#It just feels incredibly cruel and selfish at this point tbh

[oncominggstorm]

My sister & I are both autistic and both share a special interest in Doctor Who (I got into it first, about 3-4 years before she did).

She has a HORRIBLE habit of texting me her live reactions whenever she watches something, even when she KNOWS I have not yet watched whatever it is she's texting me about.

Whenever she does this, I tell her yet again to stop doing it, and suggest that in the future she type her reactions into notes app and then send me the note. That way, she can still share her reactions without feeling like she has to bottle up her excitement, but I can wait to read them until after I've watched the episode so I don't get spoiled. Every time, she refuses and just texts them to me anyway.

She did this today with the new episode of Doctor Who. I've been sick and was still trying to sleep while the episode aired, so she watched it first and I woke up to lots of texts about it. I am HEARTBROKEN that she spoiled it for me. It feels like a gut punch, or like I was a balloon that was suddenly deflated.

I explained to her that I was upset, and asked her to apologize and promise to not do it again. She refused, and got upset at ME and said that I was purposefully trying to bring down her joy and excitement.

Word for word copy/paste of our text convo about it under the cut if you want more context/want to see exactly what was said:

Me: Am extremely unhappy because you texted me a million dw things and just from skimming push notifs I can see that SEVERAL of them are things that I would consider spoiler-y which is why I have told you HUNDREDS of times to NOT live text thoughts, and idk why you thought it’d be ok for this episode of all things. Like I have explained to you multiple times that we have very different definitions of spoiler-y Me: Like one of the MANY MANY MANY reasons why I hate when you live text things I havent watched is cuz your reactions to things are very different than mine, and so I see your reactions & make assumptions about what’s gonna happen, and then when it doesnt meet those expectations I get disappointed. Vs if I hadnt seen your reactions I’d have had no expectations & thus would’ve felt ONLY excitement. Me: Your reactions to things are ALWAYS over the top/make things seem even more amazing than they are, so when I see them my expectations get set REALLY high, so then what I watch only ever meets (or in some cases, fails to meet) expectations. Whereas you get the pleasure of having it exceed expectations. But I don’t, because seeing your reactions sets my expectations much higher than they would otherwise have been. Like I get you are excited, I do. But there is absolutely NO REASON WHATSOEVER that you can’t put your reactions in a note & send me the note, rather than text, so that I can remain spoiler free. Her: My reaction to this was TAME. Me: It feels like you are purposefully trying to miss my point/like you are not at all sorry about what you did, & it is really upsetting me. Like do you seriously not realize how not at all ok texting me all that was when you KNEW i hadnt seen the episode yet? Her: I feel like you are purposefully ignoring everything I said earlier about how I literally felt like I was about to die and needed an outlet, and I feel like you are purposefully trying to ruin my excitement and bring me down so

[squidthoughts]

collected thoughts on the creloise matter (Big And Detailed Spoilers Ahead):

if it’s dual character assassination, it’s dual character assassination and irredeemable and frankly uninteresting and unfortunately the show becomes unwatchable for me personally. if it’s purposeful setup? it’s bloody brilliant. i mean it could actually be bloody brilliant. there are a few lines that feel very purposeful: pen’s “did you ever truly like her?” and the moment with cress and her mother when cress protests being cruel to the btons. both of which come after the creloise breakup and, you know, the uhhhh cessation of scenes together. creloise was dead. there was no reason to continue to examine the corpse. unless it wasn’t truly dead. ok, so there is now incredible potential in the CreloiseSituation(tm).

they hate each other. perfect! cressida was suffering all season and eloise was a truly terrible friend - i mean, comically selfish and villainous - that is to say, cressida’s actions (antagonistic as they were) were explained and justified within the narrative and eloise’s were not. ok! that’s fine. in the past, cress has been the unjustifiably cruel one. if anything, they are now on equal footing in terms of illogically hurting each other. so, they hate each other. which just means their growing back together could be that much more satisfying.

eloise’s choices didn’t make sense. they just…don’t. if her arc this season was to show her growth separate from pen, and it ends with nothing mattering to her but pen, it’s just nonsensical. (dont get me wrong- i’m glad they made up! their friendship is a core pillar of the show! but taking a season of development apart and introducing new dynamics into eloise’s life only to end her precisely where she was in season ONE is just…huh??) that is, unless elosie’s decisions don’t make sense YET. unless the point of her abandonment of a friend IS the abandonment. unless this is precisely the base a following season would need to portray el from a starting position of moral inferiority- a facet of her character not yet explored.

creloise both out of mayfair now. coincidence? well…maybe! i guess! but also, outside the set and setting of society. idk, that just screams landscape of possibility to me.

they’re both on the cusp of substantial development! cressida at rrrrock bottom and eloise striving to find experience and purpose. we’ve never seen cress this low and tortured or el this alone and unsure. idk. parallels.

nothing that made us love them so much in the first place has changed. they’re still mirrors. they’re still unflinchingly honest with each other - often the only ones who are. they’re still (deliciously) (occasionally) mean. the foundations are still there. and tbh, if all of this was purposeful, there is SO much conflict and strife between them that i actually really love it. the angst! the tension! the possible banter! eloise abandoned cress at the worst possible time in her life and cress betrayed eloise (out of desperation but facts are facts) and neither of them got an explanation. and for a summer and a season they were very much alone together and enjoying each other and the betrayals sting because the friendship mattered in the first place. and that broken dynamic is just. so yummy. and the hate is there because the embarrassment is there and the embarrassment is there because….i liked you. and you burned me. and i cant believe i was stupid enough to like you. but i did like you, i did.

also, i’m sure the showrunners were understandably wary about how the audience would react to cressida this season. up until now, she’s been a glorified extra; the personality-less stereotype of the loveless, callous debutante bridgerton’s grand love stories exist to subvert. in s1 she was a joke (daphne and simon laughing about her scripted flirting) and in s2 she was the hopeless and petty mean girl. there was no reason for the audience to like her, because she was hardly a character and certainly not a person. i imagine suddenly linking her to everyone’s fan favorite eloise was seen as a huge risk— in case of a negative reaction, cress could hardly be established as a romantic prospect as well, possibly guaranteeing a large portion of screentime to someone the audiences don’t even like. creators obviously shouldn’t feel the urge to cater to an audience’s whims of how they think a story should go - this would be very bad!! - but i do think the extreme outpouring of appreciation for cress this season might enable the writers to utilize her more in the future. she’s a real character now with depth and her story has established loyalty in fans- narratively there is freedom there for some satisfying payoffs.

all this to say, this season reduced my expectations to not quite zero, but somewhere around one. the finale was crowded and unfocused and more than a few things just did not make sense and the queer rep felt very sudden and trite - for shock value, practically - and we were forced to watch creloise hacked to pieces….but, i maintain, if it was all purposeful….idk. i personally don’t think all hope is lost.

[mythicamagic]

May I ask why you like Sukuna so much? Don't get me wrong, I love him too, he reminds me of Yang from Piofiore, but I thought you would be more attracted to Gojo or Geto? 🤭

Thank you for the excuse to yap, anon! Talking about my biases is one of my favourite things to do.

I guess my answer can be summed up with three points:

Sukuna is hot - I like his tattoos and his true form satisfies my monster romance cravings

Sukuna is charismatic

Intelligent villains make brain go brrr.

To elaborate, when JJK first came out I did simp a bit for Gojo because of his eyes and white hair. It wasn't really anything other than shallow - hey, he's pretty.

(I've never been a Geto girlie, I respect those who are, but I haven't felt anything toward him other than sympathy for his breakdown or apathy toward him becoming a cult leader type. He's aight.)

When Sukuna was first revealed I found him entertaining but wrote him off as purely insane. Fun to watch but nothing interesting. This changed in episode 4.

That episode showed his charisma tbh. An insane villain is only fun to watch passively, that or they become annoying. A truly personable villain is one that lives comfortably by enjoying what they want to do but also demonstrating intelligence and cunning. Guys like Sukuna and Yang are my favourite type of villain because they're so incredibly selfish they seek to assuage their boredom via entertainment. They thrive in violence that isn't targeted or hateful, just pure enjoyment. Putting aside the murder part- as someone who is incredibly meek and anxious irl, those characters appeal to me because they thrive unapologetically. Their ugliness is embraced and celebrated.

From a purely simping standpoint- Someone like Nanami is the greenest flag you've ever seen. That man would take care of you and love you. 10/10 you should marry, he's perfect. However, for someone like me, that perfection would make my imperfections feel worse.

Characters like Sukuna basically remove that because they're reveling in their own fun. I think to really enjoy them is to remove your own ego from the equation in a way- because these men will not cater to you emotionally. Yang is there for pleasure, Sukuna is there for entertainment, ect.

However in this way - you can kind of find vindication through them too. Liliana grew into herself more by becoming Yangs woman. She lost her freedom but gained it in other ways by experiencing sexual liberation and the darker aspects of the world- living in it and adapting. I figure life with Sukuna would be like that too in some AU where he wouldn’t automatically kill you.

I find Sukuna the most interesting character in JJK because he's centered and intelligent even as he revels in chaotic destruction. He's well read and has a history that gives him a tangible presence. He's strong but playful, cruel but absent of hatred for his opponents in a way that feels almost respectful even as they're fighting to the death (with the exception of Itadori).

A lot of what he is ticks my boxes. I expect Scar from Wuthering Waves will also scratch my itch for this type of villain too once we know more about him.

Er so yeah...take your pick anon haha. Simple answer: Sukuna is a cool villain, and I like to watch him have fun (not excusing anything he does but I trust your media literacy enough to understand that)

Complicated answer for simping: something, something, female empowerment fantasy through being allowed to be the worst version of yourself with a villain, thus achieving liberation from societal constraints.

[ephemeral--dreams]

Rei/Eichi/Keito/Wataru yandere headcanons but they're ranked by least bad-worst 

☆ ☾ ☆ ──────────────────

Keito

Honestly more likely to be the yandere victim himself he's so surprisingly easily manipulated and far too trusting. But I digress

Incredibly protective of anyone he cares for. With everyone else (Eichi, mainly) he can't control them getting themselves into trouble, but with you… Well, who can blame him for taking you away to keep you safe? One thing in his life that's just for himself, one thing he can protect…

Genuinely just wants what's best for you but believes he's the one that knows what that is. He'll understand why you may not like being locked away from the world, that's not going to stop him though. 

Work is very rough. Don't make things harder for him when he comes home, okay? He doesn't need to come back and find you've been causing trouble.

Keito may seem harsh and strict but underneath all that lies a very soft heart. He's too in love to ever punish you physically. Or much at all for that matter. At worst he may lock you in the bedroom for a day or two to make you learn your lesson, though even that would make him feel guilty, when you beg him to forgive you and let you out… so it likely wouldn't last all that long. He'll just lecture you instead, then…! 

Always working so he won't even be around as often as he wants to be. Will make sure you have books or whatever else you need to entertain yourself while he's away for hours…

The safest out of these four tbh. Won't ever hurt you and won't expect you to act like you love him (though if you do accept him he'll be so happy :( Keito has such a low opinion of himself that he never expects you or anyone else to care for him, but if you let him he'll be even more doting than he already is… please love him)

Wataru

Oh god. The gaslighting. 

If you ever notice and point out any of his suspicious behavior, he'll simply coo at you and hush you, saying that it's so cruel that you'd ever make such accusations of your very own Hibiki Wataru. Don't you trust him?

