#Like It's Something We All Do And It's A Whole Activity With Defined Rules That Have A Concrete Impact On Society As A Whole

[juney-blues]

every time i come across "selfcest" discourse i always find it hilarious

like i just cannot comprehend what the conflict is

"Incest Isn't Bad because of abusive power dynamics or anything like that, it's just ontologically evil to do the sex on anyone you're related to as a matter of principle, and the more related you are the worse it is.

AND WHO COULD YOU BE MORE RELATED TO, THAN YOURSELF???"

is the best interpretation i've got

[astarion-obsessions]

I think not enough people understand that Astarion doesn't want you to be his main or only source of blood. This even stands in direct contrast to what he really wants to achieve with biting Tav. Let me explain.

Why Astarion doesn't want you to be his blood bag

Let me start with explaining how I approached this topic. First of all, when I triggered the bite scene in my playthrough, I obviously let Astarion drink from my Tav. But then I got curious. What happens when I don't stop him? He's said I could trust him just a moment ago, didn't he? So I did just that, I trusted him literally with my life. 

Aaaand... he killed me. Well. What did I expect from a vampire, really. But that he actually drained me dry broke my heart. I really wanted to trust him, to reach out and show him that I didn't judge him for what he was and so on. I was really disappointed in him and couldn't quite grasp why he would do this. Was it a conscious decision? Did he lose control? Surely he would apologise and explain everything to me once someone resurrected me, returning the trust I was giving him the night prior, right?... right?

Of course not. The dialogue after him killing Tav was... at least as disappointing as him killing Tav in the first place. He shows his usual attitude, apologises half-heartedly and then just keeps going on with talking about draining the occasional bandit. He even snaps when you mention the topic of him feeding after that with something like "I already apologised, what more do you want?".

There's no real regret, no emotions. He simply doesn't care.

We know that he didn't care in the beginning, he tells us as much when he confesses his unwanted, growing feelings towards Tav in act 2. But still the whole bite scene didn't sit right with me until…

The Nightmare 

I randomly stumbled upon a clip of Astarion having a nightmare, so I researched about it and even started an Astarion run to experience it myself. So, if you play as Astarion, at the second long rest of act 1 he has a nightmare about Cazador, in which he recites the rules that defined how Astarion and the other spawn had to live:

First, thou shalt not drink of the blood of thinking creatures. 

Second, thou shalt obey me in all things. 

Third, thou shalt not leave my side unless directed. 

Fourth, thou shalt know that thou art mine. 

However Astarion reacts to this dream, he jolts awake afterwards and instinctively panics that he needs to find a way back to his master as soon as possible. His eyes set on his companions, who are sleeping / meditating peacefully around the fire, and then a thought passes his mind.

He could try to break one of Cazador's rules right then and there. He's able to stand in the sun, to bathe in running water, so maybe…

And that's why he decides to bite a companion. Astarion wakes up utterly terrified of what his master will do to him if he doesn't return to him in an instant - and he knows all too well what kind of horrors would await him if he so much as dares to think about rebelling again (read about that here) - so he is in desperate need of confirmation that he is now able to withstand and actively break the rules that have dominated his life for two centuries.

He needs to know that he is able to drink the blood of a thinking creature. And there they are. His clueless companions served on a silver platter. It's like an invitation to him, to test his boundaries. And who would be more fitting than the good hearted leader of the party Astarion wanted to (or already has) seduce(d) anyway?

This piece of information shed a whole new light on the bite scene. But let's look a bit closer at that. 

The Bite Night 

The very first thing Tav registers about what's going on with Astarion that night is him baring his fangs right above us, about to sink them into our flesh. He pulls back as soon as we open our eyes, retreating immediately until there's a safe distance between him and Tav. 

This may be the first time Tav gets to know that Astarion is a vampire, so he gets defensive and tells us that he's never killed a person for food, only animals. But then, instead of letting the idea of feeding on Tav go, he insists that animals aren't enough. 

But it's not enough. Not if I have to fight. I feel so weak. 

If I just had a little blood, I could think clearer. Fight better. Please. 

Then he goes on, literally pleading to get what he wants while putting on a sad expression in the end, even averting his gaze. 

And if we now have in mind that he just woke up from a nightmare about Cazador, feeling powerless and in desperate need of even a glimpse of hope that he might escape Cazador's cruel grip, his lines make a lot of sense. He's veiling the truth, of course, but not all of what he says is a lie. 

He indeed feels weak - powerless in fact - so drinking Tav's blood (the blood of a thinking creature) could prove that he may have regained a bit of power over himself, which had been exclusively reserved for Cazador the last 200 years. This would absolutely make him feel stronger, more confident than he's felt for a long, long time. 

And he indeed could think clearer after tasting Tav's blood, because this would bring clarity to the question if he is now able to break Cazador's rules on purpose and therefore give him information to work with when he needs to think about what to do next. 

Right after this, we get the chance to push into Astarion's mind, and if we do this, we can see what he thinks about. 

His mind opens up, revealing cracked and quivering memories. At their heart, you see dark eyes, commanding you to feed. 

You open your mouth and bite down. Not into a tender neck, but in the twisting body of a rat - the only thing your master lets you eat. 

He recalls the memory of how his master used to force him to eat disgusting vermin. As his memory is told, we can clearly see how deeply this affects him, for he can't keep up his walls of defensiveness and detachment. They just crack, crumble and reveal his misery clearly for Tav to observe. When we ask him about it directly afterwards, he first seems to search for a way out - a witty remark, anything - but gives up almost immediately. And he looks and sounds just completely defeated and tired, confirming what Tav just saw in his mind. 

He goes on with talking about trust. I think here he's seeing a chance to gain Tav's sympathy. If he already reveals such delicate information about his past, he can as well make use of it. So he appeals to Tav's understanding, offering us that this past is the reason for him only trusting Tav slowly. But then he immediately adds that now he trusts Tav, and that in return Tav can trust him, too. 

What he does here is displaying himself as pitiful, gaining Tav's sympathy, then seemingly going out of his way and saying that despite all he does trust Tav, which puts Tav in the position to follow suit with returning the trust… which Astarion definitely lied about on his part. But that's what he does. Manipulating. 

If we then respond with "You tried to bite me. How can I trust you?" instead of assuring us of his trustworthiness with more manipulation, he gets frustrated. 

Because we don't have a choice! Not if we're going to save ourselves from these worms. 

But he goes on with masking his reasons, even if he gave us a hint right in the beginning of act 1 when we picked him up, where he said that he would rather control the tadpole instead of removing it. If we play as Astarion, it gets clear pretty fast that he holds onto the tadpole, because it seems to be the only thing that had been able to "save" him from Cazador whilst no one and nothing else even attempted to help him for two centuries. Of course he would not want to get rid of the tadpole just like that. But he says so nonetheless to align with Tav's goals and display himself as useful. 

And then he does something interesting. 

I need you alive. You need me strong. 

Please. Only be a taste, I swear. I'll be well, you'll be fine, and everything can go back to normal. 

In the beginning of this conversation he mentioned he needed the blood to fight better. Now he takes up on this by saying that Tav needs him strong, hinting on him getting stronger after having a taste of Tav's blood. And then he promises that after this "everything can go back to normal", which right now means Astarion feeding on animals again. 

A few things about this are odd. 

Firstly, "only be a taste". Everyone, literally everyone has heard about the insatiable hunger of vampires. So how is it supposed to work that Astarion gets stronger from just a taste of Tav's blood? For how long? A few hours? Not nearly long enough to pose a real advantage, eh? For me this makes no sense. And if we think about his true intentions - wanting to find out if he can break Cazador's rule - just a taste would be absolutely enough. (And after he bites Tav without killing them, he even says that he needs something more filling!) 

Secondly, if Astarion really wanted to become stronger with the help of Tav's blood, why would he promise to go back to normal afterwards? He just offered Tav a stronger companion but then immediately nullified this argument by literally saying that this will be a one time arrangement. 

Thirdly, he subtly offers a bargain. "You give me your blood, I will be a stronger fighter for you." He did so in the beginning as well, repeating it with different words. And it fits his character very well to do so, because for all he knows everything comes with a price. He almost gets beaten to death and Cazador mercifully comes to his rescue? The price is a never ending life of torment and abuse. Astarion helps a potential victim for Cazador to flee? The price is a year of starvation, locked up in a dusty and dark tomb without knowing if it will ever find an end. Mindflayers rescued him from Cazador, (passively) granting him to possibly be free of him at last? The price is becoming a tentacled monster in the end. 

If we then allow him to bite us, he's visibly surprised about our graciousness, but of course doesn't let this chance slip and suggests getting comfortable instantly. Then he finally gets to sink his teeth into Tav's neck. This part of the scene can more or less be viewed from both sides - Astarion's and Tav's. 

He begins to feed on Tav and after a bit we can decide to interrupt him, but have to pass an ability check first. This repeats a second time when playing Tav, and even if it's only one AC when we play Astarion and decide to bite a companion, it still aligns, showing that Astarion seemingly loses himself in the taste of Tav's blood - which is very likely because (as he later tells us) we were the first humanoid he's ever fed on, so it's imaginable that Tav's blood must be tasting almost divine to him. 

This theory is supported by his actions after we fail the first AC or just let him continue. He grabs the back of Tav's head to pull them towards himself, emphasising on how greedy he is sucking the blood out of Tav. The camera even uses the exact same angles before failing or skipping the first AC and after, so the comparison is easy and the difference is clear:

If we then fail or skip the next AC, Astarion just drains us dry… And it gets even better after the bite night. 

The Morning After 

When Tav gets revived and then talks to Astarion, he is visibly surprised to see us, after he left the dead body of Tav behind with saying "Oh no, something terrible has happened". Sure Astarion, something… 

All of this happens when Astarion still doesn't care for Tav. He reacts with panic when we confront him with the fact that he literally killed us, and just manages to get his expression under control after a few seconds. I mean, just look at him:

'Killed' feels like a strong word. Not many corpses have your vigour. 

He definitely knows what he's done, and that 'killed' is indeed the right word for it, he is just very very bad at coping with guilt (which is amazingly analysed by thelikesoffinn - definitely read this, you'll understand Astarion so much better after this). 

He instantly lays the focus on our codependency again, that we need each other and so on. If we question why we should keep him around, he answers with:

A strong, well-fed vampire? I'm a powerful weapon - you'd be a fool to toss me aside now. 

With mentioning this, he wants to make sure that Tav will let him stay by their side and therefore grant him protection. 

But more importantly he continues:

Anyway, last night was an aberration. It will never happen again. 

He doesn't even start with something like "Next time I'll be more careful" or anything similar. He straight up says that it will never happen again. Period. If we then ask who he will feed on next time he gets hungry, he presents the idea of feeding on villains and bandits "who need killing anyway". And this is exactly what he wants. This even shows in his reaction to Tav's response to his suggestion.

If we agree and therefore allow him to feed on our enemies ("Sounds good. Glad we could agree"), this is how he reacts:

As am I. I'm starting to feel a little peckish already. 

This itself doesn't sound all too enthusiastic, but we get his approval up, which definitely shows that he very much likes that Tav agreed. 

On the contrary, if we suggest he can feed on Tav, ignoring his will wish to feed on villains ("Look, I'm not against you feeding on me, but only if we talk about it first"), this is his reaction:

Of course! This sounds eminently reasonable. 

I shall wait patiently until you suggest we… dine together. 

Doesn't sound too bad either, eh? But we don't get his approval. He doesn't disapprove, of course, because this is still a thousand times better than what he had until then, but still not what he really wants… 

So, what does all of this mean for the initial question? 

Conclusion 

The crucial point here is what it means for Astarion to feed on Tav. The only things he remembers since Cazador turned him, are being relentlessly dominated and horrifyingly abused. The things Astarion wants the most are to be safe and to finally have control over himself again. 

He bit Tav for the sole purpose of finding out if he can be free of Cazador's rules. So why would he jump right into being dependent on Tav? He suggests to feed on villains, because then he is free of anyone's mercy. He doesn't need to rely on Tav to graciously allow him to get a drop of blood. He can do this himself now. 

This is such an important step for his character growth, to find the way to his autonomy again, so if we only allow him to feed on Tav, it instantly sets him back into old habits of bowing to his masters words - or in this case Tav's. Because it's all hes been doing for the last two centuries of his life. 

So, as much as the thought of the self-sacrificing offer to be his personal blood bag may seem romantic or whatever, it's actually the exact opposite, trapping Astarion in what he desperately tries to escape from. The restrictions that come with someone dominating him mentally and physically. And as I mentioned earlier, he doesn't believe in the goodness of people. For him every "kind" act has a price and he likes to know what he has to pay, so he wouldn't even want to just drink Tav's blood without Tav getting anything out of it. He would most certainly expect Tav one day to come around with something he doesn't want to give or do, so he wants to control such situations beforehand. 

All he wants is to make his own decisions and be free in every way possible… 

So please just let him drain some bandits, will ya? 

[avale-reves]

if this "no news/trailers/whatever at all until the year leading up to release" is the new normal for KH i think fandom is going to like, have to massively restructure the way it works, the things it celebrates and engages with, the stuff it values and considers 'high worth', because otherwise it's just going to be years and years and years of the same discussions repeated over and over with nothing new for us to even chew on in the meantime.

i find that the kh fandom massively undervalues fanworks. maybe as a side effect of how important 'word of god' and 'canon' are to understanding the series, idk, but like i think there needs to be a real shift in fandom perspective to champion them more, and making them far more central to what "being active in kh fandom" means. And I think this both because of just the practicality of keeping fandom alive in an era where the devs are more tight-lipped than ever, but also I think it's something that KH specifically needs to do.

Kingdom Hearts is always going to be a series of "missed/unfulfilled potential". There is no way it cannot be. The concept is just too expansive, the cast so wide, and there are endless ways to spin off of what they've given us, or endless ways to imagine where it could go. Even something as simple as a Disney world has all of this "potential" in how it could be explored, how it could be utilized, how it could play or look or feel, what themes it could have, what character development it could give certain characters etc. And the games will always have to take that infinite possibility and whittle it down to a single thing. KH itself will always have to contend with right/legal issues, Disney oversight and rules, the realities of game development and budgets, etc and so in that sense, it will never be able to reach the potential. But like... we can? We as fans can take all of the potential and use it as an endless playground for us to enjoy and engage with.

Idk, I just think back to, for example, Kairi and Lea training. A concept that has a ton of potential! Very interesting fertile ground for character dynamics, fighting scenes, mentor scenes, etc etc. Obviously, in KH3 this amounted to only a couple of core scenes where the devs put the focus on just their character relationships. Many were disappointed by this, by how little we see, but like, it was always set up as a "thing that is going to be happening off-screen", that's the whole point of 'merlin made a special place where time doesnt matter and they can just focus on training'. And when we think of KH3 with its endless things it has to juggle, its huge cast, etc. it makes sense that Kairi and Lea training can only be a tiny part of it. They have a budget. They have resource constraints. They even have disc space constraints to worry about (it's why their scenes are CG even! They literally did not have any room on the disc to actual make in-game environments for them!).

Like we can look at that and be very disappointed. We didn't get to see any of that stuff. But like, idk, at the same time, the fact that we didn't see a lot of it means that almost any fanwork about that time can "fit with canon" and be "something that might've happened". Like, we can look at it as a disappointment it wasn't more defined by KH3, but we could also look at it as a fandom gift. To borrow a phrase from iconic kh fan translator goldpanner: It is a crack in the concrete sidewalk of KH canon where fanworks can grow and thrive.

Idk. I know for some, fanworks will just never count the same as canon. But, I do feel like if people in general grew to appreciate them more, and have fun with them and engage with them, and share them and make them themselves, then it could do so much to smooth out the feelings of 'missed potential' that is inherent with this series and always will be through no fault of the devs themselves. And perhaps we would find, if, for example, we had spent the 4-6 years between MelMem and KHIV having a blast as a fandom exploring 'Kairi and Aqua training' through fics, art, comics, vids, fangames, music, graphic design, etc etc. We'd probably feel that by the time it was 'defined' by canon into a single thing it has to be for the story they're telling, even if that thing is nothing that we thought or wished for, we might end up feeling the 'potential' of the idea wasn't wasted, because we explored it.

