#PRIMARY character inspiration is obvious i feel like but ! there's others as well don't get it twisted ehehehe

[hotsugarbyglassanimals]

hi look at them ^_^

[okayto]

Mini-Review: Princess Tutu

Inspired by ballet and fairy tales, particularly The Ugly Duckling and Swan Lake, the story follows a duck who is transformed into the mythical ballerina Princess Tutu in order to save the shattered heart of a storybook prince come to life.

I peer pressured myself into watching this 2002 classic that seems universally beloved.

Anime classics--the ones that people say still hold up after a couple decades, the ones that pros write retrospectives about--are an intimidating thing to begin. Try as you might, it's hard to ignore the part of your brain that's waiting for something to appear and be impressive. And then, if that doesn't happen immediately, to ever-so-quietly make some observations while the rest of you tries to pretend it's not happening.

Interesting, it says innocently, I would have expected a series with this level of renown to be a bit less...monster-of-the-weeky, while the rest of your brain covers its ears and goes LA LA LA STOP TALKING WHILE THE TV IS ON.

(It doesn't work.)

Princess Tutu intrigued me because looking at it, it's not the sort of thing that I'd expect to get adults to write eloquent paragraphs 20 years after it premiered, and I don't mean just the art (which is fine, but nothing to write home about). The shows that, in American fandom, get spoken about as classics with depth and layers, do not tend to be dreamily-colored fairy tales.

This is a magical girl show about a duck who turns into a ballerina.

The show is divided into two halves, and I liked the second half much more than the first. The first half sets everything up, introducing Duck and the other prime characters and slowly expanding our sense of the fairytale-ness of the world. The second half gets a lot more interesting because, in my opinion, there are far fewer secrets and we get some interesting backstory, character studies, and also more action.

One thing I wasn't prepared for was how gentle and deliberately-paced this show is. It's categorized as magical girl, and that's true in the literal sense, but this isn't a Sailor Moon-style epic fight of good verus evil, nor a Madoka Magica-style dark exploration of the repercussions of magical teenage fighters. This is magic like a fairy tale. Duck does transform into Tutu, and it's clear that it's not just a costume change--Tutu is much more graceful and a better dancer than normal Duck, which is good because that's how fights are resolved: dancing.

Tutu dances to express her feelings and to reach her opponent, who is often overcome with a negative emotion. The turbulent dancing of an antagonist eventually synchronizes with or complements Tutu's when the conflict is resolved.

If you approach it understanding that it's a fairy tale told primarily as a ballet, your expectations will be better set than mine. And as a fairy tale/ballet, it's very good! You get that fairy tale setting where some animals are talking animals and no one really questions it. The sense that there's a narrative or purpose driving everyone's lives--and there literally is, in this show.

While Duck is the main character, there's really a primary quartet that all get developed, and in the second half of the series we really get to dive into their backgrounds and motivations, which is another reason I liked the second half better than the first.

Verdict

English dub? Yes. It's okay, although there's something about it that feels very 00's to me. I've seen some criticism of prince Mytho's voice, which is somewhat vague and aimless--but a key plot point is that Mytho is a pretty vague and aimless character to start, so I didn't think it was bad.

Visuals: Average. The dancing looked good to me--I don't have more of a ballet background than "watching my sibling for 10 years growing up," but I'd be surprised if the production team didn't do their research. That said, it's probably not going to impress anyone, and some obvious CG used for a specific, repeating location has not aged well.

Worth watching? Yes. If nothing else, it's a good show to put on when you're also doing other things. While I struggled to stay engaged with the first half, I really enjoyed when it felt like the meat of the mystery/plot got going in the second. I can see why this is so beloved, and there is plenty of meat for discussion, articles, and meta. Many of the things that stayed with me or would be fun for me to analyze I've left out, just because I try to keep these mini-reviews spoiler-free, but there is certainly no lack of them online, and after watching it's easy to see why!

Where to watch (USA, as of May 2023): Amazon Prime (dub and sub), HiDIVE (dub), BR/DVD

Click my “reviews” tag below or search “mini review” on my blog to find more!

[gascon-en-exil]

How Knives in Three Houses Could Have Worked

I've had this thought for a post for quite some time. Knives are probably my favorite secondary weapon type in FE, and after Fates made them so interesting and powerful I was disappointed to see Three Houses remove them in favor of brawling (but it also came with the return of light magic and pseudo-Catholic classes - IS gives and IS takes). But now we have Engage which has both, so...what would FE16 have looked like if it had had knives as well?

Stats and Parameters

Knives in Three Houses would have been a natural evolution of their appearance in Fates: low might but with reliable 1-2 range. Let's say IS came up with the concept of Engage knives a little early, and so had the poison mechanic as well as stronger, 1 range knives (which were also present in Radiant Dawn). Knives would have very low might, comparable to gauntlets only without the auto-brave effect, although 1 range knives would be only slightly weaker than swords of similar rank to compensate for the lack of versatility. Knives could also replace spells in the secondary weapon triangle (gauntlets > magic > bows > gauntlets), because magic has always seemed a bit awkward grouped in with those as it's a completely different system.

Although Engage has wolf knights, I prefer that knives be unusable by mounted units, like gauntlets, because the alternative seems a bit silly. That said, unlike gauntlets knives could be used by pure magic classes, and indeed would be a solid options for casters who don't want to expend spell uses and still want to debuff the enemy while attacking safely from range. There would also be at least one magic knife to match the other magic weapons, which would be particularly helpful for certain mage characters with knife boons (see below).

Class Changes

Myrmidon would be available with either a sword or knife rank, like how fighter and monk work already.

Thief, assassin, and trickster would have their sword requirements changed to knives. This would also remove the need for trickster's odd thief prerequisite, as the two classes would be more strongly tied together by their weapon type. Assassin would of course have Swordfaire replaced with Knifefaire.

Archer would boost knives rather than swords, to facilitate archer -> assassin

The master tier would be the most difficult, as I don't want to alter mortal savant and none of the other existing classes are really viable knife wielders. Instead, I'd add another class based on Fates's master ninja, with knife and sword requirements. Dread fighter, maybe? It would have Knifefaire, Stealth, and...some other new class skill, possibly one based around improving poison damage.

Boons and Budding Talents

Probably the most interesting thing to consider, as we get to talk about characters. I will be adhering to the unspoken rule in-game that no character can have more than three weapon boons, with budding talents included. That means that if I think a character would have had a knife boon but already has three weapon boons, one of them will have to removed to compensate.

Hubert - an obvious choice, a personal favorite, and half the reason I even thought of this concept. If three weapon boons (with lances/bows) is too much for a primary mage character, then I'd remove his boon in bows which in his case feels like a stand-in for the lack of knives anyway.

Linhardt - in the actual game Linhardt stands out as the only character to not have a single weapon boon, so let's give him one. It can be his budding talent, as something he'd pick up later despite his hemophobia because of his inspiring self-insert teacher, etc.

Petra - her "canon" class is thief/assassin, and she's a dagger unit in her only Heroes appearance, so this is a natural fit. I'd drop her sword boon to make room, leaving her with bows for assassin and axes for wyvern rider which is also semi-canonical for her (at least in terms of wearing her unique outfit)

Ashe - a former thief, and he has assassin available in Cindered Shadows. He already has three weapon boons, so I'd see him drop axes so he can keep his bow focus as well as his lance budding talent as a reflection of his aspirations to knighthood.

Ignatz - a bit unusual, but he's got room for a third weapon boon and this way he's still got a path to trickster for the support role for which he's more designed.

Leonie - if only to give her boons more diversity than simply the list of bow knight requirements, and to further distinguish her from Jeralt. Also, hunters use knives.

Hanneman and Manuela - I think both of them could use knife boons, in each case replacing an existing weapon boon that would no longer seem thematically necessary: bows for Hanneman, swords for Manuela. For Manuela they make sense as a medical instrument, whereas Hanneman can lean into the idea of knives as an off-weapon for mages. More comically, this would also make for a more natural lead-in to a meme build like Aura Knuckles Hanneman.

Shamir - similar to Leonie, it would suit her as a hunter/assassin...but Shamir's boons and banes are structured to parallel Catherine's, so I'd remove her random lance boon to preserve that dynamic.