Like Keito, he's unlikely to ever hurt you physically. But that doesn't mean you want to get on his bad side. Wataru is well known for being able to read people like a book - don't make him use that against you. He can and will say the most terrible, emotionally damaging things just to get to you, and do it all with a smile on his face <3 If you'd just behave, he would be so kind, so let's avoid forcing him to pick you apart like this.

Could just hypnotize you into loving him. But there's no challenge in that, so it's no fun! He'd rather play the long game.

Excellent at comforting you, even if he was the one to make you break down in the first place… Which is only another part of the ways he manipulates you into his arms.

If hitting you where it hurts isn't enough, he can simply put on another act. Just imagine how sad and lonely and miserable he'd be if you ever left him. Would you really be so selfish as to hurt Wataru that way? He's not above guilt tripping... 

Unlikely to ever kidnap you. He's sunk his claws in so deep with his manipulation that you would never leave or betray him anyway. There's no need to go through the trouble of proving you're his by ripping you away from your life so harshly… he's put in so much effort to make you believe he's innocent in his love, after all.

Eichi

He's already so possessive in canon can you imagine how much worse it would be if he was yandere?

Absolutely has the means to take you and wipe away any trace of what he's done. He could even pay off anyone who might look for you. 

He'll shower you in gifts and attention and give you anything you want. Surely that's enough to make you realize that's it's better to stay with him? No one else could take such good care of you… Just accept his affections, okay? (He will start to get desperate if you don't. Eichi will do anything to get you to love him back. There are so few people in his life that have offered such care to him, after all…)

Knows that what he's doing is wrong. But it'll be for the best, he reasons. 

Wants you to be obedient. He isn't into dealing with someone who will fight him constantly.

More willing to punish you than the other two. He doesn't like having to do it - you're his beloved, he wants you to care for him as much as he cares for you! - but sometimes things must be done. The ends justify the means for him. Once you've accepted the situation, you can both live happily together. <3

As long as you're good he'll be very gentle, though. Not the type to punish you for no reason - though he may threaten to just as a form of teasing you to see your reactions. He can be a little cruel sometimes, after all…

Honestly as long as you don't fight him your life will be really nice. You will be kept very comfortable and have free reign of the whole house (though the servants will always be watching, so don't try to run). Please accept your rich loving slightly fucked up boyfriend 

Rei

He seems so kind and helpful at first glance, but he'd be the worst out of these to have as a yandere. 

His sense of morality is… Well, not great. Growing up in a vampire cult would do that to you!

Incredibly similar to Eichi in a lot of ways. Just worse.

Rei wouldn't see anything wrong with kidnapping you and harming you if he needs to. As far as he is concerned, it's only a symbol of how much he loves you, that he would take you as his own in such a way… 

Also perfectly fine with doing whatever he needs to, to get you to accept the situation. Drugging? Chaining you up in the basement until you beg him to let you out? Hitting you? If necessary. Sometimes lessons must be taught in harsher ways, after all… You'll learn!

 Will bite you to mark you. Even if no one else is going to see it, he still likes knowing he's marked you as his…

Doesn't want you completely broken, of course. He got attached to you because of your personality… You may be pretty, but nevertheless, it's no fun if you sit there without reacting to him. Would be very happy if you would have nice long conversations with him…

You Will cuddle with him whenever he wants to sleep. Which is often. This is not a request. It gets cold and lonely sleeping alone so he appreciates your warmth :(

Can be very doting once you're broken in enough to start cooperating with him <3 he doesn't like hurting you, so make it easier on both of you, okay? He just wants his darling all to himself, is that so bad… 

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

Curious - what do you think about Darkling's will to save Grisha? What part of him do you think is "good" despite him being a vicious villain? Or is he completely self serving in your eyes?

Hmm I think he started out genuinely meaning well but past a certain point it took a back seat to his personal ambitions. By canon era he seems more preoccupied with *being the person to fix things* rather than them simply being fixed, if that makes sense? Like his ego and need for unilateral control clearly come first.

There’s definitely a lot of murkiness in the series where it’s hard to separate in-universe characterization from author shortcomings sometimes, but I think it’s pretty telling that his contribution to making things safer for Grisha results in the Little Palace and essentially a personal army answering to him alone. And he seems to be content with that until a sun summoner shows up and allows him to try to enact world domination via Shadow Fold. I feel like if his real primary goal is meant to be any sort of large scale liberation we would simply see more of it as something he’s pursuing?

Anyway I think “good” is hard to define. I wouldn’t say he’s one note evil? But he’s certainly incredibly ruthless and vindictive. We see him personally hurt other Grisha the most tbh? And frequently disproportionately and to his own detriment. A scenario where he wins everything seems so easy and attainable if he was just a little less cruel and a little more patient.

I think the thing mostly tripping him up is just immortality tbh. He’s so old that individual people and lives don’t have much meaning to him anymore, he’s playing a numbers game instead. And it’s become more about winning than any particular ideology or value. I think a good example of that is him working with Fjerda circa S&S to sack Os Alta, which seems like a pretty stunning abandonment of his supposed values. Or how his plan seems to have been “kill pretty much everyone” sgdhdg like the Darkling Did Nothing Wrong side of the fandom bring up him not killing the kids in the orphanage a lot as a defense, but he did very much kill basically all the Grisha left in the Little Palace. The only survivors were the ones that escaped. He didn’t actually spare anyone!

I think RoW, for all its contradictions and awkward relationship with the original trilogy, does showcase circumstances where he isn’t the absolute worst (lol) pretty well. He isn’t redeemed, because he isn’t sorry for a single thing he did! But he is also happy to be the person to go to tree hell to save the day, because who *else* could possibly do that, except for him, the main character of the universe? Like, frankly, I think the tree hell stuff is fucking stupid, but it is a deft way to show how his ego and values are intrinsically tied, and how under specific circumstances he is willing to sacrifice very, very much, despite being an otherwise fairly selfish character.

[nsfwitchy2]

Maybe I'm just way too easily entertained, but I thought Wish was a good movie! Do I think that having it be an old school romance with the wishing star as an actual character and both the king and queen as the villains would've been much more engaging? Well, yes, but hey, it had kept my usually hyper lil brother genuinely interested for over an hour, so that's gotta count for something aesrdfghjkliop 😆.

(A.k.a. @sheepywritesfics )

BELOVED BESTIE HOW I MISSED HEARING FROM YOU 😭💞

Also you have opened S U C H a can of worms, I have VERY strong feelings about wish XD

I do wanna say though - I’m glad you liked it!!! Like, I will never knock someone for liking something even if I personally do not like it or don’t think it’s good - hell I think half the shit I like is just. Objectively badly written and poorly executed. You will never, gun to my head, get me to say Gotham is a well written TV show and I spent like 2 years making content for that fandom (no regrets tbh I still love that show).

Honestly, Wish isn’t a bad movie!!! It actually genuinely fascinates me if I’m being honest - because it isn’t a bad movie. It also isn’t…. A good movie, though. It is, what I believe is the worst possible thing any movie can be - it is mediocre to its god damn core. And THATS why it fascinates me.

If it was just a random kids movie like fuckin…. Idk the teenage kraken movie or the one about the ducks or whatever (I haven’t seen any of those so I’m not saying they are mediocre btw for all I know they’re works of art), that would be fine!! It would be a-ok for it to be mediocre and just kinda fun for kids!!!

But Wish is Disney’s 100th year anniversary and they tried to sell that shit SO hard. I remember!!!! I remember when the trailers came out and people expressed their concern over the way the movie was stylized - Disney had a chance to change that and they just!!! Didn’t!!! Whether that’s because the movie had already been made, or because they just didn’t care, I cannot say. But I can say that the animation style didn’t do the movie like…. Any justice. It looks flat. Like, it looks really god damn flat. Very rarely is the movie colorful and eye catching - the most colorful and eye catching scenes are the two animal musical numbers, which you can honestly remove from the movie entirely and the story will not be affected at all. So that’s not great. The rest of the movie is INCREDIBLY grey scale and therefore looks very drab, which doesn’t help the flat appearance any.

I remember when Disney came out talking about how they were going back to their roots and making a movie with a real actual classic Disney villain!!! And then they just. Didn’t. In fact, they made this weird….. hodge-podge character who is very clearly like one of their newer “villains” where the real villain all along was trauma, and then halfway through the movie they make him evil and just…. Act like he was like that the entire time??? Which makes the ending feel almost cruel, if I’m being honest. The king doesn’t do anything explicitly evil until he opens the book and becomes like, basically possessed??? But then they spend the whole movie acting like he’s ALWAYS been evil - when he wasn’t!!! He was just kind of a dick!!!!

Which leads me into my next point - Asha literally is the sole reason the kingdom is in danger in the first place, and her reasoning doesn’t make any sense. Asha says, herself, in the BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE, that giving the king your wish has like…. No negative consequences. You don’t regret it, you feel no remorse, you don’t lose anything. So when she suddenly 180s because her grandfather can’t get his wish granted (for admittedly pretty solid reasoning, it was a hella vague wish) and starts saying he’s taking the most important part of someone and won’t give it back, it just kinda makes her look…. Selfish. This isn’t helped by the fact that the one person who IS shown to be suffering negative consequences from having his wish taken is shown like, no support. She’s willing to risk it all to get her grandfathers wish back when he’s not shown to be any worse for ware - but not her friend??? She does, however, MASSIVELY INCONVENIENCE her friends MULTIPLE TIMES, and never really does anything for them in return. Which doesn’t make her look better either. In fact, Asha trying to steal from the king is the reason he even opens the cursed book to begin with, which basically means if Asha had minded her business the kingdom would’ve never been in danger.

And I won’t even get into how clunky the songs are lyrically, they’re either incredibly redundant or incredibly vague. They’re not memorable.

And this - all of this - is what fascinates me about Wish. Wish is a movie full of tropes Disney has pulled off correctly multiple times over the years. The 3D animation meant to look like water color? They’ve done that, in their short Paper Boy, and it was beautiful. Villain songs? Strong heroines? Compelling story lines and beautiful music?

They’ve done all of this. Multiple. Times. And the one time, the one time it REALLY counted - the 100th year anniversary they will NEVER get back. They totally phoned it in and put out the most mediocre film imaginable - all while telling audiences they were finally gonna give them what they want, a true villain and a classic Disney princess. And then they didn’t. And you can see that it was just straight cowardice - BECAUSE of the concept art. The concept art DID give us a true Disney Princess and a true villain - two of them!!! But it’s like the executives were so terrified they would alienate audiences that they tried to shoe horn modern Disney tropes in where they didn’t fit - by giving King Magnifico a sad backstory and making Asha a Quirky Awkward Girlie™️ for no real reason. Which ended up making the movie feel unfinished and half baked - it’s full of concepts from what essentially would’ve been two different films. A classic Disney film, and a modern Disney film - and it doesn’t do either correctly.

At the end of the day, despite my criticism, I won’t say Wish is bad. Because bad movies are memorable. It wasn’t good either though. It was mediocre. It was Disney’s 100th anniversary movie they will never get back, it was full of tropes and styles they’d done before so it should’ve been the easiest thing to make, but they got scared and phoned it in and put this out instead. Wish will forever live rent free in my head but not because the movie itself left a lasting and memorable impression - but because it is the perfect representation of everything Disney has become. It’s a Disney made knock off of a Disney movie that repeatedly reminds you of other, better, Disney movies through its entire run time. Just like all their live action films and new prequels.

