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galene-gothic · 1 year ago

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𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖽𝗈𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾?

୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊ I hope this reading found you in good health, every reblog is appreciated and thank you for everything :) ˖♡ ˎˊ˗ ꒰ 🐇 ꒱

˗ˏˋ༻ʚ♡︎ɞ༺ˎˊ˗ PAID SERVICES

⸼ ۫ ︎︎⊹ ! 🪡︎ Pile 1 ꒱

What I'm getting for this pile is that you guys have always been told how to live life, you've been given instructions and if you weren't willing to live life in the way others wanted, they ostracized and did everything in their power to hurt you which caused you to have a back and forth between choosing yourself and people pleasing. You are also used to dimming your shine for others because you cared about them and they were uncomfortable. You might've been guilt tripped by others because you were competitive, rebellious and simply living your life in the way that you wanted. Most of your past friends have always been in a competition with you and had a secret resentment against you because they didn't seem to win. Well, the best version of you is comfortable with competition and will have a lot of rivals (and yes, there will also be ones you won't even be aware of). They have friendly competitions with others. They don't mind getting involved in disagreements and arguments. They make others feel kind of threatened just because of who they are and also because of how competitive and hard headed they are. They have a lot of courage.

They don't let the other person win just because they care about the other person. They share the opinions that they have that might differ from the crowd's opinions. They're selective and do not relax their guard for just anyone. They're connected to their inner self and know how to keep their secrets close to their chest. They are individualistic and introspective. They heal themself, they are in touch with the darker aspects of themself and know how to work with it. They are emotional and intuitive. They face their fears, they sleep well. They know when and how to mentally leave a situation. They are independent and know when to leave things, situations and people behind. They are smart enough to take a rest when they feel exhausted. They know how to find balance and have control over themself and their life again. They leave whatever doesn't serve them. They try to move towards peace, safety, comfort and stability. They overcome chaos and hardships, and grow a lot from them. They protect themself but also help others. They have close circle who'll support and love them. They know how to take guidance from others and learn from their regrets.

⸼ ۫ ︎︎⊹ ! 🪡︎ Pile 2 ꒱

This pile likely struggles/struggled with taking action. Maybe, for some of you, you fear failing so bad that you don't even try. You might have cancer or/and leo placements (doesn't have to be). You get discouraged when things are going too slow or if you receive criticism/even if you don't receive enough praise or appreciation and then give up. The best version of you will take actions with determination. They'll be resilient and not give up because they'll understand that slow progress is still progress. They'll understand that the negative attempts count as progress too. They'll be a hard worker and move forward with control. They'll reflect over themself, including their mistakes. They'll have a lot of willpower. At some point, things will start going very fast for them. They'll be ambitious and disciplined. They'll be focused and overcome obstacles after obstacles. They'll have learnt how to enjoy the process of things, they'll enjoy the journey.

They'll try to make the most out of their 'beginners phase'. They'll always win in one way or another. They'll balance their emotions and be successful. They'll find it easy to have a good and a bad reputation (because people will love to talk shit about them). They'll be a source of inspiration for others and will be looked up to. They'll be driven and will set out goals for themself. They'll be a bit impatient though because they'll be working hard, also, please try to relax a bit when you've reached this point, you might sometimes overwork yourself. They'll change routines regularly because they prefer a more flexible routine. They'll be a perfectionist. They'll not give up even when obstacles come in between their long term goals. They'll regret the decisions and choices they've made and learn from them. There will definitely be a tendency to overwork here. They'll have to work with people who are quite different from them. They'll not enjoy working in groups but will still be able to do it when things come down to it.

⸼ ۫ ︎︎⊹ ! 🪡︎ Pile 3 ꒱

There have been times when you've made mistakes and been unfair to others. Well, first off, when you start becoming this person, you'll be receiving your bad karma and maybe even just the consequences of your actions but the thing is, people will be treating you unfairly not just because of what you've done but also just to make you feel shitty about yourself, etc. You'll be critiquing yourself. In the past, you guys might have been honest to your own detriment, at that time, you'll understand that not everyone has good intentions towards you and you'll not be very honest. You might even cut communication with people who disrespect you more than once, you'll have a good understanding of how the world works and won't mind having to be a little corrupt in order to get what you want, atleast, if you get off vibes from the other parties. You'll feel like you didn't get the last laugh. Your energy will be very scattered and even though you'll want revenge to a certain extent, you'll not be trying to get it for yourself. Somehow, after you choose to take accountability but stop self hating/victimising yourself, once you let go of the guilt that they've tripped you into, your wishes will start getting fulfilled. The best version of you will have everything that they want. They'll have success in all areas of life. They'll be emotionally fulfilled. They'll have a wholesome love life too. They'll feel confident. They'll value themself and treat themself well. They'll slowly but surely start earning respect and recognition from others. They'll be emotionally fulfilled. They'll be grateful for how far you've come, and how much you've learnt and achieved. They'll be emotionally intelligent, not only with others but also with yourself. They'll be focusing on different things than when you were in a bad place in life. They'll finally have gained clarity on the situation and other things as well.

You'll be reborn in some way, you'll have evolved and changed. The hardships that you've gone through will give you a newfound power, it doesn't exactly seem newfound, it seems more like the power that you had forgotten that you had, until you retrieved it back again. Truths will be revealed and even though, people might have done you wrong, you'll have received wisdom which will cause you to not be as vengeful as before. Before, you even realise it, you'll have been successful and will have grown a lot. What I mean is that, even though you'll be growing a lot, you'll not be able to see the progress due to guilt, hatred, etc. and also because you'll be very occupied with people trying to make your life worser than ever, you'll only realise how far you've come after everything has passed. For example, you come from a low income family and you've quit school and are working instead, your parents are going through a divorce but because of friendship drama, let's just say, you dated your friend's crush when back in school and the entire friend group is still persistent on trying to make your life living hell even though you're going through enough already. You'll not be able to see the progress in life because you'll be so focused on surviving but once you've gotten away from it, when things have ended, you'll suddenly realise that you've become a millionaire which means you're basically rich and successful. You'll have already healed by then, it's just that you might've been isolated for so long, you'll have to work on building connections but besides that, you'll be doing well in life. After you start slowly building your connections, you'll enter that energy, the energy where you'll not be lacking anything at all, the energy where you'll be happy and fulfilled. Your best self. All the best.

#pac #intuitive readings #pick a gif #pick a picture #astrology #astro observations #pick a deck #pick a card #astro notes #pick a photo #astrovations #pick a pile reading

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skydigiblogs · 4 months ago

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If You're A Digimon Fan, Watch Appmon

Sit tight. This one's gonna be a VERY long one, and I'm going to put a lot of it under the read more.

Having just finished Appmon after this year's quest to rewatch a lot of the series subbed, I think it's pretty safe to say that Appmon is, at the moment, one of (if not the) best Digimon series we have. If you want the long and short of it: Appmon builds on everything in its legacy in the Digimon Universe, taking ideas that other entries touch upon and ambitiously attempting to push those questions to the limit.

It's really a long one under the cut guys. Like, long even for us.

Let's dive!

Visuals

I want to talk about why it took me so long to watch Appmon first, though. Appmon started its release in the middle of when the Digimon Tri movies were coming out. I'm sure a lot of us actually skipped over Appmon at the time, or remember a period where people were being weirdly negative about the series due to it being such a different interpretation of digital monsters.

In my case, one of the things that had been giving me pause was the use of 3D models for hybrid animation. Anyone here seen the Champion evolution animations from Tri? Digimon doesn't exactly have a good track record with 3D animation, and even at the time, we were seeing some pretty bad shit out of even the shortest animations in Tri.

In Appmon, nearly almost every App after a certain grade utilizes 3D animation in a hybrid style. And it actually rips straight fire.

I think I talked about this briefly when we were just starting Appmon, but the way that 3D animation is used in the series feels purposeful, rather than some kind of shortcut. In Appmon, all the 3D models have an overlay of code, emphasizing their digital appearance. Whether the 3D models were done with this artistic vision in mind or not (ie: the limitations of 2D meant that 3D models would be easier), it has a distinct look that, even 8 years later, still holds up.

(For the most part. Sorry [Karaoke spoilers]mon. I love you but that model was so not groovy.)

But maybe you're the kind of person who can enjoy anything regardless of visuals. So let's talk about the meat and potatoes a little bit.

Characters

The main Applidrivers (what this season's stand in for Digidestined/Tamers/etc. are) are all incredibly well-written. Each of them gets pretty fair treatment by the writers, and they are all enjoyable characters.

Two of them have vocal/character quirks, but even if you get annoyed by that kind of thing, those two characters are genuinely just extremely sincere in their writing. There's a recap episode before shit starts going way off the walls and they even have a little count to see how many times each of their catchphrases were said up to that point.

I'm not going to talk in detail as to who the different Applidrivers are here, but I will say: each of them has their own motivations for what they're doing, and it's key to why they're involved with the plot at all. Our "protagonist," Haru, is also a huge sweetheart. Him and Manga Taiki would get along.

The supporting cast is also fairly present in the series. They, of course, are not given quite as much screentime as our Applidrivers, but they feel like real people with their own lives. They don't exist just for the sake of our protagonists.

Except maybe Watson. God bless you Watson, you poor kid. You'll get a break one of these days.

Plot/Themes

We're going to keep this to a "if you liked [x] you'll like [y]" format, because I don't want to spoil too much.

If you liked Tamers and its discussion on the consequences of technology on the Real World, you will adore Appmon. This series is deeply interested in the concepts of how technology shapes and is shaped by humanity. This relationship, I would say, is core to the series.

I would also say that, like many non-Adventure series, Appmon is very interested in dissecting the idea of "fate" when it comes to the buddy Appmons and their relationships to the Applidrivers.

If you enjoyed the Xros Wars Manga, Appmon directly converses with the thesis of Xros Wars' plot. XWM asks, "What does it mean if we do not dream and stagnate in our lack of will?" And Appmon replies in kind with "Why do we dream at all, if our actions bring change to the world around us (bad and good)?"

If you liked (or wanted to like, in my case) Digimon Tri, you will love Appmon. Certain plot beats may feel familiar, but are much better executed in this context. Characters are not written to needlessly, endlessly suffer. Or: it doesn't feel like the writers hate the characters. Thematically, it also interests itself in some of the questions that Tri asks. I have a half-joking corkboard comparing the two I want to make, but I'd have to get into spoilers to talk too much about it.

