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gayregis · 4 years

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Talk to me about Regis, please; headcanons, why/what you like about him, etc. I love him, but there's not a whole lot of (book-based) content about him (That's probably for the better actually, just look at what twn did to Dandelion; there's a bunch of content but it's all ooc or just straight up infantilizing him because uwu innocent baby - gosh I hope twn fandom don't get their hands on Regis)

this is such a great ask ;w;

committment to principles, breaking of tropes

let’s get the deep and emotional parts out of the way. i love regis for being a good person. “epitome of humanity” and all of this. i love how he was an incredibly cruel and violent man and has become a kind person and someone committed to helping others. i find this a very comforting fantasy to be close to and think about. i like how this process was not instantaneous, it took more than 50 years and a good amount of time after that... i love how sapkowski used the idea of an immortal/extremely long lifespan for an arc of redemption and becoming a better person. regis is only a vampire because sapkowski needed him to be able to survive death and reconsider his actions... for most people, death would be the finality... and i like how regis, when recounting his backstory, doesn’t ever make excuses for himself or dwell upon his behavior. he doesn’t speak of consuming guilt, he doesn’t make useless apologies. he has accepted the past and is not looking for attention when he says all of this, it’s merely for context. so he doesn’t seek validation from others, he has already validated himself because he knows that he has become a better person.

i love how regis is an inversion of the vampire tropes... not the ones that are like “vampires can’t touch sunlight/be around garlic/enter houses without invitation, etc.” but the ones that concern vampire origins and what being alive for hundreds of years does to a person’s mind. the “traditionally accepted vampire lore” would have some human losing their humanity over many years, becoming distant from human morality and ethics. regis is a complete inversion of this. instead of being a human who has lost their morality, he is a monster who has gained his morality. he made a committment to learn and understand, and how he sincerely works for good.

hinting and character reveal

i LOVE the buildup to his character reveal. from the moment the company meets him in a cemetery during the dark of night, it should be apparent that he is not what he seems. this added to the fact that they then meet peasants who were searching for a vampire in the very same cemetery, and regis somehow knows all of these accurate facts about vampires... it’s simply entertaining to read or listen to how it all unfolds.

the dramatic reveal is brilliant. i love how it occurs in a scene where regis was doing absolutely nothing but healing dandelion. i love how only regis and geralt knew what this was about, so we received narration in milva’s point of view because milva is the most observant of the other three that were in the company, and she slowly noticed all of these little features about regis that she didn’t notice before... his eyes glowed in the low light with an eerie catlike quality, he didn’t cast a shadow...! it’s good writing because there was significant buildup behind it. we already thought we knew regis, we got all of these hints towards his true identity, and now he’s being revealed as just that, but slowly, slowly... sapkowski doesn’t have geralt immediately yell “HE’S A BLOODY VAMPIRE!” ... it’s a very drawn out conversation. i love how regis doesn’t react much when geralt rests the sword on the hollow of his neck. he says, “well, geralt, i’m all yours,” as if geralt was beckoning him to a conversation and not standing above him with a glistening sword in his hand. and then regis just smiles and challenges him to “go on, thrust it in!” ... just entirely casual and smug. it’s creepy and yet so funny!

and i love how everything about his character seems to make more sense once his backstory is revealed. especially the part where he says he never drinks, not even a sip... after you read the part where he describes his backstory, you realize that this is a nice nod to what is revealed later on.

ability to challenge geralt

i’ll segway the last point into this one: i love how regis is just a straight up bitch to geralt in baptism of fire after he is revealed. during the reveal scene he starts mocking geralt, asking him if he’s going to let him get away, asking him how high he would value a contract on him. geralt tells him to never come back TWICE, and TWICE he returns. he appears to geralt, sits down right next to him, begins to deliver him a great monologue of advice. geralt tells him to fuck off, he just sighs “as you wish,” and continues to give advice.

regis acts on his OWN terms. geralt does not control the speed at which lobsters die vampire. regis acts like a c*nt because he simply can because he knows that geralt can’t fight him on it. what’s he going to to, kill him? ha!

regis came in at exactly the right time. dandelion is geralt’s best friend, but this means that dandelion knows geralt and knows what he’s like, and geralt knows what dandelion’s like. geralt sees dandelion’s unwavering loyalty to him as dangerous, because he doesn’t want to lose dandelion, so he blocks out whatever dandelion says about “i want to go with you, i need to go with you.” geralt knows that dandelion’s only saying this because they have such a deep relationship, and isn’t willing to risk that relationship when he thinks that it doesn’t need to be risked (i.e., that he can handle this without anyone else’s help). milva doesn’t have this long friendship with geralt, but she is his friend, and she’s known him for a few months. she knows that geralt is acting stupidly, and tells him this to his face. but geralt can sense that because she’s also his friend and because she is acting out of some sense of penance, he can’t accept her company, either. geralt is able to push both dandelion and milva away, because he can. he can tell them he doesn’t want to be bothered, he wants to be alone.

enter regis, who simply will just not take “go away” for an answer. regis has been compared to other sages and philosophers in and out of the text, but i think this is very socrates of him. he’s the gadfly to geralt’s sluggish horse. he is able to rouse him simply by annoying the ever loving shit out of him, returning when geralt has told him to leave, giving advice when geralt has told him to shut up. and it’s for good reason, regis doesn’t do this to harm geralt, but to help him. and because he’s regis, he literally has all of the time in the world and the power to be able to annoy geralt like this. he can’t be swayed by stern petulance because it just is like nothing to him, water off of a duck’s back. he has this unbearable attitude of knowing that he’s right. this doesn’t make regis a perfect character - far from it, i would say that this is one of his biggest flaws in fact - but in this situation, it works.

optimism, kindness, healer class

i thoroughly enjoy how the immortal member of the company that has lived for over 4 centuries is such an optimist in everything he does. “it is simply a matter of positive thinking” and all of this nonsense... he’s very content and cheerful all of the time. i made a post counting every time regis is mentioned to be smiling... and it’s a lot. he is also always mentioned to be spekaing softly, calmly, gently... he has a very gentle nature!

regis is a very placating force in the company, he tries to resolve arguments between different parties (milva and the peasants who wanted her horse, milva and angouleme at the kitchen table). he assumes there’s always a good resolution that can be reached.

and the fact that he’s a healer ties it all together. i love how sapkowski actually describes everyone’s profession with detail and length, it makes the fantasy medievalesque setting more immersive, since one’s profession is extremely significant to one’s whole character in a setting like this. regis gets that short monologue about how dandelion is lucky to have gotten this head wound and not an abdominal wound, what with the liver, guts, feces mangled and spilling out... peritonitis... regis actually being described as healing people makes it feel like his character is useful and is actually a surgeon (unlike in the games where he doesn’t ever heal anyone).

he sincerely cares about the human condition and expresses regret and pain when he cannot do anything to cure someone, even though he can sense their sickness. he describes this as literally being “a curse,” that demonstrates how difficult it is for him, and it’s only difficult for him because he cares.

blending in with human society and the quirks that come with it

i love the precautions regis has to take to continue blending in with human society. he smiles with pursed lips as to not show his fangs, but when he is with friends he ends up smiling fully. he has to continue to mask his presence with the blend of herbs. he has to avoid mirrors, dogs, and sorcerer/esses. horses dislike him even with the herbs he carries, and fulko artevelde mentions that “horses and dogs brisk at [the] company’s approach.” these small details are fun and keep reminding the audience that it’s not simple to blend in with human society, and there always IS something off about regis. hell, just shine a bright lamp on all of the company together, and you’ll see that their barber-surgeon doesn’t cast a shadow. the probably reason that they didn’t notice he didn’t cast a shadow was because of how overcast it is around that area of brugge. when they get into beauclair, i headcanon that regis doesn’t tend to walk on the sunny side of the street because of wanting to hide the fact that he won’t cast a shadow.

there’s a lot of different conditions that are necessary to consider in relevance of keeping his identity hidden, and regis does a pretty good job at navigating all of them. i appreciate that these details were written in because it makes it more realistic... even though sapkowski broke multiple vampire tropes with regis, so you know, he won’t burn in sunlight or have adverse reactions to garlic, but there’s still all of these odd ends that he needs to take care of. it makes him seem a lot less overpowered, because it continouslly reminds the audience that he doesn’t blend in perfectly.

“benevolent ominousness”

regis has a very fun supernatural presence, and he only ever uses his powers for good.

things like saving the girl from the refugee camp by sticking his hand into flames and holding a white-hot horseshoe with absolutely no hesitation... saving geralt and dandelion by materializing out of shadow... also appearing out of nowhere to milva and cahir in the forest and milva trying to choke out a grateful sob at his presence... saving ciri at castle stygga by absolutely wrecking the entire lab, with blue flames dancing on the countertops, and then turning around in that chair and saying “don’t be afraid.”

it’s things like this that i have dubbed “benevolent ominousness” - these demonstrations of power would be extremely unsettling, if you didn’t know him and know that he was there to protect you. the embodiment of “you may rest now, there are monsters nearby.”

humor and lighthearted nature despite dark themes, great lines

this isn’t the same humor that sapkowski uses elsewhere... it’s mostly funny due to the line delivery and context. some regis dialogue is just funny, especially when peter kenny voice acts them.

things like regis telling geralt his travel plan is very well-concealed after dandelion gets done telling him everything about it (”and ingeniously concealed, no one would ever suspect the direction of your journey”), regis lifting the horseshoe from the fire and then challenging the priest to perform an exorcism on him, regis appearing to geralt and sitting next to him and during his monologue he’s mocking him and saying “it should be your exclusive right,” geralt saying “shut up, vampire!” during the fish soup scene when regis begins to give him unsolicited advice again. regis’s entire backstory being a blatant metaphor for alcoholism and the equivalencies to human culture (”driving while drunk” = “flying while drunk”), though macabre, are hilarious. regis telling angouleme "i’m not your uncle, dear child,” and she replies, “and i’m not your dear child, uncle!” WHILE ALSO riding on his mule as well. even to the very end, all of his lines and presence at stygga were brilliant. like “i feel such strength inside me, i could probably lay waste to this entire castle,” as he loses it. “beware? i didn’t come here to beware!” as he just charges vilgefortz absolutely unhinged.

honorable mentions

his liking of philosophy and sociology and discussions about all of this

you could argue that regis talks a lot because he probably doesn’t feel how long he’s been talking for. if half a century is “the blink of an eye,” then what’s 10 minutes of monologue?

all of the vampire powers are very cool and come on. i could have literally answered this ask with one word and that word would have been “bat.” he’s a fucking giant bat. that’s epic as hell

fun and tragic potential for his backstory.

meme potential in the fact that he is modest and calm by default. can you imagine regis saying “bitch” ??? or burstin out enthusiastically in song lyrics?? it cracks me up to think about him being out of character for a split second, just for humorous effect.

also yeah if twn and/or its fandom gets their hands on regis i wont know whether to laugh or cry

#ask #anon #the witcher #regis #baptism of fire #i also left out headcanons etc but i might make another post later this one is already long #long post /

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jbk405 · 4 years

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Story-arcs of The Clone Wars

Yesterday I was talking about Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and how to watch this series (And Rebels) to catch up and understand Ahsoka’s appearance in The Mandalorian. Since TCW was an anthology series its episodes frequently jumped around in chronological order (The very earliest episode doesn’t come out until the second season, and the pilot movie is technically third) and so there’s a thousand-and-one different “proper” ways to watch the series. Some say to watch it in straight chronological order so that you get the full story, others say to watch it in production/release order since that’s the way it was meant to be experienced, and some have their own personal mishmash based on story-arcs.

Throughout the series they frequently had three- and four-part story-arcs that formed what were essentially mini-movies (This is what they did for the original theatrical release). Quite often these were among the best episodes of the series, and they contributed the most to the ongoing storylines that built towards what happened in the movies, what came next in Rebels, and which are now being followed in The Mandalorian.

