if they are really assholes, you would have to be an asshole to understand an asshole. Fuck those people. Let them go. Forgive their pathetic choices. Assholes gonna asshole. They would love to know you are still hurting. Fuck. Them.

And if it's a good person who did a shitty thing? That's a bit easier. Forgive them. Talk it out. And ... if they do it again? Well ... that's a different discussion. I would still forgive them but disengage. They clearly are on a path that doesn't respect you. They might be a good person but you aren't vibing ... other people out there are waiting for you.

If you really can't forgive, go back to catharsis and keep grinding out the feelings and purge them little by little. Eventually the offenders won't loom so large in your life. And when they are small and hold little power, do your best to forgive them.

Loving Others

Ahhhhh ... yeah ... this is easy for most people. Sometimes it's too easy.

We want to connect with others and sometimes fall in with those who aren't deserving of our love or time. Watch out for that. I speak with a lot of people and it's clear that connecting with others in an authentic honest open ways is hard in so many ways.

It's easy to fall into relationships that don't always match our energy levels or maybe they aren't completely vibing with us. Maybe they don't treat us kindly.

Well. I'm sure this will be a big suprise: be open, honest, talk it out with them. They may or may not respond the way you want. It's ok.

Be strong. Remember "LOVE YOURSELF" comes before "LOVE OTHERS." If you aren't vibing, they aren't respecting, you are mis-aligned with energy levels and goals, it might be hard but ... move along. Find the right friends. The right loved ones.

Remember: you deserve the best, accept no less.

And when you do find the right people, be brave. Be authentic. Be transparent. Be loving. Be open.

The real jam in life is deep, meaningful connections where you are truly seen by the other person.

And I mean TRULY seen. They know you, warts and all, and they still have your back. They still love you. They support you. They care for you.

It's not easy to find these people. None of these principles are easy.

But if you keep working at them and keep them in balance, you will build resilience and be able to take that metaphorical brick upside your head and bounce back faster.

Develop Skills

The other piece of resilience is that you develop ways to deal with certain things in a healthy way.

I'm a big fan of catharsis - talking it out or writing it out. Another fundamental skill is keeping track of automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) that spring up and squish them fast.

Hold those ANTs up and look at them. Most of the time, they don't have any basis on reality. They are just self-judgments against ourselves. Maybe we are imagining what others are thinking about us (pro-tip: most people don't think about us at all - too busy worried about their own shit). Maybe we made a simple mistake and are over-exaggerating its importance. Maybe someone else made a mistake and we are taking it as they don't like us or we are hated.

There are a lot of ways to look at and squish those ANTs. Maybe I'll write them up in a separate post.

Obviously, I have had my own struggles recently with a lot of these things. I'm applying all these things to my own life and getting healthy.

They work with effort and dedication. It's like saving money or getting healthy - it doesn't happen over night. But it pays off in the end.

You got this.

[cartcop]

This is a crazy thing to say about a show you're actively watching.

I'm not gonna argue that there haven't been weirdly paced plotlines, especially in 6a. But to say that EVERYTHING has been a bad arc? That's just unfair.

I mean, in the time that KR has been running the show we've had Eddie's breakdown, BuckTaylor's dissolving relationship, Hen overloading with medical school, and a phenomenal resolution to the reason Athena became a cop (and those are just the ones that I personally loved and can pull up off hand).

If you hate the direction KR has taken the show in, that's fine. You're entitled to that opinion. But why on earth are you still watching?

I don't think it's giving KR the grace she deserves, as a first time showrunner, to say every plotline under her supervision has been bad. Hurried sometimes, sure; the pacing has been off for a fair few of the storylines we've seen since mid-s5, but that doesn't make them intrinsically bad.

Wendell was backwards imo—I wish it had been an already established character or that he'd been introduced earlier—but by the end of 6x12, I was entirely convinced of his role in Bobby's life and why this murder was so important to solve.

Denny and his dad, though, I completely disagree. We got a midseason finale that hinted at what was coming, a time jump that we came back from and immediately understood what had been going on while we weren't watching, and a multi-episode build to the climax and (for now) resolution of HenRen giving him the chance to build trust with them because they want their kid to know his dad if that's what he needs. And based off this episode, that arc isn't over—we're going to see more of those dynamics in all their complicated glory.

I feel similarly about Chim and his dad—I wish Chimney had the conversation with him instead of his wife, but at the end of the day, they made it really clear that he forgave his father for himself (a theme), and not for anyone else. And to me, that gorgeously tied in with Denny's storyline.

Re: Buddie canon in 5 episodes; sure. Maybe that pacing DOES make sense for KR's style. Plenty of people in the tags still think Buddie canon is coming in the finale. And that's fine! They might be right. But this post was about the fact that people took vague second hand spoilers about this episode and decided it meant that Buddie canon in 5 episodes isn't possible, and therefore Buddie canon can't happen at all. And that's an insane way to interpret the spoilers. After seeing the episode, it's a crazy way to interpret the episode itself, too.

There remains no reason to think that Eddie/Marisol is going canon in any significant way. Personally, idgaf if the two of them date around before realizing they're it for each other. If that's the story the writers want to tell, that's their prerogative. If that's not the story you want to see, and you're so convinced it's coming off of speculation and a single set photo that you decide to project your concerns onto someone else, you don't have to watch it. You can wait to hear second hand how it turns out, and watch it later when you know you'll be able to handle it.

The moral of my story is that if you can't look at these storylines and see the good in them, as well as where they fall short, maybe you should stop tuning in. There is absolutely a way to be critical while still enjoying the show (I do it every goddamn week). But the way you're talking about it and the people who write it doesn't sound like fair critique of content you love. It sounds like hate-watching, and speculating based on worst case scenarios for what YOU want. And go ahead and do that if it brings you joy, but don't make it my problem that you can't see the positives amongst your own negativity. I'm just along for the ride.

I say this with all the love in the world but if you’re genuinely doubting the possibility of buddie canon because of the Performance Anxiety spoilers….were you really under the impression buddie was gonna go canon in the next 5 episodes? Out of (relative) no where?