Yuri - the most obvious fit of all, as he's a dagger unit in Heroes and they suit the thief/trickster identity perfectly. He can even still keep his sword boon, as he's got space for it.

Banes

These are a tougher call, but I can identify a few logical choices. In some cases I'd swap out an existing bane so I don't feel like I'd be nerfing the character too much.

Ferdinand - yes, this would actually give Ferdinand a bane and would remove him from the exclusive club of characters without them, but he already stands above the rest with his number of boons. Also, this would make for entertaining contrast with Hubert - and a parallel with his tea friend Lorenz who already has a single weapon bane to his name.

Caspar - swap out his bane in bows for one here, to better parallel Linhardt.

Raphael - similar to Caspar, changing his bane in bows to one in knives better highlights his lack of precision and preference for the brute force approach (I'd do this for Edelgard's bow bane too, but the house leaders' banes seem to have been designed with each other's in mind so it's worth keeping).

Seteth - either swap it out for his riding bane (kind of weird that he has this when cavalier is in his base class set) or just add to what he's already got, because Seteth's doing fairly well either way. As with Ferdinand, it would match his straightforward approach to combat and dislike of subterfuge.

Gilbert - I really don't want to give him a bane, as the lack of them is one of the things that allows Gilbert to be nowhere near as much of a headache as Jeritza when it comes to 100%, but it is still a bit odd that this guy has no banes to speak of.

Hapi - as a replacement for her random brawling bane, I think this works, setting her apart from the other female characters unfortunate enough to have brawling and heavy armor banes (Bernadetta and Marianne) while also not giving her a bane in the weapon type that is her friend Constance's budding talent.

That's 10 boons and 6 banes. For reference, in the actual game 10 characters have brawling boons and 5 have banes - so that's reasonable.

Regrettably, I have a pretty good guess as to why knives were left out of Three Houses, related to Koei-Tecmo's involvement and the difficulty of using such small weapons in the big, flashy sorts of attacks favored by Warriors games...but still I can dream, right?

[sidespart]

For the fake fic title, if you're still doing it: Why do you hate me? (I honestly don't know where I came up with this lol)

X-Men AU!!! Found Family + Anxceit friendship. TW: child soldiers, child endangerment, abuse etc

(So typical X-men universe set up: some people are born with the X gene, which typically triggers during puberty, giving that person a mutation which normally results in cool powers. Many people hate mutants for their differences (/ bad press of people using their mutant powers for the evilz) and so most mutants live in hiding. The Xavier Institute is a school set up by an extremely powerful mutant which seeks to provide a safe space for young mutants to learn to manage their powers, get a regular education and hopes to see peace between humanity and mutant kind. The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is a group of mutants who believe humans will never let mutant live in peace and do various anti-human, pro-mutant vaguely terrorist-y actions (there’s like a billion version of the x-men and these details may not be correct for all the versions all of the time because comics but this is the vague idea))

ANYWAY PLOT - Containment breach at the Super Secret Child Soldier Lab (SSCSL) - Subject VII has escaped. Subject VII is only 6-7 years old but his mutations were artificially triggered much younger than is normal. He can warp reality and create very sophisticated illusions, but has very limited control over his powers.

Cut too - Virgil and Dee, a couple of teenage mutants living on the street. They find a little boy with a buzzcut wandering around The Bad Part Of Town and Virgil immediately decides they need to adopt/help him (Dee makes more of a fuss about how this is not their responsibility and the kids barely even talking and do you know how hard I work just to keep you and now you wanna add another mouth to feed?? Huhh?? but obviously does not actually say no) (Dee is like. Barely any older than Virgil he’s just dramatic). 

Naturally, just as the three of them have had time to bond, the SSCSL and other assorted bad guys show up to try and take VII back. There’s a big fight, Virgil and Dee have a lot more experience with flight and would probably have ended up dead if the X-men (Patton and Logan) hadn't shown up to save them. 

But they lose VII.

Patton and Logan take them back to the Xavier institute to recuperate and offer to let them stay. They can go to school there, get some training and help the X-men track down VII and the whole SSCSL. Virgil says yes, Dee says no.

(So, reasoning - Virgil's mutation developed when he was 12. It was not pleasant. Various students at his school were injured and the media set up a which hunt for the mutant that caused the chaos. Virgil ran away from home because he was worried about the backlash on his family and about hurting anyone else again. So to him, this school full of mutants who can help him control his power, can offer him stability and a return to normal structures and routines, who are promising to help him get in contact with his parents if and when he’s ready?? This is like every fantasy he’s ever had come true

Unlike the other characters, Dee’s primary mutation is physical. He was born with it, its very obvious and its resulted in him being rejected for most of his life. He bounced around increasingly disturbing foster homes before running away when he was very young, so most of his memories are of living on the streets and surviving on his own. So, to him, number one: all adults are inherently untrustworthy idiots and number two: stay at a school? where they expect him to have a curfew? and, what - write essays? follow all their random arbitrary rules? rely on them for food and heat and all that shit? Completely ludicrous.)

It doesn't occur to either of them that the other one isn't going to agree with them. The resulting argument is epic and cruel, both hurling accusations at the other (Ungrateful /controlling are two of the big ones..) and both basically feeling hateful and 100% betrayed. Dee leaves and although they look for him, he’s got a lifetime experience of hiding and they cant find him.

CUT TO - 5 years later. Virgil is a (semi) well adjusted 19 year old junior X-men. He’s still a bit withdrawn, but is very close with Patton and Logan. He’s still holding out hope of finding VII one day and still firmly pretending he’s not listing out for any possible news of Dee (there were rumours some years ago of him joining the brother hood of evil mutants but then it all went quiet) who he, of course, hates for his betrayal. 

BUT THEN - mysterious knocking at the door in the night. Dee, now wearing a hat and cape and calling himself Janus, has returned. And he’s brought with him a little boy with a buzzcut and a tattoo of XXII on his foot.

Janus and Virgil need to put aside their resentment and work together to help XXII, who really does not seem interested in helping them, and hopefully use any clues he can give them about the SSCSL to track down VII. But that's difficult when they’re both still struggling with their own trauma and have no idea how to reconnect - both of them want to ask why do you hate me but are a bit too scared of the answer. ...

This already got way to long so mutant power/ extra back story descriptions under cut!

Patton - 22/27 years old. An extremely powerful telepath/empath. It takes him serious concentration and focus to not hear peoples thoughts and its almost impossible to not feel their feelings. Some people dislike him because of this as they feel he's spying on them. Grew up in the Xavier institute and 100% believes in and is committed to the future where humans and mutants live in harmony. Has pretty limited life experience in the real world. Sometimes floats. (inspired by professor X)

Logan - 21/26 years old. Fires destructive laser beams from his eyes. Was in a car accident when he was younger leaving him with permanent but apparently harmless brain damage - until his mutation developed and he slowly realised that no matter how much he trained he just couldn't control his power. Has to wear specialised eye guards at all times to keep himself from accidentally destroying everything around him. Had big plans to go to university and was angry at his mutation for a long time for getting in the way of that. Eventually enrolled online and is now a very dedicated teacher at the Institute. (inspired by cyclops) 

Janus - 15(?) / 20(?) His primary mutation is  lizard/snake like scales over most of his body, but especially the left side. Has oversized fangs, and yellow eye and a short lizard tail. His secondary mutation makes him immune to almost any sort of mental based mutation (so Logan could still knock him on his ass with his lasers, but Patton cant sense anything form him and Virgil cant whammy him). Spent a lot of his life on his own and got by being sneaky, cunning and charming. Initially took Virgil in because he saw that his powers could be useful for keeping them both safe, but eventually Virgil became his first real friend.

Virgil - 14/19. Shadow manipulation and ‘draining’. Virgil can make himself (and with practice, people he touches) literally disappear into the shadows. He can also direct shadows as powerful energy ‘blasts’, but in order to do so he has to drain any surrounding living things of their energy. When his mutation first developed  he took out half of the school hall where his exam was being held, leaving 15 students in a coma. (inspired by rouge/shadow cat)

VII - 6? / 11? Reality warping/illusion powers. One of the institutes first successful subjects. He was able to escape by changing the wall of his cell into a door. He finds it hard to talk but can project his ideas as lifelike illusions who can talk for him. One of his best is the image a handsome grown up Prince and he will often use this Illusion as an avatar to communicate. When he was 6 he did have some hazy memories of outside the SSCSL and expressed a desire to go home. Current status is unknown. 

