#Saviors Arc

[myobsessionsspace]

Carl

**An age old topic, discussed for years. But I just rewatched the Saviors Arc so I’m chiming in 🙈**

⚠️old spoilers for first time watchers⚠️

Yea the jumped the shark. That’s it, that’s all.

Ok just a bit more

I don’t blame Gimple, not one bit. Look at what he was able to do with actors having full control, with the studio and network listening to the writers, the show runners, the actors AND THE FANS.

Look at the wonder that was TOWL, with the powers that be giving control to the actors that know the characters inside out, to the man with the vision, to the fans dreams for the characters, they drew in and kept their audience, they broke records, made art, maybe will win awards and most importantly made money.

We KNOW that the show is an adaptation of a comic, WE KNOW. Conversations have been going on, debates, arguments, grumbles since the start ‘this character wasn’t in the comics’ ‘this character should have died’ ‘this person should be with that person’

The show made it work regardless.

Even though some actors had personal or professional reasons for continuing on or not with the show, their love for the show and the fans was always felt. Some came back when they could (storyline and professional/personal circumstances allowing) and the show thrived for it. THANK YOU ANDY & DANAI 🗣️

The drawn out Savior Arc AND the loss of Carl took TWD on their downward spiral before Andy & Danae’s exit, to me

But for real the writers have been able to make the choices THEY wanted, the network made choices THEY wanted and in my opinion not keeping on with the character Carl Grimes (with Chandler or with an aged up new actor) was one of the final nails in the coffin of the parent show.

[grtmnick]

cocky blonde badassery*😏*…*👀*yearning intensifies

[sage-nebula]

In season 1, Powder/Jinx was viewed by most as a screw-up, and a monster.

In season 2, Jinx will be viewed by most as a monster, and a revolutionary symbol.

In neither season did the majority opinion see her as a person. Those who did care about her as a person — Vander, Vi, Ekko (though he tried hard not to in arcs 2 & 3), and Silco, in that order — were heavily outnumbered by those who only saw her as the consequences of her actions, and not the eccentric, brilliant, but heavily traumatized and mentally ill girl she actually was.

There are some people who are angry that she is being seen as a revolutionary or peaceful symbol in Zaun. "It should be Vi!" they say. "How could they do this to Ekko?!" But here is what those people are missing:

Symbols are not people. They are iconography. A symbol can last long, long after its origin has died. Hence why doves are symbols; they can die fast, but their paintings last forever. This means that it does not matter at all to Zaun what happens to Jinx, in any way, once she is their symbol; even if she dies, that just makes her a martyr. Even better if it's an enforcer that kills her. (I could see Sevika arranging that.)

Jinx is just as alone now as she ever was. Symbols need to stay pure. Meaning that Jinx's off-color jokes and wild actions will need to be short leashed or she could risk losing that status. Even IF she feels this gives her community, she'll lose that real fast.

This is not the face of a girl who feels she is among friends:

And that is simply because she isn't. They don't know her. They don't need to know her. They need her to do her part (be the face on the murals, the martyr when we need it) and that's it. Jinx's action of blowing up the council was loved. But Jinx herself? No.

This is not an enviable position and it isn't going to benefit her, at least not in terms of her mental wellbeing. Jinx needs real unconditional love and support—what she got from Silco in his final moments, not the empty veneration of the masses who view her as an icon rather than a human being.

[fromtheseventhhell]

It's crazy that people still uphold show!Sansa as a well-written character and pretend that liking her is the pinnacle of feminism when it would be infinitely more impactful to acknowledge her terrible and misogynistic writing. This is the same character who, while written by two men, was thankful for the abuse she suffered because it allowed her to grow. The same character who we had to be told was smart because the writers were too lazy to develop or show her intelligence. The same character who had to rely heavily on the men surrounding her and ended up accomplishing nothing on her own merit ( and no, thinking that she deserved to be Queen doesn't mean that she earned it). She is not well-written, she is not complex, and she is not a feminist character. Which is fine! If you enjoy her then good on you, but please stop pretending that she's something she isn't just because you feel the need to justify liking her character

[kingsandbastardz]

Tumblr ate the anon ask I was responding to so I'm gonna paraphrase it here:

what do mean llh gave di feisheng to fang duobing? the letter totally said something else

Yes, it did - but I didn't feel I could comment too deeply on it when it's been retranslated and people who are far more literate than I am have analyzed the contents already. -- The letter itself seems pretty straight forward.