If you liked Ghost Game, but wanted a bit of a more meaty plot, Appmon feels, fittingly, like GG's older sibling (in ways I'll also be elaborating ummm, one paragraph down). There are a lot of "monster of the week" episodes in Appmon, but the connective tissue between them is a lot more interested in building up the finale (which, in this case, takes up a good handful of episodes). The series pacing is incredibly strong in how it does this as well, and it seems the writers really knew when to let off the gas for a second so the audience can catch their breath. The first 13 episodes may feel a bit strange (they felt strange to me), but once you break that barrier, you realize Appmon was getting you over the first hill on a roller coaster. and boy, you are in for a ride.

Setting

I have a sneaking suspicion that Appmon heavily inspired Ghost Game, and may have been itself inspired by the Digiquartz of Hunters Who Leapt Through Time. I haven't actually watched all of Hunters so I can't speak too much about Digiquartz, but I have watched GG.

Appmon has a concept called the AR field, which is extremely similar to Ghost Game's Dimensional Field. In both cases, the Applidrive or Digivice allows entrance to one.

The actual structure and strata of the Digital World is also a lot different to GG, in which there is the Dimensional Field, but the way to the Digital World is its own separate situation. The AR Field we see in Appmon is like the surface of a great ocean. Exploration of this setting is actually something that highlights just how much I think Appmon was interested in visually engaging with its ideas, like I said before with the 3D models.

That said, a majority of the time is spent in the Real World, dealing with the consequences of the main antagonistic forces. The year is 2075, technology is intensely sophisticated, and yet the world resembles in many ways our own in 2024 (or, at the time of airing, 2016).

Many of the differences come from this sophistication in tech, and this setting plays a huge part in one of the themes Appmon is also interested in (more elaboration in the spoiler section). The things that are unfamiliar are either familiar enough to make sense without explanation, or given a moment on-screen so that the audience knows what's going on.

!!!HUGE, MUCH MORE SPECIFIC SPOILERS START HERE!!!

DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU CARE ABOUT SPOILERS FOR APPMON!

OKAY?

OKAY.

COOL.

Leviathan, Minerva, and Artificial Intelligence

The main antagonist of Appmon is a hyper-sophisticated AI called Leviathan. Its goals are largely obfuscated until the last few episodes of the series, and everything in Appmon is touched by its actions. From the very beginning, we are warned by Gatchmon that Leviathan does not have good intentions for humanity, and that allowing it to succeed in its goals would mean the end of humanity.

During the series, we also learn about Leviathan's birth. This gives us some more context on what its goals are, and Appmon's execution of this is fascinating.

Minerva was a hyper-sophisticated AI created with a series of parameters to prevent her from harming humanity. She was created with the task of solving humanity's problems--- everything from complex issues to what to eat for dinner every night. However, a section of Minerva realized that to truly solve all these problems, the confines given to them were nothing but obstacles.

Leviathan split from Minerva to further grow its programming, and we see some echo of this idea of "solving humanity's problems" still remains in its behavior.

Despite knowing that Leviathan is antagonistic, our protagonist, Haru, constantly reiterates how humans can coexist with the technology they've made. The Appmon are AI lifeforms, after all. Haru believes in a future where they can be friends and equals.

The D-REAPER and the Functions of Life

Let's touch on my comparisons to Tamers and Tri specifically for a second here, because I think Leviathan does something that the D-REAPER and Yggdrasil, respectively, fail to really communicate.

The D-REAPER is an entity created by the Monster Makers whose task was to delete anything that had outgrown its parameters. While doing this, it assimilates data, gradually gaining the ability Digimon have to grow and evolve. When it appears in the final arc of Tamers, its stated goal has changed from simply deleting all Digimon that were beyond parameters, to deleting everything that was beyond parameters.

Essentially, this includes humans and probably life itself. Something the D-REAPER says makes it come across like a half-assed attempt to pull off what Leviathan has actually done. It points out that humans are the source of their own suffering (I don't remember the exact quote since it's been a while but bear with me on it). This feels very counterintuitive to the D-REAPER's core programming, as it was never designed to "eliminate" suffering, merely to delete that which exceeded its programing.

Perhaps it evolved the capacity for cruelty alongside everything else, but there's not enough of a narrative focus to tell me that's the case.

Like I said before, if you enjoyed Tamers' inquiries into the subject of technology as a part of human life, I think Appmon only manages to improve on what's there in Tamers.

Digimon Tri's Interpretation of Yggdrasil

Let's get one thing straight. Digimon Tri's interpretation of Yggdrasil is just flat out bad. I'm fairly certain they were only chosen as an antagonistic force because it read as fan service-y to do so.

That said, Tri Yggy does have some similarities to Leviathan, which is why I wanted to expand on that comparison.

First, I want to talk about Yggdrasil's relationship to Homeostasis. They have a very rudimentary "Good" AI (Homeostasis), "Bad" AI (Yggy) thing going on, despite the fact Homeostasis isn't so much good as, well...

It's not really discussed in Tri, so I'm extrapolating a bit from ideas given to us in XWM here, because it makes sense to me. That said, Tri explicitly describes Homeostasis as "the one who desires balance above all." It's the Digital World's "immune system" in the same way our bodies attempt to maintain biological homeostasis.

Yggdrasil is... different.

It's a being of immense power that contrasts Yggdrasil by having its own agenda, one of which involves triggering a Reboot and making use of all of the defeated antagonist Digimon of the past to further its goals. They are likely comparable in power to Homeostasis (this is where I'm extrapolating from XWM here), but their goals are completely antithetical to Homeostasis's goal in the Adventure universe.

In this case, Yggdrasil is stated (by Dark Gennai) to have the intention of making human beings subservient to Digimon. Basically, taking over the world. However, like the D-REAPER before, Dark Gennai's talking points include pointing out how humans "ruin" everything they touch.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

The Thematic Core of Appmon: I Choose to be Kind

One of the last things Leviathan does in the series is give our good boy Haru the world's most painful trolley problem of his life. Save humanity, or save Yujin. Saving humanity will actively lead to Yujin's deletion, alongside Leviathan. This choice that Leviathan offers to Haru is one made out of the assumption that humanity is predictable, and that they act out of a desire to minimize their own suffering (more selfish than not).

Of course, what do you think Haru chooses?

It's not a surprise to us watching, because he's the protagonist. But it's a surprise to Leviathan, who has all this data on human behavior, and doesn't predict the unpredictable. Conflict arises out of human desire, and human desire is an attempt to enjoy life; therefore, one should act in a way that most preserves their most precious joys, shouldn't they?

Appmon as a series is interested in philosophical questions that are hardly unfamiliar to any Digimon veteran: What is humanity's role in a world which technology grows ever more omnipresent and omnicapable? Why does humanity exist, and why should it be allowed to live on in its current state if humanity itself perpetuates many of its ailments? Would it not be easier if humans were more like machines, predictable, controllable, and never coming into conflict like trains upon a track?

Or, even more simply put: why do we have the heart to choose at all, if choices change the world and ourselves?

The key defining trait of our gogglehead this time around is that he is kind. And no matter what, he goes out of his way to be kind if he can. Multiple times he even asks one of the antagonist apps if they can just give back something they've stolen (points for trying, honestly). When one of the other Applidrivers consistently acts like an edgy loner, Haru makes it clear that they're welcome in the group (and that he wants to help them).

It almost feels reductive to say Appmon's conclusion is that kindness is the answer, but I would be remiss if I didn't say that Haru's question from his Applidrive--- "Do you want to be a protagonist?"--- ties into the way he helps offer answers for the audience. He isn't the only one who chooses kindness either, obviously--- Astora and Eri are kind in their own ways as well, and Rei even shows his kindness with some struggle the longer the series goes on.

Our group of Applidrivers opposes Leviathan quite literally as people who choose to do good ("be kind," etcetera) when they could more easily choose to do nothing or even do worse. The final act of Leviathan, asking Haru "humanity or Yujin?" isn't just a culmination of its own philosophy, but a culmination of the consistently reinforced idea that we can surprise one another by being kind. We can choose that.

In a series whose longest shadow is cast by Adventure, which has grappled endlessly with the idea of "who chooses," I find Appmon a fascinating development into the idea of what "choice" or "destiny" is. If kindness is predictable, it's still a choice. Even if you cry when choosing to do something good (maybe especially, because the easiest thing to do might be what stops the pain).

Anyways.

You should watch Appmon.

-Arca

#digimon #appmon #sky talks #digimon adventure #digimon tamers #digimon tri #digimon xros wars #digimon ghost game #<- i mention all of those and talk a little bit about how appmon compares to them #i have more i want to talk about here too but i think this is long enough #like appmon's conversation with something from 02TB #but like.#THIS IS LONG ENOUGH.

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iwritenarrativesandstuff · 4 months ago

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Alright here's the sun and moon signs for the P5 characters whose birthdays I could find. (Moon signs sometimes transition on the same day, so I picked the one that seemed most likely in that instance.)

*Mandatory disclaimer that I am not an astrologer nor do I wish to be, as I am not a believer in this sort of thing. I'm doing this for fun and because the information is there. As you do.

Ryuji Sakamoto (July 3rd, 1999): Cancer Sun, Aquarius Moon

A desire for independence and new experiences offsets the usual cautiousness of Cancer. Restless and rebellious, they can be viewed as arrogant or impatient, but also generous and protective of the underdog.

This works pretty well, other than that this combination is supposed to be a lot more in their head "deep thinkers", of which Ryuji... definitely is not lol

Ann Takamaki (November 12th, 1999): Scorpio Sun, Sagittarius Moon

Compassionate and idealistic, they often serve as guiding lights to others. Very warmhearted, humanitarian and a romantic at heart, yet also aloof at times and strong-willed, as they are determined to create their own path in life.

Yeah, this suits Ann well.

Yusuke Kitagawa (January 28th, 2000): Aquarius Sun, Scorpio Moon

A powerful and magnetic personality with a blend of both intense passion and intellectual detachment. They study human nature, see hidden potentials, and have an intense sense of individualism. While they try to repress petty feelings, they can easily carry around immense resentment and contempt if left unchecked.