I can’t give a final ruling on the overall order to watch the series, but what I can do is give an overview of the various individual story-arcs. My takes on their quality, how accessible they are to new viewers, and where they fit in the story. I will be covering them in release order from beginning to end, skipping over the standalone and two-part episodes. I won’t do season seven as it is still recent, and that is the climax to all of these arcs.

So, with no further ado:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008): The pilot movie, which had a theatrical release. As I said, this was composed of what were originally the first four episodes of the show, and I find that the enjoyment is a lot better if you view it that way instead of as a single whole. As an introduction to the series it serves functionally well: It introduces Ahsoka Tano and it features almost all of the main players of the series (Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padme, Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress, Rex, Cody, etc.). Quality wise it’s “Okay”. I disliked it when I first saw it back in 2008, but when I rewatched it a few months ago it was a lot better than I remembered so it’s possible I was just in whiny “It’s not REAL Star Wars!” mode back in 2008. If you’re watching it with somebody who doesn’t like ‘cartoons’ or is an Original Trilogy purist this may not be the best place to start since it doesn’t present the best first impression, but if they’ve got an open mind or are interested in the series it could work.

Malevolence Arc (Season 1): Three episodes of the first season revolving around the Separatists’ new superweapon, a powerful ion canon aboard the dreadnought Malevolence. The first episode shows them discovering the weapon, the second disabling it, and the third episode shows their attempts to finish destroying the ship itself. There are numerous references and homages to the original Star Wars film and the effort to escape/destroy the Death Star. This arc has some great character work (Jedi Master Plo Koon is heavily featured and he is a heavy fan favorite, plus a personal favorite of Dave Filoni) and some light debates on the worth of the life of a clone. However, this early the show is still working out its kinks so there’s a few points where characters fundamentally misunderstand the whole “Jedi shouldn’t have attachments” philosophy, and the supposedly competent military commanders make baseline errors that come close to sabotaging their own forces. An adequate jump-on point for the series, just bear in mind that it does get better.

Nute Gunray Arc (Season 1): A very loose three-part arc, it follows a different primary cast each episode as one group initially captures Separatist leader Nute Gunray, another transports him, and a third tries to recapture him after he escapes. Each episode of this arc is very different tonally from the one before, it starts with a semi-comical Jar Jar Binks episode, the middle is a military action story, and the conclusion is a much more intimate military action, almost horror story. Jedi Masters Luminara Unduli and Kit Fisto appear in parts two and three. The episodes themselves are good, but I would recommend against this being your first exposure since their loose connection means they don’t really build to anything as a whole by watching them together.

Ryloth Arc (Season 1): Three episodes towards the end of the first season showing the different stages of the Republic’s attempt to liberate the planet Ryloth from Separatist occupation. Here is where the arcs start to pick up a little bit of steam: Each episode shows a different stage of the invasion and focuses on different characters, but unlike the Gunray arc they are all still the same story. The first episode focuses on Anakin and Ahsoka trying to break the Separatist blockade so they can reach the planet, the second focuses on Obi-Wan Kenobi attempting to destroy ground-based weaponry so they can land their forces on the surface, and the third focuses on Mace Windu leading the attack on the Separatist capital. This is the first arc to really try and show the cost and effects of war: Ahsoka loses a lot of men in the first episode and struggles with that guilt when they need to attack again, Obi-Wan needs to circumvent civilian hostages and human shields that the Separatists are using, and Mace needs to ally with the local resistance and try to forge a partnership despite their admittedly not-identical goals. These aren’t the individually best episodes of the entire season, but it’s probably the best arc of the season.

Children of the Force Arc (Season 2): The three episodes that open season two. This introduces Cad Bane, a bounty hunter hired to steal a Jedi Holocron so that Darth Sidious can get a list of Force-sensitive children the Jedi have found and can kidnap them to raise as his evil lackeys. The first episode is a heist episode, the second an action retrieval episode, and the third a chase episode. I will admit to not liking this arc as much as others seem to, because the main characters keep making ridiculous decisions that only make sense if they have literally forgotten other parts of the story (For example, a Holocron can only be opened by somebody using the Force, so the Jedi initially don’t believe that anybody would bother trying to steal one because it would be useless to them. This requires them to just forget the existence Count Dooku, a former Jedi who is leading the Separatists and who would love to gain their secrets). However, despite not being my personal favorite, this could serve as a good intro if you wanted to start here. Cad Bane recurs in several future episodes so it’s a good introduction, and it features a large portion of the primary cast. It also has good action, and several bits of character development for Ahsoka, Anakin, and their relationship.

Geonosis Arc (Season 2): A four-part arc (Some people actually include the preceding episode as well to make it five episodes, but I don’t), this is in my opinion the first really good arc and starts to show where The Clone Wars is going to excel as a series. This follows the Republic re-invasion of Geonosis (The planet from Attack of the Clones) after the Separatists have somehow managed to overwhelm the forces left there after the film. The first episode is straight military action, often described as being like Saving Private Ryan and other WWII films focusing on the Normany invasions. The second episode is military espionage, a sabotage mission. The third (Believe it or not) switches over to a zombie episode and goes straight horror. The fourth stays horror, but instead of zombies it’s paranoia from spreading mind control. Barriss Offee is introduced here, and her master Luminara Unduli returns. The cast semi-rotates throughout the four episodes, with different Jedi ‘sets’ being primary in different episodes. It gives a perfect highlight of all the different characters and shows some excellent development as well (Including just how much Anakin’s fear of losing those he cares about can cloud his judgement, and how this can push him towards morally questionable actions). If you want to include the episode prior to this arc as well, that one is a political thriller based on the Alfred Hitchock film Notorious. As I said, I don’t really count it as being in this arc, but it does set up the plot so others do count it.

Mandalore Arc (Season 2): This arc introduces a whole new faction to the series: the Mandalorians. The planet Mandalore itself has renounced its violent ways and its leader, the pacifist Duchess Satine Kryze, leads an alliance of 1,500 neutral worlds that want to stay out of the clone wars. However, there are rumors that the Duchess is actually in league with the Separatists, and apart from the rumors there have also been attacks by people wearing Mandalorian armor, so Obi-Wan is sent to figure out what’s going on. He and the Duchess have a history that is separated by their opposed political views. The first episode shows Obi-Wan on Mandalore looking into the subversive group Death Watch, the second episode shows them all journeying to Coruscant to speak with the Galactic Senate, and the third tries to expose a Separatists conspiracy on Coruscant itself. This is the first arc with Obi-Wan as the primary focus for all three episodes, though Anakin and Padme do join in parts two and three. This arc could serve as an intro if you wanted to enter the series here, since the Mandalorians will grow into a major part of the series and will intertwine with Obi-Wan’s personal arc for seasons to come. For those looking to get background on The Mandalorian, this is also where we start learning things about their culture that show up in the live-action series.

Boba Fett arc (Season 2): The three-part finale to season two. Boba Fett -- still a child keep in mind -- infiltrates a Republic cruiser with a group of clone cadets in a plot to kill Mace Windu in revenge for Windu killing Jango Fett. He has a group of bounty hunters helping him, and when Windu survives the original assassination attempt things spin further and further out of control. I honestly don’t have much to say about this arc. It’s not bad, but I find it kinda forgettable. It’s got some good character scenes, and a few good action pieces, but other than that....eh. Despite this, this arc could also serve as an entry to the series since it builds off the Attack of the Clones film more than it does any previous episodes of this series.

Nightsisters arc (Season 3): Here is where the series takes a hard left turn. This arc focuses primarily on Asajj Ventress, Count Dooku’s assassin. Darth Sidious feels that Ventress is growing too powerful, and Dooku may be thinking of using her to help overthrow him, so he orders Dooku to kill her. Ventress survives, and escapes back to her people: the Nightsisters of Dathomir. They accept her back, and help her try to get revenge on Dooku. First through a direct assassination attempt, and when that fails they trick Dooku into accepting a new apprentice that they have brainwashed to betray him at their command, Savage Oppress. This is the first arc to focus primarily on one of the villains (None of the heroic main cast appear in its second episode at all) and when it ends both Ventress and Oppress are alive and working independently as new factions in the plot. This changes the status quo for the rest of the series, and introduces a new plot thread as well: The return of Darth Maul, the brother of Savage Oppress.

Mortis arc (Season 3): Another three-part arc, this is the first real foray of Star Wars into straight fantasy, and the first attempt of this series to address the Prophecy of the Chosen One. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka find themselves on a mysterious planet with properties they cannot explain, populated by ‘Force Wielders’ of immense power and who represent the Light, the Dark, and the Balance. Almost all of the sci-fi trappings around the Force are dropped, these people are clearly wizards/angels/demons. It gives a lot of character focus on the three leads, directly addressing their hopes and fears and their destinies. It’s so different from the rest of the series that it may not function as a good introduction, but it gives such a good presentation of each character I heavily recommend against skipping it.

Citadel arc (Season 3): This is a military rescue arc, with Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan attempting to rescue a Jedi Master and a naval officer who have been captured by the Separatists, and who have vital military information that could change the course of the war. This is where you can first begin to really see The Empire growing unseen within the Republic, as the officer is in fact Captain Wilhuff Tarkin (AKA Grand Moff Tarkin, the villain of the original Star Wars film). Throughout the arc Tarkin and the Jedi have several debates about politics, the military, and the current war, as well as what the Jedi’s role should be in all three. At this point I think we’re past “introductions” to the series, as the series becomes ever more tightly interwoven over the remaining seasons. Tarkin will return as an antagonist in the future, and the cracks between Anakin (And Ahsoka) and the Jedi really start to widen.

Calamari arc (Season 4): The season four opener, this is a Water arc, which I have to applaud the franchise for finally doing. The water world of Mon Cala falls into civil war when the Quarren ally with the Separatists against the Republic-aligned Mon Calamari. We get to see Jedi Kit Fisto, an amphibious Nautolan, at home underwater while our air-breathing main cast are in scuba suits and helmets. Unfortunately, when the underwater fighting spills out of control the Republic needs to bring in the also-amphibious Gungans to fight and I find this part of the story ridiculous (They’re the only other amphibious species with an army? The Republic has never had to fight on a water world before, so they don’t have any widely available submersibles? Come on). Despite this contrivance, I very much like that the series finally addresses how different species require different environments. The Separatists use shark people on this planet, as they would be useless on other worlds but this is the perfect locale for them. The arc doesn’t have much of a story impact for later, it’s self-contained action/adventure.

Umbara arc (Season 4): One of the best arcs of the series, this arc (As reviewer SF Debris put it), “Puts the ‘war’ in ‘Star Wars’”. A four-part arc, the focus is almost entirely on the Clone Troopers of the 501st, who are normally under Anakin’s command but are being transferred to Jedi General Pong Krell when Anakin is recalled to Coruscant. Anakin only appears in the first episode, and none of the Jedi main cast appear in the other three episodes except for holo-communications with Obi-Wan. All the episodes are filled with intense action, but the series also finally really digs in to what it means to be a Clone, and the morality around using them for battle. ALL the props for Dee Bradley Baker who spends all four episodes talking to himself as dozens of different clone characters. They debate loyalty, duty, training, the values of their own lives, and the value of a system that claims to stand for freedom but which doesn’t offer it to them. These concepts had been touched before in individual episodes which also focused on the clones, but never to this extent or depth. I consider this arc one of the stand-out entries of the entire Star Wars franchise.