However, what I wanted to focus on was analyzing unspoken social dynamics - so I'm gonna get in depth into my reasoning for my interpretation. And admittedly in previous posts I was playing fast and glib with my responses (they were just insomnia-fueled thoughts I typed real fast) so I wasn't really in depth or anything. Anyway~~~ That means it's time for me to get long winded.

So! First thing - this is the scene: The letter was written from Li Xiangyi and addressed in its entirety to Di Feisheng. However, when it was delivered the fisherman asked for both DFS and FDB. It was then read outloud by either the fisherman or FDB -- I assume read out loud, and loudly, because DFS never left his position by the rocks and emoted his distress at the contents. That means everyone there also was privy to the letter contents.

The letter itself is straight forward. It's addressed from LXY telling DFS that he regretfully can't make the duel and that he respects him both as a martial artist and as a person, and if he wishes, he can go to FDB who has inherited his skills and shows great promise, etc.

The thing IS - I firmly believe that this is not a message meant just for DFS.

Both LLH and DFS code switch between their non-leader selves vs Li-Menzhu and Di-Mengzhu. It's easiest to see based on what they're wearing. Li Xiangyi when he's dressed in the Sigu Sect uniform. Or the Styx flower hand-off scene where he calls him Di-mengzhu (not Lao Di or A-Fei or whatever else) likely as a reaction to his official regalia/red uniform which means DFS was showing up in an official capacity. Both of them know very well the importance of a certain.... how to say.... drama? They're both leaders and they were also very performative in their roles as leaders. They both expected that massive peanut gallery that showed up to witness the fight - the one filled with members of various sects, including Sigu Sect leadership -- because dfs was likely the one announcing it.

Imo - aside from the need to express the full weight of what he felt, part of the reason LLH was so formal in his letter is expectation that there would be other people there - influential people. The very people DFS and FDB would have to deal with in the future alone. FDB would be ok but he's largely unknown to the rest of jianghu and therefore his story is still malleable. DFS is known, but infamous and his narrative is as much of a trap as LXY's was. And now he no longer has the benefit of a sect to act as a buffer.

LLH's last act as LXY was not to save Yun Biqiu but to carve a new path open in the world for DFS and FDB:

Expresses that he bears deep emotion and the greatest and deepest respect for DFS despite a reputation of them being enemies

Informs everyone that DFS is not seeking dominion or 'the throne' but rather, is going the fighter-scholar path of studying and testing martial skill -- aka, this is message from one sect leader to all the others present. Spread the word, this man is NOT gunning for your power. None of you have reason to take him down.

Establishes FDB as his one and only successor - while also stating clearly it's entirely up to FDB to decide whether to continue down this path or not

Creates a pathway for DFS and FDB to maintain their connection with each other - and in fact lets everyone else know that there is a pre-established, legacy relationship between DFS and LLH that FDB will be inheriting.

Gently asks DFS to keep an eye on FDB's development - iterating that if dfs is the one asking, then FDB may make the decision to continue to train - aka help him see his full potential whatever his decision is.

At the same time, he silently wishes FDB to maintain connections with/keep an eye on DFS. In another reply I kinda went on about this: imagine a scenario where your friend's mom pulls both of you in front of her. And the whole time is telling your friend that they need to do, expectations, a list of goals, etc. The entire time she's only focused on your friend - but there is this silent implication that you, as the witness, is expected to act a reminder or even an enforcer if your friend isn't listening. If things go wrong, you're expected to go in there and help them to do the thing they were asked to do. This is the unspoken message I'm getting for FDB. Even though his name wasn't mentioned in the letter, it was explicitly delivered to both him and dfs. He's standing right there while an imaginary LLH talks to DFS. So if after all this, dfs disappears without another word = fdb can feel emboldened to go after him, knocking on doors until he answers. Should he decide to do so.