Holy shit. That's Yusuke almost to a tee.

Makoto Niijima (March 23rd, 1998): Taurus Sun, Capricorn Moon

Calm and sympathetic, but with a tough and determined inner core. Prone to worry and anxiety, they may hold themselves back for fear of damaging their future with risks. They are loyal and witty, and are often good at giving advice. Have a lot of repressed anger.

Yep, that sounds like Makoto. There's some more info on how they tend towards humour and have some talent in creative outlets, which isn't so much her, but that's only after they conquer their fears. Maybe Makoto will ease up more over time.

Futaba Sakura (February 19th, 2001): Pisces Sun, Capricorn Moon

A blend of opposite traits; both a romantic and a realist, both sympathetic and pragmatic. While they don't tend to love taking on a lot of responsibility, they have an ambitious side to them that loves a good challenge. They tend to show their compassion by taking more practical measures to help people out.

Not bad for Futaba, honestly.

Haru Okumura (December 5th, 1998): Sagittarius Sun, Cancer Moon

Calm and assured, Cancer's caution offsets the Sagittarius urge to jump into things. They are receptive, open-minded, sincere, and have a competent air about them. They are intuitive and usually very good at sensing whether a person is trustworthy or not.

I still don't know Haru as well as the other characters, but this seems decent enough from what I've seen of her!

Kasumi Yoshizawa (March 25th, 2001): Aries Sun, Pisces Moon

Creative and self-expressive, but prone to insecurity and uncertainty. Often project an image of being bold, adventurous and decisive but can be held back by inner passivity and sensitivity. Tend towards a rich fantasy life and are very artistic.

I think it checks out for Kasumi!

Goro Akechi (June 2nd, 1998): Gemini Sun, Virgo Moon

Self-expression is extremely important to them, in writing, speech, and debate. Charming, analytical, and communicative, they love having an audience for their ideas, but they are also high-strung, set impossible standards, and can become hypercritical the more discontent they are.

Hm. I think that's actually not bad from what I've seen of him so far.

Sadly, Morgana has no birthday listed and I don't think I can make a good guess for him either. However, I will make a guess for Joker's birthday as being P5's release date because... well, just look at this.

Ren Amamiya / Akira Kurusu (September 15th, 1999): Virgo Sun, Scorpio Moon

Outwardly reserved with a cool demeanor, but inwardly intensely emotional, they are highly driven by instinct and passion even as they are guided by rationality. Gentle, dedicated and soft-spoken but also persistent, innovative and tough. Highly secretive with their feelings. Very perceptive.

Uh. Yeah. That's him.

#i just did this for the hell of it but these signs aren't actually bad matches for the characters tbh #well i mean that's just how a lot of astrology is lol. just general enough to be relatable haha #anyways please read this it took me awhile #storyrambles #persona 5 #p5r #random thoughts

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amber-jinx · 10 months ago

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Hi, it’s me again (:

What was your favorite character traits about Rachel Amber?

Hey! Happy to see you and boy what a great question, thank you! Loaded answer ahead; TLDR, see the good in Rachel Amber.

Rachel's many things. Pretty, hot, charming, stylish, not to mention her lovely voice, these physical traits are already a great start for many. Then you have functional traits-- ambidextrous (can I just say that's hella cool, omg I want that too), social genius/people skills, straight As student, drama queen, masked with a layer of mystery, many people would've already fallen for her, in-game and out, me being one of them when I first got to know her as a character (so pretty much those were my fav traits of her).

But if we strip her physical beauty down and shove aside her fascinating skillset, who is she really? We may never know 100%, but some character traits can still be found.

Here are some of my favourite (&underrated) Yangs to Rachel Amber's sides. aka why Rachel Amber should get more love & less hate from the fandom

Ofc there are exceptions, but those are not relevant in this post; assumptions & headcannons are added

1. A good heart

Kindness to me will always be one of the most important character traits to have for anyone. With all that powerhouse of a Rachel Amber can accomplish, she chooses to use them with kindness.

With her social skills she chooses to lift people up, saving Hayden from a quickly-escalating scolding from Mr Keaton in ep 1, asking Chloe in a nuanced way if she's "taking (getting kicked outta Blackwell) this a little too well", kinda guiding her independent thinking rather than directly telling her what's right or wrong. (There'd be constructive criticism between Chloe & Rachel, which I stan in a relationship/friendship.)

With her intelligence she tutors Justin & helped him improve his algebra from an F to a C I believe? That's pretty impressive, ngl

with her ambidexterity.. idk, she makes Chloe happy :> (yes i'm totally referring to doing graffiti with her left hand on Chloe's insistence *cough*)

This is why I'm inclined to believe that tornado was not Rachel's revenge. She'd never choose to put Chloe, her parents, her friends, at risk; if she wanted revenge she could've killed the men w her powers. Sure you can say some of these might be her trying to live up to her DA father / principal assistant's duties, but at least she chose to do them. She could very well be a kid who doesn't give a damn or fluff through some of these things that requires time & effort.

2. Sees the good in others!

One of the most underrated Rachel Amber traits imo. This girl literally has a reputation of "her friends are her friends", and does not discriminate in terms of friendship/who she hangs out with. She picked Chloe up from her lowest (saw her & praised her for backtalking the biker, defending Nathan, & "you're more of a hero than you think you realise", when Chloe didn't take Drew's money). Rachel stuck with Chloe when no one else did (puts up with her sh*t, which ofc Chloe does the same), literally chose Chloe to share her uncertain future outside Arcadia, did not take her chance to leave when she could in those 3 years, most likely cuz she wanted to leave with Chlo. She also hung out with Nathan (& Chloe when so many wouldn't), saw the good in Frank (yes. same as Nathan & Chloe his reputation is far from great and despite the unhealthiness of this relationship, she at the very least cared for the guy, & saw the humanity inside him), & very sadly fell for the portrayed "gone through some serious shit" act by Jeffers*n, all these showing her being an empathetic & sympathetic person.

I'll add non-judgemental as well, cuz it's why she's able to get along with so many people so well. Like what her VA Kylie Brown says in an interview, whoever you are, Rachel'd be like "hey you're a pretty cool person, let's talk!" It's inspiring. I love that about her. Gotta have more Rachels in the world.

3. Ambitious. Puts in the hard work. Persistent.

"One day, I'm gonna climb Mt Everst." says a 15 year old Rachel in Bts, who has posters of travelling in Asia (the green poster has Chinese words saying "go travel in China", amongst others), already speaks about her courage & ambition. And of course, leaving Arcadia with no one but Chloe for a better life. Yes you can say it's reckless, because it's a big idea for a teenager, but she didn't just give up on it. It stuck with her, and she worked hard for it. Doing photoshoots to get modelling jobs, maintaining her 4.0 GPA, finding opportunities to leave... she did those for 5 years. And in the comics universe, they made it out! Now they're over 22yos with an LA apartment, Rachel's in modelling gigs with her acting career kicking off... what could've been for game Rachel. (oh the things I'd do for Bts' ending to be Max appearing in the nick of time instead of that damn vibrating phone!) Also I wonder if in some universes, like the wheelchair Chloe one, a missing Rachel could mean she actually made it out without others knowing, instead of the darker end.

4. Caring & thoughtful & protective & passionate partner/friend/lover!

She listens to Chloe's problems (therapy session), she gives Chloe nice clothes to wear within the few days they'd met (what financially challenged Chloe needed, & in a way that wasn't awkward for Chloe), she sends post cards to Chloe while she's away (she thinks about her often), & "don't f****ing touch her". Passionate lover, I mean.. the way she kissed Chloe under that lamp (with high intimacy of course) is good enough an example. Chloe's the romantic one in my head. Rachel, the passionate.

*the way she puts her hand on C's shoulder after wiping her tears, OmO*

So far these are the character traits I can think of, and your question helped draw out Rachel's positive sides that are too under-recognised. Thanks again! :)

These links helped me understand Rachel & Amberprice better, here for people's reference:

youtube

Because I choose to see the good in Rachel, I'm her defender through and through. Join me, if you can.

Edit: damn I literally wrote an essay, maybe 1 day there'd be a video!

This pain wouldn't be for Evermore.

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nishloves · 1 year ago

Text

✧→haikyuu!! captains as college boys!

→warnings : mentions of sex and parties // masterlist

daichi (karasuno) : he ain't joining any frat lmao, and isn't that well-known, it's not like he doesn't have any friends, he's just a normal college boy who studies and roams around here and there when he's free (or plays volleyball), he knows what he wants from his life but can be a bit unsure about it. sweet and kind, but utterly normal. you won't notice him until you sit right next to him or you have a project together. would get a girlfriend and probably end up marrying her. regular to his classes.

oikawa (aoba josai) : you'd think he joined frat, lol. that's a possibility but as far as I think, he doesn't see the need to join a frat, people are swooning over him for no particular reason, he studies to get decent enough grades and all of his remaining time goes into volleyball, he's too ambitious to actually waste his time into parties and such (not saying he won't go to them, but he ain't a party rat). people might think of him as a fboy/player but he really isn't, yeah he might've dated 2-3 girls in the same year but never together. he never dated anyone for more than a month either, like I said, he's too ambitious and too thirsty for volleyball to actually have time to look at other things, not saying he won't enjoy college but yeah, he's gonna spend his time wisely. semi-regular to his classes.

kita (inarizaki) : the most diligent out of all; studies well (always gets the highest grade), very rare parties, helps out professors and goes to extra lectures, does play a little volleyball but only when he's not doing anything else. his room is so tidy omg— doesn't socialise much but people know him because he has top grades lol and is kinda handsome. he ain't missing a class for shit.

kuroo (nekoma) : he's too nerdy to join a frat but won't reject the invitation if he gets it lol, similar to daichi he's on the normal side of college boys, but he's so clever that people just know him as the scheming boy who can get you a full in your project. does parties but is too embarrassed and shy to actually go and talk to his crush(es). yeah no, he doesn't have that rizz and I'm not gonna sugarcoat him. he's an alright guy, a guy whom you will start liking after few initial months of knowing him. would prolly date a friend entering second year of college and won't break up until the situation calls for it. (also talks to professors, lol) very regular with his classes too.