Slaver arc (Season 4): To be honest, I’ve never quite been able to get a good grasp on this three-part arc. After a village full of Togrutas (Ahsoka’s people) are kidnapped by slavers allied with the Separatists, Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka go undercover to locate and rescue them. I suppose it’s an okay arc, but it just never clicked for me. Nobody seems to recognize the problems with forcing Anakin -- a former slave -- to go undercover as a slaver. The slavers sometimes try to pull a “Slavery is actually moral because the strong are supposed to dominate the weak” speech, but it never comes close to working on Anakin (Again, he is a former slave) so there’s never any tension of “Oh no, will he decide the villain is right and betray his friends?”. Individual parts of the arc are well done (There’s a hilarious part of the first episode where Obi-Wan is getting his ass kicked, only to reveal that he was just playing along to buy time and just effortlessly mops the floor once he knows he can stop pretending) but as a whole....eh.

Deception arc (Season 4): A four-part arc, Obi-Wan has to go undercover as an assassin in order to infiltrate a Separatist criminal plot. To do so, he stages his own murder and then impersonates the assassin. You really see Anakin start to come apart in this arc, he’s a hair's breadth from just executing the ‘assassin’ when he catches him, and he is barely holding on to any of the Jedi teachings in his anger. Ahsoka is likewise conflicted, and though not as completely overcome as Anakin she likewise questions their responsibilities in this case. Obi-Wan faces the standard moral quandaries of being undercover: How far does he go to retain his cover when it comes to harming innocents? How much harm does he let the other criminals do before interfering? This is one of the arcs where each episode has its own type as they progress, from Prison Episode to Fugitive Episode to Planning Episode to Crime Episode. Cad Bane returns, along with several other criminal characters.

Ventress/Oppress arc (Season 4): Some classify this is as two separate two-episode arcs, but I view them as one. The first two episodes focus on Asajj Ventress (No Jedi characters appear at all) as she first tries to re-assimilate to the Nightsisters, but they are soon wiped out by the Separatists in revenge for their plot against Count Dooku in season three. Ventress escapes with no personal goals or direction, and eventually falls in with a group of bounty hunters. The last two episodes follow Savage Oppress on his quest to find his brother, Darth Maul, guided by a magic amulet from Mother Talzin of the Nightsisters. Maul is living in madness on a junkyard planet with a mechanical spider’s body grafted to his torso to replace the legs Obi-Wan cut off in The Phantom Menace. Obi-Wan attempts to stop their mutual rampage, and Ventress shows up for her own revenge against Oppress, but they are overpowered and barely manage to escape. This arc mainly serves as set-up for later arcs in season five, which build to the climaxes for the series.

Season five gives a slight shift from the earlier seasons: there are only story-arcs in this season, with no standalone episodes at all. Five four-part story-arcs fill out the entire season.

Onderon arc (Season 5): The planet Onderon has allied with the Separatists, but there is a pro-Republic underground fighting a guerilla war against the government. The main cast are sent to Onderon to train the resistance, without involving the Republic forces in an internal matter. Apart from the bizarre Prime Directive issue (The Republic is literally at war with the Separatists, I do not see any logic in saying they can’t ‘interfere’ in an internal matter of a Separatist planet) the arc works very well showing the main cast working from a very different angle from usual. They need to focus on being undetected and secret, taking into account public opinion around them and the effect their efforts have on the civilian populace. They cannot just fight the war themselves, they have to train the locals to take over so that they can leave and return to the primary war. Saw Gerrera is first introduced here, and Lux Bonteri returns from earlier in the series. This arc helps lay the groundwork for Ahsoka’s storyline at the end of this season in particular.

Youngling arc (Season 5): A group of Jedi children trainees come together to gather their first Kyber crystals, and subsequently get entangled in pirate raids and the larger war before they can return home. Ahsoka is present as their chaperone. This arc is almost “filler” since it really doesn’t have much of an effect on the larger story. To some viewers it was a fun arc that remembered that Star Wars isn’t just about war scenes. To others it was a waste of four episodes in a season that was so tightly packed it didn’t have any episodes to waste. For me...it’s better than a lot TV shows which introduce child characters where they really don’t belong, but I agree that it didn’t need full four episodes dedicated to them. A two-parter would have worked just as well, with the other two episodes free for another small story.

Droid Commando arc (Season 5): R2-D2 is added to a special droid commando unto being sent into Separatist space. Despite following this same group for the whole arc, each episode is a very unique and distinct story. Almost avant-garde for some of them. Like the Youngling arc it’s not that critical to the later stories, but it tells its own story.

Maul Mandalore arc (Season 5): Here is where, as they say, shit gets real. Maul decides that if he cannot rule the galaxy as a Sith Lord, he will will take power from the shadows as a Crime Lord. He and Oppress first try to take over a pirate gang, and when that fails (partially due to Obi-Wan) he joins up with Death Watch, the Mandalorian extremist group trying to take over Mandalore. Obi-Wan travels to Mandalore to help Duchess Satine against what he thinks is just a Death Watch takeover, unaware of Maul’s involvement. Simultaneously, Darth Sidious has sensed Maul’s growing power and is unwilling to have another player in his game, so he personally travels to Mandalore to deal with the situation. This arc is big. Several long-time recurring characters are killed off, and it had some of the most standout lightsaber duels of the entire series. This arc, and one other from later in season seven, is probably the most influential towards what happens in Rebels and The Mandalorian.

The Wrong Jedi arc (Season 5): Did I say that the last arc was where shit got real? Well, now it’s realer. There’s a bombing of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and Anakin & Ahsoka are investigating. However, it looks like it may have been an inside job by a Jedi, and Ahsoka herself is framed as the bomber. As Ahsoka is accused, imprisoned, and eventually a fugitive, this arc finally shows what the audience has known was coming all along: The Empire isn’t just coming, it’s here. The institutions of the Republic have been corrupted, and with the rationales of “it’s temporary” and “we need security” the freedoms and liberties that the entire clone wars were about have already been wiped away. Even the Jedi are not free from this corruption (Although personally, I very much disagree with the way the episode seems to accept the villain’s motivation speech as correct. It’s the only real flaw in the arc). This arc originally served as a pseudo-series finale since the series was cancelled after season five, and though I’m happy we got more, if it had to end here it would have been monumental.

Season six (Also known as “The Lost Missions”) is composed of the episodes that had been competed before the show was cancelled after Disney purchased Lucasfilm. It’s about half the length of a full season, and returns to the earlier mix of different-sized arcs.

Fives arc (Season 6): The four-part arc that opens the season, this finally addresses the point that has been looming over the series from the beginning: How could these stalwart, heroic Clone Troopers betray the Jedi they have fought side-by-side with for years when they receive Order 66? Clone Trooper Tup snaps and murders a Jedi, and this leads to an investigation amongst the Jedi if his is an isolated incident, or some sort of Separatist plot. Fives accompanies Tup back to Kamino for treatment, and is drawn deeper and deeper in as the Kaminoans seem more interested on covering things up than actually figuring anything out. The conspiracy widens more and more, until Fives believes that it is galaxy-wide and manipulating them all. This arc continues several of the moral and ethical questions surrounding the clones from earlier in the series, and moves the series firmly more towards the inevitable film storyline instead of the clone wars adventures themselves. This is another one of the arcs where each episode has its own tone, from the “No one gets left behind” military mission, to the rogue patient plot, to the paranoid conspiracy pursuit.

Clovis arc (Season 6): This is another one of the arcs that never quite clicked for me. Rush Clovis returns from earlier in the series in the hopes of reforming the Banking Clan and bringing ‘honor’ back after it has been corrupted by the greed of the clone wars. However he was previously a Separatist, and despite their explanation of how it’s okay I keep thinking at every scene that they should arrest him for treason, not let him continue to operate in the Republic government. Plus, when has anybody ever viewed banks as Honorable Institutions with Good Old Ways? I do believe that it is possible for a bank to act honorably and treat its customers fairly, but not that banking itself is some sort of Ancient Honorable Institution. Maybe if season 6 had a full complement of episodes I wouldn’t mind this detour, but since it was cut short I begrudge every wasted episode.

Yoda arc (Season 6): Another pseudo-series finale, these are the final episodes of the season and would have served as the end of the series if season seven had not been revived. Yoda goes on a vision quest to try and parse out so many of the mysteries of the clone wars and the manipulations of the Dark Side. Like the earlier Mortis arc, these episodes are straight fantasy as Yoda faces the ghosts of people from his past and his own internal demons. They make an effort to address what it means when people say that the Jedi have become corrupted by fighting in this war, and they try to reconcile their peacekeeper philosophy with serving as soldiers. The arc ends on the depressed-yet-hopeful note which is the mantra of Star Wars of this era, as the Empire’s rise may be inevitable but there is still hope for afterwards.

#Star Wars: The Clone Wars #Recap #Star Wars #Story-arcs

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glassprism · 4 years

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Since you're also in other fandoms, are there any ships/pairings you like? Who's your favourite pairing in POTO? Who are your favourite characters (from POTO to all your other fandoms) and why? Ooh, here's a rather unusual one: who's your favourite side character (name one for all your fandoms!) and why?

Yeah, definitely! Though whether some can be counted as actual “ships” is debatable, as you’ll see in a bit.

For Phantom, my favorite “ship” is the love triangle - E/C/R. Not in a polyamorous, threesome way, but one where I love the dynamics of the characters, the way they affect one another, the ways Erik and Raoul are similar and different. So it’s not quite a “ship” in a traditional sense where I want characters to end up with each other, but more in the sense that I like to explore and analyze them.

As for other “ships” or pairings, I’m just going to list, like, every fandom or random-ass thing I’ve ever loved in semi-chronological order (time to go back to my middle school fandoms!). Under the cut for length.

Harry Potter: Sirius Black and Harry Potter. I adored the godfather-godson bond between the two (absolutely no romance; I clicked on an mpreg fic of the two when I was but a wee lass of twelve and it scarred me): how Harry was the last living reminder of Sirius’s best friend, whose death he still feels responsible for; how Sirius is the parental figure Harry wanted, how they were never able to be happy god damn it Rowling. (You can imagine how much my eleven year old self cried when I read the fifth book. Oh boy, the tears.)

Star Wars: Vader and Luke. Again, totally familial, father-son relationship only. (Speaking of scarring experiences, I once stumbled on a romance fic between the two, where yes, both of them were still father and son, and I have that summary etched into my brain permanently.) The way Vader obsessively hunts down Luke, the first emotional connection he has had with a person in literal decades! The way Luke has just ached all his life for a father figure, to the point where he will take a homicidal Sith lord if that’s who he is! How he never gives up on trying to redeem him! How Luke is right. Loud screeching.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Will Turner and Bootstrap Bill and Will Turner and Henry Turner. More sad father-son dynamics (you may be noticing a pattern here). Repeat what I said with the Star Wars relationships, only with more pirates and less homicide. (And way more parental abandonment guilt.)

Halloween: Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, remake universe. Yet again, no romance, just a severely messed-up brother-sister relationship. I can’t begin to tell you why I like the horrific relationship between a serial killer and the little sister he was so obsessed with he ruined her life, completely traumatized her, and ended up leading to her death, but I do. Maybe it’s the dark obsession aspect of it, that in the midst of all his murders, there’s still one person Michael Myers longs to have a connection with, the baby sister who represented total innocence in his mind. Maybe it’s the “what could have been” aspect too, as Laurie never recognizes him or realizes their connection until it’s far too late. Maybe I need to re-examine my life choices. I’ll figure it out someday.

Bat Boy The Musical: Bat Boy/Shelley. Yes, this is a romance; yes, they are half-brother and half-sister, yes, you can get on me about this, but in my defense how about you watch the musical and NOT come out of it shipping these two against all your better instincts.

POTO: E/C/R, as stated above and for all those reasons. Oh, and you know what - The Phantom and Gustave from Love Never Dies. Can’t get away from those father-son ships. I actually care about that relationship than E/C or R/C in LND (maybe because both E/C and R/C suck in the sequel so what else am I going to latch onto).