Entreaty - "These are LXY's (my) last wishes. Please respect my memory after my death."

Conclusion: LLH's last actions were to create a space where both DFS and FDB can make their own decision on their path in the world, without the weight of all those other people in jianghu influencing them.

Note: I also believe that on dfs' side, his clothing choices point toward his plans to publicly step down and leave the martial path with Li Lianhua. But llh sucker-punched him and left him standing on some rocks like a widow waiting for her husband who's lost at sea. They were technically on the same page, but it somehow went wrong because... well. Unfortunately that's DFS' narrative. He never quite reaches his goal without the hero either hindering or helping him. The entire drama was LLH being that karma busting fulcrum for him. But now, should he wish it, it'll be FDB's turn to step up and do the same.

[rabbitlegs]

As usual, I'm an overachiever.

I figure if I'm gonna draw a bunch of busts of fighting game characters in a grid I might as well make it into a character select screen

please listen to your favorite character select theme as you appreciate this image

And as a bonus here is all the characters by themselves.

[vibatu]

“Hope. A strange concept, after so long seeing myself as the agent of ruin.

Oh. Oh.

So that's some piece of a crumb over why Kuras is so "curious" about the MC.

"-Few would cling to life so resolutely"

Hope has become such a foreign concept to him after so long, especially looking at the current state of Eridia, oh I'm gonna be sick.

[frankencanon]

We've moved on from Wano but I still frequently see people disagreeing over what pronouns to use for Yamato, and so I thought I'd throw in my two cents since it is my belief that the answer is a lot more simple than people make it out to be...

—

When deciding how to refer to Yamato, most people ask: "What is Yamato's gender?" "Does Yamato identify as male or female?" Etc.

I'm here to tell you that none of that matters.

I repeat, Yamato's gender identity is irrelevant.

Here's what does matter:

Yamato openly and consistently refers to himself as the son of Kaido, and those that are familiar with him (such as Kaido, Luffy, and the Beast Pirates) obide by his wishes by doing the same.

What more do you need to know?

It doesn't matter what Yamato's gender is; What does matter is that Yamato wants to be referred to as a man, as male, as a son.

Even your beloved Captain—the future Pirate King, Monkey D. Luffy himself—treats Yamato the way that he wants to be treated, giving him the masculine nickname "Yama-o" (Yama-guy).

ヤマ男

YA-MA-O

—

Compare with Tora-o and Giza-o, Luffy's canon nicknames for Law and Kid respectively, where the "o" suffix is written using the Japanese kanji for "male"—as shown above.

—

So what does it matter what Yamato's gender is, when you could instead ask: "What does Yamato prefer to be called?" & "How does Yamato prefer to be treated?"

In which case, the answer is obvious...

[fooloftheunknownworld]

Flying Tager.

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

ASOIAF stans can be very annoying because a common characteristic in any discussion about leadership in this series always delves into readers zeroing in on failures while they completely write off any successes. This happens with just about any person thrust into a position of power, but I see these bizarre standards most applied to Jon Snow and Daenerys (especially Dany). You’d think that after years and years of analyzing the text to death, we’d come up with more compelling arguments than “Jon Snow bad Lord Commander” and “Dany bad (she’s just bad)”. Fans have decided to define these two by the mistakes they make while completely writing off all the good they do. And then the most baffling thing is when they say that Dany and Jon are failures so someone else should be the endgame ruler….and then they name Young Griff as their chosen champion.

Setting aside the obvious role Aegon plays as a narrative foil to Jon and Dany, how can anyone say he would do a better job? He has done literally nothing. His skills are a blank slate. Where is the evidence that he would have better reforms for the Watch than Jon did? That he would know how to better handle the different factions at the Wall than Jon did? That he would know how to prepare for the upcoming food shortage than Jon did? Where is the evidence that he would know how to better handle Meereen than Dany did? That he would know how to better deal with the obviously gargantuan task of abolishing slavery?