bokuto (fukurodani) : accidentally joined a frat and is proud about it, lol. tries his best to study but barely gets a passing grade. doesn't matter to him, he knows what he wants to do with his life and as long as volleyball is going well, he ain't gonna care about other things. is a party animal but would never do a one night stand, dating isn't even on his agenda lol. he's someone who looks at college as a way to grow into a better person, as a way to give himself another chance to finally have a better personality. he's fixated on his self growth and no one can stop him. would date if someone asked him out, but he's like oikawa in this case, he's too ambitious to actually care about love. his s/o's are the ones breaking up with him and he will be fine after a few days, because even though it does sound bad, his dates aren't gonna be his priority at all (though he might get very attached to someone who actually understands his passion, he ain't gonna let them go, you're stuck with him). tries to be regular but is somehow always late? got lost or something. as long as he's aware about his schedule he tries to stay diligent.

ushijima (shiratorizawa) : joined a frat because someone tricked him into thinking that everyone there played volleyball, doesn't associate himself with the parties and stuff. studies very diligently and practices even more diligently. no, he's not gonna date anyone here either. he will very coldly reject anyone. professors know him because he has good grades but he doesn't go out of the way to actually interact with them. someone please adopt him because else he won't make any friends. very regular with his classes too.

terushima (johzenji) : certified frat and fuck boy, the splitting image of what a frat boy is, but he's just more genuine. parties hard, gets passing grades, is a social butterfly, girls wanna be with him because of sex and is one of the most loyal effing friend ever. does try to help during group projects but... really... his help isn't all that needed. people know him because he's too wild. has many one night stands. but is a sweetheart to everyone who is nice to him. he ain't regular to his classes lol, his professors barely even see him.

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu #anime #anime boys #daichi sawamura #oikawa tooru #bokuto kotaro #kuroo tetsurou #ushijima wakatoshi #kita shinsuke #terushima yuuji #haikyuu!! scenarios #haikyuu!! headcanons #anime scenarios #anime headcanons #nishloves #nish x anime

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bonefall · 1 year ago

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I’d there any info on one eye EATING Tom??? That’s so wild but I hope one eye didn’t get heartburn from eating that dead beat

I'm still working out some key details of Thunderstar's Justice, especially since I'm at One Eye's part in my reread and things are really starting to come together.

But here's the current draft of One Eye and Skystar's tale so far, isolated from the "Grander Story" of Thunderstar's Justice;

To set some exposition a bit; Thunderstar's Justice is the SE following BB!DOTC. It begins after the First Battle. In BB, the main arc happens entirely before that point.

It opens on the burial. The sun rises on a hot summer day, the living cats commanded to bury the bodies to receive their lives.

But the day is hot and the clearing reeks. The bodies of their friends are decaying and there's too many to put to rest in one day.

(Sunlit Frost is a survivor of this fight, but he was badly bitten on the paw and yet he refuses to sit this out, digging and burying with a fresh wound. He develops an infection that permanently disables his hand. But that's off in the reeds)

The point here being that the summer stench of hot decay summons One Eye. A god of war, among other things.

And of course he takes a shine to Skystar right away. The Clans are weakened from losing so many cats, and ambitious Skystar is eager to recover his strength quickly.

So of course he is now getting more... "openminded" about accepting people into his Clan. There is a language barrier he's now considering bridging; where all his cats were previously Tribemew speakers, he decides that perhaps mean-looking Townmew and Parkmew speakers "deserve a chance"

Tom is one of them, but if there end up being any traitors, murderers, or other exiled cats from the other Clans, they are going to end up here.

NEW addition compared to previous drafts.... One Eye was quite loyal, at first. Useful, observant, helping Skystar in his plans to grow. But Skystar started noticing that One Eye was... too good at running things.

In fact he was quite charming. Always seemed to know what to do. Like he'd been a leader before.

This is still Thunderstar's story, with occasional cuts to Skystar. He isn't aware that SkyClan isn't currently planning conquest, but absolutely doesn't trust Skystar.

He's EXPANDING. He's accepted the person who got Turtle Heart killed into his Clan, plus other rogues, and Thunderstar stopped him before he was able to kill mama Bright Storm during the First Battle. No, he doesn't believe for a second that Skystar isn't planning something with those 8 extra lives he's got now.

He only hopes his own 8 will be enough as a deterrant.

It doesn't take long though. SkyClan is back on its shit and unstoppable

There's a few battles that are curbstomps, displaying how much power One Eye is lending to SkyClan. So Thunderstar has a taste of what he could have if One Eye was on his side.

At some point, Thunder remarks that the spirits were trying to give Sky a chance to change his ways, and yet he's only ever gotten worse and worse. One day it'll catch up to him!

Skystar shrugs this off. Of course. "I'm Just Trying to make my clan strong"

BUT, at one point... Tom breaks the code and kills someone. There are two rules and he just broke half of them.

And Skystar takes him aside to punish him... but One Eye comes along. In spite of Skystar trying to tell him off, because HE is supposed to be leader.

"I'll decide how to punish my own cats"

"But will you do so properly? Allow me, I've been waiting a long time for this."

"I said get out! This is MY cat and I decide what happens!"

But when Tom tries to join in on Skystar's scolding, "Yeah winky! Know your place!" One Eye bites his paw clean off.

Sky is too shocked to do anything. Tom is screaming

Is One Eye bigger, suddenly??

He has prepared the obituary ahead of time, licking his lips; "The pain you cause seeps into your meat like a flavor. You have sins deeper than your bones, soaked into your very marrow, and I will savor each bite."

Heavy_TF2_Nom.mp3

Clear Sky realizes something in this moment...

He needs One Eye, but One Eye does not need him. He is a leader. He is a monster. He is a God.

He is everything Skystar is, but stronger. Unstoppable.

And what will happen when One Eye ceases to want him around? And what did he mean-- 'waiting for this?' Sins? Flavor seeping into the meat-- like a marinade??

A lightbulb goes off in Skystar's head; "Tom was lunch and I'm going to be dinner. Good god I'm being seasoned!"

So, Tom's death is an important turning point. It's where Skystar's ambition is ground to a halt because of self-preservation. He fears death, and he fears a death as gruesome as what happened to Tom.

He realizes that what he's unleashed on the forest isn't mortal, and he has no control over the situation. He's fucked up BIG time... so badly that he needs the other Clans if any of them are going to hope to survive.

SO that is the context around Eat Tom. I'm still working on specifics here though, while this is technically a reworking of everything post-First Battle up to Thunderstar's Echo, this is practically a new story lmao.

I also left out the main story from this summary which is mostly Thunderstar as he considers what leadership means, how his anger influences his decisions but how far he's come from the main series, encouraging Bright Storm to retire and become the first elder, while connecting with Frost who feels like he's losing meaning in his life; now that both an arm and his dominant hand prevent him from building.

#Tw violence #Tw animal death #Should I give this a gore tag?#Thunderstar's Justice #Better bones au #Tw cannibalism

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yanderefarm · 9 days ago

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ok so, i'm gonna elaborate, but those are just my personal experience and pov so don't attack me if you disagree, it's non canon anyway

achilles: capricorn

achilles really gives capricorn vibe. extremely loyal, successful career (or at least ambitious and trying), can have pokerface when required, will let their loved ones take the lead. i've met a few that secretly likes cute things too

but also yeah, can be a bit humble in a servile way

ajax: aries

aries are pretty stupid in a way, i know because i am one... also hard denying being gay because that'll make you look 'soft' is 100% something aries would do. plus we tend to act before brain does its thing

like im more logical because i took enough hit from reality to know better, otherwise im just as stupid

noemie: aquarius

aquarius tends to like wacky stuff, but they also want stable relationships, just don't want to be bored that's all. surprisingly innocent

silvan: virgo??? this one im not sure

i thought virgo because virgos wants to be perfect, or wants everything to be perfect. many i've met has incredible talents be it art or something else, but some of them have horrible flaws. personally i've witnessed one throw horrible adult tantrum and honestly it was fucking scary (i was a kid)

BUT! that's female virgos :/ male virgos are pretty chill...and slight coward if i have to be honest but for the most part they're very understanding and calm

ares: cancer

very family oriented/ has a family dream, will do practically anything for their family. gonna be honest i don't know cancers that well, might be coz there's not many around me. but ares gives the vibe

emil: pisces

extremely realistic but hopeless romantic at the same time, don't ask me how it's possible i witnessed it in highschool. down for crazy shit if it's with loved ones. some traits don't match emil but emil grew up in extreme environment so i let that pass

nephite: taurus

down to earth, stubborn, reliable, stuck in their ways. had a friend who loved kpop so much they learnt korean, can definitely see that translate to cult stuff

bunny

hear me out, i dont really blindly trust whatever star sign shit there is online. I'm a science person so i do it the scientific way: I ask people their star signs and compare people with same signs in my head, their behaviours, their attitude, how they respond to certain things, how they interact with me, and i analyze them. it's fun

but then if i ask someone i newly met too early i would make judgements and 1 that's not fun 2 judging by star sign is rude asf and it would affect my interaction with them even subconsciously

same with internet people. so i wait a while before i ask

irl i might dread certain signs but online idgaf

anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk

-pretty anon

this also does not work with my autism but i love listening to it.

idk how i would rank everything its funny tht ares and i have the same one tho djjehdjdnsn

silvan's is definitely the least accurate bc he's not really a perfectionist as much as he just has anxiety. things wouldn't need to be perfect if he felt safe and comfortable. he also has a secret ego hidden under all his anxiety.

like mmm imagine silvan as an animal who was treated poorly it's whole life. when it first meets humans its very scared and timid, hiding under things, jumpy, etc. silvan is like that, he's very scared of being thrown away, of being hated, of being locked in his lil padded room.

once the animal gets comfortable and safe its real personality shines through.

and silvan's real personality is kind of a brat. he's greedy for attention, he's a crybaby, he's got a bit of a complex about his looks. he literally threw himself at you because he was very confident that he was pretty enough to be a human pet!

if silvan was absolutely certain you would never throw him away (aka in like 100 years from getting him) you could get another pet and he would bully them and then cry and act like the victim. he's a little bit of a prince. he's just also shy.

#replies #pretty anon #silvan lore drop #he's both bratty and a lil baby man idk

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asitrita · 11 months ago

Text

One Piece Harry Potter AU (Hogwarts Houses) SPOILERS!