XXI - 7.  Illusion powers  (reality warping has been removed from the program by his time as subjects proved too difficult to control). Has no memories of outside the institute and is extremely uncooperative with his new captors/guardians. He does not understand the affection they’re trying to show him and lashes out a lot, often by creating a lot of extremely disturbing and graphic illusions. Bites. 

[vowled]

Kill Your Darlings: An Analysis of its Twists and Themes

A few days ago, I watched Kill Your Darlings, and needless to say, I became completely mesmerized by it. Naturally credible characters with well-crafted backstories portraying a true story of Love, Obsession and Murder, it's everything a person could ask for in a movie. The colour palette of the movie radiates comfort and the sound track takes you back in time when these two bright young men were falling in love. Right from the start it was apparent that there were many themes in the undercurrent of the movie, and these were such that required some amount of thoughtful contemplation. And I was incredibly sorry to not find any post or review which critically discussed the themes of the movie and did it justice- so after doing some reading and digging up as much as I could, here I am making an attempt to analyze the twists and themes of the story.

The Crucial Plot-twist

The Night In Question- why the movie's recounting of the events is fictitious:

When faced with the prospect of writing the deposition for Lucian, Allen tried his best to gather information about the events that led to David's murder. However, it proved to be a difficult feat as Lucien himself would not speak much about it clearly. So he pieced together what he could from the bits of information he got. However, we see Lucian vehemently opposing the deposition written by Allen and claiming it to be false. After some thought, I find that I believe Lucian's claims. Most of the following arguments are rooted in the fact that Lucien's relationship with David was an abusive one, where David basically groomed Lucian and was a sexual predator. I suggest reading my post here to gain more insight about how the abuse affected him.

"You weren't there, you don't know what happened." These words right here- they're the words of a victim. Being subjected to a form of sexual abuse myself, I found these words hitting me like a brick ton. These are words coming from a pained soul that refuses to recount traumatic incidents. He's practically saying that the abuse was so bad he had to kill his abuser to be free from it.

Even after Allen saw first-hand what a total creep David could be, even after knowing the man had stalked Lucian across multiple cities, he had to ask Lucian why the latter killed David when he "could have run". This tells me he couldn't exactly relate to Lucian's situation and wasn't very keen on believing him. Although he displayed a moment of intimate affection, there's still a lingering feeling of yeah but he broke my heart inside him. After learning how Lucian drowned David, he even begins questioning if he should help him at all. At this point, Allen doesn't trust Lucian enough to actually care how accurate the story is. So he wrote what he could, what he felt right. But even he couldn't condemn his friend/first love to such a fate as prison, so eventually he submitted it as his final paper. In all honesty, I thought that turning it in was a brilliant move, and one which also further proved that the "once you loved him too" version was mostly fanciful fiction.

Throughout the movie, sequences have been played in reverse frames (and I found this so pleasing) and from the nitrogen-inhaling scene, we know that these sequences designated memories playing out in Allen's head or his subconscious creating dreamscapes. And here's the catch- the entire scene of Lucian taking a walk with David and eventually killing him began with frames played in reverse order. This gives the absolute proof that the movie's depiction of the events were fictitious.

Allen's P.O.V. of the events mainly relied on the argument that at some point, Lucian genuinely loved and needed David. This couldn't be further away from the truth. When you're 14 and and being groomed and coaxed by an older guy, a lot many things could feel like love because you haven't experienced them before; but in reality, it's never love, it just is another form of violence.

Themes running through the movie

"There can be no Creation before Imitation"

We see Professor Steves saying this at the beginning of the movie, hinting that it would be a theme in the story. This statement is reflected throughout Allen's progression and development as a poet:

In the beginning, we see him being hugely influenced by his father's works and possibly trying to imitate him through poetic devices such as consonance.

Next, we see him imitating Professor Stevens' style of writing in his poem "the rose that scents the evening air, grows from by beloved's hair" which Lucian outright criticizes.

It is only with the poem Allen recites to Lucian on the boat that he starts developing some sort of originality. That poem in particular is directly drawn from his personal experiences and delivers splendidly.

This development continues as he proceeds to write "The Night In Question" wherein he brilliantly describes his opinion of how things went down. It was this streak that would eventually propel him to write his most celebrated poem, "Howl".

The Circle of Life and How Allen Breaks it

We see Lucian telling Allen how "Life is only interesting if it is wide" and about Yeats' "Circle of Life". As displayed by the linked document, turns out the circle of life is quite complex a thing, and the movie displays a lay-man's version of it. As Lucian tells about it to Allen, unbeknownst to them both, Allen also enters the circle and changes the turn of events:

It is obvious that at the party at David's, Allen was a misfit. David even goes so far as to literally call him out and point how unremarkable he was, but says how given the correct circumstances, even Allen could change things. And what's extraordinary is exactly this happens next: the liquor runs out in David's party and Allen suggests they should change the venue of the party- hence hijacking David's party!

We see Allen's life widen as he becomes closer to Lucian and starts doing things he'd never done before. At the same time, he also plays an important role in changing Lucian's life as well. It's Allen who suggests at first that Lucian should break up with David and stop taking his help. Later in the movie, after learning about David's obsessive behaviour, it's again Allen that said "we should get rid of him". Again, here we see some foreshadowing. Allen could have worded it in any probable way, and yet he suggested getting rid of David which subtly implied killing him. I do believe that this happened to become a subliminal suggestion to Lucian and furthered his murderous intent.

Hence, although Lucian radically changes Allen's life, the latter does so too in unlikely and unexpected ways.

Sacrifices (and Rituals?)

Since the beginning of the movie, we know that the characters are all extraordinary men and that they are capable of something revolutionary. But it was apparent that all of them would need a catalyst to set things in motion- a sacrifice of some sort which would help them break their moulds and free their inner poet. Allen's love for Lucian and his wish to impress him did make him work toward become better at writing. It was the fear of completely losing Lucian to Jack that made Allen put all his effort into writing, and made him come up with his best work yet - here, the fear acted as the catalyst.

However, the most significant thing in connection to this happened in this scene where Lucian cuts both of their palms and holds them up together - this can be considered a Blood Ritual.

"A blood ritual is any ritual that involves the intentional release of blood. Blood rituals often involve a symbolic death and rebirth, as literal bodily birth involves bleeding. Basic to both animal and human sacrifice is the recognition of blood as the sacred life force in man and beast. The participants may regard the release of blood as producing energy useful as a sexual, healing, or mental stimulus. In other cases, blood is a primary component as the sacrifice, or material component for a spell."

The fact that this event took place inside Allen's head during a trippy session outlines how Allen had subconsciously taken a blood oath with Lucian to further The New Vision. This process of developing their revolutionary ideas would successfully progress for the rest of the movie; however, before its completion, the oath demanded a sacrifice- and the murder of David became this blood sacrifice.

"With Death comes Rebirth"

In the first half of the movie we see the initiation of this theme; after they've agreed upon to bring up something revolutionary, Allen talks about how rebirth comes only after death, and in their naivety, they play out a pseudo-suicide scene to imitate death. Little did they know greater sacrifices would have to be made. Eventually as events play out, we come to realise that it is David's death that became the cause and medium for their rebirth- both academic and intra-personal. Jack and Bill co-wrote the book "And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks" about the murder of David Kammerer, and eventually rose to fame, while Allen became popular with "Howl and Other Poems", none of which could have been initiated/inspired without David's death. As for their personal growth, none of them were the same as they were before the affair. I like to think all of them changed for the better. Lucian must have finally felt a sense of relief after getting rid of his abuser, while Allen finally took-off his rose-coloured glasses, saw Lucian under a more critical light, and developed a sense of self-esteem.