And by all means!!! You are more than welcome to like it!!! Like, I am not saying all of this to talk you into hating Wish - I don’t even hate Wish. It really is just a movie that genuinely fascinates me but for all the wrong reasons, and you opened a door for me to talk about that so…. I did XD

Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk XD

[dykedragonrider]

Finished Prey. I see why that was recommended to me in particular given some of my feelings I've expressed, and I think people were right to tell me to. I'm mostly gonna skip commenting on the gameplay tbh. I don't particularly enjoy imsims, and this being one was part of why it took me so long to finish because it's not positive friction. That, and since I was recommended it explicitly for its narrative, I played on Easy past a certain point bc it was just getting to be a slog. But I did really like the narrative! My initial theory with the flashes you got as you progressed the story and some of the books was that this was an exploratory simulation for them to gather solutions to understand/exploit/manage the typhon in reality. I was. Half right. As Alex says in the end, we were always taking things the Typhon could do and put it into us. We never gave back, until this. The lack of mirror neurons being a thing stated early on that this process develops, it creates understanding. Empathy. Arguably, humanity. I played the game saving as many people as I could, only having killed one human. Zero guesses as to the one human I killed was, and I didn't do it for retribution I think. It was likely part of it, but the feeling I remembered more when I killed him was relief; security. I do adore the fact that you're given the option to kill them all at the end. You make that choice about what you saw in those people. Alex was a really fucking cruel person. But he displayed remorse. He learned. I think that, when compared against Luka, it's good for examining justice? I couldn't put Luka in a spot where he couldn't hurt Morgan or others, so I let him kill himself. Alex learned (or at least, is trying to survive, but I think it's much more charitable and narratively satisfying to say he learned) and was willing to not be selfish, but give back. I don't want to stray too far into my own self here, but I'm assuming part of why that Prey was recommended so highly to me is that well, it's incredibly easy for me to identify with Typhon Morgan at the end. I'm not going to extrapolate on why, but I do deeply understand what I see there. I get it though. The nature of humanity, how we do things for others, redemption, what it means to even *be* human, how fear of the unknown can be healthy but suffocating, the importance of simple gestures of kindness, and so much more. It's all there, it's so *rich* with meaning. It'll probably be a while before I play it again, but I can see myself finding even more meaning when I give it that second pass, which to me is a sign of something great.

[kitkatopinions]

Tbh, in regards to Hazel I'm just upset they axed him so quickly. It's honestly to the point where part of me thinks he's not actually dead and they'll have a "big reveal" later, but you never know with RT. Feels like they could have done a lot more with the character.

Heck, I know this isn't surprising coming from me, but do you know who he could have been a great villain for? Yang. From themes, to character, to even the potential fight, it could have been great. Maybe when I wake up I'll make a whole post about that.

You're right, in his first couple scenes, he seemed like maybe he'd be a refreshing change of pace. Villains that have boundaries and morals are good, villains that seem normal at first glance are also interesting. Hazel didn't seem to fit much with the other villains in Salem's circle and he clearly had something to do with Ozpin, who - when V4 dropped - was one giant mystery.

But he was absolutely wrecked in the Haven fight, and then it just kept going. Like, oh, okay, he doesn't want to avoid violence, he isn't above hurting children, he doesn't have these boundaries, his connection to Ozpin is frankly stupid, none of our heroes but Oz and Oscar even seemed to learn his name, his stupid motivations never got properly addressed as the hypocritical garbage it was, he was tabled for most of V6 and all of V7, and then he returned only to dig even further down into being hypocritical, moral-free garbage... And then he 'turned good' because he saw that the lamp worked, and then he just died. No real exploration of his supposedly important relationship with Emerald, his 'change of heart' was totally unbelievable and the 'life lessons' he left Oz with felt totally pointless and shallow, shoved into the narrative, and just as hypocritical as Hazel has been since the Haven fight, and on top of that... Seriously, do our mains know him as anything other than 'the one guy who kept screaming 'Ozpin' at Haven who electrocuted Nora?

Honestly, I don't even mind some of the ideas of his character. The massive hypocrisy and deluding himself into thinking things that aren't true, is a good villain trait. But because the writers tried to portray him as right without actually... Making him right, the whole thing just turned out incredibly frustrating. Him being calm and softer spoken, but still kind of intimidating, and then switching to blowing up, screaming, and willing to hurt anyone and everyone because he doesn't actually have any emotional control, that's a great villain trait, except that the Haven fight was full on comical, and anything actually scary about that behavior wasn't there. (I can't stop laughing about the scene in the Haven fight, where Hazel starts like, ripping off his jacket, and the whole fight around them stops and Qrow's like o.O like he's just thinking "sir, please keep your clothes on?" The pacing was just so horrible XD)

You're right that he could've been a good villain for Yang, especially V5 Yang who was already questioning some of her stances and beliefs, but also starting to learn how to regulate her temper and be less impulsive. Hazel could represent both of those struggles at once. Honestly, Yang's relationship with Ozpin is something I wish they'd focused on more. And that's true of all the main four, but idk, I think since Yang was the one literally being told by Raven to doubt him, I just think that should've been explored properly (and with less author hatred towards Ozpin.) And Hazel really could have continued on that story. Plus, his 'switch on a dime' massive temper and short sightedness because of it is literally something Yang works in volume five to try and fix in herself. I know we already have a bit of 'this is what I could've been' in Raven, but I feel like the importance in Yang's dynamic with Raven isn't actually about Yang comparing herself to Raven, and is more about Yang realizing she never needed and doesn't want Raven, partially because Yang is different than Raven and values other things. Hazel is a man who turned into a resentful, cruel, violent, anger driven person after the loss of a family member that he loved, specifically a younger sister who wanted to be a hero, and audiences can see clear parallels between who Hazel is and who Yang could be if she lets herself. Hazel lashed out and turned against Oz and humanity itself not out of cowardice or selfishness, which were things Yang (up to V5) didn't really suffer from more than most. Instead, Hazel did so out of grief, anger, reckless abandon, mistrust - which are all themes in Yang's story. It could've been good and meaningful to see Yang confronted with these things more and then rise above them and be better. I mean, I do this quite a lot though lol, where I'm like "they missed an opportunity with Yang and almost any other character." XD But this is mostly because so many villains feel so disconnected from the mains, but Yang was my favorite of the four girls, so I guess I gravitate to her relationships more than most of the mains (though I'll forever be upset that Blake wasn't allowed to sympathize with and be understanding towards Ozpin.)

Hazel is a wasted opportunity, but what we got in canon was so frustrating and badly done.

[pleaseshutupaboutsatou]

Before and After Ajin Volume 1

Part Three

[Part One] [Part Two]

This was supposed to be the last part but I had a lot to say on this one particular subject.

Ajin: Human or Demi-Human

Spoilers ahead and I will refer to Tsuina Miura as TM.

Before V2 - Ajin: Human or Demi-Human

Okay, so it’s always kind of perplexed me that Ajin are so objectified. They look like any other person but in the world of Ajin, they’re referred to as ‘another species’, a ‘life-form’, and sometimes even ‘it’. When someone finds out they’re Ajin, it’s not readily apparent and can easily be hidden. Probably the most conspicuous aspect of an Ajin is their IBM if anything -- especially if they can’t control it. 

Anyway, the way I’ve really looked at it, I’ve always kinda assumed that the objectification of Ajin was a purposeful and systemic way of othering people with immortal abilities so that they can be more easily taken advantage of. 

I forget that this thought is just pure speculation and not actually explicitly said in canon. (TBH, I would really like to know the origins of why people see Ajin as non-human.)

This aspect is just part of the unique takes Ajin has on immortality. Immortals can age. To be an Ajin is not seen as a cool or fun but something terrifying and unknown. You don’t want to be an Ajin. In fact, in the first chapter of the manga, when the teacher suggests the possibility that someone in the class might be one, it immediately makes everyone uneasy.

In TM’s part of the manga, there’s a strong emphasis on the idea of Ajin not being seen as human. It’s repeated a lot in Kei’s dialogue with Kai and in the pilot chapter with Shinya. In fact, the opening line in the pilot chapter is ‘Those life forms do not die... They are know as demi-humans’.

The language in the Wikipedia article about Ajin that Shinya reads uses dry language when discussing the relationship between Ajin and human experimentation. It seems like there’s no hint of controversy! 

If you’ve read Tenkuu Shinpan, this cynical worldview will probably be very familiar. Miura’s writing has this sort of color.

Anyway, in volume one, the humanity of Ajin is constantly questioned and touched upon in the dialogue.

What a bizarre question for Izumi to ask, of all people... Izumi could be playing detective a detective role here, but knowing that she’s an Ajin, this almost comes across as self-loathing. Perhaps Izumi might have gone down that path if Miura stayed on?

This bit of dialogue from Tanaka, shortly after the former scene, feels more consistent with the story thus far. Satou made being a demi-human a point of pride for Tanaka and for Izumi to pretend to be one definitely made her less in his eyes. Actually, he was pretty cruel to everyone in that room in this scene, but if you take into consideration Izumi’s anti-Ajin-like dialogue and her explicitly saying she’s from the Demi-Human Control Commission (the ones responsible for his imprisonment), I can see where it comes from.

Anyway, much of the compelling dialogue on an Ajin’s humanity is between Kei and Kai. On the run after being outed as an Ajin, Kei is constantly questioning his own humanity.

And, as long as Kai is around Kei, he constantly reassures Kei that he is indeed human and even if he isn’t, he can be human if he wants to be.

Now that I think about it, perhaps the idea of demi-humans not being human comes from the human fear of death and the loss of its universal certainty. Death is scary, unpredictable, unavoidable and not really something a lot of people like to dwell on. However, despite those feelings, it’s ubiquitous and maybe some comfort comes from that - that it will happen to everyone. Not to Ajin though (as far as the public knows, they don’t really know about aging or natural-death Ajin). In fact Ajin can tiptoe between death and life. Perhaps that comes across as grotesque and maybe that’s a reason why they’re feared? A scene that exemplifies this is Kei’s first suicide - or reset, as it’s later called. 

Kai’s expression is of sadness, worry, and terror because he just witnessed Kei, someone he’s trying to protect, harm himself. He obviously knows that Kei will likely be fine but you can’t really logic away the visceral reaction to seeing such a thing. Meanwhile Kei, is excited, almost ecstatic, because he sees he’s able to walk on his own two legs again and not be such a burden to Kai. His relationship to death has totally changed. Does the lack of ability to die correlate with a loss of humanity?

Perhaps, TM wanted that to be constant question in their story. Are Ajin really human? Or maybe TM wanted Ajin to actually not really be human and for us to mistakenly think they are? TBH though, it doesn’t really seem like TM’s fast-paced action writing style... but maybe those kinds of questions piqued Sakurai’s interest.

After V2 - Ajin: Human or Demi-Human

I think Sakurai is interested in exploring the theme of humanity and human experience in general through these immortal characters. 

As the story progresses, he seems to go with the notion that Ajin are just people who can’t die. I think this is emphasized with Tanaka’s increasing mundaneness. His very first appearance is incredibly striking. He looks diabolical.