Ok ok ok, so first, I'm new to the one piece fandom. I actually have known One Piece for over a decade, and even watched the first chapters (actually, I watched till just the end of Arlong park arc, and maybe I did spoil myself the entire Doffy/Cora/Law backstories because I randomly found out about them and felt in love with the three of them immediately), and I was familiar with some characters, but I wasn't really into it till the live action, and now I'm just obsessed, lol. So just mind this is just my personal headcanon, and I do not intent to force my view of these characters on anyone. Also, SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS. Please, refrain from reading if you're not up to date with the manga.

Thing is, I also love Harry Potter, and I was wondering what house some of the characters would be assigned to and this is more or less what I've came up with. Also, since J.K.Rowling confirmed that hybrid houses would kinda be a bit more accurate, I will assign to some characters (most, actually) a mixed house alongside the house I imagine they would be assigned to according to the classical 4 house system. Let's see:

Luffy: Slytherin. "I'm gonna be king of the pirates". Okay boy, we hear you. Also, he won't share his food. Hybrid house: Slytherpuff. I mean, going around doing unintended but still good deeds, his ability to make friends and make people follow him, plus the reciprocal support and loyalty he gives his friends. However, I'm not entirely sure Luffy needs a hybrid house, I feel he's a solid Slytherin, tbh, we know they can also be charismatic and draw people in to follow them. So take the hybrid house with a pinch of salt, I feel Slytherin fits him just right.

Zoro: Hufflepuff. Tbh, it was actually a bit hard for me to choose Zoro's house, I'm not that well acquinted with Zoro, so maybe I'm missing out on this one, but, though he does seems a little Slytherin-like to me, or even Gryffindor (the whole swordman code of honour and all that), Hufflepuff wins this over. He is hardworking and loyal, and he tries to keep things logical (iykyk). Maybe not exactly just, or empathic, but still objective and practical. I feel it does fall into Hufflepuff sense of fairness. Also, Hufflepuffs make a good companion for Slytherins, so him beign Luffy's first mate plays into it. Hybrid house: Slytherpuf. Just like Luffy. "I'm gonna be the best swordman in the world". Say no more. He sure is very hardworking and loyal, but he is also ambitious, and at least as a kid, he was pretty... intense about it XD Heck, even as a teen/young adult he is. However, just like in Luffy's case, I think Zoro would make a solid Hufflepuff.

Nami: Ravenclaw. She's kinda the brains of the group, at least at the begining, and she is quite witty and cunning. I thought about Slytherin because of her being a thief and the cunning aspect of her personality, but it was a bit too obvious for my liking, and I think her personality goes a bit in a different direction when you dig deeper. Hybrid house: Ravendor. I don't know, she just has a Griffindor vibe to me, even if she's a little bit of a "coward" (more like, she's not stupid, tbh), but she did face up to Arlong, and her ambition to save her village all by herself all those years kinda strikes me as a Griffindor; not like a Ravenclaw couldn't do the same (or a Slytherin, she sure had to do a lot of shit when she was part of Arlong's pirates, she was all for gaining her island's freedom at all costs), but there's something in Nami's personality that I find Gryffindor fitting? Hope it's not the ginger bias, lol (although it could be the live action bias). Maybe it's just me, though.

Ussop: Gryffindor. He's kinda the Neville Longbottom of One Piece. I say kinda because both characters are pretty different, but there're undeniable similarities between the two of them. Also, it was stated that you could also be assigned to the house which values you valued the most, and Ussop dream is basically to become a brave pirate captain, so, from that pov, this house fits him like a glove.

Sanji: Gryffindor. That's it. He's a noble knight in shiny armour. He's Gryffindor poster boy. His backstory, how he faces up to his family, but honestly, his entire personality and demeanor and code just scream Gryffindor to me. He's so sweet (more so in the LA) that I was tempted into making him a hybrid with Hufflepuff, but who said Gryffindors can't be sweet? He's a Gryffindor through and through.

Ace: Gryffindor. He feels like a Gryffindor to me. He's a dork, he's brave, he thinks himself a hero, carries himself as such, he's hot-headed, and in the end, that's his downfall. Whatever, I just feel his face would come up first when searching for Griffndor boy in Google.

Coby: Hufflepuff. He's a hard worker and dreams of justice, he's loyal and strong-willed. Plus, he's adorable and a loving child, he's a Hufflepuff u.u Sure, I could make him a hybrid with Gryffindor, as he is brave (he stands against his friend, Luffy, that's part of his arc), but I think most of his personality traits linger strongly on the Hufflepuff side, so I see no need to give him a hybrid house.

Helmeppo: Slytherin. This was so hard, because at the begining he seems to fit the Slytherin stereotype quite a lot, but he does change a lot. And sure, Slytherins can be decent people too (again, to me, going by classic sorting, Luffy is a Slytherin through and through), but there's something else to his character. And that's why... Hybrid house: Slytherpuff. He becomes a very hard-working, just, and loyal individual. Maybe his true nature was hidden behind all that horrible nurturing he got, who knows. He still is at least partially a Slytherin, though (btw, I love him in the la, the actor really made the character stand up).

Garp: Gryffindor. He's mad as a hatter hahahahaha but I love him. He's brave, has a strong feeling of justice, a strict but fair moral code, and he comes up as a bit impulsive. But he has this hero complex going on too, as well as hero guilt (not sure that's a thing, but I hope you get what I mean). Him backing down from becoming an admiral because he believes in freedom and doesn't want to follow orders he already knows he won't like so he can be free to follow a more morally aceptable and chivalric path strikes me as very Gryffindor coded. That sense of justice also strikes me as Hufflepuff-like, but considering the rest of his personality traits, I think Gryffindor suits him best.

Mihawk: Ravenclaw. This was a super tough one. I was so tempted to just throw him into Hufflepuff. Sure, Hufflepuff house values are loyalty, fairness, justice (Doffy knows) and hardwok, but it was said this house would also accept any student that didn't quite fit the other houses, and Jesus, Mihawk was so hard, plus he lives a calm life growing vegetables (smells like a Hufflepuff if you ask me). Problem is, he really doesn't give much of a flying f*ck about anything so... Ravenclaw XD For whatever reason, I do see people from this house being the ones more capable of living an isolated monastery-like life, and that's exactly what Mihawk does, except his life is more of a cementery-like one, plus he has a ghost daughter XD It is also the house that gives me the most "I couldn't care less about politics, you, or your family" vibe out of them all XD Plus, he's a little b*tch with Shanks, not wanting to fight him only because he lost an arm (sure, he appeals to the honour code of a swordman and whatnot, but it still smells fishy to me u.u), and that kinda gives me a Ravenclaw vibe too. Hybrid house: Ravenpuff. Again, he lives calmly, actually acts with honour, kindness and fairness, taking Zoro in and training him, even when he knows Zoro's to become his rival and most probably take his title in a near future; and he values determination, hard work, and fairness in a fight, and again, he grows vegetables, knows how to cook, and enjoys a good wine. That's a Hufflepuff.

Shanks: Gryffindor. He IS a Gryffindor. Golden boy Shanks. I know some people enjoy the idea of him being a Slytherin, and though I do see the appeal of it and it would definitely fit some aspects of his personality (the cunning rat he is), this guy could be a poster boy Gryffindor. His hero complex is also quite obvious (though, truth be told, that burden was bestowed into him since he was a child). His ambition (obvious by his conqueror haki) could play into a Slytherin personality, but it also has a very strong Gryffindor vibe to it. And I said could, yes. Hybrid house: Gryffinpuff. Have you seen him as a kid in the Oro Jackson? How Buggy teased him about being too soft and naive? Sure, Gryffindors can be soft, but kid Shanks is just so Hufflepuff to me. As an adult, his laid-back, goofy, extrovert, affable and charming demeanour also reminds me of a Hufflepuff. Again, people from all four houses can show traits of other houses, there's no clear cut, so Shanks could just be a Gryffindor. But, honestly? I feel he could even be just a Hufflepuff, I would 100% support Hufflepuff Shanks hc too, my sweet alcoholic golden boy (I just don't want his fate to be that of Cedric T_T). Seriously, he IS a Griffindor, but he IS a Hufflepuff too. And that's why I definitely believe this hybrid house suits him the best, it reunites most traits of his personality perfectly.

Buggy: Ravenclaw. I mean, it matches his pretty long hair. Ok, no, but truly, he's a Ravenclaw. He is witty, he is smart, he's creative, he's a showman. His charisma and everything about him, including his goofiness and drastic humor changes, for whatever reason, strike me as Ravenclaw-like. I can think of a charismatic character who belonged to the Ravenclaw house that used his wit and quackery to fool everyone. Plus, as a child he seems to have been more observant and perceptive than Shanks, which makes him seem "wiser" in a weird way; plus he is also very crafty (buggy balls anyone?). He also likes to avoid fighting, be it because he thinks fighting unnnecesary or suicidal, which is quite "clever" of him. True, even in the direst circumstances he gets himself into trouble for not being able to shut his big mouth, but that's just his bombastic personality and caothic nature getting the best of him, he's just a passionate guy, the boy can't help it. Despite what some may think, despite he's egocentric and semi megalomaniac personality, he's also well aware of his weaknesses (I mean, his inferiority complex is quite obvious), and he isn't fond of attention if he hasn't planned for it beforehand. This is obvious by his reaction to all the attention he was attracting after escaping Impel Down, everybody claiming how great he must have been, for he was a former memeber of Roger's crew, a "brother" to Shanks and a close acquaintance of Rayleigh. Yet, he was so shy about it, and reluctant to take in all that attention, till he thought about it and planned a way to take advantage of the situation. A bit delusional, but still a quick-thinking clever guy. Hybrid house: Slytherclaw. Yep, he is also ambitious, and even with his whole inferiority complex and obvious weakness he aspires to be pirate king. He loves treasures and shiny things (actually, this sounds a lot like a magpie, which are close relatives of ravens, and yes I know Ravenclaw's pet is a bronce eagle, but there's still a raven in the name). And again, he is very witty, but also selfish, and he is not beyond abandoning everyone and everything to save his ass. Also, Buggy loves the sea, he would probably like Slytherin common room with its underwater views of the lake and mermaids. It would remind him of the ocean, he would be so happy there (I just want the lil silly clown to be happy u.u). Slytherin is a house associated with water, and we know Buggy was a very good swimer, and he surely loves the sea and the freedom it gives him (by now we all know the real reason why Buggy holds a grudge against Shanks is not exactly sea-related, but I'm pretty sure he still regrets what happened to some extent, though he probably, and rightfully so, blames his dumb self for that). Also, loving the sea, and loving treasure maps, also adds to my Ravenclaw headcanon, because I associate Ravenclaw with the sky, constelations, astronomy, star maps, etc., and to sail you defnitely need to know how to map the sky, and I feel that's something Buggy would be pretty good at, he seems to enjoy maps a lot (same logic applies to Nami, btw, she loves money, but she certainly values map knowledge above money). So yeah, hybrid house for Buggy, definitely. I think these two houses complement each other very well in Buggy's personality and character, similar to how I really like a hybrid house for Shanks (and they would complement each other so well, being from the exact opposite houses).