[plumpybread]

i've been wondering, what are the culturally defined goals of the various nations (or tribes) in this AU? in real life societies, there tends to be a few goals that are "given" to us in society (for example, gaining financial success or getting good degrees in Western societies). these likely have to change if, for example, Fontainians tend to become too obese to work before long, right? so what do you think? perhaps they're more socially related, or something like that.

also, completely different but similarly related to society at large, do you think someone as obese as Aether saving the various regions is changing their perception of fat as a whole? I'd love to hear what you think! keep up the good work!

Great questions!

Fortunately, the answer is pretty simple, as the nations in Teyvat all have very clear ideals we learn about in the game.

Mondstadt: Freedom

The ideal of freedom lives through and through in the nation of wind. Venti, their archon, believes that people should be free to make their own choices and live their lives without heavy-handed governance, a belief that shapes their culture, where the people enjoy a relatively lax and democratic system. They enjoy festivals, and I found it to be one of the easiest nations to make one of the heaviest because of all this

Liyue: Contracts

As the richest nation, they value wealth and stability most, steming from the belief that contracts are the foundation of society. Trade, commerce and responsibility are all shaped around the ideal of contracts.

Inazuma: Eternity

In Raiden Shogun's quest to preserve Inazuma in an unchanging, everlasting state, strict laws are enforced to prevent any disruption of the societal order, which is why I wrote them to be the most distant from the very obese nations as they remain the most unaffected by the threat of obesity.

Sumeru: Wisdom

Knowledge is almost a currency in Sumeru, and the pursuit of it is central to their culture. The best scholars are either from Sumeru itself or foreigners who went to study at their Akademiya. They know better than to give in to gluttony, which is why they're the second thinnest nation.

Fontaine: Justice

Popularly known for their juridical system and the way trials are treated as theatrical spectacles, justice is the prevalent ideal imposed by Fontaine's Hydro archon. Laws and rules need to be modified periodically as the weights of Fontainians continuously rises every decade, and in this version of Fontaine, I'd imagine justice manifests in the need for fair access to resources and food to maintain their massive sizes or support the thousands who grow beyond hope. Thanks to their domination of the food industry in Teyvat thanks to their rich soils and way too skilled chefs, immobility retirement doesn't have too much of an impact in their economy, especially since each man retiring for immobility creates several job opportunities for others to work as their personal caretakers.

Natlan: War, but specifics depend on the tribe

Natlan is a nation constantly in a war against the Abyss, and yearly pilgrimages are held to find warriors from different tribes to take part in the Night Wars to fend off the Abyssal army. But outside of this, each tribe lives by very different ideals. This wasn't ever really digged deep into in the game itself, but if I had to think of something;

Nanatzcayan: Mining

Sounds a bit random, but most people in Nanatzcayan are fine miners, jewelers, forgers, and general appraisers of gems as they live inside mountains. Physical strength and harmony is needed for them to fulfill their jobs.

Huitztlan: Agility

Living high up suspended over a mountain cliff, they love extreme sports like bungee jumping or mountain climbing, and agility is the most valued skill to have to live the true Scions of Canopy life, which is why wide love handles are seen as favorable as their bodies hug the harnesses they wear while doing their activities much better that way.

Meztli: Leisure

The most sedentary and relaxed nation of Natlan, gaining huge amounts of weight due to poor diets and lack of exercise has become such a norm that it's the encouraged standard. Most people just spend their days taking baths in the hot springs, fishing near the shores, or dancing in the plaza, all if they're not already sharing decadent meals at restaurants and growing fatter week after week.

As for your second, Aether-related question, there could be some potential for that, maybe!

He starts getting chubby in Mondstadt, and becomes pretty hefty after Liyue. I don't think there's much impact for this, he's not alarmingly big or anything and there's people much larger than him everywhere.

It's probably in Inazuma where his size is first a shock to people as Aether is starting to get visibly obese. I can imagine some civilians being curious about him. From that one huge Aether journey loredrop post: "They never said anything to him about it, but some Inazumans envied Aether's carelessness for his body and how he was eating so freely he didn't even realize he had grown obese."

During Sumeru he passes the 600 pound milestone, and his weight starts to become the main talking point when referring to Aether and his achievements. I can imagine a small sentiment growing in some guys seeing someone as heavy as him be able to fulfill his job as a hero despite his clear morbid obesity. Maybe some men who were dealing with their own obesity are inspired by him and learn to be more forgiving about their situation, some maybe even going ahead and stopping to feel guilty about gaining too much weight.

As for Fontaine, I can't really imagine it changing much more than Fontaine itself irreversibly changing Aether. No size is too big over there, but people surely love Aether for giving in so hard into the gluttony and getting so massive so quickly.

His impact would likely be more pronounced during Natlan after Aether has become a walking pile of lard. I can imagine his status as a hero despite his absurd size to have some ripple effects, mostly in Meztli, where I can see the ideal weight for men suddenly spike up thanks to Aether's influence, and seeing his previous visit was Fontaine, open up the doors to import more food from that nation.

[quirkwizard]

Keystone-Ranking My Hero's Academia's Arcs

To All my Friends and Followers, I am proud again to announce another double milestone. Not only have I reached over 10,000 total posts on this blog, but I have reach over 3,000 followers. Who would have guessed this little blog I made for fun would have made it this far? Because I am frankly flabbergasted that this blog has made it this point. I thank all of you for your support and truly wish that I can make this blog something worthy of your dedication. For this momentous milestone, I once again decided to do a massive project. This time, it will be ranking all the arcs of My Hero Academia.

So before I begin, let's cover some ground rules:

-What I will be considering an arc, as well as where it starts and ends, will be defined by the Wikia, making for a total of twenty one arcs.

-This will mainly be focusing on the manga. While I will mention the anime here and there, it will not play any major role in how I rank these arcs.

-This ranking will be relative to the rest of the series. So if I put an arc lower on the list, I'm not saying it's the worst manga as a medium has to offer, just not up to the standards of the series.

-This will be a series of pros and cons covering each of the series with some notes. This will involve a lot of generalizations and summarizations of points, as well as maybe skipping out on what I don't have much to say, but is the easiest way to get my thoughts across.

-This will be looking at the arcs without the context of later ones. I will review the arcs on their own and will only consider what has happened before in the story when that arc came out. That means that certain events will not "ruin" arcs retroactively, but can be held against the arc they happen in.

-The Final War Arc will not be covered here. Not only because that arc is not completed at the time or writing, but is far longer then any other arc in the story and has so much to cover with it, feeling like there are several arcs going on all at once. Even if it was done, I would still cover it on it's own.

Without further ado: the ranking of My Hero Academia's Arcs.

Stars and Stripes Arc: (0/10)

-This entire arc is built around Cathleen, a one note character that doesn't have any interesting traits or arc. She was never established before, even when she should matter to characters like All For One and is suddenly the most important hero currently active.

-My worst fears are confirmed that Tomura is nothing more than a meat puppet for All For One. All his unique traits and character is under lock and key for this entire arc, leaving us with a very bland villain that I have no interest in reading.

-The whole fight is a forgone conclusion. Tomura can't lose because he's the main antagonist who is next to unkillable and he can't get "New Order" because then he would be way too powerful to beat, robbing the arc of any tension it tries to have.

-The fight itself is not interesting, which is a problem when most of this is a fight. It's Tomura getting ragdolled over and over again while Stars and Stripes keeps using her Quirk in a lot of empty spectacle. No real cleaver plans, just slapping each other back and forth.

-All these factors together rob any emotional investment a reader may have had in the story. So in spite of it only being seven chapters long, it feels like a total slog to get through, simply waiting for canonical filler arc to be done with so we can move on.

-"New Order" is a slap in the face to the entire power system. It's such a vaguely defined ability with what it can actually apply with its rules. It felt more like Tomura was fighting a wizard from a whole other series, adding on to the various frustrations in this fight.

-The main consequences could have been replaced with a single chapter. Just have Tomura writhing in a cave over his body rejecting "All For One" and have Nezu analyze and pick up information on him from the footage of the PLF War. It would have been so simple.

-The actual consequences of this arc are minimal at best. You could honestly skip this arc and not really miss much in the grand story of the series. Again, making it feel like a filler arc. It makes this whole outing seem wholly pointless in the broader narrative.

=I've said my peace on this arc many times over. I struggle to think of anything good about it. It was a chore to read the first time and it took so much willpower to not turn this into another giant rant. I honestly hope I never have to go through or think about this arc again.

Tartarus Escapees Arc: (1/10)

+I like the idea of this arc. Having Izuku regress into his self-destructive tendencies and isolating himself is a really good way to go with his low point. And this is well conveyed in the art, both in and out of costume, which I just want to is really solid this arc.

+Uraraka's speech was certainly a highlight. It's a great moment in her own arc about understanding and wanting to truly save people and gives her the relevance she has so desperately needed. Ending it with the narration of everyone being a hero was a good bit.

+I liked a lot of the bits with Stain, especially his talk with Toshinori. Having Stain, the man who misunderstands All Might the most, gives him the peep talk he needs to get out of his funk.

-The reaval of "Fa Jin" was such a massive miss for me. Not only does it not add anything to Izuku's arsenal outside of hitting even harder, it undermines one of the most interesting fights the series has had thus far by overpowering his enemy rather than outthinking them.

-There is little lasting consequences for some of the characters. Endeavor is an abuser that made a serial killer and Hawks killed a villain in front of everyone. They both say they're getting work done and everyone kind of moves on from it without issue.

-The concept of Izuku cutting off everyone around him, while interesting, wasn't anywhere near fleshed out enough. It's only a single chapter of him on his own before he's saved by the rest of Class 1-A. Kind of makes the arc's name feel like a misnomer.

-Bakugou's apology feels rather hollow given the actual phrasing and the lack of any kind of real response for Izuku. This extends to All Might, but to a lesser degree. These two are the most responsible for Izuku self-destructive mentality and it is quickly brushed to the side.

=Another arc that I've talked about before, but none of the good parts of. I think it's well above something like the Stars and Stripes up, but it's lack of real payoff for so much that was set up really shoots this all the way to the bottom of the list.

Quirk Apprehension Test Arc: (1/10)

+Aizawa has a solid character introduction and effectively sets him up. What seems to be a lazy bum actually hides one of the most strict and dedicated heroes in the entire series. A seemingly rough, pragmatic disciplinarian with a secretly good heart underneath.

+Having Izuku need to work under Aizawa was such a good move for his first day. He really learns just how much of a problem his power is going to be and how much personal responsibility a hero has. It's a good splash of cold water to Izuku's relentless optimism.

+This is the arc where we get Izuku taking on the name Deku. Not only is the moment around it cute and gives us his official nickname, but I like how it starts the trend of Izuku redefining his life, taking the mocking nickname, and making it the name of a real hero.

-The arc is strictly business, for lack of a better phrase. We don't get much expansion on the characters we know about or understanding of the other characters or their powers in spite of the fact that this test would have been the perfect place to introduce them to us.

-All it really has going for it is the one moment of Izuku throwing the softball with his finger. The ultimate, emotional climax is a character flinging a ball really far. I know that sounds like I'm being facetious, but there isn't a lot else happening in the arc worth talking about.

-We do get the early main trio of Izuku, Iida, and Uraraka interacting, but there isn't enough to go off of to get a real sense of their dynamic and characters outside of the basic traits we already established. Maybe how they view each other as people, but that’s about it.

-While the threat of expulsions is threatening for the characters, it's pretty empty from a meta perspective. We know that if Izuku was expelled, the series would be over. The reveal of the test being a ploy does give Aizawa some character, but makes it feel a little pointless.

-In the end, I'm not entirely sure what the point of the arc was. At least, enough to make it its own standalone story. Sure, Izuku develops the finger flicks, but that could have been shuffled to one of the other two arcs after this one and it would be fine.

=An arc that's ultimately a victim of its length. If it was tied into the arc proceed or succeeding it, it would have been fine. On its own, it doesn't really offer much value. I still think it has its points, but not enough to reach past this lull in the series.

Remedial Course Arc: (2/10)

+The interaction between All Might and Endeavor was great. Yeah, a lot of people forget that happened this arc. Endeavor is uncertainty of what to do and turning to his rival is good in it's own right and works as a good springboard for Enji's arc going forward.

+The other character work was fine as well. Bakugou learning to be less of jerk to people as he learns to deal with a younger version of himself is nice. The Shoto, and to a lesser extent Inasa, stuff wasn't as prevalent, but I think it's a good steppingstone in his character.

+I like the one-off chapter with Aoyama and how he connects himself to Izuku and how much their Quirks can cause issues. Giving a minor character like this a one-off chapter like this is a good way to flesh out these characters without taking up too much time.

-Speaking of important stuff, this arc introduces the Quirk Singularity. For what turns out to be such an important idea, I don't think it does the best job building the groundwork. Like there wasn't enough set up to it before or in this arc for it to make sense.

-This arc is very much removed from the rest of the story. I wouldn't mind that but doesn't really give us much in its place. Outside of the few bits I mentioned before with Bakugou and Endeavor, it doesn't feel like it adds much else to the world or story.

-A lot of this arc is more comedic. If the comedy doesn't work with you, it's going to wear down on you fast. Outside of one or two bits, I found myself stone faced at a lot of the gags. Which is really odd because I do think Hori can do comedy, but it's not done well here.

-These two issues create this odd back and forth with the arc. The interesting moments are either small or side pieces while the actual meat of the story feels superfluous. So it can be frustrating to read through this when all the good feels so buried under everything.

-Which I think leads to the biggest sin of the arc: it's so forgettable. Out of all the arcs I went over, it's the least I remember about, not even long after rereading it. Despite having some pretty important moments, I just mentally gloss over it.

=This arc gets a lot of hate, and I get it. It does feel like a pretty low stakes arc where a lot of aspects can grate on people. I can't muster much bile for it, and I still think that there are some redeemable moments here, but certainly earning a spot this low on the list.

Joint Training Arc: (2/10)

+I really liked a lot of the new Quirks on display. I think a lot were pretty neat, or at least unique enough to be intriguing. Plus seeing some of the Quirks interact across both classes makes for some fun moments and dynamics between the various characters in play.

+I do like some of the minor pieces of character we do get. Tokoyami's flashback about controlling Dark shadow, Shoto using both halves of his power, a beat in Momo gaining confidence again, and Monoma's backstory reveal are all solid parts of this arc.

+Round 3 is a major highlight of this arc. A tense battle where it feels like each character is giving it their all with sheer power or clever planning. It feels like such a big battle that is constantly changing, ultimately ending in a surprising, but satisfying payoff of a draw.

-This arc is too long for its own good. Over twenty-four chapters of characters engaging in a consequence free training exercise where the plot isn't really developing outside of a handful of moments. It really wears down on you fast, especially week to week.

-As for these fights, I think a lot of them are pretty mediocre. Whether it be because of the low stakes, the lack of real emotional moments, or simply how the Quirks are used, I found it difficult to really invest in the fights. That is a big issue when most of the arc is fighting.

-Outside of Monoma and Juzo, there is very little in the way of meaningful development for Class 1-B in this arc. And if there was any point in developing these characters, this would be the time. It feels wasted, making the characters feel more like vessels for the powers.

-I really don't like the Round 4 fight. What comes across as Bakugou's big development rights hollow. Not only is the other side kneecapped to make Bakugou look better, but it doesn't really feel like Bakugou learned how to actually work with other people on this.

-To this day, I still have mixed feelings on the "Black Whip" reveal. I don't mind the concept of Izuku with multiple Quirks, but it wasn't built up enough to make this a worthwhile pay off. It seems more like Hori did this in because he ran out of ideas for what to do with Izuku.

=While I certainly don't think this is the worst arc, I can wholly understand why people are so frustrated with this arc as it was happening. There's very little in the way of plot or characters, so it ends up feeling like it drags out too long for its own good.

Provisional License Exam: (3/10)

+I like a lot of the world building in this arc. This whole rescue operation part of the test really shows just how important the non-fighting parts of hero work are, like how you act around civilians, which helpfully sets up how things are headed post All-Might.

+I liked Inasa. His design is great, his power is cool, and he has such a fun personality that you can't help but want to see him. His role is interesting as well, having Shoto's worry about being like his father externalized in someone who sees him only as Endeavor's son.

+I enjoy a lot of the development with the class. Things like the Super Moves, the dorms, and the bits spread throughout the arc does a lot to flesh them out. Obviously, the biggest bit is with Izuku and Bakugo, their battle showing how much them and their dynamic changed.