The point is that ruling is hard. There’s no such thing as a perfect ruler in this series and if anyone thinks that there is, they obviously have not been paying attention. All who have been put in a position of leadership in this story fail in some way. That’s the nature of the job. Even good-hearted, well-intentioned people like Jon and Daenerys struggle with the weight of leadership. So even as they do such incredible good, they still have blind spots. That’s because they’re human and human beings are not perfect. And let’s be real, people would complain if they were suddenly so good at ruling despite their young age and inexperience. So it’s insane to me that fans will read these books and come to the conclusion that all that is needed, instead of Jon and Dany, is a perfect leader who will make everything ok - even more baffling when they name Aegon/Young Griff or some other person who has zero experience with administration so far. Please, let us be serious for once.

[randomnameless]

thinking about @fantasyinvader's recent Dimitri post -

I think one of the points I'm not really fond of with AM and Boarmitri's turn to Savior!Mitri is how Dee shifts his attention from the Means to the Ends.

And sure, we have to think about the bigger scope - criticise to prevent the "Ends" means putting an end to the "Means" - but what about the ones who were sacrificed, or the ones who are and written off as "means"?

Kleiman dude really believed he was doing the right thing by chopping Duscur people (or at least putting them under the bus for something he and his lord did).

Boarmitri reacts to the "slaughtering Duscur people" strongly, and would have killed him because hey, you were slaugthering people down (or are responsible for the persecution Duscur people suffered and are still going through).

Savior!Mitri? Will put his execution on hold, to consider what Kleiman dude meant by "doing the right thing".

But, regardless of why Kleiman Dude thought was "right" or for "justice", the thing is, he still organised the massacre of several people and wrongly framed innocents to hide their involvment, which led to their persecution/massacre.

"But Lambert was removing our rights and privileges" sure, what does this has anything to do with Dedue having lost his sister to senseless murder after being wrongfuly framed for regicide?

"Kleiman Dude really believed what he was doing was right" and ? Tell that to Felix's mom, what's going to happen? People do things for all kinds of reasons, so what?

-

Worst offender is, of course, Supreme Leader.

Boarmitri wants to cut her down to avenge the dead (and maybe stop the war?) but when Savior!Mitri finally hears her, uh, reasoning, he is resolved to kill her because that's her choice (uh) and it's their fate???

The fuck?

Sure he mentions putting an end to the war, but the entire "we have no other choice but to fight, because it's what she wants and that's the destiny we were born to", please no?

Hopefully the first sentence "end the war" exists, otherwise I'd really believe Dee makes this fight and final battle all about Supreme Leader (and blame fate because that's hresvelg grey for you) and completely ignores the people who are, uh, living in this Fodlan ravaged by war, the ones who died because of it or are still dying because that's what war does.

What about the ones who died? The ones who are dying (or are locked in a 5 stars resort doing zumba for 5 years) ? The ones who are turned in demonic beasts? The ones who are starving?

"We have no choice but to destroy each other... Such is the destiny we were born to."

who cares about casualties, let's agree to disagree about our Ends and blame fate instead.

:/

[alibonbonn]

Sorry I've been so offline lately I went to play ME3 for the first time.. I don't know how you all did it back in 2012

[gh-0-stcup]

Gonna be honest, I don't think any Sam ship will ever hit as hard as Sam/Ruby.

[koalas-koalas-everywhere]

One Piece #1069

"It's usually the case that Awakened Zoan powers absorb and control the user's personality..."

An interesting thing to say, especially considering something I can't stop thinking since the Kaido fights: Luffy was actually doing a lot better as himself then as Nika. He took a lot less hits, had a lot more finesse and used his haki a lot more (that we could see). His Nika form had the advantage of resilience and stamina (and cartoon power) going for it, but at the cost of Luffy's battle skills. Trade the Nika thing with an energy rush and the ability to grow even bigger and I think Luffy might have won more easily.

[soullessjack]

objectively yes jack was suicidal because of an overwhelming mix of guilt and grief and shame and self hatred and anger and confusion over what he did however I do also think it was a little bit of embarrassment as well because he had post-psychosis clarity and realized he was a callous dickhead about Mary’s death TO HER SONS FACES and he’s just like “oh my god I need to kill myself”

[meganechan05]

Been thinking about these 2 duos lately

I just think it would be really funny if they ever meet simply because of how similar they are when you first see them.