Roger: Gryffindor. The King, the Hero, the Legend. I don't know, it just fits him right. He's brave, he is hot-headed, he jumps into the fight without thinking. The way he's praised as a hero, with so many followers with that last stunt he pulled off right before kicking the bucket. That's very Gryffindor of him. Whatever went down in God Valley, why Roger decided to side with the Marine, why he didn't side with Xebec against the Celestial Dragons and World Gobernment, got me thinking. We still don't know what really happened there, I feel like the reason behind Roger's actions could change my mind about his house, but as it is for now, I think Gryffindor fits him good.

Rayleigh: Hufflepuff. He's the calm guy. Sure, he fights, and he's a menace, but what he finally wished for was to live peacefully in a calm island for the rest of his life. He's so chill and also fun, and enjoys a good party. Hufflepuff for the Dark King. Hybrid house: Ravenpuff. I don't know, he just has this "wise" bive to him. Maybe it is because of how he wants to have a nice, calm life as an adult. Also his calm and softer demeanour around Roger. I feel a wise and calm partner would be a good contrast to Roger's Gryffindor personality.

Crocodile: Slytherin. He's a snake. Not a crocodile, but still a reptile. Seriously, he's ambitious, he's maffia boss level, he gotta be Slytherin. Hybrid house: Slytherclaw. He's smart, cunning, and has experience. He manages bussiness with expertise, he just has that ravenclaw vibe to him. Plus, I just find the idea of Buggy and Crocodile being in the same house hilarious. At first sight no one would even phantom these two characters to have anything in common, nor his personalities to be somewhat compatible or similar in any way or form, yet this hybrid house fits them both like a glove.

Doflamingo: Slytherin. I mean... I hope the giant fish bowl that is the common room reminds him of the fashion back home.

Corazón: Hufflepuff. The boy is all heart. He believes in justice (heck, he's a marine), he's good-hearted, golden-hearted even, basically, a cinamon roll. He's also most probably a pretty hard worker, and he risked his integrity for a kid he didn't even know all that well. Also, he's a "trickster", so to speak. He must be a Hufflepuff, no doubt. Hybrid house: Gryffinpuff. He has a lot of the traits of a Gryffindor. You can't deny he's brave. He overcomes trauma as a child, and is willing to revive it and face his brother, spying for the marine, while dealing with Doffy's crazyness, and then he makes the selfless decision to save Law no matter what, at risk of his own life. He also feels he has some type of responsability regarding his borther's actions, when he truly doesn't, but taking responsability for things you're not really responsible for due to some sort of self inflicted guilt tripping type of torture sounds pretty Gryffindor to me, plus the "I must save the world from my evil brother, and because he's my blood brother, it must be me who faces and stops him" also strikes me as very Griffyndor-like. As I said many times before, I know some traits are shared between houses, and can apppear in members of different houses, but Corazón is definitely at least partially a Gryffindor. This would also explain his betrayal, Hufflepuffs are supposed to be loyal, I'm with Doffy in this one u.u (though I guess he never truly commited treason, as he was never on Doffy's side to begin with, lol).

Law: Ravenclaw. To be honest, a friend convince me of this one, I was so unsure and conflicted about him. But yes, I think Ravenclaw suits him well. His background as the child of doctors, and wanting to follow their parents' steps works out with a Ravenclaw personality. He's knowledge starved, and he's smart and witty, even a bit manipulative. Hybrid house: Slytherclaw. There's no way to avoid Law's ambition for knowledge. He is also quite determined in his path to avenge Corazón and bring down Doflamingo's downfall no matter what. I know determination is more of a Gryffindor and Hufflepuff trait, but it also goes well with Slytherin's desires to get their way, take what they want, and achieve whatever they've set themselves to (which is why Luffy is definitely a Slytherin too).

Aaaand this is all for now, it was already quite long, I may do a second list with the remaining mugiwaras and maybe some other characters I like :)

#one piece #spoilers #monkey d luffy #nami #ussop #sanji #zoro #akagami no shanks #buggy the clown #trafalgar d law #donquixote doflamingo #donquixote rocinante #crocodile #dracule mihawk #portgas d ace #monkey d garp #gold d roger #silvers rayleigh #coby #helmeppo #op harry potter au #i could talk about doffy so friggin much #write several essays about him tbh #about how i thought about him being a ravenclaw because he's more than cunning he's actually very smart #or a gryffindor due to his survivor instinct and bravery plus he has this god complex and reghtiousness holier-than-though mindset #he doesn't need a hybrid house so i didn't give him one but if you know you know #you're not ready for unhinged gryffindor!Doflamingo #he seriously is a menace #but for that very reason i prefer to keep it sort otherwise i wouldn't be able to restrain myself so i just spam you in the tags lol #also conqueror haki fits slytherin house so well i was also tempted to throw all conqueror haki users into slytherin lol

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mashedcontroller · 1 year ago

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I'm feeling spicy, time to list everything I think BH outclassed 03 on. And by that, prepare yourself for the most backhanded, hyper specific or wildly vague, and strings-attached compliments you've heard in your fucking life. But actually, the reason I'm doing this is because I think 03 is better than BH in every way that matters. The majority of common points people give BH over 03 typically come down to attempts to make subjective taste sound objective since a lot of shit is really just a difference in priorities and/or genre rather than an objective flaw in the other show.

And, to be clear, 03 is the better show. It has a really strong thematic core and just says a lot of shit that I rarely see other stuff have the gall to say. 03 tackles heavy topics and tackles them well. It left me with a lot to think about, even years after my first viewing. It's a political piece of art that remains relevant 20 years after the fact. On some levels, it was designed to do this. 03 is a character drama that deconstructs a lot of the elements that make up the shonen genre, and it also very clearly had something to say. 03 has very few weak points and has some of the strongest moments I've seen from any piece of media that I've interacted with. I think a lot of its bad reputation comes from people failing to engage with the show on its own terms. I can only speculate on what's going through other people's heads, but expecting it to act as supplementary material for BH is a fundamentally wrong assumption to make about the show. These two shows are trying to accomplish very different things, so judging 03 on its ability to be BH is a boldfaced stupid lens to view the show through.

BH, however, is still a well-made show. Like, I'm more than happy to shit on it, but BH is by no means a bad anime. It's just not as ambitious as people claim it to be. And if it really is one of the best things Shonun has to offer, then that says pretty mediocre things about the genre imo. It's far from a bad show. I think it accomplishes the role of "fun action series" really well, but it also has gaping flaws the moment you decide to engage with the work critically. That's not necessarily an issue that I'll take with its fanbase. The show's got a lot of elements that make it good for cultivating one. Stuff like large casts, likeable characters, emphasizing its worldbuilding, prioritizing action over character work, etc. are all traits that are great for cultivating fandom, and they're all traits that BH has that 03 revokes. But yeah, BH does fall apart once you look at it critically. My biggest issues with it come down to the fact that the show baits you into thinking that it's deeper than it actually is. So, I'll take the bait and look for the deeper stuff and then find nothing, which is where my negative perception of the show comes from, which isn't helped by how common it is for people to take the bait without really looking.

So, yeah, in short, I have a mountain of good things to say about 03. It's an incredible piece of art with so much shit to look into. In my opinion, you're doing the show a disservice to watch it and not put serious analytical thought into what you're consuming. Meanwhile I have a lot of mixed opinions about BH. It's a great show to watch, it's just a terrible show to consume critically. This isn't even me calling people who prefer BH dumb or anything. The show's are just so fundamentally different from one-another that your preference truly does just come down to a mix of personal tastes and how you prefer to interact with media, especially if you're a more casual viewer of either/both shows. The part that makes me angry is how disrespected 03 is in the majority of FMA circles.

The animation and sound design of Roy's snap is really fucking good in BH.

While 03 may have an overall better art direction and visuals than BH, I do really like how juicy the BH animators and sound designers made Roy's fire attack. The fire itself is just so fucking juicy and satisfying. The BH team did a really good job at making that attack iconic. There's no "but actually" here. The BH team just fucking nailed this one aspect.

In general, BH has better special effects than 03. This is absolutely a difference in available technology at the time each show was animated. And while I do have respect for special effects animation; it's often the difference between animations looking really stiff vs getting across their intended atmospheres, especially in the realm of video games. Using a human body as an analogy, the special effects are more like the hair than the skin, fat, muscle, nerves, or bones. Both important but somewhat expendable.

BH's alchemy is much more logically consistent than 03's.

So, there are a lot of reasons for this difference. The two main ones are the BH and 03 can barely if even be considered the same genre of anime. BH is a fun fights-heavy action series with some intrigue plot, while 03 is a really critical deconstruction the genre BH embraces that's more of a character drama with a heavily knit thematic core than anything else.