Batman: Listed here, but my heart really lies with three ships. Jaytim is the first: it’s the whole “angry woobie destroyer of worlds who hates everyone meets seemingly well-adjusted and cheerful individual who is secretly hiding their own issues” dynamic. Bane/Talia from The Dark Knight Rises is the second. Doesn’t matter if it’s familial, friendship, protector and protectee, or romantic, I eat it up, and to be fair, it’s never explicitly stated what the relationship is in the movie. All we know is that the two grew up together in a hellhole prison, probably dependent on and solely trusting only one another, and that bond continues even after they leave, and not even death will make them leave one another. Finally, we have Jason Todd/therapy from the Arkham games. Because the poor guy needs it.

MCU: STEVE/BUCKY (aka Stucky). This ship (again, could be friendship or romantic) dominated my thoughts for four years. Steve’s fish-out-of-water status! Bucky’s horrific imprisonment under Hydra. The way the two find each other after and the angst. The fact that Steve refuses to kill Bucky and, even after seventy years, succeeds in breakthing through to him because their connection runs that deep. The fact that Marvel just ruined this relationship so now I have to rely on fanfic. Oh yes, and I also slowly fell into the Kastle ship (Frank Castle aka The Punisher and Karen Page). Another “hardened killer with sad backstory who connects to idealistic young woman with hidden darkness” dynamic.

Terminator: T-800 aka “Uncle Bob” and John Connor. Returning to sad father-son dynamics, I have this from Terminator 2. A robot learning emotions! A boy learning to take his place as a leader and all-loving hero. The bond they form, partially because the T-800 will do nothing else but protect John and partially because John has no father-figure of his own, so his robot bodyguard will do. THE ENDING.

ASOIAF/GOT: I actually have very few ships from here other than Arya/Gendry (and only when they’re older) and, weirdly, Theon/Sansa from the show. The Gendrya ship is just cute, it may well be the most wholesome ship on here, while Theonsa has shades of Stucky in it, I suppose, given that Theon has been tortured so badly he can barely remember his own name, until Sansa turns up and reminds him enough that he breaks out of it to help her.

Favorite characters from each of those:

Harry Potter: My favorite characters from here are probably more side characters, so I’ll just say Hermione Granger. Her focus on academics, fear of failure, and conviction that the library holds all the answers, felt all too reminiscent of myself.

Star Wars: Darth Vader, no contest whatsoever. Cool mask, cool cape, cool lightsaber, and the absolute worst life one can imagine.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Interestingly, Will Turner. Yeah, I guess Jack Sparrow is cool and Elizabeth is absolutely awesome to watch and has the greatest change in the series, but oh-so-serious Will, with his deep loyalties and slow slide into moral ambiguity because of those loyalties, fascinates me.

Halloween: Laurie Strode, all versions. My favorite final girl, my survivor of trauma (except in the remake, where, well, she doesn’t survive). Also, her daughter in the Thorn trilogy, Jamie Lloyd, the most tragic little girl to walk across a horror movie screen.

Bat Boy The Musical: Ah, wow, haven’t thought about this. I guess Bat Boy and Shelley, more by default than anything.

POTO: Christine Daae, no contest. Love her character, love her arc, love her songs, love her costumes.

Batman: Listed here.

MCU: Bucky Barnes (unless he counts as a side character), but I also love Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Karen Page, Elektra Natchios... and I’ll leave it at that.

Terminator: John Connor. (There’s a reason I haven’t watched Dark Fate yet... or ever.)

ASOIAF/GOT: Three of them! Daenerys Targaryen, who I love because she tries so hard to rule well, who is so observant and cognizant of the things going on around her. Then Sansa Stark, who makes such astounding growth, who retains her empathy and compassion throughout, who is capable of startling perception and insight which most others underestimate. And finally, Cersei Lannister. She’s terrible. I love her.

And favorite side characters from each of those:

Harry Potter: Sirius Black may well have been my first fictional crush. But Remus Lupin is the kind of person (and teacher) I aspire to be.

Batman: I swear, depending on the comic series or movie, everyone is a side character. I’ll just link to my old ask again.

Star Wars: Batman syndrome all over again; every character in Star Wars might be a side character elsewhere, and every side character gets to be the main character of their own comic, book, movie, etc. Erm... I really liked Rose from the sequel trilogy and Chirrut Imwe from Rogue One. I find Mara Jade from the Legends universe fun to read. WAIT I GOT IT - Queen Amidala’s handmaidens from Episode I (Sabe, Rabe, Eirtae, Yane, Sache). Highly trained in both politics, decorum, and weaponry, able to be utterly nondescript or the Queen’s decoy at the drop of a hat? I love.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Hmm... you know what, I thought Syrena the mermaid was pretty cute.

Halloween: Rachel Carruthers! Your typical girl-next-door but well done and with a touching relationship with her foster sister. I will die mad about her death in the fifth movie.

Bat Boy The Musical: Uh.... I’ll get back to you on this...

POTO: Carlotta is super fun.

MCU: Oh heck, Dottie Underwood. (My taste in female characters goes like this: a) intelligent and observant, 2) sweet and compassionate, 3) batsh*t insane. She’s the third.)

Terminator: Not sure how much of a side character she is, but Kate Connor. Wife and second-in-command to John Connor, able to heal wounds and kick butt depending on what the movie requires.

ASOIAF/GOT: I’ll probably think of someone else, but you know what? Queen Rhaenys Targaryen, younger sister and wife to Aegon the Conqueror, whom he wed out of desire. Playful, spirited, loved to fly, sponsored musicians, initiated reforms for the smallfolk, what’s not to love? (Apart from one possibility of her death... but we don’t talk about that.)

#Anonymous #GP gets asks

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rorybergstrom · 6 years

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hello, it’s nora again…. hitting u with another child. this one is more rough around the edges in therms of development, cos he is brand spanking new for lockwood. a longhaired softboi who deserves tenderness. has a burner phone and doesn’t use social media. help me mould them into a fleshed out member of the human race with love and tender kisses. as is tradition, here’s the pinterest board x

application.

( demi-boy ) haven’t seen RORY BERGSTRÖM around in a while. the TIMOTHEE CHALAMET lookalike has been known to be ECCENTRIC & METHODICAL, but HE / THEY can also be HESITANT & DOGMATIC. The 23 year old is a JUNIOR majoring in MUSIC TECHNOLOGY. I believe they’re living in AUDAX but I popped by earlier and no one answered the door.

aesthetics.

bed hair from a permanent state of slumber, calloused fingertips from strumming bass into the early hours and djing into the blacklit night, self-help books thumbed once and thrown beneath your bed, battered copies of choose your own adventure books, spliffs passed half-arsed across rooftops while light pollution obscures low-hanging stars, marxist literature in stacks against your bedroom walls, a burner phone twice-shattered and a stash of replacement sim cards.

connection to tatiana & did they choose her name during the watershed?

never spoke to her but had an unrequited crush on her. morally conflicted and didn’t want to select a name. probably had a chidi-from-the-good-palce-esque meltdown and eventually closed his eyes and selected randomly so he probs doesn’t know who he picked.

half-swedish, half-british. the swedish is on his mother’s side. he’s bilingual but thinks in english. only really speaks swedish around his mother. only child, and kinda put a lot of pressure on himself to be the Perfect Kid when he was young, but his parents are honestly, quite decent? and just want him to have a nice life, they don’t care if he isn’t successful or rich or anything, they’re honestly rather solid. (wow imagine having Nice Parents, a first for all my characters, im literally this meme)

grew up in peckham, a suburb of london. growing up, his mum was a model / actress / waitress who later retrained as a speech therapist and his dad worked in her majesty’s service at buckingham palace. his dad wasn’t allowed to tell his family what his job entailed but rory suspects it’s probably very boring and just involves a lot of…. logistics n security.

was bullied a lot at school. [cole sprouse voice] he didn’t fIT iN AND HE DIDN’T wANT TO fIT iN. unironically wore a trenchcoat to school every day of his life. spent most of his lunchtimes in the library because it was his Safe Space. as a result he knows…. loads of useless information because 30% of his school years were spent reading anthologies on space and the vikings etc. would be good on a game show. obsessively recorded every episode of university challenge as a child.

middle-class and lowkey quite wealthy but rarely talks about money, one of those well-off people who still wears really old shitty shoes and only spends money if they absolutely have to

virgin who can’t drive

into star wars, not into the big bang theory. feminist. can’t watch horror movies

favourite film is where the wild things are. also loves the florida project. thinks kids are the sweetest thing and can’t wait to be a dad to some

has been musical for as long as they can remember. first picked up guitar because he thought it would make this girl esther who he was in love with like him, but he just ended up falling in love with music instead.

formulated several different bands as a kid but ultimately had to give it up cos he was quite controlling and got fixated on making a certain sound so it wasn’t really fun for the others. got into electronic music because it was something he could do basically on his own and keep tweaking until he got it perfect

always drumming their fingers or strumming invisible guitar strings. tends to avoid parties bc he has quite has specific tastes when it comes to music and doesn’t like listening to r&b for eight hours while people throw up into plastic cups.

a techno connoisseur. has been making electronic music since he was about twelve.

after his parents divorce, when he was fourteen, rory & his mother moved to run-down suburban neighbourhood, pittsfield, massachussets.

big into photography. he mostly uses a canon 35mm camera, but occasionally uses disposable ones when he wants that more rustic feel.

moving to the states, their photography became more focused on suburban neighborhoods and are often quite dark and cinematic (think gregory crewsden). here are some shots of pittsfield i really like which rory has on his wall [1] [2] [3]

falls in love 12 times a day. never had a girlfriend or boyfriend. gets sweaty when someone cute looks at him. flirting?? what?? would prefer to idealise them from a distance

gender??? hm. doesn’t really know where they fit yet, sometimes he feels like a guy and sometimes they doesn’t feel like anything at all. isn’t really bothered, cos they think it’s a social construct anyway. uses he/they pronouns interchangeably, but feels like ‘he’ is more fitting. won’t necessarily pull anyone up on it cos he knows having an identity that’s constantly…. in flux.. can be annoying for others … and doesn’t want to be a burden EVEN THO it isn’t at all?? rory internalises guilt

everything is socially constructed. mirrors let you move through time. the whole thing’s a metaphor. he thinks he’s got free will but really he’s trapped in a maze. in a system. all he can do is consume. people think it’s a happy game. it’s not a happy game — it’s a fucking nightmare world, and the worst thing is, it’s real and we live in it

has ocd. tries to let it affect his life as little as possible, but obviously it’s incredibly hard to control a compulsive disorder. was teased for it at school when other kids started to notice. he was obsessed with the number five, would wash his hands five times, count stairs i groups of five, he could only use the corridors in one direction and always had to keep his hands busy. it manifests itself in hyper-fixations (trains when he was a child – specifically steam engines – then later he became obsessed with space and the patterns of constellations, and now he’s obsessed with synthesizers) and repetitive behaviours like counting stairs. doesn’t really affect his social life at all, he can jst get a bit locked-on n hyper-focused sometimes.