-The arc is not paced that well. This section is twenty-three chapters long, but it feels so much longer with how everything drags on and not a lot of interesting stuff is happening in them until the very end of the story, whether that be with the fights or the characters.

-The fights aren’t that amazing. It’s not that interesting to see 1-A fight a bunch of jobbers. And when they do fight more prevalent characters, I don’t feel engaged with it. A lot of the action are resolutions to the fights aren’t clever or have a lot the emotional impact they usually do.

-The new characters aren't that well developed, even as far as one-off characters go. Aside from Inasa, there's barely anything to go off of for them. It feels less like an expanded cast from all these schools and more like bloat that Hori didn't know what to do with.

-As much as I like Inasa, I think his whole thing with Shoto is kind of dumb. Like Inasa somehow carries this undying grudge against Shoto and his father because both of them look angry at him. And the resolution ends up being rushed in spite of the focus it gets.

-While I do praise Izuku vs Bakugou, I recognize that it's focused way too much on Bakugou. This feels like it should be doing something for both of them, but a lot of the attention in and out of story is on Bakugou, making it feel incomplete and diminishing Izuku's role.

=For all the buildup of these characters becoming heroes, them pulling it off seems… underwhelming. Which honestly feels like a good way to describe a lot of this arc. A lot of potential for something big and impactful that just didn't stick the landing.

UA Traitor Arc: (3/10)

+The traitor reveal was handled so well. The reveal and backstory were great and I think adds a lot to Aoyama's character. He wasn't an evil pawn, but a terrified kid who was forced into a deal outside his control, now horrified over the safety of himself and his family.

+The villains had some good moments. A lot of it is set up for next arc, but Toga and Spinner especially had the most interesting bits here, with Toga expressing her complicated past and feelings while Spinner is pushed into a role he never wanted for his friend.

+I enjoy the bit with Izuku and Urakara near the end of the arc. It honestly refreshing see these two connecting with each other again and what they talk about is solid stuff, trying to come to terms with their own conflicts feelings about wanting to save the villains.

-In spite of my liking of the reveal, it's far too late. Aoyama's actions as the traitor haven't been a factor pretty much since Kamino onward. So when this reveal comes, it doesn't have the emotional weight it feels like it needs, especially for such a minor character.

-There's very little fall out for Aoyama being the traitor. Besides how it's entirely beneficial for the heroes, no one else really reacts to it and there isn't any fallout. Not even Bakugou, the students most affected by it. It makes 1-A feel like a hive mind rather than their own people.

-In fact, a lot of this arc relies on the reader still being invested in the arc, Aoyama as a character, and there being this powerful bond between whole of the class. There's a lot riding on the emotional core which hasn't been set up as well throughout the rest of the story.

-There are some residual frustrations from the Dark Hero Arc. In spite of all the major moves the last arc did, there is barely any follow up on most or anything with the characters taking a break. We're skipping all that for more training and getting right to the next plot point.

-The villain stuff was good but did suffer from some clunkiness. I didn't really feel like it told us anything new and what it did add felt confusing at points. Did you know that Tomura and Spinner were best friends? I didn't know Tomura liked the guy.

=So I feel like I'm one of the few people that actually like how Aoyama was handed, which elevates the arc above a lot of the later parts, but I still think it's mire by the same issues of this part of the story. It had its moments, but that's all it really had to offer.

Final Exam Arc: (4/10)

+I think the idea of the arc is pretty strong. Not only do we get to see more of the teachers in action, but it’s a cool watching the students go up against the worst opponents possible, with each one needing to overcome some kind of weakness in order to nab the win.

+The fight with Deku, Bakugou and All Might was good. It's their low point, with the two literally and metaphorically trying to overcome All Might, and only able to do so by learning from each other, effectively pushing the both of them forward in their own development together.

+The Momo, Shoto, and Aizawa fight was pretty good. While not as well established in the manga, I do like the confidence issues between the two and how it ties into their leadership abilities. Again, it's a good example of the two learning and growing from each other.

+The ending scene at the mall was well handled. It's such a great one eighty from the tone and really raises the tension. Then there's the set up with Izuku and Tomura's clashing ideals, ending with Tomura truly realizing his goal. All around good stuff.

-The structure of this arc is a mess. All the fights are happening simultaneously and there is constant cutting back and forth between them. This means that all the fights struggle to build up any momentum before quickly cutting away at the most jarring of times.

-On that note, the fights aren't that impressive barring the two I mentioned before. They don't really have anything to offer in either story or spectacle. It's a bunch of pretty basic fights where we are given focus to some of the blandest characters in the series. -While this arc is built around the students going against their worst opponents, there isn't a lot of interesting growth or dynamics. Of all the side characters, we got Mineta and Koda, who aren't that engaging to read about, nor are they developed in engaging ways.

-In spite of the greater focus on character and having tangible threat of loss, this still suffers from a lot of school arcs suffer from. An educational setting like this doesn't have much tension to it. All we really have are the fights, which aren't that good.

=Yeah, this is quite the rough patch between a lot of stellar arcs. I hoped that it was merely a victim of placement, and it had its good points, but that arc is such a mess that it's hard to get much out of it. Not the worst, but not one that I am eager to revisit.

MLA Arc: (4/10)

+The MLA is an interesting concept. A political cult wanting to give power back by letting people use their Quirks without oversight. There's a lot of interesting perspectives for that topic, both in and out of the MLA, for why people may or may not want this to happen.

+Tomura is easily the MVP of the arc. His speech to Garaki was good, but his backstory with the highlight. Seeing the sheer lengths that the world, his family, and All For One poisoned Tenko into this being of pure hatred was equal parts engaging and tragic.

+Toga's backstory was good as well. While I have my issues with how nebulous Quirk Therapy is, that ultimately doesn't detract from it. It sets up the ideas of love and it's the expression and repression that prevail in her character and their importance going forward.

+I like Re-Destro in this arc. He parallels Tomura as a rage-fueled heir to a criminal legend, but contrasts it by being someone who is totally in control of his feelings and power, as well as being successful as running the empire that was left behind by Destro.

-This arc introduces Awakenings. I have never liked this concept, even when it is first revealed. It felt more like a lazy way to give characters power ups when it was convenient. This was especially the case with Toga, even if it fits with her whole love theme.

-The MLA Executives aren't interesting villains. They're one note obstacles to the LOV. I get not every character will get focus, but you think the heads of this massive group of would be given some depth, especially with a basis of the MLA has so many angles to cover.

-The barely functional LOV somehow beating and taking over the biggest group of villains in the country is such a massive leap in threat and scale. For them to survive the fight, let alone totally dominate, feels like Hori needed to hand them the win for the story.

-Following that, this is where a lot of the rushed pacing. It seems as though that the story and characters are trying to rush the story as fast as possible to get it to the point where it needs to be rather than taking its time to make sure all of the steps are set up beforehand.

=I know this arc is a fandom darling, but I really don't care for a majority of it. For me, it's few strong moments to hold up this ultimately weak arc. Especially since it's where a lot of the flaws of the later half of My Hero Academia came to the forefront for me.

Battle Trial Arc: (5/10)

+The arc does a good job of establishing the weight of heroics in the world. While Aizawa laid the foundation, showing how the students failed in the trial in their own ways shows just how much pressure that goes into hero work. The recap of all the flaws and mishandling of the training exercise is really neat.

+This does a great job of showing off Izuku's value as a fighter and as a character. In spite of having the strongest Quirk around, his brain is his most valuable weapon, able to plan around somehow who vastly outclasses him. His vocal declaration of Deku being the name of the hero is such a simple yet powerful moment for him.

+In fact, that fight itself is super neat. Izuku has a limited ace in the hole, but Bakugou has a massive advantage in skill and a psychological edge. Meanwhile Uraraka has to deal with the villainous Iida. It makes for a fun dynamic in the fight on how everyone plays off each other in personality and powers.

+All the character establishment is well handled, something hard for any series. We get a solid mix up of the dynamic between Izuku and Bakugou, good understanding of Iida and Uraraka while having foundational moments for Shoto and Momo. Plus, Ojiro and Hagakure had a cute little moment in there as well.

-None of that is extended to any of the other characters. Again, with all of these characters together, it would have been a really good chance to establish more about them as an ensemble cast. Even if it was only in minor ways like the previous examples it would have helped a lot going forward and made them feel less like cut outs.

-By extension, we only got the one fight out of the arc. Look, I'm not asking Hori to make five extra chapters here. All I'm saying is that I think that it would have been a good chance to get a better showing of the characters’ abilities and personalities by having them fight and bounce off each other before moving forward.

-Look, I know I keep harping on the art, but its flaws become a lot more apparent when trying to do action scenes. It can make certain motions seem a lot more awkward than cool. Again, this may just be hindsight, but it was pretty distracting coming back to read this seeing how much the art hindered the experience.

-The structure of this arc is so bizarre in how it's laid out. The actual order of the panels seems like things are happening oddly or even out of order. Seriously, go back and read the lead up to Izuku confronting Bakugou at the end. It's janky as all get out. This is not helped by the pretty sloppy artwork with the characters.

=The first real fight of the series and it goes off with a bang. I do think this fight is a highlight of the early series, delivering powerful emotional moments and unique dynamic, both in combat and character. Though the series is still green and the early flaws of the series being the most prevalent here really holds it back.

PLF War Arc: (5/10)

+Izuku has some of his strongest character work here. Push to the brink, he regresses back to that totally destructive mindset and constant doubt of his early series version. And having the arc resolve with him having empathy for Tomura after everything he did is just great. No issue with how he was handled this time around.

In fact, I think a lot of the character stuff is pretty strong. Bakugou gets a nice moment by saving Izuku, Enji has to go through some of the harshest development when faced with Tomura and Dabi, and Uraraka is confronted with the most moral complexities of villains. And hey, the arc actually got me to like Miruko.

+The rest of the villains were solid as well. I really like the stuff with Hawks and Double. It works as a nice microcosm of a lot of the conflicts about heroes and the world's inability to understand villains and their issues. Toga's growth and confrontation Uraraka over understanding hero’s savings villains is all around good.

+The Dabi reveal was amazing. What was such a predictable plot point was turned into this amazing reveal, doing a total one eighty and Dabi's character for me. You take this melancholy loser and make it so he dances and reveals in all the suffering he is causing Endeavor. It's great to see it pay off in such a bombastic and impactful way.

-This arc continues the unfortunate trend of Tomura's power creep. His already insane level of power has skyrocketed without any sort of in between. And Tomura getting possesed is one of the dumbest things to happen in the story, robbing Tomura of all his character and agency in favor of someone else stealing his spotlight.

-Not everything is great on the heroes' side. Midnight's death is one a terribly handled aspect of the story, made even worse by Gran Torino somehow surviving and is the only notably causality on the hero's side. And while I get it's supposed to be Kirishima's moment, having Mina set up and undermine like that feels mean spirited.

-Some of the villains in this were let down. All of the relevant MLA members get off screened. I get they aren't the most important, but you think there could be someone more. Then there are the High Ends. You introduce a squad as dangerous as Hood, have them be an issue with one hero, and then kill them all. What was even the point?

-Aside from the Dabi reveal, all the other ones fall flat. Mr. Compress' backstory is here and gone. Oboro is a literal who that requires supplementary material to know who he even is. Mirio comes back with little fanfare and contributes next to nothing in his fight. And Best Jeanist's return raises so many questions, and not in a good way.

=I get this arc is super popular, but for me, it's one of extreme highs and extreme lows. When it's good, it's really good, but when it's bad, it's pretty awful. It's like for every positive, there's an equal negative in the same field. I ultimately believe that the good outweighs the bad, but not enough to make me rank it any higher.

USJ Arc (6/10)

+This arc goes zero to one hundred real quick and it's great. We go from low stakes practice to everything going wrong. The villains are attacking, the adults are out of commission, and All Might is nowhere around. It does a really good job of making this tension situation with real danger, making the pays off that more powerful.

+This is where we get more from the UA characters, doing a surprisingly good job of characterizing a lot of them in spite of having such a short time span, giving a lot of their characters their own moment to show off. Same with the teachers, with us getting more layers to the teachers, like Aizawa genuine care of the students.

+This is where a lot of Izuku's major character traits come about, really show off how much of natural leader he is and just he proficient he is in planning. What's more is the self-image and self-destructive issues come to light, such as giving up the president spot and when he tries to save All Might, adding a lot more to his own character.

+All Might is handled really well in this arc. Not only does it give us a deeper glimpse into his character, but just how he's handled thematically. It goes a good job of showing All Might's power with how he and how hopeless things are without him yet gives us a reminder that power is fading and is one a time limit.

+This may just be hindsight, but I like Tomura for this arc. He's the big bad but is almost constantly undermined and humiliated at every other turn, both physically and ideologically. It's a subversion that's hilarious in the moment but does set him up well for further development and helps parallel him with Izuku's own growth.

-Again, a lot of the early series flaws are present here. It legitimately feels like there are panels missing from the pages or that the panels are really awkwardly structured, such as a having a big moment in a tiny panel or panels not flowing well from one to another. It can make it a very jarring read and takes a lot from the experience.

-Man, for being the climatic fight of the arc, the actual battle with the Nomu and All Might feels super underwhelming. It may just be that the anime spoiled me, but it lacks a lot of impact a fight like this needs, the art doesn't convey the action, and is over pretty quickly. It makes the ending feel pretty flaccid, especially for the first big arc.

-While the main players of the villains’ side are cool, it does feel like a lot of minions leave some to be desired. Seriously, outside of Izuku's group, it doesn't feel like any of the students are under real threat from the horde of minions. It can make it seem like a lot of initial villains were pretty empty outside of the three heavy hitters.

=A big arc that finally expands the world and threats outside the school. Which it does a pretty fine job of. It's not exactly the same high of the anime, but it isn't too bad either. I think it works best when you see it as the punctuation to set up for the greater story. Now that it's done, we can start moving on to the real meat.

Endeavor Agency Arc: (6/10)

+I like the opening chapter about interviews. Besides the fact that most of the gags land and how I've really wanted to see the kids learn stuff like this, I really like the world building behind Super Moves. That they aren't just aces in the hole for a hero, they are a means of brand recognition that help solidify a hero's image.

+The Christmas part was just plain cute. I'm all for the characters doing non-plot stuff like this and I like a lot of the gags with it. All the different gifts people get, the background gag of Mina trying to dress Bakugou, and Eri getting all the holidays mixed up. It's a fun little break that doesn't mess up the plot or pacing too much.

+The family drama was well handled. I think it's interesting how Hori handled the family dynamics of the Todorokis. He gave each of the members their own perspective on a complicated situation, but doesn't invalidate any of them, nor does he try to quickly redeem Enji or say that any one of the family members needs to accept him.

+In fact, Enji is great this arc. Besides the small ways he is humanized on a more personal level and the natural dynamics he has with the characters, it does a great job by trying to separate the ideas of atonement and forgiveness in the arc and what the two really mean, something I believe is key to understanding Endeavor's story.

+The pacing of the arc is near perfect. Everything gets the attention it needs in the time it needs and nothing feels like wasted time or out of place. It goes a great job of setting up the next arc with Hawks' spying and Tomura's growth without detracting from the current plot.

-For an arc called the Endeavor Agency, there isn't a lot of time spent at the agency. The trio isn't learning about being heroes or having their characters really bounce off each other, whether it with their Quirks or overall personalities, skipping right to the end of it. It feels like a lot more could have been done with these three together.

-There are some worrying trends that come with this arc. Like how instead of getting anything with the agency, everything was frustratingly skipped over in a time jump. Then Izuku learns how to use "Black Whip" way too fast, mastering this wild power in a week. It contributes a lot to the rushed feelings of the later arcs.

-Ending is super lame. His design is middling, his power isn't that great, and his whole motivation is just worse Stain. I wouldn't harp on him as much if he were a bit villain, but Hori could have done more with him considering his importance to this arc. Heck, Starchild was more interesting and he's barely in this story.

=An arc that is often lost and forgotten by being sandwiched between two larger, series defining arcs. Which is a real shame because I think it offers quite a bit with all the drama doing on with the Todorokis and the levity of the early chapters. All around a pretty solid arc and does a lot to set up the next big arc well.