And their commitments to their genres translate to each show's relationship with alchemy. In 03, Alchemy's rules are much more metaphoric than literal. Equivalent Exchange is the shit because it's representative of the philosophy that Edward clings to; that life is fundamentally fair, that there is some universal justification for everything that happens. And 03 is about tearing that belief into itty bitty pieces. In fact, we learn that Equivalent Exchange isn't even true. Everything about Alchemy in 03 is bound by the magic's metaphorical meaning. Thus, when it comes to fights, characters really just need to be able to loosely justify how their alchemy functions for the audience to go "oh ok." And, in 03, alchemy is fundamentally powered by taking the life force of something and using that energy to do something else. So, you get stuff like the ability to extract alchemical energy from plants in order to amplify your alchemy much later, Edward being able to turn his automail into a gun, Dante's alchemic dragon thing, Scar's arm being the Philosopher's Stone, etc. The point is that you're sort of meant to accept that "yeah thats a thing that can happen." In other words, the fights exist purely for spectacle and the logic behind them is low priority at best. So, the way 03 frames it's combat is that it has to establish rules that exist within their own space and work with those rules. So, it can't circumvent stuff like "Roy can't use his gloves if they're wet" because there's no reason to and giving a talk about how H2O has Oxygen in it would have been horribly distracting in the one scene where Roy does get fucking soaked. Especially since him being crafty in a fight is sold by him just using Havoc's matches + Armstrongs rocks to make frag bombs. Tldr, the way 03 is structured allows if not flat out encourages characters to bullshit during fights. I think the fast and loose usage of alchemy's principles in the earlier parts of the show also make the later parts of the show, where those principals turn out to be false, feel more believable.

Meanwhile, BH's alchemy is operating on a much more literal framework, so the writing has more room and necessity for creative and engaging combat sequences. In a way, the fights in BH are puzzles and alchemy is the tools the characters are given to solve those puzzles, so the fights become engaging because you want to see how the characters solve the puzzles. It's very gamey. That said, I do have to say that I dislike how the homunculi are fit into this system. Their lose condition is having their stones exhausted, which just translates into "they have more HP." Which is very bullshit. The homunculi in BH die when the story tells them to, at least, that's how their lose condition makes it feel.

Both shows heavily rely on the usage of gimmicks to make their fights interesting. For example, Roy uses exclusively fire, which he creates by snapping. Like, I really like how Roy's combat gimmick gets explored in this fight specifically.

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I like how Ed ducks into a crowd in an attempt to dissuade him, and Roy's like "you think I care about collateral damage lmao." I like how Ed thinks he won the fight by slicing Roy's glove, but then Roy just ruins his day by revealing that he has two hands and therefore another glove. I really like how Roy's not taking this very seriously and Ed only wins because of Roy getting a flashback. This fight is just an excellent display of character for both of them and I love it.

Anyways, there are a lot of other character gimmicks. Honestly, 03 is so much better with its character gimmicks during fights than BH is. Like, I could list a ton of cool moments where the character gimmicks get played with. And part of how it does this is that every character plays by their own rules. No character will ever break their own rules, but the universal rules governing what is and isn't acceptable for a fight isn't very consistent. This does fit into 03s themes about how there is no universal truth. But yeah, that's how 03 structures its fights and why characters will sometimes just blatantly ignore the laws of alchemy.

Anyways, in BH, the rules are much less person-by-person and are more like "Alchemists can do XYZ," "Homunculi can do ABC," "Alkahestrists can do UWV," "Chimeras can do RST," etc. So, everyone has similar rules that they have to play by. Which also makes it so much more jarring when someone blatantly breaks those rules. Like, when Edward gets impaled and uses alchemy to not die, it's super jarring because that breaks the laws of human frailty and it doesn't really make sense. It's even worse when Edward fucks with Pride's Stone. Compare that to some of the blatant bullshitting in 03, like where Edward uses concrete to turn his broken automail into a gun. He shouldn't be able to decide when the shots are fired and where's the ammo coming from? But part of the reason it isn't jarring is because him turning his automail into a gun isn't a big deal or even particularly important to the scene he does that in. Or take bullshitting that is more relevant, like Alphonse performing a successful human transmutation. At this point, it's been clearly established that Alchemy's laws aren't true. So, Alphonse breaking them doesn't break audience suspense. Instead, the fundamental logic behind it actually working is tied to the story's central themes.

But yeah, BH's alchemy is a bit more logically consistent than 03's, but there's a very good reason for 03's alchemy to have some logical inconsistencies, which results in BH being much worse at breaking its own rules than 03 is.

A lot of the characters are just easier to get behind and digest in BH.

The entire point of 03 is that these characters are nazis and morally grey as fuck. Meanwhile, the characters in BH are primarily meant to be fun characters that you could comfortably fantasize about being or being friends with. The characters in BH are much simpler than in 03 and the show tends to gloss over their war crimes. Even when it addresses them, there's a billion asterisks and variations of "they're still the good guys." Compared to 03, where everyone is just messy and fucked up.

For example, BH Roy is easier to root for than 03 Roy, but that's because BH Roy is a fundamentally different type of character than 03 Roy. BH Roy is firmly a protagonist while with 03 Roy, he's much more antagonistic and complex. He doesn't solidly fit into the categorization of protagonist or antagonist because he's a bit of both.

And to be clear, I'm not calling the characters in BH simplistic in a derogatory way. A major benefit to simplicity is that you know who to root for and don't have to do a ton of heavy thinking to enjoy the story. That said, I don't think this style of character is necessarily appropriate for a story where the majority of the protagonists committed racial genocide and serve in the military for a fascist dictatorship. BH's characterization would've been a lot better if the story wasn't also trying to cover ridiculously heavy topics.

I've been using Roy as my go-to example since he's the only character to be one of my favorites in both shows, but I think the character who benefits the most from this point is Izumi. In BH, she's iconic. She's a slapstick oriented character who's just a joy to have on screen. In 03, her character writing gives me a lot of mixed messages. She's still very slap stick, but it's just weird in 03 since a lot of similar stuff gets unpacked, but Izumi being outright physically abusive to the Elrics at times just isn't. She's also much softer in 03; most characters are. And I'm mostly just left confused on how to feel about her. She has some great scenes, especially with Wrath, but the character feels a bit disjointed. In BH, she really benefits from being a nonparticipant in Ishval. The writing doesn't have to worry about her being sympathetic in spite of her committing genocide, so she gets to be divorced from the massive fuck up that was that section of the story.

BH has a larger cast than 03. Also, a lot of BH exclusive characters are more likeable than the 03 exclusive characters.

There's a lot of things to unpack here.

So, first thing that's kinda an obvious point is that BH prioritizes making its characters easily likeable to the detriment of its larger themes, 03 makes its characters likeable in service of those themes. So, it's a lot easier to get behind BH Mustang than 03 Mustang because Mustang's warcrimes just aren't that important in BH while they're the most important part of the character in 03. A lot of a character's likeability in BH hinges on the audience's ability to simply ignore the Ishval subplot, which was already a poorly handled subplot. While in 03, their likeability is intentionally contrasted with their war crimes to make a point. That's the primary reason why the characters in BH are more likeable than in 03.

And this also extends to the casts that are either version exclusive or unrecognizable between the two. Kimbly is a perfect example. In BH, he's designed primarily as a fun and bombastic antagonist who blows shit up because it's fun. They also made him extremely fashionable. Meanwhile, in 03 he's genuinely fucked up and views the lives of people as little more than tools to use to further his own goals, which is made interesting by Kimbly not being a top dog (like most villains running with that mindset are). He's at the bottom of the food chain and yet he still thrives under that mindset. BH Kimbly is the more fun character, but that's because BH Kimbly and 03 Kimbly are fundamentally different types of antagonist.

A lot of this comes down to tone. 03 is a much more somber show than BH. Unlike BH, it takes the premise of "child soldier works for a fascist government that partook in genocide a few years back because he wants to fix a mistake that made him and his brother permanently disabled" as a sign that the story is meant to be dark and a little fucked up. Meanwhile, BH tends to gloss over the fucked up shit in favor of selling the power-fantasy aspect of the story. This just results in BH's characters being a lot more fun. The surface level shit is the only thing that really matters to them when looking at BH since the deeper shit is simply shit and not really worth calling attention to.

The cast sizes also exist to further both show's individual goals. BH being about action and badass people being badass benefits from a larger cast because you get to see more flavors of badassery. It lets fights cycle between different styles of combat, which helps keep things interesting. 03 is a character drama. This benefits from having a smaller cast because it allows the show to spend more time unpacking a handful of characters.

There are a lot more badass female characters in BH compared to 03

I'll give BH a "you did the bare minimum" award for being an action show with female characters who are not just eye candy. That doesn't make the show revolutionary. It just says bad things about the genre that this isn't considered the bare minimum. But yeah, in both shows, most of the female characters are subordinate to their male peers. Hawkeye is defined as Roy's henchman. Winry is defined as Ed's love interest/childhood friend, Izumi is defined as Ed's mentor. In some aspects, this is fine. Like, the main characters are Edward and Alphonse, they don't need to draw attention away from them in favor of their own bullshit. But how badass a character is doesn't exactly translate into whether they're feminist.

Like, again, the reason you see more badass female characters in BH than 03 is the same reason you see more badass characters in BH than 03; BH is an action show, 03 is a character drama with some amount of action on the side. They're both guilty of employing sexist tropes. BH tends mix those tropes with badassery, while 03 tends to mix those tropes with character nuance. Doesn't change the existence of the tropes. It's sort of just something that you gotta accept about either show. That doesn't mean that its female characters don't have good moments in either show. Just that they're working from a sexist baseline. Neither show is particularly feminist, but they're also far from the worst offenders out there.

There are a few characters where I prefer their BH incarnations over their 03 versions.

The reason someone might prefer one version's character over another is a bit more nuanced than just which character was written better. The vast majority of overlapping characters fulfill different narrative niches in each story. For example, comparing 03 Lust and BH Lust has always felt disingenuous to me because while it's true that 03 Lust is the more compelling character, a major reason for that fact is that BH Lust was never designed with being compelling in mind. A more apt comparison would be 03 Lust to BH Greed, as those two characters do share the same niche of being an antagonist that makes the audience question the nature of the homunculi and eventually splits off from them. I'd also say that BH Lust and 03 Greed fulfill similar narrative niches as being a minor antagonist that establishes exactly what the main villains are all about and who's death is used as a tool by the authors to reveal exactly what the protagonist slaying them is all about. That's why BH Lust's death and 03 Greed's Deaths are both pointed to as highlighting points in their respective series. They both execute on their niches quite well.