And he doesn’t seem that way to just the audience but to Kei as well, who sees Tanaka with a mean face and a knife in their first encounter and is instantly scared. In Kei’s dreams, Tanaka becomes a symbol of aggressive masculinity.

It’s all a front though, and through Tanaka’s flashback a handful of chapters later, it becomes clear that, like Kei, he’s an ordinary person put through extraordinary circumstances.

Satou, however, comes across as a force of nature and inhuman. Physical obliteration and philosophical ideas of death do not phase him at all. His flesh body is a tool that he takes apart and puts back together with casual indifference. In the end, though, he is a human being, though, damn, does he make it difficult for other people, ourselves included, to believe that.

Last, but not least, Sakurai spends a great deal of care on Kei’s transition from teen to young adult throughout the story with all the self-doubt, risk-taking and awkwardness that comes with it. What kind of person will he become? What does he really want? 

He puts on a front as a disinterested, self-serving person whose no-nonsense, but, actually he does care and maybe he likes a little of nonsense (but not too much). As for the person he might become, it’s interesting that Kei has two older, contrasting figures in his life who serve as influences: Hirasawa and Satou. Hirasawa says he’s fine the way he is and that it’s okay to run away; he kind of indulges Kei and tells him what he wants to hear - maybe he sees himself in Kei and tells him what he wish he could have heard.  Meanwhile, Satou wants to challenge Kei, though, for entirely selfish reasons and maybe, he too, saw some of himself in Kei. Though, lmao, he got bored with that towards the end.

A big part of Kei’s journey is self-acceptance. Self-acceptance as a person coming-of-age and as a person whose an Ajin. To a person like Kou, he probably seems like he has a concrete idea of who he is, but that’s not the case at all.

Kei starts out as an incredibly reluctant hero. In fact, he only came into the role out of necessity as Satou grew to be a bigger and bigger problem that could no longer be ignored. In the period between the attack on Grant Pharmaceuticals and the attack on Forge Security, his lack of enthusiasm is very explicit; he even dreams of being whisked away. Nevertheless, he begrudgingly concocts a plan for defending Forge Security. 

It’s in the aftermath of Forge Security that he starts to change and aggressively pursue Satou. However, this change of heart will be repeatedly tested as Satou continues to evade him.

Sakurai has also had some things to say about the question of a demi-human’s humanity on a grander scale, particularly, through a character like Ogura. When you first meet him, he’s very blunt and sarcastic and seems to have little value in his own life. To Ogura, life has lost its meaning. It’s heavily implied that this is in large part due to the death of his 8-year-old son.

The only thing that he really talks about with any kind of enthusiasm are Ajin and his FK cigarettes. 

His fascination with Ajin could be, in part, a way to cope with his grief. Ajin defy death and the human spirit seems to play a large role in how they function. IBMs are invisible but can be seen if a strong emotion is present. Floods of IBMs are triggered by death along with an accompanying strong emotion. He states outright that life is meaningless, but his obsession with Ajin seems to come from a part of himself that doesn’t want to believe that.

Whether or not what Ogura says is true or not, it’s undoubtedly true that Ajin are inextricably linked with their own humanity. This is where Sakurai arrives at with the question of a demi-human’s humanity.

This ended up being wayyyy longer then intended but thoughts kept coming and coming. Hope I didn’t go off on too much of a tangent here. I will make another part with Kai, Tanaka and talk briefly about gore before and after volume 2. 

I think Miura is really good with coming up with concepts, but I think, personally, I’m glad that Sakurai was able to take those ideas and make them into what we have today.

[littlebabycrybtch]

tbh... we have absolutely FAILED ppl with ea/ting disor.ders so fucking unimaginably bad, especially the visibly underweight ones. and we are still failing them to this day by avoiding valuable education out of discomfort and demonization. its genuinely appalling sometimes, to see just how Dangerously ignorant ppl are about this shit. bros listen 2 me rn. you are not a doctor, and you are Not going cure an ed with your almost laughably ignorant and malicious ‘reverse psychology’ bit where you call someone an ugly skeleton knocking on deaths door whos body needs to be banned from instagram forever, because you’re just ‘so scared theyre gonna die’ or w/e so you can legit pretend they dont exist, holy fucking Shit dude. that shame-and-shun tactic is so unbelievably dangerous. like, if you knew Anything REAL abt these disorders or frankly any mental health issues and cared enough to apply that then you would understand how thats just... pure cruelty. im sorry to be blunt but yeah this isnt a joke, it needs to be said that you are easily going to KILL SOMEONE with that kind of unfiltered uneducated IGNORANCE. it is inexcusably selfish, harmful, and ableist behavior, we have to stop this already.

imo there’s a Lot to be said about the toxicity spiral thats become the pro recovery movement and how much it rejects and speaks over the people its Supposed to support, becoming more about ‘anti symptoms’ than pro anything, but if you are gonna understand Anything new today at least learn this;;; hating yourself at unhealthy is Never ever going to be the key to loving yourself at healthy. being ashamed of yourself FOR being unhealthy, will NOT make you healthier, it’ll make you worse every time. im not tryna be mean but honestly how the actual FUCK do yalls brains work, it is SO wildly damaging to let yourself perpetuate this type of mindset, and then still claim pro recovery or w/e like recovery doesnt have to start at unhealthy??? like itll just happen overnight??? like that’ll help??? like if ppl catch you displaying symptoms of the disorder you LITERALLY HAVE, you arent allowed to talk abt it in any form without intense open negativity towards it and yourself, so ppl know ur definitely totally against it tho and not enabling urself, bc if you dont talk abt ur shame and embarrassment for it that means you arent recovering and need a mob after you??? thats how you think people are gonna get better????

ffs dont try to viciously shame yourself out of bad habits and treat your disorders like taboo, respect and love yourself wholly, the good and the bad, if you want to form better habits!!! ppl NEED to be encouraged to love themselves at unhealthy if they ever want to improve. you are not going to accidentally make them worse by not constantly shaming all their ‘flaws’, they are not MADE of ‘flaws’. by showing support for the mentally ill, you are not fucking supporting their ‘symptoms’, you are a supporting THE FUCKING PERSON EXPERIENCING THEM. and you DESPERATELY NEED TO DO THAT!! there is MORE TO THEM than their symptoms! there are things to COMPLIMENT them on besides their body! its gotten to this point that like. ppl are actually Afraid of just being nice to ppl with eds. they dont even wanna treat them like Humans outside of their disorder, all they see is a disorder. everyone is just SO afraid of ‘enabling’ them by not being vocally against their symptoms that they avoid them like the plague and dont even try to build them up, which is what they fucking need more than anything dude!! 

ppl think refusing to ever let an underweight person feel pretty or love their body where they are at is what they need and will force them to recover, or they think giving them goals like ‘you’ll be so much happier with a bigger body’ and ‘keep going one day you wont look so sick’ is at all different than their own internal dialogue, when the Truth (that people need to fucking know by now!), is that shame with mental health is incredibly dangerous, eds are diverse but theyre most often rooted in starvation as a form of self harm from an unwavering self hatred and feeling of failure or lack of control, one they already have deeply ingrained and will usually feel at Any Size, which is why so many feel unsatisfied and keep going and going till they die. the answer to this problem isnt gonna be inflicting more fucking self hate or pressure. thats gasoline on a fire. you cannot just try and. UNO REVERSE CARD THE ~RULES~ OF THEIR FUCKING MENTAL DISORDER and expect RECOVERY... oh my god dude, please, id laugh out loud if this wasnt so malicious.

listen, if you wanna help, like actually Care about Helping the way you claim the root of your attitude is, you need to make that person feel like they can love themselves, not try to make them ‘realize’ how ‘bad’ they are and how uncomfortable and scared they make you and how Not Allowed their behavior is, bc 1. body dysmorphia is a delusion,,, denial is a common association with addictive/self destructive behaviors,,,, you are going about it wrong if thats the first thing you try to accomplish, and 2. whether you like it or not ‘bad’ is gonna be your first checkpoint! who would be motivated to get better when all you’re doing is giving them an already failing grade and pushing them back??? 

you’re all just... so paralyzed by ignorant fear every time you interact with someone with an ed bc you are so fucking detached from it as a concept, but you wont LEARN how to BEHAVE AROUND THESE PPL! LIKE! and then you claim you act this way ‘because you care'. ok then why do you feel like you dont have to listen or learn??? why dont you see these tactics as needlessly cruel when its explained??? bc oh you cant ‘’’’’trust’’’’ ppl with eds to tell You how to help Them, right??? they’re probably lying, you know better than them ofc. smhhh, every other mental illness community gets to speak for themselves to the ppl without their experiences and therefore the ability to hurt them, sure, but not the sneaky ed people, they created pr.0/a.na/, (the ONLY existing space for encouraging mentally ill ppl in self destructive behaviors, obviously), so they dont know what they need, they have to be Told by Normal people bc their irrational brains are Just Too Broken. (/s)............ like.............?? it is Sooo fuckin prejudiced and disgusting tbh. we gotta do better than this. 

eds are almost completely left out of communities for mental health these days. its seriously so disappointing. if you ACTUALLY ‘care’, then ok you need to swallow your pride and do better, you need to Listen and not let your personal discomforts (genuine triggers excluded!) with their appearance or behaviors get in the way of how humanized and committed your decent treatment of their disorder is. tbr, sometimes you arent just ‘concerned’ about a person, sometimes how you go about your feelings is rooted in your inner urge to validate your own discomforts with them, which means it might end up more about you than about them, which hurts them. i mean for the love of god, these ppl are not ‘irresponsible’ for existing around others with their ~unhealthy bodies~, they are not a walking trigger and cant be treated like one, they arent contagious, they will not benefit mentally from hearing you say you think they should be physically banned from posting selfies or w/e, that isolation WONT prevent eds from ~~~spreading~~~ and will severely harm the person in question, you are not making a heroic decision to try and bully them away to ‘save’ others from ever being around them or save them from being around an “enabling” (supportive recovery/not shameful) community. you are not ‘fixing’ them by making them hate their underweight bodies. you’re LITERALLY just ignorant and prejudiced and ableist, your ideas are actually Very harmful, you are not a savior, you are making it worse, plain and simple. Please just start doing better already, its kind of a life or death situation here

[spookyrobbins]

late night of rewatching scenes and thinking about arizona but:

I can't shake the feeling that all the time the show is trying to prove how Arizona is wrongTM about not wanting to do certain stuff when, in reality, she has a totally valid point, they just picture her as uninterested or selfish about it.

Like the moment when she says she doesn't want to date newborns and it turns into Callie feeling bad, but also, it's true that it can be stressing, coming out is a whole thing and if she wasn't up for it she can just not want to do it. From then it gets worst, to the "Mark stares at my boobs" episode to the whole speech Callie gives her and Arizona having to tell her "I'm not broken". Or her wanting to see Sofia after she cheated, they act as if she wasn't her mother ever. Or during the therapy when she says "it wasn't how I wanted it" and it turns into "she didn't want Sofia AT ALL" when Callie also never planned to get pregnant, she most likely didn't want it to happen that way either. Even with the custody trial it feels like they're trying to push the narrative of Arizona being selfish, when she doesn't want to give up a day with Sofia or reschedule after she had to schedule everything again.