Entrance Exam Arc: (7/10)

+If I was rating solely on chapters, Chapter 1 would get a perfect ten. It does such a good job of setting up the world, the characters, the themes, the tone, and the conflicts in the amount of time it has. It's such an amazing foundation for everything going forward. It's honestly impressive all the leg work it does this early on.

+The exam is set up really well. Having there be Hero Points and the Level Zero robots was a smart way for Izuku to have his cake and eat it. He still gets to have his moment of heroic sacrifice, but it was that noble spirit was what got him that spot in the first place. Him finally getting in is such as powerful emotional moment as well.

+The whole reveal of "One For All" is such a good endpoint and hook for the series going forward. Izuku may have been gifted the greatest power in the world, but now has to deal with some of the most dangerous drawbacks in the whole series to limit it, still keeping the stakes giving him plenty of room to develop his power.

+The arc does emotional moments really well. All Might telling Izuku he can be a hero, Izuku triumphantly standing on top of the trash pile, to him rushing to the forefront to save Uraraka. Again, in spite such a limited amount of panel time, it makes each moment feel so much bigger and more impactful then it has any right to be.

+On that note, it does a great job of endearing and connecting you to characters. Izuku's position as an underdog is immediately sympathetic, as is All Might's unenviable role as the top hero. Which I think is a real achievement given how early we're into the manga and how hard it can be to establish characters in the beginning.

-As for the rest of it, most of it's just Izuku training and doing the exam. That's it. It's not terrible and it really goes to show Izuku's dedication to being a hero, but it's not something to really write home about. This could simply be that the first chapter was that good, but it's not as exciting going forward.

-Some of the early art is kind of rough. This could just be because I'm more used to the cleaner style of the later chapters, but it comes across as rather jagged for a lot of the characters. This doesn't feel like a intentional style choice, more of a series finding its footing and with the art style and designs needing refinement.

-This extends to the major players of this arc. Again, benefit of hindsight, but it they seem more like exaggerated versions of themselves. All Might comes across as a lot more callous, and even with the worst version of himself, Bakugou telling Izuku to jump off a roof seems really out of character for him.

=Ah, back in the days that My Hero Academia was the little manga that could. First impressions are equal parts important and difficult, so it really is an accomplishment that the arc is as well put together as it is. It all works as a great foundation for the story. With such a strong start, it's no surprise that it got pick up for more chapters.

Pro Hero Arc: (7/10)

+While the last few arcs did some leg work, the Pro Hero Arc did a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to Enji's character. It takes this one note antagonist and actually makes him the underdog hero while still acknowledging all the bad stuff he did. It's honestly impressive how well this was pulled off given its starting point.

+The fight of Hood was great. Not only does it involve two of the most visually interesting and versatile fighters we've had thus far, giving a lot of ways to mix up the fight, but it manages to pull out some really strong emotional moments. This mixed with the pitch perfect pacing, and stellar art makes for an enjoyable experience.

+Hawks is such an enjoyable addition to the cast. Not only does he have an amazing design and power, but he’s also such a fun personality to hang around with. What seems like a total slacker, goofball is one of the most perceptive and skill heroes around. You're just interested in seeing what he does and how he bounces off Enji.

+And then it all gets flipped upside down by the end of the arc. Hawks was a kid raised to be a hero and is now going to infiltrate the League. Not only does this raise a lot of intrigue for the upcoming story, but it feels like such a massive upset from what we've seen of Hawks and the hero world as whole to have this happen.

+The out of battle stuff was nice as well. Besides Izuku getting his first fan in Kota, the fall out of the Todoroki's was well handled. In spite of his attempts at redemption, Enji's still hurt people and they aren't going to forgive him. It would have been so easy for quick forgiveness, but this makes Enji and Shoto's story all the stronger.

+The flash backs we got at the end with Izuku were pretty cool. It's interesting to see All For One in his younger years and how his empire camp to be. In the frightening world of Quirks with desperate people, his power to give and take power made him a king. It's a unique way to put him in power while still fitting within the world building.

-The other pro heroes have… neat designs. Look, for an arc that's supposed to be about the top heroes of Japan, there is shockingly little shown outside of Hawks and Endeavor. While they are the main characters, you couldn't have thrown a bone to the other characters? Maybe even revealed their Quirks or show off their personalities?

-Hood isn't that amazing of a villain. He's certainly a physical threat, but the fact that he's an intelligent Nomu doesn't really factor much into his character. He wants to fight, but that doesn't really give us much to work from. It feels like Enji is fighting some reflection or contrast and just something he needs to set on fire.

=Yeah, this was surprisingly good. The fact that Hori was able to turn around Enji’s to this degree is really impressive, but I do think that there is a lot more going on with the arc. It’s a good break from the main cast to flesh out the world and develops a lot of interesting ideas and plot points with the introduction of Hawks.

Culture Festival Arc: (8/10)

+Gentle and La Brava are great. They're so wonderful and different from everyone else. Their status as total jokes, both in and out of the series, betrays the fact that both are competent in their own ways and have a lot of care for one another. They're good set up for the later humanization of the villains of the series.

+I like the fight between Gentle and Izuku. Gentle's power is so cool to see in action and leads to an interesting fight dynamic. He isn't stronger than Izuku, but he's so tricky to deal with that it gives him an edge. It feels less like a brawl and more of the two trying to outfox each other, making it more distinct from other fights.

+This works as a good breather and much needed break from the more dower tone for the last few arcs, making for a comforting read. On that note, this is hands down the funniest arc in the whole series. Gentle and La Brava alone would qualify this arc for it, but a lot of the students have some good gags sprinkled throughout.

+I like a lot of the character bits we get. Not only does this arc actually develop Jiro and Eri, but it ties well into some of the general themes of the series. With how everyone is battered after the raid. It shows the kind of pressure that heroes go through and the importance of other kinds of heroics like Jiro's music.

+Not only does the arc establish the point of heroes saving people without fighting in Eri and Jiro's storyline, but the humanization of villains I mentioned before. La Brava and Gentle are both sad victims of circumstance who found strength outside the system in each other. It's affectively a microcosm of the major villains of the story.

-As much as I like this arc, I can admit it goes through kind of a whiplash plot and tone wise. Going from the Shie Hassaikai Arc to this is still pretty jarring to have everything stop and be light on both. I still like it, but I sometimes get the feeling of looking at my watch and wondering when things will be moving forward.

-There really should have been more exploration of the students. If you're going to do a plot light arc based around the school, it would have been a great time to see more of the students. If not from Class 1-B, who are major focuses of the next arc, then at least some of the lesser seen students could have had something going on.

=Probably one of my more controversial picks. I know this arc gets dogged on a lot by the fans, but I think that is wholly underserved. I thought it had a lot of value, even beyond its lighthearted story. And hey, I'm fine with taking breaks from the plot if I believe what's happening is worthwhile, and I certainly think it's worthwhile.

Sports Festival Arc: (8/10)

+In spite the low stakes of sport events, the arc manages to keep the tension up and mix things up with all the strategy and powers at play. Sure, running an obstacle course or doing a cavalry race isn't that cool on paper, but actively fighting against a horde of another students all with their own powers keeps it interesting.

+This arc really shows off some of Izuku's finest qualities. It was interesting seeing Izuku try and plan his way around the events given his huge disadvantages and amazingly shows off his character. Everything from his planning abilities, his skill in leading other people, and his genuine desire to save other people.

+Shoto was certainly the dark horse of the arc. While set up to be important early on, I don't think anyone could have predicted just how well his character and back story was done. That backstory really starts to delve into the darker themes of the story with his father, one of the top heroes, being an abuser that used his kids as tools.

+Of course, the Shoto vs Izuku fight is amazing. There is no contesting this. This is one of Izuku's most defining moments, effectively throwing away at chance at winning just to save Shoto. It ends in an emotional climax of Shoto regaining his power and Izuku losing, making for an subversion that makes sense and is satisfying. +The other side character work is done well, giving us more layers to them. Like hints of Iida's more vengeful side, Uraraka having this frightening amount of drive, and Bakugou showing some real respect to other people. It helps to subvert and expand on the characters, all while delving into more of their motivations and goals.

+This character work extends into more world building, especially with the new side characters. Shinso do a lot to build up the unfair the world can be in regard to Quirks while Mei introduces other aspects of the school and heroism as a whole. And this is all while they're both still fun characters to read about in their own ways.

-As for what happens in the rest of arc… it's pretty good. If you remove the highlight moments, most of the arc doesn't stand out as much in terms of what actually happens in it. I don't think it's bad by any means, but it's not something as amazing or exciting as the few highs of this arc and tends to skew a lot of people's perspectives.

-This extends to the other fights as well. Outside of the one standout I mentioned before, there isn't anything that spectacular to me brings up some frustrations like how Izuku was saved from Shinso by a Deus Ex Machina. Heck, the impetus of Momo's whole character arc is relegated to a single cartoonish panel summarizing the fight.

=I know this is a fandom darling and I feel a lot of that comes from the anime adaptation. To me, when looking at the manga, it's an arc of some extreme highs, but was above average to good with the rest of it. Certainly not my favorite but still a good arc.

Forest Training Camp Arc: (9/10)

+As someone who really likes to explore the mechanics of Quirks and hero work, I enjoy the various ways these Quirks can be trained and evolved and what kind of roles and pressures they would have to handle. Sure, cooking isn't something we really think about with heroes, but it makes sense to know that for disaster work.

+It's really satisfying to see Tomura use all the lessons he's used thus far, putting aside his short-sighted schemes in favor of a more thought out goal with a plan to turn the narrative against the heroes and capturing Bakugou. That mix with the inherent threats of the villains makes the League seem like a serious contender.

+A lot of the villains are pretty good. They don't have a lot of depth right now, but they don't really need to for the purposes they serve. They are all established enough in their own ways that they are interesting to see and makes you want to know more about them, leaving things open for use to learn more about them later.

+I like a lot of the minor stuff we got with the students. A lot of the pre battle antics are good at fleshing them out, but they really start to shine in the second half of the arc. Whether it be as active players in the arc, like Tokoyami and Shoji, or setting up for their own stories, like with Uraraka and Aoyama, it's all good stuff to read.

+Izuku vs Muscular fight is great. There's some real tension with Kota being threatened, we see Izuku being more emotionally and physically broken than any other point in the series. Only for him to overcome it with one of the most emotional panels in the series. The Million Percent Smash being such a perfect punctuation with the whole battle.

+I appreciate the arc ending on such a dower note. In spite everyone's efforts, the villains won. They kidnaped Bakugou, a huge portion of the students are in critical condition, and there is a potential mole within the walls of UA. It works as an affective low point for the next arc to build off of for the story.

+And in spite of the dark tone, the arc still manages to be really funny, like all the small interactions between characters, like Shoto subtlety throwing shade at Bakugou. And I standby that Izuku suddenly getting punched in the nuts is still one of the funniest moments in the entire series. I will die on this hill.

+This arc hits a perfect balance of pacing. The first half of the story is full of fun antics and lighter moments between the characters while the latter half is full of highly emotional action with a new gallery of rogues. And when it hits the ground, it hits hard and fast, never letting up on the fights and intrigue with the characters.

=While not as groundbreaking as some of the higher ups, I still hold this arc in a special place. Everything from the characters, to the fights, to the emotional beats are all handled so well that I often consider it the best of arc of the series. Even if you twist my arm, the only fault it has is that I simply like the other arcs more than it.

Stain Arc: (9/10)

+The art style drastically improves this arc. While I certainly saw a leap in quality once we got to the Sports Festival, the manga really starts to hit its stride once we reach Stain. The characters have more detail to them, the backgrounds pop a lot more, and the paneling is handled a lot better, making for a stronger experience.

+I like a lot of stuff with hero names and internships. Agian, it's a quick and easy way to help us understand and endear ourselves to the character while still developing the bigger ones, such as Iida's uncertainty as a hero after his brother’s injury or Bakugou trying to learn more about the social nuances of being a hero.

+The Full Cowl was such a good idea. The bone breaking was a neat gimmick to start with, but ultimately unsustainable concept. This offers a good side grade that still fits within the power. It gives Izuku far less power but grants him more control and a way to measure his progress throughout the series.

+Tomura and Izuku get some much-needed development. This arc sees them both growing beyond their world view when faced with an outside force, with Stain acting as their reality check. It sets up how the two will grow opposites throughout the series and further reinforcing the two parallels of our two main leads.

+Shoto and Iida get some time to break out of their original shells. While it's nice to see Shoto being far less cold to people, Iida going on a revenge quest is such a drastic yet believable turn for him. Having his righteous vengeance turn on its head and how such a thing would only sully the family name is all great stuff to read.

+Stain is such a great villain. He commands every single scene he's in and always remains a real threat in spite of his lackluster ability. Though the real meat is how much he's able to challenge the world and characters we see. The man has an iron clad code, one that makes he ready to lift up or deconstruct anyone he comes across.

+The fight with Stain is great. Stain is outgunned and outnumbered, but never outmatched, having much greater skill and what amounts to a one hit KO. That mixed with the closed off arena gives him a massive advantage. It's such a uniquely balanced fight and leads to a lot of interesting back and forth, yet still makes Stain a real threat.

+It feels like there were some real consequences to this arc. Stain wasn't some one-off villain, he changed everything, inspiring more villains and building up for the next big arc. Then there are hints to All For One, the who harmed All Might, being behind everything. It builds up a lot of intrigue for the rest of the story.

=Yeah, there is a good reason everyone talks about this arc. While Stain is the standout figure of this part, I do think it does a disservice to the rest of the arc to only bring up him. It's able to balance so much so well with how each of the characters grow and all meet up in fight. So yeah, it's well worth all the hype it gets.

Hideout Raid Arc: (10/10)

+This handles a lot of the aftermath of Forest Camp Arc well. All the students emotionally handling things and the teachers dealing with the fallout being well done. Giving Izuku a very real threat of damage to his body if he keeps pushing himself too far, set up some real stakes for his training and any future battles he has.

+I like a lot of minor moments between the students. Things like the debate at the beginning of whether or not to save Bakugou helps flesh out the class a lot. Then the bit of Momo and Iida keeping their friends from rushing in are good moments for them while still establishing just how big of a threat All For One is.

+And this is the arc where I think Bakugou clicked for me. We got hints of his depth before, but this is where it comes together. It gives us such an interesting peek into his headspace, like the view we got of his home life and getting his perspective on the concept of heroism and how it ties into winning for him.

+All For One's reveal was handled so well. The shadowy man we've heard so much about comes out with a devastating attack, destroying any opposition and horrifying the nearby students. It's nothing truly groundbreaking, but It's all presented so well that it elevates so much in the eyes of the reader as an impossible threat.

+The All For One vs All Might fight is one of the highest, if not the highest peaks in the series. What else could I possibly say? The beats are simple, but the execution is nigh perfect. The back and forth of the two, the reveal of Small Might, the second wind of power, All Might learning from Izuku, and the United States of Smash. All amazing.

+And while many people remember the main fight, I think the aftermath is just as good. The conflict between Izuku, Inko, and Toshinori is so natural and gripping, with Inko wanting to protect Izuku in spite of his dreams and this in turn hardening's Toshinori to the resolve of his new mission of training Izuku.

+Said aftermath sets up some many interesting and exciting plot points. The fall out of All For One's capture, All Might needing to deal with his life after being a hero, Izuku having to bear the weight of "One For All", Bakugou feeling guilt over All Might losing his spot, and the still immature Tomura now being out on his own.

+The tone is really well handled here. It gets pretty grim, but it doesn't get so dark that it takes you out of the experience and hits all the hopeful moments just right. And again, the comedy is oddly strong here. All Might opening his big entrance with a pizza delivery line and the rescue gang trying clothes on in a thrift store.

=Now, I don't need to tell you why this is good. What you may be asking is why it's not at the top. While I do think that All Might vs All For One is amazing and a good chunk of the arc, but there's still the rest of it. Again, it's some good stuff that gets overshadow a lot, but it's another case of something so amazing elevating the rest of the arc.

Shie Hassaikai Arc: (10/10)

+Not only is this arc unique from all the other arcs thus far, giving us our first real look at the hero world, the arc is great technically as well. It's always keeping up my interest and doesn't drag on at any point. The art is really good, especially with the character designs. Everything is as long as it needs to be, and nothing feels awkward.