A Study in Violence (I was unsure whether to include this point in this analysis or not due to the violent nature of it. But I figure this analysis would remain incomplete should I leave it out. So here it goes..) The sequence from 1:10:00 to 1:12:00 was an in-depth survey of Violence and how it can occur in different forms. In particular, it focused on how any form of penetration is intimately violating.

We see a lonely Allen being so lost that he's about to have sex with a complete stranger. This itself is very unlike him, who in the beginning of the movie was shying away from Lucian kissing an unknown girl. A few sequences later we see how he wasn't very comfortable with this idea (he wanted to turn off the lights but the other guy turned them on) and yet he was made to shift into a position he did not prefer and hence was made to have rough sex.

We see Bill looking very solemn and injecting drugs into his hands.

We see the violent altercation between Lucian and David. We see David forcing himself on Lucian and eventually being stabbed by him.

We see Jack recieving the news of the death of his friend.

In this way, we see every member of the group being exposed to some form of violence, be it sex, drugs, physical altercations or death.

First Love and its aftermath First love is also an important theme of the movie as it shows how one's first love has the capacity to radically change a person from within:

Allen's first love changed him from the shy, people-pleasing always-upright persona to the bold, radical, critical and unafraid person he became at the end of the movie.

Allen's discovery of his own style of writing can also be majorly attributed to Lucian's criticism of his rhyme-schemes.

All in all, it was his love for Lucian that drove him to become a more out-going person and ignited the mischief in his spirit, while the heartbreak of realising Lucian didn't feel the same for him also lent him invaluable insight and allowed him to develop confidence and a sense of self-esteem, which would play a significant role in him eventually becoming his own person.

While Allen's first love furnished him with the overall better things in life, the same could not be said for Lucian, sadly. Lucian's first love reminded us how oppressive love can become if the other person isn't suited-well for us; it showed us how sometimes love and obsession are separated by a thin line, and how dangerous it becomes when the line is crossed.

Lucian's story also showed us how sometimes a relationship can be more abuse than love, and when that happened, how easy it became to confuse violence with love.

The most significant message that the theme of first-love portrays is that there will always be consequences.

With this, I bring my arguments and analyses to a close. I hope a future (or even past) lover of the movie happens to stumble upon this someday and learn something fascinating about the movie (or reignite their love for it). Thank you for reading this far!

[P.S. an uplifting fact: in real life, Lucian, Allen, Jack and Bill each got the type of life they wished for, and remained friends for the rest of their lives :) ]

[ourfavesareautistic]

Luna Lovegood is Autistic

Character: Luna Lovegood

Canon: Harry Potter book and film series

Actor: Evanna Lynch

Why We Think They're Autistic: When she’s introduced in the fifth book, Luna gets an entire chapter named after her. Were it not for the chapter title, the first we’d get of her is Ginny calling her “Loony Lovegood,” a nickname that sticks with her even after she becomes part of Harry’s group of friends. Here is the passage that first describes her: “The girl gave off an aura of distinct dottiness. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of butterbeer caps, or that she was reading a magazine upside down.” She proceeds to point out the obvious and make a spectacle of herself in not responding properly to the conversation. This will always be true of Luna’s character, her odd manner and abnormal behavior. Over the course of the year, however, Harry discovers her intellect, her loyalty, and her resilience. She’s a year below Harry and has been bullied her entire time at Hogwarts, often having her belongings stolen along with being socially ostracized. Her belief in magical creatures the rest of the wizarding community dismisses certainly contributes to this, but she remains steadfast in her beliefs. She has particular habits and odd dress that connect to her interest in magical creatures but also point to routines and sensory habits that are often true of autistic people. I interpret her depth of knowledge and passion for magical creatures as a special interest. Her difficulties socializing can often lead to more time to observe and reflect, allowing her to show keen insight when she is listened to.

Why It Matters: Luna Lovegood has meant a great deal to me and to many other fans of the series over the years. Despite the bullying, Luna never changes or hides who she is, showing an acceptance of herself that can be hard to find within yourself, growing up autistic. She was a weirdo, but confident in it, and that created a character to aspire to be like. She also showed that you can be bullied and ostracized but if you remain true to who you are, you will find people who accept you and value you without ever asking you to change.

Challenging Tropes: As a female character, Luna shows what autism can look like in women and girls. She also has interests that go against autistic stereotypes: so often, special interests are in engineering related fields (trains, cars, space technology), but Luna’s primary interest lies in magical creatures, a field that ties her to nature and draws her to the forest. Luna also shows great empathy, challenging the common narrative that autistic people are cold and lack empathy.

Bonus: Evanna Lynch has spoken on receiving many letters from autistic fans speaking about how much Luna has meant to them, and was very open and supportive of this interpretation. "I always get a lot of letters from people with autism who relate to Luna a lot," Lynch said. "Obviously, I don't fully understand the condition, but, I understand this feeling of you just can't communicate with those around you and it gets misunderstood, and you just want people to see your heart, to see how you feel, but it's hard to communicate that."

"Luna comes along and she is that way to society [a perceived outsider], but she doesn't feel bad about it. She just completely accepts herself. I think it's similar for autistic people. Obviously, everyone's very different and every case of autism is different, but I think that they see that Luna is somebody who doesn't quite fit in."

"She's just a little bit off-center and more of a misfit, yet she manages to accept herself despite being ostracized for being 'weird.' That to me was so inspiring growing up. I feel that might be what fans with autism are connecting with as well."

(source)

[grayyxv]

A Comprehensive Analysis of Eustass 'Captain' Kid

I've been wanting to write this for awhile now as Kid is undoubtedly one of my favourite characters in One Piece. Also, I'm majoring in Psychology so I can't help but think about why I love his character so much.

Disclaimer: As we all know, Kid doesn't have much screentime so it's quite difficult to understand his character completely. So, whatever you read will be my own intepretation of his character (based on the little amount of scenes that he has). Of course, you don't have to agree with it but it might give you a bit of a different perspective!

So, withour further ado, let's begin!

*P.s I'll try to make it flow in but it might end up really messy so I apologize for that*

Note: NOT SPOILER FREE!!!

1. Assumptions

I guess I'll begin with some of the common assumptions of his character based on posts/videos I've seen about his character. They frequently refer to Kid as 'cruel' or 'heartless'. Basically, there are many negative remarks about his character that makes him seem like a total psychopath.

Their reasoning for this would be because:

- He mentioned that he would kill anyone would mocked him

- His high bounty = He's notorious & violent

- The way he acts makes him come off as a bloodthirsty pirate

From another standpoint, I can see why people might think that way about him. The way he speaks and acts does make him look villainous. In addition, his primary role in One Piece is to be Luffy's rival. (I'll expand on this point later.) So, one might think that his morals would contrast Luffy. Whereas Luffy is the kind and benevolent pirate, Kid is the 'bad guy' who is cruel and heartless. The question is, though Kid is rival character, why does that necessarily mean that he would be a bad guy? I strongly disagree that Kid is a psychopath and that he is heartless. Firstly, the term 'psychopath' shouldn't be used so loosely. A true psychopath would have no regard for other's feelings which is not true of Kid because he cares very much for his crew. On the other hand, Doflamingo would be a good example of a psychopath. Next, even if Kid WERE a psychopath, not all psychopaths are violent. So it'd be nice if people stopped misrepresenting psychopaths.

Now, if there is one thing I learned in psychology, is that people tend to make assumptions about a person's actions as part of their personal dispositions rather than because of situation. This would be the Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE). What do I mean by this? Let's take a look at Kid's scenario. He mentioned killing people who mocked his dream. Killing people would make people automatically assume that Kid is 'violent'. But here is a different perspective, what if 'mocking him' had meant that they tried to start a fight with him? Provoking other people repeatedly would cause anybody to get angry. There are many other characters who acts this way as well. Sure, Luffy doesn't go as far as to kill them but I'm sure that many other characters do because they are PIRATES.

In contrast, I think of this situation as Kid standing up for himself. He believes in himself and he would beat anyone up who tells him otherwise. If you think about it, Luffy is kind of similar because he ends up fighting anyone who tries to stop him from attaining his goal.

That is pretty much all the assumptions that people make about his character. It's sad how they don't delve deeper but fret not!! I still have more to say.