has insomnia. barely ever sleeps. finds it hard to switch off from work / writing / gaming / whatever’s preoccupying him in that moment. he’s always awake at 5am and quite often sleeps in through classes but still gets really good grades because he’s very good at his course. rarely attends classes. prefers to work independently. doesn’t really trust his tutors are intelligent enough to be teaching him, and is particularly suspcious of the lockwood tutors. a music snob tbh

secretly a small-scale drug dealer, only does weed n some party pills. had cannabis plants growing in brifghton but basically lost most of it in the fire. rollerskates around campus dealing cos they dnt have a car

long haired, aesthetic is like... timmy in lady bird n beautiful boy

aesthetics: bed hair from a permanent state of slumber, calloused fingertips from strumming bass into the early hours and drumming into blacklit night, self-help books thumbed once and thrown beneath your bed, watching vine compilations until your eyes turn square, battered copies of choose your own adventure books, spliffs passed half-arsed across rooftops while light pollution obscures low-hanging stars

likes: techno, the webpage cats on synthesizers in space, allen ginsberg, vintage gramophones, floating points, lcd soundsystem, marijuana, soft dogs that let you pet them, late-night strolls talking about the universe, independent films, cigarettes, herbal tea, gallows humour, long showers, brown eyes, tchaikovsky, dr. seuss, constellations, photography, late night jazz, vintage game boys and girls who could rip his still-beating heart out of his chest and use it as an ashtray. dislikes: weddings, funerals, formality, button-up shirts that people actually button-up, bananas, hot coffee, social media, people who watch and play sports, rap music – especially of the misogynistic variety, indie wankers in wire-framed glasses that play ed sheeran songs at open mic nights.

plot ! with ! me ! i’d say all the usual “exes fwb hookups spiel” but rory... has never hooked up with anyone... i feel like a deer in the headlights of love....... so give me

study buddies,

people who are also into techno and are music snobs about it,

people who love all kinds of music,

people who are in bands that maybe rory’s recorded and produced stuff for,

people he actually jams with (he plays bass and synth),

unrequited crushes!!

someone they met at a knitting club in freshman year and have remained friends with despite no longer going to it

people rory knows from open mic nights and gigs

library girlfriends / boyfriends that he stares at longingly while paging through leatherbound volumes

gamers !!! social recluses !!! hermits !!

people he deals weed to on his rollerskates (why r all my characters obsessed with rollerskates)

skaters. rory is really shit at skateboarding. like really shit. help the smol

#water:intro #hi i changed his fc to timmy bc he's..... perfect for rory so soft so smol so tired so fluffy

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rumasaca · 6 years

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What's your take on Amuro, as in what can he do to improve? He's one of my favorites (no. 2) but I also feel that he has some stuff to work on wrt to his occasional angry tunnel vision towards Akai :|a (don't get me wrong though, I enjoy the ship! I just don't think he deserves the hate that he gets, but I also don't think he deserves only praise because a character with no flaws isn't fun imo; hopefully this isn't worded too offensively/insensitive), have a good day! c:

ahahahaha, awww, thank you anon~

hmmm. i’ll explain properly exactly how i think about and approach fictional characters, then. basically: i don’t really care much about whether someone is a good person or not in fiction, because i don’t really think of that as being what i’m interested in when it comes to fiction.

what i like from fiction, ultimately, is probably uncomfortable truths. realistic depictions of people and conflicts falls in second. so the type of characters i gravitate towards are not morally good, because what i enjoy is watching people genuinely struggle with being good people or choosing to be terrible in order to accomplish something.

so, that’s why i like rei. he’s on the border between aoyama’s usual brand of morality and something else entirely. while, yes, he’s ultimately in the wrong, watching the way he justifies his actions to himself and how he thinks about himself and other people is so intriguing to watch. it’s like… it’s basically like watching anthy unfold in utena. you’re absolutely aware they’re not good people. but you’re also aware that this character probably comes the closest, more than any other character in their respective works, to acting like a real person.

i mentioned yesterday how much i think about how he’s confirmed mixed heritage now while simultaneously xenophobic and patriotic. he’s extremely perceptive, but he just can’t deduce the truth behind scotch, even though he knows everything necessary to do it. sometimes his anger is based on justifiable reasons, but sometimes he takes it terribly far, and he always has excuses to fall back on for his actions.

and this is what real people do! we are all much more like rei than we care to admit. we make mistakes. awful mistakes, sometimes. we justify our actions to ourselves and others. then we stick the shame somewhere behind us and block out the memories whenever they bother us.

“but he tried to run over an elementary school teacher.” yeah, he’s not a good person. but that’s not the point. he’s not supposed to be. i don’t want him to be. he never was in the first place. if you want someone who is, that’s totally fine, look elsewhere. i’m not really a fan of “praise his good traits and criticize his flaws” because that’s not how i think about and analyze characters.

like. mixed heritage rei. i want to emphasize this. never before in the manga has aoyama bothered to even think about how actually being mixed would affect a character’s socialization and understanding of society beyond shiho’s “got bullied in school and is now quiet!” and now we get another example, and now it’s not entirely sympathetic: it extends to xenophobia.

what i’m saying is this: rei’s thousands of terrible points make him a character with really good characterization. not morally good, but characterized well. that’s what i want in a character! so when you say “improve”… actually, the way i would improve rei is to make him worse. look forward to my fic in which rei shoots an albatross /bricked for the literature joke.

of course, i want to make it clear now that making characters terrible people is not the only way to achieve interesting characterization. but rei has been made interesting in the particular way he has been made a terrible person. his angry tunnel vision @ akai is just another symptom of the irony behind his character: because of his righteous, brokenhearted anger about scotch’s death, he’s incapable of deducing the truth behind it. he’s completely alone—everyone he’s ever loved is dead—but at the same time, he lashes out at the world around him to relieve his pain and guilt. he’s struggling, and no one can give him a good answer to his dilemma, because there is none. what does he do the moment he finds out the truth? does he just up and forgive shuichi? it’s probably been at least seven years now. how is a person supposed to completely remake themselves if their reason for living is proven completely wrong? how does he reconcile his former image of the world with the one after that revelation? who does rei become once he learns that he was wrong this entire time and that he’s always been wrong?

all of rei’s worst enemies are inside. but because it’s so incredibly difficult to confront your personal demons, he settles for projecting them on the people around him.

i don’t know a single person who hasn’t, at some time in their life, done something like that. even if it was something as small as realizing you did something wrong and then making up excuses for your behavior rather than confronting yourself about it. blaming it on the person you hurt, because they reacted too much to what you did (it wasn’t that hurtful, was it?). suggesting someone else should change themselves. or blaming it on nonliving factors (i was drunk, i was sleep-deprived, i was having an awful time with my anxiety, etc. to be clear, this last example doesn’t mean “anxiety is fake and everyone should be able to do everything all the time” but “if you scream at a friend that they’re an awful friend and they should feel terrible about themselves because you’re dying of anxiety over your last exam, you still have to take responsibility for what you did and apologize to them while also making sure you won’t do it again.”)

so, i dunno. mostly what i’m getting at is, i’m not really sure what you mean by “improve” because that could either mean 1) rei becoming a better person morally speaking or 2) rei getting better characterization. i’m not even sure how i would go about doing 1. not sure i would want to anyways. rei being a trainwreck is why i like him so much. it seems like you’re conflating good and bad traits (morally) about rei with good and bad characterization, possibly. after all, wouldn’t the fact that he needs to improve in the first place suggest that he have character flaws? so how could he have none? wouldn’t angry tunnel vision count as one? buuuuut tbh i’m probably misunderstanding what you want to say, so i’ll leave it at that.

#anonymous #asks #xylia rambles for longer incoherently #major arcana: the moon

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mysterylover123 · 7 years

Text

Attack on Titan: Levi [ISTP]

MYSTERYLOVER123 NOTE: Originally submitted to Funky MBTI in Fiction; however, Charity doesn’t allow Anime typings, so I forward them to my own blog and publish them here. Enjoy, AoT fans!

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD (for Attack on Titan anime Seasons 1 & 2, Levi’s backstory OVAs, and character interviews)! In order to write the best profile I could, I used some of the specific details that led me to type Levi as I have. Please do not read this if you don’t want to be spoiled. Also, I use “Scouts” instead of “Survey Corps” (SC) in this analysis. I hope that doesn’t bug anyone too much!

UNOFFICIAL TYPING BY: luminousglorygrace

Introverted Thinking (Ti): Levi believes, and acts based upon, the things that make the most logical sense to him. While he is physically talented, he doesn’t jump without looking, so to speak, as much as an Se dominant character might (such as Eren, an ESFP). Levi’s words and actions at Eren’s court hearing (season 1) reveal his use of Ti. He says that he personally believes that pain is the best tool for discipline. Not that pain is objectively the best tool, not that he recommends all leaders implement a system of pain for discipline, but that he, personally, thinks pain is effective, and so he uses it to demonstrate his ability to control Eren. He also plays a role in convincing the military police members, and the judge, that he and Erwin are correct in taking Eren under the Scouts’ wing by laying out the inconsistency of the MP’s thoughts. In the scene, Levi is beating Eren, and the MP leader tells him to stop because he fears Eren will get angry and turn into a titan. Levi points out how ridiculous that concern is. In essence, he says to the MPs, “you’re here telling us that you will torture Levi, but I’m currently torturing him, and you’re afraid? That makes no sense. It proves that I can handle him, that the Scouts can handle him, and that the MPs can’t.” (Not a direct quote, I am paraphrasing). Ti users value consistency and accuracy of thought, so Levi’s actions in the court room are classic for skilled Ti users.

We also get a small window into Levi’s inner-musings when he tells Eren (while running from the female titan in season 1), that he often wonders whether it’s better to trust oneself and one’s own skills or to trust and count on capable teammates. Looking beyond his words, this tells us that Levi’s thoughts have an undertone of “what makes the most sense to me? What is the right choice for a successful result?” Not so much for a moral/ethical reason (it’s not “which choice makes me a good person,” or “which choice is morally correct”) like an Fi user might consider. Instead, Levi wants to understand which action would produce the most successful outcome (beating the enemy, preserving life). We know that he lost his dearest childhood friends in the past because he chose to trust them (OVAs), and now he is constantly wondering what the best course of action is when faced with the same choice (trust or work alone).

In the character interviews (please see link below), Dot Pyxis says that Levi “seems to dislike the inherent irrationality of this world.” Ti users are definitely frustrated by the irrationality they see in the world. Finally, and this is a bit stereotypical, Levi is more of a reserved, introspective guy, which further suggests he’s an ISTP versus an ESTP.

Extroverted Sensing (Se): Levi is known as Humanity’s Strongest (or Greatest) Soldier. His combat skills are unmatched, and everyone deeply respects his talent. He has a clear perception of the environment around him and of his own body, so he is able to act quickly (and with deadly precision) in battle. For example, he moves so fast fighting the female titan (season 1) that she is unable to harden her skin in time to defend herself. In the OVAs, we see Levi’s unique style of holding his blades. At first, he is criticized for it, but he is aware of his body, and he can feel that holding the blades the way he wants will work for him. In the end, because of how he holds the blades, he can perform his cool spinning-slice technique. Levi is also great in crisis situations because he is in tune with his surroundings. When Eren accidentally turns into a titan, Levi is able to stay calm, get in front of Eren, and tell everyone to stand down. When his squad asks him why they should be calm he says something like “I have a feeling.” It’s almost like he can sense that Eren doesn’t mean any harm, and it’s probably because he hears Eren’s panicked breathing, hears his confused exclamations, sees him trembling, etc, while his squad is so panicked that it’s hard for them to notice how Eren is responding to his titan form. Finally, Levi seems to delight in physical sensation. He enjoys the taste of black tea (so much so that he wants to open a tea shop if he lives long enough and the world around him is safe), he likes to be in clean spaces, and he likes the feel of flying through the air with ODM.

Introverted Intuition (Ni): Part of why Levi’s battle skills are so incredible is because of his tertiary Ni. He has a good sense of what will happen next in a battle, so he can act quicker than others can. His speed in a fight is due to a combination of his physical ability and his ability to understand what his opponent will do next—he can move his body quickly, he is in tune with the world around him, and his quick perceptions of the world add up to him knowing what will happen next. He can move and attack based on what his opponent will soon do, not just what they are doing in the moment. My favorite example of this is during his battle with the female titan after he loses his squad (season 1). He knows that his spin technique is one of his best, so he prepares the necessary grip (Ti; this is my strength, it’s pretty special, she may not be ready for it, it makes sense to me to use this move). We see that his eyes are razor-focused on her running form, taking in every detail of her movements via Se. All of those Se impressions tell him when she’ll punch (Ni), and, before she’s even finished throwing her punch (Ni again, acting on something that isn’t fully realized in the real world), he’s already spin-slicing up her arm (Se). A really cool TiSeNi moment and a nice example of how an auxiliary Se user’s perceiving functions interact.