+I really like how Izuku is handled here. He has been defined by his self-image issues but tackling that as All Might's successor is interesting. It does everything in its power to make you question if he was worthy, yet is always showing you his merits, namely his relentless will to help people no matter the threat may be.

+Sir Nighteye and Mirio are both good characters as well. They do work to contrast's Izuku own feelings and his role but are still enjoyable characters in their own right. Mirio as a hard-working hero with a good heart and Sir Nighteye as a fatalistic naysayer are both great in their own ways.

+In fact, a lot of the side characters are good in it. Kirishima gets a lot of good development, Tamaki is fun to read as the shy dork he is, Rock Lock presents a unique perspective on hero students, and Fat Gum is Fat Gum. Even with the more minor characters, they stand out enough to be interesting in spite of their lack of panel time.

+To me, this is the arc where Tomura really hits his stride as a villain. Without any proper support, he grows into the leader needs to be the League. Not only does this lead to some of his best moments and sets up his story but adds some much needed layers to the burgeoning villain, showing some real care for his teammates.

+Overhaul is such a great villain. Not only is he a massive threat in power, resources, and overall abilities, he acts as a good foil not only to Izuku, but to Tomura as well while still being his own character. His plan and goal are so unique for the setting, yet offer a frightening endgame, effectively controlling the supply and demand of Quirks.

+By extension, I think this does a lot to characterize the rest of the villains. Obviously, Twice and Toga get the bulk of it, building them up as people beyond their gimmicks, but the rest of the League gets their own moments to shine. This extends to the yakuza minions, who I think are my favorite ensemble of villains in the series.

+This arc ends on such a great note. Sir Nighteye's death crushes the heroes' side in spite the reconciliation. Meanwhile, Tomura gets out like champ, getting revenge on Overhaul and leaving with a dangerous weapon in his hands. It's a good way to start the slow shift of the dynamic between heroes and villains going forward.

=So while this doesn't think this hits the same highs as the Hideout Raid, I think it does accomplish more with its scope. It has a lot more to juggle in comparison to the Hideout Raid and pulls it off with flying colors. It obviously doesn't hit the same peaks, but holds as consistently level of quality, making me prefer it.

[weirwoodsugar]

ok I’ve been thinking about the whole “dragons don’t plant trees” line and I’m wondering what the whole point of her arc is. like is it inevitable that she does something horrible because she’s “destined” to cuz of her ancestry? is her struggle against herself pointless cuz she will end up doing w/e she’s destined to anyways? is it just her own personal belief of what she fundamentally is that she’s using as justification for w/e she’s gonna do? is it just meant to be a bit vague for the reader to make up their mind? (I’m going with the latter option since it seems like grrms MO)

anyways sorry if this is rambly and hard to comprehend and have a good one ✌️

ok so short answer: none of the above there's still so much story left! dany is wrong about dragons and wrong about herself, but she's going to learn. long and meandering answer that won't actually answer your question: i do not think "destiny" plays any particular role here, and i don't think there's anything inevitable about her future decisions. dany’s understanding of What Dragons Are is flawed in the same way all targ’s understanding of dragons is flawed because they HAVE dragons but they’ve lost a great deal of what dragons can actually do and their understanding of dragons exclusively as instruments of destruction and conquest in based in that lack. the lasting legacy of valyria which can still be seen and interacted with in the time the novels take place are their roads, their masonry (like at dragonstone) and their metalwork: these are things that dragons BUILD. this is the big thing that was lost after the doom: dragons are forces of both destruction and creation and they are also a secret third thing which is actual living intelligent animals, members of a larger ecosystem, not symbols or instruments or metaphors. i'll make the prairie comparison because i'm a prairie liker: a prairie is an ecosystem of incredible beauty and complexity and biodiversity which cannot exist without burning. fire is not just necessary for life but an active agent in creating it. dany is a fundamentally heroic character who is going to learn stuff the hard way, & her struggle is a classic struggle of the revolutionary in literature: the friction between what the revolutionary believes themselves to be capable of and what the revolution actually requires of them. and the revolution demands that dragons learn to plant trees! dany does not fuck with “inevitability” as a rule and when told she doesn’t have a choice about something her response is generally Ok Then Watch This. even when it’s her own beliefs about what Targaryens and Dragons Are that are backing her into a corner i believe this holds. destiny and inevitability and the presumed destructive nature of dragons are all traps that she may trip into but that won't ultimately be able to hold her. do i think thismeans dany's Not Going To Do Anything Bad Actually, no lol there are two books left and it seems likely that things are going to get pretty gnarly b4 we reach her final act. but dany is a character that Zags On 'Em, she Finds Another Way, and that's what i think is going to ultimately define her arc.

[vyladromeave]

all of them >:)

jkjk

17 and 27?

17. any headcanons you're attached to?

BOY DO I HAVE SOME HEADCANONS IM ATTACHED TO. First off this post is required reading. its over a year old and its all stuff i stand by pretty strongly in regards to vylad. lets just start there.

ok hmmmmmmm see now this is hard for me because you could ask me about any specific like character or location or concept within mcd and i could give you headcanons for them immediately i have too many options. here's what I'm going to do I'm going to open the aphmau wiki and randomize a page on the mcd characters section and whatever I land on is what I'm going to talk about here i go.

I GOT KENMUR OK ITS KENMUR TIME. Well first off he's bi4bi and t4t with emmalyn so jot that down. Emmalyn is more on the history and literature side of things, but Kenmur is much more on the science side, he likes reverse-engineering things and he likes understanding how things work. He doesn't usually get as visibly excited over findings as Emmalyn does, but they are still very much equal in nerdiness.

Despite him going to the Irene Dimension, we don't get a lot of his thoughts about the weird stuff that happens to/around him in canon. I think he'd be very interested in Irene's Dimension, not necessarily because it's Irene's, but because it's a weird weird place with weird rules about how you enter and leave and how time flows while you're there and that's fascinating to him. He would've loved talking about the process of Zoey's portal activation with her if she wasn't so cagey about it.

I'm not big on the whole "Sasha was his fiancee thing" but I do like the idea of them being friends :) And I ESPECIALLY like the idea of him trying to figure out how to cope with the fact that a lot of the people he knew and grew up with turned into Shadowknights. Sasha, Laurance, even Hayden's guard, these were people he knew who all just died around him, some of which becoming much worse people for it. Shadowknights are so poorly understood that nobody (not even Shadowknights!) seems to really understand how it works or why it happens, and that frustrates him deeply. I think he'd be very interested in studying Shadowknights, but also feels very weird about asking Laurance to essentially be his lab rat. So he just quietly makes notes whenever he notices something weird and moves on. World's First Shadowknight Scholar!

27. what's something really interesting that you wished canon decided to explore more? alternatively, what's something interesting that you wished the fandom acknowledged more?

this question is fun because its actually two questions in one which means i get to spend more time talking heehee. there's pleeeenty of stuff in canon, not to go Kenmur-mode but we still barely have anything on how Shadowknights actually work aside from "you died oh noooo now you have to kill someone." This is not helped by how much conflicting information we get.

We ALSO also don't get a lot on how the magicks system works??? Oh everyone has magicks but not really but also kinda but you have to find it and some abilities are passive (Kiki can talk to animals all the time) but also most are active (KC animates dolls, gets tired when she uses it too much, its a big ordeal she has to work up to) and also some are so well-documented that there are entire categories for them (WHAT THE HELL IS BARRIER MAGICKS. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THATS JUST A WELL-KNOWN THING. EVERYONE ELSE HAS UNIQUE ABILITIES AND THEN THERES JUST "BARRIER MAGICKS" WHAT DOES THIS MEAN) and also maybe magicks are passed on by blood but also maybe not and also theres WITCHES now fuck you. And they hate magicks users for noooo reason despite "magick" being incredibly poorly defined at best. What is a curse? How do potions work??? Cursed Objects???? Cursed AMULETS????? WHY????????????? At least they tried to explain things about Shadowknights, when it came to magicks they just fucking gave up. I know its like this because they just used magicks as the macguffin of the week and had no plans on actually developing how it works, but i would literally kill to see plans on how they intended for this to work.

Interesting things Fandom should acknowledge is also fun. There are many. There are so many. I think the politics side of mcd is VERY interesting and very rarely looked at by fans, which is shocking to me considering how central it is to mcd's plot. Because despite the title of "Lord" there IS no active monarchy in Ru'aun, and that's BECAUSE of Irene (which was incredibly based of her), which changes the definition of Lord entirely. ITS REALLY NEAT!! O'khasis has a council!! Who the fucks on it? I don't know!!! But they have a council!!! Isn't that exciting?? This is not a joke I mean this so genuinely. Do you ever wonder if maybe the High Priest is on that council and thats why Zane got the job. Do you ever wonder if there's a reason someone so young and literally THE SON OF THE LORD got put into a position so early? Do you think having that extra vote on Garte's side helped things crumble at a quicker rate than it had been previously?? I do. I wonder these things. And you should too. please.

And SPEAKING of Irene being incredibly based, she did in fact do some things that are incredibly based!!! I know most people like to write her as a Secretly Malevolent God™, which like fair whatever I like to give her some evils too, but I really wish people would take more of a look at what was established about her in S1. There is a reason she is worshipped so widely by the people of Ru'aun and it's because she Literally Is a hero of the people. I think people are generally blinded by how she was portrayed in MCD S3 and in Mystreet that they forget that she was a person for a very long time before she lost it. Go back and look at some of the earlier Irene lore!!! I promise its much more complex and fun than "oooo your goddess is secretly evil and was never good and there is no hope or joy in the world ooooo."

(ask prompts from here!)

[so-i-grudgingly-joined-this-site]

I don't like Thessaly all that much and there is a lot of reasons to dislike her character but I do think there is a double standard when it comes to the whole transphobia thing espeically in comparison to George who is a clear out and out transphobic. And maybe there are reasons maybe George doesn't get hate is because he's a much more minor character compared to Thessaly who is still minor herself but has a bigger role or because people don't see Thessaly as being good for Dream which one can debate the other way as well though I do think Dream's overall morals are better than Thessaly's but I can't help but think it's down to misogyny or at least it's partly down to that. Like I said I don't like Thessaly but I also don't like the double standard of how women and men are treated differently and this also happens in real life.

Oh yeah, I'd definitely say misogyny is a large part of it. Fandom loves any excuse to hate on a female character, especially one who "gets in the way" of self-shipping or a more popular non-canon ship for their (usually male) fave. Thessaly just happens to be a rare case where she ALSO is legitimately terrible. The fact that she's also terrible in a way that corresponds to a current hot-topic issue likewise gives people easy "brownie points" for hating on her, because fans can frame it in a faux-activist way that comes across as "cool" on tumblr or twitter.

And as for George, I'm not sure if it's because he's a minor character, or, sadly, if it's more "expected" for a man to be cruel towards a woman. The fact that he's presented as villainous to begin with likewise gives him something of a "free pass" to express bigoted views, because hey, he's obviously supposed to be evil anyway. Thessaly is at least marginally heroic in that she's helping our protagonist Barbie (although she ultimately does more harm than good), so hearing her be bigoted is more potentially shocking and disappointing to a reader. Of course, this misses the major theme of the story where everyone, including powerful or divine figures, can be flawed, wrong, or bigoted. Neil himself emphasizes this in The Sandman Companion interviews about A Game of You: the moon rules are supposed to be taken as outdated/bigoted for only accepting menstruating people as women, and Thessaly isn't supposed to be a "heroic" or aspirational figure.

(Also, as a side note: The Companion also states that Dream and Thessaly were supposed to not make sense and be a "wtf why are they together?" type pair. However, given that The Companion often seems to be nudging readers to see Dream in a negative light, it's not exactly clear why they would be "obviously" bad for each other...)

I have to say, Thessaly's TERF reputation preceded her before I got to A Game of You in the comics, and I was actually surprised at how little of her personality that is compared to her other unpleasant actions. I expected her to be full-on "author-who-shall-no-longer-be-named", but basically she makes one transphobic comment before instead doing a spell that causes mass destruction and presumable mass death by moving the moon and thus bringing the storm into the city. She also cruelly sacrifices animals at multiple points in her appearances. I mean, it's all bad, obviously, but the fact that the fandom hones in on ONE particular thing to hate her for, out of the MANY reasons she's hate-able, makes me wonder how much is performative activism.

And on one last note... we all need to talk about Wanda more. Seriously. She's far more than just "groundbreaking representation" or "a victim of transphobia". The Sandman Companion rightly points out that she embodies the intended message of the arc: that everyone should be able to change and define themselves as they wish, the will of any alleged authority be damned. Plus, in a series where the central conflict of the protagonist is ultimately about needing to gain self-knowledge and the willingness to change...Wanda is the one who actually MANAGES that! She, a normal human person, does what an Endless cannot. Of course, the inspiration kind of falls flat in that both her and Dream end up equally tragically dead. But still, she's a very notable foil in the overall themes of The Sandman.

[moorishflower]

I got tagged by @softest-punk to talk about BOOKS

Rules: 10 (non-ancient) books for people to get to know you better, or that you just really like.

Idk how we're defining non-ancient but I'm going to assume nothing pre-1400s just because people are listing Shakespeare? Which means I can't include Beowulf :< But know that Beowulf is on here in my heart

The Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore. Hoo boy. Baby's first fantasy novels. I fell in love with Drizzt Do'urden LONG before I knew what being edgy or goth was, and I was absolutely fascinated by the intricate politics of Menzoberranzan, but even MORE fascinated by the Underdark. This terrifying, harsh alien landscape all in darkness, lit only sometimes by phosphorescent fungi, populated by monstrous creatures and inhuman beings with complex cultures...I was actively less interested in the Forgotten Realms books when Drizzt left the Underdark! To this day I'm really fascinated by survival literature and hostile landscapes, and I find things like deserts and cave systems to be extremely beautiful. Also, I had a crush on Jarlaxle, but so did everybody else, so.

Don Quixote (El ingenioso hidalgo don Quixote de la Mancha) by Miguel de Cervantes. I originally read Don Quixote in college, and I fell in love with how it played around with the idea of stories, and how we use them to view the world. I wrote an entire paper about how Don Quixote serves as a sort of trickster figure, because we're meant to learn from his mistakes, but there are honestly so many different ways you can read the text! Is he insane? Is he the ONLY person in the world trying to do the right thing, and its only the rigid outline of society that's actively preventing him from doing it? Also, has one of the single most important quotes to ever be put to a page. "There is no book so bad...that it does not have something good in it."

Dragon's Milk by Susan Fletcher. This was the first book about dragons that I read. I think it probably wouldn't hold up well if I read it again? But I remember being in love with it when I was about 9 or 10. It felt VERY gritty to me (there's death! injury! grief!) at the time, lol.

John Dies at the End by David Wong. HERE'S a book that taught me a lot about fucking around with genre conventions. I reread JDatE about three times in the beginning to make sure I was getting everything, and I still reread it like...once a year or two years or so? Horror is a really special genre to me because there's so much you can learn from it and use it to convey. JDatE was one of the first successful horror COMEDY novels I read.

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I couldn't possibly choose a single book, so don't ask me to! This is meant to be read as a series anyways, even more so than other series. King is one of my favorite authors, and I've read pretty much his entire body of work, but there's something special about The Dark Tower books. They're so huge, and far-reaching, and they accomplish so MUCH and manage to entwine so many different threads into one (nearly, no one's perfect, lol) cohesive whole. I'm sure there are a lot of fantasy and scifi novels that manage to weave as many threads as King does here, but man, there's something SO satisfying about being able to go through the Tower books, and recognizing all the references to so many other books by him. <3

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett. WORDS IN THE HEART CANNOT BE TAKEN. Fuck, what a good book. About personhood, about self determination, about acceptance. Feet of Clay is definitely THE City Watch book for me, followed very closely by Night Watch.

Inferno by Dante Alighieri. Does this count as ancient? I don't care. Inferno was one of my introductions to translation and how word choice can change the entire effect of a sentence. I read it first in middle school, on my own, and then more in depth in high school and college, and I used to keep my annotated copy by my bed in my dorm, so I could go through it whenever I was stressed. I got really into etymology because of Inferno, an interest I still have today!