-🐝anon

100% - arizona is pretty much always the bad guy/wrong/always in a negative light. i think part of this is bc we see everything from callie's pov always with almost zero exceptions

let's just run through some of the things though and why it's bullshit

newborn thing: you're totally right, coming out can be a big deal and a heavy burden on a partner; we also don't know pretty much anything about arizona's dating history - there was a girl named joanne, the various girls at the hospital, and a girl named carly that arizona was so devastated by the break-up that nick had to fly from japan to comfort her - that's it; sure, arizona made a snap judgement, but I think it's unfair to really go after her for it (and to her credit, she was incredibly supportive of callie through all of the drama with her family)

the baby argument: arizona was just blatantly portrayed as the bad guy here - which is sort of shocking considering how pro-child free the show has been at points; I think she laid out valid reasons why she didn't want children and she also works a job that frequently puts her in a position to watch families go through the worst time of their lives; and then when callie comes in and is just like, oh, it's because of your brother, it's portrayed as callie 'winning' as if using a major trauma against arizona is a good call; callie (and mark to an extent) go out of their way to push the conversation at inopportune times; it's valid for arizona not want to want kids ever or at that moment in time, and callie vilifies her for it; i'd say that arizona made the right call in breaking up - at that moment in time, they weren't compatible

mark and the boobs argument: I've talked about this a few times before, but I have to say, I side heavily with arizona in a lot of the mark-callie-arizona debates, just as a precursor; arizona was uncomfortable with mark pretty much from the start and there was never a point where callie was like yeah, sure, I understand (which is ironic considering the issue of george's friendship with izzie and Meredith); callie acts like arizona is being ridiculous that she's not delighted by mark, when mark is being incredibly intrusive on their relationship (I mean, i'd be totally frustrated if my gf's bff kept planning dinners and walking in on us); but arizona is the bad guy bc she doesn't love mark

africa (you didn't mention it but I think it's important): arizona won an amazing grant and had the opportunity of a lifetime, but it was seen as like inherently negative bc callie didn't want to go; callie wasn't thrilled about Africa, but she was willing to try for arizona until webber and sloan got in her ear and exacerbated her doubts; similar to the baby breakup, arizona probably made the right call (just had crap timing - should've done it earlier); we only saw callie and how she dealt with it - which from an audience standpoint makes callie more sympathetic; they could've done a million different things to write arizona out for a few episodes and they chose to do something that tries to make her the asshole

after the cheating: obviously, arizona sucks, she cheated and that is inexcusable (which again, weird writing choice from a character standpoint); but sofia was still her kid and callie was cruel; callie was hurting horribly so it's understandable; but it's sort of heartbreaking how everyone acted like arizona had no right to see sofia

therapy and sofia: it's sooo frustrating just across the board; bc of course they both love sofia, but that isn't how they were supposed to have kids; arizona came back from Africa to have a family, a future with callie and callie was pregnant and what was arizona supposed to do?; did callie really want a baby with mark? (jury's out on that one tbh); all arizona was trying to say was that she changed a lot in her plans, in her life for callie because she loves her - she wasn't an asshole for what she said, but callie couldn't listen

custody battle: i'd say this is the first point that callie's actually portrayed in a negative light; but even then, arizona is still sort of the bad guy - she's the one who wouldn't let callie go to nyc, she's the one who called a lawyer; and then after the custody battle, arizona is the ridiculous one who won't let callie see sofia; but callie was the one who started everything, callie was the one who behaved horribly at the custody battle, so it's bizarre that arizona is still portrayed negatively

okay i realize this is very long winded, but i have a lot of thoughts on this. arizona was pretty much always, and at times, the bad guy in their relationship. which minimizes her own positive qualities and reduces callie's agency as well

[wcstlcys]

PENN BADGLEY. THIRTY. CISMALE. HE/HIM. ) in texas, WESTLEY THORN is known to most as WEST. they have been riding with the REAPERS for TEN YEARS. they originally from STRATFORD and the ENFORCER is known to be very RECKLESS & VINDICTIVE but the other club members will tell you they are DEVOTED & ECCENTRIC. as the years go by, they’ve gained a lot of respect in the club and around town. they rarely ever drive a car but when they do KILL OR BE KILLED BY NEW YEARS DAY is usually heard blasting. ( A CRUEL AND CROOKED SMILE, BLOODIED KNUCKLES THAT NEVER HEAL, AN UNDYING LONELINESS. ) [ JUNE. 23. GMT+2. SHE/HER. ]

[ VIOLENCE, ABANDONMENT, CRIME, DRUGS && DOUCHEBAGGARY TW ]

basics.

* mostly goes by west, sometimes wes if you’re cute

* biromantic / bisexual

*  undying loyatly to the reapers 

*  currently the enforcer && will die for any of the members 

*  enjoys violence a little too much

*  mostly lives at the clubhouse but owns a shitty apartment that needs to be burned down 

*  incredibly reckless && does not value his life

* will only ever ride his bike, will not ever drive a car && will only be a passenger in one

*  substance abuse ??? possibly 

*   has violent felonies on his criminal record && will do it again

*   loyal to a very dangerous fault  

*   here for a good time not a long time 

about.

✘ abandonment issues would be the primary source when analyzing westley. the typical and tragic tale of a boy who seemed to be strangers with his own blood. his parents, far too focused on their own careers, never seemed to be around. while they provided him with the basic necessities, he was always alone. secluded in his own home left him feeling trapped, seeking attention on his own in all the worst ways.

✘ he didn’t care what it was or how he got it, he needed – no, desperately craved attention from others. most of the time, fist fights seemed to suffice. the adrenaline rush would satisfy him for a short moment, however it always quickly died out.

✘ if it wasn’t fighting, it was crawling his way into others beds, trying to fake some sort of love and affection without ever fully committing himself to anyone. he was selfish, incredibly so, he wanted to be loved and adored only to kick them out the next morning.

✘ somewhere down the line, when he barley managed to graduate high-school, he came into contact with a member of the reapers ( possible connection ). while he always knew of their existence, and in fact envied their group, he never knew anyone from that scene – but as soon as the connection was made joining the reapers easily became his new obsession. he was a simple hang around for the longest time, slowly building up relationships where he could, he moved onto prospect before finally becoming patched in by age twenty.

✘ the reapers was everything he wanted, the family he always longed for with seemingly the same interests and lifestyle that he had grown accustomed to. with this new found family a new sense of loyalty seemed to develop, in fact his loyalty and devotion to the club was undying. he would do anything, no questions asked.

✘ as the years went by, so did west move up in ranks. it was never intentional, he didn’t particularly strive for anything, he just went where he was needed. he moved up from rider to solider, and eventually up to enforcer. west is the type to shoot first and ask questions later. if someone was pointed out to him he would throw the first punch, never needing to know the reason why. he loves his club, scarily so.

✘ while his loyalty is his strong suit, it is also his downfall. west does not know how to let go of a grudge. once you wrong him, or someone he cares for, that’s it. he will find any reason to fuel his grudge, any small detail to validate any sort of vengeance. he cannot forgive and he cannot forget, west is simply not wired that way.

✘ west has the tendency to be incredibly reckless, he will simply do things purely for the thrill of it all. he rarely thinks things through and will act on impulse.

✘ westley tends to sleep around a lot, many of them never becoming anything more. he tells himself he’s fine with that, but in reality he wants something more. he wants genuine love but he can’t seem to allow himself to feel that way about someone else. that’s what he tells himself at least. while he’s had serious relationships, many of them tend to end up in flames. wes cannot hold down a healthy relationship and tends to develop rather toxic behavior and habits. he easily becomes obsessive and paranoid that ruins everything. ( fun fact he’s very much bisexual )

[ CONNECTIONS ]

✘ LOYALTY -- ok so applies to everyone in the club so come and love me bUT also potentially ppl outside of the club too k thnks let him die for u thanks

✘ FIRST LOVE && HEARTBREAK [  open idk  ] – i imagine wes, somehow, fell seriously in love with someone. however, the odds were not in his favour. whether the love was unrequited, or for some reason or the other the two could not be together or their relationship did not last long – west was left devastated. this completely wrecked him and he cannot find it in himself to fully forgive this person (whether or not they actually hurt him is besides the point). he holds a lot of ill feelings towards this person, despite deep down still  having feelings for them. i wanna leave this one open so that we can plot it out !! since he’s bisexual im fine with whomever for this plot tbh

✘ HOOKUPS / GROUPIES [  OPEN  ] – west is a hoe, he has needs, he likes to sleep around && most importantly he needs attention. behind closed doors he will be the most affectionate and loving he can be, but your ass is out of his room come morning. minus a few exceptions here and there

✘ PAST RELATIONSHIPS / EXES  [  OPEN  ] – he has tried many times at relationships and has failed nearly every time. some have ended on good terms, others on bad. again leaving these ones open for plotting!

✘ BEST FRIENDS / RIDE OR DIE  [  OPEN  ] – somehow, west has managed to become genuine friends with someone, someone who can actually stand him for long periods of time. i imagine a lot of his ride or dies to be of course fellow reapers, but i can imagine some civilians as well !!

✘ ENEMIES  [  OPEN  ] – oh, this is a given. he has pissed off a lot of people, and i imagine there is a good amount of people he holds a grudge against. especially from the rival groups this would fit lmao also rival club lets go 

✘ PAST FRIENDS  [  OPEN  ] – before he joined the reapers i imagine he must of left a few people behind in order to pursue his new life.

IM REALLY TIRED AND THIS IS ALL I CAN THINK OF AT THIS TIME BUT PLS !! I AM HERE FOR ALL THE PLOTS OK BYE XXX

[tempestaurora]

endgame opinions

spoilers under the cut. i’ve opened my dms so feel free to come and scream/yell/cry/whatever with me. this turned out really long because i start speculating half way through as well as talking about opinions.

let’s start with harley keener, my son, who was literally only in the movie for a second, at the fucking funeral. are you kidding me. and a lot of people don’t know what ty simpkins looks like now?? so even my friend didn’t know who he was until i started physically vibrating in my seat

HOWEVER, he and peter are in the same location, which totally opens up a plausible reason for them to know each other, become best friends/brothers/roommates at MIT

it’s sad that it was just him standing alone though, like no one stood with him, like his mother or anyone. that’s sad.

i wrote a harley keener infinity war fic so like,, feel free to read that to get the harley keener endgame feelings we DESERVE

aNYWAY, good film

i enjoyed it a lot for the most part, like i have so few complaints its unreal

it’s a genuinely funny film that didn’t feel like it was shoehorning in comedic relief, but like the movie was SUPPOSED to be lighter and funnier and drama was happening in between

i didn’t care for the ending in the slightest fuck that

i’m pissed about being lied to by the directors about a canon gay character. they sat up there on their high horses, congratulating themselves for a job well done for diversity, when it was just a fucking extra with no name, referring to a male partner twice. that’s it. you’re fucking kidding me if you think that’s diversity, if the russos truly think that was worth getting our hopes up for.

you know who could’ve been confirmed lgbt? valkyrie. steve. bucky. tony. (and no, tony appreciating steve’s ass doesn’t confirm our bi father, son and holy spirit on screen, unfortunately.)

that’s a fucking joke, russos. i hope they’re fucking ashamed of that.