2. Pre-Timeskip vs Timeskip Changes/Growth as a character

During Pre-timeskip, Kid is seen as overconfident. I actually agree with this statement quite a lot. His high bounty was a result of his reckless behaviour. He could easily triumph over anyone before the timeskip. That was when he started to become a little too full of himself. Consequently, he suffered heavy losses. His arm was taken by Shanks, his crew was utterly defeated by Kaido (curse you Apoo) and his reputation as the top supernova was instantly lost to Luffy. His true character development was in the Wano arc where we see how he starts to take a step back and re-evaluate his situation. The most obvious evidence for this was when he got captured in Udon. He was quiet (before Luffy's arrival) and deep in thought. So many things had happened to him, you could even argue that he was feeling slightly lost and helpless (not depressed) because he was utterly defeated. The motivation and drive he had in pre-timeskip was shattered- Until Luffy arrived of course. When Luffy arrived, he was battered and bruised but he was still ready to fight. Kid, who saw how Luffy still had his fighting spirit, was somehow inspired to keep on fighting. It's almost as if Luffy is Kid's drive to be stronger.

So, what does this all say about Kid?

I think that this makes his character believable as it can represent real life. There are some points in our lives where we could be the greatest but, sometimes, life can be pretty cruel too. If you get too cocky or overconfident, the world will punish you. I saw a comment that says Kid is Luffy but without the plot armour. That is very true. Kid isn't perfect. He made tons of crappy decisions and dealt which the consequences. I'd say he's as reckless as Luffy, perhaps LESS reckless than Luffy but he suffers more than Luffy does. While Luffy could bask in glory, all Kid got was the short end of the stick. I think that is the reason why I find Kid such an appealing character- because its an accurate representation of real life. Sometimes you can try as hard as someone else but you won't always get the spolight.

The other appealing aspect is his persistence. He made mistakes and bad decisions but he knows that he can't undo them and has to move on. Kid isn't as lucky as Luffy because he didn't have someone like Rayleigh to train him so, he had to put in more effort somehow. The main point is, he had to learn everything the hard way. Yet, he still strives to be the best which is very befitting of a rival character.

3. interactions & Personality

Another thing I frequently see when people Kid and Luffy is that: People say that while Kid makes enemies, Luffy makes allies which is why he has so much support from others around him. I was thinking about this a lot and I can't help but disgaree. I saw another post where they mentioned Kid's MBTI personality is INFJ which made me think even more about that statement. From here on, I will include several headcanons about his character as well.

Let me offer you a different perspective. Perhaps Kid isn't good at expressing his feelings. The way he speaks may come off as cold which makes other people dislike him because they think he is rude whereas he simply doesn't know how to communicate with others very well. Luffy is no doubt an extrovert, seeing how he is easily able to interact with others. Kid on the other hand, if he is an introvert, it could be an explaination to why he doesn't have many interactions with others. I don't see him as someone who's very 'sociable'. So he could experience some difficulty when communicating his feelings. He's shown to be closer to his crew more than anyone else. He is deeply respected by his crewmates because he is sensitive to their needs as well. He isn't the tyrant that everyone paints him to be, he earned that respect by first respecting his crewmates. Also, he would essentially DIE for any of his crewmates. This part is quite self explainatory if you've read the chapter where they revealed what happened to Kid and Killer in Wano.

I just want to add that while Killer suffered so much in Wano, imagine how much it hurt Kid to see his first mate suffer and how he couldn't do anything about it. The expression on his face is perfectly the anger he had towards Kaido, Apoo and more importantly, HIMSELF for not being strong enough. Yet, people call him heartless though he would literally die for Killer.

But anyways, Kid is an excellent listener and he cares very deeply for people he is close to. I just think he's bad at communicating. Look at the way he talks to Luffy. In Wano, you can see how Kid actually does LIKE Luffy as a rival. He just has trouble expressing himself. Anyways, this is just a headcanon but I think that he's rather sensitive to other's feelings- Especially when it comes to his crew. I really like the idea that he's an INFJ because he seems more like the 'advocate' type of character. I still think he makes a very good leader but his approach would contrast Luffy's.

4. Intelligence

I could probaly go on forever about why I love Kid but this is another thing that I see about Kid and kind of annoys me. I'm not sure why everyone seems to think he's a dumbass. Like REALLY. I think he's pretty intelligent. He even kept tabs on the whole SMILE situation and Doflamingo and planned the alliance. He IS intelligent but his recklessness just makes him seem like an idiot.

Kid isn't perfect, he is flawed just like a real human being would be. By no means is he a GOOD person but I don't think he is as 'cruel' or 'bad' as people paint him to be. He cares a lot for his crew. He is very driven by his own personal values and he wouldn't 'change' for anyone. He believes in himself and if anyone tells him otherwise, he would simply beat them up. He isn't happy go lucky like Luffy, he is much deeper than that. He would consider his options and plan- to a certain extent because he is also quite idealistic. Hence, the reason why I feel like his character is such an interesting one is because there is a lot of opportunity for him to grow and stray away from stereotypical anime character traits. His character is believable because his personality is realistic, it could reflect a real human being.

TLDR: Stop sleeping on Kid.

With that, thanks for coming to my ted talk.

Anyways, that's it for now! I'll make a part 2 if I feel like I want to add something. If people like this, I'll consider making another analysis for other characters. Currently I have Law, Ace and Sabo planned in mind but we'll see how it goes.

Thanks for reading!

[theangrypokemaniac]

I'll state from the beginning that the images below display the sort of sweet synchronicity to which only love can give life:

MaAndPaShipping is the best ship, and here are five reasons why:

1. It Made James

Like the boy do yer? Ever felt the slightest tingle of warmth at the mention of his name?

Well get down on yer knees and give thanks to his mother and father for gifting him to the world!

Where would we be without their remarkable commitment? Could James have grown into the dandified dream boat of your desires if deprived of the safety provided by his parents?

Had they not brought him up, he'd be dead, The Dog of Flanders fantasy made reality. If miraculously he survived, foraging in the wild is not conducive to a foppish personality.

Is that to yer fancy? No? Then let's have a little respect. The luxury Ma and Pa gave enabled his macaroni tendencies to reach such heights.

Their love created him! How can it not be celebrated?

You lot would ship Jessie's parents but you can't, because she has no dad, and I don't suppose you'll ever assent to his obvious identity of Windy Miller, although 'Jessie Miller' has a wonderful ring to it, so what can be done?

Should a Pa Jess be conjured for the purpose, he still buggered off, didn't he? Where's the allure in a faithless git?

I can't comprehend the obsession with Ma Jess. As soon as here she's stiff, and what is there to remember but coercing her daughter into eating snow?

Hey, I named her. What more do you want from me?

I'd rather have the living, visible ancestors, if you don't mind.

Yeah, says the history fanatic.

Why not make the most of the chances offered, and follow a devoted couple whose love made a difference to your existence?

2. Canon!

There are many ships which I find repulsive for involving depravity, or absurd as the subjects haven't met, or don't inhabit the same fictional universe.

Video et taceo: I see and I say nothing.

Neither does anyone. Forcing decent folk in to incest, bestiality etc. is quite alright.

Perverted ideas are left alone, but woe betide a Rocketshipper, because that's offensive.

It may be the only original ship left standing, with proper evidence and sanctioned by Nintendo, but no, it's fair game for undermining. People pick at your arguments, quibble constantly and NEED to register their objections NOW. You MUST be made aware of opposition. You're not to be permitted your views the way those with twisted tastes are indulged.

Why, out of tens of thousands of combinations, does making Jessie and James an item provoke hostility?

The strength of negativity actually serves as validation, for why be so concerned if it's an impossible relationship?

However sick they are, I'm not anti any ship. I can't muster sufficient interest to do it, and if I scroll on, I forget. I certainly don't attack those responsible.

Anti-Shipping is inherently nihilistic for promoting loneliness. They aren't against Rocketshipping through wanting Jessie and James to be with someone else, as an alternative is not readily available, so the outcome of it is neither finding a companion.

MaAndPaShipping attracts no sourpuss silliness, for 'tis canon beyond question. There's nothing about being 'just friends' when married with a son.

How's the state of your O.T.P.? Not looking too clever I expect, and what's your contribution: wishing, and hoping, and thinking, and praying?