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. When I read this in high school, the teacher for the class warned us that it was going to be a difficult read and that we would probably need a timeline she had made in order to follow along. But I didn't need the timeline. The leaps in time and space and narration all made perfect sense to me! It wasn't actually that hard to follow along, and the story being told between the words by Benjy was horrifying and fascinating and terribly sad! And then you got to the other parts and it was CONFIRMED to be horrifying and sad! Anyways The Sound and the Fury is a really cool example of nonlinear, unreliable, stream of consciousness narration and I like it a lot.

The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Just a really cool magic system. Really interesting worldbuilding. But it's the magic system that gets me.

Across the Acheron by Monique Wittig. Baby's first feminist lesbian book. I got Across the Acheron because I was intrigued by another version of Inferno. Instead, I figured out I wasn't straight! Like all feminist literature there's a lot of ways to read this and it probably hasn't held up as well as I would like, but I am indebted to it for like, letting 14 y/o me realize that not just liking boys was okay, so!

[glamgirlkayla]

30+ Girly Secrets to Be More Feminine & Draw Others with Your Softer Side

What is being feminine like? 

When a woman is feminine, she has a certain balance of behaviors, attributes, and biological and social characteristics of a typical woman.

Some people say that being feminine is also a state of mind, set of beliefs, and way of living. Basically, it’s a style or way of doing things. It comes from a combination of factors.

There are some people who think that being feminine is a flaw because it represents weakness and being less worthy than a man. But that’s not true at all.

Being feminine is beautiful and should be celebrated and respected.

What traits make a woman feminine?

Everyone has a different answer for what makes a woman feminine. However, there are some common traits that define femininity.

In general, women who are feminine tend to be more expressive, intuitive, and nurturing than men. They also care more about relationships.

Being feminine also involves caring about trying to look your best and have a sense of style. They make themselves look classy through clothes and makeup.

Overall, feminine women have good human qualities such as kindness, affection, understanding, and sensitivity. 

1. Free your mind

You probably didn’t think this was going to be a step, but it is. If you want to reconnect with your feminine side and want to know how to be feminine, you need to free your mind.

Being feminine is about being free. Stop focusing on how you’re not feminine enough or what femininity is to everyone else. Instead, just focus on doing what makes you feel comfortable and happy.

2. Become more vulnerable

We always assume vulnerability is being weak, but it’s not. Being vulnerable is about opening yourself up. If you’re always acting tough, your guard is constantly up. 

3. Receive compliments and help

Having someone hold a door open for you isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It doesn’t mean you’re weak; it shows respect and politeness. 

Instead of responding rudely, accept the help and kind gesture. If someone compliments you, accept the compliment by saying, “thank you.”

4. Practice self-care

This doesn’t mean you need to wax your whole body and get your nails done. Remember, physical appearance is only a small fraction of what being feminine means. Instead, practice self-care

Do things for yourself that make you happy. If you enjoy reading a book while taking a bath, do that. If you like yoga or going for walks, do those activities.

5. Don’t shy away from makeup

Natural beauty is very important, but so is enhancing it. There is no need to slap on tons of makeup to look good. 

As a rule of thumb, your makeup bag should contain these essentials: natural mineral veil powder, eyeliner, bronzer, mascara, and lip gloss.

6. You don’t always need to layer on make-up

On the other hand, many people believe femininity is all about make-up. It’s not. Sure, you can wear make-up and look more feminine, but femininity comes from within. 

7. Don’t be afraid to try new things

Being feminine isn’t about waiting at home for your partner with dinner ready on the table. That doesn’t make you feminine. 

If you want to reconnect with this side of yourself, try new things. If you’re more sporty, try something that’s completely opposite. Try painting or writing; explore your emotional side.

8. Dress like a lady

If you want to be a lady, then you have to dress like one. Steer clear from unflattering and formless clothes like baggy jeans and frumpy t-shirts. Don more skirts, dresses, and figure-flattering outfits.

Whether you opt for blood red or robin blue, don’t worry too much about the color palette as a real lady should be able to pull off any color, so long as it doesn’t clash with her skin tone or hair color. 

One very important tip: stay away from neon, unless you are attending a rave.

9. Explore different clothes

You might never wear high heels. Maybe when you put them on, you feel like you walk like a horse. But, if you wear them, you will feel sexy and confident.

Now, of course, don’t wear them all the time. But try something new because you might like it. Don’t be afraid to try new styles out; you may find something that you like.

10. Don’t be afraid to accessorize

Do not be afraid to brighten up your wardrobe with splashes of accessories. From silk headbands to solitaire diamond earrings, keep things simple and classy, so that they don’t draw attention away from your outfit as a whole. 

If you want to go for costume jewelry, be sure that they don’t look cheap, and don’t hesitate to spend more on them than you normally would.

11. Tone down the swearing

You might talk like a sailor. But if you want to be more feminine, you need to clean up your language. This isn’t even about being feminine; it’s about looking mature and classy. 

12. Don’t gossip

Becoming feminine isn’t about making yourself feel good by pushing other people down. Being feminine is about working on yourself. You don’t need to judge or gossip about other women. Remember, this is about you, not them.

13. Care about things you care about

Sure, that might sound a little confusing. But if you want to be feminine, drop the whole aggressive or indifferent act. 

It’s okay to show you care about things that mean something to you. It’s okay to show your emotions. This doesn’t mean you’re weak or broken. 

14. Let Go

This is an important step you need to take. If you want to truly become feminine, let go of other people’s expectations and opinions. 

15. No boy haircuts, please

Although there are plenty of feminine women out there who have beautiful short hair *think of Audrey Tatou and Halle Berry*, there is no denying that if you want to amp up your game and become more ladylike, let your hair grow long.

Not everyone can pull off short hair without looking like a tomboy. Healthy lustrous locks are perhaps the most well-known feminine trait in the world. From sweet Disney heroines to svelte supermodels, long hair is the way to go.

16. Maintain a healthy body weight

There is a fine line between being healthy and overweight and being slim versus skinny.

To give you an idea of just what makes a woman healthily curvy, look up Marilyn Monroe and Monica Bellucci. However, it’s true that not everyone can look like them.

There are women out there who, try as they might, find it hard to gain weight, whereas there are others out there who partake in every diet fad to hit the market and still end up piling on the pounds. 

At the end of the day, exercise for at least 40 minutes a day and eat right. Your ideal body shape will emerge in no time at all.

17. Don’t be loud and rowdy

Ever come across a beautiful and feminine-looking woman at a restaurant, and felt absolutely charmed by the way she looked, ate, and behaved?

Got completely turned off the moment she opened her mouth and amplified her opinions to the entire restaurant? Leave the noise-making and rowdy behavior to frat boys, and start lowering your volume when you’re out in public.

No one likes a loudmouth, even less so when she’s drunk and can’t control her verbal diarrhea. 

Unless you are giving a speech or presentation, ensure that your voice does not carry past the person next to you.

18. Don’t feign intelligence

Another way to be more feminine is to listen a lot more than you speak, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the subject matter. 

There is nothing worse than watching someone dig their own grave trying to act like a know-it-all when they clearly have no idea what they’re talking about.

19. Be flirtatious and playful

It will do you well not to confuse being bitchy and being feminine, so don’t give people the cold shoulder. Be flirtatious and playful with those around you, especially if they’re members of the opposite sex. 

However, remember not to overdo it as you may risk alienating the women around you. Befriend the women by exuding charm and confidence instead.

20. Shower daily

Hygiene should be everyone’s number one priority, even more so for you if you want to be more feminine. Nothing is more disgusting than a sloppy woman with stringy hair bordering on accidental dreadlocks.

Take the time to shower at least once a day, either in the morning before you leave the house or before bed. Always smell as clean and fresh as you can and don’t forget to apply lightly scented lotion and a spritz of perfume before you start your day.

21. Groom yourself

Bathing is not enough if you want to maintain a high level of femininity. Be sure to invest the time and money into grooming yourself well. Don’t bother with sloppy DIY wax jobs.

Head to a salon and get them all taken care of by a professional. From eyebrow threading and Brazilian waxing to spa pedicures and much-needed facials, the sky is the limit when it comes to keeping yourself in tip-top condition.

22. Place fresh flowers at home

It is not just about looking feminine, it is also about living and breathing the part. One way to do so is to surround yourself with beauty. 

You should place fresh flowers at home, so that every time you arrive or leave, you are reminded that you are a beautiful woman with the world at her feet.

23. Learn to dance

Enough with the dirty dancing already. Play with your feminine prowess, and sign up for a course that will teach you everything from salsa to ballroom dancing. 

It is always a good idea to know a little bit of everything, as it’ll give you the chance to wow your audience if there’s ever any need for it.

24. Invest in beautiful lingerie

It doesn’t matter that no one is going to see what’s underneath your clothes. All that matters is that you know it’s there. Nothing is worse than ugly granny panties or worn-out bras that have seen far too many washing machine cycles.

Want to know what’s possibly worse than that? Visibly saggy tits and muffin tops. Invest in proper lingerie and make sure you wear them, not stash them.

25. Be gentle and kind

One way to be more feminine is to be gentle and kind to everyone you cross paths with. 

From your superior to the homeless man on your street corner, be nice to people and the world will send it back to you in ways that you could never imagine.

26. Stop competing with others

Jealousy is one of the least feminine traits that a woman can possess. Although it’s far simpler to be envious instead of happy for someone else’s success, be sure that you try hard and always remember that there is no point in competing with other people. 

27. Be polite

Politesse is the key to being a feminine and well-respected woman. Never forget to say please and thank you, and never raise your voice in public. 

Treat everyone as an equal and never think that you are above anyone else. If you fall into this trap, it is a sign of bad breeding, and all hopes of you being a classy and feminine woman will go flying out the window. 

28. Set some standards

Be picky about whom you spend your time with—meaning sleep with. Say no to one-night stands and never be easy. Let him woo you, chase you and shower you with everything you deserve. 

One of the key traits of being a lady is not about how well you play the game, but whether you can do it with standards. This is, by far, the best way to filter out the guys who just want to use you.

29. Smile often

No one likes a sourpuss, so be sure that you smile often and exude happiness. You’re not an angsty teenager anymore, so don’t behave that way.

Being happy is a definite sign of femininity and shows the world that you are positive and excited about your day. This massive dose of positivity will be sure to melt the hearts of even your biggest critics.

30. Do your eyebrows

Eyebrows are more important than you think. They shape your face and frame your eyes. 

So, you really shouldn’t let them get bushy, because that’s not attractive. Shape them and brush them with some good eyebrow products or have them done professionally.

31. Smell good

Smelling good is a very attractive and feminine quality. Choose a good brand that smells delicate and sweet. 

You might want to try floral scents or anything else that appeals to you. Whatever you choose, you need to smell great.

32. Hang out with your girls

When you want to learn to be more feminine, you should surround yourself with your girls. Their feminine energy will radiate and wear off on you, too. 

Have a girls’ day out, have fun, and feel great. Having fun and being silly can be a great feminine quality.

33. Look after your mental health

Of course, it’s important to look good when you want to be more feminine, but don’t forget about your mental health too. Let go of negative thoughts and emotions.

You’ll project more positive energy and smile more. Being feminine starts within yourself and oozes outward.

34. Allow yourself to receive

Most women like to receive gifts and compliments—especially in a romance. But it doesn’t even matter what kind of relationship it is. Just allow yourself to receive from others.

So, whether it’s letting your partner support and comfort you or letting your kids hug you, be open to receiving. Indulge yourself in these things. You deserve it, right? 

35. Shield yourself from the elements

There are several reasons you want to shield yourself from the elements. First, it’s not very feminine or attractive to get caught in the rain and look like a drowned rat. And having dry, cracked skin in the cold isn’t good either.

So, don’t forget to wear gloves and use umbrellas depending on the weather. You will preserve your clothes and your hair when you do.

36. Steer away from dirt and filth

Have you ever seen a feminine woman who looks dirty and unkempt? Well, with the exception of female mud wrestlers, the answer is probably no.

So, make sure you wash your hands, keep your nails clean, and don’t look like you just got done working on a car. A dirty woman is not a feminine one.

37. Don’t be seen chugging beer, hogging food, or picking fights

Sure, you might like to party and have fun. There is nothing wrong with that! But chugging beer, being loud, hogging food, or picking fights is not feminine.

So, you might want to stick with a glass of wine or a cosmopolitan if you want to drink. Those cocktails are much more feminine and will make you look more like a lady. 

When you’re with other people, try to get into the habit of bringing out more femininity. After all, you are a woman… so why not? 

[neon-moon-night]

I know it was posted a while ago, but I saw the swap au and found it really interesting. I’m curious about how events took place in the AU specifically why the sealing happened and also how the three of them came to be and becoming the way they are?

oh no i love getting questions about it!!

so this is me and @murderbot's AU and it has a LOOOOOT of headcanons behind it, so much of the swap is based on our interpretation of canon events. these are all also his ideas as we worked on it together!

i'll also give the disclaimer that some parts are better defined than others

gonna get super long (hence why this took so long to answer AAA) so a read more:

SO just gonna give an overview of the swaps:

hollow->ghost->hornet->hollow

radiance<-->grimm

loosely, the mosskin<-->the weavers

notably, the pale king and the white lady are NOT swapped, they remain in their canon roles. this was mostly because we didn't feel like we had any interest in swapping them with anyone but each other, but at the same time didn't think a swap between them would be very interesting. however we actually do have a 2nd swap AU where they ARE swapped, and the three siblings are swapped in ghost->hollow->hornet->ghost order instead, but that's neither here nor there...

there's a few more swaps but these are the ones relevant to your questions

re:your first question about the reason for the sealing...

so a very long time ago, grimm was the sedentary god of butterflies while the radiance was the migratory god of moths. one day the pale king showed up in hallownest, as in canon, and shed his form to live in what is now the city of tears

the way we see his initial settlement is that, the rainy caverns that became the city of tears were naturally rainy from being kept under blue lake. they didn't necessarily have a lot of people living there, bc it's bordered on one side by the mantises, on the other by the bees, and above by the moths (or butterflies, in swap) - all of which have wings for at least one part of their lifecycle. making somewhere with rain not very ideal!

so the pale king setting up shop there wasn't a problem yet. however, he was not a very good neighbor? as we see from the game, he isn't really the type to be satisfied with ruling as one among many...he wants to be without "blazing kin", "only one light shall shine against the dark", etc. and there's also a dev note talking about how the radiance was sealed once because the pale king did not want to rule with any equal, and then the seal with hollow was his second attempt when the first didn't work

anyway...so he has a plan to stop the rain in the city, bc we know it hadn't been raining during its peak. it was basically a dam project for the blue lake...which he did NOT talk to grimm or the butterflies about beforehand. the result was quite a lot of flooding in the lower section of the resting grounds - you know how it has a large gate separating it from the upper section? i figured that whole bit was almost completely submerged.

obviously no one is happy about this. grimm is irritated, goes to "negotiate" with the understanding that the new guy will be an untrustworthy weasel, but gets killed instead! his body is tossed away to rot, and the pale beings have one less obstacle to expanding their kingdom.

all of that so far is basically also my hc for what happened w the radiance in canon with no major changes so far in the broad strokes. NOW is where things diverge

when the radiance died, there wasn't very much she could do about it. when grimm died...he was able to make a deal.

that deal was w the nightmare heart, which we see as something of a separate entity? anyway he was actively dying, was given a deal to get both his physical body back as well as revenge on the kingdom, and well what do you know...

SO YEAH...instead of the infection (there was no external force there, it was more the radiance rotting) there's a parasitic plague instead, hence the infestation from the big doodle sheet i made. something burrows in people's hearts and they get these weird fleshy growths over their bodies...