(i really was watching that final bucky/steve scene and hoping for some hint of, it was always you, you know and got fucking nothing. i barely even ship stucky and i know that it should’ve been them)

the clint/natasha fight on vormir was the best scene, hands down. there’s no competition here. it was the best moment of the film, and despite my annoyance at the russos seeing that the audience didn’t appreciate gamora dying to further a man’s arc, and then fucking doing it again, i really did like that scene

i figured nat was gonna die but i didn’t think i’d actually be sad about it

as soon as they said they were going to vormir i knew the fight would happen and it lived up to every expectation and some

the barton home cold open was fantastic

why the ever loving FUCK was carol danvers so forcefully advertised to us?????? why were we told over and over and over that carol was gonna kill thanos, that she was gonna save the day, that the avengers literally had zero chance without her????? she had four minutes of screentime what the fuck

i appreciate her and peter’s interaction though that was cute and he was wrecked

the peter/tony reunion was cute af, glad they finally got their hug

also, i always wanted peter to call him tony but like that???? nah

side note, don’t remember in the slightest what rhodey and peter said as tony died because i was sitting there going, he’s not actually gonna die, obviously, that’s not gonna happen, they’re gonna make us think he will and then he’ll come back so i missed both their goodbyes

i know it was a 3 hour film but there was space for... more. there should’ve been more. where was rocket and groot’s reunion? where was bucky and steve’s?

where did valkyrie get a fucking pegasus from

bruce and hulk’s new system is hilarious but the fact that he dabbed pains me

bruce wielding the gauntlet was so incredibly left field i loved it, like no one guessed that he’d be the one to bring everyone back. no one

scott did great

i’m not sure if i can settle myself with this five year time jump for a whole host of reasons

1. do we have, officially, a new cassie lang actress? is our iconic abby ryder fortson leaving us for an older actress???

2. far from home takes place, supposedly, a week after endgame. it was one of the reasons i believed tony wouldn’t die, because it seems like a wholly upbeat film - and y’all saw his face at the funeral, he was fucking gone - and it’s even been confirmed to be lighter and funnier, so there better be some fucking low blow that takes peter out on the tony front (but did the writers/directors even know tony had died when they made the film? will it be ignored altogether?) back to the main point:

2a. it’s around the year 2023 and as soon as the entire world comes back, there’s a two week field trip to europe that peter and all his classmates have somehow paid for, signed permission slips for, and arranged, despite the fact that they’ve all been dead for five years. and i mean all. literally the entire main cast of spiderman is still in peter’s class, they haven’t grown up and moved on. the entire fucking cast got dusted.

3. we didn’t really get to see tony and steve make up??? they kinda just brushed over everything

i almost cried seeing ned leeds and peter reunite

okay now the biggies:

i’m Not Okay with tony stark dying

i’m not

it’s not just that he’s my favourite character and i care about him above all others, it’s that his entire arc has been about first, accountability, and second, leaving the fight. yes, it’s also got a lot of heart motifs and mentions of sacrifice too. i understand that. but tony has been wrestling with his father’s legacy and the kind of father he’ll be since day one.

he deserved his happy ending.

not just five years. not just a daughter who will know OF him but not know him, who’ll forget the short time of memories she has in due course. he deserved to grow old with his daughter and his wife and the kid whose photo he placed on the shelf in the kitchen, where he could see it every day.

he does deserve rest. but he deserves the kind of rest where he’s alive.

i have said before that if tony stark dies, i stop watching the mcu, and tbh, might actually go through with it. i don’t know if i really want to watch the films, knowing he’s gone? (and that they could’ve used either the time stone, or, you know, their time travel machine, to go two weeks back, grab that tony and bring him into the present. say, hey, you died, but now you can keep living.)

and steve.

oh steve.

i love steve rogers, i do. i absolutely adore steve rogers. but i’m about the same level of angry about his ending as i am about tony’s.

and honestly? it’s only because it’s not him. it’s not the him we know. my friend said that cap went and settled down because he’d finally learnt the lesson tony had been teaching; that maybe there is a reason to set down the shield and live a quiet, good life. but i don’t like it. it opens time anomalies, inconsistencies. it doesn’t feel like him.

since cap came into the 21st century, his story line has had a motif of moving on. about getting with the times, learning new music, new references, finding old friends and having to decide whether he should hold onto them and risk what he has now, or let them go. he’s been staring at a photo of peggy carter since 2011, he made peace with her life when he visited her in hospital, he let her go when she died. he watched her, through her office window, be director of shield, knowing she was about to have a life that she loved. she has children, a family. 

it doesn’t feel like the steve rogers i know to take that away from her

but at the same time, i understand that sometimes, he should get to be a little selfish. he was selfish when it came to protecting bucky over all else, and it ended with mixed results.

i loved the final scene, of he and peggy dancing and kissing, but i think i would’ve loved that scene just as much, if not more, if it had happened in the afterlife. with an about time from peggy.

on the same subject: bucky and sam.

i’m super happy with sam being the next captain america (does this mean we’ve been lied to about the whole falcon and winter soldier tv show? is it actually a captain america and winter soldier show?)

i think bucky knew what steve’s plans were, though it would’ve been nice to have some on-screen confirmation. i think that’s why he seemed relieved that steve was sitting on the bench; he knew what steve was going to do and was glad he’d lived long enough to pass the torch once and for all

HOWEVER, the time anomalies i mentioned:

peggy carter’s established timeline is broken

does sharon carter exist? if yes, does this timeline’s steve rogers still make out with her

if steve goes into the past, the steve that he already was and his whole existence in the 21st century will still happen. that means he’ll look for peggy. that means he’ll find her. with him. in the future/present. steve is therefore made aware of the future - would that then effect how he acts with civil war/infinity war etc? would that then erase the events that happened, limiting steve from going back?

does he tell anyone that hydra is in shield

does he get bucky the fuck out of hydra or does he let his best friend be tortured for 70 years

i think bucky should’ve been a part of the sam/captain america torch conversation. if only because steve’s narrative has focused around bucky since 2011 and it ends with a don’t do anything stupid while i’m gone / you’re taking all the stupid with you - that’s not a satisfactory ending lads

much of me thinks steve and tony’s outcomes should’ve been switched. tony wants a quiet life, steve has said many times that he can’t imagine giving up the fight, living as a civilian in obscurity. i think it’s a cruel way to end it.

plus steve is ALWAYS the one making speeches about sacrifice, but he’s never the one to actually make the sacrifice. it’s always tony.

i’m happy for steve, i am.

i think i’d just be happier if morgan could grow up with her father and if pepper wasn’t a single parent and peter didn’t have to navigate the rest of his life - super powered and not - alone

side note, far from home taking place a week after endgame: nick fury wasted no fucking time jumping on spiderman. like, tony absolutely protected him from fury before infinity war, and the dude’s barely buried and fury’s making his move on peter - not cool

anyway, i genuinely did enjoy the film. i find it incredibly difficult to believe this was shot immediately after infinity war because the tone is so different, and i was remembering all those photos we had from reshoots and realised none of those scenes made it in the final cut. 

it was a good film. probably the most emotionally mature of the mcu. not my favourite. i’m angry about the ending. nebula should’ve killed thanos at least once. cool that gamora’s back. sad about nat. devastated about tony. happy for steve on the surface, until i spend 2 seconds looking deeper. loki’s probably alive because the timeline changed and they replaced the tesseract in 1970, not 2012, so officially, loki never goes to asgard jail anymore

but for real: how does steve replace the tesseract in the past when it’s now the space stone? how does he get that past anyone at all?

edit: I SOMEHOW forgot about rescue, the moment i’ve been waiting for for a decade

i love her, i love the suit, i love the pepper was incredibly badass with it with zero hesitation. i wish someone had said the name rescue like i wish someone had said captain marvel - but no dice. it’s such a rad suit and seeing her and tony fight side by side was so cool

edit 2 bc im a dumbass: CLINT MY ARROW BOY I LOVE YOU, YOU GOT ALL THE SCREENTIME U FUCKIN DESERVED

[ladylilithium]

Hans’ possible Redemption Arc PART 1: Deconstructing Hans' character

Hey, guys! So this is my first post analysis, meta, observation, whatever you wanna call it, so if it’s seems incomplete or lacks of depth please add your opinions as well! Also English is not my first language but argentine Spanish, papá, so don’t judge me plz. I don’t want to encounter with any anti or hater, and if you have the necessity to speak your mind anyways, do it but in a cordial way.

I’m going to divide this post in 3 parts I think, since is very long, and I have a lot to say for my favorite Jerk redhead Prince 😆

Ok, let’s start, shall we?

_________________________________________

1) Is he really a sociopath?

You know, this is something that upsets me quite a bit. The fact that you can just say “Oh well, he’s a sociopath so he’s manipulative and lacks of empathy” is something that annoys me a little, or at the very least, disappoints me. TBH, you don’t need to be a sociopath (a psychological and mental condition) to be manipulative, apathetic or cruel. I’m trying not to rationalize his actions in Frozen, because he still was wrong by harming two innocent women, but by saying that he’s a sociopath it makes his character a little more… shallow? Simpler? My point is, that a shitty toxic person can be anyone, and it simplifies the complexity that they brought on the table on the first place.

But the questions still remains, is he truly a sociopath?

Is tricky, since we know nothing except that his family is shit, and that he is a chameleon, a mirror to other people. By the end of the movie, and by the interviews that Jennifer Lee gave to us, it seems to me that he does have sociopathic traits, but he is not a sociopath per se. Hans can be a sociopath, as much as he could be not, if it’s given a proper character in-depth and backstory.

I think that by calling Hans a sociopath is an easy way to make the GA and the Frozen Fandom to disconnect with him since statistically we have normal-functioning brain, and because people with ASPD diagnose have a negative -though justified most of the time- stigma surrounding them.

2) Grey Morality: The line between good and bad, where we all fall.

“All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day.”  ― Alan Moore, Batman: The Killing Joke.

As I said before, I like the idea of a morally questionable prince. A more grounded, realistic, game of throne-like character as Hans is. What I don’t like, is the seemingly automatic white to black view that we have for Hans,  while at the same time, we have one of our protagonist letting almost die a whole kingdom, and her sister,  to escape her duties and crippling fears –unintentionally, but still-.  An empath or normal person can commit crime or bad things given in extremes situations of distress, anger, etc. And we see that with our own eyes in Elsa. She almost gets tempted to kill two men, you can see the fury in her eyes, in her face. 

It is self defense, yes. But regardless of that, her people knew nothing about her powers and they just knew that she cursed them and ran away. No matter how morally wrong Hans was by trying to kill Elsa, or letting Anna die, he also helped her. He helped them both.

If she indeed killed those men here, I don’t think anyone whould’ve ever trusted her. Not even her own men, whom remember, they witnessed her actions and they were attacked too. 

A normal person lies. A normal person manipulates. Heck, we even can choose to not feel empathy if it is inconvenient for ourselves.  How many times did you pretend to feel empathy for someone just to make them feel comfortable? How many times did you see a homeless person asking for a money and you just walked away?

Again, I’m not trying to normalize these negative traits, but to be sincere about it. And is something that makes us very complex as human beings, we are true neutrals, and we can be good or bad, depending of the actions taken at certain moments, and how it impacts to others.

Yes, some people are irredeemable monsters, but I don’t think that’s Hans’ case. And so he does have redeemable qualities as well, even if it might be for personal gain, or perhaps some of his actions were genuine, we don’t know for sure. 

When did we not see an ambiguous morality in Frozen? Or when did we not see ambiguous morality in some Disney characters, in general? Is hard to find, but we do certainly have our morally wrong characters redeemed. Here are a few: 

- Abused both physically and psychologically Cinderella. CURRENT STATE: Redeemed.