Extraverted Feeling (Fe): It’s clear that, underneath it all, Levi is a bit of a softie. When the Scouts are retreating to the wall, and Erwin makes it clear that the troops are to outrun the titans chasing them (season 1), no matter the cost, Levi tells the soldiers in the back to dump the bodies with a heavy heart. He even tries to ease their guilt by saying “we’ve had to leave bodies before.” He could’ve given them a strictly logical argument, like “it’s the only way we’ll move fast enough,” but he understands the pain it will cause, and he cares about his peers, so he tries to soften the command. There is also profound hurt in his eyes when he sees Petra’s body being thrown off of the cart, and he is openly stricken when the troops return to the wall, and Petra’s father talks about the fact that she likely wanted to marry Levi. Levi also gives one of the soldiers (Dieter) a wing patch to remember a fallen friend. When Levi gives Dieter the patch, Levi hints that he also keeps patches as proof that his friends once lived. Dieter is moved to tears by the heartfelt gesture. At multiple points in both season 1 and 2, when Levi talks to Erwin, Levi is openly regretful about the amount of lives that have to be lost for the cause (whereas Erwin is much more stoic about the fact that they have to do whatever it takes and sacrifice as many lives as it takes). In the OVA, Levi rampages against the titan that killed his friends, while screaming from the emotional pain, and, once he’s killed the titan, he openly weeps. Finally, for further proof of Fe being in Levi’s stack, I read a few “character interviews” going around on tumblr, and in those interviews both Erwin and Dot Pyxis talk about Levi actually being a warm and considerate person who helps bring positive emotions to the troops. Here are the relevant quotes from those interviews:

Part 1 (Erwin’s comments. Source:http://yusenki.tumblr.com/post/141836483282/au-smartpass-erwin-levi-close-up-interview)

Erwin (E): …Alright. Starting with Levi…I think he is excellent at shouldering important duties. With the title “Humanity’s Strongest” as part of the SC, our reputations have also been elevated. On the battlefield, he has also faithfully completed the tasks I have assigned to him. Despite his warmhearted nature, I’ve asked him to carry out some cruel missions…

Journalist (J): Is Captain Levi very…”warmhearted?”

E: You’ve already interviewed his subordinates, right? Then you must have heard just how much they trust their captain.

J: Indeed. I even heard the same thing from new recruits who are not from his squad.

E: He just has a rude attitude…but he cherishes his comrades’ life more than anyone else. His reputation cannot be established based on strength alone, Humans can subconsciously detect how much concern others have for them… and when they notice this kindness, it inspires power…That is something that I can’t do.

J: But I don’t think Commander Erwin is not trusted by your subordinates.

E: As the commander of SC… As the person who stands on the frontlines of humanity’s battle, I must make countless decisions that risk my soldiers’ lives. Of course, I’m able to do that because of their trust…However, I wouldn’t hesitate to make those sacrifices when we’re under dire circumstances.

J: Is it all for the sake of humanity’s future?

E: Yes. However, if I stand alone in this authoritative position, I wouldn’t be able to maintain the SC. Because he’s at my side, the SC soldiers are able to fight heroically. Levi and I’s positions cannot be exchanged.

Part 2 (Pyxis’ comments. Source:http://yusenki.tumblr.com/post/131152292543/levi-close-up-report-part-two)

Pixis (P): I have thoroughly checked Levi’s interview… Well, I think this is enough. Above all, as long as the better facets of his personality are being shown on the article, it’ll do.

Journalist: What can you say about his personality?

P: He might look violent and impolite but fundamentally he doesn’t hate humans. He seems to dislike the inherent irrationality of this world and that is why he doesn’t want to leave the memory of hurting someone…You can see that he’s full of consideration when he’s talking about his comrades. Those young soldiers subconsciously feel it and that’s why they are following him.

NOTES/Final thoughts: I know that this was long (and that this section is also long lol), so thanks for reading! I really love Levi’s character, and I think he’s a great example of a relatively balanced ISTP. I wanted to get this right! Again, this typing is based on Seasons 1 & 2 of the Attack on Titan anime, Levi’s 2 backstory OVAs, and the character interviews I found on tumblr. I do not read the manga, and those who do may have a different view of Levi!

I have seen a few people argue that Levi is an INTJ. While I certainly respect different opinions (the guy is a fictional character after all!), I admit that I’m confused by those who think Levi is an INTJ. Levi is first and foremost an extraordinary fighter. While INTJs do have Se in their stack, I argue that Levi is such an incredible fighter because Se is high in his stack. Also, when we look at why Levi is so valued by his teammates, and even why a lot of real-life fans love him, it’s because of his fighting prowess and calm demeanor…not so much because of his ability to lead the army, create high-quality battle plans, see courses of action that others can’t see, etc. In fact, I believe it’s Erwin, not Levi, who possesses the latter characteristics. I don’t see a lot of evidence of Levi having a driving, central goal, that guides his life work and motivates him to do long range planning, and I don’t see him noticing or passionately seeking some sort of truth about the world (traits we might associate with Ni users). I also don’t see him focusing on project completion or system implementation (some kind of structured, real-world manifestation of his ideas), nor do I see him trying to get others to do things in a way that he deems objectively correct (traits we might associate with a Te user). For example, Erwin really values establishing a plan of action and making sure everyone follows orders and sticks to the plan. Levi, on the other hand, is more flexible. For example, when Eren is debating whether or not he should turn into a titan to fight the female titan (season 1), Levi basically says “do it or don’t do it. Neither choice is wrong. It’s up to you.” This suggests use of the more individualistic Ti. In the same situation, we might expect Erwin to say “this is the order. Follow it,” using the more directive Te.

I believe that Erwin is the XNTJ (I haven’t thought about E versus I for him). Levi believes in Erwin’s competence and leadership abilities, so he willingly follows Erwin’s orders. After the female titan escapes (by calling other titans to devour her body; season 1), Erwin instructs Levi to replenish his supplies. Levi says that this doesn’t make sense to him (he essentially says, “we need to hurry, and I have enough to get back”). But Erwin, who is thinking several steps ahead of everyone else and preparing for the female titan to reemerge, tells Levi to follow orders and replenish. Levi listens because he trusts Erwin’s vision and plans.

Also, when the Scouts are retreating after the failed attempt to catch the female titan (season 1), 2 titans start chasing the group. Levi says to Erwin (roughly) “I don’t see any trees or buildings. We can’t fight them.” Erwin responds by saying something like “it’ll be faster to keep moving to the wall,” and Levi follows Erwin’s orders. To me this is a nice, albeit quick, interaction of TiSe (Levi) and TeNi (or NiTe; Erwin). Levi says, “here’s what I’m seeing, and here’s what I think does/does not make sense.” Erwin says, “our goal right now is to survive, because if we lose too many people we can’t continue pursuing the overarching goal of learning the truth about titans. In order to survive right now, we will take this action. Objectively, it is the best. Follow my lead.” Again, Levi listens.

Finally, in his backstory OVAs, Levi says something like: “this guy [Erwin] sees things that I can’t see [hinting at Erwin’s use of Ni], and I think he’s onto something, so I’m going to follow him.” Erwin is also the one with the clear goal of learning the truth about titans and saving humanity. He thinks of innovative ways to pursue his goal, he expects people to follow his orders, and he is willing to make difficult decisions and sacrifices to achieve this goal (qualities that speak to TeNi or NiTe). People look to Erwin to feel secure about plans and the direction of the Scouts’ work, whereas they seem to rely on Levi to be level-headed and victorious in combat (and to show them moments of tender camaraderie like the ones I described above). That’s all folks! I can’t wait for season 3 =)!

#c: istp #ISTP #m: istp #attack on titan #mbti #levi ackerman #submission #anime mbti

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themostrandomfandom · 8 years

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Hey JJ! I'm new to glee (currently in the middle of s2) so I don't know much. Something that has confused me so far is Brittany' characterization. On one hand, she's portrayed as a genuinely good person who accepts everyone (her friendship with Becky, the guilt she feels when she hurts Artie, her love for Santana) but she can also be very cruel (deserting Quinn during her pregnancy, and making fun of Finn, Quinn, and Rachel when they were vulnerable). What is your opinion on this contradiction?

To add on, Brittany also didsome morally questionable things such as accusing Beiste of harassment(although eventually backing off) and being willing to dine and dash. Can youexplain why Brittany can be one of the most loving, accepting characters of glee,while at the same time being one of the most cruel characters (and, unlikeSantana, Brittany doesn’t have self-hatred to explain her meanness)

Hey, @chickennuggets66!

First off, welcome to the Glee fandom! Sorryit has taken me so long to post a reply to your question. It took me a while toget my thoughts in order.

Second, RE your question:

Brittany Pierce is a complicated person—and,unfortunately, Glee doesn’t often give us a lot of insight into what’s going oninside her head. Between the inconsistent way in which her character is writtenand the fact that she is most often wielded as a side character within thenarrative, her actions can appear random and perhaps even contradictory,especially when it comes to how she treats the people around her.

Undoubtedly, Brittany has her reasons for actingthe way she does—it’s just that those reasons are often hard to tease out.

Sometimes it comes down to preference. It’sabout her likes and dislikes.

Other times, it has to do with politics andsocial maneuvering, because even though her classmates and teachers oftenunderestimate her, Brittany did not get to be one of the most popular girls inschool for nothing. She knows how to play the social power game, and she playsit well when she needs to.

Additionally, Brittany has her own personalethics—a sense of what is right and wrong, of what is fair game and what isn’t.

Her own personal experiences and evenSantana’s experiences can also figure in to how she treats people. There arecertain individuals she is sympathetic to because she knows where they’recoming from. There are also certain individuals with whom her personal historyplays into how she reacts to them.

Because the motivations for her behavior areso diverse, I think it’s best to just take them case by case, so let’s startwith the first example you mention and work out from there, okay?

More discussion after the cut.

I’ll try my best to stick to examples fromSeasons One and Two.

____________

Inepisode 1x09 “Wheels,” the New Directions hold a bake sale to raise money forArtie’s bus. Popular kids Finn, Puck, Quinn, and Santana are manning the table.Just then, Brittany saunters up, holding Becky Jackson by the hand.

“Ohmy god!” Quinn exclaims, scandalized that Brittany would willingly associatewith someone like Becky in public. Finn and Puck explain that they believeBrittany and Becky are kind of friends, though it is clear they alsodisapprove.

Brittanyand Becky approach the table, and Brittany not only helps Becky to purchase acupcake, but she also speaks kindly to her and tells her that buying cupcakesis cool.

Throughoutthe whole exchange, Santana can hardly look at Brittany and wears a sourexpression, obviously displeased that Brittany is taking such a big risk byhanging around with Becky, who, at this point, is not even a cheerleader.

Ifyou compare Brittany’s behavior in this scene to Finn, Puck, Quinn, and Santana’sbehavior, then there is no question: Brittany is far more accepting than theyare.

Whilethey’re all concerned about their respective images, Brittany is concerned withmaking Becky feel welcome, and she doesn’t seem to particularly care that hangingout with Becky is considered uncool.

Wesee a similar pattern play out in her Season One interactions with Kurt Hummel.

Brittanyis also friendly to and accepting of Kurt at a time when both other kids atWHMS and Kurt himself are struggling to understand and accept Kurt’s sexuality(see here).