Cast it off! None of that longing is necessary in these quarters, as MaAndPaShipping is a fait accompli.

Hallelujah! Wallow in that Love!

Don't you yearn for at least one ship that all of us accept by default, to the extent these aristocrats are spoken of as a single unit?

Across the internet, Ma and Pa are bracketed as 'James's parents', never 'he' and 'she', always 'they', barely counting as distinct characters. That's how undeniable the love is between them. Sheer indifference has awarded it a blessing from everyone.

MWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

Of course, now I've drawn attention to it the moaning will start, but we all know a spoilsport when we see one.

If they had any legitimate complaints they ought to have mentioned 'em before this piece highlighted the marriage!

Except it won't have occurred to 'em previously, proving the eternal, indissoluble quality of MaAndPaShipping.

You get good value with this one.

Find a post referring to Ma and Pa as individuals and I'll have written it, for that's what you call ironic.

3. It's a Fine Rocketshipping Proxy

I was at primary school when Pokémon hit the West like the bright, bearded meteor it is, atomizing all competition for a child's attention.

I have shipped Jessie and James before I knew anyone else did it, unaware shipping was even a thing.

There are other pairs where I think: 'That seems to fit', but it's incomparable to what I feel for them.

It is part of me. I bleed it.

I have shipped it longer than most Tumblerries have dwelt upon the earth.

I used to believe, what with the hints and manga finale, that this resolution was  inevitable, and all I had to do was wait.

Well I've been patient for two decades now, thus when I look at the modern incarnation, and realise it's no nearer to that goal, and instead is further away, waiting starts to wear a bit thin.

I resent the lack of appreciation shown to the fans by the cretins in charge, how any meagre shippy inclusion is done not with an interest in deepening bonds, but with the blatant cynicism of moulding us into performing monkeys dancing to their manipulative tune.

I dislike being treated like a sea lion, expected to clap me flippers at the wave of a fish, or as a panting dog begging at top table, where, because they're desperate to maintain the status quo, every scrap flung down from above now comes with an Anti-Ship kick in the teeth, just to be sure nothing progresses. Not whilst the franchise can still be milked for all it's worth.

I have lost faith Rocketshipping will happen. What passes for Pokémon today carries not the remotest indication of any intention on the so-called writers' part to finish it that way.

Even if it did, it's not my Team Rocket, it's those skeletal, gargoyle bastardisations. My Jessie and James never got the reward they deserved.

I'm somewhat in the market for a replacement. Beneath this loathsome carapace of acid and ice beats the tender heart of a true romantic, and it must have an outlet!

Shipping Ma and Pa provides a certain spurious relief, because it's as close as you can get to Jessie and James without it being them, both biologically as his parents, but they're so similar to the duo it counts as proof in itself.

Holy Matrimony! is prime Rocketshipping territory, not merely the balloon lift, but many slight additions are as important, like the haircuts matching.

Ma and Pa are therefore Jessie and James in the past, present and future:

The past for representing Jess 'n' Jamie gone Victorian, and we've all wondered how that'd turn out.

The present as it's there right now, absent of suffering the shameless whims of morons to get what you want. 'Tis yours to savour.

The future as a glimpse of Jessie and James once married with children, and they agree:

That's how they play it given the opportunity!

What, James in blue, for his and Pa's hair, and Jessie wearing purple, like Ma's, with a red shawl for her own, and Ma Jess's orange earrings to copy the beads?

• Money!

• Bun!

• 'Tache!

• Classy pad!

• Fancy gear!

• Pampered pet!

• Identical cups of Earl Grey!

4. Original Blend

Ma and Pa have only got two fans! We care more than the entire fandom has in twenty years!

Rocketshipping art is ten a penny, so why not display a pioneering spirit, sharpen up those pencils and be inspired?

Let your mind expand and marvel at the possibilities of these unchartered territories, and I'll reblog it if it's nice.

Pay attention to the condition of it being nice. I'm not putting up with any old toss.

Real Ma and Pa is what I want too, not those Sinnoh coffin-dodgers.

It's never been done! Every drawing breaks new ground!

I don't like fan fiction, but I wouldn't say 'no' to that either. Recall the 'nice' stipulation again.

Come on, be the first amongst your friends and get ship shape!

5. It Gives Us All Hope

Suppose your favourite amour one day became canon: you imagine that's the end of the matter?

Well it ain't.

Between Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie, James, Gary and Tracey, there are three-and-a-half out of fourteen parents (Flint doesn't count as a complete man) and one out of twenty-eight grandparents, and that's not enough!

If the series drew to a close with your beloved couple apparently walking into the happily-ever-after, there's no guarantee it'll endure. In fact, the odds are they'll split up within a few years and leave another generation to fend for themselves or starve.

That's right, so don't presume the final episode is all you need to worry about. Can you rest easy knowing it'll go pear-shaped once the camera stops rolling?

It's futile soothing one's worries with:

Oh, but they know what it's like to be alone. They'd never inflict such stress on their children.

Oh really?

Look at that poor showing of grandparents. Either Pokémon has a system reminiscent of the sci-fi film Logan's Run, where everyone over thirty is vapourized, or these disappearing maters and paters were themselves victims of abandonment.

I bet when they settled down, they thought it'd be different for their kids, they'd make sure of it, but no, off they went down that same route of feckless self-indulgence, and that's being kind assuming they intended not to repeat history.

Depressing eh? What's the good in any of us surrendering to romance, real or otherwise, if love is but a mayfly of emotion, and all dreams are doomed to die?

Then Ma and Pa arrive, and suddenly the storm clouds part for a ray of heavenly light.

It's not only that they made the effort in what was probably an arranged marriage and have stayed together from youth, it's that they've stayed together when no one else has, which augments its value.

When separation is commonplace, sticking it out becomes rarer and rarer as any belief in the sanctity of wedlock erodes with every failure.

If they didn't bother, why should I? What's the use when it won't work?

Once that idea enters your head, it's over, and your gloom-laden attitude fulfils itself.

Society is collapsing about Ma and Pa's ears, but they persevere nevertheless, refusing to buckle under the turgid malaise engulfing the arrogant and weak.

It's bloody beautiful, man!

You may suggest an environment of supreme wealth erases normality, and to their class and time period divorce is still taboo, so they don't really have much of choice but to remain wedded.

Ah, but it's not as if they simply tolerate one another for appearances, or carried on for the sake of their son (which is more than anyone else did besides), not when he walked out on them.

They've been married longer than James has lived, so at least eighteen years (don't all squeal at once), and they're still blissfully contented!

They hold hands!

They use terms of endearment like 'dear' and 'my precious'!

They were made for one another!

They work as a team!

They want the same thing for James!

It could bring a stone angel to tears it's so beautiful!

See what success can be achieved when you try? When you endeavour to love the one you're with and make yourself worth loving in return?

Better that than chucking 'em at the first sign of trouble.

Ma and Pa is such an irrevocable union even the despair of losing their only child failed to tear 'em asunder, and that'd defeat many, but not this husband and wife.

Be grateful, for it means all is not in vain.

It doesn't have to be misery and pain: love can last despite the pressure of a wretched, hollow culture bent on self-destruction. Your ship might just succeed too.

God bless 'em for keeping the magic alive!

...

Why do I have the presentiment that I'm going to regret encouraging support?

[entelexcheia]

(( ‘AU!’‘AU!’‘AU!’ Gimme all the AUs you can throw at me! Or maybe just one; don't want you burning out. ; w ;

send me ‘AU!’ and i will ramble about an AU i want to use more, develop and have thread in, or one i just don’t get to enthuse about enough on my blog. ( x )

One will do. I’m afraid I’ll burn out if I try to ramble about all of my AUs in one post so thank you for the consideration, hahaha. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Noir AU we came up with though, so I’ll be discussing that one. I’ll be including Yuli in this, if you don’t mind.

I’m honestly not familiar with the noir genre so chances are I’ll be taking plenty of creative liberties, drawing inspiration from many different sources which may or may not even be relevant to noir. If anything, I’d say this is just crime fiction, generally speaking. 

Disclaimer: I’m very bad at world building, especially with AUs that pertain to a specific genre, so please bear with me. 