NOW: the pale king is like ohhh that's kind of bad actually. and for similar reasons concocts the vessel plan...

some context from my interpretation of canon events: i always thought the reason pk needed herrah when there's a plethora of people loyal enough to become dreamers for free, is because the weavers' role was not limited TO herrah. in the hidden station, we see spools of silk that were presumably transferred from the deepnest station (because that would've had to have been built with their approval, when it's so much closer than the tram station they destroyed). there's also incomplete versions of seals in the weaver's den. basically it seems to me like the weavers were involved in weaving dream seals - both moths and spiders make silk, so that could be the connection? so he needed her because the seals could not have been made without her cooperation

anyway...i mentioned that the mosskin and weavers are very loosely swapped. i say "very loosely' because basically the main difference is now greenpath is a place where hallownest has little to no influence while deepnest is more thoroughly conquered. so...the deal is far more lopsided. hallownest could come in strength with demands, possibly in exchange for deepnest's continued independence, a la the deal with the mantis tribe. (in the wanderer's journal it says they made their treaty so their village could retain independent rule)

so the pale king has an extra demand: he wants to imbue some of the eggs with spider silk to produce ones that will be able to weave themselves, w the thought that a vessel that weaves its own bonds might be more effective...? but not all of them were made like that in case it altered the formula in some undesirable way.

thus: we get hornet and hollow

[picture to break this rant up a little]

hornet isn't really herrah's biological child here, but she's one of the vessels whose egg was imbued with silk. hollow was one that was not. she reaches the top first and walks off with the pale king without looking back. hollow falls.

so, hornet is raised as the sealed vessel...to me, duty is always a large part of her character, and that remains the case here too. in my own read of canon hollow, i would not describe them as "dutiful", per se...they are obedient and do what they are told, but the kingdom at large is abstract enough to them that it's not quite a motivating factor for them the way more direct approval from their father is

this is less true for hornet...she is aware she's a being made for a purpose, and in this world, she knows exactly what that purpose is. it is then a purpose she follows with all her heart...she is less self aware than hollow in canon, who knows they are not empty and vehemently denies it. i think hornet is a little better at lying to herself

i said she's no longer herrah's biological child, and that's still true, but it isn't that she had no interaction with herrah. here, herrah is the one who teaches her weaving, and so paradoxically this hornet has more interaction with herrah and more knowledge of weaving than my understanding of canon. herrah didn't have liberty to give her much affection, and hornet doesn't remember her well. but it is a connection that existed and that, to some extent, mattered

beyond this she was generally isolated in the palace and had little contact with anyone who was not a great knight or the king himself.

basically to summarize all this, swap hornet came to be the way she was as a combination of how i see ordinary hornet and how she might react if her life had been a bit more like hollow's. it's never been my preference for swap AUs to completely change a character's personality, but personality is shaped by environment too, so it's important to strike a balance there...

now for someone i haven't talked about much yet: little ghost

[another image to break this up...]

so, ghost...

i preserved herrah's connection to hornet, and just because ghost is in hornet's place doesn't make them a spider. they're instead the full, non-void child of the white lady and the pale king - my idea for why they were born is basically that, after the sacrifice of thousands of eggs and one empty child as their return for that, they decided to have a normal child as well

i think the best way i can sum up swap ghost is "people who willingly kill their own children will not be good parents under any circumstances"

to contrast with canon a bit, i'll talk abt my headcanons there - i see the white lady as having been the one who raised hornet, but she was also a very distant guardian to her. she never considered hornet her daughter, and while she never held a grudge for hornet's birth - i kinda think that, to her, herrah as a mortal is so beneath her it doesn't matter - the white lady was generally neglectful. like, to her hornet was a side project and an amusement, not a daughter.

by contrast, swap ghost is her full child and therefore she takes her parenting duties far more seriously in that regard. the issue is, she still isn't a very good parent! in canon she saw ghost as nothing more than a thing; she ordered them to take hollow's place and suffer eternally "for the good of the kingdom", and even saw hollow as having failed in their cruel duty.

here there's obviously no attempted infanticide against ghost, but she still sees them as someone who should be molded into what she wants out of them and not someone who is their own person. so even small things like ghost's personal preferences are not something they were really allowed to have.

but ghost is not really the type to accept that, so it didn't work out. they were rowdy and rebellious and ran away often, and as a result i feel like they were an embarrassment to the white lady and pale king, such that they weren't brought in public. so they're not as recognizable as you might expect a legitimate princet of the kingdom to be

to explain this doodle...

BASICALLY so. ghost and hornet did not interact with each other. the white lady had her own wing of the white palace when she was there, and hornet was kept in a secluded place as well such that the pure vessel not be "tainted". as a result, ghost saw her from a distance at her public appearances but otherwise did not interact with her

i said ghost was rowdy...they were not permitted in hornet's areas, but that didn't stop them from sneaking in and trying to meet the older sister they never knew. they found her going through nail drills alone in a room and hid to watch, not wanting to be caught. she completed her drills and then looked right at their hiding spot, and said, thoughtfully, "like a little ghost..." and left.

that's the in-universe explanation for ghost's name being ghost - they were given some other name by the white lady, but ghost is what they go by, because they're the first words they ever heard their sister say

to explain their estrangement...

i said they ran away often...they usually got brought back eventually by a royal guard, but this time was different. they went back and found the pale king had escaped into the dream realm without his problem child, and the white lady had left in kind.

they were still a teenager when this happened, and well: it felt very bad. but they also decided that this was for the best, and they had never liked them anyway, and they never liked this kingdom, and so they would just leave - and leave they did. they went to the howling cliffs and decided to find whatever awaited them in the wastes

mato found them before they could do that, and seeing that they were very young, very upset, and very likely to not make it, took them in as his pupil/child. so they're his dad now =) and they learned nail arts

swap ghost actually also knows some spells - they were taught by the white lady themself. but they don't like owing her anything and thus avoid magic as much as possible

and now, finally: hollow

hollow is the abandoned child...hornet did not look back for them, not out of malice, but because she only looked forward and only moved forward. she didn't stop and look back. so hollow fell.

like ghost in canon, they eventually made their way out of abyss, and left hallownest entirely before finally returning, for reasons they themself don't fully understand. they lost their arm out there, which is also why their cloak is ripped on that side; not much opportunity to change it

they're very lonely and, for lack of a better word, much "sweeter" than canon ghost is. canon ghost, much like a child, sometimes kills out of curiosity - they are the type of hunter to use a deadly spell if they cannot catch up with something (maskflies, menderbug), if only so they can learn from the remains. swap hollow is not like that, and actually my friend and i nicknamed them "swallow" - a portmanteau of swap hollow, and also a type of bird, because they like the little bird bugs.

they're also much more open and expressive than canon hollow is, as they've never had their emotions suppressed. they've never been nurtured either, but at the least, they don't possess the blank mask they do in another world. this is also in contrast to both canon & swap ghost, whose flat affect i see as more natural to them.

their journey is also much easier than ghost's because they run into, well, ghost. unlike canon hornet, swap ghost doesn't challenge hollow to a fight. canon hornet spent years and years alone stewing, but swap ghost is far better adjusted than her; an actual parental figure in mato helped with that

swap ghost instead told hollow they were their sibling, and offered for them to travel together

i tend to think of AUs for video games as alternate "games" themselves. a hypothetical game of this swap AU would not play much like hollow knight; it would be more comparable to an RPG with a party, consisting of hollow, ghost, and for a short period of time, grimmchild. (i haven't really said anything about them but. this is so long. so i'll leave them out)

anyway...hollow is overjoyed to have a sibling to interact with. to have a relatively easy time traveling hallownest, with an experienced fighter to essentially take care of them. for the first time in their life, they have company! and ghost is a kind older sibling to them

but...but...ghost isn't traveling with them for no reason

so i said they're estranged from their parents and any bond with them was severed when the pale king and white lady left. that doesn't mean they never spoke to the white lady again...

they eventually found her in her garden. and she, presumptuous as ever, did not say a word about how she had abandoned them; she simply gave her next command.

they were to take the king's brand and take responsibility for the kingdom, as its heir. then, they would find a vessel and they would escort it to the black egg temple, where they would cut the failure down and replace her.

(that's what this is, incidentally)

ghost...did not take kindly to this. insult upon insult, for her to ask something of them like this...they took the piece of shell engraved with the king's mark and tossed it into the sewers

but like. they don't have a better idea. they have no intention of doing this to hollow, so they're traveling with them trying to think of something else. and they do care about hollow, really, especially when they get to know them, and they get the experience of being a big sibling for the first time. but, well...i said they're more well-adjusted than canon hornet, but they're also less honest.

hollow absolutely does learn of this, and to say they're unhappy is an understatement. the two part ways for a time...

this is so long so i'll skip over the interim + how exactly they found out...suffice to say hollow cried a lot when they learned about it, as if happy times with their sibling had all been a lie. well, the two of them eventually reunite and ghost explains that they would never, ever do that. and then...

ghost tells hollow that they should just...leave

this is not hollow's responsibility and not something they deserve to give up their life and their freedom for. and ghost has been waffling, because they didn't know what to do, and they had no plan of their own, but that doesn't matter. they've made up their mind. they would leave everyone - even hornet - to rot before they ask hollow to die for them

the thing about ghost is that duty does not matter to them nearly as much as it does hornet. their family is far more important to them. perhaps this choice is them lapsing in their duty, but - that is a sacrifice they'll make.

i said before i see the AU as a game almost. this is where you could get one ending, where ghost and hollow (and grimmchild) all leave together and wander the world. hallownest is not the only kingdom out there - they will find others. and hallownest will rot and rot and rot, and hornet will not be free

but of course...i think hollow wouldn't want that. and they say no. and they find another way to free their sister, and right their father's wrongs.

OKAY THIS HAS TO END SOMEWHERE SO I GUESS IT'LL END HERE. IM SO SORRY FOR THIS WALL OF TEXT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING ONCE AGAIN!!!!

[aloeverified]

Why All Might & Midoriya Are Disable-Coded, Using Spoon Theory

First things first, the definition of a disability defined by the ADA is a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history of such an impairment, or is seen as having such an impairment.

I want to take a moment to combine this with the social model of disability; the idea that people with disabilities are only disabled because the rest of the society around them has whatever ability that they lack.

An example of this is Gallaudet University, a college for deaf students. There, everyone is deaf and everything is suited to that idea. Everything there is structured around everyone in the community being deaf with ASL as the primary means of communication.

Within the walls of Gallaudet, deaf ceases to be a disability under the ADA's definition because it does not in any way impaire any of the students there from participating fully in that environment; but deafness is still a disability in the rest of the world because the rest of the world can hear and society is structured around that fact.

Okay, now that I've rambled on about disability terminology to you with an example, I'm going to explain how this has anything to do with BNHA.

Based off the social model of disability and the ADA's definition, being quirkless is essentially a disability.

The majority of the population having a quirk is part of the assumption by the people in the BNHA universe. Everyone's quirks are different, sure, but they're still an essential part of how people function — and as a whole — how society functions.

We know that BNHA's society has evolved to rely on quirks because of the whole hero/villain system. Quirks are essentially a physical characteristic, even if some people don't look any different because of their quirk (which is actually in the minority).

Even if someone doesn't have a quirk that's physically visable, they still rely on that quirk as a part of their body. Gran Torino even goes as far as to teach Midoriya that quirks are an extension to one's body and that's why Midoriya was struggling using One for All so much. This is because it wasn't always apart of him, sort of similar to having a prosthetic leg.

So for all intents and purposes, being quirkless in the society of BNHA fits under both the ADA definition of disability as well as under the social model.

But I want to talk about how Midoriya and All Might specifically are disabled (not just talking about his physical handicap: the hole in his stomach), and how this can be represented by something known as Spoon Theory.

As we know, All Might can only be in his Symbol of Peace form for a small number of hours a day: he only has a limited number of spoons. When he forces his body to function at full power or full energy outside of that number, there are real repercussions for that.

He's attempting to ignore the rules of Spoon Theory and his disability, and in so doing, he's doing lasting damage to his body.

Now, let's look at Midoriya. He's disabled in the sense that he doesn't have a quirk, but then he's given a quirk. However, that doesn't actually mean the removal of his disability.

Think of One for All like a prosthetic leg (again). Yes, it allows him to get up and walk around again, but it's still not the same as having his own organic legs and therefore taxes his body in a way that walking typically wouldn't for those who don't use prosthetics (those who are born with a quirk).

He has a finite number spoons, therefore he has a finite number of times he can use All for One in a given period, and and every time he uses it, he pushes his body harder than his body is meant to be pushed.

Think about the Sports Festival. In the first round, he knows he shouldn't use his quirk because he can only use it a certain number of times, and that using it up, using up his spoons, means he won't be able to function later on and his body won't work how he needs it to later.

In the first round, he finds a way to accommodate himself without using his quirk. In the second round, he does everything physically possible not to use his quirk for the same reason. However, in his third round, he has no choice but to use All for One.

Every time he uses his ability, every time he pushes his body harder than he should, there is a physical response: his broken fingers. There is only so many times he can break his fingers — an even if it's hurting him, it's within the limits of his spoons.

Once he pushes himself too far and breaks all his fingers, he's out of all his spoons. However, he still pushes himself. Because of this, he has to deal with the repercussions: after his fight, Recovery Girl tells him that his fingers won't fully heal.

Going over his spoon limit has permanent consequences, just like how All Might's time in his other form is decreased every time he pushes himself to use All for One for too long. When Deku's fingers don't fully heal, the point being made is that if you push yourself too hard, there can be serious outcomes that can't be reversed: this is the point of Spoon Theory.

Spoon Theory is all about the usage of energy. It's the idea that a person with a disability has only a finite amount of energy; 5 spoons today, 4 spoons tomorrow, etc.

That doing a thing or taking an action costs a spoon — or in the case of Deku, trying to use the full force of AFO, it costs a lot of spoons; as many spoons as he has. It's an issue that isn't held by people who are born with a quirk.

People born with quirks are completely capable of being worn out and tired if they use their quirks for prolonged amounts of time, but they're not in danger of damaging their body in the same way and they can push a lot farther then Deku can, simply because their quirks are part of their bodies and therefore they don't risks damaging them everytime they use their quirk. They don't have a finite number of spoons or uses, they can keep on using their quirk until they get tired.

Side Note: I don't think that just because a character born in a specific fantasy world doesn't have powers means they're disabled; I just feel like this specific case shows how that can be the case — similar to Eda Clawthorne from The Owl House.

I also wrote this around 2020 and have had it lying in my drafts, so I'm not sure if everything still lines up with how Deku currently uses OFA. I just thought it was interesting as a disabled person how Deku and All Might were so relatable, even if it wasn't intentional.

[chriirahluvr]

Europa: A Shallow Speculation on Theoretical Life

So I am in a mission design class this whole year, a very fun experience! We are honed in on Europa, which has led to me doing so much research specifically on Europa's surface and theorized subsurface ocean and its ability to house life. 

I can make a million information posts about the process of life detection but I just want to make a silly overview of what I think life on Europa would look like if it were to exist! Just some fun speculative biology stuff, maybe with some art to come at a later date if I'm feeling inspired. 

But, for today, I will just be setting some general rules!

All complex life would be aquatic or semi-aquatic at the very least, thanks to the four kilometers of ice separating the ocean from the EXTREMELY irradiated surface. I'm sure some rogue microorganisms could climb their way to the surface thanks to Europa's seismic activity, but the moon's surface is absolutely not suited to house life. 

Europa's ocean is deep. When I say deep, I mean DEEP. It is estimated to be anywhere from 60 to 150 kilometers deep (40-100 miles). For context, Earth's Mariana Trench is just over 11 kilometers deep. That is just shy of 7 miles. I would be tempted to say that skin pigmentation would also be nonexistent, but radiation may lead to pigment being beneficial! I have found no sources about radiation levels within the ocean though, so this is something I am on the fence about. The pressure present at the bottom of the ocean also means that squishy anatomy would be preferred, at least at the ocean's floor! 

Thanks to the 15 kilometer ice crust and a low amount of sunlight, eyes would serve little to no evolutionary purpose, at least for getting around (I will elaborate more later :D ). The primary sense Europa's critters would likely rely on is echolocation, which they would perceive as a "visual" environments kind of analogous to imaging sonar, see above! However, it would likely be much fuzzier of an image. Visual sonar is done through multiple scans over time, which would not be an efficient way to see your environment for an organism just trying to get around. They would just see vague shapes, which get more defined the closer they are. No color perception is allowed either, but it would be the best way to gather spatial information in a pitch black aquatic environment.

If reproduction is not asexual, I believe extreme sexual dimorphism would exist and also that sexual selection would primarily rely on sound. Perhaps some natural predators would learn to replicate the fuzzy appearance and mating call of its preferred prey as a way to lure in easy targets, or perhaps some species would even evolve primitive eyes and bioluminescence as a secondary sexual selection method, and as a way to weed out predators. They would not “see” the light, but rather sense it as a vibration. So, in essence, some animals may “hear”, more like feel, colors. 