While others mock Kurt, bully him, or try to push him out of the closet beforehe is ready, Brittany allows Kurt to run the show when it comes to how heidentifies, both to her and to others, including his own father (see here).

Consideringthat Brittany takes this tack at the same time when other main characters onthe show, including Finn, are being downright cruel to Kurt, she (again) lookspretty accepting by comparison.

ThatBrittany could be compassionate towards two people whom many would consider themost outcast of the outcasts at WMHS—remember, both Becky and Kurt are at timesrejected by the glee club, which is supposedly a group that takes in those whohave no other place to go—makes it tempting to say that Brittany is able to“accept everyone.”

Butas you point out in your question, that generalization isn’t actuallytrue—because while Brittany shows great acceptance for Becky and Kurt in theaforementioned instances, she also shows cruelty towards others, like Finn,Quinn, and Rachel, on numerous other occasions.

Brittanyisn’t actually nice to everyone—and, in fact, I would go as far as to say thatjust as often as she is nice, she can be equally mean.

Honestly, the only person she is pretty much universally compassionate towards throughout the show is Santana. Telling, no?

Likeyou say, Brittany has the capacity to be fairly vicious at times, as much as orsometimes even more so than Quinn and Santana.

Sowhy would she choose to be nice to Becky and Kurt, who are so far below her insocial status and who are generally considered “undesirables” by the otherpopular kids at WMHS?

In thesetwo cases, Brittany’s personal experiences seem to contribute to her ability tobe compassionate.

On asurface level, Brittany seems like someone who is fairly confident in herself.Not only does she make frequent reference to her own hotness and popularity(“You look terrible. I look awesome”), but she also seems content to do her ownthing and not pay much mind to what people think about her—and particularlywhen one compares her to Quinn and Santana, who, at least on a surfrace level, seem to maintain their public images much more fastidiously than she does.

Buthere’s the thing: Even though it seems as if Brittany doesn’t care what peoplethink about her, she actually does. The truth is that Brittany has a majorinsecurity, and that insecurity has to do with how people perceive herintelligence.

As welearn throughout the show, most people perceive Brittany as stupid, and theyhave no problem telling her so to her face. Rachel talks to Brittany in a loudvoice, over-enunciating each word, as if Brittany were a toddler. While they’redating, Artie tends to infantilize Brittany. Several times, Kurt makes his lowopinion of Brittany’s ideas known. Even Mr. Schue, who is supposed to be hisstudents’ champion and biggest advocate, meanly insinuates in front of thewhole glee club that he believes Brittany is lacking in smarts (see episode2x17 “Night of Neglect”). Sue Sylvester is even worse, frequentlybelittling Brittany’s mind both in public and in private.

—andBrittany is fully and painfully aware of these perceptions (see episode 2x19“Rumours”).

Throughout Season Oneand early Season Two, Brittany actually has fairly low self-esteem, because foras much as she is aware that she is desirable on a superficial level, she isalso aware that some of the most quintessential parts of her person are alsothe things that people most often and most vehemently reject about her.

Yes, people like the way she looks. Yes,people like that she is a cheerleader. Yes, people like her fashion sense. Yes,as a member of the Cheerios and Unholy Trinity, she wields a lot of socialpower at WMHS.

But people tend toreject her thoughts. They tell her to her face that she is an idiot. Santana isthe only one who ever seems to get her jokes. Even the people who are nice toher are often “nice” in a condescending way. They coddle her as if she were achild. She opens her mouth to say something that makes sense to her, and shegets blank stares and muttered comments disparaging her intelligence inresponse. She tries to talk about things she cares about, and people shut herdown.

Brittany knows whatit’s like to be ostracized because people think she’s somehow unequal to them.She gets that it hurts when people talk past you or devalue your thoughts andfeelings because they think those thoughts and feelings somehow don’t count.

—andthat’s where her ability to accept Becky comes in.

Brittanysees other people rejecting Becky because they think that Becky is “less than,”underestimating Becky’s capabilities and the depth of Becky’s humanity, treatingBecky’s thoughts and feelings like they don’t matter, etc., and, frankly, shedoesn’t like it.

Beckyis a person just like Brittany is a person, and neither one of them should beminimized just because people think they’re unintelligent.

Sothat’s why even when other people—and particularly the popular kids—blow Beckyoff, Brittany doesn’t and instead treats Becky like the human being that sheis. Brittany sees Becky’s humanity and knows that Becky longs to be accepted.She also knows that Becky can’t change the thing that causes others to rejecther. Her Down syndrome is part of her identity, just like Brittany’s divergentway of thinking is part of Brittany’s identity. Neither one of them can changethose parts of who they are. They shouldn’t be ostracized just because aquintessential part of their identities makes them “different.”

Thesame is very much true when it comes to Brittany’s acceptance of Kurt.

Kurtis gay, and that’s just part of who he is. He can’t change his identity, thoughGrilled Cheesus knows he tries to. He shouldn’t be made to feel less thanbecause he is gay, just like Brittany shouldn’t be made to feel less thanbecause she is bi, or Santana because she’s a lesbian. Brittany gets that, soshe can have compassion even when other members of the New Directions don’t.

While Brittany is out herself, Santana is (at this time) closeted and in deep denial about her sexual orientation, so Brittany can be sympathetic to Kurt, who struggles with the same issue.

Soall of this is to say that Brittany tends to be very accepting of people’sessential qualities, and she also tends to understand when people feel insecureabout things they can’t change about themselves. She is particularlysympathetic to people whose personal plights are similar to her own or toSantana’s. However, though she is able to accept certain people whom thepopular majority at WMHS reject, she isn’t universally accepting.

Justlike there are some people Brittany can really empathize with, there are alsosome people who Brittany flat cannot stand—and those people are often the oneswho choose to behave in ways thatBrittany finds obnoxious.

Theprime example here would be Rachel Berry.

Now.

Wedon’t know Brittany and Rachel’s history prior to Season One. It seems that theUnholy Trinity are acquainted with Rachel and bully her prior to the start ofthe show, but we don’t know for how long this scenario has been in play.

Theoretically,Brittany may have known Rachel for years—since kindergarten, even—or she mayhave only met Rachel more recently, circa the start of ninth grade, when they both matriculated at WMHS together.

In any case, it is clear that Brittany has ahistory of antagonizing Rachel that predates the start of the show by a fewmonths, at the very least.

Ofcourse, part of Brittany’s willingness to antagonize Rachel probably hassomething to do with the “pack mentality.”

BothQuinn and Santana, Brittany’s two best friends and social guides, openlydespise Rachel, and they often take jabs at Rachel when Brittany is present. Whileit is one thing for Brittany to show kindness to people towards whom Quinn andSantana for the most part ignore, like Becky and Kurt, it would be anotherthing entirely for Brittany to outright go against Quinn and Santana and showkindness to someone whom they are actively bullying.

—andespecially when you consider that Quinn and Santana aren’t the only influencesin Brittany’s life who tend to antagonize Rachel.

SueSylvester, Brittany’s cheerleading coach, has a vendetta against Racheland the glee club. Independent of the Unholy Trinity’s own personal motivationsfor bullying Rachel, Sue sometimes specifically gives them, and Brittany andSantana in particular, orders to terrorize Rachel so as to sabotage the NewDirections (see episode 1x14 “Hell-O”). That’s a very strong directive comingdown from on high, and Sue’s willingness to attack Rachel does a lot tonormalize that behavior to Brittany, as well.

However,as demonstrated above, there are times when Brittany is willing to deviate fromUnholy Trinity and Cheerio social norms—she doesn’t avoid Becky, though bothQuinn and Santana do; she actually likes glee club, though Sue only intendedfor her to be a spy there—so if Brittany is willing to bully Rachel, then thatimplies she has her own reasons for doing so, independent of wanting to pleaseQuinn, Santana, and Sue, and she isn’t just succumbing to peer pressure.

Asstated, we don’t know Brittany and Rachel’s full history together, so it isimpossible for us to say exactly how Brittany got into the habit of callingRachel names, fucking with Rachel’s mind (see here),stealing Rachel’s boyfriends, etc.

That said, from the very beginning, Racheltalks down to Brittany as if Brittany were a toddler, and, in general, Rachelhas a massive ego, which Brittany seems to find annoying. Rachel can be veryholier-than-thou and condescending, even when she is trying to be nice, and itseems that that attitude is perhaps a Brittany pet peeve.

(Morediscussion on that point in a minute.)

Itisn’t simply that Rachel is unpopular that bothers Brittany because, frankly,Brittany ignores Tina and Mercedes, who are also unpopular, throughout most ofSeasons One and Two. It’s Rachel’s attitude and actions—the way that Rachel chooses to behave—that really grindBrittany’s gears (see here).

Brittanycan’t stand Rachel’s constant grabbing for solos, the way Rachel acts betterthan people even when she’s not, Rachel’s frequent sanctimoniousness, Rachel’sincorrect assumption that her singing talent makes her superior to everyoneelse in glee club, etc., etc.

Soeven though Brittany wouldn’t be mean to Becky for having Down syndrome or Kurtfor being gay, she will be mean to Rachel for being a diva—because once someonemakes the choice to be awful, then, in Brittany’s mind, they’re fair game.

Dittofor her meanness towards Finn.

Finnis supposed to be this nice guy and the leader of the glee club, but hisactions oftentimes complicate Brittany’s life, particularly as it relates toSantana (see episodes 1x14 “Hell-O” and 1x15 “The Power of Madonna”). He can bebrash, arrogant, dismissive, and homophobic—and though he is far from thesharpest tool in the shed himself, he sometimes looks down on Brittany for whathe perceives as her unintelligence. Like Rachel, his niceness can come off ascondescending, which is, again, a party foul where Brittany is concerned.

—andall of this has to do with how Finn choosesto behave, not his quintessential identity.

Again,in Brittany’s mind, that makes Finn fair game.

Withour Rachel and Finn examples in mind, we can add another summation to ourunderstanding of Brittany’s behavior: Just as Brittany will show kindness topeople whom she believes are unfairly ostracized for benign essential parts oftheir identities, she will go after people whom she believes choose to behavein ways she finds repugnant—and especially those who have an inflated (andunjustified) sense of ego that causes them to condescend to others.

Basically,if she thinks someone is too uppity, she won’t hesitate to take them down a pegor two if she gets the chance.

So isthat what we see going on with how Brittany treats Quinn? How do we account forthe fact that Brittany once seemed to be friends with Quinn but viciouslyturned on Quinn once Quinn became pregnant with Beth?

Here’swhere Brittany’s ability to play the social game comes in.

Asdiscussed by numerous characters on the show, the halls at WMHS are a cutthroatenvironment. It’s “eat or be eaten” out there, with popular kids at the top ofthe food chain, and everyone else miserable below them. Popularity can be wonand lost based on how one dresses, what extracurricular activities one isinvolved in, the people one hangs out with and dates, and even the way onestyles their hair (see episode 1x18 “Laryngitis”).

Particularlyat the start of the show, the kids who get to the top of the social hierarchyfrequently do so by putting others down. They stand on a pile of the hapless “losers”they’ve wrecked, and the more “losers” they can wreck, the better. That’s whybullies like Puck flourish, and that’s also why it is so easy for even the mostpopular kids in school to suffer downfalls after they make the slightestmisstep.

BrittanyPierce is certainly one of the most popular girls in school, along with Quinnand Santana.

—andthat “along with Quinn and Santana” point is important.

Asdiscussed above, when compared to Quinn and Santana, Brittany looks much moreaccepting than they are.

Shealso seems more unassuming.

Whileanyone can see that Quinn and Santana are dangerous HBICs who are not to betrifled with, Brittany seems more docile by comparison. But that docility is, frankly,an illusion, because the truth of the matter is that Brittany is just as dangerousas Quinn and Santana. It’s just that her dangerousness is more difficult todetect because their dangerousness, in a way, camouflages it.