I’m not going to base this entirely in reality. Loosely, but that’s about it. I’d rather refrain from using real-life locations and real-life events, just out of personal preference. Yes, I know I use real-life stuff in my regular headcanons but give me a break.

So, we’ll start off with an urban setting. My mind goes to New York City, namely Manhattan around the early to mid 1900s. Probably leaning towards the mid 1900s, considering that film noir is associated with the 40s and 50s. 

Overall, the mood/tone is very pessimistic, because that’s more or less what the film noir genre seems to encompass. Corruption and organized crime are prominent in the city and it seems as if those groups, particularly the criminal organizations, have the most power and influence.

And now a very basic run-down of the characters involved in this AU. Not every detail is fleshed out, as I’m still developing them. Details are subject to and likely to change at any time. Feel free to contribute any ideas, if you’d like, especially for Yuli’s involvement in the AU or any of your other muses for that matter. 

Wilhelm

Private investigator. Probably a war veteran, given that post-war themes are common in film noir, so he’s struggling with some form of post-traumatic stress disorder. Smokes and drinks to alleviate the stress from his line of work and generally to cope emotionally and mentally. 

Has a dead wife, because of course he does, and an estranged son, because of course he does. Has a dead personal assistant/best friend too. Otherwise, he doesn’t have any close relatives or even anyone he can really call a close friend, for that matter. Not much emotional support there, unfortunately.

But all in all, he’s really not a bad guy. He may be a crestfallen, pessmistic man struggling with substance abuse but he genuinely wants to expose the corruption in the city and restore some semblance of peace and stability. He’s willing to put in the work and effort to do so, since the city needs that more than anything, more than ever before. 

Charlotte

Popular singer and dancer who performed at various venues. She was well-liked for her voice but she was adored for her beauty and personality. Most of her songs were very hopeful and uplifting in nature, since she performed with the intention of bolstering people’s spirits in mind. She was very much a philanthropic, passionate woman. 

Charlotte and Wilhelm were married and had a child, though Charlotte died under mysterious circumstances. Wilhelm’s still trying to figure out how she died but he fears that it’s because she was a prominent public figure but she was involved with Wilhelm, who was in turn involved in the criminal activity of the city. 

Despite being deceased, she still serves as a primary inspiration for Wilhelm. Her ideals are what motivated Wilhelm to do his line of work in the first place. It’s safe to say that she was his ‘light’ in the midst of a such a bleak, dark world. I know the entire ‘deceased wife’ trope is overdone but look, I don’t care. 

Zizz

A relative of Charlotte’s, though I don’t really know what the exact relation is. Heck, maybe he’s just a close friend. He’s several years older than her, however, and was very protective of her. When she died, he was devastated and blamed Wilhelm for her death. He never liked Wilhelm to begin with, so this just gave him another reason to hate him. He’s very condescending and constantly belittles Wilhelm out of spite, all while reminding him of his failures. 

While he’s a manipulative bastard, Zizz does hate corruption as much as Wilhelm does. He’d be more willing to cooperate with Wilhelm if it weren’t for the fact that he hates Wilhelm. However, he does occasionally, very reluctantly, offer Wilhelm valuable leads and information. Of course, he’ll do it in a very condescending manner but he’ll swallow his pride, even for a moment, to ensure that Wilhelm does his job instead of wallowing in self-pity and self-loathing. 

Yuli

Wilhelm and Charlotte’s son, though he’s currently living with Zizz, who is more or less his guardian after Zizz pulled some strings (hue) to take custody of him from Wilhelm. Zizz loves him dearly, though he cannot stand the fact that he bears a strong resemblance to not only Charlotte, but Wilhelm. As such, Zizz often makes him wear a mask at home. 

He’s also a performer, as talented of a singer as his mother was. As such, he’s regarded as her successor and is well-liked by the audiences. However, because of his sheltered lifestyle, Yuli is only somewhat aware of the corruption in the city. Zizz would rather keep Yuli safe and out of harm’s way, since he believes that Charlotte met her demise because of her association with Wilhelm.

It doesn’t stop Yuli from being curious and wanting to look into it, however. He may be biting (hue) off more than he can chew… but even if he’s estranged from his father and was raised to loathe him, he’ll always be under Wilhelm’s watchful eye, even if he doesn’t realize this. 

Parado

Wilhelm’s assistant and best friend. A pleasant, easy-going fellow. He was very competent as Wilhelm’s assistant not only in detective work, but in many other fields and subjects in general. Had a bit of a gambling addiction, but he’d often go to gambling establishments with the purpose of exposing criminal activity while undercover. 

However, he was very much a risk-taker and had a lot of confidence in himself, perhaps a little too much, which ultimately led to his demise. 

Met a grisly death at the hands of unknown perpetrators but it was at least obvious that he had been killed by the very criminal organizations he sought to expose. His corpse was left (somewhat) intact as an subliminal warning but ended up going missing after a period of time.

Trifoli

Parado’s girlfriend, who works as a pharmacist. A very bitter individual, especially following Parado’s death. While she directs some of her anger and resentment towards Wilhelm, she cannot bring herself to blame him and assists him however way she can. One of the few people Wilhelm trusts and receives support from. 

However, Trifoli is paranoid that she’ll be targeted by the criminal organizations because of her practice with medicine and association with Parado and Wilhelm. She’s already had unfortunate run-ins with thugs who may or may not be affiliated with the crime families.

She won’t sit idly for any longer, however. She has a personal score to settle with the criminal organizations, beyond just exacting revenge for Parado’s death…

Rche

The next-in-line successor of one of the criminal families. Despite his age, he’s proven to be a competent, capable crime boss and quickly overtook his own parents in gaining recognition and notoriety. He’s very cruel and manipulative, enjoying his control over all sorts of criminal establishments in the city. He seeks to assert his dominance, ensuring that everything goes exactly as he plans. 

And because he has a very capable bodyguard (Saruis) and personal maid (Beridzebeth), he’s practically untouchable.

Furthermore, there’s been talk of an immortality elixir that Rche has shown great interest in…

[florencetheflowerfairy]

What don't you like about Yamato's characterization in tri.?

Hello Anon! Thank you for yourquestion! You must have read this piece I wrote a few months ago after seeing Soshitsu. I had to think aboutyour question for a while to articulate clearer reasons.

I’ve got 2,000 words for you underthe cut. It was good to put my thoughts in order, and I tried to be fair, but I’malso a Negative Nancy when it comes to serious tri. meta and I don’t expect anyone to be as particular as I am. (Ijust reread it and GOD I’m particular.)

I figured that it’s only fair tosay that tri Yamato has an enormousdisadvantage in that I will constantly be comparing his characterization to Adventure Yamato. Because season 1Yamato is this incredibly complex, well written character in a very smart kids’show. He’s a lonely child with a broken heart, and yet he gets stuck with thecrest of friendship, and he sinks so low, but he still comes back, and he learns how to love, and how to be loved, and he grows so much and it’s so satisfying to watch that happen!!

It’s difficult for tri Yamato to measure up to those highstandards.

But at the same time, I want toemphasize that there are many things that I like about Yamato in tri! It’s obvious that the makers of tri also care about him. (He must be somebody’s favorite.) There aremany instances when he feels just rightand seeing that animated and voiced makes me ridiculously happy. For example,the scene in Ketsui when he objectedto Gabumon losing the costume contest made me laugh so hard that I had to pausethe movie. For a more serious example, I adored when he went to visit Takeru’sapartment in Kokuhaku. Then there areall these little moments that I enjoy, like seeing him do so much cooking, orhearing him sing new songs. There’s a lot to love! It’s just…a shallow kind oflove for me. But it’s not an issue of lackof care; it’s an issue of having different priorities.

Where tri. and I differ pretty significantly is when it comes to thesecharacters’ roles and relationships.

What I ultimately don’t like aboutYamato and Taichi in tri. is thattheir characters revolve SO MUCH around each other at the expense of theirrelationships with other people. I think that this makes their role reversalsignificantly less interesting than it could have been. I think it makes theircharacters feel isolated and narrow.