-Imprisoned Belle. -Verbally violent towards his subjects and Belle. -Almost harms physically Belle. CURRENT STATE: Redeemed.

-Killed a bear out of vengeance. -Let motherless a bear cub, that after he would befriend. CURRENT STATE: Redeemed.

-Almost kill a bear out of vengeance too. On top of that, was his own brother (though he didn’t know). CURRENT STATE: Redeemed.

-Tried to kill Simba and take his pride. -(invoked) Forced mating with Kiara. -Almost attacks Simba. CURRENT STATE: Redeemed.

-Tried to kill Simba. -Attacked the lionesses of his pride. CURRENT STATE: Redeemed.

-He was an asshole to everyone. -He ordered a guard to throw an old man through a window (still lol). -He tried to let homeless a whole village for his selfish desires. -He betrayed Pacha’s trust. -He let Pacha on his own fate (probably to die). CURRENT STATE: Redeemed. 

-Along with Syndrome, she plotted the death of many superheros, including Mr. Incredible. -Almost kill Mr. Incredible. -She almost kill a whole family, including the children.  CURRENT STATE: Redeemed.

-He tried to kill Elsa, and let Anna die alone for personal gain. -Deceived Anna, Elsa and everyone else. -Plotted the death of Elsa at some point in the movie (unclear when exactly). -Degraded verbaly Anna. -He tried to break Elsa’s heart to make her give up her life. Redeemable Qualities: -He took care of Arendelle while Elsa and Anna were gone (though, it still can be interpreted as gaining popularity). -He went off to look out for Anna. -He ordered the Arendelle guards and the Merchant’s not to harm Elsa. -He calmed Elsa’s rage, avoiding her to kill. -He tried to reason with her.

Elsa is shown that suffers of guilt and insecurities, yet throughout the majority of the movie, she still rejects Anna and her responsibilities as Queen. Even to a point where she witnesses hurting Anna with her magic,

 yet she just casts her away from her Ice Castle. Or after the misery that she caused -and she’s visibly hurt by that- she’s still thinking of running away, instead of trying to change things. Hans pleaded her to stop the winter and bring back summer, but she said that she couldn’t.

My goal here is not victim-blaming. I’m not blaming Elsa for her insecurities or self-defense actions. But her character at the end of the film, has a lazy realization, and for me, an unsatisfactory conclusion in terms of story-telling, because we never she her develop for herself, or working hard to balance her bad actions throughout the end of the movie, but anyway.

I’m not trying to rationalize morally questionable/wrong actions either. A good action doesn’t cancel the bad one, but my main interest is to analyze the human psyche, character growth and development.

3) Love and Fear: a constant subject in Frozen, and a constant subject for a “Prince”.

So cut through the heart, cold and clear Strike for love and strike for fear See the beauty, sharp and sheer Split the ice apart, and break the frozen heart.

—Disney’s Frozen “Heart”

DID HANS ACT ONLY OUT OF COLD AMBITION, OR HE WAS ALSO AFRAID?

For what we know from A Frozen Heart, interviews and extra information, is that Hans is abused so much by his brothers, that he just accepted their behavior and doesn’t fight back, is something normal for him. Nor he tries to improve his relationship with them. His relationship with his father is also painfully cold and toxic, and their dynamics are comparable to Zuko and Ozai, Tyrion and Tywin, or Theon and Balon. Hans seems to have an inferiority-superiority complex, and so, his pride is fragile and as well (just as previous Zuko, Theon and Tyrion).

But how? He’s very charming, and his body language never shows signals of insecurity (though that’s debatable). Or when he confesses his true intentions to Anna he has a sexy smug smile in his face, and his voice is soft and low, cruel and never trembling. How is that I believe that he was afraid or scared? Well, the movie itself states that he does have a terrible relationship with his brothers, the novelizations extends this to his father. 

So by knowing this, a person copes with the pain and abuse in different ways: Elsa’s fear is hurting her loved ones, so she forced herself to an emotional -and literal- isolation towards them, specially with Anna. In Hans’ case, his fears are being trapped forever in his “home”, and being rejected by his father. So his way to acclimatizing himself in such negative environment, is to avoid his true feelings and morality. Avoiding his true identity, in essence. Thus, becoming into the Mirror Hans (more on that later), allowing him to become the very thing that he actively tried to avoid for years.

I think that here’s the point where he started to panic; where the fear of going back to his depressive life, and the taste of power that Anna gave him when she left him in charge, took him over completely, forcing himself to toss apart any bit of  true morality and compassion that he had for Anna and Elsa. Where his mind started to realize that executing Elsa was the only way to bring things back to normal. 

But is also the fact that Anna dissapeared, and Elsa was the only rightful heir to Arendelle, so his conflict was “What do I do? What’s next?” If Hans decided at the moment to execute her, and Anna was dissapeared, he wouldn’t get to be King of Arendelle, and he would back to his hell home. His conflict is both emotional and materialistic, and fear started to get under his skin too. Some might argue that he’s just reflecting Elsa’s emotions, which is valid, but keep in mind his goals, his backstory; try to read him beyond what the movie told you. Link the dots to picture his mind. 

Some other might point out this scene.

[SIDENOTE: To me, it seems like another atempt to make us dislike him more. In my eyes, is like that the creators tried to manipulate us to hate him, but anyway don’t mind my defensiveness towards him LOL. He’s a terrible person Angie! Stop it, goddamit!]

It interpreted this part as Hans joy of finally seeing the chance of escaping his prisonic home, dehumanizing Elsa completly. WHICH IS BAD regardless. Is he a sadist? The book implies that he takes pleasure in feeling physical pain, but he does not take pleasure on harming others. 

So to me, is a smile of almost getting to win a big bad in a videogame, or well... that’s the type of face when I’m about to eat a pizza so, IDK :v 🤷‍♀️

THE MACHIAVELLIAN KING VS THE MACHIAVELLIAN PRINCE: The Lion and the Fox.

One of the reasons that Hans didn’t fit his family -besides being the smaller and weaker member of them-, is that his morale and philosophy clashed with the imposing, hard power that his father values. Being flexible and benevolent to the common people is a sign of weakness for Hans’ father and brothers. The king sees himself and his other sons as strong and powerful as lions, and he compares Hans to a mouse because he doesn’t fight back, nor shares his value of hard power. The King’s philosophy is kinda like Darwinism with Machiavellian shades. So in one side, we have the cruel side of the Machiavellian philosophy, the one that values fear over love:

“From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. It might perhaps be answered that we should wish to be both: but since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.”

“One can say this in general of men: they are ungrateful, disloyal, insincere and deceitful, timid of danger and avid of profit...Love is a bond of obligation that these miserable creatures break whenever it suits them to do so; but fear holds them fast by a dread of punishment that never passes.”

But in Hans’ side, he believes (or puts in practice, at least) that appearances and benevolent acts are better way to influence people, to gain more popularity. This is the softer side of power, the more deceitful and diplomatic Machiavellian route:

“Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.”

“Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.”

“Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them. And I shall dare to say this also, that to have them and always to observe them is injurious, and that to appear to have them is useful; to appear merciful, faithful, humane, religious, upright, and to be so, but with a mind so framed that should you require not to be so, you may be able and know how to change to the opposite.”

So we see the two opposing sides of the Machiavellian philosophy, one relies on hard power, and the other in subtle power. In essence, Hans’ father rejects the soft power because of his imposing pride and ego. But both characters share the same Machiavellian influence in their beliefs, the only difference is that Hans takes no joy in being cruel and tyrannical, thus preferring the softer, more subtle side of power. 

Yet at the end of the day, he embraces the cruelty, and fails to become the hero he expected to become, and by the time he realizes his mistakes and regains his morality, is too late.

What I’d like to see in Hans’ Redemption Arc, is a discussion between the characters (mainly Hans and Elsa) about this matter. An intellectual battle, and him realizing that his father was wrong. Not so in-your-face, because I can see people getting bored over political philosophy, but in a metaphorical way. And Hans coming in terms that deceitfulness and fear, aren’t the only way to gain trust, but love and true friendship as well. 

He can be a fox, and a lion too.

“The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.”

― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

Part 2 Here

[noquirk-a]

ok anyway as i mentioned ... heres me talkin about deck’s relationships with other muses/charas bc im one big dickhead who never shuts up XD

   i’ll ... talk abt the most obvious one first. katsuki. specifically turtle’s katsuki bc i believe his is what i’ve talked with the most. it’s clear and obvious that deck despises him to the point he has a death wish against him, and most likely an EXTREMELY unhealthy obsession with him. but like, the obsession to do anything to put him down ... not even put him down like ‘ kill him ‘ but. at least crush his dreams. if anything, deck would rather cut off his hands or make him lose his quirk entirely just so he could feel what was it like to be it’s shoes. he wants ... to be above him. he wants him to experience karma and feel what he’s done to him. that’s a pretty common trope, i know, but considering what he’s ... done to him that’s all he actually wants. be it in a verse that he’s the hero or the villain, he doesn’t care. he’s going to find a way to fuck him up so bad that’ll have him end up underneath his foot as he crushes his hands with his foot, grinning like the damn cheshire cat, laughing softly as he goes ‘ who’s powerless now, kacchan? ‘

    even if ... katsuki would like. want deck to go back to heroism bc it feels so fucking wrong to have someone so determined to become a hero suddenly change his point of view. deck was literally one who would NEVER give up on his dreams and then suddenly he just. fell down. would he come to his senses and realize this? nah. if anything, he belives that he’s in the right mindset of having a perspective that it was society that was wrong. ( and ok, not being biased but somehow it is wrong 4 them to discriminate the quirkless like that. ) or maybe it’s just his pettiness not wanting to be in a side where he is right now. he’s no longer going to tolerate all the bullshit he’s thrown onto him, even if he asks penitence for that.

   another one is all might or toshinori. this is honestly where he ( all might ) has the biggest disadvantage and will realize he’s done the most foolish mistake. that being both underestimating deku and telling him the wrong mindset at first, AND telling him his weakness. deck, entering the league and getting in touch with afo, would definitely ask for like ... a stronger noumo similar to shi/garaki’s and fight him himself. i mean, not his bare hands ofc, but like through manipulating the noumo. the thing is he KNOWS his ultimate weakness and would often approach that. and at his exact downfall he’d be the one smiling, asking him if he remembers him, and like.. the ‘ i told you so ‘ or w/e attitude that shows that he was wrong on telling him that he couldn’t be a hero. he was strong as a villain ... so what more of him becoming an actual hero? he completely wasted it and crushed that dream of his. his confidence / hope is a deck of cards and his words are but a mere blow and he just. wants him to feel that that was one of his biggest mistakes tbh.

    herE’S ONE THAT IM SOOOOOOOOOOOO in love with bc it gives him a speck of humanity / little hope .. uraraka. there’s a seperate post for her find it in the tags but she... she’s literally the only star in deck’s empty night sky. almost. kind of. she’s supposed to be a hero and she IS a hero but the difference is she saw him as an equal at first and that’s something .. deck’s really thankful for. it’s plotted that she does a lot just to make him turn back / ‘ SAVE ‘ him to the point she could like .. die and still hope for him. that literally just puts him in a plethora of twist and turn of emotions bc like .. it’s. so. so fucking foreign to him, everything she’s doing. i can put this in a longer post but im JKSLFMSKJLFSKJFLM to him, she’s his hero for making him realize this. he may not give in that quickly or w/e, but she makes him realize something.