It’seasy to identify Quinn and Santana as social predators.

Just watchtheir scheming against each other in episode 2x01 “Audition,” and particularlytheir knock-down, drag-out fight during the hallway scene, and there is noquestion that they are the quintessential Mean Girls™,capable of waging the most brutal social warfare. Standing next to them,Brittany looks like an angel—and, indeed, in the aforementioned hallway scene,Brittany appears horrified to see her two best friends coming to blows againsteach other, and she quickly conveys Santana away as soon as Mr. Schue breaks upthe fight.

Within the context of the Unholy Trinity, then, it is very easy to thinkof Brittany as “the nice one.” It’s also easy, by extension, to think thatBrittany doesn’t social climb in the same way that Quinn and Santana do or thatshe isn’t as preoccupied with popularity as Quinn and Santana are.

—but,again, appearances can be deceiving, because the thing is, Brittany does socialclimb, and she is preoccupied with popularity, and, honestly, she can be everybit as ruthless and cutthroat as Quinn and Santana can be.

Sheisn’t as harmless as she seems.

Brittanyis highly aware of social rules, and the way she conducts herself proves asmuch.

Beingfriends with Becky certainly isn’t a great way to boost one’s social status,but Brittany knows that it’s something that she can get away with—both becauseof how people perceive her (“That’s just Brittany being Brittany”) and becauseof how people perceive Becky (“Well, I personally would never hang out withBecky, but Becky needs to be indulged, so I guess it’s okay that Brittanyindulges her”).

Bythe same token, Brittany would never hang out with Rachel Berry, even if shecould stand the girl, because hanging out with Rachel Berry is social suicide.There are no loopholes that would allow a popular person to make friends withsomeone as unfashionable, obnoxious, and blatantly uncool as Rachel Berry andstill maintain their own social cred.

—whichis part of why Brittany is so willing to mock Finn for his romantic interest inRachel.

He isbreaking a “set in stone” rule of popularity, and, since his behavior is out ofline, he can rightfully be punished for it.

Dittofor how Brittany treats Quinn.

As Idiscuss in thisanalysis, we really don’t know Brittany’s personal feelings toward QuinnFabray. The two girls are certainly are part of the same social unit at thestart of the show, but it is unclear whether any genuine personal affectionexists between them or if they’re more friends for the sake of socialconvenience. Do they ever hang out outside of school and cheer practice? Dothey even have a relationship independent of their individual relationshipswith Santana? Really, it is impossible to say.

Allwe know is that, to start the show, Brittany and Quinn run in the same pack,with Quinn as the leader of the Unholy Trinity and Brittany as her lackey.Along with Santana, they present a united social front, which is mutuallybeneficial to all three members of the group.

As Isay in the previously linked post,

Becauseall three members of the Unholy Trinity keep secrets that they don’t want thegeneral populace of WMHS to know, they benefit by forming an impenetrable groupwith an even more impenetrable reputation.

Whowould guess that the members of the mighty Unholy Trinity feel small or insignificantor broken or inadequate—and particularly when they project so much confidenceand crush their competition so unflinchingly?

Bybanding together, they can put down their competition. Anyone who becomes anenemy to one of them becomes an enemy to all of them, and no one can outmaneuverthem as a group. They’re basically unstoppable as long as they stick together.

Butjust because they mutually benefit from their bond doesn’t mean that said bondis stable—in fact, just the opposite.

To quote again from my previous post,

It’s fairly obvious to anyone who watches the first season ofGlee that the Unholy Trinity divides up into Brittana + Quinn as opposed tointo Quinntana + Brittany or Quitt + Santana. Not only do Brittana have thematching friendship bracelets to prove that they’re a pair, but they alsofrequently operate as a duo in the absence of Quinn, just like she frequentlyoperates solo in the absence of them…

In anamiable friendship, the fact that Quinn is the “odd friend out” might notmatter.

But theUnholy Trinity friendship is not always amiable.

Especiallywhen it comes to Quinntana, there exists a distinct adversarial dimension totheir interactions.

Quinntana’sprimary dynamic is one of social power negotiation—i.e., of Quinn and Santana“jostling” over which one of them is dominant within their social sphere.

Interestingly,Brittany is actually the variable that allows this dynamic to exist betweenthem.

On theone hand, by all rights, Quinn “should be” dominant in Quinntana’srelationship. She represents the majority power in their culture—the heterosexualWASP cheerleading captain. Not only does she enjoy majority privilege thatSantana does not, but she is actually literally on top of their social pyramid,as yearbook photos of the Cheerios well-attest.

On theother hand, Santana’s relationship with Brittany actually gives Santana someleverage over Quinn. Basically, Brittany’s loyalty to Santana makes it so Quinnis “outnumbered” within her own clique.

WhileBrittana must ostensibly follow Quinn’s orders, they do have the power to workagainst her if they want to—which is what we see in 2x01, when Brittany leaveswith Santana following Quinntana’s fight.

Beyondjust the simple matter of numbers, Santana has an advantage over Quinn becauseshe possesses the one thing that Quinn has always craved—i.e., real love—andQuinn knows it. The fact that Santana has a relatively stable relationship withBrittany causes Quinn to feel insecure.

Furthermore,beyond these interpersonal dynamics, there is also a dark unspoken truth whenit comes to Unholy Trinity friendship: namely, that, at least during the earlyseasons on the show, said friendship is only viable for as long as it issocially beneficial.

By acting as a unit, the Unholy Trinity maintains theirpreeminence in the WMHS social order, ruling the school as three queens. But thesecond one of them does something that jeopardizes their supremacy, the groupwill divide down into its aforementioned parts, with Brittana going one way andQuinn going the other.

That’swhat we see with Quinn’s pregnancy and Brittany’s treatment of Quinn whileQuinn is pregnant.

Essentially,Quinn “breached the contract” and broke the social rules.

Populargirls are supposed to be sexually active without getting pregnant. Popular girlshave to stay on the cheer squad, and if they can’t or won’t, then they must beshunned. The group will do everything in its power to keep a girl from falling,but if she causes herself to fall, then she is on her own—and, even more so, shebecomes fair game. The group attacks the individual it once protected because,at WMHS, if you’re not going up, then you’re going down, and no one wants to godown, not when the fall comes at such great personal expense.

Again,as I say in the other post,

We have to keep in mind that, during Season One, Brittany andSantana were two very insecure fifteen or sixteen year old girls. When Quinnbecame pregnant and the whole school found out about it, Quinn went from beingthe proverbial queen bee and most popular girl in school to a target for dailyslushie facials. And what’s more? Anyone who associated too closely with Quinn,even Finn the quarterback and Puck the mega popular bad boy, became targets fordaily slushie facials, as well.

Remainingfriends with Quinn would have put Brittana in danger.

And nomatter how much they personally liked Quinn, at that point in their lives,Brittany and Santana were not willing to risk their own high social positionsor endanger themselves for Quinn’s sake.

Sothat’s why we hear Brittany say cruel things about Quinn during Quinn’spregnancy (see episodes 1x06 “Vitamin D” and 1x15 “The Power of Madonna”).Brittany is playing the social game. She is distancing herself from someonethat could potentially ruin her reputation, even though that someone used to beher friend.

BecauseBrittany is Brittany, she gets some leeway when it comes to how she acts andthe people she associates with, more so than the other popular kids. The otherpopular kids think she is weird, so they let her get away with things that forother people would be social suicide. Hanging out with Becky and Kurt and other“invisibles” won’t ding her reputation too much. But hanging out with andshowing open kindness to someone like insufferable Rachel Berry or pregnant Quinn or Finn when heis dating insufferable Rachel Berry would.

—andfor as much as it might seem like Brittany is oblivious to the rat race, sheisn’t. She is highly aware of what she can get away with and what she can’t,and she works the system, especially early on the show, when she is still relativelyinsecure and doesn’t fully recognize her own self-worth.

Now.

Inall this discussion, it has become clear that even though there are “rules”that explain Brittany’s behavior towards others, there are also instances inwhich Brittany behaves hypocritically, seemingly breaking her own rules—suchas, for instance, when she dates unpopular Artie—or acting with impunity.

Andthat’s very true.

Becausethe bottom line when it comes to Brittany is that she is human, and humans canbe messy—especially as teenagers.

Yes,Brittany can be incredibly compassionate at times, and oftentimes she is wisebeyond her years. But other times she acts very much like the high schooler sheis. She can be petty and contrary and mean. She can be disloyal. She can lether biases and assumptions take control of her.

Withoutgiving away major spoilers, I think that’s one area where we see Brittany growover the course of the show: She becomes more conscious of her own motivations,and she starts to be more deliberate about how she treats others. That self-awarenessdoesn’t always translate to her being nicer, but it does make her takeownership for her behavior and for her expectations of how people interact withher in a way that we don’t necessarily see during Season One and early SeasonTwo.

Now.

Atthis point, the one example from your question I don’t think I’ve reallytouched on is that of Brittany’s willingness to falsely accuse Coach Beiste ofsexual harassment, and that’s because I think that example deserves specialdiscussion.

Makeno mistake: That action is deplorable.

Butalso make mistake: That action is not one that Brittany takes independently.

That’snot Brittany going after Coach Beiste because Brittany dislikes Coach Beiste.

Rather,that is Sue Sylvester, an adult who is in a position of extreme authority overBrittany, coercing Brittany to behave in a way that is contrary to Brittany’sown personal volition.

Atthat point in her development, Brittany is justifiably terrified of Sue Sylvester, who has the ability to make her lifehell in ways that most of the faculty members at WMHS don’t fully understand.Brittany does not have enough personal power to defy Sue without posing greatpersonal risk to herself.

Remember:Sue often threatens Brittany’s safety and is both physically and emotionallyabusive to her. While it is no secret around WMHS how Sue mistreats Brittanyand the other Cheerios, none of the other faculty members, including Mr. Schueand Principal Figgins, does anything to stop the abuse.

Sowhen Sue says that Brittany has to accuse Coach Beiste, Brittany does accuseCoach Beiste, even though she undoubtedly knows it’s not right for her to doso.

Noticethat Brittany recants her story as soon as Mr. Schue makes it safe for her todo so. Notice that she casts frightened glances at Sue even with Mr. Schuesitting by her side while she recants, indicating that she still fears what Suemight do to her in retaliation.

Whilethere are examples of Brittany being mean and vindictive to people on the show for her own reasons,this instance isn’t one of them.

So.

Tosum up everything I’ve rambled about, here are what I see as the keys tounderstanding Brittany Pierce as a character in terms of how she treats people, particularly in early seasons ofthe show:

ThoughBrittany may act like she thinks she is the best, she actually has somedeep-seated insecurities related to her intelligence, and her self-esteem is insome ways low.

She is sympathetic to individuals whose plights she can personally empathizewith—and especially to those who have things they wish they could change aboutthemselves but can’t, and especially when they are unfairly maligned for it.

She is unsympathetic to individuals who act in ways she finds personallyrepugnant, and especially to those who are condescending.

She is unsympathetic to popular individuals who break social rules though theyshould “know better” than to do so.

Her reputation for being odd allows her some social leeway to be kind tooutcasts.

However, she still is careful to play the social game when it comes to socialrule-breakers and individuals she finds repugnant.

She is capable of knowing right from wrong, but she still sometimes behavespoorly, particularly when it socially benefits to do so or when she feels she needs to do so in order to please Quinn and, even more often and more so, Santana.

Her behavior can appear idiosyncratic, especially in comparison to Quinn andSantana’s behavior, but she has her own personal reasons for acting the way shedoes. It’s just that those reasons don’t get much play in the main narrative ofthe show.

Anyway,really sorry for jabbering so much. Thanks for the question! Hope this helps.

#Crazy Brittanalyst answers #chickennuggets66

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