Other relationships vs. relationship with Taichi

In Adventure, Yamato has fascinating relationships with Taichi,Takeru, Sora, Jyou, Gabumon, and his parents, and these relationships are allpivotal to his growth as a person. In tri.?I think that Yamato is like a moon that orbits the planet Taichi. He interactswith Takeru, Sora, and Gabumon…but are they really contributing to his growthas a person? I don’t think that they are. I don’t think these otherrelationships are evolving much. To me, they feel static and peripheral.

The primary effect of this for meis that he’s a more boring character. I love his relationship with Taichi, andobviously it’s the strongest relationship portrayed in Adventure too, but their friendship is more interesting to me if Ican compare it to their other friendships.

As I was writing this essay, itdawned on me that THIS is the real reason it hurt so much when Yamatocomplained about Jyou not coming in the gazebo scene in Ketsui, and when Yamato joined Taichi in saying “What a pain” toSora’s face in Soshitsu. It’s notlike “Yamato isn’t allowed to say insensitive things ever.” In fact, hisbehavior to Jyou in season 1 episode 23 (the restaurant episode) and hisbehavior to Sora in episode 45 (when Pinocchimon kidnapped Takeru) was much worse than his behavior to them in tri. And yet, those scenes in which heloses his temper in Adventure aresome of my FAVORITE moments! That’s because Adventuretreated Yamato’s temper very seriously. Season 1 Yamato always felt so guiltyafter losing his temper at his friends. The writers in Adventure gave me the emotional satisfaction of seeing Yamato makemistakes with Jyou and Sora, but then he would always feel self-conscious andtry to make things better with them. The staff behind tri doesn’t care that much about Yamato’s friendships with Jyou andSora (certainly not at the level I care about them), so it feels like a slap inthe face when tri Yamato saysoffensive things about them.

The loss of Taichi’s other interesting friendships and how that affectsYamato

On the flip side, I don’t think thetri. staff cares about how Taichi’sfriendships with Sora and Koushiro were presented as equally important to Taichi’sfriendship with Yamato in season 1. Instead, the way they write it in tri, Yamato seems to be the only one whocares about how Taichi is suffering from guilt and fear. And this affectsYamato’s characterization because I can’t put his feelings towards Taichi intoperspective. It’s difficult to appreciate the stakes of Taichi’s internalstruggle if Yamato is the only one who seems to think it’s a big deal. Myknowledge of these three close friendships tells me that Sora and Koushiroshould also want to help Taichi with his fear of collateral damage. Instead,Sora, Koushiro, and everyone else acts like the main problem is that “Taichiand Yamato are having another fight like they always do, but they’ll sort itout themselves eventually.” It’s so oddto give Taichi this crippling fear of collateral damage and nobody has taken the time to talk to himabout it over a period of months. Ithink Hikari even frames his struggle as “You can’t bear to face Yamato.”

So both Taichi and Yamato feel likeisolated characters to me. I don’t think that the writers care to show howtheir unusual behavior is affecting the group as a whole. They’re only interested in showing how their behavioraffects each other.

Painfully slow development

While other major Chosen Childrenget well-paced character arcs in a single movie, Taichi and Yamato seem to behaving their conflict drawn out over all six movies. I personally find thepacing too slow.

It’s also frustrating to watchYamato “learn how to be sensitive to Taichi when Taichi is sad,” when being“the sensitive one” was Yamato’s strength in season 1.

Yamato was extremely frustratingfor me to watch in the first two movies. His lines in the gazebo scene in Ketsui in particular make me cringe(when he complains about Jyou not showing up to their meeting, and Taichi thentells him to lay off). The gazebo scene feels like an obvious parallel to thegraveyard scene in Adventure, whereMimi is crying about their dead digimon friends, and Taichi insists that theyhave to keep going, while Yamato insists that Taichi needs to think about otherpeople’s feelings. The gazebo scene feels like an IMPORTANT scene in tri. that establishes how Taichi andYamato are “different” now, but Yamato feels like he’s lost his core values forthe sake of a badly developed role reversal. It feels like Yamato has movedbackwards in character development.

Fortunately, things improve forYamato’s characterization in movies 3 and 4, when we finally see Yamato act self-conscious for losing his temper atTaichi. In movie 3, then he tells Taichi that they won’t have to evolveOmegamon and blushes as he says “That’s easier for you.” In movie 4, heconfesses that he “expects too much” of Taichi. Those are solid scenes! But itfrustrates me, because I personally see it as Yamato learning a basic lesson solate, and it frustrates me that thisdevelopment revolves entirely around Taichi.

So Yamato does seem to have a character arc in tri., which is better than what Iinitially feared—but I personally find it an uninteresting character arc.

Too much of a good thing

For all that I love Yamato, I don’twant him to be the main character. I find him much more compelling when he’splaying second fiddle.

After making Taichi such a passivecharacter, Yamato becomes such an oddly active character that he often feelslike the real protagonist. Like he should be the one wearing the goggles, notTaichi. I think that’s intentional, because I can tell that the writers love Yamato and giving him screen time,but I’m not a fan of that choice. I’m not interested in a scene where Yamatorides on his motorcycle and tracks down government agents in a parking lot (ascool as that is!), if it means that the writers pay less attention to Taichi.

I want to see more of how Taichifeeling down in the dumps would expose Yamato’s own vulnerabilities. Because ifTaichi isn’t there to be a goodleader for the team, then I think that the other group members should act more stressed, and Yamato would feel pressuredto fill in Taichi’s shoes as the leader, but he can’t, because Yamato isn’tas good a leader as Taichi and I think that’s important. Yamato’s roleshould be to inspire Taichi to be a better person for the team, not just for Omegamon. These are purely my ownopinions, but I just find it mind-boggling that the writers are so uninterestedin actually developing the protagonist’sstruggles and how that would affectthe team. Why do they make Taichi and Yamato so isolated?

Well. There is actually one morereason.

I only have so much patience for queerbaiting

Taichi and Yamato’scharacterization and isolation from the group make more sense to me when Iconsider that the story is really about their romantic feelings towards eachother. And not really about collateral damage at all.

I know that it’s not the worst caseof queerbaiting in the world. But the subtext is still very strong, muchstronger than in the original series, and it does make me sad that the tri. writers will not follow through onthis in the text itself. I can enjoy the queer romantic moments on a shallowlevel, but when I think about it seriously for meta, then it does make me sad.

I take an extremely negative viewof the tri. staff when it comes toshipping/romance. To me, it feels like they are trying to cover up for the“mistake” of the canon controversial ship Sorato. They vaguely acknowledge it,but they essentially ignore Sora and Yamato’s special relationship. (And we’restill waiting on developments, but I’m not a fan of the implications thatTaichi will end up with Meiko, because “girls exist to be love interests andTaichi didn’t get the girl last time.”) They often make Sora interact with bothTaichi and Yamato at the same time, and they make both boys appear“incompetent” for laughs. Meanwhile, they raise the romantic tension becauseTaichi and Yamato by 1000%, because hey, they don’t have to worry about takingit seriously!

That’s such a Debbie Downerperspective, I know. It’s…really hard for me to trust the writers of tri to take these relationshipsseriously. I’m sorry.

Final thoughts

When all is said and done, I thinkthat if you’re fascinated by Taichi and Yamato’s relationship, then tri. has a lot to offer you! I thinksome of the best meta about tri. hasbeen written about the two of them.

I also think that if you have abetter attitude about tri. in generalthan I do, then you can look at tri.Yamato’s growth and find interesting things to say about it. (I admit to havinga pretty poor attitude about tri. ingeneral.)

I personally need Taichi and Yamatoto exist outside of each other in order for me to find them interesting.(Anyone who’s been on my tumblr for five minutes can probably figure out thatI’m a biased obsessive Sorato and Taishiro fan.)

And finally…I’ve only seen the tri. movies once each. (Except for Sakai/Reunion, because I also saw theEnglish dub in theaters—and I liked it much better watching it the second time,when my expectations were realistically adjusted.) So that means I’ve based allmy analysis on my long-term memory, which isn’t always the greatest. Butobviously, even if my enjoyment of tri.is shallow, my passion for the characters is kinda intense.

Thank you again for your question,Anon. It was good to try to put my thoughts in order.