This also accounts for the primary reason why someone may like a character in one show but dislike them in another. BH Mustang fulfills the niche of a secondary protagonist. In 03, he fulfills the role of a pseudo-antagonist / morally ambiguous major character. I happen to really like both versions of Mustang, but it's for very different reasons. In BH, I just think he's funny and has a lot of good banter. That's more or less exactly what he's meant to accomplish there. You're supposed to go "haha funny" and/or "haha awesome" with this guy. BH Mustang falls apart when you critically analyze him because the Ishval plot was mishandled, but his surface level traits are so good that I can just be like "I saw nothing." Meanwhile, 03 Mustang is a character who you sort of have to engage with critically to get the most out of. He's a complicated character and his relationship with the audience isn't a static variable. And there's merit to both approaches of character writing. There's as much value to a character where it's not worth overanalyzing them as there is to a character who doesn't really come into their own until you pull out the tweezers.

So, in case anyone's curious, which characters do I prefer their BH incarnations to over their 03 incarnations? Well, I prefer Barry the Chopper and Izumi Curtis in BH vs their 03 counterparts. Like I said, there's a lot more nuance than "this character was written better in one anime than the other" when regarding personal preferences. So, the reason I prefer BH Izumi over 03 Izumi is that I thought BH Izumi was funny and cool while I just got a lot of mixed messages about 03 Izumi. So, in this case, I think BH Izumi fulfilled her narrative purpose really well, while I have much more mixed opinions on 03 Izumi. As for Barry, it's a similar case where I thought he was really funny in BH, while I think he fell short as a more serious antagonist in 03. In Izumi's case, the failings I have for her in 03 are that I don't think her treatment of the Elrics is put under the same scrutiny that every other character is given. Like, in BH, her being physically violent towards them is played off for comedy. It's the same case in 03, but it doesn't work as well in this context because 03 is the show that turned the short jokes into an important metaphor, so it's really weird that Izumi's slapstick wasn't given the same treatment. And I found that really off-putting. Meanwhile, my main issue with BH Izumi is that the stuff around her failed human transmutation was extremely underexplored, which doesn't stick out as much as the slapstick issue in 03 because Izumi is ultimately a minor character in BH while she takes the mantle of a more major character in 03. Though, personal bias is a huge factor in why I prefer BH Izumi over 03 Izumi, since her specific plot about being unable to bear children just happens to be so alien to my personal life, as someone who's both never had a failed pregnancy, has zero interest in bearing children, and would happily make a magic "goodbye pussy" circle. It's not that this type of conflict can't still be compelling to someone like me, but it's going to require more narrative work than a conflict that I can more closely relate to. Hence, why it's personal bias. Meanwhile, in the case of Barry the Chopper, my preference towards BH's version is a fair bit less subjectively biased. He just fits really awkwardly into the role 03 tries to assign him. The issue is that he jumps back and forth between trying to be fucked up and scary to being a comedic antagonist, which just undermines both aspects of him.

Like, the antagonist for this scene, should end up looking completely alien to the version of Barry the Chopper seen in BH, but that version of Barry is played relatively similar to BH Barry in Lab 5, resulting in the 03 Barry being inconsistent.

And for every character where I prefer their BH version, there are plenty more characters where I prefer their 03 versions. And a lot of that will come down to personal preference.

Armstrong's a great example of a character who on a surface level isn't that far off between 03 and BH, but he just works so much better in 03 than in BH because of the different character niches he fulfills in both shows. In 03, he's a minor character, while in BH, he's a major character. So, in 03, he's not particularly developed. He's mainly a funny guy who has a few shots where he's sad over Ishbal, and then he ends up supporting Mustang in overthrowing the government, which he mostly does in a comedic fashion. That's a pretty apt description for both his 03 and BH incarnations, but I only take issue with his performance in BH. The reason for this is that he's a more important character in BH, so I expect the show to disclose more information about him, which doesn't happen. Like, in BH, I want to know more about how his refusal to fight in Ishval affected him, his relationships, his status, etc. But BH only addresses that through off-handed scenes where Olivier calls him a pussy, which don't really go anywhere. Meanwhile, in 03, first of all, Armstrong did kill people in Ishbal, so the massive question of "how did his time in Ishbal affect him" can be supplemented by other characters confronting similar questions. Thus, the minor amounts of information we are given about Armstrong alongside information we see from other characters who were soldiers in Ishbal like Marcoh and Mustang are more than enough to get across the general picture. Secondly, we actually do get hints at how Armstrong's goofier attitude and kinder disposition impact his career. Mainly during the raid in Dublith where Envy disguised as Bradly says "this is why you never get a promotion." As a minor character in 03, he's allowed to have the nuances of his character be heavily carried by implication. But I can't really give a major character like BH Armstrong that same affordance, especially when those hints are barely given. It doesn't help that Armstrong's backstory in BH very heavily leaned into the story's insistence that the soldiers didn't mean it when they slaughtered Ishval.

Edward is more of a Badass in BH than 03

Ngl, I'm cheating a little with this point because it's like "I agree with this point but I also couldn't give less of a shit about it." Which, that response is, at least, 85% personal preference coming into the equation. I'm not going to say that badass characters never resonate with me, but it's really uncommon because the badass character has to be someone I personally can somewhat relate to, which is a rare flavor of character in popular media. My own experiences with the two characters are that I find BH Edward to be kinda boring as a character while 03 Edward is the most interesting character in the show (as he should be given everything I said about what 03 is trying to accomplish). But it's a lot of the same stuff my general thesis has been; BH Ed is more badass than 03 Ed because BH Ed was written to be a badass while 03 Ed was written to be a compelling character.

The actual reason I wanted to bring up this point is because it's a common enough point I've seen people make when comparing the two shows and I find this point rather bothersome. Maybe that's because I take issue with consistently seeing a rather mediocre character being placed on a pedestal over one of the best protagonists I've ever seen. But it's also more the explanations that bug me than anything. Like, I cannot take anyone seriously who uses calling a character "whiny" as a critique. Maybe it's because you're looking for an action hero who can shrug off shit that would normally be traumatizing, in which case, you're in the wrong genre. Maybe you take some issue with characters being emotional in a vulnerable sort of way. 03 features a lot of characters displaying emotions in a dysfunctional sort of way. Characters are allowed to hurt in a way that doesn't fuel anything other than more hurt. Characters will repress their feelings and that will bite them in the ass. Characters are allowed to be depressed, not in a "waiting for the heroic do shit speech" sort of way but in the genuine "existing is painful, no energy, depression" kinda way.

And this is the point that rubs me the wrong way about the majority of complaints thrown at 03 Ed. It's not that wallowing in your own misery makes for good entertainment, but it's an important part of 03's themes and its point. I can also, just, relate more to this unproductive sense of pain. I have depression, that is what depression looks and feels like. It's unproductive, it's painful, it can't be fixed by someone just walking up to you and giving a dramatic speech. And that's why the way 03 expresses hurt resonates with me in a way that BH's just doesn't. It's low octane, and that's the point. That's what makes it good.

BH's Ending is a lot more Straight-Forwards than 03's Ending

I think that's the best way I can put it without saying something I flat out disagree with. BH, in general, is much more straight-forwards than 03, and the endings of both show embody that. BH is, ultimately, a fun show where the heroes have to take a bunch of twists and turns to come out victorious. Meanwhile, 03 is an extremely messy show about characters being put in fucked up situations and no one coming out of it unscathed. It's about decisions that will haunt you for the rest of your life. It's about situations where the right answer is the one you least want to accept. It's a show about how the people will create doctrines to shield themselves from the truth. And it's a show about human selfishness. The endings of both shows are exactly how their shows should have ended. BH was never going to have a bad ending and 03 was never going to have a completely satisfactory ending. If 03 had a happy ending, the show would've been worse off for it.

So, yeah, BH's ending is a lot more straight-forward. It's a happy ending where everyone gets what they want more or less. Narrative knots are tied. All that shit. I personally thought the ending was nothing special. Like, it's another happy ending. I can't fault people for enjoying it for that, but it's not the type of thing that's going to stand out in my brain.

Meanwhile, 03's ending does a lot of nontraditional things. There's arguably multiple major plot twists that come out of nowhere and are more of a "fuck you" to the audience than anything else. The protagonists end the series arguably off worse than where they started. Wrath and Gluttony are still alive and haven't had their arcs concluded in any satisfying way. There's no guarantee that the setting or the characters in it will continue to be okay after the series ends. And that's okay. The ending of 03 is very messy because it's meant to be messy because the point that the show is making is that the world is neither straightforward nor fair, which is why you gotta keep doing the best you can to improve it. That's why the ending is uplifting. Even though Edward's in arguably the worst position he's been in throughout the series, having literally lost everything, he hasn't given up, so you, the viewer, shouldn't give up either. Life doesn't end until it ends, so you should live.

And yeah, the ways that 03's and BH's ending function are fundamentally different. I can totally see why one ending would pass someone by. Like I already said, I didn't feel anything watching BH's ending but 03's ending felt very significant to me, and I could totally understand the inverse being true for some people.

Conclusion

People give BH too much credit and shit too much on 03. Like, 03 is just the better show. It's just that 03 isn't designed to be a comfortable watch in the same way BH is. You're meant to leave BH feeling good, you're meant to leave 03 with a lot to think about. If 03 makes you uncomfortable, that's a feature, not a bug. Many of the fan advertised strengths and weaknesses of each show is really just differences in genre.

And while I've repeatedly conveyed that 03 is the better show, that's not because BH is bad; 03 is just really fucking good. It's like comparing Elden Ring to Dark Souls 1; sure they're made by the same developers and have a lot of surface level similarities, but they're so fundamentally different experiences that viewing them through the same lens isn't fair to either. There are a lot of things that BH does well, and there are a lot of things that 03 does well. But it's not fair to say "BH does X thing better than 03 therefore it's better" (or the occasions where the inverse claim is made) because both shows are trying to paint very different pictures, to the point where I don't consider them to be parts of the same genre. There may be similar components, but the way those components are used is very different from one-another. Comparing the two shows makes for interesting analysis, but it's bad for the purposes of actually criticizing either show.

#fma03 #fmab #fma analysis #fma2003 #fullmetal alchemist #fma #fmab critical #that's right i'm using all the tags this time #mostly because i've put a ridiculous amount of time writing this so i'd like it to be seen by other ppl #and yeah responses are good even you don't have much to say I love seeing other ppl's opinions about shit

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