Now, about semi-aquatic Europan life!

I can imagine some ice-burrowing species emerging, as a sort of way to escape the chaos of an open ocean. They probably would not live too much higher than a few feet into the ice, however. They would likely have fatty bodies in order to effectively brave the cold, and thus would probably be scavengers or predators. I think the idea of some animals forming ant-like colonies within the ice surface is a fun one! Some predators adapted to traversing these burrows for easy prey would likely emerge from this as well. Unfortunately, a Europan ice ecosystem runs on the assumption that the ice which meets the ocean is the correct texture for animals to feasibly break through with the right evolutionary umph. The speculation is entertaining, though!

A lot of Europan life would probably be similar to fungi or algae on earth. This is because there is no feasible way to photosynthesize, but there are possible energy and mineral sources theorized to exist in the form of hydrothermal vents. Perhaps a colony would grow, with ‘roots' of some kind near a hydrothermal area, and “leaves” spread around to intake resources. Maybe carnivorous flora would exist in this way too! Algae type of organisms would likely just spread around hydrothermally active areas, and “photosynthesize” using the light produced by vents on the seafloor. Lots of small herbivores might feast on this algae, and become a food source for predators. A fun ecosystem!

Again, all of this speculation is just for fun :) It is not SUPER realistic, but as an enjoyer of speculative biology I like allowing my mind to wander while doing all my research for class. Perhaps I might start working on some phylogenetic trees in my free time. I may post some fun Europa science overviews and some of the graphics we are producing for our Huntsville presentation! 

xoxo,

Zofia

[fatehunted]

#𝙵𝙰𝚃𝙴𝙷𝚄𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙳: an independent, private roleplay blog for artemis crock nguyen / tigress from young justice (2010) and dc comics. canon-complaint and headcanon based. takes influence from mixed media. sideblog to multimuse wishmcker by kai. (she/her. 21+,) rules listed under the cut. minors dni. a study in: a legacy unlearned, kill or be killed, every girl for herself, a venomous tongue and bloody fists, battleworn, the prey becomes the hunter, hiding behind a mask, guarding of the heart, a fight against fate, being more than where you come from, letting in beyond the walls, fight or flight, old wounds don't define you.

DOSSIER | HEADCANONS | PROMPTS

𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐬: 0. 𝐢𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐱: 1.

BLOG ROLL: castaris, guravity.

RULES:

DISCLAIMER: I am not any of the characters I portray. I am not claiming them, nor am I claiming to be them. I am not Artemis Crock. This is simply roleplay. I do not own any of the content that appears on this blog unless stated otherwise. I am not gaining anything monetarily. This is just a hobby.

I. General RP etiquette applies. This means not using my blog as a meme source, giivng permission to like starter calls and send in asks (and vice versa), no godmodding, not spamming my notifications and trimming your posts. Please do not take my icons—if you need icon hep, please check out my icon blog.

Please be patient with me. My whole life is not Tumblr and so sometimes I lose muse or will take a while to get to my writing.

II. Please remember that your health comes first. Tumblr should not be in the way of you being at your best. Be aware that this blog’s activity can be sporadic due to my own issues. 

Regarding triggers, I do my best to tag accordingly. Triggers will be tagged as ’[insert trigger here] cw’ so please keep that in mind when blacklisting tags. I have personally blacklisted tags for gore, stalking and sexual assault.

III. Be aware that muse ≠ mun. I am not the characters nor are the characters me. I do not condone all of their actions. There are certainly be times where I will make mistakes, but I am doing my best to remain educated and be the best writer that I could possibly be.

Following on from that, I do not own any of the content listed on the blog unless stated otherwise. This includes the characters and the graphics. The only things I claim to me mine are the writing and the fan art that I have posted.

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V. Crossovers are tentatively accepted. I need to be familiar with the fandoms to even consider.

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I am open to multi-para threads, short threads, one-liners, etc. I will just need something to work with from the previous reply to be able to continue onwards.

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I will not connect with you unless I can figure out a way for our characters to interact. I will also not interact any minors, meaning anyone under the age of 18. If I find out that you are a minor, you will be immediately blocked. People who harass me for a follow back will also be blocked.

You are not obligated to follow my main blog, but that's where I will follow from as this is a sideblog.

VIII. When it comes to shipping, of course I have my personal preferences. If you think our characters would work well romantically and have had chemistry on the dash, then please send me a message so that we can discuss. Do not force me to ship.

I will only participate in NSFW situations with those that are if we are writing a scenario where the characters are over the age of 18. I do not write smut currently, finishing with a fade-to-black end, but I am not opposed to references, characters flirting sexually or participating in Sinday. But even then, it will be very limited.

IX. Please communicate with me if you have an issue or would simply like to talk. My DMs on Tumblr are open to mutuals. Discord is only given out to those that I trust.

X. Each connection exists within their own pocket universe. There is no rollover unless discussed otherwise. I am perfectly fine with interacting with more than one version of a muse. It makes for interesting dynamics and allows for exploration. Adding onto this, mains/affiliates does not mean exclusives. Exclusives will be stated where necessary.

Thank you for reading.

Updated as of 07/10/24.

[abstractandedgyname]

I mean I’m pretty sure there’s still a dick load of code of etiquette, we all know ‘please and thankyou’, ‘introduce yourself like this...’, ‘be courteous and kind, be respectful’, like most of us were taught to behave in specific, albeit different, mannerly ways. The problem is that as the generations have continued, the reason one should be kind and considerate has like, eroded away and now it’s just about following the rules, and that makes contextualising etiquette difficult. It also makes remembering things difficult, anything you are told cold, like 'this is how it is, and that’s that, I won’t be taking questions' is significantly more difficult to remember than something that is actively connected, conceptually, to something else you already find easy to remember.

I remember being taught what to do, and NEVER why. And the only times an adult ever gave a “reason”, it was ‘because you’re supposed to’. 'Don’t you want to be kind? Don’t you want to be considerate?', these were the indirect, coercive responses to curious inquiry regarding the purpose of etiquette.

People these days aren’t unaware of how to be courteous and kind, they just can’t bring themselves to do it, ‘cause the whole thing is covered in ick. It’s difficult to remember, difficult to justify, and difficult to use. ‘Please’ and ‘Thankyou’ have no place in casual, genuine interaction between social-equals. These are phrases for power dynamics, you don’t pal around with someone, giving them the business, then immediately switch into ‘Thankyou so generously, and so kindly for this humble gesture,’ then switch back into, ‘ya chump bitch’. It doesn’t make sense. The problem with social anxiety is less to do with a lack of a code of etiquette, and more to do with the presence of a code of etiquette. People will always be more anxious under a rudimentary rule setting defined by ‘deviating from this code is deviating from etiquette itself, you don’t want to be rude do you?’.

Social fabric hasn’t broken down, if anything it’s reinforced, the problem is that it’s reinforced by the irrational pursuit of rules. The problem is that there shouldn’t be a code of etiquette, there shouldn’t be a compulsion to follow a specific set of behaviours. The learned compulsion is what makes it difficult for people to interact lately. The code is anxiety inducing, not the lack of code.

Ever the more frustrating is that everyone is acutely ablated by compulsion to follow rules, and yet, things like this happen. ‘No, no, not enough rules, need more rules. We need more codes, more teaching of rules, more rudimentation, more presupposition, more pigeon holes.’ It’s a cruel way to live, compelled to be compelled. But I suspect the reason it keeps happening is because people feel more comfortable and safe when they follow the rules (because they’ve specifically been made to feel that way) and feel uncomfortable and precarious when deviating from the rules (because also they’ve specifically been made to feel this way) and so project this onto others, ‘Everyone, we’ll all feel better if we make a bunch of easy to follow, and really specific rules! Really, I promise we’ll all feel really good when we follow them really closely, it will solve all our discomfort and anxiety’. It won’t, it will make it worse.

social anxiety could easily be attributed to the breakdown of the social fabric. there's no code of etiquette anymore. multiple generations were never taught how to introduce themselves or cultivate manners and traditions that hinge on a social life, everyone's awkwardly stumbling around hoping they'll be met with someone more courageous and eloquent than themselves to start a conversation and burst their lonely timid bubble.

[maneaterwithtail]

[QUOTE="kage15oni, post: 101686863, member: 106939"]

To be fair, have you see the country he is in lately? There is only so much unjust some people can take before alternate options look appealing.

That's why despite people can generally agree Killmonger's plan is flawed, you can find alot of people getting where he came from.

[/QUOTE]

Like many an entertainer he can say things like this with his words never been held to an account half as much as the people he will be charming

He answered gentlemen He is legitimate in the sense that rage is as much a part of the civil rights process as noble intention one tempers the other

And there is something toYou said about the final box of liberty but I don't think that we are a nation or in a situation as a wholeWe're mostly using the first 3 and no small part because thanks to social media we think that the final one is the most effective with no side effects or negative consequences

After all who has more power the dictator of Turkey or the moderator of his own private webform in terms of his constituents

At the very least he can point to a very authentic feeling of what it feels like to be marginalized and how it can seep in

And at least part of it is well for the longest time the holy grail of black summer rights and the caucus was the first black president where we had it and now we are here

A certain level of disillusionment is always going to set in but especially if there were further harm or continuedInequality as a whole or a greater sense of awareness of antipathy based on race relations ideas and assumption

This is This is important in one way the episode about Leandra marine Xavier most were willing to ignore xavier's presence when he was just a nobody in her bedroom but when he was in front of the camera possibly going to claim absolute authority and the importance of being decenter and representative of the Empire possibly even its head of state in the instance that Leandro was in any way incapacitated Even more so when there's this sense that he can just do this without anyone else's approval or assurance that they want to put their trust or representation in him

They were perfectly fine with all the rules that determined this without their input for generations but now that this involves one of the Empire marrying outside of their race when by their very nature they have to have many non bird descended subjects- they even make up their Royal guard - There's a million and one point of order and loyalty tests that are just downright grotesque

And we see how this greater social tension has an interpersonal one in terms of the relationship between Charles and Leandra

More importantly than all of that though is the fact that this is done in a backdrop to very much deconstruct or say how Romeo and Juliet does not actually solve pre-existing tensions and romantic or cultural identity defining tales cam have a split reception

Charles Charles here's a great foundational myth of the Empire and the first thing he does is to construct it as a means of forcing someone into submission when it has just as much elements of to some people and association a piece or a cinderella story

That's very much Tie's in as Bo de Mayo what point out his own experiences as a black queer person because pre-existing social norms cues and myths or folklore either actively exclude him or due to his own personal experience have to apply only partially in an ill-fitting manner and so if he says yes to them he's also saying yes to all of the b******* that they've enabled

So if you're So if your choice is the perfect bride who grants you absolutely authority over them so that that way you can maintain peace or a malicious actor Who keeps saying they're doing this for your shared identity regardless of what their actual actions would result in and if they do actually make a consideration that's worthwhile

It's so much easier to go with the gangster rapper or social vitriol shitstirrer Huey freeman than say George Washington carver-esque or Uncle Ruckus figure.

Especially Especially if they can make you feel both seen and powerful against your immediate foes ignoring the fact that making yourself entirely defined by the people who hurt you so that you can hurt them back actually forbids you from accomplishing the very thing that they are supposedly defending

Magneto for all of his power cannot truly built only destroy. Charles power as well as hope and reconciliation and morality allow for an actual bridge to be built along with the foundation for a community but we also see that it's no easy thing it's not just feel good tactics it involves a great deal of personal risk compromise loss and it's hardly rational looking. Worse while it may not see me from the outside both people use power in a way that diminishes your agency and sense of safety and self but Charles is much more immediate to the point he's very easy to hate. Where as magnito is very easy to admire especially if he's using that power in a way that may give you something that you believe that you need or want

Rogue wants revenge and do not feel weak and vulnerable

Bobby wants a family that actually accepts and loves him without any sense of diminishment or loss

Guy with an extinction level of event in his back pocket kind of offers that

It's very It's very much humanizing the terrorist or the gangster or the ethnic themed criminal

While showing that the rule of law is very often the tyranny of the majority or the presumed righteousnessof the establishment elite

This gets more This gets more so if as a result of their special ability your transgressiveness they can offer something that someone commonly might take for granted such as the intimate touch or ability to act with flike rent display to the greater society celebration

We may not remember this but a few years ago someone basically had one the equivalent of the illottery in the form of an NFL draft pick but this man was gay his boyfriend basically hugged and kissed him publicly on television as a celebration of his basically entering a lifestyle that can very much raise him to celebrity status honor and accomplishment

This is hardly unprecedented for sayGirlfriends who have barely been dating their man for half of a year and regardless of the value of the relationship it's just as soon as a natural or moral thing for them to do sure some people may throw some judgment some way way more than they need to

But it basically cost him his well-earned reward and it was a debate a literal public debate about how much he was allowed or violated protocol to basically romantic and publicly affectionate with his boyfriend who had stood by him while he was training his body to the point of excess in order to accomplish his goal

This is hardly a first or isolated incident especially for black men who especially lately have been embracing less traditional displays of masculinity

A common notice is that you see a lot of queer or queer appearing Blackman now from the son of Magic JohnsonTo a bunch of adopted fathers with their daughters and so on and so forth and this I imagine also ties into what would inspire say bodemayo and how he would approach the plotline of Gambit rogue immagnitos love triangle

it's hardly unique and only about say being able to be in an open straight appearing relationship VS a closeted gay one in terms of physical affection. in fact there's a lot more going on in terms of disability Or hell even hypergymy.. I could very much see that lived or observed experience if not one that he's personally experienced the 1 who would find very personally relevant as it observed phenomena and think that very much affects his life how he would direct or latch on to presenting these 2 desperate elements rogues romance life and how it's led her to these 2 different men and why she would be torn between them

Even more so with the man and his own issues in terms of how much and how confident you can be in his relationship with rogue who's always in this weird marginalized liminal space where everybody knows they have strong affection but they're not really officially or exclusively an item

Again do you not see saying some applicability for being say a black man who is gay and working in entertainment where a lot of them all whole lot of them have had to be relatively on the download or out of sight in terms ofIs their relationships.

Yes it's true Luther Vandross came out as gay much to everyone's partial mockery but what they miss is that he often spent a large amount of time cultivating an image in order to come off as a lady's manAt the very least a highly romantic figure with almost all of his songs as well as public presentation having very little. Celebration or presentation of his long-term partner

I mentioned all of this in order to again tap into the sense of frustration that tends to be labeled queer or black range or what have you

And that's why if you suffer any setback let alone devastating violent ones by a perceived authority or a lack of support from an authority if they didn't immediately turns around to well let's throw us a revolution because it's the only thing that makes sense

So even if you can point to a very public very hatefield action like a depulse club shooting that turns out not to have actually been homophobic but opporto mystic that doesn't change the fact that it triggers that sort of reaction even more so because it makes shows what in terms of tragedy people expect of the minority and how little they expect of themselves to the minority

The problem with this is we don't really see this except for maybe president Kelly everyone else who's alive with the x men is in fact pretty much doing the right thing of being a good Ally

Including Including telling them s*** they don't want to hear or like Hey look I get you guys are hurting but destroying the property of people who did not in fact attack you is going to do the exact opposite of make them open their purse strings and say that they should Dedicate time Blood sweat tears and their own wallets To your recovery when you guys keep doing stuff that indicates that you are perfectly fine with holding hands with known vicious criminals who have even tried to kill you just because you share an identity

Where you put personal social identities like being mutant over being American.

Even more so when you start attacking people who actually are helping you and in fact paving the way to gather intelligence in order to further your cause of getting who the targets are as well as overall Justice and turn the opinion of the public on your side

Yes it sucks that you actually have to do this or something that should be a cut and dry matter of we are the victims let's find the bad guys

That That is the sign of very real discrimination and bias

That doesn't change the fact that some people are actually putting in the effort alongside you in order to do so even as you are less able to do so yes because of your minority/discrimination status

And your reward to them is f*** y** I shouldn't have to do this and you're just as guilty as the people who loaded up a war weapon and devastated a bunch of innocent people who you are spending time money and possible career reputation in order to further the cause of humanizing so that that way we can hopefully turn this around

Cause seriously Tilby has every right to say "you know what Hank f*** y** we're through. no more free interviews where I basically fluff you guys to make you look sweet and marketable so that that way everybody basically signs off on you because they're not really thinking