   then there’s ... deku. like, canon deku, not deck, bc like tbh i always llive for crossover universes / canon meeting au. it’s fascinating to me. anyway deck sees himself as like ... the BETTER version 4 some reason bc he sees it that he’s not ‘’blind’’ to society’s truth. he sees deku as someone who just ... gave in to that lie.i mean even in his verse where he DOES achieve all might’s quirk he realizes soon enough that this was all wrong ... why couldn’t he become a hero without a quirk? he sees him as like .. literally believing and accepting the fact that you should have a quirk before becoming a hero and tbh? he hates him for that, and envies him so much at the same time bc as most people say, ignorance is bliss, and he wishes he could’ve went through the same thing and be ignorant, too. but nah. he had to be the one ( or at least in his pov ) with ‘’eyes open’’ to how cruel / ugly society is. 

   ok then ... tooru aka @/vanishedstar. call it a coping thing or w/e but he projects himself to tooru bc they have similar background stories, difference is tooru was BORN with a quirk but taken from him and he’s full of love, whilst deck was born without and is just ... full of anger and wrath. he, like most people, sees him as nothing else but a stepping stone. bc like he can’t accomplish EVERYTHING alone, like alone in the literal sense so ofc he gets people as ‘ puppeteers ‘ them to follow his plan just so he could achieve his goal. since he’s already quirkless like him he trains him and teaches him how to fight physically and tells him w/e he knows. basically he molds him into someone like him, but like, the weaker version, bc he doesn’t want someone to outsmart him or run higher than him. think like ... a little student. or a little brother that he teaches idk XDD he’s always another proof / verification to his belief that people look on quirks, not the actual person. the fact that most ppl left him after he’s gone quirkless just seconds it tbh.

    ahmya. ... aka @/eyepsyche. this relationship is INCREDIBLY toxic and pure stockholm not going to lie. her quirk is EXTREMELY useful to him bc she can gather a lot of info and see a lot of things abt a person, and though deck can do that himself, she can gather so much more info for him and that just adds up to his knowledge. useful, right? she’s reluctant sometimes or at least at first, but deck REFUSES to let her go. and it’s not because he ... loves her or anything. he does’t have any feelings for her he just finds her very, very useful. think like an expensive knife or w/e that you’re not willing to lose. that expensive tech pen you keep in your case that other ppl might not see as much. ahmya, prior to meeting deck, was just a regular girl w/ no ‘purpose’ and deck gives her that .... the purpose being a huge stepping stone so he can accomplish what he must ^_^ SMSLGLS it’s incredibly disgusting of him tbh but he’s that desperate to finish what he wants to anyway and he has little to no care about others so what gives, right? he treats her like a pet, gives her constant validation that’s fake just so she could depend on him and all that. it’s pure ... nasty.but that honestly just shows his true nature of being a manipulative, toxic, selfish bastard.

   then there’s nooni aka @/creepquirk! much like ahmya and tooru, deck first saw nooni as the same thing : a pawn. a stepping stone. a little doll in his play that’ll help him reach what he wants. but there was just something about nooni that just ... opened somthing in him tbh. bc nooni was like, similar to deck in some ways, wanting to be a hero but society pushing you away. he stripped her off of that dream while she could still live it and dragged her to his own hell. but the thing was, somehow in the league, nooni ... still had that bit of hope of becoming a hero despite everything and tbh?? tbh?????????????? deck .. adores that. ofc he doesn’t show it on the outside bc hes a XDD tsundere bitch. no im kidding deck isn’t one to like be vulnerable or w/e but nooni was just so different to him bc she handles everything way better than him and this and that that just made him care deeply about her...n honestly? he regrets pulling/dragging her down and sometimes wish she couldve lived her dream instead and become that part he wish he could’ve become, but he finds himself unable to turn back despite being knee deep into everything while she still has a chance. tbh i cant put it all into words bc not even deck could, he’s that much of a mess that sometimes i can’t even decipher him bc he’s a complex chara tbh, but basically he just sees her as some kind of inspiration.

   then theres XDD villain todo who’s dead but idc i love their relationship. tbh they’re your typical little shits in love but like it’s not shown. todo and deck are similar in the way that they’re both wanting to get revenge on a particular someone ( his dad and for him katsu/all might ) so he can.. emphasize with him on that. maybe sometimes he even uses him bc lbr, todo is EXTREMELY powerful and clever for his age, but ofc that’s a hassle bc like i said, he’s intelligent, but not enough to the point he has to look down on deck due to being quirkless. he does at first but realizes he’s an excellent strageist so XDDDDDDDDD ok but anyway 2 the gay stuff bc todo is the most confusing person 2 deck ... he acts so kind to him and w/ the aforementioned 2 ura’s, kindness is so fucking foreign to him. maybe not his mom’s, but towards others he ... doesnt know how to handle it???????????????? and sometimes its just so soft and comforting that when it’s given to him he cant help but be addicted??????????????? is it love?? maybe?? maybe not????? love or is this just me desperately wanting affection from someone else?????????????????????? hm! who knwos ^_^ their rs is complicataed n? same.

    ok ( wheeze ) last one ... is mo. mortimer...morty.........or @/noricks........ maybe it’s bc they belong in different universes but like what rick wrote deck just ... sees himself as him. like they’re almost so painfully similar in terms of EVERYTHING except for some few parts. YA their backstories are different but it just ... leads them to the person who ends up sitting on the throne and acting like a god bc ‘’’ God was cruel to them ‘’’ . i went 2 recollection once and the speaker once said if you hate someone, it’s probably bc they remind you of yourself n i think? that just explains why he’ so aggressive towards him sometimes JSMGJS TMHSIMGHSLGKMSKLGM he . hates himself actually. deck i mean. he doesn’t .. he isn’t outwardly proud of what he’s become n bc mo reminds him of THAT it just irks him tbh. but at the same time he respects him bc???????????????? seriously who accomplishes all of this at the age of 14. he’s one of the or maybe the only person he actually respects other than all of the ppl he actually knows now. 

   i might edit this i jus wanna eat Fuck.

[zodiac-queens]

The Signs as my Favourite Men in Literature

*Careful! Contains elements of sarcasm.

Rhett Butler, sexy and sarcastic twat with a heart of gold (literally, because he is that rich) who enjoys making fun of everything and everyone and watching dumb people being dumb // Aries

brutally honest, handsome, physically strong, sarcastic, selfish, self-confident, drawn by goodness, afraid of rejection, wild behaviour, rebellious, charming, “ungentlemanly”, often amused and seldom serious

Edmond Dantès (Count of Monte Christo), a very decent guy who is imprisoned without any logical reason but manages to break out, starts a spicy campaign to avenge himself upon all the dumbasses who turned him in, becomes rich and powerful, HOT! // Taurus

kind, honest, innocent, living by traditional codes, naturally intelligent, honorable, driven by duty, loving, forgiving, later bitter and vengeful, hateful, resourceful, imaginative, protective

Mr. Fitzwiliam Darcy, a snobbish and arrogant jackass who so mercifully decided to propose to Elizabeth “against his better judgement” when he obviously could’ve had every woman in England // Gemini

honest, self-confident, feels superior, prideful, arrogant, assuming, sensitive, later easygoing, introverted, great communicating skills, great at analysing and organizing, has own set of values, dismissive, aloof, brave and stubborn, protective, chivalrous

Jay Gatsby, a romantic and gentle flower that is ridiculously obsessed with the past and can’t get over himself, seemingly thinks he’s the nicest guy in the universe and a beast in bed, tbh why would Daisy even look at other men? // Cancer

dreamer, restless, delusional, charming, gracious, enigmatic, kind-hearted, determined, wealthy, passionate, dedicated to love, optimistic, energetic, loving, lives in another world, giving, caring, nostalgic

Harry Potter, a dork who needs friends who save him from all the stupid bullshit he attempts to do, he wouldn’t even have managed to get through the first year of school without Hermione and Ron, being his companion includes being dragged into some seriously concerning and dangerous shit // Leo

brave, strong, devoted to his beliefs, strong-willed, warm-hearted, hot-tempered, impulsive, lack of emotional control, moody, witty, curious, protective, loving, humble, loyal, forgiving, grateful, stubborn, modest

Sherlock Holmes, a mental trainwreck and annoying know-it-all, I really understand why Dr. Watson is the only one who can stand his company because there’s not enough patience in the world to deal with this one, but I guess masterminds have to be hoes with a god-complex // Virgo

high intelligence, perceptive to details, workaholic, concentrates strongly, energetic, perfectionist, possesses a genius mind, creative imagination, stubborn, narcissistic, understands and analyzes human behaviour, lacks empathy for others, supresses emotions, overthinker

Atticus Finch, tbh I don’t know if there is a bad thing I could say about this man, he is a great and loving father, he is a badass lawyer and he shoots like a young god, i mean look at him! who wouldn’t want to be Mrs. Finch? // Libra

kind-hearted, fair, stern but loving, honest, consistent, fights for justice, calm, quiet, moral, open-minded, courageous, strong-minded, respectful, faithful, wise, empathetic, intelligent, omniscient, great guide/Mentor

Edward Fairfax Rochester, a rude and horny but romantic dude who totally forgot that he locked his wife in the basement and thinks bigamy is a perfectly legit thing // Scorpio

excessively passionate, guided by senses, good at reading other’s minds, wild, desires a new life, pompous, genuine, often incapable of restraining his desires, dark and brooding, seeks innocence and freshness in contrast to his troubled life, deeply loving

Enjolras, a super-handsome hunk who thinks about the Revolution 24/7, honestly so much wasted potential because where’s the romance?, but then again it is borderline sexy to fight for what you believe in // Sagittarius

believes in democracy and freedom, charming but also capable of being terrible, rebellious, determined, ambitious, stubborn,  passionate, wild, beautiful, has radical beliefs, stoic, unafraid, “gives more light”, typical leader

Macbeth, incredibly hot and brave warrior who has some trouble with his self-esteem and has to show his wife what a manly man he is, totally obsessed with power which is sexy at the beginning but then it just gets weird // Capricorn

brave and capable warrior, consuming ambition, self-doubt, powerful, lonely, feels guilty, very manly, kind at the beginning, treacherous, imaginative, ruthless, gullible, loving towards his wife, loyal when not inflicted with his ambition, arrogant, respectful

Jean Valjean, a former prisoner with a giant heart and a helper syndrome, tbh it’s a little bit annoying how good he actually becomes, particularly because he has a shit ton of own problems including a cop whose only mission in life is to catch him // Aquarius

honest, hard-working, compassionate, loving, willing to discover goodness, helps others, has a giant heart, idealist, takes responsibility if necessary, brave, selfless, intelligent and perceptive, strong and agile, protective, soft-hearted

Heathcliff, a really sexy beast with the attitude of a bad boy, can’t get over his first and only love and obviously has to behave like the biggest jerk on earth, obsessed with Catherine to the point where it gets really creepy, anyway I guess sex with him takes you to paradise // Pisces

wild and natural, amoral, cruel, possesses stormy emotions, vengeful, hates and loves with the same intensity, cares for those he loves and desires, obsessive, loyal, passionate, powerful, adventurous but silent